As I prepare this post, I am recovering from my second case of COVID since my first in 2022. My energy level is not up to par. So, I present here a curated roundup of links to good news and bad news on the climate change front. I hope you’ll open each link to read more than the headlines and brief blurbs. I’ll start with my favorite good news, go to bad news, then back to reasons for hope. Within the list are some items about plastics, as many followers have been particularly interested in that topic covered in previous posts.
Favorite Good News on Climate Change
Vermont becomes 1st state to require oil companies to pay for climate change damages – WAMC featured this Associated Press report, stating: “Republican Gov. Phil Scott allowed the bill to become law without his signature late Thursday, saying he is very concerned about the costs and outcome of the small state taking on “Big Oil” alone in what will likely be a grueling legal fight. But he acknowledged that he understands something has to be done to address the toll of climate change.” Catastrophic flooding has hit Vermont repeatedly in recent years. Similar legislation is moving along in other states, some more slowly than others.
Good Renewable Energy News:
Inside Climate News reports: First-in-the-Nation Geothermal Heating and Cooling System Comes to Massachusetts – “Geothermal energy—using the steady temperature below ground—to heat and cool buildings is nothing new. What’s new in Framingham is the fact that climate advocates and a utility company, Eversource, devised the plan together.”
Good News on Managing Bad Climate Change, from Bill McKibben:
“Thanks to the Biden-Harris administration for a new tool that will save lives – The Heat and Health Index (HHI) is the first nationwide tool to provide heat-health outcome information at the ZIP code level. The HHI will help state and local officials identify communities, at the zip code level, most likely to experience negative health outcomes from heat, ensure that outreach and medical aid reach the people who need it most, and help decision-makers prioritize community resilience investments. As all seasons, especially summer, continue to get hotter due to the climate crisis, stronger public health protections are needed. Heat is already the deadliest weather-related hazard – CDC estimates that at least 1,220 people in the U.S. are killed by heat events each year.”
Good News/Bad News on Greenhouse Gases:
Greenhouse gas emissions might have already peaked. Now they need to fall — fast. This recent Vox news item is based on a November 2023 report by Climate Analytics. According to the report’s author and Climate Analytics’ Head of Policy Claire Fyson: ““We find the world can peak emissions in time for the IPCC deadline, but only if governments work with the market to support renewables and stop pulling in the wrong direction with fossil funding and subsidies. A peaking commitment at COP28 would send a clear signal that they mean business.”
Good News/Bad News to Save Human Lives
New study finds Earth warming at record rate, but no evidence of climate change accelerating – An AP story explains, “Last year’s record temperatures were so unusual that scientists have been debating what’s behind the big jump and whether climate change is accelerating or if other factors are in play… It’s pretty much explained by the buildup of carbon dioxide from rising fossil fuel use, he and a co-author said.” The report quotes University of Wisconsin climate scientist Andrea Dutton, who wasn’t part of the international study team: “Choosing to act on climate has become a political talking point but this report should be a reminder to people that in fact it is fundamentally a choice to save human lives.”
Bad News Now:
BBC Report: Heat dome brings dangerous weather to western US — “Some areas of south Texas saw temperatures reach 47.2C (117F) Tuesday…Forecasters expect temperatures to be 5.5-11C (10-20F) above normal…Phoenix, Las Vegas, Albuquerque and Fresno could see previous records for high temperatures squashed.” Phoenix is at 113 Fahrenheit as I write this.
Bad News Forecast
NOAA predicts above-normal 2024 Atlantic hurricane season – “NOAA’s outlook for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which spans from June 1 to November 30, predicts an 85% chance of an above-normal season, a 10% chance of a near-normal season and a 5% chance of a below-normal season.”
Bad News on an Old Renewable Energy Source:
When hydropower runs dry – The New York Times reports: “Hydropower, the biggest source of renewable energy in the world, was crippled by lack of rain in several countries last year, driving up emissions as countries turned to fossil fuels to fill the gap. To cope with the electricity shortfall, China and India turned to coal plants, and Colombia to natural gas.”
Bad News: Plastics in Testicles
Two of my previous blog posts cover problems with plastics: Is Plastic Recycling a Myth? and Why Plastic Goods Are Really Bad.
Now, Scientific-American has bad news for boys and men, in Microplastics Have Now Been Found in Testicles. How Bad Is That? – Evidence shows microplastics can end up in many different organs and may harm reproductive health.”In a study published last week in Toxicological Sciences, researchers tested 23 human testicles and 47 dog testicles and found microplastics in every sample.” Even Barbie and Ken won’t like this news.
Good Advice on Bad News about Microplastics
The Hill reports on How to avoid eating microplastics, including such tips as using “glass or steel water bottles over plastic, purchasing organic foods to reduce exposure to pesticides, and reducing red meat intake.”
I’m sorry that more of the Climate Change news I’ve seen lately is Bad, not Good. But let’s conclude with some notes of hope!
Good Climate Policy News:
The Biden clean energy boom – Climate Forward from The New York Times reports: “The boom in clean energy projects is astounding. Since the passage of the I.R.A. (Inflation Reduction Act) in 2022, incentives provided by the law helped drive roughly $332 billion in new investments in clean energy and transportation technologies. Almost all of that was private investments, as opposed to government spending, spurred on by an estimated $48 billion in federal tax credits.”
Good Reasons for Hope:
From the World Economic Forum – 7 energy and climate good-news stories to give you hope – The list includes spectacular growth in renewable energy globally, EU criminalization of eco-destruction, and more. Check out the full article!
From Euro News – Rewilding successes and free public transport: Positive environmental stories from 2024
Climate Scientist Elected President of Mexico
And a final note from Mexican voters, via Politico – Mexico’s new president is a climate scientist. That could be a boon for California: California officials have a long history with Mexican President-elect and U.N. climate report co-author Claudia Sheinbaum. Born in Mexico in 1962, Sheinbaum is known as a left-of center former Mayor of Mexico City and a Jewish woman whose parents migrated to Mexico in the 1920s and 1940s from Lithuania and Bulgaria. Time will tell how her expertise in climate science will affect policy throughout the nation just south of the USA border.
