The People’s Climate March Hits Grand Scales Worldwide

The streets of New York City, and of cities across the globe were taken over by protesters on Sunday, September 21st in what has become the largest climate change protest in history. The timing of the event was scheduled to make a statement to political leaders meeting on Tuesday, September 23rd. Today’s summit, hosted by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, has been described as the most high-profile global meeting focused on climate change in years.

Prior to the summit, an estimated over 300,000 people joined the New York march alone, in addition to reportedly over 2,800 events scheduled worldwide, with cities such as Perth, Melbourne, London, Dublin, and Johannesburg being among some of the largest demonstrations outside of NYC.

The march originated from an idea made public by professor and activist Bill McKibben as a way to push for grand scale actions to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Though there were no celebrity speakers, the marches were joined by some high profile individuals, including U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and former Vice President Al Gore.

“The stakes are the future of the planet,” Mckibben stated. “And so far, we’ve seen essentially no action from world leaders that matter on this question.”

This call for action has already been heard by New York City’s mayor Bill de Blasio, who also joined in the march this past weekend. He then announced a plan for New York City to release 80 percent less greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050.

His plan will focus first on buildings, which are responsible for over half of New York’s emissions, and it will not be easy, calling for large installations and renovations to be made on existing buildings. The plan highlights economic benefits that will result from the target of “80 by 50” including hundreds of new jobs, and career growth opportunities. The reduction of energy use would also save New Yorkers an estimated $1.4 billion each year.

De Blasio’s huge announcement sets high hopes for the impact the march will have on leaders attending the summit on Tuesday. Jessica Hellman, a professor at Notre Dame stated the march “sends a strong message that everyone is affected by climate change.”

“We can still avert catastrophic change if we act quickly to reinvent our economy and our relationship to the Earth, but we must also find ways to live with the climate change that has already started,” she states. “Corporations and the development community are already helping the world to adapt, but these efforts are not enough.”

The actions already announced by de Blasio have Hellman and other protesters hoping for similar reactions by attendees of the summit on Tuesday.

U.N. Report Finds Largest CO2 Emissions Increase in 30 Years

Last week, the United Nation’s weather agency released a report stating that more carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases were released into our atmosphere between 2012 and 2013 than any other year since 1984; a finding that the United Nation claims puts us on the fast track for irreversible global warming.

The annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin composed by The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) showed that the increase of CO2 in the atmosphere from 2012 to 2013 was 2.9 parts per million, which is the largest increase in 30 years. Due to this increase, the atmospheric CO2 average has grown to 399 parts per million- just 9 ppm away from reaching a troublesome level, according to various scientists. It is believed that if we should reach this level, we could experience sea level rise, drought, and weather severe enough to significantly harm human populations worldwide.

The WMO Secretary General Michel Jarraud stated, “The Greenhouse Gas Bulletin shows that, far from falling, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere actually increased last year at the fastest rate for nearly 30 years,” continuing, “We must reverse this trend by cutting emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases across the board. We are running out of time.”

The WMO also expressed concerns of ocean acidification that causes large-scale die-offs of calcifying organisms such as coral, algae, mollusks, and plankton, and a general decrease in biodiversity. The report notes that the ocean currently absorbs about one quarter of human caused CO2 emissions, which has reduced the amount in the atmosphere. However, the ocean’s capacity to soak up carbon is decreasing rapidly.

Wendy Watson-Wright, the executive secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO said, “If global warming is not a strong enough reason to cut CO2 emissions, ocean acidification should be, since its effects are already being felt and will increase for many decades to come.”

According to the report, other concentrations are also on the rise. The report stated that atmospheric methane reached a record high of about 1824 parts per billion in 2013, with most of these emissions coming from human activity such as natural gas production and industrial agriculture.

Fortunately, according to the WMO, action can be taken to reduce the atmospheric carbon levels to prevent catastrophic global warming through cooperative international policymaking. The WMO asked policymakers to use this report as a “scientific base for decision-making” to help prevent these dangerous consequences.

Water Scarcity Shines Spotlight on the Fracking Industry

The World Resources Institute (WRI) has released a report that highlights the potential for water scarcity to put a halt on fracking among the world’s top 20 shale countries.

In one of these countries—the United States—fracking has been used for years. However, new technology has enabled companies to drill deeper and horizontally, allowing fracking in more populated areas than ever before. These modern fracking techniques require millions more gallons per well of water, resulting in millions more gallons of contaminated wastewater. This increased amount of water usage results in two major causes for concern: water scarcity, and groundwater contamination.

Adding to this concern, the WRI report states that 38 percent of the world’s shale resources are found in areas that are water barren or “under high to extremely high levels of water stress”, and 40 percent of countries with the largest shale reserves have severely limited freshwater sources. With the spotlight being shined brighter than ever on fracking’s relationship with water, the WRI has compiled a list of actions for these operations to take in order to help preserve the integrity of water supplies. The list is made up of four recommendations.

First, the WRI suggests conducting water risk assessments to understand local water availability and reduce business risk. Next, increase transparency and engage with local regulators, communities, and industry to minimize uncertainty and ensure adequate water governance to guarantee the security of the water and reduce risks. The last action the WRI recommends is minimizing freshwater use and engaging in corporate water stewardship to reduce impacts on water availability.

Current findings and water shortages suggest an urgent need for improved monitoring and transparency for operations within the fracking industry. Using a centralized system for managing crucial fracking information can increase transparency, improve compliance with current regulations, and better protect the quality and quantity of the world’s water supplies.