[TheClimate.Vote] June 10, 2018 - Daily Global Warming News Digest
Richard Pauli
richard at theclimate.vote
Sun Jun 10 09:24:47 EDT 2018
/June 10, 2018/
[The Central Arizona Project used to be a coal-supporting organization]
*Main customer of Arizona coal plant goes green, ignoring Interior
Department
<http://kfgo.com/news/articles/2018/jun/08/main-customer-of-arizona-coal-plant-goes-green-ignoring-interior-department/>*
By Valerie Volcovici - Friday, June 08, 2018
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The main buyer of electricity from an Arizona
coal plant on the verge of closure said on Friday it will instead source
its electricity largely from a solar power project, ignoring an appeal
by the U.S. Interior Department to buy more power from the plant to keep
it open.
The Trump administration has been waging a broad effort to keep aging
coal and nuclear plants from retirement, arguing that their closure
would constitute a threat to national energy security.
On Friday, the board of the Central Arizona Project (CAP), a major
electricity consumer that supplies water to a large swath of Arizona,
voted to sign a 20-year agreement to buy power from a solar project and
also agreed to a five-year power deal with utility Salt River Project
for electricity from a variety of sources.
The vote came despite a plea from the head of Interior's Bureau of
Reclamation, who last Friday wrote to board members to say that a 1968
law gives Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke power to require the CAP to buy
energy from the Navajo Generating Station, or NGS, a 2,250-MW coal-fired
power plant that is scheduled to close in 2019...
- - - -
[The] Interior Department said it will continue to find ways to keep the
Navajo Generation Station open.
"The Department of the Interior is committed to seek a post-2019
economically viable operation plan for NGS," said spokesman Dan DuBray.
"Interior's activities with myriad NGS stakeholders - including our
discussions with the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe, and the multiple
tribes which rely on CAP water - are ongoing and productive," he said.
http://kfgo.com/news/articles/2018/jun/08/main-customer-of-arizona-coal-plant-goes-green-ignoring-interior-department/
["The rain raineth on the just, and the unjust fella..."]
*Heavy Rainfall Has Increased by Up to 70 Percent in Parts of the U.S.
Since the 1950s, and It Will Only Get Worse, Experts Say
<https://weather.com/science/environment/news/2018-06-09-rainfall-storms-downpours-increasing-climate-change>*
By Pam Wright
Downpours from storms are dumping more water across the nation than ever
before, with the Midwest and Pacific Northwest receiving the greatest
increase in heavy rainfall.
While some areas will get wetter, with heavier downpours, other regions
will get drier.
The 2014 National Climate Assessment reported that downpours from storms
are dumping more water across the nation than ever before, with the
Midwest, Pacific Northwest and the Upper Plains receiving the greatest
increase in heavy rainfall. The Environmental Protection Agency notes
that heavy rainfall events have increased by 70 percent in the Pacific
Northwest over the past six decades or so, more than any other region in
the United States.
- - - - -
"The combination of more intense rainfall and the spreading of heavy
rainfall over larger areas means that we will face a higher flood risk
than previously predicted," Prein said in a press release. "If a whole
catchment area gets hammered by high rain rates, that creates a much
more serious situation than a thunderstorm dropping intense rain over
parts of the catchment."
https://weather.com/science/environment/news/2018-06-09-rainfall-storms-downpours-increasing-climate-change
[listen for 25 minutes]
*Episode 6: Ten Steps to Resilience in a Chaotic Climate
<http://www.goodgriefgroup.org/episode-6-ten-steps-to-resilience/>*
5 June 2018 Podcast, Steps to Resiliency
Audio Player
*LaUra and Aimee explain their 10 step program that leads to
psychosocial resilience from systemic existential threats*. They
acknowledge the importance of looking inwardly to engage outwardly. This
program was originally created by LaUra during her Environmental
Humanities Graduate program at the University of Utah and after Aimee
moved to Salt Lake City, the two of them turned theory into practice and
brought the steps alive. They're now weeks away from releasing our
manual that will guide anyone through facilitating the steps. Start your
own branch of the Network anywhere!
"You never change things by fighting against the existing reality. To
change something, build a new model that makes the old model obsolete."
http://www.goodgriefgroup.org/episode-6-ten-steps-to-resilience/
[Listen to the Pope]
*Pope warns energy bosses of global destruction without fuel shift
<https://www.reuters.com/article/us-oil-vatican-conference-pope/pope-warns-energy-bosses-of-global-destruction-without-fuel-shift-idUSKCN1J50BD>*
Philip Pullella - JUNE 9, 2018 - VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis
warned that climate change risked destroying humanity on Saturday and
called on energy leaders to help the world to convert to clean fuels to
avert catastrophe.
"*Civilization requires energy but energy use must not destroy
civilization,*" the pope told top oil company executives at the end of a
two-day conference in the Vatican.
Climate change was a challenge of "epochal proportions", he said, adding
that the world needed an energy mix that combated pollution, eliminated
poverty and promoted social justice.
The conference, held behind closed doors at the Pontifical Academy of
Sciences, brought together oil executives, investors and Vatican experts
who, like the pope, back scientific opinion that climate change is
caused by human activity.
"We know that the challenges facing us are interconnected. If we are to
eliminate poverty and hunger ... the more than one billion people
without electricity today need to gain access to it," the pope told them.
"Our desire to ensure energy for all must not lead to the undesired
effect of a spiral of extreme climate changes due to a catastrophic rise
in global temperatures, harsher environments and increased levels of
poverty," he said.
CLIMATE GOAL
The oil and gas industry has come under growing pressure from investors
and activists to play a bigger role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions
to meet goals set out in a 2015 climate agreement signed in Paris.
- - - - -
He said the transition to accessible and clean energy was "a duty that
we owe towards millions of our brothers and sisters around the world,
poorer countries and generations yet to come".
The pope also called for a global, long-term common project:
"Environmental and energy problems now have a global impact and extent,"
he said.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-oil-vatican-conference-pope/pope-warns-energy-bosses-of-global-destruction-without-fuel-shift-idUSKCN1J50BD
*Global Ocean Conveyer Belt
<http://medialibrary.climatecentral.org/resources/global-ocean-conveyer-belt>*
JUN 6, 2018
http://medialibrary.climatecentral.org/resources/global-ocean-conveyer-belt
Ocean currents and broader circulations move vast amounts of water
around the world, redistributing heat and energy, and helping regulate
the global climate. Wind-driven currents like the cold California
Current and the warm Gulf Stream are drivers of local climates. But a
larger ocean circulation caused by differences in temperature and
salinity drives even greater amounts of water around the world. This
thermohaline circulation, also known as the global ocean conveyor belt,
involves both surface and deep water throughout the global ocean.
https://climatecentral.createsend.com/t/ViewEmail/y/AE1FB81754354E5A/C67FD2F38AC4859C/?tx=0&previewAll=1&print=1
[Russia uses summer for winter ships]
*Five nuclear-powered voyages to melting North Pole
<https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/travel/2018/04/five-nuclear-powered-voyages-north-pole>*
Been there, seen that: 600 tourists pay up to $43,000 each to crush
through the ice towards the top of the world before it melts away.
By Thomas Nilsen - April 18, 2018 - the most powerful icebreaker ever
built will serve as a cruise-ship for some of the best-paying travelers
this summer. With start in Murmansk, the nuclear-powered giant sails
towards the North Pole five times from June to August. Each tour takes
120 passengers.
Poseidon Expeditions, one of the operators organizing the tours,
promotes the feeling of crushing through the ice like this: «As we make
our way across the ice cap, you witness firsthand the ship's awesome
power as massive ice blocks give way under the enormous bulk of the
spoon-shaped bow. The sensation of being on deck at this time is surreal
and unforgettable.
Maybe more unforgettable today than tomorrow. The sea ice is currently
melting away in record speed. Arctic sea ice gets thinner and younger,
making it move faster and breaks up more easily. This is the
consequences of global warming, making the last few winters in the high
north weirdly warm.
National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado Boulder
follows the development by studying satellite data. As the Arctic sea
ice was at its maximum extent in March, the centre concluded that 2018
became the second lowest extent in the 39-year satellite record, falling
just behind 2017. Worse: the four lowest seasonal maxima have all
occurred during the last four years.
Polar scientists predict the North Pole could be ice free within a few
decades. In summer.
- - --
In case you wonder: tickets for a bed onboard the North Pole cruises
starts at $27,295 when you are two sharing a cabin. The 33 m3 Arktika
suite, on the top deck of the icebreaker, will cost you $42,990 per person.
https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/travel/2018/04/five-nuclear-powered-voyages-north-pole
[Video]
Climate Denial Crock of the Week with Peter Sinclair
*Reinventing Power: Block Island Wind
<https://climatecrocks.com/2018/06/09/reinventing-power-block-island-wind/>*
June 9, 2018
Description:
Bryan Wilson lost his business during the 2008 recession but he, and the
island he calls home, found a new future in offshore wind. After relying
for decades on diesel generators for power, Block Island played a
critical role in building the nation's first, and only, offshore wind
project. Today, Bryan is a wind technician and helping the nation's
smallest town lead the country on clean energy.
https://climatecrocks.com/2018/06/09/reinventing-power-block-island-wind/
[Spinal Tap: goes up to 11 ]
*Hurricanes Are Now So Violent That We Need a New Categor
<https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/hurricanes-are-now-so-violent-that-we-need-a-new-category&ct=ga&cd=CAEYKCoUMTI5OTc5MDQ1MzgyNzMxMDc1NzQyGmJiYWI3Y2QzMTRmMmE3Y2E6Y29tOmVuOlVT&usg=AFQjCNGh4pTmOzNIfLiATcttotWjFHgEZA>**y*
Daily Beast
"Does actually adding another category make it easier for people on the
ground to understand how dangerous an incoming storm is?"
To support their point, the authors cited a series of recent hurricanes
that broke meteorological records. Hurricane Harvey (2017) had more
rainfall than any other U.S. hurricane in history. Irma (2017)
maintained a wind speed of over 300km/hour for 37 hours, longer than any
other storm on record. September 2017 - the month that Hurricane Maria
struck Puerto Rico - had the highest cumulative energy in the Atlantic
in history.
"Does actually adding another category make it easier for people on the
ground to understand how dangerous an incoming storm is?"
To support their point, the authors cited a series of recent hurricanes
that broke meteorological records. Hurricane Harvey (2017) had more
rainfall than any other U.S. hurricane in history. Irma (2017)
maintained a wind speed of over 300km/hour for 37 hours, longer than any
other storm on record. September 2017 - the month that Hurricane Maria
struck Puerto Rico - had the highest cumulative energy in the Atlantic
in history...
- -- -
Having a Category 6 would potentially de-emphasize water conditions and
overemphasize wind conditions, which might be the wrong emphasis in an
emergency situation.
Despite the debate, there's one thing experts agree on: There's been a
spike in intense hurricanes - and it's likely to get worse.
"This is a risk that we can no longer afford to ignore," the authors
conclude.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/hurricanes-are-now-so-violent-that-we-need-a-new-category
[New Book by Naomi Klein]
*The Battle For Paradise
<https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1235-the-battle-for-paradise>*
Puerto Rico Takes on the Disaster Capitalists
by Naomi Klein
"We are in a fight for our lives. Hurricanes Irma and María unmasked
the colonialism we face in Puerto Rico, and the inequality it
fosters, creating a fierce humanitarian crisis. Now we must find a
path forward to equality and sustainability, a path driven by
communities, not investors. And this book explains, with careful and
unbiased reporting, only the efforts of our community activists can
answer the paramount question: What type of society do we want to
become and who is Puerto Rico for?" —Carmen Yulín Cruz, Mayor of San
Juan
In the rubble of Hurricane Maria, Puerto Ricans and ultrarich
"Puertopians" are locked in a pitched struggle over how to remake the
island. In this vital and startling investigation, bestselling author
and activist Naomi Klein uncovers how the forces of shock politics and
disaster capitalism seek to undermine the nation's radical, resilient
vision for a "just recovery."
All royalties from the sale of this book in English and Spanish go
directly to JunteGente, a gathering of Puerto Rican organizations
resisting disaster capitalism and advancing a fair and healthy recovery
for their island. For more information, visit http://juntegente.org/.
Naomi Klein is an award-winning journalist, syndicated columnist,
documentary filmmaker and author of the international bestsellers No
Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of
Disaster Capitalism, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the
Climate, and No Is Not Enough.
*Reviews*
"We are in a fight for our lives. Hurricanes Irma and Maria unmasked the
colonialism we face in Puerto Rico, and the inequality it fosters,
creating a fierce humanitarian crisis. Now we must find a path forward
to equality and sustainability, a path driven by communities, not
investors. And this book explains, with careful and unbiased reporting,
only the efforts of our community activists can answer the paramount
question: What type of society do we want to become and who is Puerto
Rico for?"
- Carmen Yulin Cruz, Mayor of San Juan
"Naomi Klein concisely reveals to us what Puerto Rico has faced,
shock after shock, before Hurricane Maria and after it and also the
voices of people who believe and build a future for Puerto Rico from
the strength of their communities."
- Ana Irma Rivera Lassen, feminist, human rights activist, former
president of the Puerto Rico Bar Association
Like so many of my generation, I've been a reader of Naomi Klein's since
the late 90s, always finding something to learn from her rigorous
reporting and thoughtful analysis. There's no-one better to tell the
story of Hurricane Maria and its global significance than Naomi. In the
face of speculation, exploitation and climate crisis, this book calls on
us to recognize Puerto Rico's struggle for democracy, justice, and human
life itself, as our own."
—Ada Colau, Mayor of Barcelona
"What 'shocks' in this work is the resilient spirit del pueblo
boricua. They become the metaphor, the meaning and the maker of
possibility. And one is left immeasurably hopeful." - Cherrie
Moraga, Las Maestras Center for Chicana Indigenous Thought & Art
Practice, UCSB
"A gripping and timely account of classic 'shock doctrine' being
perpetrated in Puerto Rico. Naomi Klein chronicles the extraordinary
grassroots resistance by the Puerto Rican people against neoliberal
privatization and Wall Street greed in the aftermath of the island's
financial meltdown, of hurricane devastation, and of Washington's
imposition of an outside control board over the most important U.S.
colony."
- Juan Gonzalez, co-host of Democracy Now! and author of Harvest of
Empire: A History of Latinos in America.
"Against the rampant greed of disaster capitalism, only radical
solidarity can provide the way forward for Puerto Rico. To build it,
our approach must be grounded in uncovering and combating the
strategies that have been developed to deprive an entire nation of
its human rights and its ability to defend itself. Klein's work does
precisely this, inspiring a unified vision to create the Puerto Rico
we need."
- Amarilis Pagan Jimenez, Executive Director of Proyecto Matria
https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1235-the-battle-for-paradise
[Classic 2012 lecture from Thomas Homer-Dixon]
*Catastrophic dehumanization: the psychological dynamics of severe
conflict <https://youtu.be/iAs3cm_PSg4>*
Oxford Martin School - Published on Apr 26, 2012
Dehumanization is arguably a defining feature of the most brutal acts of
human violence, such as saturation bombardment of civilian populations,
terrorist attacks on urban centers, intense battlefield combat, and
genocide. I propose a psychological explanation of this phenomenon that
uses a catastrophe manifold to describe a set of psychological states in
an individual's mind and the possible pathways of movement between these
states. The manifold exists in a three-dimensional phase space defined
by the variables identity, justice, and structural constraint. It
specifies five hypotheses about the causes and dynamics of
dehumanization. Taken together, these hypotheses represent an
overarching theory of the nonlinear collapse of identification at the
level of the individual.
Speaker: Professor Thomas Homer-Dixon, Director, Waterloo Institute for
Complexity and Innovation, University of Waterloo, Canada
Professor Thomas Homer-Dixon answers questions on his forthcoming
lecture and research in this blog https://youtu.be/iAs3cm_PSg4
*This Day in Climate History - June 10, 1963
<http://youtu.be/0fkKnfk4k40> - from D.R. Tucker*
June 10, 1963: In a commencement address at American University,
President Kennedy famously observes:
"For in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all
inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish
our children’s futures. And we are all mortal."
http://youtu.be/0fkKnfk4k40
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