There is “no way human intervention can put out the fires,” Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, Malaysia’s Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, to the Australian Broadcasting Company on the issue of Indonesian wildfires in a recent Weather Channel Report. Outbreaks of Equatorial wildfires. It’s something that can happen during strong El Ninos. These periods of warming in the … [Read more...]
Seattle calls on Bill Gates to divest from fossil fuels
Microsoft founder Bill Gates is facing fresh calls to move his charity’s investments out of fossil fuels from the community in Seattle where it is based, led by the city’s former mayor. The Bill and Melinda Gates’ Foundation is the world’s largest charitable foundation and funder of medical research. It had $1.4bn (£1bn) invested in fossil fuel companies, according to its … [Read more...]
Next decade decisive for Earth’s future
The next 10 years will be decisive when it comes to the planet's future - what we do (or don't) will play out over geologic time. It could, if we set our minds to it, be the decade when the planet's use of fossil fuels peaks and then rapidly declines. We've built a movement that, for the moment, is starting to tie down the fossil fuel industry: from the tar sands of … [Read more...]
Climate seer James Hansen issues his direst forecast yet
"Humanity could confront a sea level rise of several meters before the end of the century, unless greenhouse gas emissions are slashed much faster than currently contemplated." So said James Hansen, the former NASA scientist whose congressional testimony put global warming on the world's agenda a quarter-century ago. Hansen’s new study explodes conventional goals of climate … [Read more...]
Why reports about Earth’s upcoming ‘mini ice age’ are dead wrong
U.K. tabloids, conservative media, and others are (mis)reporting that the Earth will enter a “mini ice age” in the 2030s. In fact, not only is the story wrong, the reverse is actually true. The Earth is headed toward an imminent speed-up in global warming, as many recent studies have made clear, like this June study by NOAA. Indeed, a March study, entitled “Near-term … [Read more...]
Fossil fuel industry must ‘implode’ to avoid climate disaster
An “induced implosion” of the fossil fuel industry must take place for there to be any chance of avoiding dangerous global warming, according to one of the world’s most influential climate scientists. Professor Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, an adviser to the German government and Pope Francis, said on Friday: “In the end it is a moral decision. Do you want to be part of the … [Read more...]
Rate of climate change to soar by 2020s
New research from a major national lab projects that the rate of climate change, which has risen sharply in recent decades, will soar by the 2020s. This worrisome projection — which has implications for extreme weather, sea level rise, and permafrost melt — is consistent with several recent studies. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) study, “Near-term … [Read more...]
New study predicts end of “false” global warming pause
Forget the so-called 'pause' in global warming - new research says we might be in for an era of deeply accelerated heating. Global warming has been on vacation for a few years, writes Nafeez Ahmed. But that's only because the excess heat - two Hiroshima bombs-worth every second - has been buried in the deep ocean. But within a few years that's set to change, producing a huge … [Read more...]
Irreversible damage seen from climate change in UN Leak
Humans risk causing irreversible and widespread damage to the planet unless there’s faster action to limit the fossil fuel emissions blamed for climate change, according to a leaked draft United Nations report. Global warming already is affecting “all continents and across the oceans,” and further pollution from heat-trapping gases will raise the likelihood of “severe, … [Read more...]
Finding the real Africa
In 2005, Binyavanga Wainaina published a brilliantly sarcastic essay in Granta called “How to Write About Africa,” advising people on how to sound spiritual and compassionate while writing a book about the continent. “Always use the word ‘Africa’ or ‘Darkness’ or ‘Safari’ in your title,” Wainaina advised. “Never have a picture of a well-adjusted African on the cover of your … [Read more...]
Antarctic melt could cause global coastal destruction
Parts of the vast ice sheet of East Antarctica – which collectively holds enough water to raise global sea levels by 53 metres – could begin an irreversible slide into the sea this century, causing an unstoppable process of global coastal destruction, scientists have warned. East Antarctica is widely considered to be more stable than the West Antarctic ice sheet but a study … [Read more...]
Which US city will be submerged by climate change
A new Climate Central report shows which U.S. cities’ fates are locked in by sea-level rise. The long list of 1,400 cities includes not only obvious coastal candidates like Miami and New Orleans, but also inland cities such as Sacramento. They’re doomed to drown by 2100 even if carbon emissions immediately—like right now—drop to zero. Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA), a … [Read more...]
Years of Living Dangerously - now the truth goes beyond entertainment
Learning through the audio visual medium is really what speaks most deeply perhaps to our current generation. Art for the sake of art, or entertainment, has its place in our society, but with our very civilisation now threatened, I was hoping that someone would use the film medium to speak to the masses. Deeply, easily and with impact. It looks like it has now … [Read more...]
