“Depend upon it, sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.”—Samuel Johnson. Although a third of us pretend not to know about Anthropogenic Global Warming, we are increasingly getting through to the world.
The 2015 Paris Agreement enshrined the goal of holding the increase in the global average temperature to "well below" 2C above pre-industrial levels and to aim for a safer 1.5C.
Last summer, the global average surface temperature first rose into record territory and eclipsed the 1.5-degree Paris target. That caught some scientists off guard, and the failure of the planet to cool back down below all-time record territory has stood out.
While human-caused climate change is viewed as the larger driver of the long-term increase in temperatures and record warmth this year, a strong El Niño event in the tropical Pacific Ocean is helping to pump added heat into the climate system.
IOW, we expect to get below 1.5C next year, but the margin for avoiding catastrophe gets ever thinner.
Yale Program on Climate Change Communication: Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs & Attitudes, Spring 2023
Drawing on a nationally representative survey (n = 1,011) conducted from April 18 – May 1, 2023, this report describes Americans’ beliefs and attitudes about global warming. Among the key findings of this report:
Global Warming Beliefs
- Americans who think global warming is happening outnumber those who think it is not happening by a ratio of nearly 5 to 1 (74% versus 15%).
- Those who are “very” or “extremely” sure global warming is happening outnumber those who are “very” or “extremely” sure it is not happening by more than 6 to 1 (53% versus 8%).
- A majority of Americans (61%) understand that global warming is mostly human-caused. By contrast, 28% think it is caused mostly by natural changes in the environment.
At the same time, we are at or near Peak Carbon, EVs are taking off, and there is much more to celebrate, so come on in.
Global carbon emissions from electric power may peak this year, report says
Think tank [Ember] says rapid growth of wind and solar is near rate required if world is to hit 2030 target as part of 1.5C pathway
A new report on global electricity generation found that the growth of renewables was so rapid that it was close to the incredibly fast rate required if the world is to hit the tripling of capacity by the end of the decade that experts believe is necessary to stay on the 1.5C pathway.
The report found that global power-sector emissions rose by 0.2% in the first half of the year compared with the same period last year.
However, it also found that wind and solar power had climbed to a combined total of 14.3% of the world’s electricity, up from 12.8% last year.
Solar power in particular grew by 16% in the first half of the year, compared with the first six months of 2022, after 50 countries set new monthly records for solar generation, according to Ember.
50 countries! I can’t keep up. Isn’t that a great problem to have?
President Biden on Actions to Address the Climate Crisis
Today, I’m proud to announce that my administration just released the Fifth Climate Assessment.
Above all, it shows us that climate action offers an opportunity for the nation to come together and do some really big things.
Along with this assessment, I’m announcing $6 billion in new investments to make communities across the country more resilient to climate change. And it’s going to be focused on key climate goals, including
- Modernizing our aging electric grid to withstand extreme weather
- Reducing flood risks to communities.
- Improving drought resilience.
- Supporting conservation for our national parks. (I’ve already been able to conserve 21 million acres of our most precious and sacred lands and waters just thus far)
- Advancing environmental justice for disadvantaged communities, because they’re the ones always left behind.
Tuesday, November 14, 2023: Remarks by President Biden on Actions to Address the Climate Crisis
Tuesday, November 14, 2023: FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Releases Fifth National Climate Assessment and Announces More Than $6 Billion to Strengthen Climate Resilience Across the Country
EU reaches deal to reduce methane emissions
European Union negotiators reached a deal on Wednesday to reduce highly polluting methane gas emissions from the energy sector across the 27-nation bloc.
The fossil gas, oil and coal industry will be forced to “properly measure, monitor, report and verify their methane emissions”, and forces oil and gas companies to detect and repair methane leaks on EU soil. It also bans routine venting and flaring, which release methane in the atmosphere, and limits venting from thermal coal mines.
The deal needs to be formally approved by both the European Parliament and the Council, which represents member states, before the new legislation enters into force.
How secretive methane leaks are driving climate change
There is an open secret in the oil and gas industry and it is feeding the climate crisis.
Massive methane leaks, known as super-emitter events, have been taking place at oil and gas fields all over the world, from the United States to Turkmenistan. The releases, most of which can be traced to equipment failures, can last for weeks. One outside of a storage facility in Los Angeles in 2015 hemorrhaged almost 100,000 tonnes of methane — a potent greenhouse gas — into the atmosphere over the course of four months.
In June, researchers at Spain’s Polytechnic University of Valencia, said they uncovered the latest known super-emitter event at an oil and gas platform in the Gulf of Mexico. The installation discharged 40,000 tonnes of methane during a 17-day spell in December 2021 — equivalent to 3 per cent of Mexico’s annual oil and gas emissions. Researchers said the release may never have been known to the public if not for the fact that it was captured by a European Space Agency satellite.
While the discharge was caught, it remains challenging to trace emissions of methane, which is colourless, odourless and responsible for more than 25 per cent of the global warming the Earth is experiencing today. Due to its structure, methane traps more heat in the atmosphere per molecule than carbon dioxide (CO2) making it 80 times more harmful than CO2 during the 20 years after it is released into the atmosphere.
Car and Driver: Future Electric Vehicles: The EVs You'll Soon Be Able to Buy
These EVs aren't for sale yet but are in various stages from concept to production—and perhaps a few may never see the light of day.
This article covers models anticipated from late 2023 to 2026. Naturally, I have added them all to my Pinterest board for Electric Vehicles and Tools in the appropriate year sections.
Car and Driver: Best Electric Cars
Car and Driver's rankings are arrived at from the results of our extensive instrumented testing of more than 400 vehicles each year and from our expert editors' subjective impressions gained in real-world driving. We've ranked the Best Electric Cars based on roughly 200 data points encompassing acceleration, handling, comfort, cargo space, fuel efficiency, value, and how enjoyable they are to drive. We take rankings seriously because we want you to know everything about the vehicles that you're interested in.
The Ioniq 6 comes with either rear- or all-wheel drive and a choice of two battery packs, the larger of which provides an EPA-estimated driving range of 361 miles—a number that beats even the Tesla Model 3. Our real-world results weren't quite as impressive, but the Ioniq 6 is nonetheless a top performer, with fast charging, quick acceleration, and a spacious interior.
#1: 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6
EPA Est. Range: 240–361 miles
Statista Market Insights: Electric Vehicles — Worldwide
- Revenue in the Electric Vehicles market is projected to reach US$561.3bn in 2023.
- Revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2023-2028) of 10.07%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$906.7bn by 2028.
- Electric Vehicles market unit sales are expected to reach 17.07m vehicles in 2028.
- The volume weighted average price of Electric Vehicles market in 2023 is expected to amount to US$52.8k.
- From an international perspective it is shown that the most revenue will be generated in China (US$292,100m in 2023).
10% annual growth gives an estimated doubling time of 7 years. We need to ramp it up a bit.
Number of cars sold worldwide from 2010 to 2022, with a 2023 forecast
70 million. We are going to need a lot more as more countries become prosperous. No, I don’t want or expect them to emulate US Conspicuous Consumption. Some countries will figure out public transportation and walkable cities much better than the US.
Anyway, that’s at least two doublings from 2028—maybe 15-20 years to get through the Late Majority stage of market growth, leaving only the most determined Laggards.
Good. Let’s do the schools, too.
There will be the usual greenwashing and gaslighting, along with real action.
I’m not going to borrow trouble today. I’ll let you know the actual news when it is actual news.
