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Earth Power

CNN Shares Hopeful Signs for Our Fight Against Climate Change (cnn.com) 130

Posted by EditorDavid from the spreading-sunshine dept.
With everyone worrying about climate change, CNN shares a list of reasons to feel positive: The year 2023 is on track to see the biggest increase in renewable energy capacity to date, according to the International Energy Agency. China, the world's biggest climate polluter, has made lightning advances in renewables, with the country set to shatter its wind and solar target five years early. A report published in June found that China's solar capacity is now greater than the rest of the world's nations combined, in a surge described by the report's author, Global Energy Monitor, as "jaw-dropping...."

The popularity of electric vehicles has surged this year, with American sales at an all-time high. People in China and Europe are snapping up EVs in large numbers as well... Americans purchased 1 million fully electric vehicles in 2023, an annual record, according to a report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Electric vehicles accounted for about 8% of all new vehicles sales in the US during the first half of 2023, according to the report. In China, EVs accounted for 19% of all vehicle sales, and worldwide, they made up 15% of new passenger vehicle sales. EV sales in Europe were up 47% in the first nine months of 2023, according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (EAMA)
Other positive developments from the article:
  • "For more than six days straight, between October 31 to November 6, the nation of more than 10 million people relied solely on renewable energy sources — setting an exciting example for the rest of the world."
  • "Deforestation in Brazil fell by 22.3% in the 12 months through July, according to data from the national government, as President Luiz Ignácio Lula da Silva started to make progress on his pledge to rein in the rampant forest destruction that occurred under his predecessor..."
  • "The Earth's ozone layer is on track to recover completely within decades, a UN-backed panel of experts announced in January, as ozone-depleting chemicals are phased out across the world."

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CNN Shares Hopeful Signs for Our Fight Against Climate Change More

CNN Shares Hopeful Signs for Our Fight Against Climate Change

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  • what an incomplete callback episode.

  • The term "renewable" has a context of shortages, not cleanliness. In this context, you should come up with something new.

  • Yesterday, CNN said that we were in the middle of a mess extinction event. Over 90% of all species on Earth will be wiped out in a few years.

    • Yesterday, CNN said that we were in the middle of a mess extinction event. Over 90% of all species on Earth will be wiped out in a few years.

      If you think CNN is a single person with a single viewpoint, you've got bigger problems than climate change.

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by Anonymous Coward

        CNN acts like a hive mind with a single viewpoint, though.

        • Why are there no decent, not demented woke or rabid right, media sites?

          The are all one (bbc, cnn, nyt, npr, wapost), or the other (fox, nypost).

          Why?!

          • If you are so in the weeds ideologically that you cant read those any of those sites without getting mad about something and critical think the story from what they are saying then just give up already and only read AP and Reuters. That's what you are left with.

        • Bulls--t

      • Any actual problem is bigger than climate change.

    • Re:Mass extinction event (Score:4, Informative)

      by Phillip2 ( 203612 ) on Sunday December 24, 2023 @11:40AM (#64103091)

      We are in the middle of a mass extinction event. Many of the species on earth have already been wiped out.

      I don't think that this is particularly controversial. We can still be hopefully about those that remain.

    • If you think that somehow counters or invalidates this story, you're not a very smart person.
      • I think that is a big problem with a lot of people ( woke left and rabid right).

        People who disagree with a point find one counter argument online and that somehow invalidates *all* the many pro arguments.

  • Ok, but... (Score:3)

    by RemindMeLater ( 7146661 ) on Sunday December 24, 2023 @09:45AM (#64102953)
    There's a time component to any solution. It's nice that renewables are rising in adoption but the overall pace is grossly inadequate. We are essentially out of time (probably for 10 years at least) to get to so-called "net zero" but the progress, as you can see here, is essentially nil. https://www.iea.org/reports/key-world-energy-statistics-2021/supply

  • Really (Score:2, Flamebait)

    by christoban ( 3028573 )

    I'll bet China's not even painting mountains green anymore!

  • Unfalsifiability (Score:3)

    by Poisonous Drool ( 526798 ) on Sunday December 24, 2023 @10:07AM (#64102985)
    Not "everyone [is] worrying about climate change"

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by gweihir ( 88907 )

      Indeed. Not everyone is smart or living in reality either. There may be a rather large overlap between the two groups. Although I can see rich psychos knowing what they are causing and still wanting to get richer on fossile profits.

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by Third Position ( 1725934 )

        We've had people predicting the end of the world since there's been a world with people in it. The current iteration of High Priests crying doom and gloom appear to be about as sane (and as accurate) as they ever have.

        Perhaps one day the End-Of-The-Worlders will be right. But I'm pretty sure today is not that day.

    • It's literally false, because I am not worrying about climate change. Unless they had a different definition of the word "everyone."

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

      The thing is, the right has decided to change the messaging. They're admitting climate change is real. The new message is however, it's too late to do anything. This messaging is done to imply that it's too late, so why bother?

      Sure, climate change is here and real. But it's too late to do anything, so why do anything? You might as well continue to drive your humongous SUV getting 14 rods to the hogshead because it's too late to do anything.

      And yes, that's the point. Make it so the future is doomed so that d

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        Don't forget "but China" too. They love to pretend that China, this decade's big bad, is doing nothing and has doomed us all.

        In the UK we also have "it doesn't matter, we are 1% of global emissions so it's pointless us making any effort."

  • i have to ask (Score:1, Insightful)

    by FudRucker ( 866063 )
    who takes anything said on CNN seriously? they are the worst news network and famous for the fakest of the fake news outlets

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      who takes anything said on CNN seriously? they are the worst news network and famous for the fakest of the fake news outlets

      You should call your cable company and ask them to add Fox News to their lineup.

      • i have not owned a TV in overcten years and don't even miss it

  • as it happens, EV demand in USA has just started to collapse, diminished sales will be the rule for 2024, as actual serious business analysts say.

    It now doesn't matter what the USA does for human carbon output, that will continue to rise.

  • I cannot believe that Slashdot has become part of the woke media herd. Climate change? Really? The climate is always changing. Always has changed, always will change. The doomsday climate change cult has been telling us about global warming for 50 years. When the polar ice caps didn't melt and the coastlines were not flooded twenty years ago, global warming became "climate change" - as if we could ever stop the climate from changing.

    This website has become a joke.

    • I think we need to formulate the two questions that rule someone out as a normal, decent person, capable of informed debate.

      To rule out rabid right wingers, I propose the question "Is man-made global warming a serious threat to civilization ?".

      To rule out the demented woke, I propose the question "Is it acceptable to discriminate against people for their race or gender if they are white and/or male ?"

      • The problem with your question is that they are both extreme views but saying "no" to the first is mainstream Republican talking points with an actual decades lost history of legislation and politicians supporting the idea that climate change is not real. The last literal Republican President said it was "a hoax".

        The second view is rightfully a minority position on the left wing, if you asked 80% of Democrats that question they would say "No" but we have to play the false equivalence game to try and soften

      • To rule out rabid right wingers, I propose the question "Is man-made global warming a serious threat to civilization ?".

        I'm very socially liberal and will still answer "no". It will be a serious threat to some specific people in some specific places, yes. To human civilization? Not at all.

        There is likely to be 10 billion people on the planet in 2100, up from 8 billion today, quite in spite of whatever the climate does in that time. Call me when the population actually starts dropping and I will reevaluate my opinion.

  • Yep, nothing to worry about (Score:4, Insightful)

    by gweihir ( 88907 ) on Sunday December 24, 2023 @11:59AM (#64103113)

    Everything is under control, everything is fine. A Big Lie, all so that a few rich assholes can get even richer destroying the basis for human life on this planet.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by PPH ( 736903 )

      They got a call from the White House. Next year is an election year. Everyone put on their happy face. Or else.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      this is great statement since anyone reading it will think it's about "the other people"

  • "For more than six days straight, between October 31 to November 6, the nation of more than 10 million people relied solely on renewable energy sources"

    And that nation would be...?

  • Great! So we can smile & pat ourselves on our backs while we starve to death.
  • Life for the vast majority of people on the planet is better now than it has ever been, and getting better still every year.

    https://awealthofcommonsense.c... [awealthofcommonsense.com]

    Feel free to live in fear if you want, but don't assume everyone has that affliction.

  • If we're being honest, this is going to be a really horrific period in time from which there is no recovery. It's not until people actually start breaking down the systems and mechanisms that enable large-scale pollution that anything will even start to change. This could have been solved already if not for corporate greed.

    Deluding yourself into thinking there is hope will only ensure more people will suffer by decreasing the pressures for reform.

    • If we're being honest, this is going to be a really horrific period in time from which there is no recovery. It's not until people actually start breaking down the systems and mechanisms that enable large-scale pollution that anything will even start to change. This could have been solved already if not for corporate greed.

      Deluding yourself into thinking there is hope will only ensure more people will suffer by decreasing the pressures for reform.

      Your pessimism is not unjustified, but it is also not terribly helpful. The worst thing we can do is let people slip from a denialist mindest into a fatalist one.

      In the shorter term (100-200 years) we will see whether the human civilisation will persist, in any form approximating what we have now. In the longer term, the planet will likely recover, albeit into something different perhaps.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Many of those in power are really, really scared of us addressing climate change, because it's a gateway to socialism.

      The UK had more socialism during WW2, out of necessity. People grew to like it, and after the war they elected a socialist government that created the National Health Service, and built a lot of social housing. That government is widely regarded as one of the best that the UK ever had.

      There is a concern that if dealing with climate change does things like democratize energy, improve public t

  • Festive feel good article (Score:3)

    by bb_matt ( 5705262 ) on Sunday December 24, 2023 @03:20PM (#64103487)

    For just a few days, it would be nice to believe it is all going swimmingly well.

    However, on the back of Cop 28 and the fact it was hijacked by the fossil fuel industry and ended up with a pathetic non-binding series of optional pledges, I'm not entirely sure we're on the right track.

    It will indeed be the market that decides the fate of our future comfort levels, not policy makers, not climate activists and definitely not the general public.
    It'll be decided based on money - if renewables become a greater source of wealth than fossil fuels then that's the way we'll go.
    The problem is time and the fact we have run out of time to prevent a deeply uncomfortable future for everyone on the planet.

    We will go over and stay over 1.5c probably in this decade.
    It's likely we'll hit 2c by 2050.
    The net result of that will be extreme weather patterns completely off the charts and a huge reduction in food production.

    • ... and glass half full...

      If "the orange one" becomes President of the USA again next year, all bets are off.
      Forget the fact he'll likely smash up all the progress made, the chances of an escalation of tensions between the US and China will ratchet up alarmingly.
      The threat to the democracy of the US? who knows, but it sure doesn't look positive...

    • Storage backed renewable generation is now the cheapest option for making electricity (and has been for a few years - but markets are starting to believe it). Electric vehicles are well on their way to being the cheapest form of (relatively) high speed motion (obviously bikes are cheaper, but not as fast). Finally we do have ways to draw down the carbon in the atmosphere which are scalable and could be run off renewable electricity.

      Don't worry too much about what the crazy oil-company led fuckers at COP28 s

  • Oh yeah, they can't afford them and don't have energy infrastructure to charge them and won't for 100 years. Thank you Tesla Musk wankers for encouraging a technology that will distract from technologies that have a chance. You know the reason Musk plays down hydrogen? Because he runs a business selling batteries, and doesn't really give two shits about the environment; he's trying to go to Mars with all the suckers money he can use to build his spaceships.
  • People forget that, even with renewables, ultimately that energy ends up as heat in the environment. And then you have a separate greenhouse effect from CO2 and CH4. The real problem isn't fossil fuels rather the world's increasing population and each person's average energy use going up over time regardless of where that energy is coming from. Energy demands are simply outstripping efficiencies like LED lights.

    • People forget that, even with renewables, ultimately that energy ends up as heat in the environment.

      People don't forget that. They just realize it's completely irrelevant.

      The real problem isn't fossil fuels rather the world's increasing population and each person's average energy use going up over time regardless of where that energy is coming from.

      It very much depends on where the energy comes from, and how much CO2 was emitted in its production.
      If you use twice as much energy, but from sources that emit a fraction or no CO2 compared to before. Then that's a good thing. Energy use isn't the main problem. The source of that energy is.

  • I'm sorry but I can't stay quiet when these kind of articles get hyped. We are NOT on right track to tackle climate change, and we must increase our efforts in multiple dimensions to be able to have a chance.

    Every "feel good" article that states that we are doing better is a signal for people to think "oh, we are going to be fine, let's not do --insert any minor or major change in lifestyle or buying decisions here-- then. Sure, we may be improving on some avenues, but many other are getting worse, and the

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