[✔️] November 3, 2021 - Daily Global Warming News Digest

👀 Richard Pauli richard at theclimate.vote
Wed Nov 3 07:59:05 EDT 2021


/*November 3, 2021*/

/[  PBS says it best by text, transcript, video or audio - 10 min ]/
*The Earth is at a tipping point. Here’s what’s at stake if we don’t act 
on climate change*
Nov 1, 2021
Here's how, back in 2015, Princeton University's Michael Oppenheimer 
stressed the urgency:

    If we don't start with rapid emissions reductions and substantial
    emissions reductions, that we will pass a danger point, beyond which
    the consequences for many people and countries on Earth will simply
    become unacceptable and eventually disastrous. -- Michael
    Oppenheimer, Professor of Geosciences and International Affairs,
    Princeton University

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-earth-is-at-a-tipping-point-heres-whats-at-stake-if-we-dont-act-on-climate-change#transcript
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-earth-is-at-a-tipping-point-heres-whats-at-stake-if-we-dont-act-on-climate-change#audio
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-earth-is-at-a-tipping-point-heres-whats-at-stake-if-we-dont-act-on-climate-change

- -

/[ NASA looks closely ]/
*Global Climate Change Impact on Crops Expected Within 10 Years, NASA 
Study Finds*
Nov 1, 2021
Climate change may affect the production of maize (corn) and wheat as 
early as 2030 under a high greenhouse gas emissions scenario, according 
to a new NASA study published in the journal, Nature Food. Maize crop 
yields are projected to decline 24%, while wheat could potentially see 
growth of about 17%.

Using advanced climate and agricultural models, scientists found that 
the change in yields is due to projected increases in temperature, 
shifts in rainfall patterns, and elevated surface carbon dioxide 
concentrations from human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. These changes 
would make it more difficult to grow maize in the tropics, but could 
expand wheat’s growing range.

“We did not expect to see such a fundamental shift, as compared to crop 
yield projections from the previous generation of climate and crop 
models conducted in 2014,” said lead author Jonas Jägermeyr, a crop 
modeler and climate scientist at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space 
Studies (GISS) and The Earth Institute at Columbia University in New 
York City. The projected maize response was surprisingly large and 
negative, he said. “A 20% decrease from current production levels could 
have severe implications worldwide.”

        [2 minute YouTube video-
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NZIvvhGlR0 ]
        NASA Goddard
        Average global crop yields for maize, or corn, may see a
        decrease of 24% by late century, with the declines becoming
        apparent by 2030, with high greenhouse gas emissions, according
        to a new NASA study. Wheat, in contrast, may see an uptick in
        crop yields by about 17%. The change in yields is due to the
        projected increases in temperature, shifts in rainfall patterns
        and elevated surface carbon dioxide concentrations due to
        human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, making it more difficult
        to grow maize in the tropics and expanding wheat’s growing range.
        To arrive at their projections, the research team used two sets
        of models. First, they used climate model simulations from the
        international Climate Model Intercomparison Project-Phase 6
        (CMIP6). Each of the five CMIP6 climate models used for this
        study runs its own unique response of Earth’s atmosphere to
        greenhouse gas emission scenarios through 2100. These responses
        differ somewhat due to variations in their representations of
        the Earth's climate system.

Then the research team used the climate model simulations as inputs for 
12 state-of-the-art global crop models that are part of the Agricultural 
Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP), an international 
partnership coordinated by Columbia University. The crop models simulate 
on a large scale how crops grow and respond to environmental conditions 
such as temperature, rainfall and atmospheric carbon dioxide, which are 
provided by the climate models. Each crop species’ behavior is based on 
their real life biological responses studied in indoor and outdoor lab 
experiments. In the end, the team created about 240 global climate-crop 
model simulations for each crop. By using multiple climate and crop 
models in various combinations, the researchers were more confident in 
their results.

“What we're doing is driving crop simulations that are effectively 
growing virtual crops day-by-day, powered by a supercomputer, and then 
looking at the year-by-year and decade-by-decade change in each location 
of the world,” said Alex Ruane, co-director of the GISS Climate Impacts 
Group and a co-author of the study.

This study focused on climate change impacts. These models do not 
address economic incentives, changing farming practices, and adaptations 
such as breeding hardier crop varieties, although that is an area of 
active research. The research team plans to look at these angles in 
follow-up work, since these factors will also determine the fate of 
agricultural yields in the future as people respond to climate-driven 
changes.

The team looked at changes to long-term average crop yields and 
introduced a new estimate for when climate change impacts “emerge” as a 
discernable signal from the usual, historically known variability in 
crop yields. Soybean and rice projections showed a decline in some 
regions but at the global scale the different models still disagree on 
the overall impacts from climate change. For maize and wheat, the 
climate effect was much clearer, with most of the model results pointing 
in the same direction.

Maize, or corn, is grown all over the world, and large quantities are 
produced in countries nearer the equator. North and Central America, 
West Africa, Central Asia, Brazil, and China will potentially see their 
maize yields decline in the coming years and beyond as average 
temperatures rise across these breadbasket regions, putting more stress 
on the plants.

Wheat, which grows best in temperate climates, may see a broader area 
where it can be grown as temperatures rise, including the Northern 
United States and Canada, North China Plains, Central Asia, Southern 
Australia, and East Africa, but these gains may level off mid-century.

Temperature is not the only factor the models consider when simulating 
future crop yields. Higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere 
have a positive effect on photosynthesis and water retention, increasing 
crop yields, though often at a cost to nutrition. This effect happens 
more so for wheat than maize, which is more accurately captured in the 
current generation of models. Rising global temperatures also are linked 
with changes in rainfall patterns, and the frequency and duration of 
heat waves and droughts, which can affect crop health and productivity. 
Higher temperatures also affect the length of growing seasons and 
accelerate crop maturity.

“You can think of plants as collecting sunlight over the course of the 
growing season,” said Ruane. “They're collecting that energy and then 
putting it into the plant and the grain. So, if you rush through your 
growth stages, by the end of the season, you just haven't collected as 
much energy.” As a result, the plant produces less total grain than it 
would with a longer development period. “By growing faster, your yield 
actually goes down.”

“Even under optimistic climate change scenarios, where societies enact 
ambitious efforts to limit global temperature rise, global agriculture 
is facing a new climate reality,” Jägermeyr said. “And with the 
interconnectedness of the global food system, impacts in even one 
region’s breadbasket will be felt worldwide.”
Ellen Gray - NASA’s Earth Science News Team
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/esnt/2021/global-climate-change-impact-on-crops-expected-within-10-years-nasa-study-finds



[ opposing irony ]
*Even as Biden Pushes Clean Energy, He Seeks More Oil Production*
President Biden acknowledged “it seems like an irony” that he is asking 
energy-rich nations to boost oil production as he implores the world to 
tackle climate change.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/01/climate/biden-oil-gas-cop26.html



/[ Methane is one of the worst ]/
*Biden to announce tougher regulations on methane emissions from oil and 
gas production*
NOV 2 2021
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/02/-biden-epa-gets-tough-on-methane-leaks-from-oil-and-gas-sector-.html


/[ Financial Times ]/
*Climate change could bring near-unliveable conditions for 3bn people, 
say scientists*
Each degree of warming above present levels corresponds to roughly 1bn 
people falling outside of ‘climate niche’
https://www.ft.com/content/072b5c87-7330-459b-a947-be6767a1099d


/[ Cultural discussions -- "Hungry for hope, with a 60% chance of 
apocalypse"  - -  "ego thinking objectifies the other" ] /
*Weather Reports: The Climate of Consciousness, featuring Michael Pollan 
and Terry Tempest Williams*
Nov 1, 2021
Harvard Divinity School
Michael Pollan has been educating us with illuminating prose on “the 
botany of desire” for a very long time. He will discuss his latest book 
This Is Your Mind On Plants and his landmark bestseller How To Change 
Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About 
Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence. Pollan’s 
call for change, restoration, and resiliency may be the very thing we 
need to bolster our consciousness in the midst of climate collapse. 
Pollan is the author of six New York Times bestsellers.

Respondent: Charles Stang, Director of the Center for the Study of World 
Religion

The live conversation will be streamed  on the Harvard Divinity School 
YouTube page and is a series Constellation Project in partnership with 
the Center of the Study of World Religions, Religion and Public Life, 
and the Planetary Health Alliance.
Harvard Divinity School
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUmudIdHM6s /[ starts ~10 mins in, 
discussion begins ~17 mins in ]/



/[ video discussion - sequestration, restoration ] /
*2021 Climate Leadership Series Oct. 28 Webinar: The Critical Role of 
Natural Climate Solutions*
Oct 29, 2021
Climate Leadership Conference
Nature-based solutions (NbS), or natural climate solutions, refer to 
projects that protect, restore, and manage natural ecosystems. They 
provide important environmental and social benefits too, contributing to 
more equitable communities, cleaner air and water, and increased 
biodiversity.

This interview with  Lisa Jackson, VP of Environment, Policy, and Social 
Initiatives at Apple, will discuss how Apple is incorporating 
nature-based solutions into its climate commitments. Tune in at 1 PM 
ET/10 AM PT to hear how the world's most profitable tech company is 
working towards a net-zero future.

There is no single solution to addressing climate change, but 
nature-based solutions can make a big impact on our ambitious road to 
net zero. Nature-based solutions are preventing greenhouse gas 
emissions, actively removing carbon from the atmosphere, and restoring 
green infrastructure and building climate resilience.

Tune in to this expert-led panel to learn more about how companies are 
working to meet the ambitious goals of today while planning for a 
net-zero, climate resilient future.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmfL9jmTENo


/[  Radically different interpretation of our condition - we are in 
critical overshoot - 2 hour video ] /
*William Rees: Techno-Industrial Society is Inherently Unsustainable 17 
Jun 2021*
Jun 17, 2021
US Association of the Club of Rome
William Rees: Techno-Industrial Society is Inherently Unsustainable: Is 
Collapse Inevitable?
Zoom meeting hosted by the US Association of the Club of Rome on 17 Jun 2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASS-zSUwEkc --  starts about 7 mins in 
-- lecture for 60 mins -- discussion for another hour.

- -

/[ similar repeated messages ]/
*Keynote Lecture: Prof. (Emeritus) William E. Rees - Climate change 
isn't the problem, so what is?*
Jan 28, 2021
Mashber Aklim
הרצאה מרכזית: Prof. (Emeritus) William E. Rees Climate change isn't the 
problem, so what is?
University of British Columbia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oVTHKzC7TM

- -

*[ a recent Rees lecture ]*
Institut des sciences cognitives - UQAM
*ISC 2021 Summer School – Cognitive Challenges of Climate Change 
(https://sites.grenadine.uqam.ca/sites...) *
Day 9
Talk by William E. Rees: The Enigma of Climate Inaction – On the Human 
Nature of Policy Failure
MC: Alexia Ostrolenk, Ph.D Candidate in Psychiatric Science (UdeM); 
Science Communicator (ComScicon-QC, BrainReach)

    Abstract:
    H. sapiens is a self-described intelligent species, yet seems
    committed to destroying its own habitat. Human-induced climate
    change, driven by carbon-dioxide and other GHG emissions, is one of
    several well-known threats to global civilization. Nevertheless, 34
    climate conferences and half a dozen major international agreements
    in the past 50 years have failed to produce even a ripple in the
    curve of exponentially increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations.
    Climate change is accelerating. This presentation: 1) examines some
    of the evolutionary, behavioural and cognitive impediments to
    effective corrective action by governments and international
    agencies and; 2) advances some ideological, political and
    organizational changes that must be implemented at all levels of
    society to avoid global climate catastrophe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDWhjSUu8UY



[The news archive - looking back]
*On this day in the history of global warming November 3, 2010*
November 3, 2010: In a post-midterm election press conference, President 
Obama states:
"With respect to the EPA, I think the smartest thing for us to do is to 
see if we can get Democrats and Republicans in a room who are serious 
about energy independence and are serious about keeping our air clean 
and our water clean and dealing with the issue of greenhouse gases -- 
and seeing are there ways that we can make progress in the short term 
and invest in technologies in the long term that start giving us the 
tools to reduce greenhouse gases and solve this problem.

"The EPA is under a court order that says greenhouse gases are a 
pollutant that fall under their jurisdiction. And I think one of the 
things that's very important for me is not to have us ignore the 
science, but rather to find ways that we can solve these problems that 
don’t hurt the economy, that encourage the development of clean energy 
in this country, that, in fact, may give us opportunities to create 
entire new industries and create jobs that -- and that put us in a 
competitive posture around the world.

"So I think it’s too early to say whether or not we can make some 
progress on that front.  I think we can.  Cap and trade was just one way 
of skinning the cat; it was not the only way.  It was a means, not an 
end.  And I’m going to be looking for other means to address this problem.

"And I think EPA wants help from the legislature on this.  I don’t think 
that the desire is to somehow be protective of their powers here.  I 
think what they want to do is make sure that the issue is being dealt with."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4F8e2Cye08     (35:15-38:48)


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