analysis
Big Stock Photo
The climate crisis will amplify the UK’s existing health inequalities
A public health agency report issues a stark warning: the impact of changing climate on health is proportionately negative to the most disadvantaged.
Newsletter
New North Sea oil and gasfields will emit as much carbon as 14m cars, report says
The Guardian environment editor Fiona Harvey reports new oil and gas licences for the North Sea that the UK government has approved in the past two years will produce as much carbon dioxide as the annual emissions of nearly 14m cars, or the entire yearly emissions of Denmark.
In a nutshell:
A new Greenpeace analysis indicates that the carbon dioxide produced from these licenses will increase more than eightfold if potential licenses under consideration are also granted. The group argues that the government's approval of new oil and gasfields without considering the emissions generated from burning fossil fuels undermines the UK's climate goals, and Greenpeace seeks to establish in court that these actions are unlawful.
Key quote:
Philip Evans, a campaigner at Greenpeace, said: “As large parts of Europe, North America and Asia are gripped by a hellish heatwave, we can see that the climate crisis is spiralling out of control, yet the government is insisting on massively expanding oil and gas drilling that will only make it worse.
“As if that wasn’t scandalous enough, when making these decisions ministers deliberately ignore the emissions from burning all these new fossil fuels. That’s grossly irresponsible.”
The big picture:
Carbon dioxide pollution from fossil fuel emissions is a significant driver of climate change, with far-reaching health effects. As carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases accumulate in the atmosphere, they trap heat, leading to global warming. This warming contributes to more frequent and severe extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and disruptions to ecosystems, impacting human health in various ways. Health risks include heat-related illnesses, respiratory problems due to worsened air quality, waterborne diseases, and food insecurity caused by changing agricultural patterns.
Read more at The Guardian.
Cutting greenhouse gas emissions can result in positive health benefits, writes Brian Bienkowski for EHN. For example, a climate effort in the Northeast U.S. helped the region reduce toxic air pollution and avoid hundreds of asthma and autism cases, preterm births and low birth weights.
Keep reading...Show less
Photo by Jordan Faux on Unsplash
New study bolsters case for Pennsylvania to join Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
Pennsylvania could speed its pace cutting carbon emissions, raise new revenue and boost the state’s use of renewable fuels by completing its planned enrollment in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, an agreement by 12 states to curb emissions from power plants, according to a new analysis.
Photo by Tyler Rutherford on Unsplash
Return to nuclear promises green electricity, but at what cost?
As more than $1 billion in public money is being committed to a new generation of reactors, critics are calling for a pause and a rethink, saying nuclear power’s cost overruns, construction delays and safety concerns outweigh its benefits as a provider of clean electricity.
Listen: How meteorologists cover climate change
Meteorologists are seeing the effects of climate change in real time, as extreme weather events and disasters become more common. We talk with three meteorologists about how they try to talk about climate change, how they see our world changing and what pushback they get from skeptics.
The carbon bomb makers — Canada versus our peers
It turns out Canada really is a climate leader — but sadly, in the wrong direction. Barry Saxifrage shows us how.
ORIGINAL REPORTING
MOST POPULAR
CLIMATE
Despite protests in Luetzerath, a German coal mine expands