Nearly 1 in 5 new car sales in California were zero-emission in 2022, but most of them are Teslas and other high-end models. That shows how far the state has to go in making the shift to electric vehicles equitable., a treaty approved by every country in the world outlawing chemicals that eat away at the ozone layer, including chlorofluorocarbons that were once used in canned aerosol sprays and refrigerants.
If international cooperation is working successfully to reverse the thinning of the ozone layer, it stands to reason that multilateral efforts could also prove successful in the fight against climate change and fossil fuels. Or as World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said in aThe news is encouraging, but the comparison works only up to a point.
Fossil fuels are also far more ubiquitous in our society than the chemicals that caused ozone depletion, with fewer applications, mostly in air conditioning and refrigeration, as propellants in aerosol cans and in foams and solvents, and were replaced over time with ozone-safe alternatives with little disruption to the economy. Oil and gas are piped and shipped across nations and pumped into our vehicles and homes. Petrochemicals are widespread in the products we use daily.
The good news is we already know the solutions and have the technology needed to switch to renewable energy. But to succeed in curbing climate change, humanity will have to overcome powerful, entrenched fossil fuel interests and their beholden politicians. These industries have engaged into delay climate action and try to cling to their profits for as long as possible.
We’ve certainly seen some progress, including the growth of solar, wind and other renewable energy, the rapid expansion of electric vehicles and the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. But overall, climate action has been slow, and still isn’t happening at anywhere near the scale or urgency needed.
opinion harder because its COMPLETE BULLSHIT
opinion Oops . . The record-breaking 2020 Antarctic ozone hole . . peaked at around 24.8 million square kilometres on 20 Sept spreading over most of the continent. It was the longest-lasting and one of the largest and deepest holes since the ozone layer monitoring began 40 years ago.
opinion It's a scam