[TheClimate.Vote] December 20, 2020 - Daily Global Warming News Digest

Sun Dec 20 10:11:59 EST 2020

/*December 20, 2020*/

[Reuters]
*Lloyd's of London steps back from coal in first climate change policy*
By Carolyn Cohn
LONDON (Reuters) -Lloyd’s of London is scaling back its exposure to coal 
and oil sands, the commercial insurance market said in its first 
sustainability report on Wednesday, in a reversal of its traditional 
hands-off approach to climate change strategy.

Lloyd’s acts as regulator for around 100 syndicate members, and leaves 
decisions on underwriting and investment strategy to them.

But other regulatory bodies, such as the Bank of England, have stressed 
the risks of climate change for financial institutions.

“This is the first time we have set an ESG (environmental, social and 
governance) strategy for the Lloyd’s market and it represents an 
important milestone on the journey towards building a more sustainable 
future,” Chairman Bruce Carnegie-Brown said in a statement.

Lloyd’s has come under fire from activists because its members have 
insured controversial projects such as Adani Enterprises’ Carmichael 
thermal coal mine in Australia and the Canadian government’s Trans 
Mountain oil pipeline.

European insurers like AXA and Zurich have already pulled back from 
underwriting fossil fuels such as coal and oil sands, though U.S. and 
Asian insurers have mainly retained their exposure.

The Lloyd’s Corporation and its members will end new investment in 
thermal coal-fired power plants, thermal coal mines, oil sands and new 
Arctic energy exploration activities from Jan. 1, 2022, Lloyd’s said in 
a statement.

It would phase out existing investment in companies which derive 30% or 
more of their revenues from those sectors by the end of 2025.

Lloyd’s also said it was asking members to stop providing new insurance 
cover for thermal coal, oil sands, or new Arctic energy exploration from 
Jan. 1, 2022, with a target date of Jan. 1, 2030 to phase out the 
renewal of existing cover.

Lindsay Keenan, European coordinator for activist group Insure Our 
Future, welcomed the policy but said Lloyd’s should act sooner.

“Lloyd’s’ 2030 deadline is not justified by climate science and the 
urgent need for action,” he said.

Lloyd’s also set a target for its members to derive 2% of their premium 
income from sustainable insurance products by 2022 and said it would set 
out a roadmap for transitioning to net zero for its own operations by 2025.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lloyds-of-london-sustainability/lloyds-of-london-to-scale-back-coal-exposure-idUSKBN28Q2TK

[Fossil Fuels]
*Exxon Pledges to Reduce Emissions, but the Details Suggest Nothing Has 
Changed*
Under investor pressure, the company retreated from its refusal to join 
other oil giants in pledging reductions, with a plan that suggests it 
will continue business as usual.
- -
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/15122020/exxon-mobil-pledge-emissons-net-zero/

[UN report]
*Emissions Gap Report 2020*
Authors: UNEP, UNEP DTU Partnership
What’s new in this year’s report

The report finds that, despite a brief dip in carbon dioxide emissions 
caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the world is still heading for a 
temperature rise in excess of 3°C this century – far beyond the Paris 
Agreement goals of limiting global warming to well below 2°C and 
pursuing 1.5°C.

However, a low-carbon pandemic recovery could cut 25 per cent off the 
greenhouse emissions expected in 2030, based on policies in place before 
COVID-19. Such a recovery would far outstrip savings foreseen with the 
implementation of unconditional Nationally Determined Contributions 
under the Paris Agreement, and put the world close to the 2°C pathway.

The report also analyses low-carbon recovery measures so far, summarizes 
the scale of new net-zero emissions pledges by nations and looks at the 
potential of the lifestyle, aviation and shipping sectors to bridge the gap.
https://www.unenvironment.org/emissions-gap-report-2020

[Opinion]
*2020 Was Supposed To Be Our Best Last Chance To Save The Planet. So How 
Did We Do?*
As the coronavirus pandemic raged, hopes this year would be pivotal for 
climate change action faded. But all is not lost. Yet.
12/19/2020
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/climate-change-2020-last-chance-pandemic_n_5fdcc5dac5b650b99adbfb31

[gather round the table]
A new phone app called "Cranky Uncle" uses a science-denying uncle 
cartoon character to illustrate different methods of disinformation on 
science topics like climate change.
*How to Talk to Your ‘Cranky Uncle’ About Climate Change**
*What do you say to someone who says, “It’s cold. Global warming doesn’t 
exist”?

In “Cranky Uncle,” a free phone app game, cartoonist-turned-scientist 
John Cook offers ways to identify and combat misinformation on climate 
change and other topics.

Cook, a researcher at the Center for Climate Change Communication at 
George Mason University, combined his expertise in climate denialism 
with the artistic skills he gained in his previous career as a 
cartoonist to create the game.

Players are guided by a science-denying Cranky Uncle cartoon character 
through five disinformation techniques often used by people who doubt 
the science of topics like climate change, evolution, vaccines or Covid-19.

“Games are a really powerful way to get people practicing critical 
thinking,” Cook said. “So given that I’ve done cartooning in the past, I 
could see that cartoons were a really powerful way to make games 
engaging and funny.”

The players in Cranky Uncle learn to spot fallacies and practice 
confronting denialist arguments with logic and analogies. Cook said he 
has tested how cartoons that use analogies compare to more serious 
infographics as communication techniques. Both were effective, but 
people spent more time looking at the cartoons and were more likely to 
share them with others.

The humor draws people deeper and deeper into the game, Cook said. And 
“The deeper they get in the game, the more inoculated they become 
against disinformation.”

Cook also used the approach in a book published in February, “Cranky 
Uncle vs. Climate Change: How to understand and respond to climate 
science deniers.”

The Cranky Uncle game is currently available only to iPhone users, but 
it will soon be available on Android. Cook also wants to add more denial 
techniques, including those used in conspiracy theories, and a social 
element to the game, where players can add their own questions and 
compete against others.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/19122020/warming-trends-climate-denial-game-app/

- -

[for App Store]
*Cranky Uncle game: building resilience against misinformation*
The Cranky Uncle game uses cartoons and critical thinking to fight 
misinformation. The game was developed by George Mason University 
scientist John Cook, in collaboration with creative agency Autonomy. The 
game is now available for free on iPhone.
https://crankyuncle.com/game/

[Digging back into the internet news archive]
*On this day in the history of global warming - December 20, 1983 *
December 20, 1983: PBS airs "Climate Crisis: The Greenhouse Effect," a 
"NOVA" special on global warming featuring Tennessee Rep. Al Gore.
http://youtu.be/T8JlBkOe6HU
http://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/24/movies/earth-s-climatic-crisis-examined-by-nova.html

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