[TheClimate.Vote] December 6, 2019 - Daily Global Warming News Digest

[Richard Pauli]

/*December 6, 2019*/

[risk costs]
*California Bans Insurers From Dropping Policies Made Riskier by Climate 
Change*
California's wildfires have grown so costly and damaging that insurance 
companies -- a homeowner's last hope when disaster strikes -- have 
increasingly been canceling people's policies in fire-prone parts of the 
state.

On Thursday, however, California took the highly unusual step of banning 
the practice, a decision that exacerbates the insurance industry's 
miscalculation of the cost of climate change.

The new policy imposes a one-year moratorium preventing insurers from 
dropping customers in or alongside ZIP codes struck by recent wildfires. 
The moratorium covers at least 800,000 homes around the state. The state 
has also asked insurers to voluntarily stop dropping customers anywhere 
in California because of fire risk for one year.

"People are losing insurance even after decades with the same company 
and no history of filing claims,"...
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/05/climate/california-fire-insurance-climate.html 




[confident climate science]
*Scientists have gotten predictions of global warming right since the 1970s*
The first systematic review finds that climate models have been 
remarkably accurate.
By David Roberts at drvoxdavid@vox.com Dec 4, 2019
- -
All we can ask of climate models is that they accurately tell us what 
Earth's biophysical systems will do in response to our behavior. And 
every indication suggests that models are doing just that. For five 
decades now, they have warned us that we are marching toward ruin, and 
we have, for the most part, ignored them. We cannot claim that we did 
not know what we were doing. We knew...
https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2019/12/4/20991315/climate-change-prediction-models-accurate



[National Geographic report]
*Warming at the poles will soon be felt globally in rising seas, extreme 
weather*
Ice loss, permafrost melt, fires: Trouble in the Arctic and Antarctic 
could cause shocks to the world's weather and sea levels sooner than 
thought, says a new study...
- - -
"I know it's a dangerous thing to say," says Stroeve, "but at this 
point, regardless of what we commit to with CO2 reductions, and the 
warming that we try to limit things to…we will likely see ice-free 
summers emerging."

Her latest work suggests that Arctic sea ice is now shrinking faster 
than most current climate models project. That ice loss fuels Arctic 
amplification--the force that's speeding up northern warming. As the 
ocean's protective lid thaws, more sunlight enters the water, causing 
more warming, leading to yet more ice loss, in a feedback spiral.

Peeling back that ice cover could also unleash more extreme weather on 
the Northern Hemisphere's mid-latitudes, including droughts, floods, and 
heatwaves. Although a topic of current debate among scientists, some 
studies suggest Arctic warming makes the jet stream weaker and wavier, 
letting cold polar air reach further south and warm air stretch north...
- - -
Antarctic sea ice has waxed and waned. The past two years, however, have 
seen record autumn lows. Moreover, the warming Southern Ocean could 
provide a route for invasive species and diseases to reach the isolated 
continent. And Antarctica's penguins, some of which are already having 
to shift their ranges as coastal conditions change, may face widespread 
displacement in future. The iconic emperor penguins could all but vanish 
by the end of the century, another new report projects.

The polar outlook is a "generally solid assessment of the changes and 
how they depend on these emissions scenarios," says University of 
Alaska-Fairbanks atmospheric scientist John Walsh, who was not involved 
with the study. "The article makes the point that even with the low 
emissions scenario--and a 2 degrees C warmer world is down at the low 
end of the emissions scenario spectrum--the Arctic is a changed place."

Cutting fossil fuel emissions can lower or delay Arctic warming by 
several decades, the authors say.

"In a way, the Arctic is speaking to us,' say Post. "The question is 
whether we are listening."
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/12/arctic/



[Download the Handbook]
*How to talk about climate change in our daily lives: new handbook *
But talking about climate change is still hard. Our new Talking Climate 
Handbook provides evidence-based, practical guidance to make it easier 
to have constructive, meaningful climate conversations in our daily 
lives - do let us know how useful you find it.

Content for the handbook was developed by combining our social science 
expertise with a citizen science pilot project we ran over the summer 
with over 550 people from over 50 countries, in collaboration with 
Climate-KIC.
REAL TALK about climate change:

    *Respect* your conversational partner and find common ground.
    *Enjoy *it!
    *Ask *questions.
    *Listen*, and show you've heard
    *Tell *your story.
    *Action* makes it easier (but doesn't fix it)
    *Learn *from your conversational partner.
    *Keep going *and keep connected.

https://climateoutreach.org/


[This obit from a suicide pact is a difficult post that needs discussion 
- The section  "And then there's this..."*is my bold* - talk of global 
warming future  published in the Ellsworth American - Ellsworth, Maine,]
*Carl and Susan Chase *[b. 1941, 1944 - d. 2019]
BROOKSVILLE, Maine
Theirs was a life lived together -- fully.
- - -[clip from 
https://www.ellsworthamerican.com/obituary/carl-and-susan-chase/]
Culminating in a joint decision, organized thoroughly and talked about 
often, they surprised us all when they took their lives Oct. 27, 2019. 
Together holding hands, fingers entwined peacefully, they swallowed 
sleeping pills, and were found sitting in their favorite spot in their 
home, looking out over Horseshoe Cove.

Carl and Susan are survived by their two children, Jennifer Bontie Chase 
and Nigel Philip Chase, and four grandchildren: Perry, Zephyr, Misty and 
Lucy. Susan is survived by her sister Alison and brother Jim; she was 
predeceased by sisters Joan and Ann. Carl is survived by brothers Eric 
and Andy, and sisters Arria, Lisa and Josie. He was predeceased by his 
brother Peter.

There was an informal gathering to honor them on Saturday, Nov. 2, at 
Susan's Sculpture Woods. A celebration of life will be held at a later 
date. Contributions can be made to Peninsula Pan Inc.(peninsulapan.org) 
or Schooner Alamar (sailalamar.com).

*Letter from Carl and Susan*

    For anyone who wants to know.

    This is an attempt to explain why we have decided to end our lives
    now.  We believe it is a person's fundamental right to choose
    whether or not to go on living when they approach the "end-game" of
    life, and for many reasons that time has come for us.  We have come
    to this decision both independently and together. Here are some of
    the considerations that have led us to make this choice.

    We have had full and happy lives, blessed with extraordinary good
    luck. It is unreasonable at our age to assume it will continue that
    way and we want to leave while things are still good, before our
    luck runs out, not after!

    We have enjoyed generally good health until the last few years, when
    it has started to become clear that the body is wearing out. Where
    most people these days tackle every medical issue as it arises,
    we've chosen not to spend our last years in an escalating battle
    against our body's failures, taking more and more pills, signing up
    for exhausting operations, waiting for the next issue to show up.
    Dying is natural, and inescapable. We see nothing good about
    stretching the process out over as many years as possible.

    Dementia lurks for all of us and we are determined to escape that
    fate. We would hate to burden family, friends and each other with
    our care. Some might say that is what family and friends are for,
    but in the case of the elderly we heartily disagree, if there is a
    chance to avoid it. Too much time, energy, money and good will is
    squandered trying to eke out those last days, months and years.

    We feel that we have made some small contributions to the
    communities in which we have lived, but they have - and will -
    become less and less. We dread becoming useless, using up more and
    more resources and attention, and contributing less and less in
    return. We feel that happening.

    For myself (Carl) as things break down I can't enjoy many of the
    things I like to do. My hearing - even with the best hearing aids -
    doesn't let me follow conversations, movies, music, etc. - well
    enough to enjoy them. My failing knees ruled out skiing some years
    ago; now walking and getting in and out of boats are difficult. I
    have some other on-going medical issues which I've chosen to ignore
    rather than fight because an old age spent fighting losing battles
    is not a life I want.

    And as for me (Susan)… the dementia on my maternal side  (mom and
    grandmother) looms as a crouching demon from age 75 on. I do not
    want to lose my mind. I do not want to live in assisted living or a
    nursing home. And I do not want to use up the money doing so.  I
    would rather it be shared and put to good use for the next
    generations. Physically I'm in good shape for 75, but I feel things
    going and have some nagging internal issues.

    *And then there's this…**
    **
    **While it is always possible that things will turn around for the
    better for the human race here on earth, it is impossible to imagine
    that it could happen anytime soon - certainly not in any possible
    lifetime of ours. The pressure of over-population is bringing about
    the destruction of civilization, and will eventually cause the
    extinction of our species as we make the planet unfit for ourselves.
    This process is already well underway. As a consequence truth,
    decency and rule of law are disappearing daily right before our
    eyes, leaving no system or social structure capable of managing the
    mess. Things  are sure to get uglier and more violent as "survival
    of the fittest" becomes the rule. It is hard to be cheerful when
    confronted by the daily news. We've seen more than enough of it
    already. We have no desire to be further witness to it.*

    In short, we want to conclude our lives on a high note while we
    still have the wits and capability to manage it. We'd like to think
    that we'll be remembered as the persons we've been up till now,
    rather than gamble on what we may become over the next 10 - 20
    years. In any case that is our choice!

    Finally, we sincerely apologize to anyone we have inconvenienced or
    let down by our decision, its timing or the absence of any warning.
    There was no good way to schedule it without having to involve
    others. That was unthinkable. Although we are blessed with wonderful
    family and friends this was too personal to share with anyone. We
    appeal to you for understanding, and beg that you will help each
    other in picking up the pieces we inevitably leave behind.

https://www.ellsworthamerican.com/obituary/carl-and-susan-chase/

- - -

[any media mention of suicide should include contact information for 
prevention]
*National Suicide Prevention Lifeline*
Call 1-800-273-8255
Available 24 hours everyday
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/


[For grief, a personal recommendation is the Good Grief Network]
*10-Steps to Personal Resilience & Empowerment in a Chaotic Climate*
Our unique program helps build personal resilience & empowerment while 
strengthening community ties to combat despair, inaction, and 
eco-anxiety on the collective level.
https://www.goodgriefnetwork.org/


*This Day in Climate History - December 6, 2005  - from D.R. Tucker*
At the American Geophysical Union meeting in California, James Hansen 
delivers a speech entitled: "Is There Still Time to Avoid ‘Dangerous 
Anthropogenic Interference’ with Global Climate?"
http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/2005/Keeling_20051206.pdf

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