Mike Bear’s Post

I Time to act! As Paul Hockenos points out “ we have everything we require to go carbon neutral by 2050: the science, the technology, the policy proposals, and the money”. (Foreign Policy Fall 2024). Hockenos’ article “Beyond Doomism - on the misguided rise of climate fatalism” makes a compelling argument for why, when renewables are now the cheapest form of energy on the planet, we just need to get on with it! He reminded me of the success of global action via the Montréal protocol, featured in a new book by Hannah Ritchie (Our World in Data University of Oxford) - “Not the end of the world: how we can be the first generation to build a sustainable planet”. So - we have examples of global cooperation that has created solutions to global environmental challenges, we have the technology (which is actually cheaper), we know what policies work… When we are collectively spending some $2.5 trillion on military expenditures and $7trillion on fossil fuel subsidies we have the money. We just need to get our priorities right and get it done! Carl Hanlon Melissa Bryant SHE Changes Climate Bianca Pitt Marianne Gilchrist Inter-Parliamentary Union Caroline Knowles Louise Quy ASU Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory Diana Marrero Ravi Agrawal Martin Henry Blue Planet Alliance Lance Gould

Guess what happens when there are major wars in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, plus numerous other armed skirmishes around the globe? War is incredibly carbon-intensive. Pushing countries such as Cuba, Venesuela, North Korea, Iran and other outside of the Global community where they cannot access modern technology to develop their nations and help their people will also cause them to need to burn high amounts of fossil fuel using old equipment. European and American vehicle manufacturers (except Tesla) abandoning EVs to continue making ICE cars well into the next 10-20 years and beyond when they have all the technology necessary to make the transition, is an incredibly backwards step in terms of reducing carbon intensity. Western Nations Foreign and industrial policies are heavily responsible for a slow transition to renewables.

"Unfortunately, we are headed for far worse. The new 2024 State of the Climate report, produced by our team of international scientists, is yet another stark warning about the intensifying climate crisis. Even if governments meet their emissions goals, the world may hit 2.7°C of warming – nearly double the Paris Agreement goal of holding climate change to 1.5°C. Each year, we track 35 of the Earth's vital signs, from sea ice extent to forests. This year, 25 are now at record levels, all trending in the wrong directions. Without drastic changes, the world is on track for approximately 2.7°C of warming this century. To avoid catastrophic tipping points, nations must strengthen their climate pledges, reduce dependence on fossil fuels, and accelerate the transition to renewable energy."

Earth breaches 1.5 °C climate limit It’s official: Earth’s average temperature climbed more than 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels for the first time in 2024. Climate scientists announced the breach today, signaling that the world has failed to avoid crossing the threshold set by the Paris climate accord in 2015 to avert the worst impacts of global warming. We are reaching the end of what we thought was a safe zone for humanity. https://lnkd.in/gf_Dr4dG #climatechange #future #leadership #economy #nature

World’s 1.5C climate target ‘deader than a doornail’, experts say. Despite countries agreeing to shift away from fossil fuels, this year is set to hit a new record for planet-heating emissions, and even if current national pledges are met the world is on track for 2.7C (4.8F) warming, risking disastrous heatwaves, floods, famines and unrest. Yet the 1.5C target now appears to be simply a rhetorical, rather than scientifically achievable, one, bar massive amounts of future carbon removal from as-yet unproven technologies. The world’s decision-makers who are collectively failing to stem dangerous global heating will soon be joined by Donald Trump, who is expected to tear down climate policies and thereby, the Cat report estimates, add at least a further 0.04C to the world temperature. https://lnkd.in/dZubq49v

Earth’s average temperature climbed more than 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels for the first time in 2024. As a society we have crossed the threshold set by the Paris climate accord in 2015 to avert the worst impacts of global warming. For the time being, it’s just one metric and one year, but researchers say that it nonetheless serves as a stark reminder that the world is moving into difficult territory — perhaps more quickly than previously thought.

🌍 Nearly 200 countries have adopted the Paris Climate Agreement, aiming to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Yet, a decade later, we’re still facing challenges in reaching this goal. 🔍 Climate Action Tracker, an independent scientific project, indicates that current policies may lead to a 2.7°C rise by the century’s end—well above the Paris target. 💬 María José de Villafranca from the NewClimate Institute points out that while ambitious climate goals have been announced, if achieved, they could reduce warming to 1.8°C. While this is closer, more needs to be done. ⚡ The good news? The growth of clean energy and electric cars offers hope for a sustainable future. And Technologies like HyFlux lightweight hydrogen electric motors will help aviation and other hard to abate sectors. #ClimateAction #Sustainability #CleanEnergy #ParisAgreement

Human actions, primarily the burning of fossil fuels, are driving up global temperatures, leading to intense heatwaves, melting glaciers, and rising sea levels. This BBC article breaks down the basics: why it’s happening, its impacts, and how urgent action could still prevent the worst. At the 2015 Paris Agreement, nearly 200 countries committed to limiting global warming to 1.5°C—a threshold scientists see as crucial to minimize irreversible damage. Every degree counts when it comes to protecting our environment, communities, and future generations. We all have a role in reducing emissions: from governments to businesses to individuals. Check out this article to understand how small choices, from reducing energy use to choosing sustainable transportation, contribute to a global effort. #ClimateChange #Sustainability #OurPlanetNow #NetZero #ShipandShoreEnvironmental

Global Cooling ---> becomes Global Warming ---> becomes Climate Change ---> becomes Climate Crisis ---> becomes Global Boiling ---> becomes Climate Catastrophe ---> becomes YOU ARE HERE ---> Climate Hell I should probably make this ^ into a meme, but that darn Climate Hell keeps messing with my internet ... / Edit, after some coffee this morning, I got around to making the above into a meme, and posted it here: https://lnkd.in/gzXS6_cb ========================= "Each of the past 12 months ranked as the warmest on record in year-on-year comparisons, the EU's climate change monitoring service said on Wednesday, as U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called for urgent action to avert "climate hell". [ snip much Climate Panic word salad ] ... Guterres took aim at fossil fuel companies. "The Godfathers of climate chaos – the fossil fuel industry – rake in record profits and feast off trillions in taxpayer-funded subsidies," he said. Drawing a comparison with many governments' restrictions on advertising for harmful substances like tobacco, he said, "I urge every country to ban advertising from fossil fuel companies, and I urge news media and tech companies to stop taking fossil fuel advertising." https://lnkd.in/gKTMFqTn

Don’t get cocky about carbon capture Many optimistic predictions for our climate future admit that we won’t manage to keep global warming below 1.5 ℃ — but estimate we’ll pull back from the brink of disaster by removing some CO2 from the air. Not so fast, argues a Nature editorial: new research finds that, “even assuming that removing that amount of carbon is feasible, some Earth systems will probably not be restored to their previous equilibrium”. The solution, it will not surprise you to hear, is to cut emissions now. “To wait and scrub the atmosphere later is to court disaster — for people and the planet.” https://lnkd.in/gvm4bH5v