Welcome to the Climate Action Chat Blog, Fall 2023

Welcome to the Climate Action Chat Blog, developed and maintained by Gregg Walker, Professor of Communication at Oregon State University. Students in COMM 114 and COMM 440/540 can earn bonus points by particiating in this Blog during Fall term 2023. Students are encouraged to provide comments, questions, and resources in response to Blog posts (not this one, though).

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What role do fossil fuel companies play in the climate crisis? Accountability? Responsibility?

The global communmity relies on fossil fuels for energy and seems destined to do so for many years ahead. Every nation is (and will continue to do so) experiencing the impacts of GHGs. Many fossil fuel executives and lobbyists were at COP 29 in Baku. Do fossil fuel companies bear significant responsbility for the climate crisis, and if not, who does? And if so, what does that responsbility mean? Here are some interesting articles... https://apple.news/AQx-6z0NCTOSD5qJ86mg2bA https://www.theguardian.com/environment/live/2024/nov/15/cop29-live-day-five-begins-with-demands-for-change-to-way-summits-are-run?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/16/trump-administration-chris-wright-energy-secretary?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
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Climate change, environmental issues, and religious faith

I have worked in the environmental policy field for over three decades, work that includes climate change science and policy. I have also studied the world's primary religions. We can consider the relationship of faith and concerns about the environment. Should people of faith commit to being advocates for a healthy planet and be good environmental stewards? Here is an interesting article that relatea to this topic. https://www.nbcnews.com/science/climate-change/evangelical-christian-environmentalists-push-climate-votes-election-rcna174018
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Is adaptation the most important climate policy area?

When the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was established in the 1990s, negotiators focused on greenhouse gas emissions, or GHGs. They discussed mitigation actions; ways to reduce GHGs. The landmark Kyoto Protocol of 1997 (at COP 3) emphasized mitigation, with commitments from developed countries to reduce their production of and reliance on fossil fuels. The 2015 Paris Agreement set the goal of a global temperature rise of no more than 1.5 degrees centigrade by 2050. This goal would be achieved only if developed countries - the major GHG emitters - transitioned significantly to renewable energy sources. This has not happened. Countries are expanding their use of renewables but not fast enough th meet the 1.5 degree goal. Consequently, negotiators now devote considerable time to discussing adaptation - how to deal with a warming world and its consequencxes, such as wildfires, drought, intense hurricanes and typhoons... These articles relate to the imp...
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