• Climate Change

Global Carbon Pollution Reached Pre-Pandemic Levels Again by the End of 2020

• Brazil
• carbon emissions
• China
• CO2
• global emissions
• IEA
• India
• International Energy Agency
• pandemic
• transportation

According to a report out on Tuesday from the International Energy Agency, while the pandemic allowed a brief reprieve from the uptick in global carbon dioxide emissions, global carbon pollution had returned to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2020.  Carbon emissions in Brazil, India, and China were all up over 2019 levels.

Why this Matters:  Under the Paris Agreement, nations agreed to prevent the rise in global temperature from reaching two degrees Celsius and keeping the rise under 1.5 degrees celsius, but that won’t be possible if our emissions start going up again.

• Climate Change

Climate Change Is Our Common Ground

• biparitisan
• climate change
• unity

New public opinion research reveals a totally surprising level of agreement in America on the long-term national priorities that we need to focus on as a nation.

Why This Matters:  The Index’s authors describe the issue of climate change as a “collective illusion” because there are significant gaps between personal and perceived societal national aspirations. 

• Climate Change

Biden Administration to Return to Obama Era CO2 Cost Calculations

• Biden Administration
• climate change
• President Biden
• social cost of carbon

by Amy Lupica, ODP Staff Writer On Friday, the Biden administration announced that it would be returning to the Obama-era method of calculating the “social cost of greenhouse gasses.”  This metric is a measure of how much each metric ton of carbon emitted will cost future generations, including the costs of hurricane damage, flooding, wildfires, and other effects of […]

• Climate Change

Atlantic Ocean Currents Appear To Be Changing; So May Hurricane Season

• climate change
• cold blob
• fisheries
• Gulf of Maine
• Gulf Stream
• hurricane season
• ocean currents
• ocean warming

In a little-noticed report that could have major implications for both the Eastern U.S. and Europe, scientists announced last week that Atlantic Ocean currents are thought to be 15% weaker than in 1950.  The Washington Post explained, saying that the “system of currents that includes the Florida Current and the Gulf Stream, is now ‘in its weakest state in over a millennium.'”

Why This Matters: We need to understand both these phenomena better to predict climate events.  They are quite a coincidence.

• Climate Change

A Few House Republicans Hold a Climate Change Confab

• clean air
• clean energy
• clean water
• climate change
• energy
• House of Representatives

“You can’t find a Utahn who doesn’t really care about clean air and clean water.” @RepJohnCurtis said his goal is to find ways “to make them feel more comfortable [politically] talking about it.” @LeeDavi49903322 #climate https://t.co/jVpPBJq0GE — CCL Salt Lake City (@CCLsaltlake) February 19, 2021 By Natasha Lasky, ODP Staff Writer Representative John Curtis of […]

• Climate Change

U.N. Security Council Focuses Climate Risks

• climate change
• COP26
• food security
• migration
• nature
• poverty
• security
• United Nations

Climate change is the biggest threat facing the world, and yesterday’s United Nations Security Council meeting was focused on the topic. United States climate envoy John Kerry, who participated in the virtual meeting, warned that ignoring the crisis and its threats to global security would mean “marching forward to what is almost tantamount to a mutual suicide pact.” 

Why this Matters: Global food security, poverty rates, and public health are all negatively impacted by climate change. These destabilizing forces are already driving people to migrate and shifting power balances on the international stage.