Should we treat environmental crime more like murder?
One day it struck me that the world would be a very different place if environmental crimes were treated in the same way as murders. So, why aren’t they? And should they be?
At the moment such crimes can, mistakenly, feel distant and abstract. If someone came into your flat and set fire to your furniture, stole your valuables, killed your pet, added poison to your water … what would you do? You’d be terrified. You’d go to the police. You might want revenge. You’d certainly want justice. It would be entirely obvious to you that a crime had been committed.
Should we treat environmental crime more like murder?
Serial killers and violent criminals dominate the headlines. What if we covered ecocide and pollution in the same way?Julia Shaw (The Guardian)
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China Helped Indonesia Build One of the World’s Biggest, Youngest Coal Fleets. It’s Still Growing.
Indonesia is one of the few countries still building new coal power plants, the most polluting sources of power. Chinese companies are playing a large role despite a pledge by Beijing to halt such support.
While this buildout was driven by Indonesian leaders, and Japan and South Korea have provided significant financing, too, no foreign nation has played a larger role than China.“China is a good friend for all the presidents to fulfill their campaign promises,” said Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat, director of the China-Indonesia desk at the Center of Economic and Law Studies, a research and advocacy group in Indonesia. Where lenders from other countries have pledged money without delivering, Rakhmat said, Chinese enterprises provided financing quickly and with few requirements.
Today, Chinese companies are continuing to build new coal plants in Indonesia, despite a 2021 pledge by China’s president, Xi Jinping, that Beijing would end such financing.
In an ironic twist, many of the new Chinese-backed coal plants are powering operations that Indonesian leaders say will help transition the world to cleaner energy. These so-called “captive” coal plants are not connected to the grid but instead serve as dedicated power sources for new industrial parks refining nickel, used in electric vehicle batteries, or manufacturing solar panel components. The projects are backed largely by private Chinese companies rather than state-owned enterprises, and their status as captive power plants appears to allow them to flow through a loophole in Xi’s 2021 pledge.
Beyond these captive plants in Indonesia, China has largely stuck to that promise—only a few other Chinese-backed coal units were newly planned last year, in Kyrgyzstan, Zambia and Zimbabwe, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, an independent research group based in Finland.\
It's a good article. You should read it instead of just assuming it confirms all your anti-china bias. Don't get me wrong, I think building new coal plants is bad even if it's for nickle that goes into an electric car. IMO the CPC should stop private capital from investing in those "captive" plants as well.
A “controversial” methane metric?
A “controversial” methane metric?
There’s a recent Carbon Brief article about a supposedly controversial methane metric. The metric in question is GWP*, which I’ve actually written about before. Methane emissions are ty…...and Then There's Physics
What Happens When the Ice Melts? Three Women in Alaska Are Sounding an Alarm.
Paintings, poems and science are on display at the Museum of the North in Fairbanks, illustrating the shared impact when carbon is released from the permafrost.
Netherlands: Zero-emission zones lead to boom in electric vans and trucks
Netherlands: Zero-emission zones lead to boom in electric vans and trucks - electrive.com
A new analysis by Clean Cities examines the initial impact of the introduction of zero-emission zones for freight transport (ZEZ-F) in Dutch cities. One finding: registrations of electric vans and trucks are skyrocketing in the country.Chris Randall (electrive.com)
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EV adoption surges in developing nations, challenging oil demand narrative
cross-posted from: piefed.social/post/1371452
There’s a comforting story that oil bulls like to tell themselves to stave off worries about the future: While the privileged few in Europe and California might have lost their minds over electric vehicles, billions of drivers in the Global South are readying themselves to provide the next wave of petroleum demand.Those who believe this might want to have a look at the cars and two-wheelers that people are actually buying right now. Far from trailing the rich world in their enthusiasm for battery cars, developing nations are surging ahead.
[...]
Things are moving even faster in nations wholly dependent on imports. More than three-quarters of the value of vehicles brought into Nepal, Sri Lanka and Djibouti last year was purely electric. Import shares in Ethiopia and Laos were 40 per cent and 30 per cent respectively. Plug-in sales increased by 60 per cent in developing countries as a whole in 2024, according to the International Energy Agency.
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International Coalition Joins Push for Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty: ‘We Cannot Protect Nature While Expanding Fossil Fuels’
International Coalition Joins Push for Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty: ‘We Cannot Protect Nature While Expanding Fossil Fuels’ - Inside Climate News
An international coalition of more than 1,400 governmental and civil conservation organizations has called on its members to increase efforts to curb fossil fuel extraction and work toward a global fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty.Inside Climate News
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney Stands by His Climate Agenda
Despite deep green credentials — including a five-year stint as United Nations special envoy for climate change — Carney has scrapped a number of environmental policies introduced by his predecessor, Justin Trudeau, and struck a notably friendlier tone on fossil fuel production. He’s fast-tracked approval for a liquefied natural gas export facility expansion in British Columbia, opened the door to the possibility of a new oil pipeline to the country’s west coast, and hasn’t ruled out abandoning plans for anemissions cap for oil and gas producers.Pressed on his plans for the cap, Carney repeatedly responded that “a desired outcome” — in this case emissions reduction — “is not a policy.”
The Kids Who Sued Trump Just Lost Big in Court. Or Did They?
A federal judge threw out their climate lawsuit against the president a few days ago. But legal experts say there was a silver lining in the judge’s opinion.
North to Alaska: America’s Climate Warning
North to Alaska: America’s Climate Warning
Guest article by Jay Inslee, former governor of Washington StateMeidasTouch Network (Meidas+)
Fed Rescinds Mandate That Banks Plan for Climate Risks
Financial regulators said the Biden-era policy was superfluous. Democrats said it protected financial stability in an era of unpredictable weather.
The northern migration of the temperate forest isn’t proceeding as expected
Could the boreal forest be less fragile than we think? Contrary to the predictions of models that forecast its rapid decline in favour of temperate maple forests, the ecological history of the boreal forest is showing surprising resilience.
The northern migration of the temperate forest isn’t proceeding as expected
Maple forests aren’t spreading north as quickly as predicted.The Conversation
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The US Government Is Shut Down. But Not for Fossil Fuels.
Federal workers who issue permits for oil, gas and mining operations are on the job, along with those working to repeal pollution limits.
Europe’s climate is changing fast – here’s how it’s affecting people and the economy
Europe’s climate is changing fast – here’s how it’s affecting people and the economy
Daily life for people living in Europe is already becoming unpredictable due to the consequences of extreme weather.The Conversation
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Pretty sure the mowing is the exact problem. Can't remember if it's solved by using an old school push-powered mower or something
Edit - after looking into it, seems like push mowers don't help because Americans eating meat will cause as much pollution pushing a mower as using gas? Not sure
People on here always talk about how lawns need a bunch of fertilizer to work, but that never made sense to me because we've never done that around here. But then I learned that's because everyone just has clover growing along side their grass.
Anyway I think shaming people for their lawn is a bad idea. I think killing your lawn will only catch on if it's presented as a way to make your lawn cooler. You're not a bad person for having a lawn, but you could change it into something so much more interesting by including native flora.
Carbon Dioxide Levels Jumped by a Record Amount, U.N. Says
Surging emissions from wildfires may have been behind the increase, which was the largest since modern measurements began more than half a century ago.
Note that it's fossil fuel use that is responsible for the bulk of the added CO2; it's just the year-to-year variation that might be due to wildfires.
Natural gas is helping power the use of artificial intelligence
In 2023, data centers consumed approximately 7.4 gigawatts (GW) of electricity globally, or enough to power more than six million homes.Natural gas is one solution to powering these centers, and Chevron recently announced that it will work with Engine No. 1 and GE Verona to generate electricity for AI. The companies’ plans include building natural gas power plants directly connected to data centers.
During the Gastech conference in September 2024, Mike Wirth, Chevron chairman and CEO, highlighted the role that the Permian Basin could play in powering data centers.
“Natural gas will help power the rapid growth of artificial intelligence with its insatiable demand for reliable electricity,” Wirth said. “This means AI’s advance will depend not only on the design labs of Silicon Valley, but also on the gas fields of the Permian Basin.”
According to Goldman Sachs, incremental data center power demand will drive 3.3 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) of new natural gas demand by 2030.
Surging emissions from wildfires may have been behind the increase
No, no, no. That not possible. Me told forests -ABSORB- CO², not emit it. If tipping points reached and sink become source, how are Grog's carbon credits going to maintain value?
How Bill Gates private jet fuel itself, carbon neutral like, if planted forests now ash? Grog confused. sad noises
Harnessing technology and global collaboration to understand peatlands
Crowdsourcing photos is a neat way to gauge the health of those ecosystems. I've quoted some excerpts from the article below.
A link to the study: doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ae06…
Peatlands are among the world’s most important yet underappreciated ecosystems. They are a type of wetland that covers a small fraction of the Earth’s land, while containing the most carbon-rich soils in the world.Healthy peatlands shape water cycles, support unique biodiversity and sustain communities. Yet for all their importance, we still lack a clear picture of how peatlands are changing through time.
When peatlands are drained, degraded or burned, the carbon they hold is released into the atmosphere. More than three million square kilometres of wetlands have been drained by humans since 1700, meaning we have lost a huge amount of carbon sequestration potential globally. This makes it all the more important for us to understand and conserve remaining peatlands.
Our study, called The PeatPic Project, used smartphone photography to collect data. We connected with peatland researchers around the world via social media and word of mouth and asked them to collect photographs of their peatlands during 2021 and 2022. We gathered more than 3,700 photographs from 27 peatlands in 10 countries.
We analyzed these photographs to look at the plant colour, telling us how green leaves are across the year, and providing rich information on the vegetation growing there. Changes in green leaf colour indicate when plants start their growing season.
They also indicate how green or healthy plants are, how much nutrient plants take up and when they turn brown in the autumn. Colour shifts can also signal changes in moisture or nutrient conditions, temperature stress or disturbance.
Harnessing technology and global collaboration to understand peatlands
The PeatPic Project used over 3,700 smartphone photographs from 27 peatlands in 10 countries to gather data about how climate change is impacting them.The Conversation
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This technology could feed a world of 10 billion.
Yeah, but for how long? Climate change, soil erosion and aquifer depletion.
Trump officials back firm in fight over California offshore oil drilling after huge spill
Trump officials back firm in fight over California offshore oil drilling after huge spill
Sable Offshore Corp. says it wants to work with California to restart the pipeline again.gqlshare (The Mercury News)
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UK Labour ministers met fossil fuel lobbyists 500 times in first year of power, analysis shows
Labour ministers met fossil fuel lobbyists 500 times in first year of power, analysis shows
Lobbyists attended 48% more meetings than Tories, as Labour accused of giving them ‘backstage pass’Matthew Taylor (The Guardian)
Depends
They start to give off CO2 when it gets to hot - or at least can't take up as much anymore
We aren't just losing storage, nature joins us in producing more CO2 the hotter it gets
Plants can only consume so much.
sciencealert.com/trees-struggl…
Trees Struggling to Absorb CO2, Leading Emissions to Skyrocket : ScienceAlert
Recording-breaking carbon emissions in 2023 could be a sign that nature's carbon removal systems are failing, a study awaiting peer-review warns.Tessa Koumoundouros (ScienceAlert)
The Blue-State Governors Who’ve Gone Weak on Climate Policy | They make a big show of standing up to Trump. But what about standing up for the planet?
* archive.today
* web.archive.org
The Blue-State Governors Who’ve Gone Weak on Climate Policy
They make a big show of standing up to Trump. But what about standing up for the planet?The New Republic
US and Canada weigh revival of ‘zombie’ Keystone XL pipeline in trade talks | Controversial project to ship heavy crude to Texas coast was killed by Biden administration on environmental grounds
* archive.today
FT
The latest UK and international business, finance, economic and political news, comment and analysis from the Financial Times optimised for your device on app.ft.com.Financial Times
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Toward cleaner, safer Philadelphia waterways
Climate change and ancient infrastructure make Philadelphia vulnerable to potentially catastrophic flooding, but federal, state, and local efforts are meeting the moment.
I figure they just haven't gotten around to yanking federal support for this kind of adaptation measure
Prospects Dim for Denmark’s Renewable Energy Star
Orsted, which helped create and dominated the offshore wind industry, has felt a huge impact from these setbacks. The company said last week that it would lay off 2,000 people, or 25 percent of its staff, over the next two years.Instead of lining up new, multibillion-dollar wind farms to build in shallow waters around the globe, Orsted will mainly focus on finishing those it has under construction and managing them or selling them off.
Orsted said 235 of the 500 layoffs planned for this quarter would be in Denmark
Wood Mackenzie, an energy consulting firm, forecast that less than 50 percent of the cumulative targets set by national governments, excluding China, for offshore wind for the end of the decade will be achieved.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/business/denmark-orsted-wind-farms-trump.html
Hope
cross-posted from: slrpnk.net/post/28796937
Yet every time we open Pandora's box there's Andrew Tate or his like.
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CO2 from wildfires increases by 9% as climate crisis supercharges infernos
CO2 from wildfires increases by 9% as climate crisis supercharges infernos
Greenhouse gases from wildfires at sixth highest level on record after blazes in large areas of the Americas and AfricaSandra Laville (The Guardian)
Judge Throws Out Children’s Lawsuit Against Trump’s Energy Policies
The group had challenged the president’s executive orders as unconstitutional. A judge “reluctantly” said the suit was too broad in scope.
This Hydrogen has no Color
This Hydrogen has no Color
Peregrine Hydrogen has an unusual idea for making clean Hydrogen, one that it says fits into existing industrial processes. One of the world's largest Phosphate mining companies is interested.Hanno Böck (industrydecarbonization.com)
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Approaching peak phosphorus - Nature Plants
Any long-term solution to the projected decline in phosphate supply must involve improving phosphorus use efficiency in crop plants.Nature
Controversial UK oil field reveals climate impact if approved
Controversial UK oil field reveals climate impact if approved
The impact from the Rosebank oil field is estimated at nearly 250 million tonnes of planet warming CO2.Esme Stallard (BBC News)
Americans can’t afford their cars any more and Wall Street is worried
cross-posted from: lemmy.world/post/37630345
If only we had invented and built some sort of alternative mode of collective transportation. Maybe it could be in tunnels and ride on metallic rails. It would serve many people and make periodic stops to the same locations instead of the highway clusterf- we have today. Sad that we don't, but a man can dream though. A man can dream though. A man can dream.
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Big Tech’s big bet on a controversial carbon removal tactic
Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage can scale faster than other approaches. But some experts are dubious about the climate benefits.
Archived copies of the article:
* archive.today
* web.archive.org
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I am dubious that business people and techbros give a shit enough to remain rational about this vs. just sell the vibe of caring.
Actually I am very sure they don't.
Caring with too big of an ego to listen doesn't count as caring.
This strategy will end up catastrophically failing, no matter, techbros and business people will have made a killing in profits while delaying actual action on climate change.
But experts have raised a number of concerns about various approaches to BECCS, stressing they may inflate the climate benefits of the projects, conflate prevented emissions with carbon removal, and extend the life of facilities that pollute in other ways. It could also create greater financial incentives to log forests or convert them to agricultural land.When greenhouse-gas sources and sinks are properly tallied across all the fields, forests, and factories involved, it’s highly difficult to achieve negative emissions with many approaches to BECCS, says Tim Searchinger, a senior research scholar at Princeton University. That undermines the logic of dedicating more of the world’s limited land, crops, and woods to such projects, he argues.
“I call it a ‘BECCS and switch,’” he says, adding later: “It’s folly at some level.”
Chinese freighter halves EU delivery time on maiden Arctic voyage to UK
The Istanbul Bridge's maiden voyage, originally expected to take 18 days, was delayed by two days due to a storm off the coast of Norway but the ship still reached Europe earlier than the 40 to 50 days it takes freighters going through the Suez Canal or around the Cape of Good Hope.The new Northern Sea Route, running entirely through Arctic waters and within Russia's exclusive economic zone, can now be navigated by ships due to global warming.
klammeraffe
in reply to grimpy • • •Like how corporations and global leaders are punished for murdering people?
L M F A O
Telorand
in reply to grimpy • • •like this
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HaraldvonBlauzahn
in reply to grimpy • • •Crimes against humanity, if it kills thousands of people.
Murder should be judged by its effects, not by the means. Killing other people for personal profit is at least very close to murder.
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zd9
in reply to grimpy • • •grimpy
in reply to zd9 • • •𞋴𝛂𝛋𝛆
in reply to grimpy • • •Paragone
in reply to grimpy • • •_ /\ _
Ekpu
in reply to grimpy • • •The poor people are hit the hardest by climate change and will have to pay in blood and misery...
Wilco
in reply to grimpy • • •Phoenixz
in reply to grimpy • • •selkiesidhe
in reply to grimpy • • •bss03
in reply to grimpy • • •I don't know what you mean by "like murder".
Do I think we need more capital punishment? Absolutely not. We should never kill person that's already restrained from doing harm, even if their intent is clear.
Do I think there could be more meaningful liability? Yes. I think restorative justice means not just MUCH heavier fines (large percent of gross income for the entire period they are in violation) that are earmarked for environment restoration / pollution control efforts, but also time spent doing the work, on-site to restore / clean / contain for everyone in the decision/authority chain, across organizations.
I also think anyone that has been convicted/punished from wrong environment decision/action more than once could be subject to monitoring, publication, and shaming. Whatever education is part of the restorative justice is not enough, and society has to engage in prevention as a defense.
They should be treated more as "crimes against persons" than "property crimes": probably.