The Sweaty Penguin

The United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP28, wrapped up in the United Arab Emirates last month, bringing several steps forward for global climate cooperation. Chief among them: all 195 countries signed onto a “transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science.” That said, some countries’ plans are not in keeping with this commitment...

As climate change drives the melt of Arctic sea ice, polar bears are facing a major challenge. Scientists have said it is likely the global population of polar bears will fall by more than a third within the next three generations...

In The Sweaty Penguin’s second annual “Holiday Mailbag,” Ethan rounds up a few of the most cynical audience questions from 2023. Learn why the change from “global warming” to “climate change,” where climate alarmists may have taken things too far, and ChatGPT’s response to everyone calling Ethan a clown in this can’t miss bonus episode to conclude another year of The Sweaty Penguin...

If and when humans completely stop emitting carbon dioxide, how will the climate respond? For some time, communicators were operating with the misconception that there would be a “carbon lag” — carbon previously emitted would still be in the atmosphere, still be trapping heat, and still be warming the planet, and this lagged warming would continue for several decades. Recently, scientists clarified that this was not quite right...

A couple weeks ago, world leaders descended on Dubai for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) — a reminder of the fact that the United States cannot mitigate climate change alone, and needs China and India to curb their emissions too. But that’s not an argument to slow climate progress at home...

Maritime shipping is a bit of a paradoxical climate issue. On the one hand, it accounts for 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, burns extremely dirty bunker fuel, and has a number of inefficiencies leading to outsized pollution. On the other hand, it is also by far the most sustainable mode of transporting goods, as compared to planes, trains, and trucks — making it a sort of climate solution...

In the last few months, catastrophic floods have ravaged parts of Libya, Myanmar, Cameroon, India, and Somalia, not to mention several such disasters in the United States. Climate change and floods have an interesting relationship — scientists contend climate change may be leading to fewer floods overall, but the floods that do happen become much more intense, particularly in urban areas...

A staple food for over half the world population, rice is perhaps one of the most universally enjoyed foods. But recently, as India enacted an export ban on rice and other countries have considered the same, global prices have spiked, Americans began panic buying, and many farmers and consumers around the world have suffered the consequences. At the root of the problem is climate change...

Many climate solutions are extremely exciting, but none are perfect. All have their limitations, and Hywind Tampen — the world’s largest floating offshore wind farm — is a prime example. Owned by fossil fuel company Equinor, Hywind Tampen is used to power drilling operations in the North Sea...

Last year, The Guardian did a five-month investigation into “carbon bombs,” or fossil fuel projects that would, over the course of their life, emit over one billion tons of carbon. They found that there are 195 planned oil and gas carbon bombs around the world, and if they proceed as planned, these projects alone would blow past internationally agreed upon climate targets...