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<p><i><font size="+1"><b>July 9, 2021</b></font></i></p>
[changes]<br>
<b>Drought Spreads to 93 Percent of West—That’s Never Happened</b><br>
The extreme dry conditions threaten crops and raise wildfire risks<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/drought-spreads-to-93-percent-of-west-thats-never-happened/">https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/drought-spreads-to-93-percent-of-west-thats-never-happened/</a><br>
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</p>
<p><br>
</p>
[big changes]<br>
<b>World ‘must step up preparations for extreme heat’</b><br>
Rising temperatures may be hitting faster and harder than forecast,
say climate scientists in wake of heatwave in US and Canada<br>
Jonathan Watts -- 7 Jul 2021<br>
The world needs to step up preparations for extreme heat, which may
be hitting faster and harder than previously forecast, a group of
leading climate scientists have warned in the wake of freakishly
high temperatures in Canada and the US.<br>
<br>
Last week’s heat dome above British Columbia, Washington state and
Portland, Oregon smashed daily temperature records by more than 5C
(9F) in some places – a spike that would have been considered
impossible two weeks ago, the experts said, prompting concerns the
climate may have crossed a dangerous threshold.<br>
<br>
A first analysis of the heatwave, released on Wednesday, found that
human-caused climate change made the extreme weather at least 150
times more likely...<br>
- -<br>
“We thought we knew what was going on … Then this heatwave came
which was way above the upper bound. With the knowledge of last year
this was impossible. This was surprising and shaking,” he said. “We
are now much less certain about heatwaves than we were two weeks
ago. We are very worried about the possibility of this happening
everywhere but we just don’t know yet.”<br>
<br>
Recent headlines have focused on the US and Canada, which hit a
record of 49.6C at a latitude similar to the UK. More than 500
deaths have been linked to the heat, which also sparked forest
fires, glacial meltwater floods, power cuts and buckled roads.<br>
<br>
The scientists stressed that similar heating trends could be found
in many other parts of the world, though they often go
underreported, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, which does not
have as many monitoring stations and which receives much less media
coverage. Parts of Siberia and Pakistan have recently experienced
unusually intense heatwaves. Hottest-ever June days were also
recorded last month in Helsinki, Moscow and Estonia.<br>
<br>
The World Weather Attribution group has previously traced a strong
link between the climate crisis and other extreme events including
the 2020 heatwave in Siberia, the 2019-20 Australian wildfires,
European heatwaves in 2018 and 2019, and Tropical Storm Imelda,
which hit Texas in 2019.<br>
<br>
More than storms and floods, Otto said human emissions had the
clearest and most destructive influence on heatwaves, which are now
reaching levels that are not adequately represented in current
computer models.<br>
<br>
“What everyone needs to take from this study is how the impact of
climate change is manifesting today is to a large degree in the
strong intensity and frequency of heatwaves,” she said.<br>
<br>
The costs – in terms of deaths, illness, missed work hours and
property damage – were growing rapidly, said Maarten van Aalst of
the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre and the University of
Twente.<br>
<br>
“Heatwaves topped the global charts of deadliest disasters in both
2019 and 2020. Here we have another terrible example – sadly no
longer a surprise but part of a very worrying global trend,” he
said.<br>
<br>
The reported toll is likely to be an underestimate because heat is
rarely mentioned on death certificates. Van Aalst urged governments
to strengthen early warning systems and countermeasures for
heatwaves. Architects and city planners should also design buildings
and urban centres with more green space and cooling areas.<br>
<br>
More urgent still, said the scientists, was a rapid phase-out of the
emissions that are causing global heating. At the current level of
warming – about 1.2C above pre-industrial levels – the recent deadly
heat in the north-west Americas is considered extraordinary, but the
new study found that it could occur once every five to 10 years if
global temperatures rise by 2C, which could come as early as 2050.<br>
<p><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/jul/07/world-must-step-up-preparations-for-extreme-heat">https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/jul/07/world-must-step-up-preparations-for-extreme-heat</a>..</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
[NYTimes has some stunning graphics and images in this report-
nifty]<br>
<b>The climate crisis haunts Chicago’s future. A Battle Between a
Great City and a Great Lake</b><br>
By DAN EGAN - JULY 7, 2021<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/07/07/climate/chicago-river-lake-michigan.html">https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/07/07/climate/chicago-river-lake-michigan.html</a><br>
<br>
<p><br>
</p>
[This is a must-hear video from Noam Chomsky]<br>
<b>A Conversation with Noam Chomsky</b><br>
Jul 8, 2021<br>
Facing Future<br>
Stuart Scott and #NoamChomsky discuss their views about death and
the afterlife, as well as the critical need for activism to produce
change. Co-hosted by Dale Walkonen, FacingFuture is honored to
present Professor Chomsky’s ideas about politics, economics, OPEC,
nuclear proliferation, and disinformation, all of which have moved
the hands of the #DoomsdayClock to 100 seconds before midnight. <br>
<br>
He fears that if climate deniers hold the reins of power, the clock
may well reach midnight. But<br>
Noam finds hope in young activists like Greta Thunberg, Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez, and in the #SunriseMovement. He notes that the New
Deal happened because there was overwhelming public pressure on FDR
to act decisively. The #GreenNewDeal will require no less effort.
Stuart advocates going to the offices of our leaders to demand
action. <br>
Noam tells us that although we’re living in a world of total
illusion and fantasy, we have to dedicate ourselves with energy and
commitment to using the opportunities that we have. Then, there is a
chance that we will survive.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8gXe6fejew">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8gXe6fejew</a><br>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
[the battleground of public opinion] <br>
<b>How misinformation propped up Ohio lawmakers’ latest attack on
renewables</b><br>
Unsupported and misleading statements were the “means to the end”
for a bill to cripple new solar and wind energy in Ohio, critics
say.<br>
by Kathiann M. Kowalski -- July 7, 2021<br>
False and unsubstantiated claims about renewable energy have
flourished for years, but critics say different forms of
misinformation played a big role in Ohio lawmakers’ latest move to
stifle the growth of wind and solar energy.<br>
<br>
“Misinformation is the means to the end,” said Trish Demeter, chief
of staff for the Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund.
“Misinformation, bad information, misconstrued information, partial
information: All of those are tactics that are supporting the goal,
which is to block and kill renewable energy from being built in
Ohio.”<br>
<br>
Senate Bill 52 would let counties keep out new solar and wind farms
from all or part of their territories, holding those projects to a
higher standard than fossil fuel infrastructure. <br>
<br>
In the case of natural gas, for example, Ohio courts have struck
down local zoning laws and other restrictions. And on July 1, Gov.
Mike DeWine signed House Bill 201 into law, forbidding local
governments from banning natural gas.<br>
<br>
In contrast, SB 52 would let counties prevent or limit any
particular solar or wind project within their borders. Passed in the
wee hours of June 29 with some changes from earlier versions, SB 52
still gives local governments multiple chances to nix renewable
energy projects or break them up. Counties and local townships also
would get two votes on Ohio Power Siting Board decisions for those
projects.<br>
<br>
At a minimum, SB 52 extends project timelines and adds uncertainty
that critics say will discourage developers from choosing Ohio for
renewable energy projects, causing the state to lose out on
thousands of jobs.<br>
<br>
Beyond that, it would let local governments restrict property
owners’ rights to enter into lease agreements. And its restrictions
apply only to renewable energy — not fossil fuel projects.<br>
<br>
Lawmakers and SB 52 supporters used misinformation in multiple ways
to move the bill forward, according to critics. In their view, even
if the same outcome would have resulted anyway, playing fast and
loose with facts makes it harder to hold politicians accountable for
actions that discourage or disadvantage renewables.<br>
<br>
“We are reviewing the bill and do not have an estimated timeline for
executive action,” DeWine spokesperson Dan Tierney said on Tuesday
afternoon.<br>
<br>
Shifting themes<br>
“It’s a real challenge in Ohio with disinformation,” said Andrew
Gohn, director of eastern state affairs for American Clean Power.
For years, the industry association has seen a lot of misinformation
about wind turbines and alleged health impacts.<br>
<br>
“There was never any health evidence to support those claims,” Gohn
said.<br>
<br>
For SB 52 in Ohio, Gohn noted that proponents’ testimony included
false statements aimed at splintering support for renewable
projects. “It definitely strikes me as a pernicious kind of
misinformation,” Gohn said.<br>
<br>
As one example, Gohn noted baseless claims by some bill supporters
that solar arrays could contaminate soil with chemicals such as lead
or cadmium. But crystalline cadmium telluride, used in some solar
panels, is not the same as free cadmium. Studies on simulated
landfill conditions or hypotheticals about new solar panels in
development don’t address real-world conditions when panels are in
use. And manufacturing processes encapsulate active layers of
photovoltaic cells in any event.<br>
<br>
Solar panels “are 100% fully sealed. There’s nothing in there that
can leak,” said Jason Rafeld, executive director of the Utility
Scale Solar Energy Coalition of Ohio. In a similar vein, he said,
none of the supporting structures for solar farms are deep enough to
affect groundwater. <br>
<br>
“These kinds of myths? They’re not myths,” Rafeld said. “They’re
blatant lies, or they’re at least misinformation that gets out
there.” Such statements make it harder for developers to address
reasonable questions people may have about efforts to grow Ohio’s
solar energy industry, he said.<br>
<br>
Other misinformation downplays the ability of solar and wind farms
to produce substantial amounts of electricity.<br>
<br>
Two days before SB 52’s introduction in February, Senate President
Matt Huffman and House Speaker Bob Cupp, both Republicans from Lima,
spoke with an anti-renewable group. “The problem is that solar
doesn’t really produce that much electricity,” Huffman claimed,
referring to the fact that solar is currently a small share of the
generation portfolio. “My goal is to make sure the [Birch Solar]
project doesn’t go forward,” he said.<br>
<br>
Other statements confuse the efficiency and ability of solar and
wind farms to produce electricity with their capacity factor for
purposes of PJM auctions, Gohn noted. Both types of statements
unfairly downplay renewable energy’s ability to reduce emissions
that drive human-caused climate change, in his view.<br>
<br>
“They seem designed to break that coalition of individuals who care
about those issues,” he said. “If you say wind and solar do not
reduce carbon emissions, then that’s essentially trying to undermine
the core constituency that supports wind and solar.”<br>
<br>
In fact, the International Energy Agency reported that renewables
had record growth in 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, with a 90%
rise in global wind capacity and a 23% jump in photovoltaic
installations. As of June 2021, more than 2.9 million solar systems
installed in the United States offset 116 metric tons of carbon
emissions — the equivalent of shutting down 20 coal-fired power
plants, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.<br>
<br>
Local control?<br>
Hearings on SB 52 and an earlier companion bill, HB 118, also
include inaccurate characterizations of existing law. SB 52
co-sponsor Sen. Bill Reineke, R-Tiffin, wrongly claimed that a lack
of local regulation for wind and solar farms differed from the
treatment for “most other energy sources.”<br>
<br>
Local governments have almost no say on siting natural gas
operations or infrastructure, and coal and natural gas power plants
are regulated by the Ohio Power Siting Board in the same way that
wind and solar farms have been. The federal Nuclear Regulatory
Commission licenses nuclear plants.<br>
<br>
Reineke also claimed that residents’ ability to voice concerns or
otherwise take part in Ohio Power Siting Board cases involving wind
and solar farms was “meaningless.”<br>
<br>
For years, Ohioans have testified before the board in both
opposition and support of renewable energy projects. Local residents
also have intervened as parties. In some cases they have had counsel
with ties to the coal industry.<br>
<br>
If local control were really a concern, it should apply to all types
of energy and other projects, Demeter said. She contrasted SB 52
with HB 201, which prevents local governments from banning natural
gas connections in buildings. SB 52’s two primary sponsors signed on
as co-sponsors in the Senate.<br>
<br>
In Demeter’s view, the vote on SB 52 was “ideologically driven,” but
not in terms of a conservative approach to limiting government
interference and protecting property rights. <br>
<br>
“The ideology is really simple: ‘We don’t want wind or solar here in
Ohio,’” Demeter said.<br>
<br>
<b>Less accountability?</b><br>
False information about wind and solar farms goes back more than a
dozen years, said Dave Anderson, policy and communications manager
for the Energy and Policy Institute. After Ohio first enacted its
renewable energy standards, anonymous websites spread myths,
unsubstantiated claims and fears about hypothetical dangers. And
some outspoken critics of renewables have had ties to fossil fuel
interests, utilities or nuclear interests, he noted.<br>
<br>
Similar work by Scott Peterson, executive director at the Checks and
Balances Project, has likewise linked some wind energy opponents and
their claims to fossil fuel interests and pro-nuclear advocates.<br>
<br>
Yet proliferation of misinformation about renewables “definitely has
increased” in the last few years, Anderson said. Social media, in
particular, has become “a platform to organize and foment
opposition,” he noted. “And it seems like HB 6 was actually an
organizing tool around that.”<br>
<br>
House Bill 6 is the nuclear and coal bailout law at the heart of an
ongoing $60 million conspiracy case involving former House Speaker
Larry Householder. Misinformation and a lack of transparency
characterized the campaign to pass the law and prevent a referendum
on it.<br>
<br>
HB 6 also gutted Ohio’s energy efficiency and renewable energy
standards, which lawmakers such as Rep. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati,
had tried to do for nearly a decade. <br>
<br>
“Perhaps there was a feeling of empowerment after HB 6 passed, that
there is no accountability,” Demeter said. Surveys show most Ohioans
favor renewable energy, she noted.<br>
<br>
Tripled property line setbacks adopted in a 2014 budget bill still
limit wind farms. But Ohio’s solar industry has grown despite HB 6.
The combined capacity of solar energy that is already permitted or
in Ohio’s regulatory pipeline comes close to that of the nuclear
plants for which FirstEnergy and FirstEnergy Solutions had sought a
bailout under HB 6.<br>
<b><br>
</b><b> Lost opportunities</b><br>
Critics say SB 52 will discourage future investments in Ohio’s
renewable energy industry, costing the state thousands of jobs as
the clean energy industry expands nationwide in response to ongoing
climate change.<br>
<br>
“It is leaving a lot of opportunity on the table that Ohio will miss
out on,” Demeter said. “This bill will have a generational impact.
They’re keeping Ohio out of the global market that is renewable
energy.”<br>
<br>
Regardless of Ohio’s action, growth in renewable energy “is going to
continue,” Demeter added. But with SB 52, “Ohio is not going to see
the benefits.”<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://energynews.us/2021/07/07/how-misinformation-propped-up-ohio-lawmakers-latest-attack-on-renewables/">https://energynews.us/2021/07/07/how-misinformation-propped-up-ohio-lawmakers-latest-attack-on-renewables/</a><br>
<br>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<br>
[Russia acts]<br>
<b>Climate change finds a place in Russia's new National Security
Strategy</b><br>
But Moscow warns against foreign attempts to politicise global
warming and stagger Russian developments in the Arctic.<br>
By Atle Staalesen -- July 6, 2021<br>
The document that was signed by President Vladimir Putin on the 2nd
of July is a significant update of the country’s security strategy
from 2015.<br>
<br>
The situation for Moscow has dramatically changed over the last
years, and Putin has on numerous occasions highlighted his resurgent
regime’s readiness to take action, militarily if needed, in
relations with the abroad.<br>
<br>
That includes the stress on “red lines” in his speech to the
legislative assembly in April.<br>
<br>
Moscow is not only investing heavily in its Armed Forces, but also
militarising society, including its youth, and waging a war with the
abroad over history and truth.<br>
<br>
The Arctic is a top priority region for Moscow and major efforts are
made to bolster capacities in the region. Still, the far northern
region is only remotely mentioned in the new security strategy. The
Arctic is referred to a total of four times, and the much-hyped
Northern Sea Route is not even mentioned once.<br>
<br>
But climate change has gotten a place in the strategy. It is
mentioned nine times and described as a key reason for environmental
emergency situations like wild fires, flooding, as well as spreading
of infections diseases. President Putin has himself highlighted the
potential major risks linked with the melting of permafrost. In a
recent press conference, Putin underlined that the melting ground in
the north could have “very serious social and economic consequences”
for the country. <br>
<br>
The strategy highlights climate change as a field for international
cooperation. But, paradoxically, at the same time it warns against
foreign countries’ attempts to use climate change as pretext for
“limiting Russian companies’ access to export market, contain the
development of Russian industry, introduce control systems over
transport routes and stagger Russia’s development of the Arctic.”<br>
<br>
According to the national security planners in Moscow, foreign
powers are actively using environmental protection and climate
change as “leverage to exert open political and economic pressure on
Russia.”<br>
<br>
Not surprisingly, information and information resources are
highlighted as key strategic issues.<br>
<br>
Without reference to Aleksei Navalny and his Anti-Corruption
Foundation, the document highlights that “extremist organisations”
are actively using the internet to “call for mass disorder”,
“destabilise the public-political situation” and engage youth in
destructive activities.<br>
<br>
Both foreign special services and international internet companies
are negatively influencing the situation, the Russian security
planners underline. One of their counter-offensive measures is the
“strengthening of Russian [state] mass media in the global field of
information.”<br>
<br>
The Russian security planners highlight the country’s “traditional
values” as something morally superior to the west, and accuses
“unfriendly” states of actively trying to undermine the Russian
system.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/security/2021/07/climate-change-finds-place-russias-new-national-security-strategy">https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/security/2021/07/climate-change-finds-place-russias-new-national-security-strategy</a><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
[The news archive - looking back]<br>
<font size="+1"><b>On this day in the history of global warming July
9, 2008</b></font><br>
<br>
July 9, 2008: The UK Daily Telegraph reports that prior to leaving
the G8 Summit in Japan, President George W. Bush, "who has been
condemned throughout his presidency for failing to tackle climate
change, ended a private meeting with the words: 'Goodbye from the
world's biggest polluter.' He then punched the air while grinning
widely, as the rest of those present including [British Prime
Minister] Gordon Brown and [French President] Nicolas Sarkozy looked
on in shock."<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/2277298/President-George-Bush-Goodbye-from-the-worlds-biggest-polluter.html">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/2277298/President-George-Bush-Goodbye-from-the-worlds-biggest-polluter.html</a><br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/bush-to-g8-goodbye-from-the-worlds-biggest-polluter-863911.html">http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/bush-to-g8-goodbye-from-the-worlds-biggest-polluter-863911.html</a><br>
<br>
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<p>/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------/</p>
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