[Jun 3-9'24] The world at the polls

Excessive heat, climate scientist for president, investment in clean energy 10x fossils and UN chief calls for ban on fossil fuel ads

Welcome to this week’s edition of The Weekly Climate 🎉

References: [1], [2], [3], [4] and [5].

Remember that this is the last newsletter until July 14. As usual I will of course pause paid subscriptions.

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‼️News you can’t miss

Here’s one important scary/bad (🙀), good (😻), interesting (😼) and fossil (💩) news item.

🙀 19M people in the US under excessive heat warning

😻 Climate scientist voted president of oil country

😼 Investment in clean energy likely to be 10x fossil fuel investments in 2024

💩 UN Chief calls for ban on fossil fuel ads

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👩‍⚕️ Status: Climate & Science

Let’s look at how we’re doing this week!

[#heat] — In 2023, global temperatures exceeded climate scientists' predictions, becoming the hottest year on record. The cause of this unexpected heat remains a mystery, with theories ranging from reduced aerosol pollution to volcanic eruptions and shifting weather patterns. Scientists are still investigating the factors behind this surge in temperatures and their implications for the future.

[#clouds] — The EarthCARE satellite, launched by the European Space Agency and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, aims to unravel the mysteries surrounding clouds and their interaction with climate change. Clouds play a crucial role in cooling the planet, but their response to rising temperatures is uncertain. EarthCARE's cloud profiling radar and lidar systems will provide detailed insights into cloud dynamics, particle size distribution, and water content, helping to improve climate models and reduce uncertainties. The mission carries the potential to enhance our understanding of how clouds shape and are shaped by climate change.

[#humans] — A new scientific assessment reveals the alarming impact of human activity on the climate, with warming caused by human activity reaching 1.31C above pre-industrial levels in 2023. The report also highlights the increase in greenhouse gas emissions, the doubling of heat flow into the Earth's surface, and the depletion of the remaining carbon budget. While there are some positive signs, such as a slowdown in CO2 emissions, urgent and ambitious climate action is needed to address the unprecedented changes in the climate system.

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📰 The 7 Grand Challenges

⚡️Decarbonize Electricity

Clean electricity is the one do-or-die challenge we must solve.

[#investments] — Global investment in low-carbon electricity is predicted to be 10 times higher than fossil fuel power this year, reaching $2tn. Clean energy investment is expected to be double the forecast for coal, gas, and oil in 2024. However, spending on oil and gas remains too high to meet climate targets. China is leading clean energy investment, followed by Europe and the US.

[#notontrack] — A new report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) warns that global ambitions and implementation plans are not yet aligned with the key goals set at COP28. While there has been significant progress in renewable energy deployment, there is still a need for further development to reach the COP28 targets. The report emphasizes the importance of delivering the goals for a more secure, affordable, and sustainable energy system and calls for increased efforts by national governments.