Chris Hammond

Photo above: From my time in Kurdistan, I witnessed how climate change is affecting local agriculture. Farmers are facing hotter summers coinciding with water scarcity and drying of local rivers, affecting their ability to grow crops. Photo credit: Chris Hammond, Erbil-Duhok Road, 2021 – All Rights Reserved.

The world is heading to add 57 superhot days a year, but study indicates it could have been worse – Associated Press

Published Oct 16th, 2025 – https://www.ctvnews.ca/climate-and-environment/article/the-world-is-heading-to-add-57-superhot-days-a-year-but-study-indicates-it-could-have-been-worse/

Article Summary: This AP article reviews and summarizes the findings of a recent report by Climate Central and World Weather Attribution regarding current climate and extreme heat projections updated since the Paris Agreement ten years ago. The article begins with pertinent information: based on our current climate trajectory, by the end of the century the Earth may experience a global average of 57 “superhot” and dangerous days each year, with smaller (Global South) nations most affected. Conversely, the largest carbon-polluting countries will be least affected. AP organizes the article with a framing that, at first, focuses on the effectiveness of efforts to curb emissions in the past ten years, explaining that efforts have brought total superhot day projections down from the estimated 117 days previously.

Through the article, various statistics are shared, including an estimated projection of 2.6 °C global average temperature by the end of the century above preindustrial times, which is 1.4 °C lower than the trajectory to 4 °C estimated before the 2015 Paris agreement and global efforts to reduce emissions.

The article outlines the dangers of superhot days, briefly indicating the potential risks to health and life, and that we can expect this to become ever worse. In the latter half, it outlines serious inequality, where 149 ‘extra super hot days’ may be experienced by smaller countries in the Global South, while the top polluters like the US, China, and India may only experience a mere 23 to 30 extra superhot days. It states that this inequality will further geopolitical instability, and that despite no longer being on a trajectory to the pre-Paris outcome, the current trajectory will be disastrous for billions of people.

Reflection: Reading this article, I couldn’t help but think of a scene from season 3 of the HBO series Newsroom when anchor Will McAvoy sits down to interview a U.S EPA climate scientist. The scientist, revealing the precarious situation we face with climate change, bluntly states the gravity of what’s to come. Perceived as fearmongering, McAvoy pushes back, “let’s see if we can’t find a better spin, people are starting their weekends […] we want to inform people but we don’t want to alarm them, can you give us a reason to be optimistic?”

This exchange captures the attitudes within the press and media as it attempts to soften the uncomfortable truth of climate change. While this AP article does iterate over important details of the projected number of superhot days anticipated in the future, including mention of the global south, a brief mention of inequality and the contradiction that the biggest polluters will be least affected, at the same time, the organization of these facts tells a story in and of itself. AP begins by framing the report in a way that undermines how devastating a 2.6 °C increase in global average temperature would be. Yet, it does mention that this would be catastrophic for billions of people, but rather than making this the headline, it is buried at the end of the article. The framing then is softened while lending itself to ‘journalistic integrity’ so that AP can claim it presented all appropriate details, yet it undermines what should be a serious warning, that we’re not on target and the consequences will be severe. But like McAvoy tries to force out of the U.S. EPA scientist in his newsroom, the article looks for a safer and more palatable spin, even when the facts indicate that large numbers of people are likely to die under a growing number of superhot days that were preventable had appropriate urgency and action been taken.

International deal to cut shipping emissions falters under U.S. pressure – Associated Press

Published Oct 17th, 2025 – https://www.cbc.ca/news/climate/imo-shipping-emissions-9.6942459

Article Summary: This article reviews recent actions by the United States and Saudi Arabia, among several other nations, that successfully impeded international efforts to reduce emissions from container ships, which predominantly use heavy oil as a fuel, notorious for its exceptionally high sulphur content. The International Maritime Organization (IMO), based on guidance from some of the world’s largest maritime nations, proposed regulations and economic incentives that would shift the industry away from fossil fuels to cleaner sources of energy. Nonetheless, the US, operating under the Trump administration, labelled the plan a “global green new scam tax on shipping,” alluding to the potential of a global fee imposed on greenhouse gas emissions on cargo ships, and urged nations voting at the IMO in London to vote no. In response, climate ministers from varying nations scoffed at the decision, given the gravity and urgency of climate change. The article states that shipping emissions continue to rise as global trade increases, with three percent of global fossil fuel emissions directly coming from ship transit.

Reflection: The US, being a global hegemon, has historically used its power to coerce and pressure other countries into voting in favour of the administration’s interests. In this case, the administration is plagued with anti-scientific rhetoric, it is dismissive of international climate cooperation, and entrenched in climate denialism. Outside of this, the article should frame the news more appropriately in terms of climate justice, which would have included contextualizing the potential risks and outlining the contradictions that the nations with the least to lose have blocked this at the cost of nations who are likely to suffer greatest.

The economic opportunity of climate action is a focus as Toronto Climate Week launches – CP24 in Toronto, Canada

Published Oct 1st, 2025 – https://www.cp24.com/news/2025/10/01/toronto-climate-week-launches-in-effort-to-grow-canadian-clean-tech-hub/

Article Summary: The article tries to position itself, stating the United States is removing itself from a leadership role on climate action on the global stage; therefore, some Canadians are urging varying levels of government and industry to step up to the plate and fill the void. It iterates over how climate-induced damages are already costing the economy $25 billion this year, and growing. Comments by Canadian federal environmental minister Julie Dabrusin are provided, who states there is both a moral and economic imperative to ensure the Canadian government has a robust and responsive climate competitiveness strategy, underscoring the necessity of Canadian investment.

The article discusses how, despite the US sliding back on its climate commitments, many other countries are still focused on climate targets, thus urging Canada to continue its push for clean industry, which may also be a catalyst for economic development and prosperity, particularly through development of clean technology that can be commodified and sold, giving Canadian companies the potential to become leaders in clean industry.

Reflection: This is a common theme among many climate articles, regardless of publication; often, the focus is on economies, economic output, and framed from the perspective of global capital. It doesn’t problematize the underlying systems and ideologies that contribute to climate change. Further, the article doesn’t necessarily provide appropriate urgency in framing climate change as an existential threat and overlooks Canadian industries’ significant carbon output, where, per capita, Canada rests among the worst polluters in the world.