Climate change tied to increasing health problems
Plus, where the Democrats' budget bill stands.
Welcome to Planet Days, a five-minute roundup of the latest climate news and what it means for the Planet.
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Now, onto the week of climate news:
Sunday, October 17
Deadly rains pound India, Nepal
Nearly 200 people are dead after monsoon rains and floods swept through India and Nepal at the start of last week, reports Agence France-Presse.
The deluge is the latest tragedy in a months-long string of extreme weather around the world (last week, we wrote about the flooding in China). Experts are pointing to climate change, deforestation, damming, and excessive development in South Asia as driving factors.
Monday, October 18
Africa’s melting glaciers could feed drought, floods
Such impacts could get a lot worse in Africa, a new United Nations report finds. Ice on Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya, and the Rwenzori mountains could vanish in the next two decades. That meltdown could feed drought, floods, and extreme heat, affecting hundreds of millions of Africans.
The findings come as African countries demand a better way to track funds by wealthy nations, many of which are failing to meet commitments to tackle climate change in the developing world. Reuters has the full story.
Democrats duke it out over climate bills
Democrats continue to spar over Joe Biden’s sweeping $3.5 trillion spending bill, which needs support from all 50 Democratic senators to pass through budget reconciliation. The bill will likely be cut down to $2 trillion to appease key swing voter Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), who has publicly balked at the price tag.
The biggest climate casualty will probably be the Clean Electricity Performance Plan, which provides grants to utilities that generate clean electricity and punishes utility companies that don’t. Scrambling to meet Biden’s target of cutting 50% emissions by 2030, Democrats are now weighing a carbon tax, which has a long, tumultuous history on the Hill, The New York Times reports.
With the major climate summit in Glasgow, COP26, at the end of the month, President Biden also needs something to regain climate credibility abroad, so it’s no wonder he’s more involved in legislative talks lately. The Washington Post has more.
Wednesday, October 20
Climate change tied to increasing health problems
Climate change — and climate inaction — is worsening global health problems. As temperatures rise, the Planet will see more food and water shortages, deadly heat and disasters, and disease outbreaks, according to the annual Lancet Countdown report.
But we have hope. By ensuring COVID-19 recoveries are green, countries can avoid millions of unnecessary deaths. Many countries’ climate or health plans fail to meet the challenge, however, subsiding fossil fuels instead of redirecting funds to health and climate budgets.
“No one is safe from the effects of climate change,” Maria Romanello, lead author of the report, told The Independent. “As we recover from Covid-19 we still have the time to take a different path and create a healthier future for us all.”
Planned fossil fuel output overshoots climate goals
But transitioning to a green recovery is easier said than done. The Planet’s largest countries are on track to produce twice the amount of coal, oil, and gas through 2030 than what’s outlined by the Paris Agreement. The numbers come from a new report by the U.N. Environment Programme.
The report finds that these countries plan to produce 240% more coal, 57% more oil, and 71% more gas in 2030 than needed to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The countries have also invested $300 billion into fossil fuels since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The devastating impacts of climate change are here for all to see,” Inger Andersen, UNEP’s executive director, said in a statement. “There is still time to limit long-term warming to 1.5°C, but this window of opportunity is rapidly closing.” The Guardian has more.
Thursday, October 21
Leaked: Countries lobby against climate action
Meanwhile, some of the world’s largest powers are trying to water down the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) major upcoming report, according to leaked documents obtained by Unearthed.
Major fossil fuel producers, including Australia and Saudi Arabia, are trying to strip a major provision that recommends rapidly phasing out coal, oil, and gas. And large meat-producing countries, like Brazil and Argentina, are pressing to delete language that promotes plant-based diets.
The leaked documents also show that India, the world’s third-largest emitter, plans to let coal continue powering its growing economy, BBC News reports.
Climate change threatens U.S. national and financial security
Though climate talks in Congress are stalled, the Biden administration continues to underline the drastic effects of climate change within U.S. borders. On Thursday, several agencies released reports that project just what we’re up against:
The White House released a series of assessments on how climate change threatens national security and fuels migration.
The Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security released analyses that, for the first time, collectively communicate the climate risks they face.
The Department of Treasury warned that climate impacts will become more costly, can send shocks throughout the system, and will disproportionately hurt already financially vulnerable populations.
The New York Times covered the national and financial security reports.
Bonus
Just in time for Halloween, imaginary creatures
Thinking about climate change (and the end of life as we know it) is already pretty scary. But Vox took this year’s spooky season one eerie step further by asking biologists what creatures would survive a warming world and what they might look like in another million years.
The likely survivors will be rodents, cockroaches, and some birds. However, they’re not the ones we’ve known: We’re talking carnivorous pigeons, fully aquatic whale-rats, and praying mantises the size of Cocker-Spaniels (that eat cockroaches the size of Pomeranians).
Have a great (and spooky) week,
Brandon and Sam