The Most Definitive Report on Climate Change in America

The burning of coal, oil, and gas is changing the global climate faster now than at any other time in modern human history, threatening our national security, our economic prosperity, and our children’s future. All this will get worse, perhaps unimaginably so, unless we shift to cleaner, smarter ways to power our future — and do so now, because we’re running out of time.

Tropical Storm Irma’s effects in Charleston, South Carolina.

That’s the conclusion of the new National Climate Assessment, the most definitive report ever compiled on climate change in America. The congressionally mandated quadrennial review pulls together experts from 13 federal agencies to connect the dots between what the science is telling us and what we’re seeing on our TVs, in our newspapers, and out our kitchen windows. “The impacts and costs of climate change are already being felt in the United States,” the report states in sum. “Future risks from climate change depend primarily on decisions made today.”

In little more than a century, the temperature has risen 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit, on average, across the continental United States. That might not sound like much, but it is remaking the map of America and altering the country in ways that touch every aspect of our lives.

Read the story from the Natural Resources Defence Council by Rhea Suh - “The Most Definitive Report on Climate Change in America.”

Australia can meet Paris targets if government doesn't hinder progress, report claims

New research finds Australia is installing renewable energy faster than any other country, a trend that will allow Australia to meet its economy-wide Paris targets five years ahead of schedule if politics doesn’t derail the trend, according to new research from the Australian National University.

Emissions have been falling in the electricity sector
because of the closure of ageing coal plants and
the rapid uptake of renewables.

While emissions have been rising across the economy since the Abbott government repealed the carbon price after winning government in 2013, they have been falling in the electricity sector because of the closure of ageing coal plants and the rapid uptake of renewables.

The lead researcher, ANU professor Andrew Blakers, says Australia is currently installing renewable power four or five times per capita faster than the European Union, Japan, China and the United States. That finding is based on preliminary data available for installations globally last year.

Read the story from The Guardian by Katharine Murphy - “Australia can meet Paris targets if government doesn't hinder progress, report claims.”

New retailers pushing power prices down more than government

Competition from a new major energy company is driving down power prices faster than regulatory bodies according to analysts, but governments are unlikely to abandon plans to reform the gas and electricity market.

More consumer choice in the market is having a greater impact on power prices.

Perth-based energy company Alinta expanded into the east coast energy market with the billion dollar acquisition of Victorian coal-fired power station Loy Yang B late last year, and its aggressive growth strategy is being seen in the market as one of the major drivers of lower power bills.

“Alinta is doing more for lowering electricity costs on the east coast than anything the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will do,” Wood Mackenzie principal lead for oil and gas, Saul Kavonic, told Fairfax Media.

Read Cole Latimer’s story in The Age - “New retailers pushing power prices down more than government.”

How do we tackle climate change?

In the final episode our participants come to agreements on climate change and renewable energy much faster than our politicians seem to be able to. 

However, what would they be willing to pay to see a transition to a much higher proportion of renewables used in Australia’s energy generation?

Listen to the Common Ground podcast - “How do we tackle climate change?”

To Close Climate Goals Gap: Drop Coal, Ramp Up Renewables — Fast, UN Says

Countries will have to phase out coal and invest in renewable energy even faster than previously expected to keep global warming below perilous levels and fend off the most dangerous impacts of climate change, according to a United Nations report released just before the next round of international climate talks.

The world can meet more ambitious emissions targets with a major scaling
back of coal and ramping up of renewable energy, a new UNEP report says. 

The United Nations Environment Program on Tuesday released its annual report on the "emissions gap"—the distance between countries' pledged commitments for meeting the targets of the 2015 Paris climate agreement and the pathways that scientists estimate could actually achieve those targets.

The report, prepared by dozens of scientists and incorporating the latest scientific findings, includes new information to help negotiators zero in on more ambitious commitments that might achieve the Paris Agreement's most stringent target: keeping the rise in temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius since the start of the industrial era.

Read Georgina Gustin’s story on Inside Climate News - “To Close Climate Goals Gap: Drop Coal, Ramp Up Renewables — Fast, UN Says.”

Florida’s Sea Level Rose 6x Faster Than Average And It's Not Due To Climate Change

If you're living along the coast of Florida you experienced sea level rising six times faster than the global average and this was NOT a result of climate change. The rapid sea level rise along the US east coast from Cape Hatteras to Miami is the result of a localized sea level rise hot spot.

A new study, published in Geophysical Research Letters and undertaken by the University of Florida analyzed tidal and climate data for the southeastern seaboard of the United States. They found that between the years 2011 and 2015 sea level rose more than six times faster in the southeast United States as compared to global average sea level rise.

What is the cause of accelerated yet localized sea level rise? The answer is not climate change, but naturally-occurring climate variations superimposed on the background steady sea level rise due to a warming planet. While you may have heard of the gradual rise in sea levels globally over the past century, there appear to be rapid climate processes that affect localized sea levels on the year(s) time scale.

Read the Forbes story Trevor Nace - “Florida’s Sea Level Rose 6x Faster Than Average And It's Not Due To Climate Change.”

Exciting developmment, but almost too late

Australia’s involvement in the building fusion reactor is encouraging, but the delight it raises evaporates as you further understand the story.

 The complexity of a
fusion reactor.

A fusion reactor has the potential to mitigate the impact of climate change as being nuclear powered it can conceivably produce massive amounts of virtually carbon dioxide free electricity.

Further into the story – “Physicists make push for fusion reactor funding” – readers are told that it could be 2040 or later before a demonstration plant is built and operating the south of France.

It is wonderful that such technology is being embraced, but the world can’t wait that long as the reality that is climate change is upon us and advancing faster than our climate scientists had earlier anticipated.

Wonderful idea, but we can’t wait, especially if the world continues to rely on fossil fuels as its primary energy source.