news
Each week we share news and social media updates related to our “The 10 Ways to Save Our Planet” list.
1. Act Now
That fired climate scientist, in his own words. “I hope my case might put a little crack into the wall of ‘selfishness, greed, and apathy’, which, in the words of climate lawyer Gus Speth, is the main hindrance to stopping runaway climate change. Many people will think that it is madness to give up their dream job to avoid taking one flight.”
2. Build Political Will
Companies with revenue greater than $1 billion will have to disclose all emissions. The law affects any company that wishes to do business in the state of California. Both direct and indirect emissions are required to be reported.
Climate Misinformation Persists in New Middle School Textbooks.
“Yet some supporters of the fossil-fuel industry, including a congressional representative, say the books represent, in the words of that representative, an infiltration of ‘the radical climate lobby’ into education, and have asked people to pressure the state to reject them.”
3. Eliminate Fossil Fuels
At the “Sustainable with Google” event in Brussels, Google outlined some changes to their products with a goal to help make energy and transportation related decisions more effectively.
❌ Exxon Mobil Strikes $60 Billion Deal for Shale Giant. A merger between the two companies would also cement the combined company as far and away the dominant producer in the Permian Basin, the world’s most active oil and gas play. Where is the Permian Basin? What is shale oil?
World Bank targets dirty subsidies to fund climate action.
4. Speed up renewable energy
The Danish offshore wind company Ørsted put $100 million into an escrow account as part of a guarantee that it will fully complete New Jersey’s first offshore wind farm by December 2025. If any part of the 1.1 GW wind farm is incomplete by then, Ørsted looses all $100 million.
Green Energy Builders Sought Billions More in Subsidies. New York Said No. New York state law requires renewable energy to account for 70% of the state’s energy consumption by 2030. “Having been denied additional subsidies, the developers of the projects will have to decide whether to absorb the higher-than-expected costs or break their contracts with the state.”
Biden Announces Huge Hydrogen Investment. How Much Will It Help The Climate?
📔 Three of the seven hubs would generate hydrogen from natural gas and carbon capture. Hydrogen obtained from such methods is called “blue-hydrogen”, and would likely create emissions equal to or worse than current fossil fuel systems.
5. Shift towards sustainable transportation
World EV [Plug-In] Sales Now Equal 18% Of World Auto Sales. Actually just 13% for proper EVs. Plug-in hybrids account for the other 5%.
What Can Be Done To Help EV Owners Who Are Apartment Dwellers? Apartment buildings are often required to provide some parking space for their residents. It might be time to support installing more public chargers near apartment buildings and requiring all new apartment buildings to have EV charging stations.
“Oil sector is lobbying for inefficient hydrogen cars because it wants to delay electrification [..] Influential analyst and adviser explains why powering cars with H2 is a terrible idea, no matter what the hydrocarbons industry says.”
Stockholm to ban petrol and diesel cars from centre from 2025. The ban covers a zone of 20 blocks. The city council will decide whether or not to expand the zone a few months after it goes into force, so that its overall effect can be observed.
6. Adopt planet-friendly agricultural practices
7. Eat a more climate friendly diet
8. Create sustainable cities and buildings
Winthrop Center In Boston Named World’s Largest Passive House. The builders estimate that the Winthrop Center cost 2-3% more to construct than it would have without the significant attention to environmental detail, but that the money saved on electricity will make the total cost of ownership lower after just a few years.
9. Protect and restore our environment
☠️ In a Blow to Public Health, EPA Delays Strengthening Ozone Standards. This will unnecessarily result in thousands of cases of asthma exacerbations and other respiratory illnesses. Historically, efforts to strengthen the ground-level ozone standard have been undermined by political and corporate motivations.
❌ Climate change primary driver of amphibian decline: Study. Amphibians, which rely on their skin for breathing and lack protective features like feathers or scales, face a big problem with rising temperatures from climate change. This makes them dry out fast and lose important breeding grounds. Sadly, climate change is now the biggest reason why amphibians are losing significant populations.
10. Ensure global warming stays below dangerous limits
Climate-Related Damage Costs $16 Million per Hour on Average Globally, New Study Estimates. “Over the past 20 years, extreme weather events globally, like hurricanes, floods and heat waves, have cost an estimated $2.8 trillion …which breaks down to around $16.3 million per hour.
As climate risks mount, the insurance safety net is collapsing. As climate change continues to accelerate, insured losses have increased from $4.6 billion in 2000 to nearly $100 billion in 2022. This has kicked off a cycle of increasing premiums, causing some people to forego coverage, raising premiums for those left even further.
Link of the week
Read an excerpt from Michael E. Mann’s book, “Our Fragile Moment”.
From Social Media
Read more:
Beyond the Paris Agreement: The Next Phase of International Cooperation on Climate Action
Video of the Week
“A thousand drones, organized by Projecting Change, lit up the Manhattan night sky in a powerful artistic show of support for the Sustainable Development Goals and climate action ahead of the UN General Assembly’s high-level week.”
Read more:
Climate Education Via Drones — An Interview With Producer Krista Kleiner
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