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☆ The Right Kind of Tipping Point
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It’s worth dwelling on the significance of what could be a remarkable inflection point. For centuries, the burning of coal, oil and gas has produced huge volumes of planet-warming gasses. This projection is in roughly in line with other estimates, including a recent report from Climate Analytics. Thanks to the rapid build-out of wind and solar power plants, particularly in China, global emissions from the power sector are set to decline this year. Last year, the amount of renewable energy capacity added globally jumped by almost 50 percent, according to the International Energy Agency.

Organizations: Climate Analytics, International Energy Agency Locations: China

☆ The Doom vs. Optimism Debate
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Depending on how you look at it, the climate story is one that can inspire genuine optimism or a fair bit of doomerism. And the more hopeful, technocratic outlook that, while the challenges are real, the solutions are within reach. It’s a disorienting dynamic that we grapple with as reporters covering climate change. Sometimes that means staring down hard facts about the mess we’ve made, and sometimes that means highlighting the real progress that is underway. Yes, planet-warming emissions are still on the rise, and the effects of climate change are growing worse.

While many of the effects of climate change, including heat waves, droughts and wildfires, are already with us, some of the most alarming consequences are hiding beneath the surface of the ocean. David Gelles and Raymond Zhong, who both cover climate for The New York Times, explain just how close we might be to a tipping point.

Persons: David Gelles, Raymond Zhong Organizations: New York Times

☆ Los chilenos que salvaron el valle del Cochamó
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ How to save a pristine valley
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

As the helicopter lifted off and disappeared into the clouds, the roar of the whirring blades fell away and all that was left was the sound of the rain. I just had been deposited deep inside Cochamó Valley, a remote cathedral of towering granite in central Chile that was at the center of a decade-long conservation battle. I wanted to see this land for myself and hear firsthand from the people who had saved it. An avid backcountry camper, Condeza started a nonprofit organization called Puelo Patagonia in 2013. His goal was to stop a proposed hydroelectric power plant in the area, a project that would have entailed the construction of roads, transmission lines and electric generation facilities.

Persons: Rodrigo Condeza, Condeza Locations: Chile, Patagonia

☆ How Locals Saved ‘the Yosemite of South America’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In central Chile, not far from where the Andes Mountains meet the Pacific Ocean, a vast swath of pristine wilderness is changing hands under the most unusual circumstances. Roberto Hagemann, a Chilean businessman who owns the 325,000-acre property, has agreed to sell the land to his longtime adversaries, a band of upstart environmentalists who spent years thwarting his efforts to develop the property. It is a landmark transaction that will preserve some of the most ecologically significant territory in South America. The deal is also a case study in modern-day conservation. At a moment when ecologically sensitive lands are under threat around the globe, it takes a unique confluence of legal, financial and political resources — plus a bit of luck — to protect them from relentless development.

Persons: Roberto Hagemann, Pucheguin Locations: Chile, Chilean, South America

☆ The Missing $1 Trillion
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( David Gelles | Manuela Andreoni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Discussions about how to reform lumbering multilateral bureaucracies can get tedious quickly. How to make more money available for developing nations that are being battered by extreme weather? And how to make sure poor countries don’t spend too much money servicing their debt? Experts estimate that at least $1 trillion a year is needed to help developing countries adapt to hotter temperatures and rising seas, build out clean energy projects and cope with climate disasters. “For many countries, they will only be able to implement strong new climate plans if we see a quantum leap in climate finance this year,” Simon Stiell, the United Nations climate chief, said in a speech last week.

Persons: ” Simon Stiell Organizations: World Bank, International Monetary Fund, United Nations Locations: United

☆ Three Greenhouse Gases, Three All-Time Highs
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

They’re all the product of global warming, which is being driven by the release of the three most important heat-trapping gases: carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. And according to a new study from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, emissions of those three greenhouse gases continued to surge last year to historic highs. Global average carbon dioxide concentrations jumped last year, “extending the highest sustained rate of CO2 increases” in NOAA’s 65 years of record-keeping. All this despite a wave of global policy measures and economic incentives designed to wean the world off fossil fuels. In each case, the rising emissions continued a long-term trend.

Persons: “, ” Organizations: National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA Locations: NOAA’s

☆ The New Climate Tech
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Vacuuming carbon dioxide out of thin air. Adding iron to the ocean to draw greenhouse gases down to the sea floor. But, as I write in a new article, some of these technologies are being deployed. The effects of climate change are becoming worse. So investors and entrepreneurs are trying — sometimes unilaterally — to fix that.

Persons: —

☆ Can We Engineer Our Way Out of the Climate Crisis?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Just a few years ago, technologies like these, that attempt to re-engineer the natural environment, were on the scientific fringe. But with the dangers from climate change worsening, and the world failing to meet its goals of slashing greenhouse gas emissions, they are quickly moving to the mainstream among both scientists and investors, despite questions about their effectiveness and safety. First in a series on the risky ways humans are starting to manipulate nature to fight climate change. They are testing whether adding iron to the ocean could carry carbon dioxide to the sea floor. And with massive facilities like the one in Iceland, they are seeking to reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air.

Locations: Iceland

☆ The Roadblocks to Biden’s Electric Vehicles Plan
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-21 | by ( David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration rolled out new rules on Wednesday designed to thrust the United States — the greatest car culture the world has ever known — into the era of electric vehicles. With new tailpipe pollution limits from the Environmental Protection Agency, automakers will effectively be forced to make a majority of new passenger cars and light trucks sold in the United States all-electric or hybrids by 2032. To meet the new standards, 56 percent of new cars sold by 2032 would be zero-emissions and another 16 percent would be hybrid, according to the E.P.A.’s analysis. E.V.s account for only 7.6 percent of new car sales today, so the targets represent an ambitious attempt to overhaul one of the country’s biggest industries in a remarkably short amount of time. A successful phaseout of gas-powered cars and trucks would also make a big dent in the fight against climate change; cars and other forms of transportation are the biggest source of planet warming emissions generated by the United States.

Organizations: Biden, Environmental Protection Agency Locations: States, United States

☆ A Pop Star’s Wonky Climate Campaign
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

There’s a major bottleneck impeding the development of new wind and solar projects in the United States: permits. File them under “seemingly boring but supremely important.”It can take years for proposed renewable energy developments to win the necessary approvals from the environmental and zoning authorities. The red tape is causing a devastating slowdown in the country’s transition to a cleaner energy system. But what if there was a way to fast-track wind and solar developments with a hack: place the projects on state and federal lands that have already been approved for oil and gas production. That is the unusual plan being promoted by a somewhat unlikely policy buff, a pop star named Adam Met.

Persons: There’s, Adam Met Locations: United States

☆ How a Climate Rule Got Watered Down
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

What should companies have to tell their investors about climate change risks? The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will unveil its long-awaited disclosure rules tomorrow. “The general view is that the rules will be scaled back fairly meaningfully from the original proposal,” Michael Littenberg, an attorney at Ropes & Gray, said. For the first time, all U.S.-listed companies will probably be required to disclose significant risks posed by climate change as well as their own climate footprints, which are known as Scope 1 and 2 emissions. rules are not expected to require companies to disclose their Scope 3 emissions, which are produced by suppliers or consumers of a company’s product.

Persons: “, ” Michael Littenberg Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange, Reuters, Ropes & Gray

☆ Scientists Are Freaking Out About Ocean Temperatures
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

For the past year, oceans around the world have been substantially warmer than usual. Last month was the hottest January on record in the world’s oceans, and temperatures have continued to rise since then. The heat wave has been especially pronounced in the North Atlantic. “The North Atlantic has been record-breakingly warm for almost a year now,” McNoldy said. Like, it doesn’t seem real.”Across the unusually warm Atlantic, in Cambridge, England, Rob Larter, a marine scientist who tracks polar ice levels, is equally perplexed.

Persons: Brian McNoldy, ” McNoldy, “ It’s, Rob Larter Organizations: University of Miami Locations: North, Atlantic, Cambridge, England

☆ What’s behind Wall Street’s flip-flop on climate?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Many of the world’s biggest financial firms spent the past several years burnishing their environmental images by pledging to use their financial muscle to fight climate change. Now, Wall Street has flip-flopped. In recent days, giants of the financial world, including JPMorgan, State Street and Pimco, have pulled out of a group called Climate Action 100+, an international coalition of money managers that was pushing big companies to address climate issues. Bank of America reneged on a commitment to stop financing new coal mines, coal-burning power plants and Arctic drilling projects. And Republican politicians, sensing momentum, called on other firms to follow suit.

Organizations: JPMorgan, State, Bank of America, Republican Locations: BlackRock

☆ More Wall Street Firms Are Flip-Flopping on Climate. Here’s Why.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Many of the world’s biggest financial firms spent the past several years burnishing their environmental images by pledging to use their financial muscle to fight climate change. Now, Wall Street has flip-flopped. In recent days, giants of the financial world including JPMorgan, State Street and Pimco all pulled out of a group called Climate Action 100+, an international coalition of money managers that was pushing big companies to address climate issues. Bank of America reneged on a commitment to stop financing new coal mines, coal-burning power plants and Arctic drilling projects. And Republican politicians, sensing momentum, called on other firms to follow suit.

Organizations: JPMorgan, State, Bank of America, Republican Locations: BlackRock

☆ Iceland Is Living in our Future
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

I spent the first half of this week reporting in Iceland, and I came away convinced that the country provides a window into our collective future in at least three important ways. Iceland uses remarkably few fossil fuels to power its economy and heat its homes. Instead, 85 percent of the country’s energy comes from domestically produced renewables, primarily geothermal power and hydropower. Iceland can claim such a high percentage of renewables, the most of any country in the world, thanks to its unique geology. Just this morning, an active volcano began erupting in a town I visited only a few days ago.

Locations: Iceland

NEW YORK (AP) — The latest versions of COVID-19 vaccines were 54% effective at preventing symptomatic infection in adults, according to the first U.S. study to assess how well the shots work. The shots became available last year and were designed to better protect against more recent coronavirus variants. Studies coming out later this year will assess how effective the shot was at preventing symptoms severe enough to send patients to a doctor's office or hospital, she said. Photos You Should See View All 45 ImagesThe CDC recommends the new shots for everyone 6 months and older, but most Americans haven't gotten them. The latest CDC data suggests only about 22% of U.S. adults have gotten the shots, and only 11% of children.

Persons: what's, it's, Ruth Link, haven't, Gelles Organizations: Centers for Disease Control, CVS, Walgreens, CDC, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: U.S

☆ Patagonia’s Profits Are Funding Conservation — and Politics
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( David Gelles | Kenneth P. Vogel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A little more than $3 million to block a proposed mine in Alaska. Another $3 million to conserve land in Chile and Argentina. And $1 million to help elect Democrats around the country, including $200,000 to a super PAC this month. Patagonia, the outdoor apparel brand, is funneling its profits to an array of groups working on everything from dam removal to voter registration. The gusher of philanthropic money is the product of an unconventional corporate restructuring in 2022, when Patagonia’s founder, Yvon Chouinard, and his family relinquished ownership of the company and declared that all its future profits would be used to protect the environment and combat climate change.

Persons: Yvon Chouinard Organizations: The Times Locations: Alaska, Chile, Argentina, Patagonia

☆ A Huge Win for Activists Puts Climate on the 2024 Agenda
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( David Gelles | More About David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In delaying the approval process for CP2, the White House is directing the Energy Department to consider all greenhouse gas emissions associated with the project — not just its construction. That could include emissions associated with drilling for and transporting the fuel, a change would also affect other pending natural gas terminals. But that can only happen if President Biden is re-elected. Energy politicsThe politics of climate change are a big factor in the White House making this move. “They are not going to support this president unless he makes a bold move.”Slow walking the approval process of CP2 is just what activists like Ozane were looking for.

Persons: Biden, Coral, Donald Trump, ”, ” Ozane Organizations: Energy Department, Energy, Republican Locations: Alaska, West Virginia, Gulf

☆ Jane Goodall Says 2024 is the ‘Most Consequential Voting Year’
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When I caught up with Jane Goodall in 2019, she was calling on consumers and businesses to make responsible choices and protect the natural world. And in a year when more than 40 countries — including the United States, India and South Africa — will be electing their leaders, Goodall is telling anyone who will listen that the health of Earth itself is on the ballot. “Half of the population of the planet is going to be voting,” she said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos last week. “This year could be the most consequential voting year in terms of the fate of our planet.”As my colleague Manuela Andreoni wrote last week, the leaders elected this year will face consequential choices on energy policy, deforestation and emissions reductions. In the United States, Republicans are planning to undo environmental regulations if former president Donald J. Trump wins re-election.

Persons: Jane Goodall, Goodall, ”, Manuela Andreoni, Donald J, Claudia Sheinbaum Organizations: Economic, Trump Locations: United States, India, South Africa, Davos, Mexico, Mexico City

☆ Davos puts Climate on the Back Burner
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( David Gelles | More About David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Here at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the most revealing discussions often happen not on the main stage, but at the myriad side events that transform this Swiss ski town into a high-minded networking event. Case in point: the annual luncheon hosted by Salesforce chief executive Marc Benioff, who is plowing some of his personal fortune into efforts to plant a trillion trees and protect the oceans. This afternoon, as a few hundred Davos attendees ate vegetarian fare under a geodesic dome, Benioff interviewed the OpenAI chief executive, Sam Altman, about his vision for the future. Altman, who is investing in fusion power along with artificial intelligence, described a world where energy was cheap and abundant enough to pull huge amounts of carbon from the atmosphere.

Persons: Marc Benioff, Benioff, Sam Altman, Altman Organizations: Economic, Salesforce Locations: Davos

The annual United Nations climate change conference is underway in Dubai, and swirling around the COP28 negotiations is a complex, acrimonious, international fight over money:How much capital is available to help developing countries transition to renewable energy and cope with extreme weather? And critically, what kinds of interest rates will lenders charge? And yet there is a bedeviling economic paradox inhibiting efforts to create a more sustainable world: It’s relatively easy to find financing for the dirty projects the world needs less of, but maddeningly difficult to finance the clean projects the world needs more of. In the United States, rising interest rates are leading big companies to cancel plans for huge renewable developments. But the disconnect is particularly acute in the developing world, and especially Africa, where many people have little or no access to electricity.

Organizations: United Locations: United Nations, Dubai, United States, Africa

☆ COP 28 Climate Summit Global Warming Talks Begin Amid Deep Tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

PinnedWorld leaders are gathering in Dubai for an annual United Nations climate summit and calling for urgent action to slow down global warming. Greenhouse gas emissions, mainly driven by the burning of fossil fuels, have now warmed the planet by about 1.2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. While many developed countries are installing more wind and solar power, global greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel demand continue to rise. Another big issue on the table is an international effort to limit emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. The president of the proceedings, Sultan Al Jaber, is the head of the Emirates’ state oil company, Adnoc.

Persons: King Charles III, Mia Mottley, Volodymyr Zelensky, William Ruto, Isaac Herzog of Israel, Mahmoud Abbas, Sultan Al Jaber, Al Jaber, ”, “ Organizations: Palestinian, United Arab, Emirates, Adnoc Locations: Dubai, United Nations, Barbados, Ukraine, Kenya, Gaza, United Arab Emirates

☆ A Tense Climate Summit Begins Against a Backdrop of War and Record Heat
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( David Gelles | More About David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With dire warnings of planetary catastrophe and urgent pleas to protect vulnerable populations, world leaders on Friday implored one another to stop burning fossil fuels and swiftly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are `dangerously heating the planet. “We cannot save a burning planet with a fire hose of fossil fuels,” António Guterres, the U.N. secretary general, said. “We must accelerate the just, equitable transition to renewables.”The annual meeting, known as COP28, comes near the end of what scientists forecast will be the hottest year in recorded history. Greenhouse gas emissions, mainly driven by the burning of fossil fuels, have now warmed the planet by about 1.2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. Floods, fires, droughts and storms made worse by climate change are unleashing destruction around the world.

Persons: António Guterres, “ Organizations: United Nations Locations: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

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