Questions tagged [climate-change]
While this tag may be used to refer to any change in the climate, it is most often used when discussing the politics of, and related belief/non-belief in, global warming as a human-induced climactic change affecting the world.
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Are there developed countries that refused to make any net-zero commitment?
Last year, climate action was all about declaring dates for achieving
net-zero carbon emissions. At the 2021 UN’s climate change conference
in Glasgow, COP26, India pledged that it would reach net-...
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1 trillion trees plan: what's the substance behind Speaker McCarthy's proposed response to climate change?
Asked about climate change in the context of the massive US heat wave, Speaker McCarthy had one thing to say: plant a trillion trees!
NBC News July 18th
As Speaker Kevin McCarthy visited a natural ...
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If the left believes in climate change being an extinction-level risk, why are they reluctant to grant concessions to the right in order to stop it?
Politicians and activists on the Left often portray climate change as a risk so big that it threatens to cause the human race to go extinct. Logically this means that:
If I have to choose between ...
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Bank and state cooperation in green transition: What is the political nature of this alliance?
Are there any political scientists addressing the relationship between banks and states in the era of climate change?
I know this is a broad topic and I would assume I could easily find research ...
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Why does Australia spend $8 billion a year on fossil fuel tax credits?
The Australia Institute recently released a report finding that "Australian fossil fuel subsidies surge to $11.6 billion in 2021-22." Although there are many direct subsidies to the ...
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Why don't countries welcome high energy prices to fight climate change?
There're lots of people who believe climate change is happening and think governments should take action to curb emissions.
Given that, it seems natural to welcome high fossil fuel prices - in fact, ...
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How does the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) interact with member state ETSs
I am trying to understand whether an EU member state Emissions Trading System (ETS) would compound on top of the broader EU ETS or whether they are mutually exclusive. For example, does a German plant ...
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For how long has Putin been denying that human activity is a major contributor to climate change?
According to a 2020 DW article:
President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied the scientific consensus that climate change is caused by man-made emissions. Last month, in his year-end press ...
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Is there a political solution to climate change without some kind of world government
A conservative opposition to anti Global Warming policy is that it will lead to a "One World Government". This is often derided as a conspiracy theory.
Here is a thought experiment:
If my ...
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Are there any statistics on the distribution of world-wide population according to the height over Sea Level
Are there any statistics or publications on the distribution of word-wide population over the height over sea level of their residence?
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Has any jurisdiction banned the use of internal combustion engine vehicle, either now or in the future?
I'm wondering if any place (city, country, etc.) has planned the end of the use of ICE vehicle - for professional and/or personal use - in a legally binding way (i.e. not just a vague promise but ...
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Why is working from home/green commute not seriously considered by Western governments to tackle climate change and to reduce Russian oil use?
In the time of the pandemic, working from home was widespread in most European countries including the UK, which led to a drop in fuel prices. However, during the war in Ukraine, working from home was ...
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How can the EU leaders assure their commitment to the climate goals while they keep investing so much money on fossil fuels?
The REPowerEU plan was recently drafted by the EU authorities to address the energy crisis triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Among the other things it plans to add 10 Billion Euro to what ...
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What US Supreme Court ruling(s) address the SEC's proposed "Scope 3 disclosure rule" that companies must state their climate change impact?
The Reuters 2022-03-22 piece U.S. SEC proposes companies disclose range of climate risks, emissions data begins:
WASHINGTON, March 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. securities regulator on Monday proposed ...
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Which countries or territories are not parties to the UNFCCC?
According to Wikipedia's list of parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change:
As of 2015, the UNFCCC has 197 parties including all United Nations member states, United ...
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Why should nations that stand to benefit from climate change have to contribute to the fight against it?
Based on this article, this article and this article, global warming could benefit some countries in the world. The first article (withdrawn later as pointed out by LShaver) says the warming of ...
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Why didn’t most governments implement NDCs aggressively at 2015 Paris agreements?
A pair of studies in Nature found that as of 2017 none of the major industrialized nations were implementing the policies they had pledged at the 2015 Paris agreement, and none met their pledged ...
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Has anyone besides the EU classified nuclear as a "green investment"?
From the New York Times article "Europe Plans to Say Nuclear Power and Natural Gas Are Green Investments":
The European Union has drawn up plans to classify some nuclear power and natural ...
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To what extent is the Paris agreement legally binding? [duplicate]
In the UNFCCC site the Paris agreement is defined as a legally binding international treaty on climate change. Its goal is to limit global warming below +2°C through nationally determined ...
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EU ETS: if within-EU flight emissions are limited to climate goals, does a person choosing to fly add to emissions?
I've been trying to fly less and less because it seems the right thing to do. But I can't quite counter this thought:
The EU Emission Trading System (ETS) covers commercial aviation. So passenger ...
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UK Climate and Ecology Bill 2020
What can the proposed UK CEE Bill do that cannot already be achieved by the Committee on Climate Change and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee?
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Why don't climate change agreements self-terminate if participants fail to meet their commitments?
The Paris Agreement had a clause where it only comes to force if enough countries ratify it:
The Paris Agreement entered into force on 4 November 2016, thirty days after the date on which at least 55 ...
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COP26 Agreement. Is coal going to be phased out/down or just saved for the steel industry?
My question refers to 2021 COP26 climate conference. I'll omit to link some sources because there are too many and readers could better evaluate the issue looking at their own chosen sources.
...
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Why did the world average CO_2 emissions per capita dip in the 1990s? [closed]
According to this chart, per-capita CO_2 emissions in the world peaked in the late 1980s, then dipped quickly, and did not reach their 1989 level again until 2011.
What are the major factors ...
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Why doesn't the Paris agreement cover emissions from international shipping?
Why doesn't the Paris agreement include emissions from international shipping?
According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO):
Note: The Paris Agreement on climate change was agreed in ...
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How high is the EU-ETS cap for Germany in 2021?
I'm not sure if I got the EU-ETS system for trading emission rights right. I think there is a limited amount of certificates issues by each country each year. The amount that is allowed to be issued ...
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Why isn't recycling counted as part of infrastructure
I hear a lot of rhetoric around "infrastructure" lately. The US Congress is debating bills that will cost trillions of USD. The elements that we usually think of are there: roads, schools, ...
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Could there be any action taken against the contributors of Climate Change and Global Warming? [closed]
With the rising concern over Climate Change and Global Warming especially due to the IPCC report, could there be any sanctions or some kind of action taken by the UN or NATO against countries (and ...
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How does the EU or any country with carbon emission permits enforce emissions from companies?
How does a country with carbon emission permits ensure that companies do not produce more carbon emission than stated on the permits?
Specifically how does the government check how much CO2 a company ...
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On what steps from ecology plan have Joe Biden's administration already made progress?
Ecology was one of the main points of Joe Biden's election campaign:
Ensure the U.S. achieves a 100% clean energy economy and reaches net-zero emissions no later than 2050
Build a stronger, more ...
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Why is climate change a problem when one can just offset the carbon? [closed]
The average annual carbon footprint of an average person is 4 tons, more or less:
https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/carbon-footprint-calculator/
The price of carbon offsetting is ...
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Why does the Fossil Fuel industry absorb 85% of global subsidies? [closed]
According to the IMF, around 85% of global subsidies is given to the fossil fuel industry, this amounts to roughly $5 trillion dollars.
This makes no sense. One major aim of subsidies is to nurture ...
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What (if any) are the legal consequences if the UK government fails to meet carbon budgets?
If the UK's carbon budgets are 'legally binding' as part of the Climate Change Act of 2008, what are the legal consequences for failing to meet them?
I'm confused as to what 'legally binding' means in ...
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Are there indications that the French government considered a carbon fee-and-dividend to assuage the yellow vests?
A key reason for the yellow vest protests was that poorer households would have been proportionally more impacted by the proposed fuel tax increases. Carbon taxes are generally regressive, i.e. impose ...
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Why did the proposal for a Common Assets Trust (CAT) not pass the Vermont legislature?
The idea of a common assets trust (CAT) is to hold and manage natural and collectively created assets and pay citizens a dividend from the proceeds. The proposal entered the Vermont legislature twice (...
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How is Massachusetts' requirement to sell only zero emissions vehicles by 2035 being implemented?
Several news outlets are reporting on this story this week:
The Hill: "Massachusetts to require 100 percent of car sales to be electric by 2035"
Car and Driver Magazine: "Massachusetts ...
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Did any major polluters take up any significant steps towards fulfilling the Paris Agreement?
Today is the day when the US will officially leave the Paris Agreement that was signed by Obama back in 2016. This is claimed to be a major setback for the Green movement in the US. But did any major ...
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Are there any reasonable policy proposals regarding mass climate migration?
There is an evidence, that we're on the beginning of a mass migration caused primarily by the climate change. I often read about latest deterrent policies, such as changes in the law and building of ...
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Are any governments promoting work from home as an effective solution to decreasing pollution and CO2 emissions?
There's much talk about work from home: efficiency, people who like it, people who don't, but I didn't see any policy talk, by governments, about its impact on the environment and whether it should be ...
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Is there a government that considers investing in artificial meat in order to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions related to meat production?
This Wikipedia section argues about the greenhouse gas emissions related to meat production (~ 14 - 15% of of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions).
Clearly reducing greenhouse gas emissions should ...
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What other EU countries (besides Romania) have raised major concerns about the "European Green Deal"?
Former Romanian president Basescu was paraphrased as saying in a recent interview that:
The European Green Deal “will definitely create tensions” inside the EU, and risks pushing “two or three ...
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Is the blocking of Heathrow's third runway the first time a national government has been held to an international climate agreement by the judiciary?
On the 27th of February, the UK Court of Appeal ruled that the government's decision to allow the expansion of Heathrow Airport was unlawful because the government had not taken its commitments made ...
CDJB♦
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If natural gas replaces coal, can a gas exporting country claim the reduced emissions towards its Paris Agreement targets?
According to the Alberta government's "Canadian Energy Centre":
Canada’s success as global LNG player also hinges on a key piece of international climate policy that seeks to define how countries ...
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If grid parity has already been reached, why is it so expensive to switch to renewable energy?
Grid parity happens when the renewable energy source is competitive with fossil fuels without government subsidies. It has apparently already been reached by wind and solar power, at least in some ...
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Is there any country other than Austria with a conservative-Green government?
Austria is now going to have a coalition government between the right-wing People's Party and the Greens.
This is interesting; the parties are, from a US perspective, pretty much opposites of each ...
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Why aren't we seeing carbon taxes in practice?
(I originally posed this question under economics -- https://economics.stackexchange.com/questions/33267/why-arent-we-seeing-carbon-taxes-in-practice -- where the consensus seems to be that in ...
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Paris Climate Agreement: a mechanism for exchanging CO2 quotas?
First, I will admit I'm not an expert on climate agreements, I just believe scientists when they say we're doing the global warming.
As I understand the Paris Climate Agreement, each country resolved ...
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Why are green parties so often opposed to nuclear power?
As far as I can tell, green political parties worldwide are almost all opposed to nuclear power.
Considering nuclear power is a low-carbon source of electricity (in fact, in terms of the total-...
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Why would a small country invest to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, rather than adaptation to global warming?
Quick summary of premises of this question:
There's major anthropogenic global warming going on, and predictions say it will accelerate the next 50 years if global and radical action is not taken
...
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Does Fox News have a history of being skeptical of climate change science?
Does Fox News have a history of being skeptical of or minimizing the effects of global warming?
If yes, does this reflect the Republican view of the phenomenon or is it specific to Fox News?
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