Global Warming

Close all coal plants by 2040 to prevent ‘climate chaos’, new report urges

The world needs to phase out coal five times faster than it currently is to prevent “climate chaos”, according to a new report. Around the world, more than 2,400 coal-fired plants are still up and running. A new report by US NGO Global Energy Monitor says all of these must shut by 2040 and no new plants can open if countries want to meet their Paris Agreement climate goals.

At the present rate, the transition away from existing and new coal isn’t happening fast enough to avoid climate chaos. The more new coal projects come online, the steeper the cuts and commitments need to be in the future. China is the major contributor, having brought 45.5 GW of new capacity online in 2022.

Thin Ice

A new study suggests that the last remaining sanctuary of year-round Arctic sea ice north of Greenland and Canada may soon disappear in summer. A similar disappearance occurred during a warming period around 10,000 years ago. While it has been uncertain whether the predicted disappearance will happen again in the next 20, 30 or 40 years, Danish researchers at Aarhus University say they have projected that we are very close to that scenario, and that temperatures will have to rise only a little more before the Arctic will become ice-free in summer.