Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 24, 2023

In an important win for climate accountability in the United States, the US Supreme Court decided that lawsuits filed in Colorado, Maryland, California, Hawai’i, and Rhode Island against fossil fuel companies including ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, Suncor, and others will remain in state courts.

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Union of Concerned Scientists

JUNE 20, 2024

Last week, I participated in the Scientists Speakout Day during the Summer of Heat on Wall Street , to protest and disrupt the financial institutions that are enabling the fossil fuel industry (and, as a result, our current climate crisis).

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Union of Concerned Scientists

OCTOBER 26, 2022

While there is enormous potential for UN climate negotiations to transform climate action, meaningful progress has been delayed in part by the fossil fuel industry’s deceptive tactics. Last year’s COP was notable as the first to explicitly mention “fossil fuels” in the final decision document.

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Sea Level Fossil Fuels Paris Agreement Climate Change 244

Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 17, 2025

The IPCC compiles scientific insights on climate change, informing policymakers and the public about risks and possible actions. In essence, combined with climate models, they provide a way to envision the consequences of different actions or inactions. What Are Future Climate Scenarios?

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Union of Concerned Scientists

JUNE 24, 2024

A new map tool from the Union of Concerned Scientists shows you where and when critical pieces of coastal infrastructure such as public housing buildings, schools and power plants are at risk of repeated, disruptive flooding due to climate change­­­­­-driven sea level rise. Photo credit: Ben Neely/MyCoast.org.

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Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 16, 2023

In a few days, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will release its latest synthesis report that provides a comprehensive assessment of the current state of scientific knowledge on climate change, including its causes, impacts, and potential solutions.

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Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 2, 2024

This post was co-authored with Natalya Gomez , Associate Professor, Canada Research Chair in Geodynamics of Ice sheet – Sea level interactions at McGill University. The Antarctic Ice Sheet faces an uncertain future under climate change. There is a viscous (meaning flowy or squishy) mantle under the Earth’s crust.

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Sea Level Ocean Climate Change Paris Agreement 300

Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 7, 2023

Attribution science , which is about understanding the role of climate change versus natural weather patterns and climate variability, can help us better understand the connections between extreme weather and climate change, provide new insight into what specific emissions are driving the worst impacts, and help shape climate solutions.

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Climate Change Sea Level Fossil Fuels Carbon Dioxide 328

Union of Concerned Scientists

JANUARY 3, 2024

The outcomes of the latest international climate negotiations at COP28 in Dubai in December, while taking some important steps forward, fell far short of what is needed to avert climate catastrophe. One big positive from COP28 was the creation of a Loss and Damage fund to address climate impacts in the Global South.

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Union of Concerned Scientists

SEPTEMBER 25, 2023

Scientists have unequivocally confirmed that human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels, are driving unprecedented changes to the Earth’s climate, raising fundamental questions about our responsibility to safeguard the environment for future generations.

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Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 29, 2023

As Sri Lanka recovers from the worst economic crisis since its independence, climate change impacts are also quietly fueling and exacerbating the situation. Every trip back to Sri Lanka, climate change impacts become more visible. My family and the people of Sri Lanka deserve better.

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Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 6, 2025

This past week, I attended the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) meeting in Hangzhou, China. In previous posts, Ive explained what the IPCC is, why this assessment cycle is crucial , and highlighted its role in climate action. Whats Next for the IPCC?

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Union of Concerned Scientists

SEPTEMBER 23, 2024

billion in sea level rise and coastal resilience, and about a half billion in extreme heat mitigation. Ironically, these are many of the same people who also argued that climate change wasn’t “real” just a few short years ago.) Climate change is here and it’s costly. billion in 2022.

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Climate Change Sea Level Fossil Fuels Climate Scientist 299

Ocean Conservancy

APRIL 23, 2025

Climate change, biodiversity loss and plastic pollution represent an unprecedented threat to the ocean and life on Earth as we know it. First, climate change. Collectively, these impacts result in a climate crisis that threatens the health of our ocean and planet Second, biodiversity loss.

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Ocean 2025 Climate Change Sea Level 107

Union of Concerned Scientists

FEBRUARY 22, 2023

At the evening seafood reception that year, in a corner near the fresh oysters, a board member of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association remarked to me, “Everyone blames everything on climate change, but they blame the Right Whale on lobstering.” His remark has remained with me ever since. Sea levels are rising.

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Fossil Fuels Ocean Sea Level Carbon Dioxide 244

Union of Concerned Scientists

JANUARY 20, 2023

Supran and his colleagues compellingly summarize the research, concluding: “All told, ExxonMobil was aware of contemporary climate science, contributed to that science, and predicted future global warming correctly.” Such a constraint would clearly place a limit on the amount of fossil fuels ExxonMobil could extract, produce and market.

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Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 6, 2025

This past week, I attended the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) meeting in Hangzhou, China. In previous posts, Ive explained what the IPCC is, why this assessment cycle is crucial , and highlighted its role in climate action. Whats Next for the IPCC?

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Climate Change Carbon Dioxide Technology Technology 147

Legal Planet

SEPTEMBER 21, 2023

“In September 2015, journalists at Inside Climate News reported that, as far back as the 1970s, Exxon had had sophisticated knowledge of the causes and consequences of climate change and of the role its products played in contributing to climate change.

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Union of Concerned Scientists

MAY 23, 2023

That also means they play the largest role in climate-related environmental changes. For example, researchers at the Union of Concerned Scientists have directly linked fossil fuel producers’ Scope 1 and Scope 3 emissions to increases in ocean acidification , global temperature, sea level rise and North American wildfires.

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A Greener Life

NOVEMBER 7, 2022

Two-thirds of the G20’s public finance for energy went to fossil fuels in 2019–2020. Subsidies reached new highs in 2021, even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a Climate Transparency analysis finds. In total, 63% of the G20’s public finance for energy went to fossil fuels in 2019–2020. By Catherine Early.

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Legal Planet

NOVEMBER 28, 2022

Local actors seek climate change damages from the biggest fossil fuel companies through state law litigation. EPA and the Supreme Court’s deregulatory trend, state action remains an avenue for climate change adaptation and mitigation. In the wake of West Virginia v.

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Legal Planet

JUNE 4, 2021

In recent years, The Netherlands has become the leading site of climate change litigation. Now the same district court has gone further, again in favor of environmental groups but now against Royal Dutch Shell (“Shell”) , the world’s largest non-state-owned fossil fuel company. These lawsuits face three key barriers.

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Carbon Dioxide Fossil Fuels Climate Change 2010 246

Real Climate

NOVEMBER 11, 2023

While temperatures provide a measure of the Earth’s climate, it is even better to use the global sea level , which provides a far more reliable measure. The global sea level acts like the mercury in a thermometer because warmer water expands. Our job is to be thorough and verify questionable results.

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Legal Planet

JUNE 13, 2022

Prior to Glasgow, the NRDC had concluded that India was on track to meet its previous commitment to have 40% non-fossil fuel power generation by 2030. It’s also relevant that India is extremely vulnerable to climate change due to its reliance on monsoons. As in the U.S., Meeting its target will not be easy.

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Energy & the Law

JUNE 8, 2022

The court received amicus curiae briefs from many different pro- and anti-fossil fuel organizations and jurisdictions. The plaintiffs allege that they ”have already incurred and will foreseeably continue to incur, injuries and damages because of sea level rise caused by [the energy companies’] conduct.” trespass.

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Scientific American

NOVEMBER 20, 2023

Here is a snapshot of the warming world, from sea-level rise to fossil fuel subsidies to renewable energy growth

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Sea Level Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Climate Change 145

Circle of Blue

AUGUST 16, 2021

Meltwater from Greenland’s ice sheets have caused about a quarter of the rise in the world’s sea levels. This week, Circle of Blue looks at a major new climate report, which finds that a warming planet is accelerating the water cycle. The report found that some changes in the water cycle are already evident.

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Union of Concerned Scientists

JULY 17, 2024

Everyone will suffer greatly from sea-level rise and climate change if policymakers cede decision-making to corporate interests. PJM directs the revenues and operation of the largest fossil fuel power plant fleet (124 gigawatts), making it the largest utility in the US.

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Legal Planet

AUGUST 10, 2021

The IPCC issued the massive first volume of its new report on climate change on Monday. This volume focuses on climate science: how much will the world warm, and what will the impacts be? with high confidence that human-induced climate change is the main driver of these changes.”.

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Paris Agreement Climate Change Fossil Fuels Atmosphere 246

Legal Planet

AUGUST 7, 2023

Many of the claims are based at least in part on allegations of misrepresentations by the companies regarding climate science in order to promote their sales of fossil fuels. In their efforts to get the cases into federal court, the oil companies argued that federal law bars state lawsuits about climate change.

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Clean Air Act Climate Change Sea Level Politics 246

Legal Planet

JUNE 21, 2024

In fact, the California attorney general’s lawsuit states that “Chevron’s minimal efforts in the area of renewable and lower-carbon energy, coupled with its expansion of its fossil fuel business, belie its statements suggesting that it is part of the climate change solution.” Why does all this matter? “I

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Law Columbia

OCTOBER 25, 2017

We know that burning fossil fuels is the main cause of anthropogenic climate change, and that climate change is the source of adverse impacts on communities and even regional and national economies. by Justin Gundlach. These points are largely undisputed. These points are largely undisputed.

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Union of Concerned Scientists

SEPTEMBER 19, 2024

Extreme weather, which is increasing due to climate change , can degrade the electricity system and cause these failures. Climate change is increasing weather extremes and decreasing its predictability. Below are five types of impacts on the distribution grid from increased extreme weather due to climate change.

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Real Climate

AUGUST 25, 2023

A figure from the recent OECD report Climate Tipping Points , showing how an AMOC shutdown after 2.5 °C C global warming would change temperature (left) and precipitation (right) around the world. In 2022, the G20 governments alone subsidised fossil fuel use with 1.4 They aren’t trying to end fossil fuels.

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A Greener Life

JUNE 3, 2022

If people everywhere stopped burning fossil fuels tomorrow, stored heat would still continue to warm the atmosphere. But that doesn’t mean the planet returns to its preindustrial climate or that we avoid disruptive effects such as sea-level rise. Countries aren’t close to ending fossil fuel use.

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Carbon Dioxide Fossil Fuels Sea Level Ocean 98

Environmental Progress

JUNE 29, 2020

On behalf of environmentalists everywhere, I would like to formally apologize for the climate scare we created over the last 30 years. Climate change is happening. I have been a climate activist for 20 years and an environmentalist for 30. Lire en français ici. Leer en español aquí. It’s just not the end of the world.

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Climate Change Fossil Fuels Deforestation Carbon Emissions 145

Ocean Conservancy

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

C, we stand to lose ocean and coastal ecosystems we depend on to sea level rise, warming temperatures, ocean acidification and other climate impacts. We must reduce greenhouse gas emissions now, as Dr. Sarah Cooley , Ocean Conservancy’s director of climate science, emphasized when addressing a COP27 session.

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