[TheClimate.Vote] December 27, 2020 - Daily Global Warming News Digest

Sun Dec 27 09:41:17 EST 2020

/*December 27, 2020*/

[clips from Yale Climate Connections]
*The top 10 weather and climate events of a record-setting year *
In an all-around bizarre and largely unpleasant calendar year, extreme 
weather and climate-related changes contributed to the woes of 2020.By 
Jeff Masters, PhD, and Dana Nuccitelli | Monday, December 21, 2020
*1. Hottest year on record?*
The official rankings will not be released until January 14, but 
according to NASA, Earth’s average surface temperature in 2020 is likely 
to tie with 2016 for the hottest year on record, making the last seven 
years the seven hottest on record.
*2. The wild 2020 Atlantic hurricane season*
The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season produced an extraordinary 30 named 
storms (highest on record), 13 hurricanes (second-highest on record), 
and six major hurricanes (tied for second-highest on record): more than 
double the activity of an average season (12 named storms, 6 hurricanes, 
and 3 major hurricanes).
*3. Record-high atmospheric carbon dioxide levels despite record 
emissions drop*
As a result of restrictions taken to curb the coronavirus pandemic, 
carbon emissions to the atmosphere in 2020 declined by 9 to 10% in the 
U.S. and 6 to 7% globally, although some of those reductions were offset 
by carbon released by wildfires. Those are the largest annual carbon 
emissions declines since World War II and far more than the 1% global 
and 6% U.S. emissions drops brought about by the 2008 Great Recession...
*4. An apocalyptic wildfire season*
The year 2020 brought record levels of fire activity to the U.S. and 
Arctic, but unusually low levels in Canada and tropical
*5. Super Typhoon Goni: Strongest landfalling tropical cyclone on record*
Super Typhoon Goni made landfall near Bato, Catanduanes Island, 
Philippines, on November 1 with sustained winds of 195 mph and a central 
pressure of 884 mb..
*6. Hottest reliably measured temperature: 130°F in Death Valley*
Death Valley, California, hit an astonishing 129.9 degrees Fahrenheit 
(54.4°C) at 3:41 p.m. PDT, August 16, 2020, at the Furnace Creek 
Visitor’s Center...
*7. Most expensive 2020 disaster: Flooding in China causes $32 billion 
in damage*
Seasonal monsoon flooding in China in June through September killed 278 
people, damaged or destroyed 1.4 million homes and businesses, and did 
$32 billion in damage, according to insurance broker Aon. EM-DAT, the 
international disaster database, ranks that total as the third-most 
expensive non-U.S. weather disaster since accurate records began in 1990 
(adjusted for inflation), behind 1998 flooding in China ($48 billion) 
and 2011 flooding in Thailand ($47 billion)....
*8. Near-record low Arctic sea ice*
Arctic sea ice reached its annual minimum on September 15, 2020, 
bottoming out at its second-lowest extent and volume ever recorded, 
behind 2012. A new study suggests that the 2012 record hasn’t been 
broken despite ever-rising temperatures because the rapidly-warming 
Arctic has altered the jet stream, leading to cloudy summer Arctic 
conditions that have acted to temporarily preserve some of the sea ice. 
However, long-term global warming will inevitably win out, and 
scientists expect the Arctic to be ice-free in the summer beginning 
sometime between 2030 and 2050. Overall, three-quarters of the volume of 
summer sea ice in the Arctic has melted over the past 40 years...
*9. U.S. withdrawal from Paris Climate Accord and election of Joe Biden*
The U.S. officially withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement the day 
after the November 3, 2020 election. But Joe Biden, who won that 
presidential election, has announced his intent to immediately rejoin 
the Paris agreement on the day of his inauguration: January 20, 2021...
*10. A near-record number of global billion-dollar weather disasters*
Through the end of November, 44 billion-dollar weather disasters had 
occurred globally in 2020, according to the November 2020 Catastrophe 
Report from insurance broker Aon. The record in the Aon database is 47, 
set in 2010, and 2020 could challenge that record when the final tallies 
are announced on January 25, 2021...
- -
The report blamed human-caused climate change as a significant factor in 
the increased disasters. It warned: “It is baffling that we willingly 
and knowingly continue to sow the seeds of our own destruction, despite 
the science and evidence that we are turning our only home into an 
uninhabitable hell for millions of people.” The U.N. report authors 
called attention to “industrial nations that are failing miserably on 
reducing greenhouse gas emissions to levels commensurate with the 
desired goal of keeping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius as set out 
in the Paris Agreement.”
https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/12/the-top-10-weather-and-climate-events-of-a-record-setting-year/

[Grist gives us some good news]
*6 reasons 2020 wasn’t as bad for climate change as you thought*
Even during a global pandemic, with powerful forces working against it, 
momentum toward a less fiery future kept pace.
By Emily Pontecorvo and Zoya Teirstein on Dec 23, 2020
*1. Climate change was a major election issue*
Because polls show that climate change matters to Americans. A lot...
*2. Big institutions pledged to pull their cash out of fossil fuel 
companies*
Whether divestment promotes the broader changes needed to decarbonize 
the economy is still debated. But what became more apparent in 2020 is 
the risk of maintaining investments in companies that aren’t ready for 
those changes, which are happening regardless. Exxon, which hasn’t made 
any commitment to reduce its total emissions, did so poorly this year 
that it got booted from the Dow Jones Industrial Average, an influential 
benchmark of top stocks...
*3. Renewables kept growing despite the pandemic*
The vast majority of Americans say developing alternative sources of 
energy should be prioritized over developing fossil fuels...
*4. Pipelines became nearly impossible to build*
*5. Cities put a check on emissions from buildings*
As more buildings go fully electric, gas utilities could undergo a slow 
death spiral, and fewer and fewer customers could end up paying to 
maintain a vast network of gas pipelines.
*6. The world agreed on achieving net-zero by mid-century*
The most important development in 2020 may not have been the slew of 
net-zero pledges, but something a little more obscure. Companies finally 
began publicly accounting for the emissions tied to their supply chains 
and the products they produce, known as “scope 3” emissions. 
Transparency around scope 3 puts more pressure on reducing emissions 
throughout the economy...
[Explaining Net Zero in a video] https://youtu.be/DrHugcX4o0I
https://grist.org/climate/6-reasons-2020-wasnt-as-bad-for-climate-change-as-you-thought/

[list from last year - 2019 ]
  This article is more than 1 year old
*Climate crisis linked to at least 15 $1bn-plus disasters in 2019*
  This article is more than 1 year old
Christian Aid report highlights costs of floods, fires and storms around 
the world
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/27/climate-crisis-linked-to-at-least-15-1bn-plus-disasters-in-2019

- -

*Despite extreme weather and surging activism, 2019 saw political 
paralysis on climate*
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/despite-extreme-weather-and-surging-activism-2019-saw-political-paralysis-on-climate

[Cambridge]
*Massachusetts city to post climate change warning stickers at gas stations*
Bright yellow stickers warn drivers burning of gasoline has ‘major 
consequences on human health and the environment’
Cambridge, Massachusetts, has become the first US city to mandate the 
placing of stickers on fuel pumps to warn drivers of the resulting 
dangers posed by the climate crisis.

The final design of the bright yellow stickers, shared with the 
Guardian, includes text that warns drivers the burning of gasoline, 
diesel and ethanol has “major consequences on human health and the 
environment including contributing to climate change”.

The stickers will be placed on all fuel pumps in Cambridge, which is 
situated near Boston and is home to Harvard University, “fairly soon” 
once they are received from printers, a city spokesman confirmed.

“The city of Cambridge is working hard with our community to fight 
climate change,” the spokesman added. “The gas pump stickers will remind 
drivers to think about climate change and hopefully consider 
non-polluting options.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/dec/25/massachusetts-city-to-post-climate-change-warning-stickers-at-gas-stations
- -
image 
https://cleantechnica.com/files/2020/12/Cambridge-gas-pump-warning-label.png
- -
[Old idea, new deployment]
*Cambridge To Post Warning Stickers On Gas Pumps*
December 25th, 2020 by Steve Hanley

Cambridge, Massachusetts, home to Harvard and MIT, is ground zero for 
the tree hugger crowd in the United States, closely followed by Berkeley 
on the Left Coast. So it should surprise no one that it will be the 
first US city to place warning labels on the gas pumps within its city 
limits. Warning labels similar to those approved by Cambridge are 
already found in Sweden. Oddly enough, a campaign advocating for similar 
stickers in Berkeley was unsuccessful...
- -
The stickers approved by the city are being printed and will be placed 
on pumps in Cambridge “fairly soon” according to a spokesperson for the 
city, who added, “The city of Cambridge is working hard with our 
community to fight climate change. The gas pump stickers will remind 
drivers to think about climate change and hopefully consider 
non-polluting options.” The placement of the stickers was approved by an 
ordinance passed by the city last January. Cambridge has a plan in place 
to reduce carbon emissions by 80% and offset the remainder by 2050. 
Meeting those goals will make it one of the first US cities to be carbon 
neutral.

The warning label idea is not new. 350.org started advocating for them 
in 2014 and Arnold Schwarzenegger added his voice to the chorus in 2017. 
Will warning labels save the Earth? Of course not. But they could lead 
some people to reassess their position on global heating and that could 
lead to changes that promote a sustainable environment. People still 
smoke despite warning labels on packs of cigarettes but attitudes toward 
smoking have changed considerably from the days when tobacco companies 
used to pay doctors to promote their products.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with but a single step, according 
to a Chinese proverb. Today, warning labels in Cambridge. Tomorrow, 
warning labels all across the US. In the not too distant future, a 
warning label on every pump in the world. If you want to give the Earth 
a Christmas present this year, decide to advocate for similar warning 
labels in your community. As Margaret Mead once said, “Never 
underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change 
the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.”
https://cleantechnica.com/2020/12/25/cambridge-to-post-warning-stickers-on-gas-pumps/

[video w George Monbiot]
*How COVID-19 & the environmental crisis are linked | All Hail The Lockdown*
Dec 22, 2020
Al Jazeera English
‘Connect It’ - The wake-up call that can’t be ignored

In the final episode of #AllHailTheLockdown, Ali Rae speaks with 
prominent British writer and environmental activist George Monbiot and 
Brazilian environmental filmmaker Eliane Brum about the links between 
COVID-19 and our wider ecological crisis. She also speaks with human 
ecologist William E. Rees, co-creator of the ‘ecological footprint’ 
concept, to discuss global resource scarcity, habitat fragmentation and 
why the coronavirus is the wake-up call that can’t be ignored.

#AllHailTheLockdown is a 5 part series exploring the complexities of our 
global response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
https://youtu.be/1l4iAss4ehg

[4 opinion videos]
*Top Ten Climate Disruption Events of 2020: You ain’t seen nothing yet: 
Part 1 of 4*
Dec 24, 2020
Paul Beckwith
Where do I even begin? Abrupt climate change disruption accelerated 
rapidly this year, but was overshadowed in most people’s minds by the 
coronavirus. There were literally hundreds, thousands even, of extreme 
weather events and climate disruption events bashing at humanity and our 
stuff this year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ueGnwEeryc
- -
*Top Ten Weather and Climate Disruption Events in 2020: Wreaking Havoc 
on Humanity: Part 2 of 4*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0ABgVUUjRE
- -
*Top Ten Weather and Climate Disruption Events in 2020: Worsening Like a 
Bat Out of Hell: Part 3 of 4*
https://youtu.be/V3cR_5NDAEU
- -
*Yippee Ki-Yay MF (2020): Top Ten Weather and Climate Disruption Events 
of 2020: Part 4 of 4*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2tK-iKmI3A
- -
In this four part series of year-end videos I discuss the top ten 
weather and climate events of 2020 as picked by the Yale Climate 
Connections folks. They include:
1) Hottest year on record (or 2nd or third).
2) The Wild 2020 Atlantic hurricane season (30 storms).
3) Record-high atmospheric carbon dioxide levels despite record 
emissions drop.
4) An apocalyptic wildfire season.
5) Super Typhoon Goni: the strongest landfall inch tropical cyclone on 
record.
6) Hottest reliably measured temperature on ERth: 130 F (54.4 C) in 
Death Valley.
7) Most expensive 2020 disaster: Flooding in China causes $32 billion in 
damage.
8) Near-record low Arctic sea ice.
9) U.S. withdrawal from Paris Accord and election of Joe Biden.
10) A near-record number of global billion-dollar weather disasters.
As bad as this year’s weather and climate disruption has been, it will 
seem like a tame year in the rearview mirror in only a few short years.

[Digging back into the internet news archive]
*On this day in the history of global warming - December 27, 2012 *

December 27, 2012: Lisa Jackson announces that she will step down as EPA 
administrator.

http://youtu.be/Iqw7hO9OhCA

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