[TheClimate.Vote] March 24, 2018 - Daily Global Warming News Digest

Sat Mar 24 08:56:09 EDT 2018

/March 24, 2018/

[The Guardian Biodiversity]
Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem 
Services
*Destruction of nature as dangerous as climate change, scientists warn 
<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/23/destruction-of-nature-as-dangerous-as-climate-change-scientists-warn>*
Jonathan Watts - Global environment editor
Unsustainable exploitation of the natural world threatens food and water 
security of billions of people, major UN-backed biodiversity study reveals
Human destruction of nature is rapidly eroding the world's capacity to 
provide food, water and security to billions of people, according to the 
most comprehensive biodiversity study in more than a decade.
Such is the rate of decline that the risks posed bybiodiversity loss 
<https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/12/what-is-biodiversity-and-why-does-it-matter-to-us>should 
be considered on the same scale as those of climate change, noted the 
authors of the UN-backed report, which was released in Medellin, 
Colombia on Friday.
Among the standout findings are that exploitable fisheries in the 
world's most populous region - the Asia-Pacific - are on course to 
decline to zero by 2048; that freshwater availability in the Americas 
has halved since the 1950s and that 42% of land species in Europe have 
declined in the past decade.
Underscoring the grim trends, this report was released in the week that 
thedecimation of French bird populations 
<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/21/europe-faces-biodiversity-oblivion-after-collapse-in-french-bird-populations>was 
revealed, as well as thedeath of the last male northern white rhinoceros 
<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/20/last-male-northern-white-rhinos-death-highlights-huge-extinction-crisis>, 
leaving the species only two females from extinction....
- - - - - -
Without more pressure from civil society, media and voters, governments 
have been reluctant to sacrifice short-term economic goals to meet the 
longer-term environmental challenge to human wellbeing.
"Biodiversity is under serious threat in many regions of the world and 
it is time for policymakers to take action at national, regional and 
global levels," said José Graziano da Silva, director general of the 
Food and Agriculture Organization.
Others have put the crisis in starker terms. Biologist Paul Ehrlich,has 
warned that civilisational collapse 
<https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/mar/22/collapse-civilisation-near-certain-decades-population-bomb-paul-ehrlich>is 
a "near certainty" in the next few decades due to the destruction of the 
natural world.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/23/destruction-of-nature-as-dangerous-as-climate-change-scientists-warn

[North Atlantic]
*Stefan Rahmstorf on the North Atlantic Circulation 2018 
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zwjo-aJbWHM>*
greenmanbucket
Published on Mar 22, 2018
Oceanographer Stefan Rahmstorf discusses evidence that the North 
Atlantic current might be slowing in response to increased freshening of 
the North Atlantic.
Some recent observations suggest that this process may lead to regional 
changes in weather and climate extremes in the North Atlantic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zwjo-aJbWHM

[Courtroom analysis]
*In the Courtroom, Climate Science Needs Substance-and Style 
<https://www.wired.com/story/courtroom-climate-science/>*
Adam Rogers
Chevron would like you to know that it believes in climate change. It 
also believes people cause it by burning carbon-based fuel-the kind 
Chevron extracts from the ground, refines, and sells....
Because what was at stake in that courtroom was not whether the effects 
of climate change-sea level rise, ocean acidification, weather extremes, 
wildfires, disease outbreaks-are people's fault. It was whether a 
lawsuit could show that specific effects (floods) are specific people's 
fault. Specifically, the people at Chevron....
The idea isn't just that petrochemical transnationals extract, produce, 
and sell the fuel that puts carbon into the atmosphere. It's that *they 
knew* that was bad, kept doing it anyway, and cut ads and marketing that 
tried to convince people it wasn't a problem....
  "From Chevron's perspective, there's no debate about climate science," 
Boutrous said. "Chevron accepts what this scientific body-scientists and 
others-what the IPCC has reached consensus on."...
"It's economic activity that creates the demand for energy and that 
leads to emissions."...
  If a court attaches culpability for sea level rise in California to 
petrochemical companies, that might establish causation for a planet's 
worth of damage, any disaster someone can plausibly connect to climate 
change. That's wildfires, drought, more intense hurricanes. Attribute it 
to climate, and it could attribute all the way to fossil fuel companies' 
bank accounts.
https://www.wired.com/story/courtroom-climate-science/

[UK first significant ruling]
*Minister cites climate change in rejection of opencast coal mine 
<https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/mar/23/minister-rejects-opencast-coal-mine-northumberland-citing-climate-change-fears>*
Sajid Javid says environmental impact of Northumberland plan outweighs 
economic benefits
The government has rejected plans for an opencast coal mine in 
Northumberland on the grounds that it would exacerbate climate change.
Law firm ClientEarth said the decision was the first time the UK 
government had rejected a planning application citing climate change as 
the reason.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/mar/23/minister-rejects-opencast-coal-mine-northumberland-citing-climate-change-fears
- - - - -
[coal connects to glacier melting]
*Global warming to date could 'obliterate' a third of glacier ice 
<https://www.carbonbrief.org/global-warming-to-date-could-obliterate-third-glacier-ice>*
It's a long way from Northumberland to the nearest glacier, but they are 
(albeit indirectly) linked by today's decision. Carbon Brief reported 
this week on yet another study explaining the likely implications of the 
world's continued burning of coal. Publishing in Nature Climate Change, 
the three authors stated somewhat starkly that the warming the world has 
already experienced could be enough to melt more than a third of its?the 
world's glacial ice outside Antarctica and Greenland - regardless of 
current efforts to reduce emissions.

    "If you take an ice cube from the fridge - i.e. from one climate -
    to the kitchen table - i.e. a new climate - it will, finally, but
    not instantaneously, melt. The time it takes to fully melt the cube
    depends on: a) the size of the cube; and b) the temperature in your
    kitchen."

https://www.carbonbrief.org/global-warming-to-date-could-obliterate-third-glacier-ice

[Methane webinar announcement]
*PUBLIC WEBINAR: Improving Characterization of Anthropogenic Methane 
Emissions in the United States 
<https://mailchi.mp/nas/report-release-webinarimproving-characterization-of-anthropogenic-methane-emissions-in-the-united-states?e=7f758defc9>*
Report Release
Tuesday, March 27, 2018 - 11:00am EDT
Methane is the second most prevalent greenhouse gas emitted in the 
United States. Although it is shorter-lived in the atmosphere than 
carbon dioxide, methane is more efficient at absorbing heat. It is also 
emitted to the atmosphere from diverse anthropogenic sources in many key 
U.S. economic sectors, including energy, agriculture, and waste.
Being able to accurately quantify methane emissions and attribute 
emissions to specific sources is a critical component to addressing 
climate change. As such, a recent National Academies study examined 
approaches to measuring, monitoring, reporting, and developing 
inventories of anthropogenic emissions. The study also assessed 
published inventories of U.S. methane emissions, characterized their 
uncertainty, and identified opportunities for improving these estimates.
The findings from this study are articulated in the report, Improving 
Characterization of Anthropogenic Methane Emissions in the United States 
(2018), scheduled for official release on Tuesday, March 27, 2018. That 
day, please join us for a public webinar at 11am EDT, when study chair 
James W.C. White, University of Colorado, Boulder, will discuss the 
report's findings and recommendations.
Register Now 
<https://nasevents.webex.com/mw3200/mywebex/default.do?nomenu=true&siteurl=nasevents&service=6&rnd=0.5675858838454347&main_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnasevents.webex.com%2Fec3200%2Feventcenter%2Fevent%2FeventAction.do%3FtheAction%3Ddetail%26%26%26EMK%3D4832534b00000004c88bc2b67af1bb165d9de21fbe98823686936fbeeb53ba412b37a563ad4bafdf%26siteurl%3Dnasevents%26confViewID%3D89406726556646706%26encryptTicket%3DSDJTSwAAAATP7w96r3bNHWoe3pSn6BC3Or7OD6TQFEAJKZ5IUooL1Q2%26>
https://mailchi.mp/nas/report-release-webinarimproving-characterization-of-anthropogenic-methane-emissions-in-the-united-states?e=7f758defc9

[water woes]
*Morocco awaits a thirsty future 
<https://climatenewsnetwork.net/morocco-awaits-a-thirsty-future/>*
March 23, 2018 - Kieran Cooke
In 2015/2016 a prolonged drought caused Morocco's production of grain to 
plummet by more than 70%. In 2017 water shortages became acute and the 
country's king, Muhammed VI, issued a decree calling on the faithful at 
mosques throughout the country to pray for rain.
The droughts have led to social unrest in what till now has been 
considered one of the more politically stable countries in the region...
A bad situation looks likely to become worse. Latest research by the 
Brookings Institution in the US predicts that climate change is going to 
result in average temperatures rising across the North African region by 
3 degrees C by 2050.
Rainfall over much of Morocco is anticipated to decline by 10% at the 
same time as water usage rates rise substantially.
"Higher temperatures, less rainfall and increased land salinity in a 
country that is already suffering from insufficient water resources do 
not augur well for the future of agriculture, unless urgent action is 
taken now," says the Brookings research...
To cope with water shortages the government is also constructing what is 
likely to be the world's largest desalination plant - turning seawater 
into drinking water - near the tourist destination of Agadir on 
Morocco's Atlantic coast.
Officials ... are encouraging farmers to plant fruit trees rather than 
water-hungry cereal crops, in an effort to promote water conservation 
and prevent further soil erosion.
To cope with water shortages the government is also constructing what is 
likely to be the world's largest desalination plant - turning seawater 
into drinking water - near the tourist destination of Agadir on 
Morocco's Atlantic coast.
Officials have also promised to spend millions promoting more efficient 
irrigation systems, and they are encouraging farmers to plant fruit 
trees rather than water-hungry cereal crops, in an effort to promote 
water conservation and prevent further soil erosion...
Social Watch, an international network of citizens' organisations 
fighting poverty around the world, says 35% of Morocco's water is lost 
through bad piping <http://www.socialwatch.org/node/14006>.  Water is 
also polluted by industrial and urban waste. - Climate News Network
https://climatenewsnetwork.net/morocco-awaits-a-thirsty-future/
- - - - -
[Morocco report]
*SOCIAL WATCH poverty eradication and gender justice
A thirsty future <http://www.socialwatch.org/node/14006>*
Conclusions
Morocco has been very lax about managing its resources, a situation 
which must change. The country is heading for an ecological crisis and 
nobody knows how severe it will be.
http://www.socialwatch.org/node/14006

[Classic video from 2012 prediction]
*Predicting the 9 biggest weather disasters in the next 30 years | Jeff 
Masters <https://youtu.be/ZlojvcmgfQA>*
One year before Hurricane Sandy, Jeff Masters from Weather Underground 
predicts 9 weather disasters that could strike the United States in the 
next 30 years. Last week, Number 6 on his list happened. What are the 
other 8 disasters, and what can we do to prepare?
https://youtu.be/ZlojvcmgfQA

[Recent Methane Science Webinar - by and for climate scientists (high 
geek factor)]
*Researchers Talk Permafrost Carbon Feedback Models #Methanogenesis 
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pUsJ-UiePU>*
Climate State  Published on Mar 23, 2018
Can we model permafrost dynamics adequately in Earth System models? 
Researcher present and discuss recent climate carbon cycle modelling 
efforts, and reply to questions.
Speakers:
Dave Lawrence, National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
Charlie Koven, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pUsJ-UiePU
[Originial Release via IARPC Collaborations]
Can we model permafrost dynamics adequately in Earth System models? | 
Dave Lawrence & Charlie Koven <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDyGrkFYPA4>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDyGrkFYPA4

*This Day in Climate History - March 24, 1989 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exxon_Valdez_oil_spill><https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exxon_Valdez_oil_spill> 
   -  Wikipedia*
March 24, 1989: In 1989, the supertanker Exxon Valdez (vahl-DEEZ') ran 
aground on a reef in Alaska’s Prince William Sound and began leaking an 
estimated 11 million gallons of crude oil.

    The*/Exxon Valdez/oil spill*occurred inPrince William Sound
    <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_William_Sound>,Alaska
    <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska>, March 24, 1989, when/Exxon
    Valdez <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exxon_Valdez>/, anoil tanker
    <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_tanker>owned byExxon Shipping
    Company <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exxon_Shipping_Company>,
    bound forLong Beach
    <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Beach,_California>, California,
    struckPrince William Sound
    <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_William_Sound>'sBligh Reef
    <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bligh_Reef>at 12:04 amlocal time
    andspilled <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_spill>10.8 million US
    gallons (260,000 bbl; 41,000 m^3 ) ofcrude oil
    <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crude_oil> over the next few days.It
    is considered to be one of the most devastating
    human-causedenvironmental disasters
    <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_disaster>.^[4]
    <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exxon_Valdez_oil_spill#cite_note-AUTOREF-4>
    The/Valdez/spill is the second largest in US waters, after the
    2010/Deepwater Horizon/oil spill
    <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill>, in
    terms of volume released.^[5]
    <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exxon_Valdez_oil_spill#cite_note-histories-5>
    Prince William Sound's remote location, accessible only by
    helicopter, plane, or boat, made government and industry response
    efforts difficult and severely taxed existing response plans. The
    region is ahabitat <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habitat>forsalmon
    <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmon>,sea otters
    <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_otter>,seals
    <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinniped>andseabirds
    <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seabird>. The oil, originally
    extracted at thePrudhoe Bay oil field
    <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prudhoe_Bay_oil_field>, eventually
    covered 1,300 miles (2,100 km) of coastline,^[3]
    <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exxon_Valdez_oil_spill#cite_note-faq-3>
    and 11,000 square miles (28,000 square km) of ocean.
    According to official reports, the ship was carrying
    53.09451 million US gallons (1,264,155 bbl; 200,984.6 cubic m) of
    oil, of which about 10.8 million US gallons (260,000 bbl; 41,000 m^3
    ) were spilled into the Prince William Sound.An approximate figure
    of 11 million US gallons (260,000 bbl; 42,000 cubic m) was a
    commonly accepted estimate of the spill's volume and has been used
    by the State of Alaska's/Exxon Valdez/Oil Spill Trustee
    Council,theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
    <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Oceanic_and_Atmospheric_Administration>and
    environmental groups such asGreenpeace
    <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenpeace>and theSierra Club
    <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Club>.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exxon_Valdez_oil_spill

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