Arctic has warmed three times faster than Earth since 1971, says report

A first instance of a largely sea-ice free Arctic may arrive before 2050, the report warns

Vishwam Sankaran

THE INDEPENDENT

An aerial photo taken of the Apusiajik glacier, near Kulusuk

 (also spelled Qulusuk), Greenland
(AFP via Getty Images)

In five decades, the Arctic has warmed three times more than the Earth’s average temperature increase due to global warming, faster than previously thought, a new report says.

Several climate indicators in the Arctic such as temperature, precipitation, snow cover and sea ice thickness show rapid changes currently underway that may have far-reaching consequences throughout the world, including on global sea-level rise, the report warned.

The report was published by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) and its findings were discussed at a meeting of the Arctic Council – an intergovernmental forum of eight countries including Iceland, Denmark, US and Canada, promoting cooperation in the region.

Analysing changes in several key climate parameters in the Arctic between 1971 and 2019, the researchers behind the AMAP report, said the region is undergoing recent increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events like rapid sea ice loss, Greenland ice sheet melt and wildfires.

During this period, they said the near-surface air temperature in the Arctic increased by 3.1 degrees Celsius – three times faster than the global average.

This is more than the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s conclusion in a 2019 report that the Arctic surface air temperature likely increased “by more than double the global average”.

The new AMAP report also noted that precipitation in the region, including rain and snow fall, rose by 9 per cent but added that there was no particular trend in snowfall patterns.

“There has been an increase in extreme high temperatures and a decline in extreme cold events. Cold spells lasting more than 15 days have almost completely disappeared from the Arctic since 2000,” the report noted.

The council also warned that these changes are causing a fundamental transformation of terrestrial, coastal, and marine ecosystems that may strongly affect the food security and livelihoods of indigenous communities living in the region by altering the distribution of fishes, microscopic planktons, and other mammal species, disrupting the whole food-web.

Based on the latest climate models, the report said the annual mean surface air temperatures in the Arctic could rise to 3.3–10 degrees Celsius above the 1985–2014 average by 2100, depending on the course of future global greenhouse gas emissions.

Citing other latest climate models, it said the first instance of a largely sea-ice free Arctic may arrive before 2050.

“The probability of an ice-free Arctic summer is 10 times greater under a 2°C global warming scenario compared with a 1.5°C scenario,” the report noted.

The report specifically cautioned about the effects of melting permafrost in the region – long frozen soil that can release potent greenhouse gases like methane when they thaw – potentially causing a vicious cycle of accelerated global warming.

While permafrost in the Arctic has warmed by about 2-3 degrees Celsius since the 1970s, at many colder sites of the frozen soil the warming rates have been greater than any since 1979.

According to the report, extreme precipitation following a consistent rate of long-term permafrost warming can trigger thermokarst erosion in the Arctic that can release large quantities of methane and other greenhouse gases.

“Without action, we will soon reach a dangerous turning point and the Arctic as we know it will be gone by the end of the century,” Iceland Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources Guðmundur Ingi Guðbrandsson reportedly said at the Arctic Council meeting.

‘Mindboggling’ Arctic heatwave breaks records

‘Profound heatwaves’ in region will be more common, warns meteorologist

Rory Sullivan@RorySullivan92
THE INDEPENDENT 24/5/2021

Floating ice in the Arctic Ocean in September 2020
(via REUTERS)

A “mind-boggling” heat wave in the Arctic has broken temperature records in north-west Russia, meteorologists have said.

Last Wednesday, the mercury rose above 30C in parts of the Arctic, significantly above the average for the time of year.

Scott Duncan, a meteorologist based in the UK, described conditions as “truly exceptional for any time of the year but mind-boggling for May”.

The climate expert added that because the Arctic is warming so fast, “profound heatwaves” are more likely to occur in the future.

Increasing temperatures are causing ice and permafrost to melt in the region, resulting in previously trapped methane being released into the atmosphere and contributing to global heating.

The current heatwave looks set to continue, with climate scientist Zack Labe saying that over the coming week temperatures will be more than 10C above average in eastern Siberia.

Although still shocking, the temperatures seen this month are well below the hottest ever day in the Arctic, which was the 38C recorded in the Siberian town of Verkhoyansk last year.

At the time, the CBS News meteorologist Jeff Berardelli described the record as “the kind of weather we expect by 2100, 80 years early”.

“For perspective Miami has only reached 100 degrees [37.7C] once on record,” he added.

The latest temperature record comes shortly after a new study said the region has warmed three times faster than the rest of the Earth over the past half century.

Published by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), the report warned that temperature changes in the Arctic could have far-reaching consequences across the world, including on issues such as rising sea levels.

Its findings were discussed last week by the Arctic Council, a group of countries which includes the US and Russia.

The council’s 12th ministerial meeting took place in Reykjavik, Iceland, on Thursday, with discussion centring on its four major issues: climate change, human health, Arctic shipping and innovation in local communities.

JPMorgan Chase just became the world's most dangerous bank

Alex Connon, Common Dreams
May 25, 2021

Ben Sutherland https://www.flickr.com/photos/bensutherland/178395814

The International Energy Agency (IEA) is the world's most influential energy forecaster. Providing in-depth policy advice to dozens of national governments, the IEA has long been a friend of fossil fuel executives, regularly encouraging evermore fossil fuel development, even in the face of evermore dire climate warnings. But all that started to change last week.

The IEA released a special report that represents the agency's first attempt at modeling an energy pathway that is compatible with limiting global warming to 1.5°C, the aspirational goal of the Paris Agreement.

Perhaps the single most important sentence in the 224-page report is this one: "There is no need for investment in new fossil fuel supply in our net zero pathway." In other words, if we want to curtail global warming to 1.5°C―and thus slow the rate of species extinction and prevent millions of early deaths―we cannot invest a single dollar more in expanding the fossil fuel industry.

Compare this with JPMorgan Chase. In October of last year, Chase, the world's largest funder of fossil fuels, announced that it was going to align its business model with the Paris Agreement. The pledge came only after years of campaigning by activists and was widely welcomed. The most exciting part of the announcement was Chase's promise to release 2030 climate targets.

Well, Chase just released those targets―and they are worse than even the most pessimistic among us feared.

Rather than actually reducing the overall greenhouse gas emissions associated with its lending, Chase has created a convoluted accounting trick known as "carbon intensity", pledging that by 2030, it will achieve a 15% reduction in the "carbon intensity" of the oil and gas firms it finances.

The most important thing to know here is that reductions in "carbon intensity" and reductions in "actual greenhouse gas emissions" are two very different things.

Imagine you are the CEO of an oil firm. Your company owns 1,000 oil wells; it doesn't own any windmills. Now Chase gives you a $10 billion loan. You use that loan to buy 400 new oil wells and 200 windmills. You now own 400 additional oil wells. This means you are digging up and burning more oil than ever before; your overall contributions to climate change have gone up significantly. But because you are now also profiting from wind power, the "carbon intensity" of your company has gone down―an accounting trick that enables your oil company to both expand oil production and meet Chase's callow climate targets.

What it boils down to is this: While the IEA states that there can be no new investment in the expansion of fossil fuels, Chase doesn't plan to reduce its investments in new fossil fuel supply at all within the next decade.

This is concerning (not to mention deeply immoral) for a number of reasons: Chase is the first major US bank to commit to 2030 climate targets; by setting the bar so devastatingly low they have made it easier for other Wall Street banks to engage in similar acts of greenwashing. Just 100 fossil fuel companies are responsible for 71% of all history's climate pollution; if Wall Street is willing to give them a pass, it is basically passing on climate action of any sort.

The fact that the media has largely fallen for Chase's big climate lie is also of concern. "JPMorgan Chase Pledges to Cut Carbon Emissions in Lending Portfolios," read one uncritical Bloomberg headline. Even the normally rigorous Guardian recently fawned about how Wall Street is acting on the climate crisis. After years of the media's failure to accurately report on the climate crisis, it is upsetting to see major media outlets fail like this.

All of this would, of course, be less alarming if the White House understood that companies like JPMorgan are a major part of the problem―and that regulating them is a major part of the solution. But that is far from the case. "No government is going to solve this problem," said US Special Climate Envoy, John Kerry in a recent interview. "The solutions are going to come from the private sector."

Kerry's words are especially alarming. Whether it's sustainable investing funds that are riddled with fossil fuels, insurance companies building coal mines, or banks making empty climate pledges, it's clear that Wall Street cannot be counted on to solve the climate crisis for us.

We need a government that is willing to step in, stop the money pipeline to climate chaos, and force Wall Street to treat global warming like the crisis it is. As the IEA has made abundantly clear that starts with ensuring that not a single dollar more goes toward expanding the fossil fuel industry.


Alec Connon is the coordinator of the Stop the Money Pipeline coalition, a coalition of over 160 organizations working to stop the flow of money from Wall Street to the fossil fuel industry. He is also a writer. His first novel, The Activist, was published in 2016. Follow him on Twitter: @alecconnon

It Will Take Massive Resources to Stem the Epidemic of Domestic Abuse That Increased During the Pandemic


Marie Solis
JEZEBEL

MAY 25,2021

Photo: Geoffroy van der Hasselt/AFP (Getty Images)

The Biden Administration has reportedly begun distributing $200 million in aid it set aside to support survivors of domestic violence who have been crushed by the pandemic.

According to the New York Times, the funds were included in the $1.9 trillion covid relief package Democrats passed in March, which stipulated that the money should go toward advocacy groups and housing vouchers, so that those who were trapped at home with their abusers can find safe housing as the pandemic begins to recede. The funding will also prioritize Alaskan villages, where survivors of domestic abuse are even more physically isolated from potential sources of help.

“Gender-based violence and the risk factors that contribute to it, like unemployment and isolation, have risen during the pandemic,” Rosie Hidalgo, a senior adviser serving on the White House Gender Policy Council, told the Times.

Mandates to “stay the fuck home” throughout the pandemic—particularly vehement in its worst months—relied on the assumption that home was a safe space, which is not true for many people, but especially for people experiencing domestic abuse. Even just a few days into the lockdowns in the United States, advocates running hotlines and shelters told Jezebel they had started to hear from survivors who said their abusers were “leveraging covid-19 to further isolate, increase fear, and manipulate.”

“Many of the strategies ... [survivors] keep in their back pocket when they live in abusive situations, are feeling really limited,” Katie Ray-Jones, CEO of the National Domestic Violence Hotline, said in March 2020. “We’ve started to hear and see that from people who are like, ‘I’m thinking about calling the shelter but I don’t know if it’s safe to go to the shelter because of potential exposure.’ Some people are saying, ‘I just left the shelter and I’m going to return home to my abusive partner because I’m fearful of being exposed in the shelter.’”

A few weeks later, the United Nation reported a global surge in domestic violence.

As it is, domestic abuse survivors already face significant financial barriers to leaving an abusive situation, and for many people they were exacerbated by the pandemic. Women suffered the bulk of job losses over the last year-plus, and abusers—known for stealing money from their victims as a form of control—may have taken their unemployment benefits or stimulus checks.

Life may feel like it’s finally returning to “normal” for some of us, but for domestic violence survivors, “normal” requires building a new life from scratch.

 

Greta Thunberg responds in style to Chinese newspaper after they fat-shame her

Greta always seems to have the last laugh.

 by Joe Mellor

 May 25, 2021

in Environment, News

They keep coming for her, but Greta Thunberg always has the right response.

This time the China Daily newspaper, essentially owned by the ruling Communist Party, published a piece, that attempted to fat shame her and bizarrely called Thunberg the “environmental princess”.

It seems she has got the Chinese state in a state for calling out the country for its carbon emissions.

“Although she claims to be vegetarian, judging from the results of her growth, her carbon emissions are actually not low,” said writer Tang Ge.

The 18-year-old wasn’t having that though.

Response

She tweeted: “Being fat-shamed by Chinese state owned media is a pretty weird experience even by my standards. But it’s definitely going on my resume.”

Being fat-shamed by Chinese state owned media is a pretty weird experience even by my standards. But it’s definitely going on my resume. https://t.co/VfSEHU5N1A

— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) May 21, 2021

A lot of people came out on-line to support her.

1.

Adults: the youth are not mature enough to understand politics.

Youth: an exponential rise in carbon emissions are causing the climate crisis and we need to take action to secure out future.

Adults: no ur fat

… 🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️

— Saad Amer (@itsSaadAmer) May 21, 2021

2.

I remember in your I Am Greta documentary you laughing when you read a troll had called you an "Asperger cutie piglet".

Your ability to laugh like that is just one of many of God's graces in fashioning you as a role model for the world.

— Don Stribling (@DonStribling2) May 21, 2021

3.

I love you @GretaThunberg , you are a rockstar! I'm old enough to be your mom, yet I've learned so much from you! 🤘😎🤘💚💙 pic.twitter.com/otIFINVxlx

— Lady Raven 🦋😷♿ #LegalizeAll50💚🌿 (@Kraven_Raven24) May 22, 2021

4.

They're just resorting to insults because they're in the wrong and you're making a big difference. Keep up the fantastic job you're doing, Greta! You're a courageous hero.

— Daniel Alan Wurts (@DanielAlanWurts) May 21, 2021

5.

It’s merely distraction. You have tremendous strength, Greta, and are admired by many world-wide for your willingness to speak truth that many do not wish to hear. As an older US citizen, I admire you. Keep the faith and keep up the good work.

— PalpableConcern (@PalpableConcern) May 21, 2021

6 young climate activists making waves, who aren’t called Greta Thunberg

Greta is not the only voice, and recognition is slowly building for other young activists the world over.

Here are just a few of them…

1. Licypriya Kangujam, India

Still one of the youngest members of an already-young movement, Licypriya Kangujam makes Greta Thumberg look like a seasoned campaign veteran. She began advocating for climate action outside the Indian parliament in 2019 at just six years old, with an impressively specific set of demands, including climate education and air pollution laws.

She has already given multiple TEDx talks, spoken at the United Nations Climate Conference (COP25), founded ‘The Child Movement’, a young, global climate justice organisation, and travelled to 32 different countries to give speeches and raise support. What had you done, aged nine?

2. Lesein Mutunkei, Kenya

Kenyan teenager Lesein Mutunkei has two overriding passions: sport and the environment. After reading about the climate crisis in school aged 12, Mutunkei founded Trees4Goals, with the simple mission of planting 11 trees every time he scores a goal. Fortunately he’s a capable footballer, and has planted more than 1,000 trees so far, while also attending climate conferences across the world.

3. Ella & Caitlin McEwan, UK

These schoolgirl sisters from Southampton were as surprised as anyone when their petition against plastic toys in fast food meals went viral, attracting over half a million signatures. The pair, then aged seven and nine, started their campaign after learning about the effects of plastics on the world’s oceans at school, specifically naming and targeting Burger King and McDonalds.

They won both battles, with Burger King calling time on plastic toys in 2019, saving around 320 tonnes of plastic per year, and McDonald’s going plastic-free in 2020. Their efforts earned them the Future Leader Award at the UK Climate Coalition’s Green Heart Hero Awards last year.

4. Lilly Platt, Netherlands

A fully fledged member of the Fridays For Future climate strike movement, Platt’s story starts way back in 2015, during a walk in the park with her grandfather. Then seven years old, she decided to count pieces of plastic on the ground, and totted up 91 bits of refuse in just 10 minutes.

She started Lilly’s Plastic Pickup, enlisting participants first from her school and then beyond, and has personally picked up more than 100,000 pieces over the years. She also holds an array of ambassadorial roles, for organisations ranging from Earth.org to the Plastic Pollution Coalition.

5. Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, USA

A powerful voice not only on the climate struggle, but also the struggles of indigenous communities, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez has Mexica heritage (the indigenous people of Mexico), and argues that climate action must be part of a wider struggle against injustice and inequality.

A hip-hop artist as well as a campaigner, sometimes known only by the initial ‘X’, he is youth director for global international activist organisation Earth Guardians, and one of 21 plaintiffs in Juliana vs United States, an ongoing attempt to sue the US government for its use of fossil fuels.

Now 21 years old, He has spoken at the United Nations on multiple occasions, giving speeches in English, Spanish and his native language Nahuatl.

6. Luisa Neubauer

One of the main one minds behind Germany’s Fridays For Future climate strike programme, and often hailed as ‘The German Face of the Movement’, Luisa Neubauer was involved in climate activism long before Greta Thunberg first held a sign outside the Swedish parliament. She earned her spurs in a long succession of advocacy groups through her teens and early 20s, and is now part of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’s new Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change.

Now aged 25, she’s been appointed to the judging panel of the Duke of Cambridge’s £50 million Earthshot Prize, alongside the likes of broadcaster Sir David Attenborough and actress Cate Blanchett. William praised the “inspirational” Neubauer, alongside fellow activist Ernest Gibson.

KULTURE WARS
‘Project British values’, Tory minister tells BBC

“It must step up to project British values as our national champion."

 by Andra Maciuca
May 25, 2021
in News, Politics

Oliver Dowden. Photo: PA

Culture secretary Oliver Dowden has ordered the BBC to project British values and prepare for regulation and funding changes in a piece penned for The Times.

It comes following a report by Lord Dyson which revealed the the corporation acted unethically in obtaining an interview with Diana, Princess of Wales in 1995.

Over the weekend, Priti Patel told the BBC to “look at itself” and reflect on the report – whilst dismissing findings that showed she broke the ministerial code.

Dowden has now said that Lord Dyson’s investigation “exposed failures that strike at the heart of our national broadcaster’s values and culture”.

Tory leadership of BBC

He said: “The BBC must act fast to restore trust, and reassure the country that it will shine a light on any other areas falling short of the high standards we rightly expect from it.

“We will not stand idly by in Government either. We cannot and should not get involved in editorial decisions, but we should reflect on the lack of oversight and challenge that these decisions exposed.”

The MP for Hertsmere praised the “more powerful Board” the BBC now has – which includes Robbie Gibb, a Brexiteer with close ties to the Tories.

“The new leadership deserves credit for setting up an independent investigation and accepting Lord Dyson’s findings in full, and I expect them to act swiftly on all of his recommendations.”

The culture secretary said the government is looking into strenghtening the regulation of the BBC. “Its purpose is to look at issues such as the performance of the BBC Board and the effectiveness of the regulation by Ofcom,” he said, adding:

“We will need to be reassured that this system of governance and oversight is now sufficient.”

He said a mid-term review is scheduled for the start of 2022 – and described it as a ‘health check’ provision’ established by his Tory colleague John Whittingdale.

Dowden continued by saying that, “as a conservative”, he believes in “preserving great national institutions”, and praised BBC’s work throughout the pandemic.
Independent and investigative BBC?

The Tory minister supported Prince William’s speech and said that in the “era of fake news, public service broadcasting and a free press have never been more important”.

He added: “I firmly believe we need trusted and impartial broadcasters, high-quality investigative journalism, and an independent and vibrant press today more than ever.

Dowden thinks the BBC needs an new emphasis on accuracy, impartiality and diversity of opinion: “As others have observed, the BBC can occasionally succumb to a ‘we know best’ attitude that is detached both from the criticism and the values of all parts of the nation it serves.

“It must step up to project British values as our national champion.

“Groupthink in any organisation results in a lack of challenge and poor decision making.

“That’s why cultural change must be a focus for the Director General and new Chair on the back of the Dyson report.”

Dowden said they will also be looking at longer term aspects such as the correct funding model, shape and structure of the BBC.

Related: WATCH: Patel dismisses ministerial code whilst telling the BBC to reflect on report

 

UK

Full list of TORY MPs who rejected global minimum corporate tax on big multinationals

The UK is now the only G7 country not supporting it.

 by Jack Peat

 May 25, 2021

in Politics

The Tories overwhelmingly voted against a Labour amendment on the global minimum corporate tax on big multinationals last night.

Ministers rejected a move that would force the government to back Joe Biden’s plans, making the UK the only G7 country not supporting it as things stand.

Commenting on the proposal, Labour’s James Murray told the House of Commons that “people are fed up with large multinational companies avoiding their tax”.

“Despite their business success in the UK, profit shifting to Luxembourg meant Amazon’s corporation tax contribution in the UK in 2019 was less than 0.1% of its turnover,” the shadow financial secretary to the Treasury added.

“It goes against the fairness that must be at the heart of our tax system. In this year of all years, when so many British businesses are struggling to get back on their feet while Amazon’s business booms, it is clearer than ever that change is long overdue.”

He criticised claims from ministers that they are “leading the charge” on tackling international tax avoidance and highlighted that the UK is the only country in the G7 group of nations not to have backed the plan put forward by Biden.

“This is a once in a generation opportunity to grasp international agreement on the global taxation of global multinationals that has evaded our country and others for so long. Yet, rather than stepping up, our government is stepping away.”

Biden initially put forward a 21 per cent global rate, but 15 per cent was suggested most recently as a “floor” from which to build. 130 countries are involved in negotiations, and Germany, France, Canada, Italy and Japan have reacted positively to the plan.

Here’s the full list of MPs who voted it down:

Full list of MPs who rejected global minimum corporate tax on big multinationals (thelondoneconomic.com)

Labour calls on Britain to back Biden’s global business tax plan
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said a global minimum rate of corporation tax would ensure tech giants pay ‘their fair share’.

Rachel Reeves / PA Wire

By Gavin Cordon

Labour is calling on the Government to back Joe Biden’s plan for a global minimum rate of corporation tax, or risk isolation at next month’s G7 summit.

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said the US president’s “historic” proposal could ensure multinational tech giants paid their “fair share” of tax while generating billions for public services.

In a letter to Chancellor Rishi Sunak, she questioned why, alone among the G7 countries which will gather in Cornwall, the UK was the only one that was “lukewarm” about the plan.


“This global pact will bring in billions of pounds in extra tax benefiting Britain while stopping huge multinationals and online giants from undercutting our businesses,” she said

.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak / PA Archive

“By making sure they pay their fair share in Britain, we can level the playing field for our brilliant businesses, and build an economic recovery with thriving industries and good, secure jobs for all.”

The Government has insisted that it wants an international solution to the “tax challenges” posed by the rise of the tech giants and the digital economy.

However it argues that reform should focus on making multinationals pay more tax in the countries where they make sales and operate.

Officials are said to believe that Mr Biden’s plan would disproportionately benefit the US, with firms simply paying more tax in California.

The president initially proposed a minimum global rate of 21%.

However on Thursday the US treasury department put forward a plan for a “floor” of 15%, while calling for discussions to continue to “push that rate higher”.

YELLEN SAID 18% ON FRIDAY ON CNBC

In her letter to Mr Sunak – co-signed by shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy – Ms Reeves said the UK should seek a rate “equal to or higher than” the original 21% proposal.

“It creates the prospect of an historic agreement that could arrest the global race to the bottom on corporate taxation and generate new revenue to support public services,” they wrote.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity and if the government doesn’t back this move, you risk undermining a global deal to tackle tax avoidance.”