Op-Ed: On the climate crisis, delay has become the new form of denial
3 years, 1 month ago

Op-Ed: On the climate crisis, delay has become the new form of denial

LA Times  

Whether it’s the apocalyptic wildfires that once again ravaged California and the West this summer, a heat dome over the Pacific Northwest that made parts of Canada feel like Phoenix on the Fourth of July or the devastating floods in my state of Pennsylvania after Hurricane Ida dumped months’ worth of rainfall in a few hours, it is clear that dangerous climate change is upon us. When fossil fuel-friendly Republican Sen. Marco Rubio tells Floridians that they must simply “adapt” to sea level rise, he’s trying to sound as if he’s got a meaningful solution when, in fact, he’s offering only empty rhetoric and a license for polluters to continue with business as usual. There’s a reason Rex Tillerson, former ExxonMobil CEO and Donald Trump’s secretary of State, has dismissed the climate crisis as simply an “engineering problem.” If we can simply clean up our act down the road, why not continue to burn fossil fuels? Even countries that have made bold commitments are still suffering from an “implementation gap” that must be closed, a disconnect between what they’ve promised and what they’re currently delivering.

Climate Change Climate Emissions Delay Carbon Net Zero Fossil Fossil Fuels Carbon Pollution Net Zero Emissions  change  climate  carbon  denial  fossil  continue  warming  emissions  oped  crisis  net  form  delay  zero

History of this topic

Biden, on his way out, sets ‘ambitious’ climate goal: Cut US greenhouse gas emissions by over 60%
4 days, 14 hours ago

Biden, on his way out, sets ‘ambitious’ climate goal: Cut US greenhouse gas emissions by over 60%

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is pledging to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by more than 60% by 2035 as he fights to ensure his legacy on slowing global warming, even as President-elect Donald Trump vows to undo much of Biden’s climate work when he takes office next month. “And I believe that with this new 2035 target as their …

Climate myopia: This year’s CoP was a big disappointment but small surprise
2 weeks, 4 days ago

Climate myopia: This year’s CoP was a big disappointment but small surprise

Live Mint  

The 29th Conference of the Parties to Climate Change came to an end on 24 November 2024 with deep disappointment on the outcomes—not just on finance, but on most other aspects of the agenda. With grossly inadequate mitigation of the crisis, the climate finance that developing countries can legitimately asl for will increase exponentially, leading to continued disappointment from a …

The Fossil Fuels Conversation Needs a Hard Reset
3 weeks, 6 days ago

The Fossil Fuels Conversation Needs a Hard Reset

Wired  

In 2025, we will see a fundamental transformation in the language of climate politics. We’re going to hear a lot less about “reducing emissions” from scientists and policymakers and a lot more about “phasing out fossil fuels” or “ending coal, oil, and methane gas.” This is a good thing. The 28th Conference of the Parties—the annual conference of the world’s …

CoP-29: Prospects of a climate breakthrough look extremely bleak
1 month, 1 week ago

CoP-29: Prospects of a climate breakthrough look extremely bleak

Live Mint  

Has there ever been a grimmer backdrop to the world’s most concerted attempt to avert global warming? We’ve only got 7 years left of current-rate pollution to retain an even chance of keeping global warming below 1.5° Celsius. The main reason Kyoto failed to rein in global emissions was that it didn’t cover emerging nations, something remedied in the 2015 …

A shadow ‘financial crisis’ has cost the world $2 trillion
1 month, 2 weeks ago

A shadow ‘financial crisis’ has cost the world $2 trillion

CNN  

CNN — Last month, two major storms, Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, caused a total of between $51.5 billion and $81.5 billion of property damage, mostly to Southeastern US states, according to estimates from CoreLogic. The report from the International Chamber of Commerce, which comes as the United Nations Climate Change Conference begins in Azerbaijan this week, estimated that the …

The world is “miles short” of its target to limit climate change, UN reports
1 month, 3 weeks ago

The world is “miles short” of its target to limit climate change, UN reports

Salon  

For the world to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, the 200 countries who signed the Paris climate agreement must hit a target of 43% reduction by 2030. Yet according to a recent report by the United Nations agency tasked with tackling global warming, the planet is currently on track to just hit a measly 2.6% reduction in carbon emissions. …

Global warming will be TWICE as bad as predicted: Earth is on track for 'catastrophic' 3.1°C of warming this century, the UN warns
1 month, 4 weeks ago

Global warming will be TWICE as bad as predicted: Earth is on track for 'catastrophic' 3.1°C of warming this century, the UN warns

Daily Mail  

The world is on track for a 'catastrophic' 3.1°C of global warming by the end of this century, the UN has warned. The world is on track for a 'catastrophic' 3.1°C of global warming by the end of this century, the UN has warned The UN warned the world was currently on track for temperature rises of 2.6°C to 3.1°C, …

World on pace for significantly more warming without immediate climate action, report warns
1 month, 4 weeks ago

World on pace for significantly more warming without immediate climate action, report warns

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

Climate Crisis: World Paying a Terrifying Price for Inaction, UN Warns
2 months ago

Climate Crisis: World Paying a Terrifying Price for Inaction, UN Warns

Al Jazeera  

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that current climate policies will result in global warming of more than 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the century. The report also finds that the world faces as much as 3.1C (5.6F) of warming above pre-industrial levels by 2100 if governments do not take greater action on slashing planet-warming …

How many more hurricanes will it take for us to wake up to the climate crisis?
2 months, 1 week ago

How many more hurricanes will it take for us to wake up to the climate crisis?

The Independent  

It took a dangerous category 3 hurricane in Florida to force climate change onto some, but not all, newspaper front pages. Climate change is genuine – there’s no denying that – but let’s be real about so-called “net zero”. “Based in 55 Tufton Street, Westminster, the GWPF is the UK’s leading climate science denial group,” reports DeSmog. Badenoch has previously …

Watch: What is Net Zero? A key to tackling climate change
3 months, 1 week ago

Watch: What is Net Zero? A key to tackling climate change

The Hindu  

India has committed to reach the net zero emission targets by 2070. Because there’s too much carbon dioxide and methane and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, we have global warming and climate change. A particular system — like the atmosphere, but also like a factory or a business or an entire industry or even a whole country — can …

Coalition to dump Australia's 2030 climate target, arguing 43 per cent emissions reduction is unachievable
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Coalition to dump Australia's 2030 climate target, arguing 43 per cent emissions reduction is unachievable

ABC  

In short: The Coalition says Labor will fail to meet the Paris Agreement emissions reductions target but will damage Australian industry in trying. The Coalition says Labor will fail to meet the Paris Agreement emissions reductions target but will damage Australian industry in trying. CSIRO finds nuclear would cost twice as much as renewables Photo shows Nuclear power station chimneys …

The long road ahead in the battle against global warming
6 months, 3 weeks ago

The long road ahead in the battle against global warming

Hindustan Times  

As record-high temperatures and unprecedented heat waves sweep across Asia, the urgency of addressing global warming has never been clearer. This article explores the impacts of rising temperatures, evaluates the current efforts to combat global warming, and considers the need for enhanced adaptability. Global warming {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} Countries across Asia are experiencing record-breaking temperatures and severe heat waves, …

Countries’ carbon removal plans not enough for 1.5C warming limit, study warns
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Countries’ carbon removal plans not enough for 1.5C warming limit, study warns

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Scientists have taken the UN’s approach of assessing the “emissions gap” between national climate protection plans and what is …

UN climate chief presses for faster action, says humans have 2 years left ‘to save the world’
8 months, 1 week ago

UN climate chief presses for faster action, says humans have 2 years left ‘to save the world’

Associated Press  

OXFORD, England — Humanity has only two years left “to save the world” by making dramatic changes in the way it spews heat-trapping emissions and it has even less time to act to get the finances behind such a massive shift, the head of the United Nations climate agency said. With governments of the world facing a 2025 deadline for …

Analysts cast doubt on NT net zero target, with major gas projects set to vastly increase emissions
11 months ago

Analysts cast doubt on NT net zero target, with major gas projects set to vastly increase emissions

ABC  

Climate scientists say there is no realistic pathway for the Northern Territory to meet its 2050 net zero emissions commitment, as the NT government continues to sit on a major report detailing how high those emissions are forecast to rise. Key points: Serious doubts have been cast on the NT's 2050 emissions target The NT government is significantly expanding the …

"Nobody and nowhere will be safe": Experts say we can't hide from climate change
11 months, 1 week ago

"Nobody and nowhere will be safe": Experts say we can't hide from climate change

Salon  

In science fiction movies that imagine a climate catastrophe, characters are often driven to flee disastrous conditions and retreat to a safer place to live. Whether seeking the mysterious territory of Dryland in "Waterworld" or fleeing from all northern latitudes in "The Day After Tomorrow," pop culture foregrounds the notion that one can somehow "run away" from climate change. The …

What will happen to the world once we reach net-zero?
1 year ago

What will happen to the world once we reach net-zero?

The Hindu  

Humanity’s emissions of greenhouse gases have caused rapid global warming at a rate unprecedented in at least the past 2,000 years. To avoid reaching unsafe global temperatures, climate scientists have concluded we can’t prevent continued global warming without reaching a state of net zero CO₂ emissions. The urgency of reaching net zero CO₂ emissions has sparked the use of state-of-the-art …

Emissions Gap report: ‘World to warm by nearly 3°C without aggressive action’
1 year, 1 month ago

Emissions Gap report: ‘World to warm by nearly 3°C without aggressive action’

The Hindu  

Countries’ current emissions pledges to limit climate change would still put the world on track to warm by nearly 3 degrees Celsius this century, according to a United Nations analysis released on November 20, 2023. The annual Emissions Gap report, which assesses countries’ promises to tackle climate change compared with what is needed, finds the world faces between 2.5°C and …

Earth to warm up to 2.9C even with current climate pledges: UN
1 year, 1 month ago

Earth to warm up to 2.9C even with current climate pledges: UN

Al Jazeera  

UN warns world ‘out of road’ for limiting warming to 1.5C ahead of COP28 meeting in Dubai. The world’s emissions-cutting pledges are nowhere near enough to curb the effects of climate change, with Earth on track for warming a potentially catastrophic 2.9C this century, the United Nations has warned. Time to ‘step up’ The 2015 Paris Agreement saw countries agree …

World failing to get a grip on the climate crisis, says UN chief on new report
1 year, 1 month ago

World failing to get a grip on the climate crisis, says UN chief on new report

Hindustan Times  

NEW DELHI: Even if nations meet all of their current climate commitments, submitted as nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement, the 1.5 degrees C global warming threshold will be breached, a new UN report said on Tuesday. FILE The world is off track in its efforts to curb global warming, a new international report calculates The report flagged that …

World severely off track to limit planet-heating emissions: U.N.
1 year, 1 month ago

World severely off track to limit planet-heating emissions: U.N.

The Hindu  

The world is “failing to get a grip” on climate change, the U.N. warned on November 14, as an assessment of current climate pledges shows only minor progress on reducing emissions this decade. In a report released just weeks before high-stakes climate negotiations, the United Nations climate change organisation said the world was failing to act with sufficient urgency to …

Window for stopping global warming above 1.5C ‘rapidly closing’
1 year, 1 month ago

Window for stopping global warming above 1.5C ‘rapidly closing’

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The carbon budget for stopping the Earth heating 1.5C above pre-industrial levels could run out …

Opinion: Climate change isn’t just about emissions. We’re ignoring a huge part of the fight
1 year, 2 months ago

Opinion: Climate change isn’t just about emissions. We’re ignoring a huge part of the fight

LA Times  

Last month, we heard yet again about the need to stop global warming at about 1.5 degrees centigrade above preindustrial levels. A national adaptation and resilience strategy would help states, in addition to the federal government, set goals for the right spending to ensure effective adaptation while also aggressively cutting emissions. For example, because the climate can change in unexpected …

Net zero policy changes to cost drivers and renters more money, say advisers
1 year, 2 months ago

Net zero policy changes to cost drivers and renters more money, say advisers

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Around a fifth of the required emissions reductions to 2030 are covered by plans that we assess as insufficient …

What Sunak’s net zero U-turn means for the UK’s climate goals
1 year, 3 months ago

What Sunak’s net zero U-turn means for the UK’s climate goals

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. He said these measures imposed “unacceptable costs” on ordinary people, a claim climate experts strongly refute, and said the …

How the UK’s net zero pledges compare to other decarbonising countries
1 year, 3 months ago

How the UK’s net zero pledges compare to other decarbonising countries

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. More than 70 countries including the UK, US, EU and China have targets to …

Climate change ‘dystopian future already here’
1 year, 3 months ago

Climate change ‘dystopian future already here’

Al Jazeera  

Climate change is causing human rights emergencies around the world, the United Nations human rights chief says, specifically highlighting Iraq’s “spiralling damage” from global warming. In view of the record global temperatures this year, Guterres last week called for much more ambition in the fight against climate change to prevent “the worst climate chaos”. At last year’s UN COP27 climate …

UN report says the world is way off track to curb global warming, but offers ways to fix that
1 year, 3 months ago

UN report says the world is way off track to curb global warming, but offers ways to fix that

Associated Press  

With the world far off track on its 2015 pledge to curb global warming, a new United Nations report central to upcoming climate negotiations details how quickly and deeply energy and financial systems must change to get back on a safer path. To get there, the report said, “the phase-out of unabated fossil fuels is required,” using a phrase international …

UN report says the world is way off track to curb global warming, but offers ways to fix that
1 year, 3 months ago

UN report says the world is way off track to curb global warming, but offers ways to fix that

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

Academicians and innovators address concerns over sustainabaility at carbon zero challenge contest
1 year, 4 months ago

Academicians and innovators address concerns over sustainabaility at carbon zero challenge contest

The Hindu  

In the last 23 years, carbondioxide level has crossed 418 ppm and is increasing at the rate of 3 ppm annually, said R. Velraj, vice-chancellor of Anna University. At the grand finale of the three-day Carbon Zero Challenge 3.0 organised by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras here on Friday, Mr. Velraj said, if CO2 emission crossed 600 ppm, humans …

G20 environment meeting ends without agreement on climate crisis
1 year, 4 months ago

G20 environment meeting ends without agreement on climate crisis

Al Jazeera  

No consensus reached on key points, including curbing emissions and scaling up renewable energy, despite record temperatures and wildfires across the globe. He said it showed G20 countries, which account for up to 80 percent of global greenhouses emissions, were “nowhere” on their commitments to address climate change. “We were asked to make bold choices, to demonstrate courage, commitment and …

Climate talks chief, who also heads oil company, says world must ‘attack all emissions, everywhere’
1 year, 5 months ago

Climate talks chief, who also heads oil company, says world must ‘attack all emissions, everywhere’

Associated Press  

BERLIN — The head of this year’s United Nations climate talks called Thursday for governments and businesses to tackle global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions in all regions and sectors if they want to stop the planet from passing a key temperature limit agreed on more than seven years ago. “We need to attack all emissions, everywhere: one, two …

Countries agree to slash shipping emissions but not enough to stay within warming limits
1 year, 5 months ago

Countries agree to slash shipping emissions but not enough to stay within warming limits

Associated Press  

Maritime nations agreed Friday to slash emissions from the shipping industry to net zero by about 2050 in a deal that several experts and nations say falls short of what’s needed to curb warming to agreed temperature limits. Countries at the meeting of the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization in London, seen as key to curb global warming to 1.5 …

UK failing to meet net zero targets, government’s own climate watchdog warns
1 year, 5 months ago

UK failing to meet net zero targets, government’s own climate watchdog warns

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The government’s own climate watchdog has said it is losing confidence …

More companies setting 'net-zero' climate targets, but few have credible plans, report says
1 year, 6 months ago

More companies setting 'net-zero' climate targets, but few have credible plans, report says

The Hindu  

A growing number of companies are pledging to cut their greenhouse gas emissions to "net zero" as part of global efforts to tackle climate change, but that goal is rarely supported by a credible plan, according to a report published Monday. While 149 countries have such targets, up from 124 in late 2020, the number of publicly listed corporations aiming …

Global warming rate speeds up at 0.2 degrees celsius per decade, scientists warn
1 year, 6 months ago

Global warming rate speeds up at 0.2 degrees celsius per decade, scientists warn

Hindustan Times  

Record-high greenhouse gas emissions and diminishing air pollution have caused an unparalleled acceleration in global warming, 50 top scientists warned Thursday in a sweeping climate science update. From 2013 to 2022, "human-induced warming has been increasing at an unprecedented rate of over 0.2 degrees Celsius per decade," they reported in a peer-reviewed study aimed at policymakers. World leaders will be …

What’s Needed to Reach Net-Zero This Century, According to the IEA
1 year, 8 months ago

What’s Needed to Reach Net-Zero This Century, According to the IEA

Bloomberg  

Clean energy has become so inexpensive, and climate policy aspirations so common, that together they can potentially lower projected global warming to 1.7C above pre-industrial levels in 2100, according to the International Energy Agency. Despite a temporary drop at the height of the pandemic in 2020, global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rose to a record high of 36.8 billion metric …

If you think net zero is expensive, wait until you see the cost of the climate crisis
1 year, 8 months ago

If you think net zero is expensive, wait until you see the cost of the climate crisis

The Independent  

Going green will “destroy our economy” – at least, according to some commentary in recent days. However, Britain’s largest asset manager – which is well-informed on the economic impacts of rising sea levels, droughts, bad harvests, floods and other extreme weather events – makes clear in a report that cost will be reduced if we act to address the cause …

Rich nations must achieve net zero carbon quicker, by 2040: U.N. chief Antonio Guterres
1 year, 9 months ago

Rich nations must achieve net zero carbon quicker, by 2040: U.N. chief Antonio Guterres

The Hindu  

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on wealthy countries on March 20, 2023 to move up their goals of achieving carbon neutrality as close as possible to 2040, mostly from 2050 now, in order to “defuse the climate time bomb.” Introducing a capstone report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on the impacts and trajectory of global warming, Guterres …

Cut emissions quickly to save lives, scientists warn in a new U.N. report
1 year, 9 months ago

Cut emissions quickly to save lives, scientists warn in a new U.N. report

NPR  

Cut emissions quickly to save lives, scientists warn in a new U.N. report Enlarge this image toggle caption Thoko Chikondi/AP Thoko Chikondi/AP The planet is on track for catastrophic warming, but world leaders already have many options to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and protect people, according to a major new climate change report from the United Nations. A cheat-sheet for …

The UN’s climate handbook for a ‘liveable’ future
1 year, 9 months ago

The UN’s climate handbook for a ‘liveable’ future

Al Jazeera  

Hitting the 2015 Paris Agreement temperature goals will require a massive reduction in fossil fuel use and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society, IPCC reports say. Earth is hotter than it has been in 125,000 years but deadly heatwaves, storms and floods amplified by global warming could be a foretaste as planet-heating fossil fuels put a “liveable” future at …

Climate Change ‘Doom Loop’: How to reclaim the narrative of urgent climate action
1 year, 10 months ago

Climate Change ‘Doom Loop’: How to reclaim the narrative of urgent climate action

Live Mint  

The fight to battle climate change and global heating has always been one led by narrative. Despite decades of irrefutable scientific work that has shown the extent to which we are skirting with global disaster, the reality of climate change and its reason—our energy dependence on fossil fuels like oil, coal and gas—needed to overcome the denial and obfuscation of …

Editorial: 2022 brought more heat and pollution. We’re still careening toward climate disaster
1 year, 11 months ago

Editorial: 2022 brought more heat and pollution. We’re still careening toward climate disaster

LA Times  

New climate data show that 2022 was among the hottest years on record but that U.S. greenhouse gas emissions just keep rising. Another study showed the amount of heat being taken up by Earth’s oceans reached another record high last year. And it’s another stark reminder that despite some recent progress on climate policy, such as the passage of the …

The Great Carbon Con Is Coming to an End
2 years ago

The Great Carbon Con Is Coming to an End

Wired  

A year after COP26, the United Nations Climate Change Conference which took place in November 2021, the number of FTSE 100 companies vowing to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 grew by 37 percent to 82 percent. Already, we’re seeing customers voting with their wallets, employees choosing employers based primarily on net zero credentials, and investors making choices about what …

EU climate chief defends plans for ‘carbon farming’
2 years ago

EU climate chief defends plans for ‘carbon farming’

Associated Press  

BERLIN — The European Union’s top climate official on Wednesday dismissed criticism from environmental groups over its proposal to incorporate carbon removal methods into its climate plans, insisting the plan won’t undermine the bloc’s efforts to tackle global warming. Dozens of organizations issued a joint call Monday slamming the EU’s plans to certify so-called offsets — carbon absorbed through nature …

Loss and Damage decisions, pitfalls and promises
2 years ago

Loss and Damage decisions, pitfalls and promises

The Hindu  

A major takeaway from COP27 in Egypt, as far as loss and damage is concerned, is the decision relating to new funding arrangements focusing on L and D — those particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. Past, present and the future In the entire climate change negotiations, the developed countries have consistently opposed being made liable for …

U.N. chief slams companies engaging in ‘toxic cover-up’
2 years, 1 month ago

U.N. chief slams companies engaging in ‘toxic cover-up’

The Hindu  

The U.N.'s chief called on Tuesday for an end to a "toxic cover-up" by companies as a sweeping report said they cannot claim to be net zero if they invest in new fossil fuels, cause deforestation or offset emissions instead of reducing them. Antonio Guterres said businesses as well as cities and regions should update their voluntary net zero pledges …

World Falters in Containing Climate Crisis: Negotiators Head to Egypt for COP27
2 years, 1 month ago

World Falters in Containing Climate Crisis: Negotiators Head to Egypt for COP27

The Quint  

Although countries are slowly bending the curve of global greenhouse gas emissions, the efforts are woefully insufficient to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees by the end of the century, according to the 2022 NDC Synthesis Report published on October 26 by UN Climate Change, the agency that hosts the climate summit. “We are still nowhere near the scale …

At COP27, move the needle on climate action
2 years, 1 month ago

At COP27, move the needle on climate action

The Hindu  

India and other developing economies are justifiably worried about the damage to growth from COVID-19, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the global economy’s downturn. But these troubles pale in comparison with the climate catastrophe already resulting from the current trajectory of greenhouse gas emissions, whose effects hit developing economies and the poor hardest. That is why it is imperative that …

Discover Related