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Five years ago, the United Nations Paris climate agreement set a ceiling for global warming at well below 2 °C, ideally 1.5 °C relative to pre-industrial levels. To achieve this everyone from the United States, China, the European Union, to the technology firm Microsoft and even an alliance of European airports are saying they will achieve “net-zero” greenhouse gas emissions this century. But what is Net Zero? And is it the solution to global warming ..read more

While the growth of global emissions has slowed in recent years, there is a large and growing gap between current commitments and what would be needed to avoid exceeding these global temperature limits. Carbon Brief has provided an analysis of when the world is expected to pass these limits in the absence of large future emissions reductions. Their analysis shows that: The world will likely exceed 1.5C between 2030 and 2032 in scenarios where emissions are not rapidly reduced The 2C threshold will likely be exceeded between 2043  in the highest emissions scenario In a scenario of modest m ..read more

On today’s podcast we will answer the question  is climate change getting better? While this year will be memorable for many reasons, it is now more likely than not that 2020 will also be the warmest year for the Earth since reliable records began in the mid-1800s. The first nine months of the year saw record concentrations of major greenhouse gases – CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide – in the atmosphere - driven by human emissions from fossil fuels, land use and agriculture ..read more

Around 2.4% of global CO2 emissions come from aviation. Together with other gases and the water vapour trails produced by aircraft, the industry is responsible for around 5% of global warming. On today’s podcast we will answer the question ‘’How bad is flying for the environment?’ Please subscribe to ‘Climate Change for Beginners’ and you can contact me on Twitter @ClimateCiaran ..read more

On today's podcast we answer the question: "What is the impact of Covid-19 on the environment?" Follow the podcast on Twitter @ClimateCiaran ..read more

In 2019 a high-level report commissioned by the United Nations concluded that a huge reduction in meat-eating is ‘essential’ to avoid climate breakdown and keep global heating under 2C. According to the report the average world citizen needs to eat 75% less beef, 90% less pork and half the number of eggs, while tripling consumption of beans and pulses and quadrupling nuts and seeds. So why is meat so bad for the environment ..read more

Is global warming is real? There is so much evidence that at least 97% of climate scientists agree that humans are causing global warming. It’s as settled as the link between smoking and cancer. So why do so many people still think it's a hoax ..read more

On today’s podcast we will answer the question ‘What is the Green New Deal’? If you’ve heard a lot recently about the Green New Deal but still aren’t quite sure what it is, you are not alone. It has been trumpeted by its supporters as the way to avoid planetary destruction, and vilified by opponents as a socialist plot to take away your ice cream. So it’s bound to be somewhat confusing.  We explore its history and what it means for the climate crisis ..read more

Extinction Rebellion have glued themselves to trains, blockaded major bridges, and chained themselves to government buildings. So who are Extinction Rebellion and what do they want ..read more