Skimm'd from the road

"Unintentionally fell asleep while in command of the aircraft" – A pilot missed his destination by falling asleep in the cockpit. You had one job.

IT'S GETTING HOT IN HERE

The Story

The UN just released its climate change report card: we're failing.

Another report?

Yup, there've been a couple recently. Like...

Last month's UN report…the one conducted by its climate science panel that looked at more than 6,000 studies. It said we have 12 years to massively cut greenhouse gas emissions. If not, expect a potential climate crisis within our lifetimes.

The Black Friday report…the one conducted by more than a dozen federal agencies. It predicted the negative impact on US industries like dairy, fishing, and farming – which could hit soybean and corn production especially hard. It said climate change could cost the US economy hundreds of billions of dollars by the end of the century.

This new report...the one conducted by the UN every year to check how well countries are doing at reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. Short answer: really bad. In 2015, almost every country in the world pledged to lower emissions as part of the Paris climate deal. Not only are countries not on track with their goals, but the UN says the goals are too low to begin with, and could still lead to some worst-case scenarios.

When you say worst-case scenario, what are we talking about here?

As is, Earth's already about 1°C hotter than it was before the Industrial Revolution. And we're already starting to see the effects. Floods, droughts, wildfires and more frequent, intense hurricanes have all been tied to climate change. If things continue to heat up at this rate, the report says the climate situation could become "catastrophic."

What needs to happen for climate change to stop?

International governments need to bring their A-game to drastically cut down emissions (think: more money and stronger policies). Problem, because they're having commitment issues. The US – one of the leading emissions producers in the world – is backing out of the Paris deal altogether. President Trump has made it clear he doesn't believe the hype about climate change. And people in France have been protesting higher fuel taxes – their gov's attempt at getting climate change in check. So not going great. But the UN is encouraging local and city govs to keep at it, even if national govs aren't doing enough.

theSkimm

Next week, international leaders are meeting in Poland for a UN climate change conference where all of this will come up. But despite all the warnings and pledges, it's looking increasingly unlikely the world is on track to avoid catastrophic effects of climate damage.

PS: We have an audio ep on climate change. Brace your ears.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

What to say when you hear Paul Manafort denies meeting with Julian Assange…

Mississippi voters denied former Agriculture Sec Mike Espy (D) a Senate win. And are sticking with Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R). This race has been in the headlines because of her controversial comments about a public hanging and voter suppression, and that old Facebook photo of her wearing a Confederate hat. Now, she'll be the first woman to rep MS in the Senate. Her win also gives Republicans a 53-47 margin in the chamber in 2019.

What to say after finding out that Condé Nast's CEO is stepping down…

Rough times for the biz world. Yesterday, President Trump threatened to cut subsidies to GM – a day after the company announced major layoffs and factory closures. ICYMI, Trump's all about keeping US jobs at home. Through the gov subsidies, people who buy electric cars can get a tax credit. If Trump takes that away, it could lead to a drop in sales. GM's stock took a hit after his announcement. Meanwhile, around 300 Google employees signed an open letter protesting the co's plans to build a censored search engine in China. The project – called Dragonfly – would block certain websites and terms filtered out by the Chinese gov. Nothing to see here. Literally. Employees have been pushing back behind closed doors, but are now publicly saying 'this doesn't (Dragon)fly.' They're calling on the tech giant to scrap the plans because it'll lead to "oppressing the vulnerable." Google says its work on this front is "exploratory" and not close to launching.

PS: GV (formerly Google Ventures) is a minority investor in theSkimm.

What to say when you live in a pineapple under the sea…

RIP Stephen Hillenburg. Earlier this week, the man behind "SpongeBob SquarePants" died at age 57 from ALS. Hillenburg was a former marine biology teacher with a master of fine arts degree in animation. He used the combo to create the iconic world of Bikini Bottom. The cartoon first aired in 1999. Nickelodeon called Hillenburg a "beloved friend."

What to say when your friend recommends a new Netflix show…

Well aren't you a Dahl.

What to say when you hear you can eat some romaine lettuce again…

Holy cow...this is big.

THING TO KNOW

$1 trillion

The predicted amount Americans will spend during the holidays this year. Hint: that's the highest it's ever been. Credible can steer your finances into the clear. They help you consolidate your debt and reduce your interest rates with personal loan options. Learn more here.

SKIMM PICKS

For when the truth hurts...

Listen up. And tune into our Skimm'd From the Couch podcast with Beth Comstock, presented by Buick. Beth is the first female Vice Chair of GE and talks to us about why she took a job nobody else wanted, and what it means to be an introverted leader. Get into it.*

For when all the giving yesterday inspired you…

Keep it going. In the spirit of Giving Tuesday, check out our picks for gifts that give back.

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