Tim Lenton is a professor of climate change and Earth system science at Exeter University. He is much better educated than I am, and possibly even less optimistic.
Why Trump’s ‘drill, baby, drill’ pledge may not actually lower US gas prices - theguardian.com/business/2024/… "Despite president-elect’s vow, energy companies focus on managing resources to be profitable, not pumping more oil" #ClimateCrisis
More than 140 banks worldwide have "pledged" to cut emissions associated with their lending and investments to almost zero by 2050.
But meanwhile... ___________________________________
Less than a hundred miles from where world leaders are discussing how to meet their climate pledges, BP is drilling for gas. The project, a sprawling gas field off the Azerbaijani coast, could inject more than 1 billion metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere, striking a major blow to efforts to slow global warming.
BP has said it intends to invest heavily in new oil and gas fields in the coming years. But it would be unable to pursue these dirty projects without billions in support from big banks. Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo, along with a number of other banks, all helped BP raise more than $5 billion last year.
Since May 2021, global banks committed to "Net-zero" have poured almost $1 trillion into companies pursuing expansion of oil and gas projects that would push the world beyond its survivable limits. Taken together, these projects would produce almo
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More than 140 banks worldwide have "pledged" to cut emissions associated with their lending and investments to almost zero by 2050.
But meanwhile... ___________________________________
Less than a hundred miles from where world leaders are discussing how to meet their climate pledges, BP is drilling for gas. The project, a sprawling gas field off the Azerbaijani coast, could inject more than 1 billion metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere, striking a major blow to efforts to slow global warming.
BP has said it intends to invest heavily in new oil and gas fields in the coming years. But it would be unable to pursue these dirty projects without billions in support from big banks. Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo, along with a number of other banks, all helped BP raise more than $5 billion last year.
Since May 2021, global banks committed to "Net-zero" have poured almost $1 trillion into companies pursuing expansion of oil and gas projects that would push the world beyond its survivable limits. Taken together, these projects would produce almost seven times the annual emissions of the U.S. ___________________________________
Streets full of destroyed and abandoned cars after flooding in and around Valencia, an estimated 137,000 cars. The costs resulting from this one rain shower are approximately thirty billion euros. €30,000,000,000.
Straten vol vernielde en verlaten auto's na overstromingen in en rond Valencia, naar schatting zo’n 137.000 stuks.
De kosten als gevolg van deze ene regenbui zijn ongeveer dertig miljard euro.
€ 30.000.000.000.
🤞🏼 #Biden: I will leave my successor and my country with a strong foundation to build on if they choose to do so. It's true, some may seek to deny or delay the clean energy revolution that's under way in America, but nobody, nobody can reverse it. Nobody. #ClimateCrisis
“The president of Azerbaijan, who is hosting climate summit COP29, has hailed oil and gas as ‘a gift from God’ as he lambasted Western media and climate activists.
President Ilham Aliyev kicked off the conference with a wide-ranging, critical speech in which he hit out at those opposed to his country's oil and gas industries.”
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev kicked off the climate conference with a wide-ranging speech in which he hit out at critics of his country's fossil fuel industries.
The COP climate conferences are now totally broken due to their hijacking by pro-fossil fuel governments. Even the former Secretary General of the UN says so:
"UN climate talks are "no longer fit for purpose" and should only be hosted by countries who are trying to give up fossil fuels, veterans of the process have said."
"An open letter to the United Nations, signed by former UN chief Ban Ki-moon, made a dramatic intervention in the 29th COP climate summit, under way in Baku, Azerbaijan."
An open letter to the United Nations - with signatories including the former head of the UN climate body (UNFCCC) - says the structure of future COPs needs to change.
With climate change intensifying and scientists warning that humanity is running out of time to limit global warming to 1.5°C over pre-industrial levels, 2021 has been a fraught year for the planet.
"Solar panels don’t just generate energy; they also create a beneficial microclimate for crops. By keeping the crops cooler during the day and warmer at night, the panels reduce heat stress and the risk of frost damage, which is particularly important in a changing climate."
I love this letter to the editor in the Fingerlakes1 newsletter!
Trees and land absorbed almost no carbon dioxide (CO2) last year, and scientists are struggling to work out why.
Carbon sinks, such as forests, oceans and soils, are an essential part of regulating the Earth’s climate. Through natural processes, these land and ocean masses absorb almost half of all human carbon emissions from the atmosphere.
But preliminary findings for 2023 – the hottest year ever recorded on Earth – have found that the amount of carbon absorbed by forests, plants, and soil has temporarily collapsed.
This was completely unexpected, and therefore not something factored into most predictions and calculations about how quickly the Earth will heat up as a result of climate change. The breakdown of the land carbon sink could be temporary, but if it isn’t, this will drastically increase the rate of global heating.
It will be impossible for the world to reach net zero without carbon sinks, because there is simply no human technology that can absorb carbon on th
Trees and land absorbed almost no carbon dioxide (CO2) last year, and scientists are struggling to work out why.
Carbon sinks, such as forests, oceans and soils, are an essential part of regulating the Earth’s climate. Through natural processes, these land and ocean masses absorb almost half of all human carbon emissions from the atmosphere.
But preliminary findings for 2023 – the hottest year ever recorded on Earth – have found that the amount of carbon absorbed by forests, plants, and soil has temporarily collapsed.
This was completely unexpected, and therefore not something factored into most predictions and calculations about how quickly the Earth will heat up as a result of climate change. The breakdown of the land carbon sink could be temporary, but if it isn’t, this will drastically increase the rate of global heating.
It will be impossible for the world to reach net zero without carbon sinks, because there is simply no human technology that can absorb carbon on the same scale as the forests, grasslands, peat bogs, and oceans of the world. ____________________________
Albanian 🇦🇱 PM: “What on earth are we doing in this #COP29 gathering, over & over & over, if there is no common political will on the horizon to go beyond words & unite for meaningful action?” buff.ly/3Z31WMQ #ClimateCrisis
Even in this clear climate crisis, rulings like this show how powerful the fossil fuel industry still is: The Court of Appeal in The Hague has dismissed Milieudefensie’s and Greenpeace’s claims against Shell. According to the court, the company does have a “duty of care” to combat dangerous climate change, but Shell cannot be forced to set specific percentages by which it must reduce CO2 emissions. greenpeace.org/international/p… #greenpeace #milieudefensie #climatecrisis #environment #shel #fossilfuels
Today, The Hague dismissed the 2021 ruling that Shell must cut its emissions by 45% by 2030. However, Shell still has the responsibility to reduce its emissions.
Business As Usual is turning out just fine. 🙄 _______________________________________
The Copernicus Climate Change Service, a European Union organization that monitors global heating, announced on Thursday that the year 2024 will be 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial levels. That means humanity has passed a critical threshold established in 2015 in the Paris climate accord.
“After 10 months of 2024, it is now virtually certain that 2024 will be the warmest year on record and the first year of more than 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels," Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, said in a statement. "This marks a new milestone in global temperature records and should serve as a catalyst to raise ambition for the upcoming Climate Change Conference, COP29.”
The EU agency announced this moment as nations all over the world gather in the Azerbaijani city of Baku for the 29th Conference of the Parties. The ERA5 dataset found that global temperatures in
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Why are you so upset? Stop worrying!
Business As Usual is turning out just fine. 🙄 _______________________________________
The Copernicus Climate Change Service, a European Union organization that monitors global heating, announced on Thursday that the year 2024 will be 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial levels. That means humanity has passed a critical threshold established in 2015 in the Paris climate accord.
“After 10 months of 2024, it is now virtually certain that 2024 will be the warmest year on record and the first year of more than 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels," Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, said in a statement. "This marks a new milestone in global temperature records and should serve as a catalyst to raise ambition for the upcoming Climate Change Conference, COP29.”
The EU agency announced this moment as nations all over the world gather in the Azerbaijani city of Baku for the 29th Conference of the Parties. The ERA5 dataset found that global temperatures in 2024 were on average 1.55 degrees Celsius higher than the 1.48 degrees threshold measured in 2023. The report also noted climate change-fueled major weather events in 2024 such as torrential floods in Spain and rapidly melting Antarctic sea ice. _______________________________________
“Trump has also said he will once again remove the U.S. from the Paris climate accord, under which countries agreed to try to limit warming to under 1.5 degrees C and ‘well under’ 2 degrees C.”
This year is "virtually certain" to be the hottest in recorded history with warming above 1.5C, EU climate monitor Copernicus said Thursday, days before nations are due to gather for crunch UN climate talks.
The list, in fact, is so long, it is hard to decide where to start.
Gender-afirming care in particular and the LGBTQIA+community, who has been on the run, when financially feasible, from Red States for some years now will be another focus point of the 2nd Trump presidency.
This reads like the deepest Halloween horror, especially as more and more therapists in Europe are warning of the addictive effects of such constructs already on young people.
I could sit back and say: I left #Meta a long time ago. But I can see the high impact of the company's #energy and #drinkingWater #consumption and the owner's flirting with the ideologies of #TESCREAL. We need regulations for these #billionaires!
If you're not already following Mastodon's resident climate historian ➡️ @Climatehistories ⬅️ you really should be.
The article linked below does a superb job in tracing the roots of modern environmental policy, from the World War II era until today. One section in particular stood out to me... ____________________________________
Interestingly, from the 1940s through the 1970s, the world experienced a cooling period – a phenomenon largely due to sulphate aerosols released during the post-war industrial expansion. These particles reflected sunlight, temporarily cooling the Earth’s surface.
The 1963 eruption of Mount Agung also contributed by adding more aerosols that slightly reduced global temperature between 1958 and 1965.
Later research would reveal that greenhouse gas-induced warming would surpass aerosol cooling effects, setting the planet on a trajectory towards rapid warming. ______________
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If you're not already following Mastodon's resident climate historian ➡️ @Climatehistories ⬅️ you really should be.
The article linked below does a superb job in tracing the roots of modern environmental policy, from the World War II era until today. One section in particular stood out to me... ____________________________________
Interestingly, from the 1940s through the 1970s, the world experienced a cooling period – a phenomenon largely due to sulphate aerosols released during the post-war industrial expansion. These particles reflected sunlight, temporarily cooling the Earth’s surface.
The 1963 eruption of Mount Agung also contributed by adding more aerosols that slightly reduced global temperature between 1958 and 1965.
Later research would reveal that greenhouse gas-induced warming would surpass aerosol cooling effects, setting the planet on a trajectory towards rapid warming. ____________________________________
As you can see on the graph below, that temporary "aerosol cooling effect" certainly was overcome by capitalism's massive injection of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The heat keeps on going up now, and shows no sign of stopping.
A mindblowing set of images of what the flood in #Valencia looks like from space - images of the same region from 8 and 30 October (I've been to the area, this is scary):
Spain is suffering its worst flood in decades after torrential rains struck the eastern province of Valencia. These satellite images vividly illustrate the dramatic transformation of the landscape.
Tell us again how the actions that would allow us to avoid the #ClimateCrisis were “too expensive.”
None of the record-breaking, historic or “100 year” events we’ve been seeing a lot of lately are the “new normal.” Because it’s actually going to keep getting exponentially worse.
"Valencia's regional government admitted that it had only sent out a text message warning residents of the impending catastrophe at 8:12 PM, eight hours after the first floods were reported, and 10 hours after Spain’s AEMET issued an alert highlighting “extreme danger” across the region."
Disasters like this will keep happening because we are NOT ready. Nearly 100 lives lost because the early warning system failed.
,,Human-caused #ClimateChange is already affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe."
"👉The frequency and intensity of heavy #precipitation events have increased since the 1950s over most land areas for which observational data are sufficient for trend analysis👈 (high confidence)."
"Hundreds of scientists from around the world have worked for 8 years on...
1. the Liberal Party has not consulted Geoscience Australia about the suitability of any of the seven sites it had announced as its preferred locations of nuclear reactors.
2. When Dutton announced the policy earlier in the year, it was quickly discovered that none of the councils where he proposed to build reactors had been consulted.
But wait! There's more!
3. “Asked about the cost of nuclear, Mr Dutton and Mr Joyce always respond by attacking renewables. They say that the cost of a renewable energy system is up to $1.5 trillion, (while) AEMO knows it isn’t even 10 per cent of that figure and it will be paid almost entirely by the private sector.”
So… 1+2+3= John Grimes, CEO of the Smart Energy Council, accused the Liberal Party of creating an energy policy that is “all about attacking renewables and boosting fossil fuels”.
Stating the bleeding obvious, really. These bastards want us to burn more coal, oil and gas. Wonder why? Follow the money.
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Hmm… Lets think about this for a moment.
1. the Liberal Party has not consulted Geoscience Australia about the suitability of any of the seven sites it had announced as its preferred locations of nuclear reactors.
2. When Dutton announced the policy earlier in the year, it was quickly discovered that none of the councils where he proposed to build reactors had been consulted.
But wait! There's more!
3. “Asked about the cost of nuclear, Mr Dutton and Mr Joyce always respond by attacking renewables. They say that the cost of a renewable energy system is up to $1.5 trillion, (while) AEMO knows it isn’t even 10 per cent of that figure and it will be paid almost entirely by the private sector.”
So… 1+2+3= John Grimes, CEO of the Smart Energy Council, accused the Liberal Party of creating an energy policy that is “all about attacking renewables and boosting fossil fuels”.
Stating the bleeding obvious, really. These bastards want us to burn more coal, oil and gas. Wonder why? Follow the money.
