China pledges to go carbon neutral by 2060
Welcome to Planet Week, where we highlight the last week of environmental news and what it means for our planet.
Welcome to Planet Week, where we highlight the last week of environmental news and what it means for our planet.
The United Nations turned 75. Arctic sea ice shrank to its second-lowest level on record. And United States President Donald Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg, complicating the future of climate legislation.
In case you missed it, here’s what else happened around the planet:
Monday, September 21
Corporate giants make climate pledges
When Climate Week NYC kicked off Monday, a group of corporate giants used the opportunity to announce ambitious climate pledges. Most notably, Walmart announced its goal to reach zero emissions across global operations by 2040. The announcement is notable for Walmart’s sheer size, as well as the specifics of its goal: Walmart aims to hit this target without using offsets.
The Washington Post rounds up other big commitments: AT&T aims to go carbon neutral by 2035; Morgan Stanley promises to reach net-zero financed emissions by 2050, the first major bank to do so; and General Electric says it will stop building new coal-powered plants.
World’s richest 1% cause double CO2 emissions of poorest 50%
According to new research, the wealthiest 1% of the world’s population emitted more than twice as much carbon dioxide as the poorest half of the world between 1990 and 2015.
For context, the richest 10% of the world comprises 630 million people, while the poorest 50% make up 3.1 billion people. This carbon inequality highlights the disparity between those who contribute most to the climate crisis and the billions of others who will be most affected. The Guardian has the story.
Tuesday, September 22
Happy Battery Day
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has hyped his newest battery breakthroughs over the past few weeks, and at his socially-distant “Battery Day” event last Tuesday, we found out what all the fuss was about. No one physically saw the batteries, but we learned they’ll soon be cobalt-free, tabless, and best of all, cheaper.
In 2019, Tesla’s Model 3 was the world’s most popular electric vehicle, but its steep prices make it inaccessible to much of the population. With Musk’s new batteries, the electric cars will travel farther, faster, and eventually cost $25,000 (compared to $35,000–$124,000). Read more at The Verge.
China pledges to go carbon neutral by 2060
One of the biggest announcements this week came from the biggest greenhouse gas emitter. At the United Nations General Assembly, China called for a “green revolution,” with a pledge to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. This is the first time China has announced concrete steps toward net-zero carbon emissions, according to CNN.
In his speech, Chinese President Xi Jinping also called for a coordinated effort to combat climate change through economic recovery packages.
“COVID-19 reminds us that humankind should launch a green revolution and move faster to create a green way of development and life, preserve the environment and make Mother Earth a better place for all,” said Xi.
Wednesday, September 23
America wants climate action
Two polls out this week say largely the same thing: More than 7 out of 10 voting Americans want government climate action, and about two-thirds want to see a green recovery in the economic fallout from COVID-19. The numbers come from a Guardian/VICE poll and a Stanford University/Resources for the Future/ReconMR poll.
Notably, the latter poll also tackles a common refrain by Republicans: that climate policy is too expensive. The poll finds that Americans aren’t buying it: Only 29% think climate policy will hurt the economy, while nearly half think addressing climate change will actually help it.
In a recent Planet Days post, we dive into what these polls mean for the U.S. presidential election.
California’s gas-powered car ban
California’s governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order banning the sale of new gasoline-powered cars starting in 2035, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. The announcement comes as record wildfires and heat waves, made worse by climate change and the burning of fossil fuels, continue to smother the state.
“This is the most impactful step our state can take to fight climate change,” Newsom said in a statement. “For too many decades, we have allowed cars to pollute the air that our children and families breathe… Our cars shouldn’t make wildfires worse — and create more days filled with smoky air.”
Friday, September 25
Fridays for Future activists rally around the world
A year after 2019’s record global climate strikes, youth climate activists from climate striking organization Fridays for Future hit the streets to demand urgent action on climate change. 3,100 rallies were planned, but the COVID-19 pandemic shifted most of those online, according to Reuters.
Still, for their first global protest during the pandemic, it wasn’t a bad showing. Protesters gathered from the Philippines to Kenya to Colombia. One British teen even striked in the Arctic Circle. And in Germany, Berlin saw 10,000 demonstrators.
“The climate crisis has never once been treated as a crisis, and unless we treat it as a crisis, we won’t be able to, so-called, ‘solve’ it,” Swedish activist and Fridays for Future founder Greta Thunberg told reporters.
Bonus
Firefighting beavers
Wildfires in the American West have already burned at least three million acres in California and displaced half a million people in Oregon. But one type of habitat consistently resists the flames: stream corridors, where beavers build dams, form ponds, and dig canals.
“If we have a wetter landscape, we are going to resist fire and recover from it better,” Alexa Whipple, the director of the Methow Beaver Project in Washington, told National Geographic. “My hope is that wildfire can be the gateway for people to understand the whole suite of benefits that beavers offer.”
Have a great week,
Brandon and Sam