Story of the Week... Editorial of the Week... Toon of the Week... SkS in the News... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review...
Story of the Week...
UN climate accord 'inadequate' and lacks urgency, experts warn
Agreement will fail to halt devastating rise in global temperature, say scientists
The two-week-long conference left questions about reducing greenhouse gas emissions unanswered. Photograph: Ryan Tong/EPA
The world has been put on notice that its best efforts so far will fail to halt the devastation of climate change, as countries came to a partial agreement at UN talks that failed to match up to the challenges faced.
Leading figures in climate science and economics said much more must be done, and quickly, to stave off the prospect of dangerous levels of global warming.
Nicholas Stern, the former World Bank chief economist and author of a seminal review of the economics of climate change, said: “It is clear that the progress we are making is inadequate, given the scale and urgency of the risks we face. The latest figures show carbon dioxide emissions are still rising. A much more attractive, clean and efficient path for economic development and poverty reduction is in our hands.”
Johan Rockstrom, director designate at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, said: “My biggest concern is that the UN talks failed to align ambitions with science. We continue to follow a path that will take us to a very dangerous 3-4C warmer world within this century. Extreme weather events hit people across the planet already, at only 1C of warming.”
UN climate accord 'inadequate' and lacks urgency, experts warn by Fiona Harvey, Environment, Guardian, Dec 16, 2018
Editorial of the Week...
John Kerry: Forget Trump. We All Must Act on Climate Change.
If we fail, it won’t be just the president’s fault.
Future generations will measure us by whether we acted on facts, not just debated or denied them. The verdict will hang on whether we put in place policies that will drive the development and deployment of clean technologies, re-energize our economies, and tackle global climate change. Every day that goes by that we’re paralyzed by the Luddite in the White House is a day in the future that our grandchildren will suffer. That’s not hyperbole — that’s science.
Instead of tacitly accepting that inaction is preordained for the remaining two years of the Trump presidency, Congress should send Mr. Trump legislation addressing this crisis. It will force him to make choices the American people will long remember: Will he say no to deploying solar technology that would turn the American West into the Saudi Arabia of solar? No to turning the Midwest into the Middle East of wind power? No to a manufacturing revolution that could put West Virginia back to work in ways that his beloved coal never will?
Make him choose — and let’s find out.
Forget Trump. We All Must Act on Climate Change., Opinion by John Kerry, New York Times, Dec 13, 2018
Toon of the Week...
SkS in the News...
[To be added.]
Coming Soon on SkS...
- Explainer: Why some US Democrats want a ‘Green New Deal’ to tackle climate change (Zeke Hausfather)
- Little Ice Age? No, try Big Warming Age (Dana)
- New findings on ocean warming: 5 questions answered (Scott Denning)
- Climate carbon bookkeeping (Evan)
- New research this week (Ari)
- 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #51 (John Hartz)
- 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #51 (John Hartz)
Poster of the Week...
SkS Week in Review...
- 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #50 by John Hartz
- New research, December 3-9, 2018 by Ari Jokimäki
- The Security & Sustainability Guide, Guest post by Michael Sales, Michael Marien, & David Harries
- Like health care, climate policy could tip elections by Dana Nuccitelli (Yale Climate Connections)
- Australia - Moving to Renewable Energy by Riduna
- 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #49 by John Hartz
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