Rolling Stone: The Truth About These Climate Change Numbers

"A new report shows carbon emissions are moving in the wrong direction, and we’re running out of time."

"A new report issued this week by the Global Carbon Project shows that, far from making progress, we’re going in exactly the opposite direction. After several years when global carbon emissions flatlined, giving hope to some that the turning point had come, the new report shows that carbon emissions are projected to increase by 2.7 percent in 2018. That may not sound like a lot, but given what’s at stake with our rapidly changing climate, it’s the equivalent of an alcoholic who had sworn to go cold turkey taking a couple of shots of Jack Daniels at lunch."

 #carbon #china #usa #coalmining #globalwarming #climateaction #carbondioxide #1.5 degrees

Read the Rolling Stone Article

GQ: Billionaires Are the Leading Cause of Climate Change

After the Paradise fires

This week, the United Nations released a damning report. The short version: We have about 12 years to actually do something to prevent the worst aspects of climate change. That is, not to prevent climate change—we're well past that point—but to prevent the worst, most catastrophic elements of it from wreaking havoc on the world's population. To do that, the governments of Earth need to look seriously at the forces driving it. And an honest assessment of how we got here lays the blame squarely at the feet of the 1 percent.

"Politicians Discussing Global Warming" by Isaac Cordal, a statue in Berlin

"Politicians Discussing Global Warming" by Isaac Cordal, a statue in Berlin

See also: Billionaires are a leading cause of climate change

World Economic Forum: Climate change is speeding up. Our response needs to be even faster

There is no more room in the atmosphere for our carbon.pollution

"The race is on. This northern summer’s deadly, record-breaking heatwaves and wildfires leave us in no doubt that the impacts of global warming are accelerating, in many cases much faster than scientists predicted. 

One of the most important, but least understood, aspects of the Paris Agreement is that it legally obliges every country to deepen its emission reduction targets every five years. I call this five-yearly cycle the Agreement’s beating heart, because it provides the life force for achieving the temperature goals that will keep the worst impacts of global warming at bay."

Read the WEF article 

 #carbon #china #usa #coalmining #globalwarming #climateaction #carbondioxide #1.5 degrees

The Guardian: Gina Rinehart company revealed as $4.5m donor to climate sceptic thinktank

"Billionaire’s company gave significant donations to the Institute of Public Affairs in 2016 and 2017

Australia’s richest person, mining magnate Gina Rinehart, has been revealed as a key funder of the rightwing thinktank the Institute of Public Affairs – a consistent promoter of climate science scepticism.

Rinehart’s company, Hancock Prospecting, donated $2.3m to the IPA in 2016 and $2.2m in 2017, according to disclosures made to the New South Wales supreme court."

Read The Guardian article 

 #carbon #china #usa #coalmining #globalwarming #climateaction #carbondioxide #1.5 degrees

BBC News: Climate change: COP24 fails to adopt key scientific report

"Attempts to incorporate a key scientific study into global climate talks in Poland have failed. 

The IPCC report on the impacts of a temperature rise of 1.5C, had a significant impact when it was launched last October.

Scientists and many delegates in Poland were shocked as the US, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwait objected to this meeting "welcoming" the report."

Read BBC News article 

Related: Australia's silence during climate change debate shocks COP24 delegates

WEF: Climate change is making our food less nutritious

Vital crops from wheat to rice are at risk of becoming less nutritious due to rising carbon levels.

Image: REUTERS/Desmond Boylan DB/jk

"Rising carbon emissions could make vital food crops from wheat to rice less nutritious and endanger the health of hundreds of millions of the world's poorest, scientists said on Monday.

Certain staple crops grown in open fields with elevated carbon dioxide levels had up to 17 percent lower levels of protein, iron and zinc compared to those grown amid less of the gas, according to a study in the journal Nature Climate Change."

Read WEF article.