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<font size="+2"><i><b>December 18, 2021</b></i></font><br>
<br>
<i>[ Bill McKibben in the New Yorker ]</i><br>
<b>The Year in Climate </b>A summer that really scared scientists.<br>
By Bill McKibben<br>
December 16, 2021<i><br>
</i><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/2021-in-review/the-year-in-climate">https://www.newyorker.com/news/2021-in-review/the-year-in-climate</a><i><br>
</i>
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</i></p>
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</i></p>
<i>[ Battlegrounds of misinformation ]<br>
</i><b>Google Pledged to Remove Ads From Climate Denial Sites, but
Many Still Run</b><br>
Researchers found ads placed by Google on sites that falsely call
global warming a hoax. The revenue those sites earn from the ads can
fund further misinformation.<br>
By Hiroko Tabuchi<br>
Dec. 16, 2021<br>
Ahead of last month’s United Nations global climate summit, Google,
the world’s biggest provider of ads online, made a big announcement:
It would stop placing ads on sites that deny the scientific
consensus on climate change.<br>
<br>
Banned from profiting from its advertising program, Google said,
were sites and videos falsely referring to global warming as a hoax
or a scam. Also no longer welcome to run Google ads: Content falsely
claiming that greenhouse gas emissions, or human activity, do not
contribute to climate change.<br>
<br>
But new research shows that Google’s policy has had limited effect
so far...<br>
- -<br>
“There’s no ambiguity that these pages are out of sync with
mainstream climate science,” said John Cook, a postdoctoral research
fellow at the Climate Change Communication Research Hub at Monash
University, whose research encompasses using machine learning to
identify climate misinformation. “They shouldn’t be difficult to
blacklist.”<br>
<br>
And even though much of the rest of the world has moved on from more
blatant forms of climate denialism, the United States has remained
particularly vulnerable, Dr. Cook said. “There are parts of the
country where science denial is still flourishing, and those tend to
be the markets for these types of web pages,” he said. “Climate
misinformation confuses and polarizes the public, delays climate
action and reduces trust in scientists.”<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/16/climate/google-climate-denial-ads.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/16/climate/google-climate-denial-ads.html</a><br>
<p><i>- -</i></p>
<i>[ Label criminals ]</i><br>
<b>The Toxic Ten</b><b><br>
</b><b>How 10 fringe publishers fuel 69% of digital climate change
denial</b><i><br>
</i>The science is undeniable - human activity is warming our planet
at an ever-accelerating rate and leading to catastrophic climate
change.<br>
<br>
Yet, ten publishers - The Toxic Ten - are spreading baseless,
unscientific climate denial on their own websites and across social
media. They are responsible for 69% of all interactions with climate
denial content on Facebook.<br>
<br>
It's a climate denial propaganda machine funded in part by Google
via ad revenue, and spread across the world via social media, in
particular Facebook, who allow them to pay to promote their denial.
<br>
<br>
We are calling on Facebook and Google to stop promoting and funding
climate denial, start labelling it as misinformation, and stop
giving the advantages of their enormous platforms to lies and
misinformation.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/16/climate/google-climate-denial-ads.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/16/climate/google-climate-denial-ads.html</a><i><br>
</i>
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<i>[ clips from renowned commentator Dave Roberts - - <a
class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.volts.wtf/p/the-year-in-federal-climate-politics">https://www.volts.wtf/p/the-year-in-federal-climate-politics</a>
] </i><br>
<b>The year in federal climate politics and what lies ahead</b><br>
My stomach hurts.<br>
David Roberts - Dec.17 - 2021<br>
[text and audio] <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.volts.wtf/account/add-podcast">https://www.volts.wtf/account/add-podcast</a>
<br>
The year is coming to a close, which means us bloggers are obliged
to do a year-end post, looking back on the year’s events and looking
ahead to what’s next. I’ll be honest, I had second thoughts about
whether to publish this post at all — my outlook is pretty gloomy
and I don’t want to be a spreader of gloom — but I figure you pay me
for the straight scoop. So here it is.<br>
<br>
The broad story is that, as bad as it sometimes felt going through
it, we are coming to the end of the most productive year of federal
climate politics that any of us are likely to experience for a long,
long time. I’m not sure it ever really sank in with most people,
including Democrats in Congress, but this was the last big shot.
After the Build Back Better Act passes (if it passes), that will be
it for federal climate legislation.<br>
<br>
After that, those of us hoping for climate progress will have to
forget about first-best solutions and begin thinking in terms of
guerrilla actions, in states, cities, and the private sector. That’s
a very different mindset than the push for a centralized solution.<br>
<br>
Let’s begin with a quick review of the events of the last year...<br>
<b>Democrats’ inevitably disappointing legislation limps toward the
finish line...</b>
<blockquote>Biden and the Democrats started strong out of the gate.
Congress delivered the Covid relief bill. Biden issued a flurry of
executive orders. Vaccination rates began rising. As long as
Democrats were doing stuff, taking action, controlling the news
cycle, Biden’s approval rating held up.<br>
<br>
Around July-August, two things happened. First, Biden withdrew US
troops from Afghanistan, after which the Taliban quickly took
control, sparking an extended wave of hysterically negative
mainstream press coverage. (Coverage of Biden in right-wing media
was, of course, hysterically negative on day one and has been ever
since.)<br>
<br>
Second, legislative action ground to a halt and segued into months
of frustrating negotiations, which continue to this day.<br>
<br>
They split their big bill in two, allowing a bipartisan group of
senators to hash out a roads-and-bridges infrastructure bill (the
bipartisan infrastructure framework, or BIF) while leaving
everything else to a second bill. The idea was to give Sens. Joe
Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) their bipartisan
achievement, but to require that they pass it alongside a
Dems-only reconciliation bill, the Build Back Better Act (BBB).<br>
<br>
At the time, Democrats from Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck
Schumer (D-NY) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on down
pledged that the BIF would not pass without the BBB. The bills
were a single package, they all emphasized. “It's going to be
either both or nothing,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said.<br>
<br>
What happened instead is that the bipartisan group put together a
relatively bare-bones bill and got it passed through the Senate.
That put immense pressure on the House to follow suit, despite
everyone’s pledges. The progressive caucus, led by Rep. Pramila
Jayapal (D-WA), held together and refused to pass the BIF for as
long as it could, but in November, it relented and the House
passed the bill.<br>
<br>
Progressives voted for the BIF based on a promise from Biden that
he could secure Manchin’s vote for the BBB in something close to
its present form. By all appearances thus far, that promise was
worth very little. Manchin showed no sign at the time, and has
showed no sign since, that he’s willing to vote for BBB as it
stands.<br>
<br>
In fact, before and after the BIF passed, he has done nothing but
talk down the BBB, set arbitrary limits on its total size, and
demand that elements be eliminated (like the Clean Electricity
Payment Program) or radically pared back (like paid leave).<br>
<br>
Sinema has been frustrating throughout the process, but at least
for now, it looks like she got what she wanted — protecting Pharma
from price competition and corporations from higher taxes — and is
now ready to vote the bill through.<br>
<br>
Manchin, on the other hand, has been nothing but a jerk, from the
very beginning and at every stage. He’s been more of a jerk than
is explicable even given the red lean of his state, even given his
outlandishly corrupt conflicts of interest. He’s been a vain,
inconstant, ill-informed font of conservative economic gibberish,
theatrically sticking his thumb in the eyes of the other 49
members of his caucus...</blockquote>
- - <br>
<b>Build Back Better is still good climate policy...</b>
<blockquote>When the Covid relief bill was passed and attention
turned to the BBB agenda, Sanders led with a $6 trillion proposal
that was, among other things, a climate policy buffet. That was in
June. Ever since then, Democratic climate plans have diminished.<br>
<br>
Sen. Bernie Sanders points toward future spending. (Photo: Getty
Images)<br>
Sen. Bernie Sanders points toward future spending. (Photo: Getty
Images)<br>
The $6 trillion proposal became a $3.5 trillion proposal. Before
the election, Manchin was saying he would support $4 trillion just
on infrastructure, but in his new role as Jerk-in-Chief, he
decided he would only support $1.5 trillion.<br>
<br>
Of course, even after Dems cut down the bill to please him, he
kept whacking. He took out the Clean Electricity Payment Program,
the one energy policy in the bill that had some financial
penalties alongside its rewards. He’s currently trying to kill the
EV tax credit bonus for union-made vehicles (the Toyota plant in
West Virginia isn’t unionized). He’s jacked up the size of the
carbon-capture tax credits.<b>...</b></blockquote>
- -<br>
<b>What’s gonna happen?...</b><br>
In short, US democracy is lurching toward one-party authoritarianism
and I don’t see forces on the horizon capable of stopping it.<br>
<br>
That’s a grim place to conclude our year in review, I realize.. I
don’t want to bum everyone out. Obviously, everyone should do
everything in their power to prevent this outcome. Nothing is
written in advance; there is always a chance the tide can be beat
back. But at the same time, it’s worth thinking through how Biden
and Democrats can maximize the coming year to minimize the damage.<br>
<br>
And it’s worth beginning to think about how, if the federal
government is taken off the board, climate progress can be made
through subnational governments and the private sector.<br>
<br>
I’ll have more to say soon on the positive story unfolding outside
the federal government. And more to say about what four more years
of Trump and Republicans could mean for the climate effort. But for
now, I’ll just conclude by saying: the BBB must pass, no matter
what. Everything depends on it.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.volts.wtf/p/the-year-in-federal-climate-politics">https://www.volts.wtf/p/the-year-in-federal-climate-politics</a><br>
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<i>[ Super hopeful development, now for politics to open the
deployment doors - where is it now? ] </i><br>
<b>New solar materials developed by Stanford scientists could usher
in ultrathin, lightweight solar panel</b><br>
DECEMBER 15, 2021 <br>
KEY POINTS<br>
The race in solar engineering to create almost impossibly-thin,
flexible solar panels; is on.<br>
Engineers imagine them used in mobile applications, from
self-powered wearable devices and sensors to lightweight aircraft
and electric vehicles.<br>
Against that backdrop, researchers at Stanford University have
achieved record efficiencies in a promising group of photovoltaic
materials.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://pvbuzz.com/new-solar-matusher-in-ultrathin-lightweight-solar-panel/">https://pvbuzz.com/new-solar-matusher-in-ultrathin-lightweight-solar-panel/</a><br>
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<i>[ Oh damn, this is so logical, inevitable ] </i><br>
<b>Climate change: Impact of rising temperatures on neurological
disorders</b><br>
As a step toward understanding the effects of global warming on
brain health, a recent systematic review analyzed the impact of
increasing ambient temperatures on individuals with neurological
disorders.<br>
Elevated ambient temperatures were associated with exacerbated
symptoms and increased hospitalization and mortality rates in
individuals with neurological disorders.<br>
The study also compared the occurrence of neurological disorders in
migrants with nonmigrants to assess the potential impact of
climate-related migration on brain health.<br>
The effects of migration on neurological disorders were variable,
while socioeconomic, cultural, and genetic factors influenced the
incidence of brain disorders.<br>
According to a joint editorial published by over 200 medical
journals earlier this year, climate change is the greatest threat to
global public health.<br>
<br>
Major public health organizations, such as the World Health
Organization (WHO)Trusted Source, have also voiced similar concerns.<br>
<br>
Climate change includes surging temperatures, rising sea levels, and
an increase in the strength and frequency of extreme weather events
such as flooding, droughts, hurricanes, and wildfires.<br>
<br>
Climate change can affect Trusted Source human health in a multitude
of ways. Rising temperatures, food scarcity, air pollution, and an
increase in infectious diseases are a few ways it can impact human
health.<br>
<br>
The health effects of climate change are complex and only partially
understood, and a more comprehensive understanding is important to
help medical professionals provide the necessary care.<br>
<br>
A recent systematic review aimed to delineate the impact of global
warming on neurological disorders. The study analyzed previous
research examining the effects of ambient temperature rises on the
occurrence, clinical manifestations, and mortality due to major
neurological disorders.<br>
<br>
Climate change may render certain parts of the world uninhabitable
due to drought, rising temperatures, and other extreme weather
events. This will result in the mass displacement of populations,
leading to environmental refugees.<br>
<br>
The study also analyzed research assessing the occurrence of
neurological disorders in migrant populations to understand the
potential impact on the brain health of climate-related refugees.<br>
<br>
The study found that a rise in ambient temperature due to global
warming may lead to worsened symptoms of neurological disorders and
result in higher hospitalization and mortality rates.<br>
<br>
The effects of migration on the occurrence of neurological disorders
were more variable and were also influenced by social, cultural, and
economic factors.<br>
<br>
However, the authors cautioned that these results were preliminary,
and the analyzed studies did not specifically aim to evaluate the
impact of climate change on neurological disorders and clinical
practice.<br>
<br>
The study’s lead author, Daniel Kondziella, a professor at the
University of Copenhagen in Denmark, told Medical News Today:<br>
<br>
“[This study shows that] there are very good reasons to expect a
tremendous negative impact on global brain health within the near
future owing to climate change. […] At the same time, there appears
to be a fundamental lack of awareness of this problem within the
neurological community, as evidenced by the complete absence of
appropriately designed research to investigate this problem.”<br>
<br>
The study appears in the journal PeerJ.<br>
<br>
High ambient temperature<br>
To understand the effects of global warming on brain disorders, the
team behind the present study reviewed previous research examining
the impact of ambient temperature increases on the manifestation of
symptoms of major neurological disorders.<br>
<br>
The researchers also analyzed studies assessing the association
between ambient temperature and hospitalization and mortality rates
due to these neurological disorders.<br>
<br>
The neurological disorders that the team examined included
Alzheimer’s disease, other forms of dementia, multiple sclerosis,
Parkinson’s disease, migraine, epilepsy, and stroke. The researchers
also looked at tick-borne encephalitis as an example of an
infectious disease involving the nervous system.<br>
<br>
The researchers reviewed 84 studies and found that higher ambient
temperatures were associated with worse outcomes for individuals
with neurological disorders.<br>
<br>
For instance, multiple studies found that elevated ambient
temperatures were associated with more adverse symptoms, such as
irritability, anxiety, depression, and agitation, in individuals
with Alzheimer’s disease and non-Alzheimer’s dementia..<br>
<br>
Similarly, an increase in ambient temperatures was associated with a
decline in cognitive performance and motor function in individuals
with multiple sclerosis.<br>
<br>
Elevated temperatures also increased the risk of hospitalization and
mortality in individuals with dementia and stroke.<br>
<br>
The researchers also found a higher incidence of tick-borne
encephalitis with an increase in annual temperatures. They
identified a few studies suggesting a negative impact of higher
temperatures on individuals with Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, and
migraine, but the evidence was limited.<br>
<br>
Effects of migration<br>
The team then analyzed studies investigating the occurrence of
neurological disorders in migrants.<br>
<br>
After analyzing nine studies, the researchers found that the
direction of the effect of migration on the occurrence of
neurological disorders was variable.<br>
<br>
Whether migration increased or decreased, the incidence of
neurological disorders among migrants was influenced by cultural,
economic, and social factors in their origin and destination
countries.<br>
<br>
Additionally, the access to healthcare services in both the
countries of origin and arrival influenced results.<br>
<br>
For instance, the prevalence of stroke was higher in individuals
native to and residing in China than those who had immigrated to
Western countries. These results were probably due to greater access
to healthcare in Western countries and cultural factors, such as
higher salt intake, in China.<br>
<br>
In contrast, one of the analyzed studies showed that individuals who
had emigrated from the Caribbean to London, United Kingdom, had a
higher incidence of stroke. Individuals of African descent from the
Caribbean have a genetic predisposition for cardiovascular diseases.<br>
<br>
It is likely that the interaction of genetic risk for cardiovascular
diseases with socioeconomic factors upon immigration may increase
the likelihood of stroke in these individuals.<br>
<br>
Limitations<br>
The researchers noted that the studies examining the impact of
elevated temperatures on these neurological disorders showed
considerable variation in their methodology and study design.<br>
<br>
Moreover, none of the reviewed studies aimed to specifically address
the impact of global warming and climate-related migration on
neurological disorders.<br>
<br>
They also noted that most of the analyzed studies that scientists
conducted were in wealthier nations. The effects of climate change
are likely to be disproportionately experienced by lower income
nations and disadvantaged communities, and, therefore, the results
may not be representative.<br>
<br>
The researchers also acknowledged that their study only considered
the potential impact of global warming and migration on neurological
disorders.<br>
<br>
Climate change encompasses rising sea levels, drought, air
pollution, and loss of biodiversity that may also influence the
occurrence and symptoms of neurological disorders.<br>
<br>
MNT also spoke with Dr. George Perry, a professor at the University
of Texas at San Antonio. Dr. Perry, who was not involved with the
study, suggested that other factors, including stress, besides a
change in ambient temperature, may be more important in mediating
the adverse effects of climate change.<br>
<br>
Dr. Perry said:<br>
“The known issue is that global warming is increasing stress and
uncertainty, [which] potentiate conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.
In the context of increasing environmental degradation — particulate
air pollution, resource competition, and conflict — climate change
is but one of many stressors where we must reduce or modify the
impact to preserve global health for us and the planet.”<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/climate-change-impact-of-rising-temperatures-on-neurological-disorders">https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/climate-change-impact-of-rising-temperatures-on-neurological-disorders</a><br>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><br>
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<i>[ another positive engineering building the perfect structure ]</i><br>
<b>Amazing Lego-Style HEMP BLOCKS Make Building a House Quick, Easy
& Sustainable</b><br>
Nov 22, 2021<br>
Exploring Alternatives<br>
These hempcrete blocks are a green building material made with a
hemp-lime insulation mixture packed around a biocomposite structural
frame. They can be stacked like bricks to build walls up to 30 feet
high and they become the insulation and the structure of the
building. All you need to do after the walls are built is plaster
the inside and outside, and then add windows, doors, and a roof! <br>
<br>
The hemp plant sequesters carbon during its growth, and lime, as it
dries, reabsorbs the carbon that was released when it was
manufactured, which means the hemp-lime mixture is carbon negative
(it sequesters more carbon than it creates in its life cycle).
Terry Radford from Just BioFiber says that these hempcrete blocks
will sequester about 10 tons of carbon per house. <br>
<br>
Just BioFiber is located in Alberta, Canada and you can find out
more about their hempcrete blocks here:<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://justbiofiber.com/">https://justbiofiber.com/</a><br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.facebook.com/justbiofiber">https://www.facebook..com/justbiofiber</a><br>
<br>
Not only is this an environmentally friendly building material, it
also creates a comfortable living space. The hempcrete helps to
regulate temperature and humidity, it reduces noise transmission
through the walls, it's fire-resistant, and it's non-toxic.<br>
<br>
This is an incredible green building technology and we can't wait to
see Just BioFiber ramp up their block production so that we can
start to see hempcrete buildings popping up all over the world. <br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqLXXjvQXgI">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqLXXjvQXgI</a><br>
<p><br>
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<p>[The news archive - looking back]</p>
<font size="+1"><b>On this day in the history of global warming
December 18 ,</b></font><br>
<p>December 17, 2014:<br>
The New York Times reports: <br>
<br>
"The Cuomo administration announced Wednesday that it would ban
hydraulic fracturing in New York State, ending years of
uncertainty by concluding that the controversial method of
extracting gas from deep underground could contaminate the state’s
air and water and pose inestimable public-health risks."<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/18/nyregion/cuomo-to-ban-fracking-in-new-york-state-citing-health-risks.html?mwrsm=Email">http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/18/nyregion/cuomo-to-ban-fracking-in-new-york-state-citing-health-risks.html?mwrsm=Email</a>
<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/12/17/3604762/breaking-new-york-will-pursue-fracking-ban/">http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/12/17/3604762/breaking-new-york-will-pursue-fracking-ban/</a>
<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/andrew-cuomo--im-not-a-scientist-374321731971">http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/andrew-cuomo--im-not-a-scientist-374321731971</a>
<br>
<br>
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</p>
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<p>/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------/</p>
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