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Tag: fossil fuels

Published on Leave a comment on Only 32 Fossil Fuel Companies Are Responsible For Half of Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Coal burning plant Credit: Wikipedia

The world is getting hotter, the storms stronger, climate change is here, and there is no end in sight. A recent report by Carbon Majors found that half of the world's CO2 emissions (a driver of climate change) is from only 32 fossil fuel companies.

The biggest state-owned polluter was Saudi Aramco (1.7bn tons of CO2 emissions in 2024), and the biggest private investor polluter was Exxon Mobil (57.458million tons of CO2 in 2024). Seventeen of the top 20 polluters were state controlled companies. Of course, all top polluters oppose any phase out of fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal) - this could hurt their profits!

Carbon Majors is a database of production data from 178 of the world's largest oil, gas, coal, and cement producers. They discuss one thing that could be done: a surcharge on fossil industry profits. Their reasoning: Make polluters pay.

Excerpts from The Guardian: Half of world’s CO2 emissions come from just 32 fossil fuel firms, study shows

Just 32 fossil fuel companies were responsible for half the global carbon dioxide emissions driving the climate crisis in 2024, down from 36 a year earlier, a report has revealed. ...continue reading "Only 32 Fossil Fuel Companies Are Responsible For Half of Carbon Dioxide Emissions"

Published on Leave a comment on Record High Levels of Carbon Dioxide In Our Atmosphere

The US government would like to shut the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii down because it measures levels of atmospheric CO2, a measure of climate change. Well, unlike the US government, the rest of the world is very, very concerned about increasing CO2 levels in our atmosphere, and what increasing levels of greenhouse gases are doing to our climate and environment.

The United Nation's World Meteorological Organization (WMO) does not hesitate to loudly announce that CO2 levels are steadily rising, with record high levels in 2024, and what this means for our world going forward. Their words: it's "turbocharging our climate and leading to more extreme weather".

The important thing to know is that CO2 levels keep increasing, and each year new record high levels are set. Highest ever levels were in 2024. A big reason CO2 levels are increasing is due to the burning of fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal). The increase in wildfires is also contributing.

Excerpts from New Scientist: CO2 levels in Earth's atmosphere jumped by a record amount in 2024

Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels jumped by a record amount in 2024 to push concentrations to their highest point since measurements began, the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has reported.

Between 2023 and 2024, the global average concentration of CO2 surged by 3.5 parts per million (ppm) to reach 423.9 ppm, the WMO has said. This is the largest increase since modern measurements started in 1957 and is well in excess of the 2022 to 2023 increase of 2.3 ppm. ...continue reading "Record High Levels of Carbon Dioxide In Our Atmosphere"

Published on Leave a comment on The Two Hottest Days On Earth Were This Week

Uh-oh. The Earth is really warming up, and very rapidly. Sunday was the hottest day recorded globally. But then... Monday was even hotter! This means that in the space of several days, two global records were set in two days.

And it will continue to get warmer (hotter) in the coming months and years. We do know what is causing this climate change of increased global warmth - it's the burning of fossil fuels (e.g., gas, oil, coal). The big question - can humans change their ways?

From The New York Times, the Climate Newsletter: Earth’s Hottest Days Ever

Twice this week, global temperatures broke records, but scientists are more concerned about a longer-term pattern of hotter weather.

This past Sunday was the warmest single day ever recorded, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the European Union-funded research organization. That is, until Monday, when global temperatures inched up a bit more. Then Monday became the hottest day in modern history, with an average global temperature of 17.16 Celsius or 62.88 Fahrenheit. Tuesday was almost as hot. ...continue reading "The Two Hottest Days On Earth Were This Week"