Carbon Rangers
October 2022
Vol. 15, No. 7
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Dear Reader,
The United Nations 77th General Assembly has concluded the major speeches portion of the annual gathering. Most heads of state have now returned to their home countries, leaving ambassadors, staff, and civil society to the daily tasks of finding ways to alleviate the  suffering they must address cooperatively across all borders in this interconnected world. Our September Carbon Rangers highlighted the marking for many Christians of the Season of Creation which closes on Tuesday, October 4, the Catholic Feast of St. Francis, patron of the environment. Taken together, the 2022 Season of Creation has witnessed vast destruction and unspeakable suffering for many people around the world.
In the USA, (September 30th here), many are just now recovering from the impact of Hurricane Ian in Florida as it moves out to the Atlantic and prepares to return to damage neighboring states on the Atlantic coast. Horrific storms globally have made frightening news. In the Pacific, Typhoon Noru brought its own devastation to the Philippines and Vietnam. Hundreds of thousands of people were forced to flee their homes in the Philippines. And then there is Pakistan, where the need for relief remains critical following heavy monsoon rains that have left one-third of the country under water.
Ian followed Fiona. Ten days before Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida, Hurricane Fiona ripped across Puerto Rico and Caribbean countries including the Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Turks and Caicos, and Bermuda. Hurricane Fiona continued its destructive path along the Atlantic coastline up to Canada, where at one point as many as 500,000 people were also without power. Coastal properties were swept into the ocean in Port aux Basques, one of the hardest hit areas, and on Prince Edward Island many worried about the storm's longer-term impact on farmers and fishers who lost crops, cows, barns and wharves. Outside of extreme rain and storms, East Africa has suffered from its worst drought in 40 years, with famine looming in Somalia and at least 20 million people in the region in need of humanitarian assistance. (Thanks to National Catholic Reporter for these storm reports.)
Hurricanes More Potent Now. "We know that hurricanes are a natural phenomenon, but climate change is exacerbating them, making them worse. Like putting them on steroids," climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe told MSNBC earlier this week. While the number of hurricanes isn't increasing, she said that warmer ocean waters — where 90% of heat from greenhouse gas emissions is stored — are leading to storms intensifying faster, becoming stronger, dropping more rain and moving slower.
Questions for COP27. Perhaps these disasters will drive ambition at the COP27 meeting November 6-19 in Egypt? Will the UN listen to the voices of Africa calling for a rightful permanent place on the UN Security Council? Will USA lower objections to discussing how wealthy nations might address the claims of the poorer countries for “loss and damage” caused by fossil fuels? Will the developed world ultimately listen to the voices of the poorer nations – led by visionaries such as Mia Mottley of Barbados – crying out for an end to inequalities in the global financial system?
Still Good News. Please take a few seconds to scroll down to the “Good News” sections this month. We all need encouragement and there are several wonderful examples from multiple corners! Thomas Berry wisdom concludes the offerings as usual.
Cordially,
Br. Kevin
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COP27 - What Can We Hope For?
COP27. A UN climate summit is known as a Conference of the Parties (COP). There have been 26 so far. That makes this one Cop27. The “parties” in the name are the 197 signatories to a UN climate treaty, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
 35,000 to Attend. The UNFCCC, which manages climate change matters and organises the Conference of Parties each year, says 35,000 people have registered to attend this conference Nov 6-19 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Attendees will comprise world leaders, government officials, policymakers and experts. The conference's schedule includes a long list of talks and meetings expected to tackle all aspects of climate change.
Some Positives. Those looking for positive signs can name several. For a start, the recent passing of the Inflation Reduction Act in the US dedicated some $369 billion for climate and energy action—the largest investment in US history for tackling climate change.
Urgency is Clear. Second, the major weather events of recent months—from heatwaves across Africa, Asia and Europe to the catastrophic floods in Pakistan the past few weeks—are a tragic reminder, if any were still needed, of the urgency of the climate crisis and the need for COP27 to deliver some strong, tangible outcomes. In Pakistan, people are queuing for a more prosaic reason: to accept food aid.
 Half a million (Photo: AP) have lost homes and crops, their self-sufficiency swept away in exceptionally severe monsoon floods. An attribution study today confirmed that yes, this is what climate change looks like. Rainfall levels in Sindh and Balochistan province were 75% higher than they would have been in a world without 1.2C warming.
Earlier Lessons Ignored. Scientists did not let local decision makers off the hook. Poverty and weak governance put people in harm’s way. Rainfall extremes are to be expected as global temperatures rise. If Pakistan’s politicians had acted on the lessons from bad flooding in 2010, fewer people would be dead or homeless. But there is plenty of evidence to support the climate justice argument that rich polluters owe Pakistan reparations.
Energy Crisis Also. One major side effect of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the West’s response, has been the energy crisis now engulfing Europe. There is also a predicted food crisis, not just from the war but also the impacts of climate change on harvests. COP27 has been pitched as the “implementation” COP, where the goals of the Paris Agreement, helped by the rulebook adopted in Glasgow, begin to be delivered.
Pope Francis has this to say about the COP27 Meeting:
“The COP27 conference on climate change, to be held in Egypt in November 2022 represents the next opportunity for all to join in promoting the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement... The effort to achieve the Paris goal of  limiting temperature increase to 1.5C is quite demanding; it calls for responsible cooperation between all nations in presenting climate plans or more ambitious nationally determined contributions in order to reduce to zero, as quickly as possible, net greenhouse gas emissions. This means converting models of consumption and production, as well as lifestyles, in a way more respectful of creation and the integral human development of all peoples, present and future, a development grounded in responsibility, prudence/precaution, solidarity, concern for the poor and for future generations.”
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COP27 Youth Perspective - Bangladesh
Sohanur Rahman is the Executive Coordinator of YouthNet for Climate Justice.
Poor Suffer First. Each year, low-emitting countries like Bangladesh are the greatest sufferers and, paradoxically, pay the biggest price in losses and damages resulting from climate change. The most vulnerable communities are the ones who are facing the reality which the COP27 climate summit in Sharm-El-Shaikh is attempting to avert. According to the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Bangladesh is anticipated to experience an average loss worth US$2.2 bn per year, which is comparable to 1.5 per cent of its GDP, owing to floods. While the Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS) estimates that in the last 40 years alone, climate change has cost Bangladesh US$12 bn.
One -Third Under Water. From melting glaciers to a ‘monster’ monsoon, record-breaking floods have left a third of Pakistan currently under water and the climate catastrophe is altering the monsoon pattern in South Asia, increasing the likelihood of fatal deluges.
 The entire region accounts for just a minuscule quantity of carbon emissions, with Pakistan and Bangladesh generating less than 1 per cent, but it is a ‘climate crisis hotspot,’ as recently noted by UN Secretary-General António Guterres as well as in the in Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report. Therefore, it only seems fair, that the rich polluting nations should pay climate reparations to vulnerable countries for their historical injustices.
“We are all in the same storm, but we aren’t in the same boat.”
Empty Pledges. We young people were left feeling helpless and betrayed after COP26. The empty pledges, known as the Glasgow Climate Pact, will not protect our people from the global climate crisis. Only those from vulnerable communities can teach the rest of the world about climate resilience.
Faulty Paradigm. This worldwide catastrophe is the outcome of a faulty economic paradigm fuelled by capitalism, European colonialism, and the increasing domination of powerful men. Despite recognising the harmful consequences and viable remedies, the global community is not acting quickly enough to address the climate crisis. At the moment, we are worried that COP27 will be worse than COP26. There have already been requests that the venue is moved from Egypt due to concerns about human rights violations
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Nationally Determined Contributions
Felix Dodds reporting.
Keeping 1.5 Alive: Revisiting countries’ nationally determined contributions (NDCs)—essentially their pledges and plans—at COP27 is important. Many feel it is imperative to maintain the pressure to improve the many NDCs delivered in time for COP26. However, only a dozen or so countries have submitted new or revised NDCs since Glasgow
 All Stakeholders Must Deliver. Depending on whether you just take the commitments by governments into account or include those of other stakeholders, we are currently still looking at a temperature rise of 1.8-2.7oC. Of course, this is much lower than estimates prior to Paris (2015), when some predicted a rise of 4-6oC by the end of the century. Nevertheless, those lower numbers still rely on all stakeholders delivering their promises. And they still take us well beyond 1.5oC.
More Ambition Needed. For these reasons, more ambitious NDCs in the lead-up to, or during, COP27, would help deliver a major boost. The reality is that we need trillions, not billions, to address climate change and that government aid will not be enough. Still, progress by government negotiators on a new collective quantified goal on climate finance is needed. Outside the government negotiations, observers will also be looking for progress by other stakeholders. For instance, the launch in 2021 of the Glasgow Finance Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) as a coalition of the willing will need to play a critical role.
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A Voice for Africa ?
Global South Calls Out. With Egypt hosting this meeting, COP27 provides an opportunity to amplify regional voices from Africa in the conversation and to highlight issues of global justice and equity. A successful COP would, in our view, show a growing solidarity between the Global North and South on issues such as financing and loss and damage. The General Assembly heard a number of voices calling more significant representation for Africa at the United Nations. In their speeches to the General Assembly this week, numerous African world leaders demanded that Africa be given a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
 Leaders Speak Clearly. Many African leaders who spoke at the United Nations General Assembly so far this first week seem to all want the same thing: a permanent seat at the Security Council table. “Africa has waited long enough and will not wait any longer,” Ali Bongo Ondimba, Gabon’s president, said to the gathering on Sept. 21.
Continent of 54 Nations. The continent of 54 countries is battling an unfair multilateral system, many Africans say, as it struggles to recover from Covid-19 and deal with the consequences of climate change and with conflict. These issues were predominant in speeches this week by at least five African countries from across the continent: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria. The African quest for a permanent seat in the Council has gone on for decades.
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US Obstruction On Loss and Damage
During Climate Week NY taking place alongside the General Assembly, environmental lawyer and veteran climate negotiator Farhana Yamin, (Photo: juliesbycycle.com) asked U.S. climate envoy John Kerry  about whether his government intends to direct money toward “loss and damage” from climate change, i.e., helping vulnerable countries rebuild when climate-fueled disasters hit. For years, the United States has stymied efforts to establish a concrete financing facility for loss and damage.
Direct Questions for Kerry. “What will you be doing to step up and actually put money into loss and damage? And what will you be doing to stop the inaction on legal and political and institutional wrangling which the U.S. is at the heart of, I have to say?” asked Yamin, who has been a lead author on IPCC reports, played a key role in negotiating the Paris Agreement, and worked as an adviser to the Marshall Islands in negotiating the text on loss and damage. “You can remove all of that and establish the facility on loss and damage at COP27, which is the will of the vast majority of developing countries,” Yamin said. “And all I can say is you’re bringing a lot to the table and I really applaud that. But the most important thing the U.S. can bring right now is honesty to COP 27,” the climate summit being held later this fall in Egypt.
Mitigate First. A visibly annoyed Kerry responded: “In all honesty, the most important thing that we can do is stop, mitigate enough that we prevent loss and damage. And the next most important thing we can do is help people adapt to the damage that’s already there.
Trillions Needed. Kerry’s argument that money should be spent on mitigation and adaptation rather than loss and damage glosses over the fact that mitigation and adaptation already have dedicated financing mechanisms at the U.N. level, however inadequate. And that wasn’t  the only part of his answer that might be construed as misleading. Take his gesture at the “trillions” that would be needed for loss and damage, and insistence that no country possesses such sums.
Estimates are High. The bare numbers are as follows: By 2030, the need for loss and damage financing is projected to reach between $300 and $700 billion per year, and it will be as much as $1.2 trillion by 2060, according to the Civil Society Equity Review. Those calling for loss and damage funds have never suggested a single country should pay up. But if they were to demand it, then it’s worth noting that the U.S. does in fact have this money. The U.S. military budget is $1.77 trillion, including $36.5 billion for Space Force.
Other Remedies Proposed. There have been numerous proposals, though, to fund loss and damage internationally without relying on congressional approval here. “People [outside the U.S.] understand the U.S. political system just as well as you guys do because our fate is tied up with it half the time,” Yamin said. This week, U.N chief António Guterres expressed support for imposing a windfall tax on fossil fuel companies to fund loss and damage. Others have suggested that the International Monetary Fund—a body in which the U.S. enjoys outsize power—issue another round of Special Drawing Rights by way of meeting climate finance needs, and that the U.S. redistribute the hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of SDRs currently sitting on its books. Experts have also suggested debt-for-climate swaps, which would provide debt relief for poorer countries in exchange for their investments in climate mitigation, adaptation, and recovery. The least the U.S. could do, however, would be to allow loss and damage conversations to take place and move forward, instead of aggressively silencing them like Kerry tried to on Tuesday and U.S. negotiators have, historically, at U.N. climate talks
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Mottley Challenges Financial System
Barbados Bold Proposal. But the most ambitious idea came from Barbados’ prime minister Mia Mottley: an overhaul of the financial system that, she says, can deliver trillions of dollars for investing in climate action and resilience. It will require reforming the IMF and the World Bank and a massive expansion of cheap lending to developing countries. Mottley tested out the plan with a select group of leaders during a retreat in Bridgetown this summer. This week, she took it to the rest of the world.
A Dozen Ideas to Start. Leaders from developing countries had suggestions about where  rich countries should start. Speaking in New York on Friday morning September 16, Prime Minister Mia Mottley (Photo left: trevorgrundy.news) of Barbados listed more than a dozen measures that the multilateral financial institutions controlled by wealthy nations could take. listed more than a dozen measures She called on the World Bank and other global institutions to increase their appetite for risk and expand lending by at least by $1 trillion. And she called on the International Monetary Fund to channel at least $100 billion from a global line of credit it controls to countries that need it. “There is a disconnect between commitments and capacity,” she said, referring to rich nations.
“We cannot be good at rescuing banks but not
be good at saving countries.”
World Bank Leadership Questioned. Her plan will require the leadership of the top financial institutions. That of World Bank president David Malpass has come under serious questions. Malpass repeatedly refused to say whether he accepts that burning fossil fuels is warming the planet during an interview with New York Times’ reporter David Gelles. The exchange sparked global outcry and widespread calls for the US, the bank’s largest shareholder, to push Malpass out.
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Human Rights Concerns in Egypt
By Associated Press
Repression in Egypt. An international human rights group called on the United Nations to ensure that countries hosting its climate conference commit to meeting human rights standards after it documented instances of repression against environmental groups in Egypt, the host of Cop27 later this year.
Restrictions Questioned. Human Rights Watch said in a report based on interviews with more than a dozen academics, scientists and activists that government restrictions amount to a  violation of basic human rights and throw into question the Egyptian government’s ability to meet basic climate commitments.
Crackdown on Dissent. Egypt’s government has engaged in a widespread crackdown on dissent in recent years that has detained thousands, many without trial, according to rights groups. Under President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, Egypt has also intimidated activists and new laws have practically barred many civil society organizations from operating.
Groups Need to Feel Safe. “The world needs more climate activism, not less, and there can be no such effective activism when the government treats civic groups as a threat, not an asset,” said Richard Pearshouse, environment director at Human Rights Watch, in the report. “The UN Framework Convention member states and the Secretariat should press the Egyptian government to make sure environmental groups feel it is safe to engage in and beyond the COP.”
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GOOD NEWS TO SHARE
In July, when NASA released the first batch of images from the Webb telescope, we could glimpse remote corners of the universe with newfound clarity and beauty — a panorama of “cosmic cliffs,” 24 trillion miles tall, constructed from gas and  dust, for instance. The images were stunning but also bewildering; they defied description. What could we even compare them to? Webb was reaching farther in distance and into the past than any telescope before it, collecting light from stars that in some cases required more than 13 billion years to reach us. We will need to acclimate ourselves to the task of constantly looking at — and interpreting — things we’ve never seen before.
More lithium: A mine in Quebec could help make electric cars more affordable. It also shows how hard it is to get lithium out of the ground and break China’s dominance in the sector.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States says that concentrations of CFCs, the harmful chemicals that damage the ozone layer, have dropped by just over 50% compared to the 1980s. Scientists say it is a 'significant milestone' on the path to recovery. Euro News
The US Senate has ratified the Kigali Amendment, a global climate treaty that formally phases down the use of HFCs, the industrial chemicals that replaced CFCs in the 1980s. Republicans supported the phase-down as being good for business, while Democrats and climate activists praised it as good climate policy. NYT
Two inspiring river stories for you this week. In the Netherlands rewilding experts are undoing 500 years of engineering on the Meuse River, a project described as Europe’s largest river restoration. In Canada, indigenous communities are co-leading an effort with the government to restore the estuary of the Squamish River, "reopening its lungs, and bringing back the natural being of it.”
Three great ocean conservation stories too. The Republic of the Congo has created its first ever marine protected areas, covering 4,000 km2 off the west African coast, Albania has declared its Porto-Palermo Bay as a nature park, and after a decade of work Canada has unveiled a blueprint for a vast network of marine protected areas across the northern third of its West Coast.
 Twenty years ago, Indonesia's Raja Ampat archipelago was in trouble due to unsustainable fishing practices. (Photo: Lonelyplanet) In 2004 authorities incorporated it into a network of over 20,000 km2 of protected areas, and today fish populations have rebounded, coral is recovering and livelihoods for local communities have improved. Earlier this year it was given a Blue Parks Award. CNN
Last week it was Patagonia, this week it's the founder of Lululemon, who has pledged $75.8 million to acquire wilderness in British Columbia. It's one of the largest philanthropic gifts in Canadian history and will be used to buy forests and repurchase mining, forestry and other resource licenses, turning huge tracts of land into parks managed by indigenous communities. Bloomberg
After being driven to extinction in the United Kingdom in 1979, the large blue butterfly just had its best year since record keeping began 150 years ago. The success is thanks to reintroduction efforts that began in 1983, and the establishment of multiple protected habitats across southwest England. Ecowatch
 The US federal duck stamp program is one of the most successful conservation programs ever created. Since 1934, it's raised $1.1 billion through sales of stamps, and helped conserve more than six million acres of habitat. Earlier this week the Interior Department announced another $105 million of funding to conserve or restore 116,305 acres of habitat for waterfowl and other birds in 18 states. Mirage
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Saving the World Is Cheaper
Norway's sovereign wealth fund will require all companies it invests in to reach net zero by 2050. This might not sound like a big carbon coup, but it is. The fund is estimated to own around 1.3% of the global stock market, putting it in a position to exert genuine pressure on major companies to clean up their act. Reuters
Liaoning, a province in the northeast of China that was once one of the country's major coal and industrial hubs, has launched a $87 billion plan to expand clean energy production. The province is planning 60GW of renewables, nuclear and virtual power plants, enough combined generation to power all of Thailand. Bloomberg
Japan is forecasting a huge wave of power plant closures this decade. Its Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is now predicting over 43 GW of thermal capacity shutting by 2030. That's 50% higher than previous estimates, and represents a quarter of all the country's fossil fuels capacity. Bloomberg Japan
Electric vehicles are exploding across the United States. Market share in the southeast has doubled compared to last year, Hertz just announced plans to order 175,000 EVs from General Motors, Bloomberg has updated its forecasts to 50% market share by 2030, and none of the car companies can keep up. WSJ
Mercedes just unveiled its long haul trucking prototype. The engineering is incredible.  500 kilometres per charge, 10 ton payload, 1.2 million kilometre battery life, no tail pipe pollution, hardly any noise, and regenerative braking. A timely reminder that electric vehicles don't just replace combustion engine vehicles, they're better on multiple counts.
Germany says its gas storage facilities are 90% full, and on track for 95% by November. Robert Habeck, the Minister of Economy, says the country now has a chance of getting through the winter 'comfortably' without Russian gas. Someone might want to let Putin know. DW
Spain is getting serious about cleaning up its air. Due to legislation passed last year, all municipalities with 50,000 residents or more will have to implement low-emission zones within their borders in 2023. According to one Spanish news source, that’s nearly 150 Spanish municipalities. Clean Technica
It's part of a wider trend. The number of clean air zones across Europe has risen by 40% since 2019. Low-emission zones have now been introduced in 320 European city regions, a figure expected to rise to 507 by 2025. All ten of the continent's most popular tourist cities now restrict petrol and diesel clunkers. Guardian
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Thomas Berry 1914-2009
 "It is especially important in this discussion to recognize the unity of the total process, from that first unimaginable moment of cosmic emergence through all its subsequent forms of expression until the present. This unbreakable bond of relatedness that makes of the whole a universe becomes increasingly apparent to scientific observation, although this bond ultimately escapes scientific formulation or understanding. In virtue of this relatedness, everything is intimately present to everything else in the universe. Nothing is completely itself without everything else. This relatedness is both spatial and temporal. However distant in space or time, the bond of unity is functionally there. The universe is a communion and a community. We ourselves are that communion become conscious of itself."
Thomas Berry Source: The Dream of the Earth, 1988, p. 91.
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