[TheClimate.Vote] August 18, 2019 - Daily Global Warming News Digest.

Sun Aug 18 09:08:20 EDT 2019

/August 18, 2019/

[Appropriate for Sunday morning]
[edited transcript from the interview]
*Anderson Cooper Talks To Stephen Colbert About Trump and His Policy*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_xcFSiK7V8&feature=youtu.be&t=172

Anderson Cooper
YOU CALLED PRESIDENT TRUMP A HERETIC TO REALITY.

Stephen Colbert
A HERETIC TO REALITY - RAISED CATHOLIC, YOU KNOW - THE GREATEST SIN IS 
ACTUALLY HERESY. CAUSE NOT ONLY DO YOU,..NOT ONLY ARE YOU ASTRAY FROM 
THE RIGHT PATH, YOU'RE INVITING, YOU'RE ENCOURAGING OTHER PEOPLE TO COME 
WITH YOU ON THAT PATH.
SPECIFICALLY, HERESY IS LIKE PROSELYTIZING FOR THE DEVIL.

Cooper
AND THE PUNISHMENT FOR HERETICS IS...THE MOST EXTREME...

Colbert
I THINK IT'S RED HOT IRON COFFINS, IN DANTE'S INFERNO...I THINK IT IS 
CALLED DIS, THE LEVEL OF HELL...THEY'RE IN. IT'S PRETTY BAD

Cooper
DOESN'T GET MUCH WORSE.

Colbert
THE WORST SPA TREATMENT... AND HE -- OUR PRESIDENT, WANTS TO LIVE IN A 
FANTASY WORLD WHERE ONLY THE WAY HE PERCEIVES THE WORLD IS THE WAY IT IS.
THE ONLY THINGS THAT SERVES HIS VISION AND HE'S TRYING TO CONVINCE US 
THAT IT'S THE ONLY WORLD THAT EXISTS.
IT'S EXTREMELY SOLIPSISTIC.
BUT HE'S ALSO TRYING TO INVITE US INTO THIS MADNESS THAT HE HAS. THAT'S 
HERESY AGAINST REALITY.
THAT IS PROSELYTIZING FOR THE MOST SELFISH AND BASEST INSTINCTS, THE 
AMERICAN PEOPLE -- LIKE ALL PEOPLE, HAVE -- BUT HE IS NOT APPEALING TO 
THE BETTER ANGELS OF OUR NATURE.

Cooper
I'VE HEARD YOU SAY THE THESIS OF YOUR SHOW HAS BECOME, "HEY, YOU'RE NOT 
CRAZY".

Colbert
RIGHT. THE AUDIENCE IS NOT CRAZY.
HOW YOU  FEEL, IS ACTUALLY HOW YOU FEEL,
HOW YOU THINK, IS ACTUALLY HOW YOU THINK,
WHAT YOU SEE, IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING,
AND WHAT YOU HEAR, IS ACTUALLY WHAT HE SAID...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_xcFSiK7V8&feature=youtu.be&t=172

[bIg changes ahead]
*And Now, the Really Big Coal Plants Begin to Close*
Old, small plants were the early retirees, but several of the biggest 
U.S. coal burners--and CO2 emitters-will be shuttered by year's end
By Benjamin Storrow, E&E News on August 16, 2019
When the Navajo Generating Station in Arizona shuts down later this 
year, it will be one of the largest carbon emitters to ever close in 
American history.

The giant coal plant on Arizona's high desert emitted almost 135 million 
metric tons of carbon dioxide between 2010 and 2017, according to an E&E 
News review of federal figures.

Its average annual emissions over that period are roughly equivalent to 
what 3.3 million passenger cars would pump into the atmosphere in a 
single year. Of all the coal plants to be retired in the United States 
in recent years, none has emitted more...
- - -
But if there is a notable trend with the current round of plant 
closures, it is this: The large coal plants closing today are in places 
like Arizona, Pennsylvania and Kentucky.

"You're not seeing climate policy close these plants," said Mike 
O'Boyle, director of electricity policy for Energy Innovation, a 
nonprofit that advocates for a transition to clean energy. "Coal plants 
are becoming more expensive to operate over time."
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/and-now-the-really-big-coal-plants-begin-to-close/

[reports from the courts]
This Week in Climate Liability News
*New York Judge Rejects Exxon 'Fishing Expedition' in Climate Fraud Case*

A New York Supreme Court judge sided with the state attorney
general's office in stopping Exxon's attempt to pressure third-party
witnesses in the state's climate fraud case. Judge Barry Ostrager
said Exxon's demands for documents from those witnesses amounted to
an "gigantic, burdensome fishing expedition," that went far beyond
obtaining agreed-upon depositions. Had the judge agreed to let Exxon
demand the documents, it could have delayed the trial, scheduled for
Oct. 23, and convinced some of those witnesses not to testify. The
New York attorney general's office is suing the oil giant for
allegedly misleading investors about the risks of climate change to
its business, a lawsuit that came after a three-year investigation
into the company's conduct.

https://www.climateliabilitynews.org/2019/08/09/exxon-climate-fraud-case-ostrager/

[activism: Extinction Rebellion video interview]
*"Something Drastic Has To Happen" Roger Hallam | BBC HardTalk | 
Extinction Rebellion*
Extinction Rebellion
Published on Aug 17, 2019

Roger Hallam talks with Stephen Sackur from BBC HardTalk about the need 
to ACT NOW.

If you believe we need to do something about the climate crisis join us 
in October for the international Rebellion.
In October 2018, we declared The Rebellion.
In April 2019, we declared The Emergency.
In October 2019, we will declare The Truth.
Starting on Monday 7 October, we are joining together as global family 
in an International Rebellion as we grieve the suffering and destruction 
of our beautiful homeworld.

We will gather with our communities across cities, countries, and 
continents, to rise up and rebel for our deep love of life and the need 
to protect it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HyaxctatdA

[idiocy report]
*GOP Senator John Cornyn Torched Over 'Dumbest' Climate Change Explainer*
One scientist blasted Cornyn for being "utterly, despicably, proudly 
ignorant" of the threat to the planet.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) appeared to display a highly questionable 
understanding of climate change on Twitter, and promptly got dragged 
over the coals.

The lawmaker on Friday was widely ridiculed for the way he responded to 
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-N.Y.) call for action on the 
climate crisis. Schumer had tweeted about July 2019 being "the hottest 
month ever, of any month, on record" and described climate change as 
"the greatest threat facing our planet."
Cornyn replied: "It's summer, Chuck."
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/john-cornyn-climate-change-tweet_n_5d57a2f5e4b0eb875f241d08

[Four Noble Truths -- Buddhism and Global Warming from 2015]
*Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi - The Four Noble Truths of the Climate Crisis*
Culture of Peace
Published on Jun 5, 2015
Description for the US Buddhist Leaders Conference at George Washington 
and the White House, Washington, DC on May 14 2015
Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi is the President of the Buddhist Association of 
America (BAUS) and the founder and director of Buddhist Global Relief
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7FViHm1xdU

[NYTimes asks]
*Why Is Hollywood So Scared of Climate Change?*
Environmental concerns have been the driving force of villains in recent 
superhero and sci-fi movies. But critics say the industry needs to show 
how society can reform its ways.
by Cara Buckley - Aug. 14, 2019
Humans ruined everything. They bred too much and choked the life out of 
the land, air and sea.

And so they must be vaporized by half, or attacked by towering monsters, 
or vanquished by irate dwellers from the oceans' polluted depths. 
Barring that, they face hardscrabble, desperate lives on a once verdant 
Earth now consumed by ice or drought.

That is how many recent superhero and sci-fi movies -- among them the 
latest Avengers and Godzilla pictures as well as "Aquaman," 
"Snowpiercer," "Blade Runner 2049," "Interstellar" and "Mad Max: Fury 
Road" -- have invoked the climate crisis. They imagine postapocalyptic 
futures or dystopias where ecological collapse is inevitable, 
environmentalists are criminals, and eco-mindedness is the driving force 
of villains.

But these takes are defeatist, critics say, and a growing chorus of 
voices is urging the entertainment industry to tell more stories that 
show humans adapting and reforming to ward off the worst climate threats.

"More than ever, they're missing the mark, often in the same way," said 
Michael Svoboda, a writing professor at George Washington University and 
author at the multimedia site Yale Climate Connections. "Almost none of 
these films depict a successful transformation of society."...
- - -
Adam McKay, whose film "Vice" included references to the Republican 
Party's minimization of climate change, said the fact that the crisis 
was so large made it hard to fathom and to capture narratively. But he 
added that he was working on a new movie addressing the issue, and that 
his production company was developing a scripted series looking at the 
effect of radial warming on civilization.
- - -
On the Producers Guild's Green Production Guide site, a report by the 
Rocky Mountain Institute, a nonprofit that promotes sustainability, lays 
out ways renewables can be portrayed onscreen. Some suggested plotlines 
come with a wink, ranging from showing characters who go off the grid to 
philanderers who fall for their solar-panel installers. The point, said 
Jacob Corvidae, one of the report's authors, is to relay how robust the 
clean energy sector is, and also to sow hope. "We do need depictions 
that things could be O.K. because people worked at it," he said.

This spring, BAFTA released a study showing how many times ecological 
terms appeared on British television in one year (the report did not 
include film). "Climate change," for example, appeared more than 
"zombie" but trailed "gravy," and was utterly trounced by "queen" and 
"tea." The academy also started an initiative, Planet Placement, 
exhorting film and television content creators to help "make positive 
environmental behaviors mainstream." With screen industries' massive 
reach, they said, "it's a chance to shape society's response to climate 
change."

"The past 25 years of the environmental narrative is about sacrifice and 
doom and not doing what you want and not getting what you want," said 
Aaron Matthews, head of industry sustainability at BAFTA. "We don't 
think that's the right tone to get people over the line."

Cara Buckley is a culture reporter who covers bias and equity in 
Hollywood, and was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for 
reporting on workplace sexual harassment. @caraNYT
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/14/movies/hollywood-climate-change.html
- - -
[The industry guide]
*About the Green Production Guide*
The film, television and commercial production industry traditionally 
consumes vast amounts of energy and unsustainable resources with 
productions around the world. Aimed at reducing the industry's carbon 
footprint,  by helping film and television professionals find the 
resources and partners necessary to make use of sustainable practices in 
their productions, the Producers Guild of America Foundation presents 
The Green Production Guide.

The Green Production Guide was developed by the Producers Guild of 
America Foundation and PGAGreen.org with primary support from Disney, 
Amblin Partners, 20th Century Fox, NBCUniversal, Paramount Pictures, 
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Bros, Amazon Studios, HBO, Netflix, 
CBS & Participant Media.

The Green Production Guide features a searchable database of vendors 
with information about their green products, services, their production 
experience and what locations they serve. The site also offers a 
Production Environmental Accounting Report (PEAR) calculator that can be 
downloaded to help producers determine their production's carbon 
footprint and the Production Environmental Actions Checklist (PEACH), 
which details best practices for sustainable film and television production.
https://www.greenproductionguide.com/

*This Day in Climate History - August 18, - from D.R. Tucker*
August 18, 2015:
The New York Times reports:

"The Obama administration is expected to propose as soon as Tuesday
the first-ever federal regulation to cut emissions of methane, a
powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, by the
nation's oil and natural-gas industry, officials familiar with the
plan said on Monday.

"The proposed rule would call for the reduction of methane emissions
by 40 to 45 percent over the next decade from 2012 levels, the
officials said. The proposal was widely expected, after the
Environmental Protection Agency said in January that it was working
on such a plan.

"The new rules are part of Mr. Obama's broad push for regulations
meant to cut emissions of planet-warming gases from different
sectors of the economy. This month, Mr. Obama unveiled the
centerpiece of that plan, a regulation meant to cut emissions of
carbon dioxide by 32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030, a move that
could transform the way the nation produces and consumes electric power.

"The new rules on methane could create a tougher regulatory scheme
on the nation's fossil fuel production, particularly on the way that
companies extract, move and store natural gas.

"Environmental advocates have long urged the Obama administration to
crack down on methane emissions. Most of the greenhouse gas
pollution in the United States comes from carbon dioxide, which is
produced by burning coal, oil and natural gas. Methane, which leaks
from oil and gas wells, accounts for just 9 percent of the nation's
greenhouse gas pollution -- but it is over 20 times more potent than
carbon dioxide, so even small amounts of it can have a big impact on
global warming."

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/18/business/us-is-set-to-propose-regulation-to-cut-methane-emissions.html 

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