[TheClimate.Vote] June 28, 2017 - Daily Global Warming News
Richard Pauli
richard at theclimate.vote
Tue Jun 27 23:39:39 EDT 2017
/June 28, 2017/
Prime Minister announces new Ambassador for*Climate Change*
<http://pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2017/06/27/prime-minister-announces-new-ambassador-climate-change>
Prime Minister of Canada (press release) The Prime Minister, Justin
Trudeau, today announced that Jennifer MacIntyre has been appointed
Canada's new Ambassador for*Climate Change*, effective immediately. Ms.
MacIntyre will work with international stakeholders to advance Canada's
clean ...
http://pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2017/06/27/prime-minister-announces-new-ambassador-climate-change
Local Actions Lead The Global Efforts To Address *Climate Change*
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/local-actions-lead-the-global-efforts-to-address-climate-change_us_5952b2a1e4b0da2c731f36be>
This month the inaugural Board meeting of the Global Covenant of Mayors
for Climate and Energy, a coalition of over 7,400 cities spanning more
than 120 countries, will be held in Brussels. As the Board members,
mayors who are working together to respond to climate change with
similar dreams will meet to share their thoughts and ideas. The Global
Covenant of Mayors will provide a platform for cities to commit to,
track and monitor progress on climate action. And the best part, it's
totally transparent with all the data made publicly available....
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/local-actions-lead-the-global-efforts-to-address-climate-change_us_5952b2a1e4b0da2c731f36be
AgWeb: 6 Questions Drones Are Answering About*Climate Change*
<https://www.agweb.com/article/6-questions-drones-are-answering-about-climate-change-naa-ben-potter/>
After a climate innovation grant announcement last December, Pix4D and
Parrot received more than 250 proposals from researchers across the
globe. This month, the two companies announce they have selected six
projects, based on novelty, scientific merit and team experience.
Here is a brief look at the projects:
*1. Drone-based detection of grassland phenology, productivity and
composition in relation to climate.*
"Our goal is to use a drone-mounted camera and multispectral sensor to
map and monitor temporal and spatial variation in grassland in order to
understand the role of climate variation in driving changes in grassland
composition," according to Christopher Field, professor of biology and
environmental earth science at Stanford University.
*2. The role of climate in modulating wildlife extinctions in African
drylands.*
Robert Pringle, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology
at Princeton University, says his team will measure woody plant biomass,
phenology, water stress, canopy architecture and other data that he says
is impossible to measure with existing satellite technology. The drones
will supplement the program's regular long-term monitoring program with
regularly occurring low-altitude surveys.
*3. Growth dynamics of the lichen fields of the Central Namib Desert.*
"Our long-term goal would be to try and model productivity of the
lichen-fields based on the multi-spectral bands (specifically the
near-infrared and red edge bands), and in this way monitor the vigor and
growth of the lichen fields," according to Gillian Maggs-Kolling,
executive director of the Gobabeb Research and Training Centre in
Namibia. "These data could inform land management practices in the
uranium-rich Central Namib Desert."
*4. Using drones to monitor grassland responses to shifting climate and
restoration.*
Using a multispectral camera will significantly reduce the team's
workload because they will no longer need to overlay images by hand to
calculate NDVI or other measurements, according to Holly Jones,
assistant professor of biological sciences at Northern Illinois University.
"This grant will scale our pilot project and look at how restoration
interacts with climate and allows us to help managers forecast what that
will mean for future prairie restorations," she says.
*5. Monitoring insect pest impacts in Mediterranean forests.*
By flying a drone and collecting multispectral imagery, researcher Lluis
Brotons with Spain's InForest JRU hopes to dodge current constraints of
satellite and RGB imagery.
"Multispectral data allows a much better comparison across images taken
in different locations and times," he says.
*6. Climate-driven greening of the Siberian Arctic.*
"This grant offers huge advantages: discrete spectral bands, direct
measures of incoming solar radiation, integrated IMU data, integrated
GPS data, streamlined workflow," according to Jeffrey Kerby with
Germany's Institute for Arctic Studies.
Kerby says integrated hardware and software allows for a more efficient
look into understanding how vegetation responds to climate change in the
Arctic.
All grant recipients received a Parrot Disco-Pro AG drone with a Parrot
Sequoia multispectral sensor, along with a one-year Pix4D software
license and additional training to assist their research.
https://www.agweb.com/article/6-questions-drones-are-answering-about-climate-change-naa-ben-potter/
Letter: Relevant laws of physics explain*climate change*
<http://buffalonews.com/2017/06/26/letter-relevant-laws-of-physics-explain-climate-change/>
/ The Buffalo News Letters to the Editor/
A recent letter questioned the science behind climate change. Some
people just don't believe it. Sadly, the laws of physics are unchanging
and they don't care what you believe.
Here is a brief summary of the relevant laws of physics. Coal, gas and
oil are hydrocarbons. They are made up mainly of carbon and hydrogen
atoms held together by chemical bonds. When they burn, the chemical
bonds are broken, releasing energy.
However, a fundamental law of classical physics states that matter
cannot be created or destroyed. It merely changes form. Since burning is
really rapid oxidation, the carbon atoms combine with oxygen in the
atmosphere and become carbon dioxide. This carbon dioxide cannot be
thrown away. In reality, there is no such place as "away." Some of the
carbon dioxide goes into plant life, to be released later when the plant
decays. Some goes into the oceans, damaging vital coral structures. The
rest goes into the atmosphere.
Carbon dioxide has been known to be a greenhouse gas for centuries. That
means it allows the electromagnetic energy from the sun to pass through,
but reflects radiant energy from the earth. The energy is therefore
trapped in the atmosphere. Classical physics also tells us that energy
cannot be created or destroyed, but it can change forms. Electromagnetic
energy can become heat energy, heat energy can become mechanical energy
(wind) and so on.
While the earth's climate has changed many times, it has never changed
even remotely as quickly as it is changing now. You and I cannot feel
the change because in human terms it is quite slow, a few degrees
Celsius per decade, but in geological terms it is lightning quick. The
results can be seen in melting ice caps, retreating glaciers, rising sea
levels, changes in plant and animal distribution and rapid desertification.
Perhaps it is not possible to stop global climate change, but it is
foolhardy to deny it.
Bill Gross
http://buffalonews.com/2017/06/26/letter-relevant-laws-of-physics-explain-climate-change/
*Climate*scientists reveal their fears for the future
<http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-27/climate-scientists-speak-of-their-worst-fears/8631368>
(video
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-27/some-australian-climate-scientists-are-considering/8657152)
Cradling her newborn baby girl, heatwave expert Sarah Perkins
Kirkpatrick admits to feeling torn between the joy of motherhood and
anxiety over her first-born child's future.
"I always wanted a big family and I'm thrilled. But my happiness is
altered by what I know is coming with climate change," she said.
"I don't like to scare people but the future's not looking very good.
"Having a baby makes it personal. Will this child suffer heatstroke just
walking to school?"
Dr Perkins Kirkpatrick is one of several climate scientists who Lateline
spoke to, seeking a range of opinions from experts at some of the top
climate change research units within major universities in Australia.
The 33-year-old lives in Sydney and studies heatwaves as a senior
research fellow at the University of New South Wales' Climate Change
Research Centre.
The youngest of seven siblings, she said she'd always wanted to have at
least four, possibly five children.
That was until the record-breaking heatwaves of Sydney's last summer.
"One day I measured 45 degrees outside /(113 degrees F)/ on the porch in
the shade and it was 39 /(102)/ on the inside. The air conditioner in
the living room had broken down," she said.
"I was sleeping with wet towels on my legs to keep cool. I was thinking
this is hot now and it's only going to get worse.
"I said to my husband 'are we doing the right thing? Is it right to be
bringing kids into the world with me knowing how bad it's going to be?'"
All of Australia is vulnerable to climate change but Dr Perkins
Kirkpatrick said as the decades progress, some regions will be better
off than others in terms of heatwaves.
"We've already seen changes in heatwaves, particularly their frequency,
and these heatwaves are only going to get worse, particularly in the
tropics, where the number of heatwave days will be much greater than
now," she said.
She said research shows that if there isn't a reduction in CO2
emissions, there will be up to 50 extra really hot days a year in
northern Australia by the end of the century.
"I wouldn't want to be living in Brisbane, north of Brisbane, over the
coming decades because the humidity will be atrocious and when it's hot
and humid it's actually a lot harder to stay cool because your body
can't get rid of that heat through evaporation," she said.
"There's nowhere for the moisture to go."
Professor David Griggs, who recently retired as director of the
Sustainable Development Institute at Monash University, said Australia
is in denial about climate change.
"Australians will have to adapt or die," he said.
He believes temperatures will rise well above 2C and may reach 5C above
average by the end of this century, a forecast in line with the UN's
IPCC modelling under a high emissions scenario.
He spoke to Lateline about the emotional burden of knowing what climate
change would bring.
"Depression is clearly something. You get days when you're down, because
what you know and what you can see coming is not good," he said.
He is planning to move his family to south-west England, where he said
climate projections look good for the next 100 years.
"When a new fact comes in that makes me fearful I think at least I've
done what I can to protect my family," he said.
PhD student Justin Oogers said he and his wife were also unsure of
whether to have children.
Heatwaves kill far more people than other natural disasters. ABC
Emergency has a checklist of things you can do to be ready.
"We're quite concerned, even scared. Our parents want us to have
children and there are great things about having children but knowing
what's happing with climate change we've been putting it off," he said.
He said they have considered moving further south to Tasmania.
"We may be forced, my wife and I, to move further south. A lot of other
people are probably thinking the same thing," he said.
"My grandpa, he's living on a boat south of Hobart."
Dr Perkins Kirkpatrick said her family is making contingency plans and
may move from Sydney.
"My husband and I have raised the possibility of moving to Canberra.
It's a city, it has good employment opportunities, good infrastructure.
Their night time temperatures are a lot cooler because they're further
inland," she said.
"You can cope with extreme heat much better if you have cooler night
time temperatures to sleep."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-27/climate-scientists-speak-of-their-worst-fears/8631368
related:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-08/heatwaves-to-be-hotter-longer-and-more-often-report-says/8248304
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-15/climate-change-blamed-for-australia-extreme-weather-events/8268692
Climate Change Causes Sea Level Rise to Accelerate 50 Percent in
Past 20 years
<http://www.newsweek.com/climate-change-causes-sea-level-rise-accelerate-629463>
(Newsweek video) A study published in the journal Nature Climate Change
shows that global sea level rise jumped by 50 percent from 1993 to 2014,
the most recent year for which data are available. In 2014, sea levels
rose 3.3 millimeters - more than an eighth of an inch - while in 1993
they ticked up 2.2 millimeters.
The paper found that melting of the Greenland ice sheet is the major new
contributor. In 1993, it accounted for only 5 percent of the rise, but
in 2014 it was responsible for one-quarter of the increase. The paper
looked at satellite measurements and tide gauges, which measure sea
levels around the world.
http://www.newsweek.com/climate-change-causes-sea-level-rise-accelerate-629463
Perry calls for*climate change*debate, says he doesn't know Trump's
stance
<http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/27/rick-perry-climate-change-trump-stance-240012>
"I've said that time after time," he said, adding that he wanted an
"intellectual conversation" about the impacts of humans on the climate.
Perry, a two-time GOP presidential candidate and the former governor of
Texas, told CNBC in an interview last week that he does not believe
carbon dioxide emissions to be the main driver of climate change, a view
that puts him at odds with the overwhelming majority of climate scientists.
Last Thursday, Perry told the Senate Appropriations Committee that man's
impact on climate change "is not settled science." At Tuesday's
briefing, he suggested that the issue could benefit from more open
debate and that he was personally not so dug into his views that they
would not change.
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/27/rick-perry-climate-change-trump-stance-240012
This professor made a*climate change*PowerPoint for Trump, and it
will make you smile.
<http://grist.org/briefly/this-professor-made-a-climate-change-powerpoint-for-trump-and-it-will-make-you-smile/>
This professor made a climate change PowerPoint for Trump, and it will
make you smile. Ken Schultz, a political science professor at Stanford
University, shared the presentation on Twitter over the weekend.
The snarky explainer lays out climate change in terms President Trump
can understand - you know, golf, big/beautiful walls, and YUGE
Electoral College victories.
Check out the hilarious thread :
http://grist.org/briefly/okja-promises-gorgeous-scenery-gruesome-animal-slaughter-and-a-whole-lotta-tears/
Professor Piers Forster: *Climate Change*is Our Shared Responsibility
<https://futurism.com/professor-piers-forster-climate-change-is-our-shared-responsibility/>
On June 22 he participated in the American Geophysical Union's Ask Me
Anything (AMA) on Reddit
<https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/6isyum/american_geophysical_union_ama_hi_reddit_im_piers/>,
where he opened his mind and expertise up to public questioning.
Forster's outlook, judging from this AMA, and the fact that he's
continuing to push climate science further instead of just giving up and
going home, is surprisingly hopeful. It's not unrealistically
optimistic, but he does explore how it is possible for us, as a species,
to undo what has been done - as much as is possible, anyway. For now,
as technology continues to progress and legislation changes, it seems
it's more and more a matter of personal responsibility. It's up to all
of us, as part of the human species, to ask if there's more we can do in
our daily lives to combat climate change.
https://futurism.com/professor-piers-forster-climate-change-is-our-shared-responsibility/
*Climate Change*: Giant Hail Set to Batter North America
<http://www.newsweek.com/climate-change-hailstones-weather-north-america-629343>
Golf-ball sized hail that can crack car windscreens, damage roofs and
decimate crops are set to become the norm across parts of North America
as a result of*climate change*. That is according to a new study in the
journal Nature*Climate
Change*that*...http://www.newsweek.com/climate-change-hailstones-weather-north-america-629343*
(video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUg4QZzggLA
*National Geographic Making New Coal Industry Doc Available for Free
<http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/watch-national-georgraphics-ashes-free-july-3-1016570>*
'From the Ashes' can be viewed on a variety of platforms from June
26-July 3.
YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUg4QZzggLA
National Geographic is offering free viewing of the new documentary From
the Ashes on a wide array of digital and streaming platforms, beginning
Monday and running through July 3. Michael Bonfiglio's film looks at
communities across America as they wrestle with the legacy of the coal
industry and what its future should be under the Trump administration.
Nat Geo said it was making the doc available in the wake of President
Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement to
further the "network's commitment to providing audiences with the
resources and knowledge needed to preserve the planet and change the world."
The film will be available commercial-free and unauthenticated via
YouTube, Facebook, Hulu, Amazon, Google Play and VOD and unauthenticated
on Natgeotv.com and Nat Geo TV Apps (iOS and Android devices, Apple TV,
Roku and Samsung Connected TVs).
"From the Ashes is more relevant than ever. The film explores the
complexities of the coal industry and its impact on the environment,
economy and public health," said Tim Pastore, president of original
programming and production for National Geographic channels. "At
National Geographic, we are committed to furthering the national
dialogue on clean energy and are thrilled to make From the Ashes
available for free across such a wide array of streaming platforms."
In a video message, above, Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg
Philanthropies, says, "Coal affects our lives and planet in important
ways, but people often take positions on it without seeing the full
picture. So this week, National Geographic is making From the Ashes
available for free on a number of platforms. We encourage family and
friends to watch the film and join the CrowdRise campaign to support
organizations that are helping create new jobs in coal country."
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/watch-national-georgraphics-ashes-free-july-3-1016570
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUg4QZzggLA
World food supplies at risk as*climate change *threatens
international trade, warn experts
<http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/world-food-supplies-climate-change-international-trade-global-warming-chatham-house-chokepoints-a7808221.html>
The world's food supplies are in danger as*climate change*and the
increasing reliance on global trade threaten to create shortages and
sudden, dramatic increases in prices, according to a new report by the
leading think tank Chatham House....
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/world-food-supplies-climate-change-international-trade-global-warming-chatham-house-chokepoints-a7808221.html
*U.S. EPA is asking for nominations to two scientific advisory committees. *
Kevin Bogardus and Sean Reilly, E&E News reporters
Published: Monday, June 26, 2017
U.S. EPA is putting the word out that the agency is in the market for
science advisers.
In a notice to be published tomorrow in the Federal Register, EPA is
inviting nominations of "scientific experts from a diverse range of
disciplines" to serve on the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee as
well as the EPA Science Advisory Board, including six of that panel's
subcommittees.
The notice says nominations should be submitted to the agency within 30
days of its publication.
Members of both the advisory committees are scientists and engineers who
work outside of EPA and are appointed to three-year terms by the agency
administrator.
As part of the nomination process, EPA will apparently seek to fill the
seat of its Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee chairwoman, Dr. Ana
Diez Roux, a Drexel University epidemiologist. Diez Roux's second
three-year term on the panel expires at the end of September.
CASAC is charged with advising EPA on possible changes to the standards
for ozone, particulate matter and four other "criteria pollutants." The
committee is in the early stages of a closely watched review of the
particulate matter standard.
Last year, the Energy and Environment Legal Institute, a
conservative-leaning legal group, unsuccessfully sued to disband the
review panel on the grounds that most of its members had received EPA
grants and were thus allegedly biased toward the agency's view that
tighter limits were needed (Greenwire, Aug. 2, 2016).
Also falling short last year was an unusual lobbying campaign mounted by
Michael Honeycutt, the head of toxicology for the Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality, for a seat on the committee. Then-EPA
Administrator Gina McCarthy picked another contender instead (Greenwire,
Aug. 26, 2016)
The Science Advisory Board has been the target of congressional
criticism that its current roster of members - drawn mostly from
academia - doesn't include enough representation from those affected
by EPA regulations.
Under H.R. 1431, a bill approved by the House in March, at least 10
percent of the board's members would have to come from state, local and
tribal governments. Industry representatives with a stake in the board's
work would also be allowed to serve as long as any conflicts of interest
are disclosed. The measure is awaiting action by a Senate committee.
Critics of the Trump administration have expressed worries over how EPA
Administrator Scott Pruitt will reshape the agency's science advisory
committees to add members from EPA's regulated industries.
For example, Pruitt has decided to not renew several dozen members'
terms on EPA's Board of Scientific Counselors.
That led to the science board's canceling all of its subcommittee
meetings for the remainder of the year. In an internal email obtained by
E&E News, an EPA official said he hoped that the panel could resume its
work in 2018 (Greenwire, June 20).
EPA is also seeking nominees to fill that advisory committee.
Nominations for BOSC should submitted by Friday of this week (Greenwire,
May 24).
EPA's moves to rework the science board have attracted criticism that
the agency is pushing science aside.
Deborah Swackhamer, a University of Minnesota science professor who
chairs BOSC, said in written testimony for Congress that adding industry
representation to the board "may lead to the perception that science is
being politicized and marginalized within EPA."
*
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