[TheClimate.Vote] August 12, 2018 - Daily Global Warming News Digest

[Richard Pauli]

/August 12, 2018/

[CNN Opinion]
*We're dangerously unprepared for the heat crisis from climate change 
<https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/11/opinions/cities-dangerously-overheating-climate-change-redlener-ratner/index.html>*
https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/11/opinions/cities-dangerously-overheating-climate-change-redlener-ratner/index.html

[grave warning]
*Ignore the climate change deniers. California's hellish summer really 
is a grave warning 
<http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-lopez-climate-action-08122018-story.html>*
By Steve Lopez - Aug 11, 2018
*Reaction has fallen into the following [4] categories:*

    -(There is no climate change, and I'm a stooge to have fallen for a
    hoax.)
    -(Global warming exists, but it's not man-made).
    -(Climate change is real, but it's silly to believe California's
    environmental zealotry can measurably improve a global problem.)
    -And lastly, if climate change is real and it's here, what can we do
    about it legislatively and individually?

- - - - -
California isn't waiting. The state has long led the way on embracing 
renewable energy sources and limiting greenhouse gas emissions. Then 
there's the current legislation demanding better gas mileage in the near 
future, which is under attack by the Trump administration. But as a 
single state in a world of major polluters, can going green make a 
difference?
Alex Hall, a UCLA climate scientist, has no doubt.
"I think what's happening in California is wonderful," said Hall, who 
traded his gas-hungry car for a Chevy Bolt. "It's a pathway forward."
Environmentalism isn't sacrifice, Hall said. It's change. And in 
charting a course toward renewable energy and lower greenhouse gas 
emissions, California is setting an agenda.
"If you look at any transformation in history, it hasn't happened all at 
once everywhere," Hall said. "It's been a small group of people 
committed to change. They've made change in their communities and it 
scaled up from there."
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-lopez-climate-action-08122018-story.html

*DNC reverses ban on fossil fuel donations 
<http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/401356-dnc-passes-resolution-on-fossil-fuel-donations>*
"The DNC's executive committee voted to approve the original resolution, 
30 to 2."...
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) overwhelmingly passed a 
resolution on Friday evening saying it welcomes donations from fossil 
fuel industry workers and "employers' political action committees."
Critics of the newly passed resolution are calling it a reversal of the 
DNC's recently adopted ban on accepting donations from fossil fuel 
companies' political organizations...
"I am furious that the DNC would effectively undo a resolution passed 
just two months ago just as the movement to ban fossil fuel corporate 
PAC money is growing (and Democrats are winning),"  and a co-author of 
the June resolution, said.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/401356-dnc-passes-resolution-on-fossil-fuel-donations


[More NYTimes fallout]
*How Not to Talk About Climate Change 
<https://www.jacobinmag.com/2018/08/new-york-times-losing-earth-response-climate-change>*
BY ALYSSA BATTISTONI
The New York Times Magazine claims in a blockbuster new article that 
democracy and human nature are to blame for the climate crisis. They're 
wrong.
- - - -
So yes, it's good that the New York Times is putting serious resources 
into climate reporting. But it is way too late in the game to be running 
pieces like this. This isn't just a missed opportunity or a partial 
story - it is the wrong story. It is frankly irresponsible to tell 
readers that once, a team of elites almost "solved" climate change until 
"we" got in the way, particularly when the story in question suggests 
nothing of the kind. It is even more irresponsible to suggest that the 
time to save the planet passed over three decades ago, all while sighing 
grandiosely about tragedy and the human condition. The earth is not lost 
yet, and neither are we.
But if we're going to do something about it, we have to know how we got 
here. And you cannot tell the story of climate change without telling 
the story of twentieth-century capitalism - at the very least. You 
cannot understand the politics of the 1980s in the United States without 
understanding neoliberalism. So if you find yourself reading about 
climate change and come across a phrase like "we came so close, as a 
civilization, to breaking our suicide pact with fossil fuels," take a 
minute to ask: which "civilization," exactly?
https://www.jacobinmag.com/2018/08/new-york-times-losing-earth-response-climate-change


[Top important news story of all times]
*A 'Hothouse' Future for Humanity: Scientists Behind Terrifying Climate 
Analysis Hope They Are Wrong 
<https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/08/07/hothouse-future-humanity-scientists-behind-terrifying-climate-analysis-hope-they-are>*
"This is, by far, the biggest political issue in the world. It is the 
one thing that will affect everyone on the planet for centuries to come. 
Why isn't everyone shouting it from the rooftops?"
by Jon Queally, staff writer
Warning of a possible domino effect as multiple climate feedback loops 
are triggered within a dynamic cascade of rising temperatures and 
warming oceans, scientists behind a frightening new study say that for 
the sake of humanity's future they hope scenarios explored in their new 
models do not come to pass.

"This study effectively suggests the human race could become extinct 
this century and it's not even the top story on the fucking Guardian."
"I do hope we are wrong, but as scientists we have a responsibility to 
explore whether this is real," Johan Rockstrom, executive director of 
the Stockholm Resilience Centre, where the research was done, told the 
Guardian. "We need to know now. It's so urgent. This is one of the most 
existential questions in science."

Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the 
new study, while not conclusive in its findings, warns that humanity may 
be just 1C away from creating a series of dynamic feedback loops that 
could push the world into a climate scenario not seen since the dawn of 
the Helocene Period, nearly 12,000 years ago.

The research, according to its abstract, explores "the risk that 
self-reinforcing feedbacks could push the Earth System toward a 
planetary threshold that, if crossed, could prevent stabilization of the 
climate at intermediate temperature rises and cause continued warming on 
a 'Hothouse Earth' pathway even as human emissions are reduced. Crossing 
the threshold would lead to a much higher global average temperature 
than any interglacial in the past 1.2 million years and to sea levels 
significantly higher than at any time in the Holocene."

As Rockstrom explains, the "tipping elements" examined in the research 
"can potentially act like a row of dominoes. Once one is pushed over, it 
pushes Earth towards another." And in an interview with the BBC, he 
added,  "What we are saying is that when we reach 2 degrees of warming, 
we may be at a point where we hand over the control mechanism to Planet 
Earth herself. We are the ones in control right now, but once we go past 
2 degrees, we see that the Earth system tips over from being a friend to 
a foe. We totally hand over our fate to an Earth system that starts 
rolling out of equilibrium."
- - - - -
Such feedback occurences, the authors of the study write, would pose 
"severe risks for health, economies, political stability, and 
ultimately, the habitability of the planet for humans."
- - - -
With Arctic ice and glaciers melting away; increasingly powerful and 
frequent storms in the Atlantic and Pacific; coral reefs dying from 
warming oceans; record-setting wildfires in the U.S.; unprecedented 
heatwaves in Europe, the Middle East, and elsewhere-climate researchers 
have been at the forefront of sounding the alarms about the frightening 
path humanity is now following.

"In the context of the summer of 2018, this is definitely not a case of 
crying wolf, raising a false alarm: the wolves are now in sight," said 
Dr. Phil Williamson, a climate researcher at the University of East 
Anglia, about the latest study. "The authors argue that we need to be 
much more proactive in that regard, not just ending greenhouse gas 
emissions as rapidly as possible, but also building resilience in the 
context of complex Earth system processes that we might not fully 
understand until it is too late."
- - - -
In order to avoid the worst-case scenarios, the researchers behind the 
study say that "collective human action is required" to steer planet's 
systems away from dangerous tipping points. "Such action," they write, 
"entails stewardship of the entire Earth System-biosphere, climate, and 
societies-and could include decarbonization of the global economy, 
enhancement of biosphere carbon sinks, behavioral changes, technological 
innovations, new governance arrangements, and transformed social values."
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/08/07/hothouse-future-humanity-scientists-behind-terrifying-climate-analysis-hope-they-are

*
Hothouse Earth: seven things you can do to stop it 
<https://theconversation.com/hothouse-earth-seven-things-you-can-do-to-stop-it-101340>*
August 10, 2018
While 1% of us may be able to consider their options for relocating to 
more hospitable places on Earth (Silicon valley billionaires are buying 
up property in New Zealand), or relatively less hospitable locations on 
the moon and Mars, the others will have to do something, now.

Among the steps that can be taken immediately, you could consider:

    *1. Change your lifestyle*
    Not just attitudes and behaviours, we need to reconsider how we live
    our everyday lives. As we become more knowledgeable about the state
    of nature in our surroundings with deteriorating air, soil and water
    conditions, we need to think about changing the way we our families
    and our friends are contributing to the environment. Opt for an
    organic or vegetarian diet, support Fairtrade, and opt for locally
    sourced stuff.

    *2. Sow a seed or two*
    Growing fruit or vegetables in your front or back gardens, or in
    pots indoors, will not only liven up your living space and provide
    you with fresh, local produce. The increased photosynthesis
    increases carbon sink and contributes to reducing greenhouse gases.
    Even more so, do it as a community. Many local authorities are now
    encourage the greening of the abandoned lands and derelict areas.

    *3. Join a local collective*
    Or better still, start one. Transition Network is a good example of
    actions based on voluntary individual and collective participation.
    It began as a permaculture movement to reduce fossil fuels
    dependence, growing own food, sourcing locally, promoting social
    inclusion. Today it is one of the largest community-based networks,
    with presence all over the world.

    *4. Use public transport or cycle*
    Many towns and cities are now promoting different kinds of bike ride
    or sharing schemes. Sustainable transport solutions can help
    decrease car dependence besides reducing carbon footprint.

    *5. Help scientists with their research*
    Citizen science is increasingly becoming a valuable way of
    community-sourced and voluntary participation and research in all
    scientific disciplines. Contributions from everyday lives of
    citizens help scientists get out of their silos and find better
    solutions to complex and wicked problems.

    *6. Engage with your local and national politicians*
    Most of the political parties on a broad range of spectrum now
    understand and support the need for sustainable and healthy
    lifestyles to make our places better in social, economic and
    environmental terms. But political agendas are a reflection of what
    people demand. And what better way to empower ourselves than to use
    our voting rights responsibly?

    *7. Check out what the government is doing*
    Local and national governments are committed to improving the
    environment. Many towns and cities have signed up for the Covenant
    of Mayors, voluntarily agreeing to reduce emissions and using
    sustainable energy sources. Surprisingly, not many countries have
    sufficient legal structures in place for climate action. Among
    national strategies, the Well-being of Future Generations Act in
    Wales is often quoted as an exemplar of good policy and practice.

https://theconversation.com/hothouse-earth-seven-things-you-can-do-to-stop-it-101340


[95%  human caused- either deliberate or accidental]
*California wildfire said set by arsonist threatens community 
<https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-wildfires/california-wildfire-said-set-by-arsonist-threatens-community-idUSKBN1KV0V0>*
Alex Dobuzinskis, Dan Whitcomb
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Southern California wildfire - which 
authorities say was set by an arsonist with a grudge against a neighbor 
- doubled in size overnight into Friday as crews built fire lines and 
fought to protect thousands of homes in a lakefront community...
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-wildfires/california-wildfire-said-set-by-arsonist-threatens-community-idUSKBN1KV0V0


[Book mention]
Who Do We Choose To Be?
*Facing Reality | Claiming Leadership | Restoring Sanity 
<https://margaretwheatley.com/books-products/books/who-do-we-choose-to-be/>*
June 2017, Berrett-Koehler
Meg writes:
Several years ago, in the face of irreversible global problems and the 
devolution of leadership, I began to challenge every leader I met with 
these questions: Who do you choose to be for this time? Are you willing 
to use whatever power and influence you have to create islands of sanity 
that evoke and rely on our best human qualities to create, relate, and 
persevere? Will you consciously and bravely choose to reclaim leadership 
as a noble profession that creates possibility and humaneness in the 
midst of increasing fear and turmoil?
This book summons us to be leaders for this time of profound disruption, 
to reclaim leadership as a noble profession that creates possibility and 
humaneness in the midst of increasing fear and turmoil by creating 
Islands of Sanity.
Check Meg's calendar <https://margaretwheatley.com/calendar/> for 
weekend retreats focused on the role of leaders as warriors for the 
human spirit.
https://margaretwheatley.com/books-products/books/who-do-we-choose-to-be/


<http://web.archive.org/web/20131216021452/http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2004-08-15/global-warming>*This 
Day in Climate History - August 12, 2004 
<http://web.archive.org/web/20131216021452/http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2004-08-15/global-warming> 
- from D.R. Tucker*
August 12, 2004: Discussing a BusinessWeek story about the business 
community's growing worries about global warming, the Washington 
Monthly's Kevin Drum observes:
"Like national healthcare, I suspect that global warming will really get 
taken seriously only when the business community finally demands it. 
What BusinessWeek documents is only the first whispers of those demands, 
but the endgame is already in sight."
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2004_08/004498.php
http://web.archive.org/web/20131216021452/http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2004-08-15/global-warming 


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