[TheClimate.Vote] March 15, 2018 - Daily Global Warming News Digest

[Richard Pauli]

/March 15, 2018
/
[He'll be back]
*Schwarzenegger Wants to Sue Big Oil for Climate Change. Does He Have a 
Case? 
<https://www.climateliabilitynews.org/2018/03/14/arnold-schwarzenegger-climate-lawsuit-sxsw/>*
Schwarzenegger didn't spell out the nature of lawsuit he plans to file 
and whether he will be a plaintiff. But some of the legal challenges he 
will face are already apparent, said David Levine, a professor at the 
University of California Hastings College of Law.
"It's not clear to me how he will be able to really frame the case," 
Levine said. "It's problematic. It's not a good lawsuit even for a 
superhero."
As a plaintiff, Schwarzenegger has to show how he has suffered at the 
hands of oil companies, and that will be difficult to establish. 
Citiessuch as San Francisco 
<https://www.climateliabilitynews.org/2017/09/20/san-francisco-oakland-lawsuit-climate-change-bp-exxon-shell/>and 
New York City are suing oil companies on behalf of their residents and 
claiming that climate change has caused public harm because it leads to 
stronger hurricanes and wildfires that require cities to spend billions 
of dollars to build sea walls, elevate roads and invest in other public 
safety projects.
Kassie Siegel, director of Climate Law Institute at the Center for 
Biological Diversity, said a lawsuit by Schwarzenegger would at least 
put an uncomfortable spotlight on oil companies.
"It's terrific that Schwarzenegger is considering litigation. It's an 
extremely important advocacy method," Siegel said. "It's important to 
have more plaintiffs sue fossil fuel companies, which are at the heart 
of the problem."
Schwarzenegger could model a case after /Juliana v. United States/ 
<https://www.climateliabilitynews.org/2017/07/13/the-kids-climate-case-against-the-u-s-government-a-timeline/>, 
whose plaintiffs are individuals, not governments. But they are a group 
of young people in their teens and early 20s who argue that the federal 
government hasviolated their constitutional rights 
<https://www.ourchildrenstrust.org/us/federal-lawsuit/>to life and 
liberty by promoting fossil fuel-centric energy policies.
https://www.climateliabilitynews.org/2018/03/14/arnold-schwarzenegger-climate-lawsuit-sxsw/


[Warm up there, cold down here]
*Extreme winter weather becoming more common as Arctic warms, study 
finds 
<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/13/extreme-winter-weather-becoming-more-common-as-arctic-warms-study-finds>*
Scientists found a strong link between high temperatures near the pole 
and unusually heavy snowfall and frigid weather farther south...
Extreme cold winter weather is up to four times more likely when 
temperatures in the Arctic are unusually high, the study found...
The polar vortex is a low pressure system that swirls around the polar 
region. Sometimes it can stray further south, bringing cold Arctic air 
with it. There is continuing conjecture over the impact climate change 
is having but some scientists believe warming temperatures could be 
weakening the polar vortex's flow, allowing it to meander towards the 
equator...
"There have always been cold outbreaks. The cold air has to go 
somewhere," said Kevin Trenberth, senior scientist at the National 
Center for Atmospheric Research.
"The issue is whether the air stays put or gets loose. Some years it is 
contained, other years it breaks out. The question is where and what is 
the cause. This study reaffirms the relationship but not its cause. The 
Arctic likely plays a modest role in terms of feedbacks but it is 
unlikely it is a cause."
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/13/extreme-winter-weather-becoming-more-common-as-arctic-warms-study-finds
[Nature study]
*Warm Arctic episodes linked with increased frequency of extreme winter 
weather in the United States | Nature ... 
<https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-02992-9>*
*Abstract*

    Recent boreal winters have exhibited a large-scale seesaw
    temperature pattern characterized by an unusually warm Arctic and
    cold continents. Whether there is any physical link between Arctic
    variability and Northern Hemisphere (NH) extreme weather is an
    active area of research. Using a recently developed index of severe
    winter weather, we show that the occurrence of severe winter weather
    in the United States is significantly related to anomalies in
    pan-Arctic geopotential heights and temperatures. As the Arctic
    transitions from a relatively cold state to a warmer one, the
    frequency of severe winter weather in mid-latitudes increases
    through the transition. However, this relationship is strongest in
    the eastern US and mixed to even opposite along the western US. We
    also show that during mid-winter to late-winter of recent decades,
    when the Arctic warming trend is greatest and extends into the upper
    troposphere and lower stratosphere, severe winter weather -
    including both cold spells and heavy snows - became more frequent in
    the eastern United States.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-02992-9


[England does it]
*MPs warn of 'poisonous air' emergency costing 20bn a year 
<http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-43405684>*
By Roger Harrabin, BBC environment analyst
MPs have demanded an end to the UK's "poisonous air" in an unprecedented 
report from four Commons committees.
The Environment, Health, Transport and Environmental Audit committees 
want a new Clean Air Act, and a clean air fund financed by the motor 
industry.
They are also demanding a faster phase-out of petrol and diesel cars - 
currently set for 2040.
The government said air pollution had improved significantly since 2010 
but there was "more to do".
MPs have been frustrated by the response from ministers, who have 
promised to publish a comprehensive clean air strategy later this year.
Their report says: "Air pollution is a national health emergency 
resulting in an estimated 40,000 early deaths each year, costing the UK 
20bn pounds annually.
"It is unacceptable that successive governments have failed to protect 
the public from poisonous air.
"Despite a series of court cases, the government has still not produced 
a plan that adequately addresses the scale of the challenge. Nor has it 
demonstrated the national leadership needed."
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-43405684


[Oh No!  Nitrogen too?]
*Nitrogen and Climate Change explained 
<http://climatestate.com/2018/03/14/nitrogen-and-climate-change-explained/>*
In this 2015 talk, David Reay from the University of Edinburgh talks 
about nitrogen, and how it affects climate change.
video 16 minutes <https://youtu.be/JrJ3n_8ZI4o> https://youtu.be/JrJ3n_8ZI4o
Watch the full lecture https://media.ed.ac.uk/media/1_w5t832ln
Nitrogen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen
http://climatestate.com/2018/03/14/nitrogen-and-climate-change-explained/


/["Asteroid means sea stars. Idiopathic means that it arises 
spontaneously and is caused by unknown factors. And syndrome means a 
series of correlated disease signs."]/
*A starfish cold case reopens, climate change remains suspect 
<https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180313152126.htm>*
"Disease among sea stars is likely caused by multiple factors, not just 
one factor like SSaDV or rising temperature. The 'disease' is actually 
multiple diseases. Understanding this, it's a lot more complicated to 
explain than simply a virus - like SSaDV - coming along or water 
temperature increasing by way of climate change," said lead author Ian 
Hewson, associate professor of microbiology.
Sunflower sea stars - whose 16 to 24 arms exceed 3 feet long - were once 
prolific throughout the Salish Sea, which borders Washington state and 
Canada's British Columbia. In 2013-14 wasting disease decimated their 
population.
The paper suggests renaming the wasting disease to Asteroid Idiopathic 
Wasting Syndrome because the term correlates with an array of symptoms, 
"which is more correct for describing this situation, as there are 
likely multiple diseases present," Hewson said.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180313152126.htm


[keep planting anyway]
*Tree Farms Will Not Save Us from Global Warming 
<https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/tree-farms-will-not-save-us-from-global-warming/>*
Plantations would have to be massive in scale, and their value is still 
unproven
By Chelsea Harvey, E&E News on March 13, 2018
The idea calls for massive plantations of trees and other crops to draw 
carbon dioxide out of the air. The trees could then be harvested for the 
production of energy or biofuels, with carbon capture technology used to 
sequester their emissions. The whole process would be carbon-negative. 
This could theoretically cool the climate. But it would have to be done 
at a massive scale.
It's still almost an entirely hypothetical concept. But it has rapidly 
risen to prominence as a strategy for meeting the world's climate 
targets established under the Paris Agreement. It's called "bioenergy 
with carbon capture and storage," or BECCS...
But there's a major problem: Research increasingly suggests that the 
process is not feasible at the scale necessary to make a real dent in 
global climate goals - at least, not without causing massive 
environmental or social disruptions. If that's the case, some experts 
worry that the models could mislead policymakers into believing there's 
a definite "out" if global emissions don't fall fast enough in the future...
Just this month, the European Academies Science Advisory Council 
released a report warning against unrealistic assumptions about carbon 
dioxide removal, or CDR...
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/tree-farms-will-not-save-us-from-global-warming/


[Ken Ward Can't Stop]
"*The Reluctant Radical, no one likes thinking about Climate Change, 
<https://www.thereluctantradicalmovie.com/>*"
"The Reluctant Radical," <https://www.thereluctantradicalmovie.com/> a 
movie produced by my friends Lindsey Grazel and Deia Schlosburg, cobbled 
together from footage accumulated by trailing me around for the last 
three years, will premiere this week at Big Sky Documentary Film 
Festival 
<http://www.bigskyfilmfest.org/festival/films-2018-peak/reluctant_radical> 
in Missoula, MT this Thursday and Friday, and I'd like to invite all my 
MT friends to attend if you are able. The movie covers my climate direct 
action work from the Lobster Boat Blockade, through Shell No!, Fennica 
action, Break Free Anacortes, Exxon gas station actions, and Shut It Down.
Like the NYTimes Sunday Magazine article this week 
<https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/13/magazine/afraid-climate-change-prison-valve-turners-global-warming.html>, 
which focused on Michael Foster, the movie is a personal story - a 
distinct departure from my own prior climate activism, all of which was 
carefully focused on climate politics and policy, and steered away from 
personal narrative. Choosing to participate in the project which 
ultimately produced "The Reluctant Radical" was, for me, a decision 
driving by desperation. I felt that the dry, academic style of 
communication I learned in the Nader network just wasn't working. This 
movie is an experiment in climate storytelling; I will report back.
Here's one take away. If you are going to have a film crew follow you 
around for a couple, three years, pay attention to personal grooming.  
by Ken Ward
*The Reluctant Radical Trailer <https://vimeo.com/248062039>*
https://vimeo.com/248062039
*Defense attorney Lauren Regan closing arguments 
<https://vimeo.com/220944702>*
Defense attorney Lauren Regan draws parallels between Ken Ward's actions 
to shut down an oil pipeline and the Boston Tea Party
https://vimeo.com/220944702
*Necessity Defense Denied <https://vimeo.com/201178385>*
Judge Rickert describes his reasoning in denying the use of the 
necessity defense in Ken Ward's trial.
https://vimeo.com/201178385
*Ken Ward action <https://vimeo.com/188582850>*42 minutes
https://vimeo.com/188582850
https://www.thereluctantradicalmovie.com/


[Bemidji news]
*Red Lake votes to remove pipelines 
<http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/news/government-and-politics/4417789-red-lake-votes-remove-pipelines>*
By Grace Pastoor on Mar 14, 2018
RED LAKE - The Red Lake Tribal Council voted Tuesday to remove 
Enbridge-owned oil pipelines from its land.
The unanimous vote came two months after the council agreed to rescind a 
resolution accepting a land swap agreement with the Canadian energy 
company. That Jan. 9 vote paved the way for Tuesday's action, according 
to Red Lake Representative Robert Smith.
The pipelines in question are located on a 24-acre parcel of land about 
30 miles northwest of Bemidji. They were installed by Lakehead Pipeline 
Co. Inc. sometime before the 1980s, when the reservation realized it 
owned the land.
Enbridge Energy now owns the pipelines, but does not own the land under 
which they are installed. So in December 2015 the tribal council voted 
to accept $18.5 million - meant to be spent on other land - in exchange 
for the parcel.
The deal appeared to fall apart in January when band member and 
anti-pipeline activist Marty Cobenais, acting as a concerned citizen, 
addressed the tribal council and described the land deal as 
unconstitutional.
Though some at the January meeting interpreted the deal as a 
constitutional land swap, others saw it as an unconstitutional land 
sale. The council voted 5-3 to rescind Resolution 281-15 and back out of 
the deal.
And on Tuesday, Red Lake Representative Romas Stately, Jr., made a 
motion to remove the pipelines entirely. Smith seconded to motion and 
nine council members voted in favor.
Enbridge spokesperson Shannon Gustafson said Wednesday that Enbridge had 
not yet been contacted by the Red Lake Tribal Council in regard to the 
removal of pipelines.
Red Lake Chairman Darrell Seki, Sr., said the band's attorneys will 
contact Enbridge.
"We just want them to move their lines and clean up the pollution and 
the damages they've done the past 70 years," Seki said.
http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/news/government-and-politics/4417789-red-lake-votes-remove-pipelines
- https://twitter.com/dallasgoldtooth/status/974139453605339137?s=19


[Six Degrees News]
*Fracking: Scientific Evidence points towards public health crisis 
<http://www.sixdegreesnews.org/archives/23392/fracking-scientific-evidence-points-towards-public-health-crisis>*
HEALTH PROFESSIONAL GROUPS RAISE ALARM THAT BUILD-OUT OF DRILLING AND 
FRACKING OPERATIONS IS CREATING A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS
As incontrovertible evidence of harm from fracking mounts and more 
health professionals raise the alarm, the fracking debate is taking 
place within an altered landscape. Today, as a growing body of 
scientific evidence confirms demonstrable health risks and harms from 
drilling and fracking operations and their attendant infrastructure, 
calls from the medical community for health-protective policies are 
growing louder. A new report by two leading health professional 
organizations - Physicians for Social Responsibility 
<http://psr.org/>and Concerned Health Professionals of New York 
<http://concernedhealthny.org/> - tracks and analyzes the rapidly 
emerging science that points to the increasing dangers to health, 
including respiratory disease, cancer risk, and low birth weight and 
preterm birth, both of which are leading causes of infant death.

    This evidence is of grave concern to health professionals,
    especially given that over 17 million Americans now live within a
    mile of an active oil or gas well.

This population includes over a million young children and a million 
elderly people, two groups with special vulnerabilities to air pollution 
and contaminated water. Other studies show harm to infants born to 
mothers who live near drilling and fracking operations during their 
pregnancies. If carried out, the Trump administration's plans to roll 
back federal regulations and expand fracking on public lands will 
further exacerbate these harmful impacts.
http://www.sixdegreesnews.org/archives/23392/fracking-scientific-evidence-points-towards-public-health-crisis
[from PSR Physicians for Social Responsibility]
*Compendium of Scientific, Medical, and Media Findings Demonstrating 
Risks and Harms of Fracking – Fifth Edition 
<http://www.psr.org/resources/fracking-compendium.html>*
[download PDF] <http://www.psr.org/assets/pdfs/fracking-compendium-5.pdf>
The 2018 edition of the Compendium of Scientific, Medical, and Media 
Findings Demonstrating Risks and Harms of Fracking updates the rapidly 
expanding evidence indicating harm to health from fracking and methane 
infrastructure.
http://www.psr.org/resources/fracking-compendium.html


[wise opinion]
*How do you raise resilient kids? Accept them how they are 
<https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/07/how-do-you-raise-resilient-kids-accept-them-how-they-are>*
Girls in particular are taught in a million ways that they should please 
others. What if we honoured their natural differences?
Nelly Thomas is an award-winning comedian and author. She has just 
released her first children's book Some Girls 
<https://www.blackincbooks.com.au/books/some-girls>
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/07/how-do-you-raise-resilient-kids-accept-them-how-they-are


[twently years]
*This Day in Climate History - March 15, 1999 
<http://www.meteo.psu.edu/holocene/public_html/shared/research/ONLINE-PREPRINTS/Millennium/mbh99.pdf>  
-  from D.R. Tucker*
March 15, 1999: The paper "Northern Hemisphere Temperatures During the Past
Millennium: Inferences, Uncertainties, and Limitations," by Michael E. 
Mann, Raymond S. Bradley and Malcolm K. Hughes, is published in the 
journal Geophysical Research Letters. The paper features the "hockey 
stick" graph that makes Mann a target of unrelenting rhetorical and 
legal assaults by supporters and representatives of the fossil fuel 
industry.
http://www.meteo.psu.edu/holocene/public_html/shared/research/ONLINE-PREPRINTS/Millennium/mbh99.pdf 


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