FtF News #176 – 22nd March 2023
A new UN IPCC report, a surprise German u-turn on cars, and climate change as the new backdrop for the stories of today
I’m not going to lie, this week’s a tough one in the climate news sphere. David Attenborough’s recent warning that ‘nature is in crisis’ seems apt indeed as the UN IPCC released its latest synthesis report – 37 pages condensing some 10,000 pages of climate research showing just how dire a position we are in. It’s perhaps unsurprising that a recent survey found that a third of people aged 16-24 in the UK are scared, sad or pessimistic about climate change!
However, as these reports continue to note, there’s no room for giving up. 1.5°C is increasingly looking like a tough mark to meet, but it’s ever clearer that 1.6°C is better than 1.7°C, than 1.8°C. And as always, those who will be worst affected by those changes are those least responsible and least able to act. Whilst it may not be a hopeful week, it is hopefully a motivating one nevertheless.
Once again, this week’s issue was ably assisted by Syuan Ruei Chang, who contributed a number of the articles and stories featured this week. If you spot any stories you’d like to share, you can submit them here.
Wild Weather
Mother nature’s reactions to the ever-warming world
Tropical Cyclone Freddy, which first appeared near Australia in February, is still going, and has struck Mozambique and Malawi for a second time. The storm has killed hundreds, and is possibly the longest-lasting tropical cyclone ever recorded.
Antarctic sea ice has dropped to the lowest level ever recorded, breaking a record set just last year by 136,000 square km, and is the third time the record has been broken in six years.
California’s forests are increasingly on borrowed time, with many trees clinging on in areas that no longer support new growth, just one wildfire away from disappearing forever.
River levels in the UK are at record low levels, and with dry weather predicted until at least May, are likely to be ‘devastated’.
It’s Science!
The latest from in climate research and analysis
Around 99% of the world’s population is exposed to harmful levels of PM2.5 particulate pollution, with just 0.18% of land area at safe levels.
There are now around 170 trillion plastic particles in the world’s oceans, with numbers rising sharply in the last 15 years.
Satellite data confirms that the intensity of both extreme drought and rainfall has increased sharply over the past 20 years.
GHG emissions from food waste could make up as much as half of all emissions from the global food system – 9.3bn tonnes CO2-e in 2017 alone.
Analysis has found that UK fuel duty freezes and cuts since 2010 have led to UK carbon emissions being as much as 7% higher than otherwise.
Higher temperatures in the tropics will reduce coffee yields and raise prices, with the land suitable for coffee could halve by 2050.
Party Political Broadcast
Climate politics are a special creature indeed
The UN has released a new synthesis report – a rapid-fire summation of the past five years of climate science. The report, which has been signed off by all 195 UN nations, finds that human-caused climate change is unequivocally here, and is having severe and worsening impacts year by year. 1.5°C is not entirely beyond reach, but massive and sustained action is needed. It also speaks to climate justice, noting that more than 3bn people are highly vulnerable to climate impacts, and that financing is severely lacking.
In sharing the report, the UN Secretary General called on rich, developed nations like the UK to ‘fast-forward’ their net zero targets by a decade to 2040 to save the world from further impacts.
Biden has approved the controversial Willow oil and gas project in Alaska, despite it going against his election pledges and coming at a vast climate cost.
Germany has suddenly moved to block the EU’s planned ban on combustion engined vehicles just days before it was to be approved.
The UK government has given some £20bn more to fossil fuels than to renewables since 2015.
The EU is proposing to make oil majors store CO2 underground based on their fossil fuel production, with a goal of storing 50m tons annually by 2030.
The Vjosa river in Albania will become Europe’s first ‘river park’ as the government declared the entire length a national park after a decade-long campaign.
A number of EU nations are pushing to weaken key parts of the bloc’s fishing quotas in a move that could see massive amounts of overfishing of endangered species.
The EPA has proposed the first ever federal limits on PFAS in US drinking water.
The EU has agreed to a diplomatic position of pushing for a global phase-out of fossil fuels ‘well ahead of 2050’ ahead of COP28.
Money makes the world go around
The machinations of climate finance
Climate campaigners are suing BNP Paribas over its role in funding fossil fuel companies and projects – the first climate-related lawsuit against a commercial bank.
Haha, Business!
Climate happenings in the corporate world
Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest public oil company, has reported record profits for 2022 of $161.1bn – a 46.5% rise.
Shell has cut Scope 1 & 2 emissions by selling off its most polluting assets, but is running out of assets to sell, with a growing gap to reach its stated 2030 goals.
The UN has said the rapid and continued growth of the $270bn/yr bottled water industry is undermining efforts to provide universal access to safe drinking water.
Verra, the world’s biggest carbon credit certifier, is now planning to replace its rainforest offset scheme after a major investigation found that most of its offsets do essentially nothing.
Europe’s gas industry has embarked on a massive lobbying campaign to try to delay the phaseout of gas boilers under planned changes to EU legislation.
The Future is Electric
Renewables, EVs and all things electrification
The global EV market has seen a sharp fall in sales in January, attributed to strong cuts to EV subsidies in the major markets of Europe and China.
US solar installations fell in 2022 for the first time since 2018 as the industry grapples with supply chain difficulties and bans on some key Chinese imports.
The Climate Change Committee have issued a new report showing how the UK can reach a decarbonised electricity system by 2035 – whilst possible, the target will require immediate and significant action to achieve.
Breakthroughs
New inventions to inspire hope
University researchers have found a new type of filter for carbon capture that is up to 3x more effective, which could massively reduce the cost of the technology.
A UK biotech firm is making non-toxic fabric dyes using synthetic biology that have much lower impact than traditional colourings.
An enzyme secreted by certain bacteria is able to generate electricity from the air, and might be useful for powering small devices.
Climate Inequity
A hard look at the inequities of the climate crisis
A new study demonstrates a clear link between pollution levels and how non-white a neighbourhood is in the US, with the disparities remaining strong over decades.
Speaking truths
Efforts in activism and awareness
Leading lawyers have condemned court restrictions placed on climate protesters recently tried in the UK, calling them ‘deeply concerning’ – the protesters were not allowed to discuss any of the motivations that led them to their actions.
Knowledge is Power
Fuelling awareness of the climate crisis
Climate is increasingly seeping into our literature, forming a backdrop even for stories not explicitly about the climate crisis and helping boost awareness.
Other forms of creative output are also important – here are three graphic novels that focus on the climate in different ways.
Long Reads
Interesting deep-dives into climate-related topics
The enormous floods that struck Pakistan last year left an impact that will take years to recover from, and one that will test whether rich nations really will step up and financially support those countries most heavily impacted by climate events.
Shipping is an industry that is stubbornly hard to clean up – from high costs and tight margins to a complex ecosystem that rewards speed over emissions. New solutions are emerging, but whether they can scale is anyone’s guess so far.
Recent years have seen a rise in car-free developments in the US, even in such car havens as Houston, as people start to explore life beyond the automobile.
The rapid spread of single-use vapes not only has potential health implications, but uses up enough lithium for 11,000 EV batteries each year.