Shift Key with Robinson Meyer and Jesse Jenkins

The World Will Miss 1.5C. What Comes Next?

Nov 20, 2024

Kate Marvel, an associate research scientist at Columbia University and NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, shares eye-opening insights about the climate crisis. She discusses the stark reality that the world is likely to surpass the 1.5°C threshold set by the Paris Agreement. Marvel emphasizes the significance of every fraction of a degree in the fight against climate change, explaining the critical differences between tipping points and feedback loops. The conversation navigates feelings of despair and hope, urging immediate action and innovative solutions.

59:10

Creator website

Episode guests

Kate Marvel

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

The world is set to exceed the 1.5 degrees Celsius target due to inadequate emission reductions and slow policy responses.

Understanding tipping points and destabilizing feedback loops is crucial as they can lead to irreversible climate changes, heightening urgency.

Climate communication must inspire action and emphasize that although the situation is dire, proactive steps can still create meaningful change.

Deep dives

The Urgency of Decarbonization

The podcast emphasizes the critical importance of meeting global climate goals, specifically the 1.5 degrees Celsius target set by the Paris Agreement. Current trends indicate that a significant reduction in emissions—42% by 2030—is required to maintain that target, yet projections suggest the world is on course for temperature increases between 2.6 to 3.1 degrees Celsius. The urgency surrounding these figures has created a heightened awareness of the consequences of inaction, galvanizing discussions about how to effectively mitigate climate change. Despite the daunting numbers, the ongoing dialogue aims to clarify the significance of these targets in the context of contemporary climate challenges.

Intro

2min

Challenging the 1.5°C Threshold

18min

Understanding Climate Tipping Points and Their Implications

6min

Navigating Climate Complexity

14min

Evolving Rhetoric in Energy Policy and Climate Discourse

3min

Exploring the Motivations Behind Renewable Energy Adoption

2min

Navigating Hope and Despair in Climate Change

3min

Musk, EV Subsidies, and Congestion Pricing

12min

Here’s the bad news: The world is almost certainly going to miss the Paris Agreement’s goal of keeping global temperatures from rising beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels. The needed emissions cuts are too large and the direction of policy too slow to lead to any other outcome. In the next few decades, global warming will slip past the 1.5 degree mark — and temperatures will keep rising.

What does that mean? What comes next? And how should we feel about that? On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Rob and Jesse chat with Kate Marvel, an associate research scientist at Columbia University and the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. We talk about why every 10th of a degree matters in the fight against climate change, the difference between tipping points and destabilizing feedback loops, and how to think about climate change in a disappointing time. Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University.

Mentioned:

The UN Environmental Program’s emissions gap report

The IPCC’s monumental report on the risks of 1.5C of temperature rise

Jesse’s post-Trump op-ed: Trump Is Not the End of the Climate Fight

Rob’s piece from 2023 on the “end of climate science”

Trump’s Energy Secretary-designate Chris Wright’s speech at the American Conservation Coalition Summit

Jesse’s downshift; Rob’s upshift.

This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …

Watershed’s climate data engine helps companies measure and reduce their emissions, turning the data they already have into an audit-ready carbon footprint backed by the latest climate science. Get the sustainability data you need in weeks, not months. Learn more at watershed.com.

As a global leader in PV and ESS solutions, Sungrow invests heavily in research and development, constantly pushing the boundaries of solar and battery inverter technology. Discover why Sungrow is the essential component of the clean energy transition by visiting sungrowpower.com.

Intersolar & Energy Storage North America is the premier U.S.-based conference and trade show focused on solar, energy storage, and EV charging infrastructure. To learn more, visit intersolar.us.

Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more