[TheClimate.Vote] November 21, 2017 - Daily Global Warming News Digest
Richard Pauli
richard at theclimate.vote
Tue Nov 21 12:04:37 EST 2017
/November 21, 2017/
*Battered by extreme weather, Americans are more worried about climate
change
<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2017/nov/20/battered-by-extreme-weather-americans-are-more-worried-about-climate-change>*
After months of intense hurricanes, heat waves, and droughts, a survey
finds a record number of Americans worried about climate change...
Americans are nevertheless growing increasingly concerned about climate
change. A record 22% are very worried about it (double the number in the
March 2015 survey), and 63% of Americans are at least somewhat worried
about climate change. That's probably because they perceive direct
climate impacts - 64% of survey participants think that global warming
is affecting the weather, and 33% said it's having a big influence.
Global warming is intensifying extreme weather
Americans also connecting the dots to specific extreme weather events.
About 54% said that climate change worsened the extreme heat waves,
wildfires, and hurricanes that pummeled the country in 2017. ..
Americans are pessimistic about the future climate
The survey also found that Americans are very pessimistic about the odds
that we'll successfully tackle the threats posed by global warming.
While 78% realize that humans could potentially slow global warming,
only 5% of Americans believe we'll be successful in doing so. A quarter
of those surveyed think that we'll fail because people are unwilling to
change their behavior, and 48% said it's unclear at this point whether
we'll take the necessary action...
It's a positive sign that Americans are increasingly connecting the dots
between climate change and extreme weather impacts. That realization
increases public concern and support for efforts to solve the problem.
Research has shown that support for climate policies would be even
stronger if more people were aware of the 97% expert consensus on
human-caused global warming.
While Americans are becoming pessimistic about the prospect that we'll
successfully prevent dangerous climate change, these survey results are
a reason for optimism. It's only a matter of time before the country's
leaders catch up with the public understanding of the climate change
threat.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2017/nov/20/battered-by-extreme-weather-americans-are-more-worried-about-climate-change
*
Warming to make thunderstorms larger and more frequent
<https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/science/warming-to-make-thunderstorms-larger-and-more-frequent-2/>
*WASHINGTON (AP) SETH BORENSTEIN
Summer thunderstorms in North America will likely be larger, wetter and
more frequent in a warmer world, dumping 80 percent more rain in some
areas and worsening flooding, a new study says.
Future storms will also be wilder, soaking entire cities and huge
portions of states, according to a federally-funded study released
Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change.
The U.S. in recent years has experienced prolonged drenchings that have
doused Nashville in 2010, West Virginia and Louisiana in 2016 and
Houston this year. The disasters cost about $20 billion a year in damage.
By the end of century if emissions aren't curbed, these gully washers
will be much worse because they will get bigger, said Andreas Prein, a
climate scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in
Boulder, Colorado, who led the study...
"You can really think about these storms as rivers that come from the
skies," Prein said. "The largest ones are several times the Mississippi
River discharge."
Victor Gensini, a meteorology professor at the Northern Illinois
University who wasn't part of the team, praised the study as new and
exciting.*
*https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/science/warming-to-make-thunderstorms-larger-and-more-frequent-2/*
*
**Hydrological implications of rapid global warming
<https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171120111336.htm>*
*Researchers studying a rapid global warming event, around 56 million
years ago, have shown evidence of major changes in the intensity of
rainfall and flood events. The findings indicate some of the likely
implications should current trends of rising carbon dioxide and global
warming continue...
land to this deep ocean location increased four-fold during the PETM
event. The team associate this with major changes in the patterns of
rainfall on land, with warming causing more extreme rainfall events,
with floods and the associated erosion and transport of sediments into
the oceans....
"Now we have a direct link to the deep ocean, where some of the material
eroded from land finally ends up."...
"From records of the PETM, like this one, it has become very clear that
global warming causes major changes in the patterns and intensity of
rainfall events. These changes are so large that we see evidence of them
in the geological record, as a many-fold increase in the mass of
sediments transported from land to the oceans. This has the potential
for profound impacts on shallow marine ecosystems, and that is exactly
what we see at the PETM."
"We're now facing the potential for a warming of 2degreesC or more in
less than two centuries," said Dr Dunkley Jones, "this is more than an
order of magnitude faster than warming at the start of the PETM. The
geological record shows that when the planet warms this much and this
fast, there will be major changes in floods, erosion and sediment
transport."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171120111336.htm*
(video) Climate, Sea Level, and Superstorms <https://youtu.be/160zc_F8-ns>
*transcript: "The boulders are interesting and fascinating just because
of their shear size.
But these other deposits that are far more pervasive and widespread
throughout the Bahamas and we find those at elevations in the Turks and
Caicos up to 30 metres above sea level and then on north Eleuthera
There's the location where they're up to 43 meters above present day sea
level several tens of meters above sea level at the time these deposits
that are left behind in the Bahamas and Bermuda are are indicative of
much much stronger storms than anything we've seen in the present day or
in historical time. In the sense of hurricanes as we define them today
they may be a different animal at the end of this century if we continue
on a business-as-usual path we're talking about eight to nine hundred
parts per million levels of co2 which is about three and a half times
the pre-industrial levels of co2 we have to go back 35 to 40 million
years in the past before you reach carbon dioxide levels of three and a
half times."
https://youtu.be/160zc_F8-ns*
**The Eric Factor: Why you should think about climate change again
<http://wqad.com/2017/11/20/the-eric-factor-why-you-should-think-about-climate-change-again/>*
When asked why there's still controversy surrounding climate change, he
said it's not complicated. "It's college and high school physics. We're
not talking about complex rocket science here. It comes down to the
fundamental law of conservation of energy. Because of the energy of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, we're trapping more energy as heat.
If you put more heat into the earth system, it's inevitable temperatures
will rise."
http://wqad.com/2017/11/20/the-eric-factor-why-you-should-think-about-climate-change-again/
*
An American at the Bonn Climate Change Negotiations.
<https://ethicsandclimate.org/2017/11/20/an-american-at-the-bonn-climate-change-negotiations/>
*Some of the great anger about the United States that I witnessed in
Bonn was somewhat muted by the presence of 16 US States and numerous
American cities and businesses who had been organized by California
governor Jerry Brown and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg
under the America's Pledge Campaign. This group which accounted for
almost half the US economy had a large presence in Bonn including a
large pavilion which showcased what many US sub-national governments and
private sector entities were doing to reduce US GHG emissions. ...
The last event I went to in Bonn. a UNEP representative discussed the
fact that even if every nation achieved GHG reductions at levels they
committed to, the world was headed toward over a 3 degree C warming in
this Century, a level of warming that is extremely dangerous
particularly for some parts of the world. He then exhorted the audience
to work tirelessly to get every national, state, regional, and local
government to set ambitious GHG reduction targets. The situation is
ominous he said, we need an "all hands on deck going to zero carbon"
approach to climate change.*
*https://ethicsandclimate.org/2017/11/20/an-american-at-the-bonn-climate-change-negotiations/*
*
*The World Bank Presentation*
Richard Damania - Lead Economist, Water Global Practice, The World
Bank (Watch the Video) <https://youtu.be/zY51OYVZRcQ>
*Uncharted Waters: The New Economics of Water Scarcity and Variability
<http://www.worldbank.org/en/events/2017/10/17/uncharted-waters#2>*
What are the effects of droughts and floods on firms, farms and
families? They are more significant and numerous than previously known.
New data reveals how increasingly erratic rainfall, poorly managed water
supplies, and deepening water deficits can devastate lives, damage farms
and forests, and impact businesses as well as cities.
A new World Bank report 'Uncharted Waters - The New Economics of Water
Scarcity and Variability' presents new numbers on how rainfall shocks -
be they dry shocks or wet shocks - coupled with water scarcity are
affecting generations.
On October 25, the report's author Richard Damania shared key findings
at the report launch event, followed by a panel discussion among civil
society representatives, private sector and economists on the solutions
that can help avoid the 'parched path'.
http://www.worldbank.org/en/events/2017/10/17/uncharted-waters#2
-*
(Video) Keynote Presentation - Uncharted Waters Report Launch Event
<https://youtu.be/zY51OYVZRcQ>*
Richard Damania, Lead Economist of Water Global Practice, The World Bank
speaks at keynote event October 2017. What are the effects of droughts
and floods on firms, farms and families? They are more significant and
numerous than previously known. New data reveals how increasingly
erratic rainfall, poorly managed water supplies, and deepening water
deficits can devastate lives, damage farms and forests, and impact
businesses as well as cities
https://youtu.be/zY51OYVZRcQ
https://youtu.be/d-7iuL01DoY
-
Panel Discussion & Closing Remarks
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb74a35nyyg>
*(Watch the Video) <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb74a35nyyg>*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb74a35nyyg
Panelists
Betsy Otto - Global Director, Water Program, World Resources Institute
Derek Vollmer - Senior Director, Freshwater Science, Conservation
International
Greg Koch - Senior Director, Global Water Stewardship, The Coca-Cola
Company
Marianne Fay - Chief Economist, Sustainable Development, The World Bank
http://www.worldbank.org/en/events/2017/10/17/uncharted-waters#2
-
Press Release - World Bank
*Misery in Slow Motion: The Deep and Long Lasting Effects of Drought
<http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2017/10/24/misery-in-slow-motion-the-deep-and-long-lasting-effects-of-drought>*
New data highlights hidden impact of changing climate and erratic rainfalls.
WASHINGTON, October 24, 2017 - Repeated droughts around the world have
shockingly large and often hidden consequences, destroying enough farm
produce to feed 81 million people every day for a year, damaging
forests, and threating to trap generations of children in poverty,
according to a new report from the World Bank Group.
Uncharted Waters: The New Economics of Water Scarcity and Variability
presents new evidence on how increasingly erratic rainfall impacts
farms, firms and families. It also shows that although floods and storm
surges pose major threats, droughts are "misery in slow motion," with
impacts deeper and longer lasting than previously believed.
"These impacts demonstrate why it is increasingly important that we
treat water like the valuable, exhaustible, and degradable resource that
it is," said Guangzhe Chen, Senior Director of the World Bank's Water
Global Practice. "We need to better understand the impacts of water
scarcity, which will become more severe due to growing populations and a
changing climate."
The report found that impacts caused by drought can cascade into
unexpected areas.
For families, the effects of drought can span generations. The report
finds that in rural Africa, women born during extreme droughts bear the
marks throughout their lives, growing up mentally and physically
stunted, undernourished and unwell because of crop losses. New data
shows that women born during droughts also have less education, fewer
earnings, bear more children and are more likely to suffer from domestic
violence. Their suffering is often passed on to the next generation,
with their children more likely to be stunted and less healthy,
perpetuating a vicious cycle of poverty.
On farms, repeated years of below-average rainfall not only destroys
crop yield -- it forces farmers to expand into nearby forests. Since
forests act as a climate stabilizer and help regulate water supplies,
deforestation decreases water supply and exacerbates climate change.
For firms, the report calculates the economic costs of droughts as four
times greater than that of floods. A single water outage in an urban
firm can reduce its revenue by more than 8%. And if that firm is in the
informal sector, as many are in the developing world, sales decline by
35%, ruining livelihoods and stagnating urban economic growth.
Many of the regions most affected by drought overlap with areas that are
already facing large food deficits and are classified as fragile,
heightening the urgency of finding solutions.
"If we don't take deepening water deficits and the bigger and more
frequent storms that climate change will bring seriously, we will find
water scarcity spreading to new regions of the world, potentially
exacerbating issues of violence, suffering, and migration," said the
report's author and World Bank's Water Global Practice Lead Economist
Richard Damania. "Current methods for managing water are not up to the
challenge. This sea-change will require a portfolio of policies that
acknowledge the economic incentives involved in managing water from its
source, to the tap, and back to its source."
The impacts of erratic rainfall ripple through farms, firms and
families, sometimes for generations. The report offers proposals for how
to tackle these challenges, calling for new policies, innovation and
collaborations.
The report recommends constructing new water storage and management
infrastructure, paired with polices that control the demand for water.
Utilities responsible for water distribution in cities also need to be
properly regulated to incentivize better performance and investment in
network expansion, while also ensuring a fair market return. The report
also noted that when flood and droughts turn into economic shocks,
safety nets must be put in place to ensure poor families can weather the
storm.
PRESS RELEASE NO: 2018/058/WATER
Contacts In Washington
Isabel Hagbrink
(202) 441-6250
Ihagbrink at worldbank.org
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2017/10/24/misery-in-slow-motion-the-deep-and-long-lasting-effects-of-drought
-
Full REPORT
*Uncharted Waters: The New Economics of Water Scarcity and Variability
<http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2017/10/24/uncharted-waters>*
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2017/10/24/uncharted-waters
-
*Uncharted Waters: A Comic Book
<http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/infographic/2017/10/24/uncharted-waters-a-comic-book>*
Download *the Comic Book in High Resolution.
<http://pubdocs.worldbank.org/en/301891508850653573/Uncharted-Waters-Comic-Book-low-res.pdf>*
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/infographic/2017/10/24/uncharted-waters-a-comic-book
*Humor: What this year's dose of global warming will bring to November
<https://theaggie.org/2017/11/20/humor-what-this-years-dose-of-global-warming-will-bring-to-november/>*
Four different climates in a day: We seem to already be desensitized to
this very scary symptom of global warming. But the bigger problem exists
when the confusing weather forces students to start their day in Uggs
and 40 layers - and end it barefoot in class and practically naked.
Our classrooms are crowded as it is. All this discarded gear and sweat
will lead to increased humidity in the air, which will probably just
lead to more rain and will melt some ice caps somewhere. So honestly, I
think a way to avoid contributing to this tragedy would be to go make
some tea, put on your pajamas and just stay home, where you can regulate
the temperature to be whatever you want it to be.
Since nobody likes to change their lifestyle and global warming is
happening anyway, I think it's best to just take it in stride and stay
home and not touch anything and maybe all other major countries and
companies will follow our lead.
https://theaggie.org/2017/11/20/humor-what-this-years-dose-of-global-warming-will-bring-to-november/
<http://video.msnbc.msn.com/rachel-maddow/45395747>*This Day in Climate
History November 21, 2011
<http://video.msnbc.msn.com/rachel-maddow/45395747> - from D.R. Tucker*
November 21, 2011: MSNBC's Rachel Maddow interviews EPA Administrator
Lisa Jackson regarding the GOP's attacks on science.
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/rachel-maddow/45395747
/
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