‘Take the first step’: Fortescue to spend $9.2b to stop using fossil fuels by 2030 #COP27 #ClimateAction #auspol

Billionaire Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest’s Fortescue Metals Group has issued a challenge to heavy carbon emitters around the world to follow its audacious bid to eliminate fossil fuel use from its business and cut its emissions to zero by 2030.

By Farrah Tomazin and Simon Johanson

Fortescue on Tuesday said it will spend $9.2 billion to fully decarbonise its mining operations and supply its customers with a carbon-free product within eight years. Cuts to operating costs will make estimated annual savings of $1.2 billion – a sign that “a post-fossil fuel era is good commercial, common sense,” Forrest said.

“We really must be taking this super-seriously now,” Forrest told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age after a high-level meeting in the US. “So my challenge to industrial leaders all over the world is: take the first step.”

Fortescue says it will invest in renewable energy generation and battery storage to power a green mining fleet, electrifying its rail locomotive ore haulage system. Ian Waldienone

World leaders gathered in New York for the United Nations General Assembly on Monday (US time) where Forrest presented his vision at a closed-door session with UN Secretary General António Guterres, urging industry rivals to stop making excuses and follow suit.

The bulk of the company’s investment will be spent between 2024 and 2028 on rolling out 2 to 3 gigawatts of renewable energy generation and battery storage to power a green mining fleet, electrifying its rail locomotive ore haulage system in the process. Studies are underway to optimise localised wind and solar resources.

‘This is an investment that I think every company in the world ought to make.’Andrew Forrestnone

Once implemented, the plan would make Fortescue the world’s first heavy industry company of its scale to go green by 2030.

“This is an investment that I think every company in the world ought to make, and an investment which, now that you can see that it can be done, every heavy industry should step out and do,” Forrest said.

Stock markets were unmoved by Forrest’s efforts, with Fortescue’s shares closing marginally lower at $17.30.

The details of Fortescue’s plans emerged as Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Energy Minister Chris Bowen also arrived in New York to take part in the UN General Assembly’s week of high-level meetings, where climate change will be a key feature in coming days.

Fortescue’s push also comes after the Albanese government’s climate bill passed parliament, setting new targets including a 43 per cent emissions reduction by 2030 and a net-zero goal by 2050 but stopping short of ruling out new coal and gas projects.

Asked what he thought of the legislation, Forrest said it was a “minimum, not a maximum, and there’s room for improvement.

“If companies like ours start to go 100 per cent green by 2030, then governments will be encouraged to adjust their policy settings. We’re out there to demonstrate that you can run Australian industry without any pollution, without any fossil fuels. So let’s get on and do it.”

Harriet Kater, climate lead at the Australian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR), said the country needed more ASX-listed companies to pursue as ambitious decarbonisation targets, including Fortescue’s resource rivals BHP and Rio Tinto.

A personal call to action from an Australian IPCC author
*Acknowledging that the world as we know it is coming apart is an act of courage.*
*If I live to look back at this troubled time, I want to say that I did all that I could, that I was on the right side of history.*
*The question is, do you want to be part of the legacy that restores our faith in humanity?*

When climate scientist Joëlle Gergis set to work on the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report, the research she encountered kept her up at night. Through countless hours spent with the world’s top scientists to piece together the latest global assessment of climate change, she realised that the impacts were occurring faster than anyone had predicted.

In *Humanity’s Moment*, Joëlle takes us through the science in the IPCC report with unflinching honesty, explaining what it means for our future, while sharing her personal reflections on bearing witness to the heartbreak of the climate emergency unfolding in real time. But this is not a lament for a lost world. It is an inspiring reminder that human history is an endless tug-of-war for social justice. We are each a part of an eternal evolutionary force that can transform our world.
Joëlle shows us that the solutions we need to live sustainably already exist – we just need the social movement and political will to create a better world. This book is a climate scientist’s guide to rekindling hope, and a call to action to restore our relationship with ourselves, each other and our planet. Humanity ‘s Moment

“Fortescue has delivered today. But it will be important for Fortescue to be transparent with its shareholders around the major assumptions underpinning these plans, along with the risks to their achievement,” Kater said.

Fortescue has been a longstanding advocate of climate change mitigation strategies, first signalling it would move towards decarbonisation in 2020.

Details of its strategy also emerged at the invitation of US President Joe Biden’s First Movers Coalition, which was launched by Biden and the World Economic Forum at COP26 to decarbonise the heavy industry and long-distance transport industries, sectors that are responsible for 30 per cent of global emissions.

Fortescue says its plan would dispense with about 3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually through the displacement of about 700 million litres of diesel and 15 million gigajoules of gas.

“We are already seeing direct benefits of the transition away from fossil fuels – we avoided 78 million litres of diesel usage at our Chichester Hub in [financial year 2022], but we must accelerate our transition to the post fossil fuel era, driving global scale industrial change as climate change continues to worsen,” Forrest said.

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New Colombia President Slams Glyphosate ‘Poison’ in United Nations General Assembly Speech #EcologicalCrisis #Regeneration #ChemicalPollution Sustainable Pulse

During his first speech at the UN General Assembly as the new President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro said that the world’s addiction to money, oil and carbon is destroying the rainforest and its people under the excuse of a “hypocritical” war against drugs. He also slammed the use of “poisons such as glyphosate” that have been used in aerial spraying campaigns in the past over Colombia’s rainforests to kill coca crops.

President Gustavo Petro

Mr. Petro described his country as one of the most beautiful and nature-rich in the world but said that blood also flowed into its rivers and biodiversity. He explained that violence in the rainforest was fuelled by the prosecution of the sacred plant of the Incas: the coca plant.

“As in a paradoxical crossroads. The forest that should be saved is at the same time being destroyed. To destroy the coca plant, they spray poisons such as glyphosate in massive amounts that drips into our waters, they arrest their cultivators and then imprison them,” he stated.

He added that destroying the Amazon has seemingly become the slogan of some States and negotiators and he denounced such “save the jungle speech” as hypocritical.

“The jungle is burning, gentlemen, while you wage war and play with it. The jungle, the climatic pillar of the world, disappears with all its life. The great sponge that absorbs the planetary CO2 evaporates. The jungle is our saviour, but it is seen in my country as the enemy to defeat, as a weed to be extinguished,” he underscored.

Mr. Petro highlighted that while the developed world let the rainforest burn as an excuse for the war against drugs, it also asked for more oil, “to calm their other addiction” to consumption, power and money.

“What is more poisonous for humanity, cocaine, coal or oil? The opinion of power has ordered that cocaine is poison and must be persecuted, while it only causes minimal deaths from overdoses…but instead, coal and oil must be protected, even when it can extinguish all humanity,” he said, adding that such reasoning was “unjust and irrational”.

“The culprit of drug addiction is not the rainforest; it is the irrationality of the world’s power. Give a blow of reason to this power. Turn on the lights of the century again”, he urged.

The President said that the war against drugs has lasted over 40 years, and it has not been won.

The global goal for nature defines what is needed to halt and reverse today’s catastrophic loss of nature. It is supported by a number of organizations that ask governments to adopt the goal at the international level, which each country, the private sector, communities and others can contribute to achieving.
A global goal for nature embraced at the highest levels will drive ambition in governments, business and society, to inspire the UN Convention on Biological Diversity Post2020 framework process, as well as create the opportunity for links between biodiversity and other conventions/agreements such as climate, ocean and land degradation. Nature Positive

“By hiding the truth, they will only see the rainforest and democracies die. The war on drugs has failed. The fight against the climate crisis has failed,” he noted.

Mr. Petro then demanded, speaking in the name of all of Latin-America, the end of the “irrational war against drugs”.

“Reducing drug use does not require wars, it needs us all to build a better society: a more supportive, more affectionate society, where the meaning of life saves us from addictions… Do you want fewer drugs? Think of earning less and giving more love. Think of a rational exercise of power”, he told world leaders.

Mr. Petro also addressed the climate disaster and the displacement it causes, saying that wars were only excuses to not act against it.

“The climate disaster that will kill hundreds of millions of people is not being caused by the planet, it is being caused by capital. By the logic of consuming more and more, producing more and more, and for some earning more and more”, he said.

The Growing Threat from Chemical Pollution

The Colombian President added that within the fires and poisoning of the Amazon rainforest was embedded a “failure of humanity”.

“Behind cocaine and drug addiction, behind oil and coal addiction, there is the true addiction of this phase of human history: the addiction to irrational power, profit and money. That is the huge deadly machinery that can extinguish humanity”, he explained.

Mr. Petro urged a dialogue with Latin-America to end the war, saying it was “time for peace”.

“Only in peace we can save life in our land. There will be no peace without social, economic and environmental justice. We are at war with the planet too. Without peace with the planet, there will be no peace among nations,” he concluded.

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Regeneration puts life at the center of every action and decision. It applies to all of life—grasslands, farms, insects, forests, fish, wetlands, coastlands, and oceans—and it applies equally to family, communities, cities, schools, religion, commerce, and governments. And most spectacularly to climate. Regeneration

We Can’t Have a Stable Climate If We Keep Destroying Nature! #EcologicalCrisis #auspol #Regeneration

BY JOHAN ROCKSTRÖM

SEPTEMBER 21, 2022 11:19 AM EDT

Rockström is the chief scientist at Conservation International and director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

The climate is changing, and it is changing quickly. Our planet is 1.2°C (2.2°F) hotter today than in 1908, when Henry Ford debuted the world’s first mass-market automobile. Without a dramatic course correction, there is a 50-50 chance of planetary warming surpassing 1.5°C (2.7°F) in the next five years. If we reach that point, 90 percent of coral reefs could die off, extreme heat waves will become nine times more common, and sea levels will rise several feet. Historically, the conversation around climate solutions has focused on decarbonization—reducing fossil fuel use and investing in renewables. Though this is critical, it is not sufficient. Even if we transition to 100 percent clean energy, temperatures will continue to rise unless we also address our unsustainable relationship with nature.

Earth’s forests, grasslands and marshes are natural climate regulators, thanks to the silent miracle of photosynthesis. But when we degrade that land—through deforestation, over-grazing and over-farming—we release the carbon stored in those ecosystems, while reducing their capacity to store future emissions. Already, we have converted 50 percent of all nature to agricultural land, cities, and roads. This is deeply concerning, as intact nature absorbs 25 percent of our carbon emissions from fossil fuel use—that number is falling every year as nature is further degraded. Unsustainable land use and agriculture is the source of approximately one-quarter of all greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. Human-managed lands could be a powerful tool for mitigating the climate crisis; instead, they are accelerating it.

This month, scientists from Conservation International and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research released the Exponential Roadmap for Natural Climate Solutions, a first-of-its-kind blueprint for maximizing nature’s climate-stabilizing potential. In this report, we propose a new guiding principle known as the Carbon Law for Nature: To limit planetary warming and keep 1.50C within sight, we must reach net-zero land-sector emissions by 2030, then reach 10 billion tons of annual negative emissions by 2050. No doubt, this is an ambitious target, but we have a realistic plan for achieving it. Our plan does not call for unproven technologies or science-fiction geoengineering projects. Instead, it relies on a toolkit of proven conservation measures, many of which are centuries-old and can be rapidly scaled.

First, protect the carbon-rich ecosystems that remain intact, prioritizing “irrecoverable” places that cannot regrow—e.g., the Amazon rainforest and the Congo Basin peatlands—within our lifetimes.

Second, restore high-carbon ecosystems that have already been lost, particularly coastal mangrove forests, peatlands, and rainforests.

Third, we must fix how we manage working lands: farmland, timberland and grazing lands. Roughly 80 percent land-based emissions reductions are contingent on transforming the global food system, the largest driver of deforestation and a major driver of emissions. This transformation must be both top-down and bottom-up—nearly everyone has a role to play. Large corporations must re-examine their supply chains, while financial institutions shift capital away from companies that degrade and destroy and towards those that regenerate and restore. At the same time, governments must use economic incentives to reward good behavior and discourage bad; this includes redirecting subsidies away from heavy industry, investing in climate-smart agriculture and grazing, and passing import restrictions on unsustainable commodities.

At the grassroots level, modest changes by landowners and managers can have enormous aggregate effects. Farmers, for example, can do their part—and improve livelihoods at the same time—by integrating trees into cropland, using fertilizers more efficiently and adopting low-till soil management. If just 20 percent of global forests, farms and pastures switched to greener practices, the climate impact would be akin to removing 1.7 billion automobiles from the road. Notably, many climate-smart agriculture practices do not reduce crop yields—in many cases, they can bolster production by increasing resilience against heat waves and drought.

If all three components of this plan—protection, management, and restoration—are adopted in earnest, they will not only help fight climate change; they will also protect wildlife, reduce disease spillover, promote food and water security and grow rural economies. This is the true potential of bold climate action: A world that is more prosperous, more equitable, and more abundant.

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If we want to get the attention of humanity, humanity needs to feel it is getting attention. Regeneration creates livelihoods that bring life to people and people to life. It is work that links us to each other’s wellbeing, that provides those in poverty with purpose and a future of dignity and respect. Regeneration

Nature is in crisis, placing human and planetary health at risk. This decade must be the turning point where we recognize the value of nature, place it on the path to recovery and transform our world to one where people, economies and nature thrive. Nature Positive

Australia violated Torres Strait Islanders’ rights by failing to protect them from climate change, UN says #ClimateCrisis demand #ClimateAction #SDG13 #Regeneration

A UN committee has found that Australia had violated the human rights of a group of islanders by failing to adequately protect them from the impacts of climate change, based on a complaint filed over three years ago.

Source: Reuters, SBS

A United Nations committee found on Friday that Australia had violated the human rights of Torres Strait Islanders by failing to adequately protect them from the impacts of climate change.

The complaint, filed over three years ago by eight Torres Strait Islanders and their children, is one of a growing body of climate cases being brought around the world on human rights grounds, and the ruling is expected to embolden others.

The group are all inhabitants of four, small, low-lying islands in Australia’s Torres Strait region, Boigu, Poruma, Warraber and Masig.

In their complaint to the United Nations, the Islanders said that changes in weather patterns had harmed their livelihood, their culture and their traditional way of life.

Severe flooding caused by the tidal surge in recent years has destroyed family graves and left human remains scattered across their islands, they said.

UN calls for compensation over rights breach

The UN committee said the Australian government should compensate the Torres Strait islanders for the harm suffered, consult the community on their needs and take action to secure their safety.

PM visits the Torres Strait for Indigenous Voice to Parliament talks

“This decision marks a significant development as the committee has created a pathway for individuals to assert claims where national systems have failed to take appropriate measures to protect those most vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change on the enjoyment of their human rights,” UN Committee member Hélène Tigroudja said.

The islanders argued that Australia’s inaction on climate change amounts to violations of their rights to culture, life and family set out in a UN Treaty, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966).

Rising sea levels have already damaged food sources and ancestral burial sites, scattering human remains across the islands, they said.

Torres Strait Islands representatives come together and sign The Statement from the Deep

23 Aug 2022, 9:10 pm

Torres Strait Islands representatives come together and sign The Statement from the Deep

Australia had called for the case to be dismissed, saying there was insufficient evidence that the consequences of climate change would affect the islanders’ enjoyment of their rights.

‘Our ancestors are rejoicing’

Kulkagal man Yessie Mosby and traditional owner on the island of Masig, as well as a claimant in the case, said the UN’s decision puts Torres Strait Islanders in a better position to protect the sanctity of their culture.

“I know that our ancestors are rejoicing knowing that Torres Strait Islander voices are being heard throughout the world through this landmark case. Climate change affects our way of life everyday,” he said in a statement released shortly after the findings by the UN.

“This win gives us hope that we can protect our island homes, culture and traditions for our kids and future generations to come.”

Nations can no longer hide behind the myth that climate change is a collective problem and that they are free of legal obligation.

Sophie Marjanac, Australian climate lawyernone

Another claimant, Kabay Tamu, a Warreberalgal man from Kulkalgal, said he was “lost for words”.

“I feel like a huge weight has lifted off my shoulders. I’m so proud and appreciative of everyone involved from the very start to now,” Mr Tamu said.

ClientEarth climate lawyer Sophie Marjanac, who acted for the claimants, described the win as a “historic victory for climate justice”.

“It is a victory for all peoples who are the most vulnerable to runaway climate change,” she said.

“The Australian Government must act on this decision and take decisive steps to protect the islands of the Torres Strait and their ‘Ailan Kastom’.

“Nations can no longer hide behind the myth that climate change is a collective problem and that they are free of legal obligation. They must act, now.”

Climate change Minister meets with Torres Strait Island leaders

01 Jul 2022, 6:55 pm

Climate change Minister meets with Torres Strait Island leaders

Labor ‘committed’ to working with Torres Strait Islanders

In a statement to SBS News, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the Labor government is “committed to working with Torres Strait Islanders on climate change”.

Mr Dreyfus noted the complaint put forward to the committee was made in 2019 when the Coalition was in power.

“Soon after the change of government, the Prime Minister, the Minister for Indigenous Australians and the Minister for Climate Change and Energy travelled to the Torres Strait to talk with elders and owners about the impacts of climate change on them,” he said.

“This complaint to the UN Human Rights Committee was made in 2019. Australia’s submissions in response to the complaint were made under the previous Government.

“The Australian Government engages in good faith with the Human Rights Committee in relation to any complaint received.

Mr Dreyfus said the government is considering the UN committee’s findings and will respond “in due course”.

‘Nothing about us, without us’

The committee’s decision demonstrated an international concern that policy should be led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s solutions, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service said.

While government knows what communities need, it must commit to true partnership, accountability and delivering outcomes, executive officer Jamie McConnachie said.

“We have a right to culture.

“What needs to be in reverence is the principle that culture is a strengthening agent and that should underpin the delivery of services, policy and legislation that affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.

“There should be nothing about us or our country, without us”.

The Climate Council welcomed the ruling, with the director of research Dr Simon Bradshaw saying the loss and damage experienced by Torres Islanders “epitomises the injustice at the heart of the climate crisis”.

Deep connections of communities

Climate change undermines not only physical security but is a profound threat to culture and the deep connections of communities to their land and sea, he said.

“The Australian government must do everything it can to limit future harms by ensuring Australia’s emissions plummet this decade, leaving fossil fuels in the ground and providing far greater support to communities in the Torres Strait with adapting to the impacts of climate change.”

Torres Strait Islanders are part of Australia’s indigenous population, along with Aboriginal people, who live on small clusters of low-lying islands dotted between Australia and Papua New Guinea.

The case was filed when the former conservative government, seen as a laggard in the battle against climate change, was in power.

Since then, parliament has passed legislation on emissions cuts and Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen has visited the islands this year.

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Regeneration is a response to the urgency of the climate crisis, a determined what-to-do manual for all levels of society, from individuals to national governments and everything and everyone in between. It describes a system of interlocking initiatives that can stem the climate crisis in one generation. Regeneration

Floods and The Climate #ClimateCrisis

ByDr Zeeshan Khan

Every year Pakistan faces floods but the preparation to escape them is never the priority. Even in 2010 Pakistan faced a super-flood but even then things were not taken seriously. 20 million people were affected in 2010. Emergency was declared. However, floods in 2022 are worse. More than 40 million people have been affected, which means seven times more people than those internally displaced by the Ukraine war, or roughly 94 percent of the population of Canada. Hundreds have died or been injured, with numbers still rising. Floods inflicted more than $10 billion in losses across Pakistan.

These torrential rains are the main cause of flooding triggered by climate change, for which developed countries are the culprits. Food insecurity and inflation has literally paralysed not only the middle class but flood victims. Over a third of the country has drowned in the flood waters. Economic situation is grim already. Pakistan is considered the ground zero of global warming and the fifth country most vulnerable to climate change, says German Watch Report.

There is a lack of dams, water reservoirs, planned urban settlements and reforestation. Human catastrophe is at its peak. Over half a million pregnant women are in dire need of care in flood-hit areas. Seventeen percent of the population are suffering badly. Even so nearby cities will have to sustain the exodus from flood-hit areas. More than 0.75 million livestock have been lost. From the 1990s average temperature has kept on increasing.

Climate change is a reality and it is occurring now. Extreme weather conditions get a boost from climate change. Floods are also because of climate change. These events even become frequent, they occur more and become more intense.

Often people have a misunderstanding about global warming, that because of global warming there will be more heat. But we cannot always conclude this. Due to climate change, there is an increase in extreme weather events. It means summers will become hotter but winters may become colder and unexpected weather events and natural disasters will become more frequent and more severe.

Today, the situation has deteriorated so much that only policy changes at the government level can bring about real change. Firstly, the subsidy on fossil fuels needs to be removed. Secondly, all the governments in the world need to push for electric cars. Irresistible incentives have to be given for the purchase of electric cars. Thirdly, they need to levy a Carbon Tax. So that the companies get motivated to use less fossil fuels. Fourthly, Encourage the use of renewable energy and grow plants and trees. Fifthly, and on an individual level, we need to raise awareness regarding climate change and try to reduce pollution, the carbon footprint and single-use plastic bags.

Michael E Mann, a professor of Atmospheric Science, says the frequency of heat waves has tripled now from the 1960s and the frequency of record-breaking hot months has gone up to five times as compared to a scenario without climate change.

In the famous 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, that was signed by almost 200 countries, these countries had pledged that the temperature in the pre-industrial era, that is the time between 1850-1900, compared to then the countries would ensure that the global average temperature would not rise by more than 2°C. It would preferably be maintained at an increase of 1.5°C. The more the average temperature of the Earth increases, the more we’ll get to see these extreme weather events. With every increase of 1°C, very disastrous effects follow. According to Scientists, 95 of the increase in CO₂ is because of human activities. In the last 70 years, the population all over the world has increased three times.

When I used to read about global warming as a child, I used to think, ‘What’s the big deal?’ Even if the temperature of the Earth increases by a degree or two, who’d care? It’ll only be two degrees more, it’ll still be bearable.’ But the reality is much more dangerous than this. Because with the rise of 2-3°C, the extreme weather events rise exponentially. Summers become very hot. The chances of a heatwave developing increase a lot. The tornadoes, floods and droughts, become exponentially more likely. And the biodiversity is harmed.

In fact, there are severe effects on the Earth with a steady rise in temperature. Compared to pre-Industrial levels, the temperature has already risen by 1.2°C. Nonetheless, if it rises to 2-3°C then conditions will be more severe and many places and countries will be unliveable. Moreover, this temperature rises to 4-8°C then the real apocalypse will start, many regions will be unliveable and further severe weather events will occur and many cities and countries will go under the water.

We can see flash flooding in Karachi, smog in Lahore, drought in Thar, short winters in KPK and now wrecking floods all across Pakistan. Limiting global warming to 1.5°C can’t just be an ambition, it’s an imperative.

This temperature rise is not equal in all parts of the Earth. Some places it is more, at others, it may be less. And Canada is a place where it is more than average. In 2019, the average temperature in Canada had increased by 1.7°C. The Middle East is getting hot at twice the world average. Between 1948 and 2016, there the temperature had already increased by 2.3°C.

**Confronting harsh ecological realities, this book explores the roots of social injustice and offers a down-powering path to “fewer and less.”**
Since the advent of agriculture, humans have been depleting the ecological capital of the planet, with some doing far more damage than others. In *An Inconvenient Apocalypse*, Wes Jackson and Robert Jensen, two of today’s most prominent writers in the fields of sustainability studies, argue that to understand the present we need to recognize how geographic determinism has shaped the past and how we can’t ignore human nature in planning for the future.
The failure to understand the human place in the struggle for energy-rich carbon leaves us facing four hard questions: How much smaller is a sustainable size for the human population? What is the appropriate scale of our communities? Is maintaining our current infrastructure and energy-dependent society within our true scope of abilities? How much faster do we need to move in order to avoid even greater catastrophes? Whatever choices we make, Jackson and Jensen argue, the new future will be marked by “fewer and less,” far fewer people consuming far less energy. The authors offer a secular reading of theological concepts-the prophetic, the apocalyptic, a saving remnant, and grace-to chart a collective path for dealing with today’s multiple cascading ecological crises. The inevitable down-powering will not be easy but can lead to a renewed appreciation of the larger living world, a more joyful participation in the Creation. Written in plain language with intellectual rigor, *An Inconvenient Apocalypse* is accessible for general readers. In addition, students in the environmental humanities and Anthropocene studies more broadly will find this book rich and important. An Inconvenient Apocalypse

A 2015 study found that in mountainous areas, above the height of 2000 metres, the effects of global warming would be felt more than at lower elevations. Climate change and global warming will be 75 percent faster there than lowlands. Before talking about solutions, let’s clear another misconception. For some people, this temperature of 49°C will not seem a big deal, especially for the healthy and fit. They can bear even 50°C if very healthy and fit, and even up to 52°C. However, temperature above 35°C can be deadly for all types of people in certain conditions.

This is the truth. Because humidity is a very important factor when talking about the temperature, and 35°C at 100% humidity can be deadly irrespective of how healthy and fit you are. When it is hot, all of us sweat. Sweating is our bodies’ way to keep us cool. The sweat evaporates due to the heat and so our skin remains cool. But if there is 100 percent humidity in the air, then the sweat will have nowhere to evaporate into as the air is already saturated with all the water vapour it can carry. So the evaporation will not take place and our body will not be able to cool itself.

Technically speaking, the term Wet Bulb Temperature is used here. It is the lowest temperature that can be achieved by evaporative cooling, A Wet Bulb Temperature of over 35°C is deadly. This is the reason why the 45°C of Dubai and Sibi, Pakistan, where there is dry heat with little humidity in the air, seems more bearable as than 40*C on the beaches of Kerala.

Scientists predict that in the coming years, due to climate change in some areas of the world, there will be Wet Bulb Temperature of over 35°C, literally deadly for human lives. Pakistan is an agricultural land and 50 percent of its population is agricultural based and it will have to decide that How Pakistan’s economic landscape will shape up post floods.

Some researchers from MIT developed an interesting simulator to show the rise in global average temperature by 2100, and how that temperature will react to various policy changes across the world in all countries. The conclusion from this is that the biggest impact is from Carbon Taxes.

When it comes to the solutions to fight against climate change, books often suggest turning off the lights in unoccupied rooms to stop wasting electricity or using bicycles instead of motor vehicles. Doing all these is definitely good.

But the problem is that all this information is quite outdated today. Had everyone been asked to practise these 20 years ago and had everyone done so, it might have made a difference. But for now, on an individual level, even if everyone starts following these little practices, it will have a negligible effect on climate change.

Today, the situation has deteriorated so much that only policy changes at the government level can bring about real change. Firstly, the subsidy on fossil fuels needs to be removed. Secondly, all the governments in the world need to push for electric cars. Irresistible incentives have to be given for the purchase of electric cars. Thirdly, they need to levy a Carbon Tax. So that the companies get motivated to use less fossil fuels. Fourthly, Encourage the use of renewable energy and grow plants and trees. Fifthly, and on an individual level, we need to raise awareness regarding climate change and try to reduce pollution, the carbon footprint and single-use plastic bags.

The industries creating most of the Greenhouse Gases are Construction, Transportation, Food industry, Energy. There is a need to incentivise sustainable production and penalise excessive pollution. Government public policy must be affected

Providing adequate healthcare during these gigantic and unprecedented floods is a big challenge. There is a ‘Public health Crisis’ as flooding destroyed many hospitals, hHealth centres, health systems. While first aid, food, clean drinking water and shelter are the priority for all the affected.

Pakistan Today

The heating planet is our commons. It holds us all. To address and reverse warming requires connection and reciprocity. It calls for moving out of our comfort zones to find a depth of courage we may have never known. It calls for action that is bold and fearless. Regeneration

Torres Strait Islanders win historic human rights legal fight against Australia #auspol #ClimateCrisis demand #ClimateAction #SDG13 #TellTheTruth listen to the scientists

A group of eight Torres Strait Islander people have made international legal history, after the United Nations Human Rights Committee found that the Australian Government is violating its human rights obligations to them through climate change inaction.

The landmark decision delivered by the Committee today agreed with the complaint filed in 2019, obliging the Government to pay adequate compensation to the claimants and do whatever it takes to ensure the safe existence of the islands.

The complaint is the first legal action brought by climate-vulnerable inhabitants of low-lying islands against a nation state, and the decision has set several ground-breaking precedents for international human rights law.

Yessie Mosby, a Kulkalgal man and Traditional Owner on the island of Masig and a claimant in the case, said:

“This morning when I woke up on Masig, I saw that the sky was full of frigate birds. In my culture, we take this as a sign from my ancestors that we would be hearing good news very soon about this case.

“I know that our ancestors are rejoicing knowing that Torres Strait Islander voices are being heard throughout the world through this landmark case. Climate change affects our way of life everyday. This win gives us hope that we can protect our island homes, culture and traditions for our kids and future generations to come.

In its decision the Committee agreed with the complaint stating that:

Climate change was indeed currently impacting the claimants’ daily lives;
To the extent that their rights are being violated; and,
That Australia’s poor climate record is a violation of their right to family life and right to culture under the global human rights treaty, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
A minority also found that the Government had violated their right to life.

The decision marks the first time an international tribunal has found a country has violated human rights law through inadequate climate policy; the first time a nation state has been found responsible for their greenhouse gas emissions under international human rights law; and, the first time that peoples’ right to culture has been found to be at risk from climate impacts.

Australian climate lawyer Sophie Marjanac, with environmental legal charity ClientEarth, acted for the claimants. Marjanac said: 

“This is an historic victory for climate justice. It is a victory for all peoples who are the most vulnerable to runaway climate change. This case opens the door for further legal actions and compensation claims by other climate affected people, and will give hope to those fighting for loss and damage at this year’s international climate talks in Egypt.

“The Australian Government must act on this decision and take decisive steps to protect the islands of the Torres Strait and their ‘Ailan Kastom’. Australia must seriously invest in adaptation and also drastically reduce its national emissions. Nations can no longer hide behind the myth that climate change is a collective problem and that they are free of legal obligation. They must act, now.”

The public campaign led by the Torres Strait Eight, Our Islands Our Home, has vowed to build on this win by calling on the new Government to take urgent action to address the findings of the OHCHR. A petition with more than 47,000 signatures will be presented by Torres Strait Eight members to the Australian Government at Parliament House later this year.

Yessie added: “This is not the end – we must hold the Australian government accountable and keep fossil fuels in the ground to protect our island homes.”

Another claimant, Kabay Tamu, a Warraberalgal man from the Kulkalgal nation said:

“I’m lost for words. I feel like a huge weight has lifted off my shoulders. I’m so proud and appreciative of everyone involved from the very start to now. This has given us Torres Strait Islanders more solid ground to stand on now. At this very moment I can’t think of anything to say but thank you and we Zenadth Kes thanks everyone involved and who supported us in any way. Mina koeyma eso.”

Claimant Nazareth Fauid said:

“This is a happy moment for me. I can feel the heartbeat of my people from the past, to the present and the future. Our stories are echoing across the world.

“This is about protecting our culture and identity. Our people living in the low-lying islands have been struggling and suffering because of climate change and the decisions of others.

“We are now celebrating history in the making. This is for future generations so that they won’t be disconnected from their island homes of the Torres Strait.”

The claim was supported by the Torres Strait’s leading land and sea council that represents the regions’ traditional owners, Gur A Baradharaw Kod (GBK). Lawyers with environmental law non-profit ClientEarth, represented the claimants, with support from barristers from 20 Essex Street Chambers in London and the Victorian Bar.

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United in Science provides an overview of the most recent science related to climate change, impacts and responses from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and partner organizations. At a time when urgent action to address climate change is needed, the report provides unified scientific information to inform decision-makers and highlights some of the physical and socioeconomic impacts of the current and projected climate.
Key messages:
Atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations continue to rise and fossil fuel emissions are now above pre-pandemic levels after a temporary drop due to lockdowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021
Recent years saw record high temperatures and ocean heat. Looking forward, there is a 48% chance that, during at least one year in the next five years, annual mean temperature will temporarily be 1.5 °C higher than in 1850-1900
Mitigation pledges are insufficient to achieve the Paris Agreement. Enhanced action is needed to prevent continued warming that is increasing the likelihood of irreversible changes in the climate system, known as tipping points
Billions of people around the world are exposed to climate change impacts. Cities – responsible for up to 70% of human-caused emissions – will face increasing socioeconomic impacts and the world’s most vulnerable populations will suffer most, as seen in recent extreme weather events
Adaptation is crucial to lower the risks to climate impacts. Early warning systems can save lives, reduce losses and damages, contribute to disaster risk reduction, and support climate change adaptation. United in Science

A World of One Billion Empty Plates #auspol #qldpol #ClimateCrisis demand #ClimateAction #SDG13 #Regeneration #Overpopulation

Ten of the world’s worst climate hotspots have suffered a 123 percent rise in acute hunger over just the past six years, according to a new report from Oxfam. Credit: FAO

MADRID, Sep 23 2022 (IPS) – Have you eaten today – or are sure you will? The answer depends on where you were born and where you live now. If you are Spanish or live here, you likely did or will, provided that you are not one of this European country’s 900.000 inhabitants who face some sort of hunger, malnutrition or undernourishment.

If instead, you are among the 550 million plus Africans who suffer moderate hunger (40 percent of the continent’s total population of 1.300 plus) or severe hunger (some 300 million or 24 percent of all Africans), your answer would be that you will likely –or surely– go to bed hungry… also today.

A similar dark fate is also prevailing in other ‘developing’ regions, usually defined as mid- and low-income countries. In Asia, with nearly 10 percent or about 500 million of its combined population of almost 5 billion, representing 60 percent of the whole world’s inhabitants.

Severe food insecurity has increased, providing further evidence of a deteriorating situation mainly for those already facing serious hardships. In 2021, an estimated 29.3 percent of the global population – 2.3 billion people – were moderately or severely food insecure, and 11.7 percent (923.7 million people) faced severe food insecurityIn the case of Latin America and the Caribbean, the percentage of humans falling into moderate to severe hunger and food insecurity amounts to 9 percent of the region’s total population of 550 million inhabitants.

Just for the sake of comparison, such numbers barely reach 2.5 percent of the Northern American population (600 million) and Europe (750 million).

In short: it is estimated that between 702 and 828 million people in the world (corresponding to 8.9 percent and 10.5 percent of the total population, respectively) faced hunger in 2021.

Too many explanations, same consequences

These are figures, numbers. The reality is that one billion human beings are right at this moment living in the darkness of food scarcity, if ever any food at all.

For them, no matter if the mainstream media now pretends that their fate is caused by just one war or the usual exercise of speculation and greed that hikes food prices.

Many of the millions of hungry people are probably not aware that the world has been producing enough food to cover all the needs of Planet Earth’s population.

Nor that over a third of the total food production is wasted, dumped into rubbish bins, and lost in inadequate storage facilities.

No matter if the international scientific community every single day warns that climate change, severe droughts, catastrophic floods and other factors add to the sharp shortage of funds to save lives while fuelling armed conflicts and dedicating unprecedented spending on weapons of mass destruction (more than 2 trillion US dollars in 2021) See: New World Records: More Weapons than Ever. And a Hunger Crisis Like No Other

What is food insecurity?

Food security is defined as the adequate access to food in both quality and quantity.

Moderate food insecurity: People experiencing moderate food insecurity face uncertainties about their ability to obtain food, and have been forced to compromise on the quality and/or quantity of the food they consume.

Severe food insecurity: People experiencing severe food insecurity have typically run out of food and at worst, gone a day (or days) without eating.

Wrong direction

“The world is moving in the wrong direction,” confirms the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which –among other international bodies– has just released the above-cited figures in its 2022 report: The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World.

New estimates for 2021 suggest that the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity has remained relatively unchanged compared with 2020, reports FAO, adding that “severe food insecurity has increased, providing further evidence of a deteriorating situation mainly for those already facing serious hardships.”

“In 2021, an estimated 29.3 percent of the global population – 2.3 billion people – were moderately or severely food insecure, and 11.7 percent (923.7 million people) faced severe food insecurity.”

In other words: extreme hunger has more than doubled in 10 of the world’s worst climate hotspots over the past six years.

“Ten of the world’s worst climate hotspots – those with the highest number of UN appeals driven by extreme weather events – have suffered a 123 percent rise in acute hunger over just the past six years,” according to anOxfam report on 16 September 2022.

Hunger discriminates

There is also a growing gender gap in food insecurity. In 2021, 31.9 percent of women in the world were moderately or severely food insecure compared to 27.6 percent of men – a gap of more than 4 percentage points, compared with 3 percentage points in 2020, according to the report.

The latest estimate for low birthweight revealed that 14.6 percent of newborns (20.5 million) were born with a low birth weight in 2015, a modest decrease from 17.5 percent (22.9 million) in 2000.

Optimal breastfeeding practices, including exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, are critical for child survival and the promotion of health and cognitive development.

But it is not so. In fact, the world’s leading health and children specialised organisations have once again sounded the alarm bell about what they classify as “shocking, insidious, exploitative, aggressive, misleading and pervasive” marketing tricks used by the baby formula milk business with the sole aim of increasing, even more, their already high profits.

In fact, FAO reports that globally, the prevalence has risen from 37.1 percent (49.9 million) in 2012 to 43.8 percent (59.4 million) in 2020. Still, more than half of all infants under six months of age globally did not receive the protective benefits of exclusive breastfeeding, according to the report, which adds the following:

Stunting, the condition of being too short for one’s age, undermines the physical and cognitive development of children, increases their risk of dying from common infections and predisposes them to overweight and non-communicable diseases later in life.

Child wasting is a life-threatening condition caused by insufficient nutrient intake, poor nutrient absorption, and/or frequent or prolonged illness. Affected children are dangerously thin with weakened immunity and a higher risk of mortality. The prevalence of wasting among children under five years of age was 6.7 percent (45.4 million) in 2020.

Children who are overweight or obese face both immediate and potentially long-term health impacts, including a higher risk of non-communicable diseases later in life.

Globally, the prevalence of overweight among children under five years of age increased slightly from 5.4 percent (33.3 million) in 2000 to 5.7 percent (38.9 million) in 2020. Rising trends are seen in around half of the countries worldwide.

Anaemia: The prevalence of anaemia among women aged 15 to 49 years was estimated to be 29.9 percent in 2019.

The absolute number of women with anaemia has risen steadily from 493 million in 2000 to 570.8 million in 2019, which has implications for female morbidity and mortality and can lead to adverse pregnancy and newborn outcomes.

Globally, adult obesity nearly doubled in absolute value from 8.7 percent (343.1 million) in 2000 to 13.1 percent (675.7 million) in 2016.

Children in rural settings and poorer households are more vulnerable to stunting and wasting. Children and adults, particularly women, in urban areas and wealthier households are at higher risk of overweight and obesity, respectively.

Infants residing in rural areas, in poorer households, with mothers who received no formal education and female infants are more likely to be breastfed. Women with no formal education are more vulnerable to anaemia and their children to stunting and wasting.

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Climate Change Crisis Nonacceptance #auspol When Right is Wrong #ClimateCrisis demand #ClimateAction #SDG13 #TellTheTruth listen to the scientists

The nonacceptance of the climate change crisis persists despite its increasingly visible worldwide consequences. Credit: Manipadma Jena/IPS

PORTLAND, USA, Sep 19 2022 (IPS) – Many people around the world, especially those among the political far-right, do not accept the climate change crisis. Over the years their thinking, behavior, and policies dismissing climate change have largely continued and impaired global efforts to address global warming and environmental degradation.

By Joseph Chamie

The rise of right-wing populism in many countries also constitutes a potential obstacle to addressing climate change. Right-wing parties and politicians frequently voice climate change skepticism, denials, and opposition to climate change policies, such as carbon taxes.

The nonacceptance of the climate change crisis persists despite its increasingly visible worldwide consequences. It’s indeed difficult to avoid news reports of climate change events, including extreme heat, flooding, droughts, destroyed crops, wildfires, melting glaciers, rising sea levels, biodiversity loss, environmental degradation, smog, pollution, and increasing rates of human morbidity and mortality.

Even the signed petitions to government leaders from thousands of scientists from around the world warning of a climate emergency and the concerns, demonstrations, and protests of younger generations calling for urgent action have not been enough to convince skeptics of the climate change threat, especially among the political right.

In general, the majorities of most populations are concerned about the climate change crisis. A global survey by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) of public opinion in 2021 covering 50 countries and over half of the world’s population found that nearly two-thirds of those surveyed believed climate change is a global emergency.

The proportion of the population believing climate change is an emergency ranged from a low of 61 percent in sub-Saharan Africa to a high of 71 percent in Western Europe and North America. The proportions of the remaining four regions varied from 63 to 65 percent (Figure 1).

Source: United Nations Development Programme.

In addition to the UNDP study, a 2022 PEW survey of nineteen countries across North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region found a median of 75 percent viewing global climate change as a major threat to their country.

However, views concerning the climate change threat differed considerably across political groups. By and large, surveys find that those of the political right are less likely than those of the left to believe in the reality and anthropogenic nature of the climate change crisis.

In the 2022 PEW survey, for example, those on the political right in fourteen countries were found to be consistently less likely to consider climate change a major threat to their country than those on the political left (Figure 2).

The largest difference among those fourteen countries was in the United States where 22 percent of the political right considered climate change a major threat to their country versus 85 percent on the political left. Other countries with a large difference between those on the political right and left were Australia with 47 and 91 percent, Canada with 46 and 80 percent, and Germany with 59 and 83 percent, respectively.

Moreover, the differences in the views of political groups concerning climate change in some major countries have widened over the recent past. In the United States, for example, the difference between Republicans and Democrats has increased substantially over the past quarter century.

Near the start of the 21st century 20 percent of Republicans and 36 percent of Democrats believed that global warming will pose a serious threat in their lifetime. By 2021, the difference between Republicans and Democrats had widened substantially to 11 percent versus 67 percent, respectively (Figure 3).

Also, differing views about climate change are reflected in the statements and policies of political parties and their leaders. For example, the Vox party in Spain dismissed climate change as “a hoax”, the National Front in France promoted climate skepticism, and Sweden’s Democrats described the climate debate as “weird” in budget discussions, arguing that the seriousness of climate change is exaggerated, and scientific evidence is being distorted.

The unequivocal findings of numerous reports on the consequences of climate change by international and national scientific committees have not been sufficient to counter climate change skepticism. On the contrary, the reactions of skeptics to the climate change reports can be summed up in the phrase “Don’t confuse me with the facts”In Germany the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) challenged the global scientific consensus on climate change, describing it as “hysteria”. In addition, the AfD abandoned the previous cross-party consensus on the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

In the United States, the world’s second largest emitter of CO2 producing about 14 percent of the world’s CO2 emissions, the former Republican president said that he was not a believer in man-made global warming, called climate change “a hoax” invented by China, and said scientists were “misleading us” on climate change. Moreover, he dismissed federal scientific reports on climate change and sought to roll back climate regulations, including increasing U.S. coal mining and reconsidering fuel efficiency standards for vehicles.

In China, the world’s top emitter of CO2 producing about 30 percent of the world’s CO2 emissions, some report that the Communist Party’s climate change skeptics are mostly shunned and may chatter in the shadows. After decades of rejecting climate change and its visible consequences, such as choking smoghanging over most of the country, no higher-up Chinese officials are saying that climate change is a hoax and while somemay have that view, they won’t say it.

In India, which the IPCC highlights as a vulnerable hotspot, some find politicians denying or ignoring climate change. They note that in the election manifestos of the two leading national parties, the Indian National Congressand the BJP, neither of them mentioned the Paris Climate Change Agreement. Also at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, India reportedly found the IPCC’s recent report too gloomy and requested a section on mitigation be removed.

A preliminary draft of the Glasgow pact called on countries to “accelerate the phasing out of coal and subsidies for fossil fuels”. In the final negotiations, however, India and China, whose coal-fired power stations provide approximately 70 and 60 percent of their electricity, respectively, said they would agree only to “phase-down unabated coal” and the phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies.

In addition, when heading to COP26, Australia, Japan, and Saudi Arabia were among those countries lobbying the United Nations “to play down the need to move rapidly away from fossil fuels”. Some wealthy nations also questioned paying more to poorer states to move to greener technologies.

In preparatory meetings for the November COP27 climate summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, African nations pushed back against abrupt moves away from fossil fuels. They stressed the need to avoid approaches that encourage abrupt disinvestments from fossil fuels, which would threaten Africa’s development. For example, Nigeria, Africa’s largest population, indicated that gas was a matter of survival for the country.

The latest report of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows greenhouse gas emissions are continuing to rise. The IPCC report also states that current plans to address climate change are not ambitious enough to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, which is a threshold necessary to avoid even more catastrophic impacts.

A number of social and psychological explanations have been offered for climate change crisis nonacceptance and skepticism, especially among the right-wing conservatives. In the past, the lack of knowledge about the causes of climate change was believed to play a major role. More recently, political ideology and party identification are believed to strongly influence how people selectively seek and interpret information about climate change.

Political beliefs and motivations have also been found to guide people’s attention, perceptions, and understanding of climate change evidence and mitigation efforts. In addition, some are not willing to accept the climate change crisis and proposed mitigation measures because they challenge their need to protect existing socioeconomic structures and traditional lifestyles, raise their anxieties about declines in living standards, and threaten development efforts, particularly in less developed countries.

In sum, it is certainly the case that the majority of most populations worldwide, especially the younger generations, are concerned about the climate change crisis. However, it is also the case that despite the overwhelming unequivocal evidence, many people, especially far-right conservatives, continue their nonacceptance of the climate change crisis.

Such a political divide with vocal opposition from the political far-right with the continuing support, political lobbying, and extensive efforts of various extractive industries is worrisome and consequential. It undermines global plans to address climate change and thwarts more ambitious efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the goal set in the Paris Agreement to avert the worst effects of global warming

Joseph Chamie is a consulting demographer, a former director of the United Nations Population Division and author of numerous publications on population issues, including his recent book, “Births, Deaths, Migrations and Other Important Population Matters.”

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#Regeneration Electric Vehicles #EVs #auspol #ClimateAction #SDG13

Call to action:

Power all vehicles with electricity from renewable sources instead of fossil fuels.

Electric vehicles have reached a tipping point toward widespread adoption—and not a moment too soon. Greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector have more than doubled since 1970, with around 80 percent of that increase attributed to petroleum-powered road vehicles like cars, trucks, and buses. Today, such vehicles account for roughly 16 percent of total emissions worldwide, prompting governments, companies, and car owners to accelerate the shift to electric transport. EV technology has advanced rapidly in the last decade, making incredible strides in range, charging time, and affordability. Now comes the next horizon: creating extensive charging infrastructure, cleaning up electrical grids, sourcing batteries more sustainably, and ensuring equitable access for all.

Action Items

Individuals

Know the facts. The number of EVs on the road globally has skyrocketed in the last decade—over 10 million as of 2020 compared to just seven thousand in 2010. Still, even countries that lead in EV sales are far from widespread adoption. One major barrier is a knowledge gap around EV basics. Here’s what you need to know:

You don’t have to be a car owner to participate in the switch to EVs. All petroleum-powered vehicles should be electrified, including public buses, trains, ride-share fleets, and commercial trucks. Whether you petition your local government to electrify public transit or opt for anelectric ride-share service, everyone has a place in the EV movement.
Depending on the source of electricity, EVs can emit significantly lesscarbon over their lifetime than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. For example, a Tesla Model 3 charged with solar energy generates 65 percent less greenhouse gas over its lifetime than a comparable ICE car.
Achieving the full emissions-saving potential of electrifying transportation will call for a vast overhaul and upgrade of power grids so that EVs can be charged with renewable energy. See Electrify Everything Nexus to learn more.
Because EVs don’t emit tailpipe exhaust, they don’t cause air pollution. A full transition to EVs will result in significant reductions in asthma, heart disease, and lung cancer—saving 6,300 lives annually by 2050 in the United States alone.
EVs are quickly becoming more affordable thanks to advancements in battery technology, more automakers offering economy models, andgovernment incentives. Depending on their location, EV buyers can also access financing, such as the EV Climate Loan, which applies incentives up front.
Fuel and maintenance costs for EVs are much lower than petroleum-powered vehicles. EVs require 50 percent less maintenance over their lifetime, and charging an EV battery costs about 60 percent less than filling up a gas tank.
The typical range of an EV is two hundred miles per charge, and isforecast to reach four hundred miles by 2028 (roughly the same distance a large passenger vehicle gets on a tank of gas).
Charging an EV can take anywhere from 15 minutes to overnight, depending on the voltage of the outlet or charger. This article breaks down how charging works both at home and on the road.
Electrified roads could wirelessly charge EVs while driving. Though the technology is still under development, the world’s first electrified road test site opened in Sweden in 2018.
According to a AAA study, 57 percent of Americans fear they’ll run out of battery in an electric car (a concern known as range anxiety). However, 95 percent of EV drivers report they’ve never run out of battery before reaching a charger. Development of charging infrastructure in the U.S. isoutpacing forecasts, but experts say more funding is needed to ensure chargers are as readily accessible as gas stations.
Communities where personal automobiles are less common could leapfrog to an electrified future built around shared mobility. For example, Africa is focused on electrifying shared and micro mobilityoptions that are already the backbone of local transportation, led by organizations like Ugandan electric bus company Kiira Motors andRwandan electric motorcycle startup Ampersand.

Choose electric public transit when possible. While driving an EV can emit far less greenhouse gas than an ICE vehicle, it may emit more per passenger than a high-occupancy public transit EV like an electric bus. If it’s available in your area and meets your needs, prioritizing electric public transit when you’re not able to bike or walk is the most effective way to reduce your transportation-related carbon emissions. Learn more about efficient transportation solutions beyond EVs in Urban Mobility, Micromobility, andFifteen-Minute City.

China leads the world in electric buses with more than 421,000 on the streets across the country, made possible by massive subsidies from the Chinese state.
China-based e-bus provider BYD is helping cities around the world electrify their bus fleets, from Bogotá, Colombia to Harderwijk, Netherlands.
In 2021, South Africa launched their first e-bus in Cape Town through Golden Arrow Bus Services, who procured the vehicles from BYD.
Tel Aviv will charge this urban e-bus shuttle with the first wireless electric road system in Israel, using technology from ElectReon Wireless.
North America is projected to be the fastest-growing market for electric buses, with EV manufacturer Proterra leading the way.
In India, where there are only 30 registered cars per 1,000 people, e-buses have been identified as a key to reducing transport emissionsefficiently and affordably.

Take a test-drive. Research shows that getting behind the wheel of an EV helps drivers overcome hesitation around adopting unfamiliar technology. Test-drives aren’t just for people planning to buy an EV; they’re a way for any licensed driver to get acquainted with the future of transportation. Here are a few ways to take a test drive:

Visit a car dealership that sells new or used EVs. Find a list of automakers who offer EVs here, and find an EV dealer near you.
Consider these tips for a great test-drive, including scheduling ahead of time and requesting the dealership’s most knowledgeable EV salesperson.
EV events and showcases often offer opportunities to test-drive models from multiple automakers. Find an EV event near you here and here, or check out programs like Drive Electric Week and Forth Mobile Showcasein the U.S.
Rent an EV the next time you need a rental car.

Join an electric-car-sharing service. You don’t need to own an EV to start driving one. Electric-car-sharing services offer the option to rent an EV by the minute, hour, or day so you can pay for it only when you need it. These services are significantly more affordable than purchasing an EV, opening the door for many more drivers to access personal electric transport. One shared car can replace more than four privately owned vehicles—helping reduce the total number of cars on the road.

Bluecarsharing provides 24/7 EV access in France, Italy, the U.S., and Singapore. Community membership fees start at $1/month.
Good2Go offers sliding scale rates to support affordable access to clean transportation in the heart of Boston’s Black community, which has faced disproportionate environmental burdens.
Colorado CarShare provides low-cost car sharing for underserved residents and small businesses that can’t afford to own cars.
Korean car and bike sharing service SOCAR announced plans in 2022 to establish an electric fleet by 2030.
Japanese tech giant Sony announced Sony Mobility in January 2022, a play to establish an autonomous EV for services like car sharing and ride hailing.

If you must own a car, upgrade to electric. Reducing the number of vehicles on the road, no matter how they’re powered, would go furthest in reducing emissions. But for those living in rural and suburban areas or places with limited public transit, owning a car may be the only option.

This guide is a great place to start the EV ownership journey, fromincentives and financing to comparing models to setting up at-home charging.
Find a deal on used EVs here and a list of the most affordable modelshere.
Learn about ways to charge your EV with cleaner energy even if your local grid isn’t fully renewable here—from avoiding peak charging hours to accessing renewable charging networks.
Peer-to-peer car sharing app Turo lets you expand EV access in your community by renting out your car when you’re not using it.
Consider a bidirectional charging model like Ford’s wildly popular F-150 Lightning, which can help power your home during outages and redistribute renewable energy to the grid.

Call for action from your government. Governments play a critical role in passing policies that make EVs more affordable, easier to charge, and more accessible to all. Governments are also instrumental in ensuring the electrical grid itself is powered by renewable sources. As their constituent, you have a critical role to play, too: letting leaders know EVs are a priority.

Elect leaders who have demonstrated their commitment to curbing climate change. If you’re in the U.S., this endorsement guide andscorecard can help you find out where your candidates stand.
Vote for policies that promote EV adoption both for individual consumers and across public transit systems, with a focus on increasing equitable access. See the Governance section below for examples of what those policies can look like.
When it’s time for your representative to vote on a policy that advances EVs, call and ask them to vote yes. This tool can help you find contact information.

Share your experience. Peer influence has a bigger impact on clean-energy adoption than advertising, experts, or reviews. Talk to your friends, family, and neighbors, take them with you for test-drives, and post about your EV experience on social media channels.

Regeneration is a response to the urgency of the climate crisis, a determined what-to-do manual for all levels of society, from individuals to national governments and everything and everyone in between. It describes a system of interlocking initiatives that can stem the climate crisis in one generation. Regeneration

#Regeneration Education of Girls #SDGs #SDG4 #SDG5 #auspol

Call to action:

Ensure that girls everywhere can safely access and complete twelve years of free, safe, gender-equal, quality schooling.

Realizing the potential of women is foundational to planetary regeneration, but this requires girls to be fully educated and empowered. When girls finish their education, cycles of poverty and oppression can be broken, leading to healthier, smaller families and greater resilience. An educated populace of women improves a nation’s health, food security, and economy. However, only one in four nations has achieved parity in upper-secondary school enrollment, and very few poor, rural young women are able to complete their education in a number of countries deeply impacted by climate disasters. Girls are often the first to have to withdraw from school when families are stressed by poverty, war, political instability, cultural repression, or environmental degradation. Their leadership and participation is an effective, rights-based path to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and leads to more effective and just climate action.

Action Items

Individuals

Learn why we need to close the gender gap in education as a tool for building resilience and regeneration, and learn about the challenges girls continue to face. Providing quality education for girls results in measurably healthier communities. If every woman received a secondary education, twelve million children would avoid suffering malnutrition, saving three million lives. Better educational attainment by women leads to communities that are more resilient to climate shocks. Female leaders are highly effective in conservation and climate activism, protecting key carbon sinks such as forests, oceans, and peatlands. Yet poverty, along with patriarchal tradition and the rise of fundamentalism, continues to hold girls back. One of the main reasons that girls’ education lags is its expense. This Global Education Monitoring Report outlines the legal, financial, and structural issues that stand in the way of equality. Benefits of girls’ education include:

Women who have completed secondary education are more likely to work and earn on average nearly twice as much as those with no schooling, according to a report by the World Bank.
A Brookings Institution study showed that for every additional year of schooling a girl received on average, her country’s ability to adapt to climate change improved as measured by the ND-Gain Index, which calculates a nation’s vulnerability in relation to its resilience.
A 2020 study showed that women-led nations had a measurably better handle on the coronavirus pandemic. However, the pandemic resulted in reduced attendance and increased dropout rates for girls. This Malala Fund report estimated that across low- to middle-income countries, millions of school-aged girls may have lost access to education.
This UNESCO fact sheet summarizes how girls’ education has positive effects on economic growth as well as a reduction in maternal deaths in childbirth.
Integrating reproductive health education into secondary school curricula empowers young people to make informed family-planning decisions, typically resulting in lower birth rates. In sub-Saharan Africa, women without education have 6.7 children on average, but the figure falls to 3.9 for those with secondary education. The state of Kerala in India has encouraged girls’ education through campaigns and policies, coupled with investment in providing access to family planning. Kerala currently averages 1.7 children per family, on par with many European countries.
Keeping girls in school is one of the best ways to prevent child marriage. For every year of secondary school completed, a girl’s likelihood of early marriage decreases. Girls Not Brides is a network of organizations working in one hundred countries to advocate for girls’ rights and education.
Governments with higher proportions of women leaders ratify international environmental treaties more often and adopt more stringent climate change policies. As a result, these nations have lower carbon dioxide emissions, suggesting that female political representation is an underutilized tool for addressing climate change.
Project Drawdown modeled the impact of increased voluntary family planning and universal education together in this policy brief, projecting that adopting this solution would have one of the largest projected impacts on emissions avoided by 2050.

Support organizations that promote access to free, safe, quality education for every girl. This could take the form of financial donations, offering services and materials, or organizing and educating your local community. This engagement toolkit was created by the “Let Girls Learn” Peace Corps initiative founded by former U.S. first lady Michelle Obama.

Follow or become a member of one of the many nonprofits working on the issue, such as Malala Fund or Brookings, to learn more ways to get engaged or start a local chapter (see Key Players below).
Amplify fundraising support by organizing an educational event such as a film screening, sale, or walkathon. This Take Action brief created by Girl Rising includes ideas for events to educate and motivate communities while generating donations.
The UN Girls’ Education Initiative launched #Education Equality in 2020, marking twenty-five years since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which has been called the international community’s most progressive blueprint for advancing the rights of girls and women.

Speak up and take action for girls’ rights to education. Write an op-ed for a newspaper or submit an article to an online magazine such as this one.

In March 2022, many students in Afghanistan were devastated to learn that the Taliban government would not keep its promise to reopen secondary education to girls. Here is the Twitter account for the Afghan Ministry of Education, and here is an Avaaz campaign to get Afghan girls back in school.
Follow some of the impactful work of leading organizations and activistsin the universal education movement—see below under Key Players—and post about them. Lift up a powerful voice in the girls’ empowerment conversation, such as those of Michelle Obama, Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Vanessa Lakate, or Rebecca Winthrop.

Demand passage of legislation that supports universal education. This can involve legislation to combat gender bias in education or to remove obstacles to finishing school, both domestically and globally. In the U.S., the Keeping Girls in School Act aims to fund international efforts to remove barriers to gender-equal secondary education. You can send an email to government officials urging them to advance the bill via this campaign.

Join the international #RightToEducation campaign run by UNESCO to say no to discrimination in education and find out here if your country has ratified the legally binding Convention Against Discrimination in Education that makes free, compulsory education for all a fundamental right.

Volunteer as a mentor, teacher, or tutor for underserved girl students. There are many ways to get involved on these levels both online and in person. Search for relevant opportunities through a volunteer/job board such as Idealist.org. Here are a few examples of programs needing volunteer support:

The School of Leadership Afghanistan (SOLA) organizes volunteers who give instruction both remotely or at schools for girls in several countries.
Mentorship brings together women and at-risk girls to help inspire and support their futures. This U.S.-based program is organized by Step Up and offers several ways to get involved.
Global Vision organizes international volunteer and internship opportunities with a number that focus on the empowerment of girls and women.
California-based Children Rising connects volunteer tutors with youth in need of support in the state.

Regeneration