Germany to support EU climate neutrality by 2050 – leaked documents

Germany will join a growing group of EU countries to support the pledge to aim for carbon neutrality by 2050, increasing the likelihood EU leaders will agree to the goal at a meeting this week (20-21 June), several media outlets report. Documents show that Germany has thrown its weight behind an EU-wide target to cut net carbon dioxide emissions to zero by mid-century, after having resisted such calls by several neighbouring countries, including France, for months. Angela Merkel’s spokesperson Steffen Seibert largely confirmed the media reports. [Update adds Seibert's statement.]

Continue reading at: Germany to support EU climate neutrality by 2050 – leaked documents

Montana Judge Stops Mining at Yellowstone’s Doorstep

Thanks to Earthjustice litigation, a proposal for a giant gold mining project near Yellowstone National Park is now entirely off the table.
As people across the country prep for their summer vacations, residents and businesses in Paradise Valley, the northern gateway to Yellowstone National Park, are gearing up to greet them.

A Montana district court blocked an access road for drilling rigs and heavy equipment from tearing up this landscape. PHOTO COURTESY OF WILLIAM CAMPBELL
A destination in and of itself, Paradise Valley offers the full array of the Yellowstone region’s iconic wildlife and magnificent landscapes. With a lot riding on the tourist season, one thing the locals shouldn’t have to worry about is a massive new gold mine driving away tourists.
Continue reading at: Montana Judge Stops Mining at Yellowstone’s Doorstep

This remarkable Greenland photo highlights extreme Arctic melting

The melting Arctic is on dramatic display.
At mid-June, Arctic sea ice is now at a record low for this time of year, and melted ice is especially notable both in and around Greenland — home to the second largest ice sheet on the planet. Steffen Olsen, a climate researcher at the Danish Meteorological Institute, snapped a photo on Thursday of Greenland sea ice that had melted into a large lake of aqua water, pooled atop the icy surface.

A big melting event in Greenland. IMAGE: STEFFEN M. OLSEN
Olsen, along with local hunters, had to sled across the flooded ice to retrieve vulnerable weather and ocean monitoring equipment. Their sled dogs splashed through the icy water.
Continue reading at: This remarkable Greenland photo highlights extreme Arctic melting

EDF consortium wins 600 MW Dunkirk offshore wind project - ET EnergyWorld

Interesting, Enbridge is diversifying into renewables. Maybe we can pursue them to drop tar sands and pipeline?

EDF's bid in partnership with Germany's Innogy and Canada's Enbridge beat rivals including utility Engie in partnership with Portugal's EDPR and energy group Total in partnership with Denmark's Orsted.
PARIS: A consortium led by French state-owned utility EDF has won a contract for a major 600 megawatt (MW) offshore wind project near Dunkirk in western France, Environment Minister Francois de Rugy said on Friday.
EDF's bid in partnership with Germany's Innogy and Canada's Enbridge beat rivals including utility Engie in partnership with Portugal's EDPR and energy group Total in partnership with Denmark's Orsted
De Rugy said nine international energy and industrial companies had shown an interest in the project and that seven had made a bid.
"EDF has been chosen," de Rudy said in Saint Nazaire, western France, where he was launching a separate EDF offshore wind project.

Rhyl Flats Offshore Wind Farm © Copyright David Dixon and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence
The ministry said the tariff proposed by the winning consortium was significantly lower than 50 euros per megawatt hour (MWh). That compares with 63 euros/MWh for an onshore wind tender of around 516 MW that was awarded by the government on Wednesday.

Continue reading at: EDF consortium wins 600 MW Dunkirk offshore wind project - ET EnergyWorld

Permafrost is thawing rapidly. How much should we worry? » Yale Climate Connections

Scientists warn of consequences to infrastructure, the economy, and the climate.

The change is visible from space. In the Earth’s high latitudes, new lakes and ponds are appearing in once-dry areas. These so-called “thermokarst” lakes form when underground ice collapses as permafrost warms. In the freshly formed lakes, the greenhouse gas methane is bubbling to the surface and escaping to the atmosphere, where it will make human-caused climate change even worse.



“I’m very concerned about the state of permafrost ecosystems,” says Ben Abbott, an assistant professor of ecosystem ecology at Brigham Young University. He and other scientists interviewed in this month’s “This is Not Cool” video, by independent videographer Peter Sinclair, warn that thawing permafrost will have cascading impacts on ecosystems and local infrastructure, which is buckling as it shifts on formerly sturdy ground.

Permafrost is thawing rapidly. How much should we worry? » Yale Climate Connections

State and local governments seeking climate change 'solutions' have plenty of options » Yale Climate Connections

Government bodies at all levels have a wide range of choices available for addressing climate change.

A March 2019 five-part series addressed actions individual people can take to reduce their carbon footprint on the road, in and around their homes, and in their diets.

That series raised the obvious question of whether individual actions on their own can be adequate to help society confront the climate challenges we all face. The answer is decidedly ‘No’: Societal actions globally also are essential. That’s the focus of this companion two-part series.

This post focuses on actions all levels of government can take in this effort. A second part of this series will address actions only the federal government can take. After that, the author plans to address a range of private sector (manufacturing, agriculture, services) actions needed to help prevent the most devastating impacts of climate change.

The following list of governmental actions, based on science and common sense, is by no means exhaustive. They are straightforward, with some already being implemented, and they could be scaled up.



State and local governments seeking climate change 'solutions' have plenty of options » Yale Climate Connections

Climate change: UK government to commit to 2050 target - BBC News

Greenhouse gas emissions in the UK will be cut to almost zero by 2050, under the terms of a new government plan to tackle climate change.

Prime Minister Theresa May said there was a "moral duty to leave this world in a better condition than what we inherited".



GETTY IMAGES

Cutting emissions would benefit public health and cut NHS costs, she said.

Britain is the first major nation to propose this target - and it has been widely praised by green groups.

But some say the phase-out is too late to protect the climate, and others fear that the task is impossible.

Climate change: UK government to commit to 2050 target - BBC News