Climate Horizons 22 (Is informed optimism the key to fighting our climate crisis?)
News, Views and Solutions in an All-of-the-Above World
Greetings!
We’ve vetted and selected a range of worthwhile climate-related news and information and resources for you.
This issue starts with information about Earth Decides, a new “community of 35 world-class experts and influencers looking to cultivate informed optimism among public, private and philanthropic leaders.”
Please also note the news about the report from NATURE about the state of the Amazon rainforest, as well as good news about Michael Mann’s huge legal victory, China’s incredible solar development, EVs and EV charging, along with an excellent list of 10 things you can do from the UN Environmental program and an outstanding link for Climate Change Resources for Educators and Students
Launched by the World Economic Forum’s Centre for Nature and Climate, the premise is that “by understanding the hard truths of our reality, and maintaining the belief that we can and will succeed in creating a better future than our current status quo, we move towards a better future. Decision-makers are empowered to craft calibrated responses and form hitherto unprecedented collaborations to address the realities of this wicked problem.”
World Economic Forum (January 18, 2024)
Why informed optimism is key to unlock an effective response to the climate crisis
Extreme weather, critical changes to Earth systems, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse are real, interconnected, mutually reinforcing risks.
We can't afford to lose optimism over averting the worst consequences of this crisis; without it, we are trapped in a trauma response of inaction.
Today’s launch of Earth Decides aims to unlock effective industry and societal response pathways for credible Earth-centred action at scale.
By maintaining optimism, we can and will succeed:
When confronted with an existential threat, it is essential to understand the reality we are facing…
In the words of James Stockdale, who faced his own existential crisis in a prisoner of war camp in Vietnam: “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end — which you can never afford to lose — with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”
He observed that those prisoners who were too optimistic without understanding their reality died because they got discouraged. So did those caught in a trauma response of inaction. The small group of prisoners who survived managed to pair a fully informed perspective with unconditional optimism.
Pathways towards a better future:
The World Economic Forum’s Centre for Nature and Climate launches today Earth Decides, a community of 35 world-class experts and influencers looking to cultivate informed optimism among public, private and philanthropic leaders. By understanding the hard truths of our reality, and maintaining the belief that we can and will succeed in creating a better future than our current status quo, we move towards a better future. Decision-makers are empowered to craft calibrated responses and form hitherto unprecedented collaborations to address the realities of this wicked problem.
By working with global communication experts, and harnessing both ancient and novel communication tools and approaches informed by evidence, the community seeks to inform and collaborate with world leaders in the cultivation of appropriate and effective industry and societal response pathways. Priorities include rapid mitigation of carbon emissions, strategic foresight to develop networked adaptation, loss and damage mechanisms, and the informed processing of climate anxiety and grief – which are normal responses to existential threat.
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Earth Decides
A diverse community of world-class experts and influencers who cultivate informed optimism among decision-makers in support of credible Earth-centered action.
Earth Decides is a diverse community of world-class experts and influencers who cultivate informed optimism amongst decision-makers in support of credible Earth-centered action.
Choosing our response is the biggest challenge and opportunity of our time.
We are both the species that caused the climate crisis and we are uniquely positioned to respond to avert its worst consequences. The future of life on our planet is in our hands, and the way our current generation reacts will determine the nature of life following this 6th mass extinction event. Informing our best possible response is one of the biggest challenges and opportunities of our time.
ABOUT
The key to confronting existential threat, is understanding our current realities. Not doing so, leads decision makers to a misguided perception of the problem and so poorly crafted, short-term and linear solutions. However, maintaining a fixed focus on the threat leaves the human psyche with a trauma response of fight, flight, freeze and fold – inducing inaction and propelling rather than mitigating risk. We need both the hard truths paired with a sense of possibility and opportunity - hope - to effectively respond.
“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction”
–-Rachel Carson
• SELECTED NEWS and INFORMATION:
A few recent news items, usually in the form of a headline and link, along with a short description or excerpt. There is a LOT of climate news happening out there right now, but this week, in this section, we just want to focus our attention on one…
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CNN (February 14, 2024)
The Amazon has survived changes in the climate for 65 million years. Now it’s heading for collapse, a study says
The Amazon rainforest is on course to reach a crucial tipping point as soon as 2050, with devastating consequences for the region and the world’s ability to tackle climate change, according to a study published Wednesday.
The Amazon has proven resilient to natural changes in the climate for 65 million years, but deforestation and the human-caused climate crisis have brought new levels of stress and could cause a large-scale collapse of the forest system within the next three decades, the study said.
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The Guardian (February 14, 2024)
Amazon rainforest could reach ‘tipping point’ by 2050, scientists warn
‘We need to respond now,’ says author of study that says crucial forest has already passed safe boundary and needs restoration
Up to half of the Amazon rainforest could hit a tipping point by 2050 as a result of water stress, land clearance and climate disruption, a study has shown.
The paper, which is the most comprehensive to date in its analysis of the compounding impacts of local human activity and the global climate crisis, warned that the forest had already passed a safe boundary and urged remedial action to restore degraded areas and improve the resilience of the ecosystem.
Bernardo Flores of the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil, the lead author of the study, said he was surprised by the results, which projected a potential shift from slow to rapid forest decline earlier than he had expected.
The forest was already becoming weaker and more homogenous, he said. “By 2050, it will accelerate rapidly. We need to respond now. Once we pass the tipping point, we will lose control of how the system will behave.”
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New Scientist (February 14, 2024)
Half of the Amazon may be pushed to climate tipping point by 2050
Satellite data suggests 47 per cent of the Amazon will experience at least one environmental stressor in the next 25 years that will nudge the region towards a climate tipping point.
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AXIOS (February 15, 2024)
Amazon rainforest nearing tipping points, study finds
• Though the study says it's plausible that half of the Amazon forest will cross tipping points by 2050, it says that it's not inevitable.
• Greenhouse gas emissions cuts and curbs in deforestation, among other measures, would reduce the likelihood and severity of large-scale shifts, the study finds.
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The study is published in the journal Nature.
NATURE (February 14, 2024)
Critical transitions in the Amazon forest system
From the Abstract:
By combining spatial information on various disturbances, we estimate that by 2050, 10% to 47% of Amazonian forests will be exposed to compounding disturbances that may trigger unexpected ecosystem transitions and potentially exacerbate regional climate change. Using examples of disturbed forests across the Amazon, we identify the three most plausible ecosystem trajectories, involving different feedbacks and environmental conditions. We discuss how the inherent complexity of the Amazon adds uncertainty about future dynamics, but also reveals opportunities for action.
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better”
-– Maya Angelou
• GOOD NEWS and SOLUTIONS:
One or two or a few items that highlight either real and notable progress being made somewhere or information about a few of the many solutions that are out there and available today.
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DeSmog Blog (February 8, 2024)
Michael Mann Wins $1 Million Verdict In Defamation Trial
Victory over climate deniers sends a strong message in defense of climate science and scientists.
In a victory for climate scientists, jurors in Michael Mann’s defamation case against Rand Simberg and Mark Steyn awarded Mann $1 million in punitive damages for defamatory comments made in 2012.
In a unanimous decision, jurors agreed that both Simberg and Steyn defamed Mann in blog posts that compared Mann to convicted sex offender Jerry Sandusky, former assistant football coach at Penn State University. They announced that Simberg will pay $1,000 in punitive damages and Steyn will pay the larger $1 million.
RELATED:
NY Times: Guest Essay by Michael E. Mann and Peter J. Fontaine (February 15, 2024)
A Slap Shot Against Climate Denial
The Guardian (February 9, 2024)
US climate scientist Michael Mann wins $1m in defamation lawsuit
Scientist wins award against conservative writers who said his work was ‘fraudulent’ and that he ‘molested and tortured’ data
Democracy Now interview (February 13, 2024)
Climate Scientist Michael Mann Wins $1 Million Defamation Case Against Right-Wing Climate Deniers
We speak with world-renowned climate scientist Michael Mann, who was just awarded more than $1 million in a defamation lawsuit against two right-wing critics who smeared his work connecting fossil fuels to rising global temperatures.
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Wall Street Journal (February 11, 2024)
China’s Carbon Emissions Are Set to Decline Years Earlier Than Expected
China’s rollout of 300 gigawatts of new wind and solar power last year was for the first time enough to cover its new electricity demand
China’s massive rollout of renewable energy is accelerating, its investments in the sector growing so large that international climate watchdogs now expect the country’s greenhouse-gas emissions to peak years earlier than anticipated—possibly as soon as this year.
China installed 217 gigawatts worth of solar power last year alone, a 55% increase, according to new government data. That is more than 500 million solar panels and well above the total installed solar capacity of the U.S.
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This particular solution is still too expensive for many potential users, but it’s an example of things that are possible. And this and other similar ideas will only get more efficient and less expensive.
pv magazine (February 7, 2024)
Off-grid solar EV charging system designed for quick installation
The PairTree off-grid solar charging system for electric vehicles (EVs) combines bifacial solar panels ranging from 4.6 kW to 5 kW, a 42.4 kWh capacity storage system, and one or two AC “Level 2” EV chargers.
Like Paired Power’s other products, PairTree is a solar-powered EV charger, but it doesn’t need an electric grid connectivity to function.
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WFLA (February 9, 2024)
Waffle House hosts federal EV fast chargers, bucks gas-station trend
The first new EV charging site in Tennessee funded through the Biden administration’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program bucks the trend of co-locating chargers with gas pumps.
And:
Another option is convenience stores, which have been pitching their locations as a way to bring EV charging to rural America. The 7-Eleven chain even announced its own charging network last year.
That said, multiple projects envisioning the road-trip charging of the future arrive at something that looks more like a roadside rest stop—including a restaurant or diner, lounge areas, and more.
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Clean Technica (February 2, 2024)
The US Added 1.2 Million EVs To The Grid Last Year, & Electricity Use Went Down
2023 set another record for EV sales in the United States. About 1.2 million vehicles, or 7.6% of all sales, were electric according to Kelley Blue Book.
• THINGS YOU CAN DO:
This week’s share here is almost two years old, but it is an excellent and concise list.
UN Environmental Program (May 4, 2022)
10 ways you can help fight the climate crisis
Click the link to read a little about each of these recommendations:
1. Spread the word
2. Keep up the political pressure
3. Transform your transport
4. Rein in your power use
5. Tweak your diet
6. Shop local and buy sustainable
7: Don’t waste food
8. Dress (climate) smart
9. Plant trees
10. Focus on planet-friendly investments
• INTERNET RESOURCES & SOCIAL MEDIA CONNECTIONS:
There are a lot of great resources on the web and social media — people, groups and pages. In each newsletter, we suggest one or two you might want to check out (on the web or Facebook or Threads or Instagram or any number of other sites).
US government: EPA
Climate Change Resources for Educators and Students
The earth’s climate is changing. While the planet’s climate has changed before, this time is different. People are causing these changes, which are bigger and happening faster than any climate changes that modern society has ever seen.
This page provides federal and non-governmental resources for students and educators to learn about and teach climate change.
This has been true for seven years now. It’s not new news, but it seemed worth sharing as an example of what is possible.
Science Alert (January 12, 2017)
All Electric Trains in The Netherlands Are Now 100% Wind-Powered
Excellent edition. I'm pessimistic about the Amazon Rainforest, given the Brazilian government's authoritarian stance, a desire to make Brazil wealthy, which somehow involves destroying the whole Amazon environment. The news about the Atlantic Ocean currents is devastating. We should all be cheering Hawaii for becoming the first state that is completely solar-powered! Welcome, a little snow here. Our former creek is running again and I will be so sad if summer obliterates the creek again.