The main purpose of this ongoing blog will be to track planetary extreme, or record temperatures related to climate change. Any reports I see of ETs will be listed below the main topic of the day. I’ll refer to extreme or record temperatures as ETs (not extraterrestrials).😉
Main Topic: Earth Day 2022 With No Green New Deal
Dear Diary. Happy Earth Day everyone, or is it? On the positive end of the spectrum of events, the signs of much needed change are everywhere. I just learned this morning that in my hometown of Atlanta, Marta (Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) has purchased and commissioned its first three all electric busses with more planned to come online this year, which are running around the Edgewood Avenue area of the city, for example. Good for you Marta! But, on the negative side, we are already well into 2022, and we need to nearly totally transition to all electrics for our entire transportation system by 2030, which of course we won’t do. Needed change is not coming near fast enough.
Many climate scientists stated last year that without Build Back Better being passed it would be “game over” for our climate. Well, it won’t get passed because of one Senator’s intransigence, Joe Manchin. What’s worse, if Republicans get control of Congress in 2023, the only thing that Joe Biden can do for our climate is hit the old proverbial red button, declaring a climate emergency to fund needed changes and reforms. Ironically, Trump led the way for this option with his border wall emergency declaration. If by good fortune Green New Deal/Build Back Better Legislation were to get passed in say 2029 after several election cycles, it would probably be too late to save our planet from exceeding +1.5°C above preindustrial conditions as far as average temperatures go. Such an event would always help the situation, late though it might be.
Am I being too pessimistic this year as opposed to what I wrote in 2021? Take a look:
Well, let’s not get so pessimistic that we are like ostriches, putting our heads in the ground, ignoring big existential problems because the powers that be won’t cooperate with scientific expert advice. There are a lot of things we still can do as individuals to help good old planet Earth. Here is a good summary from Thread:
How to get involved in Earth Day 2022: ‘Invest in Our Planet’
Credit: Thred
By Jamie Watts London, UK
Earth Day 2022 is almost upon us, and as we near vital climate target deadlines this year’s theme: ‘Invest in Our Planet’ is pressing for increased spending on solutions. Here’s how you can get involved on the day.
A year on from the previous Earth Day, which arrived amid Covid restrictions, we can once again celebrate in person. Though, the level of ‘progress’ we’ve made in that time probably doesn’t merit getting too carried away.
This Friday (April 22), will mark the 52nd Earth Day since its inauguration in the 70s. Back then, it was deemed a day for people of all cultures and backgrounds to come together and celebrate the sanctity and beauty of the planet.
These days, however, it has evolved into a multi-day crunch event where everyone from heads of state and NGOs, to local business owners and teenage students unite to push for improved ecological legislation amid the looming threat of climate change.
Now, this will no doubt have been stated in previous years, but in this instance, Earth Day 2022 will be the most important event ever hosted by its organisers… until 2023, probably. Our Paris accord targets are rapidly approaching in 2030, and frankly speaking, we are not on track to remain under 1.5C of global heating.
With the latest IPCC report asserting that emissions must peak by as early as 2025, the onus will now be put on policy makers and governments to show real urgency and put their money where their mouths are.
Over a billion attendees from close to 200 countries are expected to partake throughout the week, and the 2022 theme: ‘Invest in Our Planet’ will leave no hiding place.
How can I get involved?
First off, as expected, there will be several keynote speeches from government figures spread throughout the week. Joe Biden led the ‘leaders summit’ last year which included 40 other senior politicians, and is reported to be returning on Friday to bring some significant US reform changes to light.
Keep an eye on EARTHDAY.ORG to see when speeches from national figureheads, activists, and philanthropists are scheduled on Friday. Given last year was entirely digital, you can bet there will be coverage of the speeches streamed directly to the site if you cannot attend.
If you’re hoping to mobilise on foot, you’ll be glad to hear that Earth Day’s interactive map is back once again. Based on your region, this will display events local to your city or state. New York City, for example, is closing off streets on Saturday to prompt more people to bike and walk throughout urban areas.
Institutions like museums, libraries, and recreational grounds near you will likely be arranging activities, ranging from ocean plastic clean-ups and tree planting expeditions, to educational seminars on how to lobby members of government.
Failing this, you can start your own project and EARTHDAY.ORG will be happy to pin it on the map for other change-makers to see.
If you want to know how best to help, there is a list of recommendations live at the moment. This comes complete with a useful toolkit on how to maximise your social media time – including utilising trending hashtags and other clicktivism essentials – to garner maximum attention throughout the week.
There will be impromptu activities and initiatives to get involved in that aren’t yet known, so it may be worth pinning the website to your browser and turning on notifications. Twitter is always buzzing this time of year too.
If you’re keen to get in the spirit ahead of time, you can donate to worthwhile schemes like the Canopy Project, support the event directly by purchasing Earth Day merchandise, or even just test your sustainability knowledge in a number of climate change quizzes.
It’s sobering to think that Friday marks exactly six years since the Paris deal was struck. Worse yet, is the thought of where we’ll be in another six without an urgent shift in governmental attitudes (complete with record levels of investment).
Help ramp up the pressure cooker on Friday, eh. Welcome back!
Jamie Watts Tech Editor London, UK
I’m Jamie (He/Him), the Tech Editor and a Senior Writer at Thred. Keeping up with social media updates and revolutionary technology is my forte, but when away from my keyboard, you’ll probably find me wrapped around a large Tango ice blast at the latest horror flick. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.
Here are some more Earth Day 2022 notes:
Here are some “ET’s” recorded over the last couple of days plus some hot forecasts:
Here is more climate and weather news from Friday:
(As usual, this will be a fluid post in which more information gets added during the day as it crosses my radar, crediting all who have put it on-line. Items will be archived on this site for posterity. In most instances click on the pictures of each tweet to see each article. The most noteworthy items will be listed first.)
Now here are some of today’s articles and notes on the horrid war on Ukraine:
(If you like these posts and my work please contribute via the PayPal widget, which has recently been added to this site. Thanks in advance for any support.)
Guy Walton “The Climate Guy”