The Carbon Almanac

Talking about #climatechange - both the causes and the solutions - is important to create awareness and broaden understanding. But sometimes the topic is hard to introduce into a conversation. Using recent events - damaging storms, flooding, wildfires - can be an opportunity. Or perhaps this video from climate scientist Katherine Hayhoe could help start or broaden a conversation. Happy chatting!🙂

🔗 We are all connected Today we celebrate #InternationalDay of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. Raoni Metuktire is an Indigenous Brazilian leader and environmentalist. Born in 1932, he has seen a lot of change due to #climatechange. In #TheCarbonAlmanac, we feature his quote and it serves as a reminder that we are all connected. 🌍 "We all breathe this one air, we all drink the same water. We all live on this one planet. We need to protect the Earth. If we don’t, the big winds will come and destroy the forest. Then you will feel the fear that we feel."

💫 Activism Success 💫 Clean Creatives is a group of individuals who have come together to change the world of advertising and disengage from fossil fuel polluters. As of this past April, 1,000 agencies signed the pledge to not accept fossil fuel campaigns. And their activism success continues. Their latest collective initiative involved campaigning B Lab to review Havas’ (one of the world’s largest communication companies) B Corp certification given the agency’s work with Shell. Clean Creative’s campaign began last fall and after many months of investigation, B Lab recently revoked Havas’ B Corp status. Perhaps this success can inspire you to advocate for changes at your workplace? You can read more here⤵️

➡️ Part two of a ten part series: Diving into The Carbon Almanac - They selfishly pushed shame The term “carbon footprint”, was invented by British Petroleum and Ogilvy and Mather to make people feel shame. The reason it works is simple. Because if you feel like a hypocrite, you’re less likely to speak out. The message is: Clean up your own house. Make sure you’ve never been on an airplane; you don’t own a car; you’re vegan; you compost everything and you have no children. Until you’ve done all those things, we don’t want to hear from you. That’s why they invented and promoted the idea of a #carbonfootprint. The thing is, that was 40 years ago. Pushing the wealthy privileged people of the West to consume a little bit less so they feel a little bit less shame has worked beautifully for the oil companies. Because during that 40-year period of time, we have not organized to remove the huge tax breaks that go to the oil and gas industry. We have persisted in standing by when they built coal plants, because no one felt clean enough to speak up. And we haven’t eliminated the 50 billion dollars in annual tax subsidies that go to the beef industry. It’s not too late, but it will require change. Stop being ashamed. #FactsConnectionAction

🌖 In honor of the second anniversary of the launch of #TheCarbonAlmanac, we are showcasing our ten part series again that delved into the book’s insights, themes, and impact. ➡️ Part one of a ten part series: Diving into The Carbon Almanac - We need systemic change Each and every one of us has the power to bring about #systemicchange. That’s why we don’t have CFCs in our fridges or lead in our fuel. It’s why women can vote and it’s why you can now get #organicfood in any supermarket. But it’s really daunting to think about bringing about systemic change on your own. ✨️ From our work with The Carbon Almanac, we have already seen that organizing, communicating, sharing and building solutions is very rewarding. ✔️ To effectively work against the climate emergency, we need systemic, industrial, international solutions. How can you reach 10 people in your family, workspace or neighborhood who can help you organize something that will bring about systemic change in your area? Share your experiences online!

Talking with #kids about #climatechange can feel daunting as it is a big problem with big consequences. We have lots of resources aimed at having conversations with kids including: 🧩 Games 🎙 A podcast 🎧 An audiobook 📚 A kid friendly version of #TheCarbonAlmanac 👀 Looking for more? Check out Project Drawdown for other ideas on how to engage youth on the topic. As the organization’s Managing Director suggests “talking to children about climate change is not just about educating them on the science; it’s about empowering them to be part of the #solution”. #GenerationCarbon

#Sustainability efforts are music to our ears. British band, #Coldplay, has sold over 100 millions albums worldwide and headlined on eight tours that have taken them around the globe. On their recent tour, they have focused on their sustainability efforts and worked to reduce their impact to the environment. 🌳 Their latest report indicates that their #carbondioxide emissions are 59% lower than their previous tour. Other highlights include: ▪️18 shows powered entirely using the tourable battery system ▪️Over 20 partnerships to help fans attend shows via low carbon transport ▪️72% of tour waste avoided landfill 👉🏽 Read the report here: https://lnkd.in/dMDqk63H These results have been validated by MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative. BBC interviewed lead singer, Chris Martin, about this initiative and the values of the band. What is your favorite band doing to help reduce the impacts of their tour? #FactsConnectionAction

You’ve probably noticed all the news about the rise of #AI and its implications for everything from politics and democracy to the future of employment. But as a recent edition of Heated notes, something that is less frequently mentioned is the immense amount of #energy needed to power the physical infrastructure - "cell towers, transformers and especially data centers: huge concrete buildings housing tens of thousands of computer servers cooled by trillions of liters of water" - upon which AI and other internet-based services (like Amazon Web Services cloud which hosts streaming services like Netflix) reside. So, should you feel guilty about the fact that you - and about "45 million other people" binge watched the latest season of Bridgerton over the past few weekends? According to "Michael Khoo, climate disinformation program director at the nonprofit Friends of the Earth, and author of a recent report on artificial intelligence "individual users are not the internet’s biggest problem but rather the blame should be placed on “a tech industry committed to the endless expansion of its offerings—particularly artificial intelligence—while shrugging off responsibility for the consequences." Unlike some other sources of #greenhousegas (GHG) emissions there is much about the internet that is climate-positive - Khoo goes on to say “There are a ton of great things that happen on the internet, including research on #climatechange and communications between scientists.” Add in the ability to work remotely as well as predict natural disasters and extreme weather events that put human life at risk and it is obvious that the internet is something we want to use responsibly rather than eliminate completely. Again, individual users are not causing that much damage, though of course in the aggregate our habits matter. 👉🏼The real culprits are “artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency, which are largely responsible for the recent boom in emissions.” 💡So what can we do - as a community we can push for systemic change in the tech industry including a requirement for their facilities to be powered by renewable energy, full transparency from each company as to the amount of energy they are using and where it is coming from and “more discernment about whether AI is actually needed by every industry.”

The ‘official’ start to summer is June 20th in the Northern hemisphere though it seems that the heat of the season has arrived earlier. There is a heat dome happening in North America with the mercury reaching temperatures that normally are seen later in the season. 🌡In addition, Delhi India recently broke temperature records with a new record of 49.9 degrees Celsius (121.8 degrees Fahrenheit). The previous record was 49.2 degrees Celsius (120.5 degrees Fahrenheit), which happened just two years ago. High temperatures are particularly problematic for senior citizens as the body doesn’t cool down as easily. By mid century, about 20% of the world’s population will be over 60. If you are 35 years or older now, you are included in that number. Another vulnerable group are the unhoused. Human actions are causing #climatechange which in turn is causing more extreme heat waves. Which can also lead to conditions for forest fires. ✅️ Want to help? Here are some ideas for action: https://lnkd.in/dhduq-YR #FactsConnectionAction #TheCarbonAlmanac

Dr. Adam Levy is a climate scientist and has a PhD from Oxford University. He is known by the moniker ClimateAdam on social media. He takes us through carbon capture storage (CCS) and the challenges surrounding it including effectiveness, cost and risks. Watch his interesting video and come away with a better understanding of this complicated and controversial topic. #TheCarbonAlmanac #FactsConnectionAction