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<font size="+1"><i>October 9, 2017</i></font><br>
<br>
<b><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/psychological-toll-natural-disasters-mainland-puerto-ricans/">The
psychological toll of natural disasters - and how mainland
Puerto Ricans are coping</a></b><br>
...after Hurricane Katrina, psychologists at the American
Psychological Association found that nearly half of survivors
developed anxiety, depression or another mood disorder, and rates
doubled for suicide and suicidal thoughts. The association's report,
released in March, also said that one in six met the diagnostic
criteria for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.<br>
Psychologists have since recognized the need for immediate mental
health aid after natural disasters. The Texas Psychological
Association, for example, has set up a network of more than 100
psychologists who are volunteering their time to help people cope
with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.<br>
...reassurance, support and spending time with loved ones are all
part of an approach to disaster response called psychological first
aid.<br>
"Another thing is that sometimes people can be helped by a mild
sedative, because you feel a lot better if you can sleep," North
said.<br>
"One night I was talking to my friends and was asking, 'Does anyone
have like a Valium?'" she said, laughing. "One of them told me to
just take a Benadryl, that's a poor man's Valium."<br>
<font size="-1"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/psychological-toll-natural-disasters-mainland-puerto-ricans/">http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/psychological-toll-natural-disasters-mainland-puerto-ricans/</a></font><br>
<b><br>
<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/10/05/interior-department-rejects-25-endangered-species-petitions-including-several-linked-to-climate-change/">Interior
Department rejects 25 endangered species petitions, including
several linked to climate change</a></b><br>
<font size="-1"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/10/05/interior-department-rejects-25-endangered-species-petitions-including-several-linked-to-climate-change/">https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/10/05/interior-department-rejects-25-endangered-species-petitions-including-several-linked-to-climate-change/</a></font><b><br>
-<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/05/politics/interior-whistleblower-resigns/index.html">Interior
Department whistleblower resigns after reassignment from climate
change duties</a></b><br>
<font size="-1"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/05/politics/interior-whistleblower-resigns/index.html">http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/05/politics/interior-whistleblower-resigns/index.html</a></font><br>
<br>
<br>
<b><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/donald-trump-climate-change-unb-lecture-1.4317626">UNB
lecture questions impact of President Trump on climate change
skepticism</a></b><br>
Could Donald Trump, a vocal skeptic of climate change, actually be
helping the fight against it?<br>
One expert on the subject thinks so, but certainly not because of
his policies.<br>
George Marshall, an internationally renowned researcher on climate
change communications, is in Fredericton this week to deliver a
public lecture entitled "Is Donald Trump Good for Climate Change?"
at the University of New Brunswick.<br>
Because the world is so fixated on the controversial U.S.
president's actions, his statements on climate change have actually
helped draw more attention to issue, Marshall explained....<br>
<font size="-1"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/donald-trump-climate-change-unb-lecture-1.4317626">http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/donald-trump-climate-change-unb-lecture-1.4317626</a></font><br>
<br>
<br>
<b><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://thebulletin.org/suing-oil-companies-pay-climate-change11168">Suing
oil companies to pay for climate change?</a></b><br>
...Testing public trust. Meanwhile, another ongoing lawsuit is
taking a notably different tack. In this case- Juliana vs US-
initially filed in 2015, a group of children acting as trustees for
future generations (in conjunction with a youth activist group and
climate scientist James Hanson) have sued the United States
government and a variety of federal agencies, alleging that they
have failed to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from major sources
such as power plants and vehicles over the past 50 years, despite
knowing about the threat posed by climate change. The plaintiffs
claim that the government has violated their constitutional right to
a sustainable climate system, a right they say is grounded in the
constitutional right to life and liberty. These plaintiffs also
allege that the government has violated the so-called "public trust
doctrine"- an ancient principle originating in Roman law that a
sovereign government must hold common natural resources in trust and
must preserve them for future generations. To redress the situation,
these plaintiffs seek a court order to require the government to
implement an enforceable national plan to phase out fossil fuel
emissions to stabilize the climate system....<br>
Most legal observers viewed this case as a long shot. But in 2016, a
surprisingly forceful ruling in federal district court held that the
plaintiffs do have legal standing to bring the case, and that there
may well be a constitutional right to a stable climate system.
Furthermore, the court ruled that the public doctrine does
potentially require the government to act as a responsible steward
of the oceans, if not the earth's atmosphere, and that the judicial
branch does not have to sit on the sidelines in deference to the
legislative and executive branches...<br>
As the latest research shows, the field of climate attribution
science is advancing rapidly and scientists are increasingly able to
quantify climate damages from particular sources. A debate certainly
looms over the scientific techniques used and the accuracy of these
findings, not to mention their viability in court. Still, such
research is undeniably sparking a long-overdue public conversation-
in the courts, and in some policy circles- about the legal
responsibility of fossil fuel companies for the climate damages
caused by emissions from their products.<br>
<font size="-1"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://thebulletin.org/suing-oil-companies-pay-climate-change11168">http://thebulletin.org/suing-oil-companies-pay-climate-change11168</a></font><br>
<br>
<b><b><br>
</b><b><a
href="http://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/build-psychological-capital-now-for-strong-society">Build
psychological capital now for strong society</a></b><br>
</b>Psychological capital enables individuals and groups to function
effectively; to pursue aspirations and also handle shocks, failures
and disappointments....To function effectively, solve problems and
achieve aspirations, we need adequate psychological capital.<br>
<font size="-1"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/build-psychological-capital-now-for-strong-society">http://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/build-psychological-capital-now-for-strong-society</a></font><b><br>
<br>
<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060062893">5 links between
erupting volcanoes and climate change</a></b><br>
The relationship between volcanoes and their effect on climate
change has long been debated, but the two have some close links.<br>
Two volcanoes threatening to erupt have prompted the evacuation of
more than 160,000 people. In Bali, Indonesia, about 150,000
residents have fled from the vicinity of Mount Agung, which killed
more than 1,000 people when it last exploded 50 years ago. And in
the Pacific nation of Vanuatu, everyone on the island of Ambae was
evacuated after a volcano spit lava, ash and fire from its mouth in
recent weeks. Evacuees numbered more than 11,000 people.<br>
There are many myths about volcanoes and rising temperatures. One of
the most persistent is a false claim that the ash disgorged by
erupting mountains is the primary driver of current climate change.
That said, there is a relationship between volcanoes and the
changing environment. Evidence exists that rapid climate change has
led to volcanic eruptions in the past and, conversely, that past
eruptions have driven climate change.<br>
<b>In the Earth's history, there are plenty of links between climate
change and volcanoes</b><br>
Of course, human activity is not affecting the eruption of these
volcanoes. Still, rapid climate change has been linked to volcanic
activity in some areas of the globe. A study published in September
in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that
glacial retreat in Antarctica 17,700 years ago was connected to a
series of volcanic eruptions over a 200-year period.<br>
Ice and ocean water create pressure on the Earth's crust, capable of
containing magma. If a glacier retreats in a relatively quick period
of time, the magma is more likely to push toward the Earth's
surface...<br>
"After big glaciers melt, we see more volcanoes erupt, so not only
do volcanoes affect climate, but climate also affects volcanism," he
said.<b><br>
</b><b>Volcanoes contribute to long-term global warming and
short-term global cooling</b><br>
For major eruptions, such as that of Mount Pinatubo in 1991, the
cooling effects can last for years. That eruption lowered global
temperatures for three years, by as much as 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit
at its peak.<br>
No, volcanic eruptions will not save us from human-caused global
warming. Their cooling effect is temporary. And as they cool the
Earth, they belch out significant amounts of greenhouse gases.<b><br>
</b><b>Volcanoes have driven dramatic but short-term changes to the
climate in the past</b><br>
Ancient super-eruptions have affected modern humans. For instance,
researchers have examined an eruption that occurred 37,000 years ago
that caused changes near Naples, Italy. It might have helped kill
off Neanderthals.<br>
Still, volcanoes cause temporary changes that are eventually brought
into balance by the atmosphere.<br>
"We're changing our climate because we're changing the amount of
carbon dioxide, and that's not something that recovers on short time
scales, whereas the cooling effects of volcanoes, it's sulfur
dioxide that gets into the stratosphere, and it rains out eventually
over time, so those effects dissipate very quickly."<b><br>
</b><b>Climate change models should not ignore volcanoes</b><br>
To accurately forecast how climate change will transform the planet,
researchers must account for temporary periods of cooling that come
from volcanoes, according to Hawkins.<br>
"Including some eruptions makes the changes in global temperature
more variable, but as the effects of eruptions are only temporary
they will not counteract the warming from greenhouse gases over the
next century," he wrote in an email.<br>
Hawkins and his colleagues have been careful to point out in their
research that volcanic eruptions will not counteract climate change.<br>
<b>Skeptics who claim that volcanoes are a significant driver of
global warming are wrong</b><br>
Volcanoes are equivalent to less than 1 percent of the carbon
dioxide released by humans, according to USGS.<br>
One of the most frequent questions fielded by USGS's Terrence
Gerlach is whether volcanoes emit more carbon dioxide than humans.
"Research findings indicate unequivocally that the answer to this
question is 'No' - anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions dwarf
global volcanic carbon dioxide emissions," he said in a statement.<br>
For comparison, the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 sent 10
million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in just nine
hours, according to USGS. Humans release about the same amount of
CO2 in 2 ½ hours, according to the federal agency.<br>
<font size="-1"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060062893">https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060062893</a></font><br>
<br>
<br>
<b><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/02102017/hurricane-rebuilding-net-zero-energy-solar-construction-florida-keys-virgin-islands">Rebuilding
After the Hurricanes: These Solar Homes Use Almost No Energy</a></b><br>
Builders of prefabricated, zero-energy homes built for storm
resilience have seen a spike in calls, particularly from the Florida
Keys and Virgin Islands.<br>
<font size="-1">BY LYNDSEY GILPIN, INSIDECLIMATE NEWS</font><br>
In the Asheville, North Carolina, offices of Deltec Homes- one of
several builders of prefabricated, energy efficient houses- the
phones have been ringing insistently with questions about the
hurricane-resistant, net-zero-energy homes the company manufactures
and ships around the world. The homes are designed to reduce energy
loss and are built ready for solar panels to allow customers to go
off-grid and still power up when the grid goes down in a storm.<br>
The company has seen a rise in interest in the past month, from the
Virgin Islands and the Florida Keys in particular, company President
Steve Linton said. "It's an insane jump," he said.<br>
Nearly a decade ago, net-zero-energy homes were rare, usually
custom-built for wealthy homeowners who wanted to incorporate energy
efficient appliances and rooftop solar panels. Now, that's starting
to shift: within the last year, the zero-energy home market has
grown 33 percent, said Shilpa Sankaran, executive director of the
Net-Zero Energy Coalition.<br>
"That's a tiny fraction of new home construction, but in terms of
growth, we're seeing the kind of numbers solar saw in its early days
in 2011 and 2012," she said.<br>
For that market to really take off, net-zero homes have to become
cheaper- particularly in low-income communities, which are
disproportionately affected by extreme weather. That's a challenge
companies like Deltec are trying to meet by designing modular,
prefabricated, net-zero homes that reduce energy usage, cut costs
and can withstand extreme weather and power outages.<br>
"Nobody wants to see a repeat of damage that's been done [by
Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria], and scientists said certainly it
was worse because of climate change," Sankaran said. "If that's the
case, not only do we need buildings that won't exacerbate the
problem, but also ones that last longer."...<br>
<font size="-1"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/02102017/hurricane-rebuilding-net-zero-energy-solar-construction-florida-keys-virgin-islands">https://insideclimatenews.org/news/02102017/hurricane-rebuilding-net-zero-energy-solar-construction-florida-keys-virgin-islands</a></font><br>
<br>
<br>
<b><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/twins-of-the-apocalypse-what-hiroshima-and-the-climate-threat-have-in-common-excerpt/">Twins
of the Apocalypse: What Hiroshima and the Climate Threat Have in
Common [Excerpt]</a></b><br>
The psychiatrist who chronicled the effects of nuclear war,
terrorism and genocide explores the psychological impact of a
warming planet<br>
By Robert Jay Lifton on October 6, 2017<br>
From my interviews in Hiroshima I learned of rumors that circulated
immediately after the atomic bomb struck, rumors that revealed
survivors' anxious sense of the vulnerability of their habitat. The
most persistent of these rumors, and for many the most disturbing,
was that trees, grass, and flowers would never again grow in
Hiroshima. <br>
There was also the sense among survivors that the bomb had so
altered the natural world that the Americans were capable of further
altering it in any imaginable way. <br>
"The state may collapse, but the mountains and rivers remain."...We
learned that, whatever our destructive power, mountains and rivers
may indeed remain.<br>
What may not remain, however, are precisely the elements of nature
necessary to human life: an atmosphere surrounding the earth that is
not overheated, and oceans that are not rendered acidic and
dangerous to the land around them. In other words, it is precisely
the human habitat, and that of other plant and animal species- just
a small part of nature - that is threatened. <br>
...realm of bioethics, gave powerful expression to what I have come
to call an animating relation to guilt. What I mean by that is the
converting of self-condemnation into the anxiety of responsibility.
That in turn can result in considerable achievement.<br>
Rather than a theoretical projection of a possible future, I came to
see global warming as a source of ever-increasing human suffering.<br>
<font size="-1"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/twins-of-the-apocalypse-what-hiroshima-and-the-climate-threat-have-in-common-excerpt/">https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/twins-of-the-apocalypse-what-hiroshima-and-the-climate-threat-have-in-common-excerpt/</a></font><br>
<br>
<br>
<b><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYwSGiowEzs">(humor
archive video) 11/15/14 Climate Change Lewis Black - San
Antonio</a></b><br>
Lew takes a couple of questions from the San Antonio audience about
climate change.<br>
<font size="-1"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYwSGiowEzs">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYwSGiowEzs</a></font><br>
<br>
<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/74250-1"> </a><font
size="+1"><b><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/74250-1">This Day in
Climate History October 9, 1996 </a> - from D.R. Tucker</b></font><br>
October 9, 1996: Vice President Al Gore and former Representative
Jack<br>
Kemp discuss the environment in the Vice Presidential debate, with<br>
Kemp bizarrely accusing Gore of promoting "fear of the climate" and<br>
embracing an "anti-capitalistic mentality," while Gore defends the<br>
Clinton administration's first-term environmental accomplishments.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/74250-1">http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/74250-1</a>
(60:13--70:50)<br>
<br>
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