[✔️] October 8, 2021 - Daily Global Warming News Digest

[👀 Richard Pauli]

/*October 8, 2021*/

/[ NYT -- US Lists of Climate Threats --   Only Six? ]/
*6 Aspects of American Life Threatened by Climate Change*
Two dozen federal agencies flagged the biggest dangers posed by a 
warming planet. The list spreads across American society.

Christopher Flavelle - Oct. 7, 2021
WASHINGTON — Less food. More traffic accidents. Extreme weather hitting 
nuclear waste sites. Migrants rushing toward the United States, fleeing 
even worse calamity in their own countries.

Those scenarios, once the stuff of dystopian fiction, are now driving 
American policymaking. Under orders from President Biden, top officials 
at every government agency have spent months considering the top climate 
threats their agencies face, and how to cope with them.

On Thursday, the White House offered a first look at the results, 
releasing the climate-adaptation plans of 23 agencies, including the 
departments of Energy, Defense, Agriculture, Homeland Security, 
Transportation and Commerce. The plans reveal the dangers posed by a 
warming planet to every aspect of American life, and the difficulty of 
coping with those threats...
The federal government has attempted this exercise before, during the 
Obama administration. That work effectively stopped under former 
President Donald J. Trump, whose disdain for climate science led most 
agencies to either shelve their planning for climate change or stop 
talking about it.

Within weeks of taking office, President Biden directed officials to 
quickly resume the work. Stressing the urgency of the threat, the 
president gave agencies four months to come up with plans that listed 
their main vulnerabilities to climate change and strategies to address them.

“Nearly every service that the government provides will be impacted by 
climate change sooner or later,” said Jesse Keenan, a professor at 
Tulane University who focuses on climate adaptation and has advised 
federal agencies.

The plans released Thursday are brief, many of them fewer than 30 pages. 
They include core themes: ensuring that new facilities meet tougher 
construction standards, using less energy and water at existing 
buildings, better protecting workers against extreme heat, educating 
staff about climate science, and creating supply chains that are less 
likely to be disrupted by storms or other shocks.

The documents also reflect Mr. Biden’s emphasis on racial equity, 
looking at the effects of climate change on minority and low-income 
communities and how agencies can address them. For example, the 
Department of Health and Human Services said it will focus research 
grants on the health effects on those communities.
But the most revealing information in the newly released plans could be 
their description, sometimes in frank terms, of the dangers that climate 
change holds.

*Agriculture*
The Department of Agriculture lists the ways climate change threatens 
America’s food supply: Changes in temperature and precipitation 
patterns, more pests and disease, reduced soil quality, fewer 
pollinating insects and more storms and wildfires will combine to reduce 
crops and livestock.

To address those challenges, the department calls for more research into 
climate threats, and better communication of those findings to farmers.

The plan is also candid about the limits of what can be done. In 
response to drought, for example, farmers can build new irrigation 
systems, and governments can build new dams. But irrigation is 
expensive, the department notes, and dams affect the ecosystems around them.

*Transportation*
Climate change also threatens Americans’ ability to move within and 
between cities, restricting not just mobility but the transportation of 
goods that drive the economy. In a list of potential effects from 
climate change, the Department of Transportation notes that rising 
temperatures will make it more expensive to build and maintain roads and 
bridges.

And the experience of getting around will become slower and more 
frustrating. As hotter days cause asphalt to degrade, congestion will 
increase as traffic slows. Severe weather events will “require flight 
cancellations, sometimes for extended periods of time,” and more heat 
will force planes to fly shorter distances and carry less weight.

Some of the effects the transportation department anticipates are 
dangerous. They include “more frequent/severe flooding of underground 
tunnels” and “increased risk of vehicle crashes in severe weather.”

Even the quality of driving could get worse. The plan warns of 
“decreased driver/operator performance and decision-making skills, due 
to driver fatigue as a result of adverse weather.”

*Energy*
Sometimes, the plans demonstrate how much work remains. The Department 
of Energy, for example, said it has assessed the climate risks for just 
half of its sites, which range from advanced research laboratories to 
storage facilities for radioactive waste from the nuclear weapons program.

“DOE’s nuclear security mission is critical to national security and is 
also largely conducted at DOE sites that are vulnerable to extreme 
weather conditions,” the department’s plan says. “DOE’s environmental 
mission could also experience disruptions if facilities dedicated to 
radioactive waste processing and disposal are impacted by climate hazards.”

The department says it’s able to address that threat, but doesn’t go 
into specifics. “DOE has a well-established hazard assessment and 
adaptation process focused on its high-hazard nuclear facilities. This 
process ensures that the most critical facilities are well protected 
from climate risks,” the plan states.

*Homeland Security*
For the Department of Homeland Security, climate change means the risk 
of large numbers of climate refugees — people reaching the U.S. border, 
pushed out of their countries by a mix of long-term challenges like 
drought or sudden shocks like a tsunami.

“Climate change is likely to increase population movements from Mexico, 
Central America, South America, and the Caribbean,” the department’s 
plan reads. The department is trying to develop “a responsive and 
coordinated operational plan for mass migration events,” it said.

The plan comes just weeks after President Biden condemned Border Patrol 
officers on horseback for their treatment of Haitian migrants crossing 
the border into Texas. The administration then faced criticism for 
sending many of those migrants back to Haiti, which is still struggling 
from just the sort of environmental challenges described in the plan.

The department doesn’t say how it plans to respond in the future as more 
people flee to the United States, beyond saying it “will focus on 
national security and balanced, equitable outcomes.”

*Defense*
Climate change will lead to new sources of conflict, and also make it 
harder for the military to operate, the Department of Defense wrote in 
its climate plan.

Water shortages could even become a new source of tension between the 
U.S. military overseas and the countries where troops are based. At DOD 
sites outside the United States, “military water requirements might 
compete with local water needs, creating potential areas of friction or 
even conflict.”

But learning to operate during extreme weather should also be viewed as 
a new type of weapon, the plan says, one that can help the United States 
prevail over enemies. “This enables U.S. forces to gain distinct 
advantages over potential adversaries,” the plan reads, “if our forces 
can operate in conditions where others must take shelter or go to ground.”

*Commerce*
Not all of the climate threats facing the federal government are 
insurmountable.

The Department of Commerce, which runs the U.S. Patent and Trade Office, 
said that as the effects of climate change become more severe, it 
expects a surge in applications for patents for “climate change 
adaptation-related technologies.” Such a surge “would impact the 
department’s ability to process such applications in a timely manner, 
having a direct impact on U.S. competitiveness and economic growth.”

For that challenge, at least, there is a solution. For inventions that 
promise to help with environmental challenges, the department said, 
patent applications may be able to jump ahead in line — or, as the plan 
phrased it, “advanced out of turn for examination when a petition is filed.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/07/climate/climate-threats-federal-government.html

- -

/[Read the Plans]/
Welcome
*The Office of the Federal Chief Sustainability Officer (*CSO) leads 
development of policies, programs, and partnerships to advance 
sustainability and climate resilient Federal operations. The Office of 
the Federal CSO is part of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
Learn more about the Office of the Federal CSO.
https://www.sustainability.gov/

- -

/[Serious Govt Planning]/*
**Federal Climate Adaptation Plans*

    *Department of Agriculture*
    USDA Federal Climate Adaptation Plan for 2021
    Download the Department of Agriculture's 2021 Federal Climate
    Adaptation Plan (PDF).
    https://www.sustainability.gov/pdfs/usda-2021-cap.pdf

    *Department of Commerce*
    DOC Federal Climate Adaptation Plan for 2021
    Download the Department of Commerce's 2021 Federal Climate
    Adaptation Plan (PDF).
    https://www.sustainability.gov/pdfs/doc-2021-cap.pdf

    *Department of Defense*
    DOD Federal Climate Adaptation Plan for 2021
    Download the Department of Defense's 2021 Federal Climate Adaptation
    Plan (PDF).
    https://www.sustainability.gov/pdfs/dod-2021-cap.pdf

    *Department of Education*
    ED Federal Climate Adaptation Plan for 2021
    Download the Department of Education's 2021 Federal Climate
    Adaptation Plan (PDF).
    https://www.sustainability.gov/pdfs/ed-2021-cap.pdf

    *Department of Energy*
    DOE Federal Climate Adaptation Plan for 2021
    Download the Department of Energy's 2021 Federal Climate Adaptation
    Plan (PDF).
    https://www.sustainability.gov/pdfs/doe-2021-cap.pdf

    *Department of Health and Human Services*
    HHS Federal Climate Adaptation Plan for 2021
    Download the Department of Health and Human Services's 2021 Federal
    Climate Adaptation Plan (PDF).
    https://www.sustainability.gov/pdfs/hhs-2021-cap.pdf

    *Department of Homeland Security*
    DHS Federal Climate Adaptation Plan for 2021
    Download the Department of Homeland Security's 2021 Federal Climate
    Adaptation Plan (PDF).
    https://www.sustainability.gov/pdfs/dhs-2021-cap.pdf

    *Department of Housing and Urban Development*
    HUD Federal Climate Adaptation Plan for 2021
    Download the Department of Housing and Urban Development's 2021
    Federal Climate Adaptation Plan (PDF).
    https://www.sustainability.gov/pdfs/hud-2021-cap.pdf

    *Department of the Interior*
    DOI Federal Climate Adaptation Plan for 2021
    Download the Department of the Interior's 2021 Federal Climate
    Adaptation Plan (PDF).
    https://www.sustainability.gov/pdfs/doi-2021-cap.pdf

    *Department of Justice*
    DOJ Federal Climate Adaptation Plan for 2021
    Download the Department of Justice's 2021 Federal Climate Adaptation
    Plan (PDF).
    https://www.sustainability.gov/pdfs/doj-2021-cap.pdf

    *Department of Labor*
    DOL Federal Climate Adaptation Plan for 2021
    Download the Department of Labor's 2021 Federal Climate Adaptation
    Plan (PDF).
    https://www.sustainability.gov/pdfs/dol-2021-cap.pdf

    *Department of State*
    Department of State Federal Climate Adaptation Plan for 2021
    Download the Department of State's 2021 Federal Climate Adaptation
    Plan (PDF).
    https://www.sustainability.gov/pdfs/state-2021-cap.pdf

    *Department of Transportation*
    Department of Transportation Federal Climate Adaptation Plan for 2021
    Download the Department of Transportation's 2021 Federal Climate
    Adaptation Plan (PDF).
    https://www.sustainability.gov/pdfs/dot-2021-cap.pdf

    *Department of the Treasury*
    Department of the Treasury Federal Climate Adaptation Plan for 2021
    Download the Department of the Treasury's 2021 Federal Climate
    Adaptation Plan (PDF).
    https://www.sustainability.gov/pdfs/treasury-2021-cap.pdf

    *Department of Veterans Affairs*
    Department of Veterans Affairs Federal Climate Adaptation Plan for 2021
    Download the Department of Veterans Affairs' 2021 Federal Climate
    Adaptation Plan (PDF).
    https://www.sustainability.gov/pdfs/va-2021-cap.pdf

    *Environmental Protection Agency*
    Environmental Protection Agency Federal Climate Adaptation Plan for 2021
    Download the Environmental Protection Agency's 2021 Federal Climate
    Adaptation Plan (PDF).
    https://www.sustainability.gov/pdfs/epa-2021-cap.pdf

    *General Services Administration*
    General Services Administration Federal Climate Adaptation Plan for 2021
    Download the General Services Administration's 2021 Federal Climate
    Adaptation Plan (PDF).
    https://www.sustainability.gov/pdfs/gsa-2021-cap.pdf

    *Millennium Challenge Corporation*
    Millennium Challenge Corporation Federal Climate Adaptation Plan for
    2021
    Download the Millennium Challenge Corporation's 2021 Federal Climate
    Adaptation Plan (PDF).
    https://www.sustainability.gov/pdfs/mcc-2021-cap.pdf

    *National Aeronautics and Space Administration*
    National Aeronautics and Space Administration Federal Climate
    Adaptation Plan for 2021
    Download the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's 2021
    Federal Climate Adaptation Plan (PDF).
    https://www.sustainability.gov/pdfs/nasa-2021-cap.pdf

    *Office of Personal Management*
    Office of Personal Management Federal Climate Adaptation Plan for 2021
    Download the Office of Personal Management's 2021 Federal Climate
    Adaptation Plan (PDF).
    https://www.sustainability.gov/pdfs/opm-2021-cap.pdf
    **
    *Smithsonian Institution*
    Smithsonian Institution Federal Climate Adaptation Plan for 2021
    Download the Smithsonian Institution's 2021 Federal Climate
    Adaptation Plan (PDF).
    https://www.sustainability.gov/pdfs/si-2021-cap.pdf

    *Social Security Administration*
    Social Security Administration Federal Climate Adaptation Plan for 2021
    Download the Social Security Administration's 2021 Federal Climate
    Adaptation Plan (PDF).
    https://www.sustainability.gov/pdfs/ssa-2021-cap.pdf

    *U.S. Agency for International Development*
    U.S. Agency for International Development Federal Climate Adaptation
    Plan for 2021
    Download the U.S. Agency for International Development's 2021
    Federal Climate Adaptation Plan (PDF).
    https://www.sustainability.gov/pdfs/usaid-2021-cap.pdf

    *U.S. Army Corps of Engineers*
    United States Army Corps of Engineers Federal Climate Adaptation
    Plan for 2021
    Download the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers's 2021 Federal Climate
    Adaptation Plan (PDF).
    https://www.sustainability.gov/pdfs/usace-2021-cap.pdf

    *U.S. International Development Finance Corporation*
    U.S. International Development Finance Corporation Federal Climate
    Adaptation Plan for 2021
    Download the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation's
    2021 Federal Climate Adaptation Plan (PD
    https://www.sustainability.gov/pdfs/dfc-2021-cap.pdf

Web page for these lists: https://www.sustainability.gov/adaptation/



/[about time - in the misinformation battleground]/
*Google, YouTube to prohibit ads and monetization on climate denial content*
Sara Fischer, author of Media Trends
Google and YouTube on Thursday announced a new policy that prohibits 
climate deniers from being able to monetize their content on its 
platforms via ads or creator payments.

Why it matters: It's one of the most aggressive measures any major tech 
platform has taken to combat climate change misinformation.

Details: Google advertisers and publishers, as well as YouTube creators, 
will be prohibited from making ad revenue off content that contradicts 
"well-established scientific consensus around the existence and causes 
of climate change," the company's ads team said in a statement.

-- "This includes content referring to climate change as a hoax or a 
scam, claims denying that long-term trends show the global climate is 
warming, and claims denying that greenhouse gas emissions or human 
activity contribute to climate change."
-- Ads and monetization will still be allowed to run alongside other 
climate-related topics, like public debates on climate policy, impacts 
of climate change, and new research around the issue.
-- Google said it's making these changes in response to frustration from 
advertisers and content creators about their messages appearing 
alongside climate denialism.

"Advertisers simply don’t want their ads to appear next to this content. 
And publishers and creators don’t want ads promoting these claims to 
appear on their pages or videos," the company said.
Yes, but: Google often makes changes to its ads policies to reduce 
misinformation, but this update is notable, given how hard it can be to 
characterize certain commentary about climate change as denialism or 
misinformation.

The tech giant says that when evaluating content against the new policy, 
"we’ll look carefully at the context in which claims are made, 
differentiating between content that states a false claim as fact, 
versus content that reports on or discusses that claim."
The company says it has consulted with experts, like representatives of 
the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment 
Reports, to create the policy. The report found that there is 
"unequivocal" evidence showing that human emissions of greenhouse gases 
are causing global warming."
Google says it will use a combination of automated tools and human 
review to enforce the new policy.
The big picture: Internet companies have been under increased pressure 
from climate activists to do more to address climate change denial on 
their platforms.

Google on Wednesday unveiled a suite of new tools that give consumers 
more information so they can choose to cut their greenhouse gas emissions.
In February, Facebook expanded an online portal meant to counter 
misinformation about climate change.
Why it matters: Social media platforms have immense reach, and they've 
come under fire from activists and some lawmakers globally for doing too 
little to thwart the spread of inaccurate content.

What to watch: Google will begin enforcing the new policy next month.
https://www.axios.com/google-youtube-climate-change-734f2b05-40e2-4e05-9100-39de589b3b0a.html



/[//50° C = 122° F in //India heatwave]/
//*Life at 50C: Keeping cool in India's heatwaves*
Life at 50C: Keeping cool in India's heatwaves
Heatwaves are becoming more common in India due to global warming. 
There’s nowhere to hide especially if you live in a crowded city like 
Ahmedabad.
Shakeela Bano struggles to get her grandson Mohammed to fall asleep in 
their one room house due to the heat. But as the Life at 50C series on 
climate change finds out, there’s one solution which doesn't cost the earth.
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-58820950


/[ Prof Rupert Read future discussion 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsqI3Bz-9Ws ]/
*RReadFinal*
Oct 7, 2021
*Facing Future*

We can fool ourselves into thinking that the collapse of our ecosystem, 
and our society, is far off.  But it’s already underway, as the recent# 
IPCC Code Red Warning report makes alarmingly clear.   As parents, we 
pay attention to our children’s needs, but if we really care for them, 
we need to recognize that we are at the edge of a cliff, a breath away 
from critical tipping points, and that no one is coming to save us, or 
them, unless we join together, face the situation, and take immediate, 
large-scale action.

#RupertRead, in conversation with parents from New Rochelle, New York, 
describes the deep adaptation required to transform ourselves from 
consumers into citizens, fully responsible for changing the economic, 
societal, and industrial systems that are killing us. Well beyond 
individual choices, which may make us feel we are doing our part to stop 
the looming catastrophic storms, fires, and the death of millions of 
species, is the needed collective action that will bring us back to 
working with nature to restore the Earth.

The next generation will have a better chance of surviving, if we focus 
now on making our communities resilient, as well as doing all we can to 
make government and industry take responsible action.   A new society, 
based on care and respect for each other and our planet may then be 
possible.

Rupert’s most recent  book, Parents for A Future, How Loving Our 
Children Can Prevent Climate Collapse, is available on kindle or in 
paperback.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsqI3Bz-9Ws

- -

/[new book ]/
*Parents for A Future, How Loving Our Children Can Prevent Climate Collapse*
by Rupert Read  - -  Format: Kindle Edition
That our ecological future appears grave can no longer come as any 
surprise. And yet we have so far failed, collectively and individually, 
to begin the kind of action necessary to shift our path away from 
catastrophic climate collapse.

In this stark and startling little book, Rupert Read helps us to 
understand the direness of our predicament while showing us a metaphor 
and a method a way of thinking by which we might transform it. From the 
relatively uncontroversial starting point that we love our own children, 
we are introduced to a logic of care that iterates far into the future: 
in caring for our own children, we are committed to caring for the whole 
of human future; in caring for the whole of human future, we are 
committed to caring for the future of the natural world. Out of such 
thinking, hope emerges.

As Read demonstrates in this urgent call to action, accepting that we 
care for our own offspring commits us to a struggle on behalf of us all
https://www.amazon.com/Parents-Future-Rupert-Read-ebook/dp/B08TMTDGZY


/[The news archive - purportedly]/
*On this day in the history of global warming October 8, 1979*
October 8, 1979: People Magazine reports on growing concerns about a
human-caused climate crisis.

/[Purportedly, This is the last link, the content is not available- does 
a library have a copy?]/
http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20074765,00.html


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