Carbon emission reduction: News and technology

[Brian Peacock]

A dispassionate observer might conclude that Western governments are demonstrably working against long-term ecological, social, economic stability and the common interest. Whatever interests governments are currently serving, those advocating views that centre the common interest are being sidelined and criminalised.

Rich countries silencing climate protest while preaching about rights elsewhere, says study

Wealthy, democratic countries in the global north are using harsh, vague and punitive measures to crack down on climate protests at the same time as criticising similar draconian tactics by authorities in the global south, according to a report.

A Climate Rights International report exposes the increasingly heavy-handed treatment of climate activists in Australia, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, the UK and the US.

It found the crackdown in these countries – including lengthy prison sentences, preventive detention and harassment – was a violation of governments’ legal responsibility to protect basic rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association.

It also highlights how these same governments frequently criticise regimes in developing countries for not respecting the right to protest peacefully.

“Governments too often take such a strong and principled view about the right to peaceful protest in other countries – but when they don’t like certain kinds of protests at home they pass laws and deploy the police to stop them,” said Brad Adams, director at Climate Rights International.

Across Europe, the US and the UK, authorities have responded to non-violent climate protests with mass arrests and draconian new laws that have resulted in long prison sentences. In some instances those who have taken part have been labelled as hooligans, saboteurs or ecoterrorists by politicians and the media....

[Brian Peacock]

The Hague becomes world’s first city to pass law banning fossil fuel-related ads

Legislation makes it illegal to advertise fossil fuel products and services with a high carbon footprint

[pErvinalia]

Dutch cities are the best cities!

[Brian Peacock]

Global spending on subsidies that harm environment rises to $2.6tn, report says

Analysis finds $800bn increase in direct support for activities including deforestation and fossil fuel use

[Brian Peacock]

Report from Action Aid.

How the Finance Flows: The banks fuelling the climate crisis

PDF

...

In Part 1, we set out the context of the climate crisis to explain why system change is needed. We examine the climate impacts of fossil fuels and industrial agriculture, as well as their broader effects on the environment, gender equity and social justice. 

Part 2 looks at financial flows to industrial agriculture and fossil fuels that are harming the planet, and evidence that finance flows for fossil fuels are still far greater than those for climate adaptation and mitigation. Private financial flows can take various forms – including bond and shareholdings by asset managers, pension funds and insurance companies. For the purposes of this report, however, we focus on bank financing, in the form of loans and underwriting. We find that bank financing for the fossil fuel industry in the 134 countries of the Global South reached an estimated US$3.2 trillion dollars since 2016 when the Paris Agreement on Climate Change was adopted. Bank financing to the largest industrial agriculture companies operating in the Global South amounted to US$370 billion over the same period. 

Part 3 of the report examines how public finds are currently harming the public interest. We survey the financing offered to industrial agriculture and fossil fuels by state-owned banks and enterprises, development finance, public investment funds, and public subsidies. 

Real and sustainable solutions to address global energy and food requirements already exist, which we examine in Part 4. 

In the final section of this report, Part 5, we set out recommendations for banks and governments to support a just transition from funding the world’s destruction, to financing its hope for survival. 

[macdoc]

I noticed more ev cars are now registered in Norway than gas.

Norway sees electric cars outnumber petrol models
20 hours ago

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx25ljxpygeo

that's not just new sales but total registrations of EVs outnumber that of petrol registrations on the roads.

[pErvinalia]

Impressive.

[macdoc]

There might be a trick in there as diesel might not be in the mix.

[pErvinalia]

Hmm. Diesel is popular in Europe too.

[macdoc]

I'd like to believe this

The rise of solar power and China's staggering EV growth may have pushed global emissions into decline
By climate reporter Jo Lauder
Topic:Climate Change

1h ago

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-21/ ... /104016030

[Svartalf]

remember, solar panels require a lot of stuff that is hard to mine and very polluting, and I don't know if old panels can be recycled....

[aufbahrung]

Musk is right. Colonise Mars and let the Earth burn from a safe distance.

[Brian Peacock]

Even though it's far, far easier to address climate change than terraform Mars or create and maintain a viable human population on the dustbowl planet, and even though Elon wants to wire himself up so when his heart stops the base will blow itself up to motivate his research teams to make him immortal?

[aufbahrung]

Nothing happens one day to the next at scale. Guess only time will tell which is the better way if either. Most likely nothing will help, human numbers will dwindle with climate change until humans are rubbed out the equation. Planet might recover for a while but it too will burn before the expansion of the dying sun, proving nothing comes from nothing and goes back to it. What have you lost? nothing.

[macdoc]

Human numbers are already dwindling with a few exceptions and will peak far lower than the UN thought.
Planet is fine, not much diversity tho. Humans as a species survived much wilder swings but technical civilization may get bounced back a long ways.
I'd be happy with mozzies went extinct ...at the least the almost invisible buggers ....one of which just had a meal on my arm.....