[GWSG] Belting the environment; capping capitalism; off-grid prefab; Morgan climate report; Thwaites warmed; rewilding the oceans

[Tilley, Al]

1. Chia’s gigantic Belt and Road Initiative involves around 140 countries in hundreds of infrastructure development projects. So far it displays little concern for the environment, and could leave the world with a catastrophic heritage of locked-in emissions and other environmental degradations. https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/02/the-potential-climate-consequences-of-chinas-belt-and-roads-initiative/?utm_source=Weekly+News+from+Yale+Climate+Connections&utm_campaign=edda5469f3-Weekly_Digest_of_February_17_21_2020&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e007cd04ee-edda5469f3-59270721



2. If capitalism requires growth, we may have to get over it. https://phys.org/news/2020-02-capitalism-planet-coexist.html



3. California’s Dvele manufactures prefab homes which need no grid connection. They use 84% less energy per square foot than a conventional home. https://www.curbed.com/2020/2/14/21135428/prefab-homes-self-powered-dvele



4. J. P. Morgan is the largest financier of the fossil fuel industry. A leaked report from the firm warns that the climate crisis has made the current situation unsustainable. “We cannot rule out catastrophic outcomes where human life as we know it is threatened.” The report was obtained by Rupert Read, a philosopher and Extinction Rebellion spokesperson. “The metadata on the pdf of the report obtained by Read said the document was created on 13 January and that the author of the file was Gabriel de Kock, executive director of JP Morgan.” https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/21/jp-morgan-economists-warn-climate-crisis-threat-human-race



5. Thwaites Glacier in the West Antarctic is being undermined by multiple warm water currents. Last year was the first of a major US-UK effort to understand the course of the glacier’s future; the project is scheduled for completion in 2023. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00497-4



6. Most attention to the need for rewilding has concerned preserving land species. This year a global conservation meeting will convene in China. An international study suggests that 26-41% of the oceans need to be set aside to protect biodiversity. https://phys.org/news/2020-02-earth-oceans.html

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