[TheClimate.Vote] June 17 , 2019 - Daily Global Warming News Digest.

Mon Jun 17 10:26:58 EDT 2019

/June 17, 2019/

[Uplifiting]
*Some Compelling Reasons Not to Give Up on Solving Climate Change*
Reports that say we're all doomed in the face of the climate crisis 
ignore a history of survival--and the opportunity to make the future better.
In March, paleoecologist Jacquelyn Gill wrote a tweet containing 
possibly the most radical emotion a scientist can have about the climate 
crisis right now: optimism.

Gill's research at the University of Maine looks to the past to 
understand how species will respond to global changes. She speculated 
that it was this long-term perspective that allowed her to notice a 
legacy of adaptation and resilience. 'With the fossil record, the Earth 
is literally teaching us how to get through this,' she wrote. 'That 
makes me want to roll up my sleeves.'
Her position flies in the face of a recent report by the Breakthrough 
National Center for Climate Restoration, a think-tank in Melbourne, 
Australia, which predicted a future in which human life would end by 
2050. Its conclusions were modeled on a worst-case scenario if we 
continue to barrel forward with current levels of carbon and methane 
emissions. Others have echoed that doom: that the Arctic's warming is 
now inevitable, and that our carbon levels have reached a point of no 
return.

The end is nigh-type rhetoric can make us want to throw up our hands...
- - -
That's perhaps the biggest lesson he's absorbed: We need to adopt a 
sense of time that goes beyond just the immediate future or past. 'If 
you're a business person, you're working on a quarterly annual 
temporality,' he said. 'If you're a politician, you're working on an 
election cycle. But who the hell thinks about 100 years out?'

It's not enough to simply be a spectator to the past, the researchers 
said. For the first time, we have the technology and the grasp on our 
own history to take control. We have to turn our vast knowledge into 
action, and use the meager acknowledgement of our knack for survival as 
a launch point for innovation and change.

There's a philosophy of the Iroquois called the 'seventh generation 
principle' (which has been adopted by the eco-friendly cleaning supply 
company). It calls for thinking about how the effects of every big 
decision will affect society seven generations from now. Even if that's 
the only concept we borrow from the past, Sassaman said, it would make a 
big difference. 'Imagine if we thought that way,' he added. 'It would 
completely change the way we do things.'
more at - 
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/nea93d/actually-humans-probably-will-survive-the-climate-crisis
- - -
[On the other hand]
*New Report Suggests 'High Likelihood of Human Civilization Coming to an 
End' Starting in 2050*
The climate change analysis was written by a former fossil fuel 
executive and backed by the former chief of Australia's military.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/597kpd/new-report-suggests-high-likelihood-of-human-civilization-coming-to-an-end-in-2050

[state government gets serious]
*Maine law puts new focus on potential toll of sea level rise*
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Maine's coastal communities will have more 
resources to prepare for rising sea levels under a new law in the state.

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has signed a bill called 'An Act To Help 
Municipalities Prepare for Sea Level Rise' that is an attempt to tackle 
the problem head on. Sea level rise jeopardizes Maine communities 
because of effects such as beach erosion and damage to infrastructure 
such as sea walls and roads.

Democratic Rep. Lydia Blume of coastal York proposed the bill. The 
proposal states that it amends Maine laws about coastal management to 
direct state, local and some federal agencies to do their work 
consistent with a 'policy of encouraging the assessment of and planning 
for the effects of the rise in sea level.'
https://www.wabi.tv/content/news/Maine-law-puts-new-focus-on-potential-toll-of-sea-level-rise-510807651.html

[National Weather Service beta prototype release - interactive calculator]
*WetBulb Globe Temperature*
WetBulb Globe Temperature (Prototype-Under Development. Not to be used 
for operational use)
The WetBulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) is a measure of the heat stress in 
direct sunlight, which takes into account: temperature, humidity, wind 
speed, sun angle and cloud cover (solar radiation). This differs from 
the heat index, which takes into consideration temperature and humidity 
and is calculated for shady areas. If you work or exercise in direct 
sunlight, this is a good element to monitor. Military agencies, OSHA and 
many nations use the WBGT as a guide to managing workload in direct 
sunlight.
*Preparedness - What to do before doing outdoor activities when the WBGT 
is high -*

Wear a hat and light weight, light fitting, light colored clothes.
Plan to take frequent breaks in shady areas.

*Safety - What to do while doing outdoor activities when the WBGT is high -*

Take breaks in the shade. Strenuous outdoor activities should be
reduced, especially in direct sunlight where there is little
ventilation.
Drink plenty of water or other non-alcohol fluids. Your body needs
water to keep cool. Drink plenty of fluids even if you don't feel
thirsty.
Don't get too much sun. Sunburn makes the job of heat dissipation
that much more difficult

https://www.weather.gov/tsa/wbgt
- - -
[Paul Beckwith video]
*Limit of Human Survivability at High Temperature, Humidity Conditions 
Leading to Uninhabitability*
Paul Beckwith
Published on Jun 16, 2019
A combination of extreme temperatures and high humidity, called heat 
index, humidex, etc. can be calculated many ways; the net result: when 
you reach wetbulb temperature (defined as temperature at which air 
'parcel'reaches 100% humidity) of 35 C (95F) or higher your body cannot 
cool via sweating, since your sweat no longer evaporates. Core body 
temperature rises, you get heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and die within 
6-8 hours. Many mortalities in the European heatwave in 2003 (plus 
Chicago event) were likely due to dwelling temperatures; humidity from 
cooking, etc reaching this fatal physical limit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLiKPGr1NNI
- - -
[part 2 video]
*The Coast is Toast (Uninhabitable) when Sea-Surface-Temperatures of 35 
C or 95 F: Physical Limits*
Paul Beckwith
Published on Jun 16, 2019
When, and where will people start dropping like flies as wetbulb 
temperature (defined as temp. when relative humidity is 100%) is 35 C 
(95F) or higher. We know where. Outside, on coastlines of the Red Sea, 
Persian Gulf, etc. when Sea-Surface Temperature (SST) reaches 35 C; 
we've hit 33 C in previous years, perhaps higher in shallow water, with 
little upwelling, or even in small inlets or near hot rivers or lakes. 
Two degrees C summer SST is the difference between life and death, death 
within 6-8 hours. Inside apartments, in big cities due to Urban 
Heat-Island effects...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-xAoku9mbA
- -
[part 3 video]
*Brutal Physics of 35 C (95 F) Sea-Surface-Temperatures to make coastal 
dwellers drop like flies*
Paul Beckwith
Published on Jun 16, 2019
Let's say it is 45 C (113 F) in a city in the Middle East or India, on a 
coastline where the Sea-Surface-Temperature has reached 35 C (95 F). 
Since the land is hotter than the water there will be a sea-breeze (from 
water to land), that will be laden with moisture from evaporation of sea 
water. When there is enough water vapour to bring relative humidity over 
the coastline to 52% or higher, but not enough for monsoonal rain, then 
people on the coast, outside, will die in 6-8 hours due to a physical 
limit imposed by our core body temperature. That is the brutal physics 
of wetbulb temperature and human physiology.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gli4lfmmyC4
- - -
[Part 4 video ]
*Air Conditioning Access Divides those who get to Live from those who 
DIE: Class-divides Brutal.*
Paul Beckwith
Published on Jun 16, 2019
Suppose the rural area near New Delhi is 50 C (122F), dropping to 30 C 
at night. Society divides into those with access to air conditioning, 
and those without, as long as rickety power grids hold up to demand 
spikes. AC runs 24/7 for owners. Those without are SOL 
(shit-out-of-luck) as waste heat cranked out by ACs to the street is hot 
and humid, and adds to the urban heat island effect, driving up outdoor 
street temperature and humidity, especially in confined alleyways to 
above lethal wet-bulb temperatures. So poorer AC-less people die so that 
the wealthier AC folk live. Yuk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFlRLbQRuYY
- - -
[part 5 video]
*Brilliant Ways to Eliminate Heat Exhaustion and Heatstroke by 
Stabilization of Core Body Tempe*
Paul Beckwith
Published on Jun 16, 2019
Brilliant ideas: Produce a simple combined digital thermometer, and a 
relative humidity sensor that is tiny and wearable. This device 
calculates and displays wet bulb temperature of your immediate space, 
inside or outside. It activates alarms when dangerous wet bulb 
conditions are reached. It sends alerts and your location to emergency 
responders who come and get you for emergency medical aid and transport 
to save your life. Combine it with what I call a 'chill suit or device' 
from India's Dharma Technologies, to keep your core body temperature 
safely stable at all times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dCSllLIUzI

[TED talk by high aspiration youth seeking tangible change]
*The Real Issue with Climate Change | Lili Yazzie | TEDxYouth at LincolnStreet*
TEDx Talks
Published on Jun 4, 2019
We've always been told that the real way to stop climate change is with 
small, individual changes -- but does that really make sense anymore? In 
her talk, Lili sheds light on the biggest sources of pollution, and what 
we can do to make them change their ways. Lili Yazzie is a senior at 
Glencoe High School. She is the President of Glencoe's Environmental 
Impact Club and Co-Captain of Glencoe's Speech and Debate team. In her 
free time, she enjoys volunteering, hiking, and going to various 
concerts. Lili has always had a passion for environmental advocacy, but 
only in recent years has she begun to realize her role in creating 
tangible change by inspiring and educating others.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvu5cIMd4mU

[Philosopher Stephen Gardiner in 2008]
*A Perfect Moral Storm: Climate Change, Intergenerational Ethics, and 
the Problem of Corruption*
'the presence of the problem of moral corruption reveals another sense 
in which climate change may be a perfect moral storm. This is that its 
complexity may turn out to be perfectly convenient for us, the current 
generation, and indeed for each successor generation as it comes to 
occupy our position. . . By avoiding overtly selfish behavior, earlier 
generations can take advantage of the future without the unpleasantness 
of admitting it - either to others, or, perhaps more importantly, to 
itself.'

... The causes and effects of anthropogenic climate change are indeed 
dispersed in space and in time (Gardiner 2006; 2011b; Jamieson 2014, 102 
). On the spatial dimension, any particular greenhouse gas emission from 
any geographical location affects the overall global climate, dispersing 
impacts to other actors and regions of the Earth. ...
... Therefore, the restrictive conception of moral responsibility, 
embedded in common-sense morality and supported by the dominant 
phenomenology of agency, is ill-suited to deliver a moral judgement of 
climate change that fully covers its complexity. Gardiner ... refers to 
this as a theoretical storm, which rests on the idea that we lack robust 
theories in the relevant areas. To remedy the urgent global problems 
facing humanity, a substantive approach to people's rights and 
responsibilities needs to refer 'both to what people have done and to 
what they have not done - as individuals, in groups and through social 
institutions - with consequences both near and far'.
... Since restricting the scope of morality is not sufficient to support 
the inviolable status of materialistic freedoms, consumption elites 
resort to a deceitful construction of climate change and their own 
contributions to it by emphasizing the subsumption of individuals in the 
global context. *The complexity of climate change is perfectly 
convenient for current luxury emitters: 'since climate change involves a 
complex convergence of problems, it is easy to engage in manipulative or 
self-deceptive behaviour by applying one's attention selectively, to 
only some of the considerations that make the situation 
difficult'***(Gardiner 2006, 408, emphasis in original). Many of the 
arguments that raise doubts regarding individual agency in climate 
change are usually considered as complicating moral judgement, but in 
fact they disengage moral self-sanctions...
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284569389_A_Perfect_Moral_Storm_Climate_Change_Intergenerational_Ethics_and_the_Problem_of_Corruption

*This Day in Climate History - June 17, 2011 - from D.R. Tucker*
June 17, 2011: Syndicated columnist Steve Chapman notes that at some 
point, Republicans will have to knock it off with climate-change denial 
and propose solutions to the problem:

"Conservatives fear liberals will use climate change to justify 
heavy-handed intrusive regulation and wasteful subsidies, and they are 
right to worry. But that's no excuse for pretending global warming is a 
myth or refusing to do anything about it. It's an argument for devising 
cost-effective, market-based remedies that minimize bureaucratic control.

"If today's Republican attitude had prevailed four decades ago, 
Americans would not have such vital measures as the Clean Air Act and 
the Clean Water Act. Then, many people worried that environmentalism 
would strangle economic growth and personal freedom. But both have 
survived and even flourished.

"Conservatives once understood that corporations are not entitled to 
foul the environment, any more than individuals have the right to dump 
garbage in the street. Barry Goldwater, the 1964 GOP presidential 
nominee, wrote, 'When pollution is found, it should be halted at the 
source, even if this requires stringent government action.'"

http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/latest-columns/20110617-steve-chapman-republicans-must-return-to-pro-environmental-roots-.ece 

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