The World’s 25th Conference of the Parties (COP 25) concluded in Madrid at 1:55 PM, Sunday, December 15, 2019, having accomplished enough to merit the pile of horse manure left at its doorstep. Nearly 27,000 international delegates participated. One of the resulting press releases proclaims, “Heads of UN agencies met for a high-level Leadership Dialogue on how to turn the tide on deforestation and committed to the common goal of helping countries reduce deforestation and improve forest management.” Another states “Italy and Mexico committed to stepped-up climate and environmental education.” There is no indication that these, or any other measures, will be implemented. In her final address in the main plenary hall, Greta Thunberg described COP 25 as “some kind of opportunity for countries to negotiate loopholes.” Elizabeth May issued a press release calling the negotiations “brutal” and adding that any real progress was “blocked at this meeting by the negotiators representing Donald Trump’s America, Bolsonaro’s Brazil and Morrison’s Australia.”
Continue reading What Did COP 25 Achieve?Category Archives: Cost of Climate Change
Campbell River Is Planning For Sea Level Rise
As you can see in the image at the top of this page, downtown Campbell River may be flooded sometime in the decades to come. At the 2019 Disaster Preparedness Trade Show, Chloe Swabe explained how the city is planning for sea level rise.
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The Next 18 Months May Be Critical
By Roy L Hales
The heat wave that toppled European temperature records last month, reduced half of Greenland’s ice sheet to slush. Though wildfires are common in northern regions, there is no record of anything corresponding to what is transpiring today. Close to 5.5 million hectares are ablaze in northern Russia, and another million in Alaska. As a BBC environmental correspondent recently stated, the next 18 months may be critical if we hope to halt the rise of global temperatures at 1.5 degrees.
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Pace Of Extinctions Accelerating
By Roy L Hales
How is Climate Change affecting plant and animal populations? – A number of studies show the pace of extinctions accelerating.
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The West Coast’s Epidemic Wildfires
By Roy L Hales
As British Columbia reels from the worst fire season in its recorded history, it is easy to look upon this as a local problem. Only much of Oregon is wrapped in smoke, there are reports of ash falling like snow in some Washington cities (photo at top of page) and two days ago a state of emergency was declared in Los Angeles. What is causing the West Coast’s epidemic wildfires?