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wewantclimateactionnow · 55 minutes

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"A global shift to a mostly plant-based “flexitarian” diet could reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help restrict global heating to 1.5C, a new study shows.

Previous research has warned how emissions from food alone at current rates will propel the world past this key international target.

But the new research, published in the Science Advances journal, shows how that could be prevented by widespread adoption of a flexitarian diet based around reducing meat consumption and adding more plant-based food.

“A shift toward healthy diets would not only benefit the people, the land and food systems,” said Florian Humpenöder, a study author and senior scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, “but also would have an impact on the total economy in terms of how fast emissions need to be reduced.” ...

The researchers found that adopting a flexitarian diet could lower methane and nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture and lower the impacts of food production on water, nitrogen and biodiversity. This in turn could reduce the economic costs related to human health and ecosystem degradation and cut GHG emissions pricing, or what it costs to mitigate carbon, by 43% in 2050.

The dietary shift models also show limiting peak warming to about 1.5C can be achieved by 2045 with less carbon dioxide removal, compared with if we maintain our current diets.

“It’s important to stress that flexitarian is not vegetarian and not vegan,” Humpenöder says. “It’s less livestock products, especially in high-income regions, and the diet is based on what would be the best diet for human health.”

In the US, agriculture accounts for more than 10% of total GHG emissions. Most of it comes from livestock. Reducing meat consumption can free up agricultural land used for livestock production, which in turn can lower methane emissions. A potent greenhouse gas, methane is mainly expelled from cows and other animals raised for livestock. Animal production is the primary contributor to air quality-related health impacts from US food systems.

“This paper further confirms what other studies have shown, which is that if we change our diets to a more flexitarian type, we can greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Jason Hill, a professor in the University of Minnesota’s department of bioproducts and biosystems engineering.

According to the study authors, one way to achieve a shift toward healthier diets is through price-based incentives, such as putting taxes on the highest-emitting animal products, including beef and lamb. Another option is informing consumers about environmental consequences of high meat consumption."

-via The Guardian, March 27, 2024

#flexitarian #vegetarian #vegan #environment #environmental news #agriculture #big agriculture #beef #methane #air pollution #climate change #jail climate criminals #we want climate action now

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wewantclimateactionnow · 57 minutes

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A University of Adelaide study of shallow-water fish communities on rocky reefs in south-eastern Australia has found climate change is helping tropical fish species invade temperate Australian waters. The work is published in the Journal of Animal Ecology. "The fish are traveling into these Australian ecosystems as larvae caught in the Eastern Australian Current, which is strengthening due to the warming climate," said the University of Adelaide's Professor Ivan Nagelkerken, Chief Investigator of the study. "These larvae would not normally survive in the cooler Australian ocean water, but the warming Eastern Australian Current keeps the baby fish warm and increases their likelihood of survival."

#australia #ecology #oceans #climate #climate change #science #stem #jail climate criminals #climate crisis

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wewantclimateactionnow · 1 hour

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jail climate criminals #we want climate action now

#climate change #cambio climático #climate crisis #prepare for climate change #greenwashing #big oil #fossil fuel industry #plastic #climate washing #floods #climate activism #calentamiento global #medio ambiente #IPPC #prepare for climate change #climate hope #sea level rise #late stage capitalism #victims of capitalism #klimakatastrophe #klimawandel #changement climatique #qihou bianhua #izmeneniye klimata #cambiamento climatico #気候変動 #जलवायु परिवर्तन #jalavaayu parivartan #das Alterações Climáticas #naturaleza #ecologia

"Inorganic carbon has accumulated in soil over vast periods of Earth’s history. Disturbances to this carbon will have a profound impact on soil health.

Disruption to this carbon compromises soil’s ability to neutralise acidity, regulate nutrient levels, foster plant growth, and stabilise organic carbon. Not only does soil inorganic carbon act as a store of carbon, it also supports soil’s many crucial functions in ecosystems.

In our research, we found that 1.13 billion tonnes of inorganic carbon are lost from soils each year to inland waters. This loss has profound yet often overlooked effects on carbon transport between the land, freshwater bodies, the atmosphere and the oceans."

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wewantclimateactionnow · 1 hour

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jail climate criminals #we want climate action now

#climate change #cambio climático #climate crisis #prepare for climate change #greenwashing #big oil #fossil fuel industry #plastic #climate washing #floods #climate activism #calentamiento global #medio ambiente #IPPC #prepare for climate change #climate hope #sea level rise #late stage capitalism #victims of capitalism #klimakatastrophe #klimawandel #changement climatique #qihou bianhua #izmeneniye klimata #cambiamento climatico #気候変動 #जलवायु परिवर्तन #jalavaayu parivartan #das Alterações Climáticas #naturaleza #ecologia

What Can I Do For Climate?

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1. Inform yourself

2. Become politically active

3. Transform your own life

4. Spread the word

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1. Inform yourself - Reading up on climate can be very difficult because the news is so grim, and it can be very upsetting. I do most of my reading focused on possible solutions. I try to know the basics of the issue as well, but I am aware of not pushing my boundaries. Upsetting yourself is not the goal. Knowledge is the foundation that leads to the other steps.

2. Become politically active - Some options:

1) Volunteer for and/or donate to campaigns of candidates who will support climate legislation. As unexciting as it is to support politicians who keep on disappointing, and to wade into electoral politics in general, these are the folks who will actually vote on legislation. Just the effort of replacing any Republican with almost any Democrat is worth doing, even if it makes one sigh. (Sorry, this is going to be US-centric.) Volunteering can include canvassing, phone banking, writing letters, attending campaign rallies and events. Act locally, but if you’re not sure where to start, Swing Left tracks the most significant US races.

2) Go to protests. Showing up is one of the most significant things we can do.

3) Join a climate activism group, like Extinction Rebellion, the Sunrise Movement, Fridays for Future, and participate in their events. If there is nothing near you, there are some things you can participate in online. Check their websites. Other groups you can help: 350, Rainforest Action Network, NRDC, Stop Line 3, Oxfam, stand.earth, League of Conservation Voters… Use these organizations to choose actions to take (from signing petitions to sending letters to politicians to becoming an organizer). They have many to choose from. You don’t have to re-invent the wheel.

4) Avoid burnout or guilt. Do what you can, when you can. It’s okay if you can’t. It’s not all on you.

3. Transform your own life - Transforming consumption habits among the world’s more-affluent is necessary to reduce emissions. Collectively, our impact on heating the climate is huge. (People who make $38,000 a year and up are the 10% who contribute 50% of global emissions.) Each individual effort to reduce is so tiny it’s insignificant, but it’s part of a bigger whole that needs to happen. But again, you can only do what you can, and the choices involved are complicated. It’s okay if you can’t. It’s not all on you. (The super-rich are the ones who really need to be doing this, because their contribution to GHG emissions goes hand-in-hand with their wealth.)

These are the most impactful actions, adapted from various sources. “If possible” is implied in all of these:

1) Live car-free. Walk, bike, use public transportation. If buying a car, buy electric or used, and drive less. (”Used” because the significant emissions of manufacturing a car can be avoided by driving an existing car.)

2) Take no more than one short flight every three years and one long flight every eight years.

3) Switch electricity provider to one that provides solar or wind energy. More challenging: also convert your house to using only electricity (no natural gas) and install a heat pump.

4) Switch to a vegan diet or greatly reduce meat – especially beef – and dairy consumption.

5) Buy no more than three new items of clothing a year. Avoid buying newly manufactured things whenever possible. Use what you already have for seven years or longer. A big chunk of consumer emissions are embedded in the things that we buy.

4. Spread the word - This may be the most important and possibly the hardest. Do what you can. Avoid heated and probably pointless arguments. As a general rule, say your piece and then let it go, without expecting to change anyone’s mind right in that moment. I try to focus on talking about solutions, which many people surprisingly don’t know. And use your piece of the internet, write letters to the editor, comment on articles, etc.

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wewantclimateactionnow · 1 hour

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jail climate criminals #we want climate action now

#climate change #cambio climático #climate crisis #prepare for climate change #greenwashing #big oil #fossil fuel industry #plastic #climate washing #floods #climate activism #calentamiento global #medio ambiente #IPPC #prepare for climate change #climate hope #sea level rise #late stage capitalism #victims of capitalism #klimakatastrophe #klimawandel #changement climatique #qihou bianhua #izmeneniye klimata #cambiamento climatico #気候変動 #जलवायु परिवर्तन #jalavaayu parivartan #das Alterações Climáticas #naturaleza #ecologia

In summary, solar and wind power costs have plummeted, global deforestation reached its highest point years ago and continues to decline, and coal plants are vacant in many countries. 62% of global energy investment in 2023 was geared to clean energy, outcompeting fossil fuel which peaked over a decade ago. Wind and solar costs are far less now than the costs of fossil fuel.

In the U.S. during 2021, 20% of electrical energy came from clean energy and in 2022, it bumped up to 22%. It only gets better as the U.S. Energy Information Agency announced wind and solar will account for about 40% of USA electricity in 2023. And, worldwide last year, wind energy powered up nearly 80 million homes, another record. What’s more, in December of 2023, our country officially proclaimed that it would attain 100% clean energy dependency by 2035.

In 2023, the U.S. oil rig count was 771, which is 161 more than a year ago, but 304 less than 2019. And while China is the world’s leading polluter, in 2023 it generated more solar power than the U.S. or any other country did in their entire history. This is crazy because China had to build more coal fire plants since coal still provides 60% of its electricity. Dirty energy is still necessary for the short term until clean energy catches up.

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wewantclimateactionnow · 5 hours

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"Tips and resources for going plant-based

Meat/Less, Vox’s free newsletter guide to eating less meat

Why you likely don’t need to worry about your protein intake

Eat more beans. Please.

When one twin goes vegan and the other doesn’t

My husband, the carnivore"" Vox

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wewantclimateactionnow · 5 hours

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“It is cheaper to greenwash in Australia than not.”@pollyjhemming explains how the government’s certification scheme, Climate Active, makes it cheaper & easier for businesses to offset their way to “carbon neutrality” than to invest in reducing real emissions. #auspol #climate pic.twitter.com/tI7v2uzUAT — Australia Institute (@TheAusInstitute) April 22, 2024

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wewantclimateactionnow · 8 hours

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Free Palestine

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wewantclimateactionnow · 2 days

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"As governments move to address climate change, which brings with it more intense rainfall, longer bushfire seasons and declining biodiversity, here are five of the big climate and environment issues to keep your eye on in 2024.

Global mass bleaching

First Nations water rights

Greenwashing and resource claims

Biodiversity protection

Offshore energy projects" ABC

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wewantclimateactionnow · 3 days

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#jail climate criminals #climate change #climate crisis #we want climate action now #klimawandel #changement climatique #klimakatastrophe #jailclimatecriminals #cambio climático #qihou bianhua #single use plastics #plastics industry #plastic pollution

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wewantclimateactionnow · 3 days

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#social justice #jail climate criminals #climate change #climate crisis #we want climate action now #klimawandel #changement climatique #klimakatastrophe #jailclimatecriminals #cambio climático #qihou bianhua #single use plastics #plastics #plastic pollution

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wewantclimateactionnow · 6 days

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Excerpt from this story from the New York Times:

For the past two years, world leaders, economists and activists have called for sweeping overhauls to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund that would make the two lending institutions more adept at combating climate change.

Discussions about how to reform lumbering multilateral bureaucracies can get tedious quickly. But ultimately the debates are all about money. 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.

Starting in 2022, a burst of activity had made the prospect of such a quantum leap seem within reach.

Policymakers and economists gathered in Barbados and hashed out an ambitious reform agenda. The president of the World Bank stepped down after coming under fire for not doing enough to address climate change, and was replaced by an executive who promised to embrace climate work. Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, hosted a summit aimed at building momentum for the work.

But at the annual spring meetings of the World Bank and the I.M.F., which are taking place in Washington this week, reality is setting in.

While more money has become available to address climate issues over the last year or so, the sweeping reforms many had envisioned are proving to be out of reach.

Some of that is a process problem. Overhauling 80-year-old international institutions with complicated governance structures and tens of thousands of employees is no small task.

But much of the challenge comes back to money. So far, the countries that control the World Bank — including the United States, Germany, China and Japan — have not allocated huge new sums for climate issues in the developing world, and the private sector has not stepped in to fill the gap.

“The numbers do not show the kind of progress that we really need,” said Rachel Kyte, a visiting professor at Oxford and former World Bank executive. “We’ve got to get a little bit more radical.”

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wewantclimateactionnow · 6 days

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Excerpt from this story from Inside Climate News:

Reduced snow cover and vegetation shifts in the Alps, driven, to some degree, by climate change, are leading some mountain ecosystems to struggle to hold onto nutrients that feed vegetation, a new study shows.

The study, published in the journal Global Change Biology last month, shows that alpine ecosystems may have trouble retaining vital elements like nitrogen that are necessary for maintaining plant growth and biodiversity.

“It’s really added to the literature, arguing that it’s really important to understand the interaction among the different elements of an ecosystem and what the effects of climate change will be,” Olivier Dangles, author of the 2023 book Climate Change on Mountains, said of the study.

he warming of alpine grasslands, which is occurring at double the global average rate, is causing significant disruptions in the ecosystem functions of plants and soils. This accelerated warming is leading to significant decreases in snow cover and promoting the swift upward migration of small shrubs like heather.

The cycle of nitrogen between plants and soil microbes across seasons is vital for retention of the element in alpine ecosystems.

“The seasonal aspect is really important in these mountains, and climate change can really disrupt those seasonal processes,” said Arthur Broadbent, a researcher at the University of Manchester and the lead author of the study. “That can throw the ecosystem a little bit out of whack, and potentially lead to not being able to retain crucial nutrients like nitrogen as well as it could before.”

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wewantclimateactionnow · 7 days

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Excerpt from this story from Inside Climate News:

Reduced snow cover and vegetation shifts in the Alps, driven, to some degree, by climate change, are leading some mountain ecosystems to struggle to hold onto nutrients that feed vegetation, a new study shows.

The study, published in the journal Global Change Biology last month, shows that alpine ecosystems may have trouble retaining vital elements like nitrogen that are necessary for maintaining plant growth and biodiversity.

“It’s really added to the literature, arguing that it’s really important to understand the interaction among the different elements of an ecosystem and what the effects of climate change will be,” Olivier Dangles, author of the 2023 book Climate Change on Mountains, said of the study.

he warming of alpine grasslands, which is occurring at double the global average rate, is causing significant disruptions in the ecosystem functions of plants and soils. This accelerated warming is leading to significant decreases in snow cover and promoting the swift upward migration of small shrubs like heather.

The cycle of nitrogen between plants and soil microbes across seasons is vital for retention of the element in alpine ecosystems.

“The seasonal aspect is really important in these mountains, and climate change can really disrupt those seasonal processes,” said Arthur Broadbent, a researcher at the University of Manchester and the lead author of the study. “That can throw the ecosystem a little bit out of whack, and potentially lead to not being able to retain crucial nutrients like nitrogen as well as it could before.”

#alpine ecosystems #climate change #jail climate criminals #we want climate action now #klimawandel #klimakatastrophe #changement climatique

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wewantclimateactionnow · 8 days

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"Heat stored underground in caverns can be set aside in Finland’s summer months to be re-used during frigid winters thanks to a state-of-the-art ‘seasonal energy’ storage facility.

Slated for construction this summer near Helsinki, it will be the largest in the world by all standards and contain enough thermal energy to heat a medium-sized city all winter.

Thermal exchange heating systems, like those built underground, or domestic heat pumps, are seen as the most effective way available of reducing the climate-impact of home heating and cooling.

Their function relies on natural forces or energy recycling to cool down or heat up water and then using it to radiate hot or cold energy into a dwelling.

In Vantaa, Finland’s fourth largest city neighboring the capital of Helsinki, the ambitious Varanto seasonal energy storage project plans to store cheap and environmental friendly waste heat from datacenters, cooling processes, and waste-to-energy assets in underground caverns where it can be used to heat buildings via the district heating network whenever it is needed.

In Finland and other Nordic countries, the heat consumption varies significantly between seasons. Heat consumption in the summertime is only about one-tenth of the peak load consumption during the cold winter months.

Varanto will utilize underground caverns equal in space to two Maddison Square Gardens—over a million cubic meters—filled with water heated by this waste heat and pressure that will allow the water to reach temperatures of up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit without the water boiling or evaporating.

youtube

“The world is undergoing a huge energy transition. Wind and solar power have become vital technologies in the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy,” says Vantaa Energy CEO Jukka Toivonen.

“The biggest challenge of the energy transition so far has been the inability to store these intermittent forms of energy for later use. Unfortunately, small-scale storage solutions, such as batteries or accumulators, are not sufficient; large, industrial-scale storage solutions are needed. Varanto is an excellent example of this, and we are happy to set an example for the rest of the world.” ...

“Two 60-MW electric boilers will be built in conjunction with Varanto,” adds Toivonen. “These boilers will be used to produce heat from renewable electricity when electricity is abundant and cheap. Our heat-producing system will work like a hybrid car: alternating between electricity and other forms of production, depending on what is most advantageous and efficient at the time.”

... Construction of the storage facility’s entrance is expected to start in summer 2024, while it could be operational as early as 2028."

-via Good News Network, April 12, 2024. Video via VantaanEnergia, March 10, 2024

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wewantclimateactionnow · 8 days

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"The heavy rainfall has instead been blamed on climate change in the region, with global warming meaning that severe weather events such as this are “likely to become much heavier and worse” in the years to come." Owen Bellwood

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wewantclimateactionnow · 11 days

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I hope this goes somewhere soon

#switzerland #women #climate change #even this wretched country could be forced to do more #i hope more cases like this get put forward #theres other cases going on #jail climate criminals #climate crisis #we want climate action now

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