carbon reduction – Page 6 – Desdemona Despair

New Climate and Environment Minister Romina Pourmokhtari (center), is pictured during a group photo in front of the Parliament in Stockholm, on 18 October 2022. Photo: Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP

October 24, 2022

Sweden’s climate policy is in turmoil – Far-right government puts Environment Ministry under Ministry of Energy and Industry – “Historic decision that will have devastating consequences for climate issues”

By Anne-Françoise Hivert 22 October 2022 MALMÖ, Sweden (Le Monde) – It is quite a symbol: For the first time since 1987, Sweden has no proper Environment Ministry. Romina Pourmokhtari, 26, the youngest member of the government presented by the conservative Ulf Kristersson on Tuesday, October 18, has been appointed minister for climate and the […]

Annual wildfire emissions and CO2e emissions in California from individual sectors, 2003-2020. Data: Jerrett, et al., 2022 / Environmental Pollution. Graphic: Los Angeles Times

October 21, 2022

A single, devastating California fire season wiped out years of efforts to cut emissions – “California’s wildfire CO2 emissions from 2020 are approximately two times higher than California’s total greenhouse gas reductions since 2003”

By Hayley Smith 20 October 2022 (Los Angeles Times) – A nearly two-decade effort by Californians to cut their emissions of planet-warming carbon dioxide may have been erased by a single, devastating year of wildfires, according to UCLA and University of Chicago researchers. The state’s record-breaking 2020 fire season, which saw more than 4 million acres […]

The emissions reduction targets publicly disclosed by European companies are now aligned with a 2.4°C decarbonization pathway, or 2.2°C if corporate Scope 3 emissions (value chain) are excluded. Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands — all with targets that support 2.2°C — have the best-performing corporate sectors, inclusive of all value-chain emissions. However, despite this progress, the average temperature ratings for corporates remain well above 1.5°C across all major European economies. Data: CDP data, Oliver Wyman analysis. Graphic: CDP

September 7, 2022

G7 company emissions falling short of global climate goal, study shows – “As we approach COP27, we must get our 1.5°C goal off life support”

By Juliette Portala 6 September 2022 (Reuters) – Companies in the Group of Seven (G7) economies are failing to meet Paris Climate Agreement objectives, non-profit disclosure platform CDP and global management consultancy Oliver Wyman said on Tuesday, based on current corporate pledges to cut emissions. [Missing the Mark: 2022 analysis of global CDP temperature ratings […]

Firefighters work against a wildfire near Landiras, southwestern France, on Saturday, 16 July 2022. Firefighters struggled to contain wildfires in France and Spain as Europe wilted under an unusually extreme heatwave that authorities link to a rise in excess mortality. Photo provided by the fire brigade of the Gironde region (SDIS 33). Photo: SDIS 33 / AP

July 20, 2022

Humanity faces “collective suicide” over climate crisis, warns UN chief – “No nation is immune. Yet we continue to feed our fossil fuel addiction.”

By Fiona Harvey 18 July 2022 (The Guardian) – Wildfires and heatwaves wreaking havoc across swathes of the globe show humanity facing “collective suicide”, the UN secretary general has warned, as governments around the world scramble to protect people from the impacts of extreme heat. António Guterres told ministers from 40 countries meeting to discuss the […]

Pipes at the landfall facilities of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline are pictured in Lubmin, Germany, 8 March 2022. Photo: Hannibal Hanschke / REUTERS

June 26, 2022

Europe may shift back to coal as Russia turns down gas flows – “If we don’t do it, then we run the risk that the storage facilities will not be full enough at the end of the year toward the winter season. And then we are blackmailable on a political level.”

By Vera Eckert and Francesca Landini 20 June 2022 FRANKFURT/MILAN (Reuters) – Europe’s biggest Russian gas buyers raced to find alternative fuel supplies on Monday and could burn more coal to cope with reduced gas flows from Russia that threaten an energy crisis in winter if stores are not refilled. Germany, Italy, Austria and the […]

EU Carbon Permit price, 2005-2022. The price on 8 June 2022 is indicated. Graphic: Trading Economics

June 8, 2022

Risk of delay to carbon market reforms after surprise EU vote – “All those that voted against today can think twice … please don’t kill the ETS”

By Kate Abnett 8 June 2022 BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Parliament on Wednesday rejected a proposal to upgrade the European Union’s carbon market, an unexpected move that exposed divisions over the bloc’s core climate policy and could delay negotiations to finish the measure. A committee of lawmakers must now try to forge a new […]

UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa speaks to delegates at the Bonn annual UN Climate Change Conference, 6 June 2022. Photo: Kiara Worth / ENB

June 6, 2022

Climate talks start in Bonn as Ukraine war overshadows threat of global warming – “There is this disconnect between the scientific evidence of global crisis in the making, versus the lack of action”

6 June 2022 (AFP) – Negotiators from almost 200 countries will meet in Bonn Monday for climate talks tasked with reigniting momentum on tackling global warming, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine overshadows the threat from rising emissions. The conference will set the stage for a fresh round of major United Nations talks later this year […]

Climate activists Elizabeth Wathuti of Kenya, Vanessa Nakate of Uganda and Helena Gualinga of Ecuador attend the climate protest alongside the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, 26 May 2022. The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum took place in Davos from May 22 until May 26, 2022. Photo: Evgeniy Maloletka / AP Photo

May 29, 2022

At Davos, climate activists say major issues ignored – “Many people here are disconnected from the reality. They are in a bubble. They are in their own world.”

By Peter Prengaman 26 May 2022 DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) – At a small plaza in Davos, a picturesque Swiss town in the middle of the Alps, about 50 climate activists gathered on Thursday to bring attention to issues they said were largely ignored during this week’s World Economic Forum meeting. They said more attention needed […]

ITV Host Richard Madeley and student activist Miranda Whelehan on “Good Morning Britain” on Monday, 11 April 2022. Whelehan was there on behalf of “Just Stop Oil”, an activist group that has been engaging in direct action by blockading oil terminals and demanding that the UK government ends all new oil licenses, exploration, and consent in the North Sea. Madeley, the host, criticized the group by saying, “But you’d accept, wouldn’t you, that it’s a very complicated discussion to be had, it’s a very complicated thing. And this ‘Just Stop Oil’ slogan is very playground-ish isn’t it? It’s very Vicky Pollard, quite childish.” Observers were quick to point out the parallels with the film “Don’t Look Up”. Photo: ITV

April 18, 2022

Miranda Whelehan: I went on TV to explain “Just Stop Oil” – and it became a parody of “Don’t Look Up”

By Miranda Whelehan 13 April 2022 (The Guardian) – I hadn’t seen the 2021 satirical film Don’t Look Up when I went on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday. I was there on behalf of Just Stop Oil – a group that has been engaging in direct action by blockading oil terminals. We’re demanding that the UK government ends all new oil […]

Screenshot from “Honest Government Ad: Carbon Credits and Offsets”, showing that 70 to 80 percent of Australia Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) are devoid of integrity, according to Prof. Andrew Macintosh, former chair of Australia’s Emission Reduction Assurance Committee. Photo: The Juice Media

April 14, 2022

Honest Government Ad: Carbon credits and offsets – “Imagine that your money was actually being spent on strippers and coke!”

10 April 2022 (The Juice Media) – Hello, I’m from the Australien Government. You know how when you book a flight you can pay a little extra money to offset your emissions? Well, now imagine that your money was actually being spent on strippers and coke! Except the strippers are our mates, and the coke […]