Feb 21 Hot Air News Roundup

Something to keep in mind…

 

Climate Disruption is Ubiquitous
Paul Beckwith 2-28-19

• Tropics have expanded by 0.5 degrees in latitude per decade since 1970s:

• Sahara Desert enlarged 10% since 1910.

• US 100th Meridian has shifted 140 miles to East since 1980.

• Tornado Alley moved 500 miles East since 1990.

• Plant Hardiness Zones in US move North 13 miles per decade.

• Permafrost Line in Canada moved 80 miles North in last 50 years.

• Wheat Belt pushed poleward 160 miles per decade, and is rapidly moving out of Australia.

• Thousands of Northern Hemisphere lakes are losing ice cover.

• Climate of Cities is shifting up to 500 miles within one generation.

• Arctic has lost 80% of coldest air in 6 decades.

 

HOT AIR NEWS ROUNDUP

Canada obliged to protect future generations from climate change, test case on carbon tax hears
The Narwhal 2-20-19

[The coalition] argued that the Canadian government has a constitutional obligation to protect minorities, including future generations of children who stand to be negatively impacted by climate change. … A decision in the case is pending.

Sharp rise in methane levels threatens world climate targets
The Guardian 2-17-19

“What we are now witnessing is extremely worrying,” … “It is particularly alarming because we are still not sure why atmospheric methane levels are rising across the planet.” … Studies suggest these increases are more likely to be mainly biological in origin. However, the exact cause remains unclear. Some researchers believe the spread of intense farming in Africa may be involved.

Climate Change Could Cause Epic ‘ARkStorm’ in Southern California
Times of San Diego 2-19-19

This rare mega-storm, which some say is rendered all the more inevitable by climate change, would last for weeks and send more than 1.5 million people fleeing as floodwaters inundated cities and formed lakes in the Central Valley and Mojave Desert, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Where Climate Change Fits into Venezuela’s Ongoing Crisis
Scientific American 2-18-19

Venezuela got 50 to 65 percent less rainfall than the annual average from 2013 to 2016. That led to rationing of both water and electricity because Venezuela is heavily reliant on hydropower. A dry winter heading into 2016 led to low water levels at the Guri Dam in Bolívar, the nation’s largest hydroelectric facility, and months of power shortages in Caracas and elsewhere.

This article has the best pictures! And clear explanations. Check it out…

What is permafrost and why might it be the climate change time bomb?
South China Mornig Post 2-19-19

Video from the article: [VIDEO]  

Permafrost seals highly compressed carbon and methane gases created from decomposed organic and vegetal remains. Greenhouse gases are released when this frozen layer thaws. In areas not overlain by ice, the surface freezes and thaws annually and is called the “active layer”

More on the permafrost melting…

The permafrost bomb is ticking – We must act now to disarm it.
Yale Climate Connections 2-12-19

The major side effect of a thawing permafrost is that it will further enhance global warming with the release of large quantities of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. The permafrost contains organic matter, and thawing will enable bacterial decomposition that will release methane as a byproduct of anaerobic respiration.

Extinction Rebellion March (3 minutes) [VIDEO]  

The global impact of coal power
EurekAlert! 2-18-19

China and the US are the two largest producers of coal power, but power plants in India take the highest toll in the world when it comes to health. Central Europe, North America and China all have modern power plants, but Eastern Europe, Russia and India still have many older power plants equipped with insufficient flue gas treatment.

UN announces roadmap to Climate Summit in 2019, a ‘critical year’ for climate action
UN News 2-14-19

Two-thirds of these targets, she said, depend on climate and environment goals, and a five-fold increase in commitments from their current levels is needed in order to meet the targets set at the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement on dealing with greenhouse gas emissions mitigation, adaptation and finance, due to come into force in 2020.

States Are Introducing Bills That Could Prevent Teachers From Advocating for Climate Change
Pacific Standard 2-18-19

Several [South Dakota, Virginia, Maine, Montana] states have recently introduced bills that could interfere with the teaching of scientifically founded theories on climate change in public school science curricula.

A well written article on how we are not meeting emission reductions…

The Dangers Of Climate Change Pseudo-Activity
Clean Technica 2-18-19

EU’s market-based emission trading scheme was a neoliberal dream but too many carbon allowances at too low prices made the system utterly inefficient. According to EU’s own numbers, their import of crude oil, gas and diesel oil is on the rise while their emissions grew by 1.7% last year.

Good article…

PG&E bankruptcy shows we don’t know how to pay for climate change
CBS 1-23-19

There’s no guarantee that PG&E’s bankruptcy — which would be one of the biggest by a U.S. company –will lead to the desired result. What’s almost certain, however, is that the nearly $30 billion in damages PG&E potentially faces would be dramatically reduced in bankruptcy.

Climate-friendly labriculture depends on an energy revolution, says Oxford study
Eurekalert! 2-18-19

The study, from the LEAP (Livestock, Environment and People) programme at the Oxford Martin School, found that some projections for the uptake of particular forms of cultured meat could indeed be better for the climate, but others could actually lead to higher global temperatures in the long run.

UK government backs Shell’s plan to leave some North Sea installations in place, despite German concerns
Unearthed 2-18-19

Hundreds of ageing North Sea oil and gas rigs will be decommissioned … The UK public spending watchdog, … said that British taxpayers will face a bill of at least £24bn. … Following an assessment and consultation, Shell has proposed leaving portions of its Brent oilfield installations in the North Sea.

Letters to the editor…

To avoid environmental catastrophe, everything must change
The Guardian 2-13-19

Readers respond to an article and editorial on the use of agricultural pesticides and the alarming decline in insect numbers.

Using Parking Meter Records and Tweets From Local Businesses for Sea Level Rise Research
Wunderground 2-27-29

According to NOAA, Annapolis and nearby Baltimore top the list of cities experiencing increases in high-tide flooding, with over a 920% increase since 1960.

Check this out just for the images and the slogans:

Vivienne Westwood protests climate change as environmental demonstrations hit London Fashion Week
de zeen 2-18-10

Models wore clothes with slogans berating politicians during Vivienne Westwood’s Homo Loquax show, which happened as protests about the environmental impact of London Fashion Week took place.

Ireland needs new oil and gas fields to ease reliance on Brexit UK, say drillers
Climate Home News 2-13-19

Ireland imports all of its oil and around a third of its natural gas – mostly from the UK – and the gas imports are set to rise as the country’s offshore Corrib reserve runs out over the next 12 years, according to the Irish Offshore Operators’ Association (IOOA).

Was climate change a factor in Hurricane Michael’s strength? The answer is complicated
Panama City News Herald 1-21-19

Hurricane Michael … Survivors have compared the aftermath to a bomb going off instead of the usual storm damage. … The same year Hurricane Michael hit, the Panama City area also saw a record year of rainfall — about 81 inches, the most the National Weather Service has measured in the area since it began measurements in 2010. That record doesn’t include rain from the hurricane.

 
PROTESTS • EXTINCTION REBELLION • RESISTANCE

Good article…

Youth Climate Leaders Launch Campaign to Make McConnell Regret ‘Shameless’ Green New Deal Ploy
Common Dreams 2-15-19

While McConnell appears to believe that he can expose divisions in the Democratic caucus by forcing senators into an up-or-down vote on the Green New Deal, Sunrise campaigners declared that—with urgent organizing and mobilization nationwide—they can build enough support for the resolution to “turn the tables on Mitch and create a political earthquake.”

Climate change protesters disrupt parliamentary question time – Austrailia
Antinuclear 2-16-19

Climate protesters have disrupted question time in federal parliament, with at least 10 people in the public galleries standing up to shout at politicians.
The first was applauded on Thursday as he yelled about “record-breaking droughts and bushfires” before being removed by security as another activist stood up to take his place.

Merkel’s spokesman backpedals on her suggestion that Russia is behind kids’ protest after outrage
RT 2-17-19

‘Fridays for Future Germany,’ the movement spearheading the protests in the country, posted a stark rebuke to the German chancellor’s remark on Twitter.

…

According to the protests’ organizers, some 26,000 people turned up across 35 German cities to protest against the government’s failure to tackle climate change on Friday.

#Fridays For Future • #Climate Strike • #School Strike 4 Climate

We are calling on the world to take a stand against climate change. On March 15th, youth from across the US will take a stand & strike for our futures. We will be on the streets demanding our lawmakers to do something! Link in bio to join us!#FridaysForFuture #YouthStrikesUSA pic.twitter.com/M89skysQTB — Youth Climate Strike US (@climatestrikeUS) February 1, 2019

British children walk out of lessons on climate strike
Yahoo News 2-15-19

Thousands of British children marched out of lessons on Friday to demand action on climate change, earning a mild rebuke from the prime minister’s office for disrupting classes, but praise from the energy minister and activists.

Climate strike: Schoolchildren protest over climate change
BBC 2-15-19

Organisers Youth Strike 4 Climate said protests took place in more than 60 towns and cities, with an estimated 15,000 taking part.

They carried placards, some reading: “There is no planet B.”

I am taking part in the school climate strike. It’s the only power I have
The Guardian 2-15-19

Twelve years – the amount of time climate scientists have given us to keep global warming in check – seems like a long time to me: it’s two-thirds of my life. But it’s no time at all to instigate the sort of radical change that we need. It scares me to think that my life could be defined so rigidly from so early on.

Excellent pictures…

Thousands of UK Students Skipped Class to Protest Climate Change
Vice 2-15-19

By 2 PM, thousands more had joined the London protest and TfL said the crowds had blocked Westminster Bridge and Whitehall, and caused lines on all approaches to Parliament Square. One group of protestors took over a tourist bus caught up in the hordes.

11,000 march in Brussels climate protest
Reading Eagle 2-14-19

The protests have kept a focus on climate change as a political pressure point before national and European Union elections.

‘The climate won’t wait’: French students skip school to protest
France 24 2-15-19

Friday’s demonstration in Paris had a relatively modest turnout of 300 to 400 students, but they are getting organised quickly.

…

“It’s only just begun this past week. We’re putting the tools in place. Social media is bringing in a lot of new people every day. And you’ll really start to see the scale of all this next week. We’ll call for all the local chapters to go on strike next Friday. […] It should be massive. We’re building up to March 15.”

Students Skip School Across Europe to Demand Climate Action
NYT 2-15-19

Luisa Neubauer, 22, one of the organizers of marches in Berlin, which have gone on for weeks, called Friday’s demonstrations powerful. Children as young as 6 joined university students on the streets, she said.

Greta Thunberg

16-Year-Old Greta Thunberg Cheers ‘Beginning of Great Changes’ as Climate Strike Goes Global
The Guardian 2-15-19

“I think enough people have realized just how absurd the situation is,” she told the Guardian. “We are in the middle of the biggest crisis in human history and basically nothing is being done to prevent it.”

Extinction Rebellion

JOIN EX USA: on their website

 

The Coats Worn at the Extinction Rebellion Protests in London Are Made From Fresh Seedling Grass
Yahoo News 2-18-19

Extinction Rebellion’s founding members, explained that the group was there to speak out against the wasteful and harmful actions of the fashion industry as a whole, explaining that it is “one of the most polluting on earth.

Extinction Rebellion Is Telling the Terrifying Truth About Climate Change
Vice 2-18-19

It is a Monday evening. This is a heavy topic to confront at the start of the week. Still, that hasn’t deterred the dozens of people who feel compelled to learn about the reality of what the planet and humankind itself could be facing. Every seat is filled, and people spill out onto the floor, into each corner of the small, dark space, to listen to members of grassroots climate activism group Extinction Rebellion (XR)

 

ADAPTION AND RESILIENCE

How to Build Your Own Plastic Recycling Plant
Green Optimist 2-19-19

In 2013 Dave Hakkens, a young guy from the Netherlands started this small movement called “Precious Plastic”. His idea is to boost plastic recycling around the world by making it accessible to everyone. Changing the idea that plastic recycling is only for big companies or people that counts on large amounts of money.

Optimize, Electrify, Decarbonize: The 3 Steps to Thriving, Zero-Carbon Cities
World Resources Institute 2-4-19

Optimize: Make urban energy use more efficient across all sectors–particularly in buildings and transportation

Electrify: Switch from fossil fuels to electricity for all transportation and buildings

Decarbonize: Simultaneously, cities should incentivize a transition to clean, zero-carbon energy sources for producing electricity, both distributed, like rooftop solar, and centralized, like wind farms.

Lithium-air batteries can store energy for cars, houses and industry
Tech Xplore 2-18-19

Current lithium ion battery technology will probably not be able to handle the coming decades’ huge demand for energy. It is estimated that by 2050, electricity will make up 50 percent of the world’s energy mix. Today, that rate is 18 percent. But installed capacity for renewable energy production is expected to increase fourfold. This will require batteries that are more efficient, cheaper and environmentally friendly.

This site has a very cool calculator to estimate your carbon foot print…

Cool Climate Network

Wonderful article…

As citizen scientists, farmers can make important contributions to climate adaptation
EurekAlelert! 2-18-19

In the context of rapidly evolving climate conditions, a new study by Bioversity International and partners addresses the challenge of climate adaptation in a way that is both scalable and targeted. Scientists demonstrate a unique approach using crowdsourced citizen science that capitalizes on farmers’ knowledge.

For a Warming World, a New Strategy for Protecting Watersheds
Climate Change News 2-20-29

In increasingly arid regions such as the western U.S., water managers are learning that careful management and restoration of watershed ecosystems, including thinning trees and conducting prescribed burns, are important tools in coping with a hotter, drier climate.

 

WILDLIFE & THE ENVIRONMENT

How our plants have turned into thieves to survive
PHYS ORG 2-18-19

“They are acting as a sponge, absorbing useful genetic information from their neighbours to out compete their relatives and survive in hostile habitats without putting in the millions of years it usually takes to evolve these adaptations.”

Oil firm aims to extend Dorset coast drilling despite marine life risk
The Guardian 2-14-19

An oil company drilling off the Dorset coastline is attempting to extend its licence into the spring, challenging the conditions imposed to protect the sea’s many sensitive wildlife species.

World’s biggest terrestrial carbon sinks are found in young forests
PHYS ORG 2-18-19

More than half of the carbon sink in the world’s forests is in areas where the trees are relatively young—under 140 years old—rather than in tropical rainforests, research at the University of Birmingham shows.

These trees have typically ‘regrown’ on land previously used for agriculture, or cleared by fire or harvest and it is their young age that is one of the main drivers of this carbon uptake.

The invasive species are likely to spread to a community not adapted to climate change
EurekAlert! 2-18-19

Climate change increases environmental fluctuations and extreme weather phenomena. They generate many kinds of problems in the nature. A study conducted at the University of Jyvaskyla has shown that varying environmental conditions increase the potential for invasive species to spread.

Giving Coral Reefs a Second Chance with Probiotics
Hakai 2-11-19

Corals, like humans, coexist with a host of microbes that help keep them healthy. As climate change continues to heat the ocean, however, coral reefs risk losing their temperature-sensitive microbial defenders, leaving them stressed and more susceptible to disease. But a potential cure using microbial supplements—probiotics—could provide corals with a second chance.

 

CLIMATE STUDIES

Climate change makes summer weather stormier yet more stagnant
PHYS ORG 2-18-19

Scientists report that rising global temperatures, particularly in the Arctic, are redistributing the energy in the atmosphere: More energy is available to fuel thunderstorms and other local, convective processes, while less energy is going toward summertime extratropical cyclones

Antarctic ice shelves buckle under weight of meltwater lakes
Science Daily 2-13-19

The filling and draining of meltwater lakes has been found to cause a floating Antarctic ice shelf to flex, potentially threatening its stability.

Lab Grown Meat Could Be Worse for the Climate Than Farm-Raised Beef, Oxford Study
Eco Watch 2-20-19

The results, published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems Tuesday, concluded that lab-grown meat could actually make climate change worse. It all depends on whether the energy used to grow the cultured meat is still generated from fossil fuels.

Earth may be 140 years away from reaching carbon levels not seen in 56 million years
Science Daily 2-20-19

Total human carbon dioxide emissions could match those of Earth’s last major greenhouse warming event in fewer than five generations, new research finds. A new study finds humans are pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere at a rate nine to 10 times higher than the greenhouse gas was emitted during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), a global warming event that occurred roughly 56 million years ago.

Global Warnings

Paul Beckwith: “I declare a global climate change emergency to claw back up the rock face to attempt to regain system stability, or face an untenable calamity of biblical proportions.”

Kevin Hester: “There is no past analogue for the rapidity of what we are baring witness to. There has been a flood of articles … 2C is no longer attainable and that we are heading for dangerous climate change”

Guy McPherson: “The recent and near-future rises in temperature are occurring and will occur at least an order of magnitude faster than the worst of all prior Mass Extinctions. Habitat for human animals is disappearing throughout the world, and abrupt climate change has barely begun.”

Magi Amma: We need to turn on a dime at mach nine!

…
Equivalencies:
• 1 gigatonne equals one billion tons
• 1 gigatonne of carbon equals 3.67 gigatonnes of CO2
• 1 part per million of atmospheric CO2 is equivalent to 7.81 gigatonnes of CO2
• 1 part per million of atmospheric carbon is equivalent to 2.13 gigatonnes of carbon