[TheClimate.Vote] May 14, 2019 - Daily Global Warming News Digest

[Richard Pauli]

/May 14, 2019/


[actually 425.26 ppm]
*CO2 in the atmosphere just exceeded 415 parts per million for the first 
time in human history*
The human race has broken another record on its race to ecological 
collapse. Congratulations humanity!

For the first time in human history -- not recorded history, but since 
humans have existed on Earth -- carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has 
topped 415 parts per million, reaching 415.26 parts per million, 
according to sensors at the Mauna Loa Observatory, a research outpost of 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency.
- - -
The properties of CO2 also mean that it adds to the greenhouse effect in 
a way that other emissions do not, thanks to its ability to absorb 
wavelengths of thermal energy that things like water vapor can't. That's 
why increases of atmospheric carbon dioxide are responsible for about 
two-thirds of the total energy imbalance causing Earth's temperature to 
rise, according to the NOAA.
https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/12/co2-in-the-atmosphere-just-exceeded-415-parts-per-million-for-the-first-time-in-human-history/ 



[Connecticut TV news responsible broadcasting ]
*Rising Sea Levels Could Cause Flooding Problems Inland*
The data already shows that along our shoreline, along with the rest of 
the globe, on average, sea level has risen from a half of a foot to one 
foot...
https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Rising-Sea-Levels-Could-Cause-Flooding-Problems-Inland-509603131.html


[rant attack on denial - with help from Bill Nye]
*Green New Deal: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)*
LastWeekTonight
Published on May 12, 2019
With the Green New Deal sparking a national conversation about all the 
ways to combat climate change, John Oliver looks at a few potential 
solutions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDcro7dPqpA
[just the Bill Nye section - starts about 10 mins in]


[Democracy Now]
*Arundhati Roy: Capitalism Is "A Form of Religion" Stopping Solutions to 
Climate Change & Inequality*
Democracy Now!
Published on May 13, 2019
As one million species face extinction due to human activity and the 
globe faces a growing climate crisis, we speak with world-renowned 
author Arundhati Roy about the threat capitalism poses to the future of 
life on earth. Roy says that those most responsible for creating the 
climate crisis "will see to it that they profit from the solution that 
they propose."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyCkFoSIwWg



["Hands-over-the-lens censorship" is still happening]
*Youth Testimony Censored by CalSTRS invesment committee, May 8*
Report by Vanessa Warheit - Campaign Program Manager
Fossil Free California - FossilFreeCa.org
Last week, Youth v Apocalypse and Earth Guardians joined Fossil Free 
California to testify before the California State Teachers' Retirement 
System investment committee meeting. Over 20 middle school youth - plus 
teachers, parents, and retirees - spoke on the urgent need to divest 
CalSTRS (2nd largest public pension fund in the US) $6b in fossil fuel 
holdings. Despite knowing well in advance that the youth intended to 
speak, CalSTRS claimed they needed parental consent and shut down its 
livestream and turned off its recording devices - omitting both youth 
and adult voices from the record.

Their purported concern is largely bogus: many parents (including 
myself) were present at the meeting, and we all offered to provide 
consent on the spot. We are waiting on legal advice about whether there 
is actually a law requiring youth to have parental consent to speak in a 
public forum -- and if anyone on this list knows the answer, please let 
me know. (If there is such a law, it is akin to the sexist laws 
'protecting' women that RBG fought against back in the 1970s. Who has 
more standing to make public comment on the need for fossil fuel 
divestment than young people?)

The power of hearing children's voices urging adults to stop wrecking 
their future can't be understated - it was utterly heartbreaking to sit 
through two hours of their testimony. Please help us amplify their 
voices by sharing:

A short video that 350.org created about the testimony:
https://youtu.be/QLW9rErwXsw

The full livestream of our CalSTRS testimony last week, which CalSTRS 
refused to record:
https://m.facebook.com/pg/350BayArea/videos/

Recent tweets of four of the children testifying:
https://twitter.com/FossilFreeCA/status/1128078071184089088?s=20
https://twitter.com/FossilFreeCA/status/1128075144734203905?s=20
https://twitter.com/FossilFreeCA/status/1128098461167964160?s=20
https://twitter.com/FossilFreeCA/status/1128117983052570624?s=20
Vanessa Warheit - Campaign Program Manager - Fossil Free California - 
FossilFreeCa.org


[yes, we have no bananas]
*Banana disease boosted by climate change*
by University of Exeter
Climate change has raised the risk of a fungal disease that ravages 
banana crops, new research shows.

Black Sigatoka disease emerged from Asia in the late 20th Century and 
has recently completed its invasion of banana-growing areas in Latin 
America and the Caribbean.

The new study, by the University of Exeter, says changes to moisture and 
temperature conditions have increased the risk of Black Sigatoka by more 
than 44% in these areas since the 1960s.

International trade and increased banana production have also aided the 
spread of Black Sigatoka, which can reduce the fruit produced by 
infected plants by up to 80%.

"Black Sigatoka is caused by a fungus (Pseudocercospora fijiensis) whose 
lifecycle is strongly determined by weather and microclimate," said Dr. 
Daniel Bebber, of the University of Exeter.

"This research shows that climate change has made temperatures better 
for spore germination and growth, and made crop canopies wetter, raising 
the risk of Black Sigatoka infection in many banana-growing areas of 
Latin America.

"Despite the overall rise in the risk of Black Sigatoka in the areas we 
examined, drier conditions in some parts of Mexico and Central America 
have reduced infection risk."

The study combined experimental data on Black Sigatoka infections with 
detailed climate information over the past 60 years.

Black Sigatoka, which is virulent against a wide range of banana plants, 
was first reported in Honduras in 1972.

It spread throughout the region to reach Brazil in 1998 and the 
Caribbean islands of Martinique, St Lucia and St Vincent and the 
Grenadines in the late 2000s.

The disease now occurs as far north as Florida.

"While fungus is likely to have been introduced to Honduras on plants 
imported from Asia for breeding research, our models indicate that 
climate change over the past 60 years has exacerbated its impact," said 
Dr. Bebber.

The Pseudocercospora fijiensis fungus spreads via aerial spores, 
infecting banana leaves and causing streaked lesions and cell death when 
fungal toxins are exposed to light.

The study did not attempt to predict the potential effects of future 
climate on the spread and impact of Black Sigatoka. Other research 
suggests drying trends could reduce disease risk, but this would also 
reduce the availability of water for the banana plants themselves.

The paper, published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the 
Royal Society B, is entitled: "Climate change effects on black sigatoka 
disease of banana."
https://phys.org/news/2019-05-banana-disease-boosted-climate.html



[Trade association spending on persuasion]
*Trade Associations and the Public Relations Industry*
Contractors Investigation - The trade associations we analyzed spent 
almost $1.4 billion on contracts with public relations, advertising, and 
communications contractors since 2008.
How much money have the corporate and fossil fuel industry's powerful 
trade association allies spent to convince the American public that its 
products are beneficial and necessary – and to stymie progress on 
climate change that could harm its financial interests?

To find out, Climate Investigations Center researchers analyzed the 
public relations expenditures of these trade associations going back to 
2008, using data from publicly-available federal Form 990 tax records. 
The expenditures provide unique insight into trade association 
priorities and the willingness of public relations firms to represent 
socially harmful industries.
Between 2008 and 2017, these trade associations spent almost $1.4 
billion on public relations, advertising, and communications 
contractors. The American Petroleum Institute eclipses all spenders at 
$663 million over this time period, accounting for nearly half the total 
trackable spending from all trade associations. The US Chamber of 
Commerce ranked second at $244 million spent. We found that the public 
relations firms with the most lucrative contracts over the time period 
of our dataset were Edelman, DDC Advocacy, FleishmanHillard, and Blue 
Advertising (once part of Edelman).

Many of the trade associations we analyzed are fossil fuel associated 
but represent different sectors of the industry, such as oil, gas, coal, 
petrochemical, mining, and utility companies. Trade associations spend 
their revenue, from members' dues, on salaries, rent, and services such 
as lobbying and legal counsel, to forward the goals of the industry they 
represent.

Trade associations routinely utilize the advertising and front group -- 
astroturf -- services that public relations firms can provide. Top trade 
associations spend millions on public relations work each year, often 
targeting the Washington DC media market and political decision makers.  
Some prominent PR campaigns are launched nationwide,  while others 
create front groups that will intentionally never bear the trade 
association's name.
See data and full reports at - 
https://climateinvestigations.org/trade-association-pr-spending/


[How denialism is changing media strategy]
*Climate Science Deniers Start Feeling the Heat. Now it is Foot-Dragging 
Time!*
Greta Thunberg is both a cause and an effect in the great shift that's 
ongoing in the public opinion about climate change. Climate science 
deniers are feeling the pressure and they are preparing to change their 
strategy. No more denying that AGW exists and that it is a danger for 
all of us. It is time to move to foot-dragging for profit.

A post by Tim Ball on the despicable WUWT [link below] blog is well 
worth reading because it summarizes the plight of climate science 
deniers in the current debate. Ball says that he calls it quits because:

    "you are asking people to believe that a small group of people
    managed to deceive the world into believing that a trace gas (0.04%
    of the total atmosphere) was changing the entire climate because of
    humans. In addition, that group convinced many others to participate
    in the deception. The public view is that deceiving so many is just
    not possible."

Stark clear: Ball perfectly summarizes the problem for him and his band 
of science-deniers: how could anyone believe what they are saying? With 
Greta Thunberg bursting into the debate, their position is rapidly 
becoming untenable. So, they are shifting away from discussing whether 
AGW exists or not. Ball says,

    "I decided to stop trying to educate people about the global
    deception that is AGW. ... The challenge now is to help people
    understand the differences between deceptively derived policies, and
    what is the best, most adaptive, most profitable, and most rewarding
    strategy for survival of the individual, business, or industry."

And I couldn't have said it more clearly. Ball and his ilk are preparing 
for a war of attrition against the attempt to do something to save 
humankind before it is too late, all in the name of the "most 
profitable" strategy.
https://cassandralegacy.blogspot.com/2019/05/climate-science-deniers-start-feeling.html
- - -
[peeking into denialist strategy at Watts Up With That]
*An End… and a New Direction*
Dr. Tim Ball - April 20, 2019
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2019/04/20/an-end-and-a-new-direction/




[National Geographic repeats]
*One million species at risk of extinction, UN report warns*
A landmark global assessment warns that the window is closing to 
safeguard biodiversity and a healthy planet. Yet solutions are in sight.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/05/ipbes-un-biodiversity-report-warns-one-million-species-at-risk/


[live performance art brings in the Beach]
*It's Hard to Make Good Art About Climate Change.*
The Lithuanian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale Is a Powerful Exception. 
The pavilion presents a subtly unnerving performance about the laziness 
that leads to the end of the world.
https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/lithuanian-pavilion-1543168


[Sarcasm with a beat, Australian Political Swearing educates]
*Honest Government Ad | Preferential Voting*
thejuicemedia
Published on May 13, 2019
The Australien Government has made an ad about Preferential Voting and 
it's surprisingly honest and informative.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bleyX4oMCgM


*This Day in Climate History - May 14, 1989 - from D.R. Tucker*
  In a Washington Post op-ed, Sen. Al Gore (D-TN) notes:

    "As a nation and a government, we must see that America's future is
    inextricably tied to the fate of the globe. In effect, the
    environment is becoming a matter of national security -- an issue
    that directly and imminently menaces the interests of the state or
    the welfare of the people.

    "To date, the national-security agenda has been dominated by issues
    of military security, embedded in the context of global struggle
    between the United States and the Soviet Union -- a struggle often
    waged through distant surrogates, but which has always harbored the
    risk of direct confrontation and nuclear war. Given the recent
    changes in Soviet behavior, there is growing optimism that this
    long, dark period may be passing. This may in turn open the
    international agenda for other urgent matters and for the release of
    enormous resources, now committed to war, toward other objectives.
    Many of us hope that the global environment will be the new dominant
    concern...

    "When nations perceive that they are threatened at the strategic
    level, they may be induced to think of drastic responses, involving
    sharp discontinuities from everyday approaches to policy. In
    military terms, this is the point when the United States begins to
    think of invoking nuclear weapons. The global environment crisis may
    demand responses that are comparatively radical.

    "At present, despite some progress made toward limiting some sources
    of the problem, such as CFCs, we have barely scratched the surface.
    Even if all other elements of the problem are solved, a major threat
    is still posed by emissions of carbon dioxide, the exhaling breath
    of the industrial culture upon which our civilization rests. The
    implications of the latest and best studies on this matter are
    staggering. Essentially, they tell us that with our current pattern
    of technology and production, we face a choice between economic
    growth in the near term and massive environmental disorder as the
    subsequent penalty."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/12/AR2007101200827_pf.html
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