We at This Spaceship Earth have long thought that two things are critical for humanity to slow and then stabilize global warming: actions and a deep sense of urgency. We are not accomplishing enough… and certainly not with the urgency required. Urgent action is needed. Is our species up to this reality? What […]
Once again… a total failure. As I have written several times, I expected it would be. If the first 27 COPs had been successful, there wouldn’t be a need for the current one in Dubai. The reason it is a failure is that its purpose since 1995 has been to lower GHG emissions, particularly […]
Every month this summer has broken a heat record. June was the hottest June in history. July was the hottest July in history. August was not only the hottest August ever, it was the hottest month ever recorded. The average global temperature was 1.25 degrees Celsius warmer than the 20th century average. This means that […]
One of the truest statements about our climate crisis, and an attempt at humor amidst crisis, is: No one has ever attended a Climate Change conference and returned to say, “Wow! Global warming is happening slower than expected.” The painful truth is that global warming and our resultant climate crisis is happening faster […]
by Tim Rumage, Planetary Ethicist I am very optimistic regarding the fate of humanity on Spaceship Earth I have little hope regarding the fate of humanity on Spaceship Earth. I am optimistic because I have been involved in enough projects to know that humanity knows how to regenerate healthy ecosystems, restore biodiversity, generate […]
by Bob Leonard and David Ross Last year, the IPCC warned that we have until 2030 to take meaningful action to avoid the worst consequences of our climate crisis. We have the technologies and the knowledge to address this crisis. We can’t nullify it… it’s too late for that. But we can mitigate the […]
Climate is an unusually broad topic — the causes, impacts and solutions require expertise across vastly different subjects. We tend to solve problems in a linear, hierarchical, siloed fashion. We disassemble complex systems into discrete modules that are easier to understand. That leads to specialization and a separation between disciplines. If we examine the problems […]
“Those who fail to see that population growth and climate change are two sides of the same coin are either ignorant or hiding from the truth. These two huge environmental problems are inseparable and to discuss one while ignoring the other is irrational.” – James Lovelock, scientist and environmentalist This is a taboo subject, […]
On December 12, 2015 the Paris Climate Accord (PCA)*1 was adopted by consensus of the 195 members of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). News reports showed the celebrative mood of the participants. Not only had the PCA been agreed upon, but the plan was going to try to limit global average […]