[TheClimate.Vote] November 30, 2019 - Daily Global Warming News Digest

Richard Pauli richard at theclimate.vote
Sat Nov 30 10:29:27 EST 2019 

/November 30, 2019/

[Eloquent explanation]
*Divest Harvard activist explains why they stormed the field*
Nov 29, 2019
The Hill
Divest Harvard Organizer James Coleman provides context for his group's 
recent protest at the Yale-Harvard football game.
https://youtu.be/HWmJY_kQJW8


[not surprising]
*AMERICANS THINK GOVERNMENT SHOULD DO MORE TO PROTECT ENVIRONMENT, BUT 
ATTITUDES VARY WIDELY BY PARTY*
https://www.newsweek.com/environment-democrats-republicans-government-economy-1474847


[because the YouTube algorithm protects and enhances misinformation]
*XR Youth Protest Youtube's Climate Denial Problem | October 2019 Action 
| Extinction Rebellion*
Nov 28, 2019
Extinction Rebellion
"We're here outside YouTube headquarters because a guiding report has 
found that the majority of YouTube videos go against the scientific 
consensus about the climate crisis, and we're asking them to tell the 
truth about the climate crisis, and not let this misinformation be 
spread", declared one XR Youth activist genuinely concerned about her 
future and that of her generation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huN3GXv-S1o



[high tech for fire support]
*New real time mapping system used on Cave Fire*
** Bill Gabbert - Posted November 27, 2019

A new real time wildfire mapping system was used on the Cave Fire near 
Santa Barbara, California this week.
In September the Orange County Fire Authority began a 150-day pilot 
program to use and evaluate the Fire Integrated Real-Time Intelligence 
System (FIRIS). The program got off the ground thanks to funding secured 
in the 2019-2020 California state budget by Assemblywoman Cottie 
Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach).

The system utilizes a fixed-wing aircraft equipped with infrared and 
radar sensors that can see through smoke. The plane provides real-time 
fire perimeter mapping and live high definition video to support 
supercomputer-based wildfire predictive spread modeling.

A supercomputer at the University of California San Diego runs WIFIRE 
spread projections based on fire perimeter data collected by the 
aircraft. The output estimates where the fire will be in the next six 
hours. The fire spread model adjusts for successful fire suppression 
actions by firefighters on the ground and in the air. This intel allows 
for more timely and accurate decision making for resource allocation and 
evacuations...
https://wildfiretoday.com/2019/11/27/new-real-time-mapping-system-used-on-cave-fire/



[Get mentally healthy]
*Is Climate Change Making You Anxious? Here Are 5 Coping Tips From 
Psychologists*
TESSA KOUMOUNDOUROS - 29 NOV 2019
Between news of devastating natural disasters, horrifying scientific 
predictions, and the infuriating lack of political will to do anything 
about it all, it seems we can't catch a collective breath at the moment. 
Some days, news about the climate crisis feels like a heavy weight on my 
chest. And I'm not alone.

Some of us are becoming increasingly overwhelmed, including the 
scientists who have been working so hard on these problems.

"We are seeing a wide range of responses, including signs of anxiety, 
depression, anger, guilt (ruminating, feeling overly-responsible for the 
problem)," New York climate psychologist Wendy Greenspun told me.

A 2018 study in Nature Climate Change stressed that these reactions are 
an entirely rational and legitimate response to the mess we've found 
ourselves in.

Things are on track to get worse, which is all the more reason to find a 
way to cope with these emotions, so we can face the challenges to come. 
Not least because I wanted to soothe my own anxious mind, I dug into the 
advice psychologists have to offer.

Here are their best tips on how we can cope when news about the climate 
emergency becomes just a bit too much.

*1. Look after yourself*
Greenspun says that along with the more obvious feelings of distress and 
changes in emotional levels, signs that climate news is having a 
negative effect could also include things like an inability to stop 
seeking out more and more climate news (something I certainly 
recognise!) or avoiding the information entirely.

"People should pay attention to their emotional state in the wake of 
reading and seeing climate news," Greenspun advises. "Self-awareness 
might help someone recognise when they need to discuss their emotions 
with another person or to take a break."

Coping with Climate Change Distress, a guide by the Australian 
Psychological Society and colleagues, stresses the importance of 
self-care, such as maintaining regular routines, and taking time out to 
exercise, meditate, relax and do fun things that make you feel good...
- - -
"Taking breaks from the news instead of constantly reading may be a way 
to stay connected without shutting down too much - being with people you 
love and who care for you, being in nature, or anything else that can 
bring joy and emotional refuelling."


*2. Make connections*
One of the most effective ways for facing feelings of powerlessness and 
helplessness is to seek out other people.

"Connecting with others for support and to not feel alone may be one of 
the most important ways to manage distress," Greenspun advises. "Social 
support is one of the best predictors of coping with any kind of stress."

As Psychology for a Safe Climate emphasises in one of its publications, 
when we provide support, security and understanding for each other, we 
can become better equipped to deal with uncertainty and change. Having 
conversations with a thoughtful, engaged listener is a well established 
method for helping people with depression and anxiety.

"Being heard and hearing similar concerns from others helps legitimise 
our feelings and can mobilise energy to engage with the issue and 
action," says Ride...

*3. Take action*
Over 171 Swedish psychologists and psychotherapists agree that striking 
for the climate is a healthy and constructive response for the students 
who are feeling concerned about the climate emergency.

    Greta Thunberg
    @GretaThunberg
    Replying to @GretaThunberg
    Before I started school striking I had no energy, no friends and I
    didn’t speak to anyone. I just sat alone at home, with an eating
    disorder.
    All of that is gone now, since I have found a meaning, in a world
    that sometimes seems shallow and meaningless to so many people...

- - -
But if protesting is outside your comfort zone, taking action can take 
many forms, including things like financial divestment or simply talking 
to other people about climate change.

"The ability to reflect, think aloud and share stories is how we as 
humans are wired to learn, change and grow - not as individuals, but as 
communities," environmental psychologist Renee Lertzman wrote for the 
United Nations Association.

*4. Focus on what you can do*
Amongst lists of countless individual actions and online voices guilting 
us for not being 'eco' enough, trying to work out how to take action can 
be confusing in itself. This type of thinking can lead to shame, which 
can be paralysing.

The reality is we still have to function and survive within the system 
and circumstances we have, even while trying to change them. With just 
100 companies responsible for the staggering majority of CO2 output and 
the need to make large systemic changes to the way our society works, 
this is not something any single one of us can do alone...
- - -
"[Try] focusing on actions and behaviours you can control and not 
spending as much time on those experiences over which you have no 
control," said Greenspun.

*5. Seek courage*
There is no doubt that one way or another our societies will be changed 
by the climate impact, but no one actually knows what that's going to 
look like. Fear of this unknown has swung some people towards the 
extremes of nihilism and led to a debate in the media about hope versus 
doom.

I have have certainly struggled with these feelings as I've researched 
climate change over the last decade in one capacity or another. I 
remember finding great relief when I read these words from The 
Guardian's journalist George Monbiot: "To be at peace with a troubled 
world: this is not a reasonable aim."

"It is important to be aware of and accept how we feel even if they are 
feelings of despair. Trying to fight our feelings takes a lot of 
energy," advises Ride.

Lertzman believes the choice between hope and doom is a false dichotomy 
and that there is a space we can occupy in between these extremes.

Others suggest hope doesn't necessarily require optimism. Radical hope 
involves letting go of what we once thought the future would be and 
building the courage to face uncertainty, so we can focus on what we 
need to do to adapt to the future we're now facing.

"We may need to mourn over losses in the ecosystem and to our lives as 
we know them now as a part of figuring out how to find meaning in all 
that we face," says Greenspun. "It's helpful to counterbalance negative 
information with stories of courage and positive change."...
- - -
This article was originally published as part of ScienceAlert's special 
climate edition, published in support of the global #ClimateStrike on 20 
September 2019.
https://www.sciencealert.com/is-climate-change-making-you-anxious-here-are-5-coping-tips-from-psychologists




*This Day in Climate History - November 30, 1999- from D.R. Tucker*
Exxon and Mobil complete their merger.
http://money.cnn.com/1999/11/30/deals/exxonmobil/
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