Articles tagged with "global-warming"
Inaction On Climate Change Is Equivalent To A Suicide Pact - CleanTechnica
The article "Inaction On Climate Change Is Equivalent To A Suicide Pact" by Antara Haldar, featured on CleanTechnica, explores the parallels between the collapse of past civilizations—most notably the Roman Empire—and the current global failure to adequately address climate change. Haldar highlights how the Roman Empire, despite its vast infrastructure and connectivity across Europe and Asia, ultimately fell due to a combination of factors including environmental damage, institutional decay, and leadership failures. She emphasizes that while technology often receives credit or blame for societal outcomes, the adaptability and resilience of institutions play a more critical role in determining a civilization's survival. Haldar draws on various scholarly perspectives to analyze why civilizations decline, referencing thinkers like Jared Diamond, Joseph Tainter, Arnold Toynbee, and others who attribute collapse to factors such as environmental degradation, societal inertia, military overreach, disease, and extractive elites. The article also touches on contemporary debates about economic growth and political responses to crises, citing recent works by
energyclimate-changeenvironmental-policysustainabilityglobal-warmingclean-energyclimate-actionBaby, It's Hot Outside! Extreme Heat Is Having An Impact On World Cities. - CleanTechnica
A recent statistical analysis by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) reveals a sharp increase in extreme heat days—defined as temperatures of 35°C (95°F) or above—in major world cities. In 2024, the 43 most populous capital cities surveyed experienced a record 1,612 days of extreme heat, a significant rise from 1,416 days in 2019 and 1,410 days in 2023. This represents a 52% increase compared to 1994, with the average number of such hot days rising by 26% over the past three decades. Nine cities, including Cairo, Tokyo, and Washington DC, recorded their highest number of extreme heat days in 2024, while four others saw their second highest totals. The data underscores the growing urgency for cities to adapt to climate change as heatwaves intensify due to global warming driven by fossil fuel emissions. The IIED emphasizes that extreme heat has likely contributed to millions of premature
energyclimate-changeurban-heat-islandextreme-heatglobal-warmingfossil-fuelsclimate-adaptationFossil Fuel Subsidies Are Just Stupid — Bloomberg - CleanTechnica
The article highlights the detrimental impact of fossil fuel subsidies, emphasizing their role in exacerbating climate change and public health crises. Researchers at Imperial College London report that climate change-driven summer heatwaves caused an estimated 16,469 additional deaths across 854 European cities, accounting for nearly 70% of summer heat deaths. Climate scientist Friederike Otto underscores the direct causal link between fossil fuel burning, rising temperatures, and increased mortality, noting that many of these deaths could have been prevented without continued fossil fuel use. In the United States, fossil fuel subsidies have more than doubled over the past eight years, reaching nearly $35 billion annually, according to a study by Oil Change International. This increase has occurred under both Democratic and Republican administrations, reflecting the political challenges in curbing these subsidies. The article criticizes these subsidies as "welfare" for a profitable, polluting industry, arguing they are counterproductive amid urgent needs for clean energy investment. Recent legislation, including the expansion of the Section 45
energyfossil-fuelsclimate-changesubsidiesclean-energyenvironmental-policyglobal-warmingWhy the Recent Slowdown in Arctic Sea Ice Loss Is Only Temporary - CleanTechnica
The article from CleanTechnica examines the recent slowdown in Arctic sea ice loss observed since the late 2000s, despite the long-term trend of rapid decline linked to climate change. While Arctic sea ice extent at the end of summer has halved since satellite records began in the late 1970s, data over the past two decades show no statistically significant decline. The authors attribute this temporary slowdown primarily to natural climate variability, which can cause fluctuations that either accelerate or decelerate ice loss. Climate model simulations indicate that such periods of slowed decline are expected to occur relatively frequently and may continue for another five to ten years, even as global warming persists. The article highlights that the Arctic has lost more than 75% of its sea ice since the 1980s, with human-caused warming responsible for about 60% of this decline and natural variability accounting for the rest. The slowdown is evident not only in summer minimum extents but year-round, supported by satellite observations and sea ice
energyclimate-changeArctic-sea-iceclimate-modelsglobal-warmingenvironmental-sciencenatural-fluctuationsDOE Decrees That We Can Never Have Too Much Carbon Dioxide - CleanTechnica
The article critiques a July 29, 2025, Department of Energy (DOE) report that controversially claims there is no such thing as too much carbon dioxide (CO2). The report, authored by a group of known climate change skeptics, asserts that elevated CO2 levels promote plant growth and neutralize ocean alkalinity, challenging the widely accepted view that rising CO2 contributes to ocean acidification and harmful climate impacts. It also downplays the economic damage of human-caused climate change and warns that aggressive mitigation policies might be more harmful than beneficial. Furthermore, the report disputes the link between CO2 emissions and increased frequency or intensity of extreme weather events, and suggests U.S. climate policies have negligible global effects. Critics highlight that the report cherry-picks data and misrepresents scientific consensus, with climate experts condemning it as a regression to climate denialism. The authors, handpicked by the Energy Secretary, allegedly ignore established evidence such as rising sea levels and the broader impacts of
energycarbon-dioxideclimate-changegreenhouse-gasesDepartment-of-Energyenvironmental-policyglobal-warmingCleaner Air Is Making The Earth Hotter — Study - CleanTechnica
A recent study highlights an unintended consequence of efforts to improve air quality: reducing sulfur dioxide emissions, particularly in East Asia, has contributed to an acceleration in global warming. Since 2010, China’s aggressive air pollution policies have cut sulfur dioxide emissions by about 75 percent, significantly lowering aerosol pollution. While this has clear health benefits, sulfur aerosols previously masked some of the warming caused by greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. The study found that these aerosol reductions have contributed approximately 0.05°C per decade to global temperature increases, explaining much of the recent spike in warming, even after accounting for natural climate variability. The research, based on simulations from eight major climate models through the Regional Aerosol Model Intercomparison Project (RAMIP), underscores the complex relationship between air pollution and climate change. Aerosols such as sulfur dioxide have short atmospheric lifetimes, so their removal leads to a temporary boost in warming until long-term greenhouse gas-driven trends dominate. The findings emphasize the necessity of simultaneous efforts to reduce both
energyair-pollutionsulfur-dioxideclimate-changegreenhouse-gasesenvironmental-policyglobal-warmingInternational Court Of Justice Rules Climate Change Is "Existential Threat" - CleanTechnica
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), a United Nations body, issued a landmark advisory opinion on July 23, 2025, declaring climate change an “existential threat” that demands urgent global action. The Court emphasized that states have a legal obligation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, honor international climate agreements, and protect vulnerable populations and ecosystems. ICJ President Yuji Iwasawa underscored that human activities are unequivocally responsible for emissions causing cross-border harm, and failure to act may constitute an internationally wrongful act. The Court also recognized a “clean, healthy and sustainable environment” as a human right, aligning with similar constitutional provisions in some states, such as Montana. While the ruling is advisory and not legally binding, it places a clear duty on countries to implement binding measures consistent with climate treaties, particularly urging industrialized nations to lead due to their historical emissions. The Court called for national climate plans to be “progressive” and ambitious enough to limit global warming to 1
energyclimate-changegreenhouse-gas-emissionsenvironmental-lawsustainabilityclean-environmentglobal-warmingProof - Why People Deny Climate Change Is Real - CleanTechnica
The article from CleanTechnica discusses the complexities behind climate change denial and the scientific efforts to attribute extreme weather events to global warming. It references a recent piece by Weston Wilson on the website We Don’t Have Time, which highlights how climate change acts as an accelerant for extreme weather, such as the record rainfall and flooding in Texas and the deadly heat dome in Europe. Wilson explains that warmer air holds more moisture—about 7% more per degree Celsius increase—leading to more intense rainfall. While it is challenging to attribute any single event solely to climate change due to local factors like terrain and infrastructure, studies are increasingly able to quantify climate change’s role in worsening such disasters. A key example is a rapid attribution study by the Grantham Institute at the London School of Economics, which linked approximately 65% of 2,300 heat-related deaths in 12 European cities during a 2023 heatwave directly to human-caused climate change. This study demonstrated that climate change nearly tripled the
energyclimate-changeglobal-warmingextreme-weatherenvironmental-impactsustainabilityclimate-scienceClimate Change Made Texas Floods 20% to 30% More Severe - CleanTechnica
The catastrophic floods that struck Central Texas in July 2025 resulted in at least 120 deaths, numerous missing persons, widespread homelessness, and billions of dollars in economic damage. Scientific climate attribution studies have established that human-caused climate change made these floods 20% to 30% more severe than they would have been otherwise. This increased severity is linked to a roughly 7% rise in rainfall intensity driven by warmer air holding more moisture—a relationship explained by the Clausius-Clapeyron principle, which states that for every degree Celsius of warming, air can hold about 7% more moisture. Since global temperatures have risen about 1.2°C since pre-industrial times, rainfall events have become heavier and more intense. This seemingly modest increase in precipitation has disproportionately large impacts on flooding. Hydrological research shows that a 7% increase in rainfall can cause peak floodwater levels to rise by 20% to 30%, turning previously manageable floods into life-threatening disasters. For example
energyclimate-changefloodingprecipitationenvironmental-impacthydrologyglobal-warmingFloods In Texas — It's The Climate, Stupid! - CleanTechnica
The article discusses the recent devastating floods in Texas that resulted in over 100 deaths, emphasizing that the root cause is climate change rather than political or administrative failures. It highlights the extraordinary nature of the event, noting that Kerrville, Texas, experienced about 12 inches of rain in just one hour, causing the Guadalupe River to rise 26 feet in 45 minutes—figures described as "off the charts" and unprecedented. The article explains that climate change has increased atmospheric temperatures, allowing the air to hold significantly more moisture, which in turn fuels heavier rainfall and stronger storms. This is supported by scientific principles like the Clausius–Clapeyron equation, which quantifies how warmer air can carry more water vapor, and observations that warmer oceans evaporate more moisture, intensifying precipitation events. Furthermore, the article points out that Texas is particularly vulnerable to flooding due to its proximity to the warm Gulf of Mexico, which supplies abundant tropical moisture. The recent rains were also exacerbated by moisture
energyclimate-changefloodingextreme-weatherenvironmental-impactglobal-warmingprecipitationWMO Weather Forecast For 2050 Comes True 25 Years Early - CleanTechnica
The article highlights that a 2015 fictional weather forecast by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which projected extreme heat in Europe by 2025 and 2050, has alarmingly come true 25 years ahead of schedule. Recent heatwaves across Europe, with temperatures surpassing 40°C in countries from Spain to Hungary, mirror or exceed the WMO’s earlier projections. This rapid onset of extreme weather contradicts the misleading narrative of a “new normal” and signals a climate emergency that demands urgent attention and action. CleanTechnica criticizes the widespread climate misinformation propagated by certain media outlets and political figures who downplay the crisis or promote fossil fuel interests. The article underscores the need for truthful reporting and stronger climate policies, referencing a report by a UN special rapporteur advocating for criminalizing deliberate climate disinformation and phasing out fossil fuels to protect human rights and the environment. Additionally, the recent Global Tipping Points Conference in Glasgow, attended by 200 climate scientists, issued stark
energyclimate-changeglobal-warmingfossil-fuelsweather-forecastenvironmental-policysustainabilityLawfare! How Courts & State Legislatures Influence Climate Action - CleanTechnica
The article discusses the emerging legal battles between individuals, states, and fossil fuel companies over responsibility for climate change-related damages. A landmark case involves Misti Leon from Washington suing oil companies for the extreme heat that caused her mother’s death during Seattle’s record 108°F heatwave in 2021, which scientists attribute largely to human-caused climate change. Unlike previous lawsuits brought by political entities on behalf of citizens, Leon’s case is unprecedented in the U.S. as it targets harm to a single individual. Similar legal efforts, such as a group of senior women suing at the European Court of Human Rights over disproportionate heat-related deaths, have so far been unsuccessful, largely due to prolonged legal delays and tactics reminiscent of those used by Big Tobacco to stall accountability. The article also highlights how some states, like New York and Vermont, have enacted laws shifting climate adaptation costs from taxpayers to fossil fuel companies through Climate Change Adaptation Cost Recovery Programs. These laws aim to make polluters financially responsible for infrastructure
energyclimate-changefossil-fuelsenvironmental-lawglobal-warmingheat-domelitigationAbandoning The Market - CleanTechnica
The article "Abandoning The Market" from CleanTechnica reflects on the author's personal journey from conservative political views to recognizing the undeniable reality of climate change, sparked by observing the 2003 Hardiness Zone map that showed significant warming in their local area. The map, which was suppressed by the George W. Bush administration due to its implications about climate change, revealed a temperature increase of over 10°F in the author's region, bringing new environmental challenges like Lyme disease. This denial of clear scientific evidence by a political party led the author to reconsider their political alignment, especially after witnessing the resistance to acknowledging climate change among like-minded conservatives. The author connects this personal experience to a broader geopolitical and economic context, highlighting a recent International Energy Agency paper that underscores China's dominant position in clean energy investment and markets. The U.S., by contrast, has lagged behind due to political denial and lack of engagement with the realities of climate change. The article critiques the entrenched political denial in the U.S.
energyclimate-changeglobal-warmingrenewable-energysolar-powerwind-powercarbon-footprintCopernicus: Warmest March In Europe & Lowest Arctic Winter Sea Ice
climate-changeArctic-sea-iceEurope-weathertemperature-anomaliesenvironmental-scienceglobal-warmingCopernicusEuropean State of the Climate: Striking East-West Contrast & Widespread Flooding in Europe’s Warmest Year
climate-changeEuropefloodingweather-patternsenvironmental-impactEast-West-contrastglobal-warming