[✔️] May 2, 2023- Global Warming News Digest | Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, AP media survey, Millionaires pollute more, ExxonMobil book
Richard Pauli
Richard at CredoandScreed.com
Tue May 2 10:59:56 EDT 2023
/*May*//*2, 2023*/
/[ Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is a well respected group ] /
*Catastrophic risks are converging. It’s time for researchers to step
out of their silos.*
By Kayla Lucero-Matteucci | May 1, 2023
- -
To be effective, those who hope to reduce the probability and impact of
existential risks must make themselves literate in multiple crises,
discerning how their work affects, and is affected by, other domains.
They must also understand how their work impacts the communities most
vulnerable to catastrophic risks.
A new epoch, a new type of practitioner. While human beings have always
been vulnerable to naturally occurring hazards—including volcanoes,
asteroids, and infectious diseases—the period following World War II
introduced numerous human-caused (or anthropogenic) risks to society.
Post-1945, the world experienced a Great Acceleration in globalized
economic activity, resulting in an intensification of environmental
harms, including emissions of heat-trapping gases such as carbon
dioxide. In the decades that followed, anthropogenic risks from nuclear
weapons, increasingly sophisticated biological weapons, and artificial
intelligence (AI)—to name a few—also ballooned.
As a result, humanity now has a greater ability to inflict widespread
harm on the planet than ever before. Along with the power to damage the
natural environment on a massive scale, humans also have an
unprecedented capacity to undermine the long-term survival of their own
species. Indeed, some scientists have suggested that the first
detonation of a nuclear weapon at the Trinity Site in New Mexico should
be considered the official start of an Anthropocene Epoch, as it marked
the introduction of the most destructive technology in human history.
In the context of these evolving global human impacts, the task of
limiting their most catastrophic consequences is an enormous one. Plans
to guard against global disaster must account for the sheer magnitude
and complexity of such risks, as well as the ways in which they might
interact unexpectedly, augmenting one another or creating unintended
cascading effects. Take nuclear winter, for instance: Beyond killing
hundreds of thousands or millions of people immediately, even a “small”
regional nuclear exchange could wreak havoc on the environment, dealing
a shattering blow to ecosystems already struggling with rapid
biodiversity loss caused by human activities. Under such circumstances,
modelling suggests that global agriculture could also falter, with
billions dying of starvation...
- -
Anthropogenic climate change is itself a source of risk that could
cascade into or intersect with others. The more the planet warms and
natural habitats are destroyed, the more wild animals will be displaced.
Their movements can allow for pathogens to spread more easily, creating
a greater risk of disease transmission from animals to humans, which can
lead to global pandemics.
These looming possibilities demand actionable research to address
converging risks within a shrinking window of time. Accordingly, in the
last two decades, a growing discipline has coalesced around the study of
catastrophic and existential risks to humanity.
Learning from the study of catastrophic and existential risks. The
benefits of the cross-disciplinary approach to reducing catastrophic and
existential risks to humanity are numerous. First, such an approach
improves research by making optimal use of limited resources and sharing
insights, failures, and lessons across areas of risk. Having previously
worked mostly with specialists in the nuclear field, at Cambridge’s
Center for the Study of Existential Risk (CSER) I now interact daily
with colleagues whose expertise spans volcano risk, AI safety and
ethics, planetary defence against asteroids, food systems, and climate
advocacy movements, among other topics...
- -
Frontline communities have faced threats to their survival in a way that
most researchers and policymakers have not. They possess valuable
knowledge about how to cope and adapt. The question of what constitutes
a catastrophic or existential risk, as well as how these risks relate to
one another, is intricately tied to who you ask. In the face of
converging risks, the effort to ameliorate them needs diversity of
thought and experience. Just as researchers cannot thoroughly grasp
their own disciplines without knowing how they interact with others,
they will lack a clear picture of the risks the world faces until they
learn from the communities that bear the brunt of inaction.
Comments
Richard Pauli
Excellent analysis of global risks. Thank you.
Keep in mind the differences between a nuclear weapon – action risk
– which will be triggered manually, if irrationally — and global
heating from CO2 emissions which only require a passive ignoring of
high carbon business as usual. Nuclear safety requires a detente,
whereas global warming risk requires a (full) revision of technology
across all carbon civilizations. The cascading tipping points of
climate destabilizations may soon make human intervention difficult.
These are ferociously interesting times
https://thebulletin.org/2023/05/catastrophic-risks-are-converging-its-time-for-researchers-to-step-out-of-their-silos/
/[ media opinion - the Associated Press is quite pure ]/
*Nearly three-quarters of Americans blame media for dividing nation,
poll says*
By DAVID KLEPPER
May 1, 2023
WASHINGTON (AP) — When it comes to the news media and the impact it’s
having on democracy and political polarization in the United States,
Americans are likelier to say it’s doing more harm than good.
Nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults say the news media is increasing
political polarization in this country, and just under half say they
have little to no trust in the media’s ability to report the news fairly
and accurately, according to a new survey from The Associated Press-NORC
Center for Public Affairs Research and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights.
The poll, released before World Press Freedom Day on Wednesday, shows
Americans have significant concerns about misinformation — and the role
played by the media itself along with politicians and social media
companies in spreading it — but that many are also concerned about
growing threats to journalists’ safety.
“The news riles people up,” said 53-year-old Barbara Jordan, a Democrat
from Hutchinson, Kansas. Jordan said she now does her own online
research instead of going by what she sees on the TV news. “You’re
better off Googling something and learning about it. I trust the
internet more than I do the TV.”...
- -
The survey reveals the complicated relationship many Americans have with
the media: A majority rate in-depth and investigative reporting as very
helpful or extremely helpful for understanding the issues they care
about, but they are more likely to say they regularly scan the headlines
than read an in-depth investigative article. And while overall trust in
the media is low, a majority of respondents say the media is doing at
least somewhat well in covering issues they care about.
Four in 10 say the press is doing more to hurt American democracy, while
only about 2 in 10 say the press is doing more to protect it. An
additional 4 in 10 say neither applies....
- -
Overall, about 6 in 10 said the news media bears blame for the spread of
misinformation, and a similar percentage also said it has a large amount
of responsibility for addressing it. Majorities also think others,
including social media companies and politicians, share in the
responsibility both for the spread of misinformation and for stopping it
from spreading.
“So many people get their information from social media, and people
believe whatever they want to believe,” said Araceli Cervantes, a
39-year-old Chicago woman and mother of four who said she is a Republican.
When it comes to protecting the freedom of the press in the U.S., 44% of
respondents say the U.S. government is doing a good job, more than the
24% who say it’s doing a bad job. Most Americans are at least somewhat
concerned, however, when it comes to the safety of journalists, with
roughly a third saying they’re very concerned or extremely concerned
about attacks on the press.
___
The poll of 1,002 adults was conducted March 30-April 3 using a sample
drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed
to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling
error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
https://apnews.com/article/poll-misinformation-polarization-coronavirus-media-d56a25fd8dfd9abe1389b56d7e82b873
/[ The National Academies -- in long discussion sometimes the last few
minutes is the most important ]/
*Greenhouse Gas Emissions Information for Decision Making: Dissemination
Meeting*
National Academies - Earth and Life Studies
May 1, 2023
This meeting will disseminate recommendations from recent National
Academies report, Greenhouse Gas Emissions Information for Decision
Making: A Framework Going Forward (2022) The meeting will focus on
understanding US urban greenhouse gas emissions information needs and
tools in the public, private, and research sectors at urban scales to
aid local decision making in the US.
The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is a
non-governmental, non-profit organization chartered by the US
Congress in 1863 at the request of President Lincoln. The Academy
has two missions: to honor the nation’s top scientists, engineers,
and health professionals with membership, and to serve the nation
with independent, expert advice.
The Division on Earth & Life Studies is one of six subject area
divisions that enlist the nation's top experts to respond to
requests for advice from the Federal Government, states, and some
foundations.
The division has 11 program units (boards) that undertake a
wide-range of activities, including convening experts to share their
individual views in meetings and workshops. However, it is the
Academy’s reports that represent the most authoritative source of
scientific and technical information for the nation. The division
produces about 30-40 of these reports each year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skpwhRdE8GU
/[ Beckwith reads a report ]/
*Enormous, Growing Emissions from Millionaires and Billionaires
Incompatible with a Survivable Planet*
Paul Beckwith
May 1, 2023
A recent peer-reviewed scientific paper titled “Millionaire Spending
Incompatible with 1.5 C Ambitions” was published.
It basically shows that the number of millionaires and billionaires and
their growth rate, plus their increasing purchase and usage of
mega-super-yachts and private jets for transportation are incompatible
with reducing emissions and saving civilization from climate collapse.
While emissions from people living in central Africa are as low as 0.1 t
CO2 per capita, emissions from super wealthy billionaires are as much as
100,000 times higher (10,000 t CO2 per capita). For ultra rich
billionaires, about 64% of their annual emissions are coming from their
mega-yachts, 34% is from their private jet aircraft, and 2% is from
their multiple houses in multiple countries.
I chat about these very important facts on the carbon footprints of the
very wealthy. The only conclusion to be reached is that to have any hope
of reducing carbon emissions, the consumption of the extremely wealthy
needed to be reigned in. These are the harsh facts of our climate emergency.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l86jvIdUpRY
- -
/[ from Cleaner Production Letters //Volume 4, June 2023 ]/
*Millionaire spending incompatible with 1.5 °C ambitions*
Author Stefan Gössling, Andreas Humpe
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clpl.2022.100027
Abstract:
Much evidence suggests that the wealthiest individuals contribute
disproportionally to climate change. Here we study the implications
of a continued growth in the number of millionaires for emissions,
and its impact on the depletion of the remaining carbon budget to
limit global warming to 1.5 °C (about 400 Gt CO2). To this end, we
present a model that extrapolates observed growth in millionaire
numbers (1990–2020) and associated changes in emissions to 2050. Our
findings suggest that the share of US$2020-millionaires in the world
population will grow from 0.7% today to 3.3% in 2050, and cause
accumulated emissions of 286 Gt CO2. This is equivalent to 72% of
the remaining carbon budget, and significantly reduces the chance of
stabilizing climate change at 1.5 °C. Continued growth in emissions
at the top makes a low-carbon transition less likely, as the
acceleration of energy consumption by the wealthiest is likely
beyond the system's capacity to decarbonize. To this end, we
question whether policy designs such as progressive taxes targeting
the high emitters will be sufficient.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666791622000252
/[The news archive - looking back at major book release on ExxonMobil ]/
/*May 2, 2012*/
May 2, 2012: MSNBC's Rachel Maddow interviewed author Steve Coll about
his book "Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMNooTqwuk0 (someone is a chickenshit -
YouTube or MSNBC insisted on pulling this video )
*Private Empire: Author Steve Coll on State-Like Powers, Influence of
Oil Giant Exxon Mobil*
Democracy Now!
5/4/2012
DemocracyNow.org - We look at one of the largest and most powerful
corporations in the world: Exxon Mobil. Last week, the corporate giant
reported it earned $9.5 billion in profits in the first three months of
this year -- or almost $104 million per day. We speak with Pulitzer
Prize-winning reporter Steve Coll who pulls back the curtain on Exxon
Mobil in his exhaustive new book, "Private Empire: Exxon Mobil and
American Power." "Exxon Mobil really sees itself as an independent
sovereign in the world, almost the equivalent of a state," Coll says.
"They really are one of the most closed corporations headquartered in
the United States."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IPsjCgHMV8
*- -
*
*Staff writer for The New Yorker and president of The New America
Foundation Steve Coll introduces his new book, "Private Empire:
ExxonMobil and American Power."*
https://charlierose.com/videos/15899
- -
*Steve Coll: Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power - June 4, 2013*
The Kansas City Public Library
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMWkIgLMe8U
- -
/[Amazon]/
*Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power Paperback – May 28, 2013*
by Steve Coll (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 784 ratings
*“ExxonMobil has met its match in Coll, an elegant writer and dogged
reporter . . . extraordinary . . . monumental.” —The Washington Post**
**
**“Fascinating . . . Private Empire is a book meticulously prepared as
if for trial . . . a compelling and elucidatory work.” —Bloomberg**
**
**From the award-winning and bestselling author of Ghost Wars and
Directorate S, an extraordinary exposé of Big Oil. Includes a profile of
current Secretary of State and former chairman and chief executive of
ExxonMobil, Rex Tillerson*
In this, the first hard-hitting examination of ExxonMobil—the largest
and most powerful private corporation in the United States—Steve Coll
reveals the true extent of its power. Private Empire pulls back the
curtain, tracking the corporation’s recent history and its central role
on the world stage, beginning with the Exxon Valdez accident in 1989 and
leading to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in
2010. The action spans the globe—featuring kidnapping cases, civil wars,
and high-stakes struggles at the Kremlin—and the narrative is driven by
larger-than-life characters, including corporate legend Lee “Iron Ass”
Raymond, ExxonMobil’s chief executive until 2005, and current chairman
and chief executive Rex Tillerson, President-elect Donald Trump's
nomination for Secretary of State. A penetrating, news-breaking study,
Private Empire is a defining portrait of Big Oil in American politics
and foreign policy.
https://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/0143123548/ref=cm_cr_unknown?ie=UTF8&filterByStar=five_star&reviewerType=all_reviews&pageNumber=1#reviews-filter-bar
- -
*Steve Coll Discusses His Book "Private Empire"*
New America
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3GW_BaSRbE
- -
*Steve Coll on the "Private Empire" of ExxonMobil*
SocialJusticeNOW
Jun 18, 2012
In the new book "Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power," Steve
Coll http://newamerica.net/user/3 investigates the notoriously secretive
ExxonMobil Corporation. In many of the countries where it conducts
business, ExxonMobil's sway over politics and security is greater than
that of the U.S. embassy. In Washington, ExxonMobil spends more money
lobbying Congress and the White House than any other corporation. Yet
despite its outsized influence, it is a black box. Coll is the president
of the New America Foundation, http://newamerica.net/ a nonpartisan
public policy institute headquartered in Washington, and a staff writer
for The New Yorker.
He worked for 20 years at The Washington Post, where he received a
Pulitzer Prize for explanatory journalism in 1990. He is the author of
six other books, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Ghost Wars."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvPobwco-AE
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