[GWSG] 1.5C v. 2C; happy news on hydrates; Lloyd's divests; insurance action; EV prospects; billionaire's options

[Tilley, Al]

1. The Paris agreement set targets of 2 and 1.5 degrees C of warming. It makes a great deal of difference whether we achieve the lower target. https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/1/19/16908402/global-warming-2-degrees-climate-change This VOX piece is based on an April 2016 Carbon Brief article. https://www.carbonbrief.org/scientists-compare-climate-change-impacts-at-1-5c-and-2c  Chances for runaway warming increase with global heating.



2. While methane is being released from the Arctic ocean floor, presumably by destabilized methane hydrates, little is reaching the atmosphere. Perhaps it is being metabolized by microbes. "Our data suggest that even if increasing amounts of methane are released from degrading hydrates as climate change proceeds, catastrophic emission to the atmosphere is not an inherent outcome." https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180117164022.htm



3. Lloyd's of London is divesting from coal, though the policy is somewhat hedged. The list of European companies divesting from coal include Swiss Re, Munich Re, and Aviva, the largest general insurer. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/jan/21/lloyds-of-london-to-divest-from-coal-over-climate-change



4. A report by the Geneva Association on Climate Change and the Insurance Industry identifies external difficulties in the way as the industry adjusts, and makes three general recommendations to speed things along. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180122005765/en/Geneva-Association-Insurance-Industry-Action-Addressing-Climate



5. In the US, transportation and power generation account for 30% of greenhouse gasses and represent the most promising areas for reduction. The drop in renewable power prices are already making inroads in power generation, where emissions are now below 1989 levels. The increasingly attractive array of electric vehicles promises real movement in that sector as well. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180122005765/en/Geneva-Association-Insurance-Industry-Action-Addressing-Climate



6. Billionaires have special opportunities as they face global warming. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/22/the-billionaires-guide-to-surviving-global-warming-with-ian-the-climate-denialist-potato ?

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.unf.edu/pipermail/gwsg/attachments/20180122/0da18fe8/attachment.html>