The Fossil Fuels Conversation is in need of a reset
“Mushrooms in the World”: Richard Fortey’s Memories of Living in a World with Elements of Miscellanies
We will see a change in the language of climate politics. We will hear less about reducing greenhouse gasses and more about alternatives such asphasing out fossil fuels or stopping coal, oil and methane gas. This is a good thing. Although it is scientifically accurate, the phrase “reducing emissions” is too easily used for greenwashing by the fossil-energy industry and its advocates. The expression ends coal, oil, and methane gas, keeps the focus on the actions that will do most to resolve the climate crisis.
In his book, Richard Fortey does mycology a great service by being able to see things from a different perspective. Money says the book is evocative and full of descriptions from Fortey’s personal experience, as he takes the reader on a guided tour of the world’s mushrooms.
Jean Pierre Sibomana: We mourned together every day when life at the heart of an outbreak reveals his struggle to diagnose haemorrhagic fever
The risks of stillbirth, congenital anomalies, and premature birth are increased by heat exposure. Researchers analysed studies across 66 countries in the biggest systematic review of its kind. For every 1 ℃ increase in heat exposure, there was a 4% increase in the risk of a child being born prematurely — which is one of the leading causes of infant death or long-term disability. During a heatwave, the chance of preterm birth increased by 26%. Protecting the health of pregnant women and newborns should be a priority in our response to climate change, according to physician-scientist and co-author Darshnika Lakhoo.
Jean Pierre Sibomana, an intensive-care physician, was faced with a difficult decision when he had to diagnose two young patients who had shown signs of haemorrhagic fever. He writes that he knew that the diagnosis could have profound political and economic implications. He did what he had to do: isolated from outsiders, he and his colleagues battled a disease with an expected fatality rate of nearly 90%. Two doctors and many nurses died. “We cared for both patients and colleagues with broken hearts, and we mourned together every day for the souls that were leaving us,” writes Sibomana.
NASA has a mission to spot near- Earth asteroids that could pose a hazard. “In high school, I started an astronomy club and visited nearby observatories, including the one I work at now,” she says. “I don’t think that high-school girl would ever have imagined that one day she’d be working on a NASA mission.”
Source: Daily briefing: ‘We mourned together every day’: life at the heart of an outbreak
What does humor tell us about climate change? A short review by Sultanoff, The Scientific American, and 5 mins read by BABAYEV, COP29 and the Guardian
Steven Sultanoff teaches how humor can be an effective way to deal with stress. TheScientific American is a 4 min read.
• COP29 president Mukhtar Babayev, Azerbaijan’s ecology and natural resources minister, who faced criticism for his career at the country’s state-owned oil company, among other things, argues that Western nations stood in the way of a better deal. He says the Chinese were willing to give more if others did so as well. 5 minutes read by The Guardian.
•Two countries with climate sceptics at the helm (or soon to be), the United States and Argentina, have pledged to leave the Paris Climate Agreement. 5 min read.
“I am half agony, half hope.” Jane Austen’s words come to mind as delegates recover from a marathon negotiation that brought to a close the 29th United Nation’s annual climate conference (COP29).
• An effort led by Saudi Arabia failed in its bid to backtrack from last year’s breakthrough pledge to “transition away from fossil fuels”. The issue was swept under the carpet until next year. (Middle East Eye | 1 min read)
The new climate finance target has not been achieved by 2020 but is set at a rate of $100 billion per year by 2009, which is an increase from the previous target. 10 min read from 2021.
