Welcome to Planet Days, 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:
Last week, the Atlantic hurricane season kicked off, Germany and the United States agreed to speed the clean energy transition, and the United Kingdom’s windfall tax wiped out billions from energy firms.
In case you missed it, here’s what else happened around the Planet.
Monday, May 30
EU agrees to phase out Russian oil
Europe just hit Russia with its toughest sanction yet. After weeks of negotiations, European leaders agreed to phase out Russian oil imports, aiming to cut 90% of imports by the end of the year.
E.U. Council President Charles Michel said the deal would affect more than two-thirds of Russian oil imports, helping to “stop Russia’s war machine.” The deal, which was part of a sixth round of sanctions on Russia, was reached after several compromises:
Notably, E.U. leaders resolved a deadlock with Hungary (which gets over 60% of its oil from Russia), allowing the landlocked country to continue importing Russia oil via pipeline.
The oil embargo comes weeks after the E.U. agreed to ax Russian coal over four months. But because of these long runways, analysts think Russia will still have time to adjust. Reuters has more.
Deadly floods and landslides in Brazil
Over one hundred people have died and dozens more are missing after torrential rains brought floods and landslides to northeast Brazil, Reuters reports.
If you feel like you’ve heard this story before, it’s because you have: This is the country’s fourth major flood in five months, with some blaming a lack of urban planning for the devastating impacts. Scientists agree, however, that climate change makes heavy rainfall much more likely, increasing the chances of floods and landslides.
Wednesday, June 1
Where countries rank on climate action
When it comes to climate action, Denmark, the U.K., and Finland take the cake. As for huge emitters like the U.S. and China — not so much.
That’s according to a new environmental scorecard, which ranks 180 countries on “their national efforts to protect environmental health, enhance ecosystem vitality, and mitigate climate change.”
While Denmark and the U.K. are on pace for net-zero by 2050, countries like China, India, and Russia have gone the opposite direction, each seeing emissions rapidly rise. The scorecard is important for the future of climate action: If current trends hold, these three countries, along with the U.S., will account for 50% of residual global emissions in 2050. The Washington Post has more.
Thursday, June 2
What’s next for Australia
Last week, we covered Australia’s “climate election,” which saw Anthony Albanese sworn in as Australia’s new prime minister. Only days later, Albanese got another win: His Labor Party secured a majority in parliament, reports the BBC.
So, what’s this all mean for climate? Albanese already promised to adopt more aggressive climate policy, but Chris Bowen, Australia’s new climate minister, laid out some more details last week. According to Bowen, the Albanese government will:
Introduce a climate bill that includes emissions targets, including a 43% cut by 2030.
Introduce legislation to quickly cut taxes on electric vehicles.
Meet with state and territory energy ministers to find common ground on the electricity market, potentially informing a national framework.
Follow through on Labor’s “rewiring the nation” commitment, spending $20 billion to connect new renewable energy to the grid.
GOP floats “climate” plan
In the U.S., Republicans have long neglected climate change. But as climate is now top of mind for many voters, the GOP is trying to develop a climate platform to keep up with its Democratic counterparts, POLITICO reports.
On Thursday, a group of House Republicans introduced a “climate plan” that actually leans into fossil fuel use — prompting many Dems to dismiss it as a climate strategy. For example, the plan promotes oil and gas alongside clean energy alternatives. The plan also aims to fast-track permits for traditional gas pipelines and terminals, while failing to set any emissions targets.
Elsewhere on the Hill, Senate Republicans seem ready to ditch Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) bipartisan energy talks. Those dissolved talks could open the door (yet again) to a Democrat-led reconciliation bill, which initially included over $500 billion in climate provisions.
Friday, June 3
CO2 highest on record
New CO2 numbers show just how important climate action is. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is now more than 50% higher than pre-industrial levels, pushing us to territory not seen in 4 million years, according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.
Levels, which peaked at 421 parts per million in May, increase as the world continues to burn fossil fuels for transportation, electricity, agriculture, and more. The result “unleashes a cascade of weather impacts,” ranging from brutal heat to supercharged storms.
“We can see the impacts of climate change around us every day,” NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said in a statement. “The relentless increase of carbon dioxide measured at Mauna Loa is a stark reminder that we need to take urgent, serious steps to become a more Climate Ready Nation.”
Plastic waste to triple by 2060
A new report finds annual production of plastic waste is set to top 1 billion tons by 2060 — triple the amount already polluting our Planet.
Even with aggressive action to cut demand and improve efficiency, plastic production would almost double in the next 40 years. Currently, nearly 100 million tons of plastic waste is either mismanaged or allowed to leak into the environment, but globally coordinated policies could boost the amount of plastic recycled from 12 to 40%. Read the full story from Al Jazeera.
Bonus
Your summer reading list
Climate books aren’t immune to the book-banning craze that has spread across 26 states and claimed 1,000 titles of all genres in the U.S. Certain school districts have banned stories like The Lorax, Silent Spring, and The Grapes of Wrath.
Many of these books highlight characters and plots that intersect with important societal issues, including racism, poverty, climate change, and environmental destruction. Fortunately, Earther compiled eight banned books to add to your summer reading list, “if you care about intersectionality and gross chunky rivers.”
Have a climate book to recommend? Drop a comment below, and we’ll add it to our list.
Have a great week,
Brandon and Sam