Shannon Osaka: SEAL Award Winner 2021

A selection of this year’s best environmental journalism

Can ‘the people’ solve climate change? France decided to find out.

“In theory, citizens’ assemblies can be more representative than traditional democracies — and ultimately, more fair. Most governments give power to elected officials who often already have power in the form of money, connections, or public recognition. Citizens’ assemblies hand power directly to the people (or at least, a randomly selected subset of them). “It’s not that elected officials are bad individually,” Landemore said. “But as a group, they tend to lack diversity, and they tend to be blind to certain problems.””
Source: Grist (Approx. 25 minutes)

Blast from the past: Coal sends global emissions to pre-pandemic highs

“In March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a screeching halt, some dared to wonder whether the coronavirus could have a lasting impact on climate change. Huge amounts of carbon dioxide emissions from cars, trucks, and aviation had disappeared virtually overnight. And while scientists and policymakers knew that reopening the economy would likely cause emissions to resurge, they hoped that governments’ green stimulus plans — often called “Build Back Better” plans — could mark a turning point in the world’s fight against climate change. That does not appear to have happened. According to a study pre-print released this week by the Global Carbon Project, greenhouse gas emissions have rebounded this year, and will likely come close to — or even equal — the world’s emissions in 2019.”
Source: Grist (Approx. 11 minutes)

Is the US uniquely bad at tackling climate change?

“In 2009, a cap-and-trade bill, the centerpiece of President Barack Obama’s climate strategy, died in the Senate after it became clear that Democrats could not rustle up 60 “yes” votes to overcome the filibuster. (The filibuster: a veto point.) Later, Obama’s back-up plan — an order to require utilities to switch over to clean sources of electricity — was challenged in the courts and never implemented. (The courts: another veto point.) Then, in 2017, President Donald Trump announced that he would pull the United States out of the Paris climate agreement, even though the treaty was non-binding. (Executive action: yet another veto point.)”
Source: Grist (Approx. 7 minutes)

United’s supersonic planes would be a ‘massively polluting’ disaster

“If flying is bad for the climate, flying fast is worse: New supersonic planes are likely to burn 5 to 7 times more fuel than traditional, slower-than-sound planes, according to modeling from the International Council on Clean Transportation, or ICCT. If they use the fuels of today, that would mean 5 to 7 times the carbon emissions to cover the same distance. On top of that, Boom’s Overtures are slated to soar at 60,000 feet, almost twice as high as the standard cruising altitude of a subsonic plane, which means that its pollutants will stay in the atmosphere longer.”
Source: Grist (Approx. 6 minutes)

Why climate rage hit Exxon, Chevron, and Shell on the same day

“Over the past decade, economists have also become increasingly concerned about the possibility of a “carbon bubble”: a pile of investments in coal mines, oil production, and gas-powered cars that could be left stranded if the world begins a rapid shift to renewable energy and a low-carbon economy. Many investors, however, don’t want to sell off their oil stocks and bonds — but they also don’t want to be holding onto dangerous assets when the carbon bubble bursts.”
Source: Grist (Approx. 4minutes)

Read the SEAL Awards 2021 Environmental Journalism Award Announcement