The earth has heated a number of times in the past with many species going extinct each time. The earth is heating rapidly now, and we are a species – just a thought.
Positive
1. The Inflation Reduction Act is about to provide $7 billion in funding for solar projects in low-income areas. The EPA plans to announce up to 60 awards to support Solar for All programs across the U.S. that would help participants save on energy bills. “This is the biggest low- and moderate-income solar investment in U.S. history,” the Clean Energy States Alliance senior project director said. “It has the potential to be truly transformational.”
2. In 2023 the U.S. added more solar capacity than ever before, at 32.4 gigawatts. This surpassed any other energy source, marking the first time a renewable energy source outpaced fossil fuels. It is hoped this will be the new norm.
3. One of the most visible indicators of ocean temperature warming is the bleaching of coral reefs. A new study has found that, while most of the world’s coral reefs are currently damaged or under threat, efforts to restore them have shown positive results.
4. The largest wind farm off the U.S. coast is officially open and is sending electricity to New York. The 12 wind turbines that make up South Fork Wind, 35 miles east of Long Island, can produce enough power for over 70,000 homes. Also, another 924 MW wind farm off Long Island has been approved. It is expected to be the largest offshore wind project in the U.S. once completed.
Negative
1. The climate crisis is not a Democrat, Republican, liberal or conservative issue. However, policies of individual political leaders can have significant impacts on the climate. A recent study by Carbon Briefs indicates that reelecting Trump would have the following impacts based on his stated objectives:
a. There would be an additional 4 billion tons of US greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. This extra gas would cause global climate damages worth more than $900 billion,
b. This amount of gas is equivalent to the combined annual emissions of the EU and Japan, or the combined annual total of the world’s 140 lowest-emitting countries.
c. Put another way, the extra greenhouse gas from a second Trump term would negate – twice over – all of the savings from deploying wind, solar and other clean technologies around the world over the past five years.
Note that the findings above are subject to uncertainty around economic growth, fuel and technology prices, the market response to incentives and the extent to which Trump is able to roll back existing policies.
2. The U.S. has just experienced the warmest February on record, and subsequently, the warmest winter on record. Not to mention – record temperature highs have been broken every month since June of 2023.
3. Also, March 14 marked 365 consecutive days in which global ocean surface temperatures were the warmest on record. "It's not just that the global average sea surface temperature has been record-breaking every single day… but it's the absurdly large margins by which the records have been broken," said Brian McNoldy, a senior researcher at the University of Miami in Florida,
4. A severe drought is limiting the number of ships that can pass through the Panama Canal. Ships going through the canal rely on a system of locks that release 50 million gallons of fresh water into the ocean with each ship and falling levels in the canal's reservoir mean just 24 ships can pass per day, instead of the usual 36.
5. Florida is the hottest state — Miami spent a record 46 days above a heat index of 100 degrees last summer last summer — and many homes and businesses are clustered along beachfront areas threatened by rising seas and hurricanes. But their politicians don’t seem ready to acknowledge the root cause of these problems. A bill awaiting signature from Governor DeSantis, would ban offshore wind energy, relax regulations on natural gas pipelines, and delete the majority of mentions of climate change from existing state laws.
6. An anti-carbon tax resolution was put to a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives. Unfortunately, that resolution passed by a slim margin, with a handful of Democrats joining most Republicans to vote for it. It’s disappointing to see so many lawmakers continue to fear a climate policy that is effective at reducing greenhouse gas and is moving forward in other places like Canada and the European Union.
Action Item
The fashion industry accounts for 8 to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions. We have created a throwaway culture that sees clothes quickly end up in landfills. But we can change this. Buy fewer new clothes and wear them longer. Recycle clothes and repair them when necessary.
Rod
Nairobi, 14 March 2019 – The UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, launched today at the UN Environment Assembly,...
e have created a throwaway culture that sees clothes quickly end up in landfills. But we can change this. Buy fewer new clothes and wear them longer. Recycle clothes and repair them when necessary.
Rod