Major bad #ClimateCrisis news just published in today's #Guardian - "Exclusive: Planet is headed for at least 2.5C of heating with disastrous results for #humanity poll of hundreds of scientists finds - World’s top #climate scientists expect #GlobalHeating to blast past 1.5C target.
Hundreds of the world’s leading climate scientists expect global temperatures to rise to at least 2.5C (4.5F) this century, blasting past internationally agreed targets and causing catastrophic consequences for humanity and the #planet, an exclusive Guardian survey has revealed.
Almost 80% of the respondents, all from the authoritative Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( #IPCC), foresee at least 2.5C of global heating above preindustrial levels, while almost half anticipate at least 3C (5.4F). Only 6% thought the internationally agreed 1.5C (2.7F) limit will be met."
Numerous experts said they had been left feeling hopeless, infuriated and scared by the failure of governments to act despite the clear scientific evidence provided.
“I think we are headed for major societal disruption within the next five years,” said Gretta Pecl, at the University of Tasmania. “[Authorities] will be overwhelmed by extreme event after extreme event, food production will be disrupted. I could not feel greater despair over the future.”
"Younger scientists were more pessimistic, with 52% of respondents under 50 expecting a rise of at least 3C, compared with 38% of those over 50. Female scientists were also more downbeat than male scientists, with 49% thinking global temperature would rise at least 3C, compared with 38%. There was little difference between scientists from different continents."
Two billionaires, a wealthy election denier and a mysterious Russia-linked trust invested in the Trump company long before it went public.
#Marty#Davis, the wealthy Minnesota head of a kitchen countertop manufacturing company, is a steadfast supporter of Donald Trump.
He contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to help elect Mr. Trump in 2020, and encouraged him to fight to overturn the 2020 election results.
Shortly after Mr. Trump’s social media company said in October 2021 that it planned to go public by merging with a cash-rich shell company, Mr. Davis was one of the first to lend the fledgling business millions so that it could stay afloat until its merger closed and finance the launch of its Truth Social platform.
Mr. Davis gave Trump Media & Technology Group a $5 million loan, according to documents reviewed by The New York Times.
His loan was part of $40 million Trump Media raised from more than a dozen private investors, some of whom have helped finance efforts to elect Mr. Trump and are now likely shareholders of his social media company.
Other early backers include two Texas billionaires, a Florida hedge fund manager, and a trust with ties to a Russian American owner of an offshore bank who is the nephew of a former high-ranking Russian government official, the documents show.
One of the billionaires, #Kenny#Troutt, a retired Dallas telecommunications executive, has given more than $1.1 million to efforts backing Mr. Trump’s three White House bids.
Mr. Troutt is serving as a co-chair of a major fund-raiser on Saturday in Palm Beach, Fla., for the former president.
It’s not uncommon for start-ups to seek out wealthy investors for financing, but the stock holdings and large donations raise questions about the potential for #conflicts of #interest and #undue#influence over Mr. Trump should he return to the White House.