Tag: Climate

E-Fuels: Part of the Climate Tool Kit

Electro-fuels, also called e-fuels, are synthetic fuels made by using electricity from sustainable sources to get hydrogen from water and combine it with carbon extracted from the air. They can replace fossils fuels in existing devices, without pushing up levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide the way...

Both Climate Optimists and Doomers are Wrong

Social media is primarily about confirmation bias. If you clicked on this article, chances are you already agree with its premise. You’ve found fault in both sides of the climate change debate — whether we’re going to “science” our way out of anthropogenic warming and e...

Climate Change Has Come Full Circle

Our modern technological civilization was born out of fossil fuels. Coal. Oil. Natural gas. To this very day most of our industry, transportation and agriculture is still powered by these incredibly dense, portable, storable sources of energy. There is a fly in the ointment though: the burning of th...

A New Generation of Climate Models

As we embark on the third year of M²LInES, we want to share our progress and what comes next. M²LInES’ mission is to improve coupled climate models by reimagining physics model development through innovative use of data and AI. We aim to accelerate the pace of climate mo...

How Climate Change and Child Marriage Unfortunately Go Hand in Hand

You might have already heard of climate change being called the ‘threat multiplier.’ It’s a phrase coined nearly two decades ago by an American federal agency to capture how it amplifies cracks, imbalances and injustices already present in current society. ...

I Just Realized How Bad New York City’s Climate Change Problem Was

You know, there are certain moments where you read about climate change and just kind of shrug it off. You may feel a twinge of worry, or maybe just a little bit of a taste of guilt for that plastic bag you threw out. Then, you say, “Ah, it didn’t happen near me. Maybe it’s not so ...

Climate change protesters can be extremely annoying

Yes, aviation accounts for 2% of carbon emissions. So, let’s attack an aging individual. I don’t know Ryanair’s CEO’s background. He does happen to be an executive, so what? I mean, these girls literally attacked him. “Pie in the face” is attacking. Who raised the...

We Just Got Our “Final Warning” on Climate Change — And It’s Terrifying

It was just yesterday that I wrote about whether or not we’re “doomed.” As if right on cue, today, the UN released its “final warning” on climate change. And if you think I’m a “doomer,” well, it turns out I’ve got nothing on…the...

How Big Oil Is Hijacking The Climate Conference

In a stunning example of ‘green washing’, this year’s UN Climate Change Conference is going to be a bit different. The difference is, COP28 is being led by the CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. If that wasn’t enough of a conflict of interest, the number of delegates f...

Why We Need To Stop Fighting Climate Change

Like all fights against nouns (drugs, terror), the fight against climate change is a category error. Climate change is a natural reaction to artificial growth. Centuries ago, colonizers incarnated human greed as corporations, and these now ruling AI have done what they’re programmed to do, gro...

Climate Change and Failed Polity Have Left Thousands Dead and Multitudes Missing In Libya

If you are among the 1 percent, these are the best of times. If you are among the poorest in the world, these are the worst of times. And if you are desperately poor and from an unstable part of the globe? Be rest assured that you are royally fucked. Do spare a thought for the folks in L...

One Climate Action that Really Matters: Buy an EV

Among all the angst about climate change, more and more people are asking, What can I do? The usual answer is to consume less, use mass transit, or maybe install solar on your roof. Manage your carbon footprint — don’t fly, become a vegan. All of those will add something good t...

Waiting for Capitalism to Die Is Climate Suicide

The climate debate is riddled with people who, in one way or another, blame capitalism for climate change and therefore argue we must change capitalism or else we are doomed to climate catastrophe. I know because I made this argument myself at one time. It seems pretty clear that without a capi...

I Just Realized How Bad New York City’s Climate Change Problem Was

Climate crisis: I am moving away from wall art — my new medium is glass

The words behind my choice of medium for art. Intrigued? Want to know more? Apprehensive? Feel like sharing your thoughts in the comments, read the article first. Contemporary art refers to art that is products by artists of today. The art response to a changing global environ...

Nigeria’s Delegates Arrive Abu Dhabi for UN’s Climate Meeting #ADClimateMeeting

The United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Climate Change and Environment is set to host over 1,000 participants representing over 150 countries for a high-level Climate Meeting at the Presidential Palace, Abu Dhabi on 30th June and 1st July 2019. The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, ...

Doing Damage in the Name of Climate Action

Their street blockades in which they glued themselves to the autobahn, were radical and disruptive. This approach won them the nickname of “Klima-Kleber” (climate gluers), and a lot of public backlash from drivers. The group pushed further than protesters like Fridays for Future and Exti...

The Climate Waits for No One

This week in Glasgow, Scotland, the 26th UN Climate Change Conference is taking place. Officially, it aims to “bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.” In reality, the countries plan to d...

COP26: The Most Critical Climate Talks since… COP25

Glasgow is hosting top leaders the world over. It’s a great place to have it. If there is any place in the world that can scare politicians into doing something, it’s Glasgow. Remember the Glasgow Airport attack when terrorists rammed their Jeep loaded with propane canisters...

New York City and the changing climate

TOLEDO, Ohio — Recently, we saw images depicting the result of heavy rainfall in New York City, which led to some intense flooding. But what happened, as is the case with many weather events these days, quickly became part of a much larger conversation about climate change. So, is there a...

Insights from Climate Week’s Frontlines

As the curtains close on Climate Week 2023, it’s evident that sustainability is a universal language spoken across every facet of business. From accounting to design, finance to software development and beyond, a foundational understanding of sustainability has become imperative. Why? Because ...

Paris Takes the Stage

Danton and Heather didn’t plan to attend the Paris climate talks. They did imagine what it might be like, though. In preparing for this song, and the rest of the story of Decades After Paris (DAP), they sketched a journey of what it would feel like in each part of the album. From the energy...

5 Ways the Climate Crisis Will Completely Fuck Up San Francisco

San Francisco is a bastion for all things pertaining to environmentalism, conservation, and biophilia. Those among us who call this 49-square-mile city home are blessed to live no more than a seven-minute walk to a City-maintained greenspace. Even our four-legged besties can wag happily knowing that...

Smelling Climate Change

The sun was only waking up as I was going for an early run. A few minutes after six o’clock, the star seemed to be struggling, like me, to awaken from its slumber. On this Tuesday of May, spring is still shy. According to the weather forecast, it is set to warm up sharply in the next few days....

Mathematics Meets Climate Crisis: PIMS’ Approach to Sustainability.

With the impending climate crisis, many Canadian institutions, organizations, and individuals are taking decisive steps toward creating a sustainable future. One such organization is the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (PIMS) — a consortium of western Canadian universities and ...

Key Takeaways: French-Ameri-Can Climate Talks (FACTS).

Wind and solar energy suffer from intermittency; there can be large variations in the energy capacity when the sun does not shine or the wind does not blow. Incorporation of battery storage in the system can mitigate the problem. Another approach is for an “action-demand” response to low...

Food Could Be the Trickiest Climate Problem

Over two weeks of negotiations, delegates at the Dubai Conference of Parties squabbled over the language that they would include in their final declaration. Would the countries at the COP pledge to “phase out” fossil fuels, or would they merely promise to “reduce” them? In th...

Thoughtful communications in a climate-anxious world

Fear, sadness, frustration, worry and anger toward the climate crisis are all feelings that stand under the umbrella of climate-anxiety. Defined by the Climate Psychology Alliance as ‘heightened emotional, mental or somatic distress in response to dangerous changes in the climate sys...

We Might Delay a Collapse of Civilization Caused by Oil but Not One Caused by Climate Change

As I’ve pointed out in several of my previous essays, running out of oil will be the most immediate cause for the fall of civilization. It will come sooner than a collapse caused by climate change. So many critical components of society depend on oil — freight transport (ships, trucks...

The Simple and Shocking Truth About Climate Change

Back in April 1992, George Carlin delivered what might be his pinnacle standup, Jammin’ in New York. From equating American foreign policy to the Bigger Dick theory (“What?! They have bigger dicks?! BOMB THEM!!!”) to detailing the madness behind playing golf (“a meani...

2023 Shatters Climate Records, But Where’s the 1.5°C Limit?

Before 1.5°C, there was 2°C. In 1995, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report projecting a 2.5°C warming with a doubling of carbon dioxide. Twenty years later, in 2015’s Paris Agreement, some 200 countries agreed to limit warming to 1.5°C....

There’s Nothing You Can Do About Climate Change Part 2

There. I can now retire on this monumental achievement and display of scientific, political and economic prowess. Of course, I’m joking but then again I am not. The very simple act of reading this passage so far has contributed to the problems we face but you can’t ‘offset’ t...

NLP Case Study: Sentiment Analysis of Climate Change in EU vs. US

In recent years, the conversation about climate change has heated up, with discussions about our planet’s future intensifying. The increasingly visible impact of extreme weather events and activism from figures like Greta Thunberg have played a leading role in mobilizing global communities. ...

The True Cost Of Climate Change Is Coming For Those Who Caused It

We have all heard of the devastation climate change will ravage on our planet. From catastrophic sea level rises, extensive crop failures, persistent deadly heatwaves, calamitous droughts, regular recurring potent extreme weather and even more frequent pandemics. And that is even with our current cl...

Climate Change

Climate is the characteristic weather patterns in a specific area over a long period. It depends on factors like Earth’s rotation, axis tilt, and land-water distribution. Different regions have distinct climates, such as tropical, arid, continental, or polar. Climate is vital for shaping ecosy...

COP28: A Pivotal Moment in Climate Diplomacy

In the heart of Dubai, 154 world leaders, government representatives, and delegates united for the annual UN climate change summit, COP28. This year’s COP is particularly noteworthy as it takes place against a sobering backdrop of intensifying climatic events such as devastating wildfires...

Things Politicians Can Do For Climate Action That Don’t Require A Lot Of Money

Political parties have a bunch of problems, and climate change is definitely one of them. Climate impacts are rising, not falling. Carbon emissions aren’t being cut back enough. It takes time and money to fix things that spew greenhouse gasses and fix homes and buildings that are in the way of...

Why Don’t Americans Understand Our Climate Laws?

Winter is coming! If you are looking to replace or upgrade your heating equipment, you should probably get a heat pump. Heat pumps are incredibly efficient and, most importantly, they’re electric, which means that they can operate without fossil fuels. Replacing as many gas and oil furnaces as...

When It Comes To Climate Change, The Kids Are Not All Right

Not long ago, a science teacher at a local middle school graciously gave me some time at the end of her day to discuss what students are learning about climate change. When I arrived, two students were still in the classroom — young girls who were laughing and chatting as they helped tidy u...

I’m Permanently Damaged, Thanks to Climate Change

Today — November 8th — is the fifth “anniversary” of the 2018 Camp Fire, which killed 85 people, destroyed 14,000 homes, and wiped the town of Paradise, California off the map. And recently — five years in — I’ve come to realize that I am permanently dama...

Sailing Away from Climate Anxiety

In my 25 years as a sailor I have witnessed the awesome power of storms at sea from vessels large and small. Spend enough time sailing and, one way or another, you will find yourself in a storm, struggling to survive each individual wave. You’ll find yourself thinking, as the boat heels over f...

There’s Nothing You Can Do About Climate Change

Odd thought - climate change is real but accelerated by the appearance of humans and industrialisation. We see the effects and the extremities because we're a global species with the technologies to view and record it happening. No other species did in the past so they were never aware of it,...

Why Does Climate Change?

This tactic can be effective, and it actually gets at a deeper question within climate science. It’s true that Earth’s climate has changed in the past. These changes have a variety of different causes. Some of them emerge from the natural chaos of the climate system, and others are impos...

How to Prepare to Lose Your Home in a Climate Disaster

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (most of us aren’t that smart), you’ve probably become aware that climate disasters can happen anywhere and at almost any time. Yes, that means it could happen tomorrow. To you. So, you should be as prepared as you can, and particularly ...

Blinding Moths in Nepal Reflect a Blinded Climate Reality

A few evenings back, we sat down for dinner in my apartment, basking in the warmth that had finally arrived after what felt like an endless winter. So, there we were — windows wide open, balcony doors inviting in the gentle Patagonian breeze, and a plate of milanesas on the table. Everything w...

AI and Climate Change

AI, we associate it with large language models like ChatGPT, self-driving cars navigating city streets and facial recognition systems that enhance security measures, but how about climate change? How can AI be used to tackle some of our planets pressing climate issues? I look to address this questio...

Climate Disclosure Changes Afoot

California, the world’s fifth largest economy by GDP and home to tech industry behemoths like Apple, Google and Microsoft (all of which support the recently passed climate legislation), has long been the harbinger for progressive climate and environmental policy. Other States like New York, Co...

Art to Calm Your Climate Anxiety — and inspire creative action

Last week, on 27 September 2023, the UK government approved the Rosebank oil field, a project which will create more CO2 pollution than the combined emissions of the world’s 28 lowest income countries. As we plummet towards climate, ecological, and societal collapse — the consequenc...

How to design climate-friendly emails

The emails we send and archive, the television and music we stream, and Google Docs we edit — the more devices, servers, and antennas are needed to satisfy our growing and seemingly limitless hunger for data. The mentality is bad in the global north and especially bad here in the U.S. We&rs...

Convinced Climate Change is a Hoax? Have We Got the Investment Opportunity for You!

Are you tired of hearing about “climate change”? Do you see through the liberal hoax that they call “global warming”? Have I got a deal for you! So-called “climate experts” and other liberal elites have been warning us for years about rising sea levels, s...

Making America Climate Resilient

Atthe end of September, President Biden hosted the first-ever White House Summit on Building Resilient Communities and launched a new National Framework for Climate Resilience. The new Framework identifies six critical objectives: 1. Embed climate resilience into planning and manag...

The Year the Climate Crisis Arrived

The travel and investment communities, as well as all of society, must no longer ponder questions of “what if?” or “when?”; 2024 will be the year for reckoning with the question “now what?” JetBlue Ventures in the past has not classified Tomorrow.io, one of our...

We Are Reaching A Crucial Climate Turning Point

In the fight to save the planet from ourselves, good news is scarce. We are miles behind where we need to be, and the fundamental changes necessary to wean ourselves off climate-wrecking fossil fuels simply aren’t happening. Time is running out before we trigger catastrophic and near-permanent...

The US Will Never Be A Climate Leader: Here’s Why

It’s no secret that Biden is trying to get the USA back on track to meet its climate targets after the Trump administration and become a global climate leader. Not only will this effort help the US become more resilient to the impeding climate disaster and crushing emissions limits, but it wil...

The UN’s Climate Warning Is Far Worse Than You Think

A recent UN report has found that we are on course for 2.9 degrees Celsius of global warming by the end of the century. This figure shouldn’t come as a surprise, as several highly regarded studies have all independently come up with the same figure. However, the timing of this report makes it ...

The EU Is Looking Into Geoengineering To Halt Climate Change

Geoengineering is the act of artificially engineering the climate of a planet. In the future, we could potentially use geoengineering techniques to turn Mars into a fully habitable planet, enabling a Martian civilisation to bloom. But geoengineering seems set to be far more helpful on Earth, where i...

Gaia And The Climate Emergency

“Amid the doom-laden exhortations to change our ways, let us remember that we are striving to create a more beautiful world, and not sustain, with growing sacrifice, the current one. We are not just seeking to survive. We are not just facing doom; we are facing a glorious possibility. We are o...

Pivoting Careers in the Age of Climate Crisis.

I still remember the water. As heavy rains flooded Chennai city, entire neighbourhoods were submerged in brown, murky water. People were stranded on their rooftops, waiting days for rescue boats. Climate change was no longer an abstract concept — it was literally at my doorstep in Poes Garden,...

Climate Crisis: Unveiling the Top 15 Warmest Years on Record

It may come as a surprise, but the fifteen warmest years on record all happened in the last 18 years. 2020 and 2016 are statistically tied as the hottest years since record-keeping began in 1880! But they will likely lose the infamous spot in the next five years. Last week, I was on holid...

Karma Is About To Slap Climate Destruction Profiteers In The Face

For decades, a select few have greatly benefited from the destruction of the planet. Their oil-driven businesses and investments paid out billions of dollars, while the pollution, destruction and climate mayhem they caused went unpunished. For years, it seemed like this myopic greed and disregard fo...

Retiring Into Climate Change

I’m on the brink of retirement. So are a lot of baby boomers. We built our nest eggs in IRAs, we plan to have social security, and we downsize our lifestyle to live decently. Everything is looking good… except, it isn’t good. Climate change is destroying the economy and the invest...

Retiring Into Climate Change

Risk 1: Food Prices Will Keep Going Up For many years, environmentalists have decried the impact of climate change on “ecosystems,” which at least in my mind, always conjured things like tree species under stress or disappearing butterflies. I could get quite emotional about the baby ...

When Climate Hits Your Pocketbook: How Much Is the Heat Costing You?

While everyone knows that this summer has been a banner year for heat, few are thinking yet about the cost of that heat on our personal pocketbooks. I’m on a mission to find out. So, be forewarned… at the end of this article, I am asking for your input on the increased costs you ha...

Charity and Climate Change: Are We Addressing Environmental Crises and Philanthropy Correctly?

Looking at the ‘charity appeals’ I get the feeling that something is wrong. The problem is not the charity itself, of course. What I don’t understand is this idea of perpetual stasis, in which nothing changes except feeling a little better for having done our bit. I even have th...

3 Things I Learned About How to Increase the Impact of Climate Programs

A couple of weeks ago, I attended the American Evaluation Conference in Indianapolis. During that time, I attended several professional development workshops and panels, networked a lot, and learned about different evaluation tools and approaches. This experience has provided me with valuable ins...

Climate Risk and Real Estate: The Ticking Time Bond

Real estate climate risk is getting some attention, notably in California and Florida, where insurance premiums are soaring and several major insurers are shuttering or no longer taking on new home insurance policies. But these are reactive measures, only dealing with threats aft...

Do We Really Believe in Climate Change?

It’s been one of the warmest winters I can remember. I live in northern New York, just an hour from the Canadian border. Aside from a cold snap that lasted a week in early December, it’s been humid and raining. The Olympic ski mountain near where I live has only a portion of its trails o...

The Political Climate of Jesus’ Time

The Bible, or the Old and New Testaments, are a collection of historical accounts and records, laws, biographies, poetry and prose, prophecies, and cultural wisdom of several societies and individuals within the mediterranean region of Northern Africa and Southern Europe, and the Fertile Crescent of...

Climate action, here and now

A few years ago, David Hsu started taking a keen interest in some apartment buildings in Brooklyn and the Bronx — but not because he was looking for a place to live. Hsu, an associate professor at MIT, works on urban climate change solutions. The property owners were retrofitting their buildin...

hOw Do YoU KnOw iT’s cLiMaTe cHaNgE??

Every once and awhile, when I write about my experience in the 2018 Camp Fire, someone on the Internet thinks they can outsmart me by asking how I know the fire was “caused” by climate change, usually in a snarky, know-it-all, condescending tone. It’s a typical denier tactic. &l...

Why Does Climate Change?

Climate-Aware Billionaires Have Lost The Plot

As we celebrate the passing of another year with the rituals of our religions, our families and our cultures, spare a thought for a poor benighted billionaires who are trying and failing miserably to address climate change. They have a place to stand, a lever long enough, yet cannot move the world. ...

Please Stop Saying “I’ll be dead before the worst of it hits.”

Yes, most of us will be dead before the worst of the climate calamities and geopolitical wars happen. That is true. But, maybe we should all just stop saying it all the time? This true sentiment is usually followed up by noting that ‘I do feel sorry for young people, children, grandchildren...