The Energy 202: U.N. says emissions must fall by 7.6 percent each year to stop worst effects of climate change
clock THE LIGHTBULB The United Nations is out with a report that paints a grim picture of what needs to happen to stave off the worst effects of climate change. Only with drastic and rapid action can world leaders avoid widespread and disastrous impacts of warming, according to findings out this morning from the United Nations. That means unprecedented cuts in greenhouse gas emissions and fast, The Posts Brady Dennis reports . The report offers a grim assessment of how off-track the world remains. Global temperatures are on pace to rise as much as 3.9 degrees Celsius (7 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the century, according to the United Nations annual emissions gap report, which assesses the difference between the worlds current path and the changes needed to meet the goals of the 2015 Paris climate accord, Dennis writes. As part of that deal, world leaders agreed to hold warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius compared with preindustrial levels; the current trajectory is nearly twice that. Heres what would need to happen: Beginning in 2020, global greenhouse gas emissions need to begin dropping by 7.6 percent each year to meet the most ambitious targets from the Paris accord. Dennis writes: "To hold warming to 'well below' 2 degrees Celsius, the authors found that countries would need to triple the ambition of their current promises. To hit the more ambitious target of no more than 1.5 degrees of warming, they found, nations would need to ramp up their pledges fivefold." "Every year of delay beyond 2020 brings a need for faster cuts, which become increasingly expensive, unlikely and impractical, the report says. Delays will also quickly put the 1.5C goal out of reach. But: The rate of emissions cuts outlined in the report seems far out of reach. The reports authors acknowledged that the findings are bleak. After all, the world has never demonstrated the ability to cut greenhouse gas emissions on such a scale. And the United States isn't helping: President Trump withdrew the country from the 2015 Paris accord and his actions seem to have given a green light to other nations to be less ambitious in their climate change policies. Heres where we are now: Global emissions have risen about 1.5 percent annually on average over the past decade. In the coming decade, that trend must reverse profoundly and rapidly if world leaders are to limit the Earths warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) or even 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) compared with preindustrial levels, scientists say. The world already has warmed more than 1 degree Celsius. A Post analysis this year found about 20 percent of the planet has already warmed by 1.5 degrees Celsius. What experts are saying: "Our collective failure to act early and hard on climate change means we now must deliver deep cuts to emissions, said Inger Andersen, executive director of the U.N. Environment Program, in a statement announcing the findings. We need to catch up on the years in which we procrastinated. Niklas Hohne, a German climatologist and founding partner of NewClimate Institute told The Post: We are not a little bit off, we are far off from where we should be ... The longer action is delayed, the higher cuts will be required. We cannot wait another 10 years. Whats next: Next month at the annual U.N. climate conference in Spain, representatives from countries around the world will face pressure to ramp up their ambition not just their rhetoric over the coming year. So far, only a handful of the worlds largest greenhouse gas emitters have policies in place to meet the promises they made in Paris four years ago, much less more aggressive strategies for transformative climate commitments at the breadth and scale necessary, Tuesdays report says. Read the full story from Brady Dennis, with help from Juliet Eilperin, here: In bleak report, U.N. says drastic action is only way to avoid worst effects of climate change (Brady Dennis) SCOTUS won't hear case involving climate scientist's lawsuit: The high court declined to intervene in a case involving a climate scientist who sued a conservative magazine and a libertarian Washington think tank for defamation. The National Review and the Competitive Enterprise Institute had asked the court to review a decision by local District of Columbia courts that said the lawsuit by Pennsylvania State University professor Michael Mann could continue, The Posts Robert Barnes reports . " ... Mann is an internationally recognized expert on climate change and has published work that blamed human activity for global warning. The work was criticized by some scientists, but an investigation by Penn State cleared him of any wrongdoing. That did not stop the criticism." Why evangelicals like Rick Perry believe Trump is Gods "chosen one": In an interview with Fox News, the Energy secretary praised the president as the "chosen one." The Post's Eugene Scott writes that while the declaration received some pushback from Christians and others, "Perrys take on Trump and God is not uncommon among the white conservative evangelicals who approve of the presidents job performance at rates higher than most other groups. Other religious leaders have said similar things...The idea is rooted in several narratives (including those that Perr mentioned) and verses from the Bible that teach that leaders are in place because God has allowed them to be." :Meanwhile, Perry prepares to leave the White House: The Energy Secretary tweeted he had completed his final duties in the Trump administration. Just finished my last official duties at the @WhiteHouse . What a great ride it has been!! Thanks to all. Happy Holidays & God Bless. pic.twitter.com/piuDQHydRo EPA considering action on PFAS: The Environmental Protection Agency may add PFAS, a dangerous class of chemicals commonly used in products such as nonstick cookware, to a list of chemicals that some companies must report. The agency announced its asking for public input on a proposal to add certain chemicals to the list of chemicals companies are required to report to the agency as part of the Toxics Release Inventory. Markey bill would use anti-corruption law to target climate abuses: Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) is proposing legislation to target foreign companies and individuals for egregious behaviors that undermine efforts to combat climate change. The proposal from the Green New Deal co-author gives the White House additional authority to cut off access to U.S. financial institutions or block visa requests and compels the president to prioritize action against, and deterrence of, egregious behaviors that undermine efforts to prevent catastrophic global warming, HuffPost reports , citing a draft of the bill. Generational divides on climate change: About a third of Millennial and Generation Z voters who identify as Republican or Republican-leaning say they believe humans contribute to climate change, according to a new survey from Pew Research Center. The survey also found 47 percent of the same group, who are currently ages 18 to 38, say they see some impacts of climate change where they live. Thats compared with 14 percent of baby boomer or older generations of Republicans who say human activity contributes to climate change. It also found 32 percent of that age group says they see at least some effects of global warming in their communities. The big business of weather: As extreme weather and the changing climate increase how much weather events cost the economy, it has in part pushed more companies and start-ups to join the business of weather forecasting. A 2017 National Weather Service study found private weather forecasting is a $7 billion and growing industry a trend that's testing the governments hold over weather data and warnings, The Posts Andrew Freedman reports . Coming Up A brief history of turkey pardons, a decades-old presidential tradition: