Profound Change

With the global mean temperature projected to increase as much as 3.9 degrees Celsius by 2100, the Emissions Gap Report 2019 indicates "greenhouse gas emissions must begin falling 7.6 percent annually by 2020 to prevent global temperatures from rising more than 1.5°C by 2030".

It is evident that incremental changes will not be enough and there is a need for rapid and transformational action.

Update (November 29):  Alexander Kaufman summarizes seven recent climate reports.

1. Global temperatures are on pace to rise as much as 3.2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century ― more than double what scientists project to be a safe range that remotely resembles our world today.

2. The top 10 fossil-fuel-producing countries are on track to extract 120% more oil, gas and coal than would be consistent with 1.5 degrees of warming.

3. The world’s biggest asset managers remain heavily invested in climate-polluting industries ― and do little if anything to convince those companies to change.

4. The insurance industry looks stunningly unprepared for the “extremely high” risks of climate change.

5. New investments in wind, solar and other renewable energy projects dropped sharply in the developing world last year. Coal, meanwhile, hit a record high.

6. China is building more new coal plants than exist in all of the European Union.

7. The vast majority of Americans want the federal government to do more to curb climate change and protect the environment.

And Carl Boggs examines the modern "grand illusion".

Somehow, against all logic, we have adopted a collective faith in the willingness of ruling governments and corporations to do the right thing.

Update (December 24):  Kyla Mandel uses 28 numbers to summarize the state of the planet this year. Just two:

99%: The chance that 2019 winds up in the top five hottest years ever recorded. According to NOAA data, this year will be either the third or second hottest year in human history.

1.71 degrees Fahrenheit: How much warmer July was compared to the 20th-century average temperature for that month, making it the hottest July ever recorded in human history.