This is the assessment by Shell, one of the largest carbon energy corporations in the world, showing that to meet the planetary temperature increase to 1.5C/2.7F fossil fuel growth must end immediately. Do you think that will happen, that they will give up striving for maximum profit? No, neither do I. The fossil fuel industry’s greed is going to condemn the wellbeing of the earth.
The admission that continued growth in fossil fuel output is incompatible with 1.5C is significant, because it comes from one of the world’s biggest public oil and gas companies.
Shell had previously claimed that oil and gas production could rise for another decade, even as warming was limited to 1.5C.
The dramatic shift in its new “Energy Security Scenarios” is not explicitly acknowledged, but, as Carbon Brief’s analysis shows, is hidden in plain sight.
Key to the faster fall in fossil fuel use in the new pathway is much slower growth in global energy demand, which Shell had previously insisted was all-but unchangeable.
While Shell’s new scenarios are more closely aligned with the conclusions of independentresearch, its 1.5C pathway still contains relatively high levels of ongoing fossil fuel use.
If the world followed Shell’s pathway, it would “overshoot” the 1.5C limit for decades, before returning below that level by using largely unproven, energy-intensive machines to suck large volumes of carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the […]
Here is some good news about ethical behavior. We need more, much more, of this.
Climate activists protest outside the New York State Supreme Court building on October 22, 2019 in New York City. Credit: Angela Weiss/AFP / Getty
Clean Creatives, the campaign for public relations and advertising professionals who want to stop fueling the climate crisis, on Thursday announced a major milestone: 500 agencies worldwide have “committed to refusing work with fossil fuel polluters.”
Launched in late 2020, Clean Creatives seeks to raise awareness of the harmful greenwashing strategies used by fossil fuel companies and the advertising and PR agencies they hire.
“The advertising industry is changing, and these agencies are at the forefront of a historic shift away from polluting clients. They are showing that you can grow a powerful creative business without relying on fossil fuel clients,” Clean Creatives executive directorDuncan Meisel said in a statement.
“The question for executives at other agencies is simple: Do you want to be a leader in this transition, or will you be left behind by it?” Meisel added. “Our industry’s brightest minds are ready to come together to address the climate crisis, and […]
Michigan has become a fascinating state to watch as it has shifted under Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer from MAGAt fascism, to a state fostering wellbeing, and the research data about the difference, the improvement, is irrefutable.
Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmire whose policies are fostering wellbeing and significantly improving the wellbeing of the people of her state. Credit: WOOD TV
Michigan lawmakers introduced a package of legislative bills April 13 that would codify Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s 2022 climate plan, which requires utilities in the state to phase out all coal-fired power generation by 2030.
The legislative package of seven bills would also require utilities to provide 100% carbon-free energy by 2035 and achieve 2% annual energy efficiency savings starting in 2026. Other measures focus on building efficiency and clean fuels.
Michigan’s two largest power utilities, DTE Energy Co. and Consumers Energy Co., have been on board with Whitmer’s climate plan to take the state to net-zero emissions by 2050. Both companies have outlined strategies for shedding their coal-fired generating units and ramping up renewables in coming years, but those plans are not yet fully aligned with the legislation.
“We look forward to working with the Michigan legislature to implement key elements of the governor’s MI Healthy Climate Plan,” DTE Energy Chairman and CEO […]
Birds and Bees are suffering terrible losses, and this is an easy problem where for modest sums to can make a difference and foster wellbeing. Set up bird feeders with seed for most birds, and sugar water feeders for hummingbirds. Four parts water to one part white sugar. Wherever you live plant flowers for the bees, and put out food for the birds. Your wellbeing as well as theirs will be improved.
The Rufous Hummingbird has lost two-thirds of its population since 1970. Credit: Eivor Kuchta/Shutterstock
The Rufous Hummingbird is magical. The male’s iridescent throat glows brighter than a shiny copper penny and like most hummingbirds, whizzes through the air curiously hovering right in front of humans who ponder them. The first time Mike Parr, president of the American Bird Conservancy, saw one, it was feeding on blossoms of a lemon tree in California.
“It was just one of those other-worldly sites. It was almost like a religious experience,” says Parr with awe and reverence.
“When they just turn their head and suddenly their throat catches the light – it lights up with this amazing color. It’s just magical, really. It just lights up like a beacon.”
They are one of the smallest hummingbirds at just over 3 inches long- but one of the feistiest.
They fly an astonishing 3,900 miles (one-way) from Alaska where they live in the summer to Mexico- one of the longest migratory journeys of any bird in the world compared to its body size, […]
Here is some more good news from the Biden administration about climate change. It may seem small and bureaucratic, but it is a signal that will sensitize the federal agencies as to the intention of the White House, which is one of the ways things are made to work in the American federal government.
President Joe Biden signs an executive order in the Rose Garden of the White House on April 21. Credit: Drew Angerer / Getty
President Biden signed an executive order Friday aimed at ensuring federal decisions consider “environmental justice,” which addresses higher pollution burdens often faced by communities of color and people living in poverty.
Driving the news: The new executive order directs agencies to identify and address data and science gaps to help better understand cumulative environmental impacts.
Details: Agencies will “consider measures to address and prevent disproportionate and adverse environmental and health impacts on communities,” such as the cumulative effects of pollution and climate change, according to a White House fact sheet.
Agencies are also now required to notify nearby communities when toxic substances are released from a federal facility, and to hold public meetings to share information on health risks and precautions as needed.
This effort will be coordinated via a new branch within the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, which is headed by a cabinet-level official.
