Saturday, December 21

Tag: climate

Under The Threat Of Lawsuits – SEC Is Considering Climate Disclosure Rules For U.S. Companies
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ENVIRONMENT, IN OTHER NEWS

Under The Threat Of Lawsuits – SEC Is Considering Climate Disclosure Rules For U.S. Companies

Better information leads to better decisions – this is the idea behind a regulatory device known as “mandated disclosure.” Mandated disclosures are all around you, from calorie counts on fast food restaurant menus to conversations with doctors around informed consent. But the biggest experiment yet in mandated disclosure may be an expected U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proposal to extend these ideas to climate impacts facing U.S.-listed companies. The disclosure rule, expected to be proposed soon, would require publicly traded companies to release information to investors about their emissions and how they are managing risks related to climate change and future climate regulations. While it is easy to spot risks facing companies like ExxonMobil, which produces and sells fossil ...
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Climate Change Denials, Don’t Make It, Go Away!
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POLITICS

Climate Change Denials, Don’t Make It, Go Away!

Regardless, of the politics, involved, and, what, some, populist leaders, tend to articulate, the reality, and probable dangers/ ramifications, of CLIMATE change, are, real, and, unless/ until, we demand, they focus on addressing this, sooner, rather than later, we may not be able to pass - along, a sustainable planet, to future generations! If, you were paying attention, you should realize, when any politician, seems to put any personal/ political agenda, and/ or, self - interest, and or economic greed, ahead of the greater good, we all, eventually, lose! With, that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, using the mnemonic approach, what this means and represents, and why it matters. 1. Coordinate; conceive; concept; creative; choices; cre...
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What A Climate Change World Means And The Type Of Storms That Spawn Deadly Tornadoes, Twisters Them
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ENVIRONMENT

What A Climate Change World Means And The Type Of Storms That Spawn Deadly Tornadoes, Twisters Them

Tornadoes and climate change: What a warming world means for deadly twisters and the type of storms that spawn them. The deadly tornado outbreak that tore through communities from Arkansas to Illinois on the night of Dec. 10-11, 2021, was so unusual in its duration and strength, particularly for December, that a lot of people including the U.S. president are asking what role climate change might have played – and whether tornadoes will become more common in a warming world. Both questions are easier asked than answered, but research is offering new clues. I’m an atmospheric scientist who studies severe convective storms like tornadoes and the influences of climate change. Here’s what scientific research shows so far. Climate models can’t see tornadoes yet – but they can recognize tornado...
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What Irks And Inspires Climate Activist Vanessa Nakate
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Journalism

What Irks And Inspires Climate Activist Vanessa Nakate

By Breanna Draxler When I started reading Vanessa Nakate’s new book, A Bigger Picture (HarperCollins 2021), I didn’t immediately understand the connection between the title and the event that first introduced me to the Ugandan climate activist. It was January 2020 at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. She and four other youth activists were there to encourage attendees to take the climate crisis seriously. The five activists gave a press conference and posed for pictures. But when the Associated Press story came out, Nakate had been cropped from the photo. “As I looked at the image,” the 24-year-old Nakate writes in the introduction to her book, “it became impossible to ignore that of the five women who’d posed for that photo, I was the only one who wasn’t from Europe and th...
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‘Sustainability’ In Business – How The Climate Crisis Is Transforming The Meaning
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ENVIRONMENT

‘Sustainability’ In Business – How The Climate Crisis Is Transforming The Meaning

Raz Godelnik, The New School In his 2021 letter to CEOs, Larry Fink, the CEO and chairman of BlackRock, the world’s largest investment manager, wrote: “No issue ranks higher than climate change on our clients’ lists of priorities.” His comment reflected a growing unease with how the climate crisis is already disrupting businesses. Companies’ concerns about climate change have typically been focused on their operational, financial and reputational risks, the latter associated with the growing importance of the issue among young people. Now, climate change is calling into question the traditional paradigm of corporate sustainability and how companies address their impacts on society and the planet overall. As a professor working in strategic design, innovation, business models and sustai...
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To Fight Climate Change, More Companies Pledge ‘Net-Zero’ Emissions – But What Does That Really Mean?
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ENVIRONMENT

To Fight Climate Change, More Companies Pledge ‘Net-Zero’ Emissions – But What Does That Really Mean?

Amrou Awaysheh, Indiana University You’ll probably hear the term “net-zero emissions” a lot over the coming weeks as government leaders and CEOs, under pressure, talk about how they’ll reduce their countries’ or businesses’ impact on climate change. Amazon, for example, just announced that more than 200 companies have now joined its Climate Pledge, committing to reach net-zero emissions by 2040. But what does net-zero emissions actually mean? “Zero emissions” – without the “net” caveat – means emitting no greenhouse gases. “Net-zero emissions” has more wiggle room. It’s like balancing a checkbook. The country or company cuts most of its emissions through efficiency and clean energy, then offsets the rest by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or eliminating emissions elsewhere....
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Attribution Science Says Yes, Climate Change Is To Blame For Some Extreme Weather Events – Here’s How It Works
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ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE

Attribution Science Says Yes, Climate Change Is To Blame For Some Extreme Weather Events – Here’s How It Works

SCIENCE Xubin Zeng, University of Arizona Extreme rainfall and flooding left paths of destruction through communities around the world this summer. The latest was in Tennessee, where preliminary data shows a record-shattering 17 inches of rain fell in 24 hours, turning creeks into rivers that flooded hundreds of homes and killed at least 18 people. A lot of people are asking: Was it climate change? Answering that question isn’t so simple. There has always been extreme weather, but human-caused global warming can increase extreme weather’s frequency and severity. For example, research shows that human activities such as burning fossil fuels are unequivocally warming the planet, and we know from basic physics that warm air can hold more moisture. A decade ago, scientists weren’t able to...
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Climate Normal – Warming Is Clearly Visible In US
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ENVIRONMENT

Climate Normal – Warming Is Clearly Visible In US

Anyone who listens to weather reports has heard meteorologists comment that yesterday’s temperature was 3 degrees above normal, or last month was much drier than normal. But what does “normal” mean in this context – and in a world in which the climate is changing? The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released updated “climate normals” – datasets that the agency produces every 10 years to give forecasters and the public baseline measurements of average temperature, rainfall and other conditions across the U.S. As the state climatologist and assistant state climatologist for Colorado, we work with this information all the time. Here’s what climate normals are, how they’ve changed, and how you can best make sense of them. What are the new normals? NOAA’s National Centers...
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Why HFCs Are Getting Phased Out From Refrigerators And Air Conditioners – How Cleaning Up Coolants Can Cool The Climate
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ENVIRONMENT, VIDEO REELS

Why HFCs Are Getting Phased Out From Refrigerators And Air Conditioners – How Cleaning Up Coolants Can Cool The Climate

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is moving to eliminate a class of chemicals widely used as coolants in refrigerators, air conditioners and heat pumps. If that feels like déjà vu, it should. These chemicals, called hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, were commercialized in the 1990s as a replacement for earlier refrigerants that were based on chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs. CFCs were destroying the ozone layer high in the Earth’s atmosphere, which is essential for protecting life from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation. HFCs are much less harmful than CFCs, but they create another problem – they have a strong heat-trapping effect that is contributing to global warming. Several states have announced plans over the past few years for phasing out HFCs. Now the EPA, following a vote in...
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Yielding Water, Land, Air And Climate Payoffs By Installing Solar Panels Over California’s Canals
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ENVIRONMENT

Yielding Water, Land, Air And Climate Payoffs By Installing Solar Panels Over California’s Canals

Climate change and water scarcity are front and center in the western U.S. The region’s climate is warming, a severe multi-year drought is underway and groundwater supplies are being overpumped in many locations. Western states are pursuing many strategies to adapt to these stresses and prepare for the future. These include measures to promote renewable energy development, conserve water, and manage natural and working lands more sustainably. As engineers working on climate-smart solutions, we’ve found an easy win-win for both water and climate in California with what we call the “solar canal solution.” About 4,000 miles of canals transport water to some 35 million Californians and 5.7 million acres of farmland across the state. Covering these canals with solar panels would reduce evapor...
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