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News Roundup

Biden Plans to Open More Public Land to Drilling – The New York Times

April 16th, 2022

‘WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced on Friday that it would resume selling leases for new oil and gas drilling on public lands, but would also raise the federal royalties that companies must pay to drill, the first increase in those fees in more than a century.’

Source: Biden Plans to Open More Public Land to Drilling – The New York Times

Satellites Reveal Slow Shift of the Entire Boreal Biome – Eos

April 11th, 2022

‘Boreal forests—together comprising the largest land biome on Earth—account for about 23% of our planet’s forested area and generally experience less pressure from human activities than other regions. A recent analysis of satellite images, however, showed that anthropogenic climate change has reached the biome—and it’s a scene worthy of Tolkien: The entire boreal forest is on the move.’

Source: Satellites Reveal Slow Shift of the Entire Boreal Biome – Eos

IPCC report calls for rapid, deep, and immediate emissions reductions – Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

April 11th, 2022

‘Even if greenhouse gas emissions peak by 2025 and fall by 43 percent by 2030, the world will likely surpass the 1.5 degree Celsius threshold above pre-industrial temperatures that was an aspirational target of the Paris climate agreement. But if emissions reduction goals are met, the world could fall below that threshold again by the end of the century. This will require “rapid and deep and in most cases immediate GHG [greenhouse gas] emission reductions in all sectors.”’

Source: IPCC report calls for rapid, deep, and immediate emissions reductions – Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Climate scientists are desperate: we’re crying, begging and getting arrested | Peter Kalmus | The Guardian

April 6th, 2022

‘Earth breakdown is much worse than most people realize. The science indicates that as fossil fuels continue to heat our planet, everything we love is at risk. For me, one of the most horrific aspects of all this is the juxtaposition of present-day and near-future climate disasters with the “business as usual” occurring all around me. It’s so surreal that I often find myself reviewing the science to make sure it’s really happening, a sort of scientific nightmare arm-pinch. Yes, it’s really happening.’

Source: Climate scientists are desperate: we’re crying, begging and getting arrested | Peter Kalmus | The Guardian

Opinion | We’re in a Fossil Fuel War. Biden Should Say So. – The New York Times

March 24th, 2022

‘Russia is a petrostate — its economy and global influence are heavily reliant on its vast reserves of oil and natural gas — and Vladimir Putin its petromonarch, another in a line of unsavory characters whom liberal democracies keep doing business with because they’ve got something we can’t live without.’

Source: Opinion | We’re in a Fossil Fuel War. Biden Should Say So. – The New York Times

Court Revokes Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Leases, Citing Climate Change – The New York Times

January 29th, 2022

‘The decision by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia is a major victory for environmental groups that criticized the Biden administration for holding the sale after promising to move the country away from fossil fuels. It had been the largest lease sale in United States history.’

Source: Court Revokes Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Leases, Citing Climate Change – The New York Times

California’s Plan to Slash Solar Subsidies Seen Cutting Market in Half – Bloomberg

January 29th, 2022

‘California’s residential solar market would be cut in half by 2024 if state regulators move forward with a proposal that would slash incentives and add monthly fees for rooftop systems, according to new analysis from Wood Mackenzie, an energy research firm.’

Source: California’s Plan to Slash Solar Subsidies Seen Cutting Market in Half – Bloomberg

John Kerry, U.S. Climate Envoy, Tells Top Polluters ‘We Must All Move Faster’ – The New York Times

January 28th, 2022

‘WASHINGTON — John Kerry, President Biden’s global climate envoy, warned nations Thursday that the world is “not on a good track” to meet its goal of pivoting away from fossil fuels in order to avoid the most dangerous consequences of climate change.’

Source: John Kerry, U.S. Climate Envoy, Tells Top Polluters ‘We Must All Move Faster’ – The New York Times

A Fight Over Rooftop Solar Threatens California’s Climate Goals – The New York Times

January 24th, 2022

‘California has led the nation in setting ambitious climate change goals and policies. But the state’s progress is threatened by a nasty fight between rival camps in the energy industry that both consider themselves proponents of renewable energy.’

Source: A Fight Over Rooftop Solar Threatens California’s Climate Goals – The New York Times

ICAN – Statements in Support of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

January 24th, 2022

Here’s Malawi’s statement among many others included in this ICAN document on the first anniversary of the TPNW:

“The only guarantee of our security against the threat of
nuclear weapons is their complete elimination. That is
why Malawi is among the countries that signed the
Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in 2017. The
treaty places nuclear weapons on the same legal footing
as the other weapons of mass destruction deemed
unacceptable for their indiscriminate and inhumane
effects such as biological and chemical weapons …
Malawi is fully committed to the treaty and is looking
forward to ratifying it with an intention to become a state
party … as soon as possible.” – 12 October 2018

 

Source: ICAN -Statements in Support of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons