Planet Week: “The state of the Planet is broken”
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.
Last week, the Great Barrier Reef worsened to critical condition. Youth climate activists concluded their MockCOP26. And the Environmental Protection Agency turned 50.
In case you missed it, here’s what else happened around the Planet:
Monday, November 30
Atlantic hurricane season ends
Monday marked the end of a record-shattering Atlantic hurricane season — one that repeatedly hit vulnerable coastal communities and caused tens of billions of dollars in damage.
Here are a few notable records: 2020 saw 30 named storms (the average is 12), breaking the prior record of 28 and exhausting the list of names we designate for storms, 13 of those storms developed into hurricanes (the average is six), six became major hurricanes (average is one or two), and two storms made landfall within 15 miles of each other.
Of course, this doesn’t mean the end of extreme weather. Nearly 200,000 people were without power as of Sunday afternoon after a nor’easter tore through New England. Check out The Washington Post’s recap of the season,
Tuesday, December 1
Climate activists take Shell to court
Last April, seven activist groups filed a lawsuit in the Netherlands against Shell — and last week, they took the oil giant to court.
The complaint accuses Shell of threatening human rights by investing in fossil fuels while knowing the detrimental climate effects. Plaintiffs are demanding the company cut its greenhouse gas emissions nearly in half by 2030 and to zero by 2050, but Shell’s lawyers say the case won’t hold much ground. Reuters has the full story.
Bank of America says it won’t finance Arctic drilling
After mounting pressure from environmental groups, Bank of America said it won’t finance oil and gas drilling in the Arctic, becoming the last major U.S. financial institution to do so, reports Bloomberg.
For context, as a sort of last anti-science stand, President Donald Trump is trying to open nearly 1.6 million acres of the Arctic National Wildlife refuge in Alaska for oil leasing (with final sales coming in before January 20). With Bank of America’s decision, though, even interested oil and gas companies may have trouble finding the money to take him up on the offer.
“Now that every major American bank has stated unequivocally that they will not finance this destructive activity, it should be clearer than ever that any oil company considering participating in Trump’s ill-advised lease sale should stay away,” said Ben Cushing, Sierra Club’s senior campaign representative, in a statement.
Wednesday, December 2
“The state of the Planet is broken”
“Humanity is waging war on nature,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in his State of the Planet speech on Wednesday. In a bleak speech delivered at Columbia University, Guterres declared the state of the planet “broken,” citing record temperatures and emissions levels, biodiversity collapse, and ecological degradation.
Guterres outlined three imperatives to address the worsening climate crisis: achieving global carbon neutrality, mobilizing finance to align with the Paris Agreement, and boosting investments in climate adaptation, especially for the most vulnerable people and countries. The speech leaned on findings from two new ground-breaking reports:
The first report, by the World Meteorological Organization, found that 2020 is set to be one of the three hottest years on record and that last decade was the hottest 10-year span on record. That report outlined in detail our unraveling planet, from melting sea ice to raging wildfires to increased extreme weather events. Read more by CNN.
The second report, by the U.N. Environment Programme, found that the world must decrease fossil fuel production by 6% each of the next 10 years to meet Paris Agreement targets. In reality, countries are actually planning to expand fossil fuel production by 2% annually, “which by 2030 would result in more than double the production consistent with the 1.5°C limit.” Read more by InsideClimate News.
Climate change is fueling a health crisis
Another sprawling report came out Wednesday. The analysis, published in the medical journal The Lancet, highlighted the health threat climate change already poses to millions of people.
In the last 20 years, heat-related deaths in people older than 65 years have increased by over 50%, according to the report. During that same time, the world saw more wildfires and extreme weather events and increased climate suitability for infectious diseases, which could lead to future pandemics. Read more by The New York Times.
How to build a blue economy
On Wednesday, world leaders from 14 countries launched a new plan to achieve a sustainable ocean economy. Through the plan, leaders committed to sustainably managing 100% of the ocean area under their national jurisdiction by 2025 and urged other world leaders to join the commitment.
Altogether, the report outlines 74 priority actions to transform how the world can protect and restore the ocean while building a sustainable, long-term blue economy. If achieved, the plan could increase food security, reduce poverty, boost renewable energy, and combat climate change.
“We do not have to choose between ocean protection and production; we can have both for a healthy, prosperous and equitable tomorrow if we properly manage our impacts upon it,” said Tommy Remengesau Jr., president of Palau and Ocean Panel co-chair, in a statement.
Read the story by Fast Company.
Friday, December 4
Denmark phases out oil extraction
Denmark just became the first major oil-producer to announce the end of all new oil and gas exploration in the North Sea.
The new rules bar companies from receiving new licenses to search for and extract oil and gas resources, though previously issued licenses remain valid until 2050. Environmentalists hope the unprecedented decision will spur more action, reports the BBC.
Parliament also agreed on Friday to put at least 775,000 electric or hybrid cars on Danish roads by 2030, as part of a bigger goal to reach 70% reduced emissions by 2030.
Bonus
Good-news stories
As the year nears its end, National Geographic reminds us of the good that came this year by rounding up 10 feel-good stories. One involves the beginning of Black Birders Week and what it means for Black conservationists.
“For far too long, Black people in the United States have been shown that outdoor exploration activities such as birding are not for us,” graduate student Corina Newsome said in a video. “Well, we’ve decided to change that narrative.”
See you next week,
Brandon and Sam