Welcome to Planet Days, a green newsletter for a greenwashed Planet.
If you’re new to this newsletter, every week we curate a five-minute roundup of the latest climate news and what it means for our Planet. If this was forwarded to you, smash that subscribe button:
In case you missed it, here’s what else happened around the Planet.
Tuesday, October 18
What do glaciers have to do with COVID?
The next pandemic may not come from animals or insects, but from melting ice, according to new research.
Simply put, as the climate warms, viruses long-trapped inside glaciers and permafrost could be released and infect local wildlife, especially as species ranges shift closer to the poles. Authors say the likelihood of another “dramatic event” like COVID-19 remains low but warn more research is needed (and soon). CBS News has the story.
Companies quietly quit net zero
To address climate change, we need to slash greenhouse gasses from all sectors — and that includes private businesses, some of the Planet’s largest emitters. But despite commitments to go green, many businesses are quietly shelving their net zero plans, reports The Independent.
According to a new report, one in four companies do not plan to talk about their progress toward net-zero, a practice known as “green hushing.” Without publishing numbers or progress toward goals, companies can escape scrutiny, while missing chances to collaborate or share findings with others.
This report comes the same week as a separate analysis, which finds that many private companies are struggling with climate action: Only 32 of the 100 largest private firms have net-zero targets, compared to 69 of the largest publicly traded companies. Business Green has more on that.
Wednesday, October 19
Chad’s flooding emergency
Chad declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, as the country’s heaviest rainy season in 30 years brought flooding that affected more than one million residents.
The declaration sets in motion a plan to provide food, sanitation, and shelter to thousands who have been displaced. But that won’t solve the bigger issues: As Reuters reports, in recent years, intense rainfall, land degradation, and poor urban planning have been behind the more frequent disasters
Emissions grow, but less than expected
The bad news: Global emissions are on the rise. The good news: They’re expected to rise less than 1% this year, according to new numbers from the International Energy Agency.
This year's increase of 300 million metric tons of CO2 is far less than the 2 billion jump between 2020 and 2021 — a jump largely due to economies rebounding after COVID-19 shutdowns. But despite more post-pandemic flights, increased coal emissions, and high natural gas prices linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there’s still optimism for clean energy.
“The rise in global CO2 emissions this year would be much larger — more than tripling to reach close to 1 billion tonnes — were it not for the major deployments of renewable energy technologies and electric vehicles (EVs) around the world,” the report said.
Our climate commitment gap
Countries' actual climate commitments are part of the problem with slashing global emissions. A new report by World Resources Institute finds that countries need to be far more ambitious to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees by 2100.
New commitments made since the Paris Agreement have countries on track to slash an additional 7% of emissions by 2030. But emissions must fall 43% by 2030 to hit the goals laid out in the 2015 climate accord. All this makes COP27, the international climate conference set later this year in Egypt, even more important. Bloomberg breaks down the findings.
Thursday, October 20
U.K.’s climate leadership in turmoil
After only 45 days in office, Liz Truss resigned as the United Kingdom’s prime minister. By pledging to cut taxes without any way of paying for them, Truss sent markets reeling and, in the process, lost the party and the public’s confidence.
With that resignation, the U.K. also gets a chance to rebuild some of its climate credibility. Within days of being sworn in, Truss started unraveling some of her predecessor’s climate gains, including through plans to lift the country’s fracking ban. She also made Jacob Rees-Mogg, who had previously downplayed the impacts of climate change, her business and energy secretary.
The New York Times has a list of candidates who could replace Truss.
Sunday, October 23
China doubles down on climate — kind of
Meanwhile, Xi Jinping cemented his status as China’s leader, as his Communist Party elected him to a norm-breaking third term. With China being the Planet’s largest emitter of greenhouse gasses, Xi’s election will inevitably affect climate change, a topic of a major speech last week:
"We'll boost low carbon industries and promote low carbon ways of life. We'll intensify pollution control. We'll work to eliminate all serious pollution," Xi said in an address to the Community Party Congress, where he vowed to work “actively and prudently” toward reaching China’s net zero goal.
But there’s a catch: Emphasizing energy security, Xi said the transition from coal, oil, and gas, won’t happen until renewables can reliably replace them. TIME has more.
Bonus
Clean Water at 50
Environmental activists celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act’s passage earlier this week. And The Associated Press followed up on one of the law’s biggest success stories: the Cuyahoga River.
Winding through downtown Cleveland, Ohio, the Cuyahoga may be best known for catching fire several times in the ‘60s. But after years of activism and the passage the Clean Water Act, the river is emblematic of environmental restoration.
Though many waterways across the U.S. have seen similar improvements, activists are concerned about how slow the progress has been. Fifty years into the Clean Water Act, the law’s claims are only halfway complete.
Have a great week,
Brandon and Sam