[TheClimate.Vote] April 11, 2018 - Daily Global Warming News Digest
Richard Pauli
richard at theclimate.vote
Wed Apr 11 09:46:14 EDT 2018
/April 11, 2018/
[NYTimes$]
*Scott Pruitt's attack on science would paralyze the Environmental
Protection Agency
<https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/26/opinion/pruitt-attack-science-epa.html>*
By Gina McCarthy and Janet G. McCabe
26 March 2018
(The New York Times) - Scott Pruitt, the administrator of the
Environmental Protection Agency, has announced that he alone will decide
what is and isn't acceptable science for the agency to use when
developing policies that affect your health and the environment.
It is his latest effort to cripple the agency. Mr. Pruitt, who as
Oklahoma's attorney general described himself
<https://www.linkedin.com/in/e-scott-pruitt-3b771653/> as "a leading
advocate against the E.P.A.'s activist agenda," said in an interview
published in The Daily Caller
<http://dailycaller.com/2018/03/19/epa-scott-pruitt-secret-science/>last
week that he would no longer allow the agency to use studies that
include nonpublic scientific data to develop rules to safeguard public
health and prevent pollution.
Opponents of the agency and of mainstream climate science call these
studies "secret science." But that's simply not true. Peer review
ensures that the analytic methodologies underlying studies funded by the
agency are sound.
Some of those studies, particularly those that determine the effects of
exposure to chemicals and pollution on health, rely on medical records
that by law are confidential because of patient privacy policies. These
studies summarize the analysis of raw data and draw conclusions based on
that analysis. Other government agencies also use studies like these to
develop policy and regulations, and to buttress and defend rules against
legal challenges. They are, in fact, essential to making sound public
policy.
We don't have the details of the new policy. But don't be fooled by this
talk of transparency. Mr. Pruitt and some conservative members of
Congress are setting up a nonexistent problem in order to prevent the
E.P.A. from using the best available science. These studies adhere to
all professional standards and meet every expectation of the scientific
community in terms of peer review and scientific integrity. In the case
of the air pollution studies, a rigorous follow-up examination was done
by the Health Effects Institute <https://www.healtheffects.org/>, a
nonprofit research group that studies air pollution. The institute
corroborated the findings.
In taking this action, Mr. Pruitt appears to be adopting the policies of
the Honest and Open New E.P.A. Science Treatment Act, a bill aimed at
the agency. Conservative lawmakers have tried to pass versions of this
bill before to shackle the agency's rule making. That law would prohibit
the E.P.A. from taking any action "unless all scientific and technical
information relied on to support" it is "specifically identified, and
publicly available in a manner sufficient for independent analysis and
substantial reproduction of research results."
An analysis of a similar bill introduced in 2015 by the Congressional
Budget Office estimated it would cost $250 million a year over the first
few years to carry out because it would require new "data collection,
correspondence and coordination with study authors, construction of a
database to house necessary information, and public dissemination" of
the information.
The analysis, which did not appear to take into account the cost of
redacting details like trade secrets or personally identifiable medical
information, also predicted the agency would reduce by half the number
of studies it relies on in developing policies and regulations because
of the cost of complying with the law.
"The quality of the agency's work would be compromised if that work
relies on a significantly smaller collection of scientific studies," the
analysis found.
This approach would undermine the nation's scientific credibility. ...
[more
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/26/opinion/pruitt-attack-science-epa.html]
---
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*Health Effects Institute <https://www.healtheffects.org/>*
We provide high-quality, trusted science for cleaner air and better
health. Read more about our research mission and unique model of equal
partnership by government and industry.
HEI is a nonprofit corporation chartered in 1980 as an independent
research organization to provide high-quality, impartial, and relevant
science on the health effects of air pollution. HEI typically receives
balanced funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the
worldwide motor vehicle industry. Other public and private organizations
periodically support special projects or certain research programs.
To accomplish its mission, HEI
Identifies the highest priority areas for health effects research;
Competitively funds and oversees the conduct of research projects;
Provides intensive independent review of HEI-supported and related research;
Integrates HEI's research results with those of other institutions into
broader evaluations; and
Communicates the results of HEI research and analyses to public and
private decision makers.
Ongoing Research
<https://www.healtheffects.org/research/ongoing-research>
https://www.healtheffects.org/research/ongoing-research
Low levels of air pollution
Traffic-related air pollution: exposure and health
Non-tailpipe emissions and exposures near roadways and in tunnels
Effectiveness of air quality interventions (Accountability)
Mechanistic studies of air pollution and health
Rosenblith Award New Investigators
Statistical methods development
https://www.healtheffects.org/
[spectacular views of ice science in Greenland - must see]
(show off your large screen monitor)
*ICE ALIVE - Documenting Life and Rapid Change
<https://youtu.be/okafyLzGvcw>*
Climate State
Published on Apr 10, 2018
Joseph Cook is taking a closer look at the microbial life that can be
found all over the planet's glaciers and ice sheets. It is increasingly
clear that this rich ecosystem affects the melt rates of polar ice and
snow and could be accelerating climate change. Narrated by Jim
Al-Khalili and starring Chris Hadfield.
YouTube
https://youtu.be/okafyLzGvcw
Vimeo
https://vimeo.com/258993236
[ A forest is a person ]
*Colombian government ordered to protect Amazon rainforest in historic
legal ruling
<https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/amazon-rainforest-colombia-protect-deforestation-environment-logging-supreme-court-legal-rights-a8292671.html>*
'Supreme Court's decision marks a precedent in terms of climate change
litigation'
Peter Stubley
The Colombian government has been ordered to take urgent action to
protect the Amazon rainforest by its own supreme court.
In a historic ruling, the country's most senior judges said the state
had not done enough to tackle the destruction of the environment.
The court recognised the Amazon as an "entity subject of rights" -
meaning it has the same legal rights as a human being - and ordered
action plans to be drawn up within four months.
"It is clear, despite numerous international commitments, regulations
... that the Colombian state has not efficiently addressed the problem
of deforestation in the Amazon," the supreme court said.
Colombia's rainforest covers an area roughly the size of Germany and
England combined but is slowly being destroyed by farming, agriculture,
cocaine production, illegal mining and logging...
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/amazon-rainforest-colombia-protect-deforestation-environment-logging-supreme-court-legal-rights-a8292671.html
[Banking on the future!]
*Banking on Sunshine: World Added Far More Solar Than Fossil Fuel Power
Generating Capacity in 2017 <http://fs-unep-centre.org/>*
China leads with more than half of world's new solar capacity
Global solar investment jumps 18 percent to $160.8 billion
Cumulative renewable energy investment since 2004: $2.9 trillion
Frankfurt/Nairobi, 5 April 2018 - Solar energy dominated global
investment in new power generation like never before in 2017. The world
installed a record 98 gigawatts of new solar capacity, far more than the
net additions of any other technology - renewable, fossil fuel or nuclear.
The 12th Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2018 report,
released on 5 April 2018 by Frankfurt School - UNEP Collaborating
Centre, UN Environment, and Bloomberg New Energy Finance, finds that
falling costs for solar electricity, and to some extent wind power, is
continuing to drive deployment. Last year was the eighth in a row in
which global investment in renewables (exclude large hydro) exceeded
$200 billion - and since 2004, the world has invested $2.9 trillion in
these green energy sources.
http://fs-unep-centre.org/
[Change analysis]
*The Future of Humanity, Malcolm Gladwell - WGS 2018
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leRRAvnDc6s>*
World Government Summit
Published on Mar 1, 2018
"There has been a dramatic shift in the nature of what people want and
need from their governments." - Malcolm Gladwell, Globally Renowned Author
The world has changed fundamentally, according to the author Malcolm
Gladwell, from one in which problems are puzzles to one in which they
are, instead, mysteries. Using terminology developed by an intelligence
official, Gregory Treverton, Gladwell said this distinction often
centres on the amount of information available. In the past it was often
about having too little data - a puzzle; in today's world too much data
is more likely to be the issue - a mystery. To take education as an
example, today a wealth of data on how teachers perform is available,
including on such complex is-sues as how a particular teacher's methods
interact with the capabilities of an individual student. Similar issues
affect fields as diverse as defense and health care. This places
challenges on institutions such as governments, because many developed
their ways of operating in the 19th or even the 18th century. They are
equipped to solve puzzles, not mysteries.
https://youtu.be/leRRAvnDc6s
[This is a consensus-based report ]
*Major Report Paints Grim Picture of Biodiversity
<https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/major-report-paints-grim-picture-biodiversity>*
Last month the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity
and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) released the first summaries of five
reports
<https://www.ipbes.net/news/media-release-biodiversity-nature%E2%80%99s-contributions-continue-%C2%A0dangerous-decline-scientists-warn>
on global biodiversity, outlining the current state of plants, animal,
and land health across the globe. A series of science reports may sound
like a dry, academic exercise-and to some extent they are-but this
massive work involving 550 authors from 100 countries compiled over
three years is a major event in the history of conservation. For the
first time, baseline hard science data on biodiversity has been gathered
and analyzed in one place.
The goal is to give policy makers, conservationists, industry, and the
public the information they need to save the biodiversity that's left
and to restore what humanity has broken.
https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/major-report-paints-grim-picture-biodiversity
---
[Authored by member nations.]
*Human well-being at risk. Landmark reports highlight options to protect
and restore nature and its vital contributions to people
<https://www.ipbes.net/news/media-release-biodiversity-nature%E2%80%99s-contributions-continue-%C2%A0dangerous-decline-scientists-warn>*
Declining Biodiversity - Now and in the Future
*The Americas*
"In the Americas, rich biodiversity makes an immense contribution to the
quality of life, helping to reduce poverty while strengthening economies
and livelihoods," said Dr. Jake Rice (Canada), co-chair of the Americas
assessment with Dr. Cristiana Simao Seixas (Brazil) and Prof. Maria
Elena Zaccagnini (Argentina).
"The economic value of the Americas' land-based nature's contributions
to people is estimated to be more than US$24 trillion per year -
equivalent to the region's GDP, yet almost two-thirds - 65% - of these
contributions are in decline, with 21% declining strongly. Human-induced
climate change, which affects temperature, precipitation and the nature
of extreme events, is increasingly driving biodiversity loss and the
reduction of nature's contributions to people, worsening the impact of
habitat degradation, pollution, invasive species and the
overexploitation of natural resources."
According to the report, under a 'business as usual' scenario, climate
change will be the fastest growing driver negatively impacting
biodiversity by 2050 in the Americas, becoming comparable to the
pressures imposed by land use change. On average today, the populations
of species in an area are about 31% smaller than was the case at the
time of European settlement. With the growing effects of climate change
added to the other drivers, this loss is projected to reach 40% by 2050.
The report highlights the fact that indigenous people and local
communities have created a diversity of polyculture and agroforestry
systems, which have increased biodiversity and shaped landscapes.
However, the decoupling of lifestyles from the local environment has
eroded, for many, their sense of place, language and indigenous local
knowledge. More than 60% of the languages in the Americas, and the
cultures associated with them, are troubled or dying out....
more at:
https://www.ipbes.net/news/media-release-biodiversity-nature%E2%80%99s-contributions-continue-%C2%A0dangerous-decline-scientists-warn
[March 2015]
*Climate denial is immoral, says head of US Episcopal church
<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/24/climate-change-denial-immoral-says-head-episcopal-church>*
Climate change is a moral challenge threatening the rights of the
world's poorest people and those who deny it are not using God's gift of
knowledge, says presiding bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori
"It is in that sense much like the civil rights movement in this country
where we are attending to the rights of all people and the rights of the
earth to continue to be a flourishing place," Bishop Jefferts Schori
said in an interview with the Guardian. "It is certainly a moral issue
in terms of the impacts on the poorest and most vulnerable around the
world already."
In the same context, Jefferts Schori attached moral implications to
climate denial, suggesting those who reject the underlying science of
climate change were turning their backs on God's gift of knowledge.
It's hard work when you have a climate denier who will not see the
reality of scientific truth.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/24/climate-change-denial-immoral-says-head-episcopal-church
*This Day in Climate History - April 11, 2010
<http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/11/magazine/11Economy-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&>
- from D.R. Tucker*
April 11, 2010: In the New York Times Magazine, Paul Krugman observes:
"If you listen to climate scientists — and despite the relentless
campaign to discredit their work, you should — it is long past time
to do something about emissions of carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases. If we continue with business as usual, they say,
we are facing a rise in global temperatures that will be little
short of apocalyptic. And to avoid that apocalypse, we have to wean
our economy from the use of fossil fuels, coal above all.
"But is it possible to make drastic cuts in greenhouse-gas emissions
without destroying our economy?
"Like the debate over climate change itself, the debate over climate
economics looks very different from the inside than it often does in
popular media. The casual reader might have the impression that
there are real doubts about whether emissions can be reduced without
inflicting severe damage on the economy. In fact, once you filter
out the noise generated by special-interest groups, you discover
that there is widespread agreement among environmental economists
that a market-based program to deal with the threat of climate
change — one that limits carbon emissions by putting a price on them
— can achieve large results at modest, though not trivial, cost."
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/11/magazine/11Economy-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&
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