Carbon Pricing
The idea of pricing carbon gained traction globally, with governments, financial institutions, businesses, oil companies, and economists supporting the idea. For example:
China announced plans to introduce a national price on carbon:
http://thediplomat.com/2015/09/what-you-need-to-know-about-chinas-cap-and-trade-announcement/
Many businesses adopted internal carbon pricing.
A simple revenue-neutral method for pricing carbon advocated by Citizens’ Climate Lobby would benefit the economy, according to standard economic models.
http://citizensclimatelobby.org/carbon-fee-and-dividend/
Climate change impacts
Impacts of climate change became easily visible to millions around the world. See the last section for a list of specific examples from 2015. Reports like the following ones became commonplace around the world:
“I've lived here all my life, and I've never seen anything like this,” said a mayor in Utah:
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/six-dead-seven-missing-utah-flash-flood-n427396
“Climate Chaos, Across the Map” (New York Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/31/science/climate-chaos-across-the-map.html
Asbury Park Press: current impacts of sea level rise in New Jersey.
The American Academy of Pediatricians outlined the harmful effects of climate change on children.
https://www.aap.org/en-us/aap-voices/Pages/Climate-Change.aspx
Low birth weight was associated with climate change in Africa.
http://unews.utah.edu/climate-change-negatively-affects-birth-weight-u-study-finds/
“Global warming over the last century means heat extremes that previously only occurred once every 1,000 days are happening four to five times more often”
Prognosis
Forecasts for future impacts shifted to predictions of more disruptive impacts sooner, with some serious impacts apparently irreversible. For example:
Estimates of the rate of sea level rise were increased.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/27/us/nasa-rising-sea-levels/
“It may be the biggest climate change story of the last two years… if the Amundsen Sea Sector is destabilized, then the entire marine part of West Antarctica will be discharged into the ocean.” Since the Amundsen Sea Sector does appear to be unstable, this means that 10 feet of sea level rise may be unavoidable.
New York City is at much greater risk of flooding than in the past.
“Global warming is now slowing down the circulation of the oceans — with potentially dire consequences
Public Opinion
With impacts clear to see, and continual coverage of climate change in the media, public opinion shifted. For example:
USA Today: “Excuses for climate inaction melt away”
Public acknowledgement of climate change reached a record high according to a University of Texas poll that asks, “Do you think global climate change is occurring?” The percentage of Republicans answering Yes rose from 47 to 59% in 6 months.
The Courts
Courts around the world started to give weight to arguments about climate justice. For example:
In Seattle, “Judge protects right to stable climate in groundbreaking decision”
Congress
There were some signs that Republicans in Congress are preparing to act on climate change. For example:
In September Rep. Chris Gibson, along with 10 Republican co-sponsors, introduced resolution 424 to “create and support economically viable, and broadly supported private and public solutions to study and address the causes and effects of measured changes to our global and regional climates, including mitigation efforts and efforts to balance human activities that have been found to have an impact.”
http://gibson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398414
In October, Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) announced “the formation of a Senate Energy and Environment Working Group that will focus on ways we can protect our environment and climate while also bolstering clean energy innovation that helps drive job creation.”
https://www.ayotte.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=2286
International Action
Nations pledged their individual contributions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during negotiations that were finalized in Paris in December.
Clean energy progress
Globally, $329 Billion was invested in clean energy.
Global emissions apparently declined, hopefully the beginning of a trend.
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/study-sees-possible-decline-in-emissions-19775
Examples of disruption caused by climate change
Extreme heat, droughts, and extreme rain are effects of climate change that are especially disruptive. Below are examples of the types of disruption climate change is already causing (i.e. because of climate change, more events like these are occurring).
For the year
It is likely that 2015 was the hottest year on record.
Earth had its hottest summer on record
California remained in a state of drought the entire year. The percent of land in extreme or exceptional drought varied from 70 to 80 percent
http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?CA
Wildfires in U.S. set new records, with more than 10 million acres burned.
https://tamino.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/2015ytd.jpeg
January
Extreme weather in Mozambique, Malawi, and Madagascar killed hundreds and displaces 300,000
Climate-driven migration increasing disease burden in Ethiopia:
http://soderetimes.com/?p=9294
Severe water shortages in São Paulo, Brazil, the most populous city in the Western Hemisphere.
www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2907
Drought in China created “serious scarcity of water”
http://www.agweb.com/article/farmers-in-china-wrestle-with-drought/
“Australia Is Burning, and Climate Change Is Making It Worse”
“Flash floods and mudslides in Sri Lanka have killed at least 39 people and more than one million have had to flee their homes…”
http://m.aljazeera.com/story/201511143314955793
February
Sao Paolo, the largest city in the western hemisphere, continues to experience critical water shortage.
http://www.seattletimes.com/news/severe-drought-pushes-brazils-largest-city-toward-water-crisis
The water shortage in Brazil is occurring in a region that relies on water for hydro-electric power generation
Albanians suffered during worst flooding in decades (a month’s worth of rain fell in 3 days in a populous area that has been deforested):
Australia plagued with extreme heat:
http://phys.org/news/2015-01-affected-australia-extreme.html
Ethiopia: drought continued and aggravated food crisis:
http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/26041485#26041485
March
In northern Chile: “The intense rainfall that began Tuesday in an area that is home to the Atacama, the world's driest desert, had resulted in nine deaths by Friday, with 19 people still missing, nearly 6,000 people in temporary housing and some roads cut off …”
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/27/us-chile-weather-idUSKBN0MN2N520150327
Eight feet of snow fell on the Italian city of Capracotta in a single day.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/11/capracotta-snow-italy-photos_n_6847562.html
Typhoon Pam was among the strongest ever recorded in the Pacific, and the typhoon season had a record early start this year:
http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/pam-southern-pacific-ocean/
http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2945
Record-breaking heat in the Midwest:
http://www.weather.com/forecast/national/news/spring-fever-warm-up-midwest-march2015
Kenya beset by drought: “Since Kenya is largely dependent on hydroelectric power, the lack of rainfall has significantly decreased power across the nation, leaving many in cities, literally, in the dark. Rationing has been instituted by Kenya's major power company …”
http://allafrica.com/stories/201503090994.html
Deadly floods in Kashmir:
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/death-toll-kashmir-flood-rises-15-30022693
Ten inches of rain in one day in South Florida. Miami flooded.
http://mashable.com/2015/02/28/miami-flood-pictures/#:eyJzIjoiZiIsImkiOiJfdWVkY2YyOXRhbmhqaHV1ZSJ9
Feds declared drought emergency in 13 Oregon counties.
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2015/03/feds_declare_drought_emergency.html
Hottest temperature ever recorded in the Antarctic (with a caveat):
http://www.wunderground.com/blog/weatherhistorian/comment.html?entrynum=323
São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city and industrial center, began rationing water and is discussing whether or not it will need to depopulate in the near future.
Drought continued in Australia:
Dry season longer than usual in Ethiopia; food security reduced:
http://www.fews.net/east-africa/ethiopia
April
Typhoon Maysak a rare event
http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2951
Texas faced worst-ever-recorded drought conditions:
http://www.circleofblue.org/waternews/2015/world/central-texas-drought-worst-record/
Navajo nation said lack of water becoming an issue.
India: “heavy rain out of season has wreaked havoc on standing crops in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. These states are collectively the "bread basket" of the country, producing most of India's wheat.”
Dengue fever swept through Sao Paulo Brazil after extended drought.
Drought continued in Ethiopia:
http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Global%20Weather%20Hazard-150430.pdf
May
Hottest May on record
In India, temperatures topped out near 120 degrees.
In Texas, enough rain fell to cover the entire state with 8 inches of water, which is 2 inches more than the previous May record. Areas that were already prone to flooding experienced extreme flooding.
June
Hottest June on record.
In Sao Paulo Brazil, "They have two hours of water on tap—the women don't sleep because the water comes in the early hours of the morning, at around 4 a.m.," Lu said of suburban areas.
Santiago, Chile has received 86 percent rain less than normal this year.
South Africa was hit hard by drought. "This province is facing a water crisis situation. It is necessary to increase restrictions and implement mandatory restrictions. We are talking about a very serious situation here”
http://allafrica.com/stories/201506190403.html
Heat wave in Pakistan, following last month’s heat wave in India:
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/brutal-heat-wave-pakistan-month-killed-1250-32147775
Heat wave and wildfires in Washington State:
“Torrential storms rolled through the Denver and Colorado Springs metro areas late Friday, flooding streets, felling trees and trapping cars on roads.” One neighborhood received 4 feet of hail.
www.denverpost.com/weathernews/ci_28257785/colorado-weather-more-severe-storms-hail-rain-and
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_28258514/one-denver-block-buried-under-up-four-feet
The Baja Peninsula had its earliest landfall of a tropical storm ever recorded (by a month):
www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=3010
Severe flooding in Tbilisi, Georgia; animals escaped from zoo.
www.wsj.com/articles/zoo-animals-roam-loose-in-georgias-capital-after-flooding-1434277091
In the Amreli district of India, 600 of 838 villages were inundated during the worst flooding in 90 years.
July
Hottest July on record.
Drought conditions in Brazil, North Korea, and South Africa.
… plus Thailand ...
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/07/us-thailand-drought-water-idUSKCN0PH00920150707
A heat wave in Pacific Northwest has killed half of all sockeye salmon in Columbia River.
Climate change is contributing to the spread of Lyme disease to new territories.
“Exceptionally Strong Cyclone Brings Wild Mix of Summer, Winter Weather to Northern U.S.” “This pattern should not happen in July.”
http://www.weather.com/storms/severe/news/montana-wyoming-dakotas-canada-cyclone-snow-tornado-wind
“Record Ocean Temperatures Threaten Hawaii's Coral Reefs”
http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=3053
Wildfires in Spain as heat wave “rages on”
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/09/us-spain-wildfires-idUKKCN0PJ1DQ20150709?irpc=932
August
Hottest August on record.
“Heat wave scorches western U.S. with record high temps”
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/heat-wave-scorches-western-u-s-with-record-high-temps/
“Summer heat wave engulfs Middle East”
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/08/summer-heatwave-engulfs-middle-east-150817092432196.html
Drought in Puerto Rico led to water rationing
“Central and eastern Europe simmering in historic heat wave”
“Hong Kong swelters on hottest day in history”
http://news.yahoo.com/hong-kong-swelters-hottest-day-history-102424750.html
“Punishing heat wave in Egypt”
Tampa, Florida flooded after extreme rainfall (which is becoming more common), made worse by being stalled in place (a pattern becoming more common).
http://tbo.com/weather/storify-heavy-rains-flooding-hit-tampa-bay-area-20150801/
Deadly floods leave trail of destruction across southern Asia. Burma hit by “worst flooding in decades.”
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/03/lethal-floods-continue-to-engulf-south-asia-burma-india
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33844076
Extreme heat in Europe. Wildfires in Spain. “Nearly 80% of neighbouring Portugal is experiencing severe or extreme drought conditions, experts say. Meanwhile Germany is facing its hottest temperatures on record.”
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33818276
Drought continued in Brazil. “Southeastern Brazil is facing its worst drought in more than 80 years.”
http://www.latimes.com/world/brazil/la-fg-brazil-drought-20150820-story.html
South African drought, worst in decades, affects 4 million.
First-on-record: three category 4 hurricanes at the same time in the Pacific.
http://www.weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/three-category-4-hurricanes-pacific-kilo-ignacio-jimena
September
Hottest September on record.
Sierra Nevada snowpack extremely low:
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/09/15/science/california-snow-report.html
Loss of glaciers in Pacific Northwest: “Glaciers across the North Cascades could lose 5 to 10 percent of their volume this year, accelerating decades of steady decline. One scientist estimates the region’s glaciers are smaller than they have been in at least 4,000 years.”
http://www.seattletimes.com/life/outdoors/disastrous-low-snow-heat-eat-away-at-northwest-glaciers
Warm waters in Pacific led to a toxic algae bloom, threatening local seafood industry. “The size of the bloom and the amount of time it has lasted in the ocean are already unprecedented, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It stretches across much of the West Coast of North America, from Monterey Bay off the central coast of California all the way up to the Aleutian Islands in the southern region of Alaska.”
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/10/toxic-algae-may-threaten-west-coast-marine-economy-for-years.html
“Record-Breaking Rainfall Triggers Charleston Flooding”
Severe rainstorm in Mexico City (video):
Flooding in Japan. “Heavy rains whose severity was described as occurring once in fifty years were observed in… Fukushima Prefecture.” (more than 12 inches of rain in 48 hours) Another area, near Tokyo, had 21 inches of rain in one day.
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?shva=1#label/Climate/14fc090b0b2ea381
http://www.weather.com/storms/typhoon/news/tropical-storm-etau-japan-flooding-landslides
Flooding in India and Bangladesh (following tropical storm)
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/07/asia/asia-flooding/index.html
Torrential rains in Sierra Leone
http://news.yahoo.com/sierra-leone-floods-kill-four-government-tells-people-222832580.html
Torrential rains and flash floods in Alda, Spain:
https://www.rt.com/news/314686-spain-rains-flooding-cars/
October
Earth’s warmest October on record, “by far.”
Temperature records were broken in Southern California (100 degrees F).
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-hot-weather-southern-california-20151009-story.html
Temperature records were broken in Australia (100 degrees F)
Temperature records were broken in South Africa (119 degrees F, the hottest temperature ever recorded anywhere on earth in October).
http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=3171
3 inches of rain in one hour led to a “wall of mud” near Los Angeles.
14 inches of rain in one day in Bergstrom Texas.
51 inches of rain in 24 hours as Typhoon Koppu passed through the Phillippines.
http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=3160
South Carolina flooded. Sixth 1-in-1000 year event since 2010.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2015/10/05/south-carolina-flooding-climate-change/73385778/
Hurricane Patricia was the most powerful hurricane ever measured, with sustained winds over 200 mph:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2015/10/23/hurricane-patricia-strongest-hurricane/74461754/
A rare Mediterranean hurricane turned deadly on the French Riviera
A rare tropical storm reached Alaska
http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html
As remnants of Hurricane Patricia passed through Texas, a train was derailed when flash flooding washed away the tracks.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-floods-union-pacific-train-derails-as-rains-soak-state/
Earth’s largest forest in steep decline because of climate change
http://e360.yale.edu/feature/the_rapid_and_startling_decline_of_worlds_vast_boreal_forests/2919/
Worldwide coral bleaching in progress
Main U.S. pumpkin crop cut in half this year by extreme weather
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/10/08/3710326/climate-change-pumpkin-pie-boo
“Water too warm for cod in US Gulf of Maine as stocks near collapse”
In Miami Beach flooding has become chronic during autumn high tides.
Tidal flooding is becoming more common along the U.S. East Coast. Here is data showing the increase in flood days for Atlantic City, NJ.
https://tamino.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/atlantic_city_num.jpg
November
Earth’s warmest November on record, “by a huge margin.
Two rare cyclones hit Yemen in a single week.
“Over the past five years, Zimbabwe's two Matebeleland provinces and the country's Midlands have been suffering from a disastrous mix of erratic rainfall, flash floods and long dry spells.
http://www.trust.org/item/20151121175335-b2zm1/?source=jt
In Somaliland: “Because of the drought, there has been no rain coming down from the mountains to the coastal areas … [In recent weeks] rain has come but it’s not that much. The people know how the rain should be and they say it was not as good as had been expected.”
In England, asparagus sprouted 5 months early.
Toxic algae bloom in the Pacific (fed by warmer than usual waters)
Unprecedented Rainfall Event In Egypt
Heat Wave In South Africa
http://news.yahoo.com/heat-wave-persist-week-over-south-african-maize-122411958.html
California’s Massive Tree Die Off, related to 4 years of drought
Floods In Pakistan
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/09/pakistan-climatechange-culture-idUSL8N1330PQ20151109
December
Record high temperatures in the U.S.
Record rainfalls cause severe flooding in Cumbria, UK. There were reports of residents angry at the government for not doing more to address climate change.
“200 year flood ravages southern Norway”
http://www.thelocal.no/20151207/200-year-flood-ravages-southern-norway
Areas of southern India had wettest December day in at least 100 years, with deadly flooding.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/12/04/3728251/chennai-flooding/
http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/02/world/chennai-india-floods-irpt/index.html
Residents of Laos said things have been changing. ““Since 2000 it has definitely been getting hotter,” said San Sayyachan, a young teacher. “We are seeing many new cattle diseases. Our buffaloes are dying faster. We get sore throats and dengue. Our children have colds and diarrhoea more.” Ka Soukhamay, a mother-of-three, said: “There are fewer fish in the river. We can no longer drink water from the river. The rivers flood at different times. The water comes higher and the water quality is lower.” “