[TheClimate.Vote] January 14, 2018 - Daily Global Warming News Digest

[Richard Pauli]

/January 14, 2018/

[Climate Liability News]
*Next Big Climate Lawsuit Could Come from Los Angeles 
<https://www.climateliabilitynews.org/2018/01/13/climate-lawsuit-los-angeles/>*
Warning that climate change is already taking a "dire toll" on Los 
Angeles, city councilors in the wildfire-ravaged 
<https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/06/us/california-fires.html?_r=0> city 
have introduced a motion 
<https://twitter.com/MikeBoninLA/status/951911487785717760> urging a 
lawsuit to hold oil and gas companies accountable.
Introduced by City Councilmembers Mike Bonin and Paul Koretz, the motion 
directs the city attorney to explore options for the suit and requests 
an amicus brief in favor of New York's recent lawsuit 
<https://www.climateliabilitynews.org/2018/01/10/new-york-city-climate-lawsuit-liability-bill-de-blasio/> 
against five major oil companies for damages caused by climate change....
Damage from recent wildfires in California is estimated to be in the 
billions and mudslides on fire-scarred terrain have killed at least 18 
and destroyed dozens of homes. Both kinds of those disasters, as well as 
more severe drought and extreme weather events, are linked to global 
warming.
The councilmens' motion cites reporting by the Los Angeles Times 
indicating that by 2050, average temperatures in Los Angeles are 
expected to rise by 5 degrees Fahrenheit...
The councilors point to reporting by InsideClimate News which revealed 
Exxon knew for decades 
<https://insideclimatenews.org/content/Exxon-The-Road-Not-Taken> that 
climate change was not only happening but that it was largely driven by 
fossil fuel burning.
https://www.climateliabilitynews.org/2018/01/13/climate-lawsuit-los-angeles/


[opinion! - methane!]
*Global Warming Stirs the Methane Monster 
<https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/01/12/global-warming-stirs-the-methane-monster/>*
by ROBERT HUNZIKER
It's January, yet methane hydrates in the Arctic are growling like an 
incensed monster on a scorching hot mid-summer day. But, it is January; 
it's winter, not July! On January 1st Arctic methane at 2764 ppb spiked 
upwards into the atmosphere, which, according to Arctic News: "Was 
likely caused by ...
Here's the problem: On average, sea surface temps were 23.35degreesF 
warmer during the period October 1 to December 30, 2017 compared to the 
30-year average temperature. On October 25th, the sea surface was as 
warm as 63.5degreesF. For the Arctic, that's hot, not just warmer. And, 
that brings forth a big-gulp question: What's going to happen in 
summertime when methane hydrates are more exposed?
After all, methane (CH4) is a dominating greenhouse gas that makes 
carbon dioxide (CO2) look like a piker during initial years and packs 
the walloping risk of runaway global warming, which, in turn, threatens 
agricultural sources of food… not a good scenario. Imagine the chaos, 
considering the fact that "runaway" means totally out of control!...
In all, an impending disaster seems destined to happen, but nobody knows 
when. It will likely occur unexpected by an ill advised, crass, 
blundering, philistine society blindsided by a scorched planet and 
extensive loss of foodstuff. Chaos spreads throughout when all of a 
sudden, unexpectedly, crops fail. One bad crop season follows another 
and another. For example, Syria, where its 2006-11 devastating drought 
caused 75% of Syria's farms to fail and 85% of livestock to die. That's 
a wipeout!..
In the end, as crops fail, it's too late to take remedial action beyond 
dealing with dystopian warring factions locked in bloodthirsty combat 
over morsels of foodstuff. ..
Meantime, the two poles, north and south, are in the early stages of 
collapse. Scientists know it, and there is lots of chatter about 
geo-engineering and assorted methodologies to fix anthropogenic global 
warming before it consumes civilization in a fireball, but those 
proposals are in dreamland for the moment. Hopefully, one of their fixit 
ideas works "to scale" because the planet is likely too big for 
geo-engineering schemes to work without some kind of unintended 
consequence, which may be worse than the original fix. In fact, nobody 
really knows for sure what will happen when the biosphere is forced to 
behave according to computer-designed plans. It's an enormous undertaking!
Therefore, it is recommended that today's push-button, screen-watching 
youth learn survival skills rather than playing games for hours on end, 
endlessly, moronically pre-occupied with electronic fantasylands, 
because one day in the near future that fantasy turns to harsh reality, 
likely hitting hard, really hard.
After all, eco-migrants, numbering tens of thousands, are already 
worldwide phenomena, especially along the southern and eastern 
Mediterranean Sea regions, where land is turning bone dry faster than 
anywhere else on the planet. It's the start of the Great Global Warming 
Migration scenario… but, pray tell, where to?
https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/01/01/the-unsung-epidemic/


[opinion]
*Paris Agreement: Trump's Climate Exit Risks U.S. Economy, World's 
Welfare 
<https://insideclimatenews.org/news/01062017/donald-trump-paris-climate-change-agreement-decided>*
The U.S. backing out of its climate change commitments threatens to lock 
in prolonged and dangerous warming, raising the cost for future 
generations.
By pulling the United States out of the Paris climate agreement, 
President Donald Trump has rolled a pair of dice, with high stakes for 
America's economic future and the welfare of the whole world.
This is a huge gamble," said Nathaniel Keohane, vice president of global 
climate programming at the Environmental Defense Fund. "We know the 
longer we wait to act, the more expensive it will be and the more 
drastic measures we'll have to take to avert the worst impacts of 
climate change. So walking backwards on climate just when the rest of 
the world has committed to move forward is a huge gamble."...
But because the window on climate action is closing so fast, whether the 
world as a whole meets its goals may ultimately hinge on what the U.S. 
does, said Bill Hare, one of the leaders of Climate Action Tracker.
"What would the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement mean for the 
ability to keep temperatures well below 2 degrees? The answer depends on 
how long the U.S. is out of the game," he said.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/01062017/donald-trump-paris-climate-change-agreement-decided


[Psychology]
*Human Behavior a Factor in Reducing Climate Change 
<http://www.ric.edu/news/Pages/Human-Behavior-a-Factor-in-Reducing-Climate-Change.aspx>*
Katherine Lacasse, assistant professor of psychology at Rhode Island 
College, is among the co-authors of a new study that concludes human 
behavior can have a major impact on climate change. Lacasse said the 
study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, Vol. 8, is rare 
because prior climate change studies don't tend to include how the 
public's responses to climate change may impact global temperature change.
"Most climate models have been created by individuals who focused more 
on natural systems and perhaps economic processes, but not on human risk 
perception and behavior. And that's the new piece we've added,'' Lacasse 
said, noting that the study took four years to complete and more than 
700,000 simulations to obtain results. ...
"When we started the study we asked whether human responses to climate 
change would even matter at all,'' she said. "However, our findings show 
it is important because our model predicts a range of temperature 
increases by the year 2100, from 3.4 to 6.2 degrees Celsius. If humans 
respond to the increasing number of extreme weather events and change 
their behavior to reduce their emissions, we will more likely see 
temperature changes on the lower end of that range.''
The study found that long-term, less easily reversed behavioral changes, 
such as insulating homes, installing solar panels or purchasing hybrid 
cars, had a greater impact on mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, which 
reduce climate change. Changes that require repeated performance, such 
as manually adjusting thermostats in homes or offices and trying to 
drive fewer miles, had less impact on greenhouse gas emissions, the 
study showed...
"People are likely to make behavior changes if they perceive it's easy 
to do, inexpensive and accessible,'' Lacasse said. "Programs or policies 
that help reduce the cost and difficulty of making long-term changes can 
help support people to take big steps that have a meaningful impact on 
the climate. For example, many community solar programs are emphasizing 
that those who have solar panels meet with neighbors who don't to answer 
questions about pricing and financing options, and learn the best ways 
to install them.''...
"Climate change is one of the biggest global issues that faces our 
society,'' she said. "I was really motivated to study it because I 
believe psychologists have a lot to say about why people act the way 
they do and how we can solve climate change issues.''...
She said she's encouraged by the positive feedback the study has 
received from climate researchers.
"It's a little too early to know the impact,'' she said. "But our goal 
was for this to play a role in future climate models and research. We 
have plans to expand our model by by looking at how the behavior of one 
population may have an impact on another population, and see if that 
will yield different results.''
For more information on the climate change study, contact Lacasse via 
email at klacasse at ric.edu.
http://www.ric.edu/news/Pages/Human-Behavior-a-Factor-in-Reducing-Climate-Change.aspx


[Mass Exinction  Video frm 2010]
*Call of Life; Facing the Mass Extinction <http://calloflife.org/>*
If current trends continue, scientists warn that within a few decades at 
least HALF of all plant and animal species on Earth will disappear forever.
All over the world species are becoming extinct at an astonishing rate, 
from 1000 to 10,000 times faster than normal. The loss of biodiversity 
has become so severe that scientists are calling it a mass extinction event.
Call of Life: Facing the Mass Extinction <https://youtu.be/rdtxbtcJV74> 
is the first feature documentary to investigate the growing threat to 
Earth's life support systems from this unprecedented loss of 
biodiversity. Through interviews with leading scientists, psychologists, 
anthropologists, philosophers, and indigenous and religious leaders, the 
film explores the causes, the scope, and the potential effects of the 
mass extinction, but also looks beyond the immediate causes of the 
crisis to consider how our cultural and economic systems, along with 
deep-seated psychological and behavioral patterns, have allowed this 
situation to develop, continue to reinforce it, and even determine our 
response to it.
Call of Life tells the story of a crisis not only in nature, but also in 
human nature, a crisis more threatening than anything human beings have 
ever faced before.
  video <https://youtu.be/rdtxbtcJV74> https://youtu.be/rdtxbtcJV74
Call of Life examines the collective and individual responses that will 
be needed to mitigate the impacts of the mass extinction and makes clear 
the critical choices we have before us. We face the potential of the 
natural world devastated beyond recognition, with the loss of human life 
in the billions. Yet, we still have time to avert the worst of the 
crisis and save much of the biosphere, if we act now. The first step to 
is to create broad public awareness of the problem—its magnitude and its 
implications. Only then can our whole society begin to recognize the 
systemic changes that will be required. The solution is clear: in order 
to save our planet and secure a future for our own species and all 
species, we need a new worldview. We must recognize that technology 
alone cannot save us. We must realize that business-as-usual is no 
longer an option. Instead, we need to create fundamental change in our 
culture, our minds, and our hearts. Unique among all human generations, 
those of us alive today have been given a great opportunity: one last 
chance to preserve the vitality and magnificence of the living planet 
that brought us into being, and is our only home.
http://calloflife.org/


[Speaking Notes #6]
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.
*The work that reconnects , Jo Hamilton*
The Work That Reconnects is a form of group work which has been evolving 
since the 1970s, by
Joanna Macy and together colleagues around the world. It draws on 
systems science, spiritual
traditions and deep ecology, with the aims of bringing people into new 
relationship with the world;
strengthening their capacity to respond to global issues; and take part 
in the change towards a life
sustaining society. It has variously been called 'Despair and 
empowerment', or deep ecology
workshops.. and indeed, how to describe the workshops is an ongoing puzzle!
The work follows a spiral form, starting with 'coming from gratitude': 
coming into presence,
quietness, reflective states, and enabling us to see the 
inter-connections between ourselves and with
the wider world. It then moves to 'owning and honouring pain for the 
world': creating a space to
'suffer with', to bring emotions that there might not be space or safety 
to experience elsewhere, and
do it together, not in isolation. In the shift to 'seeing with new 
eyes', this is brought into wider
relationship with each other, the world, experiencing the insights, 
skills and experiences we bring, and
experiencing 'power with' all this. The last stage is 'going forth', 
where these insights and experiences
are integrated into the changes we want to bring about in the world.
'Gratitude, when it's real, offers no blinders. ON the contrary, in the 
face of devastation and tragedy it
can ground us. Especially when we're scared, gratitude can hold us 
steady for the work that must be
done.' (from https: //workthatreconnects.org/spiral ).
The Work that Reconnects is primarily done through group work, with 
workshops can be done in two
hours – half a day – a weekend – a week or longer. Short forms of the 
work (for example using paired
active listening exercises and open- ended sentences) can be done in 
around 20-30 minutes as part of
other workshops, and can be a powerful way to enable participants to 
reflect on how they feel about
the issues they care about. Some exercises (for example the Truth 
Mandala) are more like rituals,
requiring longer time, and to create a strong container for expression 
of grief, anger, and pain for the
world.
In the UK, exercises from The Work that Reconnects are also combined 
with mindfulness, nature
connection and other practices.
There is a book form, Active Hope, written by Jonna Macy and Chris 
Johnstone, which gives a flavour,
but is more of a self-study, although in some places there are 
facilitated 'Active Hope' groups who
meet for one evening over 4-6 weeks, to reflect on the chapters and 
explore the more experiential
exercises together.
I'm currently researching the links between involvement in groupwork 
practices such as these, and
engagement and sustaining action on climate change, as well as 
facilitating the work that reconnects
workshops in Oxfordshire. (e.j.hamilton at pgr.reading.ac.uk)
Further resources:
• The work that reconnects website: www.workthatreconnects.org
• Book: Joanna Macy and Molly Brown, 2014. Coming back to life New 
Society Publishers:
Gabriola Island, Canada. A guidebook for doing 'The Work that Reconnects'
• Work that Reconnects workshops in the UK: there are lots happening, 
the most up to date
place to find out about them is the 'Work that Reconnects UK' facebook group
• For an interesting article about 'Active Hope', see here: 
http://www.utne.com/mind-andbody/
active-hope-ze0z1209zsch?pageid=2#PageContent2
• Book: Active Hope: How to face the Mess we're in without going crazy. 
Janna Macy and Chris
Johnstone. New World Library, California, USA.
http://www.climatepsychologyalliance.org/explorations/papers/257-oxford-change-agency-event-report


*This Day in Climate History January 14, 2009 
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0tbsps_KOA#t=73>  -  from D.R. Tucker*
January 14, 2009: MSNBC host Keith Olbermann denounces Senator James
Inhofe (R-OK) for his rhetorical assault on former EPA Administrator 
Carol Browner:

    "But our winner, climate change denier Senator James Inhofe of
    Oklahoma, desperate to capsize the incoming energy and climate
    adviser, Carol Browner, branding her a secret socialist.  Sounds like
    a Christmas thing, secret socialist.  And saying, 'There is another
    organization that a lot of people don‘t realize.  It‘s called the
    Center for American Progress.  This report that came out, this is the
    group that is trying for the Fairness Doctrine, trying to, I think,
    dramatically upend the First Amendment.  She, Carol Browner, was a
    member of that group.'

    "As he fulminated, Senator Inhofe even held up a copy of a Center for
    American Progress report called 'The Structural Imbalance of Political
    Talk Radio.'  There's only one problem: in that report, the Center for
    American Progress specifically concludes, quote, 'There is no need to
    return to the fairness doctrine.  Increasing ownership diversity will
    lead to more diverse programming.'

    "So Senator, thanks for pointing out that Carol Browner belongs to a
    group that specifically opposes reinstating the Fairness Doctrine
    you‘re so scared of.  Senator James 'Maybe next time I‘ll remember to
    read the damn thing first' Inhofe, today‘s worst person in the world!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0tbsps_KOA#t=73

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