Climate Change

The state of the climate is indeed perilous but contrary to the prevailing pessimistic narratives, we have seen major improvements since the signing of the Paris accord. This includes climate emergency declarations around the world, the climate advocacy of young activists like Greta Thunberg, and mass public protests. We have witnessed the proliferation of climate groups like the Sunrise Movement and Extinction Rebellion. We have also seen leadership from countries around the world (Sweden, the UK, Denmark, Norway, Morroco, and Chile)*. In the U.S. politicians like Washington Governor Jay Inslee promoted the Green New Deal and drove climate change to the top of the agenda in...

The situation is perilous but it is neither too late nor too expensive to reign in climate change. For decades action to combat global warming was delayed by climate change deniers, while such denial is in decline it is being replaced by "doomers"  who say we are beyond the point of being able to do anything about it. While we may be dangerously close to tipping points from which we may not be able to recover, the best science we have suggests that there is still time to act.  There is no doubt that acting on climate change at the required scale...

The Green Market Oracle has been recognized as a leading green business website and now it is being honored as one of the top climate change blogs. On May 6, 2021, Feedspot released their list of the Top 45 Climate Change Blogs and Websites To follow in 2021. Their ranking of the top climate change blogs/websites was determined by their team of 25 expert panelists based on relevancy, blog post frequency (freshness), social metrics, domain authority, traffic, and many other parameters. According to Feedspot founder Anuj Agarwal, this is the most comprehensive list of climate change blogs/websites on the Internet....

Members of the business community have supported Earth Hour for years.  This support continues in 2021, however, in light of COVID-19, the Earth Hour global team is recommending businesses organize online/virtual events. Supporting Earth Hour starts with turning off your lights on March 27th from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Businesses can use their communication channels and platforms, to tell everyone why their organization is taking part in Earth Hour, they can share the official Earth Hour video, and they can post messages (using the hashtag #EarthHour).  Some are live streaming events and running sustainability-focused workshops, others are putting forward...

Red states produce and consume more carbon than blue states. This holds true for both Republican state economies and the lifestyle choices of citizens in red states. GOP-controlled states produce and burn more fossil fuels than their blue counterparts. The 26 mostly red states that generate the highest levels of carbon pollution (including per capita emissions) are concentrated in the Deep South, Appalachia, and the Great Plains. Texas is the nation's largest domestic oil producer and they also have the largest carbon footprint. Texas has almost twice the level of emissions compared to second-place California even though the latter has...

Major banks may be slowly backing away from financing some fossil fuel infrastructure, but they fund a wide range of projects that contribute to climate change and biodiversity loss.  While banks claim to be embracing sustainability this does not square with many of the projects they finance. According to the Bankrolling Extinction report produced by portfolio.earth banks are funding crimes against nature.  In 2019 alone the world's largest investment banks provided $2.6 trillion worth of ecosystem destroying financing that has been linked to biodiversity loss and mass extinctions. Fifty top investment banks are named in the report including big American banks.  While...

There were a record number of extreme weather events and climate related disasters in 2020.  An ever warming planet has increased both the intensity and the frequency of these events. The data shows that such events are becoming more intense and more frequent. They are also growing ever more deadly and causing increasing financial losses amounting to trillions of dollars. Last year these events were compounded by COVID-19. According to a new report, last more than 50 million people were hit simultaneously by climate-related disasters and the pandemic.     Extreme Weather Linked to Rising Temperatures and Climate Change In 2020 there...

Buried under apocalyptic headlines, there were a host of positive biodiversity stories in 2020. Progress in habitat protection and species reintroductions suggest that we are seeing efforts to combat biodiversity loss. Last year scientists discovered dozens of animals that were thought to be extinct as well as hundreds of new species ranging from large mammals to tiny amphibians. These discoveries help us to understand that this planet is teaming with more life than we know.. Local initiatives are taking place all around the world. One of the most well known is the Trillion Trees Initiative. This global initiative has garnered support from...

It's official, despite cooling from a La Niña event, 2020 has tied 2016 as the warmest year on record, ending the warmest decade on record. These findings were released by Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) on January 8, 2021.   In 2020 we saw the hottest temperature ever reliably recorded. Death Valley California saw temperature readings of 54.4 C (129.92 F) on August 17, 2020. Last year's heat contributed to unprecedented  extreme weather including a  record setting Atlantic storm season and pervasive wildfires. As explained by Penn State University professor  Michael Mann, this year's heat is "way out of balance".  GHGs are...

This year's Atlantic hurricane season was the worst on record and it marks the fifth straight year with above-average storm activity. Each year there are an average of around 12 storms in the Atlantic, in 2020 there was a record breaking 31. This includes 13 hurricanes (twice the normal number) with six of them rated as Category 3 or higher (also twice the normal average). There is little doubt among climate scientists that warmer ocean temperatures are at least partly responsible for the growing number of intense storms. The storm season is starting earlier and generating more rapidly intensifying hurricanes....