If we stay on the current business-as-usual trajectory, we could see two degrees as soon as the early 2030s, three degrees around mid-century, and four degrees by 2075 or so. If we’re unlucky with positive feedbacks…from thawing permafrost in the Arctic or collapsing tropical rainforests, then we could be in for five or even six degrees by century’s end. New York Review of Books
What caught the attention of analysts and, apparently, investors, was the ambitious plan that Bernard Looney, the chief executive, set out for making over the London-based oil giant into a diversified purveyor of cleaner energy within a decade. On a webcast with analysts Mr. Looney described a transformation plan that Stuart Joyner, an analyst at the market research firm Redburn, said in a note to clients was “major, positive, thoughtful and largely unexpected.” New York Times
Our struggle is not an emotional concern. We are not burned out. We are being crushed by an economy that has bafflingly declared working parents inessential. New York Times
This is a seven-day New York Times crash course on climate change, in which reporters from the Times’s Climate desk address the big questions: 1.How bad is climate change now? 2.How do scientists know what they know? 3.Who is influencing key decisions? 4.How do we stop fossil fuel emissions? 5.Do environmental rules matter? 6.Can insurance protect us? 7.Is what I do important? New York Times
Oil and gas companies are hurtling toward bankruptcy, raising fears that wells will be left leaking planet-warming pollutants, with cleanup cost left to taxpayers. NewYork Times
For a century, quantum theory has been scientific orthodoxy. The Italian physicist Angelo Bassi is certain it isn’t the full story — and that he can prove it. New York Times
With pressure mounting in some quarters for a return to “normal,” there can be no delay in planning for the post-pandemic future. Unless the world’s leading businesses commit to rebuilding on an entirely new foundation, another global crisis will be inevitable. Project Syndicate
The U.S. is slated to become the largest oil and the largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter in just a few years. The federal numbers are out, and U.S. oil and natural gas exports boomed once again last year to record heights. Forbes
Social distancing is here to stay for much more than a few weeks. It will upend our way of life, in some ways forever. To stop coronavirus we will need to radically change almost everything we do: how we work, exercise, socialize, shop, manage our health, educate our kids, take care of family members. MIT Technology Review
This once-in-a-century pandemic is hitting a world economy saddled with record levels of debt. New York Times
© Stefan P. Schleicher 2019
