Headlines from the last seven days
1 CLIMATE CRISIS
Sea-level rise caused by ice cap melting is ‘inevitable’
Major sea-level rise from the melting of the Greenland ice cap is now inevitable, scientists have found, even if the fossil fuel burning that is driving the climate crisis were to end overnight.
The research shows the global heating to date will cause an absolute minimum sea-level rise of 27cm from Greenland alone as 110 trillion tonnes of ice melt.
Billions of people live in coastal regions, making flooding one of the greatest long-term impacts of the climate crisis. If Greenland’s record melt year of 2012 becomes a routine occurrence later this century, the ice cap will deliver a “staggering” 78cm of sea-level rise, the scientists said.
Previous studies have used computer models of ice cap behaviour to estimate losses, but there are uncertainties in the results. In contrast, the study in the journal Nature Climate Change used satellite measurements of ice losses from Greenland and the shape of the ice cap from 2000-19. This enabled scientists to calculate how far global heating has pushed the ice sheet from an equilibrium where snowfall matches the ice lost. This allowed the calculation of how much more ice must be lost in order to regain stability.
2 UNITED STATES
California approves ban of new gas vehicles by 2035
California has approved a ban on the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035 as the state takes steps to reduce emissions.
“This is monumental,” said Daniel Sperling, a member of the California Air Resources Board, to CNN. “ It’s important not just for California, but … for the country and the world.”
The policy allows Californians to keep driving gas-powered vehicles and buying used ones after 2035, but no new models would be sold in the state. The policy needs federal approval but that’s considered very likely.
1 Washington state followed California last Thursday by prohibiting the sale of new gaspowered vehicles by 2035, Jay Inslee, the state governor, said.
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