News Roundup
‘President Barack Obama’s pledge to lead a global effort raising $100 billion a year to help poor nations combat climate change may be an early casualty of the Republican takeover of Congress.’
via Election Puts Obama’s Climate Pledge at Risk on Eve of Summit – Bloomberg.
‘…With Republicans now in control of the Senate, we’re likely to see a bill to push through the Keystone XL pipeline coming down the pike soon. And Mitch McConnell, probably the coal industry’s biggest booster, retained his seat.’
via Meet the Senate’s New Climate Denial Caucus | Mother Jones.
‘There’s been a lot of anxiety in climate change circles after Tuesday’s election ushered in a Republican takeover of the U.S. Senate. The Wednesday morning headlines were dire, including this one from Vox: “The biggest loser in this election is the climate.”’
via Climate change in the 2014 midterms: Republicans may be rethinking positions..
‘The results are in. Yesterday the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released it final report crystallizing 13 months of work by more than 800 scientists.’
via 29 Bullets Tell All about Climate Challenge | Observations, Scientific American Blog Network.
‘In its most comprehensive analysis ever undertaken, the U.N.’s synthesis report released Sunday, finds that the evidence behind human influence on climate change is overwhelming and undeniable, as greenhouse gas emissions are the “highest in history.”’
via Planet headed toward ‘irreversible’ climate damage, UN warns | TheHill.
‘CLIMATE CHANGE is our era’s defining challenge, but most of America’s universities are planning to sit this one out. Though students and faculty members at more than 400 colleges have called for administrators to divest from fossil-fuel energy companies, fewer than 20 have committed to doing so. Stanford recently divested from coal, but none of the other schools had endowments within the 150 largest in 2013.’
‘Studies have shown that improved access to birth control can be a valuable tool in slowing global warming, but many politicians are afraid to broach the subject.’
via The Climate-Change Solution No One Will Talk About – The Atlantic.
‘Copenhagen (AFP) – Time is running out to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), the UN’s climate experts warned Sunday, saying current carbon emissions were a potential path to disaster.’
via Time running out to reach 2 C target: UN climate panel – Yahoo News.