Climate Crisis and Complexity
Articles and Resources to Support Climate Actions
Articles
International Collaboration: Defense vs Climate Spending
“The more we defund [aid to and cooperation with developing countries], the more we lose the ability to act,” he said. “There is a loss of control, because you no longer can cooperate with countries that you depend on to solve these problems [such as the climate]. You are curtailing your own ability to create a more resilient national economy, in this world of interconnectedness.”
The climate crisis will potentially spiral out of control unless countries recognise their international obligations, he warned. “The greatest risk is not necessarily the territorial threat of a neighbouring country’s army, though that will always remain a potential risk,” he said. “It is cyberterrorism; the next pandemic for which we are not prepared; and most certainly the domino effect of runaway climate change.” https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/sep/06/higher-defence-spending-pointless-without-climate-aid-says-un-chief
“President Trump has been clear: he will not jeopardize our country’s economic and national security to pursue vague climate goals that are killing other countries,” said Taylor Rogers, a White House spokeswoman. “President Trump serves the American people, not radical climate activists who have fallen victim to the biggest scam of the century.”
But while Cop30 ended in frustration, there was still recognition from observers that the world is still moving away from the age of fossil fuels, with double the amount, globally, invested in renewables like wind and solar than traditional energy sources last year.
And while China didn’t fully step into the leadership vacuum in Belem, it is certainly leading as a clean energy superpower, even outstripping its antediluvian competitor – China is now making more money from exporting green technology than America earns from exporting fossil fuels.
Grass Roots Efforts - Climate Crisis:
Across the Gulf south, communities are demanding accountability. In St James Parish, Sharon Lavigne has also spent years fighting Formosa’s $9.4bn complex in what’s known as Louisiana’s Cancer Alley. In Port Arthur and Corpus Christi, organizers are fighting new gas export terminals. These aren’t isolated nimby fights; they’re part of a regional reckoning with a century of extraction. As record heat and hurricanes grow deadlier, Exxon still defends oil and petrochemical projects as “accelerating a just transition”, a phrase that borders on self-parody.
Wilson’s small-town lawsuit shouldn’t matter in Exxon’s $500bn universe – but it does. It reminds us that grassroots power still works, even in refinery country. “Eventually I lost my husband, the house, the boat,” she told me due to her activism. “But you can lose it all and gain your soul.” When a community like Seadrift demands transparency, it widens the space for others to question why their towns should subsidize pollution in the name of development. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/14/texas-shrimper-exxon-plastics
Bhutan: Carbon Negative, Social Progress - Gross National Happiness
“Even with our limited resources and huge geographical challenges, we have managed to prioritise climate action, social progress, cultural preservation and environmental conservation because the happiness and wellbeing of our people and our future generations is at the centre of our development agenda,” Tobgay said in an interview. “If we can do it, developed rich countries with a lot more resources and revenue can – and must do a lot more to reduce their emissions and fight the climate crisis.” It did so not by tearing up environmental regulations to incentivise economic growth but rather by tightening standards and prioritising air, water and land quality. “For us, gross national happiness is the goal, and GDP is just a tool which means economic growth cannot be detrimental to the happiness and wellbeing of our people,” Tobgay said. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/18/bhutan-pm-tshering-tobgay-first-carbon-negative-nation-climate-wellbeing
Resources
Climate Action Tracker: https://climateactiontracker.org/ Climate Action Tech: https://climateaction.tech/ Project Drawdown: https://drawdown.org/
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