[TheClimate.Vote] December 22, 2018 - Daily Global Warming News Digest
Richard Pauli
richard at theclimate.vote
Sat Dec 22 10:50:26 EST 2018
/December 22, 2018/
[The Green New Deal explained ]
Green New Deal From Wikipedia,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_New_Deal
- - -
[GND =Green New Deal]
[Dave Roberts]
*The Green New Deal, explained*
An insurgent movement is pushing Democrats to back an ambitious climate
change solution.
- -
The three core principles of the GND: decarbonization, jobs, and justice
I asked the same question of everyone I talked to: What are your bottom
lines? What must be in a policy platform for it to earn the name GND?
Answers varied considerably in their details and emphasis, but they
clustered around three basic principles.
*1) The plan must decarbonize the economy...*
*2) The plan must include a federal jobs guarantee and large-scale
public investments...*
*3) The plan must include a just transition...*
- -
The top three challenges facing the GND: paying for it, convincing the
public, and winning over Democrats
As you've probably gathered by now, the GND is much more ambitious than
most policy ideas that have been bouncing around Washington, DC, the
past few decades...
Because the GND is, at its core, an argument for radical change, it is
certain to inspire reaction — a defense of the status quo.
*1) "How are you going to pay for it?"...*
*2) Winning over the public...*
*3) Winning over Democrats...*
- -
Climate politics is, now as ever, a choice between changes that seem
impossible and a future that seems unthinkable. For years, US politics
has denied and avoided that choice. In their own way, Democrats — the
"adults" who want to reserve the power to make these decisions — have
avoided it just like Republicans.
Facing it squarely means radicalism. Now, a real response to climate
change, a response on the scale of what the crisis demands, is on the
table. It is an option. It has a name.
Whether America can work its way past polarization, paralysis, and
structural barriers to change to actually grasp that option, to take a
leap into a new future, very much remains to be seen. But there can be
no more ignoring the choice.
https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/12/21/18144138/green-new-deal-alexandria-ocasio-cortez
- -
[hyper targeting video aimed at one specific group]
[from Vogue magazine]
Bria Vinaite Explains the Green New Deal
https://www.vogue.com/article/now-you-know-bria-vinaite-explains-green-new-deal-midterms
[paleo-history repeats too]
*Ancient Antarctic ice sheet collapse could happen again, triggering a
new global flood*
December 21, 2018 by Doyle Rice,
Tens of thousands of years ago, a giant ice sheet in Antarctic melted,
raising sea levels by up to 30 feet around the world. This inundated
huge swaths of what had been dry land. Scientists think it could happen
again as the world heats up because of man-made global warming, new
research suggests...
Read more at:
https://phys.org/news/2018-12-ancient-antarctic-ice-sheet-collapse.html#jCp
[disappointing, unsurprising]
*Exxon Attorney Drafted White House Comments Backing Top Trump
Environmental Pick*
Newly obtained emails involving the nomination of a climate change
denier for the White House post show the fossil fuel industry's sway
over Trump's administration.
By Itai Vardi
An energy industry lawyer whose client list includes Exxon Mobil Corp.
crafted comments in defense of a White House nominee for a top
environmental post as if they were written by President Donald Trump
himself.
The episode, revealed in emails obtained exclusively by HuffPost,
further shows the fossil fuel industry's enormous reach into the Trump
administration.
In December 2017, journalist Mark Greenblatt of Scripps emailed the
White House several questions on the nomination of Kathleen Hartnett
White to head its Council on Environmental Quality, which coordinates
federal environmental policy under the National Environmental Policy
Act. Greenblatt's query included four questions addressed specifically
to the president about Hartnett White, a climate change denier who works
for the Koch brothers-backed Texas Public Policy Foundation. Last year
alone, the Charles Koch Foundation donated more than $1.8 million to the
conservative organization.
An email chain, obtained by HuffPost from the Council on Environmental
Quality through a freedom of information request, details what actually
transpired behind the scenes.
White House press officers informed the Council on Environmental Quality
of Greenblatt's questions. The council's associate director for
regulatory reform, Mario Loyola, a political appointee who formerly
worked with Hartnett White at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, then
forwarded the questions to Hartnett White.
The next morning, Hartnett White wrote back to Loyola, and forwarded him
answers to the journalist's questions drafted by Derek Seal, an attorney
at the law firm Winstead who currently represents Exxon Mobil.
"Here are some sample responses that I like," Hartnett White told Loyola.
Copied on the email from Seal were several other energy industry
attorneys and lobbyists. Among them were Michael Nasi, a critic of EPA
regulations who represents coal and mining interests, and Gary Gibbs,
who lobbies for the utility American Electric Power. Nasi also recently
took over the Texas Public Policy Foundation's Life:Powered PR campaign,
which promotes fossil fuels and downplays renewable energy.
"I would answer the questions you want to answer," Seal coached the
White House in his email, "rather than try to answer the loaded
questions that have been asked."
Seal nonetheless crafted answers to each of the four questions in
Greenblatt's original query. In response to a question asking whether
Trump knew of Hartnett White's role in underreporting radiation levels
in drinking water when she led the Texas Commission on Environmental
Quality in the mid 2000s ― which she first denied in her Senate
confirmation hearing, but Greenblatt's reporting showed otherwise ― Seal
suggested this answer: "The President is aware that Ms. White made
thousands of decisions while she was at TCEQ. Many of those decisions
where highly technical and based on her expertise and the expertise of
her staff."...
- - -
Loyola is one of many former employees and fellows from Koch-backed
groups and think tanks now working in the Trump administration. His work
calendar from the first half of 2017 suggests he's involved in ongoing
efforts to expedite environmental reviews of infrastructure projects. In
his writings, published in such conservative outlets as The Federalist,
National Review and The Weekly Standard, Loyola has railed against the
EPA and climate change policy.
Only a month before he joined Trump's Council on Environmental Quality,
Loyola questioned the scientific consensus that humans are driving the
climate crisis, employing the common denialist trope of "climate alarmism."
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/exxon-mobil-trump-environment-kathleen-hartnett-white_us_5c1d006fe4b08aaf7a88135c
[Audio recording 48:49]
*MIND OVER CHATTER: EXPLORING CLIMATE PSYCHOLOGY*
We all know about the environmental and physical effects of climate
change. But what about its impact on our mental health? Therapists
report that their patients are exhibiting symptoms of what they call
"climate anxiety" - loss of sleep, changes in appetite, feelings of
grief, anger and hopelessness. How do we maintain our optimism in the
face of a global existential crisis? And how do we talk with others
about our fears without turning them off - or freaking them out? Three
climate psychologists discuss how to cope with mounting anxiety brought
on by climate change.
https://climateone.org/audio/mind-over-chatter-exploring-climate-psychology
- - -
[Carbon Brief Top Reads for 2018]
*Parenting the climate change generation*
David Wallace-Wells, New York Magazine Intelligencer
https://carbonbrief.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=39b25e6afa81d7ffc0e925ee9&id=ba3d2d4ffc&e=3adccba211
[Constant recalculation]
*Risks of 'domino effect' of tipping points greater than thought, study
says*
Scientists warn policymakers not to ignore links, and stress that 'every
action counts'
- -
"The risks are greater than assumed because the interactions are more
dynamic," said Juan Rocha of the Stockholm Resilience Centre. "The
important message is to recognise the wickedness of the problem that
humanity faces."
The study collated existing research on ecosystem transitions that can
irreversibly tip to another state, such as coral reefs bleaching and
being overrun by algae, forests becoming savannahs and ice sheets
melting into oceans. It then cross-referenced the 30 types of shift to
examine the impacts they might have on one another and human society...
- -
"We're surprised at the rate of change in the Earth system. So much is
happening at the same time and at a faster speed than we would have
thought 20 years ago. That's a real concern," said Peterson. "We're
heading ever faster towards the edge of a cliff."
The fourth most downloaded academic research of 2018 was the Hothouse
Earth paper, which considered how tipping points could combine to push
the global climate into an uninhabitable state...
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/20/risks-of-domino-effect-of-tipping-points-greater-than-thought-study-says
- - -
[The Hothouse paper]
***Domino-effect of climate events could move Earth into a 'hothouse' state*
Leading scientists warn that passing such a point would make efforts to
reduce emissions increasingly futile.
A domino-like cascade of melting ice, warming seas, shifting currents
and dying forests could tilt the Earth into a "hothouse" state beyond
which human efforts to reduce emissions will be increasingly futile, a
group of leading climate scientists has warned.
This grim prospect is sketched out in a journal paper that considers the
combined consequences of 10 climate change processes, including the
release of methane trapped in Siberian permafrost and the impact of
melting ice in Greenland on the Antarctic.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/aug/06/domino-effect-of-climate-events-could-push-earth-into-a-hothouse-state
[Archeology helps understanding]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCKyeLdStOU
*An Archaeological Perspective on Humans and Climate Change*
University of California Television (UCTV)
Published on Sep 4, 2018
(Visit: http://www.uctv.tv) How are modern day humans adapting to
climate change? To find the answer, archaeologists are studying how
human societies have responded to environmental changes in the past.
Isabel Rivera-Collazo focuses on understanding human resilience and
adaptation to past environmental change as a lens through which we can
view the future. Finding answers involves diverse disciplines, including
archeology, anthropology, geomorphology, ecosystem dynamics and climate
science. Join us to learn how her work at Scripps Oceanography and in UC
San Diegos Department of Archeology are changing the way we view climate
change and its impacts on society. Series: "Jeffrey B. Graham
Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series" [4/2017]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCKyeLdStOU
- - -
*Climate Change and Post-Truth Politics*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tiq_XcsikYE
University of California Television (UCTV)
Published on Apr 13, 2017
(Visit: http://www.uctv.tv/) 2016 was a good and bad year for efforts to
tackle climate change. The good news is that 120 parties have ratified
the Paris Convention; the bad news is the emergence of post-truth
politics and the associated denial of the evidence that climate change
is a threat to our future. Leading environmentalist and Member of UK
House of Lords John Krebs discusses the trends and their implications
for global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Recorded on
01/25/2017. Series: "Bren School of Environmental Science & Management"
[4/2017] [Show ID: 31961]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tiq_XcsikYE
*Trajectories of the Earth System in the Anthropocene*
https://www.pnas.org/content/115/33/8252
[Carbon Brief COP24 Gavel Down]
*In Depth Summary of COP24**
***https://carbonbrief.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=39b25e6afa81d7ffc0e925ee9&id=01a8212715&e=3adccba211
- -
Carbon Brief also took a video camera to COP24, which resulted in a
four-minute video (above) setting out the three things you need to know
about the talks.
https://carbonbrief.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=39b25e6afa81d7ffc0e925ee9&id=ee9237d0af&e=3adccba211
[Delaware, Maryland, Virginia]
*Eastern Shore Hit Harder by Sea Level Rise*
By DON RUSH - CREDIT DNREC.DELAWARE.GOV
A new report finds that the Eastern Shore will be far more susceptible
than other parts of the state to sea level rise if the emission of
greenhouse gases continue to increase over the next 100 years.
That's according to new projections by the University of Maryland Center
for Environmental Science.
The Salisbury Daily Times reports that according to the study around
3-thousand miles of tidal shoreline will experience daily flooding by
the end of the century despite local efforts.
The paper reports that communities like Deal Island and Dorchester
County have already been experiencing flooding and erosion.
The report found that measures for sea level rise will hit towns like
Cambridge and Ocean City with a .2 and .3 foot higher increase than
Baltimore by the end 2100.
https://www.delmarvapublicradio.net/post/eastern-shore-hit-harder-sea-level-rise
-
[Delaware, MD, and VA]
*Sea level rise projections dire: 'We're on the worst-case pathway'*
Jenna Miller
- -
While addressing sea level rise remains difficult, greater certainty is
helpful in planning.
"What most people want to know is 'what's going to happen to me, what is
going to happen on my property,' " said Scott. "And most folks take that
information into advisement and figure out how might they be able to
mitigate."
Scott has worked on hazard mapping across the Eastern Shore, from
flooding projections in Salisbury to sea-level rise predictions for the
Department of Transportation.
He is working alongside the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy to complete a
county sea level rise survey that will narrow down to the level of
individual buildings.
The partners are hoping that this will show residents the realistic
impact they can expect during the time they will be living in their
homes and help towns plan for future building.
People living in areas that already experience flooding a number of days
per year should be the most concerned, experts say.
"That's where the transition from sporadic nuisance flooding is going to
happen, it's going to become more chronic," said Ambrette. "And then as
we get deeper into the century it is going to become more permanent
inundation."
A two feet rise in sea level is unlikely to reach homes in most of the
Eastern Shore, says Scott, because they are typically built higher above
sea level with the exception of extremely low-lying Dorchester County.
However, storm surges that already affect many Chesapeake Bay
communities would intensify with the added water.
"Suddenly you begin to reach places that have not traditionally been
impacted by flooding and we are worried that is going to potentially
going to catch some people by surprise," said Scott.
Prevailing scientific research shows that while the frequency of
hurricanes may not increase due to global warming, the number of these
storms that are severe will likely increase.
This coupled with already higher water could lead to storm surges of
over 10 feet, the report predicts.
It warns that impacts of storm surges could worsen further if
communities continue to harden the shorelines with protections such as
seawalls or ripraps.
As some areas build up these armored shorelines, tides are prevented
from flooding low lying areas and the elevation of the tidal water
increases in other places.
"There is not enough funding in the world to armor every foot of rural
shoreline," said Ambrette. "And so are the rural places paying for the
decisions that the urban places are making?"
He said he understands the desire of landowners to protect their
property but worries about their collective impact.
The good news is that experts are in agreement on the changes facing the
Eastern Shore over the next 30 years, said Scott.
Now, he hopes to spread that knowledge to individuals and communities.
"We need to work harder in getting this information into the hands of
people that can use it," he said.
https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2018/12/20/sea-level-rise-projections-dire-were-worst-case-pathway/2350782002/
[What a tabloid says]
*WATER WARNING Antarctic ice sheet collapse caused 'global FLOOD' that
saw sea levels rise by 9 metres - and could happen again*
The risks of climate change appear greater than ever
By Sean Keach, Digital Technology and Science Editor - 19th December 2018,
THE COLLAPSE of a major Antarctic ice sheet once caused a "global flood"
- and scientists now fear it could happen again.
The devastating collapse meant that sea levels rose to between 6 and 9
metres higher than today, which drowned huge areas of now-dry land.
This cataclysmic event, described in Science, took place around 125,000
years ago.
At the time, temperatures were only slightly warmer than today, but sea
levels were significantly higher.
And scientists now believe that the source of the water was the collapse
of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.
There are major concerns over the stability of this ice sheet, with
studies going back several years warning over a pending "collapse".
The base of the ice sheet lies below sea levels, and is now at risk due
to increasingly warm ocean waters.
The worry is that "the West Antarctic Ice Sheet might not need a huge
nudge to budge," Jeremy Shakun, a paleoclimatologist at Boston College,
told Science.
He warned that the ice mass lost from the sheet in the past two decades
may not be a "short-term blip" - but instead the start of a major collapse.
According to some studies, the ancient ice sheet collapse caused sea
levels to rise as quickly as 2.5 metres a century.
Worryingly, temperatures were 2 degrees above modern preindustrial
levels - and we're at 1 degree higher than that, today.
Climate scientists have regularly warned that global temperatures rising
to 2 degrees could have catastrophic consequences for humanity.
The aim for global leaders and environmentalists is to restrict warming
to 1.5 degrees - to avoid dangerous levels of climate change.
Scientists pinned the rising sea levels to the ice sheet collapse by
investigating Antarctic ice cores.
Researchers from the University of Oregon, Nasa and others published a
detailed paper for the American Geophysical Union, which revealed the
truth behind a worrying climate incident from our past.
During the early Eemian period (when sea levels were high), you'd expect
to see silt from a number of areas around ice sheets - due to ice-driven
erosion.
But there was no evidence of sediments coming from the West Antarctic
Ice Sheet in the cores.
The obvious explanation is that the ice sheet simply ceased to exist -
or collapsed so much that it couldn't erode anymore.
Sadly, it's impossible to say with 100% certainty that the melting ice
sheet sparked enormous sea-level rise.
This week, scientists revealed that global warming is even worse than we
thought, as a famous "pause" between 1995 and 2013 was dismissed as
"never real" in a comprehensive new study.
Earlier this month, scientists confirmed that it's appropriate to blame
unevenly rising sea levels across Earth on human-led climate change.
Last month, experts found that the number of "hot and dry" years had
doubled since 1931 thanks to climate change.
And a December study found that the world's water supply as "shrinking"
as drought-like conditions are expected to "become the new normal" for
half of the world's population by 2030.
It's not just Antarctica at risk, either: another recent study suggested
that climate change had forced the melting of Greenland's mile-thick ice
sheet into "overdrive", threatening to boost global sea levels to
dangerous levels.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/8020461/west-antarctic-ice-sheet-global-flood-warming-climate-change-rising-sea-levels/
[Repeat - Peter Sinclair the great video communicator - now speaks]
*Dark Snow: Peter Sinclair on Climate Choices and Energy Solutions*
greenman3610
Published on Dec 20, 2018
A great team from CanCan Productions recorded my climate talk in the
Philly area last spring, and really did a nice job editing this version.
If you have not caught my program, it gets good reviews - beginners and
citizen wonks should all learn something. Let me know what you think.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLWDY-L2tA8
*This Day in Climate History - December 22, - from D.R. Tucker*
December 22, 2011: In Commentary magazine, former George W. Bush
administration official Peter Wehner writes:
"Our task is to win the debate on the merits, to employ, as best we
can, honest and credible arguments in order to ascertain the reality
of things. And if the science shows that Earth is warming and that
humans have played a role in that, then we need to accept it, even
if that puts us on the same side with some individuals we don't find
particularly appealing. What matters is where the truth lies, not
the company we find ourselves in...
"In 2006, the Climate Science Program, a federal program under the
direction of the Bush White House and sponsored by agencies
including NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, found 'clear evidence of human influences on the
climate system.' There are several others I could cite.
"The point is that these reports are sober, measured and serious.
They make a scientific, not a polemical, case for AGW. It's possible
they are wrong. But their case has been made in a persuasive and
empirical manner...it matters that all the world's major science
academies have said that AGW is occurring, and they have supplied
the empirical case for their findings. The challenge for
conservatives is to engage the most serious and honest arguments of
those who believe in AGW, not simply lock in on the global
alarmists. And the temptation conservatives need to resist is to
portray the entire climate change movement as consisting of
individuals who are more interested in ideology than science...for
some on the right...to insist that AGW is a hoax, the product (more
or less) of a massive conspiracy, is, I believe, damaging to
conservatism. That is something I do care about. And more than that,
it is, from what I can tell, a position at odds with where the
evidence leads. Contemporary liberalism can do as it will. But for
conservatism, facts-those stubborn facts-need to be our guiding star."
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2011/12/22/conservatives-climate-change-facts/
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