[✔️] June 6, 2021 - Daily Global Warming News Digest

[👀 Richard Pauli]

/*June 6, 2021*/

[well, duh]
*Is the climate crisis causing more heatwaves?*
Heatwaves are now more intense, more likely and lasting longer
https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/heatwaves-global-warming-summer-deaths-b1859696.html 




[Protect the future]
*Italian climate activists sue government over inaction*
Plaintiffs want court to order Mario Draghi’s government to adopt more 
ambitious climate policies
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/05/italian-climate-activists-sue-government-over-inaction



[Sunlight directly into money]
*Square will invest $5 million to build solar-powered bitcoin mining 
facility*
It will be a partnership with blockchain tech firm Blockstream Mining
https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/5/22520436/square-invest-5-million-solar-powered-bitcoin-mining-facility-blockstream-cryptocurrency



[Video Infotainment!  Gas humor from Samantha Bee]
*Here's Why Your Gas Stove Is Killing You*
Jun 2, 2021
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
The gas industry is paying Instagram influencers to promote gas stoves. 
Yes, you read that right! So @AllanaHarkin becomes an induction stove 
influencer to draw attention to the harmful effects of cooking with 
natural gas. Featuring Brady Seals of Carbon-Free Buildings Program and 
Heidi Harmon, Mayor of San Luis Obispo.

This piece was produced by Todd Bieber with Ishan Thakore and edited by 
Jesse Coane.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nfs3lmd9P0



[good question]*
**Is Utah prepared for a major wildfire evacuation?*
KSL.com | Posted - Jun. 5, 2021
- -
But the major caveat to the recent study, Cova also acknowledged, is 
that no matter what is in an evacuation plan, it will always be an 
estimation because no scenario can really replicate conditions in 
real-time. He's hopeful that the study will help spark future research 
into evacuation planning, so communities can improve their process and 
save lives...
- -
While he also hopes it's something that would never need to be used, the 
topic is something Cova has found to be increasingly relevant based on 
recent trends. He likens Utah's fire evacuation planning to the other 
major natural disaster that looms in state leaders' minds: a large-scale 
earthquake.

Both, he argues, are "low-probability events" that are still worth 
preparing for because they are inevitable.

"We are arguing we should avoid overly optimistic planning because the 
world's changing," he said. "We're not saying, out of the blue, 'We 
should do this.' We're saying look at Colorado, look at Oregon (and) 
look at California, with Utah and Pole Creek ... just look around and 
notice everyone is saying the same thing: 'Never seen anything like that 
before.'"
https://www.ksl.com/article/50174962/is-utah-prepared-for-a-major-wildfire-evacuation



[And you have to pay to see it]
*‘Breaking Boundaries’ Might Actually Be Too Optimistic About Climate 
Change*
The new Netflix film from David Attenborough and the “Our Planet” team 
is both depressing and hopeful — but is the hope warranted?
https://www.thewrap.com/breaking-boundaries-netflix-might-actually-be-too-optimistic-about-climate-change/



[LA Times]
*As wildfires decimate the giant sequoia, California faces unprecedented 
loss*
JUNE 5, 2021 6 AM PT
When wildfire tore through giant sequoia groves in the Sierra Nevada 
last year, researchers estimated hundreds of the towering trees — maybe 
1,000 — were killed.

Now, almost nine months later, experts have revised that figure tenfold. 
A new draft report puts the toll at 7,500 to 10,600 trees — 10% to 14% 
of the world’s natural population.

“The whole thing is surprising and devastating and depressing,” said 
Christy Bringham, chief of resources management and science at Sequoia 
and Kings Canyon National Parks and lead author of the report.

The finding startled scientists because sequoias are adapted to thrive 
in fire, with bark that’s up to 2 feet thick, branches that reach above 
flames and cones that release seeds when exposed to a burst of heat. 
Still, as the effects of human-caused climate change and aggressive fire 
suppression have combined to drive bigger, more intense wildfires, these 
ancient giants are increasingly no match for the conditions ecologists 
are seeing on the ground...
- -
“They’re one of the most fire-adapted species on Earth, and that is one 
way that this really is a warning sign much bigger than the trees 
themselves,” Bringham said. “If we’re looking at forest fires that can 
now kill these old trees that have survived dozens, if not 100 or more 
previous wildfires, that’s a very bad sign.”...
- -
The trees are also facing another new enemy. For the first time, 
researchers have found that bark beetles are also killing sequoias. 
They’ve documented 33 sequoias within Sequoia and Kings Canyon National 
Parks that have been killed by a genus of cedar bark beetle that they’re 
investigating to determine if it’s its own species, Stephenson said.
- -
Researchers are also worried that the severity of the recent fire could 
mean some areas simply can’t regenerate on their own.

In April, a group including Bringham and Stephenson hiked into a 
high-intensity burn area in Sequoia National Park. On the way, they 
traveled through less severely burned areas and saw “lots of little 
sequoia seedlings on the ground,” Stephenson said: As expected, the fire 
had caused seeds to fall in the autumn and germinate in the spring.

“When we got into the core area where the really severe crown fire was, 
we could not find a single giant sequoia seedling,” Stephenson said. 
“And that was shocking to me.”

They believe the fire burned through the little pedestals that hold the 
cones on the trees, causing them to drop on the ground, where they were 
destroyed....
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-05/california-wildfires-are-decimating-the-giant-sequoia

- -

[Keep fuel away from flame]
*As Disasters Worsen, California Looks at Curbing Construction in Risky 
Areas*
The state’s insurance regulator endorsed proposals that could reshape 
the real estate market, the latest sign of climate shocks hitting the 
economy.
By Christopher Flavelle
June 4, 2021
At the start of wildfire season, California’s insurance regulator has 
backed sweeping changes to discourage home building in fire-prone areas, 
including looking at cutting off new construction in those regions from 
what is often their only source of insurance — the state’s high-risk pool.

The proposals, many of which would require approval by the State 
Legislature, could remake the real estate market in parts of California 
and are the latest sign of how climate change is beginning to wreak 
havoc with parts of the American economy.

On Friday, the insurance commissioner, Ricardo Lara, endorsed proposals 
that include halting state funding for infrastructure in certain areas 
prone to fire, leaving vacant lots undeveloped and the expansion of more 
stringent building codes.

“These ideas are going to be challenging,” Mr. Lara said at the 
beginning of a meeting of the Climate Insurance Working Group, which he 
established and which recommended the changes. “We are really going into 
uncharted territory.”

The building industry quickly pushed back against the recommendations. 
Dan Dunmoyer, president of the California Building Industry Association, 
said it wasn’t necessary to limit development because building standards 
are already strong enough to protect homes in high-risk areas.

“If you build to the minimum code requirements, you are building a 
fire-safe home,” Mr. Dunmoyer said. He added that if the state wanted to 
keep insurance available in those areas, it should allow insurers to 
raise their rates.

The new proposals mark the latest chapter in California’s struggle to 
cope with years of record-breaking wildfires starting in 2017. Those 
fires led to insurance claims from homeowners that were unmatched in 
number and size, which in turn caused huge losses for insurers, wiping 
out decades’ worth of profits.

In response, insurers have begun pulling out of fire-prone areas, 
threatening people’s ability to buy and sell homes, which depends on 
access to affordable insurance. That’s because banks generally require 
insurance as a condition of issuing a mortgage.

The state has taken a series of increasingly aggressive steps, including 
temporarily banning companies from dropping some customers after 
wildfires. But those steps were meant to be a stopgap as state officials 
searched for more lasting changes that would allow the insurance 
industry to keep doing business in high-hazard areas.

California’s experience could become a model for the rest of the United 
States, which has staggered through a series of devastating wildfires, 
hurricanes, floods and other disasters.

In addition to the human toll, those disasters have put growing pressure 
on the financial sector, prompting large investors to warn of a 
“systemic threat” to the economy. President Biden last month told 
federal officials to prepare for financial shocks from climate change, 
including disruption in the insurance market.

The proposals endorsed by Mr. Lara offer a window into the scale of 
changes that may be necessary to prepare for those shocks.

The recommendations include changes to the insurance industry itself, 
such as making it easier for insurance companies to charge higher 
premiums based on the losses they expect to suffer from future 
disasters. Currently, they can only seek higher rate requests based on 
past losses.

But other proposed changes reflect the growing consensus among experts 
that accelerating climate risk is fast becoming uninsurable — and if 
governments want insurance to remain affordable, it will mean finding 
new ways to limit people’s exposure to that risk.

In California, like most other states, local officials have significant 
control over where homes are built. Those officials face powerful 
incentives to permit the construction in fire-prone areas: New houses 
mean more jobs and more residences, which translate into more tax revenue.

But expanding development into fire-prone areas also carries costs, such 
as the need to fight wildfires, evacuate people and repair damage 
afterward. A significant share of those costs are borne by the state and 
by insurance companies, who have little influence over the decision to 
build there in the first place.

The recommendations call on the state to put pressure on local officials 
to be more selective about where new homes can be built, even if that 
means cutting off state support. The state should determine the areas 
where climate risk “is too high for state dollars to be used to support 
new development and infrastructure,” according to the working group.

If local officials still want to build in high-risk areas, the 
recommendations call for an expansion of tough building standards. 
California already has one of the most exacting building codes for areas 
exposed to wildfires, but those codes only apply to the most dangerous 
areas.

And if local officials insist on building in places exposed to 
wildfires, the recommendations call for preventing those homes from 
getting insurance through the state’s FAIR Plan. That state-mandated 
plan is California’s insurer of last resort; it offers coverage to 
homeowners who have been denied traditional coverage. Without access to 
the FAIR Plan, homeowners would run the risk of having no insurance at all.

“When insurance availability is guaranteed to all new developments, then 
homes may be built in areas where no private insurer may be willing to 
write insurance,” the report says.

The Personal Insurance Federation of California, which represents the 
industry and was represented on the working group, said it supported the 
recommendations.

State Senator Bill Dodd, a Democrat whose district includes Napa, Sonoma 
and other areas hit hard by recent wildfires, said he was open to many 
of the recommendations, including stopping access to the FAIR Plan for 
new homes in high-risk areas, halting infrastructure spending and 
expanding building codes. “We’ve got to rethink how we are developing” 
in those places, he said.

He said he thought those ideas could find backing from other lawmakers 
in Sacramento, too. “A lot of my colleagues are having the same problems 
with their constituents not being able to get insurance,” Mr. Dodd said. 
“They’re open to listening.”

In an interview, Mr. Lara said the state was hurting homeowners by 
allowing construction to continue in those places.

“Owning a home that loses value because it’s uninsurable is really not 
affordable — it is a false promise that we’re making to future 
homeowners,” Mr. Lara said. “We need to have an honest conversation 
before we build into more of these sensitive areas: Do we truly 
recognize the risk? Or will these communities just exacerbate the 
problems that we’re already living under?”

Christopher Flavelle focuses on how people, governments and industries 
try to cope with the effects of global warming. He received a 2018 
National Press Foundation award for coverage of the federal government's 
struggles to deal with flooding. @cflav
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/04/climate/climate-California-wildfires-insurance.html

- -

[learning lessons]
*What Sonoma County learned from wildfire evacuations*

    Thousands of evacuees shared his ordeal as their vehicles crawled
    west on the highway in the darkness, and many still question — with
    another ominous fire season ahead — why they were placed in that
    predicament.

    But the Glass fire evacuation was, despite the traffic jam, “a huge
    success,” said Paul Lowenthal, Santa Rosa’s assistant fire marshal.

    The vacated area enabled fire engines to move against the
    67,484-acre blaze on empty roads, and the fire’s toll, destroying 34
    homes in Santa Rosa and 300 more outside the city, was comparatively
    modest, he said.

    And it marked a turning point in Sonoma County’s response to the
    potential disaster — and existential threat of more frequent and
    severe wildfires — that haunts the summer and arid autumn to come.

    When O’Rourke months later recalled his bitter experience to some
    Santa Rosa police officers, their response was blunt: The plan “went
    perfectly: did anyone die?”

    “I was just astounded,” he said.

    Lowenthal drew a contrast with the Tubbs fire of 2017, which also
    roared in from Napa County, killing 22 people and leveling more than
    4,600 homes, including more than 3,000 in Santa Rosa.

https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/what-sonoma-county-learned-from-wildfire-evacuations/

- -

*Smoke forecast for Washington State*
https://enviwa.ecology.wa.gov/home/text/421#Forecast


[The Hill]
*Tech, entertainment giants team up for climate change solutions*
BY ZACK BUDRYK - 06/03/21
Nongovernmental organizations and tech and entertainment giants 
including Amazon, Netflix and Disney on Thursday announced a partnership 
to pool solutions on scaling funding for responses to climate change.

The alliance, the Business Alliance to Scale Climate Solutions (BASCS), 
also includes Salesforce, Microsoft and Google, as well as the 
Environmental Defense Fund, the United Nations Environment Program and 
the World Wildlife Fund.

“It really is a virtual table for companies and [nongovernmental 
organizations] together around which to scale and accelerate climate 
funding solutions,” Elizabeth Sturcken, head of the Environmental 
Defense Fund’s net-zero efforts, told The Hill Thursday...
- -
However, she said, partnerships such as the BASCS are “continuing to 
show that companies can lead the way, be really innovative and ambitious 
on that path and will hopefully pave the way for the government on 
policy solutions.”

Max Scher, head of Salesforce’s clean energy and carbon programs, told 
Axios the alliance aims to remove competition between the participants 
from the equation.

“[T]he intent of this is really to shift this kind of mode from lots of 
different initiatives coming at a small group of companies to a lot of 
companies sitting down and saying, 'We have the same goal. And my goal 
is actually only going to be successful if you also succeed at the same 
goal. So we should probably do this together, we can share our resources 
and we can learn together, and by doing so, act better together,’” he said.
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/556706-tech-entertainment-giants-joining-environmental-groups-un-to-reduce?rl=1



[Past is no prediction of the future, but physical science might be]
*A Million Years of Data Confirms: Monsoons Are Likely to Get Worse*
The annual summer monsoon in South Asia begins this month. A new study 
points to more destructive storms.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/04/climate/monsoons-climate-change.html

- -

[Data source]
*Remote and local drivers of Pleistocene South Asian summer monsoon 
precipitation:*
*A test forfuture predictions*

    South Asian precipitation amount and extreme variability are
    predicted to increase
    due to thermodynamic effectsof increased 21st-century greenhouse gases,
    accompanied by an increased supply of moisture from the southern
    hemisphere Indian Ocean. We reconstructed South Asian summer monsoon
    precipitation
    and runoff into the Bayof Bengal to assess the extent to which these
    factors also operated
    in the Pleistocene, a time of large-scale natural changes in carbon
    dioxide and ice volume.
    South Asian precipitation and runoff are strongly coherent with, and
    lag, atmospheric carbon dioxide changes at Earth’s orbital
    eccentricity,
    obliquity, and precession bands and areclosely tied to
    cross-equatorial wind strength
    at the precession band. We find that the projected monsoon response
    to ongoing,
    rapid high-latitude ice melt and rising carbon dioxide levels is
    fully consistent with dynamics
    of the past 0.9 million years

https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/advances/7/23/eabg3848.full.pdf



[changing opinions]
*A Trump-Voting Coal Country Republican Accepts Climate Change*
Even in Wyoming, the nation’s top coal producer, change is coming, and 
at least some Republicans are trying to come to terms with the inevitable.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/a-trump-voting-coal-country-republican-accepts-climate-change



[Savor the moment]
*Maine's blueberry crop faces climate change peril*
Maine’s beloved wild blueberry fields are home to one of the most 
important fruit crops in New England, and scientists have found they are 
warming at a faster rate than the rest of the state
PORTLAND, Maine -- Maine's beloved wild blueberry fields are home to one 
of the most important fruit crops in New England, and scientists have 
found they are warming at a faster rate than the rest of the state.

The warming of the blueberry fields could imperil the berries and the 
farmers who tend to them because the rising temperatures have brought 
loss of water, according to a group of scientists who are affiliated 
with the University of Maine...
- -
The blueberries are also the subject of annual agricultural festivals, 
and they're the key ingredient of blueberry pie, the official state 
dessert. Maine's official berry is, somewhat unsurprisingly, the blueberry.

The scientists' findings dovetail with other research about the 
blueberry fields that has shown climate change to be a looming problem, 
said David Yarborough, emeritus professor of horticulture with the 
University of Maine, who was not involved in the study.

“And with increasing temperatures, that will probably be the trend into 
the future,” Yarborough said. “What we're going to do about it is a good 
question.”
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/maines-blueberry-crop-faces-climate-change-peril-78101765
[They buried the lead right down to the very last sentence]]



[The news archive - looking back]
*On this day in the history of global warming June 6, 2001*
June 6, 2001: The AP reports:

    "In a study commissioned by the White House, the National Academy of
    Sciences said Wednesday that global warming 'is real and
    particularly strong within the past 20 years' and said a leading
    cause is emissions of carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels.

    "The report was requested to help prepare Bush for his trip to
    Europe next week, but the academy was not asked for policy
    recommendations and it made none.

    "In Europe Bush has meetings on global warming scheduled with
    various officials. Many Europeans protested vigorously after Bush,
    citing looming energy shortages, in March reversed a campaign
    promise to limit CO2 emissions from power plants.

    "The 24-page National Academy of Sciences report, an assessment
    based on previous studies about the phenomenon, says, 'The primary
    source, fossil fuel burning, has released roughly twice as much
    carbon dioxide as would be required to account for the observed
    increase' in temperature.

    "The report also blames global warming on other greenhouse gases
    directly affected by human activity: methane, ozone, nitrous oxide
    and chlorofluorocarbons."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/20010606/aponline204019_000.htm 

http://www.heatisonline.org/contentserver/objecthandlers/index.cfm?id=3711&method=full 



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