July 2023 is bringing record breaking temperatures to North America even as we deal with smoke from hundreds of wildfires burning across Canada. At a time when we need drastic action to change our economic system and adapt our communities, the Liberal government continues to “subsidize Big Oil and praise Big Oil for their wonderful contribution to the building of their so-called green economy,” says Green Party deputy leader Jonathan Pedneault.
One of the main drivers of climate change is the burning of fossil fuels, like coal, oil and gas. The fires that are destroying the homes, livelihoods and health of Canadians are intrinsically linked to the continued expansion of oil and gas production, said Canadian climate activist Tzeporah Berman in a phone interview with Canada’s National Observer. (Bulowski & Brown, 2023)
Dmitry Zhdannikov, Ron Bousso, and Shadia Nasralla report for Reuters from Vienna that climate activists and some investors have placed pressure on oil and gas producers to shift their portfolios towards zero-carbon renewable energy to tackle global warming.
But record profits from oil and gas last year and relatively low returns from renewable energy prompted some investors to demand companies renew their focus on oil and gas to raise profits.
Companies, such as Shell and BP, have slowed plans to reduce fossil fuels output.
In an interview with the BBC published on Thursday, Shell CEO Wael Sawan said cutting oil and gas production would be “dangerous and irresponsible,” given the likely impact on prices when inflation is already high.
Simon Stiell, the executive secretary of the United Nation’s climate change body (UNFCCC), in turn described Sawan’s comments as “irresponsible” at the OPEC event, according to a source present.
The burning of fossil fuels accounts for the majority of planet-warming emissions, which scientists say need to be reduced to net zero by 2050 to avoid the most extreme effects of climate change. (Zhdannikov, et al., 2023)
Research shows heat domes, wildfires and vanishing polar ice are the symptoms; unabated greenhouse gas emissions are the cause.
Bob Berwyn, an Austria-based reporter who has covered climate science and international climate policy for more than a decade, reports for Inside Climate News that June 2023 may be remembered as the start of a big change in the climate system, with many key global indicators flashing red warning lights amid signs that some systems are tipping toward a new state from which they may not recover. Included in this article are comments from scientists that use technical language that communicates efficiently to other scientists the details that highlight their concern about our warming planet.
- Earth’s critical reflective polar ice caps
- early warning of tipping points towards different weather or sea ice or fire regimes
- shifting into the warm El Niño phase
- “I expect a step change to higher global mean temperatures starting this year,”
- next year will be the warmest on record, either 1.4 or 1.5C above pre-industrial.” “I expect it then to oscillate about that value and not come down again,”
- record-high carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere, he said, adding that the rate of increase is as high as it has ever been and continues to accelerate.
- negative Antarctic sea ice anomaly has continued to widen
- what appears to be another resonance event,” he said, referencing research that shows how the warming climate favors planetary atmospheric wave patterns that “can give rise to persistent summer weather extremes.
- the hypothesis that changes in the Arctic can lead to a wavier jet stream that can trap heat domes in place.
- could be a symptom of disruption to the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, a critical part of the global climate system that transports cold and warm ocean water between the poles.
- that global energy imbalance, building steadily since the start of the fossil-fueled industrial age, is the best measure of how humans have affected the climate
- “It is not global temperature that matters but Earth’s energy imbalance. (Berwyn & Green, 2023)
When our financial transactions become too complicated, we trust the accountants to keep our books. The medical diagnosis we attend to for health reflects our trust in the science and practice of health care. The need to mitigate the effects of global warming by reduction of emissions from oil and gas is underlined by the concerns of scientists about the consequences of the changes in the scientific parameters that impact the energy response of the Earth that is so critical to the life of species in the biosphere. It is past time to heed their advice!
References
Berwyn, B., & Green, A. (2023, July 4). June Extremes Suggest Parts of the Climate System Are Reaching Tipping Points. Inside Climate News. Retrieved July 6, 2023, from https://insideclimatenews.org/news/04072023/june-extremes-climate-tipping-points/
Bulowski, N., & Brown, V. (2023, July 6). If you're not terrified, 'you're not paying attention': Politicians, activist urge action amid record-breaking temperatures. National Observer. Retrieved July 6, 2023, from https://www.nationalobserver.com/2023/07/06/news/if-youre-not-terrified-youre-not-paying-attention-politicians-activist-urge-action
Zhdannikov,, D., Bousso, R., & Nasralla, S. (2023, July 6). Oil bosses urge governments to tackle demand, not supply, in bid to cut emissions. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved July 6, 2023, from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/article-oil-bosses-urge-governments-to-tackle-demand-not-supply-in-bid-to-cut/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
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