[TheClimate.Vote] August 11, 2019 - Daily Global Warming News Digest

Sun Aug 11 09:16:05 EDT 2019

/August 11, 2019/

[DW documentary]
*Britain: Rising sea levels put seaside towns at risk | Focus on Europe*
DW News
Published on Aug 10, 2019
More and more seaside towns in Britain are fighting against coastal 
erosion caused by rising sea levels. One is the Welsh town of 
Fairbourne, population about 1000. Experts say climate change is the cause.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO9MOCTZyBw

[Book review]
*This Is Not a Drill review - an Extinction Rebellion handbook*
Scientists, psychologists, artists and activists offer some hope and a 
plan for the future
Alice O'Keeffe
How do you respond to this statement by the social scientist Jem 
Bendell: "We should be preparing for a social collapse…an uneven ending 
of our normal modes of sustenance, security, pleasure, identity, meaning 
and hope"?

If you're anything like me, your first reaction will be to stop reading. 
I did that numerous times before I got to the end of This Is Not a 
Drill; I had to put it down, walk away, take a breath, make it stop. But 
like it or not, there is something bracing and necessary about facing 
our current reality. Extinction Rebellion's handbook is a collection of 
pithy, punchy essays designed to shake us out of our collective 
despair-induced lethargy. Authored by various thinkers from scientists 
to psychologists, artists to indigenous activists, it provides a 
devastating diagnosis: "We are in the sixth mass extinction event and we 
will face catastrophe if we do not act swiftly and robustly."

Crucially, the book also provides the beginnings of a prescription. The 
psychotherapist Susie Orbach writes about how we need to confront our 
feelings of despair, sorrow and rage. That is no easy task, but once we 
tell ourselves the truth, political action is inevitable. Roger Hallam 
explains how Extinction Rebellion's founders studied previous uprisings 
in order to come up with a formula for achieving radical system change. 
Their conclusions were that conventional campaigning doesn't work, and 
neither does violence. Large numbers of people need to create 
significant economic disruption. And they need to break the law.

While there are some simple instructions here - how to block a road, how 
to occupy a bridge, how to feed a protest - this is much more than just 
a handbook. It's a wide-ranging, thought-provoking analysis of the task 
facing us, which is nothing less than a paradigm shift. We have to learn 
new ways to live, making more from less, and acknowledging that there 
are only collective solutions to our current problems. And we have to do 
it fast. It's a huge challenge, and it may well be an impossible one. 
But the message here is that, even if we can't escape its consequences, 
it is not too late to escape the mindset that brought us here. After 
all, as Rowan Williams writes in his luminous afterword, "It might just 
work."
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/aug/07/this-is-not-a-drill-extinction-rebellion-review

[from the World Economic Forum]
*4 climate tipping points the planet is facing*
Johnny Wood
Writer, Formative Content
Is our planet approaching a climate change cliff edge? Across the world, 
from the forests to the oceans, the consequences of humanity's 
activities are being felt - and the effects could be catastrophic.
Here are four key climate emergencies happening right now:
*1. Arctic permafrost is melting*
Rising temperatures are destabilizing the frozen ground that covers 
almost a fifth of the planet's surface, and which has remained intact 
for millennia.

Permafrost binds soil, rock and sand in the ground. As it thaws, 
previously frozen organic matter in the ice decomposes, releasing 
harmful greenhouse gases - such as carbon dioxide and methane - into the 
atmosphere, with potentially devastating consequences for the planet.

A dangerous cycle then ensues where released greenhouse gases fuel 
further climate change, causing more permafrost to melt.

Climate scientist Dr Boris K Biskaborn of the Alfred Wegener Institute, 
a polar and marine research organization, predicts melting permafrost 
could increase temperatures by up to 0.27°C by 2100.

*2. Amazon deforestation is reaching the point of no return*
Amazonian rainforest is disappearing at an alarming rate of three soccer 
pitches every minute, according to Brazilian government data.

Deforestation in the Amazon region is fast approaching a point from 
which it might never recover, with scientists warning vast swathes of 
natural tree cover could degrade into savannah, undermining the vital 
role the rainforest plays in stabilizing Earth's climate.

Trees absorb large amounts of harmful carbon dioxide from the planet's 
atmosphere, which is stored in their branches and trunks. Cutting down 
large tracts of forest reduces nature's ability to remove greenhouse 
gases and in turn slow climate change.

*3. Warming waters are destroying ocean ecosystems*
The world's oceans absorb much of the excess heat generated by 
greenhouse gas emissions, resulting in rapidly increasing water 
temperatures, with reduced oxygen levels and increased acidity.

These changing conditions can disrupt marine life and devastate whole 
ocean ecosystems. Climate change increases the likelihood of extreme 
events like hurricanes or coral bleaching, which threaten the habitats 
of fish, mammals and other marine life.

Warmer waters also disturb fish breeding grounds, resulting in high 
mortality rates for species searching for a cooler environment in 
unsuitable waters. Such changes impact the food chain, including the 
food that humans eat.

But warmer oceans can also melt continental ice, causing sea levels to 
rise, which threatens the lives and livelihoods of coastal communities 
around the world.

*4. Melting glaciers are causing sea levels to rise*
Iceland's Okjokull glacier was the first to completely disappear due to 
climate change, and others around the world face a similar fate.

In the Himalayas, glaciers are retreating at double the speed they were 
in the late 20th century. The world's highest mountain range and the 
Hindu Kush region have lost 15% of their ice since the 1970s.

Melting glaciers cause sea levels to rise and accelerate coastal 
erosion, changing weather systems and leading to more extreme and 
destructive weather events.

Urgent action is needed to avert disaster. The World Wildlife Fund 
forecasts that even if current global emissions levels are significantly 
reduced over the coming decades, more than a third of the planet's 
glaciers will be gone by 2100.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/08/4-climate-tipping-points-the-planet-is-facing/ 

[Melting ice, melting should now give worry]
*What Worries Iceland? A World Without Ice. It Is Preparing.*
As rising temperatures drastically reshape Iceland's landscape, 
businesses and the government are spending millions for survival and 
profit...
- - -
A native of the area, he recalled the lake's being a fraction of its 
current size when he was a teenager. When he returned in 2012, the 
Vatnajokull outlet here had melted so much that the lagoon had grown a 
mile wide, and thundering rivers nearby had shifted course.

Many of the 200 tourists who visit daily want to see Vatnajokull before 
it disappears, Mr. Arnarson said.

"People are stunned by the glacier's beauty and feel like me," he said, 
gazing at the 130-foot-high wall of blue ice soaring from the water.

"It's nice to see a piece of it break off," he said. "But it's really sad."
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/09/business/iceland-ice-melt-global-warming-climate-change.html

[Beckwith video reports on sea level]
*Arctic-Sea Ice Collapse: Greenland Vulnerability; Global Sea-Level 
Rise; Extreme Weather Mayhem*
**Paul Beckwith
Published on Aug 10, 2019
In this video I expand upon my argument that global sea level will 
indeed rise 7 meters by 2070, as I originally discussed over 5 years ago 
in a video. An Arctic Blue-Ocean Event (BOE) is likely by 2022 and will 
cause very large warming spikes that will further expose Greenland to 
accelerated, catastrophic ice loss with an abrupt increase in the 
frequency, severity, and duration of extreme weather events globally, as 
well as very rapid sea level rise. As I said 5 years ago, I expect 
global sea level to rise 7 m by around 2070, about 3.5 m by 2063, and 
about 1.75 m by 2055 or so.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvJ412PxHR0

[Koch owns coal and paper companies]
*Documents Shine New Light on Koch Brothers' Early Efforts to Abolish 
the Department of Energy*
By Sharon Kelly  Wednesday, August 7, 2019 - 13:01

    Message From the Editor
    This week was all about the Kochs.
    Drawing from a major new archive on the fossil fuel billionaire Koch
    brothers, Sharon Kelly explains how its documents help illuminate
    the origin story for Charles and David Kochs' powerful network of
    influence.
    DeSmog also launched a new research tool, the Koch Network Database,
    to profile the dozens of organizations and individuals linked to
    Charles Koch or other members of the Koch family, Koch Industries,
    and related entities.
    The Koch political network includes a wide range of groups working
    to spread the Kochs' free market vision on a range of civic issues,
    which includes fighting against regulations on carbon emissions and
    denying the existence or seriousness of man-made climate change.
    Now, you can find this network's members and activities, all in one
    place. We have around 50 profiles to start and many more to come.
    Please let us know if you have any information or documents to
    contribute.
    Have a story tip or feedback? Get in touch: editor at desmogblog.com.
    Thanks,
    Brendan DeMelle
    Executive Director
    P.S. Be sure to also check out KochDocs.org, an extensive archive
    featuring troves of original Koch documents, hundreds of tax
    filings, and more.

https://www.desmogblog.com/2019/08/07/documents-shine-new-light-koch-brothers-early-efforts-abolish-department-energy
- -
[almost completed]
*Documents Shine New Light on Koch Brothers' Early Efforts to Abolish 
the Department of Energy *
By Sharon Kelly
A scheme to abolish the Department of Energy (DOE) helped spur a failed 
1980 Libertarian Party presidential bid -- and in the process laid the 
groundwork for Charles and David Koch's powerful network of influence -- 
as documents from a newly published archive show.

The documents in the new KochDocs.org archive include a relatively 
little-noticed column penned by fossil fuel industrialist Charles Koch 
for the Libertarian Review in August 1977, in which Charles, who had 
served as a member of President Carter's energy task force in 1976, 
argued against Carter's energy policy, writing that the "only 
'certainty' to be associated with governmental planning is that it will 
not work, will tend to produce results opposite to those intended, and 
will doom any substantial private long-range planning in energy 
development." Read more...
- - -
[Top political destabilizer]
*Announcing DeSmog's Koch Network Database*
By Brendan DeMelle - Wednesday, August 7, 2019 - 13:01
The Koch Network Database is a new resource library built by DeSmog to 
assist journalists, academic researchers, and the public to learn more 
about the backgrounds of individuals and organizations associated with 
billionaire fossil fuel industrialists Charles Koch and David Koch's 
free market approach to a broad spectrum of civic issues.

The Koch Network Database will chronicle the historical and present 
deeds and quotes associated with the people and organizations that have 
helped to advance the Kochs' free market approach to environmental 
regulations, and the subsequent consequences of such approaches for 
climate change, public health, and democracy. Read more.

The Koch Network Database is a new resource library built by DeSmog to 
assist journalists, academic researchers, and the public to learn more 
about the backgrounds of individuals and organizations associated with 
billionaire fossil fuel industrialists Charles Koch and David Koch's 
free market approach to a broad spectrum of civic issues.

The Koch Network Database will chronicle the historical and present 
deeds and quotes associated with the people and organizations that have 
helped to advance the Kochs' free market approach to environmental 
regulations, and the subsequent consequences of such approaches for 
climate change, public health, and democracy.

The database launch coincides with the KochDocs.org document archive 
launch, as Sharon Kelly covers in an important article about the 
Koch-led campaign to destroy the U.S. Department of Energy.

It was 12 years ago that DeSmog first reported about Koch Industries' 
campaign to confuse the public about climate science, in a 2007 article 
titled Why Exxon Makes Koch Giggle.

In the years that followed, we have learned vast amounts about the 
orchestrated campaign to delay climate action and attack climate science 
by a constellation of individuals and organizations that share affinity 
and often financial ties to the Koch family, ExxonMobil, the Mercers, 
and a range of other like-minded characters in the fossil fuel 
industries and right wing politics.

I first learned of the Koch name in 2002, when I came across their 
attempts to influence the makeup of the courts to skew further toward 
right-wing interests -- what they call "judicial reform" -- and have 
remained interested in this line of research ever since.

Please let DeSmog know if you have any additional information or 
documents that would complement our database, and of course, send us 
your thoughts about our work any time.
As my father the librarian always reminds me, information is power.
https://www.desmogblog.com/2019/08/07/announcing-desmog-koch-network-database
- - -
[Here it is ]
*An extensive database of individuals connected to Charles Koch or the 
Koch network.*
*An extensive database of organizations connected to Charles Koch or the 
Koch network.*
Welcome to DeSmog's Koch Network Database where you can browse our 
extensive research on the individuals and organizations linked to 
Charles Koch or other members of the Koch family, Koch Industries, and 
related entities. Choose a tab below to view the directories of 
individuals and organizations profiled in the Koch Network Database.
https://www.desmogblog.com/koch-network-database

[maps]
*Wildfire smoke maps, August 10, 2019*
These maps predict the distribution of smoke from wildfires at 5 p.m. 
PDT August 10, 2019.
https://wildfiretoday.com/2019/08/10/wildfire-smoke-maps-august-10-2019/

*This Day in Climate History - August 11, - from D.R. Tucker*
August 11, 2017: The New York Times reports on the machinations and 
secrecy of EPA head Scott Pruitt.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/11/us/politics/scott-pruitt-epa.html?mwrsm=Email 

/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------/

/Archive of Daily Global Warming News 
<https://pairlist10.pair.net/pipermail/theclimate.vote/2017-October/date.html> 
/
https://pairlist10.pair.net/pipermail/theclimate.vote

/To receive daily mailings - click to Subscribe 
<mailto:subscribe at theClimate.Vote?subject=Click%20SEND%20to%20process%20your%20request> 
to news digest./

*** Privacy and Security:*This is a text-only mailing that carries no 
images which may originate from remote servers. Text-only messages 
provide greater privacy to the receiver and sender.
By regulation, the .VOTE top-level domain must be used for democratic 
and election purposes and cannot be used for commercial purposes.
To subscribe, email: contact at theclimate.vote 
<mailto:contact at theclimate.vote> with subject subscribe, To Unsubscribe, 
subject: unsubscribe
Also you may subscribe/unsubscribe at 
https://pairlist10.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/theclimate.vote
Links and headlines assembled and curated by Richard Pauli for 
http://TheClimate.Vote <http://TheClimate.Vote/> delivering succinct 
information for citizens and responsible governments of all levels. List 
membership is confidential and records are scrupulously restricted to 
this mailing list.