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<i><font size="+1"><b>June 24, 2020</b></font></i><br>
<br>
[Direct from Africa]<br>
<b>Saharan dust storm expected to cause dangerous air pollution in
U.S. this week</b><br>
But the plume reduces the short-term likelihood of hurricanes
forming in the Atlantic.By Jeff Masters, Ph.D. | Monday, June 22,
2020<br>
A massive dust storm formed over the Sahara Desert last week and
invaded the Caribbean over the June 20-21 weekend, bringing
dangerous levels of air pollution and low visibility to the islands.<br>
<br>
The dust is accompanied by a large amount of dry air from the
Saharan Air Layer, putting a damper on any hurricanes that attempt
to form. None of the reliable computer models are predicting
Atlantic tropical cyclone formation for the remainder of June,
largely because of the dry air that is accompanying the dust. The
dust is also acting to decrease the amount of sunlight hitting the
surface, cooling the ocean and further discouraging hurricane
activity.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/06/saharan-dust-storm-expected-to-cause-dangerous-air-pollution-in-u-s-this-week/">https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/06/saharan-dust-storm-expected-to-cause-dangerous-air-pollution-in-u-s-this-week/</a><br>
<p>- - -<br>
</p>
[African Hail]<br>
<b>The destructive power of extreme hail</b><br>
In central Kenya, hail the size of boulders can devastate a farm in
a matter of minutes. How do you rebuild a life after such a
destructive hailstorm?...<br>
- - <br>
While extreme weather events are by their nature unpredictable, what
does look certain is that farmers like Nderu, Wangugu and Muniu are
likely to see more of them as the climate crisis progresses. That
certainty makes it look like an economic safety net is set to become
an ever more crucial part of life in rural Kenya.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200622-climate-change-overcoming-extreme-hail-in-kenya">https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200622-climate-change-overcoming-extreme-hail-in-kenya</a><br>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
[Opinion]<br>
Your Climate Disaster Tax Bill Is Growing<br>
<b>The federal government's spending on calamities related to global
warming is a rapidly rising fiscal threat.</b><br>
By Paul Bodnar and Tamara Grbusic<br>
- - <br>
Even before the coronavirus pandemic struck, the federal
government's spending on climate-related disaster recovery was a
rapidly rising fiscal threat. In response to climate-related
disasters in 2017, for example, Congress appropriated $136 billion
in additional funding for recovery -- amounting to about $1,000 for
every American taxpayer.<br>
<br>
The government faces wide exposure, including repairing damage to
federal property and lands, federal insurance for property and
crops, the cost of making public infrastructure resilient to climate
impacts, and disaster aid (including relocation of entire
populations in harm's way of persistent climate repercussions like
sea level rise).<br>
<br>
Fourteen billion-dollar weather and climate calamities struck last
year, the fifth year in a row with 10 or more. And projections don't
look good...<br>
- - <br>
"The number and cost of disasters are increasing over time due to a
combination of increased exposure, vulnerability, and the fact that
climate change is increasing the frequency of some types of extremes
that lead to billion-dollar disasters."<br>
<br>
Overall, according to the government's national climate assessment
in 2018, continued warming "is expected to cause substantial net
damage to the U.S. economy throughout this century, especially in
the absence of increased adaptation efforts."<br>
<br>
BlackRock, the global investment management firm, calculates a 275
percent increase in major hurricane risk by 2050 under a "no climate
action" scenario that assumes the continued use of fossil fuels. In
California, devastating wildfires forced the utility PG&E to
declare bankruptcy last year when its insurance policy of $1.4
billion paled in comparison with damages of $30 billion...<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/opinion/climate-change-financial-disaster.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/opinion/climate-change-financial-disaster.html</a><br>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
[Propaganda war on facebook battleground]<br>
<b>How CO2 boosters' op-ed slipped by Facebook fact-checkers</b><br>
Scott Waldman, E&E News reporter<br>
Published: Tuesday, June 23, 2020<br>
A team of climate scientists working as approved fact checkers for
Facebook evaluated a post last year by a White House-connected group
that claims the world needs to burn more fossil fuels.<br>
<br>
The researchers found that the post by the CO2 Coalition was based
on cherry-picked information to mislead readers into thinking
climate science models are wrong about global warming. The post,
which was published originally in the conservative Washington
Examiner, was an opinion piece that had been marked as false, in
accordance with Facebook's standards. The coalition, which is funded
by groups that oppose regulations on fossil fuels, was prevented
from advertising on the site.<br>
<br>
It didn't last long.<br>
<br>
A "conservative" Facebook employee quietly intervened, overturning
the fact check, and the misinformation was no longer labeled as
false, according to the CO2 Coalition. The post was free to be
shared, and a new loophole was created for the coalition and other
groups that attack mainstream climate science.<br>
<br>
After the quiet decision by Facebook, the coalition says it and
other groups that attack consensus climate science can share content
that climate scientists have labeled as misleading because Facebook
will consider it "opinion" and therefore immune to fact-checking.<br>
<br>
The CO2 Coalition is increasingly focused on using Facebook to reach
more people with its message that climate change fears are overblown
and that burning more fossil fuels would help humanity, Executive
Director Caleb Rossiter told E&E News this week. He sees the
battle over its climate-related posts as part of a larger proxy war
over how to reach an audience outside of conservative media.<br>
<br>
"It's a huge reach. You can reach so many people both with your
posts and your advertisements," Rossiter said. "We're kind of like
Donald Trump. We're not happy with the treatment we're getting from
the mainstream media, we resort to social media. That's where our
action is in larger part."<br>
<br>
Rossiter said the coalition was also temporarily blocked from
running ads after the fact-check. After the "false" label was
removed from its climate models piece, the coalition is now again
allowed to buy ads. It has run a number of ads with messages that
distort climate change and make inflammatory statements such as "we
are saving the people of the planet from the people who claim they
are saving the planet." Those ads have received more than 50,000
impressions, Facebook data shows.<br>
<br>
The coalition wouldn't identify the Facebook staffer who removed the
false label from its op-ed.<br>
<br>
Because media outlets rarely seek comment on climate science from
groups that reject consensus research, Rossiter said, Facebook is
how the coalition can get its message to a larger audience.<br>
<br>
Last month, climate scientists again labeled a coalition video as
false, and anyone sharing it will receive a warning that it contains
"false information." In that video, Pat Michaels, a climate
scientist who has spent decades in Washington fighting against
carbon regulations, says in an appearance on Fox News that "climate
models are making systematic dramatic errors."<br>
<br>
Michaels told E&E News that he wants to use Facebook as a
platform to reach beyond conservative audiences, to win over more
people to his message that climate change is not a significant
problem.<br>
<br>
"Facebook allows reach to a really broad and diverse audience," he
said. "I view it as a platform that just doesn't have me preaching
to the converted."<br>
<br>
Washington clout<br>
The CO2 Coalition already has significant reach in Washington and
has spent the last year conducting outreach to members of Congress,
providing them talking points to challenge climate science.<br>
<br>
One of its founders, William Happer, served on the National Security
Council at the White House and unsuccessfully tried to conduct an
adversarial review of climate science. Another of its members, Mandy
Gunasekara, is chief of staff at EPA.<br>
<br>
The group is largely funded by conservative foundations that oppose
regulations. It has also received funding from the Mercer family,
who were top Trump donors in 2016.<br>
<br>
Scientists have long known that rising carbon dioxide levels are
causing the Earth's temperature to rise at an unprecedented rate,
which has already begun to alter life on the planet. Peer-reviewed
research has shown that climate models have largely been accurate.
Groups that attack climate science have long pushed the false notion
that there is a debate among climate scientists on the extent of
humanity's contribution to global warming.<br>
<br>
Facebook didn't respond to a request for comment, but company
officials have told The Wall Street Journal that it would not
fact-check opinion or satire pieces. Facebook has come under
significant scrutiny for its refusal to check the accuracy of
political ads.<br>
<br>
Scientists affiliated with the Climate Feedback group, a nonpartisan
organization, evaluated Facebook posts by the CO2 Coalition and
found that they are misleading and that the group "cherry-picks
evidence" to create a false narrative that climate models are
inaccurate. Climate Feedback is one of Facebook's approved
fact-checking partners.<br>
<br>
The group rated the CO2 Coalition's piece attacking climate models,
which are the foundation used to craft many carbon regulations, and
found it was "highly misleading, including a number of false factual
assertions, cherry-picking datasets that support their point,
failing to account for uncertainties in those datasets, and failing
to assess the performance of climate models in an objective and
rigorous manner."<br>
<br>
Facebook has made it easier to mislead the public because it boosts
inaccurate climate claims to an audience only interested in partisan
narratives and unwilling to examine the actual science, said Andrew
Dessler, a climate scientist at Texas A&M University and a
member of the team that fact-checked the original CO2 Coalition
post. He said Facebook, as well as other social media companies,
allows people to "live in these bubbles where they only hear the
info that they want to."<br>
<br>
"It's a powerful way to misinform people, since these groups can't
win in the actual scientific arena, so they only can win in these
media environments where they can pay to promote stuff," Dessler
said. "It allows people to live in a bubble where you don't ever
have to confront ideas that you don't want to deal with."<br>
<br>
Twitter: @scottpwaldmanEmail: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
href="mailto:swaldman@eenews.net">swaldman@eenews.net</a><br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.eenews.net/stories/1063436369">https://www.eenews.net/stories/1063436369</a><br>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
[Cryosphere = land of ice - be sure to see the pictures.]<br>
<b>Global Cryosphere Watch</b><br>
The World Meteorological Organization's Global Cryosphere Watch
(GCW)1 is an international mechanism for supporting all key
cryospheric in-situ and remote sensing observations. To meet the
needs of WMO Members and partners in delivering services to users,
the media, public, decision and policy makers, GCW provides
authoritative, clear, and useable data, information, and analyses on
the past, current and future state of the cryosphere. GCW includes
observation, monitoring, assessment, product development,
prediction, and research<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://globalcryospherewatch.org/">http://globalcryospherewatch.org/</a><br>
<p>- - - <br>
</p>
[Missing ice]<br>
JUNE 22, 2020<br>
<b>Research sheds new light on the role of sea ice in controlling
atmospheric carbon levels</b><br>
by University of Exeter<br>
A new study has highlighted the crucial role that sea ice across the
Southern Ocean played in controlling atmospheric carbon dioxide
levels during times of past climate change, and could provide a
critical resource for developing future climate change models.<br>
<br>
For the study an international team of researchers, led by Keele
University and including experts from the University of Exeter,
demonstrated that seasonal growth and destruction of sea ice in a
warming world enhances the amount of marine life present in the sea
around Antarctica, which draws down carbon from the atmosphere and
stores it in the deep ocean.<br>
<br>
Having captured half of all human-related carbon that has entered
the ocean to date, the Southern Ocean around Antarctica is crucial
for regulating carbon dioxide levels resulting from human activity,
so understanding the processes that determine its effectiveness as a
carbon sink through time are crucial to reducing uncertainty in
future climate change models.<br>
<br>
To understand this process further, the researchers studied data
relating to one period where atmospheric CO2 levels changed rapidly.<br>
<br>
This occurred after the Last Ice Age, around 18,000 years ago, when
the world transitioned naturally into the warm interglacial world we
live in today.<br>
<br>
During this period, CO2 rose rapidly from around 190 parts per
million (ppm) to 280 ppm over around 7,000 years, but one period in
particular stands out; a 1,900 year period where CO2 levels
plateaued at a nearly constant level of 240 ppm.<br>
<br>
The cause of this plateau, which occurred around 14,600 years ago,
is unknown, but understanding what happened during this period could
be crucial for improving climate change projections.<br>
<br>
Professor John Love, from Exeter's Biosciences department and
co-author of the study said: "My research group and I are very
excited about being part of this important investigation. We
developed new techniques in cell biology to find, collect and
analyze the rare and very tiny particles and cells that had been
frozen in the ice for millennia.<br>
<br>
"Like flies in amber, these minute fragments give us a unique window
into past events, enabling our colleagues in the Earth, Atmosphere
and Ocean sciences to develop a better understanding of climate
change then, and now."<br>
Lead author Professor Chris Fogwill, Director of Keele University's
Institute for Sustainable Futures said: "The cause of this long
plateau in global atmospheric CO2 levels may be fundamental to
understanding the potential of the Southern Ocean to moderate
atmospheric CO2."<br>
<br>
To resolve this question, researchers traveled to the Patriot Hills
Blue Ice Area of Antarctica to develop new records of evidence of
marine life that are captured in ice cores, with support from
Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions (ALE).<br>
<br>
Blue ice areas are the perfect laboratory for Antarctic scientists
due to their unique topography. Created by fierce, high-density
katabatic winds, the top layer of snow is effectively eroded,
exposing the ice below. As a result, ice flows up to the surface,
providing access to ancient ice below.<br>
<br>
Professor Chris Turney, a visiting Fellow at Keele's Institute for
Liberal Arts and Sciences from UNSW Sydney said: "Instead of
drilling kilometers into the ice, we can simply walk across a blue
ice area and travel back through time.<br>
<br>
"This provides the opportunity to sample large amounts of ice for
studying past environmental changes in detail. Organic biomarkers
and DNA from the Southern Ocean are blown onto Antarctica and
preserved in the ice, providing a unique record in a region where we
have few scientific observations."<br>
<br>
Using this approach the team discovered that there was a marked
increase in the number and diversity of marine organisms present
across the 1,900 year period when the CO2 plateaued, an observation
which had never been recorded before.<br>
<br>
This provides the first recorded evidence of increased biological
productivity and suggests that processes in the high latitude
Southern Ocean may have caused the CO2 plateau. However, the driver
of this marked change remained unknown, and the researchers used
climate modeling to better understand the changes in the Southern
Ocean to understand the potential cause.<br>
<br>
This modeling revealed that the plateau period coincided with the
greatest seasonal changes in sea ice during a pronounced cold phase
across the Southern Ocean known as the Antarctic Cold Reversal.
During this period, sea ice grew extensively across the Southern
Ocean, but as the world was warming rapidly, each year the sea ice
would be rapidly destroyed during the summer.<br>
<br>
The researchers will now use these findings to underpin the
development of future climate change models. The inclusion of sea
ice processes that control climate-carbon feedbacks in a new
generation of models will be crucial for reducing uncertainties
surrounding climate projections and will help society adapt to
future warming.<br>
<br>
The study is published in Nature Geoscience.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://phys.org/news/2020-06-role-sea-ice-atmospheric-carbon.html">https://phys.org/news/2020-06-role-sea-ice-atmospheric-carbon.html</a><br>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
[JAMA = Journal of the American Medical Association]<br>
June 18, 2020<br>
<b>Association of Air Pollution and Heat Exposure With Preterm
Birth, Low Birth Weight, and Stillbirth in the US</b><br>
A Systematic Review<br>
<b>Key Points</b><br>
Question Are increases in air pollutant or heat exposure related to
climate change associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as
preterm birth, low birth weight, and stillbirth, in the US?<br>
<br>
Findings In this systematic review of 57 of 68 studies including a
total of 32 798 152 births, there was a statistically significant
association between heat, ozone, or fine particulate matter and
adverse pregnancy outcomes. Heterogeneous studies from across the US
revealed positive findings in each analysis of exposure and outcome.<br>
<br>
Meaning The findings suggest that exacerbation of air pollution and
heat exposure related to climate change may be significantly
associated with risk to pregnancy outcomes in the US.<br>
<br>
<b>Abstract</b><br>
Importance Knowledge of whether serious adverse pregnancy outcomes
are associated with increasingly widespread effects of climate
change in the US would be crucial for the obstetrical medical
community and for women and families across the country.<br>
<br>
Objective To investigate prenatal exposure to fine particulate
matter (PM2.5), ozone, and heat, and the association of these
factors with preterm birth, low birth weight, and stillbirth.<br>
<br>
Evidence Review This systematic review involved a comprehensive
search for primary literature in Cochrane Library, Cochrane
Collaboration Registry of Controlled Trials, PubMed,
ClinicalTrials.gov website, and MEDLINE. Qualifying primary research
studies included human participants in US populations that were
published in English between January 1, 2007, and April 30, 2019.
Included articles analyzed the associations between air pollutants
or heat and obstetrical outcomes. Comparative observational cohort
studies and cross-sectional studies with comparators were included,
without minimum sample size. Additional articles found through
reference review were also considered. Articles analyzing other
obstetrical outcomes, non-US populations, and reviews were excluded.
Two reviewers independently determined study eligibility. The Arskey
and O'Malley scoping review framework was used. Data extraction was
performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic
Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) reporting guideline.<br>
<br>
Findings Of the 1851 articles identified, 68 met the inclusion
criteria. Overall, 32 798 152 births were analyzed, with a mean (SD)
of 565 485 (783 278) births per study. A total of 57 studies (48 of
58 [84%] on air pollutants; 9 of 10 [90%] on heat) showed a
significant association of air pollutant and heat exposure with
birth outcomes. Positive associations were found across all US
geographic regions. Exposure to PM2.5 or ozone was associated with
increased risk of preterm birth in 19 of 24 studies (79%) and low
birth weight in 25 of 29 studies (86%). The subpopulations at
highest risk were persons with asthma and minority groups,
especially black mothers. Accurate comparisons of risk were limited
by differences in study design, exposure measurement, population
demographics, and seasonality.<br>
<br>
Conclusions and Relevance This review suggests that increasingly
common environmental exposures exacerbated by climate change are
significantly associated with serious adverse pregnancy outcomes
across the US...<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2767260">https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2767260</a><br>
<br>
<br>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>[Fundraiser Clean Energy for Biden]<br>
<b>Washington State Clean Energy for Biden Fundraiser</b><br>
You are invited to join us in helping elect Joe Biden for
President<br>
Featuring a "fireside chat" with Maggie Thomas, a former climate
advisor to the<br>
presidential campaigns of Governor Jay Inslee and Senator
Elizabeth Warren.<br>
Gregg Small, Executive Director of Climate Solutions is the
moderator.<br>
Thursday, June 25th 5:00-6:00 PM PST<br>
Virtual platform with opportunity for participant questions<br>
To register for the event, go to <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.givegreen.com/BBIDENEVT2006V">https://www.givegreen.com/BBIDENEVT2006V</a><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<br>
[UK initiative Net Zero]<br>
<b>Net Zero Home School Day 1: Understanding Net Zero</b><br>
Streamed live on Jun 22, 2020<br>
Oxford Climate Society<br>
<br>
This is the first event of the University of Oxford's Net-Zero Home
School in partnership with The Guardian, Oxford Climate Society, the
Oxford Climate Research Network, Net Zero.org and Climateworks
Foundation. <br>
<br>
This series consists of five webinars on climate science and policy
for Generation Net Zero, to mark the first anniversary of the
passage of the UK’s Net Zero Emissions law. All events are hosted by
Fiona Harvey, Environment correspondent, The Guardian. Running
Monday 22nd to Friday 26th June daily from 5:00 - 6:30pm.<br>
<br>
On June 27th, 2019, the UK became the first major economy to pass
laws to end its contribution to global warming by 2050. Achieving
Net Zero will be one of the defining challenges of our time. This
webinar series, delivered by world leading climate experts, aims to
empower Generation Net Zero with a deeper understanding of what Net
Zero means, and what it will take to achieve it, both for the UK and
the world.<br>
<br>
Day 1: Understanding Net Zero features two climate experts Farhana
Yamin and David Frame.<br>
David Frame, Victoria University Wellington & Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change: "The Science of Net Zero: what it will take
to end our contributions to global warming?"<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m26Lrw88Atc">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m26Lrw88Atc</a><br>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
[Digging back into the internet news archive]<br>
<font size="+1"><b>On this day in the history of global warming -
June 24, </b></font><br>
June 24, 2004: NYTimes.com reports: <br>
<blockquote> "The Supreme Court handed a major political victory to
the Bush administration today, ruling 7 to 2 that Vice President
Dick Cheney is not obligated, at least for now, to release secret
details of his energy task force.<br>
<br>
"The majority of the justices agreed with the administration's
arguments that private deliberations among a president, vice
president and their close advisers are indeed entitled to special
treatment -- arising from the constitutional principle known as
executive privilege -- although they said the administration must
still prove the specifics of its case in the lower courts.<br>
<br>
"'A president's communications and activities encompass a vastly
wider range of sensitive material than would be true of any
ordinary individual,' the court said in a summary of the majority
opinion written by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy.<br>
<br>
"By sending the case back to the lower federal courts, the
majority removed a significant political headache for President
Bush and Vice President Cheney. As a practical matter, the outcome
today means that the final resolution will not come until well
after the November elections."<br>
</blockquote>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/24/politics/24CND-CHEN.html">http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/24/politics/24CND-CHEN.html</a>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.fas.org/sgp/jud/cheney062404.pdf">https://www.fas.org/sgp/jud/cheney062404.pdf</a>
<br>
<br>
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