GreenFutures by Gerd Leonhard

Links and ideas collected by Futurist Gerd Leonhard and his team

[gerdsgreenfutures]

Climate change is affecting crop yields and reducing global food supplies

Farmers are used to dealing with weather, but climate change is making it harder by altering temperature and rainfall patterns, as in this year’s unusually cool and wet spring in the central U.S. read more: https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-affecting-crop-yields-and-reducing-global-food-supplies-1188971658998036

[gerdsgreenfutures]

IPCC’s starkest message yet: extreme steps needed to avert climate disaster

You have full access to this article via your institution. Humanity probably isn’t going to prevent Earth from at least temporarily warming 1. read more: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00951-51649194672

[gerdsgreenfutures]

Replace Russian Oil and Gas with Renewables

The West’s rejection of Russian fossil fuels following the Kremlin-ordered invasion of Ukraine has a clear rationale. But wrong choices now – specifically, not switching quickly to renewable energy – could jeopardize future peace. read more: https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/replacing-russian-fossil-fuels-with-renewables-can-bolster-peace-by-helen-clark-et-al-2022-031648805826

[gerdsgreenfutures]

In Response to Climate Change, Citizens in Advanced Economies Are Willing To Alter How They Live and Work

This analysis focuses on attitudes toward global climate change around the world. For this report, we conducted nationally representative Pew Research Center surveys of 16,254 adults from March 12 to May 26, 2021, in 16 advanced economies. read more: https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2021/09/14/in-response-to-climate-change-citizens-in-advanced-economies-are-willing-to-alter-how-they-live-and-work/1642789737

[gerdsgreenfutures]

If the world is serious about sustainability, it must embark on a new era of global law

Our civilization is entering an era of seismic changes, challenges and opportunities. read more: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/11/global-governance-sustainability/1637754744

[gerdsgreenfutures]

Britons want to prevent climate change, but favour expensive solutions

ONE SIDE-EFFECT of hosting an international climate conference is an outbreak of navel-gazing. As the UN extravaganza in Glasgow nears its end, many opinion polls and studies have appeared, which provide a superbly detailed view of how Britons think about climate change. read more: https://www.economist.com/britain/2021/11/13/britons-want-to-prevent-climate-change-but-favour-expensive-solutions1637062854

[gerdsgreenfutures]

Was COP26 a success?

After two weeks of talks in Glasgow, the UN’s climate conference, COP26, has come to a close and the final decision document has been published. But will it be enough to stop global temperatures rising 1. read more: https://www.economist.com/films/2021/11/14/was-cop26-a-success1637060315

[gerdsgreenfutures]

The science everyone needs to know about climate change, in 6 charts

With the United Nations’ climate conference in Scotland turning a spotlight on climate change policies and the impact of global warming, it’s useful to understand what the science shows. read more: https://theconversation.com/the-science-everyone-needs-to-know-about-climate-change-in-6-charts-1705561635937328

[gerdsgreenfutures]

Carney’s Climate Group Hits $130 Trillion as Pledges Soar

Banks and asset managers representing 40% of the world’s financial assets have now pledged to meet the goals set out in the Paris climate agreement, as an alliance championed by former central banker Mark Carney swells under the gaze of a world increasingly alarmed by planetary warming. read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-02/carney-s-climate-alliance-crests-130-trillion-as-pledges-soar1635936516

[gerdsgreenfutures]

This is what 3°C of global warming looks like

A rise of 3°C in global temperatures above pre-industrial levels by 2100 would be disastrous. Its effects would be felt differently around the world, but nowhere would be immune. Prolonged heatwaves, droughts and extreme weather events could all become increasingly common and severe. read more: https://www.economist.com/films/2021/10/30/this-is-what-3degc-of-global-warming-looks-like1635929686

[gerdsgreenfutures]

📉 The economics of decarbonisation

COP26 is just around the corner, and we broadly know what to expect: statements, targets, pledges. But what does the reality of decarbonising the planet actually look like – and how much will it cost? This week’s guest on my podcast, Michele Della Vigna, has spent years working that out. read more: https://www.exponentialview.co/the-economics-of-decarbonization/1635670295

[gerdsgreenfutures]

Blackrock CEO Larry Fink: The next 1,000 billion-dollar start-ups will be in climate tech

Larry Fink, the CEO and Chairman of Blackrock, sees addressing climate change as a massive potential for new businesses. read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/25/blackrock-ceo-larry-fink-next-1000-unicorns-will-be-in-climate-tech.html1635510423

[gerdsgreenfutures]

The agenda for the COP 26 summit

SOME 1,500 years before the birth of Christ, when the chariots of Ahmose I, the first pharaoh of the 18th dynasty, had brought all of Egypt back under the rule of Thebes, the level of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere was about 277 parts per million (ppm). read more: https://www.economist.com/special-report/2021/10/30/the-agenda-for-the-cop-26-summit1635363616

[gerdsgreenfutures]

Big tech’s pro-climate rhetoric is not matched by policy action, report finds

The world’s biggest tech companies are coming out with bold commitments to tackle their climate impact but when it comes to using their corporate muscle to advocate for stronger climate policies, their engagement is almost nonexistent, according to a new report. read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/20/big-tech-climate-change1635332693

[gerdsgreenfutures]

Behind China’s Rising Emissions Are Hundreds of Hidden Polluters

Curbing China’s output of greenhouse gas will do more than almost anything else at this point to decide the fate of the planet. That primacy comes from being, by far, the world’s top source of new emissions. read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2021-china-climate-change-biggest-carbon-polluters/1635331652

[gerdsgreenfutures]

‘We’re all climate journalists now’: how the weather took over everything

Once upon a time, it was really only environment journalists who covered the climate crisis. At the Guardian, this is rapidly changing, as the emergency sprawls into more and more aspects of our daily lives, from food to fashion, football to finance, art to agriculture. read more: https://www.theguardian.com/membership/2021/oct/25/were-all-climate-journalists-now-how-the-weather-took-over-everything1635269323

[gerdsgreenfutures]

Ecosystems for Ecosystems

Human societies have an outstanding ability to solve complex collective action problems, and for the last 400 years they have done so primarily through the mechanism of the nation-state. read more: https://bcghendersoninstitute.com/ecosystems-for-ecosystems-5e3427a62c7f1635103877