The moon over the Svalbard Islands, Norway, and the Arctic Ocean, where a study has linked tidal rhythms to methane release. MB Photography / Moment / Getty Images
<p>That's the takeaway from a study published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-18899-3" target="_blank">Nature Communications in October</a>, which found that the tidal rhythms played a role in the intensity and frequency of methane releases from sediments in the Arctic Ocean. Lower tides meant more intense releases, while higher tides reduced the height and volume of gas releases.</p><p>"It is the first time that this observation has been made in the Arctic Ocean," study coauthor and researcher at the Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate (CAGE) at the UiT-The Arctic University of Norway Jochen Knies said in a <a href="https://cage.uit.no/2020/12/11/the-moon-controls-the-release-of-methane-in-arctic-ocean/" target="_blank">CAGE press release</a>. "It means that slight pressure changes can release significant amounts of methane. This is a game-changer and the highest impact of the study."</p>
<div id="b4576" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="38351a1149ae99a6d59d625efd99643e"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1338404618892685313" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Methane release from natural sources is tricky to quantify and constrain, especially in the Arctic Ocean. It turns… https://t.co/RoRiV0g8aH</div> — CAGE (@CAGE)<a href="https://twitter.com/CAGE_COE/statuses/1338404618892685313">1607935502.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>To achieve their results, the researchers put a device called a piezometer in Arctic Ocean sediment about a meter (approximately 3.28 feet) from the seafloor and left it there for four days. The piezometer measured the pressure and temperature of sediment pores every hour and revealed that the upward and downward movement of gas is linked to pressure, which is in turn determined by the tides.</p><p>"Low tide means less of such hydrostatic pressure and higher intensity of methane release. High tide equals high pressure and lower intensity of the release," study coauthor Andreia Plaza Faverola, also of CAGE, said in the press release.</p>
<p>The findings have two major implications.</p><p>The first concerns the amount of methane the Arctic Ocean may be releasing into the atmosphere. Methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas. Once released into the atmosphere, it has 86 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide before it decays to the latter after one or two decades, <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-bad-of-a-greenhouse-gas-is-methane/" target="_blank">Scientific American pointed out</a>. It is currently generated by human activities like fossil fuel production and transportation, livestock agriculture and the decay of organic material in landfills, according to the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)</a>. But there is also <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/methane-release-arctic-ocean-2648529839.html" target="_self">concern</a> that, as the planet warms, it could be released by the thawing of frozen gas deposits in the Arctic Ocean known as hydrates. Preliminary data released by Arctic scientists in October revealed wide methane release off the Eastern Siberian coast, though other scientists urged caution as the findings have not yet been peer reviewed.</p><p>Now, Plaza Faverola says the new study provides evidence that Arctic Ocean methane release is occurring more often than previous observation techniques have revealed.</p><p>"This tells us that gas release from the seafloor is more widespread than we can see using traditional sonar surveys. We saw no bubbles or columns of gas in the water. Gas burps that have a periodicity of several hours won't be identified unless there is a permanent monitoring tool in place, such as the piezometer," Plaza Faverola said in the CAGE release.</p>
<p>Knies noted that the methane releases his team studied occured in the deep ocean, where they are less likely to reach the atmosphere and contribute to the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a>. But Knies suggested the study should be repeated studying shallower sediments.</p><p>"What we found was unexpected and the implications are big," Knies said in the release.</p><p>The second implication has to do with how global warming will interact with <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sea-level-rise" target="_self">sea level rise</a> to influence Arctic Ocean methane release. While higher temperatures mean greater thawing, the fact that greater water pressure reduces the height and volume of gas releases may mean that sea level rise partly counterbalances the impact of warming.</p><p>"Earth systems are interconnected in ways that we are still deciphering, and our study reveals one of such interconnections in the Arctic: The moon causes tidal forces, the tides generate pressure changes, and bottom currents that in turn shape the seafloor and impact submarine methane emissions. Fascinating!" Plaza Faverola said in conclusion.</p>
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Officials in the Marshall Islands blamed climate change for severe flooding in the capital of Majuro on March 3, 2014, leaving 1,000 people homeless. Giff Johnson / AFP / Getty Images
By Autumn Bordner and Caroline E. Ferguson
Along U.S. coastlines, from California to Florida, residents are getting increasingly accustomed to "king tides." These extra-high tides cause flooding and wreak havoc on affected communities. As climate change raises sea levels, they are becoming more extreme.
<p>King tides are <a href="https://reliefweb.int/disaster/ss-2014-000032-mhl" target="_blank">nothing new</a> for the Marshall Islands, a nation made up of 29 low-lying coral atolls that stretch across more than a million square miles of Pacific Ocean northeast of Australia. By 2035, the U.S. Geological Survey projects that <a href="https://www.serdp-estcp.org/Program-Areas/Resource-Conservation-and-Resiliency/Infrastructure-Resiliency/Vulnerability-and-Impact-Assessment/RC-2334/" target="_blank">some of the Marshall Islands will be submerged</a>. Others will no longer have drinking water because their aquifers will be contaminated with saltwater. As a result, Marshallese would be forced to migrate away from their homelands.</p><p>This scenario is not inevitable. As part of our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2020.102054" target="_blank">research on climate justice</a>, we visited the Marshall Islands and interviewed leaders and community organizers in 2018 and 2019. We learned that large-scale adaptation measures that could save both these and other islands are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/apv.12153" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">still possible</a>, and that Marshallese leaders are committed to adapting in place. But their nation's colonial history has made it hard for them to act by leaving them dependent on foreign aid. And, to date, outside funders have been unwilling or unable to invest in projects that could save the nation.</p><p>Most of the world's other island nations share similar colonial histories and face comparable climate challenges. Without swift and dramatic adaptation, entire island nations could become uninhabitable. For the Marshall Islands, this is expected to occur <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aap9741" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">by midcentury</a>.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk1NjE2OC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTg3MzU4OH0.mOpRmdrNs4fi4j9dOKVHrIQp1lwGlCT_9jC85gvByEQ/img.png?width=980" id="e46b7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6ba286bef3f726ac887a483b2520c543" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="600" data-height="384" />
The Marshall Islands span over 1 million square miles of ocean in the North Pacific. Autumn Bordner
A Radioactive Legacy
<p>The Marshall Islands were settled at least 2,000 years ago and fell under colonial rule during the 19th century. The U.S. captured the islands during World War II and became colonial administrator through the <a href="https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/111988?ln=en" target="_blank">United Nations</a>, accepting "<a href="https://www.un.org/en/sections/un-charter/chapter-xi/index.html" target="_blank">sacred trust</a>" obligations to protect the health and welfare of the Marshallese people and promote their political and economic self-determination.</p><p>Instead, from 1946 to 1958, the United States tested 67 nuclear weapons on inhabited Bikini and Enewetak Atolls, forcing these and other exposed communities to evacuate their homelands. Thousands of Marshallese remain in exile to this day, largely on <a href="https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/remembering-the-23-time-bombed-island-of-bikini-on-international-bikini-day/" target="_blank">tiny islands that are extremely climate-vulnerable</a> or in the United States. Others have returned to their atolls, where radioactive fallout still <a href="https://www.latimes.com/projects/marshall-islands-nuclear-testing-sea-level-rise/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">contaminates the land</a>. All of those exposed to radiation continue to face <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/HP.0b013e3181dc523c" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">long-term health risks</a>.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk1NjE3My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1Njg5NjU4Mn0.Ya4iuU_k460Yv9e31RJyWHk50LlVomqrowR0ToSSmQk/img.jpg?width=980" id="1a979" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4835cbe35c50c080ef4353dacd971386" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="600" data-height="466" />
Residents board a U.S. Navy ship, forcibly evacuated in March 1948 from Bikini Atoll for U.S. nuclear weapons testing. U.S. Navy
<p>The Marshall Islands gained sovereignty in 1986. But the U.S. retains full authority and responsibility for "<a href="https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/173999.pdf" target="_blank">security and defense matters in or relating to the Marshall Islands</a>," including the right to use Marshallese lands and waters for military activities.</p><p>Moreover, while the islands were a U.S. trust territory, the United States <a href="http://micronesianseminar.org/media/pubs/articles/economic/frames/creatcolofr.htm" target="_blank">did not foster a self-sufficient economy</a>. Instead, it injected large amounts of aid under the assumption that the islands were, in the words of Pacific scholar Epeli Hau'ofa, "<a href="https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/12960/1/v6n1-148-161-dialogue.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">too small, too poor and too isolated to develop any meaningful degree of autonomy</a>." The bulk of this aid went toward providing social services rather than promoting economic development, resulting in an economy based almost entirely on financial transfers from the U.S.</p><h2>It's Not Rocket Science</h2><p>What options does the Marshall Islands have for protecting its citizens from climate change? When we met with former National Climate Advisor Ben Graham in 2019, he told us that it will take "radical adaptation" to remain in place.</p><p>To control flooding driven by rising seas, the nation would need to <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/11/rising-seas-force-marshall-islands-relocate-elevate-artificial-islands/#close" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reclaim and elevate land</a> and consolidate its population in urban centers. Doing so is "not rocket science," Graham told us. "China is <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-navy-sails-past-disputed-artificial-islands-claimed/story?id=60993256#:%7E:text=In%202014%20China%20began%20massive,deployment%20of%20Chinese%20fighter%20jets." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">building islands</a> by the acre every day, Denmark is planning to construct <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/11/denmark-plans-to-power-10m-homes-with-new-wind-farm-islands" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">nine artificial islands</a>. … It's not new, but it is expensive."</p>
<div id="25ddc" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="65938f7826ed165d634b2c66809da90c"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1199610386372149248" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Breaking: Earlier today the town of Jenrok, Majuro, Marshall Islands experienced a flooding that’s affected a numbe… https://t.co/DQn9u0Bimm</div> — 350 Pacific (@350 Pacific)<a href="https://twitter.com/350Pacific/statuses/1199610386372149248">1574844378.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>According to Graham, implementing the forthcoming <a href="https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/displacement-and-out-migration-marshall-islands-experience" target="_blank">National Adaptation Plan</a> will cost on the order of US$1 billion. That's money the country doesn't have.</p><p>But one atoll is likely to be saved: Kwajalein, which is occupied by the U.S. military. Already, the U.S. has made substantial investments to understand how sea level rise is affecting its <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/04/25/climate-change-could-make-thousands-of-tropical-islands-uninhabitable-in-coming-decades-new-study-says/" target="_blank">military assets on Kwajalein</a>.</p><h2>Radical Adaptation or Forced Migration?</h2><p>Like most island states, the Marshall Islands relies heavily on external funding, often from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8373.2011.01468.x" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">former colonial administrators</a>. Outside aid, primarily from organizations like the World Bank and donor countries like the U.S. and Australia, accounts for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00220381003623889" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">more than 25% of its gross domestic product</a>, which in 2018 was <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/country/MH" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">$221.3 million</a>.</p><p>These funders exert outsized control over the development agendas of the nations they support, including the power to decide which climate change adaptations are appropriate. In particular, funders tend to impose strict social and environmental <a href="http://pubdocs.worldbank.org/PubDocsError.jsp?err_msg=Document%20is%20not%20available%20for%20public%20viewing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">safeguards</a>, which limit the range of adaptation options the Marshall Islands and other aid-dependent sovereigns can pursue.</p><p>To date funders have only supported small-scale short-term projects, such as flood warning systems and improvements to tidal forecasting. And many have come to view migration as a suitable alternative to the type of large-scale adaptation that would allow nations to survive and people to live and thrive in their homelands. As Ben Graham put it to us, "there are those who say … your population is too small to spend half a billion dollars on it. Just relocate. It's not worth keeping your culture and your sovereign status."</p><p>But international law indicates that funders should not have the power to decide whether sovereign nations can survive climate change. The <a href="http://hrlr.law.columbia.edu/files/2019/11/51.1.3-Bordner.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">international norm of self-determination</a> requires that decision to lie with the affected nation and its people. Yet unless the status quo is changed, the Marshallese face a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuDA7izeYrk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">forced migration</a> caused by outside powers, just as they did 74 years ago as a result of U.S. nuclear weapons testing.</p>
<h2>Island Climate Justice Leaders</h2><p>The Marshallese face overwhelming challenges, but they are not passive victims. The Marshall Islands was <a href="https://sdg.iisd.org/news/marshall-islands-becomes-first-country-to-submit-second-more-ambitious-ndc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the first nation</a> to increase its greenhouse gas reduction pledge under <a href="https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the Paris Agreement</a>. Its representatives have served as tireless <a href="https://www.theelders.org/news/frontline-climate-crisis-marshall-islands" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">advocates</a> for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/22/world/tony-de-brum-dead-climate-change-advocate.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">climate action</a> and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-change-marshallislands-idUSKCN1TM1HU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">human rights</a> on the international stage. And the Marshall Islands spearheaded the successful campaign to include a "<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/12/09/459053208/for-the-marshall-islands-the-climate-goal-is-1-5-to-stay-alive" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">well-below 2 degrees" warming target</a> in the Climate Accords.</p><p>But they can't fight alone. The nation's president, David Kabua, recently <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/21/the-climate-crisis-will-sweep-away-my-country-if-the-world-doesnt-keep-its-promises" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">called upon wealthy nations</a> to live up to their Paris Agreement commitments to reduce emissions and mobilize the funding that vulnerable nations need to survive.</p>
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/289482525" width="100%" height="480" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b91f7c30fa25b95613db4b9cd3ccdf6a"></iframe><p>For years, the U.S. and other developed nations have failed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions quickly enough to meet targets in the Paris climate agreement that are intended to avoid warming on a catastrophic scale. They have also <a href="https://phys.org/news/2020-11-rich-nations-fall-short-climate.html" target="_blank">failed to meet</a> their pledges to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14693062.2019.1623166" target="_blank">help vulnerable states</a> adapt to climate change. The U.S., meanwhile, has refused to provide <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2015/11/27/a-ground-zero-forgotten/" target="_blank">over $2 billion</a> that an independent nuclear claims tribunal awarded to the Marshall Islands as compensation for damage caused by nuclear testing.</p><p>The incoming Biden administration has a chance to change course. We believe that the U.S. should provide direct support for Marshallese climate adaptation efforts. This would help to redress the long history of use and abuse, broken promises, and unfulfilled obligations that has left the Marshall Islands so exceptionally climate-vulnerable today.</p>
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Like many other plant-based foods and products, CBD oil is one dietary supplement where "organic" labels are very important to consumers. However, there are little to no regulations within the hemp industry when it comes to deeming a product as organic, which makes it increasingly difficult for shoppers to find the best CBD oil products available on the market.
<p>Here you can learn about the importance of organic hemp oil, why it's better for the environment, and which CBD companies actually make trustworthy products with sustainable farming processes. origins which weigh heavily on many consumers who want to buy a product that's produced in the best way possible for not only themselves to ingest, but for the environment as well through sustainable farming methods. </p><h2>What Is CBD Oil?</h2><p>First things first, CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it's a cannabinoid found within cannabis sativa plants. This plant compound is believed to have many potential benefits, and it is primarily derived from hemp plants via a CO2 extraction process. </p><p>Since CBD is extracted from industrial hemp, which contains only trace amounts of THC (the psychoactive component in cannabis plants), this means that CBD won't make you feel high like marijuana, which has much higher levels of THC that causes psychoactive effects. Instead, the effects of CBD are much more subtle and promote a general sense of calm and relaxation in most users.</p><h2>What Makes a CBD Oil Organic?</h2><p>In terms of organic labels, perhaps the most important (and prominent) certification comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This government organization has been labeling foods as "organic" for many years, but what exactly does this certification entail? Essentially, a label indicating that a product is "USDA Organic" or "Certified Organic" means that at least 95% of the ingredients are obtained from organic sources.</p><p>For a crop to be considered organic by the USDA, it must be grown without the use of industrial solvents, irradiation, genetic engineering (GMOs), synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizer. Instead, farmers rely on natural substances and <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mechanical, physical, or biologically based farming</a> techniques to cultivate healthy and organic crops.</p><p>Before the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, no hemp-derived products could be dubbed as "certified organic" since the hemp plant and its extracts were still categorized as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. However, it's still difficult for CBD companies to obtain a USDA certified organic label for their products due to the legal grey area that still surrounds CBD extracts. </p><p>Because of these challenges, and due to the fact that industrial hemp has only recently become an agricultural crop, very few CBD oils are USDA certified organic. Rather, many CBD products contain hemp extracts from plants that were grown in organic conditions but may not be federally certified.</p><h2>What are the Best Organic CBD Oil Brands?</h2><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected by the writer. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p><em><br></em>
<h2>Why Organic Hemp Oil Matters</h2><p>Hemp is a unique plant, not only for its rich cannabinoid content, but also for its ability to absorb a wide variety of components in soil. But this trait poses great risks when it comes to the creation of CBD products derived from hemp.</p><p>Because hemp has a high capacity for compound uptake, this means that the plants can retain <a href="https://www.remedyreview.com/industry/lab-test-results/" target="_blank">harmful chemicals like pesticides</a>, heavy metals, and other residual solvents. This is especially true when it comes to synthetic chemicals that are more toxic to humans, and difficult to remove once they have been absorbed by the hemp plant.</p><p>Organic farming practices help reduce the risk of hemp crops absorbing harsh chemicals that may later end up in CBD oil after extraction. When you're taking CBD as a wellness supplement to help alleviate your symptoms or improve your overall well-being, the last thing you want is to ingest compounds that might negatively outweigh the benefits of CBD. This is an important reason to look for third party lab test results when shopping for CBD products since these certificates of analysis can show the full cannabinoid and terpene profile of a hemp extract, as well as test results that search for the presence of any residual solvents.</p><p>In addition to creating a better end product, organic farming practices are also better for the environment. Sustainable and organic farming methods may <a href="https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/organic-foods.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy</a>. The use of natural pest deterrents as opposed to chemical pesticides is also better for nearby animal populations and ecosystems.</p><h3>Organic vs. Natural</h3><p>While there are only a select few companies offering certified organic ingredients in their products, almost every brand in the CBD market creates "natural" products. The term "all-natural" or "plant-based" does not mean that a product is organic, and since hemp oil is a natural derivative of hemp plants, these products are often referred to as all-natural. However, there are some synthetic CBD oils that should be avoided because they are chemically constructed and may produce unwanted side effects that are not caused by naturally derived CBD extracts.</p><h2>What are the Benefits of Organic CBD Oil?</h2><p>There's a long list of potential CBD oil health benefits, and some of the most common wellness advantages include:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/" target="_blank">Chronic pain relief</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/" target="_blank">Anti-anxiety effects</a></li><li>Better sleep</li><li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inner-source/201901/cbd-oil-mental-health-should-you-take-it-too" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Improvements in mood</a></li><li>Internal balance and regulation</li></ul><p>When dealing with pain, inflammation, sleep issues, and mental health struggles, it can be hard to find sufficient treatment options. The use of certain prescriptions can cause unwanted side effects, yet they are often the only solution for patients with these medical conditions. In search of other therapies, people have started to flock towards CBD oil as an alternative remedy for a variety of conditions. However, it should be noted that CBD products are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and you should seek your doctor's advice before using CBD if you have a serious medical condition.</p><h2>Look at the Labels Before You Buy CBD Oil</h2><p>When you go online to buy CBD oil, you'll quickly realize there is an overwhelming number of brands that are saturating the market. It can be difficult to determine which products are truly as good as they make themselves out to be. Always look for up-to-date third-party lab tests so you know you are getting a great product, and don't hesitate to contact the brand if you have any additional questions. And if you're intent on purchasing 100% organic CBD oil, it's best to look for certified products or brands that are held to strict regulatory standards.</p><p><strong>Melena Gurganus </strong>is the Reviews Editor at EcoWatch. She is passionate health and wellness and her writing aims to help others find products they can trust. Her work has been featured in publications such as Health, Shape, Huffington Post, Cannabis Business Times, and Bustle.<br></p>
Spruce
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjI3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTM2NzgzOX0.axY0HjeqRctJsR_KmDLctzDpUBLBN-oNIdqaXDb4caQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="774be" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8379f35b1ca8a86d0e61b7d4bfc8b46e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="spruce organic cbd oil" data-width="710" data-height="959" /><p>As one of the best brands in the business, Spruce CBD is well-known for its potent CBD oils that feature many additional beneficial phytocannabinoids. This brand works with two family-owned, sustainably focused farms in the USA (one located in Kentucky and one in North Carolina) to create its organic, small product batches. The max potency Spruce CBD oil contains 2400mg of full-spectrum CBD extract, but the brand also offers a lower strength tincture with 750mg of CBD in total.</p>
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CBDistillery
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$35
FAB CBD
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDIwOTEyMn0.MlTjz096FJ0ev_-soK7_Z-FeQeJczWoeh9Qi9SSkHsY/img.jpg?width=980" id="04b26" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76aa4862f44603242e318982acea6646" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="fab cbd oil" data-width="800" data-height="800" /><p>For an organic CBD oil that has it all, FAB CBD offers plenty of variety for any type of consumer. All of its products are made with zero pesticides and extracted from organically grown Colorado industrial hemp. FAB CBD oil comes in five all-natural flavors (mint, vanilla, berry, citrus, and natural) and is also available in four strengths (300, 600, 1200, and 2400mg per bottle).</p>
$39
NuLeaf Naturals
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzExNTgyMX0.D6qMGYllKTsVhEkQ-L_GzpDHVu60a-tJKcio7M1Ssmc/img.jpg?width=980" id="94e4a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3609a52479675730893a45a82a03c71d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="nuleaf naturals organic cbd oil" data-width="600" data-height="600" /><p>As an industry-leading brand, it comes as no surprise that NuLeaf Naturals sources its CBD extract from organic hemp plants grown on licensed farms in Colorado. The comany's CBD oils only contain two ingredients: USDA certified organic hemp seed oil and full spectrum hemp extract.</p><p>NuLeaf Naturals uses one proprietary CBD oil formula for all of its products, so you will get the same CBD potency in each tincture (60mg per mL), but can purchase different bottle sizes depending on how much you intend to use.</p>
$38.50
Charlotte's Web
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjk3NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzQ0NjM4N30.SaQ85SK10-MWjN3PwHo2RqpiUBdjhD0IRnHKTqKaU7Q/img.jpg?width=980" id="84700" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2174067dcc0c4094be25b3472ce08c8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="charlottes web cbd oil" data-width="1244" data-height="1244" /><p>Perhaps one of the most well-known brands in the CBD landscape, Charlotte's Web has been growing sustainable hemp plants for several years. The company is currently in the process of achieving official USDA Organic Certification, but it already practices organic and sustainable cultivation techniques to enhance the overall health of the soil and the hemp plants themselves, which creates some of the highest quality CBD extracts. Charlotte's Web offers CBD oils in a range of different concentration options, and some even come in a few flavor options such as chocolate mint, orange blossom, and lemon twist.</p>
$60
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Penguins gather on an ice floe near Davis Station, Southern Ocean, Antarctica on Jan. 25, 2019. copyright Jeff Miller / Moment / Getty Images
Antarctica and Greenland's ice sheets are currently melting at a pace consistent with worst-case-scenario predictions for sea level rise, with serious consequences for coastal communities and the reliability of climate models.
<p>A paper published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-020-0893-y" target="_blank">Nature Climate Change</a> Monday compared the latest satellite observations of polar ice melt with the predictions outlined in the <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/assessment-report/ar5/" target="_blank">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report</a>. It <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-020-0893-y.epdf?no_publisher_access=1&r3_referer=nature" target="_blank">found</a> that the ice sheets are currently raising sea levels at a rate 45 percent above the IPCC's central prediction and closer to its worst-case scenario. If this continues, the two ice sheets could raise sea levels a further 17 centimeters (approximately 7 inches) more than central predictions by 2100.</p><p>"If ice sheet losses continue to track our worst-case climate warming scenarios we should expect an additional 17cm of sea level rise from the ice sheets alone," study coauthor and University of Leeds researcher Anna Hogg said in a <a href="http://www.leeds.ac.uk/news/article/4658/sea_level_rise_matches_worst-case_scenario" target="_blank">university press release</a>. "That's enough to double the frequency of storm-surge <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/flooding" target="_self">flooding</a> in many of the world's largest coastal cities."</p>
<div id="2fa32" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b464cded4f9b3404465e4b8c04f92009"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1300528364873277440" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Ice sheets losses are tracking the IPCCs worst case climate predictions. This could mean an extra 17 cm of sea leve… https://t.co/wPdqTWef1D</div> — CPOM News (@CPOM News)<a href="https://twitter.com/CPOM_news/statuses/1300528364873277440">1598905099.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Since the 1990s, the two ice sheets have already increased global sea levels by 1.8 centimeters (approximately 0.7 inches). But it was between 2007 and 2017 that the ice sheets began to lose mass at a rate consistent with worst-case-scenario projections, adding around 1.23 centimeters (approximately 0.5 inches) to the water line during that decade, according to the study.</p><p>A worst-case-scenario sea level rise as currently predicted would expose 44 to 66 million people to yearly coastal flooding by century's end. But one of study's most alarming implications is that, if sea level rise is already tracking worst-case-scenario predictions, the actual worst-case scenario could be even more dire.</p>
<p>"We need to come up with a new worst-case scenario for the ice sheets because they are already melting at a rate in line with our current one," lead author and Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (CPOM) at the University of Leeds researcher Thomas Slater told <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/ice-sheet-melting-is-perfectly-in-line-with-our-worst-case-scenario-scientists-warn?fbclid=IwAR2s5aduvFPi61VIAg7yIvh813EBaKGyJPzQh836ugmUY3pPkm3wHGfaTx0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AFP</a>. "Sea level projections are critical in helping governments plan climate policy, mitigation and adaptation strategies. If we underestimate future sea level rise, then these measures may be inadequate and leave coastal communities vulnerable."</p><p>One of the reasons climate models might underestimate the worst-case scenario, Slater told AFP, is that they do not account for short-term weather changes such as the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/heat-wave" target="_self">heat wave</a> that <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/greenland-record-breaking-melt-heat-wave-2639610009.html" target="_self">drove</a> Greenland's <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/greenland-ice-melt-2019-2647049163.html" target="_self">record melt</a> in the summer of 2019.</p><p>The models that will be used for the IPCC's next report are better at predicting how the ice sheets, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oceans" target="_self">oceans</a> and atmosphere interact, Slater said.</p>
<p>The latest study follows a slew of bad news for the world's ice. One study <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/greenland-ice-sheet-melting-2647005347.html" target="_self">published in August</a> found that the Greenland ice sheet had passed the "point of no return" and would continue to melt even if the climate crisis were halted.</p><p><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/earth-sea-ice-melt-study-2647072206.html" target="_self">Another recent study</a>, also driven by Leeds' CPOM, calculated that the earth had lost 28 trillion tonnes (approximately 31 trillion U.S. tons) of ice in just 23 years.</p><p>These studies reflect a new global reality: In the last five years, melt from ice sheets and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/glaciers" target="_self">glaciers</a> has outpaced the expansion of warming ocean water as the main cause of sea level rise.</p><p>"It is not only Antarctica and Greenland that are causing the water to rise," Dr. Ruth Mottram, a coauthor on Monday's study and a climate researcher at the Danish Meteorological Institute, told the University of Leeds. "In recent years, thousands of smaller glaciers have begun to melt or disappear altogether, as we saw with the glacier Ok in Iceland, which was declared 'dead' in 2014. This means that melting of ice has now taken over as the main contributor of sea level rise."</p>
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A man walks across an arcade by a flooded St. Mark's Square on Dec. 8 in Venice following a high tide "Alta Acqua" event following heavy rains and strong winds, and the mobile gates of the MOSE Experimental Electromechanical Module that protects the city of Venice from floods, were not lifted. ANDREA PATTARO / AFP / Getty Images
Flood waters swamped Venice's iconic Saint Mark's Square on Tuesday, despite the implementation of a barrier system that was supposed to protect the city from the flooding events that are getting more frequent because of the climate crisis.
<p>The water level rose to a high of 4.5 feet above sea level in the afternoon, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/venice-flooded-as-new-8-billion-dam-system-fails-to-activate/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AFP reported</a>. This swamped St. Mark's Square, the lowest point in the city at only about three feet above sea level, as well as its historic basilica. </p>
<p>"The situation is terrible, we're under water in a dramatic way," the church's head procurator Carlo Alberto Tesserin told Italian media, as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/weather/2020/dec/08/venice-floods-as-forecasts-fail-to-predict-extent-of-high-tide" target="_blank">The Guardian reported</a>.</p><p>The flooding came despite the fact that the city had finally installed a system of retractable flood barriers called MOSE. However, the system failed to activate because of a mistaken weather forecast.</p><p>MOSE is designed to close its barriers before high tides of 1.3 meters (approximately 4.3 feet). However, Tuesday's tide was only predicted to rise to 1.2 meters (approximately 3.9 feet), instead of the 4.5 feet it eventually reached.</p><p>"The situation is really bad as we weren't expecting it," Matteo Secchi, head of the activist group Venessia.com, told The Guardian. "It's frustrating as we thought that with Mose this kind of thing wouldn't happen any more, but instead we're back to square one. It's the same old problem."</p><p>The higher than expected tide was also driven inward by stronger winds than predicted, according to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/international-news-floods-tides-92b6ec9b969a86acd13eb1764de2f25f" target="_blank">The Associated Press</a>.</p><p>"Unfortunately, the weather is freer than us. It does what it wants," Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro told The Associated Press.</p>
<p>In addition to flooding the church, the water also inundated some shops and businesses. The damage is not yet known, according to The Guardian. However, the flood is likely to put a further strain on shop or restaurant owners already suffering from a lack of tourism due to the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_self">coronavirus</a> pandemic, The Associated Press pointed out.</p><p>The MOSE flood barrier was first designed in 1984 and was supposed to be installed by 2011, according to The Guardian. However, it was beset by corruption and delays. It was originally supposed to cost two billion euros, but the final price tag was seven billion, according to AFP.</p><p>The long-awaited barrier <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/venice-flood-barrier-2648098487.html" target="_self">successfully</a> protected Venice from an approximately four-foot high tide in October of this year. Its final installation came about a year after Venice <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/venice-flooding-2641326129.html" target="_self">experienced</a> its worst high tide in more than 50 years during November 2019, an event that Brugnaro blamed on climate change. There were only 10 "exceptional tides" in Venice between 1923 and 2000, but that number rose to 14 between 2001 and 2019, according to <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/12052020/coronavirus-venice-canals-clear-climate-change-flood/" target="_blank">InsideClimate News</a>. The November 2019 flood covered more than 85 percent of the city and killed two people.</p><p>MOSE consists of 78 barriers and is designed to protect the city from up to 10 feet of flooding, according to The Associated Press.</p><p>Brugano emphasized that the project is still being tested, and that lessons from Tuesday's failures will be taken into account. He said that protocols would be developed to activate the system more quickly. For now, the city is working to activate the barrier to protect itself from a high tide of 1.2 meters predicted for Wednesday.</p><p>However, some say the barrier can only ever be a short-term fix for the problem of climate change. <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sea-level-rise" target="_self">Sea level rise</a> is projected to swallow Venice by 2100 if nothing is done to lower greenhouse gas emissions, InsideClimate News reported.</p><p>University of Padua Maritime Construction professor Piero Ruol pointed out that even best-case-scenario projections for sea level rise would require the barriers to be shut more than six months a year, which would devastate the ecosystem of Venice's lagoon.</p><p>"Therefore, the MOSE can not be considered a solution that 'lasts forever' for protecting Venice from flooding," he told InsideClimate News, "and it is time to think of new solutions for solving this delicate conundrum, in the face of climate change."</p>
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5 Years After Paris: How Countries’ Climate Policies Match up to Their Promises
10 December 2020
Climate
Environmental activists protest during the UN Climate Action Summit, aimed at reinvigorating the faltering Paris agreement, on Sept. 23, 2019 in Washington, DC. MANDEL NGAN / AFP via Getty Images
By Morgan Bazilian and Dolf Gielen
This month marks the fifth anniversary of the Paris climate agreement – the commitment by almost every country to try to keep global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius.
It's an ambitious goal, and the clock is ticking.
<p>The planet has already warmed by about 1°C since the start of the industrial era. That might not sound like much, but that first degree is <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/" target="_blank">changing the planet</a> in profound ways, from more extreme heat waves that put human health and crops at risk, to rising sea levels.</p><p>Bold visions for slowing global warming have emerged from all over the world. Less clear is how countries will meet them.</p><p>So far, countries' individual plans for how they will lower their greenhouse gas emissions don't come close to adding up to the Paris agreement's goals. Even if every country meets its current commitments, the world will still be on track to warm by more than 3°C this century, according to the United Nations Environment Program's latest <a href="https://www.unenvironment.org/emissions-gap-report-2020" target="_blank"><em>Emissions Gap Report</em></a>, released Dec. 9. And many of those commitments aren't yet backed by government actions.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk0NDk2MS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3MjQxNDQ4M30.yp_K4op4iy0C8kVw9C06EQMtbB0ZdF_UIYL-zbg79qA/img.png?width=980" id="556a1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="014a46ced9a02b15969e012191d1ca8f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1200" data-height="790" />
<p>The COVID-19 pandemic's economic slowdown likely reduced global carbon dioxide emissions by <a href="https://www.unenvironment.org/emissions-gap-report-2020" target="_blank">about 7% this year</a>, but that temporary dip will have very little effect, the report notes – unless countries prioritize a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/28/eu-green-recovery-package-sets-a-marker-for-the-world" target="_blank">green recovery</a>.</p><p>This fifth anniversary of the Paris agreement was intended to be a progress check, with countries expected to increase their commitments. But because of the pandemic, the meeting and negotiations were postponed to November 2021. A smaller online <a href="https://www.cas2021.com/latest/events/2020/12/12/climate-ambition-summit" target="_blank">Climate Ambitions Summit</a> is planned this year on Dec. 12 instead.</p><p>Despite the delay, some big goals have been announced. In particular, more countries are now committing to reach net zero carbon emissions by midcentury. The U.S. is also expected to rejoin the agreement next year under President-elect Joe Biden.</p><p>But how well-grounded are these climate commitments in actual budgets, policies and regulations? As <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=sfI-c0YAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">energy</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=DAwwVkwAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">policy experts</a>, we have both been involved in global climate negotiations, technology analysis and policy design for the last two decades, and we have watched the national commitments for signs of progress.</p>
<h2>Ambitious Goals, But Missing Actions</h2><p>The Paris agreement's formal goal is to stay "well below" 2 degrees of warming. That's based on political negotiations and scientific research <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">that models the increasingly harmful effects</a> rising temperatures will have on today's economies, agriculture and environment.</p><p>The sooner the world's emissions trajectory starts downward, the smoother the transition will be.</p><p>The leaders of China, Japan and South Korea each announced goals in recent weeks for reaching net zero carbon emissions by mid-century. But the detailed plans for how they will get there are largely missing.</p><p>Chinese President Xi Jinping drew global praise when he announced in September that his country's emissions – the highest in the world – would <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/24/china-carbon-emissions-420967" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">peak earlier than expected</a>, before 2030, and that China would strive to be carbon neutral by 2060. How and whether that happens will depend heavily on <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-politics-carbon-plan/xis-carbon-neutrality-vow-to-reshape-chinas-five-year-plan-idUSKBN27B08B" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the country's next Five Year Plan</a>, due in March. The leadership's priorities include expanding clean energy, but right now, China is still the world's largest coal user, and coal accounts for three-fifths of its energy supply.</p><p>South Korean President Moon Jae-in offered <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-southkora-environment-greenewdeal/south-koreas-moon-targets-carbon-neutrality-by-2050-idUSKBN27D1DU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">more detailed goals</a> in November when he ordered government officials to develop a road map for transitioning to cleaner energy and carbon neutrality by 2050. He said his country would invest $7 billion in green projects, launch a carbon tax to encourage companies to reduce their emissions, and stop financing overseas coal plants. But those ideas, too, fall short of carbon neutrality in an economy that relies on energy-intensive industries.</p><p>The European Union is farther ahead. It established a net zero objective some time ago along with scenarios for how to get there. This summer, the EU also put climate-friendly projects at the heart of its <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-summit-climate-change-factbox/factbox-how-green-is-the-eus-recovery-deal-idUSKCN24M19V" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pandemic recovery strategy</a>. EU member states are now expected to develop long-term strategies for 2050 and revise their <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/energy/topics/energy-strategy/national-energy-climate-plans_en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">integrated national energy and climate plans</a> through 2030.</p><p>The UK has announced a new 68% emissions reduction target for 2030. Meeting <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/sixth-carbon-budget/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">this target</a> will require the UK to double its efforts compared to the last three decades.</p>
Progress Toward Net Zero
<p>Two countries have achieved net zero emissions, largely due to their tiny populations and thick forests that store more carbon than the country emits. Six countries have net zero carbon targets in law. Five plus the EU have proposed legislation. Several others have targets in policy documents or under discussion.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk0NDk5OC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMDk0ODkxOX0.WCJtg5MvjOM2N4yLisZnwcABEoGXSquVGoXtrQMCjYU/img.png?width=980" id="86d0c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0588bbcc45be451b74466ecedfcb5fab" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1216" data-height="676" />
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk0NDk5OS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNzgyMjQyNH0.ZWM2rpj_h7Ep7JjYpDBFktzyQKoRHULfDHm797_eiKQ/img.png?width=980" id="8cc0e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8f20bb4afec5c3e8d4df0cac66faaea8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1216" data-height="666" />
Data as of Dec. 7, 2020. Table: The Conversation / CC-BY-ND. Source: Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit Net Zero Tracker. Get the data
<h2>The Big Picture</h2><p>Overall, the current "nationally determined contributions" – the plans that countries submit to the UN spelling out how they will meet the Paris agreement – fall far short. A <a href="https://climateactiontracker.org/global/cat-emissions-gaps/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">five-fold acceleration in emissions reductions</a> is needed to come close.</p><p>Just days before the Ambitions Summit, <a href="https://climateactiontracker.org/climate-target-update-tracker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">only 13 countries had submitted new targets</a>, and seven had announced they would not update their targets or resubmitted old targets. However, nearly half of high-emitting countries have indicated they will raise their mitigation ambitions by the end of next year.</p><p>Twenty-one states and regions have set <a href="https://www.theclimategroup.org/AnnualDisclosure2020" target="_blank">long-term targets</a> to reduce their emissions by 75%-90%, but how these will be met is not clear, a recent analysis found. Most <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2020/10/22/cities-are-pledging-to-confront-climate-change-but-are-their-actions-working/" target="_blank">pledges by cities</a> are similarly aspirational.</p>
Countries With the Most CO2 Emissions From Fossil Fuels
<p>In 2019, the world's six largest CO2 emitters together accounted for 51% of the global population and 67% of total CO2 emissions from fossil fuels.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk0NTA0MC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMDYyOTUzNX0.5E0QJkVAhSXI56gRcCHYzLAxKu6x7-KBkNngebchYyY/img.png?width=980" id="1c95f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="cff1f463d90cea8b32f3cfad1690ddb1" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1206" data-height="418" />
Chart: The Conversation / CC-BY-ND. Source: European Commission. Get the data
<h2>Ramping up Fast</h2><p>Even if established clean technologies like renewable energy are at the core of the transition, the pace of change required to meet the Paris goals remains daunting. Socioeconomic issues will also have to be put front and center.</p><p><a href="https://www.irena.org/publications/2020/Sep/Reaching-Zero-with-Renewables" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Net-zero solutions</a> are technically conceivable for a range of energy-intensive industries, agriculture and transport methods, but the speed and scale at which they would have to ramp up to meet a 2050 deadline is formidable.</p><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esr.2019.01.006" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Our analysis</a> found the deployment of renewable power would need to accelerate two- to three-fold. Global renewable energy use would need to go from around 20% of energy today to 65% by 2050, and from 28% to 85% of the power sector. Electric vehicle use would have to skyrocket, from less than 10 million EVs today to more than 1.5 billion by 2050.</p>
<h2>Filling in the Gaps</h2><p>To finance these transformations, investors need to be confident that the world is committed to a cleaner future. Perceived risk will drive up costs, and uncertain or delayed government action <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-01312-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">are big risks</a>. International financial organizations, along with green banks and development banks, have an important role to play in encouraging private investment.</p><p>Moving from a focus on high-level goals to detailed pathways will help.</p><p>The global climate talks can continue to help by focusing on the specifics of the national commitments, ensuring they are detailed, well-designed and budgeted, and updated regularly.</p><p>The international community will also need to support countries that need assistance. Climate change is not the primary priority for most jurisdictions – though it is an existential crisis for some, including some small island states. That needs to be acknowledged and built in to the goals and planning.</p>
<p>
<em>Morgan Bazilian is a professor of public policy and director of the Payne Institute, Colorado School of Mines.<br/>
</em><em>Dolf Gielen is a Payne Institute fellow, at the Colorado School of Mines.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Disclosure statements: Dolf Gielen works for IRENA, an Intergovernmental Agency that advises its members on energy transition and climate. Morgan Bazilian does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/5-years-after-paris-how-countries-climate-policies-match-up-to-their-promises-and-whos-aiming-for-net-zero-emissions-151722" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
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Kids play on a flooded Arizona Avenue on October 4, 2015 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Jessica Kourkounis / Getty Images
The threat to affordable housing from flooding driven by climate change will likely triple in the next 30 years, new research shows.
<p>The study, from Climate Central and the National Housing Trust and published in <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VWyv3j3TqwvYW55kmdx2zg3MJW7vv0b_4k5j4KN7Mjfyc3p_9rV1-WJV7CgWL8W680rSp8RGNshW5jCNHT7015NFN43-mt9z5W83W2DBcf36vL9qCW5Hcxx-2YPy7qW4dFmnK3DP3tmW2GQMTH744SCzW1jvqQ03wPw0xW3XxM3m8xLwJ1VbfhMt90qHK6W5mZWR-83Prj3W4sRJpP658WdMW5y9Gxl5XtCy3W359gMy8jH67CW3RTx1F90Rkc4W94XVbN7nRDwNW2NPjxZ1m95jjW1Lnqhx89Vvd-W1L5B6p92bWXyW4JVd4x6J-__bW4fVVqM6MgnrbW4wCpDP2g4hg0W1zGkxf346V_6W1QljWm823SWWW2rdShC2NNxJCW5ZLqKt84v5C2354V1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Environmental Research Letters</a>, examined risk posed not just by extreme events like hurricanes, but also at the increasingly common threat of "sunny-day" flooding caused by sea level rise. </p><p>The threats driven by the climate crisis exacerbate the underlying affordable housing crisis — the study identified communities in which up to ninety percent of affordable housing is being put at risk. </p>
<p>The U.S. already lacks sufficient affordable housing, and "low-income renters typically have very few alternative housing options if a disaster damages their homes," Andrew Aurand, VP of research at the National Low Income Housing Coalition, told Thomson Reuters.</p><p>"When affordable rental housing is significantly damaged, the private market provides little incentive to repair or rebuild that housing to keep it affordable," he added.</p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong></p><p><a href="https://news.trust.org/item/20201201090351-gpvnb/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101597928&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8PipzwzR9xDdKLBvMHD1m7q-g5MtRrsbvtBvhnfB7bbVLiUgRKghQyQm8WkMKcIuHQYHkhzXlmQX7HCzqKVxFEuGphhhtJkuPbjj6g-sz1CU1vwcE&utm_content=101597928&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Thomson Reuters Foundation</a>, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/1/21747466/rising-sea-levels-flood-affordable-housing-2050?_hsmi=101597928&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--J2BMybiHu7o60QOHnCMPXIvu1vcT_KWMZ2IJaUgG2G3OYg_A7lzSDEgWO8dMig1I9CSeHwD1_CLLlhSJNNCCE3ox_U7C5ZyE_7W0AuEaBLlo6l_Y" target="_blank">The Verge</a>, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-01/how-climate-change-is-targeting-affordable-housing?sref=oUjKJw8m&utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101597928&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--JHyIz7WbmZLCWsqSpK7O_CjdqyRmOCV25tuBoxK3BDysgZux0g2i9Wpe24Jk8n3G7o2pfWW8E7I-x4Y7ww9t6fX5ZWerreFjt14nmyiBPWSRV7ms&utm_content=101597928&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Bloomberg</a>, <a href="https://www.njspotlight.com/2020/12/affordable-housing-sea-level-rise-flooding-poverty-climate-change-nj/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101597928&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--IY8lZYXSmq0L04W6a0itM-lpokYwn8Qy74iwpA2j71MuansUlDjcZdG-PUwj2pP8eJNYdsPNvreB_ngh6cgUKCq58m14UTfutCcQre4r1wgiNCHw&utm_content=101597928&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">NJ Spotlight</a>, <a href="https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1063719523?t=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eenews.net%2Fstories%2F1063719523%3F_hsenc%3Dp2ANqtz--ouG8iT57AryuaQqhtjZz4MI7mxNjXPSCSVMt010E1jFnXCjexwVrbUp7NFkrPB07VG7cRRvQLdFsai-DIEj6p4qwY-UQG5WTbeOctVCyjX2Qkfe0%26_hsmi%3D101597928%26utm_campaign%3DHot%2520News%26utm_content%3D101597928%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Dhs_email" target="_blank">E&E;</a> Interactive Map: <a href="https://coastal.climatecentral.org/map/8/285.6044/39.7071/?theme=sea_level_rise&map_type=coastal_dem_comparison&basemap=roadmap&contiguous=true&elevation_model=best_available&forecast_year=2050&pathway=rcp45&percentile=p50&return_level=return_level_1&slr_model=kopp_2014" target="_blank">Climate Central</a>; Climate Signals background: <a href="https://www.climatesignals.org/climate-signals/coastal-flooding-increase?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101597928&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--1eTUNVHb6GU9G0enF_KBIMvYZx8pYebF-ifHivrZNu5uNDkfaaZNC6W23BYTBByMlzUIvuFNaNH2BYimFpY9FK5dwyzFmVbvvm2QRMg3d1ru3HcI&utm_content=101597928&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Coastal flooding increase</a>, <a href="https://www.climatesignals.org/climate-signals/rising-sea-levels?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101597928&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8OUslytYA_sh1-CKrRJHldE6467AwBh_fzHH2kHhENsuwR6_5ZbKEEXqHsVEfHy9jgCbzmCNFr9Exc4eJKTOLyv5hjtRwb3SFS0JEzMzmnrsOrqA4&utm_content=101597928&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Sea level rise</a><br/></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, and sign up for daily </em><a href="http://climatenexus.us4.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=7c84c08aaa" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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'Stop the Plunder and Start the Healing,' UN Chief Urges in State of the Planet Speech
03 December 2020
Climate
Workers harvest asparagus in a field by the Niederaussem lignite coal power plant in Cologne, Germany. Greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel burning are reaching new highs. Henning Kaiser / picture alliance via Getty Images
By Stuart Braun
The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed the dire threat of climate change Wednesday in a speech on the state of the planet delivered at Columbia University in New York.
<p>"The state of the planet is broken, humanity is waging war on nature," he said. "Nature always strikes back, and is doing so with gathering force and fury."</p><p>Referring to the World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) provisional report, <a href="https://public.wmo.int/en/our-mandate/climate/wmo-statement-state-of-global-climate" target="_blank">The State of the Global Climate 2020</a>, that was released Wednesday, he reiterated that the last decade was the hottest on record, and that ice sheet decline, <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/siberia-heatwave-climate-change/a-54192654" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">permafrost melting</a>, vast climate fires and unprecedented hurricanes were just some of the consequences.</p><p>"Stop the plunder," Guterres added, referring to the ongoing <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/brazil-amazon-deforestation-races-to-12-year-high-under-bolsonaro/a-55779726" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">deforestation</a> that is also fueling climate change. "And start the healing."</p><p>Climate policies have failed to rise to the challenge, Guterres said, noting that emissions in 2020 are 60% higher than in 1990. "We are heading for a temperature rise of 3 to 5 degrees Celsius (by 2100)."</p><p>Yet the secretary-general sees hope for 2021, saying it's time to "build a truly global coalition towards carbon neutrality."</p><p>This goal will require net zero emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050. More than 110 countries are already committed to carbon neutrality by this date, he noted, representing more than 65% of emissions. Central to achieving this goal will be to encourage renewable energy by instituting a carbon price and phasing out fossil fuel financing and subsidies.</p><p>"There is no vaccine for the planet," he said regarding the need to build a global climate action movement.</p>
<h2>Last Six Years Are Six Hottest on Record</h2><p>The WMO state of climate report referenced by Guterres confirms that 2020 is currently placed as the second warmest for the year-to-date when compared to equivalent periods in the past.</p><p>The annual climate scorecard details a litany of symptoms of a heating planet: a high frequency of severe droughts, unparalleled major hurricanes, retreating sea ice, heavy rain and flooding across Asia and Africa and extensive marine heat waves.</p><p>Headlining the global climate report is confirmation in 2020 that global heating is accelerating. Though 2016 remains the warmest year on record to date, it kicked off with a very strong El Niño warm phase, via which hotter oceans elevate global temperatures.</p><p>Four years later, these <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/global-heating-could-pass-key-mark-in-5-years-un/a-54116525" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">peak temperatures</a> have continued, despite a cooler La Niña weather phase that started in September, and comparatively weak El Niño conditions. The global mean temperature for January to October 2020 was around 1.2°C above the 1850–1900 baseline.</p><p>"With 2020 on course to be one of the three warmest years on record, the past six years, 2015–2020, are likely to be the six warmest on record," states the WMO climate report.</p><p>In the <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/siberia-heatwave-climate-change/a-54120019" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Siberian</a> Arctic, temperatures were more than 5 degrees Celsius above average in 2020, reaching as high as 38 Celsius at Verkhoyansk in late June, provisionally the highest known temperature anywhere north of the Arctic Circle.</p><p>"We saw new extreme temperatures on land, sea and especially in the Arctic," said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. "Wildfires consumed vast areas in Australia, Siberia, the U.S. West Coast and South America, sending plumes of smoke circumnavigating the globe."</p>
<h2>Despite Pandemic, Greenhouse Gases Still Rising</h2><p>The lockdowns implemented to slow the coronavirus pandemic have only resulted in a "temporary reduction in emissions" in 2020, according to the report. As a result, there will be a "practically indistinguishable" slowing of the fast-increasing CO2 concentrations recorded in 2019.</p><p>Greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations generated largely by fossil fuel burning reached new highs in 2019, with carbon dioxide (CO2), <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/why-we-should-be-worried-about-methane/a-55241028" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">methane (CH4)</a> and nitrous oxide (N2O) levels rising to a larger degree from 2018 (2.6 parts per million) than the increases from the previous two years.</p><p>"Real-time data from specific locations, including Mauna Loa (Hawaii) and Cape Grim (Tasmania) indicate that levels of CO2, CH4 and N2O continued to increase in 2020," stated the report.</p><p> This increase comes at a time when there should be rapid cuts in emissions in line with the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C.</p>
<h2>Global Heating Symptoms Getting Worse</h2><p>The report also notes that sea levels have risen at a higher rate year-on-year due partly to increased melting of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica.</p><p>Meanwhile, over 80% of the ocean area has experienced at least one marine heat wave in 2020. In addition, 43% of the ocean experienced marine heat waves that were classified as "strong."</p><p>2019 also saw the highest ocean heat content on record.</p><p>Heavy rain and extensive flooding affected large parts of Africa and Asia in 2020, especially across much of the Sahel, the Greater Horn of Africa, the India subcontinent and neighboring areas, China, Korea and Japan. With 30 named storms (as of November 17, 2020), the north Atlantic hurricane season recorded the highest ever number of named storms.</p><p>Moreover, severe drought affected much of the interior of South America in 2020, with the badly affected areas including northern Argentina, Paraguay and western border areas of Brazil.</p><p>"Climate and weather events have triggered significant population movements and have severely affected vulnerable people on the move, including in the Pacific region and Central America," the climate report said.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/un-chief-antonio-guterres-theres-no-vaccine-for-the-planet/a-55796224?maca=en-VAM_volltext_ecowatch-28485-html-copypaste" target="_blank">DW</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Trending
Are We Really Past the Point of No Return on Climate? Scientists Respond To Controversial New Study
13 November 2020
Climate
A flooded house south of Dhaka, Bangladesh. A new climate study has found we could be locked in for nearly 10 feet of sea level rise by 2500 even if we stop emissions today. Yann Arthus-Bertrand / Getty Images Plus
A controversial new climate study has found that, even if greenhouse gas emissions were halted tomorrow, it might not be enough to stop temperatures from continuing to rise.
<p>The study, published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-75481-z" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Scientific Reports Thursday</a>, was conducted by two researchers at the BI Norwegian Business School. They used the ESCIMO climate model to determine that, even if emissions ceased tomorrow, the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/permafrost" target="_self">permafrost</a> would continue to thaw for hundreds of years.</p><p>"According to our models, humanity is beyond the point-of-no-return when it comes to halting the melting of permafrost using greenhouse gas cuts as the single tool," lead author and professor emeritus of climate strategy Jorgen Randers <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/controversial-model-finds-global-warming-will-continue-even-if-we-stop-emissions-tomorrow" target="_blank">told AFP</a>. "If we want to stop this melting process we must do something in addition – for example, suck CO2 out of the atmosphere and store it underground, and make Earth's surface brighter."</p>
<p>However, other <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/scientists" target="_self">scientists</a> have pointed to the simplicity of the model Randers and his colleague Ulrich Goluke used and cautioned against misinterpreting their findings as a reason to give up on <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-action" target="_self">climate action</a>.</p><p>"This paper clearly may be cited in support of a misleading message that it is now 'too late' to avoid catastrophic climate change, which would have the potential to cause unnecessary despair," University of Exeter climate scientist professor Richard Betts <a href="https://foreignaffairs.co.nz/2020/11/13/mil-osi-united-kingdom-expert-reaction-to-study-using-a-simulation-to-estimate-how-long-global-warming-might-continue-for-if-greenhouse-gas-emissions-are-reduced-to-zero/" target="_blank">said in response</a>. "However, the study is nowhere near strong enough to make such a frightening message credible."</p>
<p>So what exactly does the study say? The researchers used their model to see what would happen by 2500 if emissions stopped today and if they slowly declined to zero by 2100, as AFP explained. In the first scenario, temperatures would still rise to around 2.3 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels within the next 50 years, taper off, then rise again starting in 2150. By 2500, the world would be around three degrees Celsius warmer and sea levels would rise by around three meters (approximately 9.8 feet). In the second, temperature and sea level rise would end up in the same place, but the temperature increase would be much faster.</p>
<p>The reason for the persistent increase comes from three feedback loops, the model found.</p><ol><li>The melting of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sea-ice" target="_self">sea ice</a>, which means that the sun's heat is absorbed into the darker <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/ocean" target="_self">ocean</a> instead of reflected back by the bright ice.</li><li>The thawing of permafrost, which releases more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.</li><li>Increased moisture in the atmosphere, which in turn raises temperatures.</li></ol><p>The only way to have prevented runaway climate change would have been to have stopped burning <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuels</a> between 1960 and 1970, the model found, as <a href="https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/11/12/reducing-greenhouse-gas-emissions-stop-climate-change-study/3761882001/" target="_blank">USA TODAY reported</a>. In order to stop temperatures and sea levels from rising now, we would have to remove at least 33 gigatons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year starting this one.</p>
<p>The study authors were the first to admit their findings were limited to one model.</p><p>"We encourage other model builders to explore our discovery in their (bigger) models, and report on their findings," they wrote.</p><p>However, Betts noted that their model was not the model used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and did not realistically simulate how the climate works.</p><p>Penn State University meteorologist Michael Mann agreed. He told USA TODAY that it was not very complex and did not accurately reproduce atmospheric and ocean circulation systems.</p><p>"While such models can be useful for conceptual inferences, their predictions have to be taken with great skepticism. Far more realistic climate models that do resolve the large-scale dynamics of the ocean, atmosphere and carbon cycle, do NOT produce the dramatic changes these authors argue for based on their very simplified model," he said. "It must be taken not just with a grain of salt, but a whole salt-shaker worth of salt."</p><p>That said, even the models used by the IPCC show that we will need to draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to reach the Paris agreement goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, even if we achieve zero emissions by 2050.</p><p>"What the study does draw attention to is that reducing global carbon emissions to zero by 2050 is just the start of our actions to deal with climate change," University College London climate professor Mark Maslin said in response.</p>
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The Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Square in Venice, Italy, a UNESCO World Heritage Site vulnerable to sea level rise. Ian.CuiYi / Moment / Getty Images
By Erin Seekamp
With global travel curtailed during the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are finding comfort in planning future trips. But imagine that you finally arrive in Venice and the "floating city" is flooded. Would you stay anyway, walking through St. Mark's Square on makeshift catwalks or elevated wooden passages – even if you couldn't enter the Basilica or the Doge's Palace? Or would you leave and hope to visit sometime in the future?
<p>The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/srocc/" target="_blank">reported</a> that over the next 30 years flooding in Venice will increase. With the Adriatic Sea rising a few millimeters each year, severe flooding that once happened every 100 years is predicted to happen every six years by 2050, and every five months by 2100.</p><p><a href="http://www.veniceinperil.org/pdf/The-Science-of-Saving-Venice.pdf" target="_blank">Venice</a> is just one example of the challenges of preserving iconic landmarks that are threatened by the effects of climate change, such as rising seas and recurrent, intensifying droughts, storms and wildfires. In my research as a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=foTLj_oAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">social scientist</a>, I help heritage managers make tough decisions prioritizing which sites to save when funds, time or both are limited.</p><p>That includes planning for threatened <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Heritage sites</a> designated as cultural or natural treasures by the <a href="https://en.unesco.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization</a>. Many U.S. national parks <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/climatechange/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">are also at risk</a>. And as I see it, success will require new thinking about what preservation means.</p>
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<h2>Ways of Adapting</h2><p>Across the globe, innumerable cultural sites face <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-06645-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">storm-related flooding, erosion and inundation from rising seas</a>. They include many in the U.S., such as <a href="https://www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/a-short-history-of-jamestown.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jamestown Island in Virginia</a>, <a href="https://www.nps.gov/stli/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">New York's Statue of Liberty</a> and <a href="https://www.nps.gov/places/charleston-sc.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Charleston, South Carolina's Historic District</a>.</p><p><a href="https://www.icomos.org/en/about-icomos/mission-and-vision/mission-and-vision" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Experts in cultural preservation worldwide</a> agree that it is <a href="https://indd.adobe.com/view/a9a551e3-3b23-4127-99fd-a7a80d91a29e" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">impossible to protect all of these places</a> forever. Many would require constant restoration. Others will need defenses like sea walls and flood gates – but those defenses might not be effective for long.</p><p>Some sites could be protected in ways that visibly alter them – for example, elevating or moving buildings, or allowing them to be damaged or removed from the landscape. Such steps go beyond restoration, which can conflict with mandates to preserve sites and structures in perpetuity.</p>
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<h2>Saving Historic North Carolina Buildings</h2><p>An early test of this approach occurred in 1999, when relentless erosion of the North Carolina shoreline forced the National Park Service to move the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/chls.htm#:%7E:text=In%201999%2C%20after%20years%20of,original%20distance%20from%20the%20sea" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and Keeper's Quarters</a> about a half-mile inland. Relocating these mid-19th-century structures cost $US11.8 million and sparked debate about how to deal with other imperiled historic buildings.</p><p>In 2015, managers at North Carolina's <a href="https://www.nps.gov/calo/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cape Lookout National Seashore</a> realized that buildings in Portsmouth Village and Cape Lookout Village, two maritime historic districts on barrier islands, were endangered by storm-related flooding and rising seas. Portsmouth Village, which dates to 1753, served as a thriving port town during colonial settlement, while Cape Lookout Village provided navigational support with construction of a lighthouse in 1812 that was replaced in 1859.</p><p>These buildings are listed on the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">National Register of Historic Places</a>, which requires managers to preserve them in perpetuity. But officials were uncertain about <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.07.052" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">which historic buildings to save first</a>. They also had to identify a strategy, such as moving or even removing buildings, that would maximize the significance preserved across the park's landscape.</p><p>I developed a process to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2017.08.006" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">quantify the relative significance of historic buildings</a> to help them. Our team then created a planning tool to help National Park Service managers make <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/climatechange/culturalresourcesstrategy.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">cost-effective decisions</a>. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.02.011" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Our model</a> compiles data on each building's significance and vulnerability. It evaluates adaptation costs, such as elevating or relocating buildings, given available funding, and charts possible strategies over a 30-year period.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc3ODE4NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3MDAwMjk2M30.GsaProDuGQvG7Rs4DbZ4aYForTisGJoOOtW31fJcg04/img.jpg?width=980" id="57b94" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="115be23538ecafbf1ed5c2b6d1330a30" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1200" data-height="814" />
In 1999 the National Park Service moved the historic Cape Hatteras Lighthouse 2,900 feet inland (new site at lower right in photo) to protect it from shoreline erosion. Mike Booher / NPS
<p>When we tested the model on 17 flood-prone Cape Lookout buildings, we found that the best strategies were elevating them in place or moving them to higher ground and then elevating them. However, interviews with local people revealed that changing the location or the look of these buildings <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage1020015" target="_blank">upset some former residents and their descendants</a>.</p><p>Many people we talked to held deep connections to these places that were part of their personal, family and community identities. Surprisingly, some said they would rather lose some of these buildings than alter them. Other stakeholders – including members of partner organizations and park visitors – had <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2020.105180" target="_blank">different opinions</a> on what should be done.</p><p>After <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL052019_Dorian.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hurricane Dorian</a> severely damaged Portsmouth Village in 2019, park managers made the hard decision to dismantle and remove some of the buildings while restoring others. But an important question remains: What should be done at other highly vulnerable locations?</p>
<h2>Climate-Challenged World Heritage Sites</h2><p>These findings inspired me to explore global, <a href="https://www.iccrom.org/section/people-and-heritage/people-centred-approaches" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">people-centered</a> approaches to preservation and the <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/compendium/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">international policies</a> governing them.</p><p>Climate change <a href="https://en.unesco.org/fieldoffice/ramallah/tangible-cultural-heritage" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">threatens</a> many <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Heritage sites</a>. Some are archaeological sites, like Peru's <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/366/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chan Chan</a>, the largest adobe city on Earth, and the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/meve/learn/historyculture/cliff_dwellings_home.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ancestral Pueblo cliff dwellings</a> in Colorado's Mesa Verde National Park. Entire cities – including Venice – and historic buildings such as Australia's <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/166/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sydney Opera House</a> are also in harm's way.</p><p>Current <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/158/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">policy recommendations</a> focus on restoration or defenses, and oppose physical change. In fact, the only process that exists is to add sites undergoing physical change to the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger. However, adding a site to the "danger" list is <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/43652726" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">politically undesirable</a> because it can generate bad press, reduce tourism revenue and deter funders from supporting rescue efforts.</p>
<div id="5fdaa" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1c377ac183eacd1fea35742acaef1cea"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1323040885026816008" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">"...a new online exhibition that envisions how the National Mall Tidal Basin can evolve, adapt, and thrive while bu… https://t.co/x7QFCGPRqV</div> — Saving Places (@Saving Places)<a href="https://twitter.com/SavingPlaces/statuses/1323040885026816008">1604272502.0</a></blockquote></div>
<h2>The Need to Transform</h2><p>My research calls for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-020-02812-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a more proactive approach</a>, including preemptive efforts to prevent damage. I see a need for a new category: "World Heritage Sites in Climatic Transformation."</p><p>This approach draws on <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/26268226" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the ecological concept of resilience</a>, which is essentially the ability to survive by changing and adapting. It would allow managers to repair, adapt or even transform vulnerable places. This new classification would place communities at the center of the <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/496/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">planning process</a> and create a searchable database of climate impacts and interventions.</p><p>Transforming heritage sites may be controversial, but the clock is ticking. Researching, designing and constructing defenses takes time. For example, floodgates installed to protect Venice are being tested <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/15/venice-controversial-barriers-prevent-flooding-for-second-time" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a decade later than planned</a>.</p><p>In my view, saving cultural and historic sites from climate change will require a new approach to heritage preservation that includes transformation. Now is the time to think creatively, with input from people whose heritages are represented in these places, to discover new pathways to protecting them.</p>
<p>
<em>Erin Seekamp is a professor of parks, recreation and tourism management at North Carolina State University.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Disclosure statement: Erin Seekamp receives funding from the U.S. Department of Interior, National Park Service and the U.S. Department of Interior, Geological Survey.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/preserving-cultural-and-historic-treasures-in-a-changing-climate-may-mean-transforming-them-145214" target="_blank">The Conversation</a></em><em>.</em>
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Popular tourist attraction St. Mark's Square in Venice, Italy. Edmund Hochmuth / Pixabay
A rising tide threatened to flood Venice, Italy, on Saturday, providing the first test for the city's long-awaited flood barrier. The tide peaked around four feet, potentially affecting more than one-third of the city, but controversial underwater barriers contained the rising waters, the AP reported.
<p>Popular tourist attraction St. Mark's Square usually floods at three feet, but remained mostly dry with the exception of some puddles, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/venice-flood-barrier/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CNN</a> reported. </p><p>This is due to a new flood barrier dubbed MOSE, short for Electromagnetic Experimental Module in English. The system comprises 78 barriers submerged where the Adriatic Sea meets the Venetian lagoon, which form a dam during high tides, CNN reported.</p><p>"I'd heard the [warning] sirens in the morning but I didn't raise any of my furniture this time because the barrier lifted on the last test, and I had faith that it would work," Sebastian Fagarazzi, co-founder of social initiative Venezia Autentica, told CNN. "This is historic."</p>
<p>The MOSE system has been in development since 1984, but corruption, ballooning costs and concerns from environmental groups created delays, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/03/world/europe/venice-floodgates-flooding.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a> reported.</p><p>"We found a difficult situation and slowly, slowly we've been able to resolve things," Giuseppe Fiengo, one of the commissioners who have overseen the project since 2014, told The New York Times. "The important thing is that today, for the first time, with high water, Venice didn't flood."<br></p><p>The timing of the successful test is a welcome relief to Venetians who endured the city's worst flooding in 53 years in November 2019 and who see the climate crisis as a mounting threat that will jeopardize the survival of the city, reported <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-weather-venice/mose-flood-barrier-finally-holds-the-waters-back-for-fragile-venice-idUSKBN26O0AZ" target="_blank">Reuters</a>.</p>
<p>Despite MOSE's success on Saturday, there is still infrastructure work to be completed on the barriers. The plan is for the barriers to rise when the tide passes 3.6 feet above normal levels. However, the current threshold is 4.2 feet until the MOSE system is finished, according to the AP.<br></p><p>Saturday's tide levels were a fraction of what Venice experienced last year when the tide rose six feet above sea level. While engineers say the barrier will protect the city from tides up to 10 feet high, the MOSE system has not yet been tested in those conditions, The New York Times reported.</p><p>Some noted that rising sea levels caused by the climate crisis might force the barriers to stay up half the year, which would harm shipping channels and turn the Venetian lagoon into a swamp.</p>
<p>"With climate change, there's a chance that the floodgates could be employed 150-180 days a year, becoming an almost fixed barrier and severing the lagoon's relation to the sea," Cristiano Gasparetto, an architect and former provincial official who has long opposed the project, told The New York Times. "If the lagoon is cut off from the sea for long periods, it dies, because the natural exchange of waters stops, and all of its organic life risks decaying," he added. "If the lagoon dies, Venice dies." </p><p>The mayor, however, celebrated a device that may bring relief to Venice.</p><p>"Today, everything is dry. We stopped the sea," mayor Luigi Brugnaro said according to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/r/entryeditor/Reuters" target="_self">Reuters</a>. "Lots of bad things have happened here, but now something wonderful has happened."</p>
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The remains of a home near a beach destroyed by Hurricane Michael on May 9, 2019 in Mexico Beach, Florida. Scott Olson / Getty Images
As the Gulf states get pummeled by intense hurricanes and California burns in record-breaking wildfires, many in regions like these have contemplated moving to places projected to fare better in the face of the climate crisis. The ability to work from home, indefinitely for some, has also inspired interest in relocation away from expensive cities like San Francisco and New York that are vulnerable to climate disasters, reported SF Gate.
<p>"We lived in Oakland where we owned a home for over 20 years. The natural and man-made disasters got to be too much for us," Rita Liberati explained to SF Gate after her move to central New York. "My partner is retired, but my employer gave the OK for me to work remotely for which I'm grateful."</p><p>A closer look, though, reveals a disheartening answer to the question of where can you move to be safe from the effects of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a>. Hint: it's basically nowhere.</p>
<p>In a "Dear Abby" style advice column tackling that exact question, <a href="https://grist.org/article/lets-say-i-wanted-to-escape-climate-change-where-should-i-go/" target="_blank">Grist</a> called the impulse to flee to avoid climate disruptions "reasonable" because "climate change rivals nuclear war for the greatest threat to human life in the history of our species' existence. Every survival instinct we've cultivated to date should, understandably, make us want to get away from it."</p><p>According to <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90288934/how-soon-will-climate-change-force-you-to-move" target="_blank">Fast Company</a>, the risk is not the same everywhere, and some places will suffer more extreme impacts from the climate crisis. Miami, for example, already floods with high tides. By 2060, 60% of the city will suffer chronic flooding; by 2100, that number jumps to 90%, Fast Company reported. In Alaska, some residents have already been forced to relocate because melting permafrost and erosion have caused parts of their village to wash away into the sea, reported <a href="https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2019/12/where-should-i-move-to-be-safe-from-climate-change/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Yale Climate Connections</a>.</p>
<p>Jesse Keenan, a Harvard climate adaptation specialist, suggested the Upper Midwest and parts of Minnesota as more comfortable locales in the face of the climate crisis because they are rural, wooded, Northern and stocked with fresh water, the Grist reported. Keenan quickly followed up saying that if everyone moved there, those "climate strongholds" would be quickly overrun and overtaxed. Another <a href="https://grist.org/article/we-broke-down-what-climate-change-will-do-region-by-region/" target="_blank">Grist</a> article also noted that those regions would suffer crop diseases, pests and algal blooms in the Great Lakes because of climate change.</p><p>Dave Anderson bought a 70-acre ranch in Oregon as a "Plan B" escape property for his family if their homes in Houston ever became uninhabitable, reported the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/30/realestate/climate-change-insurance-buy-land-somewhere-else.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a>.</p><p>I'm no doomsday prepper," he told the Times. "That said, we intentionally purchased a relatively remote property well above sea level, with ample water and wildlife, with the expectation that the property would survive for generations of family use."</p><p>While his property sounds relatively safe, according to Grist, Oregon itself is under a consistent threat of wildfires, scarce fresh water sources, and big earthquakes.</p><p>"There's nowhere you can hide. I think you need to come to terms with what you think you're running from," Keenan told Grist.</p>
<p>Tellingly, the second Grist article broke down what climate change is predicted to change in the U.S. region by region and found no place was fully "safe." From more extremely hot nights and invasive lionfish in the Southeast, to worse storms and dwindling freshwater supplies in Hawaii and Puerto Rico, to more fires and droughts along the entire West Coast, the picture is bleak in different degrees and different ways anywhere you look, the report said.</p><p>Inequity also is a complicating concern, with many people "too poor to move," Keenan told Fast Company. "Climate change is going to make the problem much more profound. What I'm concerned with … is not necessarily where people are going to move, but who's going to be trapped."</p>
<p>Fast Company and Yale also noted the difficulties with relocating — finding a new sense of community, social circles and rootedness, all of which are "survival mechanisms" that help in the face of emergencies like climate disasters.</p><p>Instead of the somewhat futile effort to escape climate change by moving, some experts are advocating instead for increased investments in climate resilience where people already live, Yale reported. The news report also listed resources for U.S.-based readers to look up everything from how many increased hot days a region will experience to how climate change will affect air quality, and suggested getting involved with local resiliency planning.</p><p>"So before you pack your bags, first make sure you understand the expected consequences of climate change where you live now. Do those risks outweigh the cost of leaving behind friends, neighbors, family, and professional contacts?" the report queried.</p>
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Greenland Ice Sheet Melting Faster Than at Any Time in Last 12,000 Years, Study Finds
01 October 2020
Climate
Icebergs float at the mouth of the Ilulissat Icefjord during a week of unseasonably warm weather on Aug. 4, 2019 near Ilulissat, Greenland. Sean Gallup /Getty Images
Rising temperatures in the air and the water surrounding Greenland are melting its massive ice sheet at a faster rate than anytime in the last 12 millennia, according to a new study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
<p>The study, <em>Rate of mass loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet will exceed Holocene values this century</em>, found that while Greenland is losing ice rapidly now, the worst is yet to come. At its current trajectory, the Greenland ice sheet will lose its ice mass roughly four times faster than at anytime in the last 11,700 years. The researchers say the massive dump of freshwater into the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oceans" target="_self">ocean</a> will disrupt the ocean's currents and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sea-level-rise" target="_self">raise sea levels</a>, as <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/09/30/greenland-ice-melt/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Washington Post</a> reported.</p><p>Advanced prediction models had led scientists to conclude that Greenland's melting ice, which is currently the largest contributor to sea level rise, is raising sea levels by 0.7 millimeters each year. And, by the end of the century, that number could increase anywhere from four to ten times its current contribution.</p>
<p>This new paper found that prediction to be a severe underestimation. It revised that prediction and accounted for a wide range of greenhouse gas emissions to conclude that Greenland's contribution to sea level rise will actually be much worse. By the end of the century, it will lift sea levels between 2 to 10 centimeters every year, according to a commentary in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02700-y#:~:text=Briner%20et%20al.4%20have,about%206%2C000%20gigatonnes%20per%20century." target="_blank"><em>Nature</em></a>.</p><p>The Washington Post noted that while Greenland is the largest contributor to rising sea levels, the melting ice sheets in <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/antarctica">Antarctica</a> may raise sea levels even more.</p><p>"We have altered our planet so much that the rates of ice sheet melt this century are on pace to be greater than anything we have seen under natural variability of the ice sheet over the past 12,000 years," said Jason Briner, a geologist at the University of Buffalo and lead author of the paper, as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/30/greenlands-ice-melting-faster-sea-level-rise" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> reported.</p>
<p>Briner pointed out that the current ice melt is not due to the natural variability, which is why it is so different from historical patterns. This melting is strictly man-made, which is unprecedented in the history of the world, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/30/weather/greenland-ice-sheet-melt-carbon-emissions-climate-change/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported.</p><p>The commentary in <em>Nature</em>, written by Andy Aschwanden from the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, noted that there is really only one way available to us to stop the acceleration of sea ice loss from Greenland.</p><p>"Thanks to the work of Briner and colleagues, we are now one step closer to the goal of accurately and confidently predicting mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet," Aschwanden concluded. "However, we are also increasingly certain that we are about to experience unprecedented rates of ice loss from Greenland, unless greenhouse-gas emissions are substantially reduced."</p><p>To conduct the research, the scientists used a combination of on-the-ground observations in southwest Greenland and advanced computer modeling. The geologists looked at the composition of Greenland's boulders to determine when ice was there and when it melted away. That analysis allowed them to put together an uninterrupted history of Greenland's ice sheet and a predictive model for the next century, as The Washington Post reported.</p>
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