Climate change loss and damages expected in Canada between now and 2050 are measurable. Most recently, a Queen’s University/Institute for Sustainable Finance report (April 2022) stated capital output lost due to physical damages under different warming scenarios by the end of the century (with 2030, 2050, and 2070 as inflection points) will grow dramatically. This...
Year: 2022
Climate Change is a Central Concern for Australia’s Financial Stability
This post examines the loss and damage that climate change is expected to have on Australia between now and 2050. Assessments of climate change loss and damage are a key aspect of the Paris Agreement’s ongoing UNFCCC-sponsored Global Stocktake, an effort to assess the ability of the Paris Agreement to meet its goals. Loss and...
An Increase in Deforestation, Fires, Land Invasion, and Illegal Mining in the Amazon
Humanity needs to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by almost half by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050 if it is to stand a chance of meeting the Paris Agreement goal of stabilizing Earth’s warming at 1.5°C and avoiding the worst impacts of the climate crisis. As the sixth largest emitter on the planet,...
Supreme Court Restricts Ability of the Environmental Protection Agency to Regulate Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Power Plants
In 2021, climate action made major strides in the United States as President Biden released executive orders, Congress passed a major infrastructure law, and federal agencies strengthened climate-related regulations. However, 2022, by contrast, has brought significant setbacks for climate action. Likely the most important comes in a Supreme Court decision announced on June 30th, which...
The New British Energy Security Strategy
On April 7 the UK government introduced their “British Energy Security Strategy”. The publishing of the strategy was accelerated by the crisis in Ukraine. It made it clear that the UK is very dependent on foreign sources of energy, primarily gas, oil, and coal.With energy prices on the rise globally, this has resulted in rising...
Turkey Experiencing Extreme Weather Events and Rising Energy Prices in 2022
Firstly, after an extended autumn, the winter season started later than usual in most of the country. It continued until mid-May in the western part of Turkey, including Istanbul, which is unusual. On the 19th of May, a heavy snowstorm hit Istanbul paralyzing the whole city and delaying the early summer. This resulted in low...
The Return of Energy Intensive Tourism in Spain
Back to the bars, beaches, and climate negligence. The almost-complete easing of travel-related restrictions in the first quarter of 2022 has jumpstarted recovery in Spain’s tourist industry, reaching around 70% of its pre-pandemic levels. With packed beaches, bars, and nightclubs, the world’s second most important holiday destination is showing nostalgic signs of normality. Despite providing...
South Africa’s Public Utility Commits to Producing Renewable Energy
South Africa depends heavily on coal for its electricity generation and is among the highest GHG emitters in the world. Over the last decade, South Africa has faced major electricity challenges, such as load shedding, which has become part of everyday life in the country. It is estimated that Stage 6 load shedding removed up...
Saudi Arabia Hosted PetroEnvironment Symposium in 2022
Description of the event In May 2022, Saudi Arabia hosted a 2-day symposium, PetroEnvironment 2022, that brought together environmental practitioners, policymakers, scientists, end-users, technicians, and engineers to discuss major current and emerging environmental opportunities for global sustainability. During the event, participants exchanged new ideas, approaches, research findings, and partnership initiatives to increase circularity and sustainability....
Global Spotlight Report #54: The Most Important Climate Events in the First Half of 2022
Introduction For Post 54 Climate Scorecard asked our Country Managers to analyze the impact of the most important event affecting emissions in their countries since January of this year. The event could or could not be policy related, but needed to have an impact on the current or future level of emissions in your country....