News Roundup
‘Instead of tacitly accepting that inaction is preordained for the remaining two years of the Trump presidency, Congress should send Mr. Trump legislation addressing this crisis. ‘
Source:Â John Kerry: Forget Trump. We All Must Act on Climate Change | The New York Times
‘The world has been put on notice that its best efforts so far will fail to halt the devastation of climate change, as countries came to a partial agreement at UN talks that failed to match up to the challenges faced.’
Source:Â UN climate accord ‘inadequate’ and lacks urgency, experts warn | The Guardian
‘The expected increase, which would bring fossil fuel and industrial emissions to a record high of 37.1 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year, is being driven by a nearly 5 percent growth of emissions in China and more than 6 percent in India, researchers estimated, along with growth in many other nations. Emissions by the United States grew 2.5 percent, while those of the European Union declined by just under 1 percent.’
Source: ‘We are in trouble.’ Global carbon emissions reached a record high in 2018 | Washington Post
‘Washington (CNN)The Trump administration will reverse an Obama-era coal emissions rule as part of its effort to loosen restrictions on the coal industry, just days after a US government report warned that aggressive action is needed to curb greenhouse gases and ease the impact of global warming.’
Source:Â EPA rolls back coal rule despite climate change warnings | CNN
‘Voluminous emissions of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, rapid global warming, and a decline in biodiversity—the storyline is modern, but the setting is ancient: The end of the Permian Period, some 252 million years ago. For the end-Permian, the result was catastrophic: the greatest loss of plant and animal life in Earth history’
‘The stakes are high: While countries agreed in Paris to keep global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, above preindustrial levels, the plans that various countries have written so far are wildly insufficient to that task. Currently, the world is on pace for around 3 degrees Celsius of warming or more, bringing far higher risks of deadly heat waves, floods, the collapse of polar ice caps and other potential calamities.’
Source:Â COP24, the New Round of Global Climate Talks, Has Begun. We Answer Three Key Questions. | The New York Times
‘…But this year’s will be a grimmer affair – by far. As recent reports have made clear, the world may no longer be hovering at the edge of destruction but has probably staggered beyond a crucial point of no return. Climate catastrophe is now looking inevitable. We have simply left it too late to hold rising global temperatures to under 1.5C and so prevent a future of drowned coasts, ruined coral reefs, spreading deserts and melted glaciers.
Source:Â Portrait of a planet on the verge of climate catastrophe | The Guardian
‘The negotiations will take place against a background of ominous news: the past four years have been the hottest on record and global emissions were rising again, when they need to fall by half by 2030. Climate action must be increased fivefold to limit warming to the 1.5C scientists advise, according to the UN.’
Source: ‘We are last generation that can stop climate change’ – UN summit | The Guardian
‘On Friday 30 November, young Australians from more than 200 schools around the nation put down their books and picked up their placards to demand better climate policies from their government.’
Source: Australian Kids Just Staged a Climate Change Protest – Check Out Their Epic Signs | sciencealert.com
‘Butte County’s Camp Fire not only claimed a staggering amount of lives and property, it spewed out a whole lot of greenhouse gases – about as much as all of California’s cars and trucks produce in a week, according to new state estimates.’