• Climate Change

EU GHG Emissions Dropped 24% in 30 Years

• climate neutral
• European Union
• greenhouse gas emission
• Greta Thunberg

Since 1990, the European Union has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 24 percent. It’s all part of the bloc’s goal of making Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The next big step toward that goal will be hitting a 55 percent reduction by 2030 — more than doubling the change over the last 30 years in the coming decade. The details of those goals will be hammered out in meetings next month. 

Why This Matters: Europe’s pledge to reach neutrality by 2050 is a legal commitment that guides banks, policies, and decision-making. Each of the EU’s 27 countries must now write its own plan for how to reach these targets.

• Climate Change

European Climate Leaders Welcome Biden Win

• climate change
• Greta Thunberg
• Paris Agreement
• rollbacks

Even before the election was called by the major networks for Joe Biden, climate-focused European politicians and elected officials were among the first to congratulate the President-elect on his victory. 

Why This Matters: Currently, the US is one of only a very few countries not committed to the global effort to curb emissions and keep rising temperatures in check.

• People

Hero of the Week: Arshak Makichyan

• Fridays for Future
• Greta Thunberg
• Russia
• Youth Climate Strike

Arshak Makichyan is a 26-year-old climate activist in Moscow, Russia who has been inspired by Greta Thunberg’s strikes for climate and activism. But, as Reuters reported, “unlike the Swedish teenager, who has galvanized a global movement of young environmentalists, Russia’s tough protest laws and people’s general apathy towards activism has made the 26-year-old’s campaign a […]

• Green Finance
• Politics

European Commission Agrees To Green Deal Stimulus, But Is It Green Enough?

• #GreenDeal
• conservation
• EU
• Europe
• European Commission
• Greta Thunberg

The Guardian and S&P Global reported that after days of haggling, the European Commission settled on an $864 billion USD recovery fund for the next 3 years, plus a five year budget with a target of spending 30% of that to support the EU’s climate commitments.  

Why This Matters:  Activist leader Greta Thunberg immediately criticized the deal as not being good enough.

• People

One Amazing Thing: Inspired by Greta, a Centenarian Vows to Fight Climate Change

• climate change
• Greta Thunberg

Inspired by Greta Thunberg, 101-year-old Marian Sachs has vowed to take a stand against climate change in her own Los Angeles retirement community. After having read about Greta’s movement, Sachs tried to think of a way that she could make a difference and along with fellow resident Marion Marx, decided to push her community to […]

• Politics

One Cringey Thing: Prophets of Doom Unite 

• Davos
• Greta Thunberg
• Trump

Donald Trump’s totally bizarre climate speech at the World Economic Forum this week was supposed to appease business leaders, but even the ones who are still slow-walking climate change were totally put off by it. Cartoon by ODP cartoonist, Alex Bowman.