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Daily Archives: July 10, 2017

Study – 100 fossil fuel producers responsible for 71% of global emissions

The Carbon Majors Database – CDP Carbon Majors Report 2017 – 100 fossil fuel producers and nearly 1 trillion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions
“The Carbon Majors Database stores greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data on the largest company-related sources of all time. CDP’s Carbon Majors Report 2017 is the first in an ongoing series of publications aimed at using this Database – the most comprehensive available – to highlight the role that corporations can play in driving the global energy transition. Large-scale GHG emissions data has traditionally been collected at the country-level. In fact, these emissions can be traced to a smaller group of commercial decision makers. The Carbon Majors Database was established in 2013 by Richard Heede of the Climate Accountability Institute (CAI) to show how these emissions are linked to companies, or ‘Carbon Majors’. Now CDP works in collaboration with the CAI to maintain the Database and share its important data and insights with all stakeholders. This report looks at industrial carbon dioxide and methane emissions deriving from fossil fuel producers in the past, present, and future. In 1988, human-induced climate change was officially recognized through the establishment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Since this time, the fossil fuel industry has doubled its contribution to global warming by emitting as much greenhouse gas in 28 years as in the 237 years between 1988 and the birth of the industrial revolution. Since 1988, more than half of global industrial GHGs can be traced to just 25 corporate and state producers. In 2015, a fifth of global industrial GHG emissions was backed by publicly listed investment. The scale of emissions signals the importance and potential of investor engagement in the fossil fuel industry. Many oil and gas majors are already developing scenarios to comprehend their potential role in the future energy system. The Carbon Majors Database is also projected out to 2100 to illustrate ‘contraction and convergence’ theory at the company- level. Setting science-based targets is an initial step for companies to take in navigating themselves through this global transition. This report is aimed at investors wishing to better understand the amount of carbon associated with their fossil fuel holdings. Further, it is intended that this output will improve transparency from fossil fuel companies, particularly around product-related (Scope 3) emissions, as well as providing them with contextual information regarding their share of global emissions. The Database can also be useful to policy analysts and academics for developing further insights in this area of research. Companies included in the Database are invited to share updated GHG emissions figures where estimates have been employed. Other stakeholders are also welcome to share their views and data use stories.”

Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency: Sixth Edition

The National Academies: “Publicly available statistics from government agencies that are credible, relevant, accurate, and timely are essential for policy makers, individuals, households, businesses, academic institutions, and other organizations to make informed decisions. Even more, the effective operation of a democratic system of government depends on the unhindered flow of statistical information to its citizens.… Continue Reading

DC Dept of Transportation posting real time vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian crash info

“Vision Zero is a part of Mayor Bowser’s response to the US Department of Transportation’s Mayor’s Challenge for Safer People and Safer Streets, which aims to improve pedestrian and bicycle transportation safety by showcasing effective local actions, empowering local leaders to take action, and promoting partnerships to advance pedestrian and bicycle safety. Vision Zero requires an all-hands-on-deck approach.… Continue Reading

Journalists seek to harness Big Data to build app to combat fake news

The Independent/UK : “Journalism researchers at the University of London, led by Galway-born Tom Felle, are to lead a major European push to combat ‘fake news’. The team has been awarded a new grant by the Google Digital News Initiative (DNI) to help journalists find and verify information in big data. The grant of £300,000… Continue Reading

Climate change impacts are arriving sooner than anticipated

The Uninhabitable Earth – Famine, economic collapse, a sun that cooks us: What climate change could wreak — sooner than you think. New York Magazine – David Wallace-Wells: “It is, I promise, worse than you think. If your anxiety about global warming is dominated by fears of sea-level rise, you are barely scratching the surface… Continue Reading

New research – climate warming at top of world can cause unusually cold weather elsewhere

The Washington Post: “As if melting glaciers, thawing permafrost and starving polar bears weren’t enough, scientists are finding that the effects of climate change in the Arctic are even more complex — and far-reaching — than we thought. New research suggests that warm spells at the top of the world can, surprisingly, cause unusually cold weather… Continue Reading

EFF – Major Teleco Providers Fail to Protect User Privacy From Government Overreach

EFF News Release: “Amazon Fails To Follow, Much Less Lead in Privacy Best Practices, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft Fail to Promise They Will Stand Up to FBI Gag Orders…While many technology companies continue to step up their privacy game by adopting best practices to protect sensitive customer information when the government demands user data, telecommunications… Continue Reading

Best Countries to Be an Immigrant, U.S. News

“…To determine the Best Countries to Be an Immigrant, U.S. News assessed international perceptions of a country, as well as immigration policy and economic data….More than 21,000 people from all regions of the world participated in the Best Countries survey, in which they assessed how closely they associated 80 countries with specific characteristics. Four of… Continue Reading

Pew Survey – Republicans increasingly say colleges have negative impact on U.S.

“Republicans and Democrats offer starkly different assessments of the impact of several of the nation’s leading institutions – including the news media, colleges and universities and churches and religious organizations – and in some cases, the gap in these views is significantly wider today than it was just a year ago. While a majority of… Continue Reading