[TheClimate.Vote] December 8, 2019 - Daily Global Warming News Digest

Richard Pauli richard at theclimate.vote
Sun Dec 8 08:15:31 EST 2019 

/*December 8, 2019*/

[coal train stopped]
Press Advisory
*ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7, MEMBERS OF THE WORCESTER COMMUNITY BLOCKADED A 
COAL TRAIN EN ROUTE TO THE MERRIMACK PLANT IN BOW, NH*
Worcester, MA -- Currently, more than 20 members of the Worcester 
community's student climate justice groups are blocking a Coal Train 
heading to the Merrimack Plant in Bow, NH. The students blocking the 
train are protesting the continued usage of the coal plant. This protest 
stands against the burning of coal that continues to destroy the 
climate, and the harm upon frontline communities that the fossil fuel 
industry inflicts, especially in the global south. This direct action is 
an important element to larger movements towards climate justice.

The Merrimack Plant in Bow, NH is the last large coal-fired power plant 
in New England. In September, 67 protesters were arrested in Bow; we act 
in solidarity with them. Burning coal is morally unacceptable in 2019. 
We are in a climate emergency, and frontline communities are currently 
facing the devastating impacts of climate change. This coal harms 
communities from the point of extraction to those where it is burned. 
People living in Appalachia, near mountaintop removal sites, suffer from 
high rates of cancer and other health issues, due to the high amounts of 
water and air pollution. Similarly, people living in Bow are adversely 
impacted by the burning of coal. What is needed is not individual action 
or market-based solutions, but collective direct action that demands 
change.

This is a developing story... Live Updates:
Instagram @clarkclimatejustice
Facebook Clark Climate Justice
Hashtags:
#NoCoalNoGas
#CloseBow
#BucketByBucket
#ClimateEmergency
For background, see also:
NoCoalNoGas.org
ClimateDisobedience.org
for updates on Twitter follow Jay O'Hara
https://twitter.com/oharjo
and
https://twitter.com/ClimateDisobey
and
https://twitter.com/350NH_ACTION

Some tweets that merit raising up:
https://twitter.com/oharjo/status/1203491696992014336
https://twitter.com/collinrees/status/1203503180987977729
https://twitter.com/350NH_ACTION/status/1203492258869383169
https://twitter.com/350NH_ACTION/status/1203504753818427393



[faster changes]
*Record-setting Tropical Cyclone Ambali intensifies from tropical storm 
to borderline Category 5 monster in 24 hours*
Capital Weather Gang
Record-setting Tropical Cyclone Ambali intensifies from tropical storm 
to borderline Category 5 monster in 24 hours
The storm is another in a string of rapidly intensifying tropical 
cyclones, raising climate change concerns.

On Thursday morning, Tropical Cyclone Ambali was named in the Indian 
Ocean, with an intensity equivalent to a tropical storm. By Friday 
morning local time, it had transformed into a borderline Category 5 
behemoth. The cyclone's extremely rapid intensification rate is likely 
to beat out anything ever observed in the Southern Hemisphere, where 
satellites monitor such storms, while claiming the second-place spot 
globally for a storm's 24-hour strengthening rate.

It's part of an ominous trend of recent storms that bears a strong 
climate connection, according to scientific studies.

Fortunately, the storm hit its apex far from land, and it is forecast to 
continue to roam across the open ocean while weakening. Cyclone Ambali 
weakened significantly overnight and is now equivalent to a Category 2 
storm. It's forecast to drift harmlessly over the Arabian Sea, passing 
well east of Madagascar and staying north of Mauritius...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2019/12/06/record-setting-tropical-cyclone-ambali-intensifies-tropical-storm-category-monster-hours/



[oxygen]
*Climate change: Oceans running out of oxygen as temperatures rise*
By Matt McGrath
Environment correspondent, Madrid
Climate change and nutrient pollution are driving the oxygen from our 
oceans, and threatening many species of fish.

That's the conclusion of the biggest study of its kind, undertaken by 
conservation group IUCN.

While nutrient run-off has been known for decades, researchers say that 
climate change is making the lack of oxygen worse.

Around 700 ocean sites are now suffering from low oxygen, compared with 
45 in the 1960s.

Researchers say the depletion is threatening species including tuna, 
marlin and sharks.

The threat to oceans from nutrient run-off of chemicals such as nitrogen 
and phosphorus from farms and industry has long been known to impact the 
levels of oxygen in the sea waters and still remains the primary factor, 
especially closer to coasts.

However, in recent years the threat from climate change has increased.

As more carbon dioxide is released enhancing the greenhouse effect, much 
of the heat is absorbed by the oceans. In turn, this warmer water can 
hold less oxygen. The scientists estimate that between 1960 and 2010, 
the amount of the gas dissolved in the oceans declined by 2%.
That may not seem like much as it is a global average, but in some 
tropical locations the loss can range up to 40%.
- - -
If countries continue with a business-as-usual approach to emissions, 
the world's oceans are expected to lose 3-4% of their oxygen by the year 
2100.

This is likely to be worse in the tropical regions of the world. Much of 
the loss is expected in the top 1,000m of the water column, which is 
richest in biodiversity.
Low levels of oxygen are also bad for basic processes like the cycling 
of elements crucial for life on Earth, including nitrogen and phosphorous.

"If we run out of oxygen it will mean habitat loss and biodiversity loss 
and a slippery slope down to slime and more jellyfish," said Minna Epps.

"It will also change the energy and the biochemical cycling in the 
oceans and we don't know what these biological and chemical shifts in 
the oceans can actually do."
Changing the outcomes for the oceans is down to the world's political 
leaders which is why the report has been launched here at COP25.

"Ocean oxygen depletion is menacing marine ecosystems already under 
stress from ocean warming and acidification," said Dan Laffoley, also 
from IUCN and the report's co-editor.

"To stop the worrying expansion of oxygen-poor areas, we need to 
decisively curb greenhouse gas emissions as well as nutrient pollution 
from agriculture and other sources."
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-50690995



[Handbook - how to talk about global warming]
*Training webinar 5 minute introduction to the project*
The video is available https://vimeo.com/350337971
*Webinar 1: #TalkingClimate How to have a climate change conversation*
This webinar lays out the evidence base on how to have effective 
day-to-day conversations about climate change. We invite you to join us 
in a citizen science initiative to learn new research skills in public 
engagement on climate change and to test those skills on your friends, 
family and colleagues.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uznW6vQ1vsE
*Webinar 2: #TalkingClimate Results and Analysis*
In this webinar, Robin Webster reports back on the findings and what 
they mean for our recommendations on how to have good climate 
conversations - including the barriers we encounter, how to start 
conversations, and how to go on doing this in the future.
https://youtu.be/gyltf0YE_C0



[Greta in Madrid]
*Greta Thunberg*
@GretaThunberg
500'000 people marched in Madrid last night. This is the beginning of 
change! The world is slowly waking up to the climate and environmental 
crisis. Soon the people in power can no longer get away with ignoring 
the science. #cop25 #fridaysforfuture #climatestrike
https://twitter.com/GretaThunberg/status/1203254733466718208



[Looking at the unanticipated]
*In Venice, the floodwaters recede but the problems pile up*
Now that flooding in Venice has subsided, the city is dealing with the 
aftermath, from damaged buildings to mountains of trash. Estimating the 
cost of damages is a difficult business, and many Venetians are frustrated.

Venice's world-famous  St. Mark's Basilicais included in every damage 
assessment of the devastating flooding that hit the city in early 
November, as the crypts of the city's iconic cathedral were filled with 
water.

The damage from the flooding is substantial. The floodwaters in the city 
reached an unexpected high of 187 cm (6 feet) above sea level. Countless 
cultural treasures -- palaces, libraries, and churches -- remained 
partially submerged for days in the salty, polluted water.

The situation prompted Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro to declare a state of 
emergency. He has said that damage costs could run as high as €1 billion 
($1.1 billion)...
- - -
"In Venice gondolas are lying on dry land in front of hotels. There was 
more than one meter of standing water in the historic cafes on St. 
Mark's Square. That also holds true for St. Mark's Basilica, which was 
just restored," wrote Danilo Reato, an author who lives in Venice, on 
November 13 in emails to his publisher in Germany. "In the Arsenal 
[Venice's former shipyard and armory complex] one boat was nearly pushed 
to the end of a small street. Others sank. The anchor rope of another 
ship ripped, and it had to be rescued by the port authorities. This is 
really the end of the city!"...
- - -
'Trash everywhere!'

In the meantime, the waters have receded from the city. Many Venetians 
are cleaning out their basements and flooded ground floors. Tons of 
bulky trash such as furniture and hundreds of mattresses have landed on 
the sidewalks. "There is trash everywhere," complained Swiss art 
historian and novelist Erasmus Weddigen, who spends half his time in Venice.

Large trashed objects sit on a public stairway in Venice (Privat)
Trash has piled up on the streets of Venice as people are throwing out 
ruined belongings

An official damage assessment is yet to come. A UNESCO delegation will 
travel to Venice next year to investigate the situation. In 2015 the 
UN's cultural organization had already threatened to strip Venice of its 
World Heritage status if it could not get its problems under control...
- - -
After the Lusatian Neisse river in northeast Germany flooded in 2010, 
Taubert spent nearly eight years planning and leading the restoration of 
the affected Cistercian abbey of St. Marienthal. He believes fast action 
is needed in Venice, since mold spreads quickly in and on moist walls: 
"You can see how quickly the surfaces turn green, yellow or black!"

"One billion euros sounds like a lot of money," Taubert says. He is 
calling for people to mobilize for Venice and says it could well be that 
this much money is needed. Now, he says, the damage to objects, 
buildings and the neighborhoods of the lagoon sections of the city must 
be categorized and prioritized.

Following the November floods, Italy's government released 20 million 
(Euros) in emergency relief. Private individuals should receive up to 
€5,000 and businesses up to €20,000. Taubert knows that help can't be 
everywhere. "But they have to reach out to the people, otherwise the 
catastrophe will also lead to losers in society," he says...
- - -
Only a minority of Venice's population, some 50,000, live in the 
historic island center. Roughly four times as many, including Mayor 
Burgano, live on the surrounding mainland and estuary of Venice, with 
its most populated borough being Mestre. Together, the mainland and 
islands form one urban administrative area -- and will continue to do 
so. A referendum last weekend on whether the mainland should split off 
from Venice saw woefully low turnout that failed to meet the 50% minimum 
required to validate the vote.

Backers of the split had argued that the island and mainland areas have 
radically different problems. And, indeed, November's "Acqua Alta," or 
high water in Italian, only affected a small portion of the city's 
population. Yet for now, all of Venice will tackle the aftermath of the 
flooding together as one city.
https://www.dw.com/en/in-venice-the-floodwaters-recede-but-the-problems-pile-up/a-51557519


[some science resources]
*Evaluating the performance of past climate model projections*
A group of scientists -- Zeke Hausfather of UC Berkeley, Henri Drake and 
Tristan Abbott of MIT, and Gavin Schmidt of the NASA Goddard Institute 
for Space Studies -- has done a systematic review of climate models, 
dating back to the late 1970s. Published in Geophysical Research 
Letters, it tests model performance against a simple metric: how well 
they predicted global mean surface temperature (GMST) through 2017, when 
the latest observational data is available.
https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL085378


*This Day in Climate History - December 8, 2014 - from D.R. Tucker*
The Washington Post reports:

    "Oil, gas and coal interests that spent millions to help elect
    Republicans this year are moving to take advantage of expanded GOP
    power in Washington and state capitals to thwart Obama
    administration environmental rules.

    "Industry lobbyists made their pitch in private meetings last week
    with dozens of state legislators at a summit of the American
    Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), an industry-financed
    conservative state policy group.

    "The lobbyists and legislators considered several model bills to be
    introduced across the country next year, designed to give states
    more power to block or delay new Obama administration environmental
    standards, including new limits on power-plant emissions.

    "The industry's strategy aims to combat a renewed push by President
    Obama to carve out climate change as a top priority for his final
    two years in office. The White House has vowed to continue using
    executive authority to enact more environmental limits, and the
    issue is shaping up to be a major flash point heading into the 2016
    presidential election.

    "With support from industry lobbyists, many Republicans are planning
    to make the Environmental Protection Agency a primary political
    target, presenting it as a symbol of the kind of big-government
    philosophy they think can unify social and economic conservatives in
    opposition."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/fossil-fuel-lobbyists-bolstered-by-gop-wins-work-to-curb-environmental-rules/2014/12/07/3ef05bc0-79b9-11e4-9a27-6fdbc612bff8_story.html 


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