How much warming can the world bear? That question is one of the fundamental issues in dispute at the U.N. climate change summit, known as #COP26.

Here’s what different levels of warming would look like, and how global temperature targets have been set. wapo.st/3H9Q5BX
A preliminary draft of the COP26 agreement “reaffirms” the Paris agreement’s goal: limiting warming to well below 2C and pursuing a target of 1.5C.

But it does not commit to meeting the 1.5C threshold.
wapo.st/3H9Q5BX
The difference between 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius may seem small, but they represent vastly different levels of effort for countries seeking to limit their carbon footprints, and strikingly divergent outcomes for the planet. wapo.st/3H9Q5BX
Evidence shows that the two targets also represent different scenarios for the climate’s impact on human life.

A study found that 1 billion people could face heat stress, a potentially fatal combination of heat and humidity, if temperatures rise by 2C. wapo.st/3H9Q5BX "The higher the level ...
The IPCC found an extreme heat event that would have occurred once per decade in a climate without human influence, would happen 4.1 times a decade at 1.5C of warming and 5.6 times at 2C.

Events such as heavy precipitation or drought would also increase. wapo.st/3H9Q5BX
If temperatures are confined to an increase of 1.5C, over the next 2000 years, sea levels could rise by as much as 10 feet.

But it could be double that if temperatures grow by 2C, and potentially worse if ice sheets in Antarctica become destabilized. wapo.st/3H9Q5BX "With every additional...
Under the current scenario, the world would likely hit the 1.5C threshold by 2040, the IPCC estimated.

Under the worst scenario, the world will likely see a rise of 4.4C by the end of the century — with an extreme impact on life on Earth. wapo.st/3H9Q5BX

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More from @washingtonpost

14 Nov
Tiny as a teacup and just as cute, the tassie is best known as a pecan-filled, cookie-like pastry.

But why stop at pecan? Just about anything can fill a tassie’s wee pastry crust. They keep well, and a box of tassies makes a darling gift, too. wapo.st/3D7XFdW
Instead of making one or three full-size pies, what if you made a few trays of tassies?

That way, no matter what kind of gathering you plan to have, everyone can have a bite (or four!) of their favorite Thanksgiving dessert flavors. wapo.st/3D7XFdW
This classic recipe for pecan tassies was adapted from our archives.

Brown sugar and a touch of salt in the filling produces a butterscotch-like layer in each one. Toasted pecans rise to the top and add crunch to each bite. wapo.st/2YyH8R6 Pecan tassies deliver the f...
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13 Nov
Nations reach climate deal at COP26, but it is not enough to head off catastrophic warming washingtonpost.com/climate-enviro…
Two weeks of high-profile talks yielded a package that pushes countries to strengthen near-term climate targets and move away from fossil fuels faster.

It insists wealthy countries help vulnerable nations cope with the rising costs of climate change. washingtonpost.com/climate-enviro…
The agreement, however, does not achieve the most ambitious goal of the 2015 Paris accord — to limit Earth’s warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7F) above preindustrial levels.

Delegations left COP26 with the Earth still on track to blow past the threshold. washingtonpost.com/climate-enviro…
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12 Nov
From @PostOpinions: More Americans are being held hostage by foreign governments than by terrorists and other groups.

The rise in wrongful detainments to extract concessions, policy changes or prisoner exchanges from the U.S. is dramatic: wapo.st/3BYnHik
@PostOpinions Roger Carstens is the current hostage envoy and one of the few holdovers from the Trump administration.

He says countries that regularly detain Westerners for leverage — such as Iran — might be incentivizing others to follow their lead. wapo.st/3BYnHik
As governments such as Rwanda’s imprison U.S. nationals like Paul Rusesabagina, depicted in “Hotel Rwanda,” the U.S. and other countries run the risk of accepting state hostage-taking as a problem without a solution. wapo.st/3BYnHik Image
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9 Nov
At least 13 senior Trump appointees illegally mixed governing and campaigning ahead of 2020 election, federal probe finds washingtonpost.com/politics/trump…
A report from the office of Special Counsel Henry Kerner describes a “willful disregard for the law” known as the Hatch Act that was “especially pernicious,” given that many officials abused their government roles days before the November election. washingtonpost.com/politics/trump…
President Donald Trump — whose job it was to discipline his political appointees — allowed them to illegally promote his reelection on the job despite warnings to some from ethics officials, the report says. washingtonpost.com/politics/trump…
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8 Nov
Mitch McConnell spent four years as one of Donald Trump’s chief enablers.

Then their marriage of political convenience abruptly shattered in December when Trump exploded at McConnell for acknowledging Joe Biden’s presidential victory. wapo.st/3BURSHa
But when it came time to hold Trump to account, McConnell backed off.

While seven GOP senators voted to convict Trump following his impeachment by the House for inciting an insurrection, McConnell supported acquittal. wapo.st/3BURSHa
Now, 10 months after the Jan. 6 attack, Trump is once again dominating the Republican Party, expected to run again in 2024 — and utterly disdainful of the Senate leader who helped save him. wapo.st/3BURSHa
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8 Nov
House Jan. 6 committee issues subpoenas to six top Trump advisers, including pair involved in Willard hotel 'command center' washingtonpost.com/politics/house…
Those subpoenaed include scholar John Eastman, who outlined a legal strategy in early January to delay or deny Joe Biden the presidency, and former New York City police commissioner Bernard Kerik, who led efforts to investigate voting fraud in key states. washingtonpost.com/politics/house…
The list also includes three members of the Trump reelection campaign: campaign manager Bill Stepien; Jason Miller, a senior adviser to the campaign; and Angela McCallum, the national executive assistant to Trump’s campaign. washingtonpost.com/politics/house…
Read 4 tweets

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