pollution toxics climate

Climate change: UN calls for radical changes to stem warming

The BBC's Matt McGrath describes a review of action on climate since the Paris agreement calling for an end to fossil fuels without carbon capture.


In a nutshell:

In the first global review since the 2015 Paris agreement, a UN report calls for radical decarbonization efforts to combat climate change. While acknowledging progress, it emphasizes the need to rapidly phase out fossil fuels without carbon capture, expand renewable energy sources, halt deforestation by 2030 and transition to electric vehicles. The report stresses that system transformation is essential, impacting energy production, transportation, work and food production. It also calls for increased financing to meet climate goals and is expected to influence discussions at the upcoming COP28 global climate talks in Dubai.

Key quote:

The report states: "Either we transform society in a way that avoids the worst of climate change, or climate change will transform society for us, in ways that are difficult to foresee but likely not to be very pleasant."

The big picture:

Unchecked fossil fuel emissions pose substantial health risks due to their role in driving climate change and its associated health impacts. The combustion of oil, gas and coal releases carbon dioxide, a major contributor to climate change. Elevated CO2 levels can lead to rising global temperatures, exacerbating heat-related illnesses and causing more frequent and severe heatwaves. The resulting climate changes can disrupt ecosystems, affecting air and water quality and potentially increasing the prevalence of respiratory diseases and other health issues.

Read the story at the BBC.

Learn more: In 2021, more than 500 environmental and community groups called on US and Canadian leaders to abandon efforts to capture carbon emissions from fossil fuels and work harder to curb fossil fuel use in the first place.

Stencil of an electric vehicle on a brick pavement.

EU shifts course on climate policy as deregulation accelerates

The European Union has begun scaling back major environmental protections under the Green Deal, sparking concern among campaigners who say the bloc is rapidly losing its climate leadership.

Ajit Niranjan reports for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
Car tailpipe up close.

Republicans push to eliminate fines for carmakers that violate fuel economy rules

Senate Republicans are backing a proposal that would strip penalties from federal fuel economy standards, a move critics say could drive up gasoline use and tailpipe pollution.

Brad Plumer and Jack Ewing report for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
View of the U.S. capitol building
Credit: Jacqui/Pixabay

Proposed tax rules risk choking U.S. clean energy projects over China supply links

A budget bill moving through Congress could block most U.S. clean energy projects from receiving tax credits if any part of their supply chain includes ties to China.

Dan Gearino reports for Inside Climate News.

Keep reading...Show less
Weight scales on an image of a smokestack.

EPA faces class action lawsuit over canceled environmental justice grants

A coalition of nonprofits, tribes, and local governments is suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency after it abruptly canceled $3 billion in environmental justice grants awarded under the Biden administration.

Tracy J. Wholf reports for CBS News.

Keep reading...Show less
Flooded river with bare trees in distance against a cloudy sky.

Vermont defends landmark climate law as Trump administration and oil industry sue

Vermont is preparing for a drawn-out legal fight after President Trump’s Justice Department joined fossil fuel interests in suing to block the state’s new Climate Superfund law, which seeks to make oil companies pay for decades of greenhouse gas emissions.

Nina Sablan reports for Inside Climate News.

Keep reading...Show less
Graphic image of two human heads facing away from one another.

New AI tool raises concerns over industry's ability to sow doubt on pollution research

A chemical-industry-backed researcher is using artificial intelligence to question links between pollution and health risks, prompting concern among scientists about bias and regulatory delay.

Dharna Noor reports for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
a car that is sitting upside down on top of a pile of debris after a tornado.

FEMA delays and funding cuts leave state emergency programs in limbo

State and local emergency management agencies are facing growing uncertainty as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) delays major grant programs and President Trump signals plans to dismantle the agency.

Jennifer Berry Hawes reports for ProPublica.

Keep reading...Show less
From our Newsroom
Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.