Background Briefing: July 26, 2021

On By gram

 

The World’s Climate Scientists Meet as Fires, Floods and Droughts Ravage the Planet

We begin with more than 200 of the world’s leading climate scientists representing 195 governments meeting to create the latest report from the UN’s IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) amid the alarming evidence of global warming in the form of unprecedented fires, floods and droughts. Joining us to discuss the new report underway from the IPCC following the last report in 2013 is Michael Mann, Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Penn State University who along with other IPCC authors won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. His latest book is The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our Planet and we discuss what can be done to reverse science denial which is killing the planet in terms of global warming denial and is about to kill many more unvaccinated Americans above and beyond the 600,000 who have already died from Covid. With Siberia, Canada and the Western states on fire and floods in Germany and a drought in California, we look into whether the world’s leaders who will meet in November to cut greenhouse gas emissions will be up to the task of reducing CO2 in the atmosphere by 50% in the next 10 years before it is too late.

 

The Author of How to Prepare for Climate Change: A Practical Guide to Surviving the Chaos

Then we speak with David Pogue, who was the weekly New York Times tech columnist, a five-time Emmy winner and TED speaker and the host of 20 NOVA science specials on PBS about his new book, just out, How to Prepare for Climate Change: A Practical Guide to Surviving the Chaos. We discuss both mitigation and adaptation, without which we will have an irreversible global catastrophe of massive environmental disruption and forced migration.

 

Biden Agrees to Leave Iraq But U.S. Troops Will Stay as Trainers

Then finally we assess today’s White House meeting between President Biden and Iraq’s Prime Minister at which the U.S. agreed to the demand by Iraq’s parliament that U.S. combat forces leave the country. An expert on Iraq, Juan Cole, a professor of Modern Middle Eastern and South Asian History at the University of Michigan joins us to discuss how the 2,500 U.S. troops will move from a combat mission to a training mission but not leave the country in order to make sure the Islamic State is not reconstituted.