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By Dr. Julio Friedmann As Congress prepares major climate legislation and President Biden looks to take more executive action, net-zero emissions has become the science-based star of the show. That show features a climate solution that is often overlooked – undiscovered and waiting in the wings. Carbon dioxide removal (CDR), which pulls carbon dioxide (CO2) […]
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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.
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As the Biden administration is readying a reversal of the Trump policies loosening rules on auto emissions, many states have started tightening their laws to align with the California clean car standards. Case in point: the Virginia legislature last week passed a law that toughened its emissions standards.
Why this Matters: Last year, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order that would phase out the sale of gas-powered passenger vehicles by 2035 — and New Jersey and Massachusetts have indicated that they want to follow suit.
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A U.N. report suggests that a major impediment to carbon reductions and meeting the Paris Climate targets is the construction and building industry. Carbon dioxide emissions from building construction hit an all-time high in 2019, and the annual rate of decarbonizing buildings has been slowing.
Why this Matters: Building maintenance and construction create nearly 40% of global energy-related CO2 emissions, according to GlobalABC.
Continue Reading 481 wordsThe International Energy Agency (IEA) Annual Report projects that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be a 7 percent drop in energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in 2020 due to associated reductions in fossil fuel use, and that emissions of CO2 pollution will remain below 2019 levels until 2027.
Why This Matters: This is good news for air pollution in general as well as for climate change. We needed to put the breaks on continual increases in CO2 emissions — and this was a hard way to do it.
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The smoke from the California wildfires is now marring the skies from coast to coast, with satellite pictures showing the reach of the plume of ash and contaminated air spreading across the country, according to The Washington Post.
Why This Matters: We have been writing for months about the growing political importance of climate change and environment — both of which are noticeably worse, much to the dismay of the key voting block — suburban women.
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