[TheClimate.Vote] February 6, 2018 - Daily Global Warming News Digest

Tue Feb 6 09:57:56 EST 2018

/February 6, 2018/

[mercury]
*The Arctic is full of toxic mercury, and climate change is going to 
release it 
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/02/05/the-arctic-is-full-of-toxic-mercury-and-climate-change-is-going-to-release-it/?utm_term=.90c4668e77e9>*
By Chris Mooney
We already knew that thawing Arctic permafrost would release powerful 
greenhouse gases. On Monday, scientists revealed it could also release 
massive amounts of mercury - a potent neurotoxin and serious threat to 
human health....
U.S. government scientists on Monday revealed that the permafrost also 
contains large volumes of mercury, a toxic element humans have already 
been pumping into the air by burning coal...
There are 32 million gallons worth of mercury, or the equivalent of 50 
Olympic swimming pools, trapped in the permafrost, the scientists wrote 
in a study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. For 
context, that's "twice as much mercury as the rest of all soils, the 
atmosphere, and ocean combined," they wrote...
The research was led by Paul Schuster, a scientist with the U.S. 
Geological Survey, and was co-authored by 16 other federal, 
university-based and independent researchers....
Mercury, a naturally occurring element, binds with living matter across 
the planet - but the Arctic is special. Normally, as plants die and 
decay, they decompose and mercury is released back to the atmosphere. 
But in the Arctic, plants often do not fully decompose. Instead, their 
roots are frozen and then become buried by layers of soil. This suspends 
mercury within the plants, where it can be remobilized again if 
permafrost thaws....
The study says that with current emissions levels through 2100, 
permafrost could shrink by between 30 and 99 percent...
"But the magnitude of this risk is as yet unknown," Natali continued. 
"The best option for managing these permafrost-related risks is to keep 
the permafrost - and the carbon and mercury contained in permafrost - 
frozen, through immediate reduction of fossil fuel emissions."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/02/05/the-arctic-is-full-of-toxic-mercury-and-climate-change-is-going-to-release-it/?utm_term=.90c4668e77e9
-
[mercury study Geophysical Research Letters]
*Permafrost Stores a Globally Significant Amount of Mercury 
<http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2017GL075571/full>*
Plain Language Summary

    Researchers estimate the amount of natural mercury stored in
    perennially frozen soils (permafrost) in the Northern Hemisphere.
    Permafrost regions contain twice as much mercury as the rest of all
    soils, the atmosphere, and ocean combined...
    Over thousands of years, sedimentation buried mercury (Hg) bound to
    organic material and froze it into the permafrost (Obrist et al.,
    2017). Permafrost is soil at or below 0 degreesC for at least two
    consecutive years. The active layer is the surface soil layer on top
    of the permafrost that thaws in summer and refreezes in winter
    (Figure S1 in the supporting information). Hg deposits onto the soil
    surface from the atmosphere, where it bonds with organic matter in
    the active layer. Microbial decay then consumes the organic matter,
    releasing the Hg (Smith-Downey et al., 2010). At the same time,
    sedimentation slowly increases soil depth such that organic matter
    at the bottom of the active layer becomes frozen into permafrost.
    The organic matter consists almost entirely of plant roots, and,
    once frozen, microbial decay effectively ceases, locking the Hg into
    the permafrost. However, permafrost has begun to thaw under a
    changing climate (Hinzman et al., 2005; Romanovsky et al., 2008;
    Smith et al., 2010). Once the permafrost and associated organic
    matter thaws, microbial decay will resume and release Hg to the
    environment, potentially impacting the Arctic Hg balance, aquatic
    resources, and human health (Dunlap et al., 2007; Jonsson et al.,
    2017; Obrist et al., 2017; USGS Fact Sheet,
    https://www2.usgs.gov/themes/factsheet/146-00/, 2016). Model
    projections estimate a 30–99% reduction in the area of Northern
    Hemisphere permafrost by 2100, assuming anthropogenic greenhouse
    gases emissions continue at current rates (Koven et al., 2013). In a
    novel approach, we make the first-ever estimate of the storage of Hg
    in the Northern Hemisphere permafrost soils using empirical
    relationships based on in situ measurements of sediment total
    mercury (STHg) combined with published maps of soil organic carbon
    (Hugelius, Tarnocai, et al., 2013; Hugelius, Bockheim, et al., 2013).

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2017GL075571/full

[Evidence Squared - audio]
*Ep 20: Dave Roberts on conservatives and climate change 
<http://evidencesquared.com/ep20/>*
We talk to David Roberts from Vox about the intractability of 
conservatives on climate change and whether polarization is something to 
be avoided or embraced.
You can listen to our episode at http://evidencesquared.com/ep20/ or 
download it directly fromiTunes 
<https://evidencesquared.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=8a0f5ded9e53e63b39b708165&id=178a52dfb2&e=0b49e9050f> 
or Soundcloud 
<https://evidencesquared.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=8a0f5ded9e53e63b39b708165&id=b12f4afe19&e=0b49e9050f>.
You can also follow us on Facebook 
<https://evidencesquared.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=8a0f5ded9e53e63b39b708165&id=8247c41958&e=0b49e9050f>, 
Twitter 
<https://evidencesquared.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=8a0f5ded9e53e63b39b708165&id=87b6d22b33&e=0b49e9050f>, 
and YouTube 
<https://evidencesquared.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=8a0f5ded9e53e63b39b708165&id=ff66f6bcab&e=0b49e9050f>.
Links for this episode:
/Outside/magazine on Roberts unplugging 
<https://www.outsideonline.com/1926796/reboot-or-die-trying>
Niskanen Center podcast on polarization and framing 
<https://niskanencenter.org/blog/episode-3-polarized-opinion-climate-change-messages-move-conservatives/>
Dave's/Vox/post in response 
<https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/11/10/16627256/conservatives-climate-change-persuasion>
Eagan and Mullin climate opinion paper 
<http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-polisci-051215-022857>
Dixon value-based messaging paper 
<http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1075547017715473>
McCright et al. counter-messages negate framing 
<http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/tops.12171/abstract>
Inoculation paper 
<http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0175799>and/Vox/write 
up 
<https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/5/31/15713838/inoculation-climate-change-denial>
Technocognition paper 
<http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211368117300700>
Creation Museum and science <https://creationmuseum.org/creation-science/>
Arvo (font) <https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Arvo>
Arvo (Australian slang) 
<https://www.theaussieenglishpodcast.com/ep006-slang-word-arvo/>
Follow Evidence Squared on Facebook 
<https://www.facebook.com/evidencesquared>, Twitter 
<https://twitter.com/evidencesquared> and Soundcloud 
<https://soundcloud.com/user-434246752>.
http://evidencesquared.com/ep20/

[animated map 
<https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rnnawEw1dUFY3VdJHQJwt-i2V-U=/0x0:720x480/620x413/filters:focal%28303x183:417x297%29:gifv%28%29:no_upscale%28%29/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/58540011/theewatersklooof_oli_2018014.0.gif>]
*This disappearing Cape Town reservoir is a preview of climate 
nightmares to come 
<https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/1/16961258/cape-town-reservoir-water-shortage-climate-change-drought>*
Just three years of drought have dried Cape Town's biggest reservoir 
<video%20https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rnnawEw1dUFY3VdJHQJwt-i2V-U=/0x0:720x480/620x413/filters:focal%28303x183:417x297%29:gifv%28%29:no_upscale%28%29/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/58540011/theewatersklooof_oli_2018014.0.gif> 
to just 13 percent capacity
In less than 100 days, Cape Town - a South African city of about 4 
million people - could run out of water, in what officials call "Day 
Zero. 
<https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2018-01-22-from-the-inside-the-countdown-to-day-zero/#.WnM6_ZM-dE6>" 
A view of the crisis from space shows the city's massive reservoirs 
drying up after just three years of drought - a preview of the 
nightmares climate change could bring, unfolding right now.
video 
https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rnnawEw1dUFY3VdJHQJwt-i2-U=/0x0:720x480/620x413/filters:focal(303x183:417x297):gifv():no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/58540011/theewatersklooof_oli_2018014.0.gif
https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/1/16961258/cape-town-reservoir-water-shortage-climate-change-drought
-
*What southern Africa can learn from other countries about adapting to 
drought 
<http://www.sixdegreesnews.org/archives/22447/what-southern-africa-can-learn-from-other-countries-about-adapting-to-drought>*
by The Conversation
Andrew Slaughter and Sukhmani Mantel Some arid countries have been 
forced to develop novel technologies and strategies to survive extremely 
dry conditions. Australia and Israel, for example, have become more 
resilient as climate change has brought more frequent droughts. Rainfall 
in South Africa is naturally highly variable with total amount of 
precipitation very different between years and […]
http://www.sixdegreesnews.org/archives/22447/what-southern-africa-can-learn-from-other-countries-about-adapting-to-drought

*Global warming makes Winter Olympics risky bet for many bidders 
<http://www.rgj.com/story/life/outdoors/2018/02/05/global-warming-makes-winter-olympics-risky-bet-many-bidders/1089015001/>*
http://www.rgj.com/story/life/outdoors/2018/02/05/global-warming-makes-winter-olympics-risky-bet-many-bidders/1089015001/

[Children's Book Review]
*The Tantrum That Saved The World <https://www.worldsavingbooks.com/>*
This picture book about climate change won't freak your kids out
Instead of highlighting the bleak stuff, author Megan Herbert focuses on 
the solutions
By Alessandra Potenza
"Some of those images and some of those ideas can really be too much for 
a kid to take onboard," says Herbert, a writer and illustrator. "You 
have to make the conversation something that's not overwhelming."
So, instead of highlighting the bleak stuff - the melting ice, the 
rising sea levels, the more extreme weather - she focuses on the 
solutions: the small steps anyone can take to try to solve the problem. 
To help other parents to do same, she's releasing a picture book that 
she illustrated and co-wrote with climatologist Michael Mann.
The book, titled The Tantrum That Saved The World 
<https://www.worldsavingbooks.com/>, tells the story of a girl named 
Sophia, whose life is disrupted when a polar bear, a Kiribati family 
flooded by the rising seas, a bee swarm, a fisherman, and others knock 
on her door seeking help. Annoyed at first, Sophia then realizes she has 
to help, so she organizes rallies to sway more people - and policymakers 
- to act on climate change. It's a sweet story, and Herbert says she 
designed the protagonist to be racially ambiguous. Although Sophia is 
fair-skinned, she could be South American or mixed race, so any child 
can identify with her. "I wanted to keep that as vague as possible," she 
says.
The picture book, which was funded through a successful Kickstarter 
campaign 
<https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/worldsavingtantrum/the-tantrum-that-saved-the-world-carbon-neutral-ki>, 
comes with a glossary of climate change terms at the end, such as coral 
bleaching, ocean acidification, and ice sheet. It also has a section 
that explains what's going on with polar bears, bees, and the people who 
live in low-lying islands that are already going under because of rising 
sea levels 
<https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/03/world/asia/climate-change-kiribati.html>. 
It's for kids as young as four, but also as old as 11, she says...
Herbert says it took six months of brainstorming before settling on the 
current story. Some initial story ideas weren't very relatable to 
children; others were just too bleak. "The worst thing to do is, 'Here's 
this horrible problem. The end,'" Herbert tells The Verge. "You can't 
give information to adults or children that makes them feel powerless 
and overwhelmed, and then not give them any sort of feeling that they 
can do something about this." That's where the "World Saving Action 
Plan" poster comes in. Herbert hopes readers will hang it in the living 
room so that the whole family - especially children - can take little 
steps that will help solve climate change.
https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/4/16964414/climate-change-children-book-tantrum-that-saved-the-world-megan-herbert

[Climate Liability News]
*Exxon Claims Climate Action Poses 'Little Risk' to Its Business 
<https://www.climateliabilitynews.org/2018/02/05/exxon-climate-action-stranded-assets/>*
Exxon changed course slightly last week by acknowledging for the first 
time that is core oil and gas assets face some risk of becoming stranded 
due to policies that seek to limit climate change. The oil giant, 
however, continued to paint a rosy future for its core business, and 
downplayed the threat presented by international climate goals, while 
research has shown that reaching those goals requires leaving roughly 
three quarters of known fossil fuel reserves in the ground.
The report, 2018 Energy & Carbon Summary: Positioning for a Lower-Carbon 
Energy Future 
<http://corporate.exxonmobil.com/%7E/media/global/files/energy-and-environment/2018-energy-and-carbon-summary.pdf>, 
along with the 2018 Outlook for Energy: A View to 2040 
<http://corporate.exxonmobil.com/en/energy/energy-outlook/a-view-to-2040>, 
includes Exxon's analysis of several scenarios in which the world works 
to meet the goal of the Paris climate agreement to hold global warming 
to 2 degree Celsius through 2040.
"Considering the 2 degreesC scenarios average, we believe our reserves 
face little risk," said Exxon in a report released on Friday that was 
prompted by a shareholder resolution that passed last May...
Investigations by InsideClimate News 
<https://insideclimatenews.org/content/Exxon-The-Road-Not-Taken> and the 
L.A. Times found that internal communications show Exxon scientists 
warned management about risks to the company decades ago, but the 
company failed to disclose those risks to the public.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Massachusetts Attorney 
General Maura Healey are investigating 
<https://www.climateliabilitynews.org/2017/11/13/maura-healey-massachusetts-exxon-climate-investigation/> 
Exxon for possible shareholder deception 
<https://www.climateliabilitynews.org/2017/08/08/exxon-climate-change-risk-report-fraud-investigation-new-york-ag/>.
https://www.climateliabilitynews.org/2018/02/05/exxon-climate-action-stranded-assets/
-
[Press release (edited for space)]
*ExxonMobil publicly acknowledges need for oil and gas methane 
regulations 
<https://energyfactor.exxonmobil.com/perspectives/methane-regulation-stay-pragmatic/>*
<https://westernlaw.org/exxonmobil-publicly-acknowledges-need-oil-gas-methane-regulations/>Today, 
ExxonMobil natural gas subsidiary XTO publically acknowledged the need 
for government regulation of oil and gas methane emissions. The 
announcement recognizes that voluntary measures alone are not enough to 
control this dangerous climate pollutant. Earlier last year, the 
American Petroleum Institute, whose membership includes a broad swath of 
the industry, announced a program of voluntary measures to help derail 
the mandatory methane emissions rules adopted last year by the Obama 
administration. In today's announcement, ExxonMobil endorsed the need 
for government regulations to ensure that all oil and gas companies be 
required to address methane emissions and reduce the industry's climate 
impacts...
The Western Environmental Law Center calls on ExxonMobil to communicate 
forcefully to the administration that gutting federal methane rules is 
not in the public interest, nor is it in the interest of the oil and gas 
industry," said Thomas Singer. "For this large oil and gas industry 
representative to succeed with its support for these rules now under 
attack, it must show the Trump administration the writing on the wall."...
Today's announcement raises the stakes for the industry and the 
Administration to recognize the danger to the climate, and to the 
industry's social license to operate, from ignoring methane pollution 
while promoting natural gas production and use...

    [ExxonMobil - Perspectives blog]
    *Methane regulation: Stay pragmatic and seek the possible
    <https://energyfactor.exxonmobil.com/perspectives/methane-regulation-stay-pragmatic/>*
    ...our methane emissions constitute a very small fraction of the
    overall natural gas picture. The correct mix of policies and
    regulations could help the entire industry raise the bar.
    So what would a framework for jurisdictionally appropriate
    regulatory action with regard to methane look like?
    Ultimately, we think it should include five key elements:

        *New wells should follow "green completion"* procedures. After
        completion, rather than venting the methane comingled with the
        well's "flowback" (a mixture of water, gas, and some solids),
        capturing the gas for eventual sale or combusting it with a
        flare can significantly cut down on industry methane emissions.
        *The use of high-bleed pneumatic control devices should be
        eliminated.* This means not using HBPs on new facilities, and
        phasing them out from existing operations over a reasonable
        timeframe.
        *Rules should promote Leak Detection and Repair programs.*
        Initially, these efforts would focus on high-volume operations
        or where higher concentrations of facilities exist, and be
        performed on an annual basis. Leaks that are detected should be
        fixed as soon as is practicable.
        *Manual well unloadings should be monitored by field personnel
        to minimize the amount of gas vented to atmosphere.* Personnel
        can be in nearby proximity so once water is removed from the
        well tubing and gas begins to flow, they can resume normal
        operations.
        *Basic data should be reported to regulatory bodies for
        consolidation.* By growing the store of knowledge, we can
        increase understanding of emissions profiles, better track our
        overall progress, and enable the regulator community knowledge
        capacity.

    The beauty of these principles is that they could underpin a
    regulatory effort that both encourages and keeps up with continuous
    technological innovation. And they can be designed so as not to
    unduly drive up costs on natural gas producers.
    As much as anything, we will need to stay pragmatic and seek the
    possible....
    https://energyfactor.exxonmobil.com/perspectives/methane-regulation-stay-pragmatic/

Last fall ExxonMobil announced several voluntary measures it would take 
to reduce methane emissions but the commitment included only a few of 
the methane emissions control measures included in the federal 
regulations. The company later joined with eight other major oil and gas 
producers in adopting guiding principles  for reducing methane emissions 
from their operations and encouraging other oil and gas companies to 
follow suit. At that time, the company said that "Since natural gas 
consists mainly of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, its role in the 
transition to a low-carbon future will be influenced by the extent to 
which methane emissions are reduced."..
Today's announcement raises the stakes for the industry and the 
Administration to recognize the danger to the climate, and to the 
industry's social license to operate, from ignoring methane pollution 
while promoting natural gas production and use.
https://westernlaw.org/exxonmobil-publicly-acknowledges-need-oil-gas-methane-regulations/

[withdrawn]
*Climate change sceptic Kathleen Hartnett White dropped as Trump 
environment expert 
<https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/04/kathleen-hartnett-white-dropped-trump-environment-adviser>*
White House to withdraw nomination of controversial figure to chair 
Council on Environmental Quality
The nomination of Kathleen Hartnett White, a climate change sceptic, to 
serve as Donald Trump's top environmental adviser is to be withdrawn, 
the White House has confirmed.
White was announced in October last year as Trump's choice to chair the 
Council on Environmental Quality.
But White's nomination languished and was among a batch of nominations 
the Senate sent back to the White House when it adjourned at the end of 
2017. Trump would have had to resubmit White's nomination.
She made headlines in November last year when she had difficulty 
answering basic questions about climate change 
<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/video/2017/nov/10/trump-environment-kathleen-hartnett-white-climate-change-video>.
The Washington Post first reported late on Saturday on the plans to pull 
White's nomination, citing two unnamed administration officials who had 
been briefed on the matter.
A White House official later confirmed the Post report. The official was 
not authorized to discuss personnel decisions by name and spoke on 
condition of anonymity.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/04/kathleen-hartnett-white-dropped-trump-environment-adviser
-
[10 min video November Hearing]
*Trump's Environmental Top pick leaves Senators DUMBFOUNDED when 
answering on climate change <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bIKZVWjKT0>*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bIKZVWjKT0
-
[video archive 2015]
*Kathleen Hartnett White discusses the benefits of CO2 
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xykBJLfxDFI>*
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Distinguished Senior Fellow-in-Residence and Director of the Armstrong 
Center for Energy & the Environment The Honorable Kathleen Hartnett 
White discusses the benefits that CO2 has provided, from greener land 
and technological advances to a more robust economy and smaller overall 
carbon footprint.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xykBJLfxDFI

[Not yet Fact-Checked]
*EPA's Pruitt mistakenly meets with marijuana farmers*
"Pruitt was in Florida on Friday doing a number of events. One of these 
was an (anti) environmental roundtable with trade groups at May Nursery 
in Havana, Florida.
It turns out "May Nursery" is the same company mentioned in this Miami 
Herald article 
<http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/meet-floridas-medical-marijuana-moguls-9625984> 
about "Florida's Medical Marijuana Moguls." There is a ton of other 
media - including an article in the Cannabis Business Times - describing 
the May Nursery's weed business interests. EPA really didn't do their 
due diligence on the venue/family, especially considering the Trump 
admin's hard stance on weed, and Pruitt's known ambitions to become 
Attorney General.
Late on Friday, Pruitt sent out a tweet that included a photo of him and 
members of the May family. The tweet talked about the May family's 
century of farming, and calling them "#TrueEnvironmentalists". About an 
hour after we tweeted about May Nursery's cannabis business, the tweet 
of Pruitt with the family was deleted.
No media on this yet, but lots of fun starting to pick up on social 
media. Here is my tweet 
<https://twitter.com/NickSurgey/status/960578073862303744> if you want 
to re-tweet, or poke fun at Pruitt in your own way." -NS

*This Day in Climate History February 6, 2014 
<http://video.msnbc.msn.com/all-in-/54297487>   -  from D.R. Tucker*
February 6, 2014:
MSNBC's Chris Hayes reports on the effort by Charles and David Koch
to buy the US Senate.
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/all-in-/54297487

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