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<font size="+2" face="Calibri"><i><b>February</b></i></font><font
size="+2" face="Calibri"><i><b> 8, 2024</b></i></font><font
face="Calibri"><br>
</font> <br>
<i>[ Analysis from the Guardian ]</i><br>
<b>World ‘not prepared’ for climate disasters after warmest ever
January</b><br>
Jonathan Watts<br>
Effect of El Niño phenomenon combined with human-driven global
heating is causing increasing alarm among scientists<br>
Tue 6 Feb 2024<br>
From deadly floods in California to devastating fires in Chile,
scientists say the world is not prepared for the climate disasters
that are hitting with increasing frequency as human-driven global
heating continues to break records.<br>
<br>
The hottest year in history has been followed by the warmest ever
January. Many regions in the northern hemisphere are sweltering in
heatwaves that would be more normal in June. Marine scientists are
shocked by the prolonged and intense heat at the surface of the
oceans.<br>
<br>
Scientists say the extreme heat is mostly the result of human
activity, such as the burning of oil, gas and coal and the cutting
down of forests. This has been amplified by natural factors,
particularly the El Niño – a phenomenon associated with Pacific
Ocean warming – that started last year and is expected to continue
until spring at the earliest.<br>
<br>
This year has a one in three chance of being even hotter than last
year’s record, according to the US’s National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.<br>
<br>
The higher the global temperature, the greater the risk of fires and
flooding. This month alone has seen two grim records of such
climate-related disasters...<br>
- -<br>
Of prime concern is what is happening to the oceans, which cover 71%
of the planet and absorb most of the excess heat from global
warming. In a letter published in the journal Advances in
Atmospheric Science last month, a group of scientists warned that
sea surface temperatures last year were “off the chart”, with dire
implications for atmospheric regulation and storm intensity.<br>
“Warm oceans intensify atmospheric circulation and associated
extreme events,” said Francisco Eliseu Aquino, the deputy director
of Brazil’s Polar and Climate Centre. “The record temperature and
extreme events observed on the planet in 2023 have not passed. The
planet has not cooled down.”<br>
<br>
Francesca Guglielmo, a senior scientist at the EU’s Copernicus
satellite monitoring service, said 2024 had started as 2023 ended,
with “exceptional temperatures and many extreme events”. She pointed
to a recent forecast by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center that
suggested there was a good chance that 2024 would set a new record
with global temperatures passing 1.5C above pre-industrial levels
for the first time.<br>
<br>
Guglielmo said scientists were now considering risks that had been
unthinkable until recently. “2023 has broken so many records that a
number of new hypotheses, including the dawn of a new phase in the
global warming rate, have been floated. These hypotheses were not
nearly as prevalent a year ago.”<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/06/world-not-prepared-for-climate-disasters-after-warmest-ever-january"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/06/world-not-prepared-for-climate-disasters-after-warmest-ever-january</a><br>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<i>[ Mega Flood from BBC ]</i><br>
<b>Climate change will bring megafloods to California</b><br>
Feb 7, 2024<br>
By Lucy Sherriff - Features correspondent<br>
<p><b>Climate change is making it a matter of time before a
megaflood hits the state.</b></p>
The Santa Barbara police car blocked access to the bridge, lights
flashing as the thundering, swollen brown river rampaged below. The
water was running so high in this Southern California county that it
gushed through the railings of the bridge, and poured out onto the
road.<br>
This region is familiar with water scarcity – usually battling
extreme heatwaves, wildfires, and drought. Now, Southern California
is confronting an overabundance of water, in the form of torrential
rain and life-threatening floods.
<p>Earlier this week, around half a year's worth of rain was
predicted to fall in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas in just
one day. <br>
</p>
<p>The city recorded its rainiest day ever on Monday, and it wasn't
better news for the rest of California either. A state of
emergency was declared and evacuation orders were issued.
Mudslides hit neighbourhoods, drivers were stranded, and half a
million residents lost power. About 37 million residents, or 94%
of the state's population, are under flood alerts.<br>
</p>
<p>The already-deadly storm is caused by an atmospheric river, a
corridor of water vapour in Earth's lower atmosphere which is
carried along by the wind, forming long currents – a kind of sky
river. The consequences can be dramatic. The precipitation that
falls is comparable to the rain brought by hurricanes making
landfall on the Gulf Coast.</p>
<p>And experts say that the frequency and intensity of these kinds
of events will only increase. These severe floods in California
are a "broadly underappreciated risk", according to a 2022 paper,
co-authored by Daniel Swain and Xingying Huang, scientists at the
National Centre for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado.<br>
"I think we're reasonably prepared for what we're seeing right
now," says Swain. "But the kinds of events we're talking about in
that paper are far greater – they're longer in duration, more
extreme and more widespread. Pretty much every dimension you could
add to it. […] I don't think that California has fully prepared to
face the realities of these events," says Swain.<br>
</p>
<p>Climate change is increasing the risk of a California megaflood,
Swain's study warns. This extreme storm scenario would produce
runoffs 200-400% greater than anything seen before in the Sierra
Nevada, the sprawling 400-mile (650km) mountain range that
traverses 24 of the 58 counties in California.<br>
</p>
<p>The last such megaflood happened in 1861, inundating a 300
mile-long (483km) stretch of the Central Valley and large portions
of modern-day Los Angeles with water. It could happen again, any
time. And, the extremity of such a flood is increased by around
10% per 1C of global warming, because the warmer the planet the
more capacity the atmosphere has to hold water vapour.</p>
<p>"Imagine that what's unfolded over the past 48 hours [in
California], just kept recurring for weeks. That's the kind of
scenario we're talking about," says Swain.<br>
</p>
<p>It's difficult to quantify this kind of event, but one noticeable
incident from 2023 that stands out is Tulare Lake, an ancient lake
bed that was drained in the 1920s for agriculture. In March, the
dry lake began to refill due to the atmospheric river storms that
pummelled the state. Heavy farm machinery, orchards, and entire
warehouses sunk beneath the water, a kind of modern-day farmyard
Atlantis.</p>
<p>The intense rainfall in 2023 also caused landslides and floods
that devastated entire communities, killed at least 22 people, and
caused billions in damage. These kinds of extreme weather events
disproportionately impact people of colour and low-economic
status, like those in Pajaro, a community in Monterey County,
which was flooded after a levee, a type of flood wall, failed.</p>
<p>The flooding in Southern California that occurred in January 2024
reiterated the vulnerability of these groups.</p>
<p>"San Diego flooding two weeks ago showed again that disadvantaged
communities bear the brunt of flood impacts when infrastructure is
overtopped," says Brett Sanders, professor of civil and
environmental engineering at the University of California, Irvine.
"If this storm ends up causing mainstem flood channels to overtop,
then once again there will be low-income communities impacted,
leaving people scrambling to salvage their belongings and find a
place to live while not losing their job from missed work."</p>
<p>What California has experienced so far though, is nothing
compared to what might be in store for the region. "I don't think
we can point to recent events as a good indicator of the impacts
to come," says Swain, "because these events will be far, far
greater – larger, higher impact and more dangerous than what we're
seeing now."</p>
<p>The state is beginning to experience what scientists are calling
"hydroclimate whiplash" – essentially the climate veering wildly
between extreme dryness, and extreme wetness. The swings of the
pendulum will become greater as the climate warms, increasing
these kinds of weather events – meaning Californians will need to
adapt to both a drier, and wetter, world.<br>
</p>
<p><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://bbc.com/future/article/20240207-climate-change-will-bring-a-megaflood-to-california"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://bbc.com/future/article/20240207-climate-change-will-bring-a-megaflood-to-california</a><br>
</p>
<p><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240207-climate-change-will-bring-a-megaflood-to-california"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240207-climate-change-will-bring-a-megaflood-to-california</a><br>
</p>
<p>- - <br>
</p>
<i>[ Mega Flood report from 2013 Scientific American ]</i><br>
<b>The Coming Megafloods</b><br>
Huge flows of vapor in the atmosphere,<br>
dubbed “atmospheric rivers,” have unleashed massive floods<br>
every 200 years, and climate change could bring more of them<br>
By Michael D. Dettinger and B. Lynn Ingram<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://cw3e.ucsd.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Dettinger_Ingram_sciam13.pdf"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://cw3e.ucsd.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Dettinger_Ingram_sciam13.pdf</a><br>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<i>[ important for anyone living near a drilling site - DW
production]</i><br>
<b>Ticking time bombs - What risk do abandoned oil and gas wells
pose? | DW Documentary<br>
</b>DW Documentary<br>
Jan 31, 2024 #dwdocumentary #documentary<br>
The extraction of gas and oil poses a greater threat than previously
thought. Leaks at disused drilling sites can trigger an
environmental disaster at any time. If toxic substances escape,
human lives are at risk.<br>
<br>
Oil companies invest little in securing the former boreholes.
Environmental activists are among the few on the lookout for this
invisible danger: Of the 20 to 30 million former drilling sites
worldwide, only a few are regularly and carefully monitored. From
the North Sea to the Alsace region in France to the USA, abandoned
extraction sites can be silently causing significant harm to both
the environment and human health. <br>
<br>
Take Bradford, USA: Here, several residents fell ill with mysterious
symptoms including hair loss and nosebleeds. Eventually, medical
doctor Jeffrey Nordella discovered they were all suffering from
chronic benzene exposure caused by methane and crude oil. The
substances had escaped over a long period of time from a disused
borehole. Elsewhere, gas explosions from leaking production
facilities cause enormous damage. <br>
<br>
In many countries, oil and gas companies are legally obliged to seal
abandoned wells immediately. However, the implementation and
monitoring of these regulations is sporadic. Activists and
whistleblowers are constantly trying to draw attention to this
abuse. <br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PicwnxJgd_k"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PicwnxJgd_k</a><br>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<i>[Time magazine comes to the rescue ]</i><br>
<b>7 Ways to Deal With Climate Despair</b><br>
Forget climate anxiety: many people are in flat-out climate despair.
About two-thirds of Americans (65%) report being worried about
global warming, according to a January report from the Yale Program
for Climate Communication. One in 10 say they've recently felt
depressed over their concerns for the planet, and a similar
percentage describe feeling on edge or like they’re unable to stop
worrying about global warming.<br>
<br>
No wonder more people are seeking care from climate-aware
therapists. Some go to therapy to figure out whether they should
have kids in the age of rapid climate change. Others are dealing
with post-traumatic stress disorder from natural disasters or are
burned out from advocacy work.<br>
But if the threat is existential, is there value in sorting out how
you feel about it? “The very first step is full validation,” says
Leslie Davenport, a climate psychology educator and author of books
including Emotional Resiliency in the Era of Climate Change: A
Clinician's Guide. “Things like, ‘This makes so much sense, I hear
you, I understand, let’s talk about this more.’” Understand that
it's not irrational to be full of worry, rage, fear, guilt, or grief
when the planet's on fire.<br>
<p>Here, climate-aware therapists share their most effective coping
strategies for going from overwhelmed to empowered.</p>
<b>Talk about it.</b><br>
<br>
Climate change tends to get the religion-and-politics
treatment—people avoid talking about it, says Carol Bartels, a
therapist based in Long Beach, Calif. “But we need to talk about
it,” she adds. “We need to know that other people are feeling the
same.”<br>
<p>Join a climate café—discussion spaces, both online and in-person,
where people can talk freely about their fears and other feelings
related to climate change. Or try the Good Grief Network, a
peer-support group that follows a 10-step approach to help people
process any type of grieving, including for the planet.</p>
<b>Use your connections.</b><br>
<br>
Research suggests that the lonelier and more socially isolated
someone feels, the higher their levels of climate distress. Finding
your people can help. Join local land-restoration efforts, get
involved with community gardening, or stop by your favorite park’s
clean-up day. “A lot of the messaging we get is very individualist,
like, ‘Stop driving so much,’” says Jenni Silverstein, a licensed
clinical social worker based in Santa Rosa, Calif., an area that’s
been ravaged by wildfires. “Those actions are valuable, but this is
a collective situation, and collective responses are where we have
power.” We accomplish more with others than we do by ourselves, she
adds.<br>
<p>If you’re struggling to find a like-minded community, think about
where you already have a foot in the door. If you work in the
medical field, for example, ask your colleagues if they want to
help start an initiative for reduced waste, Davenport suggests, or
your department could oversee a new rooftop garden. “You have some
influence—you’re already part of a community,” she says. “If each
of us engaged in the places where we’re already active, it would
make a huge difference.”</p>
<b>Analyze your carbon footprint.</b><br>
<br>
Some people cope with climate distress by distancing themselves from
the problem—they ignore it, hoping it will go away, says Dr. Lise
Van Susteren, a psychiatrist in Washington, D.C., who co-founded the
Climate Psychiatry Alliance. It’s more effective to “take the energy
of all those emotions and redirect them into constructive action,”
she says, and that starts with analyzing your own carbon footprint.
Online calculators can help you determine the total amount of
greenhouse gases generated by your actions. It can also be helpful
to simply take inventory of your habits, Van Susteren points out:
Could you walk or bike instead of driving to work? What about
cutting CO2 emissions by taking the train instead of an airplane?
“Be honest with yourself so you can understand both the
opportunities and challenges,” she advises. <br>
<p><b>Share your views.</b></p>
This is no time for humility. Make sure everyone around you knows
what you’re doing to combat climate change, says Van Susteren. “What
motivates people is not our independence—we follow the crowd."
Someone might not make green choices in the interest of future
generations, but will do it if everyone else is. So post about your
advocacy work or the trees you planted on Facebook, and tell whoever
you’re standing next to at parties.<br>
If you’re surrounded by people who don’t appear to prioritize the
environment as much as you do, lead by example rather than trying to
change their minds, Bartels advises. She grows fruits and vegetables
and shares them with her neighbors, for example—even the ones who
don't care about climate-friendly lifestyles. If they ask about her
garden, she explains how to get started. “Getting angry with people
does zero good,” she says. “It’s important to keep the dialogue
open. When we make enemies out of people who could be our allies,
we’re making a grave mistake.”<br>
<b>Make it a family affair.</b><br>
<br>
Some research suggests that climate change is especially affecting
young people’s mental health. If your kids are coming to you with
concerns, listen to and validate them, Van Susteren says. Then get
imaginative about how your whole family can take action together. If
your kids are young, “you’re not going to talk about climate tipping
points, but you can say, ‘Let’s plant a garden, let’s clean up a
park. Let’s show Mother Earth that we care about her.’”<br>
<br>
Middle-schoolers like to do things with their community, she adds,
so consider banding together to raise money to install solar panels
at the school. Older teens might like to start or join climate
clubs; if they express interest in going to a protest, ask if they’d
like you to tag along, or if you can help them get there. “You can
also have family meetings and say, ‘We’ve taken your feelings
seriously, and we’ve decided as a family that these are some of the
things we can do,’” Van Susteren suggests. For example, “‘That’s why
we’re not going to fly off here or fly out there; we’re going to get
a hybrid instead and drive through the Shenandoah and camp out and
look at the stars.’” Brainstorm activities or changes that will help
you all feel like you’re making a difference.<br>
<p><b>Get artsy.</b></p>
Making art can help people regulate and work through their emotions,
says Ariella Cook-Shonkoff, a psychotherapist based in Berkeley,
Calif., who specializes in art therapy and eco-therapy. “You’re
doing patterned, repetitive movements and getting into a flow
state," she says. "It’s calming.” Try it in the natural world—by
sketching in front of the ocean or on a bench in the woods, for
example.<br>
<br>
<p>She often challenges clients to use colors, shapes, and lines to
express how they’re feeling at that moment. You might be surprised
at what comes out on the paper; art is a way of tapping into
thoughts you didn’t even realize you had, Cook-Shonkoff says. As
you study your finished work and try to make sense of its meaning,
you might gain a deeper understanding of how you’re really
feeling. “You can start to distill those emotions and be able to
communicate them with other people,” she says. “There’s a lot of
dialogue that can happen.”</p>
<b>Savor time outside.</b><br>
<br>
Spending time outside in green spaces benefits well-being—though
Davenport acknowledges it can be complex. You go to your favorite
lake, but it’s closed because there’s toxic algae growth caused by
warm water. A hike in the woods in the dead of winter is lovely, but
the unseasonable warmth unnerves you. “Love and grief are two sides
of the same coin,” she says. It’s worth pushing through the
challenging feelings, she says, “because doing so can renew your
sense of why it’s important to fight for this.”<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://time.com/6589649/climate-despair-how-to-cope/"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://time.com/6589649/climate-despair-how-to-cope/</a><br>
<br>
<p><br>
</p>
<font face="Calibri"><i>[The news archive - ]</i></font><br>
<font face="Calibri"> <font size="+2"><i><b>February 8, 2015 </b></i></font>
</font><br>
<font face="Calibri"> </font> February 8, 2015:<br>
The Los Angeles Times reports:<br>
<blockquote>"State lawmakers are preparing a sweeping package of
bills that would fulfill several of Gov. Jerry Brown's climate
change objectives by increasing California's reliance on renewable
energy and alternative transportation fuels.<br>
<br>
"The proposals would also require state pension funds, the two
largest public systems in the country, to divest from coal
companies. And they would create an advisory committee aimed at
turning energy policies into new jobs.<br>
<br>
"The introduction of the bills on Tuesday will kick-start months
of contentious negotiations among lawmakers, oil companies,
utilities, environmental advocates and the governor. If the
measures pass, California will embark on a 15-year mission to spur
investment in clean technology, slash the amount of gasoline used
on state roads and boost energy efficiency in thousands of aging
buildings.<br>
<br>
"Overall, the legislative package largely reflects environmental
targets detailed by Brown in his inaugural address last month."<br>
</blockquote>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-pol-climate-change-20150208-story.html"
moz-do-not-send="true">http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-pol-climate-change-20150208-story.html</a>
<br>
<br>
<br>
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