Global emissions are turning the corner

Greenhouse gas emissions peaking soon, Antarctic sea ice at an all-time low, and climate-friendly laundry

GOOD NEWS

Global fossil fuel emissions will peak in 2025 and drop to 2015 levels by 2030, a new IEA report titled “Net Zero Roadmap” finds.

“The speed of the roll-out of key clean energy technologies means that the IEA now projects that demand for coal, oil and natural gas will all peak this decade even without any new climate policies,” the report notes. But this year’s record temperatures have shown us the dangers of our current pathway. That means we must still do more, and faster.  

Like what? This year, countries must stop approving new coal plants. (They don’t even make financial sense anymore and they’re huge sources of harmful pollution, too.) By 2025, new oil and gas furnaces must be phased out in favor of heat pumps. And by 2030, electric vehicles must make up some 65 percent of new sales around the planet and installed renewable energy sources have to triple. 

When it comes to climate action, we need everyone’s hand on that giant boulder, including yours, pushing it down the hill as fast as it can go! For more on how to catalyze social change, see last week's newsletter.

NOT-SO-GOOD NEWS

In Antarctica, sea ice has hit an all-time low winter maximum, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. Sea ice this Antarctic winter was nearly 400,000 square miles below the previous low record set in 1986. That’s an area bigger than the state of Texas.  

“The last three or four months now is nothing like we’ve seen before, or would have expected, ever,” said Cecilia Bitz, a University of Washington climate scientist who specializes in sea ice. “This tells me that the climate change we’re seeing is outside our range of experience and can’t be explained by natural variability.” 

Melting sea ice doesn’t affect sea level because it’s already in the ocean. However, it has serious implications for ocean currents, nutrient distribution, and many of the region’s unique ecosystems and wildlife that depend on the ice for habitat, like penguins.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

I’ve been talking about a lot of very big things we can do lately, so wanted to take a step back this week and talk about something super easy and simple. 

Did you know that your clothes dryer is responsible for up to 6 percent of home energy use? To save energy, add dryer balls to your next load. I like the ones made of wool. As you can see, so does my cat Dr. Evil.

Dryer balls reduce drying time by allowing hot air to circulate around the dryer more efficiently by creating space between your clothes in the dryer. This can reduce total drying time by up to 25 percent. 

Of course, air drying your clothes is an even better climate solution. Don’t have a backyard where you can hang a clothesline? I don’t either! So over the years, I’ve installed a drying rack that I can winch down from the ceiling; I sold the freezer to reduce energy use and food waste, and screwed drying racks into the empty space instead; and now I have a closet with pull-out racks right next to the washing machine. 

Line-drying keeps clothes and household items in better shape, reduces shrinkage, and of course saves money and energy too. That’s four wins! 

For more, see this reel on Instagram.

Weds., Oct. 4th at 7:30pm EDT- "Fall for the Book: SAVING US" with George Mason University in Fairfax, VA - in person

Sun., Oct. 29th at 4pm CDT - "Blanton Live: Conversations for Now," a panel discussion at the exhibit at the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, TX - in person