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<i><font size="+1"><b>July 1, 2020</b></font></i><br>
<br>
[547 pages of big aspiration]<br>
<b>Democrats unveil sweeping plan to tackle climate change</b><br>
The new document offers policy recommendations in nearly every
sector of the economy.<br>
video -
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/30/democrats-unveil-sweeping-plan-to-tackle-climate-change-345503">https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/30/democrats-unveil-sweeping-plan-to-tackle-climate-change-345503</a><br>
By ANTHONY ADRAGNA - 06/30/2020 <br>
House Democrats released a sprawling and aggressive climate change
plan on Tuesday aimed at curbing U.S. greenhouse gases and
protecting vulnerable communities -- setting up a clash with
Republicans and the Trump administration on the issue ahead of the
fall election.<br>
<br>
The 547-page report, the most ambitious Democratic climate plan to
date, calls for setting a price on carbon dioxide pollution,
eliminating pollution from cars by 2035 and from power plants by
2040 and achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. It
also aims to make environmental justice a focus and says
marginalized communities that often suffer the worst effects of
climate change and pollution must get "the tangible benefits" of
climate action.<br>
<br>
In unveiling the plan, Democrats sought to spotlight the contrast
between their efforts to reduce the pollution driving up the
planet's temperatures, raising sea levels and fueling devastating
weather and President Donald Trump's rejection of climate change
science that has led the administration to roll back even modest
measures to address the issue.<br>
<br>
"It will be a fight as long as it needs to be," Speaker Nancy Pelosi
said Tuesday. "We will turn this report into law, saving the planet.
Democrats know that the climate crisis is the essential crisis of
our time."<br>
<br>
The document produced by the House's Select Committee on the Climate
Crisis contains no input from Republicans, who have consistently
derided any climate change policies such as the Green New Deal, a
reference to the plan led last year by progressives Rep. Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) that called for
overhauling the U.S. economy to combat climate change...<br>
- -<br>
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden welcomed the
House Democrats' work in a statement Tuesday.<br>
<br>
"Vice President Biden applauds Speaker Pelosi, Congresswoman Castor,
and House Democrats for continuing to make tackling climate change a
top priority for our country," a spokesperson for the Biden campaign
said. "As president, he will work with Congress to implement a bold
agenda that addresses the climate emergency, achieves environmental
justice, and creates good-paying jobs that provide a chance to join
a union."<br>
<br>
The plan also won praise from the Sunrise Movement, a
climate-focused youth activist group that helped lead the push for
the Green New Deal, though Lauren Maunus, the group's legislative
manager, said it could have been stronger.<br>
<br>
"That's a real sign that young people are changing politics in this
country and the establishment is scrambling to catch up," Maunus
said in a statement. "This plan is more ambitious than anything we
have seen from Democratic leadership so far, but it still needs to
go further to match the full scale of the crisis."<br>
<p>At an event to unveil the plan, Democrats touted an analysis
conducted by independent energy consultant Energy Innovation that
predicted if enacted, its measures would prevent 62,000 premature
deaths annually by 2050 while offering almost $8 trillion in
cumulative health and climate benefits.</p>
"We are releasing a transformative road map for solving the climate
crisis," said Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), chair of the committee.
"We have a plan for building the 100 percent clean energy economy.
And we are going to do it in an equitable and inclusive way."<br>
<br>
Republicans on the Climate Crisis Committee, led by ranking member
Rep. Garret Graves (La.), released a statement saying they were
"disappointed" Democrats did not let them help design the plan, but
said they would seek to help craft measures as Congress considers
further relief from the Covid-19 pandemic.<br>
<br>
"Bipartisan recommendations to increase the resilience of our
communities and address global emissions -- while strengthening the
American economy and getting families back to work -- are worth
pursuing," the GOP lawmakers said in their joint statement. "We
expect this effort to continue in the committee."<br>
<p>The new document offers policy recommendations in nearly every
sector of the economy. It calls for Congress to set a Clean Energy
Standard to hit net-zero emissions in the electricity sector
within two decades and while also mandating all cars be
zero-emission by 2035 and heavy-duty trucks be 100 percent
zero-emission by 2040. [I often saw the summary phrase of "no
later than 2050"]</p>
It envisions slashing methane emissions from pipelines 90 percent by
2030 compared to 2012 levels, doubling funding for public
transportation, and making massive investments in energy efficiency
programs. The road map calls for an economy-wide price on carbon as
"only one tool to complement a suite of policies to achieve deep
pollution reductions and strengthen community resilience to climate
impacts," noting quickly pricing carbon is not a "silver bullet."...<br>
- - <br>
Echoing legislation, from House Natural Resources Chair Raul
Grijalva (D-Ariz.), the road map calls for a reaching net-zero
emissions from the nation's public lands and waters by 2040,
including a one-year moratorium on new oil, gas and coal leases on
public lands that would be accompanied with "robust" funds to help
transition fossil fuel communities toward other economic
opportunities. It also envisions a ban on all new offshore drilling
"in any region of the Outer Continental Shelf."<br>
<p>"Addressing climate change can't be done with just one bill
because the problem is caused by so many connected policy
failures," Grijalva said in a statement. "The public rightly
demands that Congress stop paying lip service to climate policy
and start saving lives by making fundamental reforms."</p>
Environmental justice provisions are central to its lengthy list of
recommendations, including a major bill from Grijalva and Rep.
Donald McEachin (D-Va.). The road map notes the murder of George
Floyd on its first page and calls the protests in response
"reminders of the consequences of past inaction."...<br>
- -<br>
"The House Select Committee's plan represents a major shift in
Congressional leaders' approach to climate policy, towards a more
urgent plan built on clean energy standards, investment and
environmental justice," Evergreen Action said in a statement. "The
House Select Committee plan provides a proven formula for Congress
to lead on climate policy that matches the scale and urgency of the
crisis."...<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/30/democrats-unveil-sweeping-plan-to-tackle-climate-change-345503">https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/30/democrats-unveil-sweeping-plan-to-tackle-climate-change-345503</a><br>
- -<br>
[see the source material]<br>
<b>Solving the Climate Crisis: The Congressional Action Plan for a
Clean Energy Economy and a Healthy and Just America</b> calls on
Congress to build a clean energy economy that values workers,
centers environmental justice, and is prepared to meet the
challenges of the climate crisis.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://climatecrisis.house.gov/report">https://climatecrisis.house.gov/report</a><br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://climatecrisis.house.gov/sites/climatecrisis.house.gov/files/SCCC%20summary.pdf">https://climatecrisis.house.gov/sites/climatecrisis.house.gov/files/SCCC%20summary.pdf</a><br>
full report
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://climatecrisis.house.gov/sites/climatecrisis.house.gov/files/Climate%20Crisis%20Action%20Plan.pdf">https://climatecrisis.house.gov/sites/climatecrisis.house.gov/files/Climate%20Crisis%20Action%20Plan.pdf</a><br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">- -- - -<br>
</div>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">[Mother Jones says]</div>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix"><b>The Democrats Have a New Climate
Plan that Doesn't Entirely Depend on Capitalism</b><br>
Fixing our failing infrastructure? Check. Racial justice? Check.<br>
</div>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2020/06/the-democrats-have-a-new-climate-plan-that-doesnt-entirely-depend-on-capitalism/">https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2020/06/the-democrats-have-a-new-climate-plan-that-doesnt-entirely-depend-on-capitalism/</a><br>
</div>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">- - - -<br>
</div>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">[WAPO says analysis-opinion]<br>
</div>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix"><b>The Energy 202: House Democrats'
sweeping climate plan comes with political risks</b><br>
</div>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">The climate package is sure to face
political challenges. <br>
It has virtually no chance of becoming law during the current
Congress, but House Democrats want to put down a marker.</div>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">- - <br>
</div>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">"Democrats are doubling down with a
huge jobs-focused clean energy infrastructure and tax package,
trying to draw a sharp contrast with a Republican Senate reluctant
to pass true economic stimulus despite high unemployment numbers,"
said Paul Bledsoe, a former Senate Finance Committee staff member
now with the Progressive Policy Institute. "Assuming no bipartisan
deal is reached this summer, it sets up a showdown over
contrasting economic visions for November."...</div>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">- - <br>
</div>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">The climate plan still leaves room for
nuclear energy -- a contentious issue among Democrats. <br>
The committee's plan allows for nuclear power to count toward a
utility's clean energy requirements.<br>
<br>
Long unpopular on the left because of the risk of meltdowns and
other accidents, nuclear power still produces half of the
carbon-free electricity in the country. The growing threat of
climate change had led to soul-searching among environmentalists
more recently over the issue...</div>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-energy-202/2020/06/30/the-energy-202-house-democrats-sweeping-climate-plan-comes-with-political-risks/5ef9f526602ff1080719148b/">https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-energy-202/2020/06/30/the-energy-202-house-democrats-sweeping-climate-plan-comes-with-political-risks/5ef9f526602ff1080719148b/</a><br>
</div>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix"><br>
</div>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>[James Hansen's book, latest chapters]<br>
<b>Sophie's Planet #14: Chapters 21&22 (Congress and
Elephants)</b><br>
30 June 2020<br>
James Hansen<br>
Testimony to Congress may be a pinnacle for communication with
lawmakers and the public, but Congress is hardly a citadel of
wisdom. A witness has a hard time competing with preconceived
opinions affected by political and special interest
considerations.<br>
<br>
That is why the public itself must understand the climate
situation. When a Congressperson says that we have six years,
seven months and three days (or some such number) to solve the
climate matter, it is time to keep a very tight grip on your
wallet.<br>
<br>
We need to flatten and bend the curves, a task that is limited by
nature, with nature's important time scales being mainly decades
and centuries. Those time lags have been our bete noire (just as
the 1-3 week lag has been for dealing with Covid-19), but if we
understand the lags well, we can make effective use of them to
avoid disastrous outcomes.<br>
<br>
Sorry that I am slow in finishing this book, but I will finish it
this year - it is important to be careful with fact checking.
Here, for that purpose, are Chapters 21 & 22.<br>
<br>
Side comment: those people favoring a specific carbon-free energy
who focus on criticizing other carbon-free energies are enemies of
young people and nature. I try to help young people understand
the situation in coming chapters.<br>
<br>
I opened a Twitter account @DrJamesEHansen,
(<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://twitter.com/drjamesehansen">https://twitter.com/drjamesehansen</a>), but I am focusing mainly on
finishing the book. <br>
<a
href="https://mailchi.mp/caa/sophies-planet-14-chapters-2122-congress-and-elephants?e=c4e20a3850">https://mailchi.mp/caa/sophies-planet-14-chapters-2122-congress-and-elephants?e=c4e20a3850</a><br>
- - -<br>
[Hansen's University group]<br>
<b>Climate Science, Awareness and Solutions</b><br>
Connecting dots from advancing basic climate science to promoting
public awareness to advocating policy actions<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://csas.earth.columbia.edu/">https://csas.earth.columbia.edu/</a>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">[Serious Arctic]<br>
</div>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix"><b>100 degrees in Siberia? 5 ways the
extreme Arctic heat wave follows a disturbing pattern</b><br>
</div>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">June 26, 2020<br>
</div>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">graph -
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://twitter.com/ZLabe/status/1274751368985624576/photo/1">https://twitter.com/ZLabe/status/1274751368985624576/photo/1</a><br>
</div>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix"><br>
</div>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">The Arctic heat wave that sent Siberian
temperatures soaring to around 100 degrees Fahrenheit on the first
day of summer put an exclamation point on an astonishing
transformation of the Arctic environment that's been underway for
about 30 years.<br>
<br>
As long ago as the 1890s, scientists predicted that increasing
levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would lead to a warming
planet, particularly in the Arctic, where the loss of reflective
snow and sea ice would further warm the region. Climate models
have consistently pointed to "Arctic amplification" emerging as
greenhouse gas concentrations increase.<br>
<br>
Well, Arctic amplification is now here in a big way. The Arctic is
warming at roughly twice the rate of the globe as a whole. When
extreme heat waves like this one strike, it stands out to
everyone. Scientists are generally reluctant to say "We told you
so," but the record shows that we did.<br>
<br>
As director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center and an Arctic
climate scientist who first set foot in the far North in 1982,
I've had a front-row seat to watch the transformation.<br>
<br>
<b>Arctic heat waves are happening more often - and getting stuck</b><br>
Arctic heat waves now arrive on top of an already warmer planet,
so they're more frequent than they used to be.<br>
<br>
Western Siberia recorded its hottest spring on record this year,
according the EU's Copernicus Earth Observation Program, and that
unusual heat isn't expected to end soon. The Arctic Climate Forum
has forecast above-average temperatures across the majority of the
Arctic through at least August.<br>
<br>
Arctic temperatures have been rising faster than the global
average. This map shows the average change in degrees Celsius from
1960 to 2019. NASA-GISS<br>
Why is this heat wave sticking around? No one has a full answer
yet, but we can look at the weather patterns around it.<br>
<br>
As a rule, heat waves are related to unusual jet stream patterns,
and the Siberian heat wave is no different. A persistent northward
swing of the jet stream has placed the area under what
meteorologists call a "ridge." When the jet stream swings
northward like this, it allows warmer air into the region, raising
the surface temperature.<br>
<br>
Some scientists expect rising global temperatures to influence the
jet stream. The jet stream is driven by temperature contrasts. As
the Arctic warms more quickly, these contrasts shrink, and the jet
stream can slow.<br>
<br>
Is that what we're seeing right now? We don't yet know.<br>
<br>
<b>Swiss cheese sea ice and feedback loops</b><br>
We do know that we're seeing significant effects from this heat
wave, particularly in the early loss of sea ice.<br>
<br>
The ice along the shores of Siberia has the appearance of Swiss
cheese right now in satellite images, with big areas of open water
that would normally still be covered. The sea ice extent in the
Laptev Sea, north of Russia, is the lowest recorded for this time
of year since satellite observations began.<br>
<br>
The loss of sea ice also affects the temperature, creating a
feedback loop. Earth's ice and snow cover reflect the Sun's
incoming energy, helping to keep the region cool. When that
reflective cover is gone, the dark ocean and land absorb the heat,
further raising the surface temperature.<br>
<br>
Sea surface temperatures are already unusually high along parts of
the Siberian Coast, and the warm ocean waters will lead to more
melting.<br>
<br>
@ZLabe<br>
In association with the record warmth
(<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://twitter.com/ZLabe/status/1274400286279233536">https://twitter.com/ZLabe/status/1274400286279233536</a> …), #Arctic
sea ice extent along the Siberian coastline is currently a record
low for the date.<br>
<br>
So it goes - anomalous (even record-breaking:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://twitter.com/WorldClimateSvc/status/1274324717650968579">https://twitter.com/WorldClimateSvc/status/1274324717650968579</a> …)
warmth continues in parts of Siberia (shifted a bit to the
east)... <br>
<br>
[Map from <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.karstenhaustein.com/climate">http://www.karstenhaustein.com/climate</a> ]<br>
<br>
<b>The risks of thawing permafrost</b><br>
On land, a big concern is warming permafrost - the perennially
frozen ground that underlies most Arctic terrain.<br>
<br>
When permafrost thaws under homes and bridges, infrastructure can
sink, tilt and collapse. Alaskans have been contending with this
for several years. Near Norilsk, Russia, thawing permafrost was
blamed for an oil tank collapse in late May that spilled thousands
of tons of oil into a river.<br>
<br>
Thawing permafrost also creates a less obvious but even more
damaging problem. When the ground thaws, microbes in the soil
begin turning its organic matter into carbon dioxide and methane.
Both are greenhouse gases that further warm the planet.<br>
<br>
In a study published last year, researchers found that permafrost
test sites around the world had warmed by nearly half a degree
Fahrenheit on average over the decade from 2007 to 2016. The
greatest increase was in Siberia, where some areas had warmed by
1.6 degrees. The current Siberian heat wave, especially if it
continues, will regionally exacerbate that permafrost warming and
thawing.<br>
<br>
A satellite image shows the Norilsk oil spill flowing into
neighboring rivers. The collapse of a giant fuel tank was blamed
on thawing permafrost. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data
2020, CC BY<br>
<br>
<b>Wildfires are back again</b><br>
The extreme warmth also raises the risk of wildfires, which
radically change the landscape in other ways.<br>
<br>
Drier forests are more prone to fires, often from lightning
strikes. When forests burn, the dark, exposed soil left behind can
absorb more heat and hasten warming.<br>
<br>
We've seen a few years now of extreme forest fires across the
Arctic. This year, some scientists have speculated that some of
the Siberian fires that broke out last year may have continued to
burn through the winter in peat bogs and reemerged.<br>
<br>
A satellite images shows thinning sea ice in parts of the East
Siberian and Laptev Seas and wildfire smoke pouring across Russia.
The town of Verkhoyansk, normally known for being one of the
coldest inhabited places on Earth, reported hitting 100 degrees on
June 20. Joshua Stevens/NASA Earth Observatory
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/344131/original/file-20200625-33519-19djn55.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1">https://images.theconversation.com/files/344131/original/file-20200625-33519-19djn55.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1</a><br>
</div>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix"><b><br>
</b></div>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix"><b>A disturbing pattern</b><br>
The Siberian heat wave and its impacts will doubtless be widely
studied. There will certainly be those eager to dismiss the event
as just the result of an unusual persistent weather pattern.<br>
<br>
Caution must always be exercised about reading too much into a
single event - heat waves happen. But this is part of a disturbing
pattern.<br>
<br>
What is happening in the Arctic is very real and should serve as a
warning to everyone who cares about the future of the planet as we
know it.<br>
<br>
[Get our best science, health and technology stories. Sign up for
The Conversation's science newsletter.]<br>
</div>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://theconversation.com/100-degrees-in-siberia-5-ways-the-extreme-arctic-heat-wave-follows-a-disturbing-pattern-141442">https://theconversation.com/100-degrees-in-siberia-5-ways-the-extreme-arctic-heat-wave-follows-a-disturbing-pattern-141442</a></div>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix"><br>
</div>
<br>
[Save and bookmark]<br>
<b>ALLFED ALLIANCE TO FEED THE EARTH IN DISASTERS</b><br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://allfed.info/">https://allfed.info/</a><br>
- -<br>
ALLFED Annual Report 2019<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://allfed.info/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/ALLFED-Annual-Report-2019.pdf">https://allfed.info/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/ALLFED-Annual-Report-2019.pdf</a>
<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 -
July 1, 1983 </b></font><br>
<p>NBC's "Today" reports on the risk of sea level rise from global
warming.<br>
<br>
Clip removed from NBC in 2019:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://archives.nbclearn.com/portal/site/k-12/flatview?cuecard=40383">http://archives.nbclearn.com/portal/site/k-12/flatview?cuecard=40383</a>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://web.archive.org/web/changes/http://archives.nbclearn.com/portal/site/k-12/flatview">https://web.archive.org/web/changes/http://archives.nbclearn.com/portal/site/k-12/flatview</a><br>
</p>
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