‘So far, Germany has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 27.7 percent—an astonishing achievement for a developed country with a highly developed manufacturing sector. But with a little more than a year left to go, despite dedicating $580 billion toward a low-carbon energy system, the country “is likely to fall short of its goals for reducing harmful carbon-dioxide emissions,” Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday. And the reason for that may come down not to any elaborate solar industry plans, but something much simpler: cars.’

Source: GERMANY HAS PROVEN THE MODERN AUTOMOBILE MUST DIE | WIRED

‘…But far from overstating the effects of a rapidly warming planet, a new report – called “What Lies Beneath: The Understatement of Existential Climate Risk” – argues that the bulk of climate research has tended to underplay the real risks of climate change.’

Source: International Climate Change Reports Are Dangerously Misleading, Says Eminent Scientist

‘WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Tuesday made public the details of its new pollution rules governing coal-burning power plants, and the fine print includes an acknowledgment that the plan would increase carbon emissions and lead to up to 1,400 premature deaths annually.’

Source: E.P.A. Unveils New Coal Pollution Rules. In the Fine Print: More Deaths | New York Times

‘…The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposal would give states wide latitude for determining how to cut greenhouse gases from the power sector, a key contributor in the U.S. to climate change. The proposed rule is far narrower than the Obama plan, which sought to cut emissions across the power sector rather than only at individual plants.’

Source: Trump releases plan to roll back Obama administration climate rules aimed at power plants | Science | AAAS

‘TILOS, Greece (AP) — When the blades of its 800-kilowatt wind turbine start turning, the small Greek island of Tilos will become the first in the Mediterranean to run exclusively on wind and solar power.’

Source: Renewable Resort: Greek Island to Run on Wind, Solar Power – usnews.com

‘The volume of toxic wastewater that fracked oil and gas wells generated during their first year of production also increased by up to 1440 percent during the same period, according to the study, which was published on Aug. 15 in the journal Science Advances.’

Source: Water Use for Fracking and Toxic Wastewater Created Has Skyrocketed, Study Finds – weather.com

‘As fossil-fuel burning warms the Earth, this ground is thawing, allowing microbes to consume buried organic matter and release carbon dioxide and shorter-lived methane, which is 25 times as potenta greenhouse gas as CO2.’

Source: Exclusive: Some Arctic Ground No Longer Freezing—Even in Winter – National Geographic

‘Scientists have worried for years that rising temperatures will free carbon trapped in frozen soil in the Arctic, accelerating the pace of climate change — but now they believe abrupt thawing below lakes is even more dangerous.’

Source: Melting Permafrost Below Arctic Lakes Is Even More Dangerous to the Climate, NASA Warns – Space.com

‘Ocean heatwaves will become more frequent and extreme as the climate warms, scientists report on August 15 in Nature. These episodes of intense heat could disrupt marine food webs and reshape biodiversity in the world’s oceans.’

Source: Climate Change Has Doubled the Frequency of Ocean Heatwaves – Scientific American

‘Mr. Zinke later clarified that he accepted that climate change was a factor. But his earlier comments, and those of the president, drew condemnation from scientists and environmental groups. Philip B. Duffy, executive director of the Woods Hole Research Center, a climate change research group in Massachusetts, said the comments were “clearly and demonstrably incorrect.”’

Source: Climate Has a Role in Wildfires? No. Wait, Yes. – New York Times