Who has shown some cool, green leadership this month… And who is heating up the planet?
Who’s hot and who’s not in the world of climate change?
In a new and exciting monthly feature, RTCC takes a look at the heroes and villains of the news over the past 30 days.
Revolutionizing the ubiquitous thermometer motif, we’ve decided ‘hot’ means bad, because global warming is bad.
0C – World Council of Churches
Divested from fossil fuels this month, and encouraged half a billion Christians to do the same
A decision by a global coalition of 345 churches to stop investing in fossil fuels has been hailed by divestment campaigners as the most important commitment yet.
The World Council of Churches, which represents over half a billion Christians from 150 countries, said that they would no longer fund oil, coal and gas, and recommended that their members follow suit.
“The World Council of Churches may be the most important commitment we’ve received yet,” said 350.org’s European Divestment Coordinator, Tim Ratcliffe.
1C – Art Handy, Rhode Island State Representative
Passed a climate change law, requiring an 80% cut in state emissions by 2050
The US state of Rhode Island has passed a climate change act, outlining how it should cut fossil fuel use and prepare for future extreme weather events.
The Resilient Rhode Island Act was passed on June 19, approved on the floor of both state chambers, which are dominated by Democrats.
The law stipulates that greenhouse gas emissions should be slashed 45% below 1990 levels by 2035, and 80% below 1990 levels by 2050.
2C – Tony Abbott, Prime Minister of Australia
Repealed the carbon tax, provoking global outrage and leaving it without a plan to tackle emissions
Australia’s senate voted to ditch the country’s carbon tax, leaving it without a clear strategy to reduce national greenhouse gas emissions.
The bill to repeal the key climate law was passed by 39 votes to 32, amid angry scenes in the upper chamber of parliament.
The removal of the tax, which priced carbon at $21.50 per tonne, isolates Australia at a time when global moves to address climate change are accelerating.
3C – A beachball
We sent our news editor Megan to a meeting of prominent climate sceptics in the UK Parliament, who were there to hear controversial climate economist Richard Tol.
The trouble was – no-one was really interested in listening to Tol. Just to themselves.
“The man sitting in front of me is inflating an enormous beach ball with a map of the world on it. It could make a hot air balloon for a cat or an exercise ball for a giant. “Either this parliamentary meeting on climate change is the warm-up to his Wednesday afternoon water polo practice, or he is planning some kind of stunt.” – read on for Megan’s full account.