A round-up of significant global climate stories – with links to the full original articles.
29/3/23: UK ‘strikingly unprepared’ for impacts of climate crisis
The UK is “strikingly unprepared” for the impacts of the climate crisis, according to the Climate Change Committee (CCC), which said there had been a “lost decade” in efforts to adapt for the impacts of global heating.
23/3/23: Climate freeloaders are destroying the planet
Governments not held to account for exported carbon emissions and being vulnerable to political bribes from oil and gas giants are a key reason why the world is failing to take decisive and consistent collective action on climate change – and why Alaska is burning while Australia ‘drowns’.
23/3/23: Nature should be priority in public decision-making and farming, says UK people’s assembly
Nature should be included in all public decision-making and its recovery should be prioritised in farming, a new citizens’ assembly has concluded. Dubbed the People’s Plan for Nature, the recommendations were made after a citizens’ assembly was held involving 100 people from around the UK and following 30,000 responses to an open call asking what people love about nature and how it might change in future.
21/3/23: World’s scientists say 1.5C target still achievable – but 2030 is deadline to slash emissions
More intense heatwaves and heavier rainfall are among the extreme weather that will increase the risks to human health and natural ecosystems unless action to slash emissions is stepped up by 2030, scientists said in the highly-anticipated sixth full report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
21/3/23: Third of young people ‘very worried’ about climate change
A third of young people in Britain are scared, sad or pessimistic about climate change, with more than a quarter feeling overwhelmed, according to a new poll. More young people said they were “very worried” about climate change than older people, with 18% of over 65s compared with 31% of 16-24-year-olds.
13/3/23: Biden approves controversial Willow oil drilling project in Alaska
The US Biden administration has approved a controversial $8bn (£6bn) drilling project on Alaska’s North Slope, which has drawn fierce opposition from environmentalists and some Alaska Native communities, who say it will speed up the climate breakdown and undermine food security.
7/2/23: BP to miss key climate target as annual profits hit record £23bn
THE fossil fuel giant has revealed it is to miss a key climate goal of cutting its carbon dioxide emissions while announcing record annual profits of £23bn – double last year’s figure.
1/2/23: India announces $4.3 billion investment in clean energy
THE Indian government has pledged to invest $4.3billion in green technologies to clean up its economy and create jobs – with a focus on solar power from the Himalayan region of Ladakh and ‘green’ hydrogen production.
Full article: Climate Home News
31/1/23: Congo government delays cash-generating rainforest and peatland oil auctions
DEMOCRATIC Republic of Congo has postponed highly controversial plans to generate revenue by allowing oil companies to drill in 27 rainforest and peatland areas, postponing a planned January 30 announcement to various dates between April and October.
Full article: Climate Home News
26/1/23: A green transition for UK steel can tackle regional inequality
THE UK government’s support package for Tata Steel and British Steel must come with conditions for a ‘just transition’, bringing regional equality, argues Brendan Curran, of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics.
12/1/23: NASA Says 2022 Fifth Warmest Year on Record, Warming Trend Continues
Earth’s average surface temperature in 2022 effectively tied with 2015 as the fifth warmest on record, according to an analysis by NASA. Continuing the planet’s long-term warming trend, global temperatures in 2022 were 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit (0.89 degrees Celsius) above the average for NASA’s baseline period (1951-1980), scientists from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York reported.
Full article: NASA Global Climate Change
9/1/23: Amid Brazil uprising, indigenous Amazon bucks the rising CO2 trend
INDIGENOUS lands in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest absorb far more climate changing gases than they emit, in stark contrast to non-indigenous areas where substantial forest loss means Amazon land is fuelling global emissions, researchers say.
5/1/23: Capitol Hill chaos and the climate story
GRETA Thunberg’s scorching last month of so-called ‘influencer’ Andrew Tate – who crowed about using gas-guzzling cars and non-recyclable pizza boxes – was “a reminder of the connection between machismo, misogyny, and hostility to climate action”.
Full article: Covering Climate Now
29/12/22: Human hair recycled to clean waterways in Belgium
A BELGIAN non-government organisation (NGO) is using human hair clippings to absorb environmental pollutants. The Hair Recycle Project is led by Belgian non-profit Dung Dung, which develops waste recovery schemes that support a circular economy.
28/12/22: Bangladesh farmers swap rice for vegetables as water dries up
MORE Bangladeshi farmers are growing vegetable crops instead of paddy as climate change results in less rainfall and groundwater
27/12/22: Could Ireland hold a referendum on giving nature the same rights as people?
IRELAND’S citizens’ assembly on biodiversity loss has called on the government to hold a referendum on protecting biodiversity, which would mean granting nature rights in the Irish constitution which are comparable to people.
20/12/22: EU solar power soars by almost 50% in 2022: Which country installed the most?
SOLAR power in Europe has soared by almost 50 per cent in 2022, according to a new report from industry group SolarPower Europe.
02/12/22: EU’s new climate change plan will cause biodiversity loss and deforestation
A NEW climate change plan in the European Union, which has been lauded for its ambitious targets and aggressive action on emissions, will sacrifice carbon-storing trees, threaten biodiversity and outsource deforestation, according to a new paper.
Full article: The Daily Climate
28/11/22: ‘Here’s how to get private finance into climate action’
INVESTORS are itching to support net-zero projects. But the projects that need capital the most can’t seem to find it. Why? The fix may lie in a new international private lending project.
24/11/22: COP27: Key outcomes for food, forests, land and nature at the UN climate talks in Egypt
THE COP27 summit in the Egyptian coastal resort of Sharm el-Sheikh made history by including food, rivers, nature-based solutions, tipping points and the right to a healthy environment in an overarching COP “cover decision” for the first time.
22/11/22: Scientists discuss using satellites to ‘beam’ solar energy collected in space to Earth
AN ambitious project to harness the power of the sun from space to supply power on Earth from an orbiting solar farm is being proposed by scientists. The European Space Agency (ESA) – which includes the UK – is discussing plans at a two-day conference in Paris.
16/11/22: What is ‘nature positive’? Biodiversity’s answer to net zero
AT the UN COP27 conference in Egypt, the architects of the Paris Agreement to curb global warming have urged negotiators at the upcoming biodiversity summit in Canada to take “urgent action” to protect and restore nature, saying an “ambitious and transformative” biodiversity pact is needed, and that COP27 should also recognise the role of nature.
12/11/22: UN to hunt sources of climate warming methane from space using satellites
THE UN’s environment watchdog said on Friday it will launch a public database of global methane leaks detected by space satellites. It is part of a new program to encourage companies and governments to curb emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas.
11/11/22: US not among rich COP27 nations finally committing cash to climate reparations
AFTER decades of delays, excuses and outright resistance, a small but growing number of wealthy Western countries have committed to paying direct aid to developing nations to help them deal with the climate crisis, which burdens them disproportionately even though they had little to do with causing it.
Full article: Inside Climate News
11/11/22: The next Amazon? Congo Basin faces rising deforestation threat
AT the COP27 climate talks in Egypt this week, world leaders have sought to accelerate efforts to halt deforestation by 2030 – in line with a pledge 140 countries made last year to preserve forests. A new group of nations was created to boost momentum on that promise, along with new funding commitments, including 90 million pounds ($106 million) from Britain to support conservation of the Congo Basin – the world’s second-largest rainforest.
9/11/22: Which countries have sent the most delegates to COP27?
DUBBED “Africa’s COP”, Carbon Brief analysis shows that record numbers of participants from African nations have registered for COP27 – as well as from least developed countries and small island states. Similarly, the number of NGO observers is provisionally the second-highest in COP history.
7/11/22: Richer nations falling short on ‘fair share’ of $100bn climate-finance goal
THE US, UK, Canada and Australia all made smaller financial contributions to the internationally agreed $100bn climate-finance target in 2020 than their shares of historical emissions, according to new research.
2/11/22: COP27: What is the Egypt climate conference and why is it important?
WANT to know what this weekend’s COP27 meeting is, and why it’s so important in the world’s response to the climate crisis? Here’s a really useful article from the BBC to give you the basics.
27/10/22: World close to ‘irreversible’ climate breakdown, warn major studies
THE climate crisis has reached a “really bleak moment”, one of the world’s leading climate scientists has said, after a slew of major reports laid bare how close the planet is to catastrophe – at a time when oil giants are making astronomical amounts of money.
26/10/22: Rishi Sunak brings back fracking ban in first PMQs
THE ban on shale gas fracking in England has been restored by new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in his first PMQs. His predecessor Liz Truss had lifted the ban on the controversial process where there was local consent.
24/11/22: Your burger could soon come wrapped in packing made from seaweed
YOUR fast food burger could soon come wrapped in seaweed. Burgers, fries, and nuggets can be a delicious treat. But the environmental impact of their packaging might leave a bad taste in your mouth…
14/10/22: Miliband: Labour will ban “dirty and dangerous” fracking “once and for all”
SHADOW Climate Change and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband has declared that Labour will “stand with communities” against the government’s plans to restart fracking, as the opposition party pledges to ban the use of the process for good.
13/10/22: Carbon offsets allow some companies to hide poor performance on cutting own emissions, government advisers say
THE government’s Climate Change Committee has issued a stark warning that voluntary carbon markets are not working and risk delaying net zero carbon emissions targets.
10/10/22: United Airlines forecasts electric planes for short-haul flights by decade’s end
AMERICA’S United Airlines, one of the largest airlines in the world, has shared preliminary plans to get an electric fleet of planes airborne at CNBC‘s ESG Impact Virtual Conference on Thursday.
10/10/22: Germany to pay December’s gas bills for households and businesses
THE German state is to pay this December’s monthly gas bill for all households and small- to medium-sized businesses, according to a phased two-stage cap on energy prices recommended by a government-appointed expert panel on Monday.
11/10/22: Liz Truss to ban solar projects on farms as Tory MP warns plan is ‘unwise’
PRIME Minister Liz Truss is poised to ban solar projects from most farms in England, in a move that will dismay climate change campaigners and some Tory backbenchers.
11/10/22: How UK businesses are cutting their energy costs
THE electrical retailer Currys plans to turn down the brightness of its TVs; Vivendi, the owner of the Havas advertising agency, is turning down the temperature in its offices by 1C; and 300,000 LED lights will illuminate Oxford Street this Christmas – cheaper and more efficient than standard lightbulbs.
6/10/22: Britain hits the one million electric car milestone
BRITAIN saw its millionth electric car registered last month, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Its figures suggest electric vehicle uptake continued to rise in September, with the second highest monthly volume of battery electric vehicle registrations in history.
Full article: Energy News Live
26/9/22: Nearly half of UK offshore wind capacity owned by foreign governments
NEARLY half of UK offshore wind capacity is controlled by state-owned or majority state-owned foreign entities, according to a new report.
22/9/22: What does the global green transition mean for energy jobs?
THE energy crisis fuelled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has put renewed focus on how countries generate and use their power, with several European nations rushing to wean themselves off Russian gas amid a global shift to cleaner energy sources.
Full article: Thomson Reuters Foundation
7/9/22: Britain’s two new environmental ministers alarm climate campaigners
JACOB Rees-Mogg, who once blamed high energy prices on “climate change alarmism”, has been appointed Energy Secretary in new Prime Minister Liz Truss’s new Cabinet, to the widespread dismay of environmental campaigners.
Meanwhile, Ms Truss’s choice as Environment Secretary, Ranil Jayawardena, has “consistently” voted against policies to tackle the climate crisis.
5/8/22: Wind farm profits to start helping Britons pay their energy bills this winter
NEW research by the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) suggests that a decision by the UK energy watchdog, Ofgem, will see wind farm profits being used to cut people’s fuel bills by £25 this winter and £45 next year.
Full article: Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit
29/7/22: How the world’s richest nations are still billions short on climate aid for the poor
RICH nations failed to meet a long-standing pledge to deliver $100 billion to help poorer countries cope with climate change, the OECD said on Friday.
Full article: Thomson Reuters Foundation News
21/7/22: Is the media finally connecting the dots on climate change?
WITH record-breaking heatwaves affecting the planet this summer, are they being reported as a here-and-now climate crisis or played down as a passing ‘fun in the sun’ moment?
Full article: Covering Climate Now
8/7/22: America’s historic climate bill to supercharge clean energies
AMERICAN Senate Democrats delivered a dramatic win for President Joe Biden’s effort to fight climate change on Sunday 3rd July, passing a bill that will devote hundreds of billions of US dollars to clean-energy sources and speed the US transition away from fossil fuels.
4/7/22: Is the humble mushroom the most under-used resource in fighting climate change?
PICTURE a group of “climate change warriors”, massing together in a battle to save the planet. Did you imagine a line of mushrooms? Well, maybe you should have, according to scientists at Boston University in the US.