by David Spratt
So here is an idiosyncratic look at some of the big climate stories and insights from 2021, drawn from my Twitter feed.
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#Thwaites glacier has charged past its #climate tipping point, faster than forecast. Compare with 2007 IPCC report: “Current global model studies project that the #Antarctic ice sheet will remain too cold for widespread surface melting and gain mass due to increased snowfall…"
— David Spratt (@djspratt) December 18, 2021
After Glasgow, it’s time for a real-world #climate reality check. Our 2021 edition of Climate Reality Check presents 20 critical observations and insights to help address the dangerous underestimation of the climate emergency. https://t.co/UytC39bjht pic.twitter.com/iF0GvN6szt
— Breakthrough (@BreakthroughCCR) November 19, 2021
Labor adopts urgent climate risk assessment policy, as Morrison’s lack of climate action puts Australia's national security at risk, former defence chief says https://t.co/7DTgS3ui4x
— Australian Security Leaders Climate Group (@aslcg_org) December 5, 2021
Mary Robinson as #COP26 concludes:“COP26 has made some progress, but nowhere near enough to avoid climate disaster. While millions around the world are already in crisis, not enough leaders were in crisis mode. People will see this as a historically shameful dereliction of duty.” pic.twitter.com/18kEJc935h
— The Elders (@TheElders) November 13, 2021
Most people don't realize this, but the majority of high-income nations have already significantly exceeded their fair share of the carbon budget for 2 degrees. Their "zero by 2050" targets are therefore wildly inadequate. Here are the biggest overshooters: pic.twitter.com/xQib7418Lw
— Jason Hickel (@jasonhickel) October 16, 2021
60% of IPCC authors think we're headed for 3ºC warming.
— Alex Steffen (@AlexSteffen) November 1, 2021
My sense:
1.5º is barely even within possibility, and certainly extremely likely.
2º is possible, requires massive shifts in climate politics, business and finance... and luck.
2.5º is doable with rapid, spiky action. pic.twitter.com/xgpFs7F6Ya
Likely *NO* carbon budget for #climate Paris goal, says Potsdam’s Johan Rockström: If carbon cycle feedbacks accounted for, "such as tipping points in forest ecosystems & abrupt permafrost thaw, the estimated remaining budget could disappear altogether."https://t.co/ChhzxvDReZ
— David Spratt (@djspratt) September 22, 2021
#Climate-security nexus: #Afghanistan embodies a new breed of crisis, where hazards of war & climate change collide, creating a nightmarish feedback loop that punishes some of the world’s most vulnerable people & destroys the ability to cope. https://t.co/aUCBFZKFYd? @aslcg_org
— David Spratt (@djspratt) August 30, 2021
This matters. Hans Joachim Schellnhuber is Director Emeritus of Potsdam Institute and one of world's most eminent scientists: “I'm telling you that we're putting our kids onto a global school bus that will with 98% probability end in a deadly crash." #climate https://t.co/SmdV06iN6I
— David Spratt (@djspratt) August 30, 2021
Financial regulators want to stress-test Australian companies against 4C of #climate warming, but they miss the point. At 4C, bank customers will be dead on the streets, not shopping. Our new @Breathroughccr report explains why. https://t.co/dprHe9PZTL pic.twitter.com/9ZXvgjsNO5
— David Spratt (@djspratt) August 16, 2021
Death Valley hit 130°F this hour, breaking all-time reliably measured world heat record of 129.9°F set August 16, 2020 at the same site. To see the obs, choose 24 hours and click Decoded Data from this link: https://t.co/HJEkBK1uYW. Final high may be higher; Saturday even hotter? pic.twitter.com/xxUISd8b4y
— Jeff Masters (@DrJeffMasters) July 10, 2021
Political orthodoxy holds that free markets & private sector are good at analysing #climate risks & pricing them for an efficient outcome. But this pillar of policymaking is just hot air: markets are and will fail to deal with the existential risks: https://t.co/Wc9X5m58U7
— David Spratt (@djspratt) May 10, 2021
This is the most important tweet in the world today:
— Roger Hallam (@RogerHallamCS21) April 16, 2021
"There is no carbon budget left" @djspratt #Breakthrough National Centre for Climate Restoration #australia #ActNow #COP26 #climatechange #DisruptionWorks @Xramerica2030 @CitizensXr https://t.co/2kIDB1K1RQ
Hot!! "The sheer scale of the area burned in the 2019-20 fire season exceeded not only historical records for forested ecosystems of southern Australia, but also outstripped projections for the late 21st century under strong scenarios of #climate change.” https://t.co/YLbd942ea5
— David Spratt (@djspratt) April 4, 2021
On #climate carbon budgets, Sir David King says it all: "Where we are today at just over 500 parts per million of carbon dioxide, methane and NOx gases, we have already passed the tipping point, we are already into a **negative** carbon budget.” https://t.co/EdivNQKw9X 1/2
— David Spratt (@djspratt) March 24, 2021
Climate triangulation:
— Alex Steffen (@AlexSteffen) March 23, 2021
*Set bold targets in the distant future.
*Announce incremental actions.
*Provide justifications/ rhetoric framing small steps as "in line" with bold action.
The world is being cooked alive by companies and institutions that claim climate leadership. https://t.co/UZXT6ZCWD3
“What we do over the next three to four years, I believe, is going to determine the future of humanity. We are in a very very desperate situation.” Professor Sir David King, former UK chief scientist #ClimateCrisis @Sir_David_King #Reset2021 https://t.co/eJ1fIVRh6T
— Jo Chandler (@jo_m_chandler) February 12, 2021
Advocating a #climate target of zero by 2050 for high per capita emissions countries like Australia is not climate justice, it's climate colonialism implicitly claiming a right by the rich for higher ongoing per capita emission rates than people in the developing world. https://t.co/QpytlEBAbQ pic.twitter.com/BpRitDMy2C
— David Spratt (@djspratt) January 25, 2021
For some more orthodox lists of the big stories of the year, try:
- COP26, global emissions gaps, and extreme weather disasters
- Climate Stories From The Times: 13 Must-Reads
- 8 ominous climate milestones we reached in 2021
- From floods and wildfires to inaction and urgency: These are the top climate and weather stories of 2021
- The Five Biggest Climate Stories of 2021
