A recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said that the average global temperature will exceed pre-industrial levels by 1.5°C by 2024. This limit, which is key under the Paris Agreement, could lead to fundamental changes in ocean and atmospheric systems. Despite the seriousness of the situation, the report did not become a central topic of public debate or provoke mass protests, and went largely unnoticed.

The psychological aspects of ignoring climate change

According to experts, the problem lies in a psychological and evolutionary disconnect from the reality of the problem. Although human intelligence is advanced, it often leads us to irrational behavior that threatens our existence.

Climate change is often presented as an abstract scientific problem, which prevents people from feeling personal responsibility. The lack of emotion and concrete impacts in scientific communication fails to evoke the necessary response, leading to feelings of helplessness and lack of confidence in one's own ability to change the situation.

Responding to climate disasters and human behavior

The year 2024 witnessed extreme manifestations of climate change, from devastating heatwaves in southern Europe to massive floods in Asia. Yet political and social resistance to climate action persists, fuelled by disinformation spread by the fossil fuel industry.

Disinformation and echo chambers on social media provide a comfortable refuge from acknowledging an existential threat. This phenomenon, known as “motivated reasoning,” strengthens the emotional attachment to denying scientific facts.

Possible solutions and hope

Although many people feel powerless, psychologists suggest that active engagement can ease anxiety associated with the climate crisis. Studies have found that young people who participate in climate action have better mental health and a sense of control.

Experts recommend starting at the local level and not avoiding your own “climate grief.” The ecological transformation of technology and society is our only hope for survival.

Climate change is not a distant problem, but an imminent threat to our civilization. The only way to avert catastrophe is to turn concerns into concrete actions and to exert collective pressure on political and economic institutions. If we can combine scientific communication with emotional appeal, we can still shape future developments. Spring

The REDD+ initiative was established to incentivize forest conservation and sustainable management in developing countries. It aims to combat climate change by providing financial resources for forest protection, particularly tropical forests, thereby increasing carbon sequestration. However, ongoing criticism has revealed numerous problems of greenwashing, displacement of communities and insufficient attention to the root causes of deforestation, raising important questions about the effectiveness of the initiative in achieving its goals. (GAURI SHARMA, more at earth.org)

This graphic shows over 60 years of CO2 emissions per capita by region, based on analysis from Climate Watch (available via World Resources Institute). The data shows that North America has had the highest levels of CO2 emissions per capita since 1960, although emissions have fallen significantly over the past few decades. (Marcus Lu, more at visualcapitalist.com)

The growing problem of global deforestation and forest degradation, which is causing biodiversity loss, has not escaped the attention of European Union lawmakers. In 2021, the European Commission proposed a regulation to address this situation. After the proposal was approved, it was discovered that the new rules could not come into effect until a year later than planned, and it is uncertain whether the European Parliament will be able to approve this delay.

Work on these new provisions started more than three years ago. The Commission presented its proposal on 17 November 2021 and a provisional agreement was reached on 6 December 2022. The proposal was subsequently approved by the European Parliament and the Council.

The new regulation, known as the EUDR, has raised concerns and protests from stakeholders. The Commission has asked for part of the regulation to be postponed. The European Parliament is considering other amendments that could slow down the process of its approval. This includes the categorisation of countries according to risk and its own legislative proposals. If Parliament has exceeded its powers, this could be subject to a decision by the Court of Justice, although the Council of the EU, which also makes decisions, can slow down the process.

The Regulation replaces older legislation and extends obligations to a wider range of operators and products. It focuses not only on timber but also on other commodities such as cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm, rubber, soya and timber listed in Annex I. It also covers many entities, including micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.

The EUDR introduces a duty of due diligence and requires regulated entities to collect information on the origin of products, assess risks and implement measures to reduce the risk of non-compliance. The new rules apply regardless of the volume of goods and exclude some products that may contain the listed commodities but are not explicitly listed.

The EUDR principles state that commodities and products must be deforestation-free, compliant with landscape production legislation and supported by a due diligence declaration in order to be traded.

According to Article 25 of the Regulation, Member States must lay down penalties for those who infringe the Regulation, which must be effective, proportionate and dissuasive. These include fines, confiscations or temporary bans on companies.

Although the sanctions under the EUDR do not apply directly, they require implementation into Slovak legislation, which has not yet occurred. As a result, the extent of liability of Slovak companies is still not fully known.

Finally, the new regulations introduce a number of obligations that can be particularly burdensome for SMEs, and the level of awareness of these changes is low, which is causing resistance. The approach of the European Parliament and the prolongation of the legislative process have been criticised by many for their lack of legal certainty. Although the provisions are in force since mid-2023, the objective of combating deforestation and biodiversity loss remains key. Co2AI

Welcome to the NOAA Carbon Cycle Greenhouse Gases group information website! The central site for global greenhouse gas monitoring and is in charge of operating the global air sampling network that continues to monitor the air we breathe.

December 2nd 424.27 ppm

Safe concentration: 350 ppm

ppm – the number of particles of carbon dioxide per million particles of air.

More on gml.noaa.gov

Based on current data, the most visited sites focused on climate change issues and solutions are the following platforms:

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1. NASA Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet

• Main topic: Providing data on global warming, the consequences of climate change, and scientific solutions.
• Key content: Updated statistics on CO₂ levels, temperature anomalies and glacier loss. This site offers rich visual tools such as Climate Time Machine, which show climate changes over time.

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2. Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S)

• Main topic: Monitoring and analysis of climate data in Europe and around the world.
• Key content: Forecasts and analysis, such as data on extreme temperatures in 2024, when temperatures first crossed the 1.5°C threshold above pre-industrial levels, are also available. The site also tracks changes in sea ice extent and precipitation.

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3. World Resources Institute (WRI)

• Main topic: Practical solutions for reducing emissions, reforming food systems, and transitioning to clean energy.
• Key content: Details on how global agriculture can be reformed to more sustainable models, and the investments needed to modernize electricity grids. The site also provides tools to better understand the potential of renewable energy sources.

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4. Climate Change News

• Main topic: News and analysis on climate risks, extreme weather events and policy initiatives.
• Key content: Focus on policy strategies to limit global warming, such as the goal of keeping warming below 1.5°C, and the economic losses caused by climate change.

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5. UNDP Climate Promise

• Main topic: Public awareness of climate action and support for sustainable strategies in developing countries.
• Key content: Results of the largest global survey on climate change and support for climate action plans in developing economies.

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Topics that resonate the most:

1. Global warming: Monitoring temperature records and their impacts on the planet.
2. Transition to clean energy: Technologies and investments in renewable energy sources.
3. Changes in ecosystems: Consequences on biodiversity, such as the loss of coral reefs and forests.
4. Political initiatives: Climate agreements, such as the Paris Agreement, and their implementation at the national level.

These sites and topics are an important source of information for individuals and organizations who want to actively participate in the fight against climate change. More details can be found on official sites such as NASA Climate a Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Projections of a sea ice-free Arctic have so far focused on average monthly ice-free conditions. Here, we provide the first projections of when we might see the first ice-free day in the Arctic Ocean, using daily output from multiple CMIP6 models. We find that there is a large range in the predicted first ice-free day, from 3 years from the model-equivalent state in 2023 to no ice-free day before the end of the simulations in 2100, depending on the model and forcing scenario used. Using a narrative approach, we then focus on nine simulations where the first ice-free day occurs within 3 to 6 years, i.e. potentially before 2030, to understand what could cause such an unlikely but very impressive transition to the first ice-free day. day. We find that all of these early ice-free days occur during rapid ice loss and are associated with strong winter and spring warming. (Céline Heuzé & Alexandra Jahnová, more at nature.com)

The 2023 forest fire season is among the worst in the EU in more than two decades, driven by climate change. The fires have devastated vast areas, threatening ecosystems and lives. With the risk of fires increasing, Europe needs to prevent and prepare for increasingly intense forest fire seasons. (More on joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu)

 

Several components of the Earth system are at high risk of undergoing rapid, irreversible qualitative changes or “tipping” as climate warming increases. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the feasibility of halting or even reversing the crossing of tipping thresholds. Here, we study feedback control of an idealized energy balance model (EBM) for Earth’s climate that exhibits a “small ice sheet” instability that is responsible for a rapid transition to an ice-free climate under increasing greenhouse gas pressures. We develop an optimal control strategy for the EBM under different forcing scenarios to reverse sea ice loss while minimizing costs. Control is achievable for this system, but the cost increases nearly fourfold when the system tips over. While thermal inertia can delay tipping, leading to a critical forcing threshold being crossed, this freedom comes with a steep increase in the control required once tipping occurs. Furthermore, we found that optimal control is localized in the polar region. (Parvathi Kooloth, Jian Lu, Adam Rupe, more at nature.com)

Welcome to the NOAA Carbon Cycle Greenhouse Gases group information website! The central site for global greenhouse gas monitoring and is in charge of operating the global air sampling network that continues to monitor the air we breathe.

November 30 424.24 ppm

Safe concentration: 350 ppm

ppm – the number of particles of carbon dioxide per million particles of air.

More on gml.noaa.gov

A remarkable new phenomenon is emerging: Disparate regions are experiencing repeated heat waves so extreme that they far exceed what any global warming model can predict or explain. A new study provides the first global map of such areas, which appear as giant, angry patches on the skin on every continent except Antarctica. (More on sciencedaily.com)

Earth's climate is a complex system including key components such as Arctic sea ice in the summer and the El Niño Southern Oscillation, along with climate-inclining elements including polar ice caps, the Atlantic meridian, and the Amazon rainforest. Exceeding the threshold values of these elements can lead to a qualitatively different climatic condition that threatens human societies. Elements of the cryosphere are vulnerable to current levels of global warming (1.3°C), while also having long response times and high uncertainty. We assess the impact of interacting components of the Earth system on overturning risks using an established conceptual network model of these components. The polar ice sheets (the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets) are critical to the tilt probability and cascading effects within our model. (Jonathan P. Rosser, Ricarda Winkelmann & Nico Wunderling, more at phys.org)

Welcome to the NOAA Carbon Cycle Greenhouse Gases group information website! The central site for global greenhouse gas monitoring and is in charge of operating the global air sampling network that continues to monitor the air we breathe.

28 November 424.21 ppm

Safe concentration: 350 ppm

ppm – the number of particles of carbon dioxide per million particles of air.

More on gml.noaa.gov

Environmental law—indeed, the environment itself—continues to evolve at a rapid pace, and we see no signs of this slowing down. The global community continues to grapple with issues such as climate change and adaptation, sustainability and supply chains, waste and circular economy considerations, infrastructure development, ocean and species protection, the management of plastics and chemicals such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). , and environmental justice to name a few. Attention to ESG issues—environmental, social, and governmental—by companies, investors, NGOs, and stakeholders continues to rise, even as an "anti-ESG" movement is taking shape. (James M Auslander, Brook J Detterman, more at lexology.com)

Billions of vehicles around the world throw away approximately 6 million tons of tire debris every year. These tiny flakes of plastic, created by the wear and tear of normal driving, eventually end up in the soil, in rivers and lakes, and even in our food. Scientists in South China recently found tire-derived chemicals in most human urine samples. (by Henry Obanya, The Conversation, more at phys.org)

Scientists have long considered dimethyl sulfide (DMS) to be the main form of volatile sulfur emitted by the oceans that contributes to aerosol formation. However, recent research has shown that metathiol (MeSH), another volatile degradation product of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), plays a much more important role in this process than previously thought.

In fact, up to 85% of DMSP consumed by marine microbes is not directed to DMS but to the demethylation pathway, the final product of which is MeSH. Subsequent measurements in seawater, air, and sea-air flows confirm that MeSH constitutes a substantial part of volatile methylated sulfur (VMS) emissions.

However, previous climate models neglected MeSH emissions, which led to an underestimation of their impact on atmospheric chemistry and the radiative action of aerosols. A new study published in the journal Science Advances aimed to quantify this impact.

The researchers compiled a database of MeSH concentrations in seawater and identified statistical predictors that allowed monthly fields of global MeSH emissions to be created. These data were implemented in a global chemical-climate model, which showed that emissions of MeSH increase the concentration of sulfate aerosols by 30 to 70% over the Southern Ocean and enhance their cooling effect.

Increased MeSH emissions have several important consequences:

• Increasing the concentration of VMS in the atmosphere: Adding MeSH emissions to the model increased the annual global mean atmospheric VMS concentration by 34%, with the largest increase (by 51%) occurring over the Southern Ocean.
• Extending the life of DMS: MeSH effectively competes with DMS in reactions with atmospheric oxidants, which extends the lifetime of DMS and enables its transport over longer distances.
• Increase in SO2 and SO4²⁻ production: Oxidation of MeSH contributes to the increased production of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and subsequently also sulfate aerosols (SO4²⁻).
• Strengthening the cooling effect of aerosols: The increased amount of sulfate aerosols in the atmosphere amplifies their radiation action and contributes to the cooling of the Earth.
• Reducing the radiative bias of climate models: Accounting for MeSH emissions helps reduce the radiative bias of current climate models in the Southern Ocean region, which is crucial for global climate.

The study's conclusions emphasize the importance of MeSH for atmospheric chemistry and the Earth's radiation balance. MeSH should be included in global climate models to more accurately assess the atmospheric oxidizing capacity and radiation balance, both in the reconstruction of pre-industrial scenarios and in global warming projections.

In addition, the study highlights the need for further research into the distribution of MeSH, its biological and chemical cycle in the surface ocean, its interaction with solar radiation and temperature, and its atmospheric chemistry. You can download the entire document here

Europe has experienced record summer temperatures and repeated, prolonged heat waves in recent years (ECMWF, 2022; C3S, 2024a). When the human body is exposed to periods of very high temperature, it can have trouble regulating it, leading to heat stress, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, and complications from pre-existing medical conditions, which in some cases lead to premature death. The elderly, children, pregnant women, outdoor workers, people suffering from cardiovascular, respiratory or renal diseases, diabetes or mental health disorders and marginalized people and people with insufficient resources are among the most vulnerable to extreme heat (WHO Europe, 2021). (More on eea.europa.eu)