Climate Crisis Weekly

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) just released its Emissions Gap Report 2022 – and let’s just say, the news isn’t good. So brace yourselves: You’re likely to see a slew of frightening, doom-mongering headlines about it today, unleashing a fresh wave of terror over those of us who care about the planet. But rather than panicking, here’s what to do instead.

Coal investor and US Senator Joe Manchin III (D-WV) opposes his own political party’s clean energy program. And since not a single Republican will support the infrastructure bill that contains the program, Manchin has disproportionate power to sink the US plan to decarbonize in order to slow global warming and meet the Paris Agreement target of net-zero by 2050. Why does he oppose it?

Contrary to popular belief, air-source heat pumps can work very well in cold climates. They’re now the best choice for energy efficiency and reducing heating bills, and that’s why their adoption is going to grow quickly in colder countries.

In the landmark Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report released today, there’s good news and bad news. We’re spotlighting the good news: EVs and clean energy can help us limit climate change.

The COP26, aka the United Nations Climate Change Conference UK 2021, has officially finished in Glasgow. But the final agreement has not yet been put in place, and that will likely come over the weekend. Here’s Electrek‘s daily roundup of the key happenings at the world’s most important summit ever.

COP26, also known as the United Nations Climate Change Conference UK 2021, kicks off Sunday October 31, and officially runs until Friday, November 12. It’s being held in Glasgow at the Scottish Event Campus (pictured). Here are five things everyone needs to know about this crucial summit.

The Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) and more than 35 other industry and environmental organizations, including the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in April to set national targets to curb the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in refrigerators, air conditioners, and other appliances.

The EPA delivered today. It’s the first time the federal government has set national limits on HFCs. It’s also the Biden administration’s first concrete regulatory step to tackle emissions since the US’s announcement that it would slash emissions 50% by 2030.

The world’s largest-ever report about climate change was published today by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations group of nearly 200 leading climate scientists that looked at more than 14,000 scientific papers. It’s pretty grim – but far from hopeless. There are things we all can and must all do. As US Senator Ed Markey says, “We can’t agonize – we must organize.”

The Edward Hyatt hydroelectric power plant at Lake Oroville, California, was shut down yesterday for the first time since it opened in 1967 because of low water levels due to drought. Lake Oroville is California’s second-largest reservoir.

In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):

• The US-hosted Leaders Summit on Climate kicks off today. Keep an eye on these three countries.
• Los Angeles City Council unanimously approves a Global Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.
• UnderstandSolar is a free service that links you to top-rated solar installers in your region for personalized solar estimates. Tesla now offers price matching, so it’s important to shop for the best quotes. Click here to learn more and get your quotes. — *ad.

• How can Americans break through the partisan divide when it comes to talking about the climate crisis?
• Scientists rank five types of soft drink containers from best to worst for the environment.
• Small farmers globally are particularly vulnerable to the climate crisis. Here’s the help they’re getting.
• And more…

• The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season breaks the record for the number of named storms with 29. Why?
• We look at three state environmental amendments and initiatives that were passed by voters.
• What’s regenerative farming, and how could it help reduce climate change? Woody Harrelson tells us.
• And more…

• Why would a state that is extremely vulnerable to climate change vote for Donald Trump?
• Small Island Developing States lead the fight against climate change — and usually suffer the most.
• The president of the Oakland Firefighters Union talks about what it’s like to face wildfires firsthand.
• And more…

Just in case you didn’t notice, the US election is next week, on Tuesday, November 3. We at Electrek ran a Climate Crisis Weekly roundup on October 10 with the headline, “Humanity’s future rests on American voters.” Someone on the subreddit r/JoeBiden declared, “Tech website Electrek backs Biden for president.” Our reaction to that? We’ll take it.

And here’s why. Electrek is for electric vehicles, green energy, slowing and eventually reversing climate change, and protecting and renewing the environment. And we’ll hop on whatever e-bus we have to ride in order to get closest to the goal of progressing those things.

So instead of rounding up the week’s climate change stories, we’ve done something different this week. Some of us in the 9to5 network explain — each with a unique perspective, from all over the US (and world) — why we back Joe Biden in the 2020 US presidential election. In short, it’s because he’s the e-bus that gets us closest to our destination. Because we believe, with a passion, in what we write about.

• Naturalist and TV presenter Steve Backshall illustrates animals’ evolution due to climate change.
• Air pollution killed a half-million newborn babies globally in 2019, according to a new report.
• Young people living in the Arctic Circle describe the climate change they see now in a BBC My World film.
• And more…

• Many Americans say they don’t quite understand the “Green New Deal,” so we demystify it here.
• The percentage of Americans that are alarmed about the climate crisis has doubled in five years.
• Regardless of how you feel about Greta Thunberg, the documentary I am Greta is a must-watch.
• And more…

• The US presidential election is almost here and voting has started. For the earth’s future, it’s everything.
• Vice President Joe Biden releases the first political ad exclusively about climate change in the US.
• Prince William and Sir David Attenborough launch the biggest environmental award ever, at $50 million.
• And more…

• Greenland’s ice is melting faster than at any time in the past 12,000 years, according to a new study.
• Sir David Attenborough’s A Life on Our Planet debuts on Sunday to help us better understand climate change.
• The Environmental Defense Fund launches the Climate Authenticity Meter to evaluate businesses’ climate goals.
• And more…

• The biggest climate summit of 2020 took place this week, with more than 350 events.
• Which countries take climate change the most seriously? The ones who’ve experienced it.
• What if the US joined the EU and China in making a pledge to fight climate change?
• And more…

• The world’s wildlife population has declined by more than two-thirds in the last 50 years — WWF
• As much as 80% of the European Union’s electricity could be fossil fuel-free by 2030.
• Here’s why a new study of sea urchins will provide great insight into the effects of climate change.
• And more…

• The UN secretary-general urges G20 nations to ditch coal completely in a climate conference.
• Planting seagrass needs to play an important part in reducing emissions. Here’s why.
• Writer Andrew McCormick asks, “The sitting president has no climate plan. Why isn’t that headline news?”
• And more…