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A guide for all schools in the English Edmund Rice Network to work towards becoming a more sustainable and nature-focused organisation

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Click the square with an arrow in on right bottom corner to play

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World meteorological organisation, Geneva 

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World meteorological organisation, Geneva 

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April 2021 annual report on the state of the climate

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The WMO's sobering State of the Global Climate 2020 shows that not only has the global average temperature reach around 1.2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels but all climate change indicators worsened last year, in what was one of the three warmest years on record.

The coronavirus pandemic accelerated impacts, the WMO said, dealing a "double blow" to millions of people hit by climate-related disasters, as lockdowns and quarantines made it even more difficult for them to receive help.

Despite a temporary dip in greenhouse gas emissions due to lockdowns, concentrations in the atmosphere continued to increase, while extreme events such as hurricanes, floods and heatwaves set new devastating records.

"We are on the verge of the abyss...this frightening report shows that we have no time to waste," said United Nations secretary-general António Guterres at the presentation of the findings of the report.

The report comes ahead of the Leaders Summit on Climate taking place 22-23 April where President Biden is expected to galvanise efforts by the major economies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet the targets of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

This is the year for action," Guterres said. "Countries need to commit to net zero emissions by 2050. They need to submit, well ahead of COP26 in Glasgow, ambitious national climate plans that will collectively cut global emissions by 45 per cent compared to 2010 levels by 2030."

Below are eight "relentless, continuing" effects of climate change highlighted by the report and affecting people, societies, and economies. Set to intensify in the coming decades, they could be alleviated by investing in adaptation and mitigation policies, the WMO report says.
1. Greenhouse gases
Concentrations of the major greenhouse gases continued to rise in 2020. Despite a temporary dip, the economic slowdown had no discernible impact on atmospheric concentrations of "the big three", carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, according to UNEP, one of the partners on the report.

"Concentrations of the major greenhouse gases continued to climb, carbon dioxide concentrations rose to a new high... 148 per cent increase above pre industrial levels," confirmed Guterres.

2. The ocean
The ocean absorbs around 23 per cent of the carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere by activities such as burning fossil fuels, acting as an important buffer against climate change. But as these levels increase, the ocean's PH level lowers and it becomes more acidic, impacting ecosystems, marine life and fisheries, according to IOC-UNESCO. It also reduces its capacity to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The ocean also takes in more than 90 per cent of the excess heat from human activities. The past two years saw the highest ocean heat content on record: over 82 percent of the ocean area experienced at least one marine heatwave in 2020. Global sea level also rose at a higher rate partly due to the increased melting of the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. Globally, sea level has been rising an average of 3.29 mm per year, peaking in 2020.
3. The cryosphere
Warming does not distribute equally around the planet. Since the mid-1980s, Arctic surface air temperatures have warmed at least twice as fast as the global average with larger implications for the global climate through various feedbacks such as thawing permafrost releasing methane into the atmosphere.

Last year's Arctic sea ice cover shrank to the second-lowest extent since modern record-keeping began in the late 1970s, to less than four million million square kilometres. The Greenland ice sheet continued to lose mass, as this NASA graphic shows:

As with Greenland, Antarctica's average rate of ice loss between 2002 & 2020 was 149 billion metric tons (or 149 gigatons) per year, also adding to sea level rise. In this visualization:

orange & red = lost ice mass
light blue = gained ice mass
white = little to no change pic.twitter.com/wkFpeVEzOs
- NASA Climate (@NASAClimate) April 5, 2021
4. Floods and drought
Heavy rain and extensive flooding occurred over large parts of Africa and Asia in 2020. The Indian subcontinent, China, the Republic of Korea and Japan, and parts of South-East Asia received abnormally high rainfall at various times of the year.

Long-term drought continued to persist in parts of southern Africa, particularly the Northern and Eastern Cape Provinces. The Sahel and the Greater Horn of Africa saw a desert locust outbreak. Severe drought affected many parts of South America, especially northern Argentina, Paraguay and the western border areas of Brazil which lost US$ 3 billion in agriculture.
5. Heat and fire
Widespread drought contributed to the largest fires ever recorded. Prolonged and widespread wildfires affected the Siberian Arctic where temperatures were more than 3°C above average, with a record temperature of 38°C in the town of Verkhoyansk.

Death Valley in California reached 54.4°C on 16 August, the highest known temperature in the world in at least the last 80 years. Penrith in western Sydney broke the sad heat records of Australia with 48.9°C. And in the Eastern Mediterranean, Jerusalem (42.7°C) and Eilat (48.9°C) hit all-time records on 4 September. In other extreme examples, Kuwait Airport reached 52.1°C and Baghdad 51.8°C following a late July heatwave in the Middle East.
6.Tropical Cyclones
The number of tropical cyclones globally was above average in 2020 with 98 tropical storms mostly driven by the North Atlantic. The hurricane season counted an all-time record of 30 named storms. Hurricane Laura reached category 4 in intensity and made landfall on 27 August in western Louisiana, leading to extensive damage and US$19bn in economic losses. The last storm of the season, Iota, was also the most intense, reaching category 5 before landfall in Central America.

The strongest tropical cyclone of the season was Typhoon Goni (Rolly) which crossed the northern Philippines on 1 November with a 10-minute mean wind speed of 220 km/h, one of the most intense landfalls on record.

May 20, cyclone Amphan near the India-Bangladesh border was the costliest tropical cyclone on record for the North Indian Ocean with approximately US$14 billion in loss.

Europe was not spared with gusts of wind as high as 186 km/h in western France with storm Alex in October; extreme rainfalls hit Italy and France and the United Kingdom saw its wettest area- averaged day on record with 31.7 mm.

Other major severe storms included a hailstorm in Calgary (Canada) on 13 June, with insured losses exceeding US$ 1 bn and hailstones as large as 20 cm fell on Tripoli (Libya) on 27 October.
7. Covid-19
More than 50 million people were hit in 2020 by a double-whammy of climate-related disasters and the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Lockdowns, social distancing and all the logistical disruptions due to Covid made evacuations and relief operations all the more challenging.

Cuts in economic activity and disruptions to the agricultural sector as a result of Covid also exacerbated the effects of extreme weather and climate events along the entire food supply chain, elevating levels of food insecurity.

"About 600 million poeople are facing severe food insecurity, a recent increase partly driven by climate events," said Secretary general of the WMO Petteri Taalas.

8. Displacement
According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, some 9.8 million displacements, largely due to hydrometeorological hazards and disasters, were recorded during the first half of 2020, mainly concentrated in South and South-East Asia and the Horn of Africa. It becomes more and more difficult and it takes more and more time for people displaced by such events to return to their former homes without options for integrating locally or settling elsewhere.

Taalas warned these climate trends will continued "independent of our success in mitigation" and urged governments to invest in adaptation, where several less developed countries are still lacking crucial systems such as early warning services and weather observing networks.

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Extreme weather and Covid-19: a double blow for climate in 2020

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The WMO's sobering State of the Global Climate 2020 shows that not only has the global average temperature reach around 1.2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels but all climate change indicators worsened last year, in what was one of the three warmest years on record.

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contributions, thoughts and questions from the participants

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Jane Mellet's presentation on PDF

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Edmund Rice Network - Climate Change Workshop 3

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Tipping Points

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TIPPING POINTS | February 10. 2020. 8:00

And while climate records are being routinely broken, the cumulative impact of these changes could also cause fundamental parts of the Earth system to change dramatically and irreversibly.

These "tipping points" are thresholds where a tiny change could push a system into a completely new state.

This article is part of a week-long special series on "tipping points", where a changing climate could push parts of the Earth system into abrupt or irreversible change

Imagine a child pushing themselves from the top of a playground slide. There is a point beyond which it is too late for the child to stop themselves sliding down. Pass this threshold and the child continues inevitably towards a different state - at the bottom of the slide rather than the top.

In this article, Carbon Brief explores nine key tipping points across the Earth system, from collapsing ice sheets and thawing permafrost, to shifting monsoons and forest dieback.

Along with this explainer, Carbon Brief has published guest articles from experts in four of the tipping points covered here.

Tipping towers

A glance at the news media on any given week will likely highlight all sorts of climate change impacts. From declining Arctic sea ice and record-breaking heatwaves to melting glaciers and worsening droughts, the increase in global average temperature is being felt around the world.

Broadly, these impacts reflect gradual changes caused by a climate that is steadily warming. Scientists have estimated, for example, that for every tonne of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere, summer sea ice cover in the Arctic shrinks by three square metres.

"A climate tipping point, or any tipping point in any complex system, is where a small change makes a big difference and changes the state or the fate of a system."

So, rather than a bit more warming causing slightly hotter heatwaves or more melting of glaciers, it causes a dramatic shift to an entire system.

That extra bit of warming would be, as the saying goes, the straw that breaks the camel's back. Or, to use a more animal-friendly metaphor, a game of Jenga - where a particular component within the Earth system, such as an ice sheet, circulation pattern or ecosystem, is represented by the tower of blocks.

Animation by Tom Prater for Carbon Brief.

The gradual increase in global temperature sees block after block removed from the tower and placed on top. As time goes on, the tower becomes more and more misshapen and unstable. At some point, the tower can no longer support itself and it tips over.

In the game of Jenga, the tower collapses in a split second. For a component of the Earth system, the shift to one physical state to another may take many decades or centuries. But the feature they have in common is that once the collapse has started, it is virtually impossible to stop.

It is worth noting that a tipping point can be caused by natural fluctuations in the climate as well as by an external forcing, such as global warming. These are called " noise-induced" tipping points and include, for example, periods of abrupt change during the last ice age called " Dansgaard-Oeschger (D-O) events ".

"As you approach the edge of the cliff, a small random gust of wind is more likely to blow you over the edge. This is more prevalent in biological systems. A strong marine heatwave in one year can wipe out a large coral ecosystem for many decades - or, perhaps, even permanently. The heatwave is a result of natural fluctuations, but becomes more likely and more extreme with an increasing average trend."

Irreversible change?

The term "tipping point" itself was popularised by journalist and author Malcolm Gladwell in his book of the same name, published in 2000. Gladwell describes tipping points as "the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point", and explores examples throughout human society:

"There was a tipping point for [declining] violent crime in New York in the early 1990s, and a tipping point for the reemergence of Hush Puppies, just as there is a tipping point for the introduction of any new technology."

In the years since, the term has been used increasingly in scientific circles. However, this has not been without controversy. There are, for example, many different views on how the term should be defined and used, explains Collins:

"There has been an intensive debate in the field of tipping points, abrupt change and irreversibility about the definitions of these terms. They range from the very mathematical to those which are intended to be understood by policymakers."

In Hansen's talk - a tribute to scientist Prof Charles Keeling, given at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting - Hansen warned that "we are on the precipice of climate system tipping points beyond which there is no redemption".

By its Fall Meeting of 2008, the AGU had an entire half-day session dedicated to climate tipping points. A Science briefing about the meeting declared that "tipping points, once considered too alarmist for proper scientific circles, have entered the climate change mainstream".

"Technically, an abrupt climate change occurs when the climate system is forced to cross some threshold, triggering a transition to a new state at a rate determined by the climate system itself and faster than the cause."

The IPCC's definition in its fifth assessment report ("AR5", pdf), published in 2013-14, gives more detail:

"We define abrupt climate change as a large-scale change in the climate system that takes place over a few decades or less, persists (or is anticipated to persist) for at least a few decades, and causes substantial disruptions in human and natural systems."

Typically, definitions for a tipping point fall into two categories, says Dr Ricarda Winkelmann, junior professor of climate system analysis at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). She explains to Carbon Brief:

"One is simply that one vital part of the climate system shows some kind of threshold behaviour and that means that a small perturbation around that element can cause a huge qualitative change. And then there's another definition that actually says there needs to be a positive feedback mechanism associated with the element. So that means there is something that's self-reinforcing and then that could lead to irreversible changes as well."

Passing an irreversible tipping point would mean a system would not revert to its original state even if the forcing lessens or reverses, explains Dr Richard Wood, who leads the Climate, Cryosphere and Oceans group in the Met Office Hadley Centre. He tells Carbon Brief:

"In some cases, there is evidence that once the system has jumped to a different state, then if you remove the climate forcing, the climate system doesn't just jump back to the original state - it stays in its changed state for some considerable time, or possibly even permanently."

This is known as "hysteresis". It occurs when a system undergoes a "bifurcation" - which means to divide or fork into two branches - and it is subsequently difficult, if not impossible, for the system to revert to its previous state.

For example, part of the reason that Greenland has an ice sheet today is that it has had that ice sheet for hundreds of thousands of years. If the Greenland ice sheet were to pass a tipping point that led to its disintegration, simply reducing emissions and lowering global temperatures to pre-industrial levels would not bring it back again. It would probably require another ice age to achieve that.

Similarly, returning to the Jenga analogy, the amount of energy required to rebuild the tower once it collapsed is significantly greater than the energy used to tip it over.

The extent to which the tipping points considered in this article are irreversible is just one of the many uncertainties that researchers are still exploring. Nonetheless, each of the nine - explained below - are examples of where seemingly small changes have the collective potential to pack a potent punch.

Shutdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a system of currents in the Atlantic Ocean that brings warm water up to Europe from the tropics and beyond.

The illustration below shows the two main features of the AMOC: the first is the flow of warm, salty water in the upper layers of the ocean northwards from the Gulf of Mexico (red line). This is made up of the "Gulf Stream" to the south and the "North Atlantic Current" further north. The second is the cooling of water in the high latitudes of the Atlantic, which makes the water more dense. This denser water then sinks and returns southwards towards the equator at much deeper depths (blue line).

Climate change affects this process by diluting the salty sea water with freshwater and by warming it up, he says:

"The dilution happens through increased rainfall and also melting of continental ice in the vicinity of mainly the Greenland ice sheet. And that makes the water lighter and, therefore, unable to sink - or at least less able to sink - which, basically, slows down that whole engine of the global overturning circulation."

Recent research suggests that the AMOC has already weakened by around 15% since the middle of the 20th century. This is in line with projections by climate models, says Dr Richard Wood. However, the question remains at what point a weakening tips over into a complete shutdown, he explains:

"Perhaps a much less likely, but larger cause for concern is whether there's a threshold beyond which the AMOC becomes unsustainable and at that point - if you pass that threshold - then over some period of time, the AMOC might reduce to zero or even potentially a reversed circulation. And that would have big impacts on the climate of, well, the whole northern hemisphere, but particularly Europe."

This shutdown could happen because the AMOC is a self-reinforcing system, explains Rahmstorf:

"The circulation itself brings salty water into the high-latitude Atlantic and the salty water increases the density. And so we can say the water is able to sink because it is salty and it is salty because there is this circulation. So it's like a self-reinforcing system."

Such a system can only be pushed "up to a limit", says Rahmstorf, after which the self-reinforcing system actually works to further weaken the circulation. Too much freshwater in the North Atlantic slows the circulation, preventing it from pulling salty water up from the south. Thus, the North Atlantic freshens even more and the circulation weakens further - and so on. It "really is an on-off system", he adds.

There is still a lot of uncertainty about where exactly this tipping point is, says Rahmstorf. To the extent that "nobody really knows", he adds:

"But, I would say, most people think that to trigger a real shutdown would require substantial global warming - like 3C or 4C [above pre-industrial levels]. And we could pretty well minimise this risk by limiting the warming to below 2C. So, if we actually take the Paris Agreement seriously, then I would feel relatively relaxed about the risk of a shutdown. But if we continue on the current path and heading for three or more degrees, then this becomes a really serious concern."

(According to Climate Action Tracker, current global climate policies put the world on track for around 3C of warming.)

And it is "important to emphasise that climate models are not suggesting a complete shutdown of the AMOC in the next 100 years or so", adds Wood: "We're looking at what we call a 'low-probability, high-impact' event".

The IPCC's special report on 1.5C of warming, for example, concludes that while "it is very likely that the AMOC will weaken over the 21st century", there is "no evidence indicating significantly different amplitudes of AMOC weakening for 1.5C versus 2C of global warming, or of a shutdown of the AMOC at these global temperature thresholds".

Were the AMOC to cross a tipping point, models suggest it would trigger a "quick decline that takes decades and then a kind of slower decline which might take even hundreds of years", says Wood.

This would be "practically irreversible" on human timescales, notes Rahmstorf:

"Depending on the exact nature of the stability of the circulation, it could be shutdown basically indefinitely for thousands of years into a new stable shutdown state. Or it could eventually recover - both things we observe in different models. But, on a timescale if you're just interested in what happens in the next 200-300 years or so, that doesn't actually make a difference because it does stay off then once it dies for quite a long time."

This "shutdown" state is an example of hysteresis, explains Wood in the video below. It means that once you go over the tipping point, even if global warming is stopped or reversed, the AMOC does not necessarily switch back on again immediately.

As the AMOC plays a crucial role in bringing heat up from the tropics, a shutdown would cause "widespread cooling around the whole of the northern hemisphere, but particularly around western Europe and the east coast of North America", says Wood. This could be in the order of "several degrees, possibly 5C", he adds.

This cooling would have knock-on impacts for rainfall patterns as there would be less evaporation from the North Atlantic, says Wood. This could either offset or magnify the changes caused by global warming, he says:

"In northern parts of Europe, we might expect from global warming to see wetter winters and then the drying would compensate. In other regions, more in southern Europe, where we would already be expected to see a drying signal from the global-warming signal, so paradoxically, the cooling would give you a further drying. So it would actually reinforce the climate-change signal."

The knock-on impacts would be considerable. For example, a recent study in the new journal Nature Food suggests that an AMOC shutdown would cause "widespread cessation of arable farming" in the island of Great Britain with "losses of agricultural output that are an order of magnitude larger than the impacts of climate change without an AMOC collapse".

In addition, there will be implications for the ocean itself, notes Rahmstorf:

"The whole North Atlantic ecosystem is adapted to the existence of this overturning circulation, which really sets the conditions - the seasonal cycle, the temperature, the nutrient conditions - in the North Atlantic, and so the intricate web of the Atlantic ecosystem will be substantially disrupted if allow such a massive change in the ocean circulation to happen."

Finally, research suggests that the collapse of the AMOC could itself trigger other tipping points. As the SROCC explains:

"For example, a collapse of the AMOC may induce causal interactions like changes in ENSO [ El Niño-Southern Oscillation] characteristics, dieback of the Amazon rainforest and shrinking of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet due to seesaw effect, ITCZ [ Intertropical Convergence Zone] southern migration and large warming of the Southern Ocean."

However, the SROCC notes that "such a worst-case scenario remains very poorly constrained" as a result of the large uncertainties around how systems such as AMOC will respond to warming.

West Antarctic ice sheet disintegration

The West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) is one of three regions making up Antarctica. The other two are East Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula, with the Transantarctic Mountain range dividing east from west.

Although much smaller than its neighbour to the east, the WAIS still holds enough ice to raise global sea levels by around 3.3 metres. Therefore, even a partial loss of its ice would be enough to change coastlines around the world dramatically.

Aerial view over Pine Island Bay, West Antarctica. Credit: Universal Images Group North America LLC / Alamy Stock Photo.

The long-term stability of the WAIS is of particular concern because it is a "marine-based" ice sheet. As the IPCC's special report on the ocean and cryosphere in a changing climate ("SROCC") explains, this means that it sits "upon bedrock that largely lies below sea level and [is] in contact with ocean heat, making [it] vulnerable to rapid and irreversible ice loss".

The map below shows the elevation of Antarctic bedrock; the greens, yellows and reds indicate areas above sea level, while the whites and blues show areas below it - by as much as 2.5km. The WAIS itself is more than 4km thick in places.

Acting under the force of gravity, the ice of the WAIS gradually flows out from its interior towards the coast and into the Southern Ocean. Fresh snowfall on the interior of the ice sheet replenishes the lost ice. If the ice sheet loses more ice to the ocean than it gains in snow, it adds to global sea levels.

For example, analysis published in Nature in 2018 showed that the rate of ice loss from the WAIS had tripled from 53bn tonnes a year during 1992-97 to 159bn tonnes a year in 2012-2017.

Where the ice meets the ocean, floating ice shelves form. These ice shelves have a "buttressing" effect, holding back the glaciers on land that flow into them.

Sitting on the ocean surface, ice shelves are at risk of melting from above and below from warm air and water, respectively. In the Antarctic Peninsula, for example, research has shown that the collapse of the Larsen B ice shelf in 2002 was primarily driven by warm air temperatures. While the Larsen C ice shelf, which is " thinning rapidly ", is being melted from above and below.

Because ice shelves float on water, their collapse does not directly cause sea level rise. But thinning and/or collapse of the WAIS's ice shelves could trigger a positive feedback loop that sees rapid and irreversible loss of land ice into the ocean - which would add to sea levels. This theory is called "marine ice sheet instability" (MISI).

The illustration below shows how it works. As an ice shelf thins, more ice lifts off the seafloor and begins to float. This pushes back (see blue arrows) the "grounding line" - the transition point between grounded and floating ice (indicated by dashed lines). Floating ice flows more rapidly than grounded ice and so the rate of ice flow near the grounding line increases (black arrows). Faster flow means thinning, which may in turn cause more ice to lift off and float. And because greater thickness also causes the ice to flow faster, grounding-line retreat into deeper sections of the ice sheet can also produce faster flow.

What makes this a positive feedback loop is the retrograde slope of the WAIS's bedrock. Not only is much of the bedrock beneath the ice sheet below sea level, large portions of it slope downwards away from the coast. This means that once ice sheet retreat reaches this point, it is self-sustaining.

(There is also an additional feedback loop mechanism that could further endanger the WAIS. This is called Marine Ice Cliff Instability (MICI), which would see towering cliffs of glacier ice collapse into the ocean under their own weight. The theory is still under debate.)

Research indicates that glaciers in this sector are "undergoing a marine ice sheet instability that will significantly contribute to sea level rise in decades to centuries to come".

For example, model simulations in a 2014 study in Science have suggested that the "process of marine ice-sheet destabilisation is already under way on Thwaites Glacier". The study notes:

"Although [ice] losses are likely to be relatively modest over the next century (<0.25 mm/year of sea level equivalent, SLE), rapid collapse (>1 mm/year of SLE) will ensue once the grounding line reaches the basin's deeper regions, which could occur within centuries."

This rapid collapse "would probably spill over to adjacent catchments, undermining much of West Antarctica", the study adds.

The SROCC is also a little more circumspect in its conclusions. It says that rapid mass loss due to glacier flow acceleration in this region "may indicate the beginning of MISI". However, it also notes that "observational data are not yet sufficient to determine whether these changes mark the beginning of irreversible retreat".

Prof Tim Lenton tells Carbon Brief that whether all or part of the WAIS has already passed a tipping point for irreversible loss is "the big concern at the moment" because of the sea level rise it would cause.

Overall, the SROCC assessment of "partial West-Antarctic Ice sheet collapse" is that it is potentially abrupt and would be "irreversible for decades to millennia". It ascribes "low confidence" to a collapse during the 21st century.

A Nature Climate Change review paper published in 2018 concluded that "under sustained warming, a key threshold for survival of Antarctic ice shelves, and thus the stability of the ice sheet, seems to lie between 1.5 and 2C mean annual air temperature above present".

This temperature threshold refers to regional warming in Antarctica, rather than a global average figure. However - as lead author Prof Frank Pattyn explains to Carbon Brief - because the poles warm more quickly than the global average, 2C of warming on Antarctica from present is approximately equivalent to 2C of global warming since pre-industrial levels.

Pattyn, a glaciologist and co-director of the Laboratoire de Glaciologie at the Université libre de Bruxelles, also notes that a tipping point for the WAIS "is not sharply defined". Referring to the different " Representative Concentration Pathway " emissions scenarios, he adds:

"Studies show that under RCP2.6 the ice sheets continue to lose mass but seem stable, while for RCP4.5, in some cases irreversible mass loss is encountered. However, only a few studies consider the full range of RCPs and most of them only compare RCP2.6 to RCP8.5."

Evidence from Earth's distant past also suggests the WAIS has collapsed before. For example, a Nature Geoscience review paper from 2011 notes:

"The palaeo record strongly suggests that the WAIS largely disappeared, perhaps during the past few hundred thousand years and more confidently during the past few million years, in response to warming similar to or less than that projected under business-as-usual CO2 emission scenarios for the next few centuries."

Amazon rainforest dieback

The Amazon rainforest is the largest rainforest in the world. Spanning nine countries in South America, it is twice the size of India. The lush vegetation is a haven for millions of species of plants, insects, birds and animals.

As its name suggests, a rainforest is sustained by very wet conditions. But the forest itself plays a critical role in the local climate. As the forest is saturated with heavy rains, much of this moisture is returned to the atmosphere through evaporation. In addition, transpiration of moisture from plant leaves transfers water from the soil into the atmosphere. These two processes combined are called "evapotranspiration".

These processes keep the atmosphere moist, but also help drive convection - strong upward motion of the air - which, ultimately, creates clouds and more rainfall. Research published in the 1970s showed that the Amazon generates around half of its own rainfall.

The result is that either reducing the amount of rainfall or the amount of forest can shift the climate into a drier state that cannot support a rainforest. There are three potential causes of this, explains Prof Richard Betts, head of climate impacts at the Met Office Hadley Centre and chair of climate impacts at the University of Exeter.

The first is a decline in rainfall in response to a warming climate. Model projections suggest this would be a result of "particular patterns of sea surface temperature (SST) change in the tropical Atlantic and Pacific", says Betts, but there is a lot of variation between models as to how strong the impact would be on the Amazon. The second is a response to reduced transpiration in response to higher CO2, Betts says:

"Microscopic pores in plant leaves open less widely under higher CO2. So the plants lose less water and less transpiration means less water going back into the atmosphere."

Finally, the third cause would be the direct impact of deforestation - fewer trees mean less evapotranspiration and less moisture entering the atmosphere.

There is only so much drying the Amazon could tolerate before the rainforest would no longer be able to support itself. Beyond this point, the forest would see widespread "dieback" and transition to savannah - a drier ecosystem dominated by open grasslands with few trees.

In the clip below, Betts summarises how the Amazon could be pushed "beyond the point of no return".

Dr David Lapola - a research scientist at the University of Campinas in Brazil - cautions that, while it is "reasonable to think that deforestation and fire could of course contribute to reach that [Amazon dieback] tipping point", the hypothesis is predominantly based on model simulations. He tells Carbon Brief:

"It happens that the same model simulations show that if the so-called 'CO2 fertilisation effect' - as a basic input to photosynthesis, when atmospheric CO2 increases it theoretically enhances plant productivity - really exists and expresses itself in the Amazon, then it would counteract the bad effects of higher temperature and lower rainfall, leaving the forest basically the way it is now. The problem is that we don't have experimental evidence proving the existence, magnitude and duration of such CO2 fertilisation effect in the tropics."

If there is indeed a threshold, where might it lie? Betts says that "3C is the lowest level of warming that might trigger it, but it might need much higher warming".

One of those contributing factors is deforestation, which could hasten a shift to savannah as a "fragmented forest is probably more sensitive to rainfall reductions driven by global heating", says Betts.

In a recent interview with Yale Environment 360, Nobre explains that he "published a paper about this in Science in 1990 that said if we deforest parts of the Amazon, it will become a savannah". He adds:

"The post-deforestation climate will no longer be a very wet climate like the Amazon. It will become drier, it will have a much longer dry season, like the long dry seasons in the savannahs in the tropics in Africa, South America and Asia."

Without global warming, a tipping point for Amazon dieback could be reached "if you exceed 40% total deforested area in the Amazon", says Nobre:

"About 60 to 70% of the Amazon forest would turn into a dry savannah, especially in the southern and northern Amazon, areas that now border savannahs. Only the western Amazon near the Andes, which is very rainy, the forest will still be there."

Reports suggest that a change in policy under Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro is encouraging development at the expense of the rainforest.

Factoring in climate change and "widespread use of fire" brings the tipping point closer, say Lovejoy and Nobre in their editorial. They estimate that a "tipping point for the Amazon system to flip to non-forest ecosystems in eastern, southern and central Amazonia [lies] at 20-25% deforestation". Nobre recently told the Guardian that this could happen "in 15 to 20 years".

There is "no point in discovering the precise tipping point by tipping it", their editorial says, but instead to "build back a margin of safety...by reducing the deforested area to less than 20%".

New research published in Nature Communications suggests that, once tipped, the Amazon rainforest could shift to savannah within around 50 years. This finding, which is based on an empirical model, is "broadly in line with the multidecadal shift durations projected by expert judgement and process-based models", the authors say.

The impacts of losing the Amazon rainforest would be felt locally and globally. As well as being an ecological " catastrophe" for wildlife, the socioeconomic damage to the region could amount to $0.9-3.6tn over a 30-year period.

"The reduced evaporation and reduced convection would alter atmospheric circulation worldwide," says Betts, which would influence weather patterns around the world.

Amazon dieback would also make it more difficult to tackle climate change, he notes:

"Increased release of CO2 from forest fires and tree death would accelerate CO2 rise, and with the forest gone we would also have lost an important carbon sink which would mean that deeper emissions cuts would be needed to stop the rise in atmospheric CO2."

Unpublished results from a new study by Nobre, seen by BBC's Newsnight programme, suggest that the south-eastern part of the forest - around 20% of the Amazon basin - has become a net source of CO2.

There are already "ominous signals" of changes in the Amazon, say Lovejoy and Nobre in another Science Advances editorial published in December 2019:

"Dry seasons in Amazonian regions are already hotter and longer. Mortality rates of wet climate species are increased, whereas dry climate species are showing resilience. The increasing frequency of unprecedented droughts in 2005, 2010 and 2015/16 is signaling that the tipping point is at hand."

Lapola agrees that "we may be already observing" a shift in the Amazon system. He explains:

"First evidence: a study has shown that the dry season is already getting longer - by a few days in the last decade - in south Amazonia (Mato Grosso and Rondonia). Second evidence: a recent study showed that forest composition is already changing towards tree species that are more resistant to drought. This suggests that the dieback may be more subtle than previously thought, but not less catastrophic."

The IPCC's fifth assessment report ("AR5", pdf) describes dieback of tropical forests as "potentially abrupt", but "reversible within centuries". Whereas in a recent Nature "world view" piece, Nobre writes that a recovery from an Amazon tipping point would be "probably impossible".

Whether a reversal would be achievable, at the very least it would be slow, adds Betts:

"Reforestation or natural regrowth in places with less severe drying could help increase rainfall levels again. Loss of forests on passing the tipping would be quicker though - forest loss can be quite rapid through fire and tree death, but return is slower because it is limited by how fast new trees grow."

West African monsoon shift

The term "monsoon" in its strictest sense refers to the seasonal reversal of winds and its accompanying rainfall. Along with India, West Africa is one of the few places on Earth where this happens.

The West African monsoon (WAM) brings rainfall to West Africa and the Sahel - a band of semi-arid grassland sandwiched between the Sahara desert to the north and tropical rainforests to the south. The Sahel stretches from the Atlantic coast of Mauritania and Senegal through to Sudan, Eritrea and the Red Sea.

"When the system reverses, the low pressure over the Sahara - or the land [more generally] - drives winds from the southwest inland and those are moist winds because they're from the ocean."

The moisture that the winds bring to the region is part of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), a huge belt of low pressure that encircles the Earth near the equator. Ultimately, the monsoon is being driven by insolation, says Giannini, as the ITCZ wanders north and south across the tropics each year, roughly tracking the position of the sun through the seasons.

(Giannini emphasises that, while the ITCZ and monsoon are "part of the same season and the same latitudinal migration of the rain band", some researchers prefer to "distinguish between the ITCZ over the ocean from the monsoon inland" and so do not use the terms interchangeably.)

The Sahel marks the ITCZ's most northerly position and the monsoon brings rain to the region from around June to September.

But the West African monsoon is notoriously unreliable. Between the late 1960s and 1980s, a lack of rain hit much of the Sahel, with average rainfall declining by more than 30% over most of the region compared to the 1950s. This plunged the region into an extended drought, contributing to a famine that killed tens of thousands of people and triggering an international aid effort.

Sahel precipitation index for June to October over 1901-2017 (where Sahel = 20-10 degrees N and 20 degrees W to 10 degrees E). Shown as precipitation anomalies from a 1901-2017 baseline. Credit: Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean at the University of Washington.

The warm ocean temperatures reduced the temperature contrast between the continent in the hot summer and the cooler surrounding waters. This saw the monsoon rains shift southwards away from the Sahel, causing drought. The effect was reinforced by the " climate-vegetation feedback ", where drier conditions saw less vegetation growth, a reduction in evapotranspiration and even less rainfall.

Subsequent research by Giannini has shown the combination of warming of the tropical oceans (in response to rising greenhouse gases) and cooling in the North Atlantic (as a result of air pollution from northern hemisphere countries) led to drying of the Sahel.

Rainfall in the Sahel has since shown a partial recovery. This is due, in part, to a warming climate and a reduction in air pollution rates. These changes show that the WAM is a "very sensitive system", says Giannini and the Sahel is most at risk because it is at the edge of the monsoon.

The past also hints that a tipping point "is in the [WAM] system", says Giannini:

"So the past shift - the abruptness of the onset of drought in the late 60s-early 70s - is an indication that the system is sensitive and so it could happen again."

Theory suggests that a warming climate could actually bring more rainfall to the Sahel. As land heats up faster than the water, rising global temperatures could strengthen the land-sea contrast that helps drive the WAM northwards each year. This could bring more rain to the Sahel and, perhaps, see vegetation return to some southern parts of the Sahara.

Research has suggested that the "onset and termination of this humid period were very abrupt, occurring within decades to centuries", although this is still debated.

But the AHP is some distance from being an analogue for the modern day. The changes were being driven primarily by the sun, not large increases in greenhouse gases. Therefore, it provides limited insight into how the WAM will be affected by climate change.

The response to recent warming has actually been more variability in the WAM, Giannini says:

"In some ways, we are seeing the wetting already, but it's a wetting that is different also from the past in that it seems to be made up of more extreme events - so more extreme rains and maybe longer periods of dry spells interspersed."

Research has also indicated a mix of impacts. A 2018 study using a high-resolution climate model, for example, simulated "decreasing precipitation over the southern Sahel and increase of precipitation over the western Sahara" by the end of the century under the very high emissions RCP8.5 scenario.

As a result, the IPCC's special report on 1.5C concludes that there is "low confidence" in projections of a "strengthening of monsoon and wetting and greening of Sahel and Sahara". It also notes that while there are "uncertain changes" associated with a 1.5C or 2C warmer world, it is "unlikely" that a tipping point would be reached that these temperature levels.

Even if a 3C temperature rise did bring significantly more beneficial rainfall to the region, the IPCC says "it should be noted that there would be significant offsets in the form of strong regional warming and related adverse impacts on crop yield, livestock mortality and human health under such low mitigation futures".

Why AMOC slowdown, which occurs in the high latitude North Atlantic, leads to WAM weakening is "still an open question", says Chiang:

"There are two schools of thought. One is that colder conditions in the high-latitude North Atlantic can be transmitted via the atmosphere to the WAM, mainly through the cold conditions permeating into North Africa and affecting the monsoon...The other is that ocean circulation changes resulting from the AMOC slowdown 'rewires' the currents around the tropical Atlantic, leading to a warmer South tropical Atlantic and thus causing a weakening of the WAM."

So, another potential mechanism complicates the future for the WAM even more, says Chiang:

"The question is which influence will win out for West Africa in the future - the direct influence of warming, which wettens, or the AMOC influence, that dries West Africa."

Permafrost and methane hydrates

This frozen ground holds a vast amount of carbon, accumulated from dead plants and animals over thousands of years. There is around twice as much carbon in permafrost than is currently in the Earth's atmosphere.

As the climate warms, there is an increasing risk that that permafrost will thaw. This brings microbes in the soil out of hibernation, allowing them to break down the organic carbon in the soil. This process releases CO2 and - to a lesser extent - methane. Thus, large-scale thawing of permafrost has the potential to cause further climate warming.

Permafrost thaw in Svalbard, Norway. Credit: blickwinkel / Alamy Stock Photo.

There is already evidence of permafrost warming. The IPCC's special report on the ocean and cryosphere in a changing climate ("SROCC"), for example, says that there is "very high confidence" that record high temperatures at ~10-20m depth in permafrost have been "documented at many long-term monitoring sites in the northern hemisphere circumpolar permafrost region". In some places, these temperatures are 2-3C higher than 30 years ago.

Meanwhile, the 2019 Arctic Report Card from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) concluded that thawing permafrost across the Arctic "could be releasing an estimated 300-600m tonnes of net carbon per year to the atmosphere".

"These observations signify that the feedback to accelerating climate change may already be underway."

The SROCC says there is "high confidence" in projections of "widespread disappearance of Arctic near-surface permafrost...this century as a result of warming, with important consequences for global climate". It notes:

"By 2100, near surface permafrost area will decrease by 2-66% for RCP2.6 and 30-99% for RCP8.5. This is projected to release 10s to 100s of billions of tonnes [or gigatonnes, GtC], up to as much as 240 GtC, of permafrost carbon as CO2 and methane to the atmosphere with the potential to accelerate climate change."

The report also warns (pdf) that degradation of permafrost thaw is "expected to be irreversible on timescales relevant to human societies and ecosystems". It also notes:

"Ice melt or the thawing of permafrost involve thresholds (state changes) that allow for abrupt, nonlinear responses to ongoing climate warming."

This effect could have its own tipping point, he adds:

"In one study, a tipping point for this internal heat production occurred by the time local mean [absolute] annual air temperature reached around 1.2C, which is when organic decomposition became significant in their model. However, this process depends on how wet, insulated and organic-rich the soil is - all major sources of uncertainty - and will be localised rather than across the whole permafrost simultaneously."

Dr Andy Wiltshire, terrestrial carbon cycle manager at the Met Office Hadley Centre, agrees. At the COP25 climate talks in Madrid, he told Carbon Brief:

"Tipping points relate to the fact that you have a change and then that change almost drives itself, so it means you go from one state into another. Now, we don't tend to see that kind of behaviour in permafrost - at least in the large scale. So what we're seeing with permafrost in the kind of modelling we're doing is there's been more of a gradual response."

Permafrost thaw is, however, irreversible, Wiltshire notes. The carbon contained in the soils has built up over "incredibly long periods of time". Once it is lost to the atmosphere, there is no getting it back. He explained:

"If we stop warming, then we should see the emissions from permafrost stop, but in terms of that carbon going back into permafrost, pragmatically that's not possible."

Related to permafrost are methane hydrates, or "clathrates". This is an ice-like substance formed when methane and water combine at low temperatures and moderate pressure. It is almost exclusively found under the seafloor on continental shelves - areas of seabed immediately surrounding a land mass, where the sea is relatively shallow compared to the open ocean beyond it.

Methane hydrates have been central to claims in recent years of a potential " methane bomb " in the Arctic. The theory suggests that ocean warming could melt these ice crystals, releasing vast amounts of methane into the atmosphere.

(For comparison, global emissions from fossil fuels and industry in 2019 amounted to around 10bn tonnes of carbon.)

Indeed, any bubbles of methane coming from the seafloor are more likely to be coming from permafrost than hydrates, adds Armstrong McKay:

"It has been suggested that methane bubble plumes detected in shallow Arctic seas are from destabilising methane hydrates, but most scientists believe that most of this methane is actually from submerged permafrost which has been gradually decaying since the last glacial maximum, but may be gradually accelerating now."

In addition, while permafrost soils are in direct contact with a warming atmosphere, methane hydrates occur in sediments at great depths below the seafloor. As a result, research indicates that it will "barely be affected by warming over even 10,000 years".

Overall, "this makes permafrost thawing the bigger concern to us now", concludes Armstrong McKay, "with most methane hydrates likely to remain relatively stable over the next few centuries".

Coral reef die-off

Coral reefs are often cited as one of the ecological systems most sensitive to global warming. As a paper published in Science in 2007 puts it:

"Atmospheric CO2 concentration is expected to exceed 500 parts per million (ppm) and global temperatures to rise by at least 2C by 2050 to 2100, values that significantly exceed those of at least the past 420,000 years during which most extant [i.e. existing] marine organisms evolved."

The algae provide the corals with energy through photosynthesis. Without them, the corals can slowly starve. Although corals can reacquire their zooxanthellae if conditions turn more favourable, persistent thermal stress can kill off the coral communities of entire reefs.

Coral bleaching in the northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia, March 2017. Credit: Nature Picture Library / Alamy Stock Photo.

Mass coral-reef bleaching events have become five times more common worldwide over the past 40 years. The first global mass-bleaching event was recorded in 1998. This has been followed by the second and third in 2010 and 2014-17, respectively. These events were caused by marine heatwaves - extended periods of unusually high temperatures that were themselves boosted by human-caused warming and El Niño.

The map below, from the IPCC's special report on the ocean and cryosphere in a changing climate ("SROCC"), shows how coral reefs around the world were affected in 2015-16. The shading on the map indicates the annual maximum "degree heating week" (DHW) over 2015 and 2016. (DHW is a measure of cumulative heat stress that "describes how much heat has accumulated in an area over the past 12 weeks by adding up any temperatures that exceed 1C above the maximum summertime mean".) The dots highlight reefs that experienced severe (purple), moderate (mauve) and no substantial (white) bleaching.

Map shows the Degree Heating Week (DHW) annual maximum over 2015 and 2016. Symbols indicate where severe bleaching affected more than 30% of corals (purple dots), moderate bleaching affected less than 30% of corals (mauve dots) and no substantial bleaching was recorded (white dots). Source: IPCC SROCC ( 2019) Fig 6.3

This lethal cocktail has already seen "persistent shifts from the original dominance by corals to a preponderance of fleshy seaweed or other weedy assemblages" in coral reefs around the world, says a review paper from 2010.

"Coral reef ecosystems have been observed to undergo dramatic and sometimes abrupt shifts in community state from one dominated by reef-forming coral to one where other space holders predominate. The alternative space holder often, but not always, is fleshy macroalgae."

Such transitions "have been observed on tropical reefs worldwide, and particularly in the Caribbean", the study adds. It is typical of ecosystems to show "threshold, rather than linear, responses to slowly building drivers of change such as fishing pressure, added nutrients and rising global temperatures", says another review paper.

For example, after the 1998 mass-bleaching event, average coral cover in the Cousin Island marine reserve in the Seychelles declined to less than 1% by 2005, while macroalgae cover increased by as much as 40%.

A 2020 study in Nature Communications suggests that, once tipped, Caribbean coral reefs could collapse within 15 years. Such "decadal timescales" are "coherent with the observations that coral cover across the Caribbean declined by 80% from 1977 to 2001 and may completely disappear by 2035, depending on rates of further overfishing, climate change and ocean acidification", the authors note.

It is worth noting that heat stress has the same destructive effect on seaweed, such as kelp, in temperate systems, says Dr Maria Beger, an academic fellow in marine conservation science at the University of Leeds. She tells Carbon Brief:

"They then also get replaced by macroalgae and/or corals - this is called 'tropicalisation' of higher latitude temperate reefs. What both have in common is that the habitat engineering species are being killed."

"While ecologically intact reefs can bounce back from events such as hurricanes or even severe bleaching, when they lack their herbivores they just can't bounce back."

A 2007 study explains that herbivores "play an important role in promoting reef resilience and in reef recovery" by removing algae. Thus, they are crucial for a reef returning to a "coral dominated states if disturbance has occurred".

However, the study also warns that it is "naive to assume that the protection of herbivorous species...will result in the reversal of a phase shift once macroalgae have become established". This is because "most herbivorous fishes avoid macroalgae", the authors say.

The key here is to have healthy numbers of herbivores that "can graze the algae and thus prevent their establishment", Beger adds. It is once the algae are big that they are less likely to be eaten, she tells Carbon Brief:

"What we consider as normal coral reef herbivores mostly eat the filamentous algae that establish first once a coral is dead. Once the algae establish past being tiny, they are less palatable."

Other factors can also affect how well a reef recovers after bleaching. A 2015 Nature study of the Seychelles after the 1998 bleaching event found that, of 21 reefs studied, 12 recovered and "nine reefs underwent regime shifts to fleshy macroalgae". It explains:

"Recovery was favoured when reefs were structurally complex and in deeper water, when density of juvenile corals and herbivorous fishes was relatively high and when nutrient loads were low."

Recovery still depends on there being sufficient time for corals to reestablish themselves. A healthy reef can "bounce back in 10-15 years" after bleaching, says Eakin, with "regrowth of rapidly growing corals". However, "many reefs have shown little to no recovery after severe mortality events", he adds:

"In a recent paper, we showed that severe bleaching occurred every 25-30 years in the 1980s. Now it recurs in less than six years. That is far too fast when 10-15 years to start recovery is the best case scenario."

In 2016, the first study to compare the widespread impacts of climate change at 1.5C and 2C of warming warned that 90% of tropical reefs would be "at risk of severe degradation due to temperature-induced bleaching from 2050 onwards" in a 1.5C warmer world. For 2C, this risk rose to 98% of reefs, the study says, indicating that the extra 0.5C of warming "is likely to be decisive for the future of tropical coral reefs".

The study notes:

"Our analysis reiterates earlier findings that the risk of coral reefs to suffer from long-term degradation eventually leading to an ecosystem regime shift will be substantial as early as 2030."

The researchers even note that their findings are likely to be "rather conservative" because they only consider the impacts of rising CO2 and not other coral reef stressors.

The findings of the IPCC's special report on 1.5C are only very slightly less bleak. It says:

"Even achieving emissions reduction targets consistent with the ambitious goal of 1.5C of global warming under the Paris Agreement will result in the further loss of 70-90% of reef-building corals compared to today, with 99% of corals being lost under warming of 2C or more."

As experts in Australia told Carbon Brief last year, some of the more heat-resistant corals may be more resilient than these estimates suggest, but what the remaining reefs "will look like - and what the consequences will be for the other reef inhabitants, such as fish - remains to be explored".

Eakin says "we've already reached" a tipping point for corals on a global basis because of climate change:

"We are already seeing severe bleaching around the world and the recent 2014-17 global coral bleaching event has been devastating for many reefs around the world. For example, the Great Barrier Reef lost half of its corals in just two years."

A 2018 Nature paper describes the recent bleaching as "a watershed for the Great Barrier Reef, and for many other severely affected reefs elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific Ocean".

The study warns that "the most likely scenario" is that "coral reefs throughout the tropics will continue to degrade over the current century until climate change stabilises, allowing remnant populations to reorganize into novel, heat-tolerant reef assemblages".

The 2016 marine heatwave "has triggered the initial phase of that transition on the northern, most-pristine region of the Great Barrier Reef", the study says, "changing it forever as the intensity of global warming continues to escalate". It concludes:

"The large-scale loss of functionally diverse corals is a harbinger of further radical shifts in the condition and dynamics of all ecosystems, reinforcing the need for risk assessment of ecosystem collapse, especially if global action on climate change fails to limit warming to 1.5-2C."

The widespread loss of coral reefs would be devastating for ecosystems, economies and people. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), "despite covering less than 0.1% of the ocean floor, reefs host more than one quarter of all marine fish species". Coral reefs also "directly support over 500 million people worldwide, who rely on them for daily subsistence, mostly in poor countries", the IUCN adds.

Indian monsoon shift

The Indian monsoon - also known as the South Asian monsoon - is a sub-system of the wider Asian monsoon, along with the south-east Asian monsoon and the western North Pacific monsoon. (Some consider the Asian monsoon to have more than three parts.)

The word "monsoon" originates from the Arabic word for season. It describes a seasonal shift in winds - specifically a 180-degree reversal that triggers the change from the dry to the wet season.

This shift is driven by the movements of the sun through the seasons, explains Dr Andrew Turner, associate professor in monsoon systems at the University of Reading. In the northern hemisphere winter, the focus of the sun's energy is over the southern hemisphere. This causes a prevailing wind over India from the north-east, bringing dry air from across the Asian landmass.

The transition to the wet season arrives as the sun moves north of the equator in spring and early summer. Here, "northern India, the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding regions heat up rapidly", Turner explains to Carbon Brief:

"They heat up more quickly than nearby oceans - for example, the northern Indian Ocean - since land (soil) has a much lower heat capacity than water."

The contrast in heating between the land and ocean causes a pressure gradient that drives southwesterly winds across India. "This air travels northward from the Indian Ocean," says Turner, picking up moisture as it goes. The rains typically begin in June - the official start date of the monsoon season is 1 June - moving north through India. The rains continue until the monsoon starts to withdraw from northern India by the end of August, as the strength and duration of the summer sun decreases. The rains then peter out for most of the country through September and October.

The maps below show the average monsoon onset (left) and withdrawal (right) dates across India.

Average dates of onset and withdrawal of the monsoon. Reprinted by permission from Springer. Gadgil ( 2018) The monsoon system: Land-sea breeze or the ITCZ?, Journal of Earth System Science.

"At a fundamental level, the pressure gradient between the Indian Ocean and Asian continent determines the strength of the Asian monsoon", says the IPCC's special report on 1.5C. And so, in theory, "anything which alters either the north-south temperature gradient, or the amount of moisture evaporated from the ocean, could change the monsoon rains", notes Turner.

With land areas warming faster than oceans, a strengthening of this pressure gradient and the monsoon itself "may be expected under global warming", says the 1.5C report. In addition, as a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, this may also result in "modest increases in rainfall", says Turner.

However, a review study in 2012 - led by Turner - concludes that "the evidence for such trends in observations is unpersuasive". While the observed record for the strength of the Indian monsoon shows a lot of variability, it does "suggest a negative trend since 1950", the paper says. This amounts to a rainfall decline of around 10% in central India, adds Turner.

A potential cause could be air pollution - from India itself and the wider region, Turner says:

"Air pollution comes in several forms, but most of it is in the form of sulphur compounds - for example, emissions of sulphur dioxide from industry and transport - that form sulphates in the atmosphere. These particles have reflective properties, which act to reflect solar radiation and prevent some of it reaching the surface."

This pollution "will preferentially cool the northern hemisphere region over Eurasia relative to the equator or southern Indian Ocean - where there are no pollution emissions", says Turner. Increasing trends in air pollution in South Asia could explain "why seasonal mean rainfall over India has not shown increases in the recent observed record despite increasing CO2", his paper says. Another study says the aerosol cooling in South and East Asia "may have masked up to 1C of greenhouse-gas-induced surface warming since the pre-industrial era ".

The mix of influences resulting from human activity is one of the reasons that making projections for the monsoon is tricky. Another is that climate models can struggle to simulate the monsoon system, in part because of the intricate interplay of circulation, temperature and topography that drives it.

Some papers have suggested the possibility for more abrupt changes in the Indian monsoon. A 2005 study, for example, used a simple model to identify the possibility of the monsoon having two stable states: wet (as it is now) and second state characterised by low rainfall.

Key to these two states is the so-called "moisture‐advection feedback". This, the paper explains, is where "the land‐to‐ocean pressure gradient, which drives the monsoon circulation, is reinforced by the moisture the monsoon itself carries from the adjacent Indian Ocean".

In other words, a significant factor in maintaining the monsoon is the heat released when the water vapour it holds condenses to form rain. Another paper, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in 2009, suggests this feedback acts as an "internal amplifier" for the monsoon.

The implication is that this feedback magnifies anything that affects the air pressure gradient generated by warm air rising over the Asian landmass. Thus "relatively weak external perturbations" could lead to "abrupt changes" in the monsoon, the PNAS paper says.

The model simulations in the 2005 study suggest how a switch between states could be triggered. This includes cooling of the land surface through large amounts of air pollution, cooling through very low CO2 levels in the atmosphere, or a combination of the two.

However, a 2006 study also shows that the albedo changes required to push the monsoon into a dry state - as in the 2005 study - are a long way from modern conditions. Therefore, the authors conclude, "we can be very certain that we will not reach this point in the near future".

Nonetheless, the existence of the "moisture‐advection feedback" is still disputed. In an illustration of how contested the theory of potential abrupt shifts in the Indian monsoon is, PNAS have since published a response to the original 2009 paper, a reply to that response and a reply to that reply.
Dr William Boos, associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley and author of the PNAS response paper, tells Carbon Brief:

"The key phrase here is 'abrupt shift' - monsoons may change a lot, but there simply is no evidence for them being here one year and gone the next in response to human-induced climate change."

The "vast majority of studies on abrupt changes in monsoons focus on changes that are 'abrupt' relative to the past evolution of the climate system that occurred over tens of thousands to millions of years", adds Boos:

"Palaeo changes are important, but their relevance to human-caused climate change is unclear; feedbacks that take hundreds to thousands of years to operate - involving large changes in ice sheets or continental vegetation and soil types - may not be relevant if we are interested in changes taking place over a few years or a few decades."

"All the evidence from proxy data in the past shows that when there is less insolation [incoming solar radiation], less radiative forcing, the monsoons are weaker, and when there's more, they're stronger - but it's a very linear relationship. There are no thresholds seen where there are two stable states in the monsoon."

Overall, the IPCC's 1.5C report concludes that there is "low confidence" in any projected changes in the Indian monsoon under warming of 1.5-2C, but that increases in the intensity of monsoon rainfall are "likely" in a 3C warmer world.

For the IPCC's fifth assessment report ("AR5"), published in 2013, all the models assessed "project an increase in mean precipitation as well as its interannual variability and extremes" ( pdf), the report says.

While for monsoon systems more generally, the AR5 summary for policymakers (pdf) says:

"Globally, it is likely that the area encompassed by monsoon systems will increase over the 21st century. While monsoon winds are likely to weaken, monsoon precipitation is likely to intensify due to the increase in atmospheric moisture. Monsoon onset dates are likely to become earlier or not to change much. Monsoon retreat dates will likely be delayed, resulting in lengthening of the monsoon season in many regions."

Greenland ice sheet disintegration

The Greenland ice sheet is the second largest mass of ice on Earth. It holds enough water to raise global sea levels by 7.2 metres and, as a result, its disintegration would change the shape of the world's coastlines.

Aerial view of the Greenland ice sheet. Credit: imageBROKER / Alamy Stock Photo.

Melting of the Greenland ice sheet is accelerating and it is currently adding around 0.7mm to global sea levels each year.

A tipping point for Greenland ice melt is unlikely to be abrupt, says climate scientist Dr Ruth Mottram of the Danish Meteorological Institute, but it is clear that there will be a threshold beyond which its eventual collapse is irreversible.

Around half of the melt that the Greenland ice sheet experiences occurs at the surface. The remainder occurs through melting at the ice sheet base and via the breaking off, or "calving", of icebergs from its edge.

Surface melt is likely to involve a number of different self-reinforcing feedback loops that can speed up melting, explains Mottram. She tells Carbon Brief:

"Probably the most important 'tipping point' feedback though are elevation feedbacks - as the ice sheet gets lower via melting, more are areas are at lower and warmer altitudes, leading to further melting."

In the clip below, Dr Ricarda Winkelmann of PIK outlines the processes involved in a tipping point for the Greenland ice sheet.

Also important is the "snowline" - the elevation at which the ice sheet is covered in snow. Bright white snow has a higher albedo than dark, bare ice - which means it reflects back much more of the sun's energy. So if the snowline migrates to higher elevations as the ice sheet warms, it means the ice will be absorbing more of the incoming solar radiation, causing more melting.

Research published in 2019 found that snowline migration accounted for more than half of the year-to-year variations in how much of the sun's energy was available for melting.

In addition, as meltwater trickles down into the snowpack, it fills the pores in the snow and gives off more heat when it refreezes. This "makes it harder for the snowpack to hold further meltwater, so any additional meltwater will run off directly into the sea", Mottram says.

The combination of these processes means that a tipping point in Greenland ice melt is "very much related to how much melting is happening at the surface and how much of a snowpack there is to absorb that meltwater", says Mottram. This has "cascading consequences as the meltwater can affect ice sheet flow speeds and calving processes".

The lPCC's most recent full assessment report - AR5, published in 2013 - concluded that (pdf) it is "exceptionally unlikely" that the Greenland ice sheet will suffer near-complete disintegration in the 21st century - equivalent to a 0-1% likelihood of it happening.

However, more recent research suggests that the ice sheet is at risk on longer timescales. A review paper in Nature Climate Change in 2018 concluded that 1.8C (with a range of 1.1-2.3C) of warming above pre-industrial levels would be enough to trigger feedback loops of decline in parts of the ice sheet in summer.

This could set in motion a pattern of melt that takes thousands of years, the paper concluded:

"Thus, crossing the limit of 1.5C global warming this century may impose a commitment to much larger and possibly irreversible changes in the far future."

The IPCC's special report on 1.5C - published in 2018 - noted that a "useful indicator" for the elevation feedback mentioned above is the "threshold at which annual mass loss from the ice sheet by surface melt exceeds mass gain by snowfall".

(This means a negative surface mass balance (SMB) over the course of the year. As an example, the SMB for 2019 was 169bn tonnes of ice, the seventh lowest on record. Total mass balance - which includes the ice lost through calving and ocean melt - switched from overall gains to overall losses between the 1970s and 1980s.)

The most recent studies suggest that this threshold "sits between 0.8C and 3.2C, with a best estimate at 1.6C", the special report says, adding:

"The continued decline of the ice sheet after this threshold has been passed is highly dependent on the future climate and varies between about 80% loss after 10,000 years to complete loss after as little as 2000 years (contributing about six metres to sea level rise)."

The fate of the Greenland ice sheet is, therefore, still strongly dependent on the rate of greenhouse gas emissions in future. A 2019 modelling study published in Science simulated the Greenland ice sheet out to the year 3000 under different emissions scenarios. It found:

"In a thousand years, the Greenland ice sheet will look significantly different than today. Depending on the emission scenario, the Greenland ice sheet will have lost 8 to 25% ( RCP2.6), 26 to 57% ( RCP4.5), or 72 to 100% ( RCP8.5) of its present-day mass, contributing 0.59 to 1.88 metres, 1.86 to 4.17 metres, or 5.23 to 7.28 metres to global mean sea level, respectively."

This is illustrated in the maps below, taken from the paper, which show the observed state of the ice sheet (A) and the projected ice cover by the year 3000 under the three different scenarios (B to D). The shading in the maps shows the likelihood of future ice cover, with dark blue areas indicating areas with remaining ice in 16% of model runs, blue for 50% of model runs and white for 84%.

Greenland ice sheet maps showing the observed extent in 2008 (A) and the projected extent in the year 3000 under RCP2.6 (B), RCP4.5 (C), and RCP8.5 (D) across 500 model simulations. Shading indicates likelihood (in percentiles from model simulations) of ice cover remaining by the year 3000: Dark blue (16%), blue (50%) and white (84%). Likelihoods less than the 16th percentile are not shown. Credit: Aschwanden et al ( 2019) Reproduced under Creative Commons 4.0.

Following a relatively low emissions pathway, such as RCP2.6 - which is consistent with a 1.5-2C warmer world - may, therefore, be regarded as "representing moderate risk, in that it may trigger...irreversible loss of the Greenland ice sheet", concludes the IPCC 1.5C report.

The IPCC's special report on the ocean and cryosphere in a changing climate ("SROCC") also notes that decay of the ice sheet would not be abrupt. It does say, however, that the decay would be "irreversible for millennia" once underway. This is the same phrasing as used in AR5.

While it is possible that the ice sheet could stabilise at some intermediate point during its collapse, it would not regain its previous vast size until the next ice age, says Mottram:

"It is clear from even very early work that the ice sheet is only there because it is already there - if there was no ice sheet in Greenland under today's climate we would not be able to build it up again. So once it's gone it's gone until at least the next glacial period - and we'll be waiting some tens of thousands of years given current climate change and the slow rate of carbon removal by natural means."

Boreal forest shift

Boreal forests are found in the cold climates of the northern hemisphere high latitudes. They lie just to the south of the Arctic tundra, where tree growth is restricted by year-round freezing or near-freezing temperatures and a lack of rain.

Known as the "taiga" in Russia, boreal forests are characterised by species that can cope with the cold, such as pine, spruce and larch. They cover vast stretches of North America and northern Europe and Asia.

Boreal forests are the largest "biome", or ecosystem, anywhere on the Earth's land surface and account for 30% of the world's forests. They are a very important store of carbon. While there is a lot of uncertainty around the precise amount of carbon they hold, estimates suggest it is more than one third of all terrestrial carbon.

And about a third of the boreal biome is underlain by permafrost.

However, the boreal zone, along with the tundra, is warming rapidly - approximately twice as quickly as the global average. Continued temperature rise could generate rapid changes in boreal forests, including dieback. A 2012 study explains:

"Increasingly warm summers becoming too hot for the currently dominant tree species, increased vulnerability to disease, decreased reproduction rates and more frequent fires causing significantly higher mortality, all contribute."

A 2017 Nature Climate Change review paper concluded that rapid warming and "naturally lower tree species diversity" could put boreal regions at particular risk of natural forest "disturbances" by factors such as drought, fire, pests and disease. When compared to other ecosystems around the world, the study finds that "future changes in disturbance are likely to be most pronounced in coniferous forests and the boreal biome".

For example, a 2014 study finds that "continued summer warming in the absence of sustained increases in precipitation" brought about a "turning point" around the mid-1990s that "shifted western central Eurasian boreal forests into a warmer and drier regime". Research also indicates that "rather than showing gradual responses", boreal ecosystems "will tend to shift relatively sharply between alternative states in response to climate change".

"An example of a tipping point in boreal forests is a situation where an extreme fire event or repeated severe events render the system incapable of regenerating as a forest ecosystem and instead shifts the system to a sparsely wooded or grassland ecosystem."

This is more likely to occur at the hotter and drier southern margins of the forest, says Goetz. But a "similar tipping point could occur without fire when extreme drought events kill a large proportion of the trees and composition shifts to other species", he adds. A new modelling study shows these changes will result in much reduced "aboveground" biomass - i.e. all the living biomass above the soil, including branches, bark and foliage.

The IPCC's special report on 1.5C notes that "increased tree mortality would result in the creation of large regions of open woodlands and grasslands, which would favour further regional warming and increased fire frequencies, thus inducing a powerful positive feedback mechanism".

As a result, says Dr Brendan Rogers, assistant scientist at the Woods Hole Research Center, "in places that may transition to grasslands, recurring fire regimes may keep the system in a perpetual treeless state".

At the southern margins of boreal forests, "aspen and spruce species are most at risk", says Goetz and, therefore, most likely to be replaced:

"Pine species, shrubs and grasses, as well as more temperate tree species - oaks and maples - will be those most likely to fill the gaps the boreal species leave behind, at least in North America. In northern Eurasia, we'd expect pine species to dominate areas of the currently widespread larch forests."

A 2012 study of forests in Alaska, for example, identified "a widespread shift from coniferous to deciduous vegetation [that] began around 1990 and will continue over the next several decades".

But while trees at the southern edge of the boreal zone risk dieback, research suggests that forests at the northern edge could move into tundra under climate change. A 2018 modelling study finds that, even if the Paris warming limits are met, "boreal forests are simulated to expand into the tundra, while on the other hand tree composition shifts toward temperate species along their warm edge".

Under the existing Paris emissions reduction pledges, the study projects "major climate change effects for more than 80% of the tundra and more than 40% of all boreal forests".

The graphic below, published in the IPCC's fifth assessment report in 2014, illustrates the factors involved in a northwards shift of the boreal biome into the tundra.

Illustration of the potential tundra-boreal biome shift under a warming climate. Credit: IPCC ( 2014) WG2 Fig4-10.

There is already evidence of boreal forests shifting. The IPCC's 1.5C reports concludes that it has "high confidence" that "woody shrubs are already encroaching into tundra and will proceed with further warming".

It also says that abrupt increases in tree cover are "unlikely" at 1.5-2C of warming. Above 2C of warming, there is "potential" for abrupt increases, the report says - albeit with "low confidence".

For the boreal biome, the report says there is "medium confidence" of "further increases in tree mortality" at the southern boundary at 1.5C and 2C of warming. While "a drastic biome shift from tundra to boreal forest is possible" beyond 2C, it says there is "low confidence" in this projection.

It further notes that a potential "tipping point has been estimated to exist between 3C and 4C of global warming (low confidence), but given the complexities of the various forcing mechanisms and feedback processes involved, this is thought to be an uncertain estimate".

Significant changes in boreal forests are made more likely by the rapid rate of warming, says Goetz:

"I don't know that anyone has put a number on a species-specific tipping point, but we have high confidence that with global temperature increases of 1.5 or 2C, which in the boreal will translate into about double those temperature increases, we will see widespread changes in tree species composition and fire regimes."

Such changes could occur within decades, he adds:

"Fire frequency and severity is the big factor here. With more severe fires and especially with more frequent severe fires, which burn off the organic soil layer, we'd expect to see a shift in forest species over the next two-to-three decades that would persist for many decades to come."

Shifts in vegetation cover will affect the reflectivity of the land surface - known as its "albedo", says Prof Colin Prentice, chair in biosphere and climate impacts at Imperial College London. He tells Carbon Brief:

"Northward expansion of the boreal forest is certainly expected as a result of warming and, indeed, there is evidence that it is happening already. Similarly, shrub tundra is expanding into colder regions as a result of warming and this process will continue...There will be, as a result, a decrease in vegetation albedo - especially in spring - which will amplify the warming locally. This is well attested both from first principles and climate model experiments."

This "would lead to increased heat absorption in the Arctic and more rapid permafrost thaw", says Goetz:

"Obviously great permafrost degradation means a lot more carbon emitted to the atmosphere, which would have the effect of increasing the cycle of warming and even more degradation, with global implications."

Rogers agrees that the change in albedo is a key impact of shifting boreal forests. He tells Carbon Brief:

"We know from palaeoclimate literature that northward forest and tall shrub migration is a major Earth system feedback, mostly because of the darkened surface. This is particularly important in the late winter and spring due to the combination of high snow cover and moderate incoming solar radiation."

In fact, he adds, "the full extent of ice ages [in Earth's history] is impossible without this feedback". For the modern day, "we expect this to be a warming effect, and we're already witnessing shrubs getting denser and taller, and trees migrating north", he says.

Carbon emissions from permafrost thaw and dieback of forests at the southern edge of the boreal biome would be a "double-whammy", says Rogers.

However, the uncertainties in predictive models mean that scientists cannot be sure of when these shifts will happen across boreal forests, notes Rogers. And it is still not clear whether it "represents a true 'tipping point' or more of a gradual transition", he adds:

"Certainly for any one location, there likely exists a tipping point beyond which the forest will be fundamentally altered - and wildfire can facilitate and exacerbate these transitions. But the boreal is a vast zone, with variation in climates and landscapes that may 'tip' at different times."

Prentice argues that a gradual shift is more likely. "There are thresholds," he notes, in terms of the conditions required for particular tree species to thrive at certain latitudes or elevations. But, he says, "the effect of warming is simply to gradually shift the geographic location of the threshold".

He also says that neither the northward expansion of boreal forests nor their contraction in the south are likely to be irreversible:

"Cooling would send them into reverse. It is worth noting also that very large shifts in the distribution of the boreal forests have happened in the relatively recent geological past in response to natural climate changes that are reasonably well understood."

However, Goetz points out that "fire is the wildcard and can shift forests much more rapidly than from warming effects on tree growth alone". And Rogers adds that while "forest composition may be reversible", the carbon emitted from thawing permafrost "would take much, much longer" to reaccumulate:

"That carbon took millennia to be sequestered by the land and gradually accumulate in frozen soil layers."

Other tipping points

The nine tipping points described above do not constitute an exhaustive list - indeed there are a number of other parts of the Earth system that have the potential to display tipping point behaviour.

"Less sea ice in one year implies more absorption of solar heat by the ocean, thus more warmth available to melt ice further, thus causing less sea ice the year after."

However, the theory has not been supported by the latest research, Serreze tells Carbon Brief:

" More recent work argues that the trajectory to a seasonally ice-free ocean will be pretty much along the path that we are observing - a downward trend with strong ups and downs from year to year (and over multiple years) reflecting the influences of natural variability."

Research by Notz and colleagues, for example, has shown that large declines in summer sea ice are reversible. Notz explains:

"After a year with anomalously little sea ice, the sea ice usually recovers somewhat in the year afterwards. This is because in addition to the amplifying ice-albedo feedback, there are dampening feedbacks that stabilise the ice cover from one year to the next."

For example, less ice in summer means more open water going into winter. Without the insulating effect of the ice, the Arctic Ocean subsequently loses a greater amount of heat, which means it sees more ice growth in winter. In addition, thin ice in winter grows faster than thick ice, giving the chance for some degree of recovery after a small extent in summer.

Arctic sea ice breaking apart. Credit: Jenna Chamberlain / Alamy Stock Photo.

These feedbacks "imply that the memory of the sea ice cover is largely reset during winter", says Notz, making the ice loss approximately linear in response to rising greenhouse gases.

However, while sea ice itself might not be a tipping element, ecological systems associated with it might well be, adds Notz:

"If the ice is gone completely in a given summer, any ecosystem that needs the continuous existence of sea ice might be wiped out 'forever'."

Another concern around tipping points is the potential for one to trigger a " cascade" effect on others. A Nature commentary from November 2019, for example, argues that "cascading effects might be common" in the Earth system, warning that this would be "an existential threat to civilization".

It references a 2018 Science paper that assessed how 30 different potential social-ecological "regime shifts" could interact with one another through "domino effects" or "hidden feedbacks". The researchers found that, while some regime shifts are more interconnected than others, 45% of these links were possible. It explains:

"Domino effects occur when the feedback processes of one regime shifts affect the drivers of another, creating a one-way dependency. Hidden feedbacks rise when two regime shifts combined generate new (not previously identified) feedbacks; and if strong enough, they could amplify or dampen the coupled dynamics."

Examples of these links "are starting to be observed", the commentary says:

"Arctic sea-ice loss is amplifying regional warming, and Arctic warming and Greenland melting are driving an influx of fresh water into the North Atlantic. This could have contributed to a 15% slowdown since the mid-twentieth century of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)."

In addition, rapid Greenland melting and further slowdown of the AMOC could "destabilise the West African monsoon, triggering drought in Africa's Sahel region", the authors say, as well as "dry the Amazon, disrupt the East Asian monsoon and cause heat to build up in the Southern Ocean, which could accelerate Antarctic ice loss".

Finally, in addition to the physical tipping points in the Earth system, the term is often also applied to transforming human society in a positive way. Lenton explains:

"I think we also need to be looking at tipping points in human, social and technological systems - this time, tipping points for the good. Cases where a little bit of policy intervention or incentive could tip us onto a path towards a more sustainable future that essentially avoids the worst of the climate tipping points."

A groundswell of demand can push a behaviour, product or technology from the fringe and into the mainstream, often as a result of falling prices. An article published in January this year by the thinktank Carbon Tracker, for example, described how a "political tipping point is coming" on renewable power generation:

"The falling costs of renewables are driving a political tipping point where politicians move from expensive support for renewables to embrace the sector and to tax fossil fuel externalities."

There are tipping points across society that could lead to a rapid global transformation, recent research in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) argues. For example, the study identifies six "social tipping interventions" that could help lead to a carbon-neutral society by 2050:

"These social tipping interventions comprise removing fossil-fuel subsidies and incentivising decentralised energy generation, building carbon-neutral cities, divesting from assets linked to fossil fuels, revealing the moral implications of fossil fuels, strengthening climate education and engagement, and disclosing greenhouse gas emissions information."

While the term "tipping point" is often applied quite loosely regarding political and societal change, it is clear that a number of them will need to be crossed - and quickly - to avoid toppling those in the Earth system.

Carbon Brief would like to thank all the scientists who helped with the preparation of this article.

Update: This article was updated on 12/03/2020 to add two references - in the Amazon and corals sections - to a new study in Nature Communications.

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Explainer: Nine 'tipping points' that could be triggered by climate change - Carbon Brief

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TIPPING POINTS | February 10. 2020. 8:00 And while climate records are being routinely broken, the cumulative impact of these changes could also cause fundamental parts of the Earth system to change dramatically and irreversibly. These "tipping points" are thresholds where a tiny change could push a system into a completely new state.

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Leo Murray's video on tipping points

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Wake Up, Freak Out - then Get a Grip from Leo Murray on Vimeo.

Tipping Point Ahead

It turns out that the way we have been calculating the future impacts of climate change up to now has been missing a really important piece of the picture. It seems we are now dangerously close to the tipping point in the world's climate system; this is the point of no return, after which truly catastrophic changes become inevitable.

Many translations are now available, including the following dubs:

1. Français/French

2. Deutsch/German

3. Italiano/Italian

4. Español/Spanish

5. Magyar nyelv/Hungarian

Show subtitles using the 'CC' button on the main English version embedded above. If you can't see your language, try making it full-screen - we have too many to fit in a small box at once! So far we have English, Spanish/Español, Portuguese/Portugués, Dutch/Nederlands, Swedish/Svenska, Arabic/العربية, Russian/русский язык, Ukrainian/українська мова, Finnish/suomi, Polish/Polski, Czech/čeština, Croatian/Hrvatski, Danish/Dansk, Basque/Euskara, Japanese/日本語, Korean/한국말 and Simplified Chinese/简化字. We are still interested in more translations - the film's message is as urgent as ever!

Alternatively you can access the script with time codes as a text document, or as a Google spreadsheet.

Read the full script with extensive references from peer-reviewed scientific journals, and other links

The above as a pdf document

Share this film:

Email Leo@wakeupfreakout.org

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Wake Up, Freak Out - then Get a Grip (Tipping Point Ahead)

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Wake Up, Freak Out - then Get a Grip from Leo Murray on Vimeo. It turns out that the way we have been calculating the future impacts of climate change up to now has been missing a really important piece of the picture.

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Students from partner schools are invited to additional international events on top of those open to everyone. In our events, teams solve real-world problems in a fun and collaborative environment.

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An IPCC special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty.

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An IPCC special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty. The translations of the SPM and other material can be downloaded from this link

" Pour ce qui est de l'avenir, il ne s'agit pas de le prévoir, mais de le rendre possible. "  - Antoine de Saint Exupéry, Citadelle, 1948

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An IPCC special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty.

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5 short films about natural warming loops & how we have less time than we think

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The Earth is warming the Earth. In this series of five short films, learn why natural warming loops have scientists alarmed-and why we have less time than we think. Subtitled in 20 languages.

Official launch with the Dalai Lama and Greta Thunberg
more info

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The Earth is warming the Earth. In this series of five short films, learn why natural warming loops have scientists alarmed-and why we have less time than we think. Subtitled in 20 languages. Official launch with the Dalai Lama and Greta Thunberg more info

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Pope Francis's Encyclical 'Care for our Common Home' explained

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The Vatican released the much-anticipated encyclical by Pope Francis, 'Laudato Si' - Care of our common home', in 2015. This Q&A includes an encyclical definition and a look at what Pope Francis' encyclical means for the world we hope to see.
What is an encyclical?

An encyclical is a letter circulated by the Pope to Catholic churches worldwide. It is sent directly from our Holy Father in Rome to Catholics all over the world and is often addressed to all people of good will, namely non-Catholics who may also want to read the document. Pope Francis' encyclical ' Laudato Si' - Care of our common home' is addressed to "every person living on this planet".

Papal encyclicals provide analysis, in the light of the Gospel and of the Tradition of the Church, on relevant issues for the faithful. Previous popes have issued encyclicals on a variety of topics, from the study of Scripture (Leo XIII, 1893) to humanity's redemption in Christ and the dignity of human beings (John Paul II, 1979).

From 1891 onwards, many encyclicals were issued as responses to questions raised by social movements and calls for societal change. For example the struggles of workers during the industrial revolution (Leo XIII, 1891), the need for peace in the post-World War II era (John XXIII, 1963) and the global financial crisis (Benedict XVI, 2009). These later encyclicals are part of what is known as Catholic Social Teaching documents.
Read the encyclical in full
What kind of encyclical has Pope Francis written?

The encyclical Laudato Si' is considered part of the Catholic Social Teaching tradition. Although there are many previous statements by popes and bishops on the question of our place in creation, this is the first social encyclical in the Catholic Church to address the complex social and ecological crisis in a direct and specific way.

Laudato Si' complements what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says, which is that our responsibility is to care for our world and not 'steal' resources from future generations. It speaks of the intrinsic value of all creatures, not just humans, and of protecting the climate and biodiversity as part of the common good.

Proposing lines of action at personal, political and economic levels, it demands a redefinition of progress that responds to both the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth. Pope Francis calls us to a radical ecological conversion, and invites us to a spirituality that is full of gratitude for the gifts of creation, with a special place for comtemplation and Sabbath rest.
Find prayers and reflections on the encyclical
Was this the climate change encyclical people were hoping for?

Laudato Si' was published on 18 June 2015, in eight languages. At the time, many held great hopes that it would be a powerful voice of influence in three major UN moments, one of which was the UNFCCC Paris Agreement on climate change and greenhouse gas emissions.

The nature of papal encyclicals means that Laudato Si' focuses on the broader threats to the flourishing of people within creation. It addresses climate change among various other issues, such as the loss of biodiversity, extinction of species and the culture of waste

Nevertheless, it offered a powerful message for the UN negotiations. Given the scale of the challenge ahead, the document expresses disappointment with the lack of international leadership in the preceding years. "It is remarkable," Pope Francis says, "how weak international political responses have been."

Partly thanks to the influence of the encyclical and the many voices it draws together, the Paris Agreement is considered by many a positive stepping-up of the international response to climate change. The UN Sustainable Development Goals are also being brought into fruitful dialogue with the questions raised by Laudato Si'. Since these landmarks, the report of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change has only confirmed further the urgency of the action that the Pope called for.

What is Pope Francis' encyclical about?

In Laudato Si' - On Care For Our Common Home, Pope Francis urges society to move away from the myth of perennial progress at the expense of the Earth's resources, and calls on us to recognise that development which fails to respect the Earth is a false economy.

The encyclical says that at the root of the crisis we face our tendency to place humanity over and above the rest of creation. This is closely linked to the technocratic paradigm - the idea that we have confused the increase in control and manipulation of the world with progress. The Pope thinks we experience these ways of thinking as a consumerist culture characterised by wastefulness, indifference and the "rapidification" of daily life. All this, he suggests, is to the detriment of relationships with ourselves, our neighbours, the earth and God.

Instead, we need a new definition of progress rooted in "integral ecology", recognising that "everything is connected" and hearing both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. Pope Francis calls for all people to dialogue in society about how best to tackle the global issues we face.

Though a common plan is needed, he says, there are differentiated responsibilities and we require an approach that puts care for the very poorest at the centre of the way we live our lives.
Find resources to help you reflect on the encyclical
Does Pope Francis talk about climate science?

Pope Francis engaged in a dialogue with scientists and scientific thought in order to prepare the encyclical, and was advised by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. The Pope is very clear that climate change is real and urgent, and that our planet's temperature is increasing at an unprecedented speed - mainly due to human activity and burning fossil fuels, in particular.

The scientific question, however pertinent, is not the main point of the encyclical. It has a more theological and moral approach to the problems that threaten our flourishing. The scientific view is complemented by the lived experience of Christian communities worldwide. This is what is known in Catholic Social Teaching as 'seeing' the signs of the times. What is 'seen' is afterwards analysed in the light of the Gospel and of the Tradition of the Church because an encyclical is rooted in faith. As Saint John Paul II said, "the ecological crisis is a moral issue" and all men and women have an obligation to contribute to the restoration of a healthy environment.

Why is the Pope's encyclical so important?

Love and care for creation are an essential dimension of our faith. A social encyclical on human development and the environment, like Laudato Si', helps Catholic believers address, reflect and respond to the environmental challenges our world is facing today. It helps us answer difficult questions such as:

How do we love our neighbours in need by sharing wealth and at the same time love our Earth by promoting sustainability?

How do we promote economic growth and respect the common good?

In December 2015, the year the encyclical was published, international leaders met in Paris to secure a global climate deal. World leaders were making critical choices about the environment that could impact the lives of millions of people, especially our brothers and sisters living in the poorest countries. In this context, the timing of the Pope's encyclical couldn't have been more pertinent.

Five years on and as we await the rescheduling of the COP26 climate summit, the encyclical is as relevant as ever.

We've seen some progress in that time: In June 2019 the UK became the first major economy in the world to commit to ending its contribution to climate change by setting a net zero emissions target.

In January this year the UK government pledged to end support for coal overseas, responding to calls for investment instead into renewable, sustainable energy in developing countries.

The role of CAFOD campaigners was critical in these successes, illustrating how important it is that each of us acts to protect our common home, just as Pope Francis tells us in Laudato Si'.

As we look to the critical climate talks in 2021, the role of the UK as host will be vital. Raising our voices to demand bold action on behalf of the poorest communities and the earth on which we all depend will be essential.

What can I do to tackle climate change?

Tackling climate change is part of our duty as Christians to love and care for God's creation. It's an important dimension of our stewardship of the Earth. Our sisters and brothers across the world are being pushed deeper into poverty due to the changing climate and our faith moves us to speak out in solidarity.

There are many different ways to tackle climate change, either individually or in a group, and one effective way is campaigning for change. If we don't act now to reduce our pollution and environmental impact, many more people could be at risk of losing their livelihoods and everything they cherish.

Like the climate crisis, the current coronavirus pandemic is laying bare inequalities that exist in our societies. It is undoing years of development work. Sign our petition today calling for the UK government to ensure that the most vulnerable people are the priority in the UK's international efforts as well as at home.
Sign the petition
How have the Catholic community responded?

As with all Church teaching, Catholics have a particular responsibility to engage with and reflect upon the message of the encyclical and find ways to apply it to our lives. By bringing together many faith-inspired voices in one document, and by bringing a novel and refreshing view on them, Pope Francis' Laudato Si' encyclical has motivated Catholic communities to promote radical ecological conversion in an unprecedented way.

Over the last five years CAFOD supporters have been responding in positive ways, putting their faith into action by living simply, praying for our world and by lobbying politicians to tackle climate change. In the coming weeks and months, to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Laudato Si', supporters will be reflecting on the world they hope to see as we reach a new 'normal'.

The Amazon Synod, where the bishops of that region gathered to hear the concerns of the people, also revealed how the global issues highlighted in Laudato Si' are affecting the lives of the people of Amazonia. The pope's exhortation also highlights how we can be inspired by the dreams and ways of life of the people of this region.

How can I respond to the encyclical?
Find encyclical resources to use on your own, in your parish, or in school

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The Vatican released the much-anticipated encyclical by Pope Francis, 'Laudato Si' - Care of our common home', in 2015. This Q&A includes an encyclical definition and a look at what Pope Francis' encyclical means for the world we hope to see. An encyclical is a letter circulated by the Pope to Catholic churches worldwide.

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Edmund Rice International & Brother Brian Bond 

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Edmund Rice International & Brother Brian Bond 

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Video from Br Brian about the work of ERI and focus on Climate Emergency

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Welcome! This site offers infomation and resources about the Church's teaching on social, political and economic issues.

"The theological dimension is needed both for interpreting and for solving present day problems in human society" Saint John Paul II

Image © L'Osservatore Romano Photos

'Catholic social teaching believes that human beings, created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27), have by their very existence an inherent value, worth, and distinction.

Daniel Groody "Globalization, Spirituality and Justice"

Community & Participation

We are not created by God to live alone. Living in community is an essential expression of who we are. But Community does not just happen - it is something that men and women must work together to develop.

Photo credit: Donhead College

"Creation is not a property, which we can rule over at will; or, even less, is the property of only a few: Creation is a gift, it is a wonderful gift that God has given us, so that we care for it and we use it for the benefit of all, always with great respect and gratitude."
Pope Francis

Jesus became "like us in all things, devoted most of the years of his life on earth to manual work at the carpenters bench"

Saint John Paul II - Laborem Exercens, On Human Work

"In Biblical revelation, peace is much more than the simple absence of war, it represents the fullness of life"

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church

"The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the people of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts"

Gaudium et Spes - Vatican II

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Introduction to Catholic Social Teaching

Watch Cardinal Vincent Nichols' introduction to Catholic Social Teaching.

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Skip to navigation | Skip to content */?> Welcome! This site offers infomation and resources about the Church's teaching on social, political and economic issues.

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Dalai Lama & Greta Thunberg conversation 

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Dalai Lama & Greta Thunberg conversation 

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Conversation on Feedback Loops

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From the destruction of forests to the thawing of permafrost, the effects of human-induced climate change have set into motion self-perpetuating feedback loops that are accelerating global warming. What can be done to slow down this threat before it's too late?

The Mind & Life Institute was honored to host a special free livestream event on January 9/10, 2021 with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, climate activist Greta Thunberg, and leading scientists to explore steps for addressing this urgent set of challenges. Watch the recording above (subtitles can be turned on or off with the CC button), read the event transcript, or read our post-event blog.

Moderated by Diana Chapman Walsh, the discussion was grounded in a new series of educational films, "Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops," narrated by Richard Gere.

Contributing their scientific expertise to the conversation were Susan Natali, Arctic Program Director at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, and William Moomaw, Professor Emeritus of International Environmental Policy at Tufts University and the lead author of several reports for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.

The Dalai Lama speaks to the urgent need for climate action in his new book, Our Only Home: A Climate Appeal to the World, in which he praises Greta Thunberg and other young climate activists for their determination to bring about positive change.

The livestream event highlighted recent scientific findings, the ethical imperative of taking action, and what we can do collectively to slow, halt, and even reverse the devastating impact of climate feedback loops. How can you help?

Educate yourself on climate change issues

Hold leaders accountable to support science-based climate action

Raise awareness in your community about the climate crisis

Make changes in your daily life to reduce your own carbon footprint

Mind & Life will continue to explore the climate crisis and the human-earth relationship at our virtual 2021 Summer Research Institute, to be held online June 6-11, 2021. Applications are now open.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was born on 6 July 1935 to a farming family in a small hamlet of Tibet. He is now the spiritual leader of Tibet, yet describes himself as a simple Buddhist monk. He is the first Nobel Laureate to be recognized for his concern for global environmental problems. He has travelled to more than 67 countries spanning six continents. He has received over 150 awards and honorary doctorates in recognition of his message of peace, non-violence, inter-religious understanding, universal responsibility and compassion.
Greta Thunberg is a Swedish climate activist who started a school strike in front of the Swedish parliament in August 2018. Her solo protest has inspired school strikes for climate action all over the world since then. More than seven million people attended global school strikes in September 2019. Greta has addressed decision-makers at UN climate summits in New York, Poland and Madrid, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, and in several national parliaments. In 2019 Time Magazine selected her as Person of the Year. Alongside being an activist, Greta is currently attending high school in Stockholm, Sweden.
Diana Chapman Walsh, PhD is President emerita of Wellesley College, Senior Advisor to Stanford University's Center for Innovation in Global Health, life member emerita of the MIT Corporation, co-founder of the Council on the Uncertain Human Future, and former board member of the Mind and Life Institute, the Broad Institute (chair), the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, the State Street Corporation and Amherst College. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a former professor and department chair at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Susan Natali, PhD leads the Arctic Program at Woodwell Climate Research Center. She studies the consequences of climate change in the Arctic, with a focus on permafrost thaw and wildfire, and the global implications of these changes. Her work has provided groundbreaking measurements of greenhouse gas emissions from thawing permafrost. She also works with local communities in the Arctic who are adapting to the impacts of a rapidly warming climate and dramatically changing landscape. Dr. Natali is committed to seeing both the human and climate impacts of rapid Arctic change incorporated into public understanding and global policy.
William R. Moomaw, PhD is Professor Emeritus at the Fletcher School at Tufts University and Visiting Scientist at Woodwell Climate Research Center in Massachusetts. He holds a PhD degree in chemistry and worked to find solutions to stratospheric ozone depletion while working for the U.S. Congress. He then spent 20 years identifying actions and technologies to slow climate change and was a lead author of five major Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports. More recently, he has developed Natural Climate Solutions that protect and restore forests and wetlands to remove more heat trapping atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Susan Bauer-Wu is the President of the Mind & Life Institute, a role she assumed in December 2015. She has held leadership, academic, and clinical roles that have largely focused on fostering resilience through studying and teaching contemplative practices in health care and higher education.
Thupten Jinpa Langri, PhD, the principal English translator to His Holiness the Dalai Lama since 1985, received his early education and training as a monk and obtained the Geshe Lharam degree from the Shartse College of Ganden Monastic University, South India. In addition, Jinpa holds a B.A. with Honors in philosophy and a Ph.D. in religious studies, both from Cambridge University. He taught at Ganden Monastery and worked as a research fellow in Eastern religions at Girton College, Cambridge University.

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The Dalai Lama with Greta Thunberg and Leading Scientists - Mind & Life Institute

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We're honored to host a special free livestream event on January 9, 2021 at 10:30 p.m. EST with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, climate activist Greta Thunberg, and leading scientists to explore steps for addressing the urgent challenges presented by this threat.

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1 of 4 Reith Lectures by former Governor of the Bank of England and now UN envoy for Climate Action on moral versus market values & the sustainable revolution.

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Mark Carney, former Governor of the Bank of England, argues that the market can be redirected to alleviating climate change.

Mark Carney, the former Governor of the Bank of England, argues that the roots of the climate change threat lie in a deeper crisis of values. He suggests that we can create an ecosystem in which society's values broaden the market's conceptions of value. In this way, individual creativity and market dynamism can be channelled to achieve broader social goals including, inclusive growth and environmental sustainability.

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BBC Radio 4 - The Reith Lectures, 2020: Mark Carney - How We Get What We Value, Lecture 4 "From Climate Crisis to Real Prosperity"

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Mark Carney, former Governor of the Bank of England, argues that the market can be redirected to alleviating climate change. Mark Carney, the former Governor of the Bank of England, argues that the roots of the climate change threat lie in a deeper crisis of values.

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The science of 'carbon budgets'

Climate science is clear that to a close approximation, the eventual extent of global warming is proportional to the total amount of carbon dioxide that human activities add to the atmosphere.

So, in order to stabilise climate change, CO ₂ emissions need to fall to zero. The longer it takes to do so, the more the climate will change. Emissions of other greenhouse gases also need to be constrained. In the Paris Agreement, governments agreed to keep global warming 'well below' 2 degrees Celsius, and to 'make efforts' to keep it below 1.5ºC. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report in October 2018 on the 1.5ºC target; it concluded that global emissions need to reach net zero around mid-century to give a reasonable chance of limiting warming to 1.5ºC.

In many sectors of the economy, technologies exist that can bring emissions to zero. In electricity, it can be done using renewable and nuclear generation. A transport system that runs on electricity or hydrogen, well-insulated homes and industrial processes based on electricity rather than gas can all help to bring sectoral emissions to absolute zero.

However, in industries such as aviation the technological options are limited; in agriculture too, it is highly unlikely that emissions will be brought to zero. Therefore some emissions from these sectors will likely remain; and in order to offset these, an equivalent amount of CO ₂ will need to be taken out of the atmosphere - negative emissions. Thus the target becomes 'net zero' for the economy as a whole. The term 'carbon neutrality' is also used.
Negative emissions
Sometimes a net zero target is expressed in terms of greenhouse gas emissions overall, sometimes of CO ₂ only. The UK Climate Change Act now expresses its net zero emissions target by 2050 in terms of greenhouse gases overall.

The only greenhouse gas that can easily be absorbed from the atmosphere is carbon dioxide. There are two basic approaches to extracting it: by stimulating nature to absorb more, and by building technology that does the job.
Who is moving to net zero?
Plants absorb CO ₂ as they grow, through photosynthesis. Therefore, all other things being equal, having more plants growing, or having plants growing faster, will remove more from the atmosphere. Two of the easiest and most effective approaches for negative emissions, then, are afforestation - planting more forest - and reforestation - replacing forest that has been lost or thinned. Technical options include BioEnergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) and Direct Air Capture (see our Negative Emissions briefing.)

A number of countries have already set targets, or committed to do so, for reaching net zero emissions on timescales compatible with the Paris Agreement temperature goals. They include the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Portugal, New Zealand, Chile, Costa Rica (2050), Sweden (2045), Iceland, Austria (2040) and Finland (2035). The tiny Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan and the most forested country on earth, Suriname, are already carbon-negative - they absorb more CO ₂ than they emit.

In addition, the European Union recently agreed to enshrine its political commitment to be climate neutral by 2050 in its European Climate Law.

The principle that rich nations should lead on climate change is enshrined in the UN climate convention that dates back to 1992, and was reconfirmed in the Paris Agreement. Therefore, if the science says 'global net zero by mid-century', there is a strong moral case for developed countries adopting an earlier date.
In the UK
So far, the UK, France, Sweden, Norway and Denmark have enshrined their net zero targets in national law. Other nations including Spain, Chile and Fiji are looking to do so.

Immediately after the IPCC published its Special Report on 1.5°C in October 2018, the governments of the UK, Scotland and Wales asked their official advisers, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), to provide advice on the UK and Devolved Administrations' long-term targets for greenhouse gas emissions.

The CCC had previously indicated that the UK should be aiming for net zero emissions by 2045-2050 in order to be compatible with the 1.5ºC Paris Agreement goal.

For the UK, a new target: net-zero greenhouse gases by 2050 (up from the existing emissions reductions target of 80% from 1990 levels by 2050);

For Scotland, a net-zero date of 2045, 'reflecting Scotland's greater relative capacity to remove emissions than the UK as a whole';

For Wales, a 95% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050, reflecting it having 'less opportunity for CO2 storage and relatively high agricultural emissions that are hard to reduce'.

The CCC delivered its advice in May 2019. Its recommendations were:

The governments of Wales and Scotland swiftly accepted the CCC's advice, and on 12 June 2019, the UK government laid a statutory instrument to amend the 80% target in the Climate Change Act 2008. Just two weeks later, the new net zero target (100% from 1990 levels by 2050) was formally signed into law.

Only a matter of days before France could complete the feat, the UK had pipped them to it and become the first G7 country to legislate for net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

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The science of 'carbon budgets' Climate science is clear that to a close approximation, the eventual extent of global warming is proportional to the total amount of carbon dioxide that human activities add to the atmosphere. So, in order to stabilise climate change, CO 2 emissions need to fall to zero.

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Money - where to invest to solve the Climate Crisis 

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Money - where to invest to solve the Climate Crisis 

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"I don't want your hope. I don't want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic."

Climate change activist Greta Thunberg was not giving investment advice when she delivered this message to the World Economic Forum in Davos this year. Just as well: panicking is not widely considered to be part of a good investment strategy, as those who sell at the bottom of the market can attest.

But with climate change increasingly in the news after the hottest recorded July on record and the burning of the Amazon rainforest, those who agree with Ms Thunberg that hoping for the best isn't good enough can take action - by investing.

A new wave of investment from the private sector is being funnelled into cutting-edge technological solutions to climate change, from improving energy efficiency to renewable storage solutions to alternative meat. Such investments come under the heading of environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies, an increasingly popular investment segment. Rather than avoiding certain companies, such as tobacco or arms manufacturers - via so-called negative screening - climate change investing tends to be a form of positive screening, in other words actively choosing to invest in companies that are trying to make a difference.

"Climate has become the biggest theme in ESG investing," says Hortense Bioy, director of passive strategies and sustainability research at Morningstar. "We have seen an acceleration of product development in that space in the past couple of years, triggered by the Paris Climate Accord in 2015 and the need to keep global warming to below two degrees Celsius."

But those who want to recast their investments to address climate change will face a number of decisions over what companies or funds to invest in and how to reduce the risks of narrowing their selection criteria. What counts as a climate-friendly investment strategy? And what returns might investors be sacrificing - or gaining - by the transformation of their portfolio?

Selection and performance

Ms Bioy identifies two ways in which investors can adjust their portfolios with climate change in mind. One is based on reducing risk, as investors choose a more passive approach of avoiding exposure to companies that are less likely to do well in a world that is getting hotter. Those might include oil and gas companies, or those heavily exposed to coal or more highly polluting industries.

The other way is to consider climate change as an investment opportunity and look for companies that will aid or benefit from the transition to a low carbon economy. Ms Bioy says funds that are trying to do this include Templeton Global Climate Change, Aviva Investors Climate Transition European Equity Fund, and DWS Invest Climate Tech fund. There has also been a proliferation of green bond funds, which invest in the financing of environmental projects. Seven have launched in Europe this year alone, she says.

Recommended

Each approach has its adherents and critics, as was brought home this week when Bill Gates told the Financial Times that campaigns urging investors to divest from fossil fuels were ineffective as a means of reducing carbon emissions. Much better, the billionaire Microsoft co-founder said, to invest in ventures working on innovations to cut greenhouse gases. "Divestment, to date, probably has reduced about zero tonnes of emissions," he said. "It's not like you've capital-starved [the] people making steel and gasoline."

Bruce Jenkyn-Jones, a director at Impax Asset Management, a sustainable investment specialist, says investors in climate change do not have to surrender returns. Rather, the theory is that as governments and companies around the world face more pressure to change their behaviour, those finding solutions to climate change will yield strong returns.

"If you can find companies helping to solve environmental problems, that will be a growth market," Mr Jenkyn-Jones notes.

Fund managers at Impax look first at where the big emissions are coming from. The "main culprits", he says, tend to be energy, transport, food and agriculture. The "circular economy" is also an important subsector in any mitigation strategy: improving recycling and reducing waste in the economy. Among the top 10 holdings of the Impax Environmental Markets fund, for example, is DS Smith, a recycling and waste management company. Another top 10 holding is Lenzing, which produces a more sustainable alternative to viscose made from wood, and supplies high street clothing brands such as Monsoon and Esprit.

High tech and low tech answers

Innovation, often in technology, abounds in the area of climate change investment. Crop One, for example, is a specialist in vertical farming, where crops are grown indoors and use 99 per cent less water compared with traditional agriculture. It has been targeting private investors in the US through a qualified opportunity fund, which offers various tax breaks.

Winnow, a food waste management company, uses artificial intelligence technology linked to cameras on bins in restaurants. By using image recognition to track what is being thrown away, restaurants can then amend their pricing accordingly.

Precision agriculture is another area where technology is being developed to help farmers. Software installed on farm machines can tap data on weather and soil conditions, helping farmers to optimise planting and minimise use of resources such as water or fertiliser. One company working in this area is Trimble Navigation, a California-based tech company.

Meanwhile, as storms and floods increase, more people are interested in having back-up power. US company Generac, for example, provides back-up power solutions.

Generation Investment Management, the sustainable investment firm co-founded by former US vice-president Al Gore, regards consumer demand as one of the factors to be considered when deciding which companies to invest in. Taiwanese company Gogoro, for example, makes electric motor scooters that both reduce carbon emissions and improve people's health by reducing air pollution in cities.

I don't want your hope. I don't want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic

Greta Thunberg

James Purcell, head of sustainable and impact investing in the chief investment office of UBS's global wealth management division, says some of the best ways to invest in climate change are relatively mundane: with 70 per cent of energy coming from fossil fuels, investing in renewable energy is a good way to have impact. Then there is energy efficiency and weight reduction - cutting the weight of transported goods and therefore energy use, for example.

He believes that wealthier investors can sometimes "gravitate slightly in the wrong direction" by focusing on the personal side of things: many clients might own an electric car, for example, but be unaware of the importance of weight reduction as a climate change theme.

Food is another hot topic with private clients, reflecting the trend for meat alternatives or reducing food waste. That can weight portfolios towards consumer goods rather than industrial applications, Mr Purcell notes, adding: "I think there will be just as strong structural growth drivers and probably less hype and risk of over-investment in the industrial sector."

Beware bubbles

Many investors remember the renewable energy bubble of the noughties, which saw a wave of interest in the sector. But government subsidies and oversupply meant that, despite the strong growth, returns were thin on the ground. Some of the biggest solar companies in the world went bust, such as Germany's Q Cells in 2012. The market is now much more stable, say investors.

But the sector can still be volatile in other ways, Mr Jenkyn-Jones warns, advising caution around valuations of certain stocks. A good example of this is Beyond Meat, whose stock has soared more than 700 per cent since its initial public offering in May, leading some analysts to warn that the company could now be overvalued. Referring to the huge interest in meat alternatives, Mr Jenkyn-Jones warns: "Just because a market is growing fast doesn't mean you can make money out of it. There's definitely a risk of what happened to wind and solar in 2007 where you get a crowded market and pressure on margins, so although you do get phenomenal growth the investor doesn't necessarily make money over the longer term."

Eric Toone, the science lead at Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a $1bn clean tech fund launched in 2016 by a group of ultra-rich investors including Sir Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, Jack Ma and George Soros, points out that timescales can be a lot longer in clean-tech investing. BEV was created as a 20-year fund, a time horizon longer than many other funds.

One area of particular interest is the "intermittency" issue in renewable energy - the fact that the sun will go behind a cloud, or the wind will fail to blow - leading, Mr Toone says, to "huge opportunities" in both storage solutions and transmission. The fund has also invested in ways to reduce the considerable carbon emissions associated with manufacturing industrial materials - particularly cement - as well as low carbon steel in buildings and materials. Plant-based cheese - a product generally considered to be still in need of improvement by many consumers - is another area with plenty of investment opportunities, Mr Toone says.

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Caution needed

There are other considerations to bear in mind when considering how to invest in companies related to climate change. Ms Bioy says some climate change investment strategies can result in "narrow and concentrated portfolios" - which may make them more suitable as satellite holdings than as a core part of a portfolio. Climate-themed funds also have a relatively short history, with most launched in the past two to three years, making their performance hard to assess.

Ben Yearsley, a director at Shore Financial Planning, points out that any area of investment that is trying to be cutting edge will invariably be high risk. For investors happy to take on such risks, he suggests Earthworm EIS, which invests in a wide range of companies in the environmental sector such as composting, waste water and food production groups.

For more mainstream investors he suggests the Schroders Global Energy Transition fund, launched this year, which focuses on companies in clean energy and avoids those primarily involved in fossil fuels or nuclear energy.

Some companies, particularly those that are heavy emitters of carbon dioxide such as car or oil and gas companies, are themselves investing in climate change by seeking lower-carbon alternatives. That raises questions for investors as to whether these companies could form part of a climate change portfolio. Some take the view it is better to avoid them. The Impax Environmental Markets fund, for example, only invests in companies generating a minimum of 50 per cent of revenues from renewables - with the average closer to 80 per cent.

Lila Preston, co-head of the growth equity team at Generation Investment Management, says: "We believe that this wave of sustainable investment can deliver strong long-term returns because it is common sense that you would consider the ESG factors around any business model. This is not a trade-off of values for value."

The independent investor

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Tackling climate change - an investor's guide

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"I don't want your hope. I don't want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic." Climate change activist Greta Thunberg was not giving investment advice when she delivered this message to the World Economic Forum in Davos this year.

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www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk is using a security service for protection against online attacks. This process is automatic. You will be redirected once the validation is complete.

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www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk is using a security service for protection against online attacks. This process is automatic. You will be redirected once the validation is complete.

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explained

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The authoritative information on the status of approval, acceptance, accession and ratification of the Agreement is provided by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, on the respective internet page of the United Nations Treaty Depositary under: Paris Agreement.

The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 195 Parties at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, France, on 12 December 2015. It entered into force on 4 November 2016. Currently, as of 27 January 2026, there are 194 Parties to the Paris Agreement.

Its overarching goal is to hold "the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels" and pursue efforts "to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels."

However, in recent years, world leaders have stressed the need to limit global warming to 1.5°C by the end of this century.

That's because the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicates that crossing the 1.5°C threshold risks unleashing far more severe climate change impacts, including more frequent and severe droughts, heatwaves and rainfall.

To limit global warming to 1.5°C, greenhouse gas emissions must peak before 2025 at the latest and decline 43% by 2030.

The Paris Agreement is a landmark in the multilateral climate change process because, for the first time, a binding agreement brings all nations together to combat climate change and adapt to its effects.

How does the Paris Agreement work?

Implementation of the Paris Agreement requires economic and social transformation, based on the best available science. The Paris Agreement works on a five-year cycle of increasingly ambitious climate action -- or, ratcheting up -- carried out by countries. Since 2020, countries have been submitting their national climate action plans, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs). Each successive NDC is meant to reflect an increasingly higher degree of ambition compared to the previous version.

Recognizing that accelerated action is required to limit global warming to 1.5°C, the COP27 cover decision requests Parties to revisit and strengthen the 2030 targets in their NDCs to align with the Paris Agreement temperature goal by the end of 2023, taking into account different national circumstances.

Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)

In their NDCs, countries communicate actions they will take to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in order to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement. Countries also communicate in their NDCs actions they will take to build resilience to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Long-Term Strategies

To better frame the efforts towards the long-term goal, the Paris Agreement invites countries to formulate and submit long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategies (LT-LEDS).

LT-LEDS provide the long-term horizon to the NDCs. Unlike NDCs, they are not mandatory. Nevertheless, they place the NDCs into the context of countries' long-term planning and development priorities, providing a vision and direction for future development.

How are countries supporting one another?

The Paris Agreement provides a framework for financial, technical and capacity building support to those countries who need it.

Finance

The Paris Agreement reaffirms that developed countries should take the lead in providing financial assistance to countries that are less endowed and more vulnerable, while for the first time also encouraging voluntary contributions by other Parties. Climate finance is needed for mitigation, because large-scale investments are required to significantly reduce emissions. Climate finance is equally important for adaptation, as significant financial resources are needed to adapt to the adverse effects and reduce the impacts of a changing climate.

Technology

The Paris Agreement speaks of the vision of fully realizing technology development and transfer for both improving resilience to climate change and reducing GHG emissions. It establishes a technology framework to provide overarching guidance to the well-functioning Technology Mechanism. The mechanism is accelerating technology development and transfer through its policy and implementation arms.

Capacity-Building

Not all developing countries have sufficient capacities to deal with many of the challenges brought by climate change. As a result, the Paris Agreement places great emphasis on climate-related capacity-building for developing countries and requests all developed countries to enhance support for capacity-building actions in developing countries.

How are we tracking progress?

With the Paris Agreement, countries established an enhanced transparency framework (ETF). Under ETF, starting in 2024, countries will report transparently on actions taken and progress in climate change mitigation, adaptation measures and support provided or received. It also provides for international procedures for the review of the submitted reports.

The information gathered through the ETF will feed into the Global stocktake which will assess the collective progress towards the long-term climate goals.

This will lead to recommendations for countries to set more ambitious plans in the next round.

What have we achieved so far?

Although climate change action needs to be massively increased to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, the years since its entry into force have already sparked low-carbon solutions and new markets. More and more countries, regions, cities and companies are establishing carbon neutrality targets. Zero-carbon solutions are becoming competitive across economic sectors representing 25% of emissions. This trend is most noticeable in the power and transport sectors and has created many new business opportunities for early movers.

By 2030, zero-carbon solutions could be competitive in sectors representing over 70% of global emissions.

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The authoritative information on the status of approval, acceptance, accession and ratification of the Agreement is provided by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, on the respective internet page of the United Nations Treaty Depositary under: Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change.

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The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 

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The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 

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whose responsibility is Climate Change?

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What can be done to limit global warming to 1.5°C? A quick internet search offers a deluge of advice on how individuals can change their behaviour. Take public transport instead of the car or, for longer journeys, the train rather than fly. Eat less meat and more vegetables, pulses and grains, and don't forget to turn off the light when leaving a room or the water when shampooing. The implication here is that the impetus for addressing climate change is on individual consumers.

But can and should it really be the responsibility of individuals to limit global warming? On the face of it, we all contribute to global warming through the cumulative impact of our actions.

By changing consumption patterns on a large scale we might be able to influence companies to change their production patterns to more sustainable methods. Some experts have argued that everyone ( or at least those who can afford it) has a responsibility to limit global warming, even if each individual action is insufficient in itself to make a difference.

Yet there are at least two reasons why making it the duty of individuals to limit global warming is wrong.

Individuals are statistically blameless

Climate change is a planetary-scale threat and, as such, requires planetary-scale reforms that can only be implemented by the world's governments. Individuals can at most be responsible for their own behaviour, but governments have the power to implement legislation that compels industries and individuals to act sustainably.

Although the power of consumers is strong, it pales in comparison to that of international corporations and only governments have the power to keep these interests in check.

Usually, we regard governments as having a duty to protect citizens. So why is it that we allow them to skirt these responsibilities just because it is more convenient to encourage individual action? Asking individuals to bear the burden of global warming shifts the responsibilities from those who are meant to protect to those who are meant to be protected. We need to hold governments to their responsibilities first and foremost.

A recent report found that just 100 companies are responsible for 71% of global emissions since 1988. Incredibly, a mere 25 corporations and state-owned entities were responsible for more than half of global industrial emissions in that same period.

Most of these are coal and oil producing companies and include ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, Chevron, Gazprom, and the Saudi Arabian Oil Company. China leads the pack on the international stage with 14.3% of global greenhouse gas emissions due to its coal production and consumption.

If the fossil fuel industry and high polluting countries are not forced to change, we will be on course to increase global average temperatures by 4°C by the end of the century.

If just a few companies and countries are responsible for so much of global greenhouse gas emissions, then why is our first response to blame individuals for their consumption patterns? It shouldn't be - businesses and governments need to take responsibility for curbing industrial emissions.

Read more: Climate action must now focus on the global rich and their corporations

Governments and industries should lead

Rather than rely on appeals to individual virtue, what can be done to hold governments and industries accountable?

Governments have the power to enact legislation which could regulate industries to remain within sustainable emission limits and adhere to environmental protection standards. Companies should be compelled to purchase emissions rights - the profits from which can be used to aid climate vulnerable communities.

Governments could also make renewable energy generation, from sources such as solar panels and wind turbines, affordable to all consumers through subsidies. Affordable and low-carbon mass transportation must replace emission-heavy means of travel, such as planes and cars.

More must also be done by rich countries and powerful industries to support and empower poorer countries to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

All of this is not to say that individuals cannot or should not do what they can to change their behaviour where possible. Every little contribution helps, and research shows that limiting meat consumption can be an effective step. The point is that failing to do so should not be considered morally blameworthy.

In particular, individuals living in poorer countries who have contributed almost nothing to climate change deserve the most support and the least guilt. They are neither the primary perpetrators of global warming nor the ones who have the power to enact the structural changes necessary for limiting global warming, which would have to involve holding powerful industries responsible.

While individuals may have a role to play, appealing to individual virtues for addressing climate change is something akin to victim-blaming because it shifts the burden from those who ought to act to those who are most likely to be affected by climate change. A far more just and effective approach would be to hold those who are responsible for climate change accountable for their actions.

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Climate change: focusing on how individuals can help is very convenient for corporations

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What can be done to limit global warming to 1.5°C? A quick internet search offers a deluge of advice on how individuals can change their behaviour. Take public transport instead of the car or, for longer journeys, the train rather than fly.

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How to use your vote for a healthy planet

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The Commitment is focused on speeding up government action for a healthy planet, where the climate is stable and nature recovers. We do this by harnessing the collective power of voters, providing politicians with a clear mandate to act.

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The Biden Plan for Environmental Justice & Clean Energy 

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The Biden Plan for Environmental Justice & Clean Energy 

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Joe Biden for President: Official Campaign Website

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Joe is in. Chip in today to kickstart our campaign.

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The UK prime minister Boris Johnson has announced a long-awaited "10-point plan" laying out measures to scale up the nation's climate ambition.

These policy proposals and funding packages have been framed as a means to create jobs, promote a "green recovery" from Covid-19 and help the UK achieve its net-zero emissions target by 2050.

A ban by 2030 on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars is the most eye-catching policy, but there is also around £4bn in new funding for a variety of emissions-cutting proposals.

There has been blanket coverage across UK newspapers of the plan, with the story appearing on the frontpages of the Daily Mail, the Daily Telegraph, the Financial Times, the Times and the Independent.

After nearly two days of media coverage, the government published a policy document laying out more details of its strategy and stating it was "only the start" of its net-zero plans.

In this article, Carbon Brief has documented what the prime minister has proposed, how the media has responded and how the measures stack up against the UK's legally binding net-zero emissions goal.

It also examines each of the sectors targeted in the plan and how they have been addressed.

'Green industrial revolution'

Johnson laid out how he wanted the plan to be viewed in an opinion piece for the Financial Times, published on the evening of its release.

The article talks of a "green industrial revolution" that will invest £12bn of government funds, create 250,000 green jobs and help drive a green recovery from Covid-19 by "build[ing] back better":

"This 10-point plan will turn the UK into the world's number one centre for green technology and finance, creating the foundations for decades of economic growth."

He also described it as a "global template for delivering net-zero emissions" ahead of the UK hosting the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow next year.

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the launch of the next COP26 UN Climate Summit at the Science Museum in London. Credit: PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo.

However, there was much discussion in the media and the climate community of the significance of Johnson's plan and to what extent it would set the UK on course for its 2050 net-zero goal.

Some of this debate is captured in a Twitter thread by Carbon Brief's policy editor Simon Evans, who concludes that, while the new announcement is substantial, it alone will not be enough to get the UK to net-zero.

++NEW++

Boris Johnson 10point UK plan for "green industrial revolution" is out

by 2030
🚗petrol/diesel ban
🌬️40GW offshore
🔋"aim" for 5GW hydrogen
🏭4 CCS clusters

++
⚛️£ for big/small nuclear
🏠heat pump target, retrofit £
++more

Is it a lot? ✅
Enough for net-zero? ❌

1/ pic.twitter.com/GYSUpdIlMj
- Simon Evans (@DrSimEvans) November 17, 2020

The Financial Times reported that the plan is a "far cry" from what will be needed to reach net-zero emissions, citing "climate experts".

Quoting the detailed policy document that was released a full day after the original announcement was released to journalists, the newspaper stated:

"The government estimates the plan will save more than 180m tonnes of CO2 emissions during the 2023 to 2032 period, which is slightly more than half the UK's annual emissions right now."

This official breakdown was not published until the end of the working day and, therefore, did not find its way into most of the reporting on the 10-point plan.

There was no mention in the media of those emissions savings only closing 55% of the gap to meeting the UK's approaching, legally binding climate goals and, therefore, falling far short of the government's net-zero ambitions.

NEW

UK govt has published 38pp doc on its 10-point climate plan, with numbers.

Adding them up, it looks like the new measures would only close 55% of the gap to meeting UK's 4th/5th carbon budgets...even before thinking about net zero ambition. https://t.co/JttEVpVA7L pic.twitter.com/zLGt39B3lw
- Simon Evans (@DrSimEvans) November 18, 2020

The government's policy document stated "this is only the start". It mentioned plans to "devise further sectoral plans and meet our carbon budgets and target of net-zero by 2050". It also referenced working with industry and creating a "task force net-zero".

New Scientist also asked if the plan is enough to reach net-zero, noting that "in general, the plan's most obvious shortcoming is money", but adding that it "would be churlish not to acknowledge bold new targets".

The Guardian reported that, despite the headline £12bn figure, the opposition Labour party pointed out that "at best" £4bn from the new announcement is new money. For context, BBC News' s energy and environment analyst Roger Harrabin said the "total amount of new money announced in the package is a 25th of the projected £100bn cost of high-speed rail, HS2".

However, following the first wave of reporting, it emerged that the amount of new funding may be even smaller. Another Guardian piece quoted a government spokesperson who said "of the £12bn, £3bn of it is brand-new investment".

The public funds are spread across nuclear power, charging infrastructure, energy efficiency in homes, carbon capture and storage (CCS) and nature restoration. (More details can be found in the sections below.)

The Daily Telegraph reported that the government's spending plans are "dwarfed by figures pledged in other major European nations", while BusinessGreen said the UK will need to invest an extra £400bn this decade on the way to net-zero, according to consultancy PwC.

However, the Guardian noted that "some say proposed public funding is too little while others say key is galvanising private capital." An article on the frontpage of the Daily Telegraph business section ran under the print headline: "Consumers to foot the bill for green revolution."

Much of the coverage also pointed out that many of the policies, including 40 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind and support for tree planting, have already been announced.

THREAD (1/7) Quick take on 10 point green plan: Serious set of net zero commitments that show PM wants to make his record on green jobs central to the Tory platform at the next election. Further detail will be needed on delivery, but this is an important step-forward on net zero. pic.twitter.com/wSHn9IhIde
- Josh Buckland (@jbuckland13) November 17, 2020

Political climate

The announcement has come at a potentially pivotal time in UK climate policy. The government is expected to shortly release an energy white paper which will expand on the 10-point plan's themes and propose future legislation, as BBC News reported.

Crucially, government advisers at the Climate Change Committee (CCC) will release their recommendations for the UK's sixth carbon budget on 9 December, outlining a path to net-zero emissions. (Previous budgets have only been in line with the 80% emissions reduction target by 2050 that was formerly in place.)

In a frontpage story published ahead of the new announcement, the Independent quoted CCC chair Lord Deben, who said Johnson must immediately commit to a raft of fully funded policies if he hopes to be seen as "credible" on climate change.

BusinessGreen quoted Lord Deben responding to the plan saying he is "delighted to see the breadth of the prime minister's commitment", but it must now "be turned into a detailed road map". BBC News Reality Check published a piece looking back at the record of UK governments on climate and other green targets.

The Financial Times noted that the plan is also "intended as a signal of intent as Britain prepares to host next year's UN COP26 climate change summit".

It comes as the UK prepares to co-host a summit on 12 December to mark the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, Climate Home News reported. There is speculation that the UK will announce a new nationally determined contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement around this time.

The Financial Times also described the announcement as a "reset" to plan a post-pandemic future and "move on after the chaotic infighting in Downing Street in recent days".

It noted that allies of Johnson's former chief adviser Dominic Cummings, who quit last week, have argued that a shift towards green policies would "lose the party votes in former industrial areas".

The prime minister himself appeared to be pushing against this idea by emphasising the importance of green hubs in those same former industrial areas, namely Teesside, Port Talbot, Merseyside and Mansfield.

As a counterpoint, an article in Conservative Home looking ahead to Johnson's plan emphasised the importance of Conservative MPs in "red wall" seats who won elections supporting green projects: "In short, parts of this Blue Wall, as we're now told it should be called, are going green."

Parts of the right-leaning press expressed dismay at Cummings' departure and what it would mean for the government's climate plans. An editorial in the Sunday Telegraph said it must not "mean caving in to the woke crowd or elevating the green agenda as [Johnson's] primary mission".

This has not been the only source of internal opposition for the government, according to a frontpage story earlier in the week in the Observer. It revealed that "Johnson's plans to relaunch his premiership with a blitz of announcements on combating climate change and the creation of tens of thousands of new green jobs are meeting stiff resistance from the cash-strapped Treasury".

Finally, while the plans cover a variety of sectors, some media analysis has focused on key areas that have been omitted. A BBC News piece listed some of these, including farming, road building and overseas finance.

Third, we need a clear plan for phasing out fossil fuel extraction: oil, coal, gas. @RobertJenrick is, right now, thinking about whether to override the @CumbriaCC decision to consent a new coal mine. Policy in this area is pretty confused. 5/6 https://t.co/DgjMbayPkf
- Rebecca Willis (@Bankfieldbecky) November 18, 2020

Editorials and commentary

The 10-point plan's release triggered a wave of editorials and comment pieces in national newspapers.

An editorial in the Guardian said the ambition "is the right one, but with the current prime minister there is no guarantee that it will evolve beyond laudable intent". It noted that much of the money had been announced before, but added:

"It is churlish to judge Mr Johnson's move exclusively in cash terms. Money matters, but so does the message that Britain wants to be part of the global trend towards carbon-neutrality."

The Financial Times editorial said Johnson's plan has "plant[ed] a political flag", but that a "detailed road map is needed to mobilise private capital". It said the plan is a "commendable vision", despite its "many gaps".

The Daily Mirror described the plan as "more style than substance", stating that while the plan is "welcome, the scale of what the PM is proposing is disappointingly limited".

For the lead editorial in the Times, the green plan was "ambitious but viable", adding that "Labour says he should have gone further, and indeed he might have done." It concluded:

"The plan is welcome not only because it makes economic sense, but because it provides political direction to a prime minister increasingly accused of not knowing what he wants to do with the luxury of an 80-seat commons majority. The Tories are right to seize greenery as a Conservative issue, because it is helping to conserve the planet and will foster new industries."

Others were less positive about the idea of a "green industrial revolution", with the Daily Telegraph describing it as "a fine ambition", but asking: "How will it work in practice?" It added: "What is questionable is not the ambition but the feasibility."

A short editorial in the Daily Mail (not online, but tweeted) said the plan was "commendable", but "ill-timed" given the Covid-19 crisis and Brexit. This sentiment was also echoed in the same paper by columnist Stephen Glover who asked why the prime minister was "grand green plan in the midst of a crisis".

The Daily Mail's editorial also cited an estimate that cutting the UK's emissions to net-zero would cost £1tn - a figure first claimed by former chancellor Philip Hammond last year and something the CCC's chief executive Chris Stark has disputed.

No - it won't cost £1trillion. Such a misleading figure, so it's time to put it to bed.

And there's a lot more than £4bn of investment taking place as a result of this package.

We'll have more on this on December 9th. It's going to be one of the major themes of our next report.
- Chris Stark (@ChiefExecCCC) November 18, 2020

Regarding costs, for the Times Red Box, Shaun Spiers, executive director of thinktank Green Alliance, called on the Treasury to "get with the programme", noting reports that it had "resisted the prime minister's plans". He added: "Over the next couple of months we need to see the policy detail backed by serious spending commitments."

In the Independent, economics editor Ben Chu said the spending review next week is "an opportunity for the government to fill in some of the big gaps" in green investment.

For the Guardian, Greenpeace's Rebecca Newsom said the plan "looks good", but added:

"When it comes to the funding, the government both needs to check its priorities and accept that £4bn is only a down payment for what is required for a green recovery."

In the Independent, Green MP Caroline Lucas compared the "paltry" sum of new money with the £27bn earmarked for roads and the £36bn being invested in a green recovery in Germany.

In the Daily Telegraph's business section, columnist Ambrose Evans-Pritchard welcomed the plan as "our path to economic and political revival". However, various others writing in the same paper took a rather more sceptical tone.

A piece in the daily newspaper by Sunday Telegraph editor Allister Heath said the ideas would "backfire disastrously on Boris", writing:

"So the only real question, in practice, is how will we go green, and how quickly? Will the authoritarian hair-shirt, command and control, Stone Age tendency triumph? Will cars be banned, people forced to cycle, airports be shut, and the vast majority of the population's quality of life trashed in a debilitating culture war waged by an army of puritanical, elitist, neo-luddite, collectivist eco-warriors?"

A Spectator article by James Kirkup ran under the headline: "Boris's eco-optimism will get the better of him". It cited polling by his think tank, the Social Market Foundation, which found voters are generally positive about a greener economy "though their level of knowledge about what that means is fairly low".

"The big variations in attitude are found in income: unsurprisingly, the more money people have, the more relaxed they are about the costs of net zero," Kirkup wrote.

For BusinessGreen, Nick Molho of the Aldersgate Group said the green plan "can be a turning point for the net-zero transition".

In a letter to the Times, Prof Lorraine Whitmarsh wrote "as ever, there is an assumption that technology alone can get us to net zero - which we know from numerous studies it can't".

The remainder of this Carbon Brief article consists of a sector-by-sector breakdown of what the government has pledged and how the media has responded.

Electric vehicles

Virtually all the coverage of the overarching plan has led on the government bringing forward the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars to 2030, with more than one headline describing it as the "end of the road" for the vehicles.

As Reuters noted, the new date is five years earlier than the 2035 pledge made by Johnson in February, which was itself a revision of the initial target date of 2040.

The government announced the policy as part of a wider package "to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles and transforming our national infrastructure to better support electric vehicles".

This included funding consisting of £1.3bn to accelerate the rollout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and £582m in grants. The i newspaper reported that these grants, "worth thousands of pounds" will encourage people to trade in their cars for cleaner models.

The final component in the plans was "nearly £500m to be spent in the next four years" as part of a wider scheme to develop the UK's first battery gigafactory.

Second, the 2030 ban on new ICE cars and vans is a huge step, and carries real political risk. This underlines the seriousness of intent. Such a regulatory move is much more important for innovators/investors than subsidy, which is why moans about money committed is overdone....
- guynewey (@guynewey) November 18, 2020

While the 2035 target has been widely viewed as a significant policy shift, it is in line with the CCC's guidance, which said such a ban should be brought in by 2032 at the latest.

However, there was no accompanying mandate for carmakers to sell zero-emission vehicles, as proposed by the CCC.

But @theCCCuk suggested the 2030 ban should be paired with a rising mandate for carmakers to sell zero-emission vehicles

There's no sign of that in 10pt plan

(Plan also allows hybrids to be sold until 2035, w conditions TBC) https://t.co/Ox0yevWxSs

8/ pic.twitter.com/oRUvy2iOkn
- Simon Evans (@DrSimEvans) November 17, 2020

Simon Jack, BBC News's business editor, said the ban "puts the UK toward the front of the pack in the electric vehicle race", while the Independent's climate correspondent Daisy Dunne pointed out that the only country with a more ambitious target is Norway, which has set 2025 as its phaseout date.

In its coverage, the Times also noted that, besides the headline ban, new hybrid vehicles will be "outlawed" five years later in 2035. In the announcement, the government specified it will allow vehicles that can drive "a significant distance with no carbon coming out of the tailpipe" until this date.

However, the Guardian said a new report from the transport thinktank New Automotive estimates that "the government would need to set a sales ban of 2026 for internal combustion engine vehicles or introduce extra measures to reduce car use if it hopes to meet its own 2030 carbon budget".

Electric vehicle charging point in York. Credit: Gary Calton / Alamy Stock Photo.

The announcement was preceded by days of media coverage anticipating the proposal, including a lot of criticism.

The Times published a frontpage story earlier in the week stating that "[chancellor] Rishi Sunak is considering plans to charge motorists for using Britain's roads amid concerns over a £40bn tax shortfall created by the switch to electric cars".

While the newspaper published a supportive editorial to accompany the story, stating that "charging road use is sound, market-based economics", much of the right-leaning press opposed the idea. An editorial in the Sun said this was a "fuellish idea", stating:

"It would be insane to slap a brand new tax on drivers. We get that the government will have a £40bn fuel duty shortfall if everyone eventually buys an electric vehicle. A 'pay as you drive' scheme may even be a fairer alternative if tracking technology can be made to work nationwide and allows for, say, traffic conditions and the time of day. But it cannot be added to what are already Europe's highest taxes on motorists. Not without a revolt."

In the Daily Mail, columnist Ross Clark said the imminent announcement of a ban on petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030 was "premature and potentially very damaging to the economy", and an editorial in the same paper said the prime minister "risks a wrong turn" with the earlier ban.

A Daily Telegraph article published before the announcement had details of a survey that found 70% of new Tory 'blue wall' voters in the north feel a ban on diesel and petrol cars "would be unfair, despite sharing overwhelming concern over climate change".

This kind of coverage continued after the announcement had come out on Tuesday. The Daily Telegraph published a piece by the climate contrarian Bjorn Lomborg criticising the ban.

He said the policy would deliver "only minor emissions savings at a vast cost to the taxpayer" and that electric vehicles "are certainly fun, but almost everywhere cost more across their lifetime than their petrol counterparts. That is why subsidies are needed."

By contrast, the CCC has said that such a phaseout would ultimately save consumers money and that an earlier ban would mean even bigger savings, as the chart below indicates.

A 2030 ban is in line with @theCCCuk advice, which said 2032 at the latest

CCC also said phaseout would save consumers £££ and earlier ban = bigger savings https://t.co/TsnEul5TcJ

7/ pic.twitter.com/L7gOUWAEXu
- Simon Evans (@DrSimEvans) November 17, 2020

Finally, an editorial in the Daily Express (not yet online) was broadly supportive of the proposed "green industrial revolution" and encouraged "our motor-loving PM [to] put his foot to the floor in pursuit of his electric ambitions".

Media reaction continued after the initial announcement, with a continued focus on the proposed ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. The Daily Telegraph said that Johnson's "electric dream will be a costly journey" and "will require a massive reshaping of the UK automotive industry". The paper spoke to experts about the implications for British car manufacturers and the additional impact of Brexit.

Taking a stronger tone, the MailOnline described the ban as "authoritarian, elitist, anti-motorist...and eye-wateringly expensive". (The Climate Change Committee has said a 2030 ban will save the UK even more money than a later phaseout.) The paper quotes Nigel Humphries of lobby group, the Alliance of British Drivers, who described the ban as having "something Stalinist about it". And Prof Peter Wells, director of the Centre for Automotive Industry Research at Cardiff University, told the outlet that "the chief bottleneck so far is on battery supply. That is being solved across Europe but we're a bit behind the pace here in the UK".

Wells also told the New York Times that "without additional government help, without additional companies coming in, the UK automotive industry is going to struggle to survive the transition to electric vehicles". The paper noted that "Britain's departure from the European Union has already caused investment in the auto industry to plummet".

Madeleine Cuff, environment reporter for the i newspaper, agreed that the move "presents an enormous challenge for the car industry". She noted that the shift to electric vehicles "depends on millions more charge points and longer driving range".

Finally, both the Times and the Daily Telegraph reported that MPs, industry bodies and green groups have urged the government to provide additional help to drivers to support the transition to EVs. And the BBC News published a Q&A piece on how electric cars are charged and how far they can go.

Nuclear power

In the lead up to the plan, expectations were running high for a major announcement on nuclear power, after weeks of stories about a " green light" for the Sizewell C plant and Rolls-Royce planning to build up to 16 mini-nuclear plants.

In an article published at the start of November, the i newspaper said "Johnson...is expected to commit to building a new nuclear power station at Sizewell in Suffolk".

The Daily Mail 's Ruth Sunderland said new nuclear will "have to be" part of the UK's energy mix and suggested that Johnson was posed to give approval to the new Sizewell facility, despite opposition "by protesters who say it threatens ecology and wildlife".

The reality was less specific. The plan included a fund of £525m "to help develop large and smaller-scale nuclear plants, and research and develop new advanced modular reactors", but did not mention a specific project.

A government consultation last year concluded that the UK "will...require" new nuclear power to meet its net-zero emissions target.

Quick recap on nuclear

* Govt says new nuclear "required" for net-zero
* Big modelling study says lots of new nuclear is "low regrets", assuming it gets cheap
* @NatInfraCom says don't commit to more than 1 more by 2025

(links next tweet) https://t.co/27SBt1Assn

18/
- Simon Evans (@DrSimEvans) November 17, 2020

Writing for BusinessGreen ahead of the plan's launch, E3G's Tom Burke said that "recent weeks have seen a hugely expensive battle in the headlines between EDF and Rolls Royce as to whether the government will fund another big nuclear reactor at Sizewell or a lot of small modular reactors elsewhere". He continued:

"It will not take [private investors] very long to work out that becoming the 'Saudi Arabia of wind' is not compatible with building both Sizewell and small modular reactors and possibly other big nuclear generators. They will recall the prime minister's affection for white elephants."

An analysis by environment correspondent Fiona Harvey in the Guardian noted that with proposals for new nuclear in the UK from Sizewell to Wylfa wavering "if the government wishes to expand nuclear power, it will have to prove that it can be economical".

Sizewell B nuclear power plant with several electricity pylons in front seen through a distorting heat haze. Credit: Mike P Shepherd / Alamy Stock Photo.

Hydrogen

The government's plan includes "up to £500m" of which £240m will go towards scaling up production capacity of hydrogen to 5GW by 2030.

Some of the money will go towards trialling homes using hydrogen for heating and cooking, "starting with a hydrogen neighbourhood in 2023, moving to a hydrogen village by 2025, with an aim for a hydrogen town - equivalent to tens of thousands of homes - before the end of the decade".

There's strong support for hydrogen as expected. Demonstration plans for home heating are positive, and will fill gaps in evidence about real-world performance But it is too early to commit to a hydrogen town by 2030. Better to wait for demo results and compare with alternatives
- Jim Watson (@watsonjim2) November 18, 2020

Ben Webster and Emily Gosden (environment and energy editors, respectively) wrote in the Times that the hydrogen plans "appear to be among the most radical" as renewable hydrogen is still in its infancy and the use of pure hydrogen for cooking and heating has only seen small trials to date.

The Guardian quoted Rebecca Newsom, Greenpeace UK's head of politics, who said, along with nuclear, "hydrogen from fossil fuels" was one of the "speculative solutions" that the prime minister "remains fixated on".

A letter in the Times from Prof Jim Watson cautioned against the ambition to heat an entire town with hydrogen by 2030, saying such a commitment should await the outcome of smaller trials.

The plan does not specify whether the hydrogen in question will be produced from fossil fuels with carbon capture and storage - so-called "blue hydrogen" - or if it is "green hydrogen" made using renewable power.

Despite its "radical" status, there had been positive coverage in the run-up to the announcement about hydrogen's potential.

Ahead of the plan, the Daily Telegraph reported that hydrogen "could be heating homes in three years" following the government's announcement, quoting industry figures lobbying for "hydrogen-ready" boilers. (The UK already has some homes being heated with 20% hydrogen blends in a trial project.)

An editorial in the same paper suggested hydrogen might make more sense than the electric car rollout the government has proposed:

"In any case, who is to say the non-carbon future for cars is, or should be, electric? Hydrogen-based technology would be more environmentally friendly and can use the existing petrol-delivery systems."

(It is worth noting that many car manufacturers are turning their backs on hydrogen owing to high costs and the relative success of electric vehicles.)

While BusinessGreen noted that the government's announcement was welcomed by industry, "critics noted the £500m programme pales in comparison with the €7bn hydrogen strategy unveiled by the German government earlier this year".

Carbon capture and storage (CCS)

A BBC News article that emerged just ahead of the announcement of the 10-point plan said it would feature "substantial investment" for carbon capture and storage (CCS).

The plan commits to making the UK "a world-leader in technology to capture and store harmful emissions away from the atmosphere", with a target of removing 10 megatonnes of CO2 (MtCO2) by 2030.

The announcement is not entirely clear whether this means 10MtCO2 per year or cumulatively in the years leading up to 2030, although the Carbon Capture and Storage Association has confirmed it sees the target as the former.

At the last general election, the Conservatives pledged to spend £800m "to build the first fully deployed carbon capture storage cluster by the mid-2020s".

The new investment consists of an extra £200m on top of this to create two carbon capture clusters by the mid-2020s, with another two set to be created by 2030

This brings the total up to £1bn, a figure originally proposed by the government in a spending review back in 2010.

The Guardian reported that "over the last two decades, successive governments have made several attempts to kickstart the industry, but government funding was finally pulled by the then chancellor George Osborne under austerity".

BusinessGreen picked up on this point, noting that the coalition government had made the funding announcement "only to pull the plug on that competition".

Nevertheless, the specialist news website said the industry had "immediately welcomed" the news - and EurActiv reported that the scheme "will support 50,000 jobs in the UK's industrial clusters".

In most areas, the detail matters. For CCS, this announcement has a Groundhog Day feel. There has been £1bn on the table for this technology before. Will it get deployed this time, and will there be clear incentives for transport and storage infrastructure investment?
- Jim Watson (@watsonjim2) November 18, 2020

The CCC has made it clear that CCS technology "is a necessity, not an option" for the UK to reach its net-zero target and said it sees 75-150MtCO2 being removed each year in 2050.

In an article for BBC News, energy and environment analyst Roger Harrabin wrote that despite the list of policies put forward by Johnson, "other policies are leaving emissions untouched, or even driving them up".

Among the industries he listed was the UK's oil and gas sector, with the article quoting Prof Myles Allen from the University of Oxford who said fossil fuel firms should pay to dispose of the resulting CO2 emissions "by the technique of CCS".

Back even further, 1st UK CCS plant was due to have been operating in, er, 2014

Back then idea was to support continued coal power

Now it's industrial clusters, hydrogen & maybe gas power

Wonder where we'll be in another 6yrs... https://t.co/SXMyu7A15R

24/ pic.twitter.com/9OeOtEwN2b
- Simon Evans (@DrSimEvans) November 17, 2020

BBC News subsequently reported on new analysis commissioned by the power station Drax estimating that plans to create four carbon capture and storage clusters in the Humber region "may create 49,000 jobs".

A letter in the Times from the scientists Prof Myles Allen and Prof Stuart Hazeldine said the new plan fails to set out who will pay for carbon capture and storage "in the long term".

Homes and public buildings

In her analysis of the plan, the i newspaper 's Madeline Cuff highlighted the new £1bn in funding for energy efficiency in buildings and the extra year for the existing Green Homes Grant scheme, but added:

"There are growing concerns that the chancellor's flagship scheme is stumbling in the face of onerous paperwork and a shortage of accredited suppliers. Ministers will need to fix those teething problems quickly to prevent the Green Homes Grant becoming a £3bn policy dud."

The Guardian reported over the weekend that "according to government data, only 1,174 installers have signed up to the scheme, which started on 30 September, while more than 36,000 householders have applied for the grants, which will be available until March".

On top of this scheme, the government set out a plan to install 600,000 heat pumps every year by 2028. This would mark a considerable increase from the current rate of installation, which is pointed out in an analysis piece in the Times:

"Aiming to install 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028 is also bold - only 30,000 were fitted last year...As with other pledges, the government has not yet set out the detail of how it will achieve this target."

The Times noted that the pumps can replace gas boilers, but are expensive, and "poor-quality installations have undermined consumer confidence".

The CCC has advised 1.5m heat pumps should be installed by "the early 2030s", meaning ahead of 2035, in order to stay on track for net-zero.

BBC News analysis emphasised the significance of this task, noting that "it's hard to exaggerate the scale and cost of the task involved in replacing 25 million gas boilers".

And good to see promise of Green Homes Grant extension by a year. That will help give supply chain confidence so that householders can actually get quotes and the work done. But 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028 will require more action 3/n
- Jim Watson (@watsonjim2) November 18, 2020

Domestic energy efficiency continued to receive attention after the initial wave of media reaction. Both the Times and the Daily Telegraph used some of their coverage of the plan to pick out one detail: a proposal to bring forward a new "future homes standard" from 2025 to 2023, which was removed from an early draft of the document.

The standard is expected to ban gas boilers from being installed in new homes, the Times said, adding "a government source later confirmed that the ban was being brought forward". [The future homes standard is subject to an ongoing government consultation.]

The Daily Telegraph said that the government was "hoping to avoid having to force people to rip out their existing heating systems, envisaging a gradual transition as people replace their boilers over the next 15 years".

Elsewhere, Bloomberg reported on the 10-point plan extending the "green homes grant" with an extra £1bn and another year. The outlet also noted that so far only 267 grants have been handed out "as government officials struggle to work through tens of thousands of applications piling up". And BusinessGreen said the extension has been welcomed by industry and campaigners.

Offshore wind

The 10-point plan includes a target to quadruple offshore wind power by 2030, to 40GW, reported the Guardian, which would be "enough to power every UK home". In the press release accompanying the plan, Boris Johnson says that "our green industrial revolution will be powered by the wind turbines of Scotland and the north-east".

This is a "previously announced pledge", the Guardian noted, referring to Boris Johnson's speech to the Conservative Party conference in October and the party's manifesto at the 2019 general election. In Johnson's conference speech, he said:

"I can today announce that the UK government has decided to become the world leader in low-cost clean power generation - cheaper than coal and gas - and we believe that in 10 years' time offshore wind will be powering every home in the country, with our target rising from 30GW to 40GW."

The Press Association, via ITV News, said that "offshore wind looks like an increasingly sound bet" as "costs have fallen dramatically and new technology, such as floating turbines, could make even more of the natural conditions in the seas around the UK".

The Times said that the "government has said that it will award subsidy contracts next year to support the next wave of offshore wind projects".

However, wrote the Guardian 's Fiona Harvey, "the electricity needs of the average family are likely to increase markedly as people switch to electric vehicles and heat pumps instead of gas boilers".

In the Spectator's lifestyle magazine, Life, columnist Ross Clark noted that, "a few years ago, as mayor of London, Boris Johnson declared that wind turbines 'couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding'". But now, with the "huge shift to renewable energy" in the government's 10-point plan, Clark says that, "no rice pudding, it seems, will be safe from being gouged by a nearby wind farm".

In the Times, Ben Webster and Emily Gosden wrote that "there was notably no mention of onshore wind or solar, two of the cheapest ways to generate green electricity and likely to be needed to hit net-zero targets". They add:

"In March, the government consulted on plans to resume offering subsidy contracts to these technologies from next year, ending a block on subsidies imposed by David Cameron from 2016 - but there is still no confirmation that this will happen."

Similarly, the Independent's Daisy Dunne noted that "key details remain unclear" in the plan, with "noticeable gaps" including new measures to boost onshore wind or solar.

And rounding up reaction from industry figures, Edie noted that, while the response to the plan is "largely supportive", there is a "lack of support for established renewable technologies such as onshore wind and solar".

Public transport, cycling and walking

In the plan, the government pledges to "incentivise cycling and walking, while also investing in zero-emission public transport", reported Edie. [The article has also been reposted by EurActiv.] This includes an expectation that "up to £5bn" will be funnelled into alternative cycling, walking and low-carbon buses.

BusinessGreen noted that the government announced a "£5bn boost to the UK's green transport infrastructure" back in February, which included a promise to "overhaul bus and cycle routes outside of London" as part of plans to "level up" the UK's regional economies. The outlet added:

"However, the pace of change will depend a lot on the Department for Transport and local authorities, many of which are facing a vocal media backlash over even modest measures to boost cycling."

The Guardian agreed that, although the plan contains "moves to promote" public transport, cycling and walking, "no new schemes were announced".

The Press Association said that it is "widely recognised the UK cannot just switch out all its cars for greener models, as there are issues including non-tailpipe emissions and the resources needed for batteries". It added:

"Clean public transport options include hydrogen buses, while the government has given funding to boosting walking and cycling - which also benefits health - though there is a fierce fight over road and pavement space."

The Guardian's Fiona Harvey said that "Covid-19 has also led to people forsaking public transport and many will be difficult to entice back - though if the shift to home-working becomes permanent, this may be less of a problem". She added:

"Making streets more accessible to cyclists and pedestrians will inevitably mean discouraging private car use in most of our towns and cities, and that will require muscular intervention by central and local government to face down the motoring lobby. The question is whether this government will have the courage needed to follow through on this commitment."

The Times said that "thousands of miles of new cycle lanes will be built under a government plan to double the number of journeys made by bike". The plan, which will designate more "low-traffic neighbourhoods", will use a £2bn cycling fund announced this year, the paper explained.

Aviation and shipping

As well as local transport, the 10-point plan covers aviation and shipping. These are "hard-to-decarbonise" industries, noted Climate Home News, because of a lack of readily available alternative fuels.

The plan pledges support for research projects for "zero-emission planes and ships" in order to "support airlines, airports and shipping firms", said Edie. The outlet adds that "£20m has been set aside for clean maritime innovations at sites including Orkney and Teesside".

On shipping emissions, Fiona Harvey in the Guardian wrote that "hydrogen fuel, in the form of ammonia, offers hope for shipping - but that prospect is still years off". And commenting on the new fuel efficiency measures agreed at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) meeting this week, she warned that "the shipping industry has shown little sign of wanting to reform itself in the meantime, despite its many opportunities for reducing emissions".

On aviation, the Independent 's Daisy Dunne noted that "the plan also makes mentions of technologies that are yet to be proven at a commercial level". Dunne pointed out that Boris Johnson has previously faced criticism for making "unrealistic" claims about electric air travel.

On the same point, the Times said that "earlier this year Mr Johnson said that he wanted the UK to build the first zero-emission long-haul plane. He convened the Jet Zero Council with representatives from the aviation industry and experts to discuss how it could be done". However, the paper added:

"While short-range electric flight for the smallest planes is already a reality, there are concerns about its viability for short-haul and long-haul passenger flights. Industry has focused on hybrid-electric models, with jet fuel needed for take-off."

Nature

Earlier this week, the government published details of a series of measures that would be part of both the 10-point plan and the government's 25 Year Environment Plan. These would include "national parks and greater protections for England's iconic landscapes", the press release said.

BBC News environment analyst Roger Harrabin reported that the plan includes "a further £40m...to be ploughed into green spaces in England as part of a plan to restore species and combat climate change". He added:

"The natural environment funding will go to environmental charities creating or restoring important habitats like peatland and wetland; preventing or cleaning up pollution; creating woodland; and helping people connect with nature."

This is intended to "create and retain skilled and unskilled jobs, such as ecologists, project managers, tree planters and teams to carry out nature restoration", Harrabin noted.

In the government announcement, environment secretary George Eustice said that larger areas of landscape would be protected as national parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONBs) and through new "landscape recovery projects".

Man planting young trees in Yorkshire. Credit: Cultura Creative RF / Alamy Stock Photo.

These projects "will be established over the next four years through the government's environmental land management scheme, which will be centred around support aimed at incentivising sustainable farming practices, creating habitats for nature recovery and supporting the establishment of new woodland and other ecosystem services to help tackle challenges like climate change", the government said.

BusinessGreen noted that "the real boost to efforts to enhance nature is likely to come next year as the government starts to enact its farming subsidy reforms and begins paying landowners for delivering environmental benefits".

Reporting on the 10-point plan, Edie said that "commitments have been agreed to plant 30,000 hectares of trees every year to restore the natural environment" and "£5.2bn has been ringfenced to create new flood and coastal defences in England by 2027".

On woodland creation, planting 30,000 hectares of trees every year is now a real Net Zero commitment - still at the bottom end of what we think we'll need, but great to see.

Lots of new employment too - which can begin immediately.
- Chris Stark (@ChiefExecCCC) November 18, 2020

New Scientist described the former as a "retread of the UK Conservative party's tree-planting pledge" ahead of the 2019 general election.

The Times noted that the government "has struggled to make significant inroads" towards their manifesto pledge. It added that the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at Cambridge University has suggested that the government establish a "national conservation corps" to help meet the 30,000 target.

The Press Association said that, despite the joint issues of climate change and declining biodiversity, the "good news is both can be solved at the same time, with measures such as funding for planting trees or letting them regenerate naturally, or restoring peatland to store carbon, protect habitat and curb flooding". It added:

"The government has promised an extra £40m for the green recovery challenge fund, for charities restoring nature across the UK, and has a long-standing tree-planting pledge - but is behind on those efforts."

Craig Bennett from the Wildlife Trusts told BBC News that "of course this is welcome, but it's a tiny amount compared with what's needed. A previous promise of £40m was oversubscribed seven times over ".

Speaking to the Independent, Green Party peer and former leader Natalie Bennett cautioned that, while the government "talks a good game on nature-based solutions ", its 10-point plan "lacks nature and also people". She added:

"If we look at an overview of this plan, what it looks like is a big shiny metal lump of technology, with a little clump of trees planted alongside."

Meanwhile, the i newspaper reported that "the public would prefer the government to plant millions of trees to suck carbon out of the atmosphere rather than plough huge sums of cash into carbon capture and storage technology, in a blow to the prime minister's plans to kickstart a green industrial revolution".

Innovation and finance

Finally, the last of the 10 points is a pledge to "make the City of London the global centre of green finance", reported Edie. This has been "heralded as a 'bold step' by green groups, with many claiming that the outlined steps will put the UK on to the net-zero trajectory", the outlet added.

BusinessGreen reported that "the move follows the Treasury's confirmation all firms will face mandatory climate risk reporting rules from 2025". The outlet added that, in his Financial Times piece, Boris Johnson "hinted that further action on carbon pricing was in the pipeline".

Fiona Harvey in the Guardian wrote that the "main question is whether the government will put forward public funding" for innovation. There have been proposals for a publicly funded green infrastructure bank, Harvey said, but that would "require long-term commitment". She explained:

"The original Green Investment Bank, set up with public money under the coalition government, was quickly abandoned a few years later, and produced little tangible return".

The Times noted that "earlier this month Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, announced plans to launch green gilts for investment in green infrastructure projects, while also requiring companies to disclose their emissions. However, big investors are urging the government to go further".

Harvey also reported that the original 10-point plan contained a guarantee that the UK would halt government funding for fossil fuels overseas. However, "that commitment appears to have been dropped", she said, "though it may resurface if internal government rows are resolved".

More generally on finance, Ben Webster and Emily Gosden in the Times noted that some of the wording around government funding to support the pledges is "vague". They said:

"Mr Johnson refers to 'mobilising' £12bn of government investment and it is unclear what that means. Far greater sums are likely to be needed to ensure that carbon targets for the next decade are met."

Speaking to the Guardian, shadow business secretary Ed Miliband made a similar point:

"This announcement doesn't remotely meet the scale of the jobs emergency or the climate emergency. France and Germany are investing tens of billions of euros. This provides, at best, £4bn of new money over several years.

"What we needed was a really bold green economic stimulus, and what we got was a pale imitation of that. It's deeply, deeply disappointing."

And Green party MP Caroline Lucas also criticised the plan as vague and underpowered in the same paper, describing it as "a shopping list" that "commits only a fraction of the necessary resources".

Lastly, on innovation, the Press Association noted that "experts will always warn there is no technology silver bullet, but there is a need to develop innovative solutions, from alternatives to jet fuel to schemes that can take excess carbon out of the air".

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Media reaction: Boris Johnson's '10-point' net-zero plan for climate change

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The UK prime minister Boris Johnson has announced a long-awaited "10-point plan" laying out measures to scale up the nation's climate ambition. These policy proposals and funding packages have been framed as a means to create jobs, promote a "green recovery" from Covid-19 and help the UK achieve its net-zero emissions target by 2050.

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The Challenging Politics of Climate Change 

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The Challenging Politics of Climate Change 

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"We don't really worry about climate change because it's too overwhelming and we're already in too deep. It's like if you owe your bookie $1,000, you're like, 'OK, I've got to pay this dude back.' But if you owe your bookie $1 million dollars, you're like, 'I guess I'm just going to die.'" ⁠- Colin Jost, Saturday Night Live, 10/13/18
The above quote is from a Saturday Night Live skit on the weekend following release of a report from the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The report was one of the most dramatic ones yet, predicting that some of the most severe social and economic damage from the rise in global temperatures could come as soon at 2040. And yet, two comedians, Colin Jost and Michael Che, summed up the difficult (and perhaps impossible) politics of the issue in less than three minutes. You don't have to be a climate denier to be, in the end, indifferent to the issue.

As the climate crisis becomes more serious and more obvious, Americans remain resistant to decisive and comprehensive action on climate change. In "The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming," David Wallace-Wells paints a frightening picture of the coming environmental apocalypse. Whole parts of the globe will become too hot for human habitation and those left behind will die of heat. Diseases will increase and mutate. Food shortages will become chronic as we fail to move agriculture from one climate to another. Whole countries like Bangladesh and parts of other countries like Miami will be underwater. Shortages of fresh water will affect humans and agriculture. The oceans will die, the air will get dirtier. "But," as Wallace-Wells argues, "what lies between us and extinction is horrifying enough." ¹ That's because, as climate change takes its toll on Earth's physical planet, it will also cause social, economic, and political chaos as refugees flee areas that can no longer sustain them. If this prediction seems a bit extreme, all we have to do is look at recent weather events that keep breaking records to confront the possibility that the threat from climate change may indeed be existential.

public opinion on the climate crisis

Yet, in spite of the evidence at hand, climate change remains the toughest, most intractable political issue we, as a society, have ever faced. This is not to say that there hasn't been progress. In the United States, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions has held steady since 1990-even though our economy and our population has grown. ² But globally, greenhouse gases have increased since then, bringing humanity very close to the dangerous levels of global warming that were predicted. ³ As scientific evidence about the causes of climate change has mounted and as a consensus has evolved in the scientific community, the public has remained divided and large, important parts of the political class have been indifferent. For instance, although 2017 was a year of 16 different billion-dollar natural disasters, ⁴ according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the percentage of voters who were "very concerned" about climate change stayed within the 40% range-where it has been rather stubbornly stuck for the past two years. ⁵ The following chart shows Gallup public opinion polling for the past two decades. ⁶ During this period, but especially in the most recent decade, about a third to almost half of the public believes that the seriousness of global warming is generally exaggerated.

Dramatic and unprecedented natural disasters have had little effect on the public. Following blizzards and an unusually frigid winter in 2015, only 37% of Americans said climate change would pose a serious threat to them in their lifetimes. ⁷ After Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma in 2017, concern about climate change increased by 7 points among Republicans and 2 points among Democrats. ⁸ But in the next year, an August 2018 poll taken shortly after the California wildfires showed concern among Republicans down to 44% and up to 79% among Democrats. ⁹ In a YouGov poll in the summer of 2019-during record heat waves in the U.S. and Europe-only 42% of the public said that they were very concerned and only 22% of Republicans said that they were" very concerned about climate change." ¹⁰

If natural disasters don't affect attitudes toward climate change, partisanship does. The following chart from Pew Research shows the gulf that exists between Democrats and Republicans on this issue. ¹¹

The partisan divide began in the late 1990s and has increased over time. In 1997, nearly equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans said that the effects of global warming have already begun. Ten years later, the gap was 34%: 76% of Democrats said the effects had already begun, and only 42% of Republicans agreed.

Republican resistance on this issue is one but not the only reason why, in the face of mounting evidence, the public remains lukewarm on this existential issue. The dire warnings, the scientific consensus, and the death toll from unprecedented climate events have failed to move the public very much. For two years now, the number of Americans who say they are "very concerned" about climate change fails to reach 50%, as a look at polling from Quinnipiac illustrates. ¹²

An even more telling piece of evidence on public indifference to climate change comes from 30 years of open-ended polling conducted by Gallup. Open-ended polling is especially interesting since it elicits an unprompted response from the individual. Between 1989 and 2019, Gallup has asked "What do you think is the most important problem facing this country today?" Jobs, the economy, and health care are often at the top of the list. "Environment/pollution" is not often mentioned. In fact, over a 30-year period, it was mentioned by anywhere from less than 0.5% to 8% of the public. In the most recent 2019 poll (August), "the government/poor leadership" was mentioned by 22% of the public, and "immigration" by 18%. "Environment/pollution/climate change" garnered only 3% of the public. And in some earlier polls, climate change is not even mentioned by a significant portion of the public (although people could be including that within the term environment.) ¹³

Why can't we get our heads around this?

Given the severity of the climate crisis and the potential for existential damage to the human race and planet, the lack of intensity around the issue is simultaneously incomprehensible and totally understandable. So let's look at the latter. The explanations fall into at least four categories: complexity; jurisdiction and accountability; collective action and trust; and imagination.

Complexity

Complexity is the death knell of many modern public policy problems and solutions. And complexity is inherent in climate change. The causes of global warming are varied, including carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. As the climate warms, it affects glaciers, sea levels, water supply, rainfall, evaporation, wind, and a host of other natural phenomenon that affect weather patterns. Unlike an earlier generation of environmental problems, it is hard to see the connections between coal plants in one part of the world and hurricanes in another. In contrast, when the water in your river smells and turns a disgusting color and dead fish float on top of it, no sophisticated scientific training is required to understand the link between what's happening in the river and the chemical plant dumping things into it. The first generation of the environmental movement had an easier time making the connection between cause and effect.

Evidence for this comes from approximately three decades of polling on the environment by Gallup. In the chart below, most of the polls took place between 1989 and 2019. ¹⁴ Note that, over time, the most worrisome environmental problems are visible pollution problems. Water, soil, and ocean and beach pollution are at the top. These are things average people can see and smell. Global warming or climate change is toward the bottom. These numbers change somewhat over time and understandably so, which is why data is included from 2019 where available. People are more worried about climate change than they used to be. Nonetheless, the complexity of the issue compared to the more straightforward cause-and-effect characteristics of other environmental issues is a major impediment to political action.

Environmental issue Range of the public who worried about this "a great deal" (from ~1989 to ~2019)Median percentage Public who worried about this "a great deal" in 2019

When former Vice President Al Gore was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, along with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the prize was for "their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change." Through his books, his famous slide show, and his 2006 movie, "An Inconvenient Truth," Gore made it his mission to explain the scientific processes that make global warming so dangerous. But the inherent complexity of cause and effect in climate change makes it a topic in need of continuous education.

Jurisdiction and accountability

The second major impediment to political action stems from problems of jurisdiction and accountability. From the beginning, modern government has relied upon the concept of jurisdiction-"territory within which a court or government agency may properly exercise its power." ¹⁵ And implicit in the concept of jurisdiction is geography. But two of the stickiest problems of the 21 st century-climate change and cybersecurity-are challenging because it is so difficult to nail down jurisdiction. When we are able to establish jurisdiction we are able to establish rules, laws, and accountability for adherence to the law-the three bedrock principles of modern democratic governance. In the absence of jurisdiction, everyone is accountable and therefore no one is accountable.

When a cybercrime or cyberattack occurs, we have trouble with jurisdiction. If the perpetrator of a cyberattack on an electrical grid is a Russian living in Tirana, Albania, who routes attacks through France and Canada, who can prosecute the individual? (Assuming, that is, that we can even find them.) Similarly, if coal plants in China and cattle ranching in Australia increase their outputs of greenhouse gases in one year and there are droughts in Africa and floods in Europe the next, who is responsible?

We currently attribute greenhouse gas emissions to individual countries under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and we attribute greenhouse gases to their sources within the United States via the Environmental Protections Agency's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. But attribution without enforcement mechanisms is only half the battle-if that. Nationally and internationally there is no legal architecture that allows us to reward and/or punish those who decrease or increase their greenhouse gas emissions. Even the Paris Agreement-which President Trump pulled the U.S. out of-is only a set of pledges from individual countries. Measurement is a first step toward accountability, and measurement needs constant improvement. But measurement in the absence of accountability is meaningless, especially in situations where many people are skeptical of cause and effect.

The Toxic Release Inventory was established by Congress in 1982 as an amendment to the Superfund Bill. Over the years, the steady flow of information about the release of hazardous chemicals into the environment has had many positive effects on regulators, environmentalists, and industrialists. ¹⁶ Studies have shown that "facilities reduce emissions by an additional 4.28% on average, and their use of source reduction increases by 3.07% on average when the relative assessed hazard level of a chemical increases compared to when it decreases." ¹⁷

But the Toxic Release Inventory has one advantage that the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program does not. The effects of dangerous chemicals on a population are generally fairly clear and obvious: dirty water, dirty air, difficulty breathing, unusual rates of cancer, etc. The cause and effect is often undeniable as the many lawyers who have represented communities and won their cases against large polluters can attest. Greenhouse gas emissions affect people thousands of miles away from their source and make it easier to believe that it wasn't the fossil fuels at all, just the weather pattern or an act of God. Hence, the linkage between jurisdiction and accountability is weak.

Collective action and trust

Our increasingly hot summers drive the demand for air conditioning. However, air conditioning adds to the heat outside. Scientists estimate that under a realistic set of circumstances, "waste heat from air conditioners exacerbated the heat island effect, the phenomenon in which densely packed cities experience higher temperatures than similarly situated rural areas." ¹⁸ Air conditioning could add as much as 1 degree Celsius (nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit) to the heat of a city. Which one of us, however, would voluntarily turn off their air conditioning knowing full well that hundreds of thousands of other "free riders" would not?

"It is the lack of trust in government that may be one of the foundational barriers to effective environmental action."

This is just one simplified version of the collective action problem. People may understand that they should act in a certain way for the greater good, but as individuals, they are loathe to turn off their air conditioning or stop flying places for vacations-knowing that others will not be joining them. This is why government is the most frequent solution to collective action problems. Combating climate change requires collective action on many fronts, and it requires collective action both nationally and internationally. But this is extremely difficult in democracies like the U.S., which face strong individualist traditions in the culture along with a lack of trust in government.

In fact, it is the lack of trust in government that may be one of the foundational barriers to effective environmental action. Writing in the journal Global Environmental Change, E. Keith Smith and Adam Mayer looked at 35 different countries. They found that a lack of trust in institutions blunts the public's risk perceptions and therefore their willingness to support behaviors or policies to address climate change. ¹⁹

Their findings make intuitive sense especially in the American context. If you are skeptical about government in general, you are skeptical about your government telling you that you need to do something about climate change; you are even more skeptical about an international body like the United Nations telling you that climate change is a very serious problem. Below is a graph showing the moving average over time of Americans who say they can trust the government in Washington to do what is right "just about always" or "most of the time." ²⁰

Imagination

The final piece to the puzzle of why the political salience of climate change seems so out of step with the physical proof and urgency of the issue may have to do with the realm of imagination. As every journalist knows, it is important to be able to tell a story, and as every teacher knows, we learn best through stories. And novelists and screenwriters are the most effective and powerful storytellers we have in society. And yet, in an intriguing book called "The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable," the Indian novelist Amitav Ghosh writes that climate change is even more absent in the world of fiction than it is in nonfiction.

To see that this is so, we need only glance through the pages of a few highly regarded literary journals and book reviews, for example, the London Review of books, the New York Review of Books, the Los Angeles Review of Books, the Literary Journal, and the New York Times Review of Books. When the subject of climate change occurs in these publications, it is almost always in relation to nonfiction; novels and short stories are very rarely to be glimpsed within this horizon. Indeed, it could even be said that fiction that deals with climate change is almost by definition not of the kind that is taken seriously by serious literary journals: the mere mention of the subject is often enough to relegate a noel or short story to the genre of science fiction. ²¹

The absence of climate change from novels means that it is also absent from movies and television-the great powerful purveyors of stories in our time. One can't underestimate the power of fiction in shaping society's attitudes. Some older Americans can remember how the 1958 novel "Exodus," by Leon Uris, and the subsequent 1960 movie by the same name impacted a generation of non-Jewish Americans to be supportive of Israel. Or how the 2000 movie "Erin Brockovich," based on a true story of a young woman who takes on an energy corporation, helped popularize the environmental justice movement.

Ghosh's contribution to our understanding of this issue is not so much in his sections on politics as it is on his insight that fiction in our age is unable to deal with events that are so improbable and so removed from the agency of the individual that they cannot be written about in any realistic way.

All of which brings us back to our two Saturday Night Live comedians.

Conclusion

We have trouble imagining the potential devastation of climate change. We have trouble trusting governments to lead us into much needed collective action. We have trouble defining the links between jurisdiction and accountability. And we have trouble understanding the causality in the first place.

How can we fix this? And can we fix this in time to avoid the most severe consequences of climate change?

Some people, recognizing the political problem, hope for a technological fix such as carbon capture or some other geoengineering fix. The problem with technological fixes is that they are remote and may very well not be effective in time to stave off massive amounts of social and economic disruption. On the other hand, early-1950s America faced what seemed to be an endlessly heartbreaking polio epidemic; in less than a decade, however, a vaccine was developed and the epidemic ended. Given the technological miracles seen in our lifetime, we should not dismiss a technological solution, and we should invest heavily in one with both public and private dollars.

A second imperative is to increase basic scientific literacy so that the burden of pedagogy does not fall on folks like Al Gore alone. Some of this is already happening with the attention given to STEM training in education. But it is clear that climate change is only one of many complex scientific issues that average citizens will be called upon to understand and act on in the future. A renewed focus on scientific literacy may need to be implemented throughout America's schools.

Which brings us to the storytellers. Just as Al Gore won an Emmy for a movie on climate change, the creative elements in our society need to help explain what's at stake. They will find a receptive audience in the younger generation. As evidenced by their activism on this issue-this past week, millions marched in countries around the world to protest inaction around climate change-young people are especially concerned with the environment. ²² The millennial generation is a very large one, and they have so far shown themselves to be civic minded and environmentally engaged.

"Awareness without the ability to hold corporations, countries, and individuals accountable will not result in major action on environmental issues. But measurement and accountability without an understanding of the connections between a warmer planet and dangerous climate changes will not result in major action either."

A third imperative is to strengthen the link between jurisdiction and accountability. Nationally and internationally, we need to be able to reward and punish private and public actors for their environmental actions. The condemnation of Brazil's government for deforestation and fires in the Amazon was largely without consequences. Until there are penalties for things like greenhouse gas emissions, they will not be reduced in sufficient amounts.

Because this issue poses the ultimate collective action problem, it requires governmental action, such as treaties, taxes, and regulations, for starters. But very few citizens in our country are going to support governmental action without first trusting government to get it right. We need to restore trust in government. It has been on a steady downward slide since the George W. Bush administration. Unless we restore trust in government, we are not likely to achieve significant collective action.

Of course, all these things must proceed hand in hand. Awareness without the ability to hold corporations, countries, and individuals accountable will not result in major action on environmental issues. But measurement and accountability without an understanding of the connections between a warmer planet and dangerous climate changes will not result in major action either. Above all, we need to restore-through government and other means-our trust in collective action.

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The challenging politics of climate change

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"We don't really worry about climate change because it's too overwhelming and we're already in too deep. It's like if you owe your bookie $1,000, you're like, 'OK, I've got to pay this dude back.'

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Policy Statements

Our Policy Statements are contained within two main sections, Policies for a Sustainable Society (PSS) and the Record of Policy Statements (RoPS).

Policies for a Sustainable Society (PSS) are arranged in chapters of varying length covering different topic areas. They represent the long term goals of the party and are available through the menu of links on the right of this page.

Each subject chapter contains the policies agreed and amended at successive Green Party conferences. These detailed policies are explained and illustrated from time to time in election manifestos, news releases, topical comment and reports. Both national and local policy objectives are derived from PSS.

The Record of Policy Statements consists of short term positions and responses to particular current circumstances. These statements do not override the vision contained in the full set of Policies for a Sustainable Society

If you have a more detailed question, please contact the Green Party Policy Team: policy@greenparty.org.uk

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View our Political Programme The Green Party aims to create a just, equitable and sustainable society. We focus our efforts primarily, though not exclusively, through the electoral system. The Green Party is a democratic organisation in which our members decide our policy, opening up politics to those outside the Westminster Establishment.

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UK Newspaper the Guardian's  Environment pages 

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UK Newspaper the Guardian's  Environment pages 

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Latest Environment news, comment and analysis from the Guardian, the world's leading liberal voice

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Consume less to save the Earth

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Refuse, reduce, reuse, repair & recycle | 52 Climate Actions

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Recycling gets a lot of attention, but it's the least effective of the 5Rs. We need to be doing more refusing, whether it's excess packaging, cheap goods that won't last, or just simply something we don't need. Take what you have already and make it last, or give it a new lease of life.

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Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

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the importance of tress, peat bogs + other ecosystems in carbon capture

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Woods and Wildlife

One of the most heartening aspects of our work is seeing and hearing about the benefits of our partners' woodlands for local wildlife. Whether it's a landowner telling us how many woodcock they found enjoying the sanctuary of their new birchwood or discovering bird nests for ourselves when out verifying, it is all immensely gratifying.

How to release income from Woodland Carbon

The Woodland Carbon Code exists to make financially unattractive woodland creation projects attractive. In doing this, it enables trees to be planted that otherwise wouldn't be, and additional carbon sinks to be created in the UK. But how does woodland carbon improve a project's economic prospects in practise? And how can the carbon income actually be released?

Natural regeneration - The good, the bad and the scrubby

Woodland creation through natural regeneration offers big rewards. It preserves soil carbon stocks, promotes greater biodiversity and limits the use of plastic tree tubes. But it also poses challenges, especially from a carbon accounting perspective, that have limited its use in the past.

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Forest Carbon | Planting UK Woodlands for Carbon Capture and ecosystem services

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Forest Carbon leads the way in voluntary carbon woodland creation in the UK. Through the planting of 5.2 million new trees in the UK since 2006 our partners' projects are removing over 1,200,000 tonnes of CO2 from the nation's air, as well as providing a host of other benefits to society, including flood mitigation, river improvement and public access.

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Monocultures, biodiversity & soil degradation 

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Monocultures, biodiversity & soil degradation 

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On today's United Nations biodiversity day, we are being asked to focus on small islands and their unique ecology and fragility in times of globally pervasive threats such as climate change.

But, the whole planet is a small island in the vast sea of space, capable of producing food for all as a consequence of rich biodiversity. That diversity is under threat, our actions can strengthen it or weaken it. Our agriculture systems can help mitigate climate change and feed us, or they can accelerate the change and contribute to hunger.

The food system we choose has a direct impact on which type of world we will have. It's the difference between a field that hums and is robust with life, or one which is dusty, dry and dead. It's the difference between a place where ecological farming has been used or where a cocktail of industrial chemicals has soaked into the soil where the same crop is grown, decade after decade.

Our current food and farming system is creating more and more of these dry, dead ends. It is agriculture characterised by three things: the industrial-sized growing of a single plant, or "monoculture", genetically engineered crops, and repeated toxic chemical infusions of pesticides and the application of synthetic fertilisers. All of these harm people and the farming ecosystems they depend on.

Just one example of the consequences of the current flawed agricultural system is the current catastrophic bee decline. Bees are being decimated in Europe and North America by the intensive use of chemical pesticides. In recent winters bee mortality in Europe (pdf) has averaged at about 20%. A third of the food that we eat every day depends on bees and other insect pollinators.

This dead-end road sees large multinational corporations persuading farmers to buy genetically engineered (GE) seeds based on the premise that they will increase yields, despite studies suggesting otherwise. Instead, they only increase farmers' indebtedness by failing to deliver the promised return on investment - turning them into slaves to a pesticide treadmill as superweeds develop. This is the ugly story behind the majority of the food we consume.

This cycle increases our dependency on fossil fuels and contributes to climate change, as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) study recently reported. In fact, climate change affects this broken food system. Among other impacts, climate shocks cause food prices to rise, with deadly consequences in developing countries.

Climate change is estimated to have increased the amount spent on food worldwide by $50bn a year (pdf). Climate change is also making food less nutritious according to a study published in Nature, with important staple crops such as wheat and maize containing fewer essential nutrients like zinc and iron. Projections show that up to 21% more children globally will be at risk of hunger by 2050.

Industrial agriculture does not rely on diversification but on the standardisation and homogenisation of biological processes, technologies and products. It promotes off-the-shelf, one-size-fits-all solutions to food and farming around the world and in so doing undermines local and natural diversity, which are essential for resilience to climate change.

Ecological farming increases resilience to climate shocks. It is based on the diversity of nature to produce healthy food for all: diversity of seeds and plants; diversity of many different crops grown in the same field; diversity of insects that pollinate (like bees) or eliminate pests; and diversity of farming systems that mix crops with livestock.

Scientists from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, for example, recently found that certain beans greatly improve poor soils, increase productivity of maize when grown together and respond well to drought. They can be used for food, animal feed, and soil fertility. Researchers found that growing maize and beans at the same time increased farmers' income by 67% without the use of any chemical fertilisers.

Ecological farming also relies on the innovations of farmers that enable adaptation to local conditions. It's the redeployment of traditional knowledge to counteract the impacts of climate change. In north-east Thailand, jasmine rice farmers have been adapting to increased drought by finding creative ways to use water resources - stock ponds for storage and simple wind-powered pumps made with locally available materials - which have been shown to increase yields and provide a safety net when drought strikes.

Ecological farming effectively contributes to climate change mitigation. Industrial farming is a massive greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter. Agriculture, in fact, accounts for between 17% and 32% of all the emissions caused by humans, according to research for Greenpeace. Stopping chemical nitrogen fertiliser overuse and shifting to organic fertilisers (to increase soil fertility), improving water management in paddy rice production, and increasing agro-biodiversity through agroforestry are just a few examples of how ecological farming practices and diversity could directly contribute to GHG reduction and help agriculture reduce the effects of climate change.

Agriculture is now at a crossroads: we can pursue the dystopian dead-end road of industrial chemical-intensive farming or choose diverse and resilient ecological farming.

Governments, donors, philanthropists and the private sector must start shifting funds towards research to generate new knowledge on biodiversity-rich ecological farming and services to disseminate diversified practices that are locally relevant. We must reject the dead-end trap of industrial agriculture and choose instead a food system that celebrates biodiversity and is healthy for people and the planet.
The food hub is funded by the Irish Food Board. All content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled advertisement feature. Find out more here. Join the community of sustainability professionals and experts. Become a GSB member to get more stories like this direct to your inbox

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The food system we choose affects biodiversity: do we want monocultures?

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On today's United Nations biodiversity day, we are being asked to focus on small islands and their unique ecology and fragility in times of globally pervasive threats such as climate change. But, the whole planet is a small island in the vast sea of space, capable of producing food for all as a consequence of rich biodiversity.

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Biodiversity is collapsing worldwide. Here's why.

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What we don't want to have to do to save the planet

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Geoengineering: A Horrible Idea We Might Have to Do

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a bit like the medieval practice of paying a pardoner to cancel out sins...

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What is Carbon Offsetting?

Carbon offsetting is essentially the idea that you can "make up for" the carbon you release into the atmosphere by funding a project that reduces the overall amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.

What kind of projects count as carbon offsetting?

One of the biggest myths about carbon offsetting is that it's a fixed and quantifiable thing. In reality, you're not paying to have a set amount of carbon removed from the atmosphere - science doesn't work like that. What you're doing is investing in a project that aims to reduce the overall amount of greenhouse gasses being pumped into the atmosphere. The kinds of projects funded from carbon offsetting include, but are by no means limited to:

Biodiversity programmes

Renewable energy infrastructure

Reforestation

Cleaner fuel sources

Updating old, inefficient power-plants

Energy efficiency measures

Investment in low-carbon transportation

Since the schemes vary so much, so too does the cost of carbon offsetting. At the moment it's averaging out at about £8 per tonne of CO2, which equates to around £45 to neutralise the average family gas and electric, or around £20 for a flight to California.

How does carbon offsetting work?

International Carbon Trading

This is basically one of the ways that countries and big companies trade carbon "credits" in order to offset their carbon use. The market is split into two sections, the compliance market exists to allow organisations to carbon offset and ensure that that they with terms set out in the Kyoto Protocol. There are a lot of complicated acronyms associated with the compliance market, but all you really need to know is that this side of the carbon trading market is pretty heavily regulated. When you purchase a ton of CO2 offsetting on the compliance market, what you're buying is known as a Certified Emissions Reduction (CER), which can be kept or traded on.

The other part of carbon trading is called the voluntary market, and it's kept completely separate. The voluntary market is where companies, governments of individuals can buy carbon offsets that don't qualify for the compliance market. Since there aren't any unified rules or regulations for the voluntary carbon market, it's considered a little bit sketchy. Some standards have been created (Gold Standard, Verified Carbon Standard, and ISO 14064 to name the big ones), but most transactions still favour the clarity of the compliance market.

What is the problem with carbon offsetting?

The real problem is that the system is imperfect and relies on the success of projects that don't always succeed. You may well pay your £20 and take your flight to California and sleep easy thinking that you haven't added anything to the net global emissions, but that's not really how it works. In reality, your £20 will go towards a much larger amount of money being used to fund a project like one of the above. Planting trees is a good example of why this might not be as green as you'd hope. Before the tree is planted it needs to be sourced, transported, and held. Every worker involved in the tree-planting project needs to get to the site, meaning more transportation. Every building in the process has its own associated emissions. All of these parts of the project have a carbon cost, which all go towards negating the impact of the newly planted trees. Just because something sounds low carbon, doesn't necessarily mean that it is.

On another point, it seems that carbon offsetting provides a convenient excuse to continue excessive air travel. Why cut down on long-haul flights when you can simply pay a little more and jet around the world guilt-free? It encourages a travel culture without responsibility or accountability.

Is carbon offsetting good or bad?

It's a tricky question to answer. The logic behind it is clear, trying to balance out our negative impact by investing in an equal positive impact. That said, the psychology behind it and the way it's being manipulated, misrepresented to people, and used to absolve big-business of ecological responsibility is definitely problematic.

Carbon offsetting is an attempt at something generally positive, but at the current point the industry hinges primarily on misconception and greed. As the world moves slowly towards a more environmentally conscious future, it is imperative that carbon offsetting be better regulated and the public be better educated about the reality of how it works.

Think we missed something? Do you have a different opinion?

Comment below to get your voice heard...

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Does Carbon Offsetting Work? - TheGreenAge

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What is Carbon Offsetting? Carbon offsetting is essentially the idea that you can "make up for" the carbon you release into the atmosphere by funding a project that reduces the overall amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. What kind of projects count as carbon offsetting?

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Friend of the Network and Environmentalist

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Hurray! Finally, game over for the horrific #KeystoneXL pipeline.

Huge thx to so many activists & frontline communities who fought so hard for so many years. We're so proud of you, @billmckibben, @mayboeve, @jamieclimate, @collinrees & so many others. #KeepItInTheGround https://twitter.com/350/status/1352034131610390530

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My name is Lorna. I'm a Scottish-Irish academic, climate campaigner and author. I'm also a mum of two boys. Chances are if you found my website, it is because you, like me, are deeply concerned about our children's future - and especially the impact of climate change.

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An iceberg melts in the Arctic; saltwater seeps into the Florida Everglades, the sun bakes a lakebed in Bolivia, trees die in the mountains of Germany, and bush fires sweep across southwest Australia. Although thousands of miles apart, these events are connected: they have all been intensified by climate change primarily caused by our burning of fossil fuels. Since ancient times, humans have burned wood, peat, and oil for heating, cooking, and light. In the U.S., as elsewhere, coal powered the industrial age until the discovery of vast amounts of underground petroleum in the mid-19th century. American industrial might was built on energy derived from fossil fuels-the decomposed remains of plants and animals found in the Earth's crust. These fuels contain carbon and hydrogen, and it is carbon that is the problem.

When fossil fuels are burned, they release carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that trap heat in our atmosphere, making them the main contributors to climate change―and global warming. Coal accounts for 44 percent of the world's carbon dioxide emissions, with nearly two billion tons a year emitted from coal plants in the U.S. alone. Petroleum is responsible for about a third of carbon emissions globally, and the natural gas industry contributes a fifth of global emissions. In little over a century the world has grown more than 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit warmer with temperatures expected to rise even higher; now the goal is to keep the rate of warming below a potentially catastrophic increase. But not everyone wants to change. In the U.S., the oil and gas industries contribute over $200 billion to the economy, and vast fossil fuel reserves exist with enough unextracted coal to last as long as 250 years. There are powerful economic interests pitched against renewable energy, and even consumers used to more inexpensive energy options and incentives can be reluctant to make a switch.

However, there is a growing awareness that the price we will pay for continuing to use fossil fuels will far outweigh the cost of switching to sustainable sources of energy. This has stimulated the development of renewables, such as solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal, that do not emit greenhouse gases when they generate energy. Renewable energy is the most viable solution to powering the planet without destroying the environment, and there is a growing global movement for a transition that is supported by national and international commitments, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the 2015 Paris Agreement, and driven by powerful voices, such as 17-year-old Greta Thunberg from Sweden.

Like many social movements in history, the cultural change to renewable energy will likely be driven by the younger generation. A recent survey showed that young adults in the UK are most prepared to go green, with over 60 percent willing to pay more for their electricity if it came from renewable sources.

The momentum for change is building, and it is urgently needed. Despite increased deployment of renewables, they contribute just over 30 percent of global power capacity. While significant technological advances are making renewables viable, a meaningful transition will only come when they are fully accepted and adopted by society. Raising awareness of the importance of switching to renewable energies, their benefits and their potential is central to ensuring that the public and key stakeholders appreciate, accept, and support their adoption.

Education can bring about a fundamental shift in how people think and act; knowledge has the power to reshape thinking and priorities to recognize the importance of sustainability and renewable energy. Schools are engaging a new generation of environmentally conscious citizens who support the shift to renewable energy and will carry it ever further as sustainability becomes a familiar theme in school curriculums and college courses. At a practical level, schools are also crucial for imparting the skills students will need as adults and professionals in a greener economy, from designing resource-efficient cities to working in renewable energy.

This is the reality that sustainable energy company Enel Green Power (EGP) has taken to heart. EGP works closely with the communities in which it operates, and with 10 wind farms helping to revitalize rural Oklahoma, they are seizing the opportunity to support schools and educate students about generating energy sustainably. In addition to actively raising much-needed public awareness about clean energy, EGP is helping to train the workforce required to run it, including retraining oil and gas workers for new careers in renewables. EGP is also supporting schools, from providing technology and educational material, to educating teachers and stimulating student interest in the STEM subjects that are invaluable to developing sustainable energy solutions. EGP has even established a scholarship at Oklahoma Panhandle State University for students pursuing majors in wind energy or education.

One key program supported by EGP is the KidWind Challenge for middle- and high-school students. Through this innovative program, a KidWind ambassador visit classrooms and communities where, with the hands-on help of Enel technicians, students design and test their own wind turbines. As fun as it is educational, KidWind inspires students to get excited about wind power and renewable energy.

A World Wildlife Fund report projects that by 2050 all of the world's energy needs could be met by renewable sources. For that to happen we need to inspire and equip today's generation to be tomorrow's renewable energy experts―education and programs like KidWind are doing just that.

This content is brought to you by our partner. It does not necessarily reflect the views of National Geographic or its editorial staff.

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Making the change: breaking our fossil fuel habit

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An iceberg melts in the Arctic; saltwater seeps into the Florida Everglades, the sun bakes a lakebed in Bolivia, trees die in the mountains of Germany, and bush fires sweep across southwest Australia. Although thousands of miles apart, these events are connected: they have all been intensified by climate change primarily caused by our burning of fossil fuels.

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To meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets by 2030, countries must safeguard the gains already attained and accelerate efforts to achieve affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

Washington, United States, 28 May 2020 - Despite accelerated progress over the past decade, the world will fall short of ensuring universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy by 2030 unless efforts are scaled up significantly, reveals the new Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report released today by the International Energy Agency (IEA) the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), the World Bank, and the World Health Organization (WHO).

According to the report, significant progress had been made on various aspects of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 prior to the start of the COVID-19 crisis. This includes a notable reduction in the number of people worldwide lacking access to electricity, strong uptake of renewable energy for electricity generation, and improvements in energy efficiency. Despite these advances, global efforts remain insufficient to reach the key targets of SDG 7 by 2030.

"Renewable energy is key to achieving SDG 7 and building resilient, equitable and sustainable economies in a post COVID-19 world. Now more than ever is the time for bold international cooperation to bridge the energy access gap and place sustainable energy at the heart of economic stimulus and recovery measures. IRENA is committed to scale up action with its global membership and partners to channel investment and guide policy intervention in pursuit of sustainable development for all humankind," said Francesco La Camera, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

The number of people without access to electricity declined from 1.2 billion in 2010 to 789 million in 2018, however, under policies that were either in place or planned before the start of the COVID-19 crisis, an estimated 620 million people would still lack access in 2030, 85 percent of them in Sub-Saharan Africa. SDG 7 calls for universal energy access by 2030.

Other important elements of the goal also continue to be off track. Almost 3 billion people remained without access to clean cooking in 2017, mainly in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Largely stagnant progress since 2010 leads to millions of deaths each year from breathing cooking smoke. The share of renewable energy in the global energy mix is only inching up gradually, despite the rapid growth of wind and solar power in electricity generation. An acceleration of renewables across all sectors is required to move closer to reaching the SDG 7 target, with advances in heating and transport currently lagging far behind their potential. Following strong progress on global energy efficiency between 2015 and 2016, the pace has slackened. The rate of improvement needs to speed up dramatically, from 1.7 percent in 2017 to at least 3 percent in coming years.

Accelerating the pace of progress in all regions and sectors will require stronger political commitment, long-term energy planning, increased public and private financing, and adequate policy and fiscal incentives to spur faster deployment of new technologies An increased emphasis on "leaving no one behind" is required, given the large proportion of the population without access in remote, rural, poorer and vulnerable communities. The 2020 report introduces tracking on a new indicator, 7.A.1, on international financial flows to developing countries in support of clean and renewable energy. Although total flows have doubled since 2010, reaching $21.4 billion in 2017, only 12 percent reached the least-developed countries, which are the furthest from achieving the various SDG 7 targets.

The five custodian agencies of the report were designated by the UN Statistical Commission to compile and verify country data, along with regional and global aggregates, in relation to the progress in achieving the SDG 7 goals. The report presents policymakers and development partners with global, regional and country-level data to inform decisions and identify priorities for a sustainable recovery from COVID-19 that scales up affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy. This collaborative work highlights once more the importance of reliable data to inform policy-making as well as the opportunity to enhance data quality through international cooperation to further strengthen national capacities. The report has been transmitted by SDG 7 custodian agencies to the United Nations Secretary-General to inform the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development's annual review.

Key highlights on SDG7 targets

Please note that the report's findings are based on international compilations of official national-level data up to 2018 while also drawing on analysis of recent trends and policies related to SDG 7 targets.

Access to electricity: Since 2010, more than a billion people have gained access to electricity. As a result, 90 percent of the planet's population was connected in 2018. Yet 789 million people still live without electricity and despite accelerated progress in recent years, the SDG target of universal access by 2030 appears unlikely to be met, especially if the COVID-19 pandemic seriously disrupts electrification efforts. Regional disparities persist. Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Asia and South-eastern Asia are approaching universal access but Sub-Saharan Africa lags behind, accounting for 70 percent of the global deficit. Several large access-deficit countries in the region have electrification growth rates that are not keeping up with population growth. Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have the largest deficits, with 85 million and 68 million unelectrified people, respectively. India has the third largest deficit with 64 million unelectrified people, although its rate of electrification outpaces population growth. Among the 20 countries with the largest access deficits, Bangladesh, Kenya, and Uganda showed the greatest improvement since 2010, thanks to annual electrification growth rates in excess of 3.5 percentage points, driven largely by a comprehensive approach that combined grid, mini grid and off-grid solar electrification.

Clean cooking: Almost three billion people remained without access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking, residing mainly in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Over the 2010 to 2018 period, progress has remained largely stagnant, with the rate of increase in access to clean cooking even decelerating since 2012 in some countries, falling behind population growth. The top 20 countries lacking access to clean cooking accounted for 82 percent of the global population without access between 2014 and 2018. This lack of clean cooking access continues to have serious gender, health, and climate consequences that affect not only the achievement of SDG target 7.1, but also the progress towards several other related SDGs. Under current and planned policies, 2.3 billion people would still be deprived of access to clean cooking fuels and technologies in 2030. The COVID 19 pandemic is likely to swell the toll of prolonged exposure of women and children to household air pollution caused by mainly using raw coal, kerosene or traditional uses of biomass for cooking. Without prompt action, the world will fall short of the universal cooking access goal by almost 30 percent. Greater access to clean cooking was achieved largely in two regions of Asia. From 2010 to 2018, in Eastern Asia and South-eastern Asia the numbers of people lacking access fell from one billion to 0.8 billion. Central Asia and Southern Asia also saw improved access to clean cooking, in these regions the number of people without access dropped from 1.11 billion to 1.0 billion.

Renewables: The share of renewables in the global energy mix reached 17.3 percent of final energy consumption in 2017, up from 17.2 percent in 2016 and 16.3 percent in 2010. Renewables consumption (+2.5 percent in 2017) is growing faster than global energy consumption (+1.8 percent in 2017), continuing a trend in evidence since 2011. Most of the growth in renewables has occurred in the electricity sector, thanks to the rapid expansion of wind and solar power that has been enabled by sustained policy support and falling costs. Meanwhile, the use of renewables in heating and transport is lagging. An acceleration of renewables across all sectors will be needed to achieve SDG target 7.2. The full impact of the COVID-19 crisis on renewables is yet to become clear. Disruption to supply chains and other areas risks delaying deployments of wind and solar PV. The growth of electricity generation from renewables appears to have slowed down as a result of the pandemic, according to the available data. But they so far appear to be holding up much better than other major fuels such as coal and natural gas.

Energy efficiency: Global primary energy intensity - an important indicator of how heavily the world's economic activity uses energy - improved by 1.7 percent in 2017. That is better than the 1.3 percent average rate of progress between 1990 and 2010 but still well below the original target rate of 2.6 percent and a marked slowdown from the previous two years. Specific metrics on energy intensity in different sectors indicate that improvements have been fastest in the industry and passenger transport sectors, exceeding 2 percent since 2010. In the services and residential sectors, they have averaged between 1.5 percent and 2 percent. Freight transport and agriculture have lagged slightly behind. Achieving SDG target 7.3 for energy efficiency will require the overall pace of improvement to accelerate significantly to around 3 percent a year between 2017 and 2030. But preliminary estimates suggest that the rate remained well below that level in 2018 and 2019, making an even more substantial increase in the coming years necessary to reach the SDG 7 target.

International financial flow s: International public financial flows to developing countries in support of clean and renewable energy doubled since 2010, reaching $21.4 billion in 2017. These flows mask important disparities with only 12 percent of flows in 2017 reaching those most in need (least developed countries and small island developing states). To accelerate renewable energy deployment in developing countries, there is a need for enhanced international cooperation that includes stronger public and private engagement, to drive an increase of financial flows to those most in need - even more so in a post-COVID-19 world.

This is the sixth edition of this report, formerly known as the Global Tracking Framework. The preparatory work of this year's edition was chaired by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Funding for the report was provided by the World Bank's Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP).

Download the full report.

Find the dashboards and additional information on the Tracking SDG 7 website .

This press release is also available in Arabic (عربي), French (français), and Spanish (español).

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number of people without access to electricity

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COVID-19 Intensifies the Urgency to Expand Sustainable Energy Solutions Worldwide

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Washington, United States, 28 May 2020 - Despite accelerated progress over the past decade, the world will fall short of ensuring universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy by 2030 unless efforts are scaled up significantly, reveals the new Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report released today by the International Energy Agency (IEA) the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), the World Bank, and the World Health Organization (WHO).

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Renewable energy is cheaper and reduces emissions faster than nuclear power, according to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report from French industry consultant Mycle Schneider.

New renewable plants in many countries with nuclear fleets now can not only compete economically with new nuclear, but also with existing nuclear power plants, the report finds.

"The closure of uneconomic reactors will not directly save CO ₂ emissions but can indirectly save more CO ₂ than closing a coal-fired plant, if the nuclear plant's larger saved operating costs are reinvested in efficiency or cheap modern renewables that in turn displace more fossil-fuelled generation," Schneider argues.

Renewables coupled with efficiency measures thus can bolster energy security at least as well as nuclear power can, says the report.

"The nuclear industry has become one of the most potent obstacles to renewables' further progress by diverting demand and capital to itself."

How the continuation of existing nuclear power can dilute renewable energy plans has been shown in France, where despite recent successes in the renewable expansion, the nuclear lobby has been successful in thwarting any government plans to reduce the country's nuclear fleet fast.

After delaying earlier plans to diminish the share of nuclear in France's power mix to 50% from more than 70% now by ten years, the government of President Emmanuel Macron in its latest ten-year energy plan had presented a slower-than-expected build-up of onshore and offshore wind.

New operating subsidies for uneconomic reactors in the US or preferential dispatch like the "nuclear-must-run" rule in Japan lead to uncompetitive generation to serve demand for which efficiency and renewables are not allowed to compete, the report adds.

Non-nuclear options also save more CO ₂ per dollar, Schneider emphasises, as current programmes for the construction of new nuclear are particularly slow, taking five to 17 years longer to build than utility-scale solar or onshore wind power.

"So existing fossil-fuelled plants emit far more CO2 while awaiting substitution by the nuclear option. Stabilising the climate is urgent, nuclear power is slow," said Schneider.

The World Nuclear Industry Status Report provides an annual overview of data on nuclear power age, operation, production, construction and performance.

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Renewables 'faster and cheaper' than nuclear in saving the climate | Recharge

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Renewable energy is cheaper and reduces emissions faster than nuclear power, according to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report from French industry consultant Mycle Schneider. New renewable plants in many countries with nuclear fleets now can not only compete economically with new nuclear, but also with existing nuclear power plants, the report finds.

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Global Ice Melting & Sea Temperature Rises 

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Global Ice Melting & Sea Temperature Rises 

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What the melting Arctic means for the world

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The Arctic is turning from white to blue, absorbing more heat and disrupting the world's weather patterns. If Arctic ice disappears completely we are heading for disaster.

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The Marine Environment and Climate Change / Pollution

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The Marine Environment and Climate Change / Pollution

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Marine species affected by climate change include plankton - which forms the basis of marine food chains - corals, fish, polar bears, walruses, seals, sea lions, penguins, and seabirds.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts a further rise of between 1.4°C and 5.8°C by the end of the century. Climate change could therefore well be the knock-out punch for many species which are already under stress from overfishing and habitat loss.

The key impacts of climate change on the marine environment are...

Coral bleaching

One of the most visually dramatic effects of climate change is coral bleaching, a stress response caused by high water temperatures that can lead to coral death.

Recent years have seen widespread and severe coral bleaching episodes around the world, with coral mortality reaching 70% in some regions.

More on coral bleaching

Stormy weather

Most scientists believe that global warming will herald a new era of extreme and unpredictable weather.

Tropical storms and heavier rainfall may increase and so too would the consequent physical damage to coral reefs, other coastal ecosystems, and coastal communities. Hurricanes Hugo and Marilyn hit the US Virgin Islands National Park in 1989 and 1995, respectively, and did massive damage to coral ecosystems.

More on extreme weather

Moving homes?

As the oceans warm, the location of the ideal water temperature may shift for many species.

A study has shown that fish in the North Sea have moved further north or into deeper water in response to rising sea temperatures. Other species may lose their homes for other reasons. The distribution of penguin species in the Antarctic Peninsula region, for example, is changing with reductions in sea ice due to global warming.

More on the impact of climate change on species

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Marine species affected by climate change include plankton - which forms the basis of marine food chains - corals, fish, polar bears, walruses, seals, sea lions, penguins, and seabirds. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts a further rise of between 1.4°C and 5.8°C by the end of the century.

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How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates 

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How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates 

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Audio book available on BBC Sounds App

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BBC Sounds - How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates - Available Episodes

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Listen to the latest episodes of How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates on BBC Sounds

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Aim Hi Course  Understand the Climate Crisis and How to Male a Difference 

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Aim Hi Course  Understand the Climate Crisis and How to Male a Difference 

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a four-lesson course for anyone interested in learning more & sharing their knowledge on the climate crisis

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Understand the

climate crisis

(and how to make a difference)

Understand clear explanations of key climate crisis concepts and feel empowered. In 4 short lessons, we will inspire you and show you how you can make a difference.

Supported and made possible by...

Outcomes

At the end of this course, you will be aware of the gravity of what we face, but rather than feeling anxious and hopeless, you will feel energised and empowered.

We believe that if we're going to face this crisis together, everyone needs to understand it, and feel enabled to weave their understanding into everyday conversations, actions and future plans.

Four live lessons (+ optional Q&As)

Carbon, tipping points and our simplest solutions.

Nature, soil and the future of food.

Population, pollution and finding a balance.

How do we fix this? Making the impossible possible.

Not for profit

We are running this course as a not-for-profit project. At AimHi, our mission is to make world class live learning accessible to everyone, and this is why most of our live lessons are free. If you want to help us to make this course free for everyone, then please donate to AimHi so that we can make it happen!

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Understand the climate crisis (and how to make a difference) Understand clear explanations of key climate crisis concepts and feel empowered. In 4 short lessons, we will inspire you and show you how you can make a difference. Supported and made possible by...

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Adventures in the Anthropocene by Gaia Vince 

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Adventures in the Anthropocene by Gaia Vince 

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an exploration of how humans have impacted the Earth & how affected communities are managing this change

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a biographical account of farming and agricultural impact on our Earth, moving to sustainable methods of land management.

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BBC Radio 4 - English Pastoral by James Rebanks

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English Pastoral: An Inheritance. New bestseller from the author of The Shepherd's Life.

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An environmental charity with a unique approach - we use the law to create powerful change and a future where people and planet thrive together.

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Your support will help us secure a brighter, greener future

We are Europe's pioneering environmental law charity. We take governments to court and win. We force polluting industries to shut down. We protect irreplaceable habitats and vulnerable species.

Now more than ever the planet needs protection. By choosing to support us you are changing the system - for good.

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ClientEarth is a charity that uses the power of the law to protect the planet and the people who live on it. We are lawyers and environmental experts who are fighting against climate change and to protect nature and the environment.

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'Eco Action families' demonstrate how taking three actions and passing this on can create a positive ripple effect change

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Campaign to make damaging the natural environment a globally recognised violation of the law.

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Our international petition - Stop Ecocide International

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Stop Ecocide International is driving the global conversation on recognition of ecocide as an international crime and its potential for deterring destructive practices, protecting vital ecosystems and catalysing positive systems change.

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Edmund Rice Network - Climate Change Workshop 2

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Un Climate Change Conference to be held in Glasgow, November 2021

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Engaging with your MP & getting you voice heard

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Here is our proposal to represent the global work of the ER community at COP26

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Poster Edmund Rice Schools COP26 application 

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Niall Leahy, a Jesuit from Ireland explains what Integral Ecology is (also see Chapter 4 of Laudato si)

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POST BY AWentworth

Niall Leahy is a Jesuit from Ireland who is studying for an MA in Integral Ecology at the London Jesuit Centre. Here he explains what Integral Ecology is.

If you want to know what integral ecology is then don't waste your time reading this blog post and just read Pope Francis's encyclical Laudato Si'. To cut to the chase then read Chapter Four, called (drum roll...) 'Integral Ecology'. It does exactly what it says on the tin.

Still here? Then here are a few thoughts about what awaits.

Pope Francis is encouraging us to 'zoom out' and get some sense of the context in which we live. Trying to look at the big picture is a difficult task so he helps us along by offering a number of different ways of seeing and understanding the world, e.g. theological, environmental, economic, social, cultural, patterns of daily life, personal dignity. Each of them represents a specific way of connecting people or a different 'ecology'. The Pope is therefore helping us to become more conscious of the many different ways in which we are all connected to one another.

The Pope also says that in our present day the patterns of connecting people to each other do not make it possible for everyone to live well. (And by "everyone" he means everyone, including future generations). Using the language of Catholic Social Teaching, not all of the present interconnections are serving the 'common good'.

One last point. Pope Francis is not saying that there is one perfect ready-made, one-size-fits-all, (deep breath...) socio-eco-agri-economic-cultural-political system that can be rolled out tomorrow all over the world which will solve all our problems. It is precisely that kind of thinking that got us into this crisis in the first place. In fact he wants us to respect our local circumstances and cultural heritages and build from the ground up in a way that integrates every important aspect of life.

And that, in a nutshell, is integral ecology.

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POST BY AWentworth If you want to know what integral ecology is then don't waste your time reading this blog post and just read Pope Francis's encyclical Laudato Si'. To cut to the chase then read Chapter Four, called (drum roll...) 'Integral Ecology'. It does exactly what it says on the tin.

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Peace and Justice resources

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Peace and Justice

Welcome to Peace and Justice, our latest development education resources 2021. Resources are available for Early Childhood, Primary, Post Primary and Youth.

These resources will help you explore the themes of conflict and peace with students and young people through the lens of SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.

Learn about the Sustainable Development goals, South Sudan and through interactive lesson plans, photos, videos and our latest board game "Pathways to Peace"!

If you are interested in signing up to attend an upcoming CPD workshop on the Peace and Justice resources, you can find out more and sign up here.

To find out more or to share your feedback with us, please contact the development education team on

Trócaire Head Office, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland, W23 NX63. Tel: +353 1 6293333

Republic of Ireland: Charity Regulatory Authority No. 20204842; Revenue Number CHY 22508; Company Number 661147.
Northern Ireland: Charity Commission for NI No. NIC103321; Revenue Number (HMRC) XR10431; Company Number NI021482.

Trócaire Head Office, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland, W23 NX63. Tel: +353 1 6293333

Republic of Ireland: Charity Regulatory Authority No. 20204842; Revenue Number CHY 22508; Company Number 661147.
Northern Ireland: Charity Commission for NI No. NIC103321; Revenue Number (HMRC) XR10431; Company Number NI021482.

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Welcome to Peace and Justice, our latest development education resources 2021. Resources are available for Early Childhood, Primary, Post Primary and Youth. These resources will help you explore the themes of conflict and peace with students and young people through the lens of SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.

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A resource for teachers produced by the Edmund Rice Centre, Sydney

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If flame is a necessary part of our life for the moment but we need to douse it as soon as possible, then not building new bonfires is a sensible first step.

Source: Build Nothing New That Ultimately Leads to a Flame | The New Yorker

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Edmund Rice International- Care of Earth

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If flame is a necessary part of our life for the moment but we need to douse it as soon as possible, then not building new bonfires is a sensible first step. Source: Build Nothing New That Ultimately Leads to a Flame | The New Yorker

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Br Kevin Cawley cfc Carbon Rangers archive 

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Br Kevin Cawley cfc Carbon Rangers archive 

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website

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Development Education Resources

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Through our resources, competitions, workshops and other activities, we engage children, young people and educators through a process of interaction, reflection and action.

They are supported to make connections between their own lives and international social justice issues, and be empowered to make a positive difference in the world.

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Through our resources, competitions, workshops and other activities, we engage children, young people and educators through a process of interaction, reflection and action. They are supported to make connections between their own lives and international social justice issues, and be empowered to make a positive difference in the world.

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A resource for teachers produced by the Edmund Rice Centre, Sydney

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Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue at Iona College 

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Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue at Iona College 

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3/20/21: BERRY FORUM PARTNERS WITH METRO N.Y. CATHOLIC CLIMATE MOVEMENT TO ENERGIZE LEGISLATIVE ACTION

Br. Kevin Cawley, Director of Berry Forum served as Moderator for a program on how to respond to the need for action in Congress to counter the increasing peril of climate change.

The program included Climate Crisis Policy (CCP) group, the creator of The Earth Bill Network and the Adopt-A-District Program. The Earth Bill Network is a growing group of people and organizations focused on the urgency for new legislation in the US to address the threat of climate change. Members of the Metro NY Catholic Climate Movement have been participating in these discussions for some time. Several are members of the Faith Team cohort of the CCP. We have been especially impressed by the vision and commitment of the main organizer of Climate Crisis Policy, Mr. Todd Fernandez, who agreed to join us on our panel.

Overview
We believe we are at an inflection point in the global efforts to reverse the impact of climate change. The Paris Agreement of 2015 set a goal of keeping global temperature increase below 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2030 to avoid the worst outcomes of a warming atmosphere. Sadly, the collective commitments of nations who endorsed the Paris Agreement have fallen short. Recent efforts to ramp up ambition prior to the 5 yr. follow-up to the Paris Agreement -when nations gather for COP26 in Glasgow this fall- have also disappointed.

Turning to the US, we believe we have a 2-year window to make a legislative impact in our Congress. The urgency of the Paris Agreement shortfall looms large. US leadership is crucial. President Biden returned the US to the Paris Agreement officially on Feb 19 of this year. The cry of Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home remains clear. The original alarm voiced in Paris by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned we had only a window of a few years to reverse dangerous warming. Today's speakers drew our attention to the challenge to make a lasting impact. We are answering the question heard quite often when the enormity of climate change comes to the fore: "What can one person do?" We answer: Stop being one person. Our collective voice as Catholics will be essential.

Today we offered a path that anyone in the audience can step onto and walk with purpose. I refer to the challenge from Climate Crisis Policy to "ADOPT A DISTRICT." Panel members shared perspectives and offered links to contact AAD. We everyone will consider taking up the urgency of this challenge. The discussion supplied specific reference to how we all might engage our congressional representatives in sponsoring legislation impacting the root causes of climate change. We touched on these areas:

Catholic Leadership on Climate and Advocacy as a Catholic Call

Priorities of the Administration, the Legislative Budget Process, & Key "Opportunity Areas"

Introduction to Climate Crisis Policy and the Earth Bill Network

An Overview of the CCP Priority Bills

Grassroots Engagement: What does it mean to "Adopt-A-District" - your district?

The session concluded with encouragement- We recall the language of Pope Francis in Laudato Si:
A strategy for real change calls for rethinking processes in their entirety, for it is not enough to include a few superficial ecological considerations while failing to question the logic which underlies present-day culture. A healthy politics needs to be able to take up this challenge.
Presenters:
Brenna Davis- Ignatian Solidarity Network
Jim Walsh- Food and Water Watch
Todd Fernandez- Climate Crisis Policy Group
Bob Simon - Maryland Catholics for Our Common Home
Organizers: Nancy Lorence and Terry Michaud of Metro NY CCM

Br. Kevin Cawley, Director of the Thomas Berry Forum, presents at Edmund Rice Schools, UK

Br. Kevin Cawley, Director of the Thomas Berry Forum, provided the keynote address for the recent international webinar of Edmund Rice Schools, UK, under the direction of Ann Nichols, Network Facilitator for the Edmund Rice English Schools' Office. The webinar highlighted the student efforts to end wasteful practices so as to show better care for our common home. The inspiration for the project was the encyclical of Pope Francis, Laudato si': On Care for Our Common Home. There are currently 12 schools in the Edmund Rice family in England. The schools are connected with the world-wide family of Edmund Rice communities and schools throughout Africa, and in Australia, New Zealand, Oceania, India, and South and North America. The headquarters for the Edmund Rice Schools' Office is located in Woodeaves, Hale Barns, Altrincham, Cheshire, United Kingdom.

The Webinar on February 26 linked Staff and Pupils from St. Joseph's School, Stoke on Trent, CBC St. John's School, Cape Town, South Africa, St. Aidan's Catholic Academy, Sunderland, U.K. and St. Vincent's High School and Technical School in Asansol, India. Jacquie Ayre of the British Council also spoke to the students and the session concluded with remarks by Br. Brian Bond, Director of Edmund Rice International, Geneva.
Watch Now: Br. Kevin Cawley presents at Edmund Rice Schools, UK
Iona College Thomas Berry Forum Contemplative Ecologists Circle
Thursday, November 19, 2020
7-8 p.m. (Online)
Topic: Reinvention of the Human at the Species Level

Reading Selection taken from Thomas Berry (1914-2009): The Christian Future and the Fate of the Earth.

This "Contemplative Circle" is an ongoing series of monthly reflective conversations sponsored by the Thomas Berry Forum on Ecological Dialogue at Iona College. The meetings are online and take place on the third Thursday of the month. A brief report on the conversation in this Contemplative Circle of November 19 is offered here.

"Our sense of who we are and what our role is must begin where the universe begins." Thomas Berry spent much energy on the concept of the reinvention of the human with emphasis on reinventing the human "within the community of life systems." Brian Brown's preliminary reflection on Thursday evening emphasized the need for human creativity to coalesce within and for the body of Earth. Humanity must shape itself to align with all our neighbor species on the planet as we come to the close of the 67-million-year period of the Cenozoic era. We need to awaken our sensitivity within the community of life.

The evening discussion and reflection was led by Sr. Kathleen Deignan who first commented on the wonderful enthusiasm of Thomas in the video clip that accompanied the readings sent to all participants ahead of tonight's call. Participants shared insights and impressions and reflected on the comments of others for the remainder of the hour which passed quickly as always. We say a special thank you to Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grimm who were with us on the call.

Here are selected comments from a rich array of the offerings this evening: the illusion of separateness, bridging the interior and exterior, the difficulty of loosening attachment to our prior world views, how the Earth speaks to us, the problem of the moment in the suffering of people of color, the role of current structures in human suffering; the need to hear the pain of other voices, the awakening to "white privilege", our shifting identities from private self, social self and political self, how the door has now opened for a fresh look at these issues; the truth that our own future is inseparable from the world; realization that COVID has led to the greatest suffering among the most vulnerable of the poor; sense now of a new psychic power laying the foundations for the new ecozoic era; the human capacity for expanding our compassion and the ways that God is the horizon calling us forward.

Several participants took a moment to thank Brian and Kathleen in particular for their thoughtful fostering of these conversations. There were 27 participants. The call adjourned at 8:15 pm.

Berry Forum Assists Chestnut Hill College and American Teilhard Association
November 10, 2020
Thomas Berry Forum recently assisted Chestnut Hill College and the American Teilhard Association for their online presentation by Professor Donald Viney: "Evolution's God - Teilhard de Chardin and the Varieties of Process Theology." Br. Kevin Cawley, Executive Director of Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue, served as a Facilitator for Discussion following the presentation by Professor Viney at Chestnut Hill College on November 10, 2020. The two-hour presentation and discussion took place with nearly 150 participants at the online gathering.

Donald Wayne Viney, Ph.D., is Professor of Philosophy at Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, Kansas. His presentation is summarized briefly: In 1953, Teilhard asked, "Who at last will give evolution its God?" His own endeavor to answer that question often bears striking similarities to the process theism of his contemporaries, Alfred North Whitehead and Charles Hartshorne. Yet, the differences can also be striking. All three are rightly classified as promoting versions of process theology, but they show by their divergences that process thought, especially process theism, is far from yielding a monolithic viewpoint on the theistic question.

There are clear echoes of Teilhard in the thinking of Thomas Berry and in particular we might note this reference in Professor Viney's discussion: "...Teilhard proposes the audacious ideas that purpose is being worked out on a cosmic scale and that life on earth, and specifically human life, is an integral part of the plan. He envisioned an organic and vectored relation from past to future. Teilhard invites us to give ourselves to a universe that resonates to what is highest in ourselves, which he identified with what is most personal within each of us." As noted by Mary Evelyn Tucker, "In this context of our growing understanding, Berry proposes we live not simply in a cosmos but in cosmogenesis, namely, an evolving universe. This changes everything. Humans are participants in this great journey of the universe because we are born out of this great unfolding. What Berry underscores, drawing on Teilhard de Chardin, is that from the beginning the universe has both a spiritual and physical expression."

Berry Forum Great Work Award and Scholar-In-Residence: Dr. Joe Holland
November 9, 2020
On Monday, November 9, 2020, the Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue at Iona College celebrated the birthday of Thomas Berry with the awarding of the inaugural Great Work Award at Iona College (online).

The First winner of this Award is Dr. Joseph Holland, eco-social philosopher and Catholic theologian at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, Florida. Dr. Holland's work develops the legacy of Thomas Berry, focusing on the postmodern philosophical-scientific "New Cosmology" and its implications for eco-social ethics in the emerging Global Civilization and Catholic World Church.

Joe Holland befriended Thomas Berry many decades ago and both served several summer teaching engagements in Assisi as part of an ongoing moving seminar on the writings of Thomas Berry and how they might inform contemporary understanding of our place in the universe. Numerous students joined them in these encounters with the city of St. Francis serving as the essential setting for discussion of themes centered on care of Earth.

Professor Holland is the author of 17 books and numerous articles. His focus is philosophically and theologically in research and writing on the contemporary transition from Modern Western Industrial-Colonial Civilization to Postmodern Global Electronic-Ecological Civilization. Joe also writes about the wisdom tradition of Catholic Social Teaching in relation to this deep transition.

Professor Holland serves as Emeritus Professor of Philosophy & Religion and Adjunct Professor in the School of Law at Saint Thomas University; as President of Pax Romana / Catholic Movement for Intellectual & Cultural Affairs USA, headquartered in Washington DC; as Vice-Chair of Catholic Scholars for Worker Justice, headquartered in Boston MA; and as Corporate Secretary for the Spirituality & Sustainability Global Network (SSGN), based in Northern Virginia.

Joe will take up the role of Thomas Berry Scholar-in- Residence at Iona for the spring 2021 semester as eco-social philosopher and Catholic theologian. These programs will explore the scope of Dr. Joe Holland's contributions to an authentically postmodern global ecological renaissance, at once artistic, intellectual, and spiritual, and developed in loving dialogue with world religions and people of good will. We further hope to explore the impact of contemporary theological thinking on the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.

"Thomas Berry and 'The Great Work'" - Georgetown University Conference
October 30-31, 2020
Georgetown University
Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

This special conference explored the life and legacy of ecologist and theologian Thomas Berry, with presentations on his intellectual journey, "The New Story," the "Journey of the Universe," Laudato Si and the "Dream of the Earth," and the challenge of "The Great Work."

Sr. Kathleen Deignan, and Dr. Brian Brown, both Conveners of the Thomas Berry Forum at Iona, contributed Papers in presentation at this Georgetown University conference in October 2019.

Fr. Berry founded the Riverdale Center for Religious Research to facilitate reflection on modes of spiritual transformation through experiencing the great mysteries of reality. Particularly concerned about the growing ecological crisis, he wrote The Universe Story with Brian Swimme, later expanded into the Journey of the Universe project. At the age of 80, he returned to North Carolina, continuing to lecture and write as a cultural historian and later a "geologian" until his death in 2009. Berry pioneered in-depth, study of religions in U.S. Catholic higher education, establishing a history of religions program in the Fordham University Graduate Department of Theology in 1966. He encouraged generations of scholars of Asian traditions, comparative studies, interreligious dialogue, and religious reflection on ecological challenges. While president of the American Teilhard Association, he expanded his vision, writing, and lecturing in the emerging field of religions and ecology, especially writing on the cosmology of religions. This conference celebrated Thomas Berry's intellectual journey and "The Great Work," underscoring his contributions to the study of religions and cultures, Teilhardian studies, religions and ecology, and the Earth community's way into the future.

Fighting For Environmental Justice In The Time Of COVID-19
October 26, 2020 - Week of the Peacemaker at Iona College
The Thomas Berry Forum and the Committee on Environmental Sustainability sponsored a presentation by South Bronx Unite, a local eco-justice organization linked to Iona by the work of Dr. Meryl Nadel of the Social Work Department.

Mychal Johnson of South Bronx Unite addressed the online gathering concerning his work on behalf of the poor and minority youth of the neighborhood. Michal has been a long-time campaigner for eco-justice in the South Bronx. His group ultimately lost their battle against the placement of large depot for Fresh Direct in the residential area of Mott Haven. They were pushing back against the inevitable increase in particulate matter as more and more large trucks moved through the neighborhood to service the depot. Mott Haven reports a large proportion of asthma afflicting young people. Particulate matter from truck exhaust has been identified as main driver of the disease cluster in these neighborhoods. The EPA under the Trump administration has refused to adjust their standards to account for the massive increases in asthma cases near large urban transportation centers. Mott Haven in the South Bronx is a classic example where black and Hispanic residents experience a particularly insidious "environmental inequality." They need asthma hospitalizations at five times the national average and at rates 21 times higher than other NYC neighborhoods.

The question of eco-justice rises immediately as a concern in these locations. A clear message from Laudato Si has been a focus on the poor in a degraded environment. "We have forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the earth (cf. Gen 2:7); our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters." (LS 9) Clearly Mott Haven qualifies as a prime example of current challenges to clean air.

Differentiation, Subjectivity, Communion, - Catholic, Vincentian, Urban: "Thomas Berry and Sustainability Consciousness"
October 9, 2020
Br. Kevin Cawley, Executive Director of the Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue, offered the opening address for the DePaul University symposium. Kevin had responded to the invitation of Fr. Guillermo Campuzano, Vice President for Mission and Ministry. DePaul, founded in Chicago in 1898 by the Congregation of the Mission, is now the largest Catholic University in the nation with over 22,000 students.

Kevin prepared remarks accompanied by selected images of our (nearby) universe courtesy of NASA, and our home planet Earth and the created world to illustrate several aspects of the thinking of Thomas Berry. The address attempted to unpack the insights offered by Berry regarding the place of the human as the universe come to consciousness of itself. The implications for this insight continue to unfold, especially in light of our newest appreciation for the impacts of human caused climate change on the planet. Berry calls us to act on this knowledge by shifting to a more benign human-earth relationship that will foster the well-being of the planet to allow the human and other -than- human to flourish anew. The full text is appended below.
Missed this event? Watch Video Now
De Paul University
October 9, 2020
Differentiation, Subjectivity, Communion, - Catholic, Vincentian, Urban: "Thomas Berry and Sustainability Consciousness"
Br. Kevin Cawley, Ph.D.

1. INTRODUCTION: Greetings to all. I thank the organizers of this wonderful celebration of the Vincentian charism for inviting me to share with you my thoughts on this topic. I am Br. Kevin Cawley an Edmund Rice Christian Brother from Iona College in New Rochelle NY where, beginning in 2012, I am Executive Director of the Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue. I have represented the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers at the United Nations headquarters in NY since 2006 as the Main Representative for Edmund Rice International.

2. The term "Sustainability Consciousness" has a broad reach certainly, and there are numerous paths forward in opening the idea for discussion. In this context, thank you for inviting me to present some remarks on the thinking of Thomas Berry, a Passionist priest and self-described "geologian" who passed away in 2009.

3. SLIDES- For our discussion here I am also sharing images to add some visual richness to the conversation. The images attempt to bring us closer to an appreciation in particular of the primordial expression of the universe- its overwhelming variety of manifestations in space and time and consciousness.

4. Thomas Berry offered numerous insights on our world and how the universe unfolded. In in these few moments I will attend most directly to his thinking as to how the universe presents itself using three basic principles; differentiation, subjectivity, and communion

5. These governing principles have controlled the evolutionary process of the entire universe from the moment of its explosive origin some fourteen billion years ago to the shaping of the planet Earth the emergence of life and consciousness, and so through the various ages of human history.

6. Differentiation is the primordial expression of the universe. In the fiery violence of some billions of degrees of heat, the original energy dispersed as radiation and as differentiated particles...that were further shaped into galactic systems, our own solar system and planets. Life on our home planet Earth finds expression in an overwhelming variety of manifestations beginning with that fiery first instant. "As the early universe rapidly stretched, its scorching heat spread over an ever-widening expanse, diminishing in intensity and cooling steadily.

7. Everything arose from that single point. The differentiation continues to move in myriad directions...in particular our home planet now teeming with uncountable species of living expressions of the expanding universe...And now- viruses, much in the news, - an amount of biomass that is equivalent of about 25 billion human beings.

8. "Life is recognizable from the collective behavior, the large-scale organization, the overarching coordination of an enormous number of particulate constituents-even a single cell contains more than a trillion atoms.

9. Earth, as far as we know, is the most highly differentiated structure in the universe, beginning with the first hydrogen atom to the first bacteria , life in the ocean, to our early ancestors who stood up in the plains, life has been expanding in ever greater complexity and mystery. When fully awake to these immensities, we stand mute in awe. How does an acorn know to become an oak tree?

10. A second primary manifestation is that of increased subjectivity. We see that each individual is not only different from every other but has its own inner articulation. the sacred depth of the individual entity is one's subjectivity. In the human, Increasing self-expression or self-organizing led to increased complexity out of which unfolds the development of the human brain and self-conscious awareness in the human.

11. We experience the world as emergent diversification and differentiation; each particle has its own interiority. Every particle has its own identifying inner structure, its inner being. In a sense , everything participates "in person," as it were, everything has its voice. (Berry and Clarke p, 15)

12. From the shaping of the hydrogen atom to the formation of the human brain, interior psychic unity has consistently increased along with a greater complexification of being. This capacity for subjectivity involves increased unity of function through ever more complex organic structures. Increase in subjectivity is associated with increased complexity of a central nervous system... In this manner planet earth becomes ever more subject to the free interplay of self-determining forces. With subjectivity is manifest the numinous quality that has traditionally been associated with every {differentiated} reality of the universe. And yet, nothing is completely itself without everything else. We need one another. We belong in communion...

13. Which brings us to a third principle of the universe ---the communion of every reality of the universe with each other. Here our scientific evidence confirms, with a magnificent overview, the ancient awareness that we live in a universe, a single, if multiform, energy event

14. The unity of the entire complex of galactic systems is among the most basic experience of contemporary science. Although this comprehensive unity of the universe was perceived by indigenous peoples , nowhere was the full quantum entanglement and genetic relatedness of the universe presented with such clarity as by the scientists of the twentieth century.

15. We now can see that distant galaxies are all on the move. They're all rushing away. And the pattern of their exodus-the farther the galaxy, the higher the speed-agreed with the mathematical output of general relativity's equations. With mathematical data now supporting physics, even Einstein eventually embraced wholeheartedly the conception of a universe that had a beginning.

16. "Communion"- sometimes expressed as the entire universe bonded so that the presence of each subject is felt through the entire spatial and temporal range of the universe. Everything speaks itself and everything is receiving something from every other particle of the universe. Hence, we grasp the communion of subjects. The universe itself is the primary sacred community.

17. It takes a universe to bring humans into being, a universe to educate humans, a universe to fulfill the human mode of being. But...it is clear now that too much focus has gone into human - human interactions or human-divine interactions. Not enough focus has gone into human-earth relations. That is our challenge now...

18. In the emerging Ecozoic era, we experience the universe as a communion of subjects, not as a collection of objects. Earth exists and survives only in its integral functioning. We cannot save the earth in fragments- the earth is a single reality.

19. We have words of caution on the fragility of Earth's creatures from Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home: "It is not enough, however, to think of different species merely as potential "resources" to be exploited, while overlooking the fact that they have value in themselves." Their value lies in their creation by God and we do not have the right to cause their extinction and take away their ability to live their purpose and give glory to God, simply by their existence. "Because of us, thousands of species will no longer give glory to God by their very existence, nor convey their message to us. We have no such right." (LS33)

20. Francis is calling to us to see more clearly our responsibility to the larger frame. We are beginning to recognize that the human is a subsystem of the Earth systems and that our first obligation is to the entire system.

21. For Thomas Berry, Differentiation, Inner Articulation and Communion are realities emerging from the scientific understanding of the universe. The human must embrace the truth that our own physical and spiritual shaping began with the forming of the universe.

22. Differentiation, Subjectivity and Communion are primary principles governing ethical formation and spiritual shaping of human consciousness. All are derived from the cosmological process...Evolution has both a physical and psychic process; matter has its physicality "without" and its psychic "within." This is what Berry called subjectivity-in his formula , "the universe is "a communion of subjects." Justification for such a view of inwardness in matter lies in inductive observation, -namely- if interiority exists at one point (as in human consciousness) it must exist throughout the evolutionary process.

23. This dynamic becomes evident in the increase in complexity and consciousness over the arc of evolutionary time. In this sense, human consciousness is not situated as an aberration or addendum, but as arising from out of the evolutionary process. Cosmology yields now to cosmogenesis. Everything is evolving. The present does not remain; our understanding of what it means to be human continues to evolve. It is an error to assume the current manifestation of the human is the final product of the evolving universe. Study, if you will, our gradual adjustments to the question of gender identity in recent years. What will we understand differently a hundred years from now? We are, it is true, OF the universe and we can claim that we ARE the universe in some sense "the universe conscious of itself" at last. How shall we proceed with this insight? What does it mean to be the universe conscious of itself? What responsibilities accompany this discovery?

24. These 3 values of differentiation, subjectivity and communion must be respected because they are the values prescribed by the universe. Sadly, our present course can be seen as violating these principles in their most basic expression.

25. We need to turn our focus, in Berry's formulation-toward THE GREAT WORK. For Berry, the dynamics of our living universe call for active attention and awareness as well as profound and deep commitment to the GREAT WORK to highlight our participatory action in ongoing evolution.

26. Berry heard the call in this way: "The Great Work before us, the task of moving modern industrial civilization from its present devastating influence on Earth to a more benign mode of human presence, is not a role that we have chosen. We did not choose. We were chosen by some power beyond ourselves for this historical task. We do not choose the moment of our birth, who our parents will be m or our particular culture. We do not choose the status of spiritual insight or political or economic conditions that will be the context of our lives. We are, as it were, thrown into existence with a challenge and a role that is beyond any personal choice. The nobility of our lives, however, depends upon the manner in which we come to understand and fulfill our assigned role."

27. Berry affirmed and expanded this insight saying, "The spirituality of Earth refers to a quality of Earth itself, not a human spirituality with special reference to the planet Earth...The Human and Earth are totally implicated, each in the other. If there is no spirituality in Earth, then there is no spirituality in us."

28. The interconnections of the human in this process changed profoundly the role of the human for Thomas. The human could no longer be seen as something "created" apart from the whole of evolution. As Thomas would say: "The human is that being in whom the universe reflects back upon itself in conscious self-awareness." WE ARE THE UNIVERSE COME TO CONSCIOUSNESS OF ITSELF.

29. This deepening of interiority in the mind and heart of the human gives cause for participation in the all-embracing processes of universe emergence. For Thomas Berry the implications for such an encompassing planetary consciousness and a commitment to ecological awareness were clear. They constitute an ontological and ethical imperative for human understanding and action. We must all commit to the Great Work. These insights have been given wide expression most recently in the encyclical of Pope Francis referenced earlier.

30. Gus Speth, a founder of NRDC, former Director of UNEP, Dean of Yale School of Forestry offers this perspective: "I used to think the top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystems collapse and climate change. I thought that thirty years of good science could address those problems. I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed, and apathy, and to deal with these we need a cultural and spiritual transformation. "

31. We mentioned viruses earlier in these remarks as they are very much on our minds in these astonishing days. In the entreaty below from Pope Francis, we can hear echoes of Thomas Berry calling for a more benign mode of human presence: "The current pandemic has highlighted our interdependence: we are all connected to each other, for better or for worse. Therefore, to emerge from this crisis better than before, we have to do so together; together, not alone...We must do it together, all of us, in solidarity." -Pope Francis General Audience September 2, 2020.

32. (Final note not in text added on Voyager I photo of Earth taken in 1990 at 6 billion kilometers away: "Pale Blue Dot". That dot is home and, as far as we know, the only place humans can be found in the universe.)

Acknowledgements

John Grim in Teilhard Studies: Shared Perspectives of Chardin and Berry (2017)

Befriending the Earth: A Theology of Reconciliation Between Humans and Earth by Thomas Berry with Thomas Clarke, S.J. (1992)

Thomas Berry: Selected Writings on the Earth Community - Selected with an Introduction by Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim (2014)

The Great Work: Our Way into The Future by Thomas Berry (1999)

The Christian Future and the Fate of the Earth by Thomas Berry edited by Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim (2009)

Until the End of Time: Mind, Matter and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe by Brian Greene (2020)

Season Of Creation 2020
October 7, 2020
Thomas Berry Forum and Kathleen Deignan Institute for Earth and Spirit joined in presenting a program on Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home in White Plains, N.Y., to conclude the universal Church's 2020 Season of Creation. The Holy Father has invited all the faithful to participate in this annual season of increased prayer and effort on behalf of our common home." As the Holy Father said, "this is the season for letting our prayer be inspired anew," a season "to reflect on our lifestyles," and a season "for undertaking prophetic actions...calling for courageous decisions...directing the planet towards life, not death." Pope Francis's message, which calls us to attend to the "immense hardship for the most vulnerable among us," is particularly relevant in the light of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Berry Forum Laudato Si event took place in the historic Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (at left) with a socially distanced congregation on site and a larger audience online. Our lady of Mount Carmel is linked with the Church of St. John the Evangelist nearby. Presenters Sr; Kathleen Deignan and Br. Kevin Cawley had been invited to the parish by Sr. Maco Cassetta, CND, and the Parish Care of Creation Team. They had organized a series of events under the Franciscan rubric of SEE, JUDGE, ACT. The parish Administrator, Fr. Willem Klaver, M.H.M. welcomed all graciously.

Sr. Kathleen and Br. Kevin delivered an introduction to Laudato Si using a series of visual images and text from the document to highlight the structure and significant arguments. Kevin added a series of data points to illustrate several political and scientific realities noted by Pope Francis. Special attention was devoted to explaining the outcomes of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement of the United Nations. The October 3rd presentation reminded all that the Paris Agreement still needs all nations to ramp up their ambition to make the needed changes in the consumption of fossil fuels. We trust that this offering proved to be an inspiring reflection on Pope Francis' Encyclical, Laudato Sí that will move all to ACT for "care for our common home."

We conclude this summary with a note of encouragement from Laudato Si: "The universe unfolds in God, who fills it completely. Hence, there is a mystical meaning to be found in a leaf, in a mountain trail, in a dewdrop, in a poor person's face. The ideal is not only to pass from the exterior to the interior to discover the action of God in the soul, but also to discover God in all things. Saint Bonaventure teaches us that "contemplation deepens the more we feel the working of God's grace within our hearts, and the better we learn to encounter God in creatures outside ourselves." (Pope Francis, LS #223)
Watch the recording oF this event on YouTube.
Thomas Berry Forum Contemplative Ecologists Circle October 2020
10/7/2020
Beginning with the New Year observance in 2018, and later expanding at the ecumenical celebration of the Season of Creation, the Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue at Iona College has been hosting a monthly "Contemplative Circle" for dialogue and exploration of the writings of Thomas Berry. Originally located at the Iona College Edmund Rice Chapel, the Circle has now migrated online as the world reshapes in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recent reflections included a selection from Berry's "The World of Wonder" in The Sacred Universe pp. 174-76: "We need to begin to see the whole of this land...The communion that comes through these experiences of the wild, where we sense something present and daunting, stunning in its beauty, is beyond comprehension in its reality, but it points to the holy, the sacred."

To mark the events around "Indigenous Peoples Day" (Columbus Day) the Circle reflected on Berry's insights regarding the colonial powers encounter with native North Americans beginning in the 15th century. Our Lectio included reference to the well - known Chief Seattle, a 19th century indigenous North American leader and wisdom figure. Thomas Berry begins his reflection thus: "At the time of his treaty with the European settlers in 1854, Chief Seattle of the Squamish tribe along the North Pacific coast is reported to have said that when the last animals will have perished, "humans would die of loneliness." This was an insight that might never have occurred to a European settler. Yet this need for more-than-human companionship has a significance and an urgency that we have begun to appreciate in more recent times."

At the third Thursday of each month an online invitation is extended and a Lectio is suggested for reflection as preparation for the event. At 7 p.m. Eastern time on the Thursday evening, a moderator from the Berry Forum welcomes participants to the online meeting and a brief prayer and recollection is offered to gather the group. The Group Process follows as below.

Purpose, Focus, Method

Our purpose in these gatherings is to develop a simple way to deepen our experience and understanding of the ecological perspective of Thomas Berry. Our process is contemplation rather than discussion, and reflective exploration rather than intellectual analysis. The method below is a supportive structure that will be absorbed and integrated as we practice.

Pre-Gathering

You will receive a notification with a Berry reading/theme and a reflection to use as preparation, and you will be reminded of our intention and approach. You will also be invited to prepare a 'contemplative space' in your home - a candle, flower, etc. - and in your heart.

The Gathering

6:55 - We will enter our collective space in silence. A bell will remind us to maintain the silence.

7:05 - Welcome, Theme, Reminder of our intention and approach.

7:10 - Mindfulness Exercise to help us Connect with ourselves, each other and the present moment.

7:15 - Reading, Reflection, Reminder of our process of "Contemplative Exploration"

7:20 - Silence

7:22 - Sharing: speak from this richer place of connection, reflect on a word or phrase that touched you, listen actively (try not to rehearse what you are going to say), focus on deepening mutual understanding (not the same thing as agreement)

7:45 - Discovery: Silence. Hold any tension (of differences), Listen FOR what you hear US saying or what you hear emerging, Build insight together.

7:55 - Distill (echo a phrase or two of the original Berry reading)

8 - Close (reminder to continue with ourselves and reach out to others...)

The Thomas Berry Forum Contemplative Ecologists Circle has posted a meeting schedule through August 2021.

Every Third Thursday of the Month

October 15, 2020 7 p.m.

November 19, 2020 7 p.m.

December 17, 2020 7 p.m.

January 21, 2021 7 p.m.

February 18, 2021 7 p.m.

March 18, 2021 7 p.m.

April 15, 2021 7 p.m.

May 20, 2021 7 p.m.

June 17, 2021 7 p.m.

July 15, 2021 7 p.m.

August 19, 2021 7 p.m.

Br. Kevin Cawley
Executive Director
Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home Webinar - Metro NY Catholic Climate Movement
6/14/2020
"Everything is Connected," a webinar on the 5th Anniversary of the release of Pope Francis' encyclical on the environment, : On Care for Our Common Home, took place on Sunday, June 14, 2020. "" ("Praise be to You, Lord,") are the first two words in the Tuscan dialect that intone the Canticle of Creation of St. Francis.

Speakers. Our panelists were Dr. Nancy Tuchman, Founder and Dean of the Institute for Sustainability at Loyola University, Chicago and Dr. Erin Lothes, Professor of Theology at the College of St. Elizabeth in Convent Station, New Jersey and an Earth Institute Fellow at Columbia University.

Br. Kevin Cawley, Executive Director of the Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue at Iona College and Main Representative at the United Nations for Edmund Rice International, served as Moderator.

Kevin Tuerff, of St. Francis Xavier Parish, was the Zoom host for this event and handled the technical aspects of the afternoon with great skill. Nearly 130 participants joined the presentation online.

Global Context. At the time of the release of , the earth was warming at an alarming rate, and world leaders were having annual meetings about the issue assisted by periodic reports from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) There was also a push on the part of the United Nations to eradicate global poverty with the Sustainable Development Goals Agenda 2030.

Pope Francis Engagement. Looking back at 2015 we can see three important markers where Pope Francis was attempting to "put his thumb" on the scale of history in the crucial interval from May through December 2015. The spring and summer revealed final text of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a global commitment summarized in 17 goals following three years of deliberations at the UN. The SDGs are to serve as guidelines over the next 15 years for UN member states. They are designed to assist governments on civic priorities for sustainable development in their respective national circumstances. Member states are to report on progress at selected intervals. Pope Francis reminding all, "the cry of the earth is the cry of the poor", had been following the UN discussions and the Holy See was an active participant at the New York meetings. The Holy Father was careful to time the release of the encyclical to support the release of the SDGs. He arranged to be in New York for the General Assembly session in September 2015, when the SDGs, known as Agenda 2030, were unanimously adopted on the day of his formal address to the General Assembly. Pope Francis went further by challenging the world leaders to a meaningful commitment on reducing global warming at the upcoming December 2015, UNFCCC- Paris Climate Conference (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change).

Fifth Anniversary of Laudato Si. Here we are five years later taking a look at the impact of the encyclical. Our first two speakers were animated by and have incorporated it into their lives and their work. The panelists presented reports of activities at their institutions and related efforts to bring to life the teachings of

Dr. Tuchman delivered a striking set of images on the extensive work underway on the campus of Loyola. Innovations include a campus Greenhouse, Aquaponics offerings, and an Urban Garden along with initiatives in a Biodiesel program and a Clean Air/ Clean Water monitoring program. The university has supported a sustainability fund for student projects, a ban on bottled water and a community farmer's market. Dr. Lothes recalled her delight when she first heard reports that the Pope was preparing an encyclical on the environment. She has been very energized by the Pope's message but raised concerns that there does not seem to be sufficient urgency in the political arena for the deep change that is required. She also lamented the absence of forthright engagement of the US Catholic hierarchy who seem generally preoccupied on other issues. Dr. Tuchman expanded on her comments by endorsing the phrase, "celebrate and accelerate" used by boosters of as we enter the anniversary year. She notes that the Catholic hierarchy was not generally enthusiastic on this issue and salutes Pope Francis for his "bravery" in so boldly taking the initiative. More of the laity need to advocate.

Dr. Lothes led us to discussion of environmental racism and the general practice of placing large public infrastructure for industrial power and waste disposal in poor urban neighborhoods leading to increases in asthma and other childhood ailments in nearby residents. Eco-justice must be addressed. We need to move to renewable and sustainable sources of energy. Such a shift can help to de-escalate this disturbing pattern of sacrifice zones for these dangerous installations in poor neighborhoods in the USA. Dr. Tuchman underlined the truth of "everything is connected." Dr. Lothes later made the point that the laity can ask good questions about where their donations are going at the local parish. Are they still supporting the burning of fossil fuels in the parish or are we moving to safe, clean, sustainable, renewable forms of energy? There is a good rationale to give people language in the solutions that they can relate to- for example, offshore wind installations can mean more high paying employment for laid off oil workers.

Three Case Studies
The panel presentation was followed by three case studies. First presenter was Bernie Yozwiak, who is the head of the Care for Creation Team in the parish of Holy Name of Mary in Croton-on-Hudson, a town of 8,000 people along the Hudson River just north of the city. His parish team is part of the Metro NY Catholic Climate Movement. They sponsor local presentations at the parish in a program called Sustainable Sundays, they also do Interfaith work with the community - the local project for the town is called "Croton 100."

The second case study was brought forward by Brigid McCabe, a rising senior at Notre Dame High School in mid-town Manhattan. Brigid, along with three other classmates, attended the Arrupe Leader Summit, a 3-day training course in Catholic Social Teaching addressing the concerns of the times. Brigid presented a series of slides illustrating what is going on with the young women at her high school and what plans are going forward. In Education: school assembly speakers; the Lennon Wall; in Advocacy: participation in the student strike in September; in Action: recycling and composting. The goal is to provide students with initiatives they can take up immediately, especially if the action relates directly to their future. These efforts are aided by wide use of various social media platforms familiar to young people. Brigid encourages engagement of her peers in local politics and is working on phone banks even if she is not yet old enough to vote.

We concluded with Nancy Lorence, an educator and member of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Manhattan. She helped found and coordinates the Metro NY Catholic Climate Movement (GCCM). The founding group of five in her parish grew out of the Catholics organizing for the 2014 People's Climate March; they affiliated with the Global Catholic Climate Movement in 2015 after was published. Nancy explained some of the background on the GCCM model with Spiritual conversion, Education as well as Advocacy and Action projects.

Gratitude. Nancy Lorence was the driving force behind this webinar presentation today and deserves our gratitude for her steadfast, purposeful organizing of this vigorous effort around .
Link to the Zoom recording of this Laudato Webinar including Chat box.
Additional Context on Current USA Turbulence: All participants were operating under the restrictions imposed by a response to the global pandemic of coronavirus which had been raging in New York and other states since early March. In addition, there loomed over all the horrific murder by police of George Floyd. This crime took place in Minneapolis on May 25 recorded by cell phone video and subsequently viewed by millions resulting in hundreds of national and global protests against systemic structural racism and police misconduct. "Black Lives Matter" demonstrations have continued for several weeks.

Sponsors:
Environmental Ministry Program at St. Francis Xavier Church NYC
Metro NY Catholic Climate Covenant
Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue at Iona College
Newark NJ Archdiocesan Environmental Justice Task Force
Catholic Charities of NY Department of Social and Community Development

Berry Forum Contemplative Ecologists Circle
6/13/2020
Beginning with the New Year observance in 2018, and later expanding at the ecumenical celebration of the Season of Creation, the Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue at Iona College has been hosting a monthly "Contemplative Circle" for dialogue and exploration of the thoughts of Thomas Berry. Originally located at the Iona College Edmund Rice Chapel, the Circle has now migrated online as the world reshapes in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the second Thursday of each month an invitation is extended to the circle of Berry Forum subscribers and also those listed as supporters of the Deignan Institute for Earth and Spirit at Iona College. A lectio is suggested for reading and reflection as preparation for the event. At 7 pm Eastern time on the Thursday evening, a moderator from the Berry Forum welcomes participants to the online meeting and a brief prayer and recollection is offered to gather the group. The floor is then opened up. Participants are encouraged to offer brief reflections on the lectio and from time to time a keynote may be offered to start the evening discussion. Conversation is limited to one speaker at a time as is the custom with the Zoom format. The moderator observes the participants and calls on each in turn as they indicate their wish to speak. The hour passes quickly as it is clear that the speakers have done careful reflection and the quality of the offerings enriches all.

Geography is not an obstacle- we recently have had callers from British Columbia, North Dakota, Florida and several states in the Northeast USA. The common thread is a deep regard for the thought of Thomas Berry along with the drive to hear others with similar passion share their insight.

Recent topics included the wonder of the natural world as complementing the inner journey, the need for a greater courtesy toward the Earth, intimacy with the Earth as a primary manifestation of the awakening of the human consciousness, the implications for the human arising from the universe as the supreme manifestation of the sacred and the arising of the human as the moment when the unfolding universe becomes conscious of itself.

All are welcome to join the online discussion. Simply click the link on the emailed invitation each month to join us to deepen the intention and eco spirituality to serve our "Common Home". To join the mailing list, please send an email to kcawley1@mac.com.
Thomas Berry photo courtesy of Lou Niznik.
Catholic-Buddhist Dialogue: Solidarity and Engagement on Climate Change
4/28/2020 As we confront the climate crisis, it is critical to explore what it means to be Catholic and Buddhist. What aspects of these traditions contribute to factors that imperil life on the planet? Just as important, how might these traditions enable us to realize our highest human potential, the deep expression of compassion and love for each other, especially the most vulnerable among us - human and non-human - who bear the brunt of the suffering? Watch a recording of the webinar here.
If you are interested in participating in a new initiative incorporating ongoing Catholic-Buddhist climate change dialogue with actions, please email Joshua Basofin at joshua@parliamentofreligions.org.

Please send your questions, comments and feedback to: joshua@parliamentofreligions.org.

Laudato Declaration of Celebration and Commitment Marks Two Important Anniversaries
2/7/2020
The Metro N.Y. Catholic Climate Movement has produced a Declaration of Celebration and Commitment to mark the Fifth Anniversary of the publication of Laudato Si in May 2020 as well as the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22.

Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home is the encyclical of Pope Francis that has become a global cry for all people of goodwill to awaken to the deepening crisis of the planet due to climate change, unsustainable consumption and other ills that threaten the future of all living things.

In 2015, Iona College signed a Laudato Letter of Commitment along with many other Catholic colleges and universities that includes the following:
We commit ourselves as leaders in Catholic Higher Education to work together regionally and globally, through all the means available to and appropriate for our colleges and universities as institutions of higher learning, to study, promote, and act on the ideals and vision of integral ecology laid out by Pope Francis.
In this context, the Thomas Berry Forum recalls the words of Thomas Berry:
"The time has come to lower our voices, to cease imposing our mechanistic patterns on the biological processes of the earth, to resist the impulse to control, to command, to force, to oppress, and to begin quite humbly to follow the guidance of the larger community on which all life depends".
To receive a copy of and to sign the Declaration of Celebration and Commitment please contact Br. Kevin Cawley at kcawley1@mac.com.

Berry Forum Presents Laudato Program at Holy Name of Mary Parish in Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.
12/20/2019
Br. Kevin Cawley delivered the presentation at "Sustainable Sundays" on December 8, 2019. The parish was interested in hearing the connections between the United nations global agenda and the wisdom offered by Pope Francis in Laudato Si.

The presentation drew a perspective on current issues regarding climate change including rising sea levels, forest degradation, ocean acidification, species extinction, displacement of peoples, water scarcity and other challenges. The second part of the presentation put a focus on the teachings of Laudato Si with respect to the current predicament of Earth. A portion of the presentation examined an extended description of the challenges to civil society encountered at the concluding sessions of negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals at the United Nations in 2015. We spent some time examining solutions to the emissions challenge now facing humanity, with special attention of the work of Drawdown, examining some of the 100 best solutions to the carbon problem.

The Berry Forum presentations on the care for the Earth have included background on UN deliberations as they impact integral ecology concerns raised by Pope Francis. In particular the multiple references to the human right to water (47 times in Laudato Si) continue to inform discussions of the coming water scarcity and the disturbing trends toward privatization of this precious resource.
Photos: Kevin Cawley
Deignan Earth and Spirit Institute and Thomas Berry Forum Host Third Sunday of Advent Earth Mass at Iona College Chapel
12/18/2019
Celebrant: Fr. John Anderson

Advent Reflection by Dr. Brian Brown

Saturday Evening, December 14, 2019

"As we gather in the dark of this Advent eve, encircled round the verdant sphere of this liturgical wreath, we recall that larger sphere of Earth's vitality, compacted by the physics of mass and gravity, and shaped on every side by the attractive cohesion of its innumerable interdependencies which we celebrate and bless.

The curvature of our planetary sphere envelopes us on all sides with an atmosphere that protects, shields and gives us respiration with its principal atoms of nitrogen and oxygen. Into these layers of Earth's air, and on this Advent eve, we pray that we may yet learn Earth's fragile atmosphere, to cleanse and purify it, preserve, cherish and heal it."

The curvature of our planetary sphere holds us in the solidity of its mineral structure, its layers of slate, basalt and granite; obsidian, quartz and shale; marble, pyrite and sandstone. Among these and all the strata of its terrestrial massiveness, and on this Advent eve, we pray that we not weaken nor disfigure Earth's topography, nor plunder its nutritive elements through fracturing, extractive and ruinous wastage.

The curvature of our planetary sphere surrounds us with the mantle of its watery immensity among whose shallows and depths, tides and currents, bays and lagoons, as solitary swimmers or innumerable schools of coordinated fins, Earth nurtures our bodies and colors our imaginations with mollusks and anemones, crustaceans and flounder, herring and halibut, plankton and whale, salmon returning to spawn, slowly gliding sea turtles, and all who swim in global migratory circuits.

From among these and their immeasurable kin throughout Earth's fathomless oceanic expanse, and on this Advent eve, we pray that we be ever grateful for its prodigality, cognizant of its limitations, aware of its polar frailty, and measured in all our taking.

The curvature of our planetary sphere is shaded and fed by the rich canopies of ash, oak and beech; maple, juniper and spruce; walnut, poplar and willow, and the tens of thousands of tree species in the Amazon and Earth's numerous temperate rainforests.

Standing amidst the silent germination of all manner of seeds, held firm by the rich tangle of intercommunicating and mutually fortifying roots and delicate webs of fungi, and on this Advent eve, we pray that we may marvel at the transubstantiation of photosynthesis, producing energy from solar light and oxygen from carbon dioxide, that so schooled we too may use the sun as fuel and sequester carbon in the trunks of the trees that we treasure.

The curvature of our planetary sphere buzzes and whirls in the billionfold teeming of insect caregivers, allowing the sacrifice of their bodies even as they immeasurably enrich those of far greater bulk and mass. In the very act of pollination, bees; butterflies; pollen wasps; ants; hover flies; midges; male mosquitoes; moths; and tens of beetle species offer themselves to feed fish; amphibians; reptiles; birds; bats; hedgehogs; moles; and shrew.

Dwarfed among Earth's legions of creeping, crawling, flying, nibbling, ever small, yet ever diligent and constant providers as these, and on this Advent eve, we pray that we come to better admire and emulate the labor of these beings in the propagation and diversification of fruits and vegetables; in the steady maintenance of life's chain of nutrition; in the enrichment and fertility of soil and root formation; as the removers, decomposers and medicinal treatment for pathogens, even as they themselves become novel forms of human sustenance in a food insecure world.

Finally, the curvature of our planetary sphere coalesced in the emergence of mammalian intimacy. Be it expressed in the meticulous grooming of primates perched in jungle trees; the protective stance of the elephant herd around the vulnerable calf; the playful tussling and pawing of tiger cubs exploring together the shared joy of life's enthusiastic spontaneities; the mutual grazing of zebra and wildebeest on the common patch of savannah grass; or the extension of empathy's embrace turning strangers into guests, migrants into neighbors, among ever widening circles of humankind; in all such expressions, Earth's capacity for bonded communion still unfolds and expands.

From within that unrealized potentiality, and on this Advent eve, we pray that as we understand the fullness from which we arose, the fullness in which we partake, we cherish and heal this planetary body with that same Love for which you were born.

May we, for but a moment, stand in the stillness of what we celebrate."
Photos: Br. Kevin Cawley
Berry Forum Presentation at Iona: "The Catholic Intellectual Tradition and Laudato Si"
12/10/2019
Br. Kevin Cawley addressed a student and faculty audience on Thursday, November 21, 2019 under the heading, "Laudato Si and the USA Catholic Church: The State of Play". Kevin shared images and data to show the current situation regarding climate change and general shortfall of meaningful action in the global response thus far. The presentation moved through the multiple challenges facing the planet - climate change, melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, sea level rise that threatens millions of the poorest, forest degradation, rising inequality, stronger storms, longer wildfire seasons, and the failure generally to achieve the global goals to reduce carbon emissions enshrined in the Paris Agreement on climate. Laudato Si has been one of the bright markers in the world-wide struggle to achieve a coherent vision for a global response to these multiple crises. Pope Francis has been clear that the current situation is not just an environmental crisis but also an enormous failure of justice for the world's poor. His repeated refrain, "The cry of the earth is the cry of the poor," has been carried forward on many fronts. Iona College has committed to advancing the message of Laudato Si and the Berry Forum along with Edmund Rice International continue to spread this message of the Holy Father.

Africa's Great Green Wall and the 'Laudato Tree' Project
12/3/2019
On Monday, November 18, 2019 at 7 p.m. in Romita Auditorium the Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue of the Deignan Institute for Earth and Spirit welcomed journalist, author, filmmaker, and humanitarian Don Bosco Mullan to share his current global engagement: Africa's Great Green Wall and the 'Laudato Tree' Project. An enthusiastic audience of students, Iona faculty and members of the public were treated to a special presentation about a project that has begun to attract attention not only in Africa but lately in Europe as well. Don Mullan has established a working relationship with the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), pioneered the Great Green Wall, and is negotiating support for the 'Laudato Tree Project' in Ireland where he was recently received by the President of Ireland, Mr. Michael Higgins.

Don spoke movingly of his early life in the difficult times during the political unrest in his native Northern Ireland, especially in Derry, his home city, as "the troubles" pulled so many of his contemporaries into the violent vortex. His profound decision to move away from the violence and work for peaceful solutions changed the basic course of his life and career. The account he rendered of the awful events of "bloody Sunday" became a best seller, an award-winning motion picture and ultimately generated the most expensive judicial review in British history. Don's thirst for justice has now led him to the massive task he described to us at Iona. His recent engagement with the legacy of Wangari Matthai, Nobel Prize winner and powerful force behind the million-tree campaign in Kenya, has led him to take on a significant role with the Green Wall project which is also endorsed by the African Union. His presentation moved across the difficulties of enrolling advocates and convincing sponsoring agencies to assist the United Nations Commission to Combat Desertification. He elaborated the plans to screen the film of the project and begin to link 8,000 programs across the globe. The 8,000 local efforts would link the project and stand symbolically as a sign of the 8,000-kilometer span of the finished Green Wall. Mullan has discussed with the UNCCD the importance of building a popular global movement to ensure the wall is completed by 2030.

The presentation closed with Don engaging the group in heartfelt exchange about the great needs of the African continent. He elaborated on his affection for its peoples along with the fact of the immense challenges of the largest population of youth on one continent just now coming of age and confronting the rigors and threats of climate change. They will need hope.
For further information on The Great Green Wall Project: www.greatgreenwall.org/
Photo credits: K. Cawley
Berry Forum Hosts Berry Biography Launch and Accepts Berry Foundation Award
11/18/2019
On Saturday, November 9, the Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue welcomed members of the public to a special ceremony to celebrate the launch of a new biography of Thomas Berry. November 9 would have been the 102nd birthday of Thomas Berry and thus it was an auspicious day for the warm celebration in Arrigoni Center at Iona. Longtime friends of Fr. Thomas, Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim, traveled from Yale University to mark the occasion and preside over the public release of the biography they wrote together. Mary Evelyn and John presented in tandem a vibrant summary of the life of Thomas before he was a world figure; reporting many tender anecdotes of his N. Carolina upbringing and early signs of his spiritual journey that proved to be significant to many others later on.

There were additional insights on how Thomas negotiated the intellectual and pastoral challenges of his vocation as a priest of the Passionist Order who were at first confounded by the powerful thinking Thomas brought to the community. His brief sojourn in Asia proved decisive in turning his intellect to the larger world and speculation on the origins and destiny of humankind. Generally, Passionists committed more decisively to the missionary and preaching model of priesthood while Thomas found a home as a deep thinker and writer, and later as "sage" for a host of students at St. John's University, Fordham and the Riverdale Center. Mary Evelyn and John treated the day as a deep celebration of the life and work of Thomas while recounting the enormous influence of his thinking and writing on the present generation of earth care advocates. So many are in his debt.

The second half of the afternoon was given over to celebrating the Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue at Iona College. The Forum was honored by the Thomas Berry Foundation for ten years of commitment to the message of Thomas as a geologist and spiritual seeker who carried his message to several generations of like-minded practitioners of sustainable living and teaching. The Four Conveners of the Berry Forum - Kathleen Deignan, Danny Martin, Brian Brown and Kevin Cawley - were presented individual memorial plaques with a generous citation of their Earth Care work. Friends assembled from near and far including a number of Iona students in Kathleen Deignan's classes. Several UN colleagues made the journey to Iona to help celebrate the Thomas Berry Legacy. Music was provided by Kathleen Deignan and Beth Bradley. A slide deck revue of images of Father Thomas and photos of the natural world accompanied the gathering.
Photo credit: Monica Hoyt
Berry Forum Offers Laudato Si Perspective at St. Mary's Abbey
11/4/2019
On November 2 the Oblates of St. Mary's Abbey at Delbarton School in Morristown, NJ, invited Br. Kevin Cawley of the Thomas Berry Forum to present perspectives on Laudato Si at their All Souls Day program. Kevin was contacted by Fr. Hilary, OSB, Moderator for the Oblates, to spend the day at the monastery and offer two presentations to the group of 16 members who were able to attend.

Kevin used a slide presentation to outline the current global predicament that humanity is now beginning to address with the guidance of the teachings in Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home. The presentation included a perspective on current issues regarding climate change including rising sea levels, forest degradation, ocean acidification, species extinction, displacement of peoples, water scarcity and other challenges. The second part of the presentation put a focus on the teachings of Laudato Si with respect to the problems listed above. The response portion of the presentation also included an extended reporting on the challenges to civil society encountered at the concluding sessions of negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals at the United Nations in 2015.

The Berry Forum presentations on the care for the earth have included background on UN deliberations as they impact integral ecology concerns raised by Pope Francis. In particular the multiple references to the human right to water (47 times in Laudato Si) continue to inform discussions of the coming water scarcity and the disturbing trends toward privatization of this precious resource.

Finally, the afternoon program offered highlights of Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reduce Global Warming. The work is edited by Paul Hawken and offers carbon reduction comparisons identified by over 1,000 experts for the 100 most effective solutions ranked in order of effectiveness. The analysis looks at how much carbon is reduced based on the cost of implementation when compared to net carbon savings over 30 years. The surprise to the researchers was the discovery that improving the technology of air conditioning refrigerants was the number one remedy, surpassing even solar panels and wind power.
Photos: Kevin Cawley, Tom Stiff
Br. Kevin Cawley Gives Presentation to Visiting Students from Latin America
10/23/2019
Students and Faculty from Colegio Cardinal Newman (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Colegio Mundo Mejor (Chimbote, Peru) and Stella Maris College (Montevideo, Uruguay) spent part of the day on the Iona campus on Wednesday, September 18. Br. Kevin Cawley, Director of the Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue, greeted them and accepted their invitation to present current efforts to address world issues at the United Nations and in the work of Laudato Si.

Br. Kevin described in general terms the current predicament faced by Earth, Our Common Home, by framing the Universe Story of 13.8 billion years and the Earth flourishing after 4 billion years followed by the recent 300,000 years of human activity leading to our present era, the Holocene, as we approach the Anthropocene. The students, along with Br. Kevin, examined briefly the efforts at the United Nations to address the multiple challenges of the current climate crisis and the deep inequalities among and within nations. The Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement were also highlighted, as well as several points on the magnificent encyclical of Pope Francis, Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home.

The students and teachers were receptive and expressed gratitude for the work of the Thomas Berry Forum in organizing the presentation for their visit to the campus. Because of their full schedule of activities they did not have much free time to take in the sights of New York and, for many, this would mark their very first opportunity to travel from Latin America to the United States. The Christian Brothers have been present in the Latin American region since 1948 and have many connections to the ministries in that part of the world. In fact, one of the founding brothers of Iona, Br. Ignatius Doorley, spent the final years of his apostolate in Buenos Aires.
Photo credit: G. Bullrich
Thomas Berry Forum Sponsors Author Ken Ilgunas for Iona Visit on September 25
10/17/2019
The Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue at Iona College sponsored this year's all college lecture for the Core Curriculum. Ken Ilgunas is the author of this year's common read for the Columba Cornerstone EARTH Courses, Trespassing Across America: One Man's Epic, Never-Done-Before (and Sort of Illegal) Hike Across the Heartland. Iona was delighted to offer all EARTH students, as well as students in the Environmental programs at Iona, the ICT "Stewardship of Earth" classes, other eco-focused classes, and all earth lovers an invitation to join Mr. Ilgunas in special sessions throughout his day-long visit.

ABOUT KEN ILGUNAS
Ken Ilgunas is an author, journalist, and backcountry ranger in Alaska. He has hitchhiked ten thousand miles across North America, paddled one thousand miles across Ontario in a birchbark canoe, and walked 1,700 miles across the Great Plains, following the proposed route of the Keystone XL pipeline. Ilgunas has a BA from SUNY Buffalo in history and English, and an MA in liberal studies from Duke University. The author of Walden on Wheels, Trespassing Across America, and This Land Is Our Land, he is from Wheatfield, New York.
Photo by Monica Hoyt.
Berry Forum Marches for Climate
10/15/2019
The Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue, together with the Office of Mission and Ministry at Iona College, led a delegation of Iona students to New York City to participate in the School Strike for Climate on September 20, 2019. Organizers estimated the crowd at 250,000 participants. Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg and fellow climate activists led the march from Foley Square, a large plaza in lower Manhattan, approximately 2 miles south to Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan where music and speeches concluded the day. Greta thanked marchers as she ended her remarks with her challenge that all must keep battling. Her speech the following Monday to the General Assembly has become a sensation due to her bold, emotional and scathing denunciation of the "business as usual" approach that appears to be the default position of most larger member states at the United Nations.
Photo credits Monica Hoyt and Kevin Cawley.

Berry Forum Presents to Corpus Christi Parish in New York City
9/28/2019
To celebrate the Season of Creation, Corpus Christi Parish hosted an afternoon of contemplative inquiry concerning the urgency of activating a robust Catholic commitment to care of our common home. Brother Kevin Cawley, CFC and Sister Kathleen Deignan, CND led a presentation and conversation about the current status of our Living Earth addressing the environmental, political, moral and spiritual features of our present ecological crisis. The conversation was informed by the legacy of Thomas Berry and the moral challenges of Pope Francis.
Photos by Monica Hoyt.
Laudato Si: On Care For Our Common Home And The U.S. Catholic Church Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska June 27-30, 2019
7/30/2019 All Photos by Kevin Cawley unless otherwise noted.
This event gathered over 230 environmental leaders in the US Catholic Church to outline a way forward for Laudato Si on the US Catholic landscape, including its vision, best practices and future actions. This meeting was intended to be an opportunity to learn more about Laudato Si and how to contribute to its integration in parish, school, religious community, or Catholic institution.

The conference vision included an expansion of hope. The climate crisis has deepened around the globe in these past few months and the United Nations will convene an emergency climate summit this September to ramp up ambition from member states to reduce the global consumption of fossil fuels releasing harmful emissions. Creighton University and the Catholic Climate Covenant under the direction of Dan Misleh must be commended for the organizing and conducting of this timely gathering. Participants come away well-fortified to engage their local institutions in raising the alarm and forming potent responses. Key takeaways were noted from the plenaries and eight ministerial tracks: Adult Faith Formation, Advocacy, Creation Care Teams, Energy Management, Higher Education, Liturgy, School Education, and Young Adult Ministry.

Dan DiLeo, Catholic Climate Covenant Consultant and assistant professor and director of the Program of Justice Studies and Peace at Creighton University led the conference.

President of Creighton, Fr. Daniel Hendrickson, S.J. welcomed all and reminded the audience that from the papacy of John Paul II, the ecological crisis has been recognized as a moral issue. He cited Gen. 2:15 : "Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it."

The opening keynote address by Bishop Robert W. McElroy, Bishop of San Diego, laid out an argument for climate change to become "a central priority" for the U.S. Catholic Church. The model of the great poem of Milton, "Paradise Lost" framed the Bishop's argument: the drama of the fall and rise the human. Titled "Paradise Lost: The Urgent Summons of Laudato Si' to the American People at This Moment in Our History," the bishop used John Milton's poem "Paradise Lost" as a frame to examine these estrangements - from God, nature, one another and truth itself - that have broken the relationship between people today and "the earth that is our common home."

Bishop McElroy called Laudato an 'urgent summons' to the American people. "Laudato Si' both unmasks our estrangement from the natural world and points to the pathway forward for us to move from alienation toward healing and the renewal of the earth. The encyclical is a "call to arms for those who would rescue our bruised planet from the forces that deplete and destroy it," McElroy said. "But Laudato Si' is so much more than this. For in its delineation of an integral human ecology, it emphasizes that the illnesses that plague our world on so many levels are interrelated, and that progress in any one dimension requires attending to the wholeness of the human person and the human family just as it attends to the wholeness of our planet earth."

The current fascination with a technological paradigm is one example of the human effort at mastery of the created world rather than humble engagement. We know that the "St. Francis response" was deeply respectful of the created world; very different from the technological response we are witnessing.

Pope Francis reminds us that solidarity is not simply social but ethical. We need now an initiative to empower children to summon hearts and souls to remind us of the spiritual identity of nature. Adam's greatest pain in Milton was seeing the pain he brought down on his children. When Michael led Adam down the hill out of Paradise he lamented he had damaged his children. Later, in "Paradise Regained", the first paradise had failed but now a fairer paradise for our savior has come down.

Megan Goodwin is Associate Director in office of government relations for the USCCB. She is the link to congress for the Bishops' conference. Current initiatives include: USCCB backs carbon tax bill by Congress member Rooney of Florida. Bishops of Florida have met with Florida members of Congress. Megan urges U.S. Catholics to engage with local and federal leaders to keep them accountable.

Dr. Erin Lothes, Associate Professor of Theology at College of St. Elizabeth in New Jersey spoke of the upcoming Amazon Synod taking place in Rome in October. Focus on ecosystem. She reports that the preparation documents include good language. She reminds us that links to the landscape can bring the soul to peace. Local church of critical importance. Spirituality of LS (sections 11 and 66) is relational in its affection. We share Earth with all creatures so we don't dominate. But we live with a dirty and dangerous energy system.

Africa challenges cited by Erin. Nigeria in particular is facing grave ecological danger due to the fossil fuel extraction that has long impacted the country. Technology has taken first position. The environmental teachings of the Catholic Church have yet to penetrate many governments in Africa at the policy level, even in those places with a strong Catholic presence in the education sector.

Fr. Joshtrom Isaac Kureethadam represented Cardinal Peter Turkson of the Vatican Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development, the office responsible for disseminating the lessons of Laudato Si. He has recently published a book, The Ten Green Commandments of Laudato Si. He noted that 2020 is 50th anniversary of Earth Day. He mentions Rachel Carlson's Silent Spring, a pivotal book from 1962 as well as the now famous NASA Earthrise photograph taken from lunar orbit by astronaut William Anders on December 24, 1968.

The Laudato Conference at Creighton held many rich discussions and clearly made a deep impression on those of us who attended. Excellent presentations were offered by Rev. Kenneth R. Himes, OFM, on "Love in Action", Professor Sacoby Wilson on ecojustice and Sr. Pat Siemen, O.P., founder of the Center for Earth Jurisprudence at Barry University, who was very enthused about the work of Fr. Thomas Berry.

This brief note in the Berry Forum web pages will I hope lead the reader to pursue further the lessons learned in Omaha. Links to the Catholic Climate Covenant are given here to speed your inquiry. www.catholicclimatecovenant.org/

Sister Kathleen Deignan, Convener of Thomas Berry Forum, Celebrates Jubilee as a Sister of the Congregation of Notre Dame.
6/6/2019
On Saturday, June 1, 2019, Sister Kathleen was among 6 Sisters in the Congregation of Notre Dame celebrating 50 years in religious life in a moving liturgy of song and prayer at the Eucharist celebrated with several hundred family, friends and colleagues. The gathering took place in Wilton, Connecticut at the motherhouse of the School Sisters of Notre Dame who shared their facility to host their sisters in faith. Sister Kathleen was essential to the founding of the Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue at Iona College following the passing of Fr. Thomas in 2009.

Sister Kathleen joined the faculty of the Department of Religious Studies at Iona in 1981 where she founded the Iona Peace and Justice Studies Program and the Iona Peace Institute in Ireland (1988-1995). She is also the founding director of the Iona Spirituality Institute which sponsors a variety of programs for spiritual development (1992-present). Sister is a GreenFaith Fellow, having completed a two-year post-doctoral training for religious environmental leadership in 2008 . She received her Master's degree in the History of Christian Spirituality and her Doctorate in Historical Theology from Fordham University in New York, where she studied with her mentor, the late geologian, Father Thomas Berry, one of the great inspirations of her life and ministry.

A sacred song writer and psalmist, Sister Deignan has composed over 200 sacred songs published in a dozen CDs by Schola Ministries, a project in service to the liturgical and contemplative arts. She is the author of Christ Spirit: The Eschatology of Shaker Christianity (Scarecrow Press 1992), Thomas Merton: When the Trees Say Nothing - Writings on Nature (Sorin 2002), and Thomas Merton: A Book of Hours (Sorin 2009).

Iona Students Meet Dr. Mary Evelyn Tucker
5/6/2019
Iona students who completed the Yale course, "The Worldview of Thomas Berry," met Thomas Berry's official biographer and creator of the course, Dr. Mary Evelyn Tucker, at the American Teilhard Association Meeting in New York City, May 4, 2019.

Thomas Berry Forum Presents at Yale
5/2/2019
The Jeanie Graustein Lecture on Environmental Justice: "Thomas Berry: Prophet of the Ecozoic Earth Era"

Sr. Kathleen Deignan and Br. Kevin Cawley delivered the Jeanie Graustein Lecture at the St. Thomas More Catholic Center at Yale University in New Haven Connecticut on Sunday, April 28, 2019. The Graustein Lecture is an annual event at Yale to celebrate care of Earth.

Sr. Kathleen had given a full day Retreat on Saturday to the Campus Ministry staff at the Center and concluded the weekend with the Graustein lecture at the closing dinner.

Br. Kevin and Sr. Kathleen offered a glimpse of the wisdom of Thomas Berry in light of the climate crisis facing the planet. The program began with a summary of the predicaments that threaten the continued conditions to life on the Earth such as carbon emissions passing the limits agreed to in the Paris climate accord, the loss of ice caps and glaciers leading to sea level rise, food insecurity, heat impacts on health, spread of disease vectors, wealth inequality, extreme weather events, and displacement of populations fleeing these impacts, all received early attention.

The program was accompanied by images and texts with emphasis on the human toll of these challenges along with a link to global inequality that threatens current efforts at solutions. Participants were brought to see that the goals for carbon reduction set by the Paris accords were not within reach under current practice. We still need to reduce net carbon emissions to zero by 2050 in order to achieve a safe environment. Even if all countries kept their promises to reduce their carbon output, the Paris target of holding world temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius was not within reach. Current trends show a likely increase of 4.3 degrees leading to a cascade of catastrophic outcomes as the land-based ice cover melts and enters the oceans. Dr. Gavin Schmidt of the Goddard Institute at Columbia University has warned that even if we were to end all carbon emissions immediately, the planet still faces centuries of warming due to the impacts already "baked in".

The work of Pope Francis in Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement on Climate and the deep wisdom of Thomas Berry all formed a backdrop to the catalog of planetary degradation that remains ongoing and unabated in the business-as-usual model.

Thomas Berry had the foresight decades ago to frame the human-earth relationship more gracefully. His principles for a mutually enhancing human-earth relationship are the foundation for moving the human project from its devastating exploitation to a benign presence. It is especially important that we give young people some indication of how the next generation can fulfill this work in an effective manner.

The program included a brief video of Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teenager, who has been on school strike for climate action in her country. Greta has subsequently inspired more than a million young people worldwide to take to the streets in 120 cities on March 15, to share their dismay about the lack of action by political leaders on climate change.

Paul Hawken's project "Drawdown" was also noted. He has supervised a large group of young scientists and activists to publish the 100 best practices for removing carbon from the atmosphere and preventing further damage. Both Paul and Greta push back against the language of "hope". Greta tells leaders we don't want your hope, we want you to act. And Paul Hawken notes that often: "...hope is the pretty mask of fear. You can't have hope without fear, whether you're aware of it or it's subconscious. What we need to be is fearless, not hopeful."

Br. Kevin Cawley Addresses All Hallows Faculty and Administration on Care For Our Common Home
4/9/2019
The Annual Faculty Retreat for All Hallows High School convened this year at Iona College on April 5, 2019. Br. Jim Hamilton of All Hallows invited Br. Kevin Cawley to address faculty concerns regarding advocacy and care of Earth. The planning effort led to an extensive presentation on the current state of planetary crisis and a faith-based response. Br. Hamilton and the All Hallows administration hope the school can develop appropriate responses in curriculum and policy for the school community to move effectively as advocates for our Earth's environment. Br. Kevin outlined the current state of our planetary predicament using the Universe Story developed by Thomas Berry and joined this teaching to the recent encyclical of Pope Francis, Laudato Si, On Care For Our Common Home.

Participants met in Arrigoni Center for orientation, Eucharist, light breakfast and Morning Prayer preceding Kevin's remarks. For his presentation, Br. Kevin outlined the planetary predicament, the climate crisis, related deterioration of the global environment, possible responses, current global advocacy efforts (especially the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement), and the timeline remaining for remediation. In addition to his role as Director of the Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue at Iona, Br. Kevin also serves as Main Representative for the Congregation at the United Nations in New York. These duties allow him a privileged window to the deliberations at the UN and their links to faith - based civil society advocacy. The presentation was aided by images and video which brought a fresh perspective to the faith-based efforts in particular. The Edmund Rice Christian Brothers and other religious groups at the United Nations were active participants in the 3-year deliberations that developed the sustainable development goals. Kevin linked selections from Laudato Si to the public efforts of the UN Agenda 2030, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015.

Pope Francis had lent his support to the SDGs with the publication of his encyclical in May of 2015 and his address to the General Assembly on September 25, 2015, the day the Resolution to adopt the SDGs was affirmed by the Assembly. Our April 5 presentation at Iona also related the appreciation of UN officials who were deeply grateful for the advocacy and support of faith-based civil society in the adoption of the Paris Agreement on Climate in December 2015. Particular attention at the All Hallows retreat was given to the recent surge in youth climate activism around the globe, especially in parts of Europe. March 15, 2019, saw over 1 million young people march for climate solutions in 123 cities following the inspiration of 16-year-old Greta Thunberg of Sweden. The video of Greta's address to the UN Climate Conference in Katowice, Poland, in December 2018, proved unusually compelling for many young people and was a main feature of the presentation delivered on Friday at Iona.
Photos by Kevin Cawley and Jim Hamilton
Berry Forum Joins Student 'School Strike For Climate'
3/22/2019
On Friday, March 15, 2019, one of the largest climate actions in history linked hundreds of thousands of young people across the globe protesting lack of action on climate change. Known variously as "school strike for climate" and "student strike for climate action," the movement began in Sweden and was inspired by teenager Greta Thunberg, founder of the Fridays for the Future movement. Greta, age 16, began her protest last August by cycling from her home in Stockholm to sit on the steps of the Swedish Parliament each Friday to protest lack of action on climate change by Swedish politicians. She carried one homemade sign announcing her purpose and on most Fridays sat alone, regardless of the weather. Her actions eventually caught the attention of social media and particularly resonated among other teenagers. It culminated in Friday's school walkouts in countries around the world, including Germany, Belgium, the UK, France, Australia and Japan. The walkout is thought to be one of the largest climate actions in history. In the interval, Greta was invited to speak at the UN Conference on Climate Change in Katowice, Poland in December, the DAVOS Economic Forum in Switzerland in January and, finally, the meeting of the European Commission in Brussels a few weeks ago.

"We have been born into this world and we have to live with this crisis-and our children and our grandchildren," Thunberg said to the crowd gathered in Stockholm. "We are facing the greatest existential crisis humanity has ever faced. And yet it has been ignored. You who have ignored it know who you are."

Br. Kevin Cawley, Executive Director of the Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue at Iona College, joined in support at the gathering of approximately 3,000 protestors, mostly high school age students, at Columbus Circe in New York City. They were comprised of the original school strikers as well as Zero Hour youth from the USA, 350.org and the Sunrise Movement. The crowd moved slowly northward and ultimately finished the afternoon on the steps of the Museum of Natural History where the demonstration ended several hours later.

The demonstration brought to mind an early passage in Laudato Si by Pope Francis noting the urgency of our predicament: "Young people demand change. They wonder how anyone can claim to be building a better future without thinking of the environmental crisis and the sufferings of the excluded." (13)

Those gathered on March 15 hope to continue to draw attention to the plight of the Earth with steady public pressure and greater and greater numbers of engaged young people to carry the message forward.
(NYC event photos by Kevin Cawley)
Br. Kevin Cawley of Thomas Berry Forum Presents Program on Laudato Si and Climate Change
2/26/2019
Br. Kevin Cawley delivered the keynote for a gathering of the Metro N.Y. Catholic Climate Covenant on Saturday, February 23, 2019 at Holy Name of Jesus Church on Manhattan's West Side. Nearly 100 participants assembled for a full morning of presentations and discussions. Approximately 16 parishes were represented at the "Care for Creation Workshop."

The group heard from a number of parishes on their local efforts. Nancy Lorence of the Metro Catholic Climate movement was lead organizer for the day, assisted by a number of parish leaders including Sr. Carol DeAngelo of Catholic Charities of New York. The morning sharing and networking allowed local parish leaders to link and support each other in their leadership roles to bring Laudato Si to awareness in many locations.

Kevin's remarks accompanied a slide presentation highlighting the current global crisis on climate change and responses by the Faith community to this global emergency. The thinking and teaching of Pope Francis in Laudato Si gave a framework to how humanity might best respond. The Universe Story, United Nations efforts, national initiatives, encouraging technology in renewable energy, local efforts at state and city levels in USA, the recent prominence of youthful climate activists globally and the writings of Thomas Berry all featured in a description of our predicament and possible ways forward.

Reading the Whole Book of Life: Ecclesiastes on the Search for Meaning
2/5/2019
The Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue and The Brother John G. Driscoll Professorship in Jewish/Catholic Studies at Iona College were host to master teacher and eco-theologian Lawrence Troster, Berry Forum Rabbi in Residence. His talk, entitled Reading the Whole Book of Life: Ecclesiastes on the Search for Meaning , focused on how the Book of Ecclesiastes (Kohelet in Hebrew) responds to the same spiritual and existential questions that many people face in their lives such as: What is the meaning of (my) life? Does God care about the world? Is there a pattern of existence or is everything random? Why do the righteous suffer? Is there some kind of existence after death?

While previous sacred texts like the Torah asserted that the world adheres to a pattern that is intelligible and moral, the author of Kohelet perceives no evidence of this.

Rabbi Troster's creative and original presentation used a fictional narrative of the life of the author of Kohelet, set in the 3rd century BCE, as told after his death by his student Joshua Ben Sira and incorporates poems, songs, novels, philosophy, rabbinic literature, and biblical texts, especially those from the books of Kohelet, Job and Psalms.

An appreciate audience of over thirty persons, including eighteen Iona students, were in rapt attention for the presentation which ranged over many challenging concepts and a wide swath of Middle Eastern history and scholarship. The author shows us that even if we do not see God, we are all in the Book of Life and our deeds are remembered. We can surely know great pain in this world but also great mercy. We can hope that people will look at the world honestly and not deny what we see. We must realize that while much of life seems to be " hevel, " (vanity, absurdity) evil is caused mostly by human greed and stupidity. We must realize the meaning of life is life itself. God does not forget us but shares our pain, rejoices with us in our good deeds and our joy, and cares for our lives. One of the audience members added that the Earth remembers what we do to Earth.

Rabbi Troster is the author of Mekor Hayyim: A Source Book on Water and Judaism. As the Rabbinic Fellow for the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL), he has published numerous articles and has lectured widely on eco-theology, bio-ethics, and Judaism and modern science. Rabbi Troster was honored by the Temple of Understanding, one of the oldest worldwide interfaith organizations, as an Interfaith Visionary. He is Rabbi at Kesher Israel in West Chester , Pennsylvania.

Thomas Berry Forum Hosts Fr. Joe Mitchell of Louisville Earth and Spirit Center November 17, 2018
11/17/2018
"The Great Story Of Our Common Home -The Great Work Of Laudato Si"

In light of the most recent and urgent report of October, 2018, of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) people of faith and conscience are more challenged than ever to imagine a way forward, a way to restore "Our Common Home."

From the star-dust of pre-history to the carbon-dust of post-modernity, the climate of our Earth has undergone stupendous changes - and in this present age, the most challenging of all. How are we to comprehend this moment of destiny for human-kind, for living-kind? How are we to make our way forward to our common home, restored to stability and beauty? What wisdom will guide us, what spirit empower us?

The Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue at Iona College has been grappling with these challenges in public programs on campus and in local faith communities. These questions were opened once again and explored on Saturday, November 17, 2018 in contemplative engagement with Father Joseph Mitchell, CP, whose mentor, Father Thomas Berry, CP, transmitted to him gifts of wisdom and insight to see the possibilities as well as the perils of our present global reality.

The afternoon began with a welcome by Br. Kevin Cawley, Executive Director of the Berry Forum. Br. Kevin took some time to open a lens on the current progress on UN member states on reducing their carbon output as promised in the Paris Agreement of 2015. Sadly the news was not encouraging as noted in the October 8 IPCC report cited in the opening paragraph above.

Father Joseph took the group of over forty participants through distinctions between gazing at objects and our current predicament and took time to share how to see clearly and not be overwhelmed.

Fr. Joseph then led us through a discussion of the human story and our understanding of the competing cosmologies describing our life on Earth and our understanding of God. We ended the explanations with the description of Earth as our "Common Home" as noted by Pope Francis in Laudato Si. Along this path of discovery we examined global poverty, the human right to water, energy usage, personal wellbeing and competing definitions of human happiness. We agreed that the sense of God as magnificent derives in part from our comprehensive embrace of the truth that we live on a beautiful planet - God's primary revelation.

Later, we examined our duty toward nature and the complications arising when only the human is granted rights because we only allow subjectivity in the human. Everything else is an object. Concerns were raised regarding recent USA judicial decisions granting rights to corporations. The earlier doctrine of the human having dominion over all creatures has been seen now as wrong understanding of the human place in creation. We saw that a just world is not possible if every nation consumed at the rate of the population of the United States of America.

We came to the question of how does a human flourish in these times? The need for inner peace has begun to press on the reality we all must confront daily. We are experiencing a grief now but we must not turn away from grief because it is inviting us down to important depths of understanding. Grief is about love, not depression. Our New Cosmology, the New Story, can re-set the human-earth relationship as we come to consciousness of our place in the universe. The natural world is not simply a resource for our exploitation. As we grow in understanding we are better able to help our institutions shift to the wider understanding that nature is always transcending and including, like God.

More than half our audience were Iona students who are currently studying the world-view of Thomas Berry. Here is a quote from a student who wrote to thank us for the day:
" I wanted to express my enjoyment and appreciation for Yesterday's event. Having Father Joseph Mitchell as the main speaker was a great victory for the day, as his engaging language seemed to draw me in, opening my mind to new ideas and reinforcing ones discussed in class."

Sr. Kathleen Deignan and Beth Bradley accompanied us with musical support, including a stirring version of "Amazing Grace" rendered as "Amazing Place" to honor Earth. Fr. Joseph was a co-author of the new music.

Fr. Joseph was introduced by Dr. Danny Martin, a Convener of the Berry Forum.

The next Berry Forum event will be "Contemplative Ecological Mass" at 6 p.m. on Saturday, November 24, in the Blessed Edmund Rice Chapel on campus.

Iona Berry Forum Represented At Catholic Care For Creation Conference
10/29/2018
Br. Kevin Cawley, executive director of the Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue, was invited by N.Y. Catholic Climate Covenant to chair the opening panel at the Care for Creation Conference on October 27, 2018, in San Damiano Hall at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in New York City. The theme for the day was taken from Laudato Si - "The Cry of the Earth is the Cry of the Poor." Sr. Kathleen Deignan of the Religious Studies Department and co-founder of the Thomas Berry Forum was also invited to support the program with musical accompaniment in spirituality and sustainability.

Br. Cawley highlighted the IPCC report, water issues (cited 47 times in Laudato Si), ocean temperatures impacted by climate change, plastic pollution - especially of oceans, desertification and the impact on food security, droughts increasing for over 2.5 billion people, forest fires growing in intensity, deforestation, overexploitation of global fisheries, and arctic warming.

More than a dozen speakers addressed the meeting throughout the day. Speakers hailed from a number of Catholic parishes as well as universities in the New York City area and included Professor Meghan Clark of St. John's University, New York; Professor Erin Lothes, College of St. Elizabeth, New Jersey; and Energy Ethics Researcher and Sr. Carol DeAngelo, SC, Metro NY Catholic Climate Movement. Dr. Lothes had previously spoken at Iona College in 2016 as a guest of the Thomas Berry Forum. The keynote of the conference was delivered by Dr. Dan Misleh who is the founding executive director of the U.S. Catholic Climate Covenant of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Dr. Misleh previously spoke at Iona College in 2015 as guest of the Thomas Berry Forum.

Presenters stressed the urgency of the moment following the most recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC report was a summary for policy-makers submitted to government officials planning to attend the forthcoming meeting in Katowice, Poland, to follow up the Paris Climate Agreement (COP21) of December 2015. The Conference of the Parties Meeting (COP24) in Poland in December 2018 will be an opportunity for government leaders to take stock of progress toward reducing carbon emissions since the Paris Agreement was ratified. Global rise in temperature must remain below 1.5 degrees Celsius in order to avoid catastrophic global warming with potential irreversible consequences coming as a result of rapid loss of Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets.

The Catholic Climate Covenant conference was organized by the New York membership of the covenant to take stock of the challenges outlined in the Paris Agreement and the IPCC, and design responses to the call of Pope Francis in Laudato Si. Organizers were at pains to present some optimism - moving forward with hope - despite the grim prognostications of the October 8 IPCC summary. Ideas at the parish and university level were outlined, as well as advocacy that will be required on issues such as fracking, fossil fuel infrastructure, environmental justice, and current legislative campaigns.

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3/20/21: BERRY FORUM PARTNERS WITH METRO N.Y. CATHOLIC CLIMATE MOVEMENT TO ENERGIZE LEGISLATIVE ACTION Br. Kevin Cawley, Director of Berry Forum served as Moderator for a program on how to respond to the need for action in Congress to counter the increasing peril of climate change.

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video to explain how and why countries came together to set emissions targets

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Ever wondered: What is the 'Paris Agreement', and how does it work?

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Emergency on Planet Earth

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Care for the Earth to pray & to act

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Toolkit and helpful materials from Global Healing Sessions, 2021

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Scientist That Presented the First IPCC Climate Change Report

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short video

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Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

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The authoritative information on the status of approval, acceptance, accession and ratification of the Agreement is provided by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, on the respective internet page of the United Nations Treaty Depositary under: Paris Agreement.

The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 195 Parties at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, France, on 12 December 2015. It entered into force on 4 November 2016. Currently, as of 27 January 2026, there are 194 Parties to the Paris Agreement.

Its overarching goal is to hold "the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels" and pursue efforts "to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels."

However, in recent years, world leaders have stressed the need to limit global warming to 1.5°C by the end of this century.

That's because the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicates that crossing the 1.5°C threshold risks unleashing far more severe climate change impacts, including more frequent and severe droughts, heatwaves and rainfall.

To limit global warming to 1.5°C, greenhouse gas emissions must peak before 2025 at the latest and decline 43% by 2030.

The Paris Agreement is a landmark in the multilateral climate change process because, for the first time, a binding agreement brings all nations together to combat climate change and adapt to its effects.

How does the Paris Agreement work?

Implementation of the Paris Agreement requires economic and social transformation, based on the best available science. The Paris Agreement works on a five-year cycle of increasingly ambitious climate action -- or, ratcheting up -- carried out by countries. Since 2020, countries have been submitting their national climate action plans, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs). Each successive NDC is meant to reflect an increasingly higher degree of ambition compared to the previous version.

Recognizing that accelerated action is required to limit global warming to 1.5°C, the COP27 cover decision requests Parties to revisit and strengthen the 2030 targets in their NDCs to align with the Paris Agreement temperature goal by the end of 2023, taking into account different national circumstances.

Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)

In their NDCs, countries communicate actions they will take to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in order to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement. Countries also communicate in their NDCs actions they will take to build resilience to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Long-Term Strategies

To better frame the efforts towards the long-term goal, the Paris Agreement invites countries to formulate and submit long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategies (LT-LEDS).

LT-LEDS provide the long-term horizon to the NDCs. Unlike NDCs, they are not mandatory. Nevertheless, they place the NDCs into the context of countries' long-term planning and development priorities, providing a vision and direction for future development.

How are countries supporting one another?

The Paris Agreement provides a framework for financial, technical and capacity building support to those countries who need it.

Finance

The Paris Agreement reaffirms that developed countries should take the lead in providing financial assistance to countries that are less endowed and more vulnerable, while for the first time also encouraging voluntary contributions by other Parties. Climate finance is needed for mitigation, because large-scale investments are required to significantly reduce emissions. Climate finance is equally important for adaptation, as significant financial resources are needed to adapt to the adverse effects and reduce the impacts of a changing climate.

Technology

The Paris Agreement speaks of the vision of fully realizing technology development and transfer for both improving resilience to climate change and reducing GHG emissions. It establishes a technology framework to provide overarching guidance to the well-functioning Technology Mechanism. The mechanism is accelerating technology development and transfer through its policy and implementation arms.

Capacity-Building

Not all developing countries have sufficient capacities to deal with many of the challenges brought by climate change. As a result, the Paris Agreement places great emphasis on climate-related capacity-building for developing countries and requests all developed countries to enhance support for capacity-building actions in developing countries.

How are we tracking progress?

With the Paris Agreement, countries established an enhanced transparency framework (ETF). Under ETF, starting in 2024, countries will report transparently on actions taken and progress in climate change mitigation, adaptation measures and support provided or received. It also provides for international procedures for the review of the submitted reports.

The information gathered through the ETF will feed into the Global stocktake which will assess the collective progress towards the long-term climate goals.

This will lead to recommendations for countries to set more ambitious plans in the next round.

What have we achieved so far?

Although climate change action needs to be massively increased to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, the years since its entry into force have already sparked low-carbon solutions and new markets. More and more countries, regions, cities and companies are establishing carbon neutrality targets. Zero-carbon solutions are becoming competitive across economic sectors representing 25% of emissions. This trend is most noticeable in the power and transport sectors and has created many new business opportunities for early movers.

By 2030, zero-carbon solutions could be competitive in sectors representing over 70% of global emissions.

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The authoritative information on the status of approval, acceptance, accession and ratification of the Agreement is provided by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, on the respective internet page of the United Nations Treaty Depositary under: Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change.

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Permafrost is any ground that remains completely frozen-32°F (0°C) or colder-for at least two years straight. These permanently frozen grounds are most common in regions with high mountains and in Earth's higher latitudes-near the North and South Poles.

Permafrost covers large regions of the Earth. Almost a quarter of the land area in the Northern Hemisphere has permafrost underneath. Although the ground is frozen, permafrost regions are not always covered in snow.

What Is Permafrost Made Of?

Permafrost is made of a combination of soil, rocks and sand that are held together by ice. The soil and ice in permafrost stay frozen all year long.

Near the surface, permafrost soils also contain large quantities of organic carbon-a material leftover from dead plants that couldn't decompose, or rot away, due to the cold. Lower permafrost layers contain soils made mostly of minerals.

A layer of soil on top of permafrost does not stay frozen all year. This layer, called the active layer, thaws during the warm summer months and freezes again in the fall. In colder regions, the ground rarely thaws-even in the summer. There, the active layer is very thin-only 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters). In warmer permafrost regions, the active layer can be several meters thick.

How Does Climate Change Affect Permafrost?

As Earth's climate warms, the permafrost is thawing. That means the ice inside the permafrost melts, leaving behind water and soil.

Thawing permafrost can have dramatic impacts on our planet and the things living on it. For example:

Many northern villages are built on permafrost. When permafrost is frozen, it's harder than concrete. However, thawing permafrost can destroy houses, roads and other infrastructure.

When permafrost is frozen, plant material in the soil-called organic carbon-can't decompose, or rot away. As permafrost thaws, microbes begin decomposing this material. This process releases greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane to the atmosphere.

When permafrost thaws, so do ancient bacteria and viruses in the ice and soil. These newly-unfrozen microbes could make humans and animals very sick. Scientists have discovered microbes more than 400,000 years old in thawed permafrost.

Because of these dangers, scientists are closely monitoring Earth's permafrost. Scientists use satellite observations from space to look at large regions of permafrost that would be difficult to study from the ground.

NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, mission orbits Earth collecting information about moisture in the soil. It measures the amount of water in the top 2 inches (5 centimeters) of soil everywhere on Earth's surface. It can also tell if the water within the soil is frozen or thawed. SMAP's measurements will help scientists understand where and how quickly the permafrost is thawing.

Related NASA Missions

Related Resources for Educators

Lesson Plan: Analyzing Sea Ice Extent in the Arctic and Antarctic

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This permanently frozen ground is beginning to thaw as Earth's climate warms.

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The world's people face "untold suffering due to the climate crisis" unless there are major transformations to global society, according to a stark warning from more than 11,000 scientists.

"We declare clearly and unequivocally that planet Earth is facing a climate emergency," it states. "To secure a sustainable future, we must change how we live. [This] entails major transformations in the ways our global society functions and interacts with natural ecosystems."

There is no time to lose, the scientists say: "The climate crisis has arrived and is accelerating faster than most scientists expected. It is more severe than anticipated, threatening natural ecosystems and the fate of humanity."

The statement is published in the journal BioScience on the 40th anniversary of the first world climate conference, which was held in Geneva in 1979. The statement was a collaboration of dozens of scientists and endorsed by further 11,000 from 153 nations. The scientists say the urgent changes needed include ending population growth, leaving fossil fuels in the ground, halting forest destruction and slashing meat eating.

Prof William Ripple, of Oregon State University and the lead author of the statement, said he was driven to initiate it by the increase in extreme weather he was seeing. A key aim of the warning is to set out a full range of "vital sign" indicators of the causes and effects of climate breakdown, rather than only carbon emissions and surface temperature rise.

vital sign graphics

"A broader set of indicators should be monitored, including human population growth, meat consumption, tree-cover loss, energy consumption, fossil-fuel subsidies and annual economic losses to extreme weather events," said co-author Thomas Newsome, of the University of Sydney.

Other "profoundly troubling signs from human activities" selected by the scientists include booming air passenger numbers and world GDP growth. "The climate crisis is closely linked to excessive consumption of the wealthy lifestyle," they said.

As a result of these human activities, there are "especially disturbing" trends of increasing land and ocean temperatures, rising sea levels and extreme weather events, the scientists said: "Despite 40 years of global climate negotiations, with few exceptions, we have have largely failed to address this predicament. Especially worrisome are potential irreversible climate tipping points. These climate chain reactions could cause significant disruptions to ecosystems, society, and economies, potentially making large areas of Earth uninhabitable."

"We urge widespread use of the vital signs [to] allow policymakers and the public to understand the magnitude of the crisis, realign priorities and track progress," the scientists said.

vital signs graphs 2

"You don't need to be a rocket scientist to look at the graphs and know things are going wrong," said Newsome. "But it is not too late." The scientists identify some encouraging signs, including decreasing global birth rates, increasing solar and wind power and fossil fuel divestment. Rates of forest destruction in the Amazon had also been falling until a recent increase under new president Jair Bolsonaro.

They set out a series of urgently needed actions:

Use energy far more efficiently and apply strong carbon taxes to cut fossil fuel use

Stabilise global population - currently growing by 200,000 people a day - using ethical approaches such as longer education for girls

End the destruction of nature and restore forests and mangroves to absorb CO2

Eat mostly plants and less meat, and reduce food waste

Shift economic goals away from GDP growth

"The good news is that such transformative change, with social and economic justice for all, promises far greater human well-being than does business as usual," the scientists said. The recent surge of concern was encouraging, they added, from the global school strikes to lawsuits against polluters and some nations and businesses starting to respond.

A warning of the dangers of pollution and a looming mass extinction of wildlife on Earth, also led by Ripple, was published in 2017. It was supported by more than 15,000 scientists and read out in parliaments from Canada to Israel. It came 25 years after the original " World Scientists' Warning to Humanity " in 1992, which said: "A great change in our stewardship of the Earth and the life on it is required, if vast human misery is to be avoided."

Ripple said scientists have a moral obligation to issue warnings of catastrophic threats: "It is more important than ever that we speak out, based on evidence. It is time to go beyond just research and publishing, and to go directly to the citizens and policymakers."
Topics

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Climate crisis: 11,000 scientists warn of 'untold suffering'

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The world's people face "untold suffering due to the climate crisis" unless there are major transformations to global society, according to a stark warning from more than 11,000 scientists. "We declare clearly and unequivocally that planet Earth is facing a climate emergency," it states. "To secure a sustainable future, we must change how we live.

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Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet

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March 10, 2020

As human activity warms our planet, the ocean absorbs over 90% of the excess heat. This increases water volume and melts ice sheets and glaciers, contributing to sea level rise. Watch the video to learn how much global sea level is rising each year, what that looks like in everyday terms, and why it matters.

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national aeronautics and space administration

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Rising Tides: Understanding Sea Level Rise - Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet

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The basics of sea level rise, expressed in everyday terms, and what it means for those on the coast.

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Zero Carbon Britain

Rising to the Climate Emergency

'Zero Carbon Britain: Rising to the Climate Emergency' models a technically robust endpoint where we have achieved net zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Our work clearly demonstrates that we already have the tools and technology needed to efficiently power the UK with 100% renewable energy, to feed ourselves sustainably and play our part in leaving a safe and habitable climate for our children and future generations.
Zero Carbon Britain: Rising to the Climate Emergency explores how we can achieve what is necessary. Our updated scenario describes one possible future end point in which the UK has actually risen to the challenges of the 21st century.

Building on the groundwork laid by CAT's Zero Carbon Britain project over the last 12 years, we have incorporated the very latest developments in science and technology to update our detailed research. The report shows that we can create a Zero Carbon Britain using only proven technology.

This report provides a positive and technically feasible future scenario that aims to stimulate debate, foster all-party political commitment and catalyse action across all parts of society.

Documents for download

What you can do

Individually our actions have little effect. But by working together, by sharing ideas and skills, we can build a movement for change and overcome the barriers to effectively tackling the climate emergency.

Zero Carbon Britain and...

What might a Zero Carbon Britain be like, and how can we work together to make change happen? Read the first set of essays in a series of independent thought papers written in response to Zero Carbon Britain: Rising to the Climate Emergency.

Past research reports

From an exploration of food and land use to exploring the social, political and economic barriers to change and how they can be overcome, our Zero Carbon Britain reports explore how we can make the changes needed to address climate change.

Help raise awareness that there is a way out of the climate emergency.

Share solutions

Explore Zero Carbon Britain in depth on this comprehensive two day course.

Book today

Order your hardcopy version of our report and support our work today.

Buy now

Email Sign Up

Keep up to date with all the latest activities, events and online resources by signing up to our emails and following us on social media. And if you'd like to get involved and support our work, we'd love to welcome you as a CAT member.

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Zero Carbon Britain: Rising to the Climate Emergency

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'Zero Carbon Britain: Rising to the Climate Emergency' models a technically robust endpoint where we have achieved net zero greenhouse gas emissions. Our work clearly demonstrates that we already have the tools and technology needed to efficiently power the UK with 100% renewable energy, to feed ourselves sustainably and play our part in leaving a safe and habitable climate for our children and future generations.

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Save bees and pollinators | The Wildlife Trusts

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We have pollinators to thank for every third mouthful we eat. Not only do they pollinate our food crops, but they’re also vital for the survival of other wild plants that support so much of our wildlife. The Wildlife Trusts are working to save bees and pollinators. Found out how you can help save bu…

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WWF

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The science that affects our world
The Earth's global temperature is warming, meaning that weather patterns and ecosystems are changing more quickly than animal species and human communities can adapt to.
Our new introductory climate change resources have been designed to introduce the topic of climate change to students aged 7 -11. Secondary school students, and primary school students with an existing knowledge of climate change, can further explore the affects climate change is having on our world through our series of engaging curriculum linked programmes and activities. Tell us how your school is helping to tackle climate change to claim your Climate Hero certificate.

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Our climate change resources have been designed to introduce the topic of the affects climate change is having on our world

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to complete with classes, thinking about a more sustainable lifestyle

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Teachers Notes

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solutions to ridding the environment of excess carbon

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Project Drawdown conducts an ongoing review and analysis of climate solutions-the practices and technologies that can stem and begin to reduce the excess of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. Our work shows the world can reach drawdown by mid-century, if we make the best use of all existing climate solutions. Certainly, more solutions are needed and emerging, but there is no reason-or time-to wait on innovation. Now is better than new, and society is well equipped for transformation today.
Note: Some of the figures presented here were corrected in August 2021. New numbers appear in boldface in the relevant solutions descriptions. You can view a summary of the corrections here.

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Project Drawdown conducts an ongoing review and analysis of climate solutions-the practices and technologies that can stem and begin to reduce the excess of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. Our work shows the world can reach drawdown by mid-century, if we make the best use of all existing climate solutions.

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Girls' Education and Sustainable Global Development 

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Girls' Education and Sustainable Global Development 

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Ensuring that all girls and young women receive a quality education is their human right, a global development priority, and a strategic priority for the World Bank.

Achieving gender equality is central to the World Bank Group twin goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity. As the largest financing development partner in education globally, the World Bank ensures that all of its education projects are gender-sensitive, and works to overcome barriers that are preventing girls and boys from equally benefiting from countries' investments in education.

Girls' education goes beyond getting girls into school. It is also about ensuring that girls learn and feel safe while in school; have the opportunity to complete all levels of education, acquiring the knowledge and skills to compete in the labor market; gain socio-emotional and life skills necessary to navigate and adapt to a changing world; make decisions about their own lives; and contribute to their communities and the world.

Both individuals and countries benefit from girls' education. Better educated women tend to be more informed about nutrition and healthcare, have fewer children, marry at a later age, and their children are usually healthier, should they choose to become mothers. They are more likely to participate in the formal labor market and earn higher incomes. A recent World Bank study estimates that the "limited educational opportunities for girls, and barriers to completing 12 years of education, cost countries between US$15 trillion1 and $30 trillion in lost lifetime productivity and earnings." All these factors combined can help lift households, communities, and countries out of poverty.
The Challenge
According to UNESCO estimates, around the world, 129 million girls are out of school, including 32 million of primary school age, and 97 million of secondary school age.

Globally, primary, and secondary school enrollment rates are getting closer to equal for girls and boys (90% male, 89% female). But while enrollment rates are similar - in fact, two-thirds of all countries have reached gender parity in primary school enrollment - completion rates for girls are lower in low-income countries where 63% of female primary school students complete primary school, compared to 67% of male primary school students. In low-income countries, secondary school completion rates for girls also continue to lag, with only 36% of girls completing lower secondary school compared to 44% of boys. Upper secondary completion rates have similar disparities in lower income countries, the rate is 26% for young men and 21% for young women.

The gaps are starker in countries affected by fragility, conflict, and violence (FCV). In FCV countries, girls are 2.5 times more likely to be out of school than boys, and at the secondary level, are 90% more likely to be out of secondary school than those in non-FCV contexts.

Both girls and boys are facing a learning crisis. Learning Poverty (LP) measures the share of children who are not able to read proficiently at age 10. While girls are on average 4 percentage points less learning-poor than boys, the rates remain very high for both groups. The average of Learning Poverty in in low- and middle- income countries is 55% for females, and 59% for males. The gap is narrower in low-income countries, where Learning Poverty averages about 93% for both boys and girls.

In many countries, enrollment in tertiary education slightly favors young women, however, better learning outcomes are not translating into better work and life outcomes for women. There is a large gender gap in labor force participation rates globally. It is especially stark in regions such as South Asia and the Middle East and North Africa, which have some of the lowest female labor force participation rates at 24% and 20% per region, respectively. These are appallingly low rates, considering what is observed in other regions like Latin America (53%) or East Asia (59%), which are still below rates for men.

Gender bias within schools and classrooms may also reinforce messages that affect girls' ambitions, their own perceptions of their roles in society, and produce labor market engagement disparities and occupational segregation. When gender stereotypes are communicated through the design of school and classroom learning environments or through the behavior of faculty, staff, and peers in a child's school, it goes on to have sustained impact on academic performance and choice of field of study, especially negatively affecting young women pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

Poverty is one of the most important factors for determining whether a girl can access and complete her education. Studies consistently reinforce that girls who face multiple disadvantages - such as low family income, living in remote or underserved locations or who have a disability or belong to a minority ethno-linguistic group - are farthest behind in terms of access to and completion of education.

Violence also prevents girls from accessing and completing education - often girls are forced to walk long distances to school placing them at an increased risk of violence and many experience violence while at school. Most recent data estimates that approximately 60 million girls are sexually assaulted on their way to or at school every year. This often has serious consequences for their mental and physical health and overall well-being while also leading to lower attendance and higher dropout rates. An estimated 246 million children experience violence in and around school every year, ending school-related gender-based violence is critical. Adolescent pregnancies can be a result of sexual violence or sexual exploitation. Girls who become pregnant often face strong stigma, and even discrimination, from their communities. The burden of stigma, compounded by unequal gender norms, can lead girls to drop out of school early and not return.

Child marriage is also a critical challenge. Girls who marry young are much more likely to drop out of school, complete fewer years of education than their peers who marry later. They are also more likely to have children at a young age and are exposed to higher levels of violence perpetrated by their partner. In turn, this affects the education and health of their children, as well as their ability to earn a living. Indeed, girls with secondary schooling are up to six times more likely to marry as those children with little or no education. According to a recent report, more than 41,000 girls under the age of 18 marry every day. Putting an end to this practice would increase women's expected educational attainment, and with it, their potential earnings. According to the report's estimates, ending child marriage could generate more than US$500 billion in benefits annually each year.

COVID-19 is having a negative impact on girls' health and well-being - and many are at risk of not returning to school once they reopen. Available research shows that prevalence of violence against girls and women has increased during the pandemic - jeopardizing their health, safety and overall well-being. As school closures and quarantines were enforced during the 2014‐2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, women and girls experienced more sexual violence, coercion and exploitation. School closures during the Ebola outbreak were associated with an increase in teenage pregnancies. Once schools re-opened, many "visibly pregnant girls" were banned from going back to school. With schools closing throughout the developing world, where stigma around teenage pregnancies prevails, we will probably see an increase in drop-out rates as teenage girls become pregnant or married. As girls stay at home because of school closures, their household work burdens might increase, resulting in girls spending more time helping out at home instead of studying. This might encourage parents, particularly those putting a lower value on girls' education, to keep their daughters at home even after schools reopen. Moreover, research shows that girls risk dropping out of school when caregivers are missing from the household because they typically have to (partly) replace the work done by the missing caregiver, who might be away due to COVID-19-related work, illness, or death. Therefore, with the current COVID-19 pandemic, we might see more girls than boys helping at home, lagging behind with studying, and dropping out of school.

Last Updated: Feb 10, 2022

The World Bank is committed to seeing every girl prosper in her life. Our projects support the education of hundreds of millions of girls and young women across the world. Working through interventions in education, health, social protection, water, infrastructure, and other sectors, we are making an even stronger commitment to support countries in ensuring that every girl receives the quality education she deserves.

Our 180 projects are impacting more than 150 million girls and young women worldwide. Hundreds of millions more have been impacted over the past few decades.

We tackle key barriers that girls and young women face when trying to obtain an education. Guided by evidence on what works for girls' education, our projects use multi-pronged approaches across areas including:
1. Removing barriers to schooling

Addressing financial barriers, through scholarships, stipends, grants, conditional cash transfers

Addressing long distances and lack of safety to and from school by building schools, providing transportation methods for girls to get to school

Addressing a lack of information about returns to girls' education but running community awareness campaigns engaging parents, school leaders, and local community leaders

Working with the community to address and inform on social and cultural norms and perceptions that may prevent girls' education

2. Promoting safe and inclusive schools

By constructing and rehabilitating schools to create safe and inclusive learning environments,

Efforts at the community- and school-levels, and programs to engage the school (including teachers, girls, and boys) in reducing gender-based violence (GBV) and ensuring available mechanisms to report GBV

Support for hygiene facilities and menstrual hygiene management for adolescent girls

3. Improving the quality of education

Investing in teacher professional development, eliminating gender biases in curriculum and teaching practices, and focusing on foundational learning

Adapting teaching and learning materials, and books to introduce gender sensitive language, pictorial aspects, and messaging

4. Developing skills and empowering girls for life and labor market success

Promoting girls' empowerment, skills development programs and social programs

Prioritizing and promoting women in STEM subjects and careers in both traditional and non-traditional sectors

Reducing barriers and providing incentives through scholarships for women to enroll in higher education and TVET programs

Support for childcare programs for women and girls to join the labor market

For more information on our girls' education investment and projects, please read Count Me In: The World Bank Education Global Practice: Improving Education Outcomes for Girls and Women, which highlights our decades-long commitment to girls' education, and showcases how Education GP projects are creating opportunities for girls around the world to succeed in their education and beyond.
Last Updated: Oct 26, 2021

The WBG supports girls' education through a variety of interventions. Our focus on girls' education and wellbeing goes beyond school attendance and learning outcomes - we strive to ensure girls have safe, joyful, and inclusive experience with education systems that set them up for success in life and motivate them to become lifelong learners. This approach, reflected in the current Education portfolio impacting at least 150 million girls and young women, prioritizes investments in four key areas listed below.
1. Removing barriers to girls' schooling

Our projects providing stipends to improve primary and secondary school completion for girls and young women in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the Sahel benefit close to half a million girls.

Our Girls Empowerment and Learning for All Project in Angola will use a variety of financial incentives to attract adolescent girls to schools, including scholarships, and new school spaces for girls.

The AGILE (Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment) project in Nigeria is providing conditional cash transfers to households for sending girls to school, removing cost barriers to their education.

The MIQRA (Mali Improving Education Quality and Results for All Project) has a school feeding and nutrition program targeted at retention and attendance for girls in schools.

2. Promoting safe and inclusive schools for girls

In Tanzania, the Bank is supporting the training of a counselor in every school who will provide life-skills training in girls' and boys' clubs - which is important because closing gender gaps is not only about interventions for girls but also for boys.

In Nigeria, female counselors will provide life skills training to about 340,000 girls in safe spaces. Several of our other projects also support the construction of separate sanitary toilets for girls, as well as introducing GBV-reducing and reporting mechanisms in school systems.

3. Improving the quality of education for girls (and boys)

In Ghana, the Accountability and Learning Outcomes Project is conducting teacher training for gender-sensitive instruction, and aims to create guides for teachers to support gender sensitivity in classrooms.

In Honduras, the Early Childhood Education Improvement Project, will create a revised preschool curriculum that will include content on gender equity, inclusion, and violence prevention, as well as training for teachers, including training to combat GBV.

The Girls Empowerment and Quality Education for All Project in Sao Tome & Principe is creating girls' clubs after school, where they are also provided with life skills training, and counseling.

4. Developing skills for life and labor market success for young women

The Nurturing Excellence in Higher Education Project in Nepal is focusing on increasing access to tertiary education for young women from low-income groups, and additional providing scholarships for the poorest applications, alongside communication and advocacy campaigns for more female enrollment in STEM subjects.

The ASSET (Accelerating and Strengthening Skills for Economic Transformation) project in Bangladesh is working to increase the participation of women in skills training programs, and conducting awareness and communications campaigns to address dropout.

In Pakistan, the Higher Education Development project seeks to support women enrolled in STEM programs, with an aim to move them from 2-year to more comprehensive 4-year programs.

The Higher Education Project in Moldova and the Higher Education Modernization Project in Belarus will both support and finance activities to increase enrollment of women in STEM fields. The Côte d'Ivoire Higher Education Development Support Project provides scholarships for women in higher education, and extra tutoring support for females pursuing STEM subjects.

Schemes to increase participation of girls in higher education. Through the Africa Centers of Excellence (ACE) project, the Bank has supported increased enrollment of females in masters and PhD programs. The number of female students in ACE centers was 343 in 2014 and is now 3,400 in 2020; a tenfold increase. The Bank is also building the pipeline of female students interested in computer science and engineering programs and retain them.

For more information on our girls' education investment and projects, please read Count Me In: The World Bank Education Global Practice: Improving Education Outcomes for Girls and Women, which highlights our decades-long commitment to girls' education, and showcases how Education GP projects are creating opportunities for girls around the world to succeed in their education and beyond.
Last Updated: Oct 26, 2021

The WBG works closely with governments and other development organizations on girls' education issues to identify and advance interventions that improve girls' education outcomes and provide resources to support countries implementing such initiatives. Partnerships both within and outside of the World Bank are critical to the Education GP's work on girls' education. The Education GP works with other global practices in the Bank to improve girls' education-for example, collaborating with the Water GP for access to sanitation and hygiene in schools, with Social Protection and Jobs GP for challenges related to labor market transition, or Energy GP to improve school safety.

The World Bank collaborates actively with many donors and organizations. As a signatory to the G7 Charlevoix Commitment, the Bank has already committed an estimated $2.5 billion to girls' education in FCV countries as of September 2021-exceeding its pledge of $2.0 billion from 2018 to 2023.

The Education GP:

is collaborating with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office FCDO (UK) about targets and high-level engagement with G7 donors, to support aid and financial commitment for girls' education;

is a member of the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) Girls' EiE Reference Group, which seeks to further research and advocacy for girls' education in emergencies;

a member of the UNESCO Gender Flagship Reference Group and has provided technical contributions to the UNESCO-commissioned study (December 2020-July 2021); and

is working closely with the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) as the implementing agency for 54 percent of the total GPE grants of $3.62 billion, that support girls' education.

is a member of the United Nations Girls' Education Initiative (UNGEI), which comprises over 20 partners representing multilateral, bilateral, civil society, and non-governmental organizations.

collaborated with the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) to produce Economic Impacts of Child Marriage, a recent report detailing the effects of child marriage, which was supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Children's Investment Fund Foundation, and GPE.

Last Updated: Oct 26, 2021

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advice on effective lobbying

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Influencing your MP

An MP has tens of thousands of constituents, and many political issues competing for their attention. How can we make them pause to look at the bigger picture and recognise that climate change should be high on their priorities?

There are different ways of raising the issue. One is a mass email campaign or petition. On a national issue, these have to get to a significant size to have much of an impact. But on related local issues, a much smaller petition can be effective.

Personal letters or emails are good - see below for a template.

But one of the most effective things to do is actually to go and see your MP, ideally with a group of constituents. Below are some tips for doing this. You can also contact Hope for the Future for support. They are a small organisation that specialises in supporting MP lobbying, originally focusing on church congregations, but now offering their expertise more broadly - contact hopeftf@gmail.com

Note that a lot of the advice on this page can apply to other decision-makers you might want to influence, such as local councillors.

Finding others to join with you

There is an easy way to do that right now, by joining with others in the Speak Up Week of Action. Diversity can be a good way of breaking through some of the stereotypes that your MP might hold - if your group has younger and older members, people whose line of work is affected by government policies on climate, people who are coming from a faith perspective, etc. it is harder for this to be seen as a 'niche' interest!

Do your research about your MP

It's important to understand their perspective: if you can approach from an angle they are already sympathetic with, there is a much higher chance of getting your message across. You can find out what they have been saying in Parliament at www.theyworkforyou.com, Google for media appearances, and some MPs' Twitter accounts are also very informative.

Do they have an official position within the government? Are they on any Select Committees? Where do they stand on divisive issues such as Brexit? What are their passions? Many MPs have particular issues that they push for change on within Parliament simply because they believe in them. Have they made any statements on environmental issues such as fracking or aviation expansion? While it may

MPs may be more willing to talk about locally relevant issues, both because they may feel that they have more direct influence and also if they feel they can gain popularity with constituents by taking a stand.

Do you want to arrange a visit to their office or invite them to attend an event?

While the former is more simple to arrange, the latter can have the advantage of allowing you to set the stage. Is there a local project that you would like to show off, a thriving green business, or a school which has installed solar panels? An event with a more 'social' feel, such as a tea-party, can give a relaxed feel and help disarm the MP. If the MP gets something in return for their time such as a photo appearance in the local paper, that can help build a positive relationship. Finding out about their interests may help spark some ideas.

What are the key messages to get across?

There is one overriding one: that urgent action is needed on climate change, that the policies in place are not sufficient, and that the government needs a clear plan of action in line with the Paris agreement on climate change.

But because there are so many different areas in which action is needed to achieve what we need to overall, there are choices to be made about what other areas to highlight. The particular interests and concerns of those in the group will influence this, but you should also take a step back and think strategically: are there areas of discussion which will make your MP more inclined to listen to you - for example growing the green economy or (especially for Labour MPs) the union-supported campaign for a million climate jobs? Or areas where they might be able to be influential?

Know your facts

It's good to be well-prepared. If you have lots of information at your fingertips, then only a tiny proportion will actually be used in the meeting (it's supposed to be a discussion, not a lecture!). And you are there as a constituent, not an expert. But persuasive statistics can be vital both in making a case and keeping a conversation going.

For example, if your MP says that the government has been doing brilliantly on renewables, because lots of solar energy has been installed, you can agree that there has been a lot of progress since the price of solar energy has dropped dramatically, but you're concerned that this is now grinding to a halt: since the government cut subsidies dramatically, 12,000 jobs were lost in 2015, a third of the total, and installations in the first quarter of this year to have fallen by 75 percent of the previous level. A useful reference might be the overview we put together of the government's first year in office and the cutbacks to climate action.

Or if your MP feels that renewables can never be more than a tiny proportion of the UK's energy supply, you could point to all the other European countries who are somehow managing to achieve much more than we are (useful comparison here). The Climate Coalition's conversation starter also has some useful positive facts about the potential of renewable energy (you may need to reduce the size of this document to read it).

When preparing, it's important to think about the counter-arguments which are likely to come up, and responses to these.

Plan together

Who is going to ask what question? What are your individual strengths? For example one person might be an 'expert', another good at staying calm under pressure, another be someone the MP might not see as a 'usual suspect'.

During the meeting

Listen first. Don't leap in with the most controversial issue, try and find some common ground and build on that. Can you frame it so the MP can be your ally?

Then try and make your arguments using their language and values. Acknowledge concerns they raise (e.g. about the cost of renewables) rather than dismissing them out of hand. Then you can present alternative viewpoints.

Climate change is a life-and-death issue and an urgent one. It can be incredibly frustrating when people don't 'get it'. But to persuade you need to be persuasive, hectoring or getting angry will simply turn people away from what you are trying to get across to them. Your passion when talking climate change important, but one must not be so passionate that the message is lost.

Make the MP feel that they would not be going out on a limb by doing the action you are asking for or supporting your campaign. We like to know that people like us already agree with an argument - give them examples.

Tips for Conservative MPs

Conservative MPs may acknowledge the need for climate action but argue that we are doing enough already. But as well as the references above on us falling back on climate action and the potential to do much more, it's important to note that the independent Committee on Climate Change (chaired by a Conservative peer, Lord Deben) found that on current policies the UK would only get half way towards the emissions cuts needed under the Climate Act by 2030.

What messages are most likely to get through? There's a report here on convincing the centre-right to act on climate change

Tips for Labour MPs

Read up on Labour's policies on energy and climate change in their manifesto.

Opposition MPs also need to be holding the government to account right now, both in general terms - calling for a plan to transform the economy and invest in clean energy so we can meet our commitments under the Climate Act, and challenging specific policies. For example the Labour Party supports a ban on fracking. But is your MP on board with other issues such as the need to limit aviation expansion and scrap plans for a new London runway?

After the event

Write a thank you letter. Send photos to local journalists and the MP.

I can't meet my MP on this occasion, but I'd like to write to them.

A small pile of personal messages will have more impact than an inbox full of click and send template emails. The latter's fine, especially if campaigns get really big numbers of responses, but if you can, it's worth putting effort into the former.

If your MP is not sympathetic, will one letter change their mind? It's very unlikely. But we do know that for many MPs, it does not appear to them that climate justice is an important issue to their constituents. Why are so many backbench Conservatives so against wind turbines that they have managed to block future support for the cheapest form of clean energy? Arguably because the minority of their constituents who dislike this technology are extremely vocal. We need to be vocal too!

So it's worth following up on previous contacts, sending a personal letter referencing this.

Remember to be polite. Facts are important but so is the personal touch. Remember, if you don't agree with your MP's political stance more generally, this is not the place to air your views! People are generally more convinced by arguments that chime with their values - you might find this report on convincing the centre-right to act on climate change of interest. But your letter doesn't have to be perfect. What's important is that it lands in your MP's inbox or in-tray as a genuine message from you, their constituent, (hopefully alongside many others!) and is the start of a conversation.

A suggested template is below:

Dear____________MP

I am writing to you because of my concern that the UK is going in the wrong direction on climate change.
Say what has moved you to write - this might be a general concern for your children or grandchildren's future, recent news about the impacts of climate change (from the Arctic to the Great Barrier Reef, to new global temperature records there are unfortunately no shortage of these), or one particular policy issue you are concerned about. Explain why you think the UK's current action on climate change is insufficient (the Committee on Climate Change report may be useful as well as our own briefing here, and another summary here). And include something positive, for example the falling cost of renewable energy, the potential for climate jobs to regenerate your local area!
As my MP, I am asking you to call for stronger action on climate change. Please:

(call for action) forward my letter to Greg Clark, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy / raise these issues in Parliament / meet me and others to discuss our concerns / (for a Labour MP) challenge the government more strongly and support positive solutions such as the Campaign against Climate Change's One Million Climate Jobs campaign.

Best wishes

______________

You can email your letter, send it to your MPs constituency office, or to: Their Name, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA

What else can I do?

Could you get others to join you in writing letters? Here's a guide to running a letter-writing session (focused particularly on churches but applicable to many other settings).

Or how about holding a stall on your high street or at a local fair where people can fill in and customise postcards to their MP?

Request postcards from the Campaign against Climate Change by emailing info@campaigncc.org. (download here)

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Influencing your MP An MP has tens of thousands of constituents, and many political issues competing for their attention. How can we make them pause to look at the bigger picture and recognise that climate change should be high on their priorities? There are different ways of raising the issue.

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Making COP26 count

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Hope for the Future recognises that clear support from local faith groups helps demonstrate a mandate for political leadership on climate change. At the same time, we know the process of building effective relationships with MPs can prove very challenging.

That's why we offer faith groups tailored research, training and ongoing support to build a working relationship with your local MP. The first landmark along this journey is being fully equipped and supported through an in-person meeting.

If you're interested in how we might be able to support you, please contact faith@hftf.org.uk and we'll be in touch.

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Hope for the Future recognises that clear support from local faith groups helps demonstrate a mandate for political leadership on climate change. At the same time, we know the process of building effective relationships with MPs can prove very challenging.

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examples of letters you can send to MPs to demonstrate your views on climate change

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3 example letters to lobby your MP on climate change

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GCCM webinar with Dr Jane Goodall on Biodiversity (from minute 37)

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🌿🇻🇦Biodiversity Webinar: The Road to COP15

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POST BY AWentworth

Niall Leahy is a Jesuit from Ireland who is studying for an MA in Integral Ecology at the London Jesuit Centre. Here he explains what Integral Ecology is.

If you want to know what integral ecology is then don't waste your time reading this blog post and just read Pope Francis's encyclical Laudato Si'. To cut to the chase then read Chapter Four, called (drum roll...) 'Integral Ecology'. It does exactly what it says on the tin.

Still here? Then here are a few thoughts about what awaits.

Pope Francis is encouraging us to 'zoom out' and get some sense of the context in which we live. Trying to look at the big picture is a difficult task so he helps us along by offering a number of different ways of seeing and understanding the world, e.g. theological, environmental, economic, social, cultural, patterns of daily life, personal dignity. Each of them represents a specific way of connecting people or a different 'ecology'. The Pope is therefore helping us to become more conscious of the many different ways in which we are all connected to one another.

The Pope also says that in our present day the patterns of connecting people to each other do not make it possible for everyone to live well. (And by "everyone" he means everyone, including future generations). Using the language of Catholic Social Teaching, not all of the present interconnections are serving the 'common good'.

One last point. Pope Francis is not saying that there is one perfect ready-made, one-size-fits-all, (deep breath...) socio-eco-agri-economic-cultural-political system that can be rolled out tomorrow all over the world which will solve all our problems. It is precisely that kind of thinking that got us into this crisis in the first place. In fact he wants us to respect our local circumstances and cultural heritages and build from the ground up in a way that integrates every important aspect of life.

And that, in a nutshell, is integral ecology.

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POST BY AWentworth If you want to know what integral ecology is then don't waste your time reading this blog post and just read Pope Francis's encyclical Laudato Si'. To cut to the chase then read Chapter Four, called (drum roll...) 'Integral Ecology'. It does exactly what it says on the tin.

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Earth's ecosystems have evolved for millions of years, resulting in diverse and complex biological communities living in balance with their environment. Since the 16th century, human activity has impacted nature in practically every part of the world, wild plants and animals are at risk of extinction, deforestation and land degradation are causing water scarcity and erosion, and climate change leads to acidification of oceans.

In countries like Bangladesh and India, for example, the clearing of forests causes deadly floods during the monsoon season. To bring the natural system into balance, a new economy that is sustainable and respects the limits of natural resources and the functions of ecosystems is fundamental. This requires a shift in how we value, use and dispose of resources, creating a circular system, as in nature.

Urban planning would benefit tremendously if it recognised the connection between cities and their natural surroundings. Most of us do not realise that what we use is directly related to the natural balance on the planet. Almost all consumer goods contain minerals and metals: a mobile phone can contain 50 different materials, but no country is self-sufficient in these materials and all too often this global trade comes with an environmental and social cost. A growing use of synthetic fertilizer to increase food production now sustains about half of the world's population but also causes pollution of air, water, and soils, and fossil fuels provide energy to many but only at the cost of rising atmospheric CO ₂ concentrations and global warming (WWF Living Planet Report, 2016).

The circle of life Cities like Portland, US, point to ways for people and nature to coexist
Earth Overshoot Day, a concept developed by the Global Footprint Network, calculates when the people on Earth have consumed the globe's renewable resources for the year. This day falls earlier and earlier every year. In 2017 it was on the 2 nd of August, whereas 15 years earlier, it was on the 19 th of September. This shows the incredible speed at which we are using natural resources, such as air, water, fish stocks and food crops, minerals and other valuable materials extracted from the earth. The natural capital of the planet is limited, and a better understanding of the connections between people and nature can help to restore the balance.

Ecosystems consist of living organisms interacting with the non-living elements in their environment, such as soil, atmosphere, water, and heat and sunlight, in ways that are essential for their survival. We all know that trees produce the oxygen we breathe, but most of us do not know that our oceans are at least as important for producing healthy air. Another example is that over 500 plant species rely on bats to pollinate their flowers, including species of mango, banana, and cocoa. Like birds, some bats play a critical role in spreading the seeds of trees and other plants and also help to reduce the number of mosquitos ( Bat Conservation Trust).

Alexander Von Humboldt, the 18 th-century scientist and explorer, world famous in his time, was the first to explain the fundamental functions of the forest for the ecosystem and climate, claiming that the world is a single interconnected organism. This is the concept of nature as we know it today. According to Von Humboldt, everything, to the smallest creature, has its role and together makes the whole, in which humankind is just one small part (Andrea Wulf, 2015).

What if we would celebrate nature, the way we celebrate Christmas around the world? Planting trees and visiting seeds markets and natural history museums, gazing at the stars, exploring nature areas near and far from our home, bringing light to rivers, oceans and mountains, and celebrating natural diversity, instead of buying presents that end up in full cupboards and drawers, shipping the most exotic food around the world and extracting valuable resources from the earth.

As Stephanie Pincetl, explained in her essay "Inhabiting a Post-Urban Twenty-First Century": earth resources are treated as inputs, not assets with which humans are not engaged and responsible for, thus ensuring on-going existence of both the resource and human well-being. Currently, the environment is an abstraction, not a living, reacting, and creating life force with which we are in a co-productive relationship.

Contrary to what Milton Friedman (1962) believed, ecological values are not finding their place in the market, which explains why they are vastly underrated and exploited. Even more, the economic system is failing to value our natural and social capital. Sixteen percent of the US Forest Service budget used to be for fire suppression, now it is 50 percent. Instead of proactively managing the forests to reduce the risk of fire, the Forest Service has to use funds meant for other purposes, such as restoration to control blazes. Another example is that there is no bailing out of home owners who are facing a growing number of climate-related flooding events. Eighty percent of the home owners in Houston, who were affected by Hurricane Harvey, had no insurance.
Can nature make the headlines?
If we look at food production, healthy soil is critical, not only for water and food crops, but also to clean and store water, support biodiversity, and regulation of climate. If we think of the web of life, soil perfectly demonstrates the interconnectedness of nature. Organic matter in soil, such as decomposing plant and animal residues, stores more carbon than do plants and the atmosphere combined (Stanford Earth School). It is hard to imagine that a single teaspoon of healthy soil can contain more organisms (e.g., bacteria and fungi) than there are people on the planet (United States Department of Agriculture), a foundation of life (Oregon State University). Better soil management can solve a lot of today's challenges, even though there is hardly any attention given to it in landscape management and agriculture.

There is a lot of potential in getting a better understanding of these regenerative natural processes to learn how to design a more sustainable society and future-proof business models. There are a variety of ways to stimulate this learning, ranging from early childhood experience of nature, integrated natural resource management, bringing nature to schoolyards and in education programmes and the use of one of the most powerful engines of change of this century: social media.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List has assessed around 85,000 species of which almost 25,000 face extinction. According to the WWF Living Planet Report 2016, loss and degradation of habitat and climate change are the main threats for the loss of species. As the rate of extinction is going at a faster speed than ever before, understanding the reasons for the decline of animal and plant species is essential to protect them and the future of human life.

March for Science, 2017
On 26 September 2016, the last Rabbs' fringe-limbed treefrog died in the Atlanta Botanical Garden. His name was Toughie. The species lived in Panama before it became extinct in the wild as a result of habitat destruction and the amphibian disease, chytrid fungus. The Guardian wrote an interesting article last year that highlighted how the extinction of a frog species gets little attention in the media. If this single frog species is looked at in the context of declining amphibian populations and the mass extinction crisis described by researchers in 2015 in a paper lead by Mark Williams from the University of Leicester, called " The Anthropocene biosphere " many more species could become the last of their kind due to human actions. If frogs do not make headlines, one could wonder about other species, for example lions admired by all, shown in children's books and movies, and show-stoppers in the zoo. However, what most people do not know is that in the wild, the lion population declined by approximately 43 percent between 1993 and 2014 (IUCN Red List).

Mural at bus station at Playa del Carmen, Mexico How can each and every one of us help shift the balance?
As humans and nature are inextricably coupled, and people depend on the plants, animals and microorganisms that supply important ecosystem services, it is really important to find ways to reach the minds and hearts of all people and to create a better understanding of nature and what loss of biodiversity means.

It is clear that science alone will not do the trick. What is promising though is the revelation of processes that influence policy through internet and social media. It has a power that is stronger than ever, bringing out into the open what remained hidden for a long time and facilitating analysis of data, interactions and flows of information in a mind-boggling way.

The WWF Living Planet Report 2016 presents an example of an integrated landscape approach to help reconcile competing objectives of economic development and environmental sustainability. Lake Naivasha is Kenya's second largest freshwater body which supports a large horticulture industry, representing about 70 percent of Kenya's cut-flower exports as well as a fishing industry, a growing tourism and holiday homes sector, and dairy and beef industries. The lake is home to a growing human population and is recognized for its rich biodiversity. A severe drought in 2009 was a wake-up call to develop an integrated approach to natural resource management. Formerly antagonistic stakeholders came together to develop a common vision for the Lake Naivasha basin, and this process was supported by political commitment. This lead to an action plan that included a payment for environmental services scheme in which stakeholders in the lower reaches of the catchments offer small incentive payments to upstream smallholders for carrying out good land-use practices.

Another inspiring example is that Paris is transforming school playgrounds into green public spaces as part of the cities' resilience strategy. The first step consists of taking out the concrete and the asphalt, using more sustainable materials, greenery, and water in the schoolyards and using them as an educational programme for children about climate change. The second step is to open 600,000 square metres of schoolyards to the public.

In May 2015, WWF-Hong Kong launched a project to discover biodiversity in Hong Kong wetlands. With the help of many experts and volunteer citizen scientists, the number of plant and animal species recorded in this area rose to over 2,050. This project has helped raise awareness of biodiversity among the public in one of the world's most urbanized areas and biodiversity hotspots and helps with the future management of the area. The project was funded by HSBC, who have been funding WWF's wetland conservation work since 1999, in the belief that economic development should be underpinned by the health of the world's ecosystem and resources.

An example that demonstrates how nature can become part of the life of urban citizens is the Island Bay Marine Education Centre in Wellington, New Zealand. The city is located on a peninsula and has a marine reserve along its beach, 6 kilometres from the city centre. The reserve brings nature into close proximity of citizens and many, including the mayor, speak passionately about the connections with nature and protecting the sea and marine environment (Beatley, 2014).

In a time when we often see that scientific disciplines become more specialized, the lessons from Alexander Von Humboldt to understanding nature in a holistic way are as relevant today as they were back in the 19th century.

Restoring the natural cycle and ecological functions of soil, water and nutrients are key, as well as new ways to measure development beyond GDP, capturing the value of nature. How does this link to the world's cities?

To make a transition toward an economic model that is in balance with nature requires solid knowledge and understanding of the linkages between environmental wellbeing and quality of urban life, economic development, climate change, as well as continuous monitoring of biodiversity and ecosystems and their services at all levels, within and around cities.

The extensive green spaces found in many cities are often part of an integrated network that links them to forests and other natural ecosystems far outside the city. To ensure this interconnectivity at the governance level, local authorities have a lot to win when they pursue the protection and management of natural resources and landscape planning, creating multiple benefits for citizens.
van Ham, Chantal, IUCN's EU Programme Manager for Nature Based Solutions. 2018. 'In the Spirit of Nature'. The Nature of Cities. 21 January 2018. References
The City Parks Alliance in the U.S. is a wonderful nationwide initiative that shows there is a growing interest among city leaders to invest in creating space for nature in urban areas for health, economic reasons and the environment.

For urban planners and decision makers it is essential to work across disciplines and city departments to find common ground to integrate nature-based solutions in urban planning, design and development. This starts by creating a better understanding of the natural assets.

Interesting examples, such as a Corporate Natural Capital Account, developed by The London Borough of Barnet, provide evidence to quantify the economic, social and environmental benefits of its green infrastructure assets. This account shows the enormous value of parks and open spaces for the wellbeing of the residents. The total value of these benefits is estimated at more than £1 billion over the next 25 years, with the costs of maintaining them estimated at £72 million.

Ecosystem services need to be taken into account in planning and development processes. Creating ways for urban citizens to understand their connections with the natural surroundings, such as education centers, trails, spaces for recreation, school projects, maps of parks and biodiversity, increases their appreciation and willingness to become stewards of nature in and around their cities.

Solutions that combine ecology and economy, and innovative business models that create value based on the potential of circular systems, inspired by nature, are key for restoring the balance. This includes the restoration of damaged ecosystems and ecosystem services, halting the loss of priority habitats and significantly expanding the global protected areas network.

The most important mission of current and future generations is to make the shift that disentangles economic development from environmental degradation, to create a future that is in harmony with nature. Cities are excellent places to create this change, as they are full of innovative ideas, business opportunities, and creative minds. We need to become stewards of the planet, and as most of the examples above show, when we are able to bring back the motivation and imagination to protect and restore the wondrous connectivity of our natural world a lot of opportunities arise.

Beatley, Timothy, 2014, Blue Urbanism: exploring connections between cities and oceans

Earth Overshoot Day, Ecological Footprint Network, https://www.overshootday.org/

Milton Friedman 1962, Capitalism and Freedom, University of Chicago Press

Andrea Wulf, 2015, The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/27/books/review/the-invention-of-nature-by-andrea-wulf.html

WWF Living Planet Report, 2016 http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/all_publications/lpr_2016/

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In the spirit of nature, everything is connected

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To bring the natural system into balance, a new economy that is sustainable and respects the limits of natural resources and the functions of ecosystems is fundamental. This requires a shift in how we value, use and dispose of resources, creating a circular system, as in nature.

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A storm is raging around the world.

In every country on earth, families are being buffeted by forces outside their control. Health systems are straining, economies are being squeezed and governments are scrambling to get a grip.

At the same time, our natural environment is still being vandalised. Enormous numbers of children remain out of decent education. And violence continues unabated in many places, including within millions of households.

The pandemic did not cause this storm - all these challenges pre-existed the novel coronavirus. But it's certainly accelerated it.

And while the disease itself mainly affects older people, in the long run its protracted, pervasive secondary impacts are likely to be devastating for younger generations.

Children alive today will forever be 'the Covid Generation', their lives deeply marked by the impacts of the pandemic. Our new report, Covid's Kids, sets out how children will experience exacerbated deprivations in their health, nutrition, education, protection or wellbeing that, for some, will cause them to suffer a lifetime of poverty, violence and other rights abuses.

Many of these harms are being experienced by children in rich countries as well as poorer ones. And while there are clearly great differences across the world, there are also huge amounts that all today's children are experiencing in common.

Our debts to children

The youngest generation carries our hopes for a brighter future. But there's a real risk that it becomes a generation that is failed by the choices we make today. With governments borrowing unprecedent amounts to respond to the crisis, it looks as though it will be today's children, as they grow older, who will bear the costs of recovery.

But this is also a moment of opportunity. Rebuilding from the ruins of the pandemic offers a once-in-a-generation chance to catalyse the emergence of economies that value what really matters. In other words, a world-changing opportunity to:

put family finances at the heart of economic decision-making everywhere

prioritise universal public services

protect parents from precarious employment

re‑focus on international economic cooperation that puts the rights and interests of children first.

To put it bluntly, adults - especially wealthier ones in the global North - owe an enormous debt to our children for the harm that we have done to the planet. The virus has arisen out of environmental degradation and the pandemic has further delayed action on tackling these harms.

But we have also seen that drastic change is possible. Now, post-pandemic recovery packages offer a one-off opportunity to turn towards ecologically sound economics.

Debts are also owed to children by (some) adults for our failure to take sufficiently seriously the scourge of social injustice. Millions of children are currently being held back from realising their rights through deep inequalities that run through every society, reflecting imbalances of power entrenched by systems of governance.

The pandemic has reproduced and deepened inequity. And it has shown that, unless inequalities are addressed, we are all more vulnerable and less resilient in the face of collective threats.

Finally, today's children will inherit a world in which multilateral action to solve shared problems is in historic retreat. Over the last century, global cooperation has been fundamental to the advance of children's rights and human rights. And it has underpinned efforts to tackle collective challenges and to protect us from collective threats.

The turn towards inter-state competition and away from cooperation has been one of the hallmarks of international responses to the pandemic. It may deepen further as the economic and social consequences of the crisis unfold over the coming years. What's becoming ever clearer is that the primary losers in the collapse of multilateralism will be today's children.

There must be no return to 'normal'

The Covid Generation cannot afford a return to 'normal'. The scale and severity of poverty, inequality, malnutrition, poor health, precariousness and exclusion that persisted before the pandemic, the acute lack of resources for education, the mental health crisis, the persistence of violence against children, the carnage being wreaked on the environment, the diminishing of human rights, the polarisation in our public realms and the loss of confidence in international cooperation all mean that for many millions of children, normal simply wasn't good enough.

Without diminishing the extraordinary toughness of the current time - the deaths, the illness and the enormous social and economic pressure that millions of people are under - we should recognise the pandemic as a "portal". It invites us not simply to accept a future that is already laid down, but to play an active part in shaping a better one. The children who are growing up around the world now - Covid's kids - have the biggest stake in what that future looks like. But we - Covid's adults - have the biggest role in determining whether the 2020s will see a great reversal or a historic advance in children's rights.

Some responses to the pandemic offer real grounds for hope. All over the world, communities are coming together, understanding and supporting each other in new ways. There's growing recognition of the indispensable contributions to society made by those whose work is often underpaid or unpaid and most often done by women, girls, people from ethnic minorities, migrants and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. That is, a realisation that there's no correlation between the size of your pay packet and the size of your contribution to society.

During periods of lockdown, the natural world has enjoyed some partial respite from humanity's relentless impact. And there's emerging evidence of a more active global conversation about mental wellbeing and the simple things that can help protect it. Despite the huge divergences that exist between us in terms of power, privilege and experiences, there seems to be greater consideration of our commonality too. These are all grounds for deep optimism.

On all fronts there are big battles to be won. In our report, we've set these out using a five-pillar framework:

Create economies in which all children can thrive

Rescue childhood for the Covid Generation

Save children's natural inheritance

Govern for children's rights - by sharing and building power

Govern for children's rights - through international cooperation

To say that 'children are our future' is a cliché. Unlike many clichés, however, this one captures a fundamental truth: the values, skills, capabilities, hopes and dreams that we engender in Covid's kids represent our greatest hope for a more peaceful, more prosperous and fairer world.
Read our new Covid's Kids report.

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A storm is raging around the world. In every country on earth, families are being buffeted by forces outside their control. Health systems are straining, economies are being squeezed and governments are scrambling to get a grip. At the same time, our natural environment is still being vandalised.

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a video explaining Laudato Si in 4 minutes

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Laudato Si'

Humanity, along with all of creation, is on a critical journey. Climate change and environmental destruction are impacting everyone, most especially the poor.

In 2015 Pope Francis published Laudato Si' - On Care for Our Common Home. This ground-breaking encyclical is addressed to "every single person living on this planet". He urges us all to listen to "the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor".
Read the full text of Laudato Si
Trócaire is inspired by Laudato Si' . Our work around the world eases the cries of both the Earth and the poor.

In Ireland, we work with parishes to translate its words into action.

Our 'Living Laudato Si' project' encourages parishes to engage with these issues. We must reflect on what is happening to our common home. We must pray for our world and take action for a more sustainable future for all.

We also help Catholic institutions to divest their finances from the fossil fuel industry.

Pope Francis reminds us: "Living our vocation to be protectors of God's handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or secondary aspect of our Christian experience".

Join us on this Laudato Si' journey today.

Truly, much can be done!

This animation gives an overview of the key themes in Laudato Si' and is suitable for school or parish use

View our Laudato Si' resources

Trócaire Head Office, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland, W23 NX63. Tel: +353 1 6293333

Republic of Ireland: Charity Regulatory Authority No. 20204842; Revenue Number CHY 22508; Company Number 661147.
Northern Ireland: Charity Commission for NI No. NIC103321; Revenue Number (HMRC) XR10431; Company Number NI021482.

Trócaire Head Office, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland, W23 NX63. Tel: +353 1 6293333

Republic of Ireland: Charity Regulatory Authority No. 20204842; Revenue Number CHY 22508; Company Number 661147.
Northern Ireland: Charity Commission for NI No. NIC103321; Revenue Number (HMRC) XR10431; Company Number NI021482.

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Humanity, along with all of creation, is on a critical journey. Climate change and environmental destruction are impacting everyone, most especially the poor. In 2015 Pope Francis published Laudato Si' - On Care for Our Common Home. This ground-breaking encyclical is addressed to "every single person living on this planet".

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a Trocaire Laudato Si resource

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the importance of reconnecting with our natural environment and ways to do this

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The climate crisis, wildlife emergency and Covid-19 pandemic show that the relationship between people and the rest of nature is failing. This briefing draws together key findings from our research into human-nature connections. The purpose is to inform people of the evidence and what it means in practice. Download as a PDF, or read the blog.

The challenge - a failing relationship with nature

There's no wellbeing without nature's wellbeing. Everyone is at risk from the loss of habitats and a warming planet. The climate crisis, wildlife emergency and Covid-19 pandemic show that the existing relationship between people and the rest of nature is broken. It has become disconnected and narrow. Too often we see nature as something to use, control or as a threat to us. To fix this we need a new relationship with nature and doing so can also help tackle the crisis in our mental health and wellbeing.

In the UK, the Government's 25-year Environment Plan aims to improve the natural environment within a generation and to reconnect people with nature [1]. To achieve that, people everywhere need to feel that nature matters to them.

The relationship between people and the rest of nature, 'Nature Connectedness', is grounded in scientific study, is measurable and accepted internationally. It involves understanding that we are part of nature. It is about our emotional connections and responses to nature, which help to regulate our own feelings and keep us mentally healthy. And it is about a meaningful relationship with the rest of nature rather than seeing it as something other. In short, it's understanding that as humans nature is our story.

The big ambition - a new relationship with nature

Our ambition is happier and more fulfilled people and a thriving environment created by forging a new relationship with nature. To build that new relationship, and hence the wellbeing of people and the rest of the natural world, we need to reboot our policies and practices so that they enable people to connect with nature. We must go beyond access and visits to nature. Beyond engaging people with nature through facts and figures. The evidence outlined below tells us we can build a new relationship by focusing on five types of activity: tuning our senses, responding with our emotions, appreciating beauty, celebrating meaning and activating our compassion for nature. We must also moderate our use and control of nature.

The evidence - why our relationship with nature matters

The University of Derby is leading the development of ground-breaking evidence that explains what nature connectedness is, how it can be measured, its benefits for human and environmental wellbeing - and, importantly, how it can be improved.

Science shows we need to go beyond simply enabling people's access to nature, and enable people to build a connection with nature. It is our connection with nature that supports human and environmental health and wellbeing.

Here are some highlights of our research:

Our recent National Statistics survey work [2] [blog] with Natural England and others shows that:

People's nature connectedness, but not their contact with nature, predicts a sense that life is worthwhile - nearly 4 times larger than the increase associated with higher socio-economic status.

Nature connectedness predicts pro-environmental conservation behaviours, while the frequency of visits into nature does not.

Nature connectedness predicts pro-environmental household behaviours better than, and independently of, the frequency of visits into nature.

Levels of nature connectedness in children dip sharply between the ages of 10 and 15 years and can take 20 years to re-establish, to levels that are still insufficient for a sustainable future [3] [blog].

Our work with The Wildlife Trusts' 30 Days Wild public engagement campaign found that people who took part reported sustained increases in connection to nature, happiness, health, and pro-nature behaviours. Simple everyday engagement with nature matters [4] [blog].

Our work on pathways to nature connectedness found that sensory contact, emotion, beauty, meaning and compassion connected people to nature more effectively than the traditional approach of facts, figures and science [5] [blog].

Our work to develop a smartphone app found that people with common mental health problems who noticed good things about urban nature showed clinically significant improvements in their quality of life [6] [blog].

Our work shows nature connectedness is linked to both feeling good and functioning well - notably bringinghigher levels of self-reported personal growth [7] [blog].

Wider research shows that nature connectedness brings pro-nature behaviours [8] [ blog]. In sum, Nature connectedness is an essential target to foster a worthwhile and sustainable life. The evidence leads us to simple, low cost and universal solutions to help address the challenges of a warming climate, wildlife loss and mental health.

Simple solutions - improving our relationship with nature

Nature connectedness offers simple solutions to help deal with complex societal problems. Improving our relationship with nature responds to the challenge of the climate emergency and wildlife loss by encouraging care and respect for the rest of the natural world. People will be more supportive of the big changes needed if they are more connected to nature and feel that nature matters to them. A nature connected population will also be more likely to take action for nature - from simple actions at home, such as recycling or wildlife friendly gardening, to those requiring more commitment, such as giving time to take part in conservation volunteering. Also, through a new, more connected relationship with nature people can live a happier, more worthwhile and sustainable life.

Actions - for a new relationship with nature

5 pathways to a new relationship with nature

Improving people's relationship with nature, their nature connectedness, comes through simple, yet meaningful engagement with nature. Our research has identified five distinct relationships that activate people's connection with nature. The pathways to nature connectedness provide a new and applied approach to improving human-nature relations. They provide a framework with great flexibility of application, often through simple changes, in a range of circumstances from outdoor activity to the design of infrastructure to improve relationships between humans and nature on a larger scale.

· Senses: Noticing and actively engaging with nature through the senses. Simply listening to birdsong, smelling wild flowers, or watching the breeze in the trees.

· Emotion: Engaging emotionally with nature. Simply noticing the good things in nature, experiencing the joy and calm they can bring, and sharing feelings about nature with others.

· Beauty: Finding beauty in the natural world. Simply taking time to appreciate beauty in nature and engaging with it through art, music or in words.

· Meaning: Exploring and expressing how nature brings meaning to life. Simply exploring how nature appears in songs and stories, poems and art, or by celebrating the signs and cycles of nature.

· Compassion: Caring for nature. Simply thinking about what we can do for nature and taking actions that are good for nature, such as creating homes for nature, supporting conservation charities and rethinking our shopping habits.

The pathways are used by the National Trust, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, New Zealand Government's Department of Conservation and others [ blog].

The pathways provide a design framework.

Below we have suggested some areas of action that decision makers and leaders can consider. We have paired them as systemic changes for a sustainable future and actions we can take now to create more opportunities to connect with nature.

Education and learning

Consider how education can build the foundations of a new relationship with nature for a sustainable future. A 'green thread' of human-nature relationships can run through the curriculum to provide the context and vision for a new relationship with nature. Teaching and learning should include outdoor natural spaces, so that contact and connection with the natural world is at the heart of delivery at primary and secondary school.

Education authorities and academies should support outdoor learning initiatives that go beyond just being outside, to actively connecting with nature.

Beyond schools, a national Wildlife Wellbeing Week should encourage all citizens to take action to notice and care for their local wildlife - improving the environment and habitats where they live.

Arts and culture

Consider how arts policycan celebrate nature and its meaning in our lives. Encourage people to express their own appreciation and connections with nature. Use creative installations to prompt engagement with nature in public spaces.

A national festival of nature to promote our connections with the natural world and with each other. National prizes for music, film and written word by young people that helps build a new relationship with nature.

Urban design and planning

Consider how planning can move beyond access to 'access for connection'. Actively create spaces to offer the prompts and opportunities to pause and notice the 'good things in nature'. Create 'habitats for connection' - provide an abundance and variety of wildlife to notice through bringing nature recovery networks into urban areas.

Urban designers and buildings managersshould bring opportunities to connect with and care for nature into the everyday environment - from spaces such as pocket gardens in schools to creating secluded habitats to encourage wildlife, to urban places that prompt meaningful engagement with nature.

Health and social care

Consider how health and social can use a new relationship with nature to help people feel good and function well. Build connection with nature into greener social prescribing.

Government departments and their agencies are already working to progress the use of nature based social prescribing at the national level and we encourage these initiatives to go beyond contact with nature to connection.

Health and social care professionalscan prescribe activities in natural environments that involve the 5 types of relationship above, for example 'noticing nature' walks, art or photography workshops, wildlife gardening or providing bird feeders in care home gardens.

Revise the 5 Ways to Wellbeing guidance to include nature.

Housing

Consider how housingdevelopments can enable an active relationship with nature: landscape design to prompt engagement with nature, resident management of wildlife-friendly gardens, and new wildlife habitats to surround people with nature.

Incorporate principles of nature connectedness into planning design guidance and standards, and encourage developers to create environments that prompt engagement through the 5 pathways to nature connectedness listed above.

Transport and infrastructure

Consider how transport can be geared to green commuting, with natural habitats and gardens at transport hubs to create an environment to prompt engagement with nature. Investment should prioritise walking and cycling through green corridors to encourage everyday engagement with nature.

Transport planners can map, signpost and promote green routes as alternatives to busy commuter routes. They can encourage wildflower and tree planting on roadsides and verges and create natural waypoints where people can pause and engage with the natural world.

Employment

Consider how workplaces can include the benefits of breaks in nature, help employees' enjoy natural environments where they work, e.g. the NHS Forest initiative

A national sign-up scheme for business to 'look after your space'could encourage wildlife-friendly workplaces where employees connect with the good things in nature.

Cross-cutting issues

Public service providers should make every waiting area - from doctors' surgeries to bus stops - a place where people can notice the good things about the natural world.

Move beyond access to parks, nature reserves and national parks to meaningful everyday engagement with nature on your door step.

Further Information

Our research into nature connectedness has been named by Universities UK as one of the UK's 100 best breakthroughs for its impact. Central to that impact has been the application of our research findings to the design of new ways to connect people with nature. For further information and support with building a new relationship with nature visit: www.derby.ac.uk/NCxRG

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/25-year-environment-plan/25-year-environment-plan-our-targets-at-a-glance

[2]Martin, L., White, M. P., Hunt, A., Richardson, M., Pahl, S., & Burt, J. (2020). Nature contact, nature connectedness and associations with health, wellbeing and pro-environmental behaviours. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 101389.

[3]Richardson, M., Hunt, A., Hinds, J., Bragg, R., Fido, D., Petronzi, D.,Barbett, L., Clitherow, T.J., and White, M. (2019). An Affective Measure of Nature Connectedness for Children and Adults: Validation, Performance and Insights. Sustainability,11(12), 3250.

[4]Richardson, M., Cormack, A., McRobert, L. & Underhill, R. (2016). 30 Days Wild: Development and Evaluation of a Large-Scale Nature Engagement Campaign to Improve Well-Being. PLoS ONE 11(2): e0149777. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0149777

[5]Lumber, R., Richardson, M., & Sheffield, D. (2017). Beyond knowing nature: Contact, emotion, compassion, meaning, and beauty are pathways to nature connection. PLoS One, 12(5).

[6]McEwan, K., Richardson, M., Brindley, P. Sheffield, D. & Ferguson, F.J. A Smartphone App for Improving Mental Health through Urban Nature. (2019). International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(18), 3373 doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16183373.

[7]Pritchard, A., Richardson, M., Sheffield, D, & McEwan, K. (2019). The relationship between nature connectedness and eudaimonic wellbeing: a meta-analysis. Journal of Happiness Studies, 1-23.

[8]Mackay, C. M., & Schmitt, M. T. (2019). Do people who feel connected to nature do more to protect it? A meta-analysis. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 65, 101323.

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A New Relationship with Nature: what it means and what we can do

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The climate crisis, wildlife emergency and Covid-19 pandemic show that the relationship between people and the rest of nature is failing. This briefing draws together key findings from our research into human-nature connections. The purpose is to inform people of the evidence and what it means in practice.

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Chad Frischmann: 100 solutions to reverse global warming

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What if we took out more greenhouse gases than we put into the atmosphere? This hypothetical scenario, known as "drawdown," is our only hope of averting climate disaster, says strategist Chad Frischmann.

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climate change may be behind the massive craters forming in siberia - cnn

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Mysteries of massive holes forming in Siberian permafrost unlocked by scientists

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Drone photography, 3D modeling and artificial intelligence are now helping scientists understand how a number of massive craters have formed in the Siberian tundra -- a dramatic and new geological phenomenon thought to be linked to climate change.

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Ice Caps as indicators of Global Warming

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The Ice Caps are like the canary in the gold mine... It will tell you when it's time to start worrying about Global Warming.

In the last 100 years, the world's global temperature increased by ½ degree Celsius. What's the big deal? On a global scale, it's not easy to make the temperature rise or fall. It's not the same as a country or a smaller geo experiencing changes in temperatures. The little Ice Age between 1350 and 1850 was brought about by a 2 degree drop in temperature. Degrees are a big thing when we're talking about the whole planet.

More: Temperature Changes Due to Global Warming

Here are some Ice Cap melting facts that you might find interesting and alarming:

Antarctica at the South Pole has about 90% of the world's ice (70% of it is fresh water, our global supply). The ice covering is around 7,000 feet thick. It extends to almost 14 million square kilometers - about the size of the U.S.A and Mexico combined. If all this ice melted, the sea will rise by 200 feet!

The North Pole is covered by a floating pack of ice, located just over the Arctic Ocean. This ice melts and freezes with the changing of the seasons. The ice that doesn't melt can reach up to 3 to 4 meters thick. If this melted, our sea levels will not be affected.

The Greenland ice sheet measures around 650,000 square miles. If all this ice melted, the sea will rise by 20 feet.

In the last 100 years, the Environmental Protection Agency reported that the sea level has risen by 6 to 8 inches.

More: Global Warming Temperature Change

Most major cities are in low lying coastal areas. They will be inundated when sea levels rise more than six feet.

80% of the sunlight that strikes the polar caps is reflected back out of our atmosphere. Without the ice caps, that amount of heat will be absorbed by our oceans and will cause ocean temperatures to rise. Warmer ocean temperatures will mean more frequent and more intense weather events.

The Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, the largest single block of ice in the Arctic, started cracking in the year 2000. This shelf, which has been around for the last 3000 years, has split all the way and is now breaking into little pieces.

According to NASA, the polar ice caps are melting at an alarming rate of 9% per decade. The thickness of the Arctic Ice has decreased by 40% since the 1960s.

According to scientists at the U.S Center for Atmospheric Research, if the current rate of global temperature rise continues, the Arctic will be free of Ice by 2040.

The IPCC predicts that sea levels could rise by 10 to 23 inches by 2100.

Are we powerless to stop it?

The effects of the Ice Caps melting are too devastating to contemplate. What can we do about such a big event? Should we tell our children to live in the mountains where they can be safe? Can we really even influence the melting of the planet's ice caps?

Actually, we did have something to do with it. Our activities for the past 100 years have affected our environment and we are seeing the effects now. If we were able to affect it negatively, we can also make a positive change and stop global warming - if we all did something about it.

More: How to Reduce Our Ecological Footprint

Our environmental problems today didn't happen overnight and we will not see the results of the changes we make overnight. You might think that your small contribution will be fruitless, but it will have an effect eventually... and it will be magnified a thousand fold if you can spread the awareness and encourage people to do their share.

Read more about how you can help save our environment and create a better future for our children's children. Go to The World Counts: Stories

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The Ice Caps are like the canary in the gold mine... It will tell you when it's time to start worrying about Global Warming. In the last 100 years, the world's global temperature increased by ½ degree Celsius. What's the big deal? On a global scale, it's not easy to make the temperature rise or fall.

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Sea level rise: causes and consequences | Sustainability for all

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The effects of sea level rise are already being felt, which highlights the fast deterioration our planet is suffering