Cool Earth
We evolved on a Cool Earth...
in every sense of that phrase.
in every sense of that phrase.
'Quick fixes' to the climate crisis risk harming nature
"Climate fails" include misguided tree planting and large-scale bioenergy crops, say scientists.
10 June 2021, 4:46pm
© {Copyright: (C) British Broadcasting Corporation, see http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/help/rss/4498287.stm for terms and conditions of reuse.}
UK warned it is unprepared for climate chaos - BBC News
Weatherwatch: how the humble salp is helping to fight the climate crisis - The Guardian
Weatherwatch: how the humble salp is helping to fight the climate crisis The Guardian
17 June 2021, 6:00am
Biden's climate agenda bogged down in divided Congress - Financial Times
Biden's climate agenda bogged down in divided Congress Financial Times
17 June 2021, 12:26pm
COP26 President speech at UN Climate Change Conference - GOV.UK
COP26 President speech at UN Climate Change Conference GOV.UK
17 June 2021, 3:05pm
UK's National Infrastructure Bank launches, with tackling climate change as key objective - edie.net
UK's National Infrastructure Bank launches, with tackling climate change as key objective edie.net
17 June 2021, 10:00am
Climate Change Batters the West Before Summer Even Begins - The New York Times
Climate Change Batters the West Before Summer Even Begins The New York Times
17 June 2021, 8:00am
Climate crisis to hit Europe’s coffee and chocolate supplies - The Guardian
Climate crisis to hit Europe’s coffee and chocolate supplies The Guardian
15 June 2021, 5:09pm
Five designers planting trees to highlight climate change - Dezeen
Five designers planting trees to highlight climate change Dezeen
17 June 2021, 11:30am
BlackRock partners with Baringa to boost climate change analytics technology - Investment Week
BlackRock partners with Baringa to boost climate change analytics technology Investment Week
17 June 2021, 1:16pm
To Tackle Climate Change, Corporate Culture Will Need an Overhaul - Bloomberg
To Tackle Climate Change, Corporate Culture Will Need an Overhaul Bloomberg
17 June 2021, 11:10am
Refugees and locals in Mauritania exchange strategies for adapting to climate change - Mauritania - ReliefWeb
Refugees and locals in Mauritania exchange strategies for adapting to climate change - Mauritania ReliefWeb
17 June 2021, 9:52am
MHCLG official: 'no coherent strategy' on local climate change action - Local Government Chronicle
MHCLG official: 'no coherent strategy' on local climate change action Local Government Chronicle
17 June 2021, 12:04pm
Search launched for tech innovators to help curb climate change through land use - The Scotsman
Search launched for tech innovators to help curb climate change through land use The Scotsman
17 June 2021, 5:01am
Nine ways climate change is going to drastically alter life in Wales - Wales Online
Nine ways climate change is going to drastically alter life in Wales Wales Online
16 June 2021, 9:30pm
Nato and climate change: How big is the problem? - BBC News
Nato and climate change: How big is the problem? BBC News
15 June 2021, 12:32am
Climate activists take Norway to human rights court over Arctic oil plans - The Guardian
Climate activists take Norway to human rights court over Arctic oil plans The Guardian
17 June 2021, 4:20am
Climate Change in Southern Africa - June 2021 - World - ReliefWeb
Climate Change in Southern Africa - June 2021 - World ReliefWeb
17 June 2021, 11:24am
Majority of Delta shareholders vote for disclosure of climate lobbying efforts - Reuters
Majority of Delta shareholders vote for disclosure of climate lobbying efforts Reuters
17 June 2021, 3:25pm
Dáil passes Climate Action Bill - RTE.ie
Dáil passes Climate Action Bill RTE.ie
16 June 2021, 2:30pm
Council to focus on economic recovery and climate change - Crowborough Life
Council to focus on economic recovery and climate change Crowborough Life
17 June 2021, 9:53am
© {2021 Google Inc.}
The key to reaching Biden’s new climate goal: An enforceable clean electricity standard that slashes pollution
At the Leaders Summit on Climate in April, President Biden pledged to go all-in to beat the climate crisis, setting an ambitious and credible target to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030. Now the administration and federal law makers must roll up their sleeves and work to achieve this target. The […]
10 June 2021, 9:08pm
Western Climate Initiative recovering from COVID-19, and the new climate kid in town
The results of the latest Western Climate Initiative cap-and-trade auction were released today and all current and future allowances sold. This generates substantial revenue for California’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund but could also indicate that greenhouse gas emissions are rebounding as the economy recovers from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Auction quick takes: All […]
27 May 2021, 9:17pm
Governor Inslee is leading the race against climate change. Other governors should keep up.
This post was co-authored by Katelyn Roedner Sutter, Senior Manager, U.S. Climate at EDF Washington state just officially became the country’s frontrunner on climate action. On Monday, Governor Inslee signed a landmark cap-and-invest bill, called the Climate Commitment Act, which sets the most ambitious limit on climate pollution of any state in the nation. The […]
18 May 2021, 8:28pm
Pennsylvania just reached a critical milestone on the path to a clean energy future
This week, Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) released its final rule to link the state with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) to reduce carbon pollution from the state’s power plants starting in 2022. This is a momentous step, not only for Pennsylvania, but for the country’s fight against climate change: The Keystone state […]
17 May 2021, 1:05pm
Connecticut can take the lead on creating a cleaner transportation system that cuts climate pollution
Connecticut is poised to lead the way on creating a cleaner and healthier transportation system – if legislators seize the moment to act. This past March, Connecticut Governor Lamont and 11 co-sponsors in the legislature introduced Senate Bill 884, which would give Connecticut the greenlight to implement a major multi-state program aimed at reducing climate […]
10 May 2021, 1:51pm
Climate action is a top priority in the 21st Century Latino Agenda
By: Sindy Benavides, CEO of LULAC, and Esther Sosa, Project Manager at EDF In the United States, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed inequities in nearly every aspect of life, illustrating the frustrating reality that today, national crises affect everyone but do not impact everyone equally. Similarly, climate change poses a more devastating threat to Latino families. Threats […]
3 May 2021, 5:14pm
UN chief: Desertification and drought destabilizing well-being of 3.2 billion people
Land degradation from climate change and the expansion of agriculture, cities and infrastructure “undermines the well-being of 3.2 billion people”, the UN chief said on Wednesday in his message for World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.
16 June 2021, 5:13pm
UN-backed report finds no G7-based stock exchange indices align with Paris climate goals
New research co-authored by the UN Global Compact revealed on Thursday that none of the G7 leading industrial nations’ main stock indices are aligned with global emissions targets set out in the Paris Agreement, thwarting efforts to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
10 June 2021, 10:09pm
First Person: Owner of first ‘vegan football club’ scoring sustainable goals
A football club in the west of England has been recognized by the United Nations for its leading role in setting goals to tackle climate change, from planning a low-carbon stadium, to selling only 100 per cent vegan food. Ahead of the kick-off of the delayed Euro 2020 football competition, owner and chairman, Dale Vince, told UN News that the club aims to be a beacon of sustainability in the sporting world
10 June 2021, 5:30am
Still time to reverse damage to ‘ravaged’ ecosystems, declares UN chief, marking World Environment Day
Amidst the triple environmental threat of biodiversity loss, climate disruption and escalating pollution, Secretary-General António Guterres launched “an unprecedented effort to heal the Earth”, on the eve of World Environment Day.
4 June 2021, 4:34pm
Invasive pest spread another fallout from climate change, UN-backed study finds
Climate change is making pests which ravage important agricultural crops even more destructive, heightening threats to global food security and the environment, a UN-backed study published on Wednesday has found.
2 June 2021, 8:56pm
UN chief calls for a global partnership to address COVID, climate change and achieve SDG’s
Speaking in a key international partnerships summit, António Guterres said that if governments embrace together the goals of phasing out coal, enhancing climate commitments, and investing in the Global Goals, there is an opportunity to rise to 'the biggest challenge of our lives'.
30 May 2021, 10:20am
Boost investments in nature to combat climate, biodiversity and land degradation crises
Annual investments in nature-based solutions will have to triple by 2030, and increase four-fold by 2050, if the world is to successfully tackle the triple threat of climate, biodiversity and land degradation crises, according to a new UN-backed study published on Thursday.
27 May 2021, 8:48pm
Everyone will lose unless humanity makes ‘peace with the planet’, declares Guterres
Humanity is “waging a war on nature”, threatening biodiversity loss, climate disruption and escalating pollution, the UN chief said on Friday.
21 May 2021, 5:59pm
Cut methane emissions to avert global temperature rise, UN-backed study urges
Methane emissions caused by human activity can be reduced by up to 45 per cent this decade, thus helping to keep global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius in line with the Paris Agreement on climate change, according to a UN-backed report published on Thursday.
6 May 2021, 6:23pm
© {Copyright © 2021 United Nations}
Hotter summers and wetter winters will bring new challenges and opportunities. The UK Climate Resilience programme, a collaboration between UKRI and the Met Office, brings a wide range of researchers to help in this effort.
Collaboration to beat climate change
With climate change having a huge impact on the decisions and policies we make, collaboration is key – and at the forefront is the NERC and Met Office collaborative Joint Weather and Climate Research Programme.
Scientists are currently marooned onboard the icebreaker RV Polarstern due to the COVID-19 lockdown; we hear first hand how they are coping, what life is like on the ship, and what ongoing experiments can reveal about climate change in this fascinating region.
The Southern Ocean is one of the hardest places on Earth to carry out scientific research – but there is a growing realisation that in the era of climate change, we need to understand it better.
From rising sea level impact on coastal ecosystems to exciting new ways to reduce greenhouse emissions, marine scientist Dr Judith Wolf describes her research into the effect of climate change on the world’s oceans.
Soils are critical to the health of our planet and essential for human, animal and plant life – but are at risk from changes in climate and land use.
The Arctic is beautiful and awe-inspiring. It is also a vital element of the Earth's climate system, helping to regulate global temperatures.
Welcome to Carbon Brief’s China weekly digest. We handpick and explain the most important climate and...
The post China Briefing, 17 June 2021: Overseas coal projects; Nuclear ‘leak’ report; Sustainable food production appeared first on Carbon Brief.
CCC: Adaptation to climate risks ‘underfunded and ignored’ by UK government
Efforts to manage climate risks in the UK have been “underfunded and ignored” leaving the...
The post CCC: Adaptation to climate risks ‘underfunded and ignored’ by UK government appeared first on Carbon Brief.
Welcome to Carbon Brief’s China weekly digest. We handpick and explain the most important climate and...
The post China Briefing, 10 June 2021: Energy ‘pre-warning’ system; Chinese banks ‘fund’ deforestation; Coal price cap appeared first on Carbon Brief.
Guest post: G7 climate laws ‘cut emissions by 1.3bn tonnes in 2019’
Climate laws implemented by the G7 group of major economies cut their collective carbon dioxide...
The post Guest post: G7 climate laws ‘cut emissions by 1.3bn tonnes in 2019’ appeared first on Carbon Brief.
Welcome to Carbon Brief’s China weekly digest. We handpick and explain the most important climate and...
The post China Briefing, 3 June 2021: New climate ‘leaders group’; ‘Record-breaking’ electricity consumption; ‘Artificial sun’ appeared first on Carbon Brief.
Weatherwatch: how the humble salp is helping to fight the climate crisis
The gelatinous creature sucks up organisms that absorb CO2 and leaves droppings rich in carbon at the bottom of the sea
Salps are jelly-like sea creatures, so humble that few people even know they exist. But there are countless numbers of them swimming in the world’s oceans and they help fight climate change.
Salps cruise around the sea surface at night, sucking up and digesting phytoplankton, microscopic plant-like organisms that absorb CO2 for their photosynthesis. During the day, the salps sink deeper in the sea, possibly to avoid predators, and squirt out unusually heavy droppings rich in carbon left over from their phytoplankton meals. The pellets sink rapidly, up to 1,000 metres deep in a day, and faster than the pellets of most other sea creatures. And when the salp dies, its body also sinks rapidly, sending even more carbon to the ocean depths.
Continue reading...‘The next pandemic’: drought is a hidden global crisis, UN says
Countries urged to take urgent action on managing water and land and tackling the climate emergency
Drought is a hidden global crisis that risks becoming “the next pandemic” if countries do not take urgent action on water and land management and tackling the climate emergency, the UN has said.
At least 1.5 billion people have been directly affected by drought this century, and the economic cost over roughly that time has been estimated at $124bn (£89bn). The true cost is likely to be many times higher because such estimates do not include much of the impact in developing countries, according to a report published on Thursday.
Continue reading...Nationals send warning to Scott Morrison on net zero emissions target
Keith Pitt, a Queensland National who sits in the cabinet, says such a climate commitment by 2050 would ‘absolutely cause damage’ in regional areas
The resources minister, Keith Pitt, has fired a warning shot at Scott Morrison, declaring he cannot adopt a policy of net zero emissions by 2050 without the backing of the Nationals.
Morrison has been trying to telegraph a pivot on climate policy since the election of Joe Biden as the US president, signalling Australia wants to achieve net zero as soon as possible and “preferably” by 2050.
Related: Federal Labor’s Madeleine King defends gas as ‘critical’ to Australia’s needs
Continue reading...Martin Rowson on the Climate Change Committee’s criticism of the UK government – cartoon
Continue reading...
16 June 2021, 8:00pm
How Women Can Save the Planet by Anne Karpf review – clear and invigorating
From water pilgrims to climate refugees, those who are suffering most from the climate crisis have done the least to cause it, argues this strong and inspiring analysis
The language around the climate crisis, the journalist Anne Karpf writes in How Women Can Save the Planet, can conceal as much as it reveals. Take “natural disaster”. There is nothing “natural” about the disasters that have struck our planet owing to global heating. They are not freak accidents, Karpf says, but rather the culmination of long-term environmental degradation caused by human activity. Then again, consider “human activity”. The slipperiness of language emerges once more. When speaking about the crisis, campaigners in the west commonly invoke a universal “we”, setting up an abstract notion of “humanity” harming a vulnerable planet. David Attenborough famously warned last year: “We’ve not just ruined the planet, we’ve destroyed it.”
But what happens if we dig further to discover the fissures within this “we”? To acknowledge, for example, that the world’s richer nation states are responsible for 86% of global CO2 emissions (compared to 14% for the poorer half) or that the average Briton emits more carbon in two weeks than a citizen of Uganda, Malawi, or Somalia does in a year. Besides, consider any number of leading governmental organisations addressing the climate emergency – those representatives of the supposedly undivided “we” – and the illusion of universalism dissipates fast. The UK’s initial senior delegation for the Cop26 UN climate change conference was composed entirely of men.
Continue reading...‘Dead in the water’: key crossbenchers reject Coalition demand to back new environment standards
Environment minister Sussan Ley stares down Senate on conservation laws and says damage by Kosciuszko feral horses makes her ‘extremely angry’
The Morrison government is attempting to stare down the Senate over changes to conservation laws, warning the wording of controversial new environment standards before parliament is “not negotiable” and will not be strengthened.
The push was immediately rejected by two key crossbench senators, with one declaring the legislation to change the laws – which all parties agree are failing – was “dead in the water” unless the standards were strengthened.
Related: The disaster movie playing in Australia's wild places – and solutions that could help hit pause
Related: Wealthy countries’ climate shift leaves Australia isolated from closest allies
Continue reading...Sweltering Texans urged to reduce cooking and cleaning to ease grid strain
Officials advise to avoid using large appliances such as ovens and washing machines, amid soaring summer temperatures
As temperatures rise to unseasonably warm levels across Texas this week, its citizens are being asked to use less energy on basics like cooking and washing clothes to ease strain on the state’s power grid that is struggling to generate enough electricity to cope with the high temperatures.
The move triggers memories for many Texans of the cold snap in the winter that incapacitated much of the state’s power infrastructure and raises fears that Texas – and other US states – are not prepared to deal with the extreme weather events that come with the global climate crisis.
Related: Texas freeze casts renewable energy as next battle line in US culture wars
Continue reading...Is the most noble and beloved of sandwich spreads in trouble?! Yes! Its main (only?) ingredient the dinky-di Aussie peanut is doomed! (Sort of)
Poorer households in UK should get free heat pumps, say experts
Help is needed to replace gas boilers with low-carbon alternatives, warn builders, energy firms and charities
Households on low incomes should be supplied with free heat pumps in order to kickstart the market for low-carbon heating equipment and meet the UK’s climate targets, experts have told the government.
Heat pumps can currently cost thousands of pounds to install, but the more that are installed, the faster that cost is likely to come down. They are widely regarded as the best way to replace the UK’s gas boilers and reduce carbon dioxide emissions from homes.
Continue reading...UK failing to protect against climate dangers, advisers warn
It is ‘absolutely illogical’ not to tackle the risks of heatwaves and power blackouts, says Climate Change Committee
The UK government is failing to protect people from the fast-rising risks of the climate crisis, from deadly heatwaves to power blackouts, its official climate advisers have warned.
The climate change committee said action to improve the nation’s resilience is not keeping pace with the impacts of global heating, many of which are already causing harm. The CCC’s experts said they were frustrated by the “absolutely illogical” lack of sufficient action on adaptation, particularly as acting is up to 10 times more cost-effective than not doing so.
Related: Climate crisis to put millions of British homes at risk of subsiding
Related: Sales of peat compost to gardeners to be banned from 2024
Continue reading...How to win over those who will lose most from a global carbon tax
Those who bear a disproportionate share of a carbon tax will mobilise against it … unless they are given reason not to
In his classic book, The Logic of Collective Action, the late great Mancur Olson explained that the hardest policies to implement are those with diffuse benefits and concentrated costs. Olson’s argument was straightforward: individuals bearing the costs will vigorously oppose the policy, while the beneficiaries will free ride, preferring that someone else take up the cudgels.
Olson’s insight applies to the single most pressing policy challenge facing humanity today, namely the climate crisis. The starting point for addressing it, economists agree, is a tax on carbon. The resulting reduction in emissions would deliver benefits to virtually everyone on the planet. But specific segments of society – Olson’s concentrated interests – will bear a disproportionate share of the costs and mobilise in opposition.
Related: Covid-19 and the climate crisis are part of the same battle | Jeffrey Frankel
Continue reading...While Australia sticks to accounting tricks, calls by other countries are growing to impose a carbon price on our exports
Who would have thought that Scott Morrison would be the one to reintroduce a carbon tax? And who would have thought it possible to design a carbon tax on Australian polluters that delivered revenue to the treasuries of other countries? Welcome to the topsy-turvy world of “border tax adjustments” in which other countries get to decide the amount of tax that Australian polluters pay, and the way in which they will pay it.
For decades, the Australian climate debate has circled pointlessly around the hypothetical question of what would happen to Australian exporters if Australia were the first country to take climate action seriously. We might as well debate the consequences of Australia being the first country to roll out the internet.
Related: Wealthy countries’ climate shift leaves Australia isolated from closest allies
Related: Australia's lack of effort on climate change is going to cost us | Bill Hare
Continue reading...Keith Pitt urges oil and gas producers to fight back against groups such as Greenpeace by quantifying the sector’s contribution to the economy
Australia’s resources minister, Keith Pitt, is urging oil and gas producers to turn the “spotlight” on environmental groups campaigning against an expansion of the fossil fuel industry on climate change grounds.
Pitt will use a speech to the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association conference in Perth on Wednesday to rail against “activism” that “ignores the fact that resources development in Australia is carried out safely and responsibly and that Australia’s economy was built off the back of the resources sector”.
Related: Australia urged to drop coal and gas plans after global energy agency’s warning
Related: Scott Morrison’s claim Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions are falling does ‘not stack up’
Continue reading...Climate crisis to hit Europe’s coffee and chocolate supplies
Increasing droughts in producer nations will also make palm oil and soya imports highly vulnerable, study finds
Coffee and chocolate supplies in Europe soon could be disrupted by the climate crisis as droughts hit producer countries, according to a study.
The research also found a high vulnerability for palm oil imports, used in many foods and domestic products, and soybeans, which are the main feed for chickens and pigs in the European Union.
Continue reading...The UK’s obsession with trade deals means disaster for the environment | Nick Dearden
From food standards to fossil fuel exports, Britain’s agreement with Australia could stop us dealing with the climate crisis
Over the weekend, Boris Johnson told the world we need to “create a healthy planet for our children and grandchildren”. Today he launches a trade deal which is not simply as inadequate as the pledges made by Johnson and other leaders at the G7, but is more worryingly moving us rapidly in the wrong direction.
The trade rules contained in the UK-Australia deal will be a disaster for the environment. On the one hand, it will certainly increase carbon emissions if we replace food from Britain, or our near neighbours, with food from a country on the opposite side of the world.
Related: This G7 reflects our G-zero world, ruled by self-interest instead of global ambition | Tom Kibasi
Nick Dearden is director of Global Justice Now (formerly World Development Movement)
Continue reading...© {Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2021}