[TheClimate.Vote] November 23, 2017 - Daily Global Warming News Digest

Richard Pauli richard at theclimate.vote
Thu Nov 23 09:49:09 EST 2017


/November 23, 2017/

*Defense Bill Passes with Climate Change and National Security Provision 
<https://climateandsecurity.org/2017/11/22/defense-bill-passes-with-climate-change-and-national-security-provision/>*
Every year since 1961, the U.S. Congress has passed the National Defense 
Authorization Act 
<https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings-and-legislation/ndaa-national-defense-authorization-act> 
- or the NDAA, as it's known in acronym-obsessed Washington. The bill 
essentially determines which agencies are responsible for defense, 
establishes funding levels, and sets policies under which money will be 
spent. Last week, the U.S. Congress passed the FY2018 NDAA 
<http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/climate-change-is-a-direct-threat-to-national-security-the-defense-bill-says-and-trump-is-expected-to-sign-it/article/2641507>, 
and sent it to the President for signature. He is expected to promptly 
sign it. Interestingly, this year's NDAA, among many other things, says 
something loud and clear about climate change: there is a bipartisan 
majority in Congress that accepts climate change is a "direct threat" to 
national security, and that the Department of Defense (DoD) must have 
the authority to prepare for it.
In response, John Conger 
<https://climateandsecurity.org/advisory-board/john-conger/>, Senior 
Policy Advisor with the Center for Climate and Security, noted in an 
interview 
<http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/climate-change-is-a-direct-threat-to-national-security-the-defense-bill-says-and-trump-is-expected-to-sign-it/article/2641507> 
with the Washington Examiner:

    Lawmakers have shifted from being a headwind on climate change as a
    national security issue to being a tailwind, said John Conger, a
    senior policy adviser with the Center for Climate and Security.
    Changing climate is a "direct threat" to U.S. national security,
    endangering 128 military bases with sea rise and global
    destabilization that could fuel terror groups, according to the
    NDAA, which is a bipartisan compromise struck by the House and Senate.
    The bill orders a Pentagon report on the top 10 at-risk bases and
    what should be done to protect them…
    The language on climate change, almost certain to become law, is a
    sign that under the new Republican administration, Congress is
    moving toward more acceptance of the phenomenon being a serious
    security issue, and that the military will continue efforts to
    assess and plan for the risks...
    "The military's goal is to be pragmatic and apolitical.

Beyond the political significance of the bill, the climate and security 
provision is also a step forward in terms of substance, particularly as 
it relates to adapting the nation's military infrastructure to a 
changing climate. As Conger states 
<http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/climate-change-is-a-direct-threat-to-national-security-the-defense-bill-says-and-trump-is-expected-to-sign-it/article/2641507>: 
"the new NDAA report is a shift because it requires the military to say 
how it will shore up the at-risk bases and what the cost may be."
In short, climate change is a matter of national security, and the U.S. 
military has to deal with it. It is heartening to see the nation's 
policy-makers warming up (pun intended) to that reality.
https://climateandsecurity.org/2017/11/22/defense-bill-passes-with-climate-change-and-national-security-provision/

*
**KXL Federal Suit Survives Motion to Dismiss <https://www.sierraclub.org/>*
*Federal Lawsuit Challenging Keystone XL Approval Will Move Forward*
Court Stops Trump Administration From Flouting Environmental Laws
Great Falls, MT -- [Wednesday] a federal judge ruled that a lawsuit 
brought by environmental and landowner groups over the Trump 
administration's approval of the cross-border permit for the Keystone XL 
tar sands pipeline can proceed. The decision rejects attempts by the 
administration and TransCanada, the company behind the proposed 
pipeline, to have the lawsuit thrown out.
The lawsuit was filed in March by the Northern Plains Resource Council, 
Bold Alliance, Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Earth, 
Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Sierra Club. It challenged 
the U.S. Department of State's and other agencies' inadequate and 
outdated environmental review of the pipeline, which relied on a dated 
environmental impact statement from January 2014 and failed to consider 
key information on the project's impacts. In motions filed in June, the 
administration and TransCanada argued that, in approving the pipeline, 
the administration was not required to comply with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) or the Endangered Species Act (ESA), two 
of America's bedrock environmental laws. In its ruling today, the court 
rejected the administration's argument that presidential authority bars 
judicial review of the approvals...
"Once again, the courts are serving as a critical backstop against this 
administration's attempts to flout the law for the benefit of corporate 
polluters," said Sierra Club Senior Attorney Doug Hayes. "The American 
people will not stand by as the administration tries to bypass critical 
environmental laws that exist to protect our land and our clean water. 
Keystone XL is a threat to our land, water, wildlife, and climate, and 
we will continue fighting, in the courts and in the streets, to ensure 
that it is never built."
"This is a key step toward holding the Trump administration accountable 
for recklessly approving this dirty and incredibly dangerous pipeline," 
said Jared Margolis, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological 
Diversity. "Keystone would be a catastrophe for endangered wildlife and 
our climate, and we'll keep fighting until it's dead and buried."
https://www.sierraclub.org/


*Debunking Climate Change Myths: A Thanksgiving Conversation Guide 
<https://insideclimatenews.org/news/22112017/thanksgiving-family-climate-denial-global-warming-science-answers>*
We asked our readers to share the top climate denial claims and global 
warming questions they hear from family. Here's what science shows - and 
how to explain it.
Some of the misinformation that creeps into the doubters' discussions 
are the lingering leftovers of years of deliberate peddling of 
misinformation 
<https://insideclimatenews.org/news/22102015/Exxon-Sowed-Doubt-about-Climate-Science-for-Decades-by-Stressing-Uncertainty>, 
often by fossil fuel interests.
Some of it persists because, face it, not everybody is well versed in 
the scientific consensus, which is based on multiple streams of evidence 
from dozens of specialized disciplines. Who can keep up?
Even those who are thankful this year for the work of the United States 
Global Change Research Program, which just published an update of the 
latest science 
<https://science2017.globalchange.gov/chapter/front-matter-about/>, may 
not have studied all the details.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/22112017/thanksgiving-family-climate-denial-global-warming-science-answers
-
*Tamino*
*Thanksgiving Dinner: How to Talk to "Drunk Uncle" 
<https://tamino.wordpress.com/2017/11/22/thanksgiving-dinner-how-to-talk-to-drunk-uncle/>*
Posted on November 22, 2017
We've been there, most of us. Thanksgiving dinner, lots of family 
including many you don't see very often, and at some point somebody says 
something so terrible, you feel like you have to respond. Maybe it's 
about global warming, and you're a young climate activist (thank you!). 
Here's my advice.
*#1: You Don't Have To*
I was at Thanksgiving dinner at my wife's parents' house, along with her 
brother, sisters, spouses, kids, and grampa. Grampa is not a bad guy - 
he was in his 90s by then, and was a WWII veteran (fought in Patton's 
army). Like many families at Thanksgiving, we decided to watch a 
football game. Like most, it begins with the singing of the national 
anthem. The singer is a black woman. That's when grampa complains, 
because, he says, everybody knows "black women can't sing."
I felt two instincts: one, to laugh out loud in the most derisive 
fashion; two, to scream "Aretha!!!" at the top of my lungs (if you don't 
know who Aretha is, google it - it's worth finding out). Fortunatey, my 
sister-in-law simply said, "Oh grampy, you're so silly!" Situation 
defused, useless argument avoided.
Maybe you're a young climate activist, your mom and dad are climate 
activists, your brother is a poli-sci major focusing on climate issues 
and your sister is a grad student studying climate science. Only "drunk 
uncle" doesn't get it - so you don't have to respond. A simple, "Oh 
uncle, you're so silly!" is probably best. Let your family enjoy 
Thanksgiving in peace.
*#2: Be Polite and Respectful, and Stay Calm*
There's an old saying, that when you argue with an idiot nobody can tell 
who's the idiot. That's even more true for a shouting-match. If, 
however, drunk uncle is loud, obnoxious, and abusive while you are calm, 
rational, and polite, it helps avoid strife at the dinner table and it 
makes your claims so much more persuasive. You might not think so at the 
time, but it does.
There's also the fact that Thanksgiving is not about climate change. 
It's about family. Maybe you really do "need" to respond, not to let 
things go unchallenged, but you don't have to be angry.
Staying calm is perhaps most important. Never forget that one of the 
ways climate deniers get their way is to make you lose control. Stay in 
control.
*#3: Be Honest*
Totally honest. Don't make up stuff. Don't claim what you don't know. 
Always remember that a perfectly good answer to a question is: "I don't 
know."
*#4: Know Your Audience*
When you respond to something provocative from "drunk uncle," be aware 
that you aren't talking for him. To him, maybe, but not for him. You're 
talking for the other people. Your 11-year-old cousin who is genuinely 
afraid of climate change. Your other cousin, who's not sure. Your aunt 
who thinks it's a Chinese plot. These are the people you might actually 
influence - not drunk uncle.
Are they conservatives? Instead of talking about being eco-friendly to 
mother earth, talk about the economy - that man-made climate change is 
already making it harder. Talk about national security, how global 
warming is a severe threat according to, oh, how about the pentagon and 
the military?
Are they liberal? Instead of talking national security, talk about how 
it will impact the poor most of all. And yes, feel free to sing the 
praises of taking care of mother earth.
Are they evangelical Christians? Mention that God himself told us to 
take good care of his garden. We might have "dominion" over the earth, 
but that only means we're caretakers, not owners. It's God's earth, not 
ours.
*#5: Know Your Facts*
How much has planet Earth warmed since 1900? (About 1.1°C = 2°F). What's 
the current level of CO2 in the atmosphere? (About 407 ppm=parts per 
million). How fast is it rising? (About 2.5 ppm/year). What's the 
scientific consensus that climate change is real, man-made, and 
dangerous? (About 97%). When drunk uncle spouts nonsense, and you have 
the facts and figures at your fingertips, you win.
You don't have to learn it all. But the more you know, the more 
persuasive you'll be. Learn it ahead of time; nothing makes you look 
more "out-of-control" than leaving the table to google the facts.
*#6: Give Hope*
It's easy to talk about what we can't do, what we can't avoid. That 
turns people off. Talk about what we can do. Talk about the benefits of 
renewable energy - both climate-wise and economic. This is especially 
true if your 11-year-old cousin is so afraid she cries about her future. 
SHE needs hope … show her you're not going to let her down.
*#7: It's the simple things that take your breath away*
I was at a diner having breakfast with my wife. It wasn't crowded at 
all, but at the next table was a man talking loudly about how the new 
tax bill to fund education was just more of the "take my hard-earned 
money" liberal nonsense. Rather than argue, all I said (just loud enough 
to be heard) was this:
Mark Twain said, "Every time you stop a school, you will have to build a 
jail."
The effect was miraculous. Suddenly the complainer wanted more funding 
for education! You had to be there to believe how effective it was. And 
there was no angry argument.
That kind of saying isn't easy to find (unless you're Mark Twain). But 
when you find one, use it.
*#8: Know When to Quit*
Let drunk uncle be the one who won't shut up about the subject. Keep it 
short, keep it to the point, and when you've made your point, stop. It's 
way more effective. And don't forget, Thanksgiving dinner is about the 
love of family.
There's my advice. I hope it serves you well.
https://tamino.wordpress.com/2017/11/22/thanksgiving-dinner-how-to-talk-to-drunk-uncle/
-
*How to talk to someone who doesn't believe in climate change 
<https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-talk-to-someone-who-doesnt-believe-in-climate-change/>*
Nov 15, 2017 / Daryl Chen
Not every conversation with a climate denier has to lead to raised 
voices and hurt feelings. Here's how to do it constructively.
"Climate change has become one of the taboo topics - like sex, politics 
and religion - that doesn't get talked about at the Thanksgiving table," 
says Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Program on Climate Change 
Communication. "In fact, most of us are willing and even interested to 
discuss it, but their perception is other people don't want to."
So go ahead and engage with the uncle who insists the weather's always 
been changing and it has nothing to do with us. Or the cousin who can't 
make up her mind about anything - whether global warming is real or not, 
whether it's serious or not, or whether it's human-caused or not.
Here's some advice to guide you.
*1. Tailor your argument to them; don't just use the one that worked on 
you...*
*2. Tell them what worries you about climate change...*
*3. Appeal to their basic values - not yours...*
*4. Encourage climate-friendly acts that match what's most important to 
them...*
*5. Accept small steps in the right direction.*
You may be hoping your relative leaves your conversation, fully 
converted in heart and mind. But when did you ever do a 180 on a major 
issue after a single chat?
So even if you'd rather they skipped their weekly steak because they 
want to reduce the methane emitted by cows, get over it. You're still 
nudging them towards choices that will help combat global warming.
And though these changes may be small, they could be the first steps in 
a bigger transformation.
https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-talk-to-someone-who-doesnt-believe-in-climate-change/
-
*This holiday season, instead of picking your battles, pick your 
battlefield 
<http://grist.org/article/this-holiday-season-instead-of-picking-your-battles-pick-your-battlefield/>**
*By Eve Andrews on Nov 21, 2017
Common etiquette dictates that political conversation is not appropriate 
for family dinners. Much has been said and written since the election 
about the best solution for the hyper-polarized political situation. And 
it boils down to: People who love and respect each other need to engage 
one another in political discussion, even - especially - if they 
disagree. In other words, etiquette is bad!
I talked to several people with politically diverse families about how 
they approached that issue at Thanksgiving 2016. They almost entirely 
opted to simply make nice, remain quiet, and try to keep from imploding. 
But now, a year later,...
This is their advice.
One-on-one is more effective than a large holiday dinner.
Neil, 35, is a Texas native and conservative-turned-liberal - "I voted 
for Bush in 2000," he whispers conspiratorially to me over the phone - 
who now works on energy efficiency in Dallas.
In the couple of weeks between the 2016 election and Thanksgiving, Neil 
was a volatile mess, as he's currently being reminded by Facebook's most 
evil feature, "A year ago today…." One day it serves up a weepy status 
update, the next, some half-hearted attempt to counteract the pervasive 
negativity and bitterness of his social circles. Every fresh Trump 
speech or quote, however, convinced him that there was little to be 
optimistic about....
However, over the course of the year, he's found that he's been able to 
make some headway in private, one-on-one conversations with his in-laws. 
The key, he says, is focusing on issues that matter to them - 
conservation, education, the energy grid - rather than the current 
tenant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
It's not always easy - there's a frequent sensation of "beating one's 
head against the wall" - and he often feels exhausted or discouraged 
talking with committed conservatives. But it's certainly yielded more 
meaningful conversation than in a potentially overwhelming, all-family 
setting. Neil says he's been able to meaningfully discuss how the 
actions of the Trump administration - particularly in his cabinet 
nominations - have gone against the intentions and values of his 
relatives who voted for them.
Be realistic. If you know your family can't be swayed, save your mental 
strength and find a coping mechanism.
"There's nothing I can say that will change their mind," she explains. 
"They think about this issue as preserving family land, preserving it in 
a way where your kids can still make a living off of it."
"You have to find strength deep down inside to ignore it. It sounds 
counterproductive, and ignoring is not what progressive people do at 
all," Elena tells me. "But if you want to continue to have that family, 
there has to be some compromise of your principles and values."..
The bigotry of the Trump administration is exactly what pushes Michael, 
30, who lives in Pennsylvania, to keep trying to engage people in 
conversation.
Trump's inauguration was on his daughter's first birthday. "She lives in 
a white conservative area, and she's black - she looks black," he says. 
"Trump just encourages racism and emboldens racists, and I have to 
figure out how to explain that to her."
What Michael found hardest about the election was worrying about what 
his daughter's future would look like as a result of a Trump presidency. 
"That's my whole thought process: How can I reverse anything that that 
idiot does?"
But his anxiety over Trump's effect on his daughter will not be taking 
place at family gatherings with the white, conservative relatives of his 
ex-girlfriend (his daughter's mother)."She doesn't spend any time with 
family members who are conservative," he explains "I forbid it, and her 
mom and I agree on that. We don't want our daughter to feel like she 
doesn't fit in or have to feel that kind of hostility low-key."..
"We had the same concerns: our families, good jobs," he remembers about 
his fellow patrons. "If you bond with people on that part of it and then 
realize we're humans and what we agree on, it's easier to talk to people."
Michael says that those conversations are even more necessary today as 
many people who voted for Trump may be starting to feel embarrassed and 
frustrated by his presidency - especially as we approach the midterm 
elections.
To be effective (and cordial!), meaningful political conversations with 
those around you have to start well before voting season - and since 
Thanksgiving falls right after elections, it's about as far from the 
next voting season as you can get. But you have to set realistic 
boundaries. You have to know when, and where, and how those 
conversations should take place. A holiday table could be an apt scene 
for nuanced discussion, or it could lead to screaming, tears, hurled 
pies, and even more stubbornly entrenched political stances. Every 
family is different - unhappy in its own way!
*My advice to you this Thanksgiving is simply: Read the room*. The 
difficult conversations do have to happen, but they shouldn't happen in 
the most difficult of settings.
http://grist.org/article/this-holiday-season-instead-of-picking-your-battles-pick-your-battlefield/


*Are we headed for near-term human extinction? 
<https://nowtoronto.com/news/are-we-headed-for-near-term-human-extinction/>*
Recent studies suggest it is irresponsible to rule out the possibility 
after last week's "warning to humanity" from more than 15,000 climate 
change scientists
BY ZACH RUITER NOVEMBER 22, 2017
A "warning to humanity" 
<https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/advance-article/doi/10.1093/biosci/bix125/4605229>raising 
the spectre "of potentially catastrophic climate change... from burning 
fossil fuels, deforestation and agricultural production – particularly 
from farming ruminants for meat consumption," was published in the 
journal BioScience last week.
More than 15,000 scientists from 184 countries endorsed the caution, 
which comes on the 25th anniversary of a letter released by the Union of 
Concerned Scientists in 1992, advising that "a great change in our 
stewardship of the earth and the life on it is required, if vast human 
misery is to be avoided."
A quarter century on, what gets lost in the dichotomy between climate 
change believers and deniers is that inaction and avoidance in our daily 
lives are forms of denial, too.
And what most of us are collectively denying is the mounting evidence 
that points to a worst-case scenario unfolding of near-term human 
extinction.
*Exponential climate change*
In 2015, 195 countries signed theParis Climate Agreement 
<https://nowtoronto.com/news/cop21%E2%80%93-the-morning-after/>to limit 
the rise in global temperature to below 2 degrees Celsius to avoid 
dangerous climate change. But none of the major industrialized countries 
that signed the agreement are currently on track to meet the non-binding 
targets. The Trump administration has indicated the United States will 
withdraw from the agreement entirely.
In July, a study in the peer-reviewed journal,Proceedings Of The 
National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 
<http://www.pnas.org/content/114/30/E6089>, claimed "biological 
annihilation via the ongoing sixth mass extinction" is underway. And 
that "all signs point to ever more powerful assaults on biodiversity in 
the next two decades, painting a dismal picture of the future of life, 
including human life," the study states.
According to scientists, the majority of previous mass extinctions in 
the geologic record were characterized by abrupt warming between 6 to 7 
degrees Celsius.As recently as 2009 
<http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/sep/28/met-office-study-global-warming>, 
British government scientists warned of a possible catastrophic 4 
degrees Celsius global temperature increase by 2060.
AsHoward Lee wrote in the Guardian 
<http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2017/aug/01/underground-magma-triggered-earths-worst-mass-extinction-with-greenhouse-gases>in 
August, "Geologically fast build-up of greenhouse gas linked to warming, 
rising sea-levels, widespread oxygen-starved ocean dead zones and ocean 
acidification are fairly consistent across the mass extinction events, 
and those same symptoms are happening today as a result of human-driven 
climate change."
Runaway climate change is non-linear. Shifts can be exponential, abrupt 
and massive due to climate change "feedbacks," which can amplify and 
diminish the effects of climate change. Here are five you need to know 
about:
*1. Climate lag *
Temperature increaseslag by about a decade 
<http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/9/12/124002>, 
according toNASA's Earth Observatory 
<http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/HeatBucket/heatbucket4.php>. 
"Just as a speeding car can take some time to stop after the driver hits 
the brakes, the earth's climate systems may take a while to reflect the 
change in its energy balance."
According to a NASA-led study released in July 2016, "Almost one-fifth 
of the global warming that has occurred in the past 150 years has been 
missed by historical records due to quirks in how temperatures were 
recorded."
Adding the climate lag to the current level of global temperature 
increase would take us past the 2 degree Paris Agreement climate target 
within a decade.
*2. Ice-free Arctic*
Dr. Peter Wadhams of the Polar Ocean Physics Group at Cambridge 
Universitytold The Independent 
<http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/arctic-could-become-ice-free-for-first-time-in-more-than-100000-years-claims-leading-scientist-a7065781.html>more 
than a year ago that the central part of the Arctic and the North Pole 
could be ice-free within one to two years.
Not only will melting Arctic sea ice raise global sea levels, it will 
also allow the earth to absorb more heat from the sun because 
icereflects the sun's rays 
<http://e360.yale.edu/features/as_arctic_ocean_ice_disappears_global_climate_impacts_intensify_wadhams>while 
blue open water absorbs it.
One study in the Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The 
United States Of America estimates the extra heat absorbed by the dark 
waters of the Arctic in summer wouldadd the equivalent of another 25 per 
cent<http://scripps.ucsd.edu/biblio/observational-determination-albedo-decrease-caused-vanishing-arctic-sea-ice>to 
global greenhouse gas emissions.
*3. The 50 gigaton methane "burp"*
Dr. Natalia Shakhova, of the University of Alaska Fairbanks' 
International Arctic Research Center has warned that a 50-gigaton burp, 
or "pulse," of methane from thawing Arctic permafrost beneath the East 
Siberian Arctic Shelf is"highly possible at any time." 
<http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/39957-release-of-arctic-methane-may-be-apocalyptic-study-warns> 

Methane is a greenhouse gas much more potent than carbon dioxide. A 50 
gigaton burp would be the equivalent of roughly two-thirds of the total 
carbon dioxide released since the beginning of the industrial era.
*4. Accelerated ocean acidification*
The world's oceans are carbon sinks that sequester a third of the carbon 
dioxide released into the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide emitted in 
addition to that which is produced naturally has changed the chemistry 
of seawater. The carbon in the oceans converts into carbonic acid, which 
lowers pH levels and makes the water acidic.
As of 2010, the global population of phytoplankton, the microscopic 
organisms that form the basis of the ocean's food web, hasfallen by 
about 40 per cent since 1950 
<http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/phytoplankton-population/>. 
Phytoplankton also absorb carbon dioxide and produce half of the world's 
oxygen output.
The accelerating loss of ocean biodiversity and continued overfishing 
may result in acollapse of all species of wild seafood by 2048 
<http://www3.epa.gov/region1/npdes/schillerstation/pdfs/AR-024.pdf>, 
according to a 2006 study published in the journal Science.
*5. From global warming to global dimming*
The Canadian government recently announced plans to phase out coal-fired 
electricity generation by 2030. But at the same time as warming the 
planet, pollution from coal power plants, airplanes and other sources of 
industrial soot, aerosols and sulfates are artificially cooling the 
planet by filling the atmosphere with reflective particles, a process 
known as global dimming.
Airplanes, for example, release condensation trails (or contrails) that 
form cloud cover that reflects the sun. The effects of global dimming 
are best evidenced by a 2 degree Celsius temperature increase in North 
America after all commercial flights were grounded for three days 
following the attacks of 9/11.
*The take-away*
Out of control climate change means feedback mechanisms may accelerate 
beyond any capacity of human control. The occurrences discussed in this 
article are five of some 60 known weather-related phenomenon, which can 
lead to what climate scientist James Hansen has termed the "Venus 
Syndrome," where oceans would boil and the surface temperature of earth 
could reach 462 degrees Celsius. Along the way humans could expect to 
die in resource wars, starvation due to food systems collapse or lethal 
heat exposure.
Given all that remains unknown and what is at stake with climate change, 
is it irresponsible to rule out the possibility of human extinction in 
the coming decades or sooner?
https://nowtoronto.com/news/are-we-headed-for-near-term-human-extinction/


*Species may appear deceptively resilient to climate change 
<https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171122093039.htm>*
Ecological air conditioning offers short-term protection from a warming 
climate
Natural habitats play a vital role in helping other plants and animals 
resist heat stresses ramping up with climate change -- at least until 
the species they depend on to form those habitats become imperiled...
Habitat More Important Than Latitude for Some
The study adds to the understanding of how different species respond to 
climate change. Scientists have observed some plants and animals under 
climate change are leaving lower latitudes for cooler ones. But this 
study shows that, for some species, habitat is more important than 
latitude in protecting them from the effects of climate change.
"If you're an octopus living in a mussel bed, the most important thing 
to keep your body temperature survivable is that mussel bed around you, 
not whether you live in Southern California, where it's warmer, or 
Washington," Jurgens said.
The study also reinforces the benefits of habitat conservation. It 
indicates that destroying habitat can reduce climate resilience, while 
restoring and conserving habitat can help maintain biodiversity as the 
climate warms.
"People are really big compared to most organisms on the planet," 
Jurgens said. "We're enormous, and it's hard for us to understand what 
it's like to be in these habitats unless you imagine yourself in a place 
like a forest you walk into on a hot day. If that temperature is what 
you need to survive, that forest better be there."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171122093039.htm


<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/23/us/climate-change-threatens-to-strip-the-identity-of-glacier-national-park.html?mwrsm=Email>*This 
Day in Climate History November 23,  2014 
<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/23/us/climate-change-threatens-to-strip-the-identity-of-glacier-national-park.html?mwrsm=Email> 
-  from D.R. Tucker*
November 23, 2014: The New York Times reports:
"A warming climate is melting [Glacier National Park's] glaciers, an
icy retreat that promises to change not just tourists' vistas, but
also the mountains and everything around them.
"Streams fed by snowmelt are reaching peak spring flows weeks earlier
than in the past, and low summer flows weeks before they used to. Some
farmers who depend on irrigation in the parched days of late summer
are no longer sure that enough water will be there. Bull trout, once
pan-fried over anglers' campfires, are now caught and released to
protect a population that is shrinking as water temperatures rise."
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/23/us/climate-change-threatens-to-strip-the-identity-of-glacier-national-park.html?mwrsm=Email

/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
//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/20171123/adb38191/attachment.html>


More information about the TheClimate.Vote mailing list