Posted on 21 December 2019 by John Hartz

Editor's Pick

2019 in Review: The Year the World Began to Wake up to the Climate Emergency

“Climate emergency” is the 2019 word of the year, according to the Oxford English dictionary —  and rightfully so.

Over the last year, rising emissions and record-breaking events — from hurricanes in the Atlantic to wildfires in Australia — have been met with rising outrage from millions of young people and activists.

But how did leaders respond to the growing weight of evidence and demands for change? And are we on track to keep the world from reaching dangerous climate tipping points?

I spoke with the UN Foundation’s Vice President for Climate, Energy and Environment, Pete Ogden to unpack the game-changing moments for global climate action in 2019, as well as what we can expect in 2020.

2019 in Review: The Year the World Began to Wake up to the Climate Emergency by Pete Ogden & Chandler Green, United Nations Foundation, Dec 19, 2019

Click here to access the entire article as posted on the United Nations Foundation website.

Articles Linked to on Facebook

Sun, Dec 15, 2019

• 45: Climate Denialism and Cranky Uncles (Interview with John Cook of Skeptical Science), Breaking Math Podcast, Dec 10, 2019
• Brazil Amazon deforestation climbs more than 100% in November over same month last year -gov't agency by Marcelo Teixeira, Reuters, Dec 13, 2109
• Can kitchen gardens combat climate change? by Caroline Parkinson, Health, BBC News, Dec 14, 2019
• Not winning friends': Australia cops blame as climate talks extended by Peter Hannam, Environment, Sydney Morning Herald, Dec 14, 2019
• UN climate talks end with limited progress on emissions targets by Fiona Harvey, Environment, Guardian, Dec 15, 2019
• When we saved the ozone layer, we saved ourselves from even worse climate change, Quirks & Quarks, CBC Radio News, Dec 13, 2019
• The Party That Ruined the Planet, Opinion by Paul Krugman, New York Times, Dec 12, 2019
• A Major but Little-Known Supporter of Climate Denial: Freight Railroads by Robinson Meyer, Science, The Atlantic, Dec 13, 2019

Mon, Dec 16, 2019

• The world's supply of fresh water is in trouble as mountain ice vanishes by Alejandra Borunda, Science, National Geographic, Dec 9, 2019
• Australia's politicians face a crisis of legitimacy as fire and smoke chokes the country, Opinion by David Ritter, Comment is Free, Guardian, Dec 13, 2019
• Powered By Faith, Religious Groups Emerge As A Conduit For A Just Solar Boom by Avery Ellfeldt, Environment, NPR, Dec 15, 2019
• COP25: Key outcomes agreed at the UN climate talks in Madrid by Simon Evans & Josh Gabbatiss. Carbon Brief, Dec 15, 2019
• Can You Pass This 9-Question Climate Change Quiz? by Marshall Shepherd, Science, Forbes, Dec 12, 2019
• How Africa will be affected by climate change by Richard Washington, Climate Change, BBC News, Dec 15, 2019
• Rutgers: New Jersey shore sea rise is more than double the global average by Frank Kummer, Climate, Philadelphia Enquirer, Dec 12, 2019
• November 2019 was 2nd hottest on record for the planet, NOAA, Dec 16, 2019

Tue, Dec 17, 2019

• UN climate negotiations end in 'demoralizing, enraging' failure, Analysis by Chris Hatch, Canada's National Observer, Dec 15, 2019
• How Cop25 turned its back on climate action by Karl Mathiesen, Climate Home News, Dec 16, 2019
• Germany to raise carbon price to 25 euros in 2021 after pressure -sources by Holger Hansen, Reuters, Dec 16, 2019
• Congressional Democrats’ last, long-shot attempt at climate progress this year by David Roberts, Energy & Environment, Vox, Dec 12, 2019
• These 3 supertrees can protect us from climate collapse by Eliza Barclay, Umair Irfan, and Tristan McConnell. Vox, Dec 12, 2019
• The world needed a bang from the Madrid climate meeting. It got a whimper instead, Opinion by Editorial Board, Los Angeles Times, Dec 16, 2019
• Let It Be: Why We Must Save Alaska’s Pristine Tongass Forest by Kim Heacox, Yale Environment 360, Dec 17, 2019
• Lessons from California in 2019: The Challenges of Adapting to Climate Change by Kristy Dahl, Union of Concerned Scientists, Dec 16, 2019

Wed, Dec 18, 2019

• The world's oceans are acidifying — but it's happening twice as fast off California by Denise Chow, Environment, NBC News, Dec 16, 2019
• 2019 – A Devastating Year in Review, Opinion by Farhana Haque Rahman, Inter Press Service (IPS), Dec 16, 2019
• Coal Endures as World's Favorite Fuel for Electricity Generation by Will Mathis, Climate Changed, Bloomberg News, Dec 16, 2019
• U.N. Climate Talks Collapsed in Madrid. What’s the Way Forward? by David Wallace-Wells, Intelligencer, New York Magazine, Dec 16. 2019
• Tuesday was Australia's hottest day ever by Robyn Wuth, Australia AP/news.com.au, Dec 18, 2019
• Climate change fears propel scientists out of the lab and into the streets by Julia Rosen, Climate & Environment, Los Angeles Times, Dec 17, 2019
• The Carbon Dioxide We Dump into the Sky Is Just Another Kind of Garbage, Opinion by Michael E Webber, Observations, Scientific American, Dec 17, 2019
• Earth's Hottest Decade on Record Capped by Years of Extreme Storms and Deadly Wildfires by Bob Berwyn, InsideClimate News, Dec 18, 2019

Thu, Dec 19, 2019

• Australia took a match to UN climate talks while back home the country burned, Opinion by Julie-Ann Richards, Comment is Free, Guardian, Dec 16, 2019
• Too hot for humans? First Nations people fear becoming Australia's first climate refugees by Lorena Allum & Nick Evershed, Guardian, Dec 18, 2019
• Millions of Birds Are Migrating Earlier Because of Warming by Chelsea Harvey, E&E News/Scientific American, Dec 17, 2019
• Ice cube meme misrepresents physics of sea level rise to claim melting ice has no effect, Edited by Scott Johnson, Claim Reviews, Climate Feedback, Dec 17, 2019
• Australia records hottest day ever - one day after previous record by Graham Readfearn, Guardian, Dec 19, 2019
• 2020 to be one of hottest years on record, Met Office says by Fiona Harvey, Environment, Guardian, Dec 18, 2019
• The US, Japan, and Australia let the whole world down at the UN climate talks by Umair Irfan, Energy & Environment, Vox, Dec 18, 2019
• The winter solstice is Saturday: 10 things to know about the shortest day of the year by Brian Resnick & Brad Plumer, Science & Health, Vox, 2019

Fri, Dec 20, 2019

• How we know global warming is real by By Chris Mooney, John Muyskens, Aaron Steckelberg, Harry Stevens & Monica Ulmanu, 2⁰C: Beyond the Limit, Washington Post, Dec 19, 2019
• Three ways to reduce your travel emissions by Patrick Wright, ABC Life, Dec 19, 2019
• Australian state declares emergency as wildfires surround Sydney by Colin Packham, Reuters, Dec 19, 2019
• 2019 has been a year of climate disaster. Yet still our leaders procrastinate., Opinion by Geoff Goldrick, Comment is Free, Guardian, Dec 19, 2019
• Madrid's fight over carbon markets moves to Montreal aviation talks by Valerie Volcovici & Susanna Twidale, Reuters, Dec 19, 2019
• Energy Regulator's Order Could Boost Coal Over Renewables, Raising Costs for Consumers by Dan Gearino, InsideClimate News, Dec 20. 2019
• Top scientists warn of an Amazon ‘tipping point’ by Chris Mooney & Brady Dennis, Climate & Environment, Washington Post, Dec 20, 2019
• 2019 in Review: The Year the World Began to Wake up to the Climate Emergency by Pete Ogden & Chandler Green, United Nations Foundation, Dec 19, 2019

Sat, Dec 21, 2019

• Historic Urgenda Climate Ruling Upheld by Dutch Supreme Court by Isabella Kaminski, Climate Liability News, Dec 20, 2019
• Ocean Acidification Could Eat Away at Sharks’ Teeth and Scales by Rachel Nuwer, Environment, Scientific American, Dec 19, 2019
• Massive bushfires send Australia's clean and green reputation up in smoke by Colin Packham & Jill Gralow, Reuters, Dec 20, 2019
• State of the Climate: Thank goodness for ocean sinks currently holding more warming extremes at bay by Kate Doyle, ABC News (AU), Dec 20, 2019
• Winter solstice 2019: A short day that's long on ancient traditions by Katia Hetter, Forrest Brown & Autumn Spanne, CNN, Dec 21, 2019
• World leaders given an F on climate as Thunberg joins Swedish school strikers by Anna Ringstrom, Reuters, Dec 20, 2019
• How the Fossil Fuel Industry is Attempting to Buy the Global Youth Climate Movement by Alleen Brown, The Intercept, Dec 13, 2019
• U.S. rolls back standards on energy saving light bulbs by Timothy Gardner, Reuters, Dec 20, 2019