Prof. Katharine Hayhoe Profile picture
Sep 25, 2020 14 tweets 8 min read Read on X
I joined @katydaigle and @iron_emu on @Reuters yesterday to talk all things climate. We received so many questions we weren't able to get through them all so I wanted to answer a few more here. Here we go! pscp.tv/w/1gqxvagqNBjJB
First, if you'd prefer to watch our chat on YouTube, here is the link: and while you're there, don't forget to subscribe to Global Weirding too! globalweirdingseries.com
Q. What's the most serious thing standing in the way of genuinely effective action on climate?
A. Our “threat-meter” is upside-down. We see sol'ns as posing an imminent risk but impacts as distant/far off. There are many ways to help flip this. Here's one: ted.com/talks/katharin…
Q. Which sovereign governments are performing best and worst regarding the Paris Agreement?
A. This is what @climateactiontr tracks, and here’s where we currently stand. Note the US and Russia: both gray, while China is red. For more, see: climateactiontracker.org/countries/ ImageImage
Q. Is voting more impt right now than a single person's individual reductions?
A. Action at all levels is key - and talking about what we are doing, equally so! But if you live in the US I'd agree voting is the single most impactful climate action you can take this fall.
Q. What do you think of the report of recycling being taken to the dump?
A. Where I live, they already did that yrs ago so I know how it feels: frustrating + discouraging! This shows why system-wide change is SO impt. We can do our best but w/o it, the deck's stacked against us.
Q. How well, or how poorly, is the media handling these problems?
A. According to @YaleClimateComm, people don’t hear much about climate in the media, but they want to! I'd add though: we need stories on local impacts + viable sol'ns, not more doomsday clickbait headlines. ImageImage
Q. Which demographics are most and least interested in climate change?
A. The main predictor of US climate opinions is POLITICS. The more conservative, the more likely to reject. By demographic, tho, Hispanic/Latino are most concerned + conservative white are least concerned. ImageImage
Q. In your experience is it a good idea to connect Covid to climate change, or is that a bridge too far?
A. Climate change is the great threat multiplier, exposing the weaknesses in our society and amplifying them. So no, I don’t think it’s too far. Watch:
Q. If we magically stop emissions today, how long would it take for the climate to stabilise?
A. Atmospheric CO2 levels will stabilise when humans are taking up as much CO2 as they produce (when the bathtub drain=the tap), but it will take climate thousands of years to rebalance. Image
I've also gotten a lot of questions lately about how long CO2 lasts in the atmosphere. Here is an explainer from a Nat'l Academy report I co-authored a few years ago called "Climate Stabilization Targets" (good reading if you want to learn more!) nap.edu/catalog/12877/… Image
Finally, a thread I wrote earlier that explains the Paris targets
And to end, the thread (or my chat with @neiltyson if you prefer video!) that explains how our coronavirus response affected carbon emissions and climate and why that is both discouraging AND hopeful.
I answered many other questions in the video but if you'd rather read a synopsis, @lauriegoering has it covered! news.trust.org/item/202009251…

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More from @KHayhoe

Apr 12
Nearly every climate denial argument I’ve ever heard falls into one of these five categories.

1 - it’s not real
2 - it’s not us
3 - it’s not bad
4 - it’s too hard/costly to fix
5 - it’s too late

And you know which is growing the fastest these days? The last one 😳
That’s because it’s growing at both sides: from those who understand it’s a great excuse to continue to delay action, as well as from those who are so paralyzed by fear that it’s more comforting for them to give up then to keep fighting.
There’s so much to be done, and the biggest emotion most people are missing is not fear but efficacy. That’s why I say … Image
Read 4 tweets
Dec 13, 2023
#COP28 wrapped up in the early hours today. Where do we stand? With a stronger mandate to tackle the root causes of climate change than we had before--but with much less than what we need to avoid "dangerous interference with the climate system" and meet our Paris goals. 🧵 Text reading: It's time to decide, which side of history will you choose to be on?
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the terms of the agreement provide about 30% what's needed to reach the 1.5C target. iea.org/news/iea-asses…
In other words, 30% of the gap in this figure has been bridged. For more, check out @climateactiontr climateactiontracker.org/global/cat-emi…
Emission gap to meeting the Paris 1.5C target
Read 16 tweets
Dec 3, 2023
There's lots of announcements and news coming out of #COP28. I'm here to rank them for you from a climate scientist's perspective, using 🌴 for the wins and 🤦‍♀️ for the facepalms.

Did I miss something? Let me know and I'll add it to this list! #ClimateAction #COP28FromHome 🧵
On Day 1, 198 nations ratified the framework for making COP27's loss + damage fund operational, and the first pledges were made. The EU led with $245M, while the US pledged $17.5M or about 0.002% of its defense budget.

I rate this one 🌴, and here's why:
lemonde.fr/en/environment…
This fund is badly needed, as nations least responsible for the problem are those bearing the brunt of the impacts. However, this is just a fraction of the $200-$250 billion developing countries will need **every year** by 2030 to adapt to climate change. germanwatch.org/en/cri
Read 12 tweets
Nov 14, 2023
Today, the 5th US National Climate Assessment was released. I've been an author now for 4 assessments - so what's new with this one, and why does it matter? (thread) nca2023.globalchange.gov
First, previous NCAs are still very relevant. If you want to know more about everything from climate scenarios to tipping points, check out the 2017 Climate Science Special Report and for great answers to the most common FAQs, see science2017.globalchange.gov
nca2018.globalchange.gov
However, over the last 5 yrs there have been significant advances in:
🌍 the science, esp. extreme event attribution
🤝 understanding the interconnectedness & inequality of the impacts
🚀 Adaptation & mitigation solutions
... all over a background of growing public concern.
Read 7 tweets
Oct 5, 2023
Today, @pontifex released Laudato Deum, an update on the 2015 encyclical. It's not so much a breath of fresh air as it is a bucket of ice water, straight to the face of those who are standing in the way of and delaying climate progress. Here are a few highlights:
On the science: "Despite all attempts to deny, conceal, gloss over or relativize the issue, the signs of climate change are here + increasingly evident. No one can ignore the fact that in recent years we've witnessed extreme weather phenomena." I agree. nytimes.com/2021/08/17/opi…
On inequity: "There are those who would place responsibility on the poor, since they have many children. As usual, it would seem that everything is the fault of the poor. Yet the reality is that a low, richer percentage of the planet contaminates more than the poorest 50%." 🔥🔥
Read 10 tweets
Aug 28, 2023
45 climate scientists were asked what we thought of this years' climate disasters. Here are the highlights of what we said (thread) theguardian.com/environment/20…
Image
We all pretty much agree that "despite it certainly feeling as if events had taken a frightening turn, global heating to date is entirely in line with 3 decades of scientific predictions. But being proved right is cold comfort, as our warnings had so far been largely in vain."
Malte @meinshausen offered a zinger: "Climate science’s projections are pretty robust over the last decades. Unfortunately, humanity’s stubbornness to spew out ever higher amounts of greenhouse gases has also been pretty robust."
Read 9 tweets

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