FtF News #206 – 30th June 2024

Extreme heat, EU nature restoration, and the hidden costs of cheap nickel

Sometimes when assembling these newsletters, it feels a bit like groundhog day – more temperature records broken, bigger floods, larger wildfires. If every day is a new record, it stops feeling remarkable, and ends up becoming the new normal. In some ways, that’s to be expected – this is likely our new normal (if not even more extreme) – but there’s also a risk that the feeling of normalcy blinds us to the very real dangers of not acting more on climate change. 

This is something that’s starting to play out politically as well – whilst some are still trying to pretend that climate change doesn’t exist, most have moved to the stance of ‘yes, it exists, but there’s no point doing anything about it’. Apathy is to be expected in a world of constant upheaval, but I feel that only by staying connected to the impacts of climate change do we remain motivated to bring about change. As with all things, it’s a balance, as too much exposure can feel overwhelming in itself.

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

• More than 1,000 people have died in Mecca during the Hajj pilgrimage, with temperatures reaching 51.8°C in the shade.

• The heatwave in India is estimated to have claimed at least 110 lives, with over 40,000 suffering heatstroke, although unofficial estimates are much higher.

• Over the border in Pakistan, thousands have also been hospitalised due to heatstroke, with temperatures in Sindh province reaching 47°C.

• Palestinians in Gaza are now facing sweltering temperatures, even as their homes have been destroyed and water and power cut off.

• The US has been suffering under a heat dome, with approximately 80% of the population experiencing temperatures of at least 90°F/32°C, and temperature records falling across the country.

• A wildfire near Athens forced many to evacuate as much of Greece braces for the impacts of high temperatures and bone-dry conditions.

• At least 97% of the corals on a reef in the north of the Great Barrier Reef have died during one of the worst ever coral bleaching events in the region.

• Massive landslides in India and Bangladesh have killed at least 15, and potentially displaced millions, after heavy rain in the region.

• 8 have died in a landslide in central Hunan province, China, as the south of the county continues to suffer under extreme rain.

• At least 24 people have been killed by flooding and landslides due to heavy rain in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, with some areas seeing four times the usual level of rainfall.

It’s Science!

The latest from in climate research and analysis

• The recent heat dome sitting across much of the southern US and Mexico, affecting tens of millions, was made 35x more likely by climate change.

• A new study has found that protecting just 1.2% of the Earth’s surface for nature could prevent the extinction of the world’s most threatened species.

• The largest ever climate opinion poll, conducted by the UN, found that most people in major petrostates want their nations to transition quickly to renewable energy.

Party Political Broadcast

Climate politics are a special creature indeed

• The EU has passed a sweeping nature restoration law after a knife-edge vote ended what had been a deadlock amongst member states. The legislation targets restoration of at least 20% of EU land and sea by 2030, but was opposed by farmers across the bloc.

• G7 leaders have committed to a faster transition away from fossil fuels, but with no firm targets, the statement lacks any real substance.

• As the UK election looms next week, Carbon Brief’s latest analysis of ex-PM David Cameron’s famous pledge to ‘cut the green crap’ found that it has added £22bn to UK energy bills since 2015. That hasn’t stopped climate misinformation from continuing, with major parties and the media throwing around a host of inaccurate numbers around the cost of achieving net-zero.

• Denmark is to become the first country to tax livestock farmers for the emissions from their animals, putting a tariff in place from 2030.

Haha, Business!

Climate happenings in the corporate world

• Despite the impacts of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ being well known at this point, a recent check found 82% of products by 27 outdoor brands still contain them.

• A new study has found that low orbit internet satellites such as SpaceX’s Starlink could deplete the ozone layer, as when they burn up on re-entry they break into metals that speed up the break-down of the chemical in the upper atmosphere.

The Future is Electric

EVs and all things electrification

• VW is to invest $5bn into US EV company Rivian, boosting the latter’s coffers whilst giving VW access to their software and EV expertise.

Clean Green Energy Machine

Renewables versus coal – a look at the changing energy system

• Albania, Bosnia, Montenegro and Croatia have been hit by rolling blackouts as a heatwave sat over the region, with temperatures reaching around 40°C.

Breakthroughs

New inventions to inspire hope

• California has just purchased its first power from so-called ‘enhanced’ geothermal, which will contribute around 350MW of power from 2028.

Speaking truths

Efforts in activism and awareness

• Young people in Hawai’i have forced the state’s government to commit to decarbonising its transportation network by 2045 through a lawsuit.

• A marine conservation group has taken the UK government to court over its issuing of North Sea oil and gas drilling licences without considering climate impacts.

• Two Just Stop Oil activists broke into London Stansted Airport and spray painted private jets just hours after Taylor Swift’s jet was reported to have landed.

• The group also threw orange powder paint over Stonehenge just before the summer solstice to draw attention to the impacts of climate change.

Long Reads

Interesting deep-dives into climate-related topics

• Greenhouses have been found to have a marked cooling effect on the area around them, but given their impacts on water use and waste, is the tradeoff worth it?

• Sand mining is a murky world of not only environmental impacts, but often organised crime, murder, and much more.

• Indonesia is fast becoming a hub of nickel production, with its metals now part of most major EVs, but the growth is coming at huge cost to both the environment and the local population.