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<p><i><font size="+1"><b>February 19, 2021</b></font></i> <br>
</p>
[Associated Press says]<br>
<b>US needs to brace itself for more deadly storms, experts say</b><br>
This week’s storms — with more still heading east — fit a pattern of
worsening extremes under climate change and demonstrate anew that
local, state and federal officials have failed to do nearly enough
to prepare for greater and more dangerous weather.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://apnews.com/article/us-deadly-winter-storms-2021-df7d37d12ef13633bb5666e1151bcf9e">https://apnews.com/article/us-deadly-winter-storms-2021-df7d37d12ef13633bb5666e1151bcf9e</a><br>
<br>
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[radio clip text and audio]<br>
<b>No, The Blackouts In Texas Weren't Caused By Renewables. Here's
What Really Happened</b><br>
February 18, 20213:11 PM ET<br>
Camila Domonoske<br>
<br>
Snow covers the ground in Waco, Texas, on Feb. 17. Texas Gov. Greg
Abbott has blamed renewable energy sources for the blackouts that
have hit the state. In fact, they were caused by a systemwide
failure across all energy sources.<br>
Matthew Busch/AFP via Getty Images<br>
This week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott appeared on local TV in Dallas and
blamed the state's power crisis on the devastating storm that
disrupted power generation and froze natural gas pipelines.<br>
<br>
He didn't single out one power source to blame. Then he went on Fox
News and gave a different story.<br>
<br>
"Wind and solar got shut down," he said. "They were collectively
more than 10% of our power grid, and that thrust Texas into a
situation where it was lacking power on a statewide basis."<br>
<br>
He wasn't alone. Former Energy Secretary Rick Perry also pointed to
frozen windmills and warned that this crisis showed the perils of
promoting renewable energy.<br>
<br>
The Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank with
ties to the fossil fuel industry, alleged that the storm "never
would have been an issue had our grid not been so deeply penetrated
by renewable energy sources."<br>
<br>
But this focus on windmills ignores the evident fact that — as
Abbott acknowledged on local TV — every kind of power generation
fell short in this storm.<br>
<br>
In fact, significantly more natural gas and coal went offline than
renewables. But that doesn't suggest fossil fuels were uniquely to
blame either — they were responsible for more production, so it's no
surprise they were the source of more failures.<br>
<br>
Grid operators say it simply doesn't make sense to pinpoint any one
generation source for criticism...<br>
- -<br>
And then there's another big question: Will ERCOT's projections and
decisions stand up to scrutiny?<br>
<br>
The investigations into this disaster may well find blame to go
around.<br>
<br>
But all the data right now show this was a systemwide failure caused
by a storm much worse than the state was ready to handle, and not by
the use of renewable energy.<br>
<br>
"I think the key point here is that we need to be prepared for these
extreme events, today and in the future, no matter what the
generation sources [are]," says Lori Bird, who directs the U.S.
energy program at the World Resources Institute. "Because I think
this event shows that all generation sources are vulnerable to these
extreme events."<br>
<br>
Blaming wind and solar is a political move, Bird says. What's really
needed — in Texas and elsewhere — is better preparation.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-winter-storms-2021/2021/02/18/968967137/no-the-blackouts-in-texas-werent-caused-by-renewables-heres-what-really-happened">https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-winter-storms-2021/2021/02/18/968967137/no-the-blackouts-in-texas-werent-caused-by-renewables-heres-what-really-happened</a><br>
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<p><br>
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[local TV news report]<br>
<b>Neighbors share exhaustion as power, water problems linger in
North Texas after winter storm</b><br>
Feb 18, 2021<br>
WFAA<br>
"There's no communication, no feedback, and we're here just trying
to stay warm," said Chris Walker.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW5GEIHUTo4">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW5GEIHUTo4</a>
<p><br>
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<p><br>
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[CBS news]<b><br>
</b><b>Ignoring pandemic, Americans installed record amounts of
solar and wind energy</b><br>
Massive blackouts in the Southwest this week have thrown renewable
energy into the spotlight. Some conservatives have tried to pin
Texas' electricity grid failures on wind power, while industry
analysts and environmentalists point to problems with natural gas
and coal plants during the snowstorm as an argument for more, not
less, renewable power.<br>
<br>
Amid the finger-pointing, the market is offering its own answers.
The U.S. added a record amount of wind and solar energy last year
even as the coronavirus was crippling the economy, according to
figures released Thursday by BloombergNEF and Business Council for
Sustainable Energy.<br>
<br>
Installations of wind and solar power soared 61% over the previous
year, with 33.6 gigawatts added to the grid in 2020. That's enough
energy to power roughly 11 million homes for a year and nearly 50%
higher than the previous record, set in 2016...<br>
- -<br>
After the economy largely shut down in 2020, large energy projects,
utility companies and some manufacturing facilities were quickly
deemed essential, and many re-hired their workers. But
energy-efficiency projects, which might include weatherizing a
building or upgrading its heating and cooling system, were slower to
come back. <br>
<br>
"The hardest-hit sectors were the residential businesses and
particularly energy efficiency. They still bear the brunt," said
Lisa Jacobson, president of the Business Council for Sustainable
Energy.<br>
<br>
A coalition of clean-energy groups is calling for the Biden
administration to prioritize the clean-energy sector in its economic
recovery plans.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/solar-wind-energy-united-states-2020/">https://www.cbsnews.com/news/solar-wind-energy-united-states-2020/</a>
<p><br>
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<p><br>
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[destabilization makes opportunity]<br>
<b>How fires have spread to previously untouched parts of the world</b><br>
Fires have always been a part of our natural world. But they’re
moving to new ecosystems previously untouched by fire – and this is
concerning scientists<br>
Wildfires are spreading to fuel-abundant regions of the world that
used to be less prone to burning, according to a new analysis of 20
years of data by the Guardian.<br>
<br>
While the overall area of annual burn in the world has remained
relatively static in this period, the research indicates a shifting
regional fire pattern that is affecting more forests and fewer
grasslands.<br>
- -<br>
<b>Drying has made Australian forests more vulnerable</b><br>
In Australia last year the fire season was exceptional because of
where the fires were rather than the number of square kilometres
burned...<br>
- -<br>
<b>Californian fires spreading northwards</b><br>
Like Australia, California’s fires are spreading to new locations as
their size and frequency hit record levels...<br>
- -<br>
<b>Drying pattern repeated in southern Europe</b><br>
Climate change-related drying has also contributed to increased fire
activity in southern European countries such as
Portugal...https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2021/feb/19/how-fires-have-spread-to-previously-untouched-parts-of-the-world<br>
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<p><br>
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[change touches everything]<br>
<b>In West Africa, Climate Change Equals Conflict</b><br>
The region is the poster child for insecurities already brought on
by global warming.<br>
BY ROBERT MUGGAH | FEBRUARY 18, 2021<br>
<br>
One of the many injustices of climate change is it hits the world’s
poorest countries hardest. African nations, many of which register
the highest levels of poverty and emit the least carbon dioxide, are
already being ravaged by global warming. The reasons for this are
straightforward: With roughly 60 percent of the sub-Saharan
population depending on agriculture to survive, food insecurity is
intensified by disruptions to rain cycles, planting seasons, and
harvests. Making matters worse, new forecasts predict that rising
sea levels will threaten vulnerable coastal communities due to
flooding and erosion, salinizing arable land, and disrupting inland
and coastal fisheries. As people migrate and tensions over
diminishing resources escalate, the threats of social unrest and
organized violence are already apparent.<br>
<br>
West Africa is the poster child for insecurities associated with
global warming, as the Igarapé Institute described in a recent
report. Globally, the period from 2011 to 2020 was the hottest
decade ever recorded. West Africa’s Sahel—the vast zone of semi-arid
grasslands that lies south of the Sahara Desert—was affected more
than most regions, with temperatures rising 1.5 times the
international average. Scenarios developed by the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change suggest that temperatures could climb up to
6 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. Across the region’s 17
countries, intensifying heat is contributing to more prolonged
droughts and rainfall, which in turn affects land-use patterns for
farmers, herders, and their livestock. The World Bank believes a
situation of deteriorating environmental conditions and weak
governance could tip some fragile countries into outright conflict.
Many of the states categorized by the World Bank as fragile are also
ranked among those most vulnerable to climate change, whether in
terms of exposure to extreme weather events or the extent of
population affected.<br>
<br>
Social scientists describe climate change as a “threat multiplier”
because of how it exacerbates the risk factors that already give
rise to instability. In countries already impacted by searing
inequalities, fast-growing and youthful populations, overreliance on
agriculture, serious corruption, and weak governance, the risks of
climate change triggering the onset, escalation, and resurgence of
armed conflict are especially high. While intensely debated by
climate scientists, the complex relationships among rising
temperatures, ecosystem resilience, seasonal rainfall variability,
changes to arable land, shifting livestock grazing, and violence are
increasingly hard to ignore.<br>
<br>
West Africa’s coastal populations face especially worrying risks
from climate change. Demographers predict that as many as 85 million
people could inhabit the region’s coastal cities by 2050. The World
Bank likewise estimates that around 6,500 square kilometers of the
region’s coastal areas could be severely degraded by rising sea
levels. The social and economic costs are mounting. Storm surges and
rain-triggered floods are damaging cities, setting back development,
and generating the spread of disease that has killed thousands and
displaced millions in Benin, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Togo. The
relocation of populations is generating pressure on cities and
villages with limited capacities to service new arrivals. The
economic burden of environmental degradation in these four countries
totaled $3.8 billion, or 5.3 percent of their combined GDP, in 2017
alone.<br>
<br>
Social scientists describe climate change as a “threat multiplier”
because it exacerbates the risk factors that already give rise to
instability.<br>
<br>
Rising seas and a greater likelihood of storm surges are affecting
food production for vulnerable coastal populations. Changes in water
temperature and erosion are triggering the migration of fish stocks
while salinization is contaminating arable land and ground water
reserves. Due to a combination of climate impacts and severe
overfishing—including from Chinese and European trawlers—the maximum
catch potential for fish could decline by 30 percent or more in the
Gulf of Guinea, a region where around 4.8 million people rely on
fishing to sustain their livelihoods. Senegalese fishermen are
increasingly crossing the border to Mauritania to fish, which has
led to violent exchanges with the Mauritanian coast guard. Violent
spats over fishing grounds are not new, but as sea levels rise, such
altercations will multiply, provoking further conflict.<br>
<br>
Climate change is also accelerating migration and displacement in
West Africa, especially in the Sahel. Today, roughly 25 million
Sahelian herders of cattle, sheep, goats, and other livestock travel
south with their animals during the dry season and then back north
during the wet season. Prolonged dry seasons, shortened rainy
seasons, and less regular rainfall are generating new uncertainties
for pastoralists, requiring new herd management methods and
undermining delicate ecosystems. Competition over grazing land,
reduced access to water, and the erosion of customary dispute
resolution mechanisms are accelerating retaliatory cycles of
violence.<br>
<br>
Flash points include the border between Burkina-Faso and Mali as
well as Nigeria’s so-called Middle Belt region. Studies by early
warning organizations such as the International Crisis Group and
Search For Common Ground, as well as regional bodies such as the
United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, underline how
multifaceted these conflicts are. There are frequent cases of
military, militia, and police clashing with pastoralists who are
forced to graze their livestock in contested terrain. Disputes often
turn violent due to competition for water and pastoralists overusing
farmers’ fields or crops. Extremist networks are taking advantage of
the violent competition between farmers and pastoralists to advance
their causes. These tensions flare up when local governance and
traditional customs for resolving disputes fail. Many times,
political and economic elites are also involved in exacerbating
violent conflict...<br>
more at -
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/02/18/west-africa-sahel-climate-change-global-warming-conflict-food-agriculture-fish-livestock/">https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/02/18/west-africa-sahel-climate-change-global-warming-conflict-food-agriculture-fish-livestock/</a><br>
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[Digging back into the internet news archive]<br>
<font size="+1"><b>On this day in the history of global warming -
February 19, 2006 </b></font><br>
The CBS program "60 Minutes" reports on the effects of human-caused
climate change in the Arctic.<br>
This story originally aired on Feb. 19, 2006.<br>
<b>A Global Warning</b><b><br>
</b><b>Scientist Says Global Warming Intensifies Storms, Raise Sea
Levels</b><br>
<br>
The North Pole has been frozen for 100,000 years. But according to
scientists, that won't be true by the end of this century. The top
of the world is melting.<br>
<br>
There's been a debate burning for years about the causes of global
warming. But the scientists you're about to meet say the debate is
over. New evidence shows man is contributing to the warming of the
planet, pumping out greenhouse gases that trap solar heat.<br>
<br>
Much of this new evidence was compiled by American scientist Bob
Corell, who led a study called the "Arctic Climate Impact
Assessment." It's an awkward name — but consider the findings: the
seas are rising, hurricanes will be more powerful, like Katrina, and
polar bears may be headed toward extinction.<br>
<br>
What does the melting arctic look like? Correspondent Scott Pelley
went north to see what Bob Corell calls a "global warning."<br>
<br>
Towers of ice the height of 10-story buildings rise on the coast of
Greenland. It's the biggest ice sheet in the Northern Hemisphere,
measuring some 700,000 square miles. But temperatures in the arctic
are rising twice as fast as the rest of the world, so a lot of
Greenland's ice is running to the sea.<br>
"Right now the entire planet is out of balance," says Bob Corell,
who is among the world's top authorities on climate change. He led
300 scientists from eight nations in the "Arctic Climate Impact
Assessment."<br>
<br>
Corell believes he has seen the future. "This is a bellwether, a
barometer. Some people call it the canary in the mine. The warning
that things are coming," he says. "In 10 years here in the arctic,
we see what the rest of the planet will see in 25 or 35 years from
now."<br>
<br>
Over the last few decades, the North Pole has been dramatically
reduced in size and Corell says the glaciers there have been
receding for the last 50 years.<br>
<br>
Back in 1987, President Reagan asked Corell to look into climate
change. He's been at it ever since.<br>
<br>
In Iceland, he showed 60 Minutes glaciers that were growing until
the 1990s and are now melting. In fact, 98 percent of the world's
mountain glaciers are melting.<br>
<br>
Corell says all that water will push sea levels three feet higher
all around the world in 100 years.<br>
<br>
"You and I sit here, another foot. Your children, another foot. Your
grandchildren, another foot. And it won't take long for sea level to
inundate," says Corell.<br>
<br>
"Sea level will be inundating the low lands of virtually every
country of the world, ours included," Corell predicts.<br>
<br>
To find the sights and sounds of the arctic melting, there are few
places better than a fjord in Greenland, with a glacier just a short
distance away.<br>
<p>more at - <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-global-warning/">http://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-global-warning/</a> <br>
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