[TheClimate.Vote] May 5, 2019 - Daily Global Warming News Digest

[Richard Pauli]

/May 5, 2019/

[Exxon shareholder showdown]
*Exxon Directors Face Shareholder Revolt Over Climate Change*
By Emily Chasan
Updated on May 4, 2019,
A group of Exxon Mobil Corp. shareholders launched a proxy fight against 
the oil giant's directors after failing to get a climate proposal onto 
the ballot for the company's annual meeting.

The New York State Common Retirement Fund, led by New York State 
Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, and the Church of England said they would 
vote against all Exxon directors at the company's May 29 annual meeting 
and urged other shareholders to consider doing the same.

Exxon's "inadequate response to climate change constitutes a serious 
failure of corporate governance," they said in a filing Friday.

The investors, which said they are acting with the Climate Action 100+ 
group of investors who oversee $32 trillion in assets, also urged 
shareholders to vote in favor of proposals for an independent chairman, 
the establishment of a climate change board committee and a report on 
lobbying.

Scott Silvestri, an Exxon spokesman, pointed to the company's proxy 
statement where the board recommended shareholders vote against the 
investor proposals. In the proxy filing, the company said its full board 
holds at least one session each year dedicated to climate issues.

The shareholders said they have engaged with Exxon on climate change and 
its greenhouse gas emissions since 2005 and the company has "failed to 
respond adequately" in contrast to peers such as BP Plc, Chevron Corp., 
Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Total SA.

New York State's pension fund, which holds about 10 million shares of 
Exxon, has faced pressure from state lawmakers and New York Governor 
Andrew Cuomo to divest its holdings of Exxon and other fossil fuel 
companies. DiNapoli has resisted, saying that he would prefer to engage 
with the company due to its economic importance.

The New York fund and the Church of England in 2017 led a climate 
shareholder proposal at Exxon that was backed by more than two-thirds of 
shareholders and required the company to produce a detailed report on 
how climate change affects its business. The shareholders were 
disappointed with the report, so have continued to press the company to 
set greenhouse gas reduction targets.

"Exxon's board's refusal to adequately address significant shareholder 
concerns and properly account for climate risk in its operations, even 
as its competitors do so, presents a governance crisis," DiNapoli said.
-- With assistance by Kevin Crowley
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-03/exxon-directors-face-shareholder-revolt-over-climate-change


[see candidate positions in quick graph]
*Climate Test 2020: **Tracking the Candidates' Position*
Spreadsheet and explantions
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bYjr-2eSWHlf19ykcvPVX_TwzVbEdlbALVU7TbiGkmI/edit#heading=h.lzd0201049fc
- - -
*The 2020 Climate Test*
350 Action is changing the politics of climate change in the United States.
https://350action.org/2020-tracker/



[BBC just tells it... imagine this from US media]
*News at Ten - BBC - Climate Change*
ExtinctionRebellion
Published on May 3, 2019 with Farhana Yamin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASyNsXtU2vU


[Australia delivers summarizes changes in public opinion]
*After weeks of protests, UK becomes first country to declare 'climate 
emergency'*
THURSDAY 2 MAY 2019
The UK has become the first country in the world to declare a national 
climate emergency following protests and acts of civil disobedience from 
a grassroots environmental group that launched in October.

It's a spectacular success for the Extinction Rebellion, while most 
climate protests have failed to capture the attention of the public, 
media and politicians. Although the declaration on its own does not 
mandate action on climate, it was the first of the protester's three 
demands, along with reducing emissions to net zero by 2025, and creating 
an assembly of citizens to lead the government on climate issues.

On Wednesday in the UK, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn called on the 
government to declare the climate emergency: "We are living in a climate 
crisis that will spiral dangerously out of control unless we take rapid 
and dramatic action now."

The proposal, which demonstrates the will of the parliament on the issue 
but does not legally compel the government to act, was approved without 
a vote.

Extinction Rebellion said in a statement: "This is the first step in the 
government telling the truth about the climate and ecological emergency.

"Pressure on politicians will now increase as nothing but decisive 
action will suffice."

What happened?
The Extinction Rebellion has changed the paradigm of climate protests, 
according to Leo Barasi, the author of Climate Majority, a book 
investigating how to shift public opinion about climate change.

He's also written a Master's thesis on whether climate protests will 
ever convince lawmakers to act on climate change (his conclusion, they 
wouldn't).

"I found that extreme weather sometimes influences public opinion, while 
UN climate conferences and IPCC reports often trigger media coverage and 
parliamentary debates," Barasi wrote on his blog.

"But climate protests generally have little direct effect on any of these."
For the thesis, Barasi looked at public protests from 2006-2014 and 
found no examples of them leading to debates in parliament, while every 
UN conference or report, and half of the extreme weather events, were 
mentioned in the UK parliament.

Then came the Extinction Rebellion (XR).

For 10 days in April, tens of thousands of people committed acts of 
civil disobedience, including blocking traffic across the Thames, gluing 
themselves onto trains, graffiting the headquarters of oil giant Shell, 
and blockading the stock exchange.

And it apparently worked: The protests led to two separate parliamentary 
debates, and these were capped this week by the successful climate 
emergency motion.

The UK media has also mentioned climate change more in April than it has 
at any other time in the last five years - including during the Paris 
Agreement negotiations in 2016...
As Barasi points out, during April there's also been a rapid increase in 
the number of Google searches for climate change coming from the UK...
Interestingly, Australia saw a sharp spike in searches for climate 
change on March 14 - the day of the national climate strike. If we 
assume google searches are a good indicator of public attention, 
Australians hadn't been this engaged by climate change since 2010...
How did the protests work where others have failed?
But showing the protests have worked doesn't help explain why this 
happened now, in April 2019, after apparently failing every other time.

One theory is that the climate denial movement has run its course.

Richard Black, a former BBC environment correspondent and author of 
Denied: the Rise and Fall of Climate Contrarianism, told the Guardian 
the BBC appears to have stopped giving air time to climate deniers to 
'balance' the debate.

Mainstream media is now taking the issue seriously, he said: "The facts 
have changed. And in the end, if you want to be credible you have to go 
with the facts."
Public opinion also seems to be shifting.

Some have put that down to David Attenborough broadcasting a 
hard-hitting climate documentary, The Facts, on BBC One. Also, his 
eight-part Netflix series Our Planet, which conveys the heartbreaking 
realities of environmental collapse.

Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish student climate activist who 
initiated the school strike for climate movement last year, visited the 
UK over Easter; she made headlines and delivered another surge of public 
interest.

A poll published this week found that nearly 63 per cent of the British 
public supported the UK declaring a climate emergency and 76 per cent 
would vote differently to protect the planet against climate change.

According to the ABC's vote compass, the environment is rated as the 
number one issue by 29 per cent of respondents, a massive shift from 
just 9 per cent in 2016.

The latest Ipsos poll found 23 per cent of Australians rated the 
environment among their biggest worries this month compared with 14 per 
cent in July 2016.

It found anxiety about the environment was most pronounced among those 
aged under 25 but there has also been a marked rise in the number of 
older voters ranking it among their biggest worries.

The 2019 triple j What's Up In Your World survey of young people found 
climate change was the most important election issue.

Last year's survey asked about the most pressing issue affecting young 
people. That time, climate change languished fourth on the list: now it 
appears to be gaining momentum.
https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/uk-becomes-first-country-in-world-to-declare-climate-emergency/11074582



[of course not, because this is a global problem]
*Trump administration pushed to strip mention of climate change from 
Arctic policy statement*
  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, seen here in a file photo, will travel 
to northern Finland for the two-day session with fellow foreign 
ministers from Nordic nations, Canada and Russia. (Jabin Botsford/The 
Washington Post)
By Anne Gearan, Carol Morello and John Hudson - May 2
The Trump administration sought to remove references to climate change 
from an international statement on Arctic policy that Secretary of State 
Mike Pompeo is expected to endorse next week, leading to sometimes testy 
negotiations over how much to emphasize an issue considered a crisis for 
the region.

The Arctic Council declaration is an affirmation of goals and principles 
among the eight Arctic nations, which meet every two years. The Trump 
administration's position, at least initially, threatened a standoff in 
which the United States would not sign onto a statement that included 
climate discussion and other members would not agree to a version that 
left it out, according to senior diplomats and others familiar with the 
discussions...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-administration-pushed-to-strip-mention-of-climate-change-from-arctic-policy-statement/2019/05/02/1dabcd5e-6c4a-11e9-8f44-e8d8bb1df986_story.html




[The late Polly Higgins, documentary from 2015]
*The fight against ecocide - VPRO documentary*
vpro documentary
Published on May 3, 2019
*Original tile: The Earth's Lawyer*
Our world knows four international crimes: war crimes, genocide, torture 
and crimes against humanity. Spanish examining magistrate Baltasar 
Garz0n and Scottish lawyer Polly Higgins believe that this list of 
serious violations of international law should be expanded with a fifth: 
ecocide. Will Higgins and Garzón eventually succeed in gaining enough 
support to get recognition for ecocide?

Scottish Polly Higgins was laughed at when she first proclaimed that the 
Earth needs a lawyer. That those who cause ecological destruction should 
be held accountable, and therefore be sued, summoned and punished. 
Originally a trial lawyer, Higgins now entirely devotes her life and 
work to the Earth, as a legal eco-activist. Since 2011, she has been 
leading the international movement against ecocide. This is the 
large-scale destruction of our ecosystems.

VPRO Backlight follows Polly Higgins and her 'earth guardians' on their 
missions throughout 2015, a year that, more than any other year, offers 
a 'window of opportunity'. Including Baltasar Garzon (jurist), Michael 
Baumgartner (campaign manager Greenpeace Switzerland), Bronwyn Lay 
(environmental lawyer, Australia).
Originally broadcasted by VPRO in 2015.
Copyright VPRO Backlight November 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xOZDjTW8bI



[Yum, let's eat some bugs! (lobster is a bug)]
*To feed the world, begin with maggot sausage and insect ice cream, 
scientist says*
- -
  University of Queensland Meat Science Professor Louwrens Hoffman is 
exploring how maggots, locusts and other "alternative" proteins might be 
used or added to a range of specialty foods.
So why turn to bugs when you could have, say, a tasty steak? Quite 
simply, Hoffman believes conventional livestock will not be able to meet 
the global demand for meat, so alternatives are needed to replace or at 
least complement traditional protein sources.
"The biggest potential for sustainable protein production lies with 
insects and new plant sources," he said in a statement.
Studies show that Western consumers who may recoil from the idea of 
eating insect-based meals will try insects if they are processed and 
disguised -- tucked inside familiar favorites as it were, Hoffman said.
"For example, one of my students has created a very tasty insect 
ice-cream," he said...
https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/02/health/insect-ice-cream-maggot-sausage-trnd/index.html
- - - -
[Academic paper- Nutrition Bulletin - names some bugs]
*Opportunities and hurdles of edible insects for food and feed*
D. Dobermann  J. A. Swift  L. M. Field
Abstract

    Entomophagy, the consumption of insects, is promoted as an
    alternative sustainable source of protein for humans and animals.
    Seminal literature highlights predominantly the benefits, but with
    limited empirical support and evaluation. We highlight the
    historical significance of entomophagy by humans and key
    opportunities and hurdles identified by research to date, paying
    particular attention to research gaps. It is known that insects
    present a nutritional opportunity, being generally high in protein
    and key micronutrients, but it is unclear how their nutritional
    quality is influenced by what they are fed. Research indicates that,
    in ideal conditions, insects have a smaller environmental impact
    than more traditional Western forms of animal protein; less known is
    how to scale up insect production while maintaining these
    environmental benefits. Studies overall show that insects could make
    valuable economic and nutritional contributions to the food or feed
    systems, but there are no clear regulations in place to bring
    insects into such supply systems. Future research needs to examine
    how the nutritional value of insects can be managed systematically,
    establish clear processing and storage methodology, define rearing
    practices and implement regulations with regard to food and feed
    safety. Each of these aspects should be considered within the
    specifics of concrete supply and value chains, depending on whether
    insects are intended for food or for feed, to ensure insects are a
    sound economic, nutritional and sustainable protein alternative -
    not just a more expensive version of poultry for food, or soya for feed.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nbu.12291
- - -
[The UN has good advice for entomophagy]
*Edible insects*
*Future prospects for food and feed security*
(clip from summary)
It is estimated that insects form part of the traditional diets of at 
least 2 billion people. More
than 1 900 species have reportedly been used as food. Insects deliver a 
host of ecological
services that are fundamental to the survival of humankind. They also 
play an important role
as pollinators in plant reproduction, in improving soil fertility 
through waste bioconversion,
and in natural biocontrol for harmful pest species, and they provide a 
variety of valuable
products for humans such as honey and silk and medical applications such 
as maggot therapy.
In addition, insects have assumed their place in human cultures as 
collection items and
ornaments and in movies, visual arts and literature. Globally, the most 
commonly consumed
insects are beetles (Coleoptera) (31 percent), caterpillars 
(Lepidoptera) (18 percent) and
bees, wasps and ants (Hymenoptera) (14 percent). Following these are 
grasshoppers, locusts
and crickets (Orthoptera) (13 percent), cicadas, leafhoppers, 
planthoppers, scale insects and
true bugs (Hemiptera) (10 percent), termites (Isoptera) (3 percent), 
dragonflies (Odonata)
(3 percent), flies (Diptera) (2 percent) and other orders (5 percent).
http://www.fao.org/3/i3253e/i3253e00.htm


*This Day in Climate History - May 5, 2014 - from D.R. Tucker*
May 5, 2014:
The Washington Post reports:

    "After years of putting other policy priorities first — and
    dismaying many liberal allies in the process — Obama is now getting
    into the weeds on climate change and considers it one of the key
    components of his legacy, according to aides and advisers.

    "He is regularly briefed on scientific reports on the issue,
    including a national climate assessment that he will help showcase
    Tuesday. He is using his executive authority to cut greenhouse gas
    emissions from power plants and other sources, and is moving ahead
    with stricter fuel-efficiency standards for the heaviest trucks.

    "And while he routinely brings up climate change in closed-door
    meetings with world leaders, according to his aides, he also
    discusses it in his private life, talking about global warming’s
    implications with his teenage daughters."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/for-president-obama-a-renewed-focus-on-climate/2014/05/04/6b81412c-d144-11e3-9e25-188ebe1fa93b_story.html?hpid=z1
http://www.msnbc.com/now-with-alex-wagner/watch/white-house-to-release-climate-assessment-247391811973
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