Solar progress, stalled commitments, and a green worker shortage

The Climate, Health & Equity Brief is GMMB’s take on the latest news on the current impacts of climate change. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do so by clicking here.

Hot Topic: Push and pull. This week’s news demonstrates how the global push for sustainability is facing a complex mix of progress and setbacks, from solar power’s rapid growth to government and corporate backsliding, a shortage of green skills, and a lack of unity on ensuring a just energy transition.

Solar power is experiencing a global surge, with technological advancements driving significant production increases and expanded investment over the last year. According to the International Energy Agency, China met its wind and solar energy goals six years ahead of schedule, producing 83% of the world’s solar panels and accounting for 65% of global wind capacity in 2023, compared to just 2% and 5%, respectively, in the United States. Experts are concerned, however, that a possible Trump victory in November will hinder climate negotiations with China and release any U.S. pressure on the country to continue its climate progress.

And such concerns aren’t limited to China. According to Generation’s 2024 Sustainability Trends Report, the past few years have seen a wave of backsliding on climate commitments from governments and large corporations alike. Generation founders Al Gore and David Blood attribute this to a lack of “courage, fortitude and determination” from global leaders and domestic, right-wing political pressure on corporate America. Still, they find that there remains “significant momentum” on climate progress despite many challenges.

One pressing challenge is the shortage of sustainability skills in the current workforce, particularly in the United States. A new report finds that companies are struggling to find “unicorn” sustainability experts and overlooking opportunities to train workers in critical areas like data analysis, supply chain management, and carbon accounting. While “green talent” grew by 12.3% from 2022 to 2023, it fell short of the 22% growth rate in sustainability sector jobs—a gap expected to widen as the U.S. aims to add millions of green jobs by 2030.

Another challenge? A lack of focus among wealthy nations on how to make the global energy transition fair for the countries least responsible for the climate crisis. World Bank data show that the 74 lowest-income countries emit just 10% of the world’s greenhouse gases, yet they face the most significant devastation due to climate change. Last week, representatives from 30 developing nations met in person at a U.N. meeting on the topic in Ghana, while the U.S., EU, and U.K. logged in virtually, kept their cameras off, and made only minimal contributions to the vital discussions, which impact 84% of the world’s population.

Human Health

Rising temperatures, extreme humidity and harsh working conditions are increasingly linked to chronic kidney disease among outdoor laborers—including those in their 20s, 30s and 40s—who otherwise demonstrate none of the typical risk factors for disease. (The Guardian)

Houston’s experience with a brief heatwave and power outage during Hurricane Beryl in July highlights the dire consequences of a prolonged blackout during extreme heat, with experts warning that American cities are unprepared for the inevitable intersection of climate change and failing infrastructure, which could lead to thousands of deaths. (The Washington Post)

Planetary Health

On the heels of devastating floods in Central Europe and deadly wildfires in Portugal, EU officials are warning that extreme weather and the resulting deaths and massive national costs for repair and recovery—now surpassing 50 billion euros per year—are signaling a climate breakdown and fast becoming the new normal. (AP News)

A new study from the World Resources Institute warns that Earth’s current warming trajectory could lead to significant increases in the length and frequency of heat waves in nearly 1,000 major cities, with vulnerable regions like sub-Saharan Africa facing heightened risks as global temperatures rise toward 3°C above preindustrial levels. (Axios)

New research reveals that tropical cyclones are increasingly stalling along the U.S Gulf Coast, off the Southeast U.S. and around Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, intensifying flooding, wind damage and power outages over prolonged periods—a trend that heightens the risks for loss of life and long-term devastation. (The Washington Post)

A new report published in AGU Advances and a corresponding map produced by the U.S. Geological Survey reveal that approximately 44% of the U.S. is at risk of landslides, with increasingly heavy rain events being a primary trigger. (The New York Times)

A recent study found that melting glaciers caused a massive landslide in Greenland that resulted in a 200-meter mega-tsunami and seismic activity that was detected around the world for nine days. (France 24)

New research revealed that atmospheric methane levels are rising at the fastest rate ever recorded, tracking with ‘worst-case scenario’ projections due to expanding landfills, booming livestock production, increased coal mining and surging natural gas consumption. (The Washington Post)

Equity

At least 1,000 people have died, and millions have been displaced by flooding in Central and Western Africa, including in Chad, Morocco, and Algeria—countries that usually don’t get over an inch of rain this time of year. (Axios)

A new report from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation found that between now and 2050, 68 million more children will face extreme malnutrition as a result of climate change, hindering their physical and mental capacity making them more susceptible to disease. (Reuters)

A major dam in Borno, Nigeria, has collapsed due to unusually high rains, causing severe flooding and killing 30 people, displacing one million more, and driving up food costs after the central market was destroyed. (AP News)

Politics & Economy

China, the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, has hit its wind and solar goals six years early due to the construction of enormous desert-based solar bases and a government-led campaign to mount panels on tens of thousands of rooftops nationwide. (Cipher)

Federal Reserve interest rate cuts could boost clean energy projects by lowering borrowing costs for capital-intensive projects like offshore wind, green hydrogen, and carbon capture, but rising expenses, investor uncertainty, and project delays continue to hinder growth, forcing analysts to downgrade carbon emissions reduction forecasts. (POLITICO)

The 2024 Sustainability Trends Report reveals that the energy transition faces significant challenges, with rapid growth in renewable energy offset by rising power demand, slow progress in key sectors, backsliding on corporate and country climate commitments, and a critical need for increased clean energy investment to meet global emissions targets. (Axios)

A new analysis reveals a growing “green skills gap” is slowing progress toward a net-zero future as companies struggle to find sustainability experts and overlook opportunities to train workers in critical areas like data analysis, supply chain management, and carbon accounting. (Axios)

Frustration boiled over at a United Nations climate meeting in Ghana last week as developing nations criticized wealthy countries for failing to attend in person and avoiding key discussions on making the global green transition equitable. (Climate Home News)

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, have determined that each 100-word email generated by ChatGPT (GPT-4) consumes a 16-ounce bottle’s worth of water and enough electricity to power 14 LED bulbs for an hour, underscoring the substantial environmental footprint of AI as its adoption surges among Americans. (The Washington Post)

A new study finds that Massachusetts is the only U.S. state whose food waste ban has successfully reduced food in landfills—a significant source of climate-warming methane emissions—while efforts in other states are falling short due to poor enforcement and insufficient composting infrastructure. (The Washington Post)

Candidates in Arizona’s 3rd congressional district are adapting their campaigns to dangerous heat with strategies like door-knocking only in cooler hours and providing volunteers with cooling vests, as Phoenix temperatures top 100°F for over 100 consecutive days and Republican candidate Jeff Zink continues to deny human-caused climate change. (Bloomberg)

A new study found that framing climate action as patriotic can increase support for climate issues among young voters across the political spectrum in the United States, a tactic Kamala Harris is leaning into on the campaign trail. (Mother Jones)

Action

California reduced CO2 emissions by 2.4%—or 9.3 million metric tons—in 2022 compared to 2021, with more than half of these reductions in the transportation sector alone as drivers shifted from gas to EVs and cargo trucks transitioned from diesel fuel to crop-based biofuels. (Los Angeles Times)

Google has invested in startup Holocene’s carbon removal technology with a deal to capture 100,000 tons of CO2—the equivalent of 21,700 cars driving for one year—at $100 per ton by the early 2030s, aiming to lower costs and scale the technology for widespread use. (Axios)

Third Act, an organization of people over age 60 dedicated to fighting climate change, is fighting to pass pro-climate legislation and urging seniors to vote for Kamala Harris to protect democracy and the planet’s future. (Los Angeles Times)

Life as We Know It

Food scientists have created a climate-resilient and low-emission alternative to chocolate as the worldwide supply of cocoa beans dwindles due to record rainfall and resulting fungal tree infections and rotting cocoa fruit in the Ivory Coast and Ghana, where half of all chocolate originates. (NPR)

Climate change has created wetter and hotter growing seasons, threatening the future of wine crops and wasabi spices. (BBC)

Kicker

Worried about the climate crisis impacting your home insurance costs? Check out these maps to see prices and weather risks in your state.

Climate promises are beginning to resemble New Year’s resolutions: easy to make and hard to keep.”

– Al Gore

The GMMB Climate, Health & Equity Brief would not be possible without the contributions of the larger GMMB team—Aaron Benavides, Stefana Hendronetto, Nikki Melamed, Sharde Olabanji and Marci Welford. Feedback on the Brief is welcome and encouraged and should be sent to CHandEBrief@gmmb.com.