[TheClimate.Vote] September 30, 2017 - Daily Global Warming News

Sat Sep 30 11:30:53 EDT 2017

/September 30, 2017/

*Secretary Perry Urges FERC to Take Swift Action to Address Threats to 
Grid Resiliency 
<https://energy.gov/articles/secretary-perry-urges-ferc-take-swift-action-address-threats-grid-resiliency>*
SEPTEMBER 29, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry formally 
proposed that the *Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)* take 
swift action to address threats to U.S. electrical grid resiliency.  
Pursuant to his authority under Section 403 of the Department of Energy 
Organization Act, the Secretary urged the Commission to issue a final 
rule requiring its organized markets to develop and implement reforms 
that would fully price generation resources necessary to maintain the 
reliability and resiliency of our nation's grid.
https://energy.gov/articles/secretary-perry-urges-ferc-take-swift-action-address-threats-grid-resiliency
.
*Polluter Shill Perry Asks Independent FERC to Prop Up Uneconomic Coal 
and Nuclear Plants 
<http://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2017/09/polluter-shill-perry-asks-independent-ferc-prop-uneconomic-coal-and-nuclear>*
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Donald Trump's Secretary of Energy, Rick Perry, today 
asked FERC - an independent agency - to bail out the declining coal and 
nuclear industries 
<https://energy.gov/articles/secretary-perry-urges-ferc-take-swift-action-address-threats-grid-resiliency>, 
a move that's intended to placate corporate polluters that can't compete 
with cleaner, cheaper energy sources like solar, wind, and energy 
efficiency. Citing no immediate threat to the grid's resilience or 
reliability, Perry brazenly requested that the Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission (FERC) direct grid managers to prop up aging coal and nuclear 
plants, which will force electricity customers to pay billions upon 
billions of dollars to keep these old facilities open while newer, 
cleaner, and cheaper technologies are available. Perry's directive, if 
acted upon by FERC, would completely disregard stakeholder processes. It 
is a clumsy attempt to drive the Trump administration's efforts to force 
customers to pay more to bailout America's remaining uneconomic coal and 
nuclear plants and help their billionaire polluter allies.
*In response, Mary Anne Hitt, Director of Sierra Club's Beyond Coal 
campaign, released the following statement:*
"Make no mistake, Perry is shamelessly trying to force electricity 
customers to pay billions of dollars to prop up old, dangerous, and 
uneconomic coal and nuclear plants. With this action, he's simply doing 
the bidding of the fossil fuel industry. Perry is ignoring the fact that 
FERC is an independent agency tasked with listening to stakeholders to 
fix actual problems with the grid, not imaginary ones that only benefit 
a few uncompetitive industries - namely coal and nuclear.
*"The Federal Power Act clearly states that FERC cannot favor one energy 
source over others in its rulemakings,* and Perry's ask - without 
evidence or common sense - seeks to prop up dangerous coal and nuclear 
plants that can no longer compete in the wholesale market. We are 
prepared to take to court any illegal rule that props up dirty fossil 
fuel plants or weakens clean energy's market access."
http://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2017/09/polluter-shill-perry-asks-independent-ferc-prop-uneconomic-coal-and-nuclear

*Europe's Hot, Fiery Summer Linked to Global Warming, Study Shows – 
InsideClimate News 
<https://theenvironmentonline.com/europes-hot-fiery-summer-linked-to-global-warming-study-shows-insideclimate-news/>*
The Environment Communications Ltd
Europe's Hot, Fiery Summer Linked to Global Warming, Study Shows 
InsideClimate News The extreme heat, which fed wildfires and a heat wave 
so ...
https://theenvironmentonline.com/europes-hot-fiery-summer-linked-to-global-warming-study-shows-insideclimate-news/

*Methane emissions from cattle are 11% higher than estimated 
<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/29/methane-emissions-cattle-11-percent-higher-than-estimated>*
The Guardian
Bigger livestock in larger numbers in more regions has led to methane in 
the air climbing faster than predicted due to 'out-of-date data'
... methane emissions from livestock have risen most sharply in the 
rapidly developing regions of Asia, Latin America and Africa. By 
contrast, the increase has slowed sharply in the US and Canada. In 
Europe, emissions of the gas have declined.
A sharp rise in methane pollution could jeopardise the goal - enshrined 
in the 196-nation Paris climate pact - of capping global warming below 
2C, ..
"Such a target will become increasingly difficult if reductions in 
methane emissions are not also addressed strongly and rapidly,"
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/29/methane-emissions-cattle-11-percent-higher-than-estimated

*Tropical Forests are 'No Longer Carbon Sinks' because of Human Activity 
<http://www.resilience.org/stories/2017-09-29/tropical-forests-are-no-longer-carbon-sinks-because-of-human-activity/>*
By Daisy Dunne on Sep 29, 2017 04:05 am
Tropical forests now emit more carbon than they are able to absorb from 
the atmosphere as a result of the dual effects of deforestation and land 
degradation, a new study says. The research challenges the long-held 
belief that forests act as "carbon sinks" by storing more carbon than 
they emit due to natural processes and human activity.
http://www.resilience.org/stories/2017-09-29/tropical-forests-are-no-longer-carbon-sinks-because-of-human-activity/
-
*Alarm as study reveals world's tropical forests are huge carbon 
emission source 
<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/28/alarm-as-study-reveals-worlds-tropical-forests-are-huge-carbon-emission-source/.>*
Forests globally are so degraded that instead of absorbing emissions 
they now release more carbon annually than all the traffic in the US, 
say researchers
The world's forests have become so degraded that they are no longer 
carbon sinks but rather carbon sources, The Guardian reports, citing a 
study published in Science on Thursday:
To get more accurate data, scientists combined 12 years of satellite 
data with field studies. They found a net carbon loss on every 
continent. Latin America – home to the Amazon, the world's biggest 
forest – accounted for nearly 60% of the emissions, while 24% came from 
Africa and 16% from Asia.
Overall, more carbon was lost to degradation and disturbance than 
deforestation. The researchers stressed this was an opportunity as well 
as a concern because it was now possible to identify which areas are 
being affected and to restore forests before they disappeared completely.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/28/alarm-as-study-reveals-worlds-tropical-forests-are-huge-carbon-emission-source/.
-
*Death by 1,000 Cuts: Why the Forest Carbon Sink Is Disappearing 
<https://insideclimatenews.org/news/28092017/tropical-forest-logging-fires-carbon-sink-climate-change-study>*
In the world's tropical forests, carbon loss from small-scale 
disturbances like fires and minor logging is adding up, researchers say.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/28092017/tropical-forest-logging-fires-carbon-sink-climate-change-study
-
*Tropical forests are a net carbon source based on aboveground 
measurements of gain and loss 
<http://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2017/09/27/science.aam5962>*
*Abstract*
The carbon balance of tropical ecosystems remains uncertain, with 
top-down atmospheric studies suggesting an overall sink and bottom-up 
ecological approaches indicating a modest net source. Here we use 12 
years (2003–2014) of MODIS pantropical satellite data to quantify net 
annual changes in the aboveground carbon density of tropical woody live 
vegetation, providing direct, measurement-based evidence that the 
world's tropical forests are a net carbon source of 425.2 ± 92.0 Tg C 
yr–1. This net release of carbon consists of losses of 861.7 ± 80.2 Tg C 
yr–1 and gains of 436.5 ± 31.0 Tg C yr–1. Gains result from forest 
growth; losses result from deforestation and from reductions in carbon 
density within standing forests (degradation/disturbance), with the 
latter accounting for 68.9% of overall losses. 
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2017/09/27/science.aam5962

*Beyond Bleach: Mold is a Long-term Problem After Flood and Disasters 
<https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/beyond-bleach-mold-is-a-long-term-problem-after-flood-and-disasters/>*
The fungus can grow, undetected, in just a couple days
One of the biggest issues surrounding flooding after natural disasters 
is mold, a problem that can stay with a structure long after floodwaters 
have receded. Considering that over 17 percent of homes already have 
some physical condition that contributes to leaks and that mold grows in 
temperatures between 40 degrees Fahrenheit and 100 degrees F, there is 
no wonder that we see mold and mildew problems after a disaster that 
brings flooding in homes and buildings...
Molds are fungi. Dampness supports mold and can create an unhealthy 
living space for people. When present in large quantities, all molds are 
allergenic and potentially harmful. Mold was implicated in the deaths 
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2017/08/29/the-health-consequences-to-expect-from-hurricane-harveys-floods/?utm_term=.20ad5352205d> 
of four Southern University at New Orleans professors after Hurricane 
Katrina, and mold remained a persistent problem in thousands of homes 
even after cleanup...
Many people want to reach for bleach when they first see mold. While 
bleach can be effective in killing mold on nonporous surfaces such as 
tile and porcelain, it does not work on wood and other porous material, 
such as drywall. On those surfaces, bleach can actually encourage more 
mold growth. Bleach does not prevent the regrowth of new colonies when 
materials stay damp...
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/beyond-bleach-mold-is-a-long-term-problem-after-flood-and-disasters/

*This Day in Climate History September 30, 2013 
<http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/09/30/reporting-on-climate-change-the-mother-of-all-r/196147> 
-  from D.R. Tucker*
September 30, 2013: Media Matters reports: "After reviewing the latest 
evidence from a major climate change report -- released in full on 
Monday -- the prominent consulting group PriceWaterhouseCoopers 
concluded that climate change is the 'mother of all risks.' But while 
many businesses recognize climate risks, the media often cloud these 
risks by framing climate change in terms of 'uncertainty,' according to 
a recent study. This can lead to a disconnect between scientific 
understanding and public perception, and a misguided contentment with 
inaction."
http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/09/30/reporting-on-climate-change-the-mother-of-all-r/196147

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