News Roundup
‘VENICE, July 11 (Reuters) – U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Sunday signaled she will push multilateral development banks further away from fossil fuel projects, saying she would ask them to “increase their climate ambition” to support the Paris Agreement on carbon emissions reductions’
Source: U.S. Treasury’s Yellen to push development banks to step up climate financing effort | Reuters
‘…Worldwide, nearly 700 million people now live in low-lying coastal zones vulnerable to sea-level rise and coastal storms. That number could reach a billion by 2050. Island nations like the Maldives, Seychelles, Kiribati and others could be completely wiped out by rising seas and storms. Even a rise of only a meter (39in), almost certainly unavoidable now, will displace millions of people in Florida and along the Gulf coast, causing trillions of dollars in damages and property loss.’
‘As a new Cold War takes shape between the U.S. and China, progressives fear the result will be a dramatically warming planet.’
Source: Biden’s new Cold War with China will result in climate collapse, progressives warn – POLITICO
‘(CNN)The tiny town of Lytton has come to hold a grim record. On Tuesday, it experienced Canada’s highest-ever temperature, in an unprecedented heat wave that has over a week killed hundreds of people and triggered more than 240 wildfires across British Columbia, most of which are still burning.’
‘A massive plume of methane, the potent greenhouse gas that’s a key contributor to global warming, has been identified in China’s biggest coal production region.’
Source: Huge Methane Leak Spotted in Heart of China’s Top Coal Hub – Bloomberg
‘The Biden administration on Tuesday suspended oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, targeting one of President Donald Trump’s most significant environmental acts during his last days in office.’
Source: Biden administration moves to cancel Arctic National Wildlife Refuge leases – The Washington Post
‘…A simple change in the language used could make a difference, according to Karen Holl, professor of environmental studies at the University of California. “I’d like to see ‘tree planting’ campaigns called ‘tree growing’ campaigns. It’s about keeping the forest standing, and allowing for natural regeneration – you don’t necessarily have to plant the trees. There’s an obsession with digging a hole,” she says.’
Source: The ‘messy’ alternative to tree-planting – BBC Future
‘…a new study claims that catching fish using heavy nets that drag across the seabed – known as bottom trawling – emits about the same amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) globally as the aviation industry.
Seabed sediments that act as huge carbon sinks are churned up during this kind of trawling – and this results in CO2 being released..’
Source: Fish ‘not as carbon friendly’ as previously thought – BBC News
‘A third of global food production will be at risk by the end of the century if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise at their current rate, new research suggests.’
Source: Third of global food production at risk from climate crisis | Climate change | The Guardian
‘Reps. Andy Levin (D-Mich.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) introduced a revised bill Wednesday that would build out a national network of electric vehicle charging stations.’