THE CLIMATE ROUNDUP 10.2.22
Hey climate heroes! Welcome to The Climate Roundup, where we round up the change, er the news about climate and the environment. As part of the Gen E community, we thank you for making climate action part of everyday life. (Reading this newsletter counts!)
In Pop Culture:
Several celebs took to social media to solicit help for the victims of Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Among their number were Jennifer Lopez, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Zoe Saldana.
GETTING DOWN TO CLIMATE BUSINESS:
🏥️ It’s impossible to talk about climate without addressing the recent spate of hurricanes and tropical storms, the most recent of which, Ian, devastated Florida this week. One factor increasing the likelihood of these extreme events – warmer waters fueled by climate change. Here’s how you can help victims of Hurricane Ian, and if you missed it last week, here’s how you can help victims of Hurricane Fiona.
🛢️ This week, the Nord Stream pipeline between Europe and Russia was damaged, and now it’s spewing methane, perhaps the most powerful greenhouse gas, into the ocean, and subsequently, the atmosphere. One Stanford scientist said that, “This will probably be the biggest gas leak ever, in terms of its rate.” To paraphrase the great American philosopher Homer Simpson, it will be the biggest gas leak ever… SO FAR.
₿ A new study estimates that Bitcoin’s climate impact is similar to beef production and crude oil. Researchers arrived at this conclusion by calculating the pollution price from each of these industries. They determined that “every $1 in Bitcoin market value generated an average of 35 cents in global climate damages.” Not to mention the incalculable psychic damage to people trapped in conversations about Bitcoin.
🤝️ In last week’s newsletter, we told you about the Kigali Amendment, a treaty that will phase out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Now, Robinson Meyer has an excellent writeup about how Kigali is actually a really big deal. It’s an update to the Montreal Protocol that prevented CFCs from creating a hold in the ozone layer, and it’s significant because while the Montreal Protocol has been updated several times, this is the first time they’ve added a provision specifically for greenhouse gases. According to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, “Ratifying the Kigali Amendment, along with passing the Inflation Reduction Act, is the strongest one-two punch against climate change any Congress has ever taken.” Now we just gotta learn some kick-strikes and we’ll really be doing some climate jiu-jitsu.
💊️ Oregon will become the first state in the country to cover climate-related health expenses under its Medicaid program. Among the benefits, the new program will pay for devices that were previously unnecessary in the famously rainy Pacific Northwest, like air filters and air conditioners. Now more than ever, we need a new episode of Portlandia where Fred and Carrie get an air conditioner “before it was cool.”
🧴️ The U.S. wants to form a plastic-reduction alliance similar to the Paris Climate Accord. Sounds good in theory, but there’s one problem: the Paris Climate Accord famously didn’t hold anyone to account on reaching their stated goals. Now, other countries want to create actual enforceable rules on plastic production.
SOME STATS:
40M: THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO RELY ON THE COLORADO RIVER, WHERE CLIMATE CHANGE AND OVERUSE HAS DEPLETED RESERVOIRS. (NPR)
10%: A NEW STUDY FOUND THAT CLIMATE CHANGE ADDED APPROXIMATELY THIS MUCH TO HURRICANE IAN’S RAINFALL. (US NEWS)
Fly Me To The Moon Maldives
I’m someone who has no problem making drastic changes to my life to avert climate disaster, but one thing that I’d be devastated to lose is travel. So whenever news comes out about how to make globetrotting more sustainable, I get excited. Today, that news comes from the Maldives, the lowest-lying nation in the world, who will be disproportionately affected by climate change. Here’s how resorts in the Maldives are leading the charge towards sustainable tourism. We’ll all need to do our part to halt climate change, but it will be easier if we know there’s a light at the end of the tunnel (enjoying a fruity drink, poolside, with a mild sunburn).
Thanks for reading! – Nicole