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Three Mile Island Plans to Reopen as Demand for Nuclear Power Grows

NYT Global Warming Climate Change - September 20, 2024 - 07:00
The infamous plant, closed since 2019, is getting a new lease on life after Microsoft agreed to buy its electricity to supply a growing fleet of data centers.
Categories: Climate

‘It’s guerrilla warfare’: Brazil fire teams fight Amazon blazes – and the arsonists who start them

The Guardian Climate Change - September 20, 2024 - 05:00

Firefighters and police in Rondônia battle fires intensified by both the climate crisis and a criminal assault on the rainforest

The occupants of the vinyl-coated military tents at this remote jungle camp in Brazil’s wild west compare the hellscape surrounding them to catastrophes old and new: the extinction of the dinosaurs, the bombardment of Gaza, the obliteration of Hiroshima during the second world war.

“It’s as if a nuclear bomb has gone off. There’s no forest. There’s nothing. Everything’s burned. It’s chaos,” said Lt Col Victor Paulo Rodrigues de Souza as he gave a tour of the base on the frontline of Brazil’s fight against one of its worst burning seasons in years and a relentless assault on the greatest tropical rainforest on Earth.

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Categories: Climate

Wildfires ravaging northern Portugal – in pictures

The Guardian Climate Change - September 20, 2024 - 02:00

Since last week, wildfires have been raging in central and northern Portugal. At least seven people have died and 50 have been injured. More than 5,000 firefighters have been mobilised to battle the blazes

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Categories: Climate

Coalition’s nuclear plan will lead to ‘massive’ electricity shortages and risk blackouts, new analysis warns

The Guardian Climate Change - September 19, 2024 - 22:01

Energy minister Chris Bowen says Peter Dutton must explain what happens to national grid over next decade if opposition stops building renewables

The Coalition’s proposal to cap large-scale renewable energy and eventually build nuclear power plants would lead to “massive” electricity supply shortages risking blackouts, according to analysis released by the federal government.

The climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, released the findings of an energy department analysis that suggested electricity supply could be at least 18% less than what will be needed in 2035 under a scenario that reflects the few details of the Coalition plan that have been released.

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Categories: Climate

Prehistoric Earth Was Very Hot. That Offers Clues About Future Earth.

NYT Global Warming Climate Change - September 19, 2024 - 14:00
At times during the past half-billion years, carbon dioxide warmed our planet more than previously thought, according to a new reconstruction of Earth’s deep past.
Categories: Climate

What’s the True Price of a School Lunch?

NYT Global Warming Climate Change - September 19, 2024 - 13:47
An emerging body of research aims to put dollar figures on the environmental costs of foods we eat everyday.
Categories: Climate

Asphalt Schoolyards Get a Shady Makeover

NYT Global Warming Climate Change - September 19, 2024 - 11:22
Schools across the country are adding trees, tent-like structures and water to their playgrounds as temperatures soar.
Categories: Climate

Backlash Erupts Over Europe’s Anti-Deforestation Law

NYT Global Warming Climate Change - September 19, 2024 - 11:03
Leaders around the world are asking the European Union to delay rules that would require companies to police their global supply chains.
Categories: Climate

Sweden cuts tax on flying despite admitting it would increase emissions

The Guardian Climate Change - September 19, 2024 - 09:30

Campaigners criticise decision to scrap tax introduced in 2018 amid rise of ‘flight shame’ movement

Campaigners have accused the Swedish government of doing “everything in its power to stop climate action” after it cut a tax on flying, despite admitting that it would increase emissions.

The flight tax, aimed at cutting pollution from aviation, was introduced in 2018, amid the rise of the “flight shame” (flygskam) movement popularised by Greta Thunberg.

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Categories: Climate

Storm Boris hits northern Italy, bringing severe floods – video

The Guardian Climate Change - September 19, 2024 - 07:25

Pounding rain has battered the region of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy after Storm Boris reached the country. The storm has already killed at least 24 people in central and eastern Europe since last week, bringing widespread flooding and torrential rain. More than 1,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in the northern Italian region as the fire service continues its rescue operations. Severe weather warnings remain in place in Emilia-Romagna and the neighbouring region of Marche for the next 24-36 hours

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Categories: Climate

Hundreds evacuated as Storm Boris causes havoc in northern Italy

The Guardian Climate Change - September 19, 2024 - 07:24

Anger as Meloni government accused of lacking will to confront climate crisis

About 1,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna overnight after devastating floods and landslides, as Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government was accused of lacking the will to confront the climate crisis.

The flooding was brought on by Storm Boris, which had earlier wreaked havoc in central and eastern Europe, killing at least 24 people. Several major cities in central Europe were bracing for swollen rivers to peak on Thursday.

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Categories: Climate

The west worries about Russia and China – but the real threat to global security is climate breakdown | Anatol Lieven

The Guardian Climate Change - September 19, 2024 - 07:00

‘Risk’ analyses largely ignore the dangers of the climate crisis. Unless we wake up to them, they will soon outweigh all others

The Irish sea captain who in 1751 discovered the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (Amoc) – closely connected with, though not identical to, the Gulf Stream – found a practical use for it: he used the frigid deeper water to cool his wine.

That may seem a rather frivolous response, but of course, Capt Henry Ellis had no idea that the oceanic pattern he had stumbled upon had been critical to the climate, the agriculture and indeed the entire development of western Europe. The same excuse can hardly be made for British and European governments today.

Anatol Lieven is director of the Eurasia programme at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and author of Climate Change and the Nation State: The Realist Case

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Categories: Climate

Methane Levels Still Rising, Despite Global Methane Pledge

NYT Global Warming Climate Change - September 19, 2024 - 05:01
Satellite data shows the U.S. releasing more and more of the potent greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, researchers said, despite pledges to cut back.
Categories: Climate

Campaigners call for unlimited ‘climate card’ UK rail pass

The Guardian Climate Change - September 19, 2024 - 01:00

Research says flat-fee train travel would bring economic and health benefits as well as simplifying ticket fares

Renationalising the railways does not go far enough – Labour should spur a rail renaissance by allowing people around the UK unlimited train travel for a flat fee, campaigners have said.

Under a “climate card” system, passengers could pay a simple subscription to gain access to train travel across all services. This could be effective if set at £49 a month, according to research published on Thursday, though travellers on fast long-distance trains and those on routes in and through London would need to pay a top-up to reflect the greater demand on those services.

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Categories: Climate

California Wildfires Pose Too Many Risks for Insurers, but These Residents Want to Stay

NYT Global Warming Climate Change - September 18, 2024 - 19:52
In the San Bernardino Mountains, another wildfire has forced residents to flee, the latest reminder that they must accept the risks of climate change if they want to remain.
Categories: Climate

Storm Boris batters northern Italy bringing severe flooding and landslides

The Guardian Climate Change - September 18, 2024 - 18:23

Homes evacuated in Emilia-Romagna region as pounding rain ‘well beyond the worst forecasts’ sweeps in

Homes are being evacuated in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna as Storm Boris, which has killed at least 24 people in central and eastern Europe since last week, swept into the country, causing severe flooding and landslides.

Pounding rain hit Emilia-Romagna late on Wednesday afternoon and the situation rapidly worsened as night fell.

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Categories: Climate

Floods Wreak Havoc Across Four Continents

NYT Global Warming Climate Change - September 18, 2024 - 16:26
Flooding events around the world share a common factor of an atmosphere made warmer by climate change. What can be done to help citizens prepare?
Categories: Climate

Top UK food firms urged to do more to cut ‘staggering’ emissions

The Guardian Climate Change - September 18, 2024 - 15:20

Food campaign Bite Back says 10 firms account for more carbon emissions globally than aviation industry

Britain’s biggest food and drink firms are doing too little to tackle the climate emergency and are producing “staggering” amounts of greenhouse gases, campaigners claim.

The 10 companies that manufacture more of the UK’s food than anyone else produce more carbon emissions between them than even the aviation industry, a report says.

Three of the firms increased their annual emissions in 2022 – Ferrero, Kraft Heinz and PepsiCo.

Seven are on course to miss meeting emissions targets they have set themselves to achieve by 2050.

Only four have a verifiable commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050 – Danone, Mars, Mondelēz and Nestlé.

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Categories: Climate

Hope for coral reefs after IVF colonies survive record heat event – study

The Guardian Climate Change - September 18, 2024 - 14:00

Scientists found 90% of young coral surveyed remained healthy compared with 25% of older corals, after mass bleaching event in the Caribbean

Young corals bred using in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and planted in reefs around the US, Mexico and the Caribbean have surprised scientists, after most survived last year’s record marine heatwave, while older corals struggled.

A study has found that 90% of the young IVF-created corals surveyed remained healthy and colourful, holding on to the algae that live within them and supply them with nutrition. In contrast, only about a quarter of older non-IVF corals remained healthy.

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Categories: Climate

Australia is a mess. Cop31 is a chance to redefine ourselves from climate laggard to global leader | Anna Cerneaz

The Guardian Climate Change - September 18, 2024 - 11:00

Hosting the conference would help us overcome our colonial mentality and the fossil fuel lobby, both of which have held us back from tackling climate change

As the world grapples with the climate crisis, Australia stands at a crossroads. Our bid to co-host the UN’s climate conference, Cop31, with Pacific nations is not just a diplomatic event; it is a pivotal opportunity to redefine our nation’s role in the global fight against climate change. This could mark a shift, propelling Australia from climate laggard to leader on the world stage. With the Cop presidency, we would be at the centre of international climate negotiations, shouldering the responsibility to provide the infrastructure and visionary leadership needed to drive meaningful progress. The stakes are high, but so too are the potential rewards for our nation and the planet.

For years, Australia has been held back from meaningful climate action by the powerful influence of the fossil fuel lobby. This industry has shaped policies and public opinion, prioritising short-term profits over long-term sustainability. Their grip on our political landscape has delayed the transition to cleaner energy and put us on a dangerous path that threatens the security of our communities, our environment and our economy. Now, as the cost of living skyrockets and climate impacts escalate, we’re facing the consequences of that inaction.

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Categories: Climate