[TheClimate.Vote] June 9, 2017 ~ Daily Global Warming News

[Richard Pauli]

/June 9, 2017/



    <http://mashable.com/2017/06/07/apple-environmental-ad/>


    Apple's newest ad makes a haunting plea to take*climate change
    *seriously <http://mashable.com/2017/06/07/apple-environmental-ad/>

*Apple's latest commercial <https://youtu.be/YpUa7YvhUJo>***is 
advertising the Earth.
In a rare topical turn for the company, the ad makes a lofty appeal for 
environmentalism at a moment when such efforts face historic threats 
from Donald Trump's administration.
"Like it or not, for the moment, the Earth is where we make our stand," 
the late astronomer Carl Sagan says in the ad's voiceover. "It 
underscores the responsibility to deal more cleanly with one another and 
to preserve and cherish the only home we've ever known."
Climate change is never explicitly mentioned. Nor are any of the many 
other problems the planet's facing. But the gist is clear, and the broad 
language actually packs a bigger punch.
The ad /(/*/Earth - Shot on iPhone <https://youtu.be/YpUa7YvhUJo>/*/)/ 
debuted during Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night.
http://mashable.com/2017/06/07/apple-environmental-ad/
https://youtu.be/YpUa7YvhUJo

*(video) NASA on Greenland's Thinning Ice (June 2017) 
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKyo8uy42aU>*
NASA's OMG and Operation IceBridge missions are investigating the 
thinning of Greenland's ice sheets from both above and below. Visit 
http://science.nasa.gov for more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKyo8uy42aU

*Oceans Melting Greenland the OMG Mission* 
<https://omg.jpl.nasa.gov/portal/>
Global sea level rise will be one of the major environmental challenges 
of the 21st Century. Oceans Melting Greenland (OMG) will pave the way 
for improved estimates of sea level rise by addressing the question: To 
what extent are the oceans melting Greenland's ice from below? Over a 
five-year campaign, OMG will observe changing water temperatures on the 
continental shelf surrounding Greenland, and how marine glaciers react 
to the presence of warm, salty Atlantic Water. The complicated geometry 
of the sea floor steers currents on the shelf and often determines 
whether Atlantic Water can reach into the long narrow fjords and 
interact with the coastal glaciers. Because knowledge of these pathways 
is a critical component of modeling the interaction between the oceans 
and ice sheet, OMG will facilitate improved measurements of the shape 
and depth of the sea floor in key regions as well.
https://omg.jpl.nasa.gov/portal/


*Trump's Climate-Change Sociopathy 
<https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/sociopath-trump-paris-climate-agreement-by-jeffrey-d-sachs-2017-06>*
Trump's announcement was made with a bully's bravado. A global agreement 
that is symmetric in all ways, across all countries of the world, is 
somehow a trick, he huffed, an anti-American plot. The rest of the world 
has been "laughing at us."
These ravings are utterly delusional, deeply cynical, or profoundly 
ignorant. Probably all three. And they should be recognized as such.
Trump's announcement was rooted in two profoundly destructive 
developments. The first is the corruption of the US political system. 
Trump's announcement was not really his alone. It reflected the will of 
the Republican leadership in Congress, including the 22 Republican 
senators who sent Trump a letter the week before, calling on him to 
withdraw from the Paris accord.
These senators, and their counterparts in the House of Representatives, 
are on the take of the oil and gas industry, which spent $100 million on 
campaign contributions in 2016, of which 90% went to Republican 
candidates. (In fact, the total was almost certainly far above $100 
million, but much is untraceable.)
The second destructive development is the twisted mindset of Trump and 
his closest advisers. Their view, defended with "alternative facts" that 
have no basis in reality, is paranoid and malevolent, aimed at 
inflicting harm on others, or at best indifferent to harm befalling 
others. "The Paris agreement," rants Trump, "handicaps the United States 
economy in order to win praise from the very foreign capitals and global 
activists that have long sought to gain wealth at our country's expense."
This is nuts. The Paris accord is a universal agreement among 193 UN 
member states to cooperate in decarbonizing the world's energy system 
and thereby head off the dangers of climate disaster, such as a 
multi-meter sea-level rise, extreme storms, massive droughts, and other 
threats identified by the global scientific community. Some of these 
threats are already evident in vulnerable parts of the planet.
Here's the simple truth: The entire world needs to move quickly and 
resolutely to a low-carbon energy system, in order to end emissions of 
CO2 and other greenhouse gases by mid-century. This is not a move 
against the US. It's a global imperative – true for the US, China, 
India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Canada, and other fossil-fuel-rich 
countries, as well as for fossil-fuel-importing regions such as Europe, 
Japan, and most of Africa. Fortunately, the technologies exist: solar, 
wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, ocean, nuclear, and other low-carbon 
energy sources.
Here's more simple truth: With its large, rich, fossil-fuel-intensive 
economy, the US has done more than any other country to bring about the 
global peril of climate change, so it should accept its responsibility 
in helping to get us all out of danger. At a minimum, America should be 
eagerly cooperating with the rest of the world.
Instead, Trump's sociopathic behavior, and the corruption and 
viciousness of those surrounding him, has produced utter disdain for a 
world nearing the brink of human-made catastrophe. The next human-caused 
climate disasters should be named Typhoon Donald, Superstorm Ivanka, and 
Megaflood Jared. The world will not forget.
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/sociopath-trump-paris-climate-agreement-by-jeffrey-d-sachs-2017-06


    Donald Trump's stance on*global warming*is 'sociopathic, paranoid
    and malevolent', world-leading economist says
    <http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/donald-trump-global-warming-climate-change-sociopathic-paranoid-malevolent-economist-jeffrey-sachs-a7778671.html>

*Professor Jeffrey Sachs suggests naming the next big climate 
change-related storms Typhoon Donald, Superstorm Ivanka and Megaflood Jared*
Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the US from the Paris climate 
agreement is "sociopathic", a leading economist has claimed, arguing the 
US President is "without remorse … wilfully inflicting harm on others".
Professor Jeffrey Sachs, director of the United Nations Sustainable 
Development Solutions Network, said claims that the Republican 
billionaire actually believes climate change is real made things "worse, 
not better", as this would mean he is knowingly "jeopardising the planet".
Just a day after he announced the US withdrawal, Mr Trump declared a 
major flooding disaster in Missouri, which climate researcher Dr John 
Abraham suggested added to the "mounting ironies".
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/donald-trump-global-warming-climate-change-sociopathic-paranoid-malevolent-economist-jeffrey-sachs-a7778671.html


    Carbon dioxide tallied second-largest rise on record last year
    <https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/sciencefair/2017/06/07/carbon-dioxide-tallied-2nd-largest-rise-record-last-year/102595430/>

... federal scientists reported 2016 tallied the second-largest rise in 
atmospheric carbon dioxide ever recorded.
Carbon dioxide is the "greenhouse" gas scientists say is most 
responsible for global warming. Last year's increase in CO2 was nearly 
double the average pace since measurements began in 1979, the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
The gas is measured in parts per million (ppm) of Earth's atmosphere. 
Carbon dioxide levels were around 280 ppm prior to the Industrial 
Revolution in the late 1800s, when large amounts of greenhouse gases 
started to be emitted into the atmosphere due to human activity.
The burning of the oil, gas and coal for energy releases greenhouse 
gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. These gases 
have caused the Earth's temperature to rise over the past century to 
levels that cannot be explained by natural processes alone.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the CO2 level increased at about 1.5 ppm each 
year. Last year, it rose 2.93 ppm. The highest growth rate was recorded 
in 2015 at 2.96 ppm, said NOAA spokesman Theo Stein.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/sciencefair/2017/06/07/carbon-dioxide-tallied-2nd-largest-rise-record-last-year/102595430/


    Senators accuse DeVos of 'quick about-face' on climate change
    <https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/06/08/senators-accuse-devos-of-quick-about-face-on-climate-change/>

A conservative think tank that does not believe in human-induced climate 
change has been sending to hundreds of thousands of K-12 and college 
science teachers materials that reject basic principles on which nearly 
all climate scientists agree - and now, some U.S. senators are asking 
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos whether staff members in her department 
have anything to do with it....
... DeVos was asked by reporters whether she believes in human-caused 
climate change. She responded, "Certainly, the climate changes. Yes." 
Then, asked what should be done about it, she responded: "I don't have 
any answer. I'm here to talk about students in schools today."...
The senators reacted with a letter that accuses DeVos of having done a 
"quick about-face" from statements she had made in her February 
confirmation hearing before the Senate.
In their letter, the senators said in part:
It is our sincere hope that neither White House staff nor Department of 
Education officials have turned to the Heartland Institute on the issues 
of climate change and climate science, or had any roll in this mailing 
to educators. At your nomination hearing, you were asked whether you 
would stand on the side of students or with the political entities 
trying to force junk science into schools. You responded that you 
'support the teaching of great science and especially science that 
allows students to exercise critical thinking and to really discover and 
examine in new ways.' We agree that 'great science' and critical 
thinking are cornerstones of a high-quality education, but that is not 
achieved with Heartland's industry-funded and possibly fraudulent materials.
Heartland sent to teachers materials that include a DVD, pamphlets and a 
book titled "Why Scientists Disagree About Global Warming," which 
question the scientific consensus among climate researchers that human 
activity is fueling climate change.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/06/08/senators-accuse-devos-of-quick-about-face-on-climate-change/


    *Climate change*might help pests resist corn's genetic weapon
    <https://www.sciencenews.org/article/climate-change-might-help-pests-resist-corns-genetic-weapon>

Climate change might be great news for pests looking to munch on 
genetically modified crops, researchers propose.
In particular, researchers analyzed 21 years of data from Maryland 
cornfields and suggest that rising temperatures might help corn earworms 
(Helicoverpa zea) develop resistance faster to a widespread genetically 
built-in crop protection.
Some commercial varieties of corn have been engineered with genes for a 
toxin borrowed from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, known as Bt, 
that kills the earworms when they eat the crop. In areas with a lot of 
Bt corn acreage, plants defended by the Bt protein Cry1Ab suffered more 
earworm damage when summers grew warmer, the team reports June 7 in 
Royal Society Open Science.
Climate change might be great news for pests looking to munch on 
genetically modified crops, researchers propose.
In particular, researchers analyzed 21 years of data from Maryland 
cornfields and suggest that rising temperatures might help corn earworms 
(Helicoverpa zea) develop resistance faster to a widespread genetically 
built-in crop protection.
Some commercial varieties of corn have been engineered with genes for a 
toxin borrowed from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, known as Bt, 
that kills the earworms when they eat the crop. In areas with a lot of 
Bt corn acreage, plants defended by the Bt protein Cry1Ab suffered more 
earworm damage when summers grew warmer, the team reports June 7 in 
Royal Society Open Science.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/climate-change-might-help-pests-resist-corns-genetic-weapon

*Climate change, transgenic corn adoption and field-evolved resistance 
in corn earworm <http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/4/6/170210>*
Abstract
Increased temperature anomaly during the twenty-first century coincides 
with the proliferation of transgenic crops containing the bacterium 
Bacillus thuringiensis (Berliner) (Bt) to express insecticidal Cry 
proteins. Increasing temperatures profoundly affect insect life 
histories and agricultural pest management. However, the implications of 
climate change on Bt crop–pest interactions and insect resistance to Bt 
crops remains unexamined. We analysed the relationship of temperature 
anomaly and Bt adoption with field-evolved resistance to Cry1Ab Bt sweet 
corn in a major pest, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie). Increased Bt adoption 
during 1996–2016 suppressed H. zea populations, but increased 
temperature anomaly buffers population reduction. Temperature anomaly 
and its interaction with elevated selection pressure from high Bt 
acreage probably accelerated the Bt-resistance development. Helicoverpa 
zea damage to corn ears, kernel area consumed, mean instars and 
proportion of late instars in Bt varieties increased with Bt adoption 
and temperature anomaly, through additive or interactive effects. Risk 
of Bt-resistant H. zea spreading is high given extensive Bt adoption, 
and the expected increase in overwintering and migration. Our study 
highlights the challenges posed by climate change for Bt 
biotechnology-based agricultural pest management, and the need to 
incorporate evolutionary processes affected by climate change into 
Bt-resistance management programmes.
http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/4/6/170210


    Merkel in Argentina talks Trump, trade and*climate change*
    <http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/merkel-argentina-talk-trump-trade-climate-change-47916526>

Germany and Argentina have agreed on fostering multilateral trade and 
protecting the environment from climate change, Chancellor Angela Merkel 
said Thursday during a visit to the South American country.
Merkel is visiting Latin America through a series of trips ahead of 
July's G-20 summit in Germany. The chancellor has criticized the U.S. 
protectionist stance and called President Donald Trump's decision to 
withdraw from the Paris climate pact "extremely regrettable."
In a press conference with President Mauricio Macri, Merkel said both 
nations want to be part of an "interconnected world" and are committed 
to defending the Paris accord.
"No one alone in this world - no individual and no country - can solve 
all the problems alone," Merkel said. "We must all work together and we 
both advocate ... a free, open world in which we want to shape 
globalization in a humane way."
Merkel praised Argentina's potential for the development of renewable 
resources and said Germany could use its experience to help develop 
them. She also said the European Union should commit to reaching a trade 
deal with the Mercosur bloc of South American countries.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/merkel-argentina-talk-trump-trade-climate-change-47916526


    California, Tsinghua to set up US-China*climate change*institute
    <https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-usa-climatechange-idUSKBN18Z0EJ>

The state of California and China's Tsinghua University will establish a 
U.S.-China Climate Change Institute to cooperate on technology and 
research in the battle against global warming, they announced on Thursday.
...California has promised to step up cooperation, announcing on Tuesday 
it would work with China's science ministry to develop and commercialize 
know-how on carbon capture and storage and other clean energy technologies.
The new institute was unveiled at an event in Tsinghua with California 
governor Jerry Brown, who has been in Beijing this week to discuss 
deepening cooperation with China on climate and clean technology, after 
branding Trump's withdrawal from Paris as "insane".
The institute would focus not only on technological innovation, but also 
climate change policies and strategies, Yao Qiang, director of 
Tsinghua's Laboratory of Low Carbon Energy, told Reuters.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-usa-climatechange-idUSKBN18Z0EJ


    It Didn't Take Long for China to Fill America's Shoes on*Climate
    Change*
    <http://time.com/4810846/china-energy-climate-change-paris-agreement/>

Just a week after President Trump announced his decision to withdraw 
from the Paris Agreement, China has already wrestled the mantle of 
leadership on climate change from the United States.
In a high-level meeting of energy ministers in Beijing this week, China 
played the convening role in bringing together countries from across the 
globe for a discussion on how to deploy clean energy. The meeting had 
been scheduled long before Trump's decision on the Paris Agreement, but 
the timing sent a clear message about who will lead the fight to address 
climate change in the coming years. During the four-day meeting, China 
launched a number of initiatives to advance clean energy and announced 
partnerships with other governments around the globe to fight climate 
change.
"I didn't come to Washington, I came to Beijing," said California 
Governor Jerry Brown after announcing a joint clean energy effort with 
Chinese leadership, according to a New York Times report. "Well, someday 
I'm going to go to Washington, but not this week."
http://time.com/4810846/china-energy-climate-change-paris-agreement/


    (opinion) Trump's Climate Withdrawal Is An Impeachable Offense
    <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trumps-climate-withdrawal-is-an-impeachable-offense_us_59395721e4b094fa859f1625>

By pulling out of the climate accord, Trump "makes himself guilty of 
what looks like a grave crime against humanity, the planet Earth, and 
future generations," Uffe Elbæk, former Danish minister of culture and 
leader of Denmark's Green Party, said.
Tom Engelhardt at TomDispatch calls the "system of destruction on a 
planetary scale ... the ultimate 'crime against humanity.'" He writes, 
"It is becoming a 'terracide.'"
The House of Representatives Should Impeach Trump
It takes 51 percent of the House of Representatives to impeach the 
president. Republicans control a majority of the seats in the House. But 
imperiling the planet should not be a partisan issue.
The fact that virtually every other country in the world, as well as 
U.S. states and cities, corporations and activists worldwide are taking 
steps on their own to slow the changing climate does not absolve Trump 
from his crime.
It is incumbent upon the House of Representatives to vote for the 
impeachment of Trump.
Meanwhile, we must, and will, continue to build the global climate 
justice movement.
Marjorie Cohn is professor emerita at Thomas Jefferson School of Law and 
former president of the National Lawyers Guild. Follow her on Twitter.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trumps-climate-withdrawal-is-an-impeachable-offense_us_59395721e4b094fa859f1625

*This Day in Climate History June 9, 1993 
<http://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/09/news/09iht-plan_1.html> -  from D.R. 
Tucker*
June 9, 1993: The New York Times reports on the demise of President 
Clinton's "BTU tax" proposal.
http://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/09/news/09iht-plan_1.html
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