Tag Archives: UN Climate Conference

Climate Solutions

2% Beneath The Surface is Big: Report Shows Oxygen Levels in the Ocean are at Severe Risk

Dead Fish and Coral Collage

At the Climate Summit in Madrid, the International Union for Conservation of Nature recently released a report stating that the amount of oxygen in the ocean has decreased by two percent between 1960 and 2010. The report was penned by 67 scientists from 17 countries, nearly all of whom found evidence linking this deoxygenation to climate change and other human activities.

A two percent reduction in oxygen over fifty years may not seem like a lot, but it is an unprecedented rate of decline for the ocean, causing the sea to warm and acidify at a record speed. Being a body of salt water, the oceans respond to such elemental losses differently than the surface would. Dr. Dan Laffoley, one of the report’s editors, explained to The New York Times that if the heat absorbed by the ocean in the last fifty-five years went into the atmosphere instead, then the surface world would experience a roughly 65 degree (Fahrenheit) increase in global temperatures.

Furthermore, the two percent figure is only an average; oxygen levels are not uniform across the entire ocean. Some areas have a healthy amount of oxygen, but it is not evenly distributed. According to the journal Science, certain tropical waters have found a 40 to 50 percent drop in oxygen.

Most of the ocean’s oxygen is actually getting condensed towards the surface. In a self-perpetuating cycle, deoxygenation makes the water warmer, and warmer water is more buoyant. Therefore, the O2 floats to the top, but it comes at the expense of deeper waters that end up gasping for air. Likewise, when the water is warmer, marine life actually uses the reduced oxygen at a faster rate because all the creatures are vying for each breath.

Without adequate oxygen in the ocean, its vast species cannot survive. If they want to keep sustaining themselves, they have to change their behavior. This means altering migratory patters, diets, and habitats. When one species deviates from its typical behaviors, it can jeopardize entire food chains and ecosystems. Given the surplus of oxygen near the surface, for example, more animals are moving towards higher waters, oversaturating these environments with competing and invasive life-forms.

The main solution that the scientists offer for this issue principally involves reducing greenhouse gas emissions around the world. The ocean is the world’s largest natural carbon drain, but it is now becoming overburdened and overheated, making it incapable of holding as much oxygen or effectively doing its job. As another side effect, warm water also takes up more space through thermal expansion, so deoxygenation in the ocean actually accelerates sea level rise as well.

This report should be a reminder to world leaders at the UN Climate Conference that nature is not expendable in the fight against climate change. Preserving our oceans and forests is an essential element in protecting the human race. These landscapes mean more than just animals and plants. It is these very ecosystems and everything in them that give us the privilege of living in an environmentally sound world. We should not take them for granted, for an ocean ruined by humans will eventually lead to a ruined humanity.

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Climate Solutions

Greta Thunberg Emerges in 2019: Her Message is being Heard and the Journey has Just Begun

Honors pale compared to the task that lies ahead, but the Accolades are well Deserved

Greta Thunberg, the hugely influential sixteen-year-old climate activist from Sweden, was recently named Time magazine’s 2019 Person of the Year. Just a teenager, Thunberg holds the honor of being the youngest recipient of the title in history.

The Time magazine Person of the Year is a tradition that dates all the way back to 1927, when Charles Lindberg earned the prestigious title for being the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic. Over the past ninety-two years, the honor has been given to influential people such as Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr. On a more controversial side of history, the award has also gone to infamous people such as Hitler in 1938, Stalin in 1939 and 1942, and Donald Trump in 2016.

Thunberg, however, is given the honor for her work in influencing others to take on earth’s greatest challenge. Ever since dropping out of school in 2018, she has traveled the world, spreading messages of action and determination regarding climate change. Her dedication to making the world a sustainable place is unparalleled and she has inspired many people with her unapologetic and honest way of addressing the issue head on.

Greta’s accomplishments are all the more impressive given her age, gender, and conditions. A teenaged girl with Aspergers Syndrome, anautism spectrum disorder is not typically the kind of person that Time magazine selects for Person of the Year. Before Thunberg, the youngest Person of the Year was twenty-five years old, and before the turn of the millennium, only four women had ever received the honor. Nevertheless, Greta earned the title on merit, and her recognition is further inspiration for more young women to stand up against tyranny and aspire to great things.

Coinciding with COP 25 Greta Continued on only paused Briefly to Acknowledge the Award

In typical Greta Thunberg fashion, though, she did not gloat or really even celebrate the honor. Steadfast on overlooking symbolic recognition and focusing on tangible change, Thunberg spent the week addressing the UN Climate Conference in Madrid.

As Greta does when meeting with world leaders, she spoke to the UN with the uncompromising sincerity, calling out politicians for considering money over the environment and creating egregious loopholes in order to surpass climate accountability. She called the current pledges in place “misleading,” and deemed that good intentions are not enough; it takes long-term and persistent commitment to save the planet.

Coincidentally, shortly after Thunberg finished her moving speech, over two-hundred activists were removed from the conference. Loudly chanting their beliefs and frustrations for several minutes, the protestors were eventually forced out of the building by security.

Many of the protestors came from the organization Greenpeace, which Thunberg has worked with in the past. Among those removed from the building was Greenpeace leader Jennifer Morgan, who commented on the stark divide between what is going on inside the conference and what is going on outside, implying that the politician’s have a severe detachment from the citizens’ world.

Morgan’s insight is not a good sign, especially considering that the UN Climate Conference is dependent on unity and understanding across borders. However, if there is already a border separating the conference from the rest of the world, then it puts the entire meeting in jeopardy.

Spending the final weeks of a tumultuous year at home in Sweden, there is no doubt that in 2020 she will once again be in the headlines continuing her quest to raise awareness and help us all to face our greatest challenge head on, with open eyes and, hopefully, open minds.

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Climate Solutions

The European Union Sets Its Own Eco Standards With Green Deal

Euro Attempts to Lead in Climate Fight

While leaders from around the globe were coming together to seek climate consensus at the UN Climate Conference in Madrid, the European Union is making its own efforts in Belgium. On Tuesday, December 11th, the EU met in Brussels and introduced what it is calling the “Green Deal,” an outline of policies for the bloc to implement in the fight against climate change. 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented the Green Deal at the EU meeting. It is her first major proposal (and a bold one at that) since she first took office on December 1st. The plan is part of an overarching ambition for the EU to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.

The Green Deal aims to achieve this ambition through fifty policy measures. Among them are a $110-Billion fund to help transition away from coal, updated production standards to eliminate waste, and a carbon border tax for imports. There would also be more money set aside to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and decrease the level of trade dependency on air travel. 

When von der Leyen introduced the Deal, she called it “Europe’s ‘man on the moon’ moment,” likely alluding to United States President John F. Kennedy’s famous “We Choose To Go To The Moon Speech” that kicked off the Space Race in 1962. Like Kennedy’s declaration to put a man on the moon, the Green Deal is unprecedentedly daring. It consciously sets out to challenge the nations involved and bring out the best in their politicians and citizens alike. If all goes well, then the end result could be beyond anything mankind has achieved in the past.

The irony in von der Leyen referencing JFK in her remarks, however, is that part of the Green Deal states that the EU will no longer engage in trade agreements with nations not participating in the Paris Climate Accords—that means to United States. Thanks to President Trump’s recent withdrawal from the global agreements set upon during the Obama Administration, the Green Deal could leave the U.S. without a few vital trading partners in Europe.

Man on The Moon is an Understatement: Resistance is a Factor

With any luck, maybe this economic incentive will convince the United States to hop back on board the Paris Accord. After all, one of the Green Deal’s primary aims is to inspire other places around the world to politically prioritize the climate crisis and lower carbon emissions. While certain governments have already made progress in these areas, the Green Deal marks the first time that a multi-nation bloc this big is directly attacking the issue on such a wide, in depth scale.

That being said, not everyone is a fan of the Deal. Although it won the support of the conservative European People’s Party (the most prevalent party in Parliament), the Green Deal has its cynics on both sides of the political spectrum. The far-right wingers fear the Deal’s potential effect on extractive industries and the economy. Meanwhile, far-left parties like the Green Party and the European United Left, are weary that the plan is not enough and that it needs to offer more solutions to additional issues. 

Still, all but three of the 28 countries in the EU have agreed to the Green Deal’s 2050 carbon neutral goal. The outliers are Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary, three Eastern European nations that rely heavily on coal and other fossil fuels. 

Understandably, the Green Deal will not get adopted and accepted overnight. There are a lot of countries that have a say in its guidelines and not all of them see eye-to-eye. Nevertheless, the fact that an entity as large and influential as the EU is proposing such a plan—and that it is getting received relatively well—is a big step for environmental progress. Soon enough, maybe the rest of the world will fall in line too, realize the dangers at hand, and compromise for the betterment of the entire planet. 

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Climate Solutions

The European Union Sets Its Own Eco Standards With Green Deal In Midst Of Madrid’s UN Climate Conference

Collage / Lynxotic

Green Deal is the Real Deal? Probably Not

While leaders from around the globe are coming together to seek climate consensus at the UN Climate Conference in Madrid, the European Union is making its own efforts in Belgium. On Tuesday, December 11th, the EU met in Brussels and introduced what it is calling the “Green Deal,” an outline of policies for the bloc to implement in the fight against climate change.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented the Green Deal at the EU meeting. It is her first major proposal (and a bold one at that) since she first took office on December 1st. The plan is part of an overarching ambition for the EU to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.

The Green Deal aims to achieve this ambition through fifty policy measures. Among them are a $110-Billion fund to help transition away from coal, updated production standards to eliminate waste, and a carbon border tax for imports. There would also be more money set aside to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and decrease the level of trade dependency on air travel.

When von der Leyen introduced the Deal, she called it “Europe’s ‘man on the moon’ moment,” likely alluding to United States President John F. Kennedy’s famous “We Choose To Go To The Moon Speech” that kicked off the Space Race in 1962. Like Kennedy’s declaration to put a man on the moon, the Green Deal is unprecedentedly daring. It consciously sets out to challenge the nations involved and bring out the best in their politicians and citizens alike. If all goes well, then the end result could be beyond anything mankind has achieved in the past.

Potential Huge Impact of New Front in Trade Wars?

The irony in von der Leyen referencing JFK in her remarks, however, is that part of the Green Deal states that the EU will no longer engage in trade agreements with nations not participating in the Paris Climate Accords—that means to United States. Thanks to President Trump’s recent withdrawal from the global agreements set upon during the Obama Administration, the Green Deal could leave the U.S. without a few vital trading partners in Europe.

With any luck, maybe this economic incentive will convince the United States to hop back on board the Paris Accord. After all, one of the Green Deal’s primary aims is to inspire other places around the world to politically prioritize the climate crisis and lower carbon emissions. While certain governments have already made progress in these areas, the Green Deal marks the first time that a multi-nation bloc this big is directly attacking the issue on such a wide, in depth scale.

That being said, not everyone is a fan of the Deal. Although it won the support of the conservative European People’s Party (the most prevalent party in Parliament), the Green Deal has its cynics on both sides of the political spectrum. The far-right wingers fear the Deal’s potential effect on extractive industries and the economy. Meanwhile, far-left parties like the Green Party and the European United Left, are weary that the plan is not enough and that it needs to offer more solutions to additional issues.

Still, all but three of the 28 countries in the EU have agreed to the Green Deal’s 2050 carbon neutral goal. The outliers are Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary, three Eastern European nations that rely heavily on coal and other fossil fuels.

Understandably, the Green Deal will not get adopted and accepted overnight. There are a lot of countries that have a say in its guidelines and not all of them see eye-to-eye. Nevertheless, the fact that an entity as large and influential as the EU is proposing such a plan—and that it is getting received relatively well—is a big step for environmental progress. Soon enough, maybe the rest of the world will fall in line too, realize the dangers at hand, and compromise for the betterment of the entire planet.

Find books on Big Tech, Sustainable Energy, Economics and many other topics at our sister site: Cherrybooks on Bookshop.org

Business, Stock Market

Shifting to a Sustainable Energy Infrastructure: Saudi Aramco’s IPO shares are a bad Investment for the Planet

Literally Trillions are Staked on a Carbon Nightmare Future

Saudi Aramco is Saudi Arabia’s largest national oil company and one of the wealthiest, if not the wealthiest, corporations in the world. On Sunday, November 30th, 2019, Saudi Arabia’s Capital Market Authority stated that Aramco is going to be turned into a publically traded corporation and start making initial public offers of 1 to 3 percent of its shares sometime in December.

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman initially boasted the Aramco’s worth at $2 trillion. Further research, however, deems the valuation somewhere between $1.3 and 1.7 trillion. Nevertheless, these enormous figures—mixed with the projected IPO of $8.53 per share—still make Aramco more fiscally valuable than Apple or Microsoft.

Putting Aramco in the public sector is a huge move for Saudi Ariabia’s economy and is inextricably linked to the Crown Prince’s “Vision 2030” socioeconomic reform plan for the kingdom. It will make oil a larger money-maker than it already is for the nation by attracting additional foreign investors and combatting the shift towards alternative energy sources.

At the same time, though, this move is not the most environmentally progressive, and although it creates a short-term economic boost for the country, it may not be sustainable in the long run.

Right now the world is trying desperately to reform its energy practices and emissions standards. The 2015 Paris Climate Accord outlined bold plans to address the global climate crisis and currently, the UN Climate Conference in Madrid is working on updating and evaluating those goals. A big part of these initiatives puts focus on transferring global energy away from fossil fuel burning and towards cleaner and more renewable sources and methods.

While Saudi Arabia has made some investments in alternative energy sources, it remains overwhelmingly focused on oil—its most profitable commodity. The nation’s slight investments in solar power are dwarfed compared to its ongoing oil extraction. Then, even when the country does employ solar energy, it often uses it to fund or power oil wells and refineries.

When asked about Aramco’s response to the Paris Climate Accord, the company’s Chief Executive Amin Nasser practically laughed it off, boasting that with all other parts of the world being held to stringent energy conditions, Aramco would easily become the global leader in gas.

Not a Question of When but rather How Fast can the World Switch off the Oil Pumps?

The corporation should not be so quick to celebrate, though. While the planet still has a long way to go when it comes to environmental protection and security, more investors are turning away from oil and starting to consider alternatives. With the scarcity and conflict surrounding the resource, oil is becoming less reliable. The recent surge in electric vehicle adoption is just one example of alternative energy sources affecting the oil economy.

Nasser responded to this observation by calling it a “crisis of perception” facing oil firms. Cynically, he explains that ideas of oil going away anytime soon is a highly exaggerated theory, and that fossil fuels remain the most secure form of energy.

Perhaps this is the case for now. But if big oil continues to pump the Earth without regard for ecological fragility, then there will eventually be nothing “secure” about the practice at all, and economic influence will mean quite little in the face of Armageddon. All humans will be affected, not just the “green” ones.

Even in less dramatic terms, studies suggest that “Peak Oil” will arrive at some point in the next twenty-five years. When this happens, it will severely hurt Aramco’s prices, as demand will go down and investors will have a greater economic incentive to move on from oil. The company will not seem so high and mighty when that happens. Geopolitical dangers will almost certainly rise.

All of this is not even to mention the socio-political risks that come with investing in Aramco. Environmental issues aside, Aramco still faces international competition with the U.S. and Russia, stagnant output for the past five years, warlike attacks from Iran, and a lack of corporate autonomy against the Saudi Arabian government.

From an immediate money-driven perspective, investing in Aramco might seem like an easy buck and a booming economic development for Saudi Arabia. However, money (like oil wells) can dry up quicker than one thinks, and when that happens, investors might be left with nothing in their pockets but a long list of political, sociological, and environmental problems.

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Climate Solutions, Entertainment, Music, Observation

Takin’ it to the Streets to Save the World – XR uses Saturday Night Fever to Wake up Planet Earth

Video
https://video-lynxotic.akamaized.net/Madrid-December7-2019.mov
Short Video illustrating the disco-bedience protest in madrid around the climate conference

Civil Disco-Bedience: Inspired Dance Protest Outside UN Climate Conference in Madrid

When it comes to the climate crisis, there is an unfortunate oversaturation of negative news. Rising temperatures, polluted oceans, wildfires, hurricanes, floods and more—all against the backdrop of political inaction. It does not always paint the most uplifting picture.

Even protests are often (rightfully) fueled by frustration and anger. While climate rallies are in the world’s best interests, their participants are usually an aggressively determined and ambitious crowd. Such is what it takes to fight the systemic behemoths that are behind climate change.

A first phase consisted of a kind of shock tactic to try to emphasize the seriousness of the dangers faced by all. “Die-ins” were a way to illustrate, almost literally, the consequences of inaction. Stopping traffic or blocking commerce was a way to force the public and the media to take notice.

The Extinction Rebellion has been putting on protests since May 2018, but it has become particularly active in the past few months. Its rallies can sometimes be perceived as extremism. Multiple members of the group have been arrested for their uncompromising actions and their protests have been made illegal in the city of London.

Then the floods, droughts, fires and extreme weather events started to become commonplace. Scientific reports showed the undeniable connection to man-made climate change. Global Warming became Climate Change then a Climate Crisis. The fear became palpable.

It appears that, even as at least some attention is being paid at the UN Climate Conference in Madrid, a major shift could be emerging in world opinion. World leaders are coming together to follow up on the 2015 Paris Accords and seek to come to sound agreements for the planet’s future.

More importantly, there is a massive shift in the auto industry with carmakers anticipating an eventual end to internal combustion engine (ICE) production in favor of electric vehicles (EVs).

Sometimes it’s necessary to look past the threats and the doom and try to imagine a world where the human race rises to an extinction level threat and not only survives but prevails. To imagine a world where energy is abundant and comes from the sun, from wind power and as yet unknown clean, sustainable energy sources.

Like driving a beautiful, clean, zero emission Tesla on beautiful mountain roads, charged from solar sources, and marveling at a better world all around. A Great fantasy today, but what kind of changes, to our ways of thinking, to our current corrupt infrastructure, to all that stands in the way, would it take to make it a reality?

A tiny first step could be for those that no longer need convincing that the Climate Crisis is real to come together and announce to the world, and more importantly to one another, that the journey towards, not just survival, but to a better life has begun. And what better way to do it than by….. dancing.

This week, the grassroots environmental organization known as the Extinction Rebellion blocked out Madrid’s busy Gran Via to dance in the street—enacting what they are calling “civil disco-bedience.”

Following the Unspoken Ethos of Elon Musk “Save the Planet and have Fun Doing it” is the new Mantra

In Madrid the protestors expressed nothing but upbeat vibes, as hundreds flooded the roads to jam out and move their bodies to songs of celebration and life, not death.

As several members of the party stated, the Extinction Rebellion has tried just about every option in the book to get politicians on board with prioritizing climate change. Sadly, very few of its efforts have been rewarded. Now that all of the leaders are at the conference talking out potential solutions, there is not much left for the organization to do.

Always savvy when it comes to public backlash and highly motivated for a more than righteous cause, it appears that the group has decided that there must be joy, exuberance, energy and even a celebratory atmosphere to the consciousness raising efforts, if they are to succeed.

So they dance. In the cold December air, some go shirtless and all express sentiments of optimism for the future. They stand for saving the world, and are having fun doing it. Hopefully, the politicians meeting inside Madrid’s IFEMA facilities are feeling as progressive as the protestors are, and will find some sort of innovative compromise before the Conference ends on December 13th.

As various groups come together searching for ways to act against the threats of the Climate Crisis and in favor of solutions and changes that will enable a life on earth that does not depend on burning carbon to live, they are realizing, it appears, that finding each other and reinforcing their mutual love for life and this planet may be the first, best, test in what will be humankind’s greatest challenge.

The citizens of earth ultimately have the power to decide the future. Now, and soon, that decision will be made, one way, or another. Perhaps celebrating this certainty by dancing on the streets of Madrid in the winter of 2019 may not be a bad way to acknowledge and affirm those truths, and begin the dance toward changes for the better.

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Breaking News, Climate Solutions

UN Climate Conference Kicks Off in Madrid: U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says America is Still on Board

Taking stock after a 4 year Pause

On December 2nd the 2019 UN Climate Conference began in Madrid, Spain. Called COP25, this Madrid Conference is the first worldwide meeting focusing on the climate crisis since 2015’s COP21—also known as the Paris Climate Agreement. The Chilean Government is heading the Conference with Minister of Environment of Chile Carolina Schmidt acting as Conference President. As locational hosts, the Spanish government is also helping the Conference with logistical matters.

Shortly before the Conference began, the World Meteorologist Organization released a report showing that the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere is at an all time high. Around the same time, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres set the tone of the meeting by claiming that the “point of no return is no longer over the horizon.” This is but a glimpse of what is at stake at COP25.

Over the next two weeks, the Conference expects to receive over 29,000 guests, among them are fifty heads of states and representatives from over two-hundred nations. As for the United States, President Donald Trump and key members of his administration have been absent from the event so far. However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi entered the meeting with a strong message of reassurance. Beside a team of fifteen U.S. Democratic lawmakers, Pelosi promised the UN that America is still on board with the fight against climate change, even through President Trump recently withdrew the nation from the Paris Climate Accord.

When COP21 took place four years ago, President Obama was still in office, and he agreed to cooperate with the conditions set about at the Conference. These conditions included keeping global temperatures levels within no more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, limiting greenhouse gas emissions to what is naturally sustainable, and wealthier countries supporting developing nations in their switch to renewable energy

Trump’s Oil Driven Agenda Rejected by Pelosi and her Constituents

After Trump entered office in 2016, though, his conservative administration immediately campaigned to pull America out of these terms. Prioritizing the U.S. economy and wanting to support domestic fossil fuel producers, Trump officially removed America from the plan in November.

Pelosi’s opening message on behalf of the American government is therefore a bold one, going against the intentions and outlook of the country’s sitting president. Nevertheless, it is one that both Americans and people across the world can take comfort in. After China, the United States produces more carbon dioxide than any other country. Thus, our participation in the battle against climate change is crucial if worldwide change is ever to be achieved.

Also within the first day at the conference, leaders from the European Union spoke up, expressing the bloc’s concern for the environment and its eagerness to prioritize the issue going forward. Overall, the rhetoric is strong on day one.. all the same, this is only the beginning, the tasks are daunting and there is lots of work left to do.

Even if we as a planet do come to a diplomatic agreement on how to lower our carbon footprint, there is no guarantee that every nation will live up to expectations. Although the outlook for international cooperation seemed promising immediately following the Paris Conference, five years later, progress has been halting and breakthroughs hard to some by. 2019 is still expected to be one of the hottest years on record, and the 2010s will undoubtedly be the warmest decade of all time.

The Conference will continue through Friday, December 13th. By that time, the world will hopefully have made some progress toward an intergovernmental plan for how to attack this global challenge. Far more will, in any event be needed, as a plan, however well intentioned, is only as good as the action it evokes.

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