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<font size="+2"><i><b>October 3, 2021</b></i></font><br>
<br>
<i>[Its about time]</i><br>
<b>Climate change: Stop smoke and mirrors, rich nations told</b><br>
By Matt McGrath - Environment correspondent, Milan<br>
Rich countries' plans to curb carbon are "smoke and mirrors" and
must be urgently improved, say poorer nations.<br>
<br>
Ministers meeting here in Milan at the final UN session before the
Glasgow COP26 climate conference heard that some progress was being
made.<br>
<br>
But officials from developing countries demanded tougher targets for
cutting carbon emissions and more cash to combat climate change.<br>
<br>
One minister condemned "selfishness or lack of good faith" in the
rich world.<br>
<br>
US special envoy John Kerry said all major economies "must stretch"
to do the maximum they can...<br>
- -<br>
"I do not want to underestimate the amount of work that is required
but I think there is a renewed urgency in our discussions."<br>
<br>
However there are significant hurdles to clear before leaders arrive
in Glasgow and technical questions about carbon markets and
transparency are still unresolved.<br>
<br>
"We need to change. And we need to change radically, we need to
change fast," said EU vice-president Frans Timmermans. "And that's
going to be bloody hard."<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58774786">https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58774786</a><br>
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<i>[ Ironic or inevitable?] </i><br>
<b>Apple and Disney among companies backing groups against US
climate bill</b><br>
Amazon and Microsoft also supporting groups fighting legislation
despite promises to combat the climate crisis, analysis finds<br>
Oliver Milman -- 1 Oct 2021 <br>
Some of America’s most prominent companies, including Apple, Amazon,
Microsoft and Disney, are backing business groups that are fighting
landmark climate legislation, despite their own promises to combat
the climate crisis, a new analysis has found.<br>
<br>
A clutch of corporate lobby groups and organizations have mobilized
to oppose the proposed $3.5tn budget bill put forward by Democrats,
which contains unprecedented measures to drive down planet-heating
gases. The reconciliation bill has been called the “the most
significant climate action in our country’s history” by Chuck
Schumer, the Democratic leader in the US Senate.<br>
<br>
Most large US corporations have expressed concern over the climate
crisis or announced their own goals to cut greenhouse gases. Jeff
Bezos, one of the world’s richest people, has said that the climate
crisis is the “biggest threat to our planet” and the company he
founded, Amazon, has created a pledge for businesses to cut their
emissions to net zero by 2040. Microsoft has promised to be “carbon
negative” within a decade from now and Disney is aiming to use only
renewable-sourced electricity within the same timeframe.<br>
<br>
But these leading companies, and others, either support or actively
steer the very lobby groups that are attempting to sink the bill
that carries the weight of Joe Biden’s ambitions to tackle the
climate crisis, threatening one of the last major legislative
efforts that will help decide whether parts of the world plunge into
a new, barely livable climatic state...<br>
“Major corporations love to tell us how committed they are to
addressing the climate crisis and building a sustainable future, but
behind closed doors, they are funding the very industry trade groups
that are fighting tooth and nail to stop the biggest climate change
bill ever,” said Kyle Herrig, president of watchdog group
Accountable.US, which compiled the analysis.<br>
<br>
None of the companies contacted by the Guardian would rebuke the
stance of the lobby groups they are part of and none said they would
review their links to these groups.<br>
<br>
“Hiding behind these shady groups doesn’t just put our environment
at risk – it puts these companies’ household names and reputations
in serious jeopardy,” Herrig said.<br>
<br>
The US Chamber of Commerce has vowed to “do everything we can to
prevent this tax raising, job killing reconciliation bill from
becoming law”. The leading business lobby group’s board includes
executives from companies including Microsoft, Intuit, United
Airlines and Deloitte, which have all expressed concern over climate
change – Deloitte even includes teaching the climate crisis to
employees in its staff training – and have made various promises to
reduce emissions.<br>
<br>
Another group, the Business Roundtable, has said it is “deeply
concerned” about the passage of the bill, largely because it raises
taxes on the wealthy. The organization is made up of company chief
executives, including Apple’s Tim Cook, who has called for stronger
action on the climate emergency from governments and businesses.
Other members include Andy Jassy, chief executive of Amazon, Sundar
Pichai, who heads Google’s parent company Alphabet, and Darren
Woods, chief executive of the oil giant Exxon.<br>
<br>
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a trade
group that includes Bayer and AstraZeneca among its members, has run
adverts attacking the proposed bill. The Rate Coalition, another
lobby group that has Disney, FedEx and Verizon as members, is also
planning an advertising blitz to help kill off the legislation while
the National Association of Manufacturers – backed by
Johnson&Johnson, Dow and Goodyear – has said it is attempting to
upend the bill “in every way you can imagine”.<br>
<br>
This blitz threatens legislation that already faces a perilous path
through Congress, with the president needing every Senate Democrat
to vote for the package for it to pass. Joe Manchin, the centrist
Democrat from West Virginia who is a major recipient of donations
from the fossil fuel industry, has said the climate section of the
bill “makes no sense” and has demanded that subsidies for coal, oil
and gas remain in place. Republicans universally oppose the bill.<br>
<br>
If enacted, the bill would establish a system to phase out emissions
from the US electricity system, provide payments to prop up
carbon-free nuclear energy and support the adoption of electric
vehicles.<br>
<br>
As the first major attempt at climate legislation in more than a
decade, the bill comes at a time when scientists warn the world is
rapidly running out of time to avoid catastrophic climate change.
The legislation’s failure would not only wound Biden politically, it
would also likely hinder attempts to prod other countries into more
drastic action at crucial upcoming UN climate talks in Scotland.<br>
<br>
“This is a historic chance to end fossil fuel subsidies and invest
in a livable future,” said Lukas Ross, climate program manager at
Friends of the Earth. “We can’t waste this opportunity to pass
meaningful climate legislation because there might not be another.”<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/oct/01/apple-amazon-microsoft-disney-lobby-groups-climate-bill-analysis">https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/oct/01/apple-amazon-microsoft-disney-lobby-groups-climate-bill-analysis</a><br>
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<i>[ take care with language ] </i><br>
<b>Why calling extreme climate events ‘natural’ disasters is wrong</b><br>
By Lauren Crosby Medlicott - - 02/10/2021 <br>
<br>
With the consequences of global warming are increasingly evident
around the world, the campaign for #NoNaturalDisasters is out to
challenge the terminology surrounding these phenomena.<br>
<br>
‘Natural’ disaster terminology<br>
The group claims there is no such thing as a natural disaster,
giving the following explanation on its website.<br>
<br>
“If we recognise and accept the standard definition of a disaster as
a ‘serious disruption of the function of a community or a society at
any scale due to hazardous events interacting with conditions of
exposure, vulnerability and capacity’ then we must consider human
involvement at the core.”<br>
- -<br>
“To call a disaster ‘natural’ absolves powerful decision-makers of
responsibility for allowing or forcing people to live in vulnerable
conditions,” says Kevin Blanchard, founder of the
#NoNaturalDisasters Campaign. “This use of ‘natural’ strips disaster
stories of their social, political, environmental and economic
context – one where injustice is pervasive.”<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/10/02/why-calling-extreme-climate-events-natural-disasters-is-wrong">https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/10/02/why-calling-extreme-climate-events-natural-disasters-is-wrong</a><br>
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<i>[to the computer and find where you live]</i><br>
<b>Google Maps tracks global warming with new “Fire” layer, Tree
Canopy tool</b><br>
"Fire" will be a top-level layer just like traffic, satellite, and
transit maps.<br>
RON AMADEO - 9/29/2021<br>
Google Maps is getting a few new features to help people better
understand our burning planet. The first is a new "fire" layer in
the main map view, which will let you view the exact boundaries of a
wildfire just as easily as you can look up the current traffic
patterns. Google has done fire information before as part of the
"crisis response" website, but with climate change making "Fire
Season" a yearly occurrence in dry areas like Australia and the
Western US, wildfires will now be a top-level Maps feature.<br>
<br>
Google says the new fire level will bring "all of Google’s wildfire
information together" in an easy interface. In the US, it will also
pull in data from the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), and
the company says it wants to expand fire detail with other
government agencies, starting with Australia in "the coming months."
Wildfire boundaries should be updated on an hourly basis, and Google
says you'll be able to tap on a fire to see information from local
governments, like "emergency websites, phone numbers for help and
information, and evacuation details. When available, you can also
see important details about the fire, such as its containment, how
many acres have burned, and when all this information was last
reported."<br>
Google also announced it's going to expand the Tree Canopy tool it
launched in 2020. This Google Maps tool combines Google's plethora
of aerial imagery with computer vision AI to generate a map that
shows tree cover in cities. Today's announced expansion will
increase the Tree Canopy imagery from 15 cities to 100 cities
worldwide.<br>
<br>
Google wants city planners to use the Tree Canopy tool to combat the
phenomena of urban heat islands, where miles of asphalt and a dearth
of shade from trees can cause cities to be significantly hotter than
the surrounding areas. Google says heat islands "disproportionately
impact lower-income communities and contribute to a number of public
health concerns — from poor air quality to dehydration. With Tree
Canopy data, local governments have free access to insights about
where to plant trees to increase shade, reduce heat and mitigate
these adverse effects."<br>
<br>
Google started the Tree Canopy tool in Los Angeles, and the company
says the data "has become a critical piece of the city’s long-term
goal to increase tree shade by at least 50% by 2028." The tool is
also being used by officials in Louisville, Austin, Chicago, and
Miami.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/09/google-maps-tracks-global-warming-with-new-fire-layer-tree-canopy-tool/">https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/09/google-maps-tracks-global-warming-with-new-fire-layer-tree-canopy-tool/</a><br>
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<i>[think of power as either FIRM or CLEAN - nuke is both]</i><br>
<b>Why nuclear plants are shutting down</b><br>
Oct 1, 2021<br>
Vox<br>
The nuclear power dilemma, explained.<br>
<br>
The infamous Indian Point nuclear plant, located roughly 30 miles
north of Manhattan, shut down earlier this year. To some, the
shutdown was a victory following decades of protests about safety
and environmental concerns. Here’s the problem: When operating,
Indian Point provided more electricity than is produced annually by
all solar and wind in New York state. And Indian Point is not the
only plant closing. Cleo Abram explores why so many nuclear plants
are shutting down - by taking a closer look at Indian Point.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC7YD98HixM">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC7YD98HixM</a><br>
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<p><i>[riding an electric bike in England video]</i><br>
<b>Are e-bikes worth it?</b><br>
Jul 30, 2021<br>
Simon Clark<br>
Are electric bikes just hype, or are they really the future of
travel? I bought one to find out. Learn more about the future of
transport with CuriosityStream! Sign up at <a
class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.curiositystream.com/Simon">https://www.curiositystream.com/Simon</a>...<br>
<br>
Recently I bought myself a Ridgeback Arcus 1, a budget electric
bike (an EPAC, electric pedal assisted cycle), to find out if
e-bikes lived up to the hype. In particular, I wanted to test if
its stated range of 50km was actually accurate, so cycled from my
new home in Bath to a meeting at the Yogscast's studio,
yogstudios, in Bristol.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUShhvNwlN0">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUShhvNwlN0</a><br>
- -<br>
<i>[basic bike education]</i><br>
<b>Why Dutch Bikes are Better (and why you should want one)</b><br>
Feb 8, 2021<br>
Not Just Bikes<br>
The Dutch-style bicycle, an upright bicycle designed for comfort -
not sport - is commonplace in the Netherlands. But they're
incredibly rare in many other countries.<br>
<br>
This video explores why these bicycles are so useful, practical,
and comfortable.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aESqrP3hfi8&">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aESqrP3hfi8&</a>
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<i>[The news archive - looking back - oh ick]</i><br>
<font size="+1"><b>On this day in the history of global warming
October 3 ,</b></font><br>
<p>October 3, 2000: Vice President Al Gore and Texas Governor George
W.<br>
Bush discuss energy issues in the first presidential debate; Gore<br>
strongly backs clean-energy development, while Bush endorses
domestic<br>
drilling, natural gas and "clean coal." In response, Gore also<br>
indicates support for "clean coal."<br>
<br>
(20:15--27:08)<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/159295-1">http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/159295-1</a><br>
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