[TheClimate.Vote] October 30, 2017 - Daily Global Warming News
Richard Pauli
richard at theclimate.vote
Mon Oct 30 10:42:54 EDT 2017
/October 30, 2017/
*(PRI audio) Global warming threatens nutrition levels in staple crops
<https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-10-29/global-warming-threatens-nutrition-levels-staple-crops>*
New research suggests that declining levels of iron, zinc and protein
resulting from high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are
putting human health at risk, especially in the developing world.
In a paper published in Nature several years ago, Harvard scientist Dr.
Sam Myers and other researchers showed that staple food crops lose
between five and ten percent of iron, zinc and protein when grown at 550
parts per million of carbon. This led them to wonder how many people
would be at risk of nutrient deficiencies if they maintained their
current intake of these crops.
They found that 150 to 200 hundred million more people would likely be
pushed into nutrient deficiencies, on top of the millions of people who
already suffer from this condition.
Across the world today, Myers says, around two billion people suffer
from micronutrient deficiencies. "In the studies that we've done, we've
looked at how many people would become newly deficient, but, of course,
there are also hundreds of millions or billions of people who would have
their deficiencies further exacerbated," he points out.
https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-10-29/global-warming-threatens-nutrition-levels-staple-crops*
**Increasing CO2 threatens human nutrition
<http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v510/n7503/full/nature13179.html>*
Abstract:
Dietary deficiencies of zinc and iron are a substantial global public
health problem. An estimated two billion people suffer these
deficiencies1, causing a loss of 63 million life-years annually2, 3.
Most of these people depend on C3 grains and legumes as their primary
dietary source of zinc and iron. Here we report that C3 grains and
legumes have lower concentrations of zinc and iron when grown under
field conditions at the elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration predicted
for the middle of this century. C3 crops other than legumes also have
lower concentrations of protein, whereas C4 crops seem to be less
affected. Differences between cultivars of a single crop suggest that
breeding for decreased sensitivity to atmospheric CO2 concentration
could partly address these new challenges to global health.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v510/n7503/full/nature13179.html
*Activists march across Brooklyn Bridge calling for action on climate
change 5 years after Sandy
<http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/nyc-rally-calls-climate-change-action-5-years-sandy-article-1.3596015>*
An outpouring of activists and environmental advocates marched across
the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday to mark the fifth anniversary of
Hurricane Sandy - and call on government to take climate change seriously.
Thousands crowded into Cadman Park Plaza in downtown Brooklyn ahead of
the march, many carrying signs that read "Climate Justice Now," "Soil
Not Oil" and "Windmills Not Walls."
"Here we are on another warm day in October, and we know why," said
Eddie Bautista, the executive director of New York Environmental Justice
Alliance.
Bautista drew a direct line between the devastation that hit New York
five years ago and the spate of storms that slammed into the Caribbean
this summer.
"We're here today to be part of this reminder to our city and state -
the federal government is probably beyond reminding at this point -
that climate change is killing us, and it's killing poor folks and folks
of color more blatantly and aggressively than everyone else," Zuchuk
said. "So we're here as part of the defense of our city against this."
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/nyc-rally-calls-climate-change-action-5-years-sandy-article-1.3596015
-
*NYC remains vulnerable to storms 5 years after Hurricane Sandy -
despite improvements
<http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-vulnerable-storms-5-years-hurricane-sandy-article-1.3597208>*
Two massive projects have been in the theoretical works for years -
discussion of a system of levees and sea walls along Staten Island's
East Shore go back to 1993, while plans to bulk up the Rockaway beaches
with jetties and other coastal protections date to the 1960s.
andy also brought in huge amounts of federal money - and pushed the
city and state to kick in their own local matches to get projects moving.
On Staten Island, the initial study of a sea wall was almost done, after
various starts and stops, when Sandy roared in on Oct. 29, 2012.
"Sandy, of course, changed everything," Ciorra said.
It also gave the corps new data, and that necessitated a new plan. The
corps settled on a $600 million project to build a 5 1/2-mile network of
armored levees and sea walls, from Fort Wadsworth to Great Kills.
Other plans, such as buyout programs on Staten Island meant to revert
low-lying areas to natural barriers, have moved forward as well.
Recent storms, including hurricanes Irma, Harvey and Maria, have
confirmed scientists and environmentalists worst fears about the future
- and the present - as climate change worsens, so will the weather.
A study that researchers at several universities - including Rutgers,
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Princeton - released this
month found deluges in the city will intensify to such a degree that by
2030, floods of 7 feet or more could occur as often as every five years.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-vulnerable-storms-5-years-hurricane-sandy-article-1.3597208
*Coffee industry adapts to climate change
<http://www.dailyitem.com/news/northumberland_county/coffee-industry-adapts-to-climate-change/article_13a658a6-423c-5514-832d-32d92778a843.html>*
By Emma Ginader/The Daily Item
"It is not going to be like one day the entire world will be without
coffee but the changes are happening," Fresh Roasted Coffee owner Andrew
Oakes said.
"I think as a species, we are adept. We search for solutions," said Oakes.
Graham said coffee farmers are moving higher up the mountains to avoid
the heat in Central America. While this solution can create a more
complex flavor profile in the beans, it also requires an increase in
infrastructure to get the product off the mountain.
Bason said the regions where coffee can be grown could change. "Groups
are trying to predict where might be a better place to grow coffee," he
said. "We could end up growing coffee in Texas."
Oakes said larger coffee plantations are attempting to introduce
different strains that are less suspiciable to disease and more hardy.
Graham said one proposal in South America, where coffee is often grown
in the fields of plateaus, is to place trees with the fields to shade
the coffee. However, this decreases the overall yield.
"The biggest dilemma are the consequences of these changes and our
solutions to them that we might not see coming," said Oakes.
He said the best thing local coffee roasters can do at this time is try
to prevent climate change from getting worse.
http://www.dailyitem.com/news/northumberland_county/coffee-industry-adapts-to-climate-change/article_13a658a6-423c-5514-832d-32d92778a843.html
*"Trump is a self-inflicted wound"
<https://cosmosmagazine.com/society/trump-is-a-self-inflicted-wound>*
Is the democratic system the real problem that needs to be tackled if we
want our species to survive? Richard Dawkins chats with Andrew Masterson.
Discussing the fact that climate-science-denying politicians are not
exactly rare these days, Richard Dawkins notes that he's met a few of
them in Australia, including "one remarkably stupid man, on television,
but I've forgotten his name".
It's slightly embarrassing, and telling, that an obvious answer doesn't
spring to mind, there being so many possibilities.
Dawkins, of course, is an evolutionary biologist by profession, so he is
naturally drawn to looking at things in the context of history rather
than the short-term. From that perspective, he sees grounds for comfort.
"I don't think the bad guys are winning in the long run," he says. "I
think we have temporary setbacks, but I think there's a broad
improvement going on over centuries, over decades, but it's a saw-tooth,
not a smooth incline.
"So, we have setbacks like Trump – and the vice president, Pence, as
well – but they will go away and in 100 years' time we'll be laughing at
them again."
It's a nice thought, but it prompts another question. The next hundred
years is pretty much the period during which most climate scientists
think the Earth is likely to hit a global warming tipping point, with
potentially catastrophic consequences....
https://cosmosmagazine.com/society/trump-is-a-self-inflicted-wound
*In Trump Era, Rising Seas Still a Concern for Defense Department
<http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/10/29/in-trump-era-rising-seas-still-a-concern-for-defense-department.html>*
Within the government, Sullivan said, "a changing climate" is replacing
"climate change" as the term de rigueur. No matter what it's called, she
said: "The fundamentals stay the same. The same general policy is that
this is a risk that we need to integrate in day-to-day decision-making."
Storm surges from hurricanes would wreak even more havoc in the era of
higher sea levels, potentially swamping entire bases, including Naval
Station Norfolk, Udvardy said.
Udvardy said she found some encouragement in a vote by the
Republican-controlled House in June. It approved an amendment to a
military spending bill that requires the defense secretary to address
climate change in numerous ways, including by compiling a list of the
most vulnerable installations and proposing strategies for protecting them.
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/10/29/in-trump-era-rising-seas-still-a-concern-for-defense-department.html
*Secrets Of The Most Resilient People
<https://www.fastcompany.com/40483677/secrets-of-the-most-resilient-people>*
BY GWEN MORAN
Being able to bounce back from devastation may seem like a superpower,
but there are several things you can do to prepare in advance.
Here are some ways you can shore up your "resilience bunker" to better
prepare for when tough times strike.
*PREPARE FOR THE WORST*
Niles says the concept of "preparing" for bad times often throws people
off. "They're like, 'Wait a minute. A disastrous change is like losing a
job. How do I prepare for that?'" It starts with mind-set, he says.
Accept that change is inevitable, and realize that you can choose how
you react, and whether you decide to be optimistic. People with positive
outlooks tend to have greater resilience and financial and business success.
When possible, lay the groundwork for recovery before you need to: Keep
your skills up to date to stay in demand in the market, have a financial
reserve in case of job loss or illness, etc. Of course, tragedy or
devastating events can disrupt the best-laid plans, but developing the
right mind-set - including the ability to reframe negative events - and
taking action to mitigate potential damage where you can may go a long
way in helping you recover in a worst-case scenario.
*BE EMOTIONALLY SELF-AWARE*
"Your ability to become and remain resilient is directly related to your
emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the ability to
understand your mood and emotions, be aware of the moods and emotions of
others, and to use this awareness to guide your behavior. Emotional
intelligence determines how you interact with others, manage
relationships, stay motivated, make decisions, manage your emotions,
influence others, and much more," says organizational communication and
leadership expert Anne Grady, author of Strong Enough: Choosing Courage,
Resilience and Triumph.
To better manage stress, observe how you respond when you are under
pressure. How do tense or stressful situations affect you physically,
psychologically, and emotionally? Become familiar with those feelings as
indications that you need to manage the stress in a situation, since
strong emotions are more likely to dictate your behavior. To understand
what triggers your stress, think about how you would complete the
following statements.
It makes me angry when:
I don't like it when people:
I feel offended when:
I think it's rude to:
It makes me crazy when:
If people would only:
I get irritated when I come to work and:
I get irritated when I come home and:
Practicing "active internal coping mechanisms" such as reframing, humor,
optimism, and meaningful social interactions in the face of everyday
stressors can help you better manage big events, she says. A 2012 study
published in the journal Stress & Health found that mental toughness
decreased depressive symptoms in stressful situations.
*WRITE IT OUT*
The act of writing can be enormously helpful in building resilience and
recovering from traumatic situations, says Stacy Brookman, host of the
podcast, Real Life Resilience: Stories of Recovery from Life's Most
Difficult Trauma. Simply writing about your feelings can help you
explore them and resolve some of the issues that may be preventing you
from recovering from trauma, she says. "The act of just writing out
[traumatic memories] helps you organize your brain where you can cope a
lot better," she says. "It feels much, much safer to manage words on
paper than it does to confront tough situations in your brain."
A September 2017 study from Michigan State University found that simply
writing about feelings can help people perform upcoming stressful tasks
more efficiently, and provided the first neural evidence of expressive
writing's benefits. Niles adds that writing down positive things that
have happened also helps you remember them when times are less rosy.
*BUILD A COMMUNITY*
Niles says another key component to resilience is the people around you.
Having strong relationships with family, friends, mentors and others to
whom you can turn in times of crisis helps you bounce back. One April
2017 study from the British Psychological Society found that having a
best friend plays a big role in adults' resilience in the face of adversity.
"We need a personal board of directors around us," he says. "When a
company has a board of directors, the board of directors advises the
company. But the company also provides, in exchange, value for
shareholders. So a board of directors ideally is really kind of your
resiliency 'buddies' or resiliency 'army.' We can help each other out."
*KNOW YOUR PURPOSE*
Several studies have linked having a sense of purpose to everything from
resilience to cognitive function to overall mental health. Having a
sense of purpose beyond your occupation or everyday role also plays a
big role in resilience, Niles says. "Our positions are temporary and
will likely change. But our purpose should never really change," he
says. That includes our values and the things that motivate us to
fulfill a greater purpose in the world. When you connect with a greater
purpose, you can use that to keep the ups and downs of life in perspective.
https://www.fastcompany.com/40483677/secrets-of-the-most-resilient-people
*Why we're building a climate change game for 12-year-olds
<https://theconversation.com/why-were-building-a-climate-change-game-for-12-year-olds-85983>*
Here's a possible solution: "CO2peration
<http://climate.anu.edu.au/news-events/changing-game-climate-change>" is
an interactive, online game we developed for children aged 12-14. It
teaches climate science in a politics- and emotion-free zone.
https://theconversation.com/why-were-building-a-climate-change-game-for-12-year-olds-85983
-
*Changing the Game on Climate Change
<http://climate.anu.edu.au/news-events/changing-game-climate-change>*
A PhD researcher at the Australian National University - with a team of
professional game programmers, 3D artists and animators - has come up
with an innovative climate game: CO2peration. The game is designed to
teach everyone the science of climate change - from star systems to
molecules - and help to better align public understanding of climate
change with the scientific community.
The team are now urgently seeking crowd funding – if you're concerned
about climate change, please visit the Kickstarter campaign
<https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/56215861/co2peration-interactive-3d-climate-science-game?ref=user_menu>
to help make this important initiative a reality.
For many years, the view on climate change communication has been that
the 'knowledge deficit' model - scientific information is needed to fill
a gap in understanding - was ineffective. However, recent research
suggests this is not necessarily the case - that understanding climate
science is not only worthwhile, but a key consideration when developing
climate communication strategies. The problem in dismissing the
knowledge deficit model was that early communicators were using 'fear
appeals' (a focus on frightening impacts and predictions) to promote
engagement rather than on teaching the actual phenomena that drive the
climate system. These fundamental processes are the perfect questions to
explore in an engaging, exciting 3D interactive environment.
This new CO2peration game is a world-first for many reasons - it's all
about the science: the interactive 3D game is designed to arm people
with the facts. From students and teachers, serious gamers and climate
scientists, to the people who just want to know what they're talking
about at the water cooler - the aim of the game is to make sure everyone
walks away more informed about the phenomenon and why understanding it
matters. Modelled on all the probes, spacecraft and phenomena in space,
CO2peration traverses the solar system and zooms down to the very
material that makes up life, as we know it. It's a journey to discover
why we have water on Earth's surface - and the delicate balances that
keep it there.
http://climate.anu.edu.au/news-events/changing-game-climate-change
*This Day in Climate History October 30, 2003
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/31/us/senate-defeats-climate-bill-but-proponents-see-silver-lining.html>
- from D.R. Tucker*
The US Senate rejects the McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act of
2003 in a 55-43 vote. The bill failed after an all-out assault on the
legislation aided by ExxonMobil-funded "researcher" Willie Soon.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/31/us/senate-defeats-climate-bill-but-proponents-see-silver-lining.html
http://youtu.be/eJFZ88EH6i4
/
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