climate change – Primal Group

Climate Report: Extreme Weather Will Continue to Pound US and Global Economy

Throughout the Northern Hemisphere this summer, heat waves have been breaking records and sustaining wildfires of unprecedented fury. These events are providing further proof that a changing climate continues to lead to severe consequences for humanity. At least 85 people were  killed during the recent series of wildfires that struck California; 249 are listed as missing. Nearly 19,000 buildings, most of them homes, have been destroyed. A report released by the White House and created by the US Global Change Research Program states that an increase in climate change could continue to cause wildfires, heat waves and strong hurricanes across the United States. …

Government Legislation in the Age of Impending Climate Change

A report released by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that humanity has just 12 years to reverse the effects of climate change and keep the global temperature rise to a maximum of 1.5° C (2.7° F). The IPCC report finds that it would take an effort greater than the one that we are currently seeing in order to halt global warming. This is a very real reminder of the immediate need for action by governments across the globe. This imminent peril for our planet will become a significant driver for legislation in the coming years in order to force businesses to transit towards sustainable practices.…

CLIMATE CHANGE AS IT HAPPENS

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Cool Heads Will Prevail in Climate Change Disagreement

President Donald Trump has declared that the United States will withdraw from the historic COP21 Paris Agreement in its current form, as brokered by the United Nations Framework on Climate Change in December 2015.

With an objective to stem the increase in global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, the landmark Paris Accord saw 195 countries set their own targets in mitigating the drastic impacts of climate change. Despite expert advice from global leaders and heads of industry to uphold the original agreement, President Trump has fulfilled a campaign promise to renege on the previous administration’s commitments to climate action and pave the way for new negotiations to take place.…

The Financial Impact of Ecological Debt

Calculating the financial cost of climate change is no easy endeavor. While the impacts of rising temperatures on the foundations of the global economy are well documented, the financial implications remain to be fully understood.

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has calculated that helping nations cope with climate impacts will cost the world half a trillion dollars annually by 2050. According to the London School of Economics, climate change is expected to cut the value of the world’s financial assets by $24 trillion by 2050 in the worst-case scenario. The best-case scenario, if efforts are successfully made to build a greener economy, will lead to the loss of only $2.5 trillion.…

The Truth About Climate Change

Over the past century, the scientific community has documented dramatic shifts in global temperatures, the rise of extreme weather patterns and the on-going deterioration of the ozone layer. Most recently, scientists identified signs of the effect of human urbanization in the evolution of organisms. For example, seeds in urban areas are heavier than the same species of seeds in rural areas. Since seeds are carried by the wind, the heavier seeds are more likely to fall in close by soil, instead of on concrete. This is being interpreted as clear evidence of mankind’s influence on the planet, thereby heralding the emergence of a new geological age – the Anthropocene.…