Latest news with #climatescientists
Irish Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Scientists accuse Ireland and New Zealand of using ‘accounting trick' to justify livestock emissions
Leading climate scientists have accused politicians in New Zealand and Ireland of using an 'accounting trick' to back their sheep and cattle industries, warning their support for methane-emitting livestock could undermine global efforts to fight climate change . In an open letter shared with the Financial Times, 26 climate scientists from around the world warned that New Zealand's proposed new methane targets risk setting a dangerous precedent. Scientists have separately raised concerns about Ireland's approach. Governments with large livestock sectors, including those of Ireland and New Zealand, are increasingly using a new method for calculating methane's effect on climate change, which estimates its contribution to warming based on how emissions are changing relative to a baseline. This differs from the long-established approach, which compares the total warming impact of a given mass of methane to the same mass of CO₂ over a 100-year period. READ MORE Proponents argue the newer method, known as global warming potential star (GWP*), better reflects methane's shortlived nature in the atmosphere compared to the long-lasting effects of CO₂. But scientists warn that some governments are misapplying it to justify 'no additional warming' targets, which allow emissions to remain flat rather than decline — potentially enabling high levels of methane emissions and climate damage to continue. 'It's like saying 'I'm pouring 100 barrels of pollution into this river, and it's killing life. If I then go and pour just 90 barrels, then I should get credited for that',' said Paul Behrens, global professor of environmental change at Oxford university and a signatory of the letter. Drew Shindell, professor of climate science at Duke University and another signatory, said assessing future emissions purely in terms of the difference from current levels can amount to an 'accounting trick' when misused. That 'lets you off the hook, and 'grandfathers in' any emissions that are already going on', he said. New Zealand and Ireland are among the world's highest per capita agricultural methane emitters, largely due to their export-focused meat and dairy industries. In New Zealand, agriculture accounts for nearly half of total greenhouse gas emissions, primarily from livestock. Ireland's agriculture sector is its largest emitter, with dairy cows producing significantly more methane per animal than beef cattle. The scientists' letter argues the approach preferred by Dublin and Wellington could set a precedent, allowing other countries to justify minimal reductions in methane emissions and jeopardising commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement as well as the Global Methane Pledge, which was launched in 2021. Paul Price, a climate change researcher at Dublin City University, said Ireland needs sharp near-term cuts in agricultural methane to have any chance of limiting warming to 1.5°C, as called for under the Paris Agreement. Instead, he said, the country is expanding production — 'exactly the opposite' of what's needed. While herd sizes have declined elsewhere in Europe, the number of dairy cows in Ireland has increased over the past 15 years, according to the country's state agricultural research agency. New Zealand is expected to formalise new methane targets later this year, following a government-commissioned review suggesting reductions of 14 to 24 per cent by 2050 would suffice under the 'no additional warming' goal. This is lower than the 35-47 per cent cuts recommended by the country's Climate Change Commission. The governments of Ireland and New Zealand did not respond to requests for comment. Myles Allen, professor of geosystem science at Oxford university's physics department and one of the scientists behind GWP*, said governments — not scientists — must decide whether farmers should undo past warming from herd growth. He supported separate targets for methane and CO₂, calling the older approach 'a dodgy speedometer' that overstated the warming impact of constant methane emissions and was slow to reflect the impact of changes. But scientists behind the letter said that the weaker methane target could act as a tool to justify richer and higher-emitting countries failing to lead the way in cutting emissions. 'If you're a rich farmer that happens to have a lot of cows, then you can keep those cows forever,' said Shindell. This approach 'penalises anybody who's not already a big player in agriculture', including 'poor farmers in Africa that are trying to feed a growing population'. —Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2025
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Watch: Flood waters rapidly fill Australia's Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre
Satellite imagery has captured Australia's Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre filling rapidly throughout May following rains that heavily impacted parts of Queensland and New South Wales. The lake, which covers the lowest natural point in Australia - around 15m (49ft) below sea level - is normally dry. It only fills during periods of heavy rain with the water gradually evaporating to leave salt pans - hence the white appearance of the lake on the initial shots. While flooding has been widespread across parts of eastern Australia recently many in nearby South Australia and Victoria remain in the grips of drought. Climate scientists say these extremes have all the hall marks of a warming planet.
BBC News
27-05-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
WATCH: Australia's Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre fills rapidly after historic rainfall.
Satellite imagery has captured Australia's Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre filling rapidly throughout May following rains that heavily impacted parts of Queensland and New South lake, which covers the lowest natural point in Australia - around 15m (49ft) below sea level - is normally dry. It only fills during periods of heavy rain with the water gradually evaporating to leave salt pans - hence the white appearance of the lake on the initial flooding has been widespread across parts of eastern Australia recently many in nearby South Australia and Victoria remain in the grips of scientists say these extremes have all the hall marks of a warming planet.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Jimmy Kimmel Exposes The 2 'So Crazy' Things Hidden In Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Jimmy Kimmel said the 'big beautiful bill' that President Donald Trump is trying to ram through Congress will add trillions to the federal debt while cutting essential services to some of the most vulnerable Americans. And that's not all it will do. 'It contains a provision to eliminate a sales tax on gun silencers. It will make what they call suppressors more affordable,' Kimmel said. 'To which I say: It's about time! One thing I think we can all agree on is that the gun violence in this country is too loud.' Trump has also fired climate scientists, and his budget would make steeper cuts to those programs. 'It's all so crazy,' Kimmel said. 'Their solution to climate change is to fire everyone who studies climate change. It's not happening if we can't see it, right? And there's no gun violence if we can't hear the shots.' See more in his Tuesday night monologue:
The Guardian
08-05-2025
- Climate
- The Guardian
April storms that killed 24 in US made more severe by burning fossil fuels
The four-day historic storm that caused death and destruction across the central Mississippi valley in early April was made significantly more likely and more severe by burning fossil fuels, rapid analysis by a coalition of leading climate scientists has found. Record quantities of rain were dumped across eight southern and midwestern states between 3 and 6 April, causing widespread catastrophic flooding that killed at least 15 people, inundated crops, wrecked homes, swept away vehicles and caused power outages for hundreds of thousands of households. The floods were caused by rainfall made about 9% more intense and 40% more likely by human-caused climate change, the World Weather Attribution (WWA) study found. Uncertainty in models means the role of the climate crisis was probably even higher. Another nine people died as a result of tornadoes and strong winds, and the economic damages have been estimated to be between $80bn and $90bn. The record rainfall was driven in large part by warm ocean temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico that fed the storm moisture that it dropped across Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama. Overall, the human-caused climate crisis made surface sea temperatures 2.2F (1.2C) hotter, and such ocean conditions are now 14 times more likely compared with in a cooler, pre-industrial world, the study found. A chart showing that 2025 is an outlier in rainfall events The region has been pummeled by multiple deadly storms over recent years including Hurricane Helene in September that killed more than 230 people mostly from heavy rainfall and flooding. But last month's death toll could have been much worse – if it had not been for the around-the-clock forecasting and early warnings by the National Weather Service (NWS), which is facing major cuts and staff layoffs thanks to Donald Trump and his billionaire donor Elon Musk, according to the study authors. Overall, the NWS issued 728 different severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings – the third-highest number on record – that helped local authorities issue timely evacuations orders and position emergency resources that saved lives. 'These floods didn't make front pages, but they should have. At least 15 people died, homes were ruined and farmland turned into swamps,' said Friederike Otto, senior lecturer in climate science at Imperial College London's Grantham Institute – Climate Change and the Environment. 'In an increasingly dangerous world of extreme weather, a well-resourced forecasting workforce is essential. The recent layoffs at the National Weather Service workers will put lives at risk.' A combination of weather patterns, including the collision of two air masses, created a storm that lingered and subjected the region to days of apocalyptic weather including hundreds of tornadoes, hailstorms, landslides and wind events. Based on historical data, similar downpours are expected to occur on average about once a century in today's climate with 2.3F of heating above pre-industrial levels. Yet things are on track to get much worse. If the transition from oil, gas and coal to renewable energy sources continues at today's snail pace, four-day spells of rainfall will be twice as likely and 7% more intense by 2100, the study found. skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion The NWS is among key federal agencies under assault by the Trump administration that research, prepare for and respond to extreme weather events, which were already overwhelmed due to the climate crisis. Nearly half of NWS offices have 20% vacancy rates – double the level of short-staffing compared with 10 years ago. Amid mass layoffs and buyouts, there is no chief meteorologist at 30 of the 122 NWS local offices including several in Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee where the storm struck, according to CNN. Trump's climate-related cuts come on top of policies to boost fossil fuels and block renewables, as the US braces itself for another year of destructive wildfires, extreme temperatures and Atlantic storms. 'We're dealing with floods, droughts, wildfires and heatwaves – many times all at once – and science keeps confirming they're getting more dangerous as the planet heats up,' said Shel Winkley, weather and climate engagement specialist at Climate Central. 'Understanding precisely where and when these unnatural extreme events will strike is vital for protecting public safety.' This is the 101st WWA study, a decade-old initiative that provides rapid scientific analysis on whether and to what extent human-induced global heating driven by burning fossil fuels and deforestation has altered the likelihood and intensity of a local extreme weather event. The latest study was conducted by 15 researchers as part of the World Weather Attribution group, including scientists from universities and meteorological agencies in the US, UK, France and Netherlands.
