State governments have approved 90 percent of the renewable energy projects to come before them, and make decisions in about a year. Ohio leads in permit rejections and withdrawals.

By Dan Gearino

Ohio resembles a torture chamber for renewable energy developers, according to new research that examines how regulators in 19 states handle wind and solar project applications.

Ohio Is Where Wind and Solar Projects Go to Die, and Other Findings From New Research on State Permitting

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a vast system of ocean currents that helps to distribute heat around the world.

By transporting warm water from the tropics northwards and cold water back southwards, the AMOC keeps Europe warm and plays a role in controlling global rainfall.

It connects into an even larger network of ocean currents that continuously moves water, nutrients and carbon around the world.

Now, the AMOC is under threat from human-caused climate change, as warming seas, melting ice and increased rainfall upset the temperature and salt balance of the North Atlantic.

Scientists have warned that the ocean currents are slowing down – and could eventually become so frail that they no longer transport heat around the globe.

A growing body of research has suggested that, with enough warming, the AMOC could reach a “tipping point” and transition to a weak state for many centuries.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has projected that the AMOC will decline over the course of the 21st century as the world warms.

However, whether – and when – currents might “collapse” remains a subject of debate.

The IPCC says a “collapse” before 2100 is unlikely.

However, some scientists have argued climate change could force the AMOC past a “point of no return” over the coming decades that could usher it towards a “shutdown” next century.

A major slowdown or “tipping” of the AMOC could have grave consequences for European temperatures, causing them to plunge – despite global warming.

It could also affect global food supply, sea level rise and global rainfall patterns, or even act as a catalyst that sets off a series of other catastrophic climate “tipping points”.

Below, Carbon Brief explains what the AMOC is and how it is being impacted by climate change.

The article also explores scientific debates around the future of the AMOC, including what the latest research says about the possibility and consequences of a collapse of the ocean currents.

To read the full article, click here: https://interactive.carbonbrief.org/amoc-explainer/index.html“

The post AMOC: Is global warming tipping key Atlantic ocean currents towards ‘collapse’? appeared first on Carbon Brief.

https://www.carbonbrief.org/amoc-is-global-warming-tipping-key-atlantic-ocean-currents-towards-collapse/

A new study finds that the vast majority of climate-related claims made by the meat and dairy industry don’t hold up to scholarly scrutiny.

By Georgina Gustin

Five years ago, the world’s largest meat company took out a full-page ad in The New York Times, making a bold claim: “Bacon, chicken wings, and steak with net zero emissions. It’s possible.”

Major Livestock and Animal Agriculture Companies Are Making Climate Promises They Aren’t Keeping