Post Carbon Institute
CLIMATE CRISIS
Noted energy expert Richard Heinberg writes: Our primary task this century will be to shrink the economy and rein in population while promoting human well being. We can do so as we minimize climate change by reducing energy consumption and by replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy resources. Otherwise, we get climate chaos and economic collapse….
Read More about Can We Have Our Climate and Eat It Too?
Energyemp.com
CLIMATE CRISIS
Devinder Sharma writes: The cumulative impact of cattle rearing in Australia, transportation of cattle from the ranches down under to China, and the resulting greenhouse gas emissions alone is going to be enormous. And yet meat consumption has not been mentioned at Paris climate talks. The reason is simple. The western lifestyle has not to be disturbed….
Read More about Why no meat at the Paris climate talks?CLIMATE CRISIS
This interactive graphic by Carbon Brief outlines and explaines all the fundamental components of the Paris climate deal. Among other issues, the graphic covers mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage, finance and transparency. It looks at the elements of the so-called “ambition mechanism”, the inclusion of a 1.5C aspirational target, the long-term goal, and much more….
Read More about Paris Climate Accord: Interactive guide and post-mortem
Mohammad Moniruzzaman/Flicker
CLIMATE CRISIS
Surya P. Sethi, India’s former Core Climate Negotiator, writes in The Wire: To those who say the Paris Accord “signals an end to the fossil fuel era”; I say please look at Bloomberg’s commodities page – fossil fuels are being produced in never before quantities and sold at the lowest ever prices in real terms….
Read More about Surya Sethi: Ten Inconvenient Truths About the Paris Climate AccordCLIMATE CRISIS
Author and Post Carbon Institute founder Richard Heinberg writes: Here are nine critical issues to consider as we come away from COP21–because as media commentaries about whether the COP21 meetings were a success or a failure run their course, the burden falls on our shoulders to return to the hard work of fighting for, and implementing, the energy transition….
Read More about Richard Heinberg: An open letter to climate leaders
Reuters
CLIMATE CRISIS
The figure quoted most often in climate change literature is a further warming of 0.6 ºC. This is unavoidable warming-in-the-pipeline, over and above the 1ºC rise the world has touched in 2015. This is not to minimise the political significance of the demand of 1.5 ºC, but to point out that it has already been breached….
Read More about COP21 Could See a Political Victory But There’s a Reason to Be Very Cautious
CLIMATE CRISIS
Even if all emission pledges are fully implemented, temperature rise by 2100 will exceed 2oC, and may be in the range 3-4oC. The additional carbon space of 1,000 GtCO2 will fill by 2040, just 5 years later than had emissions continued in a business-as-usual manner. Clearly, the pledges are too little and have come too late….
Read More about From Hopelesshagen to Flop21: the shenanigans of climate change negotiationsCLIMATE CRISIS
The richest 10% of people produce half of Earth’s climate-harming fossil-fuel emissions, while the poorest half contribute a mere 10%, British charity Oxfam said in a report released Wednesday. “Rich, high emitters should be held accountable for their emissions, no matter where they live,” Oxfam climate policy head, Tim Gore, said in a recent statement….
Read More about World’s richest 10% produce half of global carbon emissions
By Swedish political cartoonist Riber Hansson
CLIMATE CRISIS
Editorial cartoonists from around the world have been quick to capture the fault lines in the negotiations ‒ world leaders arriving in Paris in their gas-guzzling jets and SUVs, rich countries lecturing poor countries on climate action, the inability for political leaders to strike a climate consensus up till now. Here are the best picks….
Read More about Cartoonists’ take on the climate haggling in Paris
Nature.com
CLIMATE CRISIS
The fragile framework A Nature comic examines the 25-year quest for a climate treaty. Can nations unite to save Earth’s climate? Richard Monastersky & Nick Sousanis, Nature Click on image to view comic MORE IN COMICS: Syria’s Climate-Fueled Conflict, In One Stunning Comic Strip Peak Oil: A Graphic Story
Read More about Comic: The 25-year quest for a climate treaty
EI_EcoPictures/Twitter
CLIMATE CRISIS
As climate risks grow worse, the dynamic adaptation gap for India could grow to $360 billion in finance and much more in technology. Nayantara Narayanan, Scroll.in As the 21st Conference of Parties on Climate Change gets underway in Paris, a major sticking point in the deliberations will be climate finance. India is leading the charge…
Read More about India may need $1 trillion by 2030 to adapt to climate changeCLIMATE CRISIS
Inviting major polluters to pay for the talks compared to ‘hiring a fox to guard a hen house’ Sarah Lazare, Common Dreams From financial giant BNP Paribas to fossil fuels company Engie, the same corporations that deny science and drive carbon pollution are now sponsoring, co-opting, and interfering with the upcoming United Nations climate talks…
Read More about The corporates bankrolling the Paris climate talksCLIMATE CRISIS
Grist.org Today, diplomats will gather in Paris for a helluva high-stakes dinner party. How? Well, their orders are likely to affect the collective future of the planet. Check out our video above for all the savory details. Has anyone ever tried to convince you to order something off a menu that you couldn’t afford?…
Read More about Video: The high-stakes dinner party in Paris
CLIMATE CRISIS
(Note: In this series of posts, we take a closer look at India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC), ahead of the Paris climate talks. This concluding post primarily examines trends in India’s energy consumption, which is what will primarily determine whether we can meet our climate targets or not. Also read: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 of…
Read More about India’s INDCs and the road to Paris – 5CLIMATE CRISIS
Can India modernize its manufacturing economy and supply electricity to its growing population without relying heavily on coal—and quite possibly destroying the global climate? Richard Martin, Technology Review An old man wakes on the floor of a hut in a village in southern India. He is wrapped in a thin cotton blanket. Beside him, music wails…
Read More about India’s Energy CrisisCLIMATE CRISIS
How will climate change impact our weather in the year 2050? Watch “weather reports from the future” World Meteorological Organization If humanity’s greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase, the average temperature of the Earth’s lower atmosphere could rise by more than 4°C (7.2°F) by the end of the 21st century. But what does a global average…
Read More about Video: Weather reports from the futureCLIMATE CRISIS
Bolivia’s former climate negotiator Pablo Solon writes: In the current text there are good and bad proposals, and the final result will be something in between the most ambitious and the weakest proposals. Are they going to put us on a path that limits the increase of the temperature to 1.5 ºC or 2 ºC?…
Read More about Pablo Solon: Behind the negotiating text for the Paris Climate talks
CLIMATE CRISIS
(Note: In this series of posts, we take a closer look at India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) and its larger context, ahead of the Paris climate talks. Also read: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of the series) Consumption injurious to the planet’s health Sujata Byravan, The Hindu Most observers agree that the government has set ambitious…
Read More about India’s INDCs and the road to Paris – 4
CLIMATE CRISIS
(Note: In this series of posts, we take a closer look at whether India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) ahead of the Paris climate talks. In this third installment, we present comments by three independent observers that critically analyse India’s climate commitment. Also read: Part 1 and Part 2 of the series) “India has low per capita emission only thanks…
Read More about India’s INDCs and the road to Paris – 3
CLIMATE CRISIS
(Note: In this series of posts, we look at whether India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) – its promise of action to counter climate change ahead of the Paris climate talks this year – is all its claimed to be. In this second installment, we look at some of the later, more critical analyses of India’s climate commitment. Read Part…
Read More about India’s INDCs and the road to Paris – 2
