[TheClimate.Vote] February 26, 2018 - Daily Global Warming News Digest
Richard Pauli
richard at theclimate.vote
Mon Feb 26 07:40:23 EST 2018
/February 26, 2018/
[important video]
*The climate cover up - big oil's campaign of deception
<https://youtu.be/dbwEniX51t0>*
DW Documentary - DW is a publicly funded German broadcaster
*Published on Feb 25, 2018*
For decades, oil companies have known that burning fossil fuels impacts
the climate. Why have they been keeping this information hidden?
Donald Trump has a different view on climate change to his predecessors
in the White House. It's good news for major oil companies such as Exxon
and Shell, which for the last 60 years have been funding studies and
campaigns to dismiss the threat to the environment. New documents
confirm that these companies have known since 1957 that burning fossil
fuels impacts on the climate. Big oil has been deceiving the public for
the past 60 years. Confidential research conducted decades ago by the
oil majors shows that global climate change caused by human behavior is
reality. In addition, engineers working for Exxon and Shell have been
using that knowledge for future planning. Rising sea levels and the
increasing frequency and severity of storms prompted the firms to make
their oil rigs taller and more stable. At the same time, pipelines in
the Arctic have been given reinforced foundations due to permafrost
thaw. Geophysician Edward Garvey worked for Exxon between 1978 and 1983.
He regrets that action wasn't taken 30 years ago to combat climate
change. Instead the oil companies commissioned counter-studies to be
used by lobby groups. According to Carroll Muffett from the Center for
International Environmental Law in Washington, they consciously funded
surveys with the aim of discrediting the results. He calls it "the
greatest scandal in human history." Two district attorneys and a range
of county authorities in the US have now launched proceedings against
Exxon and other oil companies. This documentary examines the campaign of
deception, and follows up on evidence of similarly dubious studies being
published in Germany too.
https://youtu.be/dbwEniX51t0
[record flooding]
*Ohio River Predicted To Crest Sunday Afternoon At 60.6 Feet
<http://wvxu.org/post/ohio-river-predicted-crest-sunday-afternoon-606-feet#stream/0>*
The National Weather Service forecasts the Ohio River at Cincinnati to
crest Sunday afternoon at 60.6 feet. Flood stage is 52 feet.
Cincinnati and Dayton set daily maximum rainfall records Saturday, with
Cincinnati's 2.26 inches beating the old record of 1.37 set in 2011.
Dayton got 1.84 inches of rain Saturday, topping the old record of 1.63
set in 2016.
Roads are closed throughout the area along the river...
The United States Post Office reports two local post offices are both
temporarily closed because of flooding. The California, Kentucky, post
office has been relocated to Alexandria, and the Ripley, Ohio, post
office has been relocated to Georgetown. A press release from the USPS
says "mail delivery is being attempted daily as flooding conditions permit."
http://wvxu.org/post/ohio-river-predicted-crest-sunday-afternoon-606-feet#stream/0
[Mother Jones]
*It's Been One Year of Amazing Scott Pruitt Accomplishments, All of Them
Horrible
<https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2018/02/its-been-one-year-of-amazing-scott-pruitt-accomplishments-all-of-them-horrible/>*
Here's a list of his systematic attacks on environmental protections.
AMY THOMSON AND REBECCA LEBER MARCH/APRIL 2018 ISSUE
It's been one year since Scott Pruitt took control of the Environmental
Protection Agency. In that time, he's undermined dozens of regulations
on air and water pollution, made major cuts to agency staff, and
curtailed enforcement of environmental rules. Here's a look at his
disturbing record so far:
*Greenhouse Gas Limits:* Declaring "the war against coal is over,"
Pruitt announced the EPA would repeal President Barack Obama's Clean
Power Plan, which would have placed limits on carbon pollution from
power plants - a major cause of global warming.
*Clean Water Protections: *Pruitt has rescinded the Waters of the
United States rule, which gave the agency wider latitude to regulate
pollution.
*Oil and Gas Drilling: *After "hearing from industry," Pruitt
canceled the EPA's 2016 directive that energy companies provide
information on methane emissions from their drilling operations.
*Hazardous Air: *The EPA withdrew a 1995 policy that imposed limits
on nearly 200 pollutants, including arsenic, lead, and mercury, from
major industrial polluters.
*Hazardous Chemicals: *Pruitt has delayed an Obama-era rule
requiring plants to release inventories of chemicals on hand - key
information for first responders in the event of an accident.
*Fuel Efficiency Standards: *The EPA is reviewing tougher fuel
standards established under Obama - standards that Pruitt calls
"costly for automakers and the American people."
*Smog: *The Obama administration strengthened limits on ozone
pollution, which causes smog. Pruitt has yet to enforce the rule.
*Toxic Power Plant Pollution: *The EPA is rethinking limits on
chemicals like arsenic, lead, and mercury that power plants dump
into waterways. The agency could revise a rule restricting mercury
and other toxic pollutants in the air.
*Climate Denial: *Pruitt says he doesn't think humans are a "primary
contributor" to global warming, and he has proposed a series of
"debates" designed to challenge mainstream climate science.
*Dangerous Pesticides: *The EPA plans to revise an Obama-era rule
that prevents farmworkers younger than 18 from applying pesticides.
Pruitt has also refused to ban chlorpyrifos, a pesticide that can
damage the nervous system - despite agency scientists saying a ban
was warranted.
*Coal Ash:* Under Obama, the EPA set national standards for the
disposal of toxic coal residue. Pruitt has granted an industry
request to reconsider the rule.
*Global Climate Accords: *After a bitter debate among top advisers,
President Donald Trump sided with Pruitt and Steve Bannon,
announcing he would withdraw from the Paris climate accord.
*Abandoning Enforcement:* According to the Environmental Integrity
Project, Pruitt has slashed the number of civil cases filed against
polluters by 44 percent and civil penalties have fallen by almost
half, compared with averages from the Obama, Bush, and Clinton
administrations. Officers who once investigated environmental crimes
are now manning Pruitt's security detail, the Washington Post reports.
*Politicizing the Grant Process: *Pruitt assigned a former Trump
campaign aide to review all EPA grants, according to the Post. The
aide, John Konkus, directed staffers to remove references to climate
change from grant solicitations.
*Stacking the Agency With Industry Allies:* In a move critics called
"scientific censorship," Pruitt announced that scientists who
receive EPA grants can no longer serve on the agency's advisory
boards. Seven board members immediately resigned and were replaced
with industry-friendly scientists.
*Slashing Staff and Hiring Cronies: *Under Pruitt, the number of EPA
staffers has fallen by more than 800. According to ProPublica and
the Times, that loss includes 200 scientists, most of whom haven't
been replaced. Meanwhile, Pruitt has hired longtime friends and
acquaintances.
https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2018/02/its-been-one-year-of-amazing-scott-pruitt-accomplishments-all-of-them-horrible/
[Video MediaMatters - questions news]
*CNN's Reliable Sources Questions Why Media Present Existence Of Climate
Change As A Debate
<https://www.mediamatters.org/video/2014/02/23/cnns-reliable-sources-questions-why-media-prese/198185>*
https://www.mediamatters.org/video/2014/02/23/cnns-reliable-sources-questions-why-media-prese/198185
[Climate Code Red]
*What is happening in the Arctic is now beyond words, so here are the
pictures
<http://www.climatecodered.org/2018/02/what-is-happening-in-arctic-is-now.html>*
Posted: 25 Feb 2018 01:32 AM PST
In the depths of the northern winter, and with 24-hour darkness at the
North Pole, an extraordinary climate warming event is happening. And for
many scientists it is now beyond words. So here from Zack Labe(@ZLabe)
are some images which tell the story of the recording-smashing warming
and sea-ice melting occurring right now high in the Arctic.
Sea ice extent in the Bering Sea (Arctic) continues its decline. "Warm"
and strong southerly winds have contributed to this anomalous retreat of
ice into the Bering Strait. 2018 is the clear outlier in the satellite
era (each thin line = 1979-2017, @NSIDC data) pic.twitter.com/kzEV6yEFmp
- Zack Labe (@ZLabe) February 24, 2018
@ZLabe PhD Candidate - @uciess | @Cornell Univ - Atmospheric Sci BSc |
Climate Scientist | Brazen weather freak | Roadside oddity navigator |
Likely outside in a storm
Wow... truly a remarkable event ongoing right now in the #Arctic.
Current temperatures well above previous years in February (>80 degrees
N latitude)! Average temperature is the bright blue line
(https://t.co/kO5ufUWrKq). pic.twitter.com/BuseG4hQPE
- Zack Labe (@ZLabe) February 23, 2018
February? This is crazy. Retreat of sea ice in the Bering Sea continues
- well below the previous record low in the satellite era.
pic.twitter.com/9UoqZvaFr2
- Zack Labe (@ZLabe) February 21, 2018
Check out this massive hurricane-force low pressure (944 hPa)
southeast of Greenland today...
[#MODIS Terra, 250 m from @NASAEarthData at
https://t.co/tdqa1WdqWs] pic.twitter.com/IyekQdkmB7
- Zack Labe (@ZLabe) February 23, 2018
Cape Morris Jesup (#Greenland's northernmost observation station) is now
reporting temperatures well above freezing today... +6.1 degrees C at
the latest observation! Crazy!
Station is provided by @dmidk at https://t.co/kedfPPAg9q.
pic.twitter.com/wEcs4B61mo
- Zack Labe (@ZLabe) February 24, 2018
The most intense surge of moisture/warmth (relative to average) for this
event will be pushing over the North Pole tomorrow. Temperatures
projected near 0 degrees C. Meanwhile, brutal cold remains over Europe.
Graphics available from https://t.co/PsOBvTVbA2 pic.twitter.com/LK6rvpaow6
- Zack Labe (@ZLabe) February 25, 2018
http://www.climatecodered.org/2018/02/what-is-happening-in-arctic-is-now.html
[science lecture video- how warming drives up risks]
*Dr Katharine Mach on Climate Attribution
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQv2HbcMiP0>*
CCL San Francisco
Published Feb 18, 2018
Stanford's Katharine Mach explains the degree to which we can attribute
various catastrophic events to climate change
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQv2HbcMiP0
*This Day in Climate History February 26, 2001
<http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0102/26/cf.00.html> - from
D.R. Tucker*
In a tense exchange with CNN "Crossfire" co-host
Robert Novak, EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman states that
President George W. Bush will follow through on his September 2000
campaign pledge to set firm limits on carbon emissions--a statement
that Bush himself would effectively disavow a month later. Footage of
the CNN exchange is included in the 2007 PBS "Frontline" documentary
"Hot Politics."
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0102/26/cf.00.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/hotpolitics/
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