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- Currently in Portland — November 8th, 2023: Some sunshine!
Currently in Portland — November 8th, 2023: Some sunshine!
Plus, a quick preview of COP28 in Dubai.
Stella Harris & Eric Holthaus
November 07, 2023
The weather, currently.
We’re going to get some sunshine on Wednesday!
We’re getting a break from the rain on Wednesday. After morning clouds, we’ll get some afternoon sunshine, and just a mild breeze. The high temp will only reach the low 50s, but it should be a lovely afternoon. This will be the perfect time to go for a walk and soak up some precious fall sunshine, or to get out in the yard to manage the chaos of the recent wind. I ended up losing one flower pot that apparently wasn’t as sturdy as I’d thought! Lots of leaves have fallen as well, so you might have some raking on the agenda. Remember that fallen leaves are an imporant habitat for beneficial insencts to overwinter, and help provide foraging for birds. So where possible, leave the leaves! Leaves are also a fantastic mulch, so if you want to rake them out of pathways, consider leaving them piled in your garden beds to help protect your soil and prepare it for a strong spring growth spurt.
What you need to know, currently.
A new fund will be established to pay for the “loss and damage” caused by climate change in poorer countries — but will be far weaker than hoped after a major setback this past weekend in Abu Dhabi. The disappointment is casting an increasingly worrying shadow over the upcoming COP28 climate conference in Dubai.
A last-minute objection by the US delegation to the consensus text forced a change in the funding mechanism that only “urged” rich countries to contribute to the new fund, but didn’t require them.
“It is a sombre day for climate justice, as rich countries turn their backs on vulnerable communities. [This] falls short of providing vulnerable communities with adequate assurance that their financial needs for coping with climate impacts and rebuilding their lives will be met.”
Still up for discussion in the run-up to Dubai: Whether or not world countries will agree to a binding “phase out” of fossil fuels globally, and the first official check-up or “stocktake” on how the world’s efforts at reducing climate change has progressed since 2015 in Paris. Spoiler alert: not well.
What you can do, currently.
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One of my favorite organizations, Mutual Aid Disaster Relief, serves as a hub of mutual aid efforts focused on climate action in emergencies — like hurricane season. Find mutual aid network near you and join, or donate to support existing networks:
