The Climate Crisis
- Trying to reverse climate change won’t save us, scientists warnwww.theverge.com Trying to reverse climate change won’t save us, scientists warn
“Climate change comes with irreversible consequences.”
- What happens to the world if forests stop absorbing carbon? Ask Finlandwww.theguardian.com What happens to the world if forests stop absorbing carbon? Ask Finland
The natural sinks of forests and peat were key to Finland’s ambitious target to be carbon neutral by 2035. But the land now emits more greenhouse gases than it stores
- The Atlantic Ocean's currents are on the verge of collapse. This is what it means for the planetwww.sciencefocus.com The Atlantic Ocean's currents are on the verge of collapse. This is what it means for the planet
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation is one of the Earth's key climate systems.
- New evidence says gas exports damage the climate even more than coal. It’s time Australia took serious actionwww.theguardian.com New evidence says gas exports damage the climate even more than coal. It’s time Australia took serious action | Adam Morton
New evidence shows gas exports damage the climate even more than coal. It’s time Australia took serious action
- Explainer: How hotter oceans can fuel more intense Atlantic hurricaneswww.carbonbrief.org Explainer: How hotter oceans can fuel more intense Atlantic hurricanes - Carbon Brief
Record-breaking sea temperatures across the Gulf of Mexico have been a key ingredient behind some intense hurricanes devastating the region this year.
- The 2024 state of the climate report: Perilous times on planet Earthacademic.oup.com The 2024 state of the climate report: Perilous times on planet Earth
We are on the brink of an irreversible climate disaster. This is a global emergency beyond any doubt. Much of the very fabric of life on Earth is imperiled
> Risk of societal collapse
> The climate emergency is not an isolated issue. Global heating, although it is catastrophic, is merely one aspect of a profound polycrisis that includes environmental degradation, rising economic inequality, and biodiversity loss (Hoyer et al. 2023). Climate change is a glaring symptom of a deeper systemic issue: ecological overshoot, where human consumption outpaces the Earth's ability to regenerate (Rees 2023, Ripple et al. 2024). Overshoot is an inherently unstable state that cannot persist indefinitely. As pressures increase and the risk of Earth's climate system switching to a catastrophic state rises (Steffen et al. 2018), more and more scientists have begun to research the possibility of societal collapse (Brozović 2023). Even in the absence of global collapse, climate change could cause many millions of additional deaths by 2050 (WHO 2023).
- Wealthy Western nations, despite advocating for a green transition, are leading this expansion and issuing the majority of new oil and gas licenses.oilprice.com $1 Trillion LNG Infrastructure Boom Threatens Climate Goals | OilPrice.com
Western nations' investments in natural gas infrastructure conflict with the global emphasis on a green transition.
- It’s too late to save Britain from overheating, says UN climate chiefwww.telegraph.co.uk It’s too late to save Britain from overheating, says UN climate chief
Interview: Prof Jim Skea warns the world risks 3C of global warming by 2100 unless it changes course
- Are we underestimating global warming?www.vox.com Are we underestimating global warming?
Climate change: Why do some climate models predict it will be much hotter than others?
- Hurricane Helene Has a Blunt Message for Climate Weekwww.bloomberg.com Hurricane Helene Has a Blunt Message for Climate Week
The storm is a stark reminder of the damage global warming is causing already and the need for urgent action.
https://archive.ph/iMWgS
- Earth may have breached seven of nine planetary boundaries, health check showswww.theguardian.com Earth may have breached seven of nine planetary boundaries, health check shows
Ocean acidification close to critical threshold, say scientists, posing threat to marine ecosystems and global liveability
- Ending Oil Subsidies, Taxing the Rich Could Help Free Up $5 Trillion a Year for Climate: Reportwww.commondreams.org Ending Oil Subsidies, Taxing the Rich Could Help Free Up $5 Trillion a Year for Climate: Report | Common Dreams
"The real question isn't whether we can afford to act, but whether we can afford not to."
- I’ve studied geopolitics all my life: climate breakdown is a bigger threat than China and Russiawww.theguardian.com I’ve studied geopolitics all my life: climate breakdown is a bigger threat than China and Russia | Anatol Lieven
‘Risk’ analyses largely ignore the dangers of the climate crisis. Unless we wake up to them, they will soon outweigh all others, says Anatol Lieven of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
- Biden Urged to 'Follow the Facts' as Study Shows LNG Emissions 33% Worse Than Coalwww.commondreams.org Biden Urged to 'Follow the Facts' as Study Shows LNG Emissions 33% Worse Than Coal | Common Dreams
"The science is clearer than ever: LNG exports and natural gas-sourced hydrogen pose grave risks to our planet and will undermine President Biden's own climate goals," said one campaigner.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/20232082
> By Brett Wilkins > > September 12, 2024
- Remaining “Calm” About Climate Change Will Kill Uswww.levernews.com Remaining “Calm” About Climate Change Will Kill Us
Anyone insisting that you “calm down” about climate change is living in denial about the catastrophes at our doorstep.
- Americans misunderstand their contribution to deteriorating environmentarstechnica.com Americans misunderstand their contribution to deteriorating environment
A global survey suggests 88 percent of people are worried about the state of nature.
- Another Global Warming Record: Hottest Summer Evertime.com Another Global Warming Record: Hottest Summer Ever
Across the world, soaring temperatures are testing the limits of the human body, posing threats and even causing deaths at outdoor activities such as concerts, sports events, and religious gatherings.
- Even desert plants known for their resilience are burning and dying in the heatwww.nbcnews.com Even desert plants known for their resilience are burning and dying in the heat
Agave and saguaro cacti, both heat-tolerant and drought-resistant, are suffering as climate change makes heat waves more frequent and intense.
- Study Ties Climate Crisis to Spread of Valley Fever-Causing Fungus in Californiawww.commondreams.org Study Ties Climate Crisis to Spread of Valley Fever-Causing Fungus in California | Common Dreams
Climate change is fueling a dangerous rise in Valley fever cases in California. Drought conditions are creating the perfect storm for fungal spores to thrive, putting people at risk. How can we protect ourselves and our communities from this growing threat? Stay informed and take precautions to stay...
- September debuts with potentially record heat for Southwest, West Coastwww.nbcnews.com September debuts with potentially record heat for Southwest, West Coast
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass ordered "augmented cooling centers" to open throughout the city as high temperatures near 100 degrees are expected by Thursday.
- A giant hole in Siberia is visible from space and growing rapidly. It might reveal hints about our planet's future.ca.news.yahoo.com A giant hole in Siberia is visible from space and growing rapidly. It might reveal hints about our planet's future.
The Batagay megaslump first appeared in satellite images as a sliver. Now it's a chasm emitting thousands of tons of carbon dioxide per year.
- Sunrise Movement plans pro-Harris outreach to 1.5M voters but stops short of endorsementwww.thehill.com Sunrise Movement plans pro-Harris outreach to 1.5M voters but stops short of endorsement
Left-leaning environmental advocacy group Sunrise Movement said Wednesday it will conduct voter outreach on behalf of Vice President Harris’s presidential campaign, but it stopped short of an endor…
- A great discussion on tipping pointsclimatejustice.social Bread and Circuses (@breadandcircuses@climatejustice.social)
Attached: 1 image Johan Rockström is an internationally recognized scientist who leads development of the planetary boundaries framework, first published in 2009 and updated in 2015 and 2023. (See https://www.stockholmresilience.org/research/planetary-boundaries.html) Last month, Rockström gave an...
- More Americans are having to choose between food and energy billswww.cbsnews.com More Americans are having to choose between food and energy bills
A growing number of Americans face energy poverty, struggling to afford to heat or cool their home. Health officials and climate experts are sounding the alarm.
- Doomist or realist? Meet the scientist who says the climate collapse has already begunwww.smh.com.au Doomist or realist? Meet the scientist who says the climate collapse has already begun
Jem Bendell was made famous by his paper Deep Adaptation, in which he argued that climate collapse was inevitable. Now he says it has already begun.
- At this point, Microplastics pollution should probably be included
The average brain weighs 1300-1400 grams. If 0.5% of that is plastic by weight, your brain contains 6.5 - 7 grams of plastic. The average plastic credit card weighs 5 grams.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/21/microplastics-brain-pollution-health
- Climate Crisis & Election Roundtable: From Tim Walz’s Record to Project 2025 to Israelwww.democracynow.org Climate Crisis & Election Roundtable: From Tim Walz’s Record to Project 2025 to Israel
Climate activists disrupted a DNC-adjacent event sponsored by ExxonMobil on Wednesday, the same day that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz formally accepted his nomination as vice-presidential candidate for the Democratic Party. Walz has faced harsh criticism from Indigenous and environmental rights group...
- When it rains, it pours! This old idea looks set to be Australia's futurecosmosmagazine.com When it rains, it pours! This old idea looks set to be Australia's future
Human-induced climate warming is driving increases in rainfall variability over 75% of the Earth's land - researchers say the effects are especially prominent in Australia.
- The climate is changing so fast that we haven’t seen how bad extreme weather could getarstechnica.com The climate is changing so fast that we haven’t seen how bad extreme weather could get
Decades-old statistics no longer represent what is possible in the present day.
- Oregon county seeks to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for extreme heatarstechnica.com Oregon county seeks to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for extreme heat
Multnomah County's heat dome conditions killed 69 people in 2021.
cross-posted from: https://midwest.social/post/14335558
> When scientific studies showed that the extreme temperatures were caused by heat domes, which experts say are influenced by climate change, county officials didn’t just chalk it up to a random weather occurrence. They started researching the large fossil fuel companies whose emissions are driving the climate crisis—including ExxonMobil, Shell, and Chevron—and sued them. > > Now, 11 months after the suit was filed, Multnomah County is preparing to move forward with the case in Oregon state court after a federal judge in June settled a monthslong debate over where the suit should be heard.
- Extreme Wildfires Have Doubled in Frequency and Intensity in the Past 20 Yearswww.wired.com Extreme Wildfires Have Doubled in Frequency and Intensity in the Past 20 Years
These findings align with other evidence that wildfires are getting worse—such as the total area burned each year ratcheting up.
A new study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution shows that the number and intensity of the most extreme wildfires on Earth have doubled over the past two decades.
The authors of the new study, researchers at the University of Tasmania, first calculated the energy released by different fires over 21 years from 2003 to 2023. They did this by using a satellite-based sensor that can identify heat from fires, measuring the energy released as “fire radiative power.”
The researchers identified a total of 30 million fires (technically 30 million “fire events,” which can include some clusters of fires grouped together). They then selected the top 2,913 with the most energy released, that is, the 0.01 percent “most extreme” wildfires. Their work shows that these extreme wildfires are becoming more frequent, with their number doubling over the past two decades. Since 2017, the Earth has experienced the six years with the highest number of extreme wildfires (all years except 2022).
