THE BRIEF [Jun 3-9'24]
THE BRIEF [Jun 3-9'24]
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].
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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
This week’s highlights
[#smogparadox] — A new analysis suggests that the warming of the northeast Pacific known as "The Blob" is caused by the decline in Chinese air pollution. The reduction in smog particles, which block the sun's rays, has accelerated warming and triggered a chain of atmospheric events that have heated the ocean. This finding has implications for future climate in the Pacific and elsewhere, as cleanups of aerosol emissions may lead to more intense regional ocean heat waves.
[#refrigeration] — According to a new study, more consistent refrigeration throughout the food supply chain could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from food loss by almost 2 billion tonnes per year. The study suggests that poorly temperature-controlled food supply chains currently contribute to 620 million tonnes of food losses annually, resulting in 1.8 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions. Implementing better refrigeration and shortening food supply chains could significantly reduce emissions and prevent food loss, particularly in South and Southeast Asia. However, the study also acknowledges that not every region can rely on refrigeration as a sustainable solution for food loss and waste.
[#EUelection] — The swing to the right in Europe threatens global climate policy, as anti-environment backlash orchestrated by fossil fuel companies and related industries threatens pro-environment policies. Populist, right-wing, and nationalistic parties seeking to slow climate action are expected to win more seats in the EU parliamentary election, potentially slowing the implementation of ambitious climate targets. The rise of populist and nationalist parties in Europe mirrors the anti-science and anti-environment rhetoric prevalent in the Trump-shaped GOP, with financial links between these ideologies and fossil fuel industries. The weakening of EU climate policy could have significant implications for global climate action.
[#banfossilads] — United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for a ban on fossil fuel advertising and urged creative agencies to stop working for the industry. Guterres criticized the greenwashing tactics of the fossil fuel industry and its advertising and PR companies, urging them to stop enabling planetary destruction. Campaigners welcomed Guterres' remarks and called for a "tobacco-style" ban on fossil fuel advertising across various media platforms.
That’s it for this week folks!
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