economic impacts
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Credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife/Flickr
U.S. hit by record number of high-cost disasters in 2023
There were 28 storms, wildfires or other disasters that each cost at least one billion dollars in damages, a sign of the growing economic burden of climate change.
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Photo by Nicole Geri on Unsplash
Snow shortages are plaguing the West's mountains
Some ski areas remain closed. But an even greater concern amid a changing climate is whether enough snow will fall to meet water needs for the summer.
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Photo by Jonathan Ford on Unsplash
Italy and Spain experienced some of the world’s most costly climate disasters in 2023
The report calls for world leaders of developed countries to channel more funding into climate finance.
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Photo by Rikin Katyal on Unsplash
Changing climate casts a shadow over the future of the Panama Canal – and global trade
Facing a near unprecedented ‘rainfall deficit’, the Panama Canal has been forced to restrict the number of vessels passing through it.
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Announced at COP28 climate talks: This year is hottest in recorded history
Scientists confirmed another year of extreme temperatures as world leaders gathered in Dubai for a U.N. summit on global warming.
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Coal power, traffic, waste burning a toxic smog cocktail in Indonesia's Jakarta
Pollution is causing respiratory illnesses and deaths to rise in Indonesia's island of Java, including the capital, Jakarta.
Photo by Steven Weeks on Unsplash
UN report highlights growing climate crisis ahead of COP28
Ahead of the COP28 summit, a new UN report reveals alarming increases in greenhouse gas emissions, underscoring the urgency for decisive climate action.
-- Matt Simon reports forWired.
In short:
- The title of the UN Environment Programme succinctly captures the shortcomings of global climate action: “Broken Record—Temperatures Hit New Highs, Yet World Fails to Cut Emissions (Again).”
- The gap is widening between current emissions and Paris Agreement targets.
- The report highlights record temperatures and slow progress in renewable energy adoption.
Key quote:
"We've taken stock, we know what the problems are. But the question is, what will leaders at COP28 agree to do about it?"
— Taryn Fransen, report co-author.
Why this matters:
The UN report sheds light on the critical state of our climate and argues for rapid and substantial policy changes to mitigate global warming. Arguments about adverse economic impacts of climate action often weaken political will, yet the economic consequences of unmitigated climate change are enormous, from public health to agriculture to public infrastructure.
What do you think are effective arguments for building political will to accelerate emissions reductions and transform the energy sector?
AI-based tools helped produce this text, with human oversight and editing.
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