[TheClimate.Vote] January 9, 2018 - Daily Global Warming News Digest
Richard Pauli
richard at theclimate.vote
Tue Jan 9 11:19:14 EST 2018
/January 9, 2018/
[NOAA National Center for Environmental Information]
Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters: Overview
<https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/>
In 2017, there were 16 weather and climate disaster events with losses
exceeding $1 billion each across the United States. These events
included 1 drought event, 2 flooding events, 1 freeze event, 8 severe
storm events, 3 tropical cyclone events, and 1 wildfire event. Overall,
these events resulted in the deaths of 362 people and had significant
economic effects on the areas impacted. The 1980–2017 annual average is
5.8 events (CPI-adjusted); the annual average for the most recent 5
years (2013–2017) is 11.6 events (CPI-adjusted).
[US MAP]
<https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/monitoring-content/billions/images/2017-billion-dollar-disaster-map.png>
https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/monitoring-content/billions/images/2017-billion-dollar-disaster-map.png
The U.S. has sustained 219 weather and climate disasters since 1980
where overall damages/costs reached or exceeded $1 billion (including
CPI adjustment to 2017). The total cost of these 219 events exceeds $1.5
trillion. This total now includes the initial cost estimates for
Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.
https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/
[Attribution Science]
*Here's why journalists can be more confident reporting on climate
change and extreme weather
<https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2018/01/05/Heres-why-journalists-can-be-more-confident-reporting-on-climate-change-and-extreme-weathe/218984>*
January 5, 2018 by Lisa Hymas
The rapidly developing field of climate attribution science gives
reporters and meteorologists a valuable tool for educating the public
Journalists too often fail to note how climate change worsens extreme
weather events, as Media Matters has documented
<https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2017/12/20/2017-was-a-terrible-year-of-climate-disasters----and-too-many-media-outlets-failed-to-tell/218890>on
multiple
<https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2017/07/05/During-record-heat-wave-major-TV-stations-in-Phoenix-and-Las-Vegas-completely-ignored-the-/217141>
occasions
<https://www.mediamatters.org/research/2017/09/08/STUDY-ABC-and-NBC-drop-the-ball-on-covering-the-impact-of-climate-change-on-hurricanes/217881>.
But they should feel increasingly confident doing so. In recent years,
climate change attribution science -- research that documents how
climate change made specific weather events worse - has become much more
robust.
https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2018/01/05/Heres-why-journalists-can-be-more-confident-reporting-on-climate-change-and-extreme-weathe/218984
[ticks]
*Maine researchers explore link between climate change and Lyme disease
<https://dailyclimate.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=73be43273a8ebb733ab2696c7&id=f7ba5ba09e&e=5bae535b64>*
pressherald.com
Academic and health care investigators are learning more about the
complex web of factors driving the expansion of tick habitat, including
global warming...
The changing climate in Maine caused by global warming is potentially
creating new tick habitats and accelerating the spread of Lyme disease,
according to research being done in the state...
Susan Elias, a disease ecologist at the research institute, said
persuasive research connects climate change with the increased range of
the deer tick that carries Lyme disease, but there hasn't been a
comprehensive look at the many factors that are causing a surge in Lyme
cases. Those factors include shorter winters, hotter summers and fewer
days of extreme cold temperatures.
The number of confirmed Lyme cases in Maine reached an all-time high of
1,464 in 2016 and has exceeded more than 1,000 a year since 2011...
Anaplasmosis,...emerged as a threat in 2017, with a record 400 cases
reported through October. Many Mainers are now being co-infected with
Lyme and other tick-borne diseases like anaplasmosis, although there are
no public health data tracking co-infections. Researchers, however, are
finding more ticks that carry both Lyme and anaplasmosis.
Many things could be in play,.. including not only temperature, but also
humidity in the soil, snow, deer density near people, leaf cover, more
people moving into tick habitats by building homes near wooded areas,
summer precipitation, how cold the winters are and the expansion of the
Japanese barberry invasive plant. The Japanese barberry is a prime
habitat for ticks. Rodents can also contribute to the spread of ticks.
Even the re-emergence of deciduous trees growing on what used to be
farmland may be a factor, Elias said. Ticks survive well under leaf
litter, helping them to survive the winter.
https://dailyclimate.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=73be43273a8ebb733ab2696c7&id=f7ba5ba09e&e=5bae535b64
[Bombogenesis review]
Paul Beckwith
Published on Jan 8, 2018
*Unprecedented Storms of OUR Lives: Climate Bomb Mayhem*
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbn012uiPBs>
Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbn012uiPBs
Weather bomb. Bombogenesis. Cyclone Bomb. Terms for the beast that
hammered North America's East Coast, knocking iguanas out of trees in
Florida, bringing ice floes from the ocean onto coastal Boston streets,
and dumping feet of snow. Air pressure in the "eye" plummeted faster
than most hurricanes (59 mb in 24 hours) to 951 mb (equivalent to a
Category 3 storm). Climate change disruption of our planetary heat
transport via atmosphere and oceans is accelerating; this is just the
first few moves of the chess game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbn012uiPBs
[Speaking Notes #1]
*OXFORD CHANGE AGENCY EVENT - REPORT
Agency in individual and collective change
<http://www.climatepsychologyalliance.org/explorations/papers/257-oxford-change-agency-event-report>*
Climate Psychology Alliance with Living Witness
Written by Laurie Michaelis
A day for psychological and social practitioners to share our
experiences of enabling positive
responses to climate change. We'll explore how our different approaches
connect and complement
each other, hoping to form a stronger community of practitioners. We
hope to shed light on questions
such as:
• What are the approaches to change in our different practices?
• How do we address our own Shadow – including developing agency for
change when our
"normal" way of life is part of the problem?
• What are our experiences of the interplay of individual and collective
agency?
• How do these themes relate to well-explored aspects of climate
psychology – e.g. splitting,
denial, loss etc.? What about loss of "normal" ways of life if we
respond effectively to climate
change?
As a Quaker I've been working on climate change and sustainable living
for about fifteen years now. A
lot of the work I do is with local Quaker meetings, or organising
workshops or gatherings of one kind
or another, from small groups up to 2000 people.
Quakers have a way of engaging with things that I want to summarise in
three principles.
*The first principle that is fundamental for Quakers…is essentially
about being open to transformation.*
We have Quaker words that are about standing still in the Light and
letting it show you your darkness.
We use God language, and before I use God language I just want to say
that I don't believe in a god in
any conventional sense, but I tend to interpret that word as being to do
with emergent collective
consciousness. That's my interpretation and different people will
interpret it differently.
But we talk about trusting "the promptings of love and truth in our
hearts as the leadings of God
whose light shows us our darkness and brings us to new life".
So there's this sense of looking at our
darkness and being transformed.
So that was a kind of internal, first-person principle.
*The second one is about "answering that of God in every one".* I would
say that's about
intersubjectivity. I need to be open to being transformed by my
relationship with you. That's the basis
of a strong Quaker culture of listening, and it's a very important part
of Quaker practice.
*The third principle is about unity; seeking unity together. *We do that
in very practical ways in our
decision-making meetings, in the way we come up with a minute, a shared
way forward, but we do it
in lots of different ways. Sometimes we don't do it very well. A lot of
it comes down to letting go of
ego, and letting go of personal positions, and uniting with the group.
http://www.climatepsychologyalliance.org/explorations/papers/257-oxford-change-agency-event-report
[lump of coal news]
*Trump Coal Rescue Hits Pothole
<https://climatecrocks.com/2018/01/08/trump-coal-rescue-hits-pothole/>*
Trump plan to subsidize coal, nuclear plants hit a snag.
video: Trump: Coal, Beautiful Coal <https://youtu.be/PNENR-x_HYk>
https://youtu.be/PNENR-x_HYk
*Washington Post:
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/01/08/trump-appointed-regulators-reject-plan-to-rescue-coal-and-nuclear-plants/>*
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Monday unanimously rejected
a proposal by Energy Secretary Rick Perry that would have propped up
nuclear and coal power struggling in competitive electricity markets.
The independent five-member commission includes four people appointed by
President Trump, three of them Republicans. Its decision is binding...
The operators have 60 days to submit materials. At that time the agency
can issue another order.
Perry's proposal favored power plants able to store 90 days fuel supply
on site, unlike renewable energy or natural gas plants.
The plan, however, was widely seen as an effort to alter the balance of
competitive electricity markets that federal regulators have been
cultivating since the late 1980s. And critics said that it would have
largely helped a handful of coal and nuclear companies, including the
utility FirstEnergy and coal mining firm Murray Energy, while raising
rates for consumers.
The argument coal and nuclear proponents make is that those fuels
provide "base load" power that is more reliable than a mix of renewables
and natural gas – and are therefore critical for "national security".
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/01/08/trump-appointed-regulators-reject-plan-to-rescue-coal-and-nuclear-plants/
-
[Perry stumbles]
*FERC looks to have used strong language in rejected NOPR:***
<https://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/file_list.asp?document_id=14633130>https://twitter.com/AriPeskoe/status/950469042309038081
https://twitter.com/PriceofOil/status/950496144752332800
https://twitter.com/david_turnbull/status/950493912497496064
http://priceofoil.org/2018/01/08/ferc-rejects-perry-coal-nuclear-bailout/
*Response: Industry-friendly FERC rightly rejects Perry's coal and nukes
bailout <https://t.co/meFhhNNIg4>*
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 8, 2018
ontact:
Janet Redman, janet [at] priceofoil.org
David Turnbull, david [at] priceofoil.org
*Oil Change Int'l response: Industry-friendly FERC rightly rejects
Perry's coal and nukes bailout*
Today, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) rejected
former Dancing with the Stars contestant and current Energy
Secretary Rick Perry's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would have
given a massive bailout to the coal and nuclear industries in the
name of so-called grid resilience. In response, Janet Redman, U.S.
Policy Director with Oil Change International,released the following
statement:
"Secretary Perry likes to use flash and glitz to cover over
imperfections in form. Like the wise judges on Dancing with the
Stars, FERC saw through the act.
"This was an easy decision to make for FERC. Secretary Perry's
proposal was nothing more than a massive bailout for the coal and
nuclear industries. It's no surprise it was resoundingly rejected by
even the industry-friendly commission, just as it's no surprise that
Secretary Perry continues to demonstrate he has no idea what he's
doing overseeing our nation's energy infrastructure.
"We'll know FERC is really intent on setting a course for a brighter
future when they actually start taking our climate crisis seriously.
By ignoring the climate impacts of gas pipelines, export terminals,
and other fossil fuel projects, FERC continues to hold us back while
doing the industry's bidding.
"Today's decision by FERC was the right one, but FERC needs to do a
lot more to stand up to the fossil fuel industry and safeguard our
climate before they earn our applause."
FERC looks to have used strong language in rejected NOPR:
https://twitter.com/AriPeskoe/status/950469042309038081
https://t.co/meFhhNNIg4
[video lecture 58 mins]
*Tali Sharot: The Influential Mind
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HMsEVmnhZE>*
In The Influential Mind, neuroscientist Tali Sharot takes us on a
thrilling exploration of the nature of influence. We affect others just
by moving through the world―from the classroom to the boardroom to
social media. But how skilled are we at this role, and can we become
better? Sharot reveals that many of our instincts―from relying on facts
and figures to shape opinions, to insisting others are wrong or
attempting to exert control―are ineffective, because they are
incompatible with how people's minds operate. She shows us how to avoid
these pitfalls, and how an attempt to change beliefs and actions is
successful when it is well-matched with the core elements that govern
the human brain. Sharot reveals the critical role of emotion in
influence, the weakness of data and the power of curiosity. Relying on
the latest research in neuroscience, behavioral economics and
psychology, the book provides fascinating insight into the complex power
of influence, good and bad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HMsEVmnhZE
-
[TED video 17min]
*The optimism bias Tali Sharot
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8rmi95pYL0>*
Are we born to be optimistic, rather than realistic? Tali Sharot shares
new research that suggests our brains are wired to look on the bright
side - and how that can be both dangerous and beneficial.
And maybe the most surprising benefit of optimism is health.
If we expect the future to be bright, stress and anxiety are reduced.
So all in all, optimism has lots of benefits. But the question that was
really confusing to me was,
how do we maintain optimism in the face of reality? So unrealistic
optimism can lead to risky behavior, to financial collapse, to faulty
planning.
The British government, for example, has acknowledged that the optimism
bias can make individuals more likely to underestimate the costs and
durations of projects.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8rmi95pYL0
[Art and Climate]
*Sea of Troubles
<https://artistsandclimatechange.com/2018/01/08/sea-of-troubles/>*
http://www.dearclimate.net/#/posters
https://artistsandclimatechange.com/2018/01/08/sea-of-troubles/
[Cool tools to see the future]
*Look Ahead Campaign Leverages the Power of Virtual Reality to Bring
Climate Impacts and Solutions to Life*
Imagine some of San Francisco's most iconic locations submerged in
water. Hard to picture? An innovative new campaign called Look Ahead -
San Francisco is helping locals to envision what their city could look
like in the future with sea-level rise and what's possible through
climate action.
Look Ahead offers 360 tours of three sites in San Francisco where
communities members can learn more about climate impacts and solutions,
share their opinions and concerns, and connect to efforts to plan for
sea-level rise and reduce carbon emissions.
Introducing Look Ahead - San Francisco uses a customized virtual reality
app to give community members a first-person look at future sea-level
rise and climate solutions in three locations in San Francisco, and
offer opportunities to get involved with local climate action.
Get started with the Look Ahead–San Francisco virtual reality tour
Developed by the nonprofit Climate Access in partnership with the City
and County of San Francisco, the Look Ahead app for smartphones or
tablets provides 360-degree tours of the Embarcadero, Mission Creek and
Heron's Head. Look Ahead can be accessed now via Google Play or the
Apple App Store and used to search for location-specific climate facts,
share opinions and concerns, and connect with sea-level rise planning
efforts and programs to cut carbon.
www.lookahead-sf.org
Twitter <https://twitter.com/lookaheadsf>
Instagram <https://www.instagram.com/lookaheadsf/>
Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/lookahead.sf.1>
Looking for something cool to do this weekend? Download #LookAheadSF for
a #VR tour of #Embarcadero #MissionCreek #HeronsHead @LookAheadSF
@climateaccess. Get the app: http://apple.co/2yPoSmP or
http://bit.ly/2yOWEbV
#sealevelrise in #SanFrancisco is projected to hit 3-5ft by the end of
the century. Find out how you can help SF build a climate-ready future -
lookahead-sf.org @climateaccess @SFEnvironment. Get the app:
http://apple.co/2yPoSmP or http://bit.ly/2yOWEbV
Check out #VR for #sealevelrise #climatechange #SanFrancisco with the
@LookAheadSF app now through April. Get the app: http://apple.co/2yPoSmP
or http://bit.ly/2yOWEbV
@climateaccess just launched @LookAheadSF - a #virtualreality
#sealevelrise and solutions app for #SanFrancisco. Get the app:
http://apple.co/2yPoSmP or http://bit.ly/2yOWEbV
Get a free pair of #googlecardboard when you attend a @LookAheadSF app
event and see #SanFrancisco in #VR. Subscribe at
lookahead-sf.org/events. Get the app: http://apple.co/2yPoSmP or
http://bit.ly/2yOWEbV
Look Ahead - San Francisco is an interactive virtual reality sea-level
rise smartphone app developed through a partnership between Climate
Access and the City of San Francisco.
Check out our new Look Ahead VR app visualizing sea level rise and
solutions in San Francisco, available in the App Store or on Google Play.
https://www.lookahead-sf.org/
[Fresh Air]
*This Day in Climate History January 9, 2007
<http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6761960> - from
D.R. Tucker*
In an interview on NPR's "Fresh Air," notorious GOP operative Frank
Luntz - who years prior wrote a memo urging Republicans to keep raising
questions about climate science as opposed to actually doing anything to
reduce carbon pollution--shamelessly defends his tactics.
Republican pollster Frank Luntz advises politicians on the language they
should use to win elections and promote their policies. Although he
works on one side of the aisle, he says that what he does is essentially
nonpartisan, seeking clarity and simplicity in language. His critics
disagree, and have accused him of using language that spins and
misrepresents policies to "sell" them to the public.
"I've always been fascinated with language" Frank Luntz is the author
of Words That Work.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6761960
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