[TheClimate.Vote] August 15, 2017 - Daily Global Warming News

[Richard Pauli]

/August 15, 2017/

*(opinion) If you care about identity politics your priority has to be 
saving the planet 
<https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/14/identity-politics-left-priority-saving-planet-climate-change-denial>*
You expect to find climate change denial on the right. But from the left 
too, there is a strange silence about the single most pressing issue 
facing humanity..
But what is surprising is that the left are not more fired up about the 
climate crisis. In the UK, commentators such as Katie Hopkins imply that 
the only people who care are hysterical lefty shills. Of course lots of 
people, on the left and right do care, more than ever. After all, this 
is an issue of science and survival and we all have the same to lose. 
But in my experience, many on the left who should care more about 
climate change just don't. People who are extremely vocal about 
homophobia, transphobia, racism and sexism seem to have a blind spot. 
Which is odd because in the coming decades, all those problems (and 
more) will be supersized.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/14/identity-politics-left-priority-saving-planet-climate-change-denial


*OK, US government - see you in court 
<http://columbia.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0ebaeb14fdbf5dc65289113c1&id=8a9cd7f71c&e=c4e20a3850>*
Citizens Climate Lobby needs to grow bigger and stronger, so that, when 
we win the court case, politicians and the public are aware of the 
centrist political compromise that would work. Incidentally, it would 
restore America's leadership and address domestic economic issues.
Why are we confident of winning our lawsuit, which surely would need to 
survive scrutiny by a conservative Supreme Court? Our case is based on 
the rock-solid foundation of our Constitution.
http://columbia.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0ebaeb14fdbf5dc65289113c1&id=8a9cd7f71c&e=c4e20a3850


*From racism to climate change, CEOs keep turning on Trump - Aug 
<http://money.cnn.com/2017/08/14/investing/ceos-turn-on-trump-frazier/index.html>*
The election of a businessman to the White House fueled a wave of 
optimism among America's CEOs. Now some of those same business leaders 
are turning on President Trump.
http://money.cnn.com/2017/08/14/investing/ceos-turn-on-trump-frazier/index.html


*Vanguard seeks corporate disclosure on risks from climate change 
<https://www.reuters.com/article/vanguard-climate-idUSL2N1L00JR>*
BOSTON (Reuters) - Vanguard Group on Monday said it has urged companies 
to disclose how climate change could affect their business and asset 
valuations, reflecting how the environment has become a priority for the 
investment industry.
Under pressure from investors, Vanguard and other fund companies have 
pushed to pass several high-profile shareholder resolutions on climate 
risk at big energy firms like Exxon Mobil Corp and Occidental Petroleum 
Corp during the spring proxy season.
Vanguard manages about $4 trillion and is often the top shareholder in 
big U.S. corporations through its massive index funds - giving it a 
major voice in setting corporate agendas....
https://www.reuters.com/article/vanguard-climate-idUSL2N1L00JR


*How College Campuses Can Lead in Fighting Climate Change 
<https://www.nrdc.org/experts/lara-ettenson/how-college-campuses-can-lead-fighting-climate-change>*
/This blog was written by Anne Kim, an NRDC summer intern from Cornell 
University/
When college campuses engage in the green movement, they not only reduce 
energy waste and increase utility bill savings, they also invest in the 
future by encouraging their students to become leaders and activists 
with a genuine interest and concern for the world. More than 90 colleges 
across the country 
<https://www.nrdc.org/experts/peter-miller/trees-help-climate-without-counting-toward-colleges-goal> 
have distinguished themselves as leaders against climate change, 
pledging to become carbon-neutral in three years....
Colleges not only have the capacity to encourage their students to 
engage in sustainable habits and behaviors, they are also in the unique 
position to teach and demonstrate to other colleges how to implement 
innovative strategies to also make their campuses more environmentally 
friendly.
With their stores of brilliant minds, cutting-edge research and 
technology, and commitment to bettering the world, college campuses give 
us a reason to hope for some triumphs in the war against climate change.
https://www.nrdc.org/experts/lara-ettenson/how-college-campuses-can-lead-fighting-climate-change


*New study: 'Super heat waves' of 131°F coming if global warming 
continues unchecked 
<https://thinkprogress.org/super-heatwaves-coming-study-warns-955962bd275a/>*
Temperatures in the Middle East are already soaring past 120°F, while a 
heat wave named "Lucifer" scorches Europe.
In Europe, the recent heat wave was so extreme - with temperatures 
reaching 111°F (44°C), fueling wildfires and wasp attacks - it was 
nicknamed "Lucifer." In the Middle East, as temperatures soared to 121°F 
(50°C), "birds in Kuwait have reportedly been dropping from the sky," 
the International Business Times reported Friday...
But, new research says, we ain't seen nothing yet. A new study by the 
Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Union's science and research 
lab, finds that "if global temperatures rise with 4°C [7°F], a new super 
heat wave of 55°C [131°F] can hit regularly many parts of the world, 
including Europe" and the United States...
The new heat waves described in the JRC report will be brutal and 
unprecedented. "The apparent temperature peak during such humid-heat 
waves can be greater than 55 °C" [131°F], the study explains. 
"Humid-heat waves with these conditions were never exceeded in the 
present climate, but are expected to occur every other year at 4°C 
global warming."
https://thinkprogress.org/super-heatwaves-coming-study-warns-955962bd275a/
*Super-heatwaves of 55°C to emerge if global warming continues 
<https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170809073802.htm>*
Heatwaves amplified by high humidity can reach above 40°C and may occur 
as often as every two years, leading to serious risks for human health. 
If global temperatures rise with 4°C, a new super heatwave of 55°C can 
hit regularly many parts of the world, including Europe.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170809073802.htm


*The Daily 202: Evidence of climate change abounds amid extreme weather 
in the Pacific Northwest 
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2017/08/14/daily-202-evidence-of-climate-change-abounds-amid-extreme-weather-in-the-pacific-northwest/59910b8e30fb0462b8e1a9c4/>*
SEATTLE - This city known for its rain just went a record-breaking 55 
days without any.
The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport had not measured any 
precipitation since June 18 until the wee hours of Sunday morning, when 
it drizzled. Barely. Some sprinkles also allowed Portland to break its 
own 57-day dry streak.
Climate change is leading to more extreme weather, and no other region 
has experienced that so much over the last year as the Pacific 
Northwest. Seattle got 44.9 inches of rain between Oct. 1 and April 30, 
the wettest such period ever. That means, even with the record dry 
streak, 2017 remains above normal for rainfall.
America faces many grave challenges. The horrifying events in 
Charlottesville this weekend highlighted several, including racism and 
the enduring stain of America's original sin. (Much more on that below.) 
Climate change is another.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2017/08/14/daily-202-evidence-of-climate-change-abounds-amid-extreme-weather-in-the-pacific-northwest/59910b8e30fb0462b8e1a9c4/


*Refugees of a different kind are being displaced by rising seas - and 
governments aren't ready 
<https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/11/climate-change-refugees-grapple-with-effects-of-rising-seas.html>*
Sea levels are on the rise, displacing entire populations and stirring 
fears for 'climate refugees' that must relocate.
A 'tipping point' is nearing as costs mount, and governments appear 
unprepared.
The impact is being felt as far away as Panama, and as close as Louisiana.
"We all thought this is something that was going to happen in 100 years 
or something. But it's happening right now."
"In the short run . . . the problem is almost overwhelming to the most 
clear-thinking of politicians, Stoddard said, as he blasted President 
Donald Trump's skepticism on climate change. Yet even still, the 
lingering issue of cost looms large in the debate.
"In the long run, the entire menu of possible solutions is 
unaffordable," Stoddard added.
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/11/climate-change-refugees-grapple-with-effects-of-rising-seas.html
*What will become of Bangladesh's climate migrants? <http://sumo.ly/Efxg>*
Visions of millions of Bangladeshis fleeing extreme weather and rising 
seas are a staple climate premonition.
The country's prime minister Sheikh Hasina agrees, warning 30 million of 
her citizens could become 'climate migrants'.
Megan Darby's special, interactive report demands we take a closer look 
at one of the most vulnerable nations to climate change.
The home Sirajul Islam (pictured) shared with his wife and four children 
in Kolbari village was flooded, along with the single acre he used to 
raise shrimp...
When the floodwater subsided, his field was too salty for shrimp. 
Village buildings were flattened and there was no fresh water to drink. 
So in 2011, the family went to seek their fortune in the capital Dhaka.
"The cyclone had broken my economical backbone by destroying 
everything," says Islam. "If there had not been such a big cyclone, I 
would not have moved to Dhaka."
http://sumo.ly/Efxg


*A LEGACY OF ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM 
<https://theintercept.com/2017/08/13/exxon-mobil-is-still-pumping-toxins-into-black-community-in-texas-17-years-after-civil-rights-complaint/>*
Exxon Mobil Is Still Pumping Toxins into Black Community in Texas 17 
Years After Civil Rights Complaint
In Charlton-Pollard, flare events like the one Gaines and his neighbors 
encountered that night - in which the flames that usually burn on top of 
the smokestacks erupt into smelly belches of fire - are regular 
occurrences. The flames burst so reliably from the refinery some local 
kids treat them as fireworks, gathering at the fence down the street 
from Gaines's house at night to catch the show.
The plant releases at least 135 toxic chemicals, many of which - 
including 1,3-butadiene, benzo[a]pyrene, and styrene - are carcinogens. 
And the plant is regularly in noncompliance with the Clean Air Act. Yet 
many of the people I met on my recent visit to Charlton-Pollard said 
they felt there was no point in trying to reduce the emissions.
In May, 17 years after the initial complaint, the EPA finally issued a 
letter declaring the case over the refinery pollution resolved, with 
only small changes to be implemented. Many people I spoke with in 
Charlton-Pollard found the agency's proposed fixes - two community 
meetings and a single air monitor to be placed more than a mile away 
from the plant - more insulting than having been ignored for 17 years.
Adding insult to injury, the residents of this small, mostly 
African-American neighborhood are now likely facing an increase in 
emissions as the result of the planned expansion of the refinery and an 
Exxon Mobil chemical plant that uses its oil. And as the Trump 
administration rolls back pollution protections and opens the gates for 
increased oil production, life in this and many other communities living 
near refineries is about to get much more dangerous and unpleasant.
https://theintercept.com/2017/08/13/exxon-mobil-is-still-pumping-toxins-into-black-community-in-texas-17-years-after-civil-rights-complaint/


*Evangelical Christians & Climate Change (#GreenSunday) 
<https://cleantechnica.com/2017/08/13/evangelical-christians-climate-change/>*
  by Steve Hanley
"This emerging spirituality is called 'creation spirituality' or 
"creation care spirituality" (not to be confused with 'creationism'), 
and centers upon the command of God to be caretakers of our planet. It 
appears in the very beginning of the creation myth of our sacred 
scriptures, so it must have been extremely important to the original 
scribes of the Hebrew scriptures. The writers of Genesis would not have 
placed it in their scriptures if it was not important to the community.....
"Those same awakened Christians are turning to their co-religionists and 
asking them hard questions like: How are you living as a steward of the 
Garden? Who are you voting for and what do they support?  Do they 
support alternative energy resources? Do they oppose fossil fuel use? If 
not, why not? How do you embrace your mandate to be a steward of the 
earth with real actions?
"One organization that is taking a leadership role in this debate is 
Interfaith Power and Light, whose mission is 'to be faithful stewards of 
Creation by responding to global warming through the promotion of energy 
conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. Of the number of 
issues their national organization addresses, they are actively 
supporting and promoting the Paris Accord.
https://cleantechnica.com/2017/08/13/evangelical-christians-climate-change/


Politically Blonde  (Video commentary)
*Because we need to fix our climate crisis as of, like, yesterday. 
<https://youtu.be/A5RAEFjLUYU>*
"America is like a teen aged girl who's missed her period for 6 months 
and won't call herself pregnant, because the 40 pregnancy tests she's 
already taken, "aren't 100% accurate"...
You do know, honey, the baby's coming, so you better take your 
pre-natals because this situation is about to go from messed up to 
horrifying."
https://youtu.be/A5RAEFjLUYU


*This Day in Climate History August 15, 2004 
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/15/books/hot-enough-for-us.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm> 
-  from D.R. Tucker*
August 15, 2004: In the New York Times, Al Gore reviews Ross Gelbspan's 
"Boiling Point: How Politicians, Big Oil and Coal,Journalists, and 
Activists Are Fueling the Climate Crisis -- and WhatWe Can Do to Avert 
Disaster," the follow-up to his seminal 1997 book  "The Heat Is On: The 
Climate Crisis, the Cover-Up, the Prescription."

    ...In the course of this transformation, Gelbspan has become a
    different kind of reporter, one who recalls the great reforming
    journalists of the first decade of the 20th century -- Upton
    Sinclair, Ida Tarbell, Lincoln Steffens and others -- who not only
    reported on political corruption and corporate excesses but
    connected them to larger destructive patterns that had developed in
    the economy and politics of their time. They agitated for policy
    reforms, many of which were enacted into statutes when they became
    part of the progressive movement's agenda: antitrust laws, the Food
    and Drug Administration, railroad regulation, wage and hour laws,
    workmen's compensation and child labor laws, to name a few.
    It is in that spirit that Gelbspan pursues solutions for climate
    change that can ''also begin to reverse some very discouraging and
    destructive political and economic dynamics as well.''

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/15/books/hot-enough-for-us.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
http://www.amazon.com/Boiling-Point-Politicians-Journalists-Crisis--And/dp/0465027628/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387936832&sr=8-1&keywords=boiling+point+ross+gelbspan
http://www.amazon.com/The-Heat-Is-On-Prescription/dp/0738200255/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387936855&sr=8-1&keywords=the+heat+is+on+ross+gelbspan

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