Union of Concerned Scientists

JULY 19, 2023

And those on the frontlines of these disasters need emergency help immediately, as well as climate resilience investments to protect them from future impacts we’ve already locked in. There isn’t a place on the planet that is immune to the climate-caused extremes we are witnessing today. That can and must change NOW.

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Fossil Fuels Climate Change Clean Energy Carbon Emissions 243

Union of Concerned Scientists

FEBRUARY 21, 2023

The world’s biggest fossil fuel companies recently released their 2022 earnings reports, revealing record-breaking profits last year; just five companies–ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, Chevron, and TotalEnergies–reported a total of nearly $200 billion in profits. billion and $35.5 billion, respectively, during 2022.

Fossil Fuels 280

Fossil Fuels Climate Change Sea Level 2022 280

Law and Environment

AUGUST 3, 2023

On July 31, 2023, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu signed an executive order ending the use of fossil fuels in new construction and major renovations of city-owned buildings. Covered buildings and projects will require heating, ventilation, air conditioning, hot water, and cooking systems that do not use fossil fuels.

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Fossil Fuels Carbon Emissions Clean Energy Law 243

Union of Concerned Scientists

OCTOBER 12, 2022

Earlier this year, The Guardian ran a powerful article exposing the ties of Elsevier, one of the world’s largest academic publishing companies, to the fossil fuel industry. The article caught my attention because I’d never considered the ways in which an academic publisher might be perpetuating and enabling a fossil fuel economy.

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Fossil Fuels Climate Change Clean Energy Paris Agreement 333

Union of Concerned Scientists

NOVEMBER 14, 2022

The destruction caused by climate change is directly linked to human activity, primarily burning fossil fuels. There are multiple realistic, tangible solutions that would rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, yet policy addressing anthropogenic climate change remains slow and insufficient.

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Fossil Fuels Climate Change Renewable Energy Natural Gas 275

Enviromental Defense

FEBRUARY 6, 2024

If passed into law, the bill would be a valuable step toward limiting misinformation about fossil fuels and countering greenwashing. The fossil fuel industry has a long and well documented history of denying climate science and funding advertising campaigns to greenwash oil and gas.

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Fossil Fuels Climate Change Regulations Government 138

Union of Concerned Scientists

MAY 16, 2023

But this new study from my colleagues working on climate change and fossil fuel accountability couldn’t be ignored. In short, the study concludes that fossil fuel companies are in part to blame for the extraordinary damages resulting from western wildfires (including those sparked by utilities).

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Fossil Fuels Climate Change Electricity Regulations 179

NRDC

APRIL 23, 2024

Study shows that plastic production could be nearly one third of the global carbon budget and emits four times more greenhouse gases than the airline industry.

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Fossil Fuels Climate Change Greenhouse 92

Union of Concerned Scientists

FEBRUARY 29, 2024

Fossil fuel companies are well established as founts of disinformation , agents of obstruction, and drivers of climate change. We draw attention to the outsized role that a small number of business enterprises have had in driving climate change and obstructing action.

Climate Change 210

Climate Change Fossil Fuels Law Government 210

Legal Planet

AUGUST 18, 2022

Production and combustion of fossil fuels imposes enormous costs on society, which the industry doesn’t pay for. I want to talk about some options for using the tax system to change that. A more promising alternative might be a clean-up tax on the fossil fuel industry. Download as PDF.

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Fossil Fuels Carbon Dioxide Politics Air Pollution 265

Union of Concerned Scientists

OCTOBER 27, 2021

Director of Strategic Climate Analytics Erika Spanger-Siegfried pulls no punches as she imagines what she'd ask the fossil fuel executives who will be questioned about their role in climate change at a House Oversight and Reform Committee meeting.

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Fossil Fuels Climate Change 266

Enviromental Defense

APRIL 19, 2024

Cyclical climatic systems like El Niño are a factor, but the science is clear: Alberta’s climate is changing and water scarcity will be an ongoing issue as a result of climate change, which is primarily driven by the combustion of fossil fuels.

Climate Change 119

Climate Change Fossil Fuels Government 2024 119

Enviromental Defense

MARCH 11, 2024

Will the City of Ottawa ban fossil fuel promotion in City facilities? Fossil fuel advertisements indeed contradict the City’s policies on climate. City Council declared a climate emergency in 2019 and committed to a full phase-out of fossil fuels by 2050. It’s possible. And who knows?

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Fossil Fuels Climate Change 2019 2022 111

Environmental News Bits

APRIL 2, 2024

by Ned Randolph, Tulane University Billions of federal tax dollars will soon be pouring into Louisiana to fight climate change, yet the projects they’re supporting may actually boost fossil fuels – the very products warming the planet.

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Fossil Fuels Climate Change Carbon Dioxide 40

Union of Concerned Scientists

MAY 15, 2023

New research led by the Union of Concerned Scientists and released today quantifies the contribution of heat-trapping emissions from the world’s largest fossil fuel producers and cement manufacturers to worsening wildfires across western North America. That’s an area roughly the size of the state of Maine.

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Fossil Fuels Climate Change Climate Scientist Sea Level 183

Union of Concerned Scientists

JANUARY 24, 2023

Utilities and grid operators prepared for the storm as it was coming down the pike, but they still underestimated the energy demand it would trigger, as well as the number of outages at fossil fuel power plants—mainly natural gas-fired, plus some coal-fired plants.

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Fossil Fuels 2014 Climate Change Electricity 203

Scientific American

FEBRUARY 21, 2024

The effort seeks to hold fossil fuel producers financially accountable for the effects of climate change Chicago has joined several other cities and states in suing oil companies.

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Climate Change Fossil Fuels 140

Enviromental Defense

MARCH 6, 2024

The City of Ottawa allows fossil fuel companies to advertise their products and messages on billboards and facilities throughout the city. Yesterday, I joined other delegates and presented to the city’s Finance and Corporate Services Committee to urge city councilors to ban advertising by fossil fuel companies.

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Fossil Fuels 2023 Government Climate Change 114

Legal Planet

JUNE 16, 2022

According to the Energy Information Agency , South Korea’s power sector is heavily reliant on fossil fuels. Two thirds of generation capacity is based on fossil fuels, split evenly between coal and natural gas, with 17% nuclear, and 14% hydro and other renewables. 50% coal, 26% gas, and 25% nuclear. Download as PDF.

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Climate Change Fossil Fuels Paris Agreement 2030 246

Enviromental Defense

DECEMBER 29, 2023

Earlier this month at COP28 countries committed to transitioning off of fossil fuels and massively scaling up renewable energy instead. So you’re excused if, like me, you’re baffled by Minister Freeland’s first move in the wake of COP28: a giant new fossil fuel subsidy, via the new Canada Growth Fund.

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Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Clean Energy Solar Power 141

Union of Concerned Scientists

FEBRUARY 23, 2023

And just like summertime in the US, this period (December, January, and February) has transformed into a “ danger season ” as a result of climate change, replete with deadly heatwaves, drought, and wildfires. Sixty times more likely is a remarkable figure to me. And there would be some justice.

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Climate Change Fossil Fuels Carbon Dioxide Climate Scientist 248

Enviromental Defense

DECEMBER 13, 2023

On this final day of COP28, just a few hours after countries of the world agreed on the need to move away from fossil fuels, I’m overcome with a mix of emotions. Gratitude to the people in the climate and Indigenous rights movement, who have been pushing for this outcome for years.

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Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Government Regulations 141

A Greener Life

DECEMBER 13, 2023

By Anders Lorenzen Whether or not to include the language stating ‘fossil fuels must be phased out’ rather than ‘phased down’ became the key contentious issue at this year’s UN climate talks. A draft text released Friday, with just under a week for the summit to conclude included the key fossil fuel language as an option.

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Fossil Fuels Climate Change 2023 2009 105

Enviromental Defense

SEPTEMBER 27, 2023

This wasn’t the first of these summits – but it was the first one that focused on the concrete actions governments are taking to phase out fossil fuels. We heard world leader after world leader say what has been only an elephant in the room until now – that we must phase out fossil fuels. It’s not complicated.

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Fossil Fuels Government Politics Greenhouse 130

Enviromental Defense

DECEMBER 1, 2023

Statement from Julia Levin, Associate Director, National Climate Dubai, UAE – Fossil fuel lobbyists are swarming COP28 this year, including Canada’s official delegation. According to the UN’s Provisional List of Registered Participants at COP28, 35 people with ties to the fossil fuel sector were given Party badges by Canada.

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Fossil Fuels Government Climate Change 132

Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 23, 2023

And fossil fuel power plants may not stick to their retirement schedules for a variety of reasons. And CO 2 emissions are a primary driver of global climate change, which is exacerbating the type of extreme weather that killed 474 people and caused $165 billion in damages in the United States last year alone.

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Fossil Fuels 2023 Clean Energy Nitrogen Oxides 176

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 4, 2024

That 2013 headline resulted from the first effort to quantify emissions from the ‘carbon majors’ —fossil fuel companies and cement manufacturers whose businesses have contributed an outsized amount of heat-trapping gases to the atmosphere. Nearly two-thirds of industrial heat-trapping emissions can be traced to just 90 entities.

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Fossil Fuels Climate Change 2013 2015 220

Inside Climate News

DECEMBER 14, 2023

Scientist-activists ask the world’s biggest society of earth and space scientists to revoke the fossil fuel industry’s social license.

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Fossil Fuels Climate Change 125

Legal Planet

NOVEMBER 28, 2022

In light of Native American Heritage Day last Friday, we should also be thinking about the future of the tribes in the era of climate change. Tribes face serious challenges from climate change, but also some potential opportunities. In terms of climate impacts, many tribes are at high risk. Download as PDF.

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Climate Change Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels 2007 195

Enviromental Defense

JANUARY 19, 2024

At COP28, countries agreed to transition away from fossil fuels and accelerate action within the decade to achieve our global climate goals. This welcome progress on climate change is an important signal for Canada to take note of; the world is transitioning away from one of our main exports.

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Fossil Fuels Government Clean Energy Climate Change 134

Enviromental Defense

MARCH 4, 2024

In part one of this series we introduced you to the huge role that the Canadian financial sector plays in exacerbating the climate crisis. Climate change could have some very significant negative impacts on the Canadian economy, and therefore your money. In this blog, we’ll discuss how climate change poses a risk to finance.

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Climate Change Fossil Fuels Paris Agreement 2023 95

Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 24, 2023

For the first time, the International Court of Justice (ICJ)—the world’s highest court—may be ruling on climate change. On March 29, the UN General Assembly will vote on a resolution to bring climate change before the ICJ.

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Climate Change Law Paris Agreement Fossil Fuels 254

Scientific American

OCTOBER 24, 2023

It’s possible for fossil-fuel demand to peak before the end of the decade, but emissions would still remain high enough to increase the global average temperature by more than two degrees Celsius, according to the World Energy Outlook

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Fossil Fuels 2030 Climate Change 115

Legal Planet

AUGUST 15, 2023

A Montana state district court has issued its long-awaited decision in a major climate change case brought by Montana children against state officials. Judge Seeley did so after presiding over a two-week, non-jury trial in June 2023–the first such climate change trial in U.S. In Held v. legal history.

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Climate Change Government Fossil Fuels Energy Policy Act 180

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 4, 2021

A new proposed bill would finally set a precedent for fossil fuel companies to pay for the pollution they cause–which means they'll fight it with everything they've got.

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Fossil Fuels Climate Change 229

Enviromental Defense

OCTOBER 26, 2023

At a time when people across Canada are struggling with the cost of living and communities are dealing with the impacts of climate disasters, governments must hold big polluters accountable for the damage they are causing. Fossil fuels are by far the largest contributor to climate change.

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Fossil Fuels Climate Change Government Natural Resources 98

Union of Concerned Scientists

JANUARY 3, 2024

The outcomes of the latest international climate negotiations at COP28 in Dubai in December, while taking some important steps forward, fell far short of what is needed to avert climate catastrophe. One big positive from COP28 was the creation of a Loss and Damage fund to address climate impacts in the Global South.

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Climate Change Sea Level Fossil Fuels 2030 204