Environment

By Celia Deane-Drummond, University of Oxford The death of Pope Francis has been announced by the Vatican. I first met the late Pope Francis at the Vatican after a conference called Saving Our Common Home and the Future of Life on Earth in July 2018. My colleagues and I sensed something momentous was happening at […]

Climate Crisis

How can the Left Tackle the Climate Crisis?

Inequality.org

In his new book, writer Malcolm Harris considers the tools in our arsenal for stopping the worst case scenarios of climate change. by Chris Mills Rodrigo ( Inequality.com ) – Writing an effective political roadmap before a seismic election that is then released into a world transformed by that result is a tall order. Luckily […]

Climate Crisis

Avoiding Climate Breakdown will Require curing the Cancer Stage of Capitalism

Peter G. Prontzos

Are we doomed? The short answer is: maybe not. As we all know, humanity is facing a climate breakdown. It’s clear that we are in the early stages of a global catastrophe – and one that will happen, not some time in the distant future, but is impacting all of us, right now. What is also clear […]

Climate Crisis

South Africa’s Ambitious Renewable Energy Masterplan involves Solar Manufacturing

The Conversation

By Ricardo Amansure, Stellenbosch University (The Conversation) – About 85% of South Africa’s electricity is produced by burning coal. The country’s move to renewable energy means that the coal industry will be phased out. To this end, the South African cabinet recently approved the country’s first renewable energy masterplan, which sets out what’s needed to […]

Climate Crisis

Europe was Hottest Ever Recorded last Year, and is Heating up Faster than any other Continent

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Copernicus Climate Change Service (abbreviated as C3S) has just issued The European State of the Climate for 2024. These scientists report that last year was the hottest ever in Europe, which is the continent that is heating up faster than any other. They write, “60% of Europe saw more […]

Climate Crisis

South African Court said no to new Coal-fired Power: what’s behind the Ruling

The Conversation

By Melanie Murcott, University of Cape Town (The Conversation) – Three South African environmental and climate justice organisations took the South African government to court in November 2021, to challenge the authorisation of new coal-fired power as part of the country’s energy mix. Three years later, the court ruled that the government’s new coal plans […]

Climate Crisis

Wet Bulb Dead Zones could make Parts of Middle East, Pakistan, Uninhabitable — Even at Night

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Last fall, NASA scientist Colin Raymond and colleagues published an article showing that contrary to expectations, deadly heat and humidity combinations occur along the Persian Gulf at night rather than only during the afternoon. In this part of the Middle East, temperatures are rising at double the average global rate. […]

Climate Crisis

No, Even the Super-Rich Can’t Dodge the Climate-Change Bullet

Sam Pizzigati

They think they can — and that thinking just may doom the rest of us. ( Inequality.org) – So where do you see yourself living the rest of your life? The richest among us are keeping their options all open. On the one hand, our deepest pockets are buying up new super-luxury abodes as if the […]

Climate Crisis

Global Heating of more than 3°C this Century may wipe 40% off the world’s Economy

The Conversation

By Timothy Neal, UNSW Sydney (The Conversation) – The damage climate change will inflict on the world’s economy is likely to have been massively underestimated, according to new research by my colleagues and I which accounts for the full global reach of extreme weather and its aftermath. To date, projections of how climate change will […]