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hebel. today · 6 November 20262 / 74

Science · Climate

Local policy beats global climate models

State and local governments offer the most direct path for effective climate action, as their proximity to citizens enables faster implementation of building codes and clean energy standards than federal or international efforts. While…

From 11 newsletters · 1 min read · one thing to try

State and local governments offer the most direct path for effective climate action, as their proximity to citizens enables faster implementation of building codes and clean energy standards than federal or international efforts (Dan Delurey from Climate Time). While global climate modeling remains a primary tool for policy, recent analysis of the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report shows that models predicting tropical atmospheric warming overestimated observed trends by more than double between 1979 and 2016 (Canary In a Covid & Climate World). As the issue on Thursday showed (an earlier story), systemic shifts at the local level provide a more reliable mechanism for change than waiting for international agreements that often fail to account for observational reality.

  • The 2026 UN Emissions Gap Report warns that exceeding 1.5°C of warming is now unavoidable, necessitating a focus on rapid emissions cuts (Andrew Lockley from Carbon Removal Updates).
  • Researchers identified major errors in a 2025 study that attempted to link fossil fuel company emissions to $28 trillion in economic losses (Roger Pielke Jr. from The Honest Broker).
  • Ocean observations indicate a 42% to 58% slowdown of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation by 2100, threatening European climate stability (Nature Bats Last Substack).

Try today · 30 min

Review your city or county building code for energy efficiency requirements.

Search your local government website for 'building codes' or 'energy standards' to see if they mandate electrification or heat pump adoption.

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Sources

  1. Canary In a Covid & Climate WorldThis chapter details the discrepancy between climate model projections and satellite observations of tropical atmospheric temperature trends.

  2. Dan Delurey, Climate Time ✎ Written by a personThis piece outlines why local building codes are a high-impact lever for reducing fossil fuel use in the building sector.

  3. Roger Pielke Jr., The Honest Broker ✎ Written by a personThis analysis provides a critique of the methodology used to attribute $28 trillion in economic losses to specific fossil fuel companies.

  4. Andrew Lockley, Carbon Removal Updates ✎ Written by a personThis summary covers the 2026 UN Emissions Gap Report findings regarding the inevitability of exceeding 1.5°C warming.

  5. Nature Bats Last SubstackThis report explains the projected 42% to 58% slowdown of the AMOC by 2100 and its impact on European climate.

  6. The Guardian

  7. Earth.Org

  8. Irina Slav on energy

  9. Callaway Climate Insights

  10. Postcards from the Abyss

  11. Andrew Dessler, The Climate Brink ✎ Written by a person

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