[GWSG] Fossils kill; climate action saves; permafrost emits; US opinion; Shell waffles; BP better?; greenwash record

[Tilley, Al]

1. Around 20% of adult mortality world-wide is caused by pollution from burning fossil fuels. In six Asian countries the percentage is 25% or more. Coal is particularly lethal. Heart disease and stroke are the leading killers.  https://phys.org/news/2021-02-fossil-fuel-pollution-deaths-globally.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-nwletter

2. An article in the Lancet finds that climate action could save millions of lives annually. “Tougher measures to curb emissions would save lives through better, more plant-based diets, more physical activity from active travel such as walking and cycling and cuts to air pollution from burning fewer fossil fuels.” Diet is far and away the most important factor.   https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/10/climate-action-could-save-millions-of-lives-through-clean-air-diet-and-exercise
PhysOrg provides more information from the Lancet study. https://phys.org/news/2021-02-millions-annually-countries-climate-ambitions.html

3. A newly discovered process in thawing permafrost releases much more CO2 than previously thought. How much will be released remains to be discovered. https://phys.org/news/2021-02-arctic-permafrost-carbon-dioxide-believed.html

4. A Yale survey finds that most Americans are aware of the climate crisis, are concerned and want to do something about it, and understand that it is not too late to act. Only about 20% understand the strength of the scientific consensus on climate, though. All that fossil fuel propaganda continues to resonate. https://mailchi.mp/yale/few-americans-are-fatalistic-about-climate-change?e=4dee1d8b35

5. Shell Oil says that its oil production peaked in 2019 and that they expect it to decline at 1-2% a year in the future. While others have speculated that this could be the case for the oil industry generally, Shell, the largest producer of oil and gas in Europe, is the first corporation to report it. Shell has a target of zero emissions by 2050, including the emission of its products. For the present, Shell will continue to invest in increasing its production of gas.   https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/11/business/shell-oil-production.html

6. While it is working on its 2050 coal of carbon neutrality, Shell is likely to increase emissions more than 20% in the crucial next few years in its enthusiasm for selling methane. BP has promised to cut oil and gas production by 40% by 2030. Good on them, but obviously we need to proceed as if the fossil fuel companies are not partners in climate action. Shell is talking of reducing carbon intensity, a Bush-era subterfuge which presumes that the earth is sensitive to how efficiently we produce greenhouse gasses. China has also adopted that linguistic smokescreen, though not entirely.  https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/feb/11/shell-grow-gas-business-energy-net-zero-carbon

7. The attempts to greenwash the images of fossil fuel corporations go back at least 20 years. https://grist.org/energy/oil-companies-dont-want-to-be-known-for-oil-anymore/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=daily

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