[TheClimate.Vote] January 12, 2018 - Daily Global Warming News Digest
Richard Pauli
richard at theclimate.vote
Fri Jan 12 09:28:35 EST 2018
/January 12, 2018/
[Bloomberg Opinion]
*America's Most Pressing Threat? Climate Change
<https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-01-11/america-s-no-1-enemy-climate-change>*
The Trump administration is ignoring a huge threat to national security
and global stability....
What makes climate change so pernicious is that while the effects will
only become catastrophic far down the road, the only opportunity to fix
the problem rests in the present. In other words, waiting "to be sure
climate change is real" condemns us to a highly insecure future if we
make the wrong bet. We are in danger of missing not only the vast forest
of looming climate change, but the ability to see some of the specific
trees that will cause us the most problems. Some of the most obvious and
pressing concerns include:
*Water scarcity, droughts and resource struggles leading to wars and
terrorism... **
**Rising sea levels that swamp our ports and coastlines...**
**Arctic melting, rising geopolitical tension and competition...**
**Economic impact that undermines our ability to spend on defense... **
**Extreme weather... *
We must address these challenges - now - in three key ways.
*First, we need to acknowledge the problem..**
**Second, the U.S. must re-take a leadership role..**
**And third, the U.S. needs to break out of its traditional stove-piped
structure and try to address climate change coherently across all
agencies and departments. *If the White House is going to leave the
issue out of the National Security Strategy for domestic political
reasons, the Departments of Defense, State and Homeland Security must
drive it back into their long-term plans.
Both the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations understood the
reality of climate change and that it poses a major national security
threat. If the Trump White House insists on ignoring the inevitable, the
professionals at the relevant departments and agencies have to take it
upon themselves to develop real strategies, and put real resources, into
keeping the U.S. and its global interests secure far into an uncertain
future.
/This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial
board or Bloomberg LP and its owners./
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-01-11/america-s-no-1-enemy-climate-change
[Foreign Policy]
*The Only Force That Can Beat Climate Change Is the US Army
<http://foreignpolicy.com/2018/01/09/the-only-force-that-can-beat-climate-change-is-the-u-s-army/>*
America's military is the only institution that can break the partisan
deadlock on the worst threat the nation faces.
By Anatol Lieven
The precise extent of human-induced climate change is unclear, but the
basic science is unequivocal, as is the danger it poses to the United
States. This threat comes from the direct impact of climate change on
agricultural production and sea levels but equally importantly from the
huge waves of migration that climate change is likely to cause, on a
scale that even the world's richest states and societies will be unable
either to prevent or accommodate.
Yet for two out of the past four U.S. administrations, action on this
issue has been frozen due to the refusal of a large section of the
political establishment and electorate to accept the clear scientific
evidence that this threat exists - and the Trump administration has
now decided to remove climate change from the list of security threats
to the United States under its new National Security Strategy (NSS)...
It may be a mistake in this context to emphasize the long-term direct
physical impacts of climate change and their apocalyptic nature. While
the appalling scale of these risks genuinely should prompt radical
action, these long-term predictions are by their nature highly
uncertain. Moreover, they fall so far outside the bounds of normal
thinking by militaries and security elites that they produce an
automatic aversion in such circles; talk of doom switches people off
from practical thinking...
Far better therefore when seeking the attention and commitment of
national security elites to concentrate on threats that already fall
within the remit of security studies. These would be dangers that are
medium term rather than long term and predictable with very high levels
of certainty - indeed, in many cases they are already occurring
problems. The consensus among experts is that at least for several
decades to come, the effects of climate change will not produce sudden
and apocalyptic change but rather gradually will worsen already existing
and observable problems.
Two wider issues are involved here. The first is that as an institution
that depends on science for its weapons and intelligence systems, the
U.S. defense establishment not only has a keen understanding of its
importance, but can remind the American public of the vital urgency of
reckoning with scientific fact.
The second relates to the role of patriotism and nationalism in America.
At present, climate change has been turned - quite unnecessarily -
into an issue that divides Americans rather than unites them. At
present, climate change has been turned - quite unnecessarily - into an
issue that divides Americans rather than unites them. Nationalism is the
only force in the United States and elsewhere that can motivate the
masses to make sacrifices in the struggle against climate change not on
behalf of abstract ideas of planetary responsibility but on behalf of a
commitment to the future of their countries. This involvement of
patriotism is vital, both because the economic sacrifices required will
indeed be very considerable and because they will have to be made by
present generations on behalf of future ones....
The military can play a key part in mobilizing these feelings and
turning this struggle into one that unites Americans and reduces the
divisions and hatred that are beginning to pose a threat not only to the
working of the U.S. political system but even the long-term survival of
U.S. democracy. Without this engagement, successful action against
climate change will be impossible, and the consequences for the United
States and the world will be disastrous.
Anatol Lieven is a professor at Georgetown University in Qatar and a
senior research fellow at New America in Washington. He is the author,
among other books, of America Right or Wrong: An Anatomy of American
Nationalism.
http://foreignpolicy.com/2018/01/09/the-only-force-that-can-beat-climate-change-is-the-u-s-army/
[No Coal in Oakland goes to court]
*COAL LAWSUIT GOES TO TRIAL ON JANUARY 16
<https://nocoalinoakland.info/coal-lawsuit-goes-to-trial-on-january-16/>*
Before a packed courtroom of No Coal in Oakland supporters, Judge Vince
Chhabria today ordered a trial on whether the City breached its
agreements with the developer when it enacted a ban on coal storage and
handling in July 2016. The trial will start on Tuesday, January 16, and
then hop, skip, and jump from Wednesday, January 17 to Friday, January
19, and on to Tuesday, January 23.
At today's hearing, the judge effectively denied summary judgment to
both sides on the developer's breach of contract claim and left summary
judgment motions on federal constitutional and preemption claims hanging
for later resolution after trial. Although the judge acknowledged that
this approach was "unusual," he noted that "everything about this case
has been unusual."
The judge encouraged the parties to focus at trial on whether the City
had "substantial evidence of substantial danger" to health and safety of
West Oakland neighbors of the proposed coal terminal when it adopted the
ban on coal. The judge repeatedly underscored his need to get a clearer
understanding of the weight of the evidence in the record before the
City Council on air quality impacts of the proposed coal export terminal.
There will be no jury in the case so Judge Chhabria will decide
questions of fact as well as of law. He is particularly concerned about
whether the City's analysis of air quality impact of the project was
well-founded....
https://nocoalinoakland.info/coal-lawsuit-goes-to-trial-on-january-16/
[video Peter Sinclair]
*If the Planet is Warming, Why am I Freezing?
<https://youtu.be/Pe9SbC1D-sk>*
YaleClimateConnections Published on Jan 11, 2018
The recent cold snap in eastern North America, predictably, brought out
questions from the usual suspects about climate change and global
warming. Here, an all-star team of Arctic scientists explain how a
warming Arctic can bring cold to temperate zones, even as Alaska is balmy.
https://youtu.be/Pe9SbC1D-sk
[Migration]
*Climate change is driving migration from Vietnam's Mekong delta
<http://www.climatechangenews.com/2018/01/11/climate-change-driving-migration-vietnams-mekong-delta/>*
Published on 11/01/2018
Saltwater intrusion and drought are destroying crops in one of the most
fertile places on earth, prompting an exodus of farmers
The Vietnamese Mekong Delta is one of Earth's most agriculturally
productive regions and is of global importance for its exports of rice,
shrimp, and fruit.
The 18m inhabitants of this low-lying river delta are also some of the
world's most vulnerable to climate change. Over the last ten years
around 1.7m people have migrated out of its vast expanse of fields,
rivers and canals while only 700,000 have arrived...
There are a host of climate-linked drivers behind migration in the
Delta. Some homes have quite literally fallen into the sea as the coast
has eroded in the Southwestern portion of the delta - in some places
100m of coastal belt has been lost in a year. Hundreds of thousands of
households are affected by the intrusion of salt water as the sea rises
and only some are able to switch their livelihoods to salt-water
tolerant commodities. Others have been affected by the increased
incidence of drought, a trend which can be attributed in part to climate
change, but also to upstream dam construction.
Governments and communities in developing countries around the world
have already begun taking action to manage climate change impacts
through adaptation. Our recent research in Vietnam flags a warning about
how this is being done. We show that a further group of people are being
forced to migrate from the Mekong due to decisions originally taken to
protect them from the climate. Thousands of kilometres of dykes, many
over four metres high, now criss-cross the delta. They were built
principally to protect people and crops from flooding, but those same
dykes have fundamentally altered the ecosystem. The poor and the
landless can no longer find fish to eat and sell, and the dykes prevent
free nutrients being carried onto paddies by the flood...
http://www.climatechangenews.com/2018/01/11/climate-change-driving-migration-vietnams-mekong-delta/
https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-triggering-a-migrant-crisis-in-vietnam-88791
[Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)]
*Adaptation now: River flood risks increase around the globe under
future warming
<https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180110141317.htm>*
Summary:
Rainfall changes caused by global warming will increase river flood
risks across the globe. Already today, fluvial floods are among the most
common and devastating natural disasters. Scientists have now calculated
the required increase in flood protection until the 2040s worldwide,
breaking it down to single regions and cities. They find that the need
for adaptation is greatest in the US, parts of India and Africa,
Indonesia, and in Central Europe including Germany. Inaction would
expose many millions of people to severe flooding...
"Our yardstick is that people want to keep the protection level they
have today - they don't want things to become worse. Consequently, in
countries with a fairly good level of protection, much has to be done to
keep the same level of protection and prevent that people indeed have to
leave their homes due to flooding."
*If we do not limit climate change, risks will surpass our abilities to
adapt.*
"If they choose to ignore the issue, sadly enough disaster will come.
The time has come where mitigating future climate change must be
accompanied by adapting to the climate change that we already caused.
Doing nothing will be dangerous."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180110141317.htm
[Court filings NYC]
Court filing for the City of NYC suit against Exxon, Chevron, Shell and
Conoco.
<http://blogs2.law.columbia.edu/climate-change-litigation/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/case-documents/2018/20180109_docket-118-cv-00182_complaint.pdf>
http://blogs2.law.columbia.edu/climate-change-litigation/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/case-documents/2018/20180109_docket-118-cv-00182_complaint.pdf
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
COMPLAINT
Case No. 18 cv 182
<http://blogs2.law.columbia.edu/climate-change-litigation/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/case-documents/2018/20180109_docket-118-cv-00182_complaint.pdf>
CITY OF NEW YORK,
Plaintiff,
-against-
BP P.L.C.; CHEVRON CORPORATION; CONOCOPHILLIPS; EXXON MOBIL
CORPORATION; and ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC,
Defendants.
https://www.thenation.com/article/new-york-city-vs-big-oil/.
[Pew Global]
*Publics globally want unbiased news coverage, but are divided on
whether their news media deliver
<http://www.pewglobal.org/2018/01/11/publics-globally-want-unbiased-news-coverage-but-are-divided-on-whether-their-news-media-deliver/>*
People around the world overwhelmingly agree that news media should be
unbiased in coverage of political issues, yet many say news media do a
poor job of reporting political issues fairly. News media receive higher
marks in other areas, including news accuracy and coverage of important
stories. Use an interactive to explore how often people in 38 countries
use the internet and social networking sites to get news...
News media receive considerably higher marks in other performance areas.
Broad majorities say their news media do a good job of covering the most
important stories (median of 73%), reporting the news accurately (62%),
and reporting news about government leaders and officials (59%). People
in sub-Saharan Africa and the Asia-Pacific are more satisfied with their
news media, while Latin Americans are the most critical. The U.S. public
tends to fall roughly in the middle across the different performance
areas asked about...
http://www.pewglobal.org/2018/01/11/publics-globally-want-unbiased-news-coverage-but-are-divided-on-whether-their-news-media-deliver/
[Cuba]
*Cuba embarks on a 100-year plan to protect itself from climate change
<http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/01/cuba-embarks-100-year-plan-protect-itself-climate-change>*
By Richard Stone
On its deadly run through the Caribbean last September, Hurricane Irma
lashed northern Cuba, inundating coastal settlements and scouring away
vegetation. The powerful storm dealt Havana only a glancing blow; even
so, 10-meter waves pummeled El Malecon, the city's seaside promenade,
and ravaged stately but decrepit buildings in the capital's historic
district. "There was great destruction," says Dalia Salabarria
Fernandez, a marine biologist here at the National Center for Protected
Areas (CNAP).
As the flood waters receded, she says, "Cuba learned a very important
lesson." With thousands of kilometers of low-lying coast and a location
right in the path of Caribbean hurricanes, which many believe are
intensifying because of climate change, the island nation must act fast
to gird against future disasters.
Irma lent new urgency to a plan, called Tarea Vida, or Project Life,
adopted last spring by Cuba's Council of Ministers. A decade in the
making, the program bans construction of new homes in threatened coastal
areas, mandates relocating people from communities doomed by rising sea
levels, calls for an overhaul of the country's agricultural system to
shift crop production away from saltwater-contaminated areas, and spells
out the need to shore up coastal defenses, including by restoring
degraded habitat. "The overarching idea," says Salabarría Fernandez, "is
to increase the resilience of vulnerable communities."
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/01/cuba-embarks-100-year-plan-protect-itself-climate-change
[PBS audio
<https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/traumatized-puerto-ricans-see-uncertain-insecure-future#audio>
+ text]
*Traumatized Puerto Ricans see uncertain, insecure future
<https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/traumatized-puerto-ricans-see-uncertain-insecure-future>*
It's been nearly four months since Puerto Rico was ravaged by Hurricane
Maria, and the return to normalcy has been hindered by a painfully slow
recovery. Jeffrey Brown talks to special correspondent Monica Villamizar
for an update on how residents are coping amid rising crime rates,
dwindling school enrollment and devastated infrastructure and natural
resources.
(audio report
<https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/traumatized-puerto-ricans-see-uncertain-insecure-future#audio>
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/traumatized-puerto-ricans-see-uncertain-insecure-future#audio
)
But there are still many things that need to be fixed. So, there are
snapped power lines. Eight out of 10 traffic lights are not working, so
you can imagine what that does to traffic. It is pretty chaotic at
times. And as soon as you leave the capital, then things are much worse
and there is a lot of devastation still.
There is debris near the roads. There's collapsed trees, collapsed
buildings that have not been repaired and a lot of crops that will
simply not grow back. So, for instance, in supermarkets and restaurants,
there's no fruit. There is no plantains. There is a scarcity of goods
still here in the island.
And, you know, Puerto Ricans are trying to rebuild. They have been very
resilient and dignified, but, frankly, they are a traumatized population
at this point. Many times, we are interviewing people and they teared
up, because it is kind of a secondary phase that they are living now,
which is when things are starting to sink in.
Many of them lost everything they had, everything they had worked for.
And there is no clear, you know, horizon or future ahead of them....
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/traumatized-puerto-ricans-see-uncertain-insecure-future
[opinion]
*If Democrats Want the Support of Millennials, They Should Cut Ties with
the Fossil Fuel Industry
<http://inthesetimes.com/article/20824/democrats-millennials-fossil-fuels-climate-change-blue-wave-vote>*
The Lawmakers elected in 2018 must lead one of the biggest government
projects in history - a rapid transition to a 100-percent renewable
energy economy.
Following a slate of progressive wins in late 2017, all eyes are on the
2018 elections. Many across
<https://www.salon.com/2017/12/13/a-blue-wave-in-2018-experts-say-doug-jones-win-is-a-very-bad-sign-for-the-gop/>the
political spectrum
<https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/15/midterms-republican-incumbents-blue-wave-244952>
now think the midterms could be a "Blue Wave" - with Democrats sweeping
into office up and down the ballot. But amid all the buzz, a critical
question remains: Which Democrats will ride the Blue Wave into power?
Will it be those who accept campaign contributions from and act on
behalf of wealthy oil and gas executives and lobbyists, or will it be
those willing to take a stand against that industry to guarantee a safe
and secure planet?
From issues of land sovereignty to environmental racism, there are
myriad reasons why we need elected officials to reject the influence of
this dirty money. But the conversation becomes all the more urgent when
considering the existential threat of climate change, caused in large
part by the burning of fossil fuels. ...
Over the past eight years, oil and gas magnates like the billionaire
Koch Brothers have used their massive wealth to change the direction of
major political parties. Republican politicians who support any action
to stop climate change immediately face primary challengers
<https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/03/us/politics/republican-leaders-climate-change.html>
from climate deniers....
Fossil fuel executives can also see the Blue Wave coming, so we can
expect they'll try to pour even more money into buying off Democrats in
2018. If they succeed in co-opting the Blue Wave, it will be nothing
short of disastrous for the fight to secure a safe world for our
generation.
Despite the projected 'Blue Wave,' Democrats face a difficult and
gerrymandered political map in 2018. To win, they will need an energized
volunteer army, and that will take the energy and time of tens of
thousands from the millennials and Generation Z to pull off. If
candidates want our support, refusing money from the people destroying
our future is a good place to start...
/Varshini Prakash is from Boston and has organized in the climate
movement for more than 5 years, leading fossil fuel divestment campaigns
on the local and national levels. She is currently the Communications
Director for Sunrise.
Stephen O'Hanlon is a proud Pennsylvanian living in Lancaster. He has
organized for the past 4 years helping build a powerful progressive
movement in Pennsylvania to fight for a government that works for all
people, not just a powerful few. He is currently the Pennsylvania
Director for Sunrise./
http://inthesetimes.com/article/20824/democrats-millennials-fossil-fuels-climate-change-blue-wave-vote
[Speaking Notes #4]
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.
*Carbon Conversations,* Tony Wragg
(Speaking notes)
Carbon Conversations is the brainchild of Rosemary Randall, a
psychotherapist and Andy Brown, a building
engineer.
If we imagine the space in which Carbon Reduction must take place as a
triangle with two corners representing
Technological and Governmental action, Carbon Conversations falls at the
third angle representing Personal and
Community action.
Carbon Conversations recognises that the "information deficit" model of
encouraging change is rarely helpful
because it remains in the cognitive domain. It does not make an
emotional connection between a person's
actions and their lives. Like many successful change programmes, for
example AA, Carbon Conversations relies
on group work. The strength of this approach is twofold.
Firstly, telling stories within the group enables participants to engage
with their emotions. In a session about
Carbon in food the facilitator would start by saying "tell us about a
memorable meal." The participant's
memories will be diverse and triggered by a wide range of emotions.
Sharing the stories helps participants to
connect with those emotions and then look at what food means to them.
For some, it will just be fuel, for
another meal-time talk will be the glue that holds the family together,
another might be an Epicurean who
derives great pleasure from eating. Enabling people to engage with the
meaning of food in their lives enables
them to think about what they are and are not prepared to change.
Secondly, in imagining a different future, participants are able to
recognise what they will lose and begin to
grieve that loss. Again, the group process, the telling of stories
together - like in a wake, the playing of games,
the reporting back of real-life episodes as they make small changes,
help that grief to unfold and the loss to be
accepted.
This in turn enables them think and, within the community of the group
plan change and make commitments to
change. It's our experience that these changes are sustainable.
The standard Conversation consists of six two-hour sessions for 6 to 12
people run by a pair of facilitators on a
fortnightly cycle. The first one is an orientation to the problem: "Why
do we bother?" There follows one session
each on the carbon implications of our home, food, transport and stuff -
general consumption. In between each
session there is "homework" oriented around measuring and understanding
our use of Carbon in each of these
categories and making plans for minor and major changes. The sixth
session is usually in the format of a
celebratory shared meal where participants come together to share their
successes and their struggles.
The programme is supported by the Handbook "In time for tomorrow", a
series of games (or simulations) and a
facilitator's guide.
Until earlier this year the programme was managed, the materials
distributed and training provided by The
Surefoot Effect. Since then the authors decided to make the materials
available online as pdfs through a creative
Commons Licence.
Surefoot still provide training and have a stock of handbooks for sale.
To find out more about the Creative Commons materials go to:
www.carbonconversations.co.uk
To buy physical copies of the handbook, "In time for tomorrow" or
enquire about physical copies of the games
and facilitator training, write to The Surefoot Effect at
info at surefoot-effect.com
If you would like to talk things through more informally, don't hesitate
to contact me on 07771820619,
tonywragg.blacup at btinternet.com
http://www.climatepsychologyalliance.org/explorations/papers/257-oxford-change-agency-event-report
*This Day in Climate History January 12, - from D.R. Tucker*
/
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