[TheClimate.Vote] October 26, 2017 - Daily Global Warming News

[Richard Pauli]

/October 26, 2017/

Entire show on global warming. /Full Frontal with Samantha Bee all new 
Wednesdays at 10:30 
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSyRlCr_lsk&t=630s>/9:30 
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSyRlCr_lsk&t=570s>c on TBS! /
*(videos) A Meditation on Climate Change | October 25, 2017 Cold Open | 
Full Frontal on TBS <https://youtu.be/rJO0XoakOJQ>*
Something cosmic was really pushing Sam to do a show on climate change.
https://youtu.be/rJO0XoakOJQ
*Natural Disasters: The Greatening | October 25, 2017 Act 1 | Full 
Frontal on TBS <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSyRlCr_lsk>
*Apparently three category 4+ hurricanes in one year weren't enough to 
convince anyone we should talk about climate change, so we brought in 
Earth herself to prove things aren't OK. Featuring a performance by 
Ingrid Michaelson. Ingrid Michaelson appears courtesy of Cabin 24 Records.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSyRlCr_lsk*
Scott Pruitt vs. The World | October 25, 2017 Act 2 | Full Frontal on 
TBS <https://youtu.be/hrDeKf1Cpbo>*
The guy in charge of the EPA is stabbing the environment with a 
deregulation shiv.
https://youtu.be/hrDeKf1Cpbo
*Full Frontal's (Hot As) Hell House | October 25, 2017 Act 3 | Full 
Frontal on TBS <https://youtu.be/DFjV8hZR4uM>*
There's only one thing that can scare climate change deniers into 
believing: hanging out with other deniers.
https://youtu.be/DFjV8hZR4uM
*(Earth is) Not OK ft. Ingrid Michaelson | October 25, 2017 | Full 
Frontal on TBS <https://youtu.be/jAPltvZCt9w>*
This summer's endless fires and storms left us a little unsure, so we 
asked Earth herself, Ingrid Michaelson, if things are ok. Ingrid 
Michaelson appears courtesy of Cabin 24 Records.
https://youtu.be/jAPltvZCt9w


*'We will be toasted, roasted and grilled': IMF chief sounds climate 
change warning 
<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/25/we-will-be-toasted-roasted-and-grilled-imf-chief-sounds-climate-change-warning>*
The world will be in deep trouble if it fails to tackle climate change 
and inequality, IMF managing director Christine Lagarde has warned.
"If we don't address these issues... we will be moving to a dark future" 
in 50 years, she told a major economic conference in the Saudi capital 
Riyadh on Tuesday.
Lagarde said that "we will be toasted, roasted and grilled" if the world 
fails to take "critical decisions" on climate change.
In 2015, around 195 nations signed the Paris climate agreement which set 
out goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, so as to prevent 
temperatures rising by more than two degrees in around 50 years...
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/25/we-will-be-toasted-roasted-and-grilled-imf-chief-sounds-climate-change-warning


*Big companies' climate change targets are 'unambitious', say analysts 
<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/25/big-companies-climate-change-targets-are-unambitious-say-analysts>*
While almost all companies have plans in place to reduce carbon 
emissions, those plans don't go far enough, according to the Carbon 
Disclosure Project.
Nearly nine out of 10 of the world's biggest companies have plans in 
place to reduce carbon emissions, new research has found, but only a 
fifth of them are doing so for 2030 and beyond.
The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) also found that only 14% of its 
sample of 1,073 large companies around the world had "science-based 
targets" - that is, goals to reduce carbon emissions which are in line 
with the global agreement to hold warming to no more than 2C, enshrined 
in the 2015 Paris agreement.
"Targets [from companies] have previously been short in scope and pretty 
unambitious," Marcus Norton, chief partnerships officer at CDP, told the 
Guardian. "That is improving."
Companies are not bound by the Paris agreement, which requires country 
governments to take action to hold warming to no more than 2C, with an 
aspirational goal of keeping warming to even lower levels, of 1.5C. 
However, many large companies have taken their own steps to reduce 
greenhouse gas emissions, including investing in renewable energy, 
cutting down on waste and streamlining their operations.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/25/big-companies-climate-change-targets-are-unambitious-say-analysts


*US government agency issues climate change warning as report finds 
natural disasters cost America $350bn 
<http://www.independent.co.uk/news/natural-disasters-us-350bn-climate-change-gao-government-accountability-office-a8018226.html>*
'We simply cannot afford the billions of dollars in additional 
funding...if we do not take into account the consequences of climate change'
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/natural-disasters-us-350bn-climate-change-gao-government-accountability-office-a8018226.html
-
*(GAO) Information on Potential Economic Effects Could Help Guide 
Federal Efforts to Reduce Fiscal Exposure 
<http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-17-720>*
GAO-17-720: Published: Sep 28, 2017. Publicly Released: Oct 24, 2017.
Climate-related impacts, such as coastal property damage, have already 
cost the federal government billions of dollars, and these costs will 
likely rise in the future. We found that information on the economic 
effects of climate change is developing and imprecise, but it can convey 
insights into the nation's regions and sectors that could be most affected.
As an initial step in establishing government-wide priorities to manage 
climate risks, we recommended that the Executive Office of the President 
use information on economic effects to help identify significant climate 
risks and craft appropriate federal responses.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-17-720
-
*Highlights Page:*  (PDF, 1 page) 
<http://www.gao.gov/assets/690/687465.pdf> 
http://www.gao.gov/assets/690/687465.pdf
*Full Report: (PDF, 45 pages) 
<http://www.gao.gov/assets/690/687466.pdf>* 
http://www.gao.gov/assets/690/687466.pdf
-
*Global Warming 'Costing Taxpayers Billions.' Here's How to Fix It. 
<https://www.commondreams.org/views/2017/10/24/global-warming-costing-taxpayers-billions-heres-how-fix-it>*
"The soil solution."
by Ronnie Cummins
The New York Times yesterday cited a new report by the notoriously 
conservative Government Accountability Office (GAO), which said "climate 
change is costing taxpayers billions.
CNN also reported  on the GAO study, which calls on Trump to "craft 
appropriate responses."
If you want to do something about global warming, look under your feet. 
Managed well, soil's ability to trap carbon dioxide is potentially much 
greater than previously estimated, according to Stanford researchers who 
claim the resource could "significantly" offset increasing global 
emissions. They call for a reversal of federal cutbacks to related 
research programs to learn more about this valuable resource.
The federal government has no problem subsidizing, to the tune of $20 
billion/year  -GMO monoculture crops that degrade the soil and play a 
significant role in making global warming worse.
But Congress has no problem cutting back research on how to improve soil 
health as a means of combatting global warming?
Fortunately, other governments are incorporating "the soil solution" 
into their policies and plans to combat global warming. The most 
significant is France's "Four for 1000: Soils for Food Security and 
Climate" Initiative launched by the French government at the Paris 
Climate Summit in December 2015.
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2017/10/24/global-warming-costing-taxpayers-billions-heres-how-fix-it


*Greenpeace Beats Back a SLAPP Lawsuit-for Now 
<https://www.thenation.com/article/greenpeace-beats-back-slapp-lawsuit-for-now/>*
It's a victory for free speech and forests. But will it last?
By Mark HertsgaardTwitter
How Trump's personal lawyers are trying to bully Greenpeace and other 
activists into bankruptcy even as the world's forests degrade from 
carbon sinks into carbon sources: 
https://www.thenation.com/article/greenpeace-beats-back-slapp-lawsuit-for-now/.
Note that this piece corrects the misleading impression conveyed by 
initial reports that the case is over and won; it is neither.
"We see this lawsuit as an attempt to silence, vilify, and criminalize 
activism," Annie Leonard, the executive director of Greenpeace USA, said 
outside the courtroom after the oral arguments. "That silencing is bad 
anytime, but it's especially bad now, when the federal government is 
pulling back from defending the public in the name of 'dismantling the 
state' [as former Trump aide Steve Bannon put it]. Activism is the last 
line of defense, and every minute we're in a courtroom is a minute we're 
not protecting the forest."
"It is not 'bullying' to hold accountable those who make false claims 
about a good company and mislead the public about made-up environmental 
claims," responded Bowe. "When sued, Greenpeace admitted [that] its 
claims were not really true but only 'rhetoric' and 'hyperbole.' 
Greenpeace is the bully here, not Resolute."
The RICO statute prescribes triple damages, so a victory for Resolute 
could well put Greenpeace and Stand.earth out of business. The company 
claims the activists' actions have cost it $80 million; if the court 
accepts that figure, damages could be set at $240 million, more than 
enough to bankrupt the two activist group.
"What you have to remember about a SLAPP suit," said Wheaton, "is that 
it's not about winning. It's about dragging the case out as long as 
possible and draining as much time and resources from your opponent as 
you can. The lawyers in the Resolute case really want to drag it out, 
because they don't want a final ruling there that could be cited against 
them in the North Dakota case. This is a test case for them to figure 
out, 'How do we do this next time, and the time after that?'"
https://www.thenation.com/article/greenpeace-beats-back-slapp-lawsuit-for-now/


*Sunrise Movement <https://www.sunrisemovement.org/>*
HISTORY IS BEING MADE THIS NOVEMBER.
The 11th Hour Project.
Yesterday marked 60 days since Hurricane Harvey destroyed thousands of 
lives and livelihoods in the Gulf Coast, 45 days since Irma forced the 
evacuation of millions from Florida, and over a month since Irma has 
left Puerto Ricans without electricity or water. We went to the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency to #ShineALight on the inaction and 
corruption we've seen since then.
These storms were all made more deadly and destructive by global warming 
from burning fossil fuels. But since the storms, U.S. EPA Administrator 
Scott Pruitt has only taken more steps to protect the pocketbooks of his 
fossil fuel executive buddies rather than protect our health, home, and 
futures from the ravages of climate change. We're building a movement to 
expose and unseat crooked politicians like Pruitt, and elect leaders who 
stand up for the health and well being of all people. Are you in?
How will we be remembered? Join us on November 18 for the Climate Legacy 
Time Capsule Day of Dedication.
*CLIMATE LEGACY TIME CAPSULE PROJECT 
<http://www.climatetimecapsule.org/unite/>*
http://www.climatetimecapsule.org/unite/


*Why the IPCC's New Focus on Mountain Climate Change Is a Big Deal 
<https://psmag.com/environment/ipcc-to-release-report-on-mountain-global-warming>*
Better science coordination will help mountain communities prepare for 
global warming.
"We're behind the eight-ball when it comes to protecting mountain 
communities from landslides, glacier avalanches, and outburst floods," 
says University of British Columbia mountain scientist Michele Koppes. 
The IPCC process is laborious, but the end results can help direct 
resources where they are needed, she says. "All these things affect a 
lot of people. We need to spell out the human dimensions of climate 
change, and the new IPCC report will do that for mountain areas," says 
Koppes, who has recently been studying one of the newest identified 
risks: tsunamis in coastal fjords triggered by thawing mountainsides 
that tumble into the sea.
A concerted global effort to track climate change in the mountains could 
finally confirm whether mountains are-as suggested by some 
studies-warming twice as fast as the global average.
"If that is proven to be the case, it's really significant," Pauli says. 
"It's analogous to amplified warming the Arctic, and it redoubles 
concerns about how sensitive the overall climate system is to greenhouse 
gases."
https://psmag.com/environment/ipcc-to-release-report-on-mountain-global-warming
- see also:
*GLOBAL OBSERVATION RESEARCH INITIATIVE IN ALPINE ENVIRONMENTS 
<http://www.gloria.ac.at/>*
http://www.gloria.ac.at/


*Forest Fires Stoke Record Loss in World Tree Cover 
<https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/forest-fires-stoke-record-loss-in-world-tree-cover/>*
Wildfires contributed to global tree cover loss equivalent to the size 
of New Zealand in 2016
OSLO (Reuters) - Forest fires in Brazil and Indonesia contributed to a 
record loss in global tree cover in 2016, equivalent to the size of New 
Zealand, that could accelerate deforestation blamed for climate change, 
an independent forest monitoring network said on Monday.
Man-made global warming increased the risks of wildfires by adding to 
extreme heat and droughts in some regions, according to Global Forest 
Watch (GFW). This year, California and Portugal have been among places 
suffering deadly blazes.
The combination of forest fires with land use change and climate change 
could speed destruction in areas like the Amazon and contribute to 
emissions of carbon dioxide, one of the gases that contribute to global 
warming, the report said.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/forest-fires-stoke-record-loss-in-world-tree-cover/


*Risings Seas Are Flooding Virginia's Naval Base, and There's No Plan to 
Fix It 
<https://insideclimatenews.org/news/10252017/military-norfolk-naval-base-flooding-climate-change-sea-level-global-warming-virigina>*
The giant naval base at Norfolk is under threat by rising seas and 
sinking land, but little is being done to hold back the tides.
Naval Station Norfolk, home to the Atlantic Fleet, floods not just in 
heavy rains or during hurricanes. It floods when the sun is shining, 
too, if the tide is high or the winds are right. It floods all the time.
Inside Climate News video report <https://vimeo.com/239465270> 
https://vimeo.com/239465270 6 mins
"It is an impediment to the base accomplishing its mission,"
"Blue Sky Flooding"
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/10252017/military-norfolk-naval-base-flooding-climate-change-sea-level-global-warming-virigina
https://vimeo.com/239465270


*Building Resilience: A meta-analysis of Oxfam's resilience 
Effectiveness Reviews 
<http://policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/publications/building-resilience-a-meta-analysis-of-oxfams-resilience-effectiveness-reviews-620356>*
Oxfam's Effectiveness Reviews evaluate the impact of the organization's 
projects on the lives of those they are intended to help.
This research paper uses statistical meta-analysis to summarise the 
results of all 16 Effectiveness Reviews carried out under the theme of 
resilience between 2011 and 2015.
The paper finds that projects evaluated had a significant positive 
impact overall, as measured by an index of contextually-appropriate 
indicators of resilience. However, there are important differences in 
impact between different regions of the world. The meta-analysis also 
reveals a difference in the level of resilience by the gender of the 
head of household, and provides some insights into the resilience 
measurement approach.
Download English report 
<https://oxfamilibrary.openrepository.com/oxfam/bitstream/10546/620356/1/er-resilience-meta-analysis-251017-en.pdf> 
https://oxfamilibrary.openrepository.com/oxfam/bitstream/10546/620356/1/er-resilience-meta-analysis-251017-en.pdf
http://policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/publications/building-resilience-a-meta-analysis-of-oxfams-resilience-effectiveness-reviews-620356


*Wildfire smoke: Some elderly more vulnerable 
<https://journalistsresource.org/studies/environment/wildfire-smoke-elderly-health-research>*
Wildfire smoke: Some elderly more vulnerable
By Chloe Reichel
Among the elderly, women and black people are more likely to be admitted 
to the hospital from exposure to wildfire smoke than men and people of 
other races.
The issue: Each year, as wildfires char landscapes, ravage buildings and 
claim lives, accompanying smoke contributes to the fires' destruction 
and takes its own toll. Composed of gases, water vapor and particulate 
matter, smoke pollutes the air we breathe.
The risks associated with smoke inhalation are particularly acute for 
the young, whose respiratory systems are still developing, and the old, 
who may have weakened defenses to particle exposure. A new study looks 
at the elderly to identify who is most vulnerable to this form of pollution.
An academic study worth reading: "Who Among the Elderly is Most 
Vulnerable to Exposure to and Health Risks of Fine Particulate Matter 
from Wildfire Smoke?" published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, 
September 2017.
About the study: A team of researchers, led by Jia Coco Liu of the 
Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, estimated 
the concentrations of PM2.5 (fine particulate matter in the air with a 
diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less), in 561 counties across the western 
United States from 2004 to 2009. They then categorized dates within this 
range as either "smoke-wave" (which are "high-pollution episodes from 
wildfire smoke") or "non-smoke-wave" days.
*Key findings:*
- Elderly black people were more likely to have been exposed to more 
than one smoke wave as compared with their white peers. Exposure rates 
for black people were 73.4 percent versus 56 percent for whites.
- Elderly black people also had a higher risk of being admitted to a 
hospital with a respiratory problem.
- Compared to elderly men, elderly women of all races had a higher risk 
of admission to the hospital for respiratory issues. The researchers 
suggest there might be physiological differences to explain this 
discrepancy.
- Poorer counties had larger proportions of residents exposed to smoke 
waves than better-off counties. In counties with more than 15 percent of 
the population in poverty, 61.5 percent of the population was exposed to 
smoke waves, compared to 55.9 percent exposure in counties with less 
than 10 percent of the population in poverty.
https://journalistsresource.org/studies/environment/wildfire-smoke-elderly-health-research


*When Maine burned: How the monster Fire of '47 tested the state's 
resilience and altered its landscape 
<http://www.pressherald.com/2017/10/21/when-maine-burned-how-the-monster-fire-of-47-tested-mainers-resilience-and-altered-its-landscape/>*
The fires that swept across Maine 70 years ago this month were like 
nothing its residents had seen before, or thankfully since.
he walls of flames roared like tornadoes or locomotives across Maine's 
wooded hillsides, devastating communities with a ferocity that didn't 
distinguish between waterfront mansions or humble farmsteads.
The only difference was the size of the rubble and ash piles left behind 
when the fires of October 1947 finally ended.
By the time rains finally fell on Oct. 29 - weeks after flames began 
popping up across the drought-stricken state - the fires had burned more 
than 200,000 acres, destroyed nearly 900 year-round homes, 400 seasonal 
houses and left an estimated 2,500 people homeless.
By Oct. 20, there were 50 small fires burning around the state. But 
things exploded a day later when strong winds fanned the flames beyond 
the fire lines, beginning what Wilkins dubbed "the race of terror" that 
would continue unabated for nearly a week.
Thousands of acres had already burned, but on Oct. 20-21 the danger of 
the forest fires became very real for many residents of southern Maine.
In her 1979 book, "Wildfire Loose: The Week Maine Burned," author Joyce 
Butler captured the terror of women and children caught in 
Kennebunkport's Goose Rocks Beach community as the wind-driven flames 
suddenly converged on the area.
The fire "roared into the beach settlement, a maelstrom of wind, smoke 
and flames," forcing the group of women and children onto the beach and 
into the water, Butler wrote. Terrified wildlife also flocked to the 
beach, further unsettling the women, children and pets.
Esther Boynton, in one of nearly two dozen interviews recorded by 
Butler, recalled the agonizing decision about what to take and what to 
leave behind when it was clear her family's Brownfield house was 
"doomed." Speaking 30 years later, Boynton regretted taking so many 
"good things" - i.e., valuables - and leaving behind the "ordinary 
things" you need for everyday life.
"I went out and I didn't even close the doors behind," Boynton said in a 
pained voice. "It didn't seem to make any difference. It just, it was. 
That's all. . . . The houses didn't burn, they exploded. The heat was so 
terrible that they exploded." BY KEVIN MILLERSTAFF
http://www.pressherald.com/2017/10/21/when-maine-burned-how-the-monster-fire-of-47-tested-mainers-resilience-and-altered-its-landscape/


*Ancient Icelandic Volcanoes May Have Hastened Ice Age Melting 
<https://www.seeker.com/earth/climate/ancient-icelandic-volcanoes-may-have-hastened-ice-age-melting>*
Sediments deposited by ice sheet meltwater provide clues about ancient 
climates, as well as the future effects of global warming. | Francesco ...
A surge of volcanic eruptions from Iceland may have sped up the melting 
of the ice sheets that covered Scandinavia thousands of years ago as 
tons of soot fell from the sky.
That thaw would have taken place even as the cloud of ash released from 
the volcanoes was cooling northern Europe, paleoclimatologist Francesco 
Muschitiello told Seeker. And it's a story that has some relevance to 
current climate concerns.
That cloud gradually would have driven temperatures down as they hung in 
the atmosphere, blocking more sunlight. But the portion that fell onto 
the ice sheets would have led to a faster melt, as the spots of dark 
carbon meant the ice absorbed solar radiation it otherwise would have 
reflected back into space.
https://www.seeker.com/earth/climate/ancient-icelandic-volcanoes-may-have-hastened-ice-age-melting


*Nova Scotia vineyards flourish in age of global warming 
<https://www.thestar.com/business/2017/10/23/nova-scotia-vineyards-flourish-in-age-of-global-warming.html>*
Wineries in areas once thought too cold for anything but hardy hybrid 
grapes have started planting European varieties.
https://www.thestar.com/business/2017/10/23/nova-scotia-vineyards-flourish-in-age-of-global-warming.html


*This Day in Climate History October 27, 2000  - from D.R. Tucker*
October 26, 2000: At a campaign appearance in Davenport, Iowa,
Democratic candidate Al Gore declares:
"Now, I want to talk about the environment here today, because we have
a situation where the big polluters are supporting Governor Bush, and
they are wanting to be in control of the environmental policies.
"In his state of Texas -- Tom talked about some of the statistics
there -- here's another: They're No. 1 in something; they rank No. 1
out of all 50 in industrial pollution. They rank No. 1 as the
smoggiest state. Houston's just solidified its title as the smoggiest
city.
"He put a lobbyist for the chemical manufacturers in charge of
enforcing the environmental laws, made some of the environmental laws
voluntary and then the state sank in its ratings.
"Now, look, just today we are seeing on television the new study that
just comes out once every five years where the scientific community
around the world tells us what they've learned about this problem that
these kids are going to grow up with unless we do something, and
that's the problem of global warming. And I know a lot of people say
that that looks like it's off in the future.
"But let me tell what you this new study said: instead of just going
up a few degrees in the lifetimes of these kids, unless we act, the
average temperature is going to go up 10 or 11 degrees. The storms
will get stronger, the weather patterns will change. But it does not
have to happen, and it won't happen if we put our minds to solving
this problem."
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0010/26/se.02.html

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