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1. Act Now
“Never fly again? Go vegan? It was too hard. But I still cut my emissions by 61% and it made life simpler and better”
2. Build Political Will
President Biden:
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Biden-Harris Administration Approves Largest Offshore Wind Project in the Nation
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❌ The next front in the climate fight: U.S. exports of natural gas
3. Eliminate Fossil Fuels
❌ The top 10 emitters of greenhouse gases were responsible for 22% of total US emissions. The top emitters of specific gases included US Steel Corporation Gary Works (iron and steel), ExxonMobil’s Baytown Complex (refineries), and Chevron’s Pascagoula Refinery (petrochemicals). “The data represents emissions from 7,586 industrial facilities across nearly all sectors of the economy and represents about half of all U.S. emissions.”
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But reducing emissions are possible: “Moving off this year’s list was an underground natural gas storage facility, the Petal Gas Storage Compressor Station in Petal, Mississippi, a once-leading climate polluter that reduced its methane emissions by 91 percent from 2018 to 2022 and is no longer the highest emitter among gas storage sites.”
William Nordhaus is a Nobel Prize-winning economist who is known for his work on climate economics. His work has been influential in shaping climate policy, but it has also been criticized for downplaying the risks of climate change and justifying inaction. He has received funding from the ExxonMobil Foundation, the Koch Foundation, and other groups that have a vested interest in downplaying the risks of climate change.
4. Speed up renewable energy
Oct 12: $100,000,000 guarantee that NJ wind farm to be ready in 2025
❌ Nov 1: Never mind
⚡ Electrification is the most efficient way to use energy, and it can help to slash global energy demand. A new study by a sustainability expert finds that electrification could reduce global energy demand by up to 60%.
5. Shift towards sustainable transportation
Trucks and SUVs are the best-selling vehicles in most U.S. states, with the Ford F-Series being the most popular overall. California is the only state where a car, the Tesla Model Y, is the best-selling vehicle. What’s the best-selling vehicle in your state?
Electric vehicle (EV) sales are booming, but supply chain challenges are making it difficult to meet demand.
6. Adopt planet-friendly agricultural practices
The food system is responsible for about one-quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. Fossil fuels are used to power farm machinery, produce fertilizer and pesticides, and transport food long distances. The production and processing of food also generates a lot of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
Palm oil is a versatile and efficient oil that is used in a wide range of products, from food to cosmetics to biofuels. However, the production of palm oil can lead to deforestation, habitat loss, and climate change.
7. Eat a more climate friendly diet
“Why can’t we just quit cows?” vs
“Beef is not as Bad for the Climate as You Think, But It’s Still Bad for the Climate” vs
“‘Climate-Friendly’ Meat Is a Myth” vs
“Study shows simple diet swaps can cut carbon emissions and improve your health”
Food waste in landfills is a major source of methane emissions, a greenhouse gas that is more potent than carbon dioxide. The EPA estimates that food waste accounts for 18% of methane emissions in the US.
8. Create sustainable cities and buildings
A new type of air conditioning system that uses liquid desiccant to cool air has been developed by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. The system is more efficient and sustainable than traditional air conditioners, and it has the potential to revolutionize the way we cool our homes and buildings.
🏡 The gas industry has funded front groups, hired lobbyists, and published misleading studies in an attempt to sow doubt about the science on gas stove emissions. This campaign has been successful in slowing down the adoption of policies to reduce gas stove emissions, such as bans on gas hookups in new buildings.
9. Protect and restore our environment
❌ Humans are disrupting the natural salt cycle on a global scale, making Earth’s air, soil, and freshwater saltier. This could have devastating consequences for ecosystems and human health.
🎞️ António Guterres (UN Secretary-General) on Glaciers from the Mount Everest Region: “Nepal has lost close to one-third of its ice in just over thirty years. Antarctica and Greenland are losing billions of tons of ice mass every year. […] I am here today to cry out from the rooftop of the world: stop the madness. The glaciers are retreating, but we cannot. We must end the fossil fuel age.”
“Researchers have discovered coral bleaching hundreds of feet underwater, at a depth where corals were once well insulated from surface warming.” Coral bleaching is a phenomenon in which corals lose their symbiotic algae, which provide them with food and color. When corals are stressed by warm water, they expel their algae, which makes them turn white. If the stress continues, the corals can die.
Read more at Wikipedia.
10. Ensure global warming stays below dangerous limits
Acapulco update, in photos:
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USA TODAY — Hurricane Otis: Photos show devastation in Acapulco after Category 5 storm leaves 47 dead
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LA TIMES — Stunning satellite images show the damage to Acapulco from Category 5 Hurricane Otis
Prof Michael E. Mann (wiki) published “Comments on New Article by James Hansen” in response to James Hansen’s (wiki) latest study, “Global warming in the pipeline”. Also, the NYTs had some coverage on Hansen’s work.
❌ Another new study finds that the world has a carbon budget of 500 gigatons remaining before it reaches the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 degree Celsius warming limit. This means that we need to reduce emissions by half this decade and reach net zero by 2050 in order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. What does this mean? Technically, the Paris Agreement “1.5°C above pre-industrial levels” dream is dead in 6 years. Realistically, given current political and industrial actions, there’s no chance. We must now fight for 2C.
Other Weekly Recaps
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Earth.org — Week in Review: Top Climate News for October 20-November 3
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DeBriefed — 3 November 2023: King at COP28; 1.5C in ‘rearview mirror’; Life of ‘climate revolutionary’ Prof Saleemul Huq
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CleanTechnica — 10 Coolest Cleantech Stories Of The Week
Link of the week
Discourse – Viewpoints on Climate Change:
“This page combines reliably sourced information from all sides of Climate Change to help you form a balanced perspective on the topic.”
Videos of the week
“Comedian Nish Kumar helps Dr Fredi Otto spell out the actual risks of climate change, pulling zero punches, and using highly unscientific language throughout. The film is part of an ongoing project to help the climate science cut through to the public.”
“Planting trees to replace old-growth forests is a common solution, but it typically does not solve the problem. With deforestation causing climate-related disasters, it’s time to take a hard look at reforestation and what we can do to save our forests.”
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