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<p><i><font size="+1"><b>December 19, 2020</b></font></i><br>
</p>
[Reviewing]<br>
<b>The Energy 202: These are the top climate stories of 2020</b><br>
By Alexandra Ellerbeck<br>
Dec. 17, 2020 <br>
with Dino Grandoni<br>
<br>
A presidential election. A national reckoning over race and justice
in America. A worldwide pandemic that ground economies to a halt. <br>
<br>
2020 was a momentous year. Yet looming over each of those events is
climate change, which has pushed global temperatures to about 1
degree Celsius above preindustrial levels, a threshold that has
already led to rising seas, a thawing Arctic and devastating
droughts.<br>
<br>
Here are some of the top stories on climate change in 2020: <br>
<br>
<b>1. With Joe Biden’s victory, the United States is set for an
about-face on climate change policy.</b><br>
The contrast between President Trump and President-elect Joe Biden
on climate change could not be starker. While Trump pulled the
United States out of the Paris climate accord, Biden has promised to
reenter it on his first day in office. Trump has questioned the
science behind climate change and rolled back more than 100
environmental regulations. Biden has endorsed a $2 trillion climate
plan, committed to at least 10 executive actions to protect the
climate on Day 1 and vowed to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.<br>
But many of Biden’s most ambitious climate plans are likely to be
sharply curtailed by the political realities of working with
Congress. Control of the Senate is yet to be decided by two runoff
races in Georgia, but the best outcome Democrats can hope for is 50
members in the chamber, which would allow then-Vice President Kamala
D. Harris to cast tie-breaking votes but provide little margin for
ambitious legislation.<br>
With much of Biden’s influence over climate likely constrained to
trade agreements and executive actions, some environmentalists are
pushing the incoming administration to declare climate change an
“emergency.” That designation could give Biden broader powers to
take executive actions, such as funneling military money toward
renewable energy. In recent remarks, however, the president-elect
signaled that he doubts the feasibility of some of the more
ambitious executive actions touted by liberals.<br>
<b>2. The coronavirus caused a temporary drop in emissions and
devastated oil companies.</b><br>
The pandemic caused travel to grind to a halt and production to
falter, leading U.S. emissions to plummet by 9.2 percent to their
lowest levels in three decades, inadvertently putting the United
States back on track to meet its commitments under the Paris
accord.Still, the decreased emissions were partially offset by the
carbon released from wildfires, and greenhouse gas production is
likely to pick up again next year. Meanwhile, the blip of declining
emissions is not enough to register in overall atmospheric CO2
levels, which have built up over decades. <br>
<br>
The stalled economy also caused demand for oil to plummet, at one
point pushing the price into negative territory, as producers
scrambled to offload a glut of excess oil in offshore tankers.<br>
<br>
Although demand has recovered somewhat since the spring, the
recovery has been slow. The decline in demand, along with a race to
adopt electric vehicles and shifting political winds around climate
change, has led a spate of energy analysts to speculate the world
may have already reached its peak oil demand. <br>
Big Oil is simply not as big as it once was. ExxonMobil was kicked
off the Dow Jones industrial average this year and saw its market
share briefly eclipsed by renewable energy giant NextEra. The
pandemic also forced the company to scale back capital projects and
investments in exploration, although those decisions may not have
been all good for the climate. When push came to shove, the oil
company opted to scrap a carbon capture project, while still
spending $9 billion to expand crude operations off the coast of
Guyana.<br>
<b>3. Climate changed fueled extreme weather in the United States.</b><br>
The impacts of climate change hit home for many U.S. families, as
wildfires in the West and hurricanes on the Gulf and East coasts
destroyed homes, shut down power grids and forced a record number of
Americans into emergency shelters. <br>
Fires burned 9.5 million U.S. acres, nearly 3 million more than the
10-year average, and killed more than 40 people. The intensity of
the blazes produced virtually unprecedented fire behavior, including
thunderstorms of smoke and ash soaring 10 miles high, multiple
blazes that advanced more than 25 miles a day and powerful twisters
made of smoke and flame.<br>
<br>
Scientists worry the West is approaching a new normal, as climate
change leads to hotter and drier conditions. California’s frequency
of fall days with extreme-fire weather has doubled since the 1980s.
<br>
<br>
Still, when California leaders raised the issue of climate change
with Trump, the president, who has repeatedly blamed the fires on
poor forest management rather than climate change, quipped: “It will
start getting cooler.” <br>
Climate scientists say it won’t. The past six years are likely to be
the six warmest on record, according to the U.N. World
Meteorological Organization climate report, and there’s a chance
that once December data is incorporated, some agencies will rank
2020 as the warmest year ever recorded.<br>
Meanwhile, the Gulf Coast and Eastern Seaboard grappled with the
busiest Atlantic hurricane season on record. This year saw 30 named
storms, compared with an annual average of 12, as well as the most
U.S. landfalls on record. <br>
<br>
The jury is still out on whether climate change contributes to
increased frequency of storms, but scientists are fairly confident
that warming oceans make the storms bigger and quicker to intensify.
This is what happened in August with Hurricane Laura, which rocketed
from a Category 1 storm to a Category 4 monster in 24 hours,
battering Lake Charles, La., with 150 mph winds. Proving just how
active the Atlantic was this year, the same area was pummeled a
second time by Hurricane Delta just six weeks later.<br>
<b>4. Companies and countries promised dramatic cuts to their
emissions.</b><br>
AT&T, Apple, Ford, McDonald’s and Walmart are among companies
that announced new net-zero targets this year, amid growing pressure
from activists and investors. The Business Roundtable, a lobbying
group representing more than 200 companies, endorsed a carbon tax
and a goal of an 80 percent emissions reduction by 2050. Even fossil
fuel companies got in on the action: Royal Dutch Shell and BP have
promised to slash their emissions to net zero by 2050. <br>
Climate experts welcome these commitments as a sign of cultural and
economic changes but caution that the corporate pledges are less
than they seem. BP and Shell, for instance, have only pledged to
eliminate emissions produced by extracting oil and gas and running
their operations. Their net-zero promises don’t extend to whatever
happens to the gas later, when, for instance, someone uses it to
power their car, releasing carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.<br>
<br>
Companies weren’t the only ones to make net-zero commitments. <br>
<br>
Governments also set targets for slashing their emissions and
ramping up their offsets. The biggest announcement came from China,
the No. 1 emitter of greenhouse gases, which promised to reach
net-zero emissions by 2060. The move signals China’s emergence as a
climate leader, although some environmentalists say they would like
to see more-ambitious near-term targets, too. Conservationists hope
to see more countries make ambitious commitments during the UN
Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, which was pushed to 2021 due
to the coronavirus.<br>
<b>5. Financial institutions started to take into account the risks
of climate change.</b><br>
The Federal Reserve called out climate change as a financial risk
for the first time this year, warning that floods, hurricanes,
wildfires and a rapidly changing climate could threaten the
stability of the financial system. The central bank also announced
on Tuesday that its board had voted to join an international effort
to price climate risk into investments. The Fed’s climate moves have
sparked a sharp backlash among some congressional Republicans, who
fear they could lead banks to drop financing for oil and gas
companies.<br>
The concern over climate risk was also reflected by the Commodity
Futures Trading Commission, which released a report in September
with a stark warning: “Climate change poses a major risk to the
stability of the U.S. financial system and to its ability to sustain
the American economy.”<br>
<br>
Financial regulators have already taken a prominent role in climate
change decisions in Europe, but the moves by the CFTC and the Fed
represented a major U.S. shift and could have ripple effects
throughout the economy.<br>
<br>
Other investment companies have also taken the cue: BlackRock, the
world’s largest asset manager, has promised to put climate at the
center of its investment decisions. BlackRock has signaled that it
intends to support more climate-related shareholder resolutions,
even though it has sometimes fallen short of its promises.
Meanwhile, a separate consortium of investors managing $9 trillion
in assets has committed to a goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 or
sooner.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/12/17/energy-202-these-are-top-climate-stories-2020/">https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/12/17/energy-202-these-are-top-climate-stories-2020/</a><br>
<p><br>
</p>
[cetaceans and heat]<br>
<b>Devastating skin disease covering up to 70% of a dolphin's body
tied to climate change</b><br>
by The Marine Mammal Center<br>
Scientists at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, CA—the largest
marine mammal hospital in the world—and international colleagues
have identified a novel skin disease in dolphins that is linked to
climate change. The study is a groundbreaking discovery, as it is
the first time since the disease first appeared in 2005 that
scientists have been able to link a cause to the condition that
affects coastal dolphin communities worldwide. Due to the decreased
water salinity brought upon by climate change, the dolphins develop
patchy and raised skin lesions across their bodies—sometimes
covering upwards of 70 percent of their skin...<br>
- -<br>
This study comes on the heels of significant outbreaks in Louisiana,
Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Texas and Australia in recent
years. In all of these locations, a sudden and drastic decrease in
salinity in the waters was the common factor. Coastal dolphins are
accustomed to seasonal changes in salinity levels in their marine
habitat, but they do not live in freshwater. The increasing severity
and frequency of storm events like hurricanes and cyclones,
particularly if they are preceded by drought conditions, are dumping
unusual volumes of rain that turn coastal waters to freshwater.
Freshwater conditions can persist for months, particularly after
intense storms such as hurricanes Harvey and Katrina. With the
increasing climate temperatures, climate scientists have predicted
extreme storms like these will occur more frequently and,
consequently, will result in more frequent and severe disease
outbreaks in dolphins.<br>
<br>
"This devastating skin disease has been killing dolphins since
Hurricane Katrina, and we're pleased to finally define the problem,"
said Duignan. "With a record hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico
this year and more intense storm systems worldwide due to climate
change, we can absolutely expect to see more of these devastating
outbreaks killing dolphins."...<br>
- -<br>
The deadly skin disease was first noted by researchers on
approximately 40 bottlenose dolphins near New Orleans after
Hurricane Katrina in 2005.<br>
<br>
"As warming ocean temperatures impact marine mammals globally, the
findings in this paper will allow better mitigation of the factors
that lead disease outbreaks for coastal dolphin communities that are
already under threat from habitat loss and degradation," said
Duignan. "This study helps shed light on an ever-growing concern,
and we hope it is the first step in mitigating the deadly disease
and marshalling the ocean community to further fight climate
change."<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://phys.org/news/2020-12-devastating-skin-disease-dolphin-body.html">https://phys.org/news/2020-12-devastating-skin-disease-dolphin-body.html</a>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><br>
<b>Lighting the Way</b><br>
An Anthology of Short Plays About the Climate Crisis<br>
</p>
<p>Lighting the Way: An Anthology of Short Plays About the Climate
Crisis includes 49 inspiring plays by writers from around the
world. The plays were commissioned for Climate Change Theatre
Action 2019, a global distributed theatre festival that coincided
with the 25th United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP 25)
held in Madrid, Spain under the presidency of the Chilean
government. Responding to a prompt asking them to “give center
stage to the unsung climate warriors and climate heroes who are
lighting the way toward a just and sustainable future,” the
writers offer a diversity of perspectives and artistic approaches
to telling the stories of those who are making a positive impact.
Whether exploring the definition of climate heroism, new
technologies like mango leather, or giving legal rights to Nature,
the plays go beyond the dystopian worlds and apocalyptic scenarios
favored by blockbuster movies and sci-fi novels to tell nuanced
and empowering stories – stories that give us the courage to get
up in the morning and fight for the world we all deserve. Included
in this anthology are plays by Hassan Abdulrazzak, Elaine Ávila,
Chantal Bilodeau, Yolanda Bonnell, Philip Braithwaite, Damon Chua,
Paula Cizmar, Hanna Cormick, Derek Davidson, Sunny Drake, Clare
Duffy, Brian Dykstra, Alister Emerson, Georgina Escobar, David
Finnigan, David Geary, Nelson Gray, Jordan Hall, Kamil Haque,
Monica Hoth, Zainabu Jallo, Vinicius Jatobá, Vitor Jatobá, Marcia
Johnson, MaryAnn Karanja, Andrea Lepcio, Joan Lipkin, Philip
Luswata, Abhishek Majumdar, Julie McKee, Giovanni Ortega, Mary
Kathryn Nagle, Lana Nasser, Yvette Nolan, Matthew Paul Olmos,
Corey Payette, Katie Pearl, Shy Richardson and Karina Yager, Kiana
Rivera, Madeline Sayet, Stephen Sewell, Lena Šimic with Neal and
Sid Anderson, Caridad Svich, Elspeth Tilley, Peterson Toscano,
Mike van Graan, Meaza Worku, Marcus Youssef, and Nathan
Yungerberg. An introduction by Chantal Bilodeau and essays by
Julia Levine, Charissa Menefee, Thomas Peterson, Triga Creative,
and Brooke Wood, illustrating various aspects of the Climate
Change Theatre Action process and analyzing its impacts, accompany
the plays.<br>
</p>
<p><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/thomas-peterson-and-chantal-bilodeau/lighting-the-way/paperback/product-kj6ydq.html?page=1&pageSize=4">https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/thomas-peterson-and-chantal-bilodeau/lighting-the-way/paperback/product-kj6ydq.html?page=1&pageSize=4</a></p>
<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 -
December 19, 2007 </b></font><br>
<p>EPA administrator Stephen Johnson, under orders from the Bush
White House, denies a request by seventeen states, including
California, for a Clean Air Act waiver that would allow the states
to cut carbon pollution from vehicles.<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/19/AR2007121902012.html">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/19/AR2007121902012.html</a><br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/washington/20epa.html">http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/washington/20epa.html</a><br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://youtu.be/hf_HYL92rgQ">http://youtu.be/hf_HYL92rgQ</a><br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2008/05/19/174039/waxman-white-house-epa/">http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2008/05/19/174039/waxman-white-house-epa/</a><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
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