[TheClimate.Vote] November 1, 2018 - Daily Global Warming News Digest
Richard Pauli
richard at theclimate.vote
Thu Nov 1 09:43:54 EDT 2018
/November 1, 2018/
[Washington Post]
*Startling new research finds large buildup of heat in the oceans,
suggesting a faster rate of global warming
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/energy-environment/2018/10/31/startling-new-research-finds-large-buildup-heat-oceans-suggesting-faster-rate-global-warming/?utm_term=.01260b836edb>*
The findings mean the world might have less time to curb carbon emissions.
By Chris Mooney and Brady Dennis - October 31
The world's oceans have been soaking up far more excess heat in recent
decades than scientists realized, suggesting that Earth could be set to
warm even faster than predicted in the years ahead, according to new
research published Wednesday.
Over the past quarter-century, Earth's oceans have retained 60 percent
more heat each year than scientists previously had thought, said Laure
Resplandy, a geoscientist at Princeton University who led the startling
study published Wednesday in the journal Nature
<https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0651-8.epdf?referrer_access_token=RYx3AUxfUWwzaMITvAj64dRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0PPM6F5Tw--xUcDaVyo5KYP7_G9gTDd9jkXQCGLmYVcdiHz9wkwN0E6N2nDZlq4WDQgItGi5ylVScf0yzGnaEVfvjiMb4AD29fhh3xQR3z_DrC_cMrTVL7ZhdR6IhWWEdbaBw61pmJWfJX3nlJ6qnYm0eEGF290YDw0L29Qu1D0Zo3ti9EtUV0eTqh8Y9w5-oUx2QwN2d9ZfvrbV8VI76Jac_wGy8vU0HDJC8kZsxCODUxL-v0-LWQnBluUpq-qsDVlR97PvCH2_49T4Kn9PB2Gdgll-H0rPRd4shhj-7MTDlLmwpBYbeAqiXYgUMtAbgJIiDU0aX0SEmb7hObxwGOA2X8T804_0Q-TufJtiPPeKQ%3D%3D&tracking_referrer=www.washingtonpost.com>.
The difference represents an enormous amount of additional energy,
originating from the sun and trapped by Earth's atmosphere -- the yearly
amount representing more than eight times the world's annual energy
consumption...
- - -
The warming found in the study is "more than twice the rates of
long-term warming estimates from the 1960s and '70s to the present,"
Durack said, adding that if these rates are validated by further
studies, "it means the rate of warming and the sensitivity of the
Earth's system to greenhouse gases is at the upper end." He said that if
scientists have underestimated the amount of heat taken up by the
oceans, "it will mean we need to go back to the drawing board" on the
aggressiveness of mitigation actions the world needs to take promptly to
limit future warming.
Beyond the long-term implications of warmer oceans, Russell added that
in the short term, even small changes in ocean temperatures can affect
weather in specific places. For instance, scientists have said warmer
oceans off the coast of New England have contributed to more-intense
winter storms.
"We're only just now discovering how important ocean warming is to our
daily lives, to our daily weather," she said.
more at -
https://www.washingtonpost.com/energy-environment/2018/10/31/startling-new-research-finds-large-buildup-heat-oceans-suggesting-faster-rate-global-warming/?utm_term=.01260b836edb
[PBS Sinking Cities - Original Video Series - next 4 Wednesdays]
*Sinking Cities [see the video previews]
<http://www.pbs.org/wnet/peril-and-promise/films/sinking-cities/>*
As the earth warms, sea levels rise and super-storms become more
frequent and intense, many of the world's major coastal cities may soon
be under water. This series explores how four global cities are coming
to grips with the real-time effects of rising seas and extreme weather.
WEDNESDAYS, OCTOBER 31-NOVEMBER 21 AT 10 P.M.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/peril-and-promise/films/sinking-cities/
[My local PBS station - check your local station]
*Sinking Cities: New York
<https://kcts9.org/programs/sinking-cities-0/episodes/0101>*
Season: 1 Eps: 1
Discover how New York City - overwhelmed in 2012 by Superstorm Sandy -
has learned from that disaster, and must defend itself against rising
seas and the next big storm. With 520 miles of shoreline and no coastal
protection, engineers and urban planners are tackling the problem with
urgency and creative engineering.
https://kcts9.org/programs/sinking-cities-0/episodes/0101
[from the League of Women Voters]
*Personalized Ballot <https://www.vote411.org/ballot>*
Learn where candidates running for office in your community stand on the
issues. You can print or email the information to use as a reference
when you actually vote. We do not save your information, it will be lost
when you leave this page. Additional information may be available for
your area so be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page for other
voters' guides.
Election Day Problems? Call one of these hotlines:
1-866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)
1-888-VE-Y-VOTA (en Español)
1-888-API-VOTE (Asian multilingual assistance)
1-844-YALLA-US (Arabic)
https://www.vote411.org/ballot
https://www.vote411.org/
*Egypt now owns largest Solar Power Plant in World!
<http://climatestate.com/2018/10/30/egypt-now-owns-largest-solar-power-plant-in-world/>*
October 30, 2018
Egypt is "entering the world of solar energy" after it inaugurated the
largest solar power plant in the world early this year. the superpower
plant was built in the city of Aswan, southern Egypt. It began supplying
the national grid last December.
- -
Worlds largest solar Park Egypt Benban Solar Park
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benban_Solar_Park
video https://youtu.be/uof9cB9-MOo Egypt now owns largest Solar Power
Plant in the World!
- -
The plant consists of 200,000 solar panels and 780 sun trackers which
allow the panels to move and face the sun throughout the day. It
generates up to 1.8 gigawatts of power, which is enough to service
20,000 households.
Abaza reiterated that this is the largest solar power plant in the
world, noting that his country is heading towards more investment in
this kind of power as part of its plans for sustainable development. He
also said that solar power energy is better than oil because it is
renewable, stressing that the "green economy" is a mechanism to achieve
sustainable development.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20181027-egypt-builds-largest-solar-power-plant-in-the-world/
http://climatestate.com/2018/10/30/egypt-now-owns-largest-solar-power-plant-in-world/
[now it is]
*Is Breathing the New Smoking?
<https://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/is-breathing-new-smoking.htm>*
BY CARRIE TATRO JUL 6, 2018
Do you know how many cigarettes you'd have to smoke to equal the
negative health effects of the contaminants around you? In major cities
around the globe, air pollution has become so bad that breathing has
literally become the new smoking in some urban areas.
According to a Feb. 3, 2018 report by The Lancet Commission on Public
Health, in 2015, air pollution was responsible for an estimated 9
million premature deaths worldwide from illnesses such as stroke, heart
disease, COPD and lung cancer. The Lancet study found that in 2015 more
than 150,000 deaths in the United States could be attributed to air
pollution.
*- - - - Audio report https://megaphone.link/HSW2022185538*
The research revealed that air pollution in the United States and Europe
is equal in negative health effects to smoking 0.4 to 1.6 cigarettes per
day. And in China, on bad days, the detrimental health effects of air
pollution is equal to the damage done by smoking three packs -- or 60
cigarettes per day -- by every man, woman and child.
The "Shoot! I Smoke" app allows you to see in real-time just how
contaminated the air around you really is. And it allows you to look at
pollution all over the planet to see how many virtual cigarettes your
fellow citizens of the world are "smoking" against their will just by
stepping outside and breathing the air. For instance, on July 4, 2018,
the app indicated that if you were in Beijing, China, you smoked 7.6
cigarettes. If you were in New Delhi, India you smoked 6.9 cigarettes.
And if you were in Los Angeles, you smoked the equivalent of 2.
https://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/is-breathing-new-smoking.htm
- -
[Cough, cough]
*Air Pollution and Cigarette Equivalence
<http://berkeleyearth.org/air-pollution-and-cigarette-equivalence/>*
by Richard A. Muller and Elizabeth A. Muller
For many people, comparing air pollution to cigarette smoking is more
vivid and meaningful than is citing the numbers of yearly deaths. When
we published our scientific paper on air pollution in China in August
20151, we were surprised by the attention we got for a quick comparison
we made comparing air pollution on a particularly bad day in Beijing to
smoking 1.5 cigarettes every hour.
- - -
*Conclusion*
Air Pollution kills more people worldwide each year than does AIDS,
malaria, diabetes or tuberculosis. For the United States and Europe, air
pollution is equivalent in detrimental health effects to smoking 0.4 to
1.6 cigarettes per day. In China the numbers are far worse; on bad days
the health effects of air pollution are comparable to the harm done
smoking three packs per day (60 cigarettes) by every man, woman, and
child. Air pollution is arguably the greatest environmental catastrophe
in the world today.
more at - http://berkeleyearth.org/air-pollution-and-cigarette-equivalence/
*DOES CLIMATE CHANGE MEAN YOU SHOULD FLY LESS? YEAH, MAYBE
<https://www.wired.com/story/does-climate-change-mean-you-should-fly-less-yeah-maybe/>*
LEOR HACKEL, GREGG SPARKMAN
- - -
Flying less does reduce emissions. Crucially, though, social norms
provide a backdrop for policy change. When people forge an initial
commitment to a cause, like buying less meat, they often proceed to
political commitments, like contacting a senator. People don't like to
be hypocrites; they like harmony between their lifestyles and their
politics. Rather than undermining political action, sustainable living
prompts sustainable voting. A caveat: These benefits emerge when
conservation requires some sacrifice. Easy, single-shot actions (like
buying efficient lightbulbs) make us feel like we have done our part and
can disengage. More challenging, ongoing actions (like changing our
diets) propel us forward into action. Just as sacrifice convinces others
that climate action is important, it convinces us of our own commitment;
we start to see ourselves as climate advocates. Eating less meat creates
a gateway to workplace advocacy--like encouraging digital meetings or
lobbying for solar panels--which opens a door to signing petitions or
protesting.
If people act on climate change in their daily lives, they will expect
industry to do its part. People value reciprocity: We punish free riders
who don't do their part and reward those who chip in--and businesses
know it. They also pay attention to trends. For example, after roughly a
decade of decline in per capita meat consumption, the CEO of Tyson
Foods--the world's second-largest producer of chicken, beef, and
pork--announced that the company would shift to more plant-based
alternatives. Lyft recently announced it would offset carbon emissions
from its rides. Google, Apple, Sony, T-Mobile, and others have committed
to buying renewable energy. Did these companies make changes solely out
of the goodness of their hearts? Of course not. Every company follows
incentives--to manage public relations, meet consumer demand, and stand
out from competitors. Where consumers go, industry incentives follow.
Politicians run a similar calculus to decide if environmental policies
will get them re-elected. When we enact personal change out of climate
concern, we show that there is real support for laws aimed at enacting
societal change. Personal conservation might not achieve our climate
goals, but it can convince politicians to pass laws that will.
For instance, California just passed a law known as SB 100: By 2045, the
fifth-largest economy in the world will be powered by 100 percent
renewable electricity. The bill was sponsored by state Sen. Kevin De
León, who has challenged Dianne Feinstein for her Senate seat--a tough
race in which any challenger needs good PR. If Californians had no
reputation for energy conservation and environmental concern, would De
León have taken a political risk anyway and prioritized passing SB 100?
Perhaps not. In anonymous interviews, politicians who personally care
about climate change have expressed hesitation to sponsor laws when they
perceive insufficient constituent concern. Each individual's choices,
especially when amplified through social influence, help create a social
environment ripe for political change.
There are plenty of things to do about climate change beyond voting.
Take a train or bus instead of a plane, even if inconvenient--in fact,
especially when inconvenient. Take a digital meeting instead of an
in-person one, even if you give up expensed travel. Go to a protest,
invest in noncarbon energy, buy solar panels, eat at meatless
restaurants, canvass for climate-conscious candidates. Do whichever of
these you can, as conspicuously as you can. With each step, you
communicate an emergency that needs all hands on deck. Individual
action--across supermarkets, skies, roads, homes, workplaces, and ballot
boxes--sounds an alarm that might just wake us from our collective
slumber and build a foundation for the necessary political change.
more at -
https://www.wired.com/story/does-climate-change-mean-you-should-fly-less-yeah-maybe/
[common sense explained]
*Weather Disasters: Climate Change and the Potential for Conflict
<https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/10/31/weather-disasters-climate-change-and-the-potential-for-conflict/>*
by ARSHAD KHAN - OCTOBER 31, 2018
East Island was an uninhabited remote island in the Hawaiian chain, but
it was an important refuge for wildlife: Many of the endangered
Hawaiian monk seals numbering about 1400 raised their young on that
island; others like the green sea turtle and the albatross used it as a
shelter. Not any more because Hurricane Walaka washed away most of the
island a few days ago.
It was not the only major Pacific storm last week for category 5 Typhoon
Yutu devastated the Northern Marianas, a U.S. territory. It was
reputedly the worst U.S. storm since 1935. Perhaps happenstance, but
the rise in mean temperature due to global warming also exacerbates storms.
In September, Hurricane Florence hit North Carolina -- 51 people died.
The next month Hurricane Michael slammed the Florida panhandle at 5 mph
short of a category 5, a record for the area. Following just a few days
after the IPCC (October 8, 2018) report on restricting global warming to
1.5 C, it seemed like nature's affirmation. The residents of the area
have not yet recovered from the devastation. The same is true in Puerto
Rico and the other affected areas where over 3000 people reportedly have
lost their lives due to Hurricane Maria a year ago. It followed on the
heels of Irma tearing through several other Caribbean islands before
arriving in Florida. And Harvey flooded Houston causing a record $125
billion in damage.
Across the Atlantic, there have been heavy rains in Turkey where a 300
year-old bridge was washed away, and flooding in France, Wales and
Scotland. Hurricane Leslie targeted Portugal weakening fortunately to a
tropical storm before landfall, and last year Hurricane Ophelia skirted
past, its winds fanning wild fires in Portugal and Spain before becoming
the worst storm to hit Ireland in 50 years although not at hurricane
force, having dissipated in the colder northern waters.
Then there are the insidious effects usually unearthed by scientists. A
warmer earth makes hungry insects hungrier i.e. those voracious
caterpillars will be munching even more. So predict scientists in a
study published in the August 31, 2018 issue of Science and reported on
elsewhere. Insects will be causing 10 to 25 percent more damage to
wheat, maize and rice crops with a 2 degrees C rise in mean temperature
above preindustrial levels as per the Paris agreement.
Other threats to crops include water shortages. Countries relying on
rivers for irrigation are threatened when the head waters are under the
control of rivals. Nuclear armed India and Pakistan are a case in
point. The 1960 Indus Waters Treaty lays down a mechanism for joint
management, but Narendra Modi, India's current nationalist Hindu prime
minister aborted all engagement albeit temporarily. India is building
dams upstream which worries Pakistan, and in the latest row Pakistan has
banned all Indian TV channels -- Indian movies and TV are popular in
Pakistan.
There are other regions with potential water conflicts. Ethiopia is
building a grand dam on the Nile for electricity generation. The water
used for electricity will continue to flow downstream but irrigation
water if any is bled off -- possible when there is a colossal reservoir
that will take 5 to 15 years to fill. Egypt's life-blood is the Nile,
and water flow can be seriously affected depending on the fill rate.
The Mekong river passes through China, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia
and Vietnam. It is entwined in the livelihood and culture of the
region, and upstream dams now threaten centuries-old agricultural and
fishing practices downstream.
How can such problems be resolved? They are also not the only ones.
Parched or flooded farmlands, rising seas, and persistent severe weather
will cause large areas to become uninhabitable. Should then the mandate
of bodies like the IPCC be expanded to deal with such consequences of
climate change? It is a possibility although government representatives
are inherently biased. More appropriate perhaps would be neutral
international commissions composed of experts. But how should affected
people be settled? We have a caravan of 1000 headed to the U.S. and
causing much discomfiture in the Trump administration. Imagine the
numbers multiplied by 100 or a 1000.
All of which reminds us again that global warming is the most important
issue we face.
https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/10/31/weather-disasters-climate-change-and-the-potential-for-conflict/
[academic]
Climate Policy journal is pleased to share a new free-to-access article:
*Environmental integrity of international carbon market mechanisms under
the Paris Agreement <https://doi.org/10.1080/14693062.2018.1521332>*
Lambert Schneider & Stephanie La Hoz Theuer
Key policy insights:
-Robust accounting is a key prerequisite for ensuring environmental
integrity. The diversity of nationally determined contributions is an
important challenge, in particular for avoiding double counting and for
ensuring that the accounting for international transfers is
representative for the mitigation efforts by Parties over time.
-Unit quality can, in theory, be ensured through appropriate design of
carbon market mechanisms; in practice, existing mechanisms face
considerable challenges in ensuring unit quality. Unit quality could be
promoted through guidance under Paris Agreement Article 6, and reporting
and review under Article 13.
-The ambition and scope of mitigation targets is key for the incentive
for transferring countries to ensure unit quality because countries with
ambitious and economy-wide targets would have to compensate for any
transfer of units that lack quality. Encouraging countries to adopt
ambitious and economy-wide NDC targets would therefore facilitate
achieving environmental integrity.
-Restricting transfers in instances of high environmental integrity risk
- through eligibility criteria or limits - could complement these
approaches.
We encourage you to share this announcement with your peers and
networks. Thank you!
_____________
Dr. Ryan Rafaty
Social Media Editor, Climate Policy Journal
www.climatepolicy.com
Follow us on Twitter: @Climate_Policy
Read our blog: Climate Strategies
more at- https://doi.org/10.1080/14693062.2018.1521332
*This Day in Climate History - November 1, 1987
<http://c-spanvideo.org/program/Envir> - from D.R. Tucker*
November 1, 1987: At a Democratic presidential candidates' forum on the
environment in Manchester, New Hampshire, Boston Globe environmental
reporter Dianne Dumanoski asks Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis and
Sen. Al Gore about their plans to address acid rain and climate change.
Dukakis and Gore note that the US must show global leadership on both
issues.
http://c-spanvideo.org/program/Envir (19:55-26:44)
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