Union of Concerned Scientists

SEPTEMBER 25, 2023

Scientists have unequivocally confirmed that human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels, are driving unprecedented changes to the Earth’s climate, raising fundamental questions about our responsibility to safeguard the environment for future generations. What is a stable climate? And is it a right worth fighting for?

Climate Change 288

Climate Change Sea Level Fossil Fuels 2008 288

Real Climate

JULY 7, 2021

Summary: It was almost impossible for the temperatures seen recently in the Pacific North West heatwave to have occurred without global warming. What happened? But the question is whether the temperature extremes are being made substantially more likely by underlying climate changes. And only improbable with it.

2018 364

2018 2003 Climate Change 2021 364

Real Climate

JANUARY 13, 2023

What influence does ENSO really have? El Niño events enhance global warming (as in 1998, 2010, 2016 etc.) It’s worth exploring quantitatively what the impact is, and this is something I’ve been looking at for a while. Four surface-station based estimate of global warming since 1880.

2022 293

2022 2016 Cooling 2017 293

Real Climate

AUGUST 12, 2021

One question is whether that has been a result of a communication gap. . One suggestion is to get policy-makers who are not so familiar with global warming and man-made climate change to read the SPM and then ask them if they understand its main messages. Also, the summaries of the IPCC reports can seem a bit confusing.

Atmosphere 324

Atmosphere Greenhouse Ocean Sea Level 324

Legal Planet

AUGUST 10, 2021

This volume focuses on climate science: how much will the world warm, and what will the impacts be? Here are some of the key takeaways: Humans can release about 10 years of current global emissions to have an even chance of limiting warming to 1.5 C of global warming. C of global warming.

Paris Agreement 246

Paris Agreement Climate Change Fossil Fuels Atmosphere 246

Union of Concerned Scientists

JUNE 22, 2023

Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Superstorm Sandy in 2012, Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in 2017, and Hurricane Irma in 2021 were all accompanied by the same question. A Los Angeles Times headline for reader letters on the floods said, “California rains are a wake-up call for climate upheaval to come.” trillion in damage and taken 16,000 lives.

Fossil Fuels 256

Fossil Fuels 2023 Climate Change 2012 256

Union of Concerned Scientists

FEBRUARY 22, 2023

With COVID-19 still on our minds, I can’t stop paying attention to what it means to breathe freely. What’s worse, these air pollution impacts fall hardest on communities of color across the state, following decades of racist policies and practices that have brought them closer to traffic corridors.

Air Pollution 254

Air Pollution Nitrogen Oxides Electricity Climate Change 254

Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 24, 2023

Heat-trapping emissions are continuing to rise while the gap between what is needed to keep Paris Agreement goals in reach and adapt to ongoing climate impacts is ever-widening. Let’s take a look at the questions a climate advisory opinion would answer. degrees Fahrenheit), and preferably less than 1.5 degree C (2.7

Paris Agreement 267

Paris Agreement Sea Level Climate Change Law 267

Real Climate

APRIL 2, 2021

Furthermore, there’s no question that the season length is linked to Atlantic sea-surface temperature (SST), with the season starting about 15–20 days earlier and about 15–20 days later per °C of anomalous Atlantic warming ( Kossin 2008 ). Answering these two questions is the goal of this article. Emanuel 2021 ; Hall et al.

2020 249

2020 2016 2008 Atmosphere 249

Real Climate

JANUARY 12, 2024

Through a glass, darkly The comparison figure above neatly illustrates another issue that has come to the fore recently related to questions of exactly what is the warming from the “pre-industrial”? However, none of them on their own are sufficient at least with present estimates. This leads to a roughly 0.1

Ocean 332

Ocean 2023 2015 Cooling 332

Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 7, 2024

What role is climate change playing? Those high temperatures are part of a global period of extraordinarily warm temperatures—2023 was the hottest year on record, and global temperatures have continued to run about 1°C (nearly 2°F) above the historical average so far this year. Wait, wildfires in February?!

Climate Change 322

Climate Change 2011 Sea Level Radiation 322

Legal Planet

APRIL 7, 2024

Much less has been said about what this total eclipse reveals about humanity’s shared experience on a warming planet that we’re making dangerously inhospitable. What magic. The eclipse is also a teachable moment for what is, and is not, causing climate change. Here’s just a couple examples of the missed opportunity.

Climate Change 211

Climate Change Paris Agreement 2024 Fossil Fuels 211

Legal Planet

JUNE 4, 2021

What’s most remarkable is that the decision calls for a 45% reduction of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions–of not only its own but also those of its customers–within less than a decade. However, given the unprecedentedruling’s questionable logic, I doubt that it stand on appeal. Second, who can be a defendant? Third is causation.

Carbon Dioxide 224

Carbon Dioxide Fossil Fuels Climate Change Greenhouse 224

Union of Concerned Scientists

DECEMBER 20, 2022

Using new sea level rise modeling, we also showed that nations in the Alliance of Small Island States could experience as much as 34 percent more sea level rise from Antarctica than the global average. The goal aims to limit global average temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, with effort made to limit it to 1.5

Sea Level 230

Sea Level Paris Agreement Climate Change Fossil Fuels 230

Legal Planet

FEBRUARY 16, 2023

They include, but are not limited to, altering rainfall and monsoon patterns, damaging the ozone layer, increasing global conflicts, and – most unacceptable of all – giving political cover for fossil fuel industries to continue polluting rather than cut greenhouse gas emissions. Geoengineering is clearly having a media moment.

Fossil Fuels 234

Fossil Fuels Climate Change Paris Agreement Technology 234

Legal Planet

DECEMBER 7, 2023

We’ve reached the midpoint of the annual, two-week international climate conference known as COP (for “conference of parties”), so it’s a good time to reflect on what’s gone down in Dubai. Second, and by contrast an area of significant continued disagreement, concerns the Global Stocktake. Could it, given its setup and leadership?

Fossil Fuels 173

Fossil Fuels Paris Agreement 2009 Climate Scientist 173

Legal Planet

JULY 12, 2023

That limitation is what the youth plaintiffs are asking Judge Kathy Seeley to declare unconstitutional. But as we wait for the judge to issue a ruling later this summer, here’s what the trial proceedings have already made clear. By my judgment, the trial made clear that the plaintiffs had the facts on their side in Questions 1-4.

Fossil Fuels 228

Fossil Fuels Climate Change Greenhouse Clean Air Act 228

Union of Concerned Scientists

NOVEMBER 16, 2023

Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, the United States voluntarily pledged to reduce its global warming emissions at least 50 percent below their 2005 levels by the end of this decade and reach net-zero emissions no later than 2050. An interdisciplinary team of UCS experts put their heads together to answer that question.

Carbon Emissions 294

Carbon Emissions Fossil Fuels Clean Energy 2030 294

Union of Concerned Scientists

SEPTEMBER 22, 2023

Gasoline continues to be at near-record prices and as we see more impacts from climate change people are interested in what they can do to lower emissions. We have a tool available that answers that question. More widespread adoption of EVs across the US is also a factor. EV sales are quickly growing in states across the country.

Electricity 286

Electricity Climate Change Air Pollution 2010 286

Legal Planet

JUNE 27, 2022

The reason is pretty obvious: a lot of Russia is cold and icy right now; warming will be an improvement. That’s likely to be true in some ways, but warming may be a mixed blessing. Whether what is good for Russia will turn out to be good for the Russian people is another question.

Climate Change 228

Climate Change Politics 2010 Ocean 228

Real Climate

OCTOBER 4, 2023

It was also interesting to compare my impressions from this conference with my blog posts here on RealClimate from the first ICRC in Trieste , the second in Brussels , the third ICRC in Stockholm , I see that questions concerning uncertainty and added value are still being debated. One problem is AI’s reliance on large data volumes.

2002 198

2002 2016 2023 2012 198

Legal Planet

NOVEMBER 4, 2021

Current national climate pledges fall well-short of the Paris Agreement goal to keep global average temperature increase this century well below 2°C and to pursue efforts to limit temperature increase to 1.5°C Given the woeful global shortfall in ambition, let’s turn to the question of whether China is doing enough.

Climate Change 279

Climate Change Paris Agreement Fossil Fuels 2030 279

Legal Planet

OCTOBER 16, 2021

But what happens when we achieve the goal of zero carbon dioxide emissions from human actions? Does the climate keep warming, stay the same, or even cool? It turns out this is a critical question for understanding what carbon budgets we have in terms of emissions, if we seek to meet temperature thresholds like 2 degrees Celsius.

Climate Change 130

Climate Change Politics Carbon Dioxide Sea Level 130

Legal Planet

SEPTEMBER 21, 2023

Gavin Newsom answered a question by the New York Times’ David Gelles, who leads the Climate Forward newsletter. They knew—and they knew what to do about it to make sure we didn’t do anything meaningful about it.” That’s when teams of journalists dug around seeking to answer, “What did the oil companies know, and when did they know it?”

Fossil Fuels 271

Fossil Fuels Climate Change 2015 Sea Level 271

Real Climate

JULY 10, 2022

The only question is how much total energy is blocked by each. One of our most-read old posts is the step-by-step explanation for why increasing CO 2 is a significant problem ( The CO2 problem in 6 easy steps ). However, that was written in 2007 – 15 years ago! Step 1: There is a natural greenhouse effect.

Radiation 316

Radiation 2022 Greenhouse Atmosphere 316

Real Climate

MARCH 4, 2021

These interactions were thought to lead to alternating decades-long intervals of warming and cooling centered in the extra-tropical North Atlantic that play out on 40-60 year timescales (hence the name). Background.

Cooling 243

Cooling Ocean Radiation 2005 243

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 10, 2023

Carbon dioxide is the main cause of global warming overall. BRADY WATSON: What do public health professionals have to do with power plants? We are at the height of Danger Season , the time of year when extreme weather events driven by climate change are most prevalent across North America. I care greatly about this subject.

Air Pollution 208

Air Pollution Fossil Fuels Carbon Dioxide Climate Change 208

Union of Concerned Scientists

OCTOBER 26, 2022

As US climate litigation grows and people around the world simultaneously prepare for the upcoming UN climate negotiations in Egypt, it is critical to examine the role that obstruction has played in the global policy arena and explore how science can help to advance discussions of accountability and justice. at UMass Amherst.

Sea Level 207

Sea Level Fossil Fuels Paris Agreement Climate Change 207

Real Climate

APRIL 28, 2022

But what exactly? This is interesting, but raises many questions about what would really be doable. And is it an achievable goal or just a rebranding effort of things that are happening anyway? There appear to be three strands to the digital twin concept as conceived by the EU (see also Bauer et al (2021) ). eventually.

Atmosphere 208

Atmosphere Climate Change 2020 2012 208

Circle of Blue

MARCH 8, 2022

The disaster has experts questioning how well Australia is prepared for climate change. Warming temperatures are causing rapid shifts between wet and dry, flood and drought. However, the IPCC report warns that global policy must be aggressive, and that leaders need to act swiftly. A clear picture of the damage is still emerging.

2022 264

2022 Climate Change Carbon Emissions Conservation 264

Circle of Blue

JUNE 14, 2021

The researchers could not pin the event directly on a warming climate, but they noted that climate change does play a role in the stability of mountain slopes. But are they really increasing globally? More than 30 years of data did not provide a clear signal on a global trend. to a depth of 6 inches. The CBC reports that $1.7

2021 278

2021 Climate Change Ocean 2016 278

Union of Concerned Scientists

JUNE 6, 2023

Shankar Ramen A global shift in species distributions is underway Hundreds of studies during the last two decades have tracked climate-driven changes in species distribution, including for trees, mammals, birds, amphibians, marine and freshwater fish, and insects. Photo: T.R.

Climate Change 215

Climate Change Sea Level Conservation Deforestation 215

Environmental and Urban Economics

NOVEMBER 7, 2022

My students are studying this hypothesis in the developing world and investigating what frictions (such as government policy) inhibit adaptation from taking place. Global greenhouse gas emissions will continue to rise. But perhaps the more profound questions are about distribution: Who gets those seeds? Read our 2022 NBER paper.

Climate Change 100

Climate Change 2010 Government Politics 100

Union of Concerned Scientists

OCTOBER 4, 2022

A successful partnership also requires clear communication about what is needed, what can be delivered and a commitment to follow through on promises. However, policy that relies on science requires a very different set of questions and answers. The Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), now a $6.2 Getting a foothold.

Endangered Species Act 293

Endangered Species Act Natural Gas Clean Water Act Law 293

Real Climate

OCTOBER 27, 2021

It’s also urgent because the oceans act like a flywheel, making sure that cuts in emission of greenhouse gases will have a lagged effect on global warming. Regional climate modelling, involving downscaling of global climate models, is still riddled with challenges and unsolved problems.

Climate Change 273

Climate Change Climate Scientist Paris Agreement 2015 273

HumanNature

MARCH 15, 2024

With increasing temperatures, global warming and climate change are only become more concerning and immediate. Energy transition is a complex and non-linear process with multiple questions and interdependent factors. Energy transition is a complex and non-linear process with multiple questions and interdependent factors.

2023 105

2023 Natural Sciences 2017 Politics 105

Ocean Conservancy

OCTOBER 27, 2023

Our ocean has absorbed more than 90% of the heat from human-caused global warming—it’s not surprising that this greatly impacts ocean animals and the communities that depend on them. The question is how they will be affected. The top layer of our ocean (up to about 2,300 feet) has warmed about 1.5 Let’s dive in.

Climate Change 69

Climate Change Ocean Conservation 2013 69