Peru and Switzerland sign ‘world first’ carbon offset deal under Paris Agreement
In an agreement that took two years to negotiate, Peru will get finance for sustainable development projects while Switzerland takes credit for the emissions cuts
Japan set to announce 2050 net zero emissions target – report
Prime minister Yoshihide Suga is expected to unveil plans to achieve carbon neutrality in a speech on Monday, following growing pressure on Tokyo to step up ambition
Poland’s largest utility announces pivot from coal to renewables
PGE has announced a strategy to go 100% renewable by 2050, but it depends on passing responsibility for coal mines to another Polish state-owned entity
Oxfam: Rich countries are not delivering on $100bn climate finance promise
Nearly 80% of climate finance is in the form of loans that must be repaid, adding to the debt burden of the poorest countries, anti-poverty campaigners found
China hits out at US climate record, in pointed message ahead of election
In an extraordinary diplomatic attack, Beijing suggested "troublemaker" US must answer to the international community for breaking the consensus on climate change
Ships to get free pass on emissions until 2030, under compromise proposal
Ship efficiency measures backed by a broad coalition of 14 countries will fail to reduce emissions in line with industry and Paris climate goals, campaigners warn
EU considers crackdown on methane leaks from imported oil and gas
An EU methane emissions standard would put pressure on suppliers like Russia and Algeria to stop polluting gas leaks and venting, but proposals lack detail
Brazil’s military operations are not halting deforestation in the Amazon
Jair Bolsonaro has transferred the command of anti-deforestation operations in the Amazon to the military. But the army presence is making little difference
Campaigners confront IMF chief over green recovery contradictions
Analysis shows IMF advice to countries accessing Covid-19 emergency funds fails to systematically address climate risks and implicitly endorses fossil fuel subsidies
IEA outlines how world can reach net zero emissions by 2050
To reach carbon neutrality in 2050, half of all cars globally should be electric by the end of this decade, according to modelling by the International Energy Agency
A Biden victory could spur global climate action, but the US has much to prove
If elected US president, Biden must balance domestic and international pressures to set a 2030 emissions target on a tight deadline, with a view to inspiring others
Arctic Sea Ice Has Still Not Formed in Siberia — the Latest Date on Record
For the first time since records began, the main nursery of Arctic sea ice in Siberia has yet to start freezing in late October. The delayed annual freeze in the Laptev Sea has been caused by freakishly protracted warmth in northern Russia and the intrusion of Atlantic waters, say climate scientists who warn of possible knock-on effects across the polar region.
Controversy Mounts Over Proposed LNG Export Facility on the Delaware River
A plan to build a major liquefied natural gas export facility in southern New Jersey, across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, is being met with increasing scrutiny and opposition from environmentalists and nearby communities. The $450 million project would send liquified natural gas from Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale region to ports in Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Europe.
How Small-Scale Loggers Can Help Save Africa’s Tropical Forests
Small-time loggers providing timber to local villages have long been seen as a threat to African forests. But that view is changing, as evidence mounts that these communities can be better forest protectors than the governments that are sanctioning major commercial operations.
Majority of Europe’s Species, Ecosystems in Poor Condition, Report Finds
European ecosystems and wildlife are in “serious, continuing decline” due to unsustainable farming and forestry, urban sprawl, and pollution, according to a new report from the European Environment Agency. The analysis found that 80 percent of the continent’s key habitats are in poor or bad condition, and just a quarter of species are considered to have a good conservation status. The declines come despite a decades-long, continent-wide push to preserve biodiversity.
As Pressures Mount, Poland’s Once-Mighty Coal Industry Is in Retreat
Poland’s vast coal mines powered its economic recovery following the devastation of World War II. But now the shaky economics of coal and a concerted climate push by the European Union are forcing the nation’s government to rethink its embrace of the dirtiest fossil fuel.
How a Climate Corps Could Put Youth to Work in Greening America
The Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps put thousands of young men to work in U.S. parks and forests, transforming the nation’s parks system. A new Climate Corps could provide badly-needed work for young people while providing them with training for today’s green jobs.
Fertilizer Use Driving Rapid Rise in Potent Nitrous Oxide Emissions
Emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) have surpassed projections by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), jeopardizing the goals of the Paris Agreement. In a recent study published in the journal Nature, an international team of scientists discovered that N20 emissions are increasing at a faster rate than any other type of greenhouse gas emission, mainly due to a rise in nitrogen fertilizer application for food production.
Extreme Weather Events Have Increased Significantly in the Last 20 Years
There has been a “staggering rise” in the number of extreme weather events over the past 20 years, driven largely by rising global temperatures and other climatic changes, according to a new report from the United Nations. From 2000 to 2019, there were 7,348 major natural disasters around the world, killing 1.23 million people and resulting in $2.97 trillion in global economic losses.
As Waters Warm, Ocean Heatwaves Are Growing More Severe
With oceans absorbing more than 90 percent of global warming, marine heatwaves are becoming hotter and larger and are lasting longer. Scientists say the trend has major ecological consequences, from altering fish and plant populations to forcing whales into hazardous waters.
Mining Taking Place on More Than 20 Percent of Indigenous Land in the Amazon
Mining activities — both large-scale legal concessions and smaller illegal operations — now cover more than 20 percent of Indigenous lands in the Amazon, accounting for 450,00 square kilometers, according to a new report by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Amazon Geo-Referenced Socio-Environmental Information Network.
Our Burning Planet: Why We Must Learn to Live With Fire
By suppressing all wildfires and incessantly burning fossil fuels, humans have upset the role that fire has historically played in providing ecological balance. We need to rethink our view of fire and accept its presence by changing how we manage lands and plan our communities.
With Activists Silenced, China Moves Ahead on Big Dam Project
The expected resurrection of a controversial dam project along the Yangtze River in western China is the latest sign that the nation’s once-robust environmental movement is being muzzled by the government's crackdown on NGOs and its near-total control over social media.
New Super-Enzyme Can Break Down Plastic at Rapid Pace
A super-enzyme that degrades plastic bottles six times faster than before has been created by scientists and could be used for recycling within a year or two. The super-enzyme, derived from bacteria that naturally evolved the ability to eat plastic, enables the full recycling of the bottles.
As Climate Impacts Worsen, Homeowners Struggle to Find Affordable Insurance
Insurance is getting harder for some U.S. homeowners to obtain as a result of the impacts of climate change, according to reporting from The Huffington Post and Marketplace. Many insurance companies are choosing not to renew homeowner policies in areas with increased risks of wildfires, sea level rise, or other natural disasters, or are significantly raising premiums.
As Miami Keeps Building, Rising Seas Deepen Its Social Divide
Ignoring sea level rise and intensifying flooding, Miami has continued to build luxury real estate near the water at a rapid pace. But as developers eye higher ground, communities of color will likely bear the heaviest burden from the changes wrought by climate change.
Human Activity is Increasing Severity and Frequency of Major Marine Heatwaves
Marine heatwaves have become more than 20 times more frequent over the past 40 years due to human activity and the burning of greenhouse gases, according to a new study published in the journal Science. The research is the first to analyze the anthropogenic impacts on marine heatwaves, and points to the need for ambitious climate action.
The World’s Largest Wind Turbines to Be Used for North Sea Project
The world’s largest offshore wind project — the 3.6-gigawatt Dogger Bank farm in the North Sea — announced it will be using the world's largest turbines to generate electricity for more than 4.5 million homes in the United Kingdom, Greentech Media reported. The 13-megawatt (MW) turbines, built by General Electric, stand more than 850 feet tall, five times the size of the Arc de Triomphe.
Natural Debate: Do Forests Grow Better With Our Help or Without?
Nations around the world are pledging to plant billions of trees to grow new forests. But a new study shows that the potential for natural forest regrowth to absorb carbon from the atmosphere and fight climate change is far greater than has previously been estimated.
Ecuador’s Highest Court Will Allow Communities to Vote on Mining Projects
Ecuador’s Constitutional Court has ruled that communities have the right to vote on whether to allow large and medium-sized mining projects in their areas, the industry news site Mining.com reported. The legal decision will apply only to new projects, not those already licensed.
Could New Fungi-Based Leather Replace the Real Thing?
Scientists have found that new faux-leather textiles made from fungi look, feel, and are as durable as leather made from cows or synthetic fabrics, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Sustainability. The research supports claims made by companies in Korea, Indonesia, and the United States that fungi-derived leather is a competitive, sustainable option for the clothing industry.
The U.S. Global Change Research Program extends our condolences to the family and friends of Dr. Mike Freilich, a widely respected geoscientist and former director of NASA’s Earth Science Division, and shares the loss of a longtime member of the USGCRP family.
The U.S. Global Change Research Program will be presenting at the American Geophysical Union 2019 Fall Meeting from December 9-13 in San Francisco, CA. We hope you will join us for the following talks, sessions, and activities: All Week: Visit us at Exhibit Booth #512 All times local (Pacific Standard Time) Monday [1:40 - 6:00 PM] GC13E Advancing
Dr. Anthony Janetos, a longstanding member of the USGCRP community and Director of Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, passed away on Tuesday, August 6, 2019. He was 64 years old. Dr. Janetos dedicated his career to interdisciplinary, policy-relevant global change science. Prior to the Pardee
The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) is pleased to announce the release of Volume II of the Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4) and the 2nd State of the Carbon Cycle Report (SOCCR2). NCA4 Vol II NCA4 Vol II, Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States , assesses a range of potential climate change -related impacts, with
The Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4) Vol. II remains on track for a December delivery in fulfillment of the Congressional mandate. NCA4 Vol. I, the Climate Science Special Report, is available at science2017.globalchange.gov. Final agency review and comment. Authors have been revising chapters and responding to comments submitted in the
It’s been a while since our last update, but rest assured that we’ve been hard at work on Volume II of the Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4 Vol. II) in the meantime. Here’s a brief rundown of the goings-on: Public review and comment. This winter (November 3, 2017 through January 31, 2018), the public had the chance to weigh in on the draft
On behalf of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, we are pleased to announce major milestones in the timelines of three important reports. The first of these is the Climate Science Special Report (CSSR), which represents Volume I of the Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4). The final version of CSSR is released today as a step toward
Let’s start with the big news: As of last week, first drafts of all 28 chapters and five appendices of the Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4) were submitted and are now in the hands of the editorial team at the Technical Support Unit (TSU). A huge thank you goes out to our volunteer author teams for their dedication and hard work over the
NCA4 author teams, staff, and regional collaborators have been hard at work gathering input from stakeholders across the country through regional engagement workshops, webinars, and other public events. Chapter teams have received extensive training on chapter development, scientific resources and tools, and assessment writing through a chapter leadership meeting and regular webinars with all authors. Development of full, first order chapter drafts for interagency review in June is underway and on-schedule.
Building on the success of the third, and most recent, National Climate Assessment , production of the Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4) is now underway and is expected for release in late 2018. Recent efforts are laying the foundation for a robust, inclusive assessment process that responds to information needs across the country.
The September contiguous U.S. average temperature was 65.98 degress Fahrenheit, 1.12 degress Fahrenheit above the 20th century average. The precipitation total was 2.38 inches, 0.11 inches below average.
The combined average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces for September was 0.97 degrees C (1.75 degress Fahrenheit) above the 20th century average of 15.5 degrees C (59.9 degress Fahrenheit).
The Atlantic continued its record-setting pace in September, which is the climatological peak of hurricane season. The 10 named storms that formed in September broke the previous record of eight, which happened in 2002, 2007, and 2010. Five named storms were active on September 14 alone—the first time since 1971 to have that many simultaneously. The season as a whole has produced 23 storms, which puts 2020 six storms ahead of the current record-holder, 2005, through September.
During September, the Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent (SCE) was 0.00 million square km (0.00 million square miles), 100.00% below the 1981-2010 average. The global sea ice extent was 22.69 million square km (8.76 million square miles), 8.88% below the 1981-2010 average.
According to preliminary data from NOAA's Storm Prediction Center, during September, there were 37 preliminary tornado reports. This is exactly half the 1991-2010 average of 74 tornadoes for the month of September. Of the tornadoes that did form during September, many occurred within the coastal regions of several southeastern states including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.
The North American climate continued to be dominated by a ridge along the West Coast in September 2020. This ridge was associated with the positive phase of Pacific/North American pattern (PNA). It was somewhat unusual because La Niña continued to strengthen over the equatorial Pacific, and La Niña favors negative PNA patterns. The ridge persisted the anomalously hot and dry conditions that have remained over the Southwest since mid-April and fueled the fire season there.
As of September 29th, 42.59% of the Contiguous U.S. was experiencing drought conditions, 27.37% was in severe drought, 14.63% extreme, and 1.2% exceptional.
For September, 4,332 fires (7th least since 2000) burned 3,544,031 acres (most on record), which is 818.1 acres burned/fire (most on record). For January - September, 44,161 fires (4th least since 2000) burned 7,524,840 acres (10th most on record), which is 170.4 acres burned/fire (4th most on record).
'Kills all the birds': Trump and Biden spar over climate in TV debate – video
The closing moments of the final presidential debate focused on climate change. Joe Biden stressed the need to expand sources of renewable energy while again disputing Donald Trump’s claim that he intended to ban fracking, which he does not. 'I know more about wind than you do,' Trump retorted, drawing an exasperated laugh from Biden. 'It’s extremely expensive. Kills all the birds'
Leaded petrol, acid rain, CFCs: why the green movement can overcome the climate crisis
Guardian environment correspondent Fiona Harvey discusses why the last 50 years of environmental action have shown how civil society can force governments and business to change and why that should give campaigners optimism for the future
Faced with multiplying and interlinked environmental crises in the 2020s – the climate emergency, the sixth extinction stalking the natural world, the plastic scourge in our oceans – it is easy to feel overwhelmed, Guardian environment correspondent Fiona Harvey tells Rachel Humphreys. But it’s also easy to forget that environmentalism is arguably the most successful citizens’ mass movement there has been. Working sometimes globally, at other times staying intensely local, activists have transformed the modern world in ways we now take for granted.
Campaigner Janet Alty tells Rachel about how her local campaign to ban lead in petrol became part of a much bigger movement called CLEAR – the Campaign For Lead-Free Air. Their campaign took years. But in 1983, a damning verdict from the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution prompted the UK government to decree that both petrol stations and manufacturers must offer lead-free alternatives. Leaded fuel was finally removed from the last petrol pumps in the UK in 1999.
Why there is hope that the world's coral reefs can be saved
From coral farming to 3D printing, scientists are using novel methods to save a vital part of our ecosystem
For most of us, the colourful, otherworldly marinescapes of coral reefs are as remote as the alien landscapes of the moon. We rarely, if ever, experience these underwater wonderlands for ourselves – we are, after all, air-breathing, terrestrial creatures mostly cocooned in cities. It is easy, therefore, not to notice the perilous state they’re in: we’ve lost 50% of coral reefs in the past 20 years; more than 90% are expected to die by 2050 according to a presentation at the Ocean Sciences Meeting in San Diego, California earlier this year. As the oceans heat further and turn more acidic, owing to rising carbon dioxide emissions, coral reefs are tipped to become the world’s first ecosystems to become extinct because of us.
Just because we don’t see them doesn’t mean we won’t miss them. For, as we are belatedly discovering, the nice, dry human world that we’ve made for ourselves is dependent on the planet’s natural systems and coral reefs are no exception. They protect our coastlands from erosion, they are the nurseries for the fish we eat and they harbour the plankton that produce the oxygen we breathe. Globally, coral reefs support a quarter of all marine life and the livelihoods of a billion people.
Coral reefs support a quarter of all marine life and the livelihoods of a billion people
Implanting coral is the opposite of traditional conservation and comes with risks
Dying birds and the fires: scientists work to unravel a great mystery
Nobody knows precisely how wildfire smoke affects birds’ health and migratory patterns. Now, citizen birdwatchers are stepping in
The yellow Townsend Warbler lay lifeless on the gravel ground near Grant county, New Mexico, the eyes in its yellow-striped head closed, its black feathery underbelly exposed.
Just days before, the migrating bird –weighing 10 grams, or the equivalent of two nickels – might have been as far north as Alaska. But it met an untimely demisein theAmerican south-west, with thousands of miles still to go before reaching Central America, its destination for the winter.
The power of eyes in many places is huge
They were trying to flee the smoke-filled areas but couldn’t find any food
ExxonMobil misled the public about the climate crisis. Now they're trying to silence critics | Geoffrey Supran and Naomi Oreskes
Newly leaked documents reported by Bloomberg News show that ExxonMobil’s climate dishonesty is even worse than we thought
In 2017, we published the first peer-reviewed analysis of ExxonMobil’s 40-year history of climate change communications. We found that the company and its parents, Exxon and Mobil, misled the public about climate change and its severity. Central to this conclusion was the contrast between what Exxon and ExxonMobil scientists said in internal reports and scientific articles versus what Exxon, Mobil, and ExxonMobil told the public in non-peer-reviewed publications and in “advertorials” – paid advertisements dressed up to look like opinion pieces – in The New York Times.
Newly leaked documents, reported recently by Bloomberg News, show that ExxonMobil’s climate dishonesty is even worse than we thought. While the company privately has an internal “plan for surging carbon emissions…by as much as the output of the entire nation of Greece,” according to Bloomberg, ExxonMobil executives “shield their carbon forecasts from investors.” In other words, ExxonMobil drew up plans to expand fossil fuel production, internally calculated how much this would increase their carbon dioxide emissions, then failed to disclose those estimates to investors. Indeed, the company has never publicly disclosed its emissions forecasts. In response to the Bloomberg report, ExxonMobil claimed that the leaked documents were not up-to-date, but declined to provide “any details on the new projections,” according to Bloomberg.
Geoffrey Supran is a Research Associate in the Department of the History of Science at Harvard University and co-Director of the Climate Social Science Network at Brown University
Naomi Oreskes is the Henry Charles Lea Professor of the History of Science at Harvard University, the author of Why Trust Science? and the co-author, with Erik M Conway, of Merchants of Doubt
Rewild to mitigate the climate crisis, urge leading scientists
Restoring degraded natural lands highly effective for carbon storage and avoiding species extinctions
Restoring natural landscapes damaged by human exploitation can be one of the most effective and cheapest ways to combat the climate crisis while also boosting dwindling wildlife populations, a scientific study finds.
If a third of the planet’s most degraded areas were restored, and protection was thrown around areas still in good condition, that would store carbon equating to half of all human caused greenhouse gas emissions since the industrial revolution.
The great unravelling: 'I never thought I’d live to see the horror of planetary collapse' | Joelle Gergis
It breaks my heart to watch the country I love irrevocably wounded because of the Australian government’s refusal to act on climate change
This is part of a series of essays by Australian writers responding to the challenges of 2020
If you’ve ever been around someone who is dying, it may have struck you how strong a person’s lifeforce really is. When my dad was gravely ill, an invisible point of no return was gradually crossed, then suddenly death was in plain sight. We stood back helplessly, knowing that nothing more could be done, that something vital had slipped away. All we could do is watch as life extinguished itself in agonising fits and starts.
As a climate scientist watching the most destructive bushfires in Australian history unfold, I felt the same stomach-turning recognition of witnessing an irreversible loss.
It is imperative to curb the use of fossil fuels, whatever the economic cost, writes Michael Bassey, while Christopher Tanner wonders what it will take for leaders to act
It is atmospheric carbon dioxide, liberated by burning fossil fuels, in industry, in our homes and by travel, that is the major cause of the destabilisation of global ecosystems.
At the end of July, 40% of the 4,000-year-old Milne Ice Shelf, located on the north-western edge of Ellesmere Island, calved into the sea. Canada’s last fully intact ice shelf was no more.
On the other side of the island, the most northerly in Canada, the St Patrick’s Bay ice caps completely disappeared.
Mexican scientist who helped discover dangers posed by CFCs to the ozone layer, leading to an international ban on their use
Unknown to humanity, in the later decades of the last century an environmental crisis was slowly unfolding in the upper atmosphere. The existence of the ozone layer was proved by chemists in the early 20th century, but as a scientific curiosity rather than a beneficial barrier. A thin layer between the troposphere, in which we live, and the stratosphere, the ozone layer filters out about 99% of harmful ultraviolet light from the sun before it hits the Earth. Exposure to unfiltered ultraviolet light can cause skin cancers, eye damage and weakened immune systems.
What we did not know until the mid 1970s was that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), chemicals that had come into widespread use as refrigerant gases and aerosol propellants, were reacting unseen with the ozone layer, fatally thinning the Earth’s protective cloak.
Leaflets printed on “rather grotty” blue paper. That is how Janet Alty will always remember one of the most successful environment campaigns of modern times: the movement to ban lead in petrol.
There were the leaflets she wrote to warn parents at school gates of the dangers, leaflets to persuade voters and politicians, leaflets to drown out the industry voices saying – falsely – there was nothing to worry about.
Greta Thunberg: ‘Only people like me dare ask tough questions on climate’
The activist discusses a new film that follows her life and the role autism played in her journey from troubled child to eco champion
For a teenager who first became famous for skipping school, Greta Thunberg has come a long way. The 17-year-old from Stockholm is today a global champion of the environment movement and the uncompromising scourge of climate crisis deniers. In the process, she has earned the disdain of Donald Trump and the plaudits of figures including the pope and David Attenborough. For good measure, Time made her the magazine’s Person of the Year for 2019.
It is an astonishing journey that will be brought to our screens this week with the release ofI am Greta, a 97-minute documentary that follows the activist, who has autism, on trips round the world as she raises the banners of green concern among young campaigners.
We are stuck in a loop where everyone just blames each other, and if we keep on doing that, we won’t achieve anything
Britain must nurture its scientific expertise to help save the world from climate crisis | Martin Rees
Clean energy and sustainable food supplies will be the planet’s most pressing issues over the next 30 years
“Experts” have had a raised profile during the Covid-19 pandemic, standing – albeit somewhat embarrassed – alongside Boris Johnson during his press conferences. In coping with health-related matters, scientific advice is crucial. We will also need optimally applied science in meeting other global challenges: developing affordable clean energy, feeding the world and preserving the environment.
The UK has for centuries punched above its weight in science and invention. It’s crucial to sustain our standing in a more competitive world: if we don’t get smarter, we’ll get poorer. Enough of our brightest and best must opt for science, engineering and technology, as millions do each year in east Asia.
'I don't want to be seen as a zealot': what MPs really think about the climate crisis – podcast
In return for anonymity, MPs agreed to speak candidly about climate change. The difference between what they say in private and in public is striking – and shows us how we can make climate action central to post-pandemic politics. By Rebecca Willis
How will the pandemic affect the sprint away from fossil fuels? | Daniel Yergin
The challenges of re-engineering the global economy by 2050 were already immense, even before the advent of Covid-19
In terms of energy, we are living in an “after-Paris” world. For, in the half-decade since the Paris climate agreement, its impact has only continued to grow. The idea of an energy transition to what is called “net zero carbon” by 2050, which is at the heart of the agreement, is becoming embedded in the strategies of investors and companies and in the policies of governments. There are widespread calls for large green stimuli while interest rates are low. If elected, Joe Biden’s wide-ranging climate plan would put the US on the same path as Britain and European governments.
Yet no one at that Paris conference in 2015 could have imagined that a pandemic would sweep the world in 2020 and impose an economic dark age on people across the globe. What does that mean for mapping the path towards the energy transition?
Daniel Yergin is author of The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations. He is vice-chairman of IHS Markit
Intensive farming worldwide threatens Paris climate accord, report says
Rising emissions of nitrous oxide from farming are putting world on track to exceed 2C heating
The spread of intensive farming is threatening to jeopardise the world’s chances of meeting the terms of the Paris agreement on the climate crisis, as the increasing use of artificial fertiliser and growing populations of livestock are raising the concentration of a key greenhouse gas to levels far beyond those seen naturally.
Nitrous oxide is given off by the overuse of artificial fertilisers, and by organic sources such as animal manure, and has a heating effect 300 times that of carbon dioxide. Levels of nitrous oxide in the atmosphere are 20% higher than in pre-industrial times, with most of that increase coming from farming.
Trump report touts oil and gas as 'energy security' amid US climate disasters
The document, which cost about $200,000, fails to mention either the realities of climate crisis or the downsides of the energy industry
The Trump administration’s energy department is rolling out a lengthy report touting oil and gas as “providing energy security and supporting our quality of life”, without acknowledging that fossil fuels are the main cause of the climate crisis.
Released a month before the election, the report is strikingly at odds with the realities of climate change that the American public has been coping with over the past few months, from huge wildfires to destructive derecho storms and a series of intense hurricanes.
What China's plan for net-zero emissions by 2060 means for the climate | Barbara Finamore
Though the country is a huge polluter, it leads the world in the clean technologies that could make this feasible
When I first moved to China in 1990, winter meant coal. The moment Beijing turned on the municipal heating system, our faces would become covered with soot. People stockpiled loose coal in huge piles outside their homes for heating and cooking. I could see the smokestacks of four large coal power plants and the country’s largest steel mill in the distance. China’s addiction to this most carbon-intensive of fossil fuels made the prospect of a country dedicated to fighting climate change seem fanciful.
Since the Guardian pledged a year ago to give the climate crisis even greater priority, we have published a piece of environmental journalism on average every three hours. Greenhouse gas emissions, heatwaves, wildfires, melting polar ice, floods, droughts, the annihilation of wildlife, air pollution … the problems grow more severe every year.
Of course, 2020 has been dominated by the coronavirus pandemic, but even here the correlation with environmental destruction is clear.
Six steps we are taking to confront the climate crisis
Last year, we vowed to prioritise climate journalism and cutting our own emissions. So much for promises: how are we actually doing this?
In 2019, the Guardian made a pledge in service of the planet. We declared that the escalating climate crisis was the defining issue of our lifetime, and that quality, trustworthy reporting on the environment was an important tool to confront it. We promised to provide journalism that shows leadership, urgency, authority and gives the climate emergency the sustained attention and prominence it demands.
Joe Biden is reportedly considering racially and gender-diverse candidates for his Cabinet, should he be elected. Indigenous activists and progressive environmental groups hope Biden would select an Indigenous Secretary of the Interior, which could be transformative for an agency that historically has had a fraught relationship with Native Americans. Such an appointment could also have an impact on climate policy, since Native American reservations comprise only 2 percent of the nation's land, but may hold up to one-fifth of its known natural gas and oil reserves.
Also this week, we resume our series on key Senate races that could determine the future of U.S. climate policy. Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan is caught up in a scandal over the Pebble Mine—a project that a majority of Alaskans oppose—and some experts suggest the controversy could be his undoing in the race. Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican, has tied her fortunes to President Donald Trump and his pro-fossil fuel policies and deregulatory agenda. Both Republicans have been silent about climate change, but their opponents accept the science that climate change is happening and is caused by humans.
BY: ILANA COHEN But Native American and climate activists pushing Indigenous women for the Cabinet face challenges. First among them? Winning the election.
What Germany Can Teach the US About Quitting Coal BY: DAN GEARINO
While the Trump administration has tried to revive the dying coal industry, the German government set an exit date and made a plan to help coal communities survive.
The deadly virus adds new uncertainties, while a growing body of research shows significant and enduring health risks from wildfire smoke.
By Judy Fahys
Wildfire smoke had choked the mountain valleys of western Montana for nearly two months when a team of university researchers landed in Seeley Lake in the fall of 2017. Students and faculty left their labs behind, headed to the small community and launched a study on how the relentless wildfire smoke was affecting the health of the people breathing it.
For the first time, the topic received a substantial exploration on the debate stage, including a question about environmental justice.
By Georgina Gustin
One hour and 20 minutes into Thursday night's high-stakes presidential debate, the moderator, NBC's Kristen Welker, asked President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden an unprecedented question.
How, she asked, would the candidates remedy the oil and gas industry's disproportionately harmful impacts on communities of color?
President Trump calls the transition to renewables a "pipe dream." Biden says shifting to wind and solar will address the "existential crisis" of climate change. Here's what else the candidates said about environmental issues in the final debate, which prominently featured climate change for the first time in a general election debate, including a question about environmental justice.
Looking for more substantive answers on climate change than what the presidential candidates were willing to say during Thursday night's debate? We've got you covered. Our candidate profiles take a deep look at both President Trump's and former Vice President Joe Biden's climate records and what plans they've talked about pursuing if elected in November.
The East Troublesome Fire exploded through the parched woods and valleys around Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park on Thursday, offering a grim example of how climate change is making fire seasons longer and more destructive across the West. The fire grew by more than 100,000 acres overnight into Thursday, forcing the park to close and jumping the Continental Divide.
As Americans vote in an election that will redefine national climate priorities, the biggest U.S. companies—even those with ambitious green agendas—are throwing their support behind lawmakers who routinely stall climate legislation, Bloomberg reports. The companies examined spent nearly twice as much on candidates who often obstruct climate action than on those seen as climate-friendly.
Solar stocks rose on Friday after Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said in the final pre-election debate on Thursday night that if elected he plans to transition to a more climate-friendly economy. Shares of Renesola, Jinkosolar, Canadian Solar and SunPower were up 2 to 3 percent in premarket trading Friday.
Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett again declined to weigh in on climate change or say whether she'd recuse herself from cases involving the oil industry in written responses to questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee ahead of its Thursday vote on her confirmation. The response echoed last week's confirmation hearing, when Barrest said she didn't have "firm views" on climate change.
A controversial plan to mine near the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia no longer needs a federal permit to proceed following a Trump administration rollback of waterway protections, The Hill reports. The Navigable Waters Rule, which limited the scope of which bodies of water receive protection under federal law, was finalized this year by the Trump administration and went into effect in June.
Although the November election is still weeks away, Democrats are already thinking about the makeup of the new administration they hope to see in 2021. Many climate activists have given up on getting Joe Biden to back the Green New Deal or ban fracking, but if Biden does pull off a win, some still hope to influence his climate policy through more progressive cabinet members.
That ultimate symbol of gas-guzzling excess, the Hummer, is being reborn as an all-electric truck. We look at what that says about the transition to electric vehicles. Plus, the debate over net metering for rooftop solar in Illinois remains messy after one utility weighs in. That and more in the latest Inside Clean Energy by Dan Gearino.
Just five years ago, natural gas looked to be on the verge of generational dominance. The American fracking boom had made the fuel superabundant and cheap, hastening coal's rapid decline, while wind and solar power remained relatively pricey. Today, most indications suggest that the U.S. is approaching peak gas, with demand topping out decades ahead of schedule, Bloomberg reports.
An aggressive push towards 100 percent renewable energy would save Americans as much as $321 billion in energy costs while also slashing planet-heating emissions, according to a new report. That's a savings of $2,500 per year for every U.S. household. More than 40 percent of energy emissions come from appliances in and around the home, the report says.
But Native American and climate activists pushing Indigenous women for the Cabinet face challenges. First among them? Winning the election.
By Ilana Cohen
Although the November election is still weeks away, Democrats are already thinking about the makeup of the new administration they hope to see in 2021.
The Hummer brand once stood out as a symbol of gross excess.
Arnold Schwarzenegger was a rabid fan of the vehicle, which looked like one of his movies in four-wheel form—and not one of the good movies, one that you were ashamed to admit you had seen three times.
The flagship H1 went on sale to the general public in 1992. It weighed about four tons and had fuel economy of about 10 mpg—so bad you could imagine the fumes causing birds to fall out of the sky.
Audacity was the point with Hummer, and that is still the case. This week, General Motors revealed the first vehicle in a revival of the brand, a truck that is big, powerful and, maybe most audacious, all-electric.
The new Hummer made its debut Wednesday with the release of a five-minute film, in which the environmental benefits of the EV are secondary to its raw power.
“Introducing the world’s first all-electric supertruck, the revolutionary GMC Hummer EV, with no limits, no emissions and no equals,” the film’s narrator says over the propulsive beat of a Led Zeppelin cover. “It will leave everything you thought possible in a cloud of dust.”
The vehicle is scheduled to go on sale in late 2021, with a price tag of $112,595 and a battery range of 350 miles. It is the first of what will be a line of Hummer EVs.
General Motors is positioning the Hummer as a challenger to Tesla’s Cybertruck, which also is scheduled to go on sale in late 2021.
So far, Tesla has dominated the EV market, and the company’s rivals are figuring out how to catch up, right as projections have that market soaring. For GM, a crucial part of the strategy is turning its existing strength in gasoline-powered trucks and SUVs into success in selling electric models in those categories.
Jon Krosnick, an expert in public opinion research who teaches at Stanford University, said it is remarkable that automakers are investing heavily in electric trucks, because there is little evidence that truck buyers are clamoring for electric options.
EVs, including all-electric and gas-electric hybrids, accounted for about 2 percent of new car and truck sales last year in the United States.
“I see a kind of boldness on the part for the industry to say, ‘We’re not going to wait for consumers to demand this,’” he said. “‘We’re going to create the opportunities for them before the demand is there, because it’s the right thing to do.’”
Krosnick said GM is sending a message with the Hummer that a truck “dripping with machismo” can also be electric.
Few buyers will be able to afford the new Hummer, but marketing it could be an important part of challenging the idea that EVs are small sedans driven mostly by people who live on the coasts.
Notice I’m not talking about the new Hummer as environmentally friendly. Gigantic vehicles, even electric ones, have substantial lifecycle emissions associated with the materials that go into them, and they contribute to the often-harmful perception that our cities need wide roads.
So, if you want to help the planet, don’t drive at all, or drive a smaller EV like a Nissan Leaf or Tesla Model 3. And yes, I realize that the previous sentence completely misses the point of what GM is trying to do.
Top Photo Credit: GM; Bottom Photo Credit: Gabriel Bouys/AFP via Getty Images
What’s Stopping Car Buyers from Considering EVs?
Automakers have little choice but to shift their emphasis to EVs if they want to sell products in the European Union, China and other places where emissions rules are getting much more stringent.
But we don’t yet know if U.S. car buyers will be on board for this transition.
The nonprofit Resources for the Future released a report this week with results of a survey on Americans’ attitudes about EVs. Krosnick, the Stanford researcher I talked to about the Hummer, was a co-author of the report.
The survey shows that 40 percent of respondents would consider buying an EV; 30 percent would not consider buying an EV; and the rest are either not planning to buy a vehicle or don’t know. At the same time, 65 percent of respondents have never driven an EV and don’t know anyone else who has.
Some of the key findings are about what factors play a role in the decisions of people who would not consider buying an EV.
The leading factor, the results show, is whether people think of global warming as a problem—if not, they are unlikely to consider an EV. The implication is that the market will grow as we see more tangible effects of climate change and as more people become concerned about those effects.
That’s not much of a surprise. But the next most significant factor did surprise me: People who have concerns about the possibility of batteries catching on fire are unlikely to consider an EV. EV makers don’t talk much about fire risk, so much of the information we have about fires comes from the government and news reports, and I don’t have much of a sense of how the risk compares to that of driving a gasoline vehicle.
The third factor is maintenance costs, with some buyers concerned that EVs would cost more to maintain than gasoline-powered vehicles. This looks like an unwarranted concern, based on research from Consumer Reports and others that show that EVs cost less to maintain than gasoline vehicles.
I was expecting one of the factors to be concerns about having access to charging stations. But the survey shows that those concerns do not have much of an effect on whether someone is willing to consider an EV.
The telephone survey was based on a random sample of 502 American adults.
Krosnick told me that the safety concerns are difficult for automakers to address because just talking about things like battery fires will make people worry about them.
He noted a story this week in the Wall Street Journal about growing safety concerns and a new probe into fires in the Chevrolet Bolt, an all-electric hatchback.
But one of the larger issues is that most respondents have never driven an EV or known anyone who has. This isn’t surprising considering, as I mentioned above, that the EV market share remains tiny.
“It’s like a chicken and egg problem,” Krosnick said about the small market share and how the lack of exposure to EVs makes people less likely to consider buying them.
Photo Credit: Horst Galuschka/picture alliance via Getty Images
General Electric Issues a Carbon Neutrality Plan, But Stops Short of the ‘Hard Stuff’
General Electric makes jet engines and the turbines that run fossil fuel power plants, all major sources of carbon dioxide emissions.
Considering this product mix—which also includes renewable energy equipment like wind turbines—the company had an opportunity to make a bold move when it announced a plan last week to get to carbon neutrality by 2030.
But the pledge only includes emissions at GE factories and offices, which are a small fraction of the emissions that GE is responsible for through the use of its products.
I can spot a weak corporate emissions plan because I’ve seen so many stronger ones, including those of tech companies like Apple and Google, and industrial businesses like ArcelorMittal.
GE’s plan has some goals for reducing emissions from the use of its products, like making jet engines and natural gas turbines that are more efficient, and exploring the possibility of generating electricity from burning hydrogen.
But the totality of the company’s efforts are not nearly ambitious enough, said Han Chen, an energy policy program manager for the Natural Resources Defense Council.
“I would just call it a very small step in the right direction,” she said. “In my mind, it’s kind of like telling everybody you’re becoming a vegetarian by only not eating shrimp.”
She said GE’s plan is an example of how the public needs to avoid being swayed by commitments that sound good, and instead look closely at the specific steps a company is taking and how it will measure the results.
GE “is going to need to be pushed,” she said. “It’s not like they’re going to proactively do the hard stuff.”
Meanwhile, GE Chairman Larry Culp described the plan as a major step forward.
“GE, as it has through its history, is investing in the technologies that will shape the future,” he said in an essay posted on LinkedIn. “Building a world that works is our purpose and addressing climate change is fundamental to fulfilling this purpose for our customers, employees and communities.”
Photo Credit: Sebastien Bozon/AFP via Getty Images
Utility Responds to Solar Installers’ Concern in Illinois, But Situation Remains Messy
I wrote last week about how the utility Ameren was reducing the credits it pays to new rooftop solar customers in Illinois, leading to an outcry from the solar industry.
Soon after that story was posted, there was a significant development: Ameren asked for permission to pause the rate cut from regulators figuring out how to settle a dispute about whether it was proper in the first place.
“As the net metering issue is under review, we want to reassure our new rooftop solar customers that they will receive the benefits allowed,” said Richard J. Mark, chairman and president of Ameren Illinois, in a statement.
But the rate cut will remain in effect until regulators have a chance to rule on the latest request, which could be weeks.
This is part of a larger debate about net metering for rooftop solar in which customers receive credits for excess electricity they generate that flows back to the grid. Ameren had been paying the full retail rate for that electricity, but it said on Oct. 2 that it was now reducing the rate, which the company says is in line with the requirements of a 2017 law.
Utilities are often wary of paying the full retail price for rooftop solar. But the situation in Illinois is unusually complicated, with several pending cases before regulators and wildly divergent views of what’s really happening.
I spoke with some Ameren officials this week to answer some of my nagging questions, such as how the reduced credits compare to the full retail price that the company previously paid to rooftop solar customers. The answer is that the credits would be roughly half of the full price for most customers. This applies to excess electricity that goes back to the grid, which is often a small share of the financial benefits of rooftop solar.
Solar installers remain frustrated because they don’t know what the policy will be in the long term, which they say is making it difficult to sell new systems.
I’ll keep following this and let you know what happens.
Inside Clean Energy is ICN’s weekly bulletin of news and analysis about the energy transition. Send news tips and questions to dan.gearino@insideclimatenews.org.
A Portland-based company wants to repurpose old coal-fired power plants to harbor small nuclear reactors, where instead of burning dirty coal, they'd produce carbon-free energy. Federal regulators OK'd designs for 12 reactors to be built in Idaho, but critics worry the project is unsafe and won't be built in time to stave off the effects of climate change.
House Democrats have proposed a new bill that they hope will reduce carbon emissions while expanding renewable energy. The Ocean Based Climate Solutions Act directs the Department of the Interior to increase permits for offshore wind projects, reaffirms a pledge to conserve 30 percent of oceans by 2030 and pushes an already House-approved ban on offshore drilling along both coasts.
New polling indicates Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's climate plan is doing well with voters even as they are split on their support for fracking. Results from a Tuesday survey conducted by The New York Times and Sienna College found that 66 percent of voters said they support Biden's $2 trillion climate plan.
Automakers are gearing up for tough new vehicle emissions rules and policies favoring electric vehicles if Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden wins the White House, Reuters reports. If elected, Biden is expected to reinstate the legal basis for California's zero-emission vehicle rules and reverse the Trump administration's move to ease fuel efficiency and carbon emission requirements through 2025.
The United States is home to 95 million cattle, responsible for nearly 2 percent of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions, including the incredibly potent climate pollutant methane, The New York Times reports. As researchers from within and outside the industry search for ways to reduce those emissions, they're turning to what the cows eat—and excrete.
European Union agriculture ministers agreed on Wednesday to set aside part of the bloc's massive farming policy budget for programmes that protect the environment, Reuters reports. The EU is nearing the end of a two-year struggle to overhaul its agriculture policy, an attempt to align it with the bloc's climate change commitments, while supporting farmers' livelihoods.
Regulators have approved designs for 12 small reactors to be built in Idaho, but opponents say the project is dangerous and too late to fight climate change.
By Jonathan Moens
Many of the remaining coal-fired power plants in the United States are getting ready for retirement. They're old, costly to build and in dwindling demand, as the domestic market for coal has declined.
But a Portland-based company has a plan to repurpose closed coal plants—large sources of carbon dioxide emissions when they were operating—to generate carbon-free energy in the form of nuclear power.
Public Radio: ICN Journalists Explain Senate Races
Public Radio: ICN Journalists Explain Senate RacesListen to new public radio interviews with our journalists about what’s at stake for climate in key Senate races.
You’re used to reading the work of our journalists, but now you can hear their voices. Over three consecutive weeks, they brought their expert political climate coverage to public radio’s award-winning environmental news magazine, Living on Earth, broadcast on 250 stations nationwide.
Here’s how to listen in:
Southern States
James Bruggers explains the races in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, and Kentucky.
Two Harvard researchers published an article three years ago saying Exxon had misled the public on climate science. Now the company is trying to discredit their work, in the same journal that published it, but its efforts could backfire.
The Cameron Peak fire has become the biggest in Colorado history, burning over 200,000 acres near Fort Collins. This is the second fire in 2020 to hold the title—the Pine Gulch fire near Grand Junction was the state's largest, at 139,000 acres, for only seven weeks. Wildfire experts say that 2020 has made it clear that climate change has arrived in the West.
Climate change may not be a top priority for Mississippi voters, despite it taking a toll on the state. Still, a Senate race in Mississippi pits a fossil fuels advocate against a candidate who recognizes global warming threats. This is the latest in our series on key Senate races that could determine the future of U.S. climate policy.
A district judge has invalidated plans created under William Perry Pendley's leadership that would manage resources for hundreds of thousands of acres of federally owned wildlands. It's the latest court decision to rule against the controversial figure.
During a rally in Arizona, Trump bragged about his ability to fundraise by describing a hypothetical call with ExxonMobil's CEO involving a $25 million campaign donation. The oil producer has denied that such a call ever took place.
While high temperatures are usually associated with urban locales, North Carolina state health officials believe people in rural areas are at risk of heat illnesses. Farmworkers, non-citizens and people living in mobile homes face the biggest threat.
