[TheClimate.Vote] December 13, 2017 - Daily Global Warming News Digest
Richard Pauli
richard at theclimate.vote
Wed Dec 13 11:03:14 EST 2017
/December 13, 2017
/
*Exxon Agrees to Disclose Climate Risks Under Pressure from Investors
<https://insideclimatenews.org/news/12122017/exxon-climate-risk-disclosure-sec-shareholder-investigation-pressure>*
In an SEC filing, Exxon dropped its opposition to a shareholder request
and agreed to disclose risks it faces from climate change and carbon
emission regulations. The oil giant also faces climate fraud
investigations by attorneys general from New York and Massachusetts.
From the Dec 11th SEC filing:
"...the Board has decided to...issue these disclosures in the near
future. *These enhancements will include energy demand sensitivities,
implications of two degree Celsius scenarios, and positioning for a
lower-carbon future."
*https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/34088/000003408817000057/r8k121117.htm
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/12122017/exxon-climate-risk-disclosure-sec-shareholder-investigation-pressure
*...Serious Setback for Dominion Energy; Va. DEQ Spokesperson Struggles
to Answer Questions on Atlantic Coast Pipeline (Video)
<http://bluevirginia.us/2017/12/today-may-have-been-a-serious-setback-for-dominion-energy-va-deq-spokesperson-struggles-to-answer-questions-on-atlantic-coast-pipeline-video>*
Summary: Bowing to unprecedented opposition from landowners and
environmentalists, the Virginia State Water Control Board today threw a
wrench in the plans of Governor Terry McAuliffe and Dominion Energy to
build the Atlantic Coast Pipeline for fracked gas. The board voted 4-3
to approve the project under section 401 of the Clean Water Act, but
dependent on a final review of several environmental studies. The vote
delays Dominion's plan to begin near-term construction of the 600-mile
pipeline. The decision likely means this issue will be delayed into 2018
and into the administration of Governor-elect Ralph Northam, who has
taken a less openly supportive stance on the pipeline due to
environmental concerns.
Virginia DEQ Spokesman Press Conference After ACP Hearing (12/12/17)
<https://youtu.be/xpg28K_5mUc>
Bill Hayden of the Virginia Dept. of Environmental Quality struggles to
answer questions from reporters on the status of the Atlantic Coast
Pipeline.
https://youtu.be/xpg28K_5mUc 7:34
http://bluevirginia.us/2017/12/today-may-have-been-a-serious-setback-for-dominion-energy-va-deq-spokesperson-struggles-to-answer-questions-on-atlantic-coast-pipeline-video
*Cooking fire at a homeless encampment sparked Bel-Air blaze that
destroyed homes, officials say
<http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-skirball-fire-cause-20171212-story.html>
*Los Angeles has been struggling in recent years with a major uptick in
the homeless population, with encampments spreading out from downtown
L.A. into neighborhoods across the city. A report in May put the
homeless population in Los Angeles County at 58,000, a 23% increase over
the last year.*
*http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-skirball-fire-cause-20171212-story.html
*At One Planet Summit, the World Bank steals the show by phasing out
upstream oil and gas finance
<http://priceofoil.org/2017/12/12/reaction-world-bank-upstream-oil-gas-finance/>*
Oil Change International statement:
"It is hard to overstate the significance of this historic announcement
by the World Bank. Environmental, human rights, and development
campaigners have been amplifying the voices of frontline communities for
decades in calling for an end to World Bank financing of upstream oil
and gas projects. Today the World Bank has raised the bar for climate
leadership by recognizing the simple yet inconvenient truth that
achieving the Paris Agreement's climate goals requires an end to the
expansion of the fossil fuel industry. We congratulate the World Bank,
and we look forward to working with them and other partners towards a
managed decline of fossil fuel production, and a just, equitable
transition to a global clean energy economy. It is time for all of the
institutions, countries, investors and individuals who are still in the
Paris Agreement to stop funding fossils – once and for all."...
World Bank Group already has a policy in place that restricts support
for coal-fired power plants and for thermal coal mining. With the
addition of upstream oil and gas to thermal coal mining, this commitment
means that the World Bank will no longer finance fossil fuel extraction
after 2019, except in extreme cases....
A briefing titled "Dirty Dozen," released by the Big Shift Global
campaign the day before the summit, highlights some examples of the
types of destructive fossil fuel projects that public finance continues
to prop up.
http://priceofoil.org/2017/12/12/reaction-world-bank-upstream-oil-gas-finance/
-
[Oil Change International]
*Dirty Dozen – How Public Finance Drives the Climate Crisis through Oil,
Gas, and Coal Expansion
<http://priceofoil.org/2017/12/11/dirty-dozen-briefing/>*
I want to draw your attention to two exciting releases today, on the eve
of the One Planet Summit in Paris. First, the Big Shift Global campaign
has released a new briefing called the "Dirty Dozen," which examines 12
dirty fossil fuel projects being backed by public finance institutions
like The World Bank Group, despite their rhetorical commitment to
climate action.
As heads of state and leading institutions gather on 12th December in
Paris to celebrate the second anniversary of the Paris Agreement on
climate change, a new briefing from the Big Shift Global campaign
<http://bigshiftglobal.org/> profiles *twelve fossil fuel projects – the
"Dirty Dozen" – that exemplify the massive volumes of public finance
still flowing to fossil fuel projects*. These preferential fossil fuel
finance flows that benefit the oil, gas, and coal industries are slowing
down the energy transition in the global economy, and undermining the
spirit of the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals...
...they are examples of the kinds of activity that communities and
concerned citizens across the world want public finance institutions to
stop supporting with taxpayer money. To have any hope of meeting
globally-agreed climate goals, global financial flows must rapidly align
with low-emission, climate-resilient development, and government-backed
public finance institutions like the World Bank must signal this transition.
*Multilateral development banks and G20 public finance institutions
provide almost four times as much finance to fossil fuels than to clean
energy in an average year.* This translates to an average of $71.8
billion per year between 2013-15 in public finance for fossil fuels,
compared to just $18.7 billion for renewable energy (without negative
environmental and social impacts), from the same institutions and world
leaders that have committed to achieving the aims of the Paris Agreement.
*...the Big Shift Global campaign calls on public finance institutions,
and specifically the World Bank Group, to immediately end finance for
fossil fuel exploration and remaining coal finance...*
Second, over 180 civil society groups have signed onto a letter calling
on G20 governments and multilateral development banks to phase out
fossil Here are the public links to the briefing and the letter:
Dirty Dozen Briefing: http://priceofoil.org/dirtydozen
Civil Society Letter: http://priceofoil.org/one-planet-letter
Download the briefing
<http://priceofoil.org/content/uploads/2017/12/Dirty-Dozen-briefing.pdf>
DIRTY PROJECT 1: SOUTHERN GAS CORRIDOR
DIRTY PROJECT 2: ATIMONAN ONE COAL PROJECT IN QUEZON, PHILIPPINES
DIRTY PROJECT 3: PETROBRAS OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT, BRAZIL
DIRTY PROJECT 4: THABAMETSI COAL PLANT, SOUTH AFRICA
DIRTY PROJECT 5: ADANI CARMICHAEL COAL MINE, AUSTRALIA
DIRTY PROJECT 6: CIREBON 2 COAL PLANT, INDONESIA
DIRTY PROJECT 7: NADOR WEST CARGO PORT, MOROCCO
DIRTY PROJECT 8: CITLA ENERGY OIL EXPLORATIONAND PRODUCTION, MEXICO
DIRTY PROJECT 9: TAR SANDS DEVELOPMENT, CANADA
DIRTY PROJECT 10: RAMPAL COAL PLANT, BANGLADESH
DIRTY PROJECT 11: LAMU COAL PLANT, KENYA
DIRTY PROJECT 12: GAS DEVELOPMENT AND LNG PROJECT, MOZAMBIQUE
As highlighted in this briefing, the World Bank Group and other public
finance institutions still have much work to do in order to align their
activities with a truly climate-resilient, low-emissions future.
Partner Support Pack: http://bit.ly/OnePlanetShare
http://priceofoil.org/2017/12/11/dirty-dozen-briefing/
[Yale Climate Change Communication]
*"Scientific agreement can neutralize the politicization of facts"*
<http://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/scientific-agreement-can-neutralize-politicization-facts/>
By Sander van der Linden, Anthony Leiserowitz and Edward Maibach in the
journal Nature Human Behaviour,
In other words, we found that communicating a simple fact about the
scientific consensus on human-caused climate change did not reinforce
political polarization. Quite the opposite: communicating the scientific
consensus helped neutralize partisan motivated reasoning and bridge the
conservative-liberal divide, at least on this key fact. These findings
proved robust across ideology and education levels and build on our
prior work illustrating that perceived scientific consensus acts as a
"gateway" to other key beliefs about climate change. Additional graphs,
information, and results can be found in the study's Supplementary
Information.
The article is available here to those with a subscription to Nature
Human Behaviour. If you would like to request a copy, please send an
email to climatechange at yale.edu, with the Subject Line: Request
Scientific Agreement Paper.
http://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/scientific-agreement-can-neutralize-politicization-facts/
[theguardian]
*Arctic permafrost thawing faster than ever, US climate study finds
<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/12/arctic-permafrost-sea-ice-thaw-climate-change-report>*
Sea ice also melting at fastest past in 1,500 years, US government
scientists find...
'The Arctic is a very different place than it was even a decade ago' –
author...
The annual report released on Tuesday by the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration showed slightly less warming in many
measurements than a record hot 2016. But scientists remain concerned
because the far northern region is warming twice as fast as the rest of
the globe and has reached a level of warming that’s unprecedented in
modern times....
This isn't just a concern for the few people who live north of the
Arctic circle. Changes in the Arctic can alter fish supply. And more
ice-free Arctic summers can lead to countries competing to exploit new
areas for resources. Research also shows changes in Arctic sea ice and
temperature can alter the jet stream, which is a major factor in US weather.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/12/arctic-permafrost-sea-ice-thaw-climate-change-report
[350Seattle.org]
*Activists to be arraigned today for lockdown on crane at PSE's LNG
plant
<http://350seattle.org/2017/12/12/activists-arraigned-today-lockdown-crane-pses-lng-plant/>*
Activists locked themselves to a crane for nine hours at the site of the
proposed Puget Sound Energy (PSE) liquefied "natural" gas (LNG) facility
at the Port of Tacoma yesterday—halting construction of an 8 million
gallon storage tank all day.
Though it lacks essential permits and has been issued a Notice of
Violation by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency following a Work Stop
Request by the Puyallup Tribe in August, PSE has continued to build the
facility, which is adjacent to the Puyallup Tribe's reservation boundaries.
Way and Carlo Voli, 52, an activist with 350 Seattle, will be arraigned
today at 1pm PST.
PSE touts the project as producing a cleaner shipping fuel (although
better alternatives exist, including low-sulfur diesel) and as a source
of jobs (though it will only create 18 jobs). The Puyallup Tribe points
to a litany of issues: it risks their waters, salmon, and treaty fishing
rights; an explosion would have a 3.5 mile blast-zone range, endangering
adjacent communities; and the Port of Tacoma sits in a zone at risk for
earthquakes, lahars and tsunamis. Other Tacoma community members add
that emissions from the liquefaction process will worsen the already
unhealthy air near the Port; that there has not been proper regulatory
process by the City and Port of Tacoma; that over 40% of the price tag
for the project will be paid by PSE ratepayers; that PSE has created a
shell company in order to avoid liability in the event of a disaster;
and that the project would facilitate the poisoning of waters, land, and
communities at fracking well sites.
"The time for talk is over—the planet is on fire and in dire need of
first responders," says Robert Satiacum, Puyallup Tribal member.
"Disregarding the Puyallup Tribe's objections is criminal: No means no."
Climate activists are also concerned that this project will lock the
region into "natural" gas use for decades to come; recent studies
indicate that fracked gas is as bad as coal in its climate impacts. With
the increase of extreme weather patterns, sea level rise,and forest
fires, they say we can no longer afford to build new fossil fuel
infrastructure....
http://350seattle.org/2017/12/12/activists-arraigned-today-lockdown-crane-pses-lng-plant/
[newsy video]
*France awards grants to US climate scientists
<https://youtu.be/PGpm6EOwOCc>*
The "Make Our Planet Great Again" contest was announced after President
Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris climate accord.
Learn more about this story at www.newsy.com/74326/
https://youtu.be/PGpm6EOwOCc
-
[Informed Comment]
*Exodus of Climate Scientists to France only the Beginning if GOP Guts
Grad Education
<https://www.juancole.com/2017/12/scientists-beginning-education.html>*
By Juan Cole Dec. 12, 2017
French President Emmanuel Macron has a program he calls MAPA – "Making
the Planet Great Again." His government is offering funding to climate
scientists who are facing obstacles in their home countries, to come and
work in France. He just managed to lure away 18 high-powered scientists,
one of whom shared a Nobel Prize and 12 of whom are Americans.
France is after all a very pleasant place to live and work, with state
of the art labs and equipment for scientists. Macron's is the first
French government to take the challenge of climate change seriously and
to pursue renewable energy (French energy policy was earlier tied to
nuclear reactors, but these have been an environmental disaster)...
The US has all along had a streak of anti-intellectualism and suspicion
of high powered science. Now the worst elements in the GOP plan to put
it all into law and drag the country down to their level.
https://www.juancole.com/2017/12/scientists-beginning-education.html
-
*French president’s climate talent search nabs 18 foreign scientists
<http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/12/french-president-s-climate-talent-search-nabs-18-foreign-scientists>*
Here is the list of the 18 winners:
<http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/12/french-president-s-climate-talent-search-nabs-18-foreign-scientists>
Venkatramani Balaji, Moving from Princeton University to the Laboratory
of Climate and Environmental Sciences in Saclay.
Frédéric Bouchard, Moving from the University of Montreal in Canada to
the Geosciences Paris-Sud Laboratory in Saclay.
Julien Boucharel, Moving from the University of Hawaii in Honolulu to
the Space Geophysics and Oceanography Studies Laboratory in Toulouse.
Virginie Guemas, Moving from Barcelona Supercomputing Center in Spain to
the National Centre for Meteorological Research in Toulouse.
Nuria Teixido, Moving from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California,
to the Villefranche Oceanographic Laboratory.
Louis Derry, Moving from Cornell University to the Paris Institute of
Physics of the Globe.
Barbara Ervens, Moving from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration in Boulder, Colorado, to the Institute of Chemistry of
Clermont Ferrand.
Joost de Gouw, Moving from the University of Colorado in Boulder to the
Institute of research on catalysis and the environment of Lyon.
Delphine Renard, Moving from the University of California, Santa
Barbara, to the Centre of Functional and Evolutionary Biology in
Montpellier.
Alessandra Giannini, Moving from Columbia University to the Laboratory
of Dynamic Meteorology in Paris.
Thomas Lauvaux, Moving from Pennsylvania State University in State
College to the Laboratory of Climate and Environmental Sciences in Saclay.
Vincent Vadez, Moving from the Consultative Group on International
Agricultural Research in New Delhi to the Plant Biodiversity and
Adaptation Research Group in Montpellier.
Christopher Cantrell, Moving from the University Colorado in Boulder to
the Interuniversity Laboratory of Atmospheric Systems in Créteil.
Camille Parmesan, Moving from the University of Plymouth in the United
Kingdom to the Station for Theoretical and Experimental Ecology in Moulis.
Benjamin Sanderson, Moving from the National Center for Atmospheric
Research in Boulder, Colorado, to the Climate, Environment, Couplings
and Uncertainties Laboratory in Toulouse.
Philip Schulz, Moving from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in
Golden, Colorado, to the Research and Development Institute for
Photovoltaic Energy in Paris.
Lorie Hamelin, Moving from the Institute of Soil Science and Plant
Cultivation in Pulawy, Poland, to the Biological Systems and Processes
Engineering Laboratory in Toulouse.
Giuliano Giambastiani, Moving from the Italian National Resource Council
in Rome to the Institute of Chemistry and Processes for Energy,
Environment and Health in Strasbourg.
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/12/french-president-s-climate-talent-search-nabs-18-foreign-scientists
[KING5 News]
*Microsoft commits $50M to fighting climate change with AI
<http://www.king5.com/article/tech/microsoft-commits-50m-to-fighting-climate-change-with-ai/281-498635706>*
Microsoft will devote $50 million in grants for organizations seeking to
use its artificial intelligence technology to fight climate change.
Microsoft's AI for Earth program allows organizations and individuals to
access the company's advanced artificial intelligence technology, which
has been used to improve operations, conserve resources, and increase
efficiency in industries vital to climate change.
In Norway, Microsoft's AI technology has been used by Agder Energi
<https://youtu.be/cxKphN8iVHE>, to adapt to the vacillating energy needs
that electric vehicles, which increasingly tax Norway's grid, have
placed upon electrical grids.
Microsoft claims that the AI technology has reduced the need for
expensive new projects to compensate for adoption of electric cars.
From collecting data about the conditions of the air, water, land and
wellbeing of wildlife, the AI technology can also be trained to turn raw
data into readable information about how environmental systems are
changing at a global scale.
Microsoft has already awarded 35 grants in more than 10 countries to
access Microsoft Azure and AI technology. Interested organizations and
individuals with training necessary to utilize the technology can apply
through the company website
<https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/academic-program/azure-research-award-ai-earth/>for
the grants.
http://www.king5.com/article/tech/microsoft-commits-50m-to-fighting-climate-change-with-ai/281-498635706
-
[Blogs.Microsoft.com]
*AI for Earth can be a game-changer for our planet
<https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2017/12/11/ai-for-earth-can-be-a-game-changer-for-our-planet/>*
Brad Smith - President and Chief Legal Officer
...At Microsoft, we believe AI for Earth will be a force multiplier for
groups and individuals like these who are creating sustainable
solutions. That's why we're not just putting more resources into this
effort, but also coupling this with a long-term commitment to applying
AI to grow and scale in four key areas – climate, water, agriculture and
biodiversity...
We'll do this in three ways. First, we'll expand seed grants around the
world to create and test new AI applications. Since our launch of AI for
Earth six months ago, Microsoft has awarded over 35 grants in more than
10 countries for access to Microsoft Azure and AI technology. We will
also provide universities, nongovernmental organizations and others with
advanced training to put AI to its best use. Already, we're seeing
success around the world in projects that are putting AI to work on
climate, water, agriculture and biodiversity...
Next, as these projects and our work in this area matures, we will
identify the projects that show the most promise and make larger
investments to help bring them to scale. We'll do this not only by
providing greater resources for these projects, but also by partnering
closely and working in depth with a new multi-disciplinary team at
Microsoft that will bring together AI and sustainability subject matter
experts. As we help groups scale promising AI technology solutions,
we'll help them commercialize these services, so they can have a global
impact as quickly and broadly as possible. These will be in addition to
our existing efforts: enabling real-time precision conservation and
improving land cover mapping, precision agriculture to increase yield
with fewer resources with FarmBeats and more efficient, effective
biodiversity tracking and protection approaches through Project
Premonition...
... As we enter the world's Fourth Industrial Revolution, a
technology-fueled transformation, we must not only move technology
forward, but also use this era's technology to clean up the past and
create a better future.
https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2017/12/11/ai-for-earth-can-be-a-game-changer-for-our-planet/
[YouTube video discussion]
*The Doomed Earth Controversy: David Wallace-Wells & Michael Mann
(November 2017) <https://youtu.be/VfZbYcLxQBI>*
Understanding Climate Change Published on Dec 9, 2017
The Doomed Earth Controversy: David Wallace Wells & Michael Mann
https://youtu.be/VfZbYcLxQBI
*Doomed by their beauty, nautiluses could be headed toward extinction
<http://oceana.org/blog/doomed-their-beauty-nautiluses-could-be-headed-toward-extinction#>*
BY: Allison Guy Tuesday November 28, 2017
If ever there was a timeless beauty, the nautilus is it. Boasting
elegant spiral shells, recognizably nautil-esque mollusks have zipped
through the ocean's depths for 500 million years...
"It is climate change that is ultimately screwing all of the deep reef.
Cold water increases acidification. These guys spend a YEAR in an egg
and hatch with a shell 25mm in diameter. But I think the higher acidity
at the 300m deep, 15C temperatures they develop in causes shell
deformation before birth. Then they are over-fished because of the loss
of game fish in the tropics and much of that is due to the disappearance
of eel grass all over the planet."
"Natural selection has a whole new game in town," said Peter Ward, a
nautilus expert at Seattle's University of Washington. And that game is
called: "if you are pretty to a human, you are probably going to die."...
Ward welcomed the possibility of a listing under the Endangered Species
Act, but explained that regulating the nautilus trade would be just the
tip of the iceberg. "The larger war," he said, "is shutting down the
tropical shell trade."...
Ward said that it's up to wealthy consumers to stop killing these
creatures for their beauty. "Everyone who wants their own little shell
collection is adding to the decimation," he said. "All these pretty
things were not put on the planet so we could put them on our bathroom
shelves."...
http://oceana.org/blog/doomed-their-beauty-nautiluses-could-be-headed-toward-extinction#
[article repost:]
*Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch Have Set Our Future on Fire
<https://www.thenation.com/article/donald-trump-and-rupert-murdoch-have-set-our-future-on-fire/>*
The fires and storms ravaging the planet are only going to get worse,
especially if we don't end the power of climate deniers.
By Mark Hertsgaard
...The terrible truth is that we are running out of time faster all the
time, and this will remain true as long as Trump and his Republican
sponsors remain in power. Which is yet another reason why this
manifestly unfit president needs to be impeached as soon as possible and
Republicans routed in the 2018 elections and beyond. None of this will
be easy or without cost. But if we treasure life, these are the fires
that must burn next time, starting now.
https://www.thenation.com/article/donald-trump-and-rupert-murdoch-have-set-our-future-on-fire/
[video]
*How not to panic about Global Warming <https://youtu.be/zcJ7vIB6XHQ>*
ClimateAdam
Global warming can be pretty terrifying. But with these handy life
hacks from Doctor in climate science, ClimateAdam, you'll be calm again
in no time. Maybe.
https://youtu.be/zcJ7vIB6XHQ
*This Day in Climate History December 13, 1988
<http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8092216.html>- from D.R. Tucker*
December 13, 1988: The Boston Globe runs a front-page story entitled,
"COASTAL REGIONS URGED TO PREPARE FOR RISING SEA LEVEL; PLANNERS DECRY
APATHY TOWARD GREENHOUSE EFFECT'S THREAT."
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8092216.html
/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
//Archive of Daily Global Warming News
<https://pairlist10.pair.net/pipermail/theclimate.vote/2017-October/date.html>
//
/https://pairlist10.pair.net/pipermail/theclimate.vote//
///
Send email to subscribe <a%20href=%22mailto:contact at theClimate.Vote%22>
to this mailing. /
*** Privacy and Security: * This is a text-only mailing that
carries no images which may originate from remote servers.
Text-only messages provide greater privacy to the receiver and
sender.
By regulation, the .VOTE top-level domain must be used for
democratic and election purposes and cannot be used for
commercial purposes.
To subscribe, email: contact at theclimate.vote with subject:
subscribe, To Unsubscribe, subject: unsubscribe
Also youmay subscribe/unsubscribe at
https://pairlist10.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/theclimate.vote
Links and headlines assembled and curated by Richard Paulifor
http://TheClimate.Vote delivering succinct information for
citizens and responsible governments of all levels. List
membership is confidential and records are scrupulously
restricted to this mailing list.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://pairlist10.pair.net/pipermail/theclimate.vote/attachments/20171213/0f89140f/attachment.html>
More information about the TheClimate.Vote
mailing list