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Climate Alarmists Want to Rebrand " Climate Change " to Something More Panic Inducing First , it was " global warming " and/or " global cooling . " Then when they figured out that they could n't accurately predict which way it was going to go , they settled on " climate change . " Apparently , that phrase just does n't have the oomph it once did , and the church of climate change wants to rebrand their apocalypse to make people far more scared and subsequently , obedient . An article by Aaron Hall in AdAge asked the question of whether or not people will be more apt to fall in line with the climate alarmists if they take out the neutral - sounding " climate change " and replace it with something you might hear Chicken Little screaming : Scientific terms often fail to resonate in meaningful ways . In the early 1900s , for example , no one had heard of the " hypothesis of the primeval atom . " That changed in the 1940s when the term " Big Bang " was coined , which was a simpler , more relatable concept for the masses . This complex scientific concept is extremely well - known today because a better , more tangible term was applied to it . Can we use lessons from the naming of the Big Bang to rebrand " climate change ? " Interestingly , Hall notes that politicians liked " global warming " because it sounded dynamic and scary , but since it was " too easy to poke holes in " they decided to move on to climate change . People began joking about wanting global warming whenever it got too cold outside and the politicians , much like the devil himself , ca n't stand it when people laugh at them . Hall , being a " professional namer , " wondered allowed about whether or not people would take the church of climate change more seriously if he renamed it to sound scarier . He said that the new name needs to appeal to people who are unscientific to help them understand the severity of the problem and " inspire them to make more eco - friendly life choices and pro - climate choices at the ballot box . " In other words , it needs to scare people into voting Democrat . What did his team of global namers come up with ? A bunch of names that sound like bad B - Movie titles . These options are subtle brand shifts from " global warming , " yet they deliver a more negative image . The names signal that ice caps are melting , but also create a more visceral image in the mind — that real feeling of " melting " when it 's too hot outside . A meltdown is a disastrous event that draws from the ultimate terror of a nuclear meltdown , an apt metaphor for global destruction . In naming , we call metaphorical names " suggestive names , " and they are one of the most popular types of names . Good brand names instill a clear message or even a direct call to action . Perhaps that 's why climate change is n't powerful enough : " Change " sounds so neutral . However , there 's nothing neutral about collapse or chaos . Both are states of events that you absolutely want to avoid . They ask each of us to do what it takes to avoid collapsing or descending into chaos . They both also use alliteration — using the same letter or sound at the beginning of connected words — a naming trick proven to enhance memorability . Arresting brand names often capitalize on vivid visual associations . They refer to a tipping point that we 're catapulting toward and must find a way to avert . Because a boiling point is the point at which liquid vaporizes , it brings forth imagery of rivers , lakes and oceans boiling and disappearing . " Melting Point " paints a clear picture of solid matter melting . As glaciers melt and disappear , so does our way of life . It 's time to take the gloves off and stop pretending . Sometimes a brand name needs to be hyperbolic to truly capture hearts and minds . If we do n't take massive action now , Earth will be uninhabitable — an irreversible barren wasteland . Plants and animals will die . Humans wo n't be able to survive extreme weather like floods , droughts and fires . If we do n't change , we wo n't even be able to spend time outside . " Scorched Earth " paints the direst picture of what 's to come and what we must avoid and is likely the edgiest brand name from our exploration . Those were just the winners . Hall gives an honorable mention to these as well : Emission Critical : Focuses on the action we need to take : reducing emissions . Pre - Extinction : Powerful and suggests another mass extinction is imminent if we do not change our ways today . The Great Collapse : The collapse of ecosystems , economies and our way of life . Earthshattering : Creatively arresting — the complete destruction of the Earth as we know it . What 's the takeaway from all this ? Not that climate change is going to end the world . It 's not . No real scientific data points to that fact . The takeaway here is that there are actually people out there trying to worry you into obedience and support for a leftist agenda , and in order to do that they 're willing to play with your brain by changing up the words they use . As you see above , Hall even admits that they 're willing to get hyperbolic in order to make you scared .
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Delingpole : Aussie ex - PM Abbott Slams Climate Change ' Religion ' Some of us knew this already . But you rarely hear it so trenchantly expressed by a former world leader – as it was in London yesterday by Aussie ex - Prime Minister Tony Abbott in a hard - hitting , must - read speech for the Global Warming Policy Foundation . Abbott is one of only a handful of world leaders to have spoken out against the global warming " consensus . " ( The only other ones , recently , are former Czech president Václav Klaus and , of course , President Donald Trump ) . This gives you an idea of just how badly infected are the nations of the free world by the green virus . Even those politicians who might nurture doubts in private almost never express them in public . Abbott himself lost his job as Australia 's prime minister at least in part because he was found guilty of wrongthink on climate change , which he once famously described as " crap " . The man who replaced him as prime minister , Malcolm Turnbull – unfondly known as the " Honourable Member for Goldman Sachs " – is himself a leading tentacle of the Green Blob . Abbott 's speech – which is causing Australia 's notoriously left - wing media to explode like ripe watermelons struck by hollow - point bullets – ought to serve as a painful reminder to Australia 's Liberal party of the talent they lost when they decided to knife this Jesuit - trained , Oxford - educated , rock - solid , family man conservative in the back and replace him with the slippery Davos - style globalist Turnbull . Here are some of the highlights : Climate change is a product of ignorance and an anti - Christian society . If science was all about " consensus " we 'd still be living in caves . Greens want to make life nasty , brutish and short . Where 's the evidence for climate catastrophe ? There 's NONE in Australia , that 's for sure ... Contrary to the breathless assertions that climate change is behind every weather event , in Australia , the floods are not bigger , the bushfires are not worse , the droughts are not deeper or longer , and the cyclones are not more severe than they were in the 1800s . Sometimes , they do more damage but that 's because there 's more to destroy , not because their intensity has increased . More than 100 years of photography at Manly Beach in my electorate does not suggest that sea levels have risen despite frequent reports from climate alarmists that this is imminent .... But there 's plenty of evidence that green lunacy is killing the Australian economy . Renewables have more to do with virtue - signalling than with useful energy . There 's a reason renewable energy is crap and it 's so simple even lefties and greens should be able to understand it . Hydro aside , renewable energy should properly be referred to as intermittent and unreliable power . When the wind does n't blow and the sun does n't shine , the power does n't flow . Wind and solar power are like sailing ships ; cheaper than powered boats , to be sure , but we 've stopped using sail for transport because it could n't be trusted to turn up on time . Because the weather is unpredictable , you never really know when renewable power is going to work . Its marginal cost is low but so is its reliability , so in the absence of industrial scale batteries , it always needs matching capacity from dependable coal , gas , hydro , or nuclear energy . This should always have been obvious . We think we 're rational but where green policy is concerned we 're little better than the Aztecs . Oh and by the way , the way we 're carrying on Western Civilization is on its way out ...
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Italy declares state of emergency in Venice after flood ... Much of Venice was left under water this week after the highest tide in 50 years ripped through the historic Italian city ( AFP Photo / Filippo MONTEFORTE ) Venice ( AFP ) - Italy on Thursday declared a state of emergency for Venice after an exceptional tide surged through churches , shops and homes , causing millions of euros worth of damage to the UNESCO city . Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said the cabinet had approved the state of emergency and ordered the immediate release of 20 million euros ( $ 22 million ) in funds for " the most urgent interventions " in the devastated city after Tuesday 's flooding . Despite the emergency , tourists larked around in the flooded St Mark 's Square in the sunshine , snapping selfies in their neon plastic boots and taking advantage of a respite in bad weather which has driven the high tides . Sirens warning of fresh flooding rang through the canal city early Thursday but the water level remained low compared to Tuesday 's tide , the highest in 50 years . Conte , who has called the flooding " a blow to the heart of our country " , met Venice 's mayor and emergency services before jumping in a speed boat to visit businesses and locals affected by the tide . Residents whose houses had been hit would immediately get up to 5,000 euros in government aid , while restaurant and shop owners could receive up to 20,000 euros and apply for more later , he said . Several museums remained closed to the public on Thursday . As authorities assessed the extent of the damage to Venice 's cultural treasures , such as St Mark 's Basilica where water invaded the crypt , locals were defiant . Many stopped for their habitual coffees at flooded bars , drinking their espresso while standing in several inches of water . Austrian tourist Cornelia Litschauer , 28 , said she felt mixed emotions seeing Venice 's famous square half submerged . " For the tourists it 's amazing , it 's something to see . But for the people who live here it 's a real problem , " Litschauer said , cradling her white Chihuahua Pablo . " It 's strange . Tourists are taking pictures but the city is suffering . " The Locanda Al Leon hotel said its bookings had suffered from the international media coverage of the flood , with some guests cancelling their rooms after seeing images of Venice underwater . Under the arches of the Ducal Palace , a couple from Hong Kong posed for photos in the chilly morning sun . " This ( trip ) was planned a long time ago so we could n't change it , " groom Jay Wong , 34 , said . " Actually this is a good experience . It 's an adventure . " Tuesday 's " acqua alta , " or high waters , submerged around 80 percent of the city , officials said . Only once since records began in 1923 has the water crept even higher , reaching 1.94 metres in 1966 . Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi arrived for a private tour of the damage sustained to the basilica , while rival leader of the Italian right Matteo Salvini was due to drop by for the same on Friday . French tourist Manon Gaudre , 22 , said seeing Venice submerged was a " unique experience " . " The damage it 's causing to monuments and the people is worrying , " she said , wondering if climate change was to blame . Many , including Venice 's mayor , have blamed the disaster on global warming and warned that Italy -- a country prone to natural disasters -- must wake up to the risks posed by ever more volatile seasons . " We need to be resilient and adapt . We need a policy that looks at the climate through completely different eyes , " Environment Minister Sergio Costa said Thursday . Mayor Luigi Brugnaro has estimated the damage to Venice at hundreds of millions of euros . The Serenissima , as the floating city is called , is home to a mere 50,000 residents but receives 36 million global visitors each year . A massive infrastructure project called MOSE has been under way since 2003 to protect the city , but it has been plagued by cost overruns , corruption scandals and delays . " This engineering solution that will end up costing nearly six billion euros has got to work , " Transport Minister Paola De Micheli said . The plan involves 78 gates that can be raised to protect Venice 's lagoon during high tides -- but a recent attempt to test part of it caused worrying vibrations and engineers discovered it had rusted .
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The kids suing the government over climate change want to halt fossil fuel extraction The attorneys representing young people who are suing the federal government in a major climate change lawsuit recently took the unusual step of filing an injunction to stop all new leases for fossil fuel production . If the injunction is granted , it would lead to a nationwide moratorium on new fossil fuel permitting and leasing on federal lands and waters until the lawsuit is resolved . No small matter . However , existing mining and drilling projects would still proceed . The Juliana v. United States lawsuit , filed by 21 young plaintiffs , is currently going through pre - trial appeals at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals . The suit alleges that not only did the federal government fail to act to limit climate change , it profited off of selling coal , oil , and gas rights . The government encouraged mining and drilling while knowing full well the hazards caused by burning these fuels , namely climate change . In so doing , the government has deprived the plaintiffs — the youngest is 11 years old — the right to a safe and stable climate system . The lawsuit was first filed in 2015 but has proceeded in starts and stops . At one point , the Supreme Court stepped in to pause the case days before the trial before allowing it to go ahead . An appeals court has now stepped in to consider the government 's motion to dismiss the case . Then on February 7 , the plaintiffs filed their injunction against new fossil fuel extraction on government territory . Philip Gregory , one of the lead attorneys representing the children filing suit , explained that the injunction request is meant to address the urgency of limiting climate change by reducing emissions from fossil fuels immediately . With the case currently tied up in appeals , the plaintiffs wanted to make sure the current state of affairs with respect to climate change does n't get worse as the wheels of justice slowly turn . " We would have preferred to go to trial , submit our extensive evidence , and have the judge require the defendants to come up with a plan , a national climate recovery plan , for how they 're going to go about doing this , " Gregory said . As Gregory and the other attorneys for the children wrote in their injunction request , " This injunction is urgently needed because , despite long - standing knowledge of the resulting destruction to our Nation and the profound harm to these young Plaintiffs , Defendants ' ongoing development of the fossil fuel - based energy system is actively harming Plaintiffs and jeopardizing Plaintiffs ' ability to obtain the full remedy in their case . " Numerous experts including retired Navy Vice Admiral Lee Gunn , economist Joseph Stiglitz , and climate scientist Eric Rignot have also filed amicus briefs supporting the injunction against new federal fossil fuel development . In response , the federal government argued this week that the injunction maneuver is a ploy to bypass proper legal proceedings . " Indeed , Plaintiffs by their present motion are essentially making a bid in this Court for a substitute mini - trial or ' trial lite ' — which is premature until the pure issues of law now being briefed in this interlocutory appeal are appropriately resolved as a threshold matter , " wrote attorneys for the US Department of Justice . They described the injunction request as an " ambitious attempt to throttle important government functions superintending broad swaths of the national economy . " The government also noted that the Juliana lawsuit was filed more than three years ago but the plaintiffs had n't asked to block fossil fuel leasing until now , which undermines the plaintiffs ' argument that without immediate action , they would suffer irreparable harm . However , Gregory noted that the government did n't object to any of the evidence presented in the plaintiff 's injunction request , nor did it present any new evidence for its request to deny the request . " Because there is no contrary evidence , then we are very optimistic that this injunction will go through , " Gregory said . The Juliana v. United States is just one of more than a dozen climate change lawsuits underway in the US right now . Besides suing the government , several counties and cities are seeking damages from coal , oil , and gas companies for contributing to climate change , which in turn is posing a public nuisance to these jurisdictions . Legal experts say that these lawsuits are long shots and they 're testing the limits of what existing jurisprudence covers . But if they succeed , they could set critical precedents , lead to billion - dollar payouts , and radically reshape the effort to limit global warming .
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Trump 's Environmental Protection Agency chief says climate is not a top priority ( Reuters ) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will unveil a proposal to speed state - level permitting decisions for energy infrastructure projects soon , the agency 's chief told Reuters on Thursday , blasting states that have blocked coal terminals and gas pipelines on environmental grounds . President Donald Trump is seeking to boost domestic fossil fuels production over the objections of Democrats and environmentalists concerned about pollution and climate change . On Wednesday he issued a pair of executive orders targeting the power of states to delay energy projects . " We started working on it in advance , so we hope to have something out soon , " EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said in an interview . He was unable to provide a precise timeline . Based on Trump 's orders , Wheeler 's EPA has been tasked with clarifying a section of the U.S. Clean Water Act that has allowed states like New York and Washington to delay projects in recent years . New York has used the section to delay pipelines that would bring natural gas to New England , for example , and Washington state has stopped coal export terminals that would open the Asian market for struggling coal companies in Wyoming and other landlocked western states . " They are trying to make international environmental policy , " Wheeler said of Washington state , whose governor , Democrat Jay Inslee , is running for president on a climate change - focused platform . " They 're trying to dictate to the world how much coal is used . " Wheeler said New York , which amid strong public pressure denied a clean water act permit for construction of a natural gas pipeline to New England , is forcing that region " to use Russian - produced natural gas . " We are importing Russian natural gas which is not produced in an environmentally conscious manner . If the states that are blocking the pipelines were truly concerned about the environment , they would look to where the natural gas would be coming from ... I think it 's very short - sighted , " he said . Wheeler said the EPA would not prevent a state from vetoing a project , but would clarify the parameters they should be able to consider , and the length of time they have to do so . He also said that California is playing politics in its fight with the EPA to preserve its more stringent vehicle emission standards as the national standard . Wheeler said he believes climate change is a problem , but that it had been overblown by former President Barack Obama 's administration – at the expense of other bigger issues like water quality . " Yes , climate is an issue and we are working to address it , but I think water is a bigger issue , " he said . Wheeler dismissed the findings of a report released earlier this week by EPA scientists in the journal Nature Climate Change that detailed the scale and urgency of climate change . He said while he encouraged EPA scientists to carry out and publish research , he stressed the recent paper " did not reflect EPA policy . " Environmental groups say the EPA 's replacement of an Obama - era rule limiting carbon emissions from power plants would likely lead to increased emissions by allowing older , more polluting coal plants to operate longer . Asked whether the replacement – the Affordable Clean Energy rule , which gives states responsibility for regulating emissions – is stringent enough , Wheeler said it adheres to the parameters of federal law . " think what is effective regulation is one that follows the law and one that will be held up in court , " he said . Several Democrats challenging Trump in the 2020 election have made climate change a top - tier issue , embracing aggressive policy platforms like the Green New Deal calling for an end of fossil fuels use . Asked whether he was concerned that the EPA may be out of synch with polls showing an overwhelming number of young people believe climate change should be a priority issue , Wheeler was dismissive . " do fear that because so many people only talked about climate change . You 're right , there could very well be a new generation coming up saying that 's the only environmental issue – and it 's not , " he said .
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William Happer , Lover Of Carbon Dioxide , To Exit Trump Administration William Happer , the White House 's most veteran climate change denier who tried unsuccessfully to establish an ad hoc panel to challenge near - universally accepted climate science , is leaving the Trump administration , according to reports from E&E News and Bloomberg . A retired Princeton physics professor with no expertise in climatology , Happer has served as President Donald Trump 's deputy assistant for emerging technologies on the National Security Council since September 2018 . He has long argued that the planet and humans benefit from increased carbon dioxide emissions . He has called climate science a " cult , " claimed Earth is in the midst of a " CO2 famine , " and said the " demonization of carbon dioxide is just like the demonization of the poor Jews under Hitler . " Earlier this year , Trump tapped Happer to lead a panel of fringe researchers tasked specifically with conducting " adversarial scientific peer review " of climate science ― part of the administration 's relentless effort to discredit and downplay the ongoing crisis . The White House ultimately scrapped the plan , as E&E News reported in July . News of Happer 's departure comes one day after the resignation of his boss , national security adviser John Bolton . It was Bolton who recruited Happer to the National Security Council and backed his effort to create an anti - science panel , according to The New York Times . The CO2 Coalition , a right - wing think tank that Happer co - founded and that argues Earth benefits from humans pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere , confirmed his upcoming resignation in a Tuesday post to its website and praised him for his efforts . " While your proposed review of alarmist analyses and projections has been delayed , we believe your work in calling attention to the problem of unscientific climate alarmism has reduced the chances of the dramatic increases in energy prices that would arise from the banning of fossil fuels that some have proposed , " Patrick Moore and Caleb Rossiter , two representatives of the CO2 Coalition , wrote in a joint statement . The CO2 Coalition is one of several think tanks that peddle misinformation about climate change and receive funding from the Mercer family , the billionaire megadonors who gave more than $ 15 million to Trump 's 2016 campaign .
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Joe Biden Promises Environmentalist : ' Look into My Eyes ; I Guarantee You , We Are Going to End Fossil Fuel ' Biden took questions from a group in New Castle , New Hampshire , Friday . One woman associated with the environmental group 350 New Hampshire Action , Rebecca Beaulieu , asked Biden how voters can trust him if he continues to associate himself with fossil fuel executives . " How can we trust that you 're going to act on climate — on the climate crisis — if you 're still attending fundraisers that fossil fuel executives are attending ? " Beaulieu asked , according to the Daily Mail . Video shows Biden walking over to the woman , taking her hand , and making a solemn promise to " end fossil fuel ... before 2050 , God willing . " Kiddo , I want you to just take a look . I want you to look into my eyes , " Biden began . " guarantee you , I guarantee you , we are going to end fossil fuel , and I am not going to cooperate with them . Before 2050 , God willing , " Biden continued , adding that 2030 is not a realistic goal : No it ca n't be done by 2030 . No , not one single person is arguing it can be done by that . But it can be done by 2050 . Maybe 2045 ? And is the science increases , we may be able to move more quickly . But we have to we can fundamentally change things in the next 10 years , though , so that we set a path ? I promise you , I promise you . OK . Beaulieu , 24 , said she " was n't expecting " that kind of response from Biden and described it as " patronizing . " Just a little patronizing , because I want to be an adult at the table when it comes to conversations about climate , and what we 're going to do about it , and I do n't want to be like someone who 's sitting on the sidelines waiting for other people to act , " she said , according to the Daily Mail . " ' m also like actively doing something to try to combat this climate crisis as it stands . Being called a kid is a little patronizing when I 'm trying to do so much work , " she added . She also said she was unsatisfied with Biden 's refusal to bend his 2050 goal . " But I hope that he takes the climate crisis as seriously as he tried to make it seem and that if he 's going to keep moving forward with his plans , he needs to reevaluate because 2050 is too late , " she said . Biden recently came under fire for attending a fundraiser hosted by Andrew Goldman , a founder of the natural gas company Western LNG . The former vice president dismissed concerns , telling viewers of CNN 's climate change town hall Wednesday that Goldman is " not a fossil fuel executive . " He is not a fossil fuel executive , " Biden said . " And the fact of the matter is that — what we talk about is , what are we going to do about those corporations ? What have we done ? " " And everywhere along the way — for example , I 've argued and pushed for us suing those executives who are engaged in pollution , those companies engaged in pollution , " he added . " I 've never walked away from that . "
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Elizabeth Warren Promises Day One Executive Order on Fossil Fuel Leases , Pledges to Ban Fracking Warren promised in a tweet Friday to " sign an executive order that puts a total moratorium on all new fossil fuel leases for drilling offshore and on public lands " and vowed to " ban fracking — everywhere":Warren 's pledge to ban fracking follows Sen. Bernie Sanders ' ( I - VT ) call , urging fellow Democrat candidates to support a " fracking ban on public and private lands . " Fracking is a danger to our water supply . It 's a danger to the air we breathe . It causes earthquakes . It 's highly explosive . Safe fracking is , like clean coal , pure fiction , " Sanders said in a statement Wednesday . " But , most importantly , methane from natural gas contributes to climate change and is setting us on a path to disaster , " he added . " When we are in the White House , we will end the era of fossil fuels , and that includes fracking":Ten Democrat candidates participated in CNN 's seven - hour climate change town hall Wednesday , and many signaled support for the implementation of a carbon tax as well as plastic straw bans , actions on meat consumption , and the end of fracking . " There 's no question I 'm in favor of banning fracking , " Sen. Kamala Harris ( D - CA ) said during the town hall . " Starting with what we can do on day one around public lands and then there has to be legislation , but yes . This is something I 've taken on in California , I have a history of working on this issue , " she added . Sen. Cory Booker ( D - NJ ) said he would ban fracking " right away on public lands . " Warren released her comprehensive climate change proposal — inspired by Gov. Jay Inslee ( D ) — ahead of CNN 's town hall . It called for the decarbonization of the economy and 100 percent clean energy over the next decade . While Warren did not go as far as Sanders in calling for the complete public ownership of utilities , she said she will tell companies that use carbon - based fuel that they are " done " by 2035 . " ' m perfectly willing to take on giant corporations . I think I 've been known to do that once or twice . But for me , I think the way we get there is we just say , ' sorry guys , but by 2035 , you 're done , ' " she said during CNN 's town hall .
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This Obama - Era UN - EPA Agreement Has To Go As the Trump White House continues its cleanup of the mess — foreign and domestic — left behind by the Obama administration , it should toss out a little - noticed document that entangles the U.S. in some of the worst schemes ever cooked up by U.N. bureaucrats and their cronies in the global environmental movement . On September 16 , 2016 , the Obama EPA entered into a memorandum of understanding ( MOU ) with the United Nations Environmental Programme ( UNEP ) . Concluded just a few weeks before the 2016 presidential election , the MOU bears the signature for the U.S. of then - EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy . In the document , UNEP and the Obama EPA vow to " consolidate , further develop and intensify their cooperation and effectiveness to achieve their common goals and objectives in the field of the environment . " And therein lies the problem . For the " common goals and objectives " shared by the U.N. body and the Obama administration are specifically crafted to hamstring American fossil - fuel energy development , promote an assortment of politically fashionable , but otherwise uncompetitive , green technologies and products , and perpetuate the deplorable living conditions in the world 's poorest countries . An Instrument of the Paris Climate Accord . The document was signed nine months after the adoption of the U.N.-sponsored Paris climate accord , and the wording of the MOU leaves little doubt that it was seen as an instrument to underscore America 's commitment to curtail its production and use of energy in the name of combatting climate change . Thus , UNEP and the Obama EPA agreed to " cooperate on responses to climate change , " including mitigating greenhouse gas emissions , reducing short - lived climate forcers and supporting adaptation and resilience to climate change . Taking these and similar steps , the MOU says , will enable the advance " toward green economies and resource - efficient societies through collaborative activities to promote and support sustainable consumption and production . " In truth , " green economies " are those with taxpayer - subsidized and government - mandated renewable energy ( primarily wind and solar ) . And what constitutes " sustainable consumption and production " is in the eyes of the beholding bureaucrat , empowered either by the administrative regulatory state or by legislation adopted at the behest of deep - pocketed special interests . All of this is to be pursued through jointly held symposia , seminars , workshops , study tours , collaborative research and development projects , exchanges and training programs and other forms of cooperation that strengthen the bonds between UNEP and the U.S. Under the MOU , each side is to name a " Senior Coordinator " to oversee the holding of " regular joint meetings on matters of common interest . " To make sure the two sides stay in touch , " such meetings are to take place at least once every six months in accordance with an agenda approved by them in advance of every meeting . " The outfit the Obama administration teamed up within the MOU , UNEP , was founded in 1972 by wealthy Canadian businessman Maurice Strong ; it is headquartered in Nairobi , Kenya and has an office conveniently located in Washington , D.C. Strong ( 1929–2015 ) was Under - Secretary - General of the U.N. when he founded UNEP and was an early advocate for combatting what he said was human - induced climate change , then known as global warming . In keeping with Strong 's vision , UNEP has worked closely with the Bonn - based United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ( UNFCCC ) . For its part , UNFCCC has enthusiastically spread climate alarmism and gone to extraordinary lengths to deny the residents of the world 's poorest access to reliable and affordable electricity and transportation fuel , thereby perpetuating their poverty . Given UNEP 's pedigree and the Obama administration 's unbridled hostility to fossil fuels , President Trump should scrap the UNEP - EPA MOU . Trump and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt inherited the MOU from their predecessors and are under no obligation to adhere to its content . The White House has already withdrawn from the Paris climate accord , and President Trump chose to skip the climate - change session at the recent G7 meeting in Quebec . Continued fealty to the Obama - era MOU runs counter to the president 's goal of American global energy dominance , which is anchored to our abundance of oil , natural gas , and coal . The ties that bound the UN and the Obama administration should not be allowed to constrain the choices of everyday Americans . Even if the MOU is " non - binding , " so , too , are the commitments all parties agreed to under the Paris climate accord . But recognizing the threat the Paris accord posed to U.S. energy security , the Trump White House wisely walked away from it . The UNEP - EPA memorandum is little more than an implementation tool of the Paris agreement and should suffer the same fate . Both are part of what is , at its core , a decidedly anti - American agenda . Bonner R. Cohen , Ph . D , is a senior policy analyst with the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow ( CFACT ) . The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller .
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Beto Compares Green New Deal to Defeating Nazis , Overcoming Great Depression At a town hall event in Ames , Iowa Wednesday , Democrat candidate for president Beto O'Rourke , compared the Green New Deal to defeating the Nazis and surviving the Great Depression . Why is it that Democrats , clearly lacking in any context of what World War II and living in the greatest generation were like , enjoy comparing these things to mundane policy initiatives ? Addressing the Green New Deal , O'Rourke summoned his followers to harness the " the most ingenious mechanism yet devised by humankind " to " free ourselves from a dependence on fossil fuels . " The mechanism Robert Francis is referring to is a democracy . Meanwhile , what comes out of Beto 's mouth next is not , in fact , ingenious . " It 's exactly what we did to face the Nazi threat , the existential threat to Western democracies in 1941 , " he said . " Exactly what we did to lift millions out of the Great Depression and build the largest middle class the world had yet seen . " And is exactly what we need to do now to free ourselves from a dependence on fossil fuels , greenhouse gas emissions , invest in the jobs and technologies of renewable energy that will allow us to meet our obligation and allow this country once again to claim its status as the indispensable nation . " It 's hard not to look at this hyperactive Gen X - er and think this is exactly what the far left has become – a group that has rarely experienced hardship in their lifetime because of the greatest generation , comparing everything they find upsetting to the greatest generation . Beto likes his World War II comparisons so much that he mentions it time and again when discussing the threat of global warming . Sure , every time he mentions it O'Rourke is mocked relentlessly by those outside of his little campaign crowds . But he does n't care , because , in his mind , it 's real . How else to explain last months comments that environmental activists are just like " those who were on the beaches in Normandy . " When you think about leadership , those who preceded us — those who were on the beaches in Normandy , those who faced an existential threat to Western democracy and our way of life , they showed us the way , " he said referencing a plan to fight climate change . " his is the final chance , " he added , echoing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio - Cortez ' warning that the world will end due to climate change . " The scientists are unanimous on this . We have no more than 12 years to take incredibly bold action on this crisis . " Every time I watch this guy speak , I think of the UPS Guy from Mad TV . How does a man who , under normal circumstances would be working as a barista in the local coffee shop , dole out knowledge of experience on World War II to a Democrat party who eagerly laps it up ? How did the resistance get to this point ? It 's embarrassing .
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How Trump is letting polluters off the hook , in one chart In his first year as head of the Environmental Protection Agency , Scott Pruitt has made a huge mark , shrinking his agency and repealing as many Obama - era environmental regulations as possible . And as I pointed out last month in this feature story , he 's also overseen a drastic slowdown in the day - to - day work of the agency . Key offices remain vacant and the implementation of new environmental rules has stalled , effectively throttling the agency . But one of EPA 's most important jobs is to enforce civil penalties for companies that breach limits for hazardous chemicals like sulfur dioxide and hydrochloric acid . And one new measure of Pruitt 's foot - dragging that 's just emerged is how much money EPA has been collecting from polluters lately . According to a new report from the Environmental Integrity Project , a watchdog group that advocates for enforcement of environmental laws , the amount of fines collected by Trump 's EPA has plummeted compared to the agency under the past three presidents in their first year in office . Check out this chart : The fines come from consent decrees , a type of legal settlement where a party has to take a specific action but does not have to admit fault or liability . The consent decrees here involve violations of federal environmental laws like the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act . ( This tally does n't include penalties from EPA 's Superfund program , criminal cases , or the administrative actions that EPA takes to resolve smaller violations.)The number of civil cases filed by the EPA to collect these fines in the first place has also declined . In President Clinton 's first year , there were 73 ; under Bush , 112 ; under Obama , 71 . In 2017 , there were just 48 cases . What this means is that the EPA is not going after polluters like it used to . " Less enforcement does n't mean there are n't a whole lot of violations that are out there , " said Eric Schaeffer , executive director of the Environmental Integrity Project , who led the civil enforcement office at the EPA under Presidents Clinton and Bush , in a call with reporters . He noted that many of these civil cases take months to complete , so some of the cases completed under Trump started under Obama . In a consent decree reached with Exxon Mobil last October , the EPA boasted that the company would spend $ 300 million to install pollution controls , but Schaeffer noted that this total includes measures installed as far back as 2013 . And it 's likely enforcement will decline further for ongoing environmental investigations . " Many of those cases will drop out of sight if Congress agrees to cut the agency 's enforcement budget by 17 percent , as President Trump has proposed , " according to the report . " Enforcement matters , especially to the people who live and work next to plants that continue to release more pollution than the law allows . " The EPA did not respond to a request for comment .
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Climate change brings dire consequences to the US , federal report concludes ( CNN ) A new US government report delivers a dire warning about climate change and its devastating impacts , saying the economy could lose hundreds of billions of dollars -- or , in the worst - case scenario , more than 10 % of its GDP -- by the end of the century . The federally mandated study was supposed to come out in December but was released by the Trump administration on Friday , at a time when many Americans are on a long holiday weekend , distracted by family and shopping . " The global average temperature is much higher and is rising more rapidly than anything modern civilization has experienced , and this warming trend can only be explained by human activities , " Easterling said . Coming from the US Global Change Research Program , a team of 13 federal agencies , the Fourth National Climate Assessment was put together with the help of 1,000 people , including 300 leading scientists , roughly half from outside the government . Without significant reductions in greenhouse emissions , the annual average global temperature could increase 9 degrees Fahrenheit ( 5 Celsius ) or more by the end of this century , compared with preindustrial temperatures , the report says . The costs of climate change could reach hundreds of billions of dollars annually , according to the report . The Southeast alone will probably lose over a half a billion labor hours by 2100 due to extreme heat . Farmers will face extremely tough times . The quality and quantity of their crops will decline across the country due to higher temperatures , drought and flooding . In parts of the Midwest , farms will be able to produce less than 75 % of the corn they produce today , and the southern part of the region could lose more than 25 % of its soybean yield . Heat stress could cause average dairy production to fall between 0.60 % and 1.35 % over the next 12 years -- having already cost the industry $ 1.2 billion from heat stress in 2010 . Wildfire seasons -- already longer and more destructive than before -- could burn up to six times more forest area annually by 2050 in parts of the United States . Burned areas in Southwestern California alone could double by 2050 . Dependable and safe water for the Hawaii , the Caribbean and others are threatened by these rising temperatures . Along the US coasts , public infrastructure and $ 1 trillion in national wealth held in real estate are threatened by rising sea levels , flooding and storm surges . Energy systems will be taxed , meaning more blackouts and power failures , and the potential loss in some sectors could reach hundreds of billions of dollars per year by the end of the century , the report said . The number of days over 100 degrees Fahrenheit will multiply ; Chicago , where these days are rare , could start to resemble Phoenix or Las Vegas , with up to two months worth of these scorching - hot days . Sea levels have already gone up 7 to 8 inches since 1900 . Almost half that rise has been since 1993 , a rate of rise greater than during any century in the past 2,800 years . Some countries are already seeing land underwater . By midcentury , it 's likely that the Arctic will lose all sea ice in late summer , and that could lead to more permafrost thaw , according to the report . As the permafrost thaws , more carbon dioxide and methane would be released , amplifying human - induced warming , " possibly significantly . " What can be done ? The report was created to inform policy - makers and makes no specific recommendations on how to remedy the problem . However , it suggests that if the United States immediately reduced its fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions , it could save thousands of lives and generate billions of dollars in benefits for the country . Reactions to the new report have been strong across the scientific community . " In Houston , communities of color have endured back to back major weather events without the acknowledgment from Washington that climate change is the cause . We 've known for years that it 's true and it 's important to our organizing and our local policy efforts that information like this is not only considered , but believed and acted upon . " Scientists who have been raising the alarm about the negative consequences of climate change for years welcomed the findings .
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Global Youth Climate Strike Expected To Draw Large Crowds Spurred by what they see as a sluggish , ineffectual response to the existential threat of global warming , student activists from around the world plan to skip school today for what organizers call a Global Climate Strike . The focus for young activists is the United Nations Climate Action Summit taking place Monday in New York City . The strike 's figurehead is 16 - year - old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg , who traveled from Sweden to New York on an emission - free sailboat . A little over a year ago Thunberg began her school strike for the climate , by herself , outside the Swedish Parliament . Support for a school climate strike has since spread across the globe . In the last year Thunberg has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Norwegian lawmakers . She 's also met with Pope Francis and lawmakers in several countries . " We are currently on track for a world that could displace billions of people from their homes , " Thunberg warned this week during a speech accepting Amnesty International 's Ambassador of Conscience Award . She ended her acceptance speech with a call to action : " See you on the streets ! " In New York City thousands of students may fill the streets with Thunberg because , as the school district announced on Twitter , it is giving strikers excused absences . In Oregon Portland Public Schools is doing the same . Strikes also are planned in rural areas where just a few dozen protesters are expected . Nicholas DuVernay , 17 , organized a protest in his politically - conservative small town of La Grande , Ore. " Since , probably , the beginning of my junior year in high school I 've been interested in climate science and pretty passionate about environmental topics , " says DuVernay , who plans to study climate science when he attends college next year . A Washington Post - Kaiser Family Foundation poll this week shows a majority of teenagers believe human - caused climate change will cause harm to them . And a quarter of the poll respondents said they have participated in a school walk - out , a rally or contacted a government official on the issue . There have been similar student events in the past year . But this time students are asking adults to join them . At the University of Nevada , Reno , Stallar Lufrano - Jardine , 36 , is setting up an event on campus where she 's an employee and student . " I 'm bothered by the lack of movement to make meaningful advances to solve the climate crisis , " says Lufrano - Jardine . But it 's clear younger people are leading this movement and they say most adults — especially policy - makers — are moving far too slowly . Strike organizers have a list of demands that includes " respect of indigenous land , sustainable agriculture , protecting biodiversity , environmental justice and a just transition away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy , " said 17 - year - old Baltimore resident and organizer Nadia Nazar . Many of those demands are part of the Green New Deal , which was crafted by progressive Democratic lawmakers but so far has n't gone anywhere in Congress . At a Capitol Hill press event this week Nazar said she hopes the proposal defines her generation . " I am not a part of Generation Z. I am a part of Gen GND — the generation of the Green New Deal , " said Nazar as supporters cheered . Also on Capitol Hill this week , Thunberg and other activists testified before lawmakers . Louisiana Republican Rep. Garret Graves told them climate change has exacerbated the loss of his state 's coastline . " I agree that we need to take aggressive action . I agree that we need to ensure that we move forward in a sustainable , rational manner , " said Graves . But his idea of what that means is very different than the activists ' vision . Graves agrees with President Trump on the need to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement . Graves told the student organizers the pact allows China to continue emitting more carbon dioxide while the U.S. cuts emissions . " Paris and its related pledges would undermine U.S. competitiveness , " his spokesman said . Graves got immediate push - back from the young activists , including 17 - year - old Jamie Margolin from Seattle who asked how Graves will respond to questions from his children and grandchildren about whether he did enough to address climate change . " Can you really look them in the eye and say , ' No , sorry , I could n't do anything because that country over there did n't do anything , so if they 're not going to do it then I 'm not . ' That is shameful and that is cowardly , " Margolin said . Organizers predict this climate strike will be the largest yet . More than 2000 scientists around the world have pledged to join . Some companies also have signed on , including Patagonia and Seventh Generation .
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Young Conservatives Balk at Republicans ' Climate Change Stance , Launch Campaign for Carbon Tax The generation that has grown up with the constant drumbeat of manmade climate change is now shaping public policy , including some young conservatives who have launched a nationwide campaign in support of a carbon tax . The Thomson Reuters Foundation reported on the campaign , which runs counter to the stance of the Republican Party and President Donald Trump that the issue is more about globalization than saving the planet : Drawn from Republican groups on more than two dozen university campuses , the Young Conservatives for Carbon Dividends called for laws to tax oil , natural gas and coal producers of planet - warming greenhouse gases . The taxation plan would make fossil fuels more costly while the resulting revenues would go to taxpayers . " We claim to be the party that cares about the future that our children will inherit , and we need climate policy that reflects that , " said Kiera O'Brien , 21 , a senior at Harvard University who co - founded the group . " We are offering up what we see as the common sense solution and the way forward for the party , " O'Brien said in the Reuters article . The article pointed out that Trump has rejected the climate doomsday scenario and has instead acted to help the U.S. energy sector by slashing regulations and withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord , both policies aimed at helping American workers and the economy . The college Republicans behind the carbon tax campaign said the Party should have , ahead of the 2020 election , a climate change plan in place . Their plan includes an initial $ 40 - a - ton tax on carbon dioxide – a greenhouse gas – at mines , wells , and ports where products are produced . That tax rate would increase over time , according to Reuters . O'Brien said the plan includes a family of four receiving $ 2,000 a year from the carbon tax revenues to help with higher energy costs . The plan " harnesses the power of the free market to solve climate change through innovation , " O'Brien said . " Our plan would provide incentives for companies and individuals to lower emissions in ways they think are best . " The campaign will connect young conservatives with Republican lawmakers around the country to talk about climate policy . At least one older Republican backs the idea . " The key here is the dividend – back to the people , " former Sen. Trent Lott ( R - MS ) , who supports the young group , told the Thomson Reuters Foundation . " It 's not sustainable for Republicans , through the leadership , to say ' We just do n't want to talk about this , ' " Lott said .
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Tom Steyer Vows to ' Declare State of Emergency ' on Climate Crisis Democrat presidential candidate and billionaire Tom Steyer once again vowed to declare a state of emergency over the climate " crisis " America faces during the sixth Democrat presidential debate at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles , California . " am hoping , that we , in fact , that we will do what I am suggesting that we do , which is declare a state of emergency on day one of my presidency , " Steyer said in regards to the relocation of families under certain living conditions in America . " believe I am the only person here who will say unequivocally this is my number one priority , " Steyer continued . " I know that we have to deal with this crisis . I know that we have to deal with it from the standpoint of environmental justice . " Steyer then claimed he had previously " taken on oil companies and beaten them on environmental laws " and " pushed clean energy across this country . " He also stated that he had " prevented pipelines and fossil fuel plants . " Steyer then shifted focus to cleaning " up the air and water in the black and brown communities where our pollution is concentrated " and claimed it would create " millions of middle - class union jobs . " Steyer also called on Mayor Pete Buttigieg , another Democrat presidential hopeful , to put more emphasis on climate change , saying the " people in his generation understand that this is a crisis that we have to go on right now " and " reinvent America . " In addition to what he plans to do in regards to climate change , Steyer also stated at a previous Democrat debate that he would " force " American towns to accept new , affordable housing in certain areas .
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Pope Francis Calls for ' Drastic Measures ' to Combat ' Climate Emergency ' In his Message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation , the pope adopted the apocalyptic language encouraged by climate alarmists to frighten people into taking action . " Too many of us act like tyrants with regard to creation , " he declared . " Let us make an effort to change and to adopt more simple and respectful lifestyles ! " " Now is the time to abandon our dependence on fossil fuels and move , quickly and decisively , towards forms of clean energy and a sustainable and circular economy . Let us also learn to listen to indigenous peoples , whose age - old wisdom can teach us how to live in a better relationship with the environment , " he said . Recent studies have shown that the language of " climate change " and " global warming " do not stir up an emotional reaction in people and so climate alarmists have issued an appeal for the use of more powerful expressions to provoke people to action . Last April , a team of advertising consultants from SPARK Neuro released the results of a study suggesting that worn - out expressions such as " climate change " do not frighten people enough , whereas stronger vocabulary such as " climate crisis " and " environmental collapse " produced a significantly stronger emotional response . The expression " climate crisis , " for instance , got " a 60 percent greater emotional response from listeners " than " climate change , " the study found . In its research , SPARK Neuro measured physiological data such as brain activity and palm sweat to quantify people 's emotional reactions to stimuli . Of six different options , " global warming " and " climate change " performed the worst , beaten handily by " climate crisis , " " environmental destruction , " " weather destabilization , " and " environmental collapse . " The pope has apparently joined the climate alarmists in employing more incendiary language , dropping his former references to climate change to speak of a " climate emergency " and an " environmental crisis " in Sunday 's message . He also underscored the forthcoming United Nations Climate Action Summit as of " particular importance " while proposing that governments will have the responsibility there of showing the political will to take " drastic measures to achieve as quickly as possible zero net greenhouse gas emissions . " Referring specifically to fires in the Amazon region , Francis called on everyone to " take up these opportunities to respond to the cry of the poor and of our earth ! " " Egoism and self - interest have turned creation , a place of encounter and sharing , into an arena of competition and conflict , " he said . " In this way , the environment itself is endangered : something good in God 's eyes has become something to be exploited in human hands . " Deterioration has increased in recent decades : constant pollution , the continued use of fossil fuels , intensive agricultural exploitation and deforestation are causing global temperatures to rise above safe levels , " he said . The pontiff went on to enumerate the effects of climate change : an " increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather phenomena , " the " desertification of the soil , " " melting of glaciers , scarcity of water , neglect of water basins and the considerable presence of plastic and microplastics in the oceans . " All of these " testify to the urgent need for interventions that can no longer be postponed , " he warned .
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World 's Leading Greenhouse Gas Emitter China Taps Out of Global Climate Strike Thousands gathered in cities across the globe — including London , Berlin , Tokyo , and Washington , DC — to protest anthropogenic climate change and the purported lack of urgency to address it . However , there was a remarkable lack of participation from individuals in China — the planet 's worst greenhouse gas emitter — minus a protest in Hong Kong . According to the Guardian , " No protests were authorized in China . " However , the China Youth Climate Action Network 's Zheng Xiaowen said that Chinese youth " have their own methods . " We also pay attention to the climate and we are also thinking deeply , interacting , taking action , and so many people are very conscientious on this issue , " she added . Several climate change activists in D.C. decried the U.S. for its role in contributing to climate change despite the fact that the U.S. has made great strides in reducing its carbon output , seeing the " largest decline in CO2 emissions in the world for 9th time this century " in 2017 . The largest increase that year came from China . According to a report released by the Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) last year , the U.S. reduced its greenhouse gas output by 2.7 percent during President Trump 's first year in office . " Thanks to President Trump 's regulatory reform agenda , the economy is booming , energy production is surging , and we are reducing greenhouse gas emissions from major industrial sources , " EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler said at the time . " These achievements flow largely from technological breakthroughs in the private sector , not the heavy hand of government . The Trump Administration has proven that federal regulations are not necessary to drive CO2 reductions , " Wheeler continued . " While many around the world are talking about reducing greenhouse gases , the U.S. continues to deliver , and today 's report is further evidence of our action - oriented approach , " he added . Rep. Adam Kinzinger ( R - IL ) reiterated that point to Greta Thunberg and the other climate kids who testified before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and Select Committee on the Climate Crisis on Wednesday . " Meanwhile , as the West looks at options to combat climate change , we all know that China 's global emissions continue to rise . For every ton of carbon dioxide reduced by the United States , China adds nearly four times as much , " Kinzinger said . " Today the Chinese account for 30 percent of global emissions . While some may say that the United States needs to be the leader of combating climate change , I would say that we already are , " he continued . " Since 2005 global emissions have increased by 20 percent , but the United States emissions have decreased by more than the next 12 emission - reducing countries combined , " he added . As Breitbart News reported , China is ramping up its coal - powered energy supply " with the total of future projects now standing at 226.2 gigawatts ( GW)":Despite China 's blatant disregard for the calls of climate change alarmists , it has been granted permission to speak at the U.N. international climate summit next week in New York .
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India is drying up . A return of the water wars Chennai is out of water , all 4 reservoirs are dry . More than 8.5 million live in greater Chennai , so it 's about the population of greater San Francisco . An India government think tank predicts that by 2030 , 600 million Indians wo n't have sufficient drinking water . It 's kind of amazing that they did n't see this coming long ago and plan better . And even 2030 would n't help right now , which is what is needed . Rain is the solution , but that 's not exactly a sure thing when you are in the middle of a historic drought . Little that can be done right now , except to keep on hauling water in from wherever they can . Many more will follow , in part , because people consider water to be a gift from God . People of India consume lots of water . If the price of water was higher they would consume less and there would be money available to search for new sources of water . The problem is when people think a resource is free and so plentiful that it can never run out that you get situations where it does run out . Clean water has a value . People should be paying what it costs to create and conserve or store fresh water . Regarding the price of water . Pricing will now have to include the risk of drought . The risk of drought is going up rapidly all over the world . I expect that India will need to invest in sea water desalination . That is n't cheap but whatever it costs , those costs have to be passed on to the consumers . The rain and drought situation in India is grim . Most of the Indian cities , towns and villages are reeling under severe water crisis . A tragedy is unfolding in Maharashtra and a money spinning racket for Tanker owners . Drought in more than forth of Maharashtra . Crores of rupees of the tax - payers money will be used for tankers that will cause incredible pollution in the rural areas .... Creation of many lakes all over the country to catch and store rain water is a primary objective . Water balancing between various rivers , the so called " River Linking " Project is the second alternative . Once water is available in every village , the distribution to houses can be taken up as the third step . Traditional systems perhaps might have to be tweeked a little according to the needs and changing times but there is so much to learn from those who came before us . Village Talab system , is one example . When pond of one village was overflowed , water was released for next village on slopes . Rainwater was harvested at home . In Junagadh , Ahmedabad , Cambay cities . I am not sure whether anyone in Tamil Nadu even knows it had a traditional water harvesting system . Similarly , Odisha 's traditional ' Kutta and Munda ' water harvesting system by an NGO some decades back but I doubt if any university in Odisha is working on it or the State government is trying to revive the dying wisdom . This is true for all other states , barring Karnataka which is trying to bring back the Kalyani water harvesting structures . Reviving traditional water bodies and harvesting systems has been talked for quite sometime but no one seems interested . The largest desalination plant in South Asia is at Chennai , one of two there . It produces 36.5 million cubic meters / year . That 's 9.6 billion US gallons . Israel gets the majority of its drinking water from desalination . It has the world 's largest plant , at Hadera , producing 127 cubic meters from salt water , plus it looks like it has larger plants as well . That 33.5 billion gallons . Chennai has a large desalination plant , and a smaller one . Their policies are insufficient in many ways . Like what is water used for , etc . Regulations on ground water pumping , etc . I do n't know specifics , but do know that if a city this size runs out of water , several people did n't do their jobs . Areas that are dry are becoming drier and those that are wet are getting more rain . But some of them have drier soil due to increased temperatures . The entire region from Syria to Iran has been suffering a drought that has been going on for about 15 years . At some point somebody has to call a spade a spade and accept the fact that the drought is the new normal . Seeding clouds can only bring as much rain as there is water in the atmosphere . Global climate change is , in turn , changing the distribution of where water is accumulating . At the least , we must improve our water distribution systems to mitigate the problem . Seeding is only a short term solution . Build nuclear and desalinate - Although there is no way nuclear can be added fast enough to by itself desalinate drinking water for 600 million by 2030 . And India has n't signed the nuclear non - proliferation treaty . What are the chances India uses geoengineering ? The public : no tests , no international treaties , that will stop it . Geoengineering is cheap and not rocket science . A recent study indicates that almost nowhere will suffer under geoengineering . More studies are needed . The most likely is distributing air pollution in the stratosphere . I doubt that India will concern itself with niceties of international cooperation . Or whichever country leads the way . That 's why there has been a campaign for more than a decade : test and make treaties . But we were busy .
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Trump hedges on climate change denial in wake of Hurricane Michael ; says ' there is something there ' President Trump on Monday once again backed off his previous claim that climate change is a hoax , but would not say whether or not he believed it was a man - made problem . Speaking at a Red Cross center in Georgia , where he was touring areas devastated by last week 's Hurricane Michael , Trump said " there is something there " in response to a question on climate change from a reporter . " There is something there , man - made or not , " the president said , before deflecting to note that there have been previous storms that were much more intense and destructive than the recent slew of hurricanes to hit the Southeast . Trump 's comments come a day after CBS aired an interview on " 60 Minutes " with the president who said he does n't want to put the U.S. at a disadvantage in responding to climate change . " I think something 's happening . Something 's changing and it 'll change back again , " he said . " I do n't think it 's a hoax . I think there 's probably a difference . But I do n't know that it 's man - made . I will say this : I do n't want to give trillions and trillions of dollars . I do n't want to lose millions and millions of jobs . " Trump called climate change a hoax in November 2012 when he sent a tweet stating , " The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non - competitive . " He later said he was joking about the Chinese connection , but in years since has continued to call global warming a hoax . " I 'm not denying climate change , " he said in the interview . " But it could very well go back . You know , we 're talking about over a ... millions of years . " As far as the climate " changing back , " temperature records kept by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show that the world has n't had a cooler - than - average year since 1976 or a cooler - than - normal month since the end of 1985 . Trump 's comments came just days after a Nobel Prize - winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a warning that global warming would increase climate - related risks to health , livelihoods , food security , water supply , human security and economic growth . The report detailed how Earth 's weather , health and ecosystems would be in better shape if the world 's leaders could somehow limit future human - caused warming . On Monday , the president said that he had heard of the recent report and that he 'll " have to take a look at it . " Trump added : " I want crystal clear water , I want the cleanest air on the planet . " Citing concerns about the pact 's economic impact , Trump said in 2017 that the U.S. will leave the Paris climate accord . The agreement set voluntary greenhouse gas emission targets in an effort to lessen the impact of fossil fuels . " ' m truly an environmentalist , " he said on Monday in regards to leaving the Paris Agreement . " But that does n't mean we have to put one of our businesses out of business . " The Associated Press contributed to this report .
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Scott Pruitt Continues His Favors for Big Polluters and Puts Our Families at Risk Some of the regular Americans who are paying the price for Scott Pruitt 's leadership were in Washington , DC this week , and I had the honor of spending the day with them and hearing their stories . As we all know , Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt headed to Capitol Hill Thursday , where he was grilled by members of Congress on his many ethical scandals that have been making headlines for weeks . Just two days earlier , people from across the US came to Washington to testify at EPA 's lone public hearing on Pruitt 's proposed rollbacks of protections from toxic coal ash . Their stories of coal ash contamination were heartbreaking - a North Carolina town where neighbors keep getting sick , a community on the Navajo Nation where people drive 15 miles to haul water for livestock . The EPA had finally put very modest coal ash safeguards in place for these communities in 2015 , and now Scott Pruitt is trying to take them away . As I told EPA in my testimony , " Families are looking to EPA to solve the coal ash problem — not abandon them . If you do n't defend these standards , the Sierra Club and our allies will . " One small town Alabama mayor summed up the thoughts of everyone in the room when he faced EPA representatives a simply said , " What are you doing ? Have you lost your mind ? " Pruitt 's maneuver to weaken coal ash standards has sparked grassroots outrage from red states and blue states . He is handing out yet another favor to the corporate polluters who 've been and marching orders since he took over the EPA . Pruitt is weakening the protections so that millionaire utility executives do n't have to pay for affordable , common - sense fixes to America 's mounting coal ash problem . As I heard from scientists and the many families affected who spoke at the hearing earlier this week , coal ash is the primary solid waste product of coal - fired power plants and it contains some of the most dangerous toxic chemicals on earth , like arsenic , lead , mercury , and chromium . The toxins raise the risk for cancer , heart disease , and stroke , and can inflict permanent brain damage on children . It 's estimated that 1.5 million children live near the coal ash storage sites , which are only getting larger with each ton of coal burned . In places like and on the , we 've seen the tragedies that coal ash spills and leaks can cause by devastating communities , contaminating water , and sending people to the hospital . In 2015 , after years of scientific research and public comments , the EPA finalized a set of basic clean water protections from coal ash that were cheap and easy for utilities to implement . These standards required coal - plant owners to do things like line new coal ash dump sites with strong , waterproof materials to make sure the dangerous contents of coal ash did not leach into soil and contaminate groundwater . They also provided local communities with online tools to monitor their groundwater to make sure that toxic heavy metals from nearby coal ash waste sites were not contaminating the water they used for farming , drinking , and cooking . In a cruel irony , Pruitt announced these rollbacks the day after EPA reporting under the new standard revealed dangerous coal ash pollution in more than 70 sites around the country . Everyone deserves clean water free from toxic coal ash , and the profits of utility executives should never be held in higher regard than the health of local communities .. After nearly a year in his position , Pruitt has seemed more concerned with pushing the agenda of wealthy coal executives rather than doing his job to protect the environment and the health of the people who are suffering from the pollution created by coal plants . Nothing better illustrates this than the sweetheart deal Pruitt received from the wife of a dirty energy lobbyist who had business before the EPA . For a mere $ 50 a night , he stayed in a plush , multi - million dollar condo near the United States Capitol . By day , Pruitt was touting his rollback efforts to make it easier for energy companies and utilities to save money by polluting , and by night , he slept peacefully in a bed owned by someone who energy companies and utilities hire to do their bidding on Capitol Hill . As each day goes by and we find out more about Pruitt 's conflicts of interests and revelations about his failed judgement , however , it 's important to remember that his failures have real world impacts on the health of the people he is supposed to be protecting . Real families will be hurt because of his decision to roll back the clean water protections against coal ash , people who ca n't offer him sweetheart deals on luxury housing . TAKE ACTION : Stop the repeal of coal ash safeguards !
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Andrew Cuomo Faces A Big Test On Climate Change . He 's Already Failed Twice . And on Monday , 19 buses carrying more than 1,500 activists from across the state converged on the state capital to protest Cuomo 's failure to do more about climate change in his eight years in office , and make demands that looked identical to Nixon 's platform . It was the largest environmental protest against Cuomo since anti - fracking activists staged demonstrations in 2014 . To some , Cuomo 's status as a climate pariah may be surprising . In 2014 , he put a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing , or fracking , for natural gas in the state . In 2015 , Al Gore joined the governor as he announced plans to cut the state 's greenhouse gases emissions 40 percent by 2030 . Last June , Cuomo loudly rejected President Donald Trump 's move to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord , ramping up New York 's pledge to produce half its electricity from renewables by 2030 and forging a new alliance with the governors of Washington and California to stick to the goals agreed to by former President Barack Obama . " Climate change is a reality , and not to address it is gross negligence by government , " said Cuomo , according to a new page on the state website with the banner : " Environment Leadership . " But Cuomo 's policies still fail to meet even the baseline targets scientists say are needed to make a difference on global warming . His reduction targets focus exclusively on power plants , ignoring the majority of the state 's emissions that come from buildings and vehicles . He has no plan to get the state to 100 percent renewable electricity , and has offered little to protect low - income communities and neighborhoods of color that suffer most from the impacts of climate change . The state 's pension funds remain invested in fossil fuels , and polluters face no penalties in the form of fines on climate - linked damage or taxes on emissions . As Nixon gains in the polls and lands magazine covers , Cuomo is scrambling to act on long - neglected progressive demands . Three weeks ago , over coffee and cookies at a Manhattan steakhouse , the governor made a deal to disband the Independent Democratic Conference , known as the IDC . The group of eight breakaway Democrats in the state Senate caucused with Republicans , guaranteeing a conservative majority in the chamber ― now only one holdout , Brooklyn Democrat Simcha Felder , has left Republicans with a flimsy one - vote majority . Cuomo also signed an executive order last week restoring voting rights to felons on parole and voiced support for legalizing recreational marijuana , a policy Nixon made a platform issue in her campaign . On Friday , almost simultaneous to the release of Nixon 's climate platform , Cuomo denied a water quality permit to a new natural gas pipeline environmentalists have protested for months , and announced a new energy efficiency initiative that would account for one - third of the emissions cuts required to meet his 2030 target . But Cuomo 's next big test on climate change is one he has already failed twice . For the third time in as many years , the state assembly is slated to vote this week on the latest version of the New York State Climate and Community Protection Act , known as the CCPA . The bill is widely considered the most ambitious and egalitarian climate legislation introduced anywhere in the nation . Heather McGhee , president of the left - leaning think tank Demos , and the economist Robert Reich called it " the most progressive climate - equity policy we 've seen . " The legislation , first introduced in 2016 , calls for 100 percent renewable energy statewide by 2050 and orders state agencies to draft plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions from power plants , buildings and vehicles . It requires 40 percent of state energy funding to go to the low - income neighborhoods and communities of color most vulnerable to sea level rise and extreme weather , and includes wage standards backed by labor unions for all state - funded green energy projects . If enacted , the bill 's proponents say it would create more than 100,000 jobs . For Assemblyman Steve Englebright , the Long Island Democrat who first introduced the CCPA , the bill is 20 years overdue . The 71 - year - old lawmaker from Setauket , a coastal hamlet on Long Island Sound , started warning about the threat of runaway global warming two decades ago . He has since sponsored several bills to support solar and wind production , at least three of which became laws . In 2016 , he became chairman of the Assembly Committee on Environmental Conservation and moved swiftly to draft and introduce the CCPA . " Tere needs to be some adjustments made in the perception of how important this bill is to bring it into the executive chamber , ready for the governor 's signature , " Englebright said Friday . " If we can get it onto his desk , he 'll have no choice but to sign it . " New Yorkers overwhelmingly support environmental regulations even at an economic cost . Seventy - one percent of New Yorkers support expanding renewable energy generation even if it raises electricity prices , compared to 61 percent nationwide , according to Cooperative Congressional Election Study 's 2016 survey results analyzed for HuffPost by Data for Progress , a left - leaning think tank . That support cuts across demographics , including 75 percent of people aged 18 to 29 and 67 percent of people 65 years and older ; 73 percent of urban dwellers and 67 percent of rural New Yorkers ; and 74 percent of black people and 69 percent of whites . Sixty - seven percent of New Yorkers support strengthening enforcement of clean air and water regulations even if it costs U.S. jobs , compared to 58 percent nationwide . The support breaks down similarly across the state , with 73 percent of people aged 18 to 29 and 61 percent of people 65 and older ; 71 percent of urbanites and 60 percent of rural people ; and 75 percent of black people and 64 percent of whites .
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Environmental groups to sue Trump administration over offshore drilling tests Environmental groups plan to sue the Trump administration over offshore drilling tests , launching a legal fight against a proposal that has drawn bipartisan opposition along the Atlantic Coast , two people with direct knowledge of the pending litigation told The Associated Press . The lawsuit , which aims to stop the issuance of permits for the use of seismic air guns , will be filed by a coalition of environmental groups in federal court in South Carolina on Tuesday , according to the individuals . They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly before the suit is filed . The Trump administration has authorized five such permits , which aim to find oil and gas formations deeply below the Atlantic Ocean floor , from Delaware to central Florida , an area where seismic surveys have n't been conducted in decades . The blasts are conducted in preparation for potential offshore drilling , which the administration has proposed to expand from the Atlantic to the Arctic and Pacific oceans . The five - year plan would open 90 percent of the nation 's offshore reserves to private development . Survey vessels will be required to have observers on board to listen and watch for marine life and alert operators if a protected species comes within a certain distance , officials have said , and acoustic monitoring will be used to detect those animals swimming beneath the ocean surface . Surveys would be shut down when certain sensitive species or groups are observed and penalties could be imposed for vessels that strike marine animals . The precautions are n't enough for environmental groups , who have said the blasts can disturb marine mammals . Industry groups say the surveys have been conducted around the world for decades , with little adverse impact . The drilling issue has created strange political bedfellows along the East Coast , with Democrats and Republicans in some areas united over the issue . In South Carolina 's 1st Congressional District , Republican Katie Arrington — a supporter of President Donald Trump who initially said she stood by his plans to open up Atlantic Coast drilling — later backed off that support amid a growing wave of drilling opposition in the coastal district she aimed to represent . Arrington ultimately lost the general election to Joe Cunningham , a Democrat staunchly opposed to drilling who collected support from coastal Republican mayors . Voters said they had been turned off by what they saw as Arrington 's flip - flop on the issue , and they turned instead to Cunningham 's consistency . On Monday , Cunningham told the AP that he backed the legal effort , which would pair with legislative action he plans to take up in the U.S. House . " I 'm going to go up to D.C. and fight like hell , " Cunningham said . " These lawsuits are one tool in our bag that we 're going to use . " South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster 's early support of Trump 's candidacy has n't stopped him from opposing the president 's drilling plans . Earlier this year , McMaster was among state executives to request a drilling waiver , seeking the same sort of promise already given to Florida Gov. Rick Scott , another Trump ally . Since then , officials from the Department of the Interior have said Secretary Ryan Zinke 's promise to Florida was not a formal action and will instead be part of the department 's analysis as it completes its plans . In February , McMaster met with Zinke at the Governor 's Mansion in Columbia . This week , McMaster spokesman Brian Symmes told The Associated Press that the governor and the state 's top prosecutor , both Republicans , would continue to work on a plan to keep drilling away from the state . " The governor and Attorney General ( Alan ) Wilson have resolved to continue working together to determine the best path forward , " Symmes said . " Anything and everything is on the table to keep us from seeing seismic testing or offshore drilling off the coast of South Carolina . " State Rep. Nancy Mace , a Republican representing parts of the greater Charleston area , supports the lawsuit , which she called South Carolina 's best option to challenge federal government overreach . " The government does n't get to pick winners and losers in this thing , " Mace said . " When you have every mayor , every community saying , ' We do n't want this , ' and now you 're going to shove seismic testing down our throats ? I do n't think so . " Mace said she is concerned both with potential environmental damage and the possible threat to South Carolina 's $ 20 billion tourism industry , much of which centers around the coast . " We have the potential to destroy that beauty off our coast with rigs that nobody wants , " Mace said . " We 've got to do something , and a lawsuit might be the only way to do it . "
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Joe Biden mocked for claiming to have started the climate change movement ( VIDEO ) Joe Biden has been roundly mocked on Twitter after making the unlikely claim to a young activist appealing for a presidential debate on climate change that he kicked - off the whole global warming movement back in the late 1980s . A young activist from US Youth Climate Strike asked Biden if he would support a presidential climate policy forum organized by the group . Biden interrupted the girl before she was finished , asking , " By the way , did you know I 'm the guy who did all this ? Read ' Real Clear Politics ' – it will tell you about how I started this whole thing back in 1987 – climate change . " Social media users were quick to criticize Biden 's response , with some mocking him for saying he had started climate change , and others pointing out that his 1987 effort did n't really work out so well . Biden has repeatedly boasted of his 80 's climate change concern , telling voters he was the first to introduce a climate bill . In 1987 , Biden delivered a Senate speech warning of the dangers of global warming , and his Global Climate Protection Act called for setting up a task force to plan to tackle the issue . While he is the first to have a climate bill passed , he certainly is n't the first politician to raise the alarm about climate change , let alone have ' started ' the whole thing . Congressman Al Gore held House hearings on climate change in 1976 , and as a senator introduced a resolution calling for a research program into greenhouse gas emissions in 1985 . The following year , Republican Senator John Chafee held Senate climate hearings warning of the " serious problem " and featuring an expert explaining that ' significant ' warming could happen within 5 - 15 years . Biden has been criticized for reportedly planning a ' middle ground ' approach to climate policy that is accused of lacking urgency and not going far enough . Think your friends would be interested ? Share this story !
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Protesters disrupt US panel 's fossil fuels pitch at climate talks A Trump administration presentation extolling the virtues of fossil fuels at the UN climate talks in Poland has been met with guffaws of laughter and chants of " Shame on you " . Monday 's protest came during a panel discussion by the official US delegation , which used its only public appearance to promote the " unapologetic utilisation " of coal , oil and gas . Although these industries are the main source of the carbon emissions that are causing global warming , the speakers boasted the US would expand production for the sake of global energy security and planned a new fleet of coal plants with technology it hoped to export to other countries . The event featured prominent cheerleaders for fossil fuels and nuclear power , including Wells Griffith , Donald Trump 's adviser on global energy and climate , Steve Winberg , the assistant secretary for fossil energy at the energy department , and Rich Powell , the executive director of the ClearPath Foundation , a non - profit organisation focused on " conservative clean energy " . The only non - American was Patrick Suckling , the ambassador for the environment in Australia 's coal - enthusiast government . NONE of the US participants mentioned climate change or global warming , focusing instead of " innovation and entrepreneurship " in the technological development of nuclear power , " clean coal " and carbon capture and storage . Ten minutes into Griffith 's opening speech , he was interrupted by a sudden , sustained , loud volley of laughter by several dozen protesters that was then followed by a single shout of " It 's not funny " , and then a series of chants of " Keep it in the ground " and " Shame on you " . Several campaigners read statements . " There is no such thing as clean coal . Coal is deadly from the beginning to the end . They talk about the life cycle of coal , I talk about it as a death march . My father died of black lung , and I am in this struggle with others whose fathers and husbands are dying of black lung right now , " said Teri Blanton of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth , which represents Appalachian coal workers in North America . After the protesters were led away by security guards , Griffiths said : " In the US our policy is not to keep it in the ground , but to use it as cleanly and efficiently as possible " . This statement was contradicted by climate analysts , who noted the US environment agency estimates that 1,400 more deaths per year will result from Trump 's proposal to replace the Clean Power Act . " It 's ludicrous for Trump officials to claim that they want to clean up fossil fuels , while dismantling standards that would do just that , " said Dan Lashof , the director of the World Resources Institute . " Since taking office , this administration has proposed to roll back measures to cut methane leaks from oil and gas operations , made it easier for companies to dump coal ash into drinking water , and just days ago proposed easing carbon pollution rules for new coal - fired power plants . " Griffith boasted the US had the largest coal reserves in the world and iwas producing more petroleum than ever . " To achieve economic growth and eradicate poverty , all energy uses are important and they will be utilised unapologetically , " he said . Echoing a claim often made by Trump , Griffiths said the US would not be subject to agreements that hamstrung domestic growth , while allowing China to operate with high emissions . This was the second consecutive year that the Trump team was heckled after promoting fossil fuels and nuclear power at the climate talks , underscoring how the US position has shifted since the president took power in 2017 . The US was a key player in forging the Paris agreement in 2015 , but its standing has steadily eroded since . In 2017 , Trump announced he would pull the US out of the global accord . This year , his representatives have taken a still more destructive stance by aligning with Russia , Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to try to downgrade a key report by the world 's scientists that warned of the dangers of global warming moving beyond 1.5C above pre - industrial levels . NONE of the panelists would be drawn on the study , but Griffith spoke out against " alarmism " that , he claimed , displaced pragmatic solutions to address environmental concerns with prescriptive regulations that put jobs at risk and raised costs for consumers . In fact , scientists say their forecasts about climate impacts have been too conservative , while economists say the shift to renewables has resulted in cheaper energy for many users . Winberg said the US government was planning to support a new fleet of small , modular coal plants that he claimed would be energy - efficient and have near - zero emissions if combined with carbon capture technology . After initial development in the US , he said they could be exported to other countries . " They offer opportunity for developing nations to access tomorrow 's coal technology to improve energy security , " he said . He also proposed more pipelines to oil fields in the Gulf of Mexico . Despite this public commitment , the US use of coal is declining because renewables are cheaper , according to Nathaniel Keohane , the senior vice - president for the Environmental Defense Fund nonprofit group . " Trump is playing politics , but it 's not changing the facts on the ground , " he said . " Coal usage in the US just hit a 39 - year low . If we really want to protect our economy , we 'll move aggressively toward 100 % clean energy . " An alternative , non - official US delegation has backed a faster transition to renewables . Made up of city- and state - level governments , business executives and religious leaders , the " We 're still in " group is staging dozens of events in a bid to show action is still possible without White House support . NONEtheless , many observers at the official US panel were ashamed at the position of their federal government . " I was completely embarrassed to be an American " , said Leo McNeil Woodberry of the Climate Action Network . " Everything they proposed was absolutely wrong . I ca n't believe they are putting profits over the planet , and profits over people . "
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Supreme Court won't halt unusual climate change lawsuit brought by children on behalf of & apos;future generations&apos ; WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court refused the Trump administration 's request Friday to block 21 young people from putting a warming planet on trial in Eugene , Ore. The action keeps alive , at least for now , an unusual lawsuit begun in 2015 to force a change in federal environmental policy by declaring a " climate system capable of sustaining human life " a civil right . The lawsuit was brought on behalf of children now ages 11 - 22 , as well as future generations . But while refusing to halt the trial , the justices indicated that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit could do so if the Justice Department asks . That court has refused to intervene in the past . Associate Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch dissented , presumably because they were prepared to stop the trial now . The justices had expressed misgivings about the lawsuit in July , when they refused to stop the legal process but said the breadth of the claims was " striking . " Whether those claims should be handled in court " presents substantial grounds for difference of opinion , " the court said then . Lawyers for Our Children 's Trust have argued that government policies have deprived the children of their " constitutional rights to life , liberty , and property , to dignity , to personal security , to a stable climate system capable of sustaining human lives and liberties . " They want the government to " prepare an accounting of the nation 's greenhouse gas emissions , and prepare and implement an enforceable national remedial plan " for reducing carbon emissions . Federal district court Judge Ann Aiken , who has presided over pretrial briefing for more than two years , had scheduled the trial to begin Monday and last up to 12 weeks . " Courts have an obligation not to overstep the bounds of their jurisdiction , but they have an equally important duty to fulfill their role as a check on any unconstitutional actions of the other branches of government , " she said last month in denying the government 's effort to stall or dismiss the trial . The Justice Department objected to the time and expense , claiming that the issue was one for Congress , not the courts , to resolve . Its objections were first raised during the Obama administration . " This suit is an attempt to redirect federal environmental and energy policies through the courts rather than through the political process , by asserting a new and unsupported fundamental due process right to certain climate conditions , " Solicitor General Noel Francisco argued in court papers . The children on whose behalf the lawsuit was filed , he said , " can make no credible claim of imminent , irreparable harm . Their alleged injuries stem from the cumulative effects of CO2 emissions from every source in the world over decades . " Although the case , Juliana v. United States , has yet to reach the trial stage , it has been taught in more than two dozen law schools as well as primary and secondary schools , lawyers for the children said – " inspiring students of all ages to see themselves in the parchment of the U.S. Constitution . "
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' Next Deepwater Horizon disaster a matter of time ' : Critics slam record offshore oil lease sale The Trump administration has held the biggest lease sale of oil and gas in US history . Environmentalists fear the auction will massively expand fossil fuel production and could lead to the next Deepwater disaster . President Donald Trump on Wednesday sold more than 77 million acres of federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico for offshore oil drilling , an area twice the size of Florida . The lease sale forms part of the Trump administration 's plans to increase domestic energy production by opening up new areas for oil drilling . Oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico became increasingly controversial after the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010 , which killed 11 workers and released millions of barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico . The catastrophe caused $ 17.2 billion - worth of damage to natural resources , according to a study in 2017 commissioned by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . Critics of the sale fear the expansion in offshore drilling could devastate marine life and lead to roll - backs in environmental protections . " Trump is selling off our oceans and selling out coastal communities and marine life to the oil industry , " said Kristen Monsell , oceans program legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity . " More drilling and less regulation will make the next Deepwater Horizon disaster only a matter of time . Whales , dolphins and Gulf seafood are already marinating in oil spills and industry wastewater , " she added . The Interior Department said the sell - off is necessary if America is to maintain energy independence . " American energy production can be competitive , " said Vincent DeVito , an energy policy advisor at the Interior Department . " People need jobs , the Gulf Coast states need revenue , and Americans do not want to be dependent on foreign oil . " he said . The Gulf of Mexico provides the US with around 1.5 million barrels of oil per day , or roughly 17 percent of its national production total , according to the Energy Information Administration . US crude oil output has grown by more than 20 percent since mid-2016 . The oil industry welcomed the lease sale , with Randall Luthi of the trade group National Oceanic Industry Association noting that the sale on Wednesday " may draw more interest from industry than we have seen in recent years . " Meanwhile some NGOs have questioned the economic rationale behind the sale , arguing that the way in which federal assets are sold off does not serve the best interests of US taxpayers . The Project on Government Oversight warned in February that the ' uncompetitive ' lease system used by the government to auction sites allows energy companies to " secure offshore leases for a pittance . " It cautioned that the sale in the Gulf of Mexico means " more publicly owned resources could be turned over to industry at bargain - basement prices . " The Center for American Progress , a left - leaning policy think tank has echoed this statement , saying in a statement that " offering a nearly unrestricted supply in a low demand market with a cut rate royalty and almost no competition is bad policy and an inexcusable waste of taxpayer resources . " Like this story ? Share it with a friend !
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' It 'll change back ? ' Trump mocked for his ' natural instinct for science ' on climate change While a sobering new UN report on climate change indicates humans might have little time to change our ways to avoid environmental catastrophe , President Trump is n't worried , pointing to scientists " on both sides of the picture . " Referencing an uncle who was a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( whom he never spoke to about climate change ) as apparent proof of his scientific bona fides , Trump told the Associated Press that he has " a natural instinct for science " and that the climate goes " back and forth , back and forth . " The US president remains unconvinced that human activity is the cause of climate change . While he has backed away from a 2012 claim that the concept was " created by and for the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing noncompetitive , " he is now convinced that " something 's changing and it 'll change back again , " according to an interview he gave with 60 Minutes on Sunday . Trump 's appointee to the Environmental Protection Agency , Scott Pruitt , notoriously attempted to roll back several key environmental regulations passed under Barack Obama , including the Clean Power Plan , the Clean Water Rule , and a proposed ban on the pesticide chlorpyrifos . Pruitt also oversaw a 23 percent budget cut to the agency and filled science advisory panels with industry representatives instead of unaffiliated scientists . Trump may believe in climate change now , but he remains convinced that scientists who see a human role in the process have " a very big political agenda . " Meanwhile , he does n't want to " sacrifice the economic well - being of our country for something that nobody really knows . " While some Democrats favor bold moves to address climate change , others – perhaps still shell - shocked by the failure of their 2009 cap - and - trade bill under Obama – shy away from anything more than incremental measures , citing the " hostile " political environment in Congress . Rep. Gerry Connolly ( D - VA ) said Democrats should " focus on the practical and the opportunistic " in the short term while working toward big - picture " aspirational goals " in the long term . Some might argue the concept of a " long term , " when it comes to the environment , was rendered irrelevant by the latest UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report . It projected that humans have until 2030 to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions if we want to avoid catastrophic climate change in the form of massive sea level rise , increased drought , permafrost melt , and coral reef die - offs . Think your friends would be interested ? Share this story !
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Conservation Is n't the Solution to California 's Water Problems In January , California 's Jerry Brown became the first governor in the state 's history to declare a state of emergency for a drought and a flood simultaneously . On Friday , Brown lifted the drought emergency in all but four counties ( Fresno , Kings , Tulare , and Tuolumne counties ) . But , rather than lift the burdensome water regulations implemented to cope with the drought , he announced that many of those regulations would remain intact , even though the flood emergency remains . Brown 's latest plan , " Making Water Conservation a California Way of Life , " allows the state to oversee conservation goals it sets in urban water - management agencies , as well as to permanently prohibit activities it deems wasteful of the water supply . It also creates more stringent standards for establishing these water - use goals . Brown has indicated that he hopes to expand the state 's water supply with new sources of water , but his focus on making conservation " a way of life " — in a time when California 's streets are flooding — suggests otherwise . Certainly , Californians — and everyone else — ought to find ways to responsibly use natural resources such as water . Mandating conservation , however , is drastically different from incentivizing it . Even though there is no longer a drought state of emergency in their state , Californians will be fined if they wash their automobiles with hoses " not equipped with a shut - off nozzle , " water lawns in a way that results in water run - off , or hose off sidewalks . The plan also gives urban government agencies until 2025 to comply with their conservation targets , limiting the water usage of Californians . But water conservation can only go so far . California ought to begin expanding its water supply rather than incessantly regulate how citizens use water , especially now that the governor does n't retain the broad powers spelled out under the drought state of emergency ( Brown 's flood state of emergency does n't give him the same power to regulate water use ) . John Woodling of the Sacramento Regional Water Authority told the Sacramento Bee that Brown 's assertion of state power in this area will give it " permanent , unchecked control over local water management decisions . " And , as Brown 's plan begins to drive water consumption down , Woodling said , it could hurt the economy . Governor Brown has pushed two contradictory agendas for months . Now , even he has concluded that California is no longer in a drought . It 's time for these conservation regulations to be lifted and for the state to do what it should have done a long time ago : look to expand its water supply .
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Trump dismisses climate change question by contradicting himself on hurricanes Trump , speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday after touring damage from Hurricane Irma on Florida 's west coast , said " we 've had bigger storms than this " when asked about climate change . " If you go back into the 1930s and the 1940s , and you take a look , we 've had storms over the years that have been bigger than this , " Trump said . " If you go back into the teens , you 'll see storms that were as big or bigger . So we did have two horrific storms , epic storms , but if you go back into the ' 30s and ' 40s , and you go back into the teens , you 'll see storms that were very similar and even bigger , OK ? " In response to this story , a White House aide pointed CNN to a recent NOAA report that found that it is " premature to conclude that human activities ... have already had a detectable impact on Atlantic hurricane or global tropical cyclone activity . " That same report , however , found that human activity " may have already caused changes " and that global warming " will likely cause tropical cyclones globally to be more intense on average " and " lead to an increase in the occurrence of very intense tropical cyclone(s ) . " Trump campaigned on a platform that rejected much of the scientific community 's findings on climate change , arguing that the Obama administration used climate science too often to restrict business growth . Trump pulled out of the Paris Climate accords earlier this year and had previously had called climate change a " hoax " perpetrated by the Chinese . Trump 's comments Thursday go against the hyperbolic language he used in the lead - up and aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma . " Hurricane Irma is of epic proportion , perhaps bigger than we have ever seen , " Trump tweeted as Irma moved closer to Florida . Earlier this month he tweeted , " Hurricane looks like largest ever recorded in the Atlantic ! " And on Thursday in Florida , before his comments aboard Air Force One about climate change , Trump said the people of Florida experienced something " the likes of which we can say really say nobody 's ever seen before . " " They 've never seen a category like this come in because it came in really at a five , " he said . Top Trump administration officials have repeatedly dodged questions about how climate change affected the damage done by hurricanes Harvey and Irma , saying the issue should be discussed at a later date . said last week it was " insensitive " to address global warming at this time . said last week it was " insensitive " to address global warming at this time . EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said last week it was " insensitive " to address global warming at this time . Mick Mulvaney , the director of the White House 's Office of Management and Budget , told CNN that climate change is a " longer discussion on another day " and a " big topic for the media . " And both FEMA administrator Brock Long and acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke avoided explicitly answering when asked Tuesday whether the government needs to be more focused on climate change because of the storms . Trump 's visit to tour hurricane damage on Thursday was his second trip in as many weeks . Trump toured the Houston area earlier this month after Hurricane Harvey brought massive flooding to the city . The storm and subsequent damage could end up being the costliest natural disaster in US history .
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California Democrats and Republicans unite to defy Trump with climate change bill Donald Trump has singlehandedly been working to set back U.S. climate policy 50 years . He outraged the world by exiting the Paris climate agreement . He fired scientists from government advisory positions . He signed a bill to let coal mines dump waste into streams . He is trying to undo the Clean Power Plan , fuel economy standards for cars , offshore drilling restrictions , and solar tax credits . But at the state level , politicians are fighting back , and nowhere more so than in California . On Monday , the California state legislature passed a sweeping deal to extend the state 's current cap and trade program until 2030 . The law requires businesses to buy credits based on their volume of greenhouse pollution . The passage of this bill is a rare bipartisan victory . Democrats control both chambers of the California legislature , but the bill required a supermajority . Republicans cast the deciding votes , amid the endorsement of prominent California GOP politicians like former Gov. Pete Wilson . California has been at the forefront of the climate change fight ever since Trump was elected . Gov. Jerry Brown made news in December for telling Trump that if he scuttles climate research satellites , " California will launch its own damn satellites . " More recently , Brown helped found the United States Climate Alliance , a group of state and local governments pledging to abide by the Paris climate agreement even after the federal government withdraws . So far , 10 states , including two with Republican governors , have joined , as well as several major cities . Even if Trump is willing to turn his back on our allies and our future to roll back the clock on environmental protection , states like California are standing up and assuming the mantle of leadership . The fight for the environment is a fight for the secure future of human civilization , and Trump can not stop that fight .
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Republican governor appoints Florida 's first chief science officer ( CNN ) Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed the state 's first chief science officer on Monday , marking what he called the state 's " commitment to science - based solutions . " DeSantis appointed Thomas Frazer , a biologist who has been director of the University of Florida 's School of Natural Resources and Environment since 2012 and previously worked as acting director of the UF Water Institute . In the new position , he will coordinate Florida 's research , data and scientific work and make sure officials have the scientific analysis they need to tackle the state 's environmental problems . Frazer 's research has looked at pollution 's effects on water . He 's also worked on research involving climate change . He 's been on the faculty advisory committee with the UF Climate Institute and served as chairman of the Climate Science Faculty Committee . Climate change will be a part of his office 's mission . " We have to look at the facts of what is going on in the environment and can we bring science to bear on those changes happening now and in the future ? " Frazer said . Asked whether he thought climate change was a threat to Florida , DeSantis said the issue was " politicized " but noted that he considers sea - level rise a serious threat . " My environmental policy is just to do things that benefit Floridians . And the idea that you 're signing up for some type of agenda -- I do n't want to ... send a signal that that 's what I 'm doing because I 'm not doing that , " DeSantis said . " This is what we 're going to do . We 're going to do what works . " DeSantis said the appointment keeps with his promise to make " sound science " a Florida priority . " As one of Florida 's leading environmental researchers , Dr. Frazer understands the unique water issues facing our state and the actions we must take to solve them , " he said Monday . " Since day one , my administration has been laser focused on addressing our pressing environmental challenges . " On January 10 , DeSantis signed an Executive Order that pledged to secure $ 2.5 billion over the next four years to restore the Everglades . It created the Blue - Green Algae Task Force and promised to work with local communities to invest in green infrastructure . It also created the chief science officer position . Frazer will have his work cut out for him . In July , Scott declared a state of emergency for several counties to help local governments deal with an unprecedented toxic algal bloom that killed thousands of marine animals , including dolphins and manatees . The bloom , which affected more than 100 miles of Florida shoreline , also sent people to the doctor with respiratory problems and eye issues . below sea level by 2100 , Sea level rise alone is projected to outpace the global average for Southeast Florida . The region could see nearly a foot more of water in the short term . There 's also a chance that more than $ 346 billion in property value will bebelow sea level by 2100 , studies show Frazer said he 's honored by the appointment . " Our environment and waterways make Florida unique , " he said . " I look forward to working with the governor and the Department of Environmental Protection on ways we can use sound science and research to improve our state 's water quality and protect the environment . "
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Viewpoint : The Indian state to become a global leader in clean energy India 's southern state of Tamil Nadu is poised to become a global leader in wind power , according to a new report . But first the state must overcome its addiction to coal , writes Nityanand Jayaraman . The report - by the US - based Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis - predicts that by 2027 , more than half of Tamil Nadu 's power will be generated by " zero emissions " technologies - notably solar and wind . The state 's current capacity to generate wind power - 7.85 gigawatts ( GW ) - is already impressive considering it is higher than that of Denmark or Sweden . But the report estimates that it could double over the next decade , and that solar installations too could increase six - fold to reach 13.5GW . If that happens , clean , renewable energy would account for 67 % of Tamil Nadu 's capacity , which could revive the state 's debt - ridden utility . But in order to harvest that potential , Tamil Nadu needs to transform its power sector . Tamil Nadu 's population is three times that of Australia and its per capita GDP is on a par with Sri Lanka and Ukraine . It could prove to be an example of how emerging economies can grow while slashing their carbon emissions . Assuming Tamil Nadu 's GDP will grow at an annual rate of 7 % , the report suggests that much of this growth can be driven by renewables . Installation and operating costs for wind and solar power have dropped low enough to compete with established but dirty sources of power such as coal . But that is where reality tempers the possibilities . The report argues that not only does Tamil Nadu not need coal or nuclear power , but that these projects are financially fraught . Electricity from new coal power plants is likely to be twice as expensive as solar or wind power . But , despite the bleak financial prospects , Tamil Nadu currently has 22.5GW of coal power plants in the pipeline . Pursuing these ventures will weaken the state utility 's finances and its ability to invest in smarter , cleaner alternatives . There are other challenges too . Wind power can be generated only from May to October . Even during those months , production can not reach its peak because the state does not have a large enough grid to convey excess electricity to other states . So , they will have to slow down generation from other sources . This also means the state is unable to import cheap power from other states during the remaining seven months when wind power is not feasible . Work is afoot to change this but its not guaranteed that the improvements will ensure that the grid can cope with the predicted generation . Integrating power from seasonal sources like wind requires a smart grid - one with a sophisticated system of supply and management that can adjust to variations in demand . On this count too , Tamil Nadu has a long way to go . But the biggest limiting factor for the state is likely to be water . Between climate change and reckless exploitation and pollution of rivers , streams and lakes , Tamil Nadu is staring at a bleak water future . At least 60 % of groundwater resources in the state are assessed as over - exploited , critical or semi - critical , according to India 's Central Ground Water Board . In April 2017 , Tamil Nadu farmers camped out in India 's capital , Delhi , staging dramatic protests - stuffing dead rats in their mouths , stripping themselves naked in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's home and drinking their own urine - to underscore the intensity of the drought back home . In June 2017 , villagers in Tamil Nadu 's parched Ramanathapuram district were protesting against a solar power plant - they alleged that more than 200,000 litres of scarce water was being extracted illegally from bore wells to clean the 250,000 solar modules daily . Utility - scale solar farms - massive projects that supply power to the gird - such as the one in Ramanathapuram need to be re - evaluated , especially if they are to run in areas where water is scarce . The report predicts that Tamil Nadu will have 10.3GW of utility - scale solar installations by the end of this decade and only about 2GW of rooftop installations . Given that both the availability of sunlight and the demand for electricity are decentralised , it makes sense to maximise rooftop solar installations rather than to invest in large solar parks . The overall direction , if not the magnitude and rate of change , laid out in the report is not just possible but essential both financially and environmentally . A healthy and environmentally sustainable future requires more than just switching from dirty coal to wind or solar power . But the bigger challenge lies not in decoupling growth from carbon emissions but in decoupling human wellbeing and progress from growth .
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Trump 's words and actions threaten to derail climate change efforts Donald Trump is threatening to derail climate change efforts with his persistent denial of global warming , claim scientists . Pulling the US from the Paris Agreement has opened the flood gates as several others , including Russia and Turkey , follow his lead . Trump removed the US , the second greatest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the world , from the Paris Agreement as one of his first major presidential acts . One expert has published a study and said that the withdrawal of the US from the 2015 Paris Agreement as well as Trump 's ill - informed remarks on climate change could have long - lasting and severe ramifications . A United Nations - sponsored climate summit in Poland has kicked off today which brings together experts from around the world as leading figures in the UN claim our planet has reached a ' crossroads ' . They say the next two years are crucial to our success if we are to successfully halt global warming . A study , from the Institute of International and European Affairs , says Trump 's decision has created the ' moral and political cover for others to follow suit ' in leaving the agreement . It also claims it has soured the atmosphere and damaged goodwill in the international arena . 'The Paris agreement sent a shiver down the spine of institutional investors globally and made them question if they were exposed to stranded assets and whether these political leaders were really serious about climate change , ' said Joseph Curtin , a senior fellow at the IIEA.'There 's absolutely no doubt that the Trump effect has created a sense of uncertainty in terms of the political commitment to achieve anything close to a 2 ° C target . ' The Paris Agreement , which was first signed in 2015 , is an international agreement to control and limit climate change . It hopes to hold the increase in the global average temperature to below 2 ° C ( 3.6 ° F ) ' and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 ° C ( 2.7 ° F)'Sir David Attenborough will be in attendance in the ' people 's seat ' to represent the people who are affected by global warming . He gave a speech at the opening ceremony of the summit and said : '' We are facing a man - made disaster of global scale . ' Our greatest threat in thousands of years . Climate Change . 'The Conference of the Parties ( COP ) comes shortly after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) announced the intention to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 ° C . This gathering has been pegged as the most influential since the 2015 ratification of the Paris Agreement . It claimed that to achieve this goal , governments around the world would have to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 . Four influential previous presidents of the talks called for decisive action to reach these targets . They said the planet sits at a ' crossroads ' and urged action to cut emissions and reach Paris targets . Antonio Guterres , UN Secretary - General , said this period of time is ' a matter of life and death ' for countries around the world . A statement from the former chiefs came a day before the summit was scheduled to begin and is a highly unusual move . It earmarked the next two years as a key opportunity to help halt climate change . It read : ' What ministers and other leaders say and do in Katowice at COP24 will help determine efforts for years to come and either bring the world closer to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement - including protecting those most vulnerable to climate change - or push action further down the road . ' Any delay will only make it harder and more expensive to respond to climate change . ' The statement was issued by Frank Bainimarama of Fiji , Salaheddine Mezouar of Morocco , Laurent Fabius of France and Manuel Pulgar Vidal of Peru . In a report released ahead of the climate summit in Poland , the World Meteorological Organisation ( WMO ) pointed out that the 20 warmest years on record have been in the past 22 years . It found that 2018 is on course to be the 4th warmest year on record and we 're the ' last generation to be able to do something about it ' . The UN agency said in its provisional report that ' the past four years - 2015 , 2016 , 2017 and 2018 - are also the four warmest years in the series ' .
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Bill Nye Freaks Out After Scientist Schools Him On Climate Change Comedian Bill Nye accused CNN of doing a " disservice " to its viewers for inviting a well - respected physicist on Earth Day to argue about the legitimacy of man - made global warming . Nye , who is well known for hosting a children 's TV show in the 1990s , scolded CNN 's " New Day Saturday " panel Saturday for pitting his environmentalist pedigree against the climate skepticism of physicist William Happer . He also suggested the 24 - news channel should instead drown out people like Happer with 98 scientists who believe in man - made global warming . " And I will say , much as I love the CNN , you 're doing a disservice by having one climate change skeptic and not 97 or 98 scientists or engineers concerned about climate change , " Nye said after the Princeton University academic suggested that it is a " myth " to believe that carbon dioxide is a pollutant causing widespread ecological destruction . " Carbon dioxide is a perfectly natural gas , it 's just like water vapor , it 's something that plants love . They grow better with more carbon dioxide , and you can see the greening of the earth already from the additional carbon dioxide in the atmosphere , " he added . He went on to say that Nye 's views on science are backward . Science is based on observation , Happer said , " [ a]nd if you observe what 's happening to , for example , the temperature , the temperature is not rising nearly as fast as the alarmist computer models predicted . It 's much , much less — factors of two or three less . " Happer , a science adviser to President Donald Trump , made public his skeptical views on climate change in January . He told reporters that climate change is " tremendously exaggerated , " adding that climate research is important , " but I think it 's become sort of a cult movement in the last five years . " Nye , who has a degree in engineering but no professional science background , called Happer 's position " completely wrong , " and suggested the physicist was " cherry picking a certain model . " Some scientists maintain people like Nye are the ones cherry - picking data . Climate models predicted Antarctic sea ice would shrink , and that climate change would boost snowfall in the southern hemisphere , yet neither of those predictions have panned out . In fact , scientists now say " natural variability " is overwhelming their models . Scientists with Columbia University 's Earth Institute , for instance , found there 's been almost no change in Antarctica 's snowfall . They blamed strong " natural variability " for the models ' failures . Scientists have also warned that Antarctica has been losing 147 gigatons of ice per year for years , mostly from melting on the northern Antarctic Peninsula . A NASA conducted in 2015 , meanwhile , found Antarctica 's ice sheet increased in mass from 1992 to 2008 , which essentially offset ice melting in the western part of the Antarctic . Nye , for his part , has been one of the most belligerent apostle for the environmental movement . He 's even suggested that throwing global warming skeptics in jail could be a potential solution , during an interview with the conservative Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow . Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience . For licensing opportunities of our original content , please contact [ email protected ] .
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An Open Letter To Senators Cruz And Cornyn Of Texas Republican politicians often evoke the Bible when it suits their purposes . But they disregard some of its most important teachings when formulating policy . This includes the story of Noah 's Ark. Noah 's story holds powerful lessons for us today . We live in a time when it has become absolutely clear that global warming is starting to have a devastating affect on our lives . From super storms and floods like the disaster unfolding in Houston , to droughts and fires of unprecedented magnitude , the direct effects of climate change are now impossible to ignore . Rising sea levels will put whole swaths of coastal cities like Miami under water before the end of the century . Yet despite such ample evidence and warnings , the Republican Party still chooses to ignore the reality . And sometimes I wonder whether any amount of evidence could convince you to act . After all , we have a surplus of evidence . What is lacking is the political will of Republican elected officials , like you , to do anything about it . The catastrophe unfolding in Houston is yet another stark warning . People are losing their homes and their jobs . Some have lost their lives . Scientists expect monster storms like Hurricane Harvey to increase in number — and intensify in magnitude — as warmer temperatures disrupt weather systems around the world . As I write , Hurricane Irma ― a terrifying superstorm with the highest wind speeds ever recorded in the Atlantic ― is cutting a destructive path through the Caribbean . Cities like Houston and New Orleans , on the Gulf of Mexico , face the threat of severe and life - threatening impacts . We have a moral responsibility to address this urgent threat . But Republicans do n't want to talk about the problem — or even admit it exists . Instead , the Republican strategy has consisted of aggressive denial of the facts coupled with staunch obstruction of any serious action to address the problem . Tragically , no industry has done more to block crucial action to address climate change than the oil industry . In fact , as Hurricane Harvey barreled towards Houston , two Harvard researchers were simultaneously releasing a report that detailed how Exxon Mobil spent decades lying to the American people about climate change . Now Exxon , along with other major oil corporations like Valero , Shell , Citgo and Phillips 66 , has been forced to shut down its Houston refinery because of flooding from the storm . Port Arthur , the planned terminus of the Keystone XL pipeline , is completely under water . The executives of these oil companies are bearing witness to the boomerang effect of burning fossil fuels . They are glimpsing a future that millions of Americans will face as the climate crisis intensifies . Senators , I hope that you will take some time to reflect . Few politicians have done more to prevent action on climate change than the two of you , which I suspect may have something to do with the $ 5.6 million you 've taken from the oil and gas industry over the years . But with so many citizens of your state suffering the direct consequences of climate change , I hope you can summon the moral courage to change course . We face an existential threat , and in the face of this , your specious economic arguments and lame , fossil fuel - endorsed excuses fall flat . We know that fighting climate change will reduce costs and create millions of jobs . We have the knowledge and technology needed to prevent future catastrophes . By doing so , we will create broad prosperity , cleaner air and water , cheaper energy for all , and , most importantly , we will save lives . Just as the evidence of crisis has made itself apparent in Texas , so has the fact that clean energy provides a better path for all made itself evident in the Lone Star State . Texas leads the nation in wind power generation , and it 's on the way to becoming a solar energy powerhouse . Senators , it 's time for you to join the team that is trying to do the right thing – not just in the short run , but with an eye to our shared future . The people of Texas need you to get on board with the biggest economic opportunity of the 21st century : clean energy technology that will save lives , create jobs , and protect the amazing creation we all call home . On behalf of NextGen America , please know that the people of Houston are in our thoughts and prayers . We are also fully engaged in fundraising efforts to assist our fellow citizens affected by this catastrophe . Words do not suffice in a tragedy like this . This is a time for action – action to care for our fellow citizens in the face of disaster , and action to prevent a systemic worsening of the climate crisis by heeding the warning and doing what is right .
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Meteorologist Forced to Educate Ocasio - Cortez On the Difference Between Weather and Climate New York 's democratic socialist sweetheart Rep. Alexandria Ocasio - Cortez is trying very hard to sell her idea of apocalyptic climate change , or at least the side of Ocasio - Cortez that 's serious about climate change ending the world in 12 years is . The other side of her thinks we 're foolish for believing her claim that climate change will destroy the world in 12 years . She can be very confusing . It seems , however , that she 's very confused herself , specifically about how weather works . Recently Washington D.C. suffered from tornado friendly weather , pushing AOC into believing that this natural disaster is simply part of the climate change disaster sweeping the globe . She also seemed disturbed at the appearance of " casual tornadoes , " though we 're not exactly sure what those are , and AOC did not elaborate . " the climate crisis is real y' all , " Ocasio said on Instagram . " Guess we 're at casual tornadoes in growing regions of the country ? " The odd proclamation prompted meteorologist Ryan Maue to step in and offer the young Democrat a lesson in what weather is . " thought this was fake but it 's from [ Ocasio - Cortez 's ] Instagram story , " tweeted Maue . " No idea what she means with " casual tornadoes " and how this line of severe thunderstorms is proof of any " climate crisis , " " he continued . " It 's just the weather in D.C. " In a second tweet , Maue pointed out that AOC does n't seem to know the difference between weather and climate , and offered her an " easy analogy " so that she understood for the future . " Weather is what outfit you wear heading out the door , " tweeted Maue . " Climate is your closet wardrobe . " Last year , climatologist Judith Curry noted that many of the world - ending weather scenarios and predictions from politicians like AOC are as good as fantasy novels , and told the Daily Caller that it 's actually impossible to predict what the climate will look like over a decade out . " Projections of extreme , alarming impacts are very weakly justified to borderline impossible , " Curry told The Daily Caller News Foundation . Curry 's latest research , put together for clients of her consulting company near the end of November , looks in detail at projections of sea level rise . Curry 's ultimate conclusion : " Some of the worst - case scenarios strain credulity . " " With regards to 21st century climate projections , we are dealing with deep uncertainty , and we should not be basing our policies based on the assumption that the climate will actually evolve as per predicted , " Curry told TheDCNF . " Climate variability and change is a lot more complex than ' CO2 as control knob ' , " Curry said . " No one wants to hear this , or actually spend time understanding things , " Curry said . Of course , a lot of this alarmism from Ocasio - Cortez is a weak attempt to sell her " Green New Deal , " which already failed to pass through Congress with any yes votes . The point of the Green New Deal is n't necessarily to save the world but to push socialistic standards for America in everything from how we travel to how we farm . However , everyone from economists to climate scientists , to Democrat politicians have called the Green New Deal a foolish venture , and after having reviewed it personally , I can say it 's a piece of legislation that 's really only good enough for kindling .
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Gender - based justice , Reparations , Universal income , Medicare for All ... Incoming New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio - Cortez brings with her a massive online following , influence she says she 'll deploy only in support of candidates and politicians who support her plan for a " Green New Deal . " The Green New Deal " is something Ocasio - Cortez invokes frequently in media appearances and rallies . So what 's actually in it ? Her office recently released the text of a proposed House rules change outlining the plan . The proposed rule change for the upcoming 116th Congress would require the creation of a " Select Committee for a Green Deal " that would be responsible for creating the plan by January 1 , 2020 , with corresponding draft legislation soon after . The text of the rule change lays out the committee 's jurisdiction and required areas of action . Its scope and mandate for legislative authority amounts to a radical grant of power to Washington over Americans ' lives , homes , businesses , travel , banking , and more . Early on , under " Jurisdiction , " the document makes clear its grandiose philosophical vision : " The select committee shall have authority to develop a detailed national , industrial , economic mobilization plan for the transition of the United States economy to become greenhouse gas emissions neutral and to significantly draw down greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and oceans and to promote economic and environmental justice and equality . " In addition to achieving its goal of " meeting 100 % of national power demand through renewable sources , " the document also repeatedly states the Green New Deal will advance non - environmental projects , such as , " social , economic , racial , regional and gender - based justice . " Ocasio - Cortez 's plan further claims it will ( virtually ) eliminate poverty : " The Plan for a Green New Deal ( and the draft legislation ) shall recognize that a national , industrial , economic mobilization of this scope and scale is a historic opportunity to virtually eliminate poverty in the United States and to make prosperity , wealth and economic security available to everyone participating in the transformation . " More specifically , Ocasio - Cortez 's plan calls for , within 10 years , a series of lofty overhauls of American life [ emphasis added]:Between its calls for " upgrading " homes and overhauling travel , public infrastructure , and even the way Americans consume electricity , the plan leaves virtually no facet of everyday life untouched . Think of how often you do n't use electricity to imagine how much of your average day the plan would n't impact . The proposed committee would also have seemingly total oversight of American industry , with a mandate for pushing union membership . Under " Scope of the Plan , " a section on labor states the committee 's final plan shall : " Require strong enforcement of labor , workplace safety , and wage standards that recognize the rights of workers to organize and unionize free of coercion , intimidation , and harassment , and creation of meaningful , quality , career employment . " Later in the document , Ocasio Cortez 's plan imagines creating a national jobs force to help people participate in this " transition . " The Green New Deal , it says , shall " provide all members of our society , across all regions and all communities , the opportunity , training and education to be a full and equal participant in the transition , including through a job guarantee program to assure a living wage job to every person who wants one . " The plan also imagines creating governmental support for " transitioning " minority communities . The deal shall : " ensure a ' just transition ' for all workers , low - income communities , communities of color , indigenous communities , rural and urban communities and the front - line communities most affected by climate change , pollution and other environmental harm including by ensuring that local implementation of the transition is led from the community level . " More , Ocasio - Cortez sees this plan is being a vehicle through which social equality might finally realized through the use of reparations to right historical injustices . The final Green New Deal will " mitigate deeply entrenched racial , regional and gender - based inequalities in income and wealth ( including , without limitation , ensuring that federal and other investment will be equitably distributed to historically impoverished , low income , deindustrialized or other marginalized communities in such a way that builds wealth and ownership at the community level ) . " And if that were n't enough to ensure that Democratic Socialism could be fully realized in America , the plan includes failsafe in the form of universal income and Medicare for All : The plan , it says , shall " include additional measures such as basic income programs , universal health care programs and any others as the select committee may deem appropriate to promote economic security , labor market flexibility and entrepreneurism . " Ocasio - Cortez clarifies that this plan would not only need to be financed by taxpayers , but also the Federal Reserve and other institutions the government can create . The end of the document contains a Q&A , one of which deals with the plan 's funding : " The Federal Reserve can extend credit to power these projects and investments , new public banks can be created ( as in WWII ) to extend credit and a combination of various taxation tools ( including taxes on carbon and other emissions and progressive wealth taxes ) can be employed . " Ocasio - Cortez may not be in Congress yet , but she already has a plan to remake the way Americans drive , commute , live , work , and even use the financial system . Let there be little doubt how she aspires to wield power in Washington . Editor 's Note : This post has been updated with grammatical fixes .
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There 's a climate crisis – but Trump 's cabinet continues to backtrack on science | Kate Aronoff In an effort to suppress federal climate research , the ) will direct state agencies to no longer consider worst - case scenarios of global warming . Climate modelers working for federal agencies will only be permitted to forecast to 2040 , decades before the as - much - as 8C degrees of global warming that could take place by 2100 if we continue on our current path . William Happer – most recently famous for ) that the " demonization " of carbon dioxide"really differs little from the Nazi persecution of the Jews " – will lead a team charged with reviewing the science produced by government researchers , no doubt hunting for references to the disastrous sea - level rise , crop failures and health impacts continued warming stands to create . The irony in all of this is that Trump , Happer and company may have a firmer grasp on the epic scope of these climate projections than many Democrats . As Naomi Klein argues , even the right 's fervent conspiracy theorists tend to understand at some level how profound the implications of this crisis are for business as usual , which has distributed its profits among elites of both parties . " Members of Trump 's cabinet , " Klein has ) , " with their desperate need to deny the reality of global warming , or belittle its implications " , NONEtheless"understand something that is fundamentally true . To avert climate chaos , we need to challenge the free - market fundamentalism that has conquered the world since the 1980s . " For all their bluster and junk science , Republican decision - makers have a clear sense for their own self - interest – and just how much is at stake for them and the rest of the 1 % . Consider Happer himself , a retired physicist who has spent his post - academy days hopping between various climate - denying thinktanks , a good many of them funded by the fossil fuel industry . In 2015 , Greenpeace activists duped Happer into agreeing to write a report on the benefits of carbon dioxide for a fictional oil company . The ( real ) coal company Peabody Energy has paid him to deliver testimony at a state hearing in Minnesota , and Happer has joined hands with groups like the Heritage Foundation , the Cato Institute and the Competitive Enterprise Institute – all recipients of ample industry funding – to bolster Trump 's agenda and cast doubt on the scientific consensus . As the New York Times reported in its article on the White House 's new climate plans , both Happer and John Bolton – who tapped him for the administration – have received generous support from the Mercers , the right wing family credited with both spreading climate denial and helping fuel the opioid epidemic . We ca n't know whether Happer genuinely believes the nonsense he 's spouting , or is just being paid well enough to sound like he does . The answer does n't really matter . Any clear - eyed assessment of what the science is telling us spells out who the winners and losers of rapid decarbonization would be . To cap warming at around 2C – a threshold many already dealing with climate impacts argue is too high – about three - quarters of known fossil fuel reserves will need to be kept underground , a reality that if realized as public policy would crater the stock price of energy companies . Climate scientist Kevin Anderson has estimated that if the top 10 % of greenhouse gas emitters were to live like the average European – an improvement even for many of us in the United States – global emissions could decline by a third . It is " ) with the laws of chemistry and physics " , according to IPCC scientists , to limit warming to the boldly ambitious target of 1.5C. The problem is our politics , and how much of a stranglehold the fossil fuel executives with the most to lose from decarbonization have over them . Establishment Democrats , meanwhile , are asleep at the wheel . The pitch for taking on the climate challenge is a compelling one for reasons well beyond the fact that it could prevent runaway catastrophe . The Green New Deal promises a well - paid job for everyone who wants one , a real mass transit system , clean and affordable energy and universal healthcare – a necessity as people leave their jobs to find new work in the transition away from fossil fuels . While several Democratic primary contenders have embraced the Green New Deal and begun proposing their own plans , the front runner in that race , Joe Biden , and the Democrats ' congressional leadership have been cooler toward it , offering neither a decarbonization plan nor a compelling reason for voters to get behind them come 2020 . That 's a dead end for the planet , but also for the party 's political prospects . With Donald Trump at their helm , Republicans will keep denying climate change because it represents a dire threat to their fossil fuel donors ' bottom lines . Democratic leadership would do well to follow the lead of their party 's insurgent progressive wing , and take the climate threat as seriously .
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Pope Francis Wants to Add ' Ecological Sin ' to Catechism ROME — Pope Francis told a group of lawyers that he could like to introduce the category of " ecological sin " into official Catholic teaching . " We must introduce – we are thinking about it – in the Catechism of the Catholic Church the sin against ecology , the ecological sin against the common home , because it is a duty , " the pope said Friday in addressing participants in an international conference on penal law . More specifically , Francis said , are all those actions that can be considered as " ecocide , " for instance , " the massive contamination of air , land and water resources , the large - scale destruction of flora and fauna , and any action capable of producing an ecological disaster or destroying an ecosystem . " Ecocide " is to be understood as the loss , damage or destruction of the ecosystems of a given territory , so that its utilization by inhabitants has been or can be seen as severely compromised , " he said , adding that such a sin is " a fifth category of crimes against peace , which should be recognised as such by the international community . " The pontiff said that such actions are " usually " caused by corporations , and " an elementary sense of justice would require " that they be punished for them . An ecological sin is " an action or omission against God , against one 's neighbour , the community and the environment , " Francis said , quoting the Fathers of the recently concluded Pan - Amazon Regional Synod . " It is a sin against future generations and is manifested in acts and habits of pollution and destruction of the harmony of the environment , in transgressions against the principles of interdependence and in the breaking of networks of solidarity between creatures . " Above and beyond its sinfulness , failure to care for the environment is an injustice and a crime , Francis suggested and should be legally enforced . " I would like to appeal to all the leaders and actors in this area to contribute their efforts to ensuring adequate legal protection for our common home , " he said . The pope 's words coincided with the release of a new survey by the Pew Research Center , which found that church - going Americans accept their clergy 's on spiritual matters , but generally distrust their advice on issues such as climate change . Pew found that 68 percent of U.S. adults who attend religious services at least a few times a year say they have " a lot " of confidence in the advice of their clergy on growing closer to God , yet just a small fraction of this number ( 13 percent ) say they have this confidence when the topic is " climate change . " Pope Francis has thrown his moral weight behind the battle against anthropogenic climate change , but has also acknowledged that the Church has no authority on scientific questions . In his 2015 encyclical letter on the environment , Francis urging nations and individuals to exercise more responsible stewardship of the created world , but insisted that he wanted to encourage debate rather than pronounce on environmental issues . " On many concrete questions , " he wrote , " the Church has no reason to offer a definitive opinion ; she knows that honest debate must be encouraged among experts , while respecting divergent views . " Here I would state once more that the Church does not presume to settle scientific questions or to replace politics , " Francis said . " But I am concerned to encourage an honest and open debate so that particular interests or ideologies will not prejudice the common good . "
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Donald Trump Jr. criticizes Time for naming eco - warrior Greta Thunberg as its person of the year President Donald Trump 's eldest son Don Jr. has criticized Time magazine for naming Greta Person of the Year 2019 in a mocking tweet . The businessman denounced the choice as a ' marketing gimmick ' and said the prize should have honored ' Hong Kong Protesters , fighting for their lives and freedoms ' - his father was also a finalist . Tweeting yesterday in response to Time magazine he wrote : ' Time leaves out the Hong Kong Protesters fighting for their lives and freedoms to push a teen being used as a marketing gimmick . ' The 16 - year - old Swedish face of climate - activism made headlines after shouting ' How dare you ? ' at world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly earlier this year , accusing them of failing the younger generation . An image of her stare at Donald Trump as he entered the UN quickly became a social media meme . Miss Thunberg was up against four other Time 's finalists including anti - government Hong Kong protesters , U.S. house speaker Nancy Pelosi , the anonymous whistleblower who revealed Trump 's phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in July that may lead to his impeachment , and in ironically also Donald Trump . The young - activist attracted international attention after holding a sign that said ' skolstrejk för klimatet ' or ' School strike for the climate ' in Swedish parliament last year . The activist has drawn increasingly large crowds with her appearances at protests and conferences over the past year and a half . Veteran campaigners and scientists have welcomed her activism , including her combative speeches challenging world leaders to do more to stop global warming . Time editor - in - chief Edward Felsenthal told the Today show : ' She became the biggest voice on the biggest issue facing the planet this year , coming from essentially nowhere to lead a worldwide movement . ' He confirmed she is the magazine 's youngest ever choice . Malala Yousafzai was runner up in 2012 , losing out to Barack Obama , aged 15.U.S. president last month signed legislation backing the Hong Kong protesters in their fight for democracy - which could be the reason for his son 's backing . The protests begun in March when an extradition bill , now suspended , called for those facing trials to be sent to mainland China , which was seen as a threat to the region 's autonomy . Thunberg has not responded to the criticism but retweeted Time magazine 's cover featuring herself . Today President Donald Trump lashed out at 16 - year - old global warming activist Greta Thunberg on Thursday and told her to ' chill , ' as he called her Time magazine ' Person of the Year ' award ' ridiculous . '' Greta must work on her Anger Management problem , then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend ! Chill Greta , Chill ! ' Trump tweeted . The president was responding to Christian filmmaker Roma Downey , who tweeted the Time cover with the word ' Congrats . ' Minutes after his tweet , Thunberg changed her Twitter profile biography to read : ' A teenager working on her anger management problem . Currently chilling and watching a good old fashioned movie with a friend . ' Thunberg was in Madrid on Wednesday , where she addressed negotiators at the U.N. 's COP25 climate talks . There she accused political and business leaders of polishing their images rather than taking aggressive action in the fight against climate change at the UN climate talks . In a speech the teenager also criticized governments for avoiding taking action to cut greenhouse gas emissions and ' not behaving as if we are in an emergency ' . Greta said : ' The biggest danger is not inaction ; the real danger is when politicians and CEOs are making it look like real action is happening , when in fact almost nothing is being done apart from clever accounting and creative PR . ' She said the science showed that , at the current rate of emissions , the world is set to use up the whole ' carbon budget ' - the amount of pollution that can be put into the atmosphere and still keep global warming to 1.5C - in eight years .
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Commentary : No , Donald Trump did n't cause or worsen Hurricane Florence — here 's the proof Accompanying every hurricane are numerous stories in mainstream media outlets suggesting disaster could have been averted had American elected officials done more to stop global warming , which left - wing pundits continue to insist is almost entirely being caused by humans ' carbon dioxide ( CO2 ) emissions . In article after article , pundits have claimed Republicans , especially President Donald Trump , are in some way responsible for Hurricane Florence . The Washington Post 's editorial board — in an article titled " Yes , you can blame President Trump for Hurricane Florence " — even went so far as to say Trump was " complicit " for the storm . This is total nonsense . Not only are there countless good reasons to question the extent to which humans are contributing to global warming , there 's no evidence indicating hurricanes have become significantly worse as a result of global warming . As Roy Spencer , Ph.D. , an acclaimed climate scientist who previously worked for NASA , recently stated , " The fact that there has been no long - term change in global hurricane activity , and even a 50 percent decrease in U.S. landfalling major hurricanes over the last 80 years , means no one is ' complicit ' in these storms . " James Agresti , the president of the Just Facts think tank , rightly notes data appearing in the academic journal Geophysical Research Letters show " the global number and intensity of cyclones , hurricanes , and major hurricanes have been roughly level for the past four - to - five decades . " Some have said Florence was made worse because of warmer ocean waters caused by climate change , but that 's also false . Writing for Climate Change Dispatch , Michael Bastasch explains , " An analysis of Florence 's path by Cato Institute meteorologist Ryan Maue showed ocean temperatures were ' abnormally cool ' for most of the storm 's trek through the Atlantic Ocean . " Even the United Nations ' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , one of the most notorious defenders of the theory humans are headed for a climate catastrophe , admitted in 2012 there " is low confidence in long - term changes in tropical cyclone activity , after accounting for past changes in observing capabilities . However , over the satellite era , increases in the frequency and intensity of the strongest storms in the North Atlantic are robust . However , the cause of this increase is debated and there is low confidence in attribution of changes in tropical cyclone activity to human influence . " And if all that were n't enough , it 's absolutely absurd to say Trump is any way responsible for global warming because even if it is true humans are the primary cause of warming , carbon dioxide emissions actually dropped in Trump 's first two years in office . In 2017 , the United States emitted 41.8 million fewer tons of CO2 than in 2016 , the largest reduction in the world . And from 2006 to 2016 , the United States has averaged an annual reduction in its carbon dioxide emissions of 1.2 percent , according to an analysis by BP . The reason the Washington Post and others are consistently alleging , despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary , that Republicans are somehow to blame for natural disasters such as Hurricane Florence is either because they know absolutely nothing about the topic or because they believe it will help Democrats win elections . Either way , you should stick to what the best - available science says , not the fear - mongering of anti - conservative zealots . Justin Haskins ( Jhaskins@heartland . org ) is executive editor of The Heartland Institute and the co - founder of StoppingSocialism . com .
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California has 8 of 10 most polluted American cities ... Forget the Golden State . California should be called the Smoggy State . Eight of the USA 's 10 most - polluted cities , in terms of ozone pollution , are in California , according to the American Lung Association 's annual " State of the Air " report , released Wednesday . The Los Angeles / Long Beach area took the dubious distinction of being the nation 's most ozone - polluted city as it has for nearly the entire 19 - year history of the report . Overall , the report said about 133 million Americans — more than four of 10 — live with unhealthful levels of air pollution , placing them at risk for premature death and other serious health effects such as lung cancer , asthma attacks , cardiovascular damage and developmental and reproductive harm . " We still have a lot to do in this country to clean up air pollution , " said Lyndsay Moseley Alexander , director of the Association 's Healthy Air Campaign . The report looked at pollution levels from 2014 to 2016 . Ozone pollution was worse overall in this report than it was in last year 's report . Bakersfield , Calif. , was in second place for ozone pollution . Other California cities on the list include Fresno , Sacramento and San Diego . The only non - California metro areas in the top 10 list were Phoenix and New York City . Of the 10 most - polluted cities , seven cities did worse in this year 's report , including Los Angeles and the New York City metro area . " Near record - setting heat from our changing climate has resulted in dangerous levels of ozone in many cities across the country , making ozone an urgent health threat for millions of Americans , " Lung Association President and CEO Harold P. Wimmer said . Smog forms on warm , sunny days and is made worse from chemicals that exit vehicle tailpipes and from power plant and industrial smokestacks . Warmer temperatures make ozone more likely to form . " This adds to the evidence that a changing climate makes it harder to reduce ozone pollution and protect human health , " Alexander said Bakersfield took the top spot in a list of cities with another variety of air pollution — small particulate matter , aka soot . Increased heat , changes in climate patterns , drought and wildfires — many related to climate change — contributed to the high number of days with unhealthy particulate matter . Since California is known for its strict environmental regulations , why are so many cities from the state typically on this list ? It 's because the state would be far worse off without its strict laws on tailpipe pollution and eliminating coal - fired power plants . California has done more than any other state to counteract air pollution , the Lung Association said . With this report , the Lung Association also calls out Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) for ongoing threats to the nation 's air quality , including steps to roll back or weaken enforcement of the Clean Air Act . EPA administrator Scott Pruitt has taken many steps to roll back or put in loopholes to the Clean Air Act , Alexander said , adding that " the association is concerned and we will continue to fight for healthy air , " she said . Some good news in the report was that particulate pollution " generally continued to improve in 2014 - 16 , " the report said . This was true for both short - term particulate pollution and for year - round particulate pollution . For year - round particle pollution , Fairbanks , Alaska , was the most - polluted city . The Lung Association also lists the nation 's cleanest cities , meaning ones that experience no high ozone or high particulate pollution days . The nation 's cleanest cities are Bellingham , Wash. ; Burlington , Vt . ; Casper , Wyo . ; Honolulu ; Melbourne , Fla. ; and Wilmington , N.C.
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Rhode Island sues major oil companies over climate change ( Reuters ) – Rhode Island on Monday sued several major oil companies , including Exxon Mobil Corp and BP plc , accusing them of contributing to climate change that is damaging infrastructure and coastal communities in the state . The lawsuit announced by Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin was the first by a state seeking to hold oil companies responsible for costs associated with climate change and followed similar cases by several local governments nationally . The lawsuit alleged that various oil companies had created a public nuisance in the state and failed to adequately warn customers , consumers and regulators about the risks posed by their products . " For a very long time , there has been this perception that ' Big Oil ' was too big to take on , but here we are – the smallest state – taking on some of the biggest corporate polluters in the world , " Kilmartin said in a statement . The lawsuit , filed in Providence County Superior Court , named as defendants Exxon , BP , Royal Dutch Shell Plc , and Chevron Corp , among other companies . Shell , in a statement , said , " lawsuits that masquerade as climate action and impede the collaboration needed for meaningful change " were not the answer to climate change . The other companies did not respond to requests for comment . The lawsuit by the Democratic attorney general follows similar cases by U.S. cities and local governments , arguing the production of fossil fuels had led to rising tides that damaged shorelines , roads and other properties requiring remediation . The lawsuit contended that the companies sought to refute scientific findings regarding how greenhouse gas pollution was causing climate change , and failed to prevent the harm that would result from consumers ' using fossil fuel products . The lawsuit said that companies also violated the state 's Environmental Rights Act by polluting and destroying natural resources in Rhode Island . Kilmartin is seeking to force the companies to pay for damages associated with climate change , citing the costs taxpayers were incurring to repair roads and bridges and rebuild coastal structures . The complaint seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages as well as orders requiring the companies to pay abatement costs and to disgorge profits .
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The cost of Trump 's Endangered Species Act proposal The Trump administration has proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act ( ESA ) , a law credited with keeping hundreds of species from going extinct . The change would eliminate automatic protections for threatened plant and animal species , and make it easier for species to be removed from the list . Wildlife conservation groups say the proposed change could have disastrous lasting effects on at - risk species . Trump officials say the change will streamline the regulatory process . The proposed change is the latest in a series of White House efforts to remove environmental regulations designed to protect vulnerable species and their habitats , as well as leave untouched some of America 's most wild places . Environmentalist groups have reacted with outrage , and the Center for Biological Diversity said " these proposals would slam a wrecking ball into the most crucial protections for our most endangered wildlife " . " If these regulations had been in place in the 1970s , the bald eagle and the grey whale would be extinct today . " The Endangered Species Act was signed into law in 1973 by Republican President Richard Nixon and now protects more than 1,200 plant and animal species . The list of species is maintained by US Fish and Wildlife and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , which oversees marine species . It has been credited with reviving bald eagle populations and bringing the Yellowstone grizzly bear back from the edge of extinction . Here are several species that could be affected by the change , or may not currently exist if it was not for the landmark law . Experts agree that arctic sea ice - which polar bears require for fishing and hunting - is shrinking , which is leading to enormous stresses on the world 's largest bear species . The proposed change to the ESA includes a narrowing of the definition of " foreseeable future " . The US government says they want the language clarified to " make it clear that it extends only as far as [ wildlife officials ] can reasonably determine that both the future threats and the species ' response to those threats are probable " . Environmentalists fear the new language will make it possible for government biologists to disregard the long - term effects of climate change on the environment . The polar bear could be emblematic of many species being affected by climate change , says Bob Dreher of the environmental group Defenders of Wildlife . Whether government biologists will recognise " this slow - acting but inevitable change in ecosystem because of climate change " or wait until more evidence is available is unclear , he tells the BBC . The ESA provides blanket protections to species which are categorised as either " threatened " - such as the California gnatcatcher - or " endangered " . Endangered species are those likely to go extinct , while threatened species are those likely to become endangered . Under current law , both are granted " critical habitat " protections , but the Trump administration wants automatic protections for threatened species to be eliminated and , in the future , to be considered on a case by case basis . Protections for the California gnatcatcher have barred development across nearly 100,000 acres of land in the Greater Los Angeles area , according to the Los Angeles Times . If not for their current protections , their native habitat would likely become part of more urban sprawl . The sage grouse has been a candidate for protection as a threatened species for nearly a decade , but it is unclear if it will ever be added . They , as well as the dunes sagebrush lizard , have seen their territory encroached upon by human development and have seen decreasing populations in recent years . The distinctive sage grouse return to their breeding grounds , known as Leks , every year . Biologists believe some Leks can be hundreds of years old . If the sage grouse does achieve threatened status , environmentalists fear under the new Trump proposal it would be too late for them to gain the broad protections they need . Although the proposed change would only affect future creatures joining the list , Mr Dreher says that if the proposed rules had been in effect in the 1970s , animals such as wolves and bald eagles may have been extinct by now . In a significant reversal , the proposed change would eliminate language that precludes wildlife experts from considering economic impacts when determining when an organism should be listed . Wolves , which were re - introduced in the lower 48 states , have faced criticism from ranchers and farmers who argue that they have impacted their livelihood by killing their livestock . Re - introducing them to the continental US came at great cost and effort , says Mr Dreher , a former US Fish and Wildlife official . Mr Dreher says that the ESA was designed by Congress to say that " the value of life on earth is priceless " and that politicians should not have to decide whether it is " too expensive " to prevent extinction . " If we made those decisions you can see under different administrations we would end up protecting nothing . Because who knows what a snail is worth ? Who knows what a frog is worth ? "
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Lawsuit says Trump 's wall threatens endangered species A tiny endangered butterfly could stop President Donald Trump from building his beloved border wall . A lawsuit has been filed by the Center for Biological Diversity , environmental groups and the State of California against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security . It outlines that the Quino checkerspot butterfly , Riverside fairy shrimp and the Pacific pocket mouse will be threatened if the border wall is built . The butterfly , which is native to southern California and Northern Mexico , is already on the endangered species list . The lawsuit contends that the Department of Homeland Security does not have the ability to waive environmental laws requiring review before building the wall . The suit seeks a ruling that a border wall with Mexico must go through normal environmental reviews , which could block construction or at least cause major delays . The challengers contend that authority to waive the environmental reviews falls under a 2005 law which has expired . 'The Trump administration ca n't use an expired waiver to bypass crucial environmental protections to build these destructive projects , ' Brian Segee , a senior attorney at CBD , told San Diego TV station KGTV.'It 's time to stop Trump 's hateful bombast and his executive overreach here in San Diego before it goes any further . The law and the Constitution are firmly on our side , and we think the judge will agree . ' The DHS is arguing that it is within its right to issue the waivers , citing a 1996 immigration law . The case was set to be heard on Friday in San Diego by US District Judge Gonzalo Curiel . Curiel came to national attention in 2016 when he was presiding over one of the cases against Trump University . Trump said that he was biased because of his ' Mexican Heritage ' and Trump 's stance on the border . At the time , he told CNN : ' We are building a wall . He 's a Mexican . We 're building a wall between here and Mexico . 'Now Curiel will be hearing a case about the wall . On Friday he heard two - and - a - half hours of arguments and said that he was leaning toward deciding he has jurisdiction in a lawsuit that alleges the Trump administration overreached in waiving laws that require environmental and other reviews . The administration argues he does n't have jurisdiction . Curiel asked the administration and wall opponents to file additional briefings by the end of Tuesday .
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Democrats Take a Nonsensical Approach to Climate Change Environmental concerns are real , but the planet still will be here in twelve years . Imagine there 's a movie about a meteor heading toward Earth . It will be here in twelve years . Following Hollywood convention , once you got past the part where the maverick scientist or precocious kid discovering it struggles to convince the world about the threat , you 'd expect the president or the military to leap into action . Congress is usually left out of such plots , but it 's not a stretch to imagine that Congress would race to authorize a plan to send astronauts into space to prevent Armageddon or a planetary deep impact . ( If you do n't believe me , I refer you to the movies Armageddon and Deep Impact.)The initial rollout of the Green New Deal , a sweeping proposal to overhaul the U.S. economy and , taken seriously , society itself , was supposed to follow a script like this . The United Nations opened the bidding by announcing last year that we had twelve years to keep the pace of climate change from accelerating too fast to contain the damage . Like a high school game of telephone , this quickly became a blanket statement that we have " twelve years to save the planet . " Climate change is a real concern , but if we did absolutely nothing to stop it , the planet would still be here in a dozen years . So would the human race and many other living things . In fact , if America did virtually everything the Green New Dealers propose , global emissions of greenhouse gases would n't change that much unless China , India , Russia , and all the African nations followed suit . There are people who NONEtheless believe that climate change is a world - threatening calamity and that exaggeration is a necessary tool to galvanize public opinion . If you Google the phrase " twelve years to save the planet , " you 'll find people who think it 's literally true . The problem is that we 've heard these things before . In 1989 , a U.N. official predicted " entire nations could be wiped off the face of the Earth by rising sea levels if the global warming trend is not reversed by the year 2000 . " In 2008 , Al Gore warned that the northern polar ice cap could be gone in five years . Melting polar ice is something to worry about , but it 's not gone . The reasons this is a political problem for climate - change warriors should be obvious . First , they are their own worst enemy when it comes to maintaining credibility . By working on the theory that they have to scare the bejeebus out of the public , they made it easy for people to dismiss them when their Chicken Little prophecies did n't materialize . Another problem , which compounds the first , is that they get greedy . Working on the premise that a crisis is a terrible thing to waste , progressives have a long record of trying to throw other items on their wish list into the anti - climate - change shopping cart . The Green New Deal , as presented by Representative Alexandria Ocasio - Cortez ( D. , N.Y. ) , includes high - quality health care for everyone , guaranteed jobs , paid vacations , a living wage , and retirement security . Indeed , it 's worth remembering that environmentalists targeted the fossil - fuel industry for early retirement long before concerns about global warming were on the agenda . The anti - oil campaign began with the Santa Barbara oil spill in 1969 , back when concerns about another ice age were still taken seriously . You can believe that climate change is a real problem and also be forgiven for thinking progressives are trying to pull a fast one . This is especially so when you consider that proponents of the GND also favor phasing out nuclear power , which could provide vastly more electricity than wind or solar ( and more efficiently ) . Which gets me back to where I started . Imagine there was a movie about an incoming meteor that could be stopped only with a nuclear warhead , and the heroes insisted that nuclear weapons are just too icky to use , even to save the planet . Audiences would scratch their heads . They might also think they missed a crucial plot point if the protagonists proposed a sweeping government effort to stop the meteor and then , when given the opportunity to vote for it , voted " present " in protest . That 's similar to what happened this week . Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell brought the Green New Deal to the floor for a vote , and Democrats refused to vote for it . Instead , they harangued McConnell for pulling a stunt . They were right . It was a stunt . But sometimes it takes a stunt to expose an even bigger one .
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Global warming fail : Study finds melting sea ice is actually helping Arctic animals Proponents of the theory humans are primarily responsible for rising global temperatures long claimed wildlife are harmed significantly by global warming , and that unless mankind stops producing significant amounts of carbon - dioxide emissions , the world 's animals will not be able to thrive . While rising temperatures have certainly put a strain on species in some parts of the world , a new study by researchers at the University of Southern Denmark suggests animals in the Arctic region are thriving as because of higher global temperatures . According to a press release touting the study 's new findings , warmer conditions have produced a larger number of life - sustaining " melt ponds " in Arctic waters . " Melt ponds provide more light and heat for the ice and the underlying water , but now it turns out that they may also have a more direct and potentially important influence on life in the Arctic waters , " stated the press release . " Mats of algae and bacteria can evolve in the melt ponds , which can provide food for marine creatures . This is the conclusion of researchers in the periodical , Polar Biology , " the press release said . The researchers said nutrients are able to reach sea creatures in the Arctic more easily because of the melt ponds . " Climate change is accompanies by more storms and more precipitation , and we must expect that more nutrients will be released from the surroundings into the melt ponds , " said Professor Ronnie Glud of the Department of Biology at SDU . " These conditions , plus the fact that the distribution of areas of melt ponds is increasing , can contribute to increased productivity in plant and animal life in the Arctic seas . " Recent data released by scientists at NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center reveals sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic regions are at their lowest recorded point since 1979 , when satellite data first started estimating sea ice . About 2 million square km of Arctic sea ice are estimated to have been lost since 1979 . Current data suggest about 14.28 million square km of sea ice remain . USA Today recently declared the loss of sea ice " terrifying , " but global warming skeptics have long suggested these claims are overblown when put into perspective . As reported by Anthony Watts on his influential climate - change website Watts Up With That , the president of the Royal Society in London reported in 1817 significant reductions to arctic sea ice . " It will without doubt have come to your Lordship 's knowledge that a considerable change of climate , inexplicable at present to us , must have taken place in the Circumpolar Regions , by which the severity of the cold that has for centuries past enclosed the seas in the high northern latitudes in an impenetrable barrier of ice has been during the last two years , greatly abated . ... this affords ample proof that new sources of warmth have been opened and give us leave to hope that the Arctic Seas may at this time be more accessible than they have been for centuries past , and that discoveries may now be made in them not only interesting to the advancement of science but also to the future intercourse of mankind and the commerce of distant nations . "
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Who Will Protect The Air We Breathe And Water We Drink ? The Resistance More and more Americans are coming to the conclusion that climate change is no myth at a time when the Trump administration is intent on ignoring reality and appeasing corporate interests . Some environmental leaders are responding by formulating a lowest common denominator strategy on climate , like revenue neutral approaches , hoping to magically create a middle ground by bowing to the altar of limited government . Fortunately , an inclusive , inter - sectional and organic resistance is rising . This spring , throughout a week of powerful demonstrations from Earth Day to May Day , this resistance will blossom . OneAmerica is a multi - issue immigrant rights organization that calls Washington state – aka the Center of the Resistance – home . Our communities are as harmed in the short term by ICE raids and unconstitutional travel bans as they are in the long term by gutted environmental regulations . To fight these destructive and unpopular attacks , we need everyone , but more importantly , we need to follow the leadership of those most impacted by these regulatory rollbacks and programmatic cuts . People across the country overwhelmingly support action on climate and investment in renewable energy sources , and believe immigrants make the United States a better place to live . In partnership with our allies among labor , environmental , faith , and progressive business groups , OneAmerica has worked with other organizations led by people of color to build a statewide movement for action on climate change that puts our communities and other front line communities first . Our communities , to quote environmental justice advocate Majora Carter , are the canaries in the coal mine : We have already begun to experience climate disruption by virtue of where we live and work , and we have always been on the front lines of pollution . Farm worker communities in Eastern Washington have worked through several severely hot summers , under threat of wildfires and job loss due to drought . In the Puget Sound region , some of the zip codes with the lowest life expectancy and highest pollution burdens are home to large and growing Latino and Asian Pacific American communities . Our movement has come together around the conviction that a well - crafted climate policy must actively seek to close that climate gap , the disproportionate and unequal impact of the climate crisis has on people of color and poor people . We demand climate action that addresses historic injustices by pricing pollution and investing in solutions that improve economic and environmental conditions in front line communities . Our policy , developed in partnership with mainstream environmental groups , labor unions , public health organizations and other stakeholders , represents some of the best of what a unified national resistance could create : Comprehensive , equitable action against the biggest existential threat of our generation : climate change . That 's why on Saturday , April 22nd , we will support an inclusive March for Science that embraces research - based policies to address climate change . We will push our allies in the movement to use racial equity in their analyses by identifying disparate impacts of pollution and climate disruption and designing remedies that improve conditions for the most overburdened first . The People 's Climate Movement takes to the streets on Saturday , April 29th , shedding light on the intertwined destinies of clean energy and employment in the United States and around the world . Finally , on May Day , OneAmerica will join partner organizations in championing immigrant and workers ' rights in Seattle and Yakima , in solidarity with mobilizations across the country . We will march to demand inter - sectional immigrant rights : The right to freedom from hate crimes and harassment ; the right to living wages and safe working conditions ; the right to love whomever we choose ; the right to keep families together ; and the right to a clean and healthy environment . These are the inextricable demands of a resistance as powerful as it is diverse , and as strong as it is resilient . Our hope rests not in convincing the willfully ignorant to change their ways , but in the coming together of broad - based people 's movements prepared to act to take back the initiative , moving from resistance to power .
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Record surge in atmospheric CO2 seen in 2016 Concentrations of CO2 in the Earth 's atmosphere surged to a record high in 2016 , according to the World Meteorological Organization ( WMO ) . Last year 's increase was 50 % higher than the average of the past 10 years . Researchers say a combination of human activities and the El Niño weather phenomenon drove CO2 to a level not seen in 800,000 years . This year 's greenhouse gas bulletin produced by the WMO , is based on measurements taken in 51 countries . Research stations dotted around the globe measure concentrations of warming gases including carbon dioxide , methane and nitrous oxide . The figures published by the WMO are what 's left in the atmosphere after significant amounts are absorbed by the Earth 's " sinks " , which include the oceans and the biosphere.2016 saw average concentrations of CO2 hit 403.3 parts per million , up from 400ppm in 2015 . " It is the largest increase we have ever seen in the 30 years we have had this network , " Dr Oksana Tarasova , chief of WMO 's global atmosphere watch programme , told BBC News . " The largest increase was in the previous El Niño , in 1997 - 1998 and it was 2.7ppm and now it is 3.3ppm , it is also 50 % higher than the average of the last ten years . " El Niño impacts the amount of carbon in the atmosphere by causing droughts that limit the uptake of CO2 by plants and trees . Emissions from human sources have slowed down in the last couple of years according to research , but according to Dr Tarasova , it is the cumulative total in the atmosphere that really matters as CO2 stays aloft and active for centuries . Over the past 70 years , says the report , the increase in CO2 in the atmosphere is nearly 100 times larger than it was at the end of the last ice age . Rapidly increasing atmospheric levels of CO2 and other gases have the potential , according to the study to " initiate unpredictable changes in the climate system ... leading to severe ecological and economic disruptions . " The study notes that since 1990 there has been a 40 % increase in total radiative forcing , that 's the warming effect on our climate of all greenhouse gases . " Geological - wise , it is like an injection of a huge amount of heat , " said Dr Tarasova . " The changes will not take ten thousand years like they used to take before , they will happen fast - we do n't have the knowledge of the system in this state , that is a bit worrisome ! " According to experts , the last time the Earth experienced a comparable concentration of CO2 was three to five million years ago , in the mid - Pliocene era . The climate then was 2 - 3C warmer , and sea levels were 10 - 20 m higher due to the melting of Greenland and the West Antarctic ice sheets . Other experts in the field of atmospheric research agreed that the WMO findings were a cause for concern . " The 3ppm CO2 growth rate in 2015 and 2016 is extreme - double the growth rate in the 1990 - 2000 decade , " Prof Euan Nisbet from Royal Holloway University of London told BBC News . " It is urgent that we follow the Paris agreement and switch rapidly away from fossil fuels : there are signs this is beginning to happen , but so far the air is not yet recording the change . " Another concern in the report is the continuing , mysterious rise of methane levels in the atmosphere , which were also larger than the average over the past ten years . Prof Nisbet says there is a fear of a vicious cycle , where methane drives up temperatures which in turn releases more methane from natural sources . " The rapid increase in methane since 2007 , especially in 2014 , 2015 , and 2016 , is different . This was not expected in the Paris agreement . Methane growth is strongest in the tropics and sub - tropics . The carbon isotopes in the methane show that growth is not being driven by fossil fuels . We do not understand why methane is rising . It may be a climate change feedback . It is very worrying . " The implications of these new atmospheric measurements for the targets agreed under the Paris climate pact , are quite negative , say observers . " The numbers do n't lie . We are still emitting far too much and this needs to be reversed , " said Erik Solheim , head of UN Environment . " We have many of the solutions already to address this challenge . What we need now is global political will and a new sense of urgency . " The report has been issued just a week ahead of the next instalment of UN climate talks , in Bonn . Despite the declaration by President Trump that he intends to take the US out of the deal , negotiators meeting in Germany will be aiming to advance and clarify the rulebook of the Paris agreement . Follow Matt on Twitter and on Facebook
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United States begins process of withdrawing from Paris climate deal The United States submitted a formal notification that it will withdraw from the Paris climate agreement , Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Monday , a move that has been widely expected since President Trump announced his intention to do so in 2017 . The climate agreement , which went into force Nov. 4 , 2016 , committed countries that signed the measure to take certain voluntary steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions . The agreement was not legally enforceable and countries set their own emissions targets . The accord banned countries from announcing their intent to withdraw in its first three years , meaning Monday was the first day the U.S. was allowed to submit its intent to leave the agreement since it went into force in 2016 . " President Trump made the decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement because of the unfair economic burden imposed on American workers , businesses , and taxpayers by U.S. pledges made under the Agreement , " Pompeo said in a statement . " The United States has reduced all types of emissions , even as we grow our economy and ensure our citizens ' access to affordable energy . " LEONARDO DICAPRIO PRAISES GRETA THUNBERG AS ' A LEADER OF OUR TIME'Trump has previously said that the Paris climate agreement harms the U.S. economy and would hurt American jobs if left to stand . " Compliance with the terms of the Paris accord and the onerous energy restrictions it has placed on the United States could cost America as much as 2.7 million lost jobs by 2025 according to the National Economic Research Associates , " Trump said in the Rose Garden in 2017 when he announced plans to remove the U.S. from the accord . " This includes 440,000 fewer manufacturing jobs — not what we need — believe me , this is not what we need — including automobile jobs , and the further decimation of vital American industries on which countless communities rely . They rely for so much , and we would be giving them so little . " Some opponents of the agreement have noted that countries such as Russia and China were not affected as significantly by the accord as the United States and pointed out the unencouraging results of the Kyoto Protocol , raising questions about whether the Paris agreement would reduce global greenhouse gas emissions at all . " Half of the countries that were legally bound to the Kyoto Protocol treaty failed to adhere to their pledges , and the host country of Japan even increased their carbon emissions , " Sen. Jim Inhofe , R - Okla. , said as the Paris climate agreement was being debated in 2016 . " Now we find ourselves celebrating an agreement where the world 's largest carbon emitter , China , is permitted to increase their emissions until 2025 and to continue bringing a coal - fired power plant online every 10 days . We even turn a blind eye to the fact that China lied about its carbon emissions when it first came to the table with its pledge last year . " Others , however , see America backing out of the international pact to limit greenhouse gas emissions as an abdication of global leadership and denial of basic climate science . " By withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement to double - down on a coal & fossil fuel energy agenda , Trump has engaged in a unilateral disarmament in the economic arms race that is the transition to clean energy , " said Michael Mann , a climate scientist and professor at Penn State University . " The challenge of averting dangerous and irreversible climate change and massive coastal inundation , devastating floods and droughts , is that much more an uphill climb with Trump 's pullout from the Paris agreement . " CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPIn his statement Monday , however , Pompeo maintained that the United States was on the right track both economically and environmentally . " Our results speak for themselves , " he wrote . " U.S. emissions of criteria air pollutants that impact human health and the environment declined by 74 percent between 1970 and 2018 . U.S. net greenhouse gas emissions dropped 13 percent from 2005 - 2017 , even as our economy grew over 19 percent . "
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Trump 's EPA Plans To Ease Carbon Emissions Rule For New Coal Plants Trump 's EPA Plans To Ease Carbon Emissions Rule For New Coal PlantsThe Trump administration plans to eliminate an Obama - era requirement that new coal - fired power plants have expensive technology to capture carbon dioxide emissions . This latest administration effort to boost fossil fuel industries comes as leaders from nearly 200 countries are meeting in Poland to discuss how to keep greenhouse gasses out of the atmosphere . And amid reports that CO2 emissions are rising again , as well as the administration 's own report that climate change is causing more severe weather more frequently and could eventually hurt the U.S. economy . The Environmental Protection Agency proposal would revise its " New Source Performance Standards " for coal power plants , allowing coal - fired generators to emit more CO2 per megawatt - hour of electricity generated . This would ease an Obama - era rule that was a central target in critics ' accusations of a " war on coal . " The coal industry argues the existing Obama administration requirements made it all but impossible to build new coal power plants , by requiring costly technologies such as carbon capture and storage . EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler , a former coal industry lobbyist , echoed that argument in announcing the proposed rule change . " By replacing onerous regulations with high , yet achievable , standards , we can continue America 's historic energy production , keep energy prices affordable , and encourage new investments in cutting - edge technology that can then be exported around the world , " said Wheeler . Environmental groups argue that in order to reduce climate change risks , the world will have to stop burning coal . They blasted the EPA 's announcement . " This is just one more foolhardy move by a misguided administration that will be judged harshly by future generations , " said David Doniger , senior strategic director of the Climate & Clean Energy program at the Natural Resources Defense Council . " Today 's proposal is nothing more than another thoughtless attempt by the Trump Administration to prop up their backwards and false narrative about reviving coal at the expense of science , public safety , and reality , " said Mary Anne Hitt , senior director of Sierra Club 's Beyond Coal campaign . In fact , it 's not at all clear if the change would help the ailing coal industry . In recent years it has stopped building new plants and been shutting down old ones instead . The federal Energy Information Administration reports U.S. coal consumption has declined over the last decade and this year is expected to be at its lowest level in 39 years . Even as coal use rises in China and India , coal has struggled in the U.S. to compete with cheaper electricity produced from natural gas and renewable energy . But coal industry officials believe this rule change will still help . " It does appear that this proposal would make it feasible for new coal plants to be a viable option in the future in the United States , " says Michelle Bloodworth , president and CEO of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity . This is the latest in a series of efforts the Trump administration has taken to help the coal business . Previous actions include relaxing Obama - era regulations on carbon emissions and mercury emissions as well as rolling back existing regulations that govern coal ash . The EPA will collect public comments on the proposal for 60 days and plans to hold a public hearing on the proposed rule change .
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Antarctica Has Lost More Than 3 Trillion Tons Of Ice In 25 Years Antarctica Has Lost More Than 3 Trillion Tons Of Ice In 25 YearsScientists have completed the most exhaustive assessment of changes in Antarctica 's ice sheet to date . And they found that it 's melting faster than they thought . Ice losses totaling 3 trillion tonnes ( or more than 3.3 trillion tons ) since 1992 have caused global sea levels to rise by 7.6 mm , nearly one third of an inch , according to a study published in Nature on Wednesday . Before 2010 , Antarctica was contributing a relatively small proportion of the melting that is causing global sea levels to rise , says study co - leader Andrew Shepherd of the University of Leeds . But that has changed . " Since around 2010 , 2012 , we can see that there 's been a sharp increase in the rate of ice loss from Antarctica . And the ice sheet is now losing three times as much ice , " Shepherd adds . The annual sea level rise that 's attributed to Antarctica has tripled , from 0.2 mm to 0.6 mm , he says . " That 's a big jump , and it did catch us all by surprise , " Shepherd says . The melting is caused by rising ocean temperatures due to climate change . Shepherd says they 've seen the most dramatic effects in West Antarctica , where the ice sheet rests on the sea bed . " When we look into the ocean we find that it 's too warm and the ice sheet ca n't withstand the temperatures that are surrounding it in the sea , " he says . That 's causing glaciers to flow more quickly into the sea . East Antarctica , which is home to the South Pole , has seen considerably less melting because most of its ice is above sea level . That 's " an important distinction , because it means it 's insulated from changes in the ocean 's temperature . " This assessment , conducted by 84 scientists from 44 international organizations , is known as the Ice Sheet Mass Balance Inter - comparison Exercise ( IMBIE ) . There have been many other estimates of how much ice has melted in Antarctica . And many of those papers showed different results . " Some of the estimates covered different proportions of the ice sheets , some of them covered different time periods , and all of them used different methods and so it became difficult for people who are not specialists to try to pick them apart , " says Shepherd . " So that was the motivation for originally setting up the project . " The scientists combined 24 different satellite surveys , which Shepherd says provides a more complete picture of the overall ice sheet change than previous studies . " We believe that we 've captured all of the different satellite records that exist on the planet , " he says . To analyze the ice , the researchers use three different kinds of measurements . Satellite altimeters measure the height of the ice sheets , to see how much they are thinning or thickening over time . Another measurement records the speed of the glaciers and how they 're moving into the ocean . Finally , the scientists are recording gravity measurements for Antarctica . These " tell us about changes in the earth 's gravitational attraction over time and that can be related to the mass of the ice sheets overall , " Shepherd says , " and they are really powerful measurements because they can add up everything across Antarctica . " So what accounts for the apparent three - fold speed up in Antarctica 's melting in the last five years ? Shepherd says that actually , their data shows a " a progressive increase in ice loss throughout the whole 25 year time period . " However , a period of heavy snowfall between 2005 and 2010 masked some of the immediate effects of the ice loss , accounting for the sudden , steep increase in more recent years . This new data creates a much starker picture of the future than previous estimates . Shepherd says until 2010 , the data had been tracking a lower scenario which estimated that Antarctica " would n't make much of a contribution to sea level rise at all " because of the effects of higher snowfall . However , he says that now the data is tracking a higher scenario , which could mean nearly 6 inches of additional sea level rise in the next century . That could be a big deal , he says , " for anybody who lives , works and governs a coastal region . " Understanding the rate of Antarctica 's melting is crucial for these communities . If all of the ice in Antarctica melted , global sea levels would rise by more than 190 feet .
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Climate Report Warns Of Extreme Weather , Displacement Of Millions Without Action Climate Report Warns Of Extreme Weather , Displacement Of Millions Without Action . Some of the world 's top climate scientists have concluded that global warming is likely to reach dangerous levels unless new technologies are developed to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere . The United Nations ' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) says pledges from the world 's governments to reduce greenhouse gases , made in Paris in 2015 , are n't enough to keep global warming from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius ( 2.7 degrees F ) above pre - industrial temperatures . That was the Paris agreement 's most ambitious target ( a 2 - degree C rise was established as a more practical goal ) . But even with a 1.5 - degree C increase , the world can expect serious changes to weather , sea levels , agriculture and natural eco - systems , according to a report issued Monday following an IPCC meeting in South Korea . " Limiting warming to 1.5 C is possible within the laws of chemistry and physics , " says Jim Skea of Imperial College London , one of the authors of the report , " but doing so would require unprecedented changes . " Scientists and climate researchers have long doubted that the 1.5 - degree C goal was practical or economically feasible . Their new report lays out the difficulty in stark detail : it would require a 40 - 50 percent reduction in emissions by 2030 ( global emissions are currently rising ) . It would mean a carbon - neutral world — one with no net additional greenhouse gases in the atmosphere — by 2050 . They now say that scenario is very unlikely without new measures and technologies to remove greenhouse gases from the air , some of which have yet to be invented . " We have a monumental task in front of us , " says co - author Natalie Mahowald , from Cornell University , " but it is not impossible . " In 50 years , she says , " it 's going to be very different . This is our chance to decide what that road will look like . " The IPCC report holds out hope that if the global climate warms more than the 1.5 - degree , or even the 2 - degree target , this " overshoot " could be reversed with carbon removal techniques . It suggests numerous ways to take carbon dioxide ( CO2 ) , the leading greenhouse gas , out of the atmosphere . Growing more forests , which absorb CO2 , is one tactic . But research shows that the amount of land needed for that would be formidable . Another possibility involves burning biomass to make electricity instead of using fossil fuels . Currently , about 1 percent of electricity in the U.S. is made that way , using things like waste wood and agricultural material . It 's expensive , however . Crops like corn are now turned into ethanol , but that raises food prices . To be economical , the biomass would have to be agricultural waste or special crops like switchgrass that do n't compete with food crops . There are experimental methods now that can take CO2 directly out of the air , after which it could be buried . But billions of tons of CO2 would have to come out , and these techniques now cost as much as $ 1,000 to extract a single ton of CO2 , according to Howard Herzog , an engineer at MIT who specializes in these " carbon capture " technologies . CO2 is a tiny percentage of the air ; Herzog likens the technique to removing 400 " CO2 marbles " from a pile of one million marbles . " The best way to remove CO2 from the air , " he says in his book Carbon Capture , is " to not release it into the air in the first place . " Herzog calls most of these extraction ideas " more of a hope than a reality . " He says it comes down to cost , and " it 's a lot cheaper to take it out now ( by reducing emissions ) than in the future . " But most governments now fear the cost of a global overhaul of the world 's energy economy in the short time needed to meet the Paris climate goals . As the report concludes : " There is no simple answer to the questions of whether it is feasible to limit warming to 1.5 C and to adapt to the consequences .... " However , it does make clear the consequences of warming above that level : more heat waves , more severe rain and snow events , higher sea levels , damage to agriculture and displacement of millions of people .
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MIT professor warns humanity will hit ' mass extinction ' event — here 's why A geophysics professor from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology says that he 's run the numbers on humanity facing a " mass extinction event , " and the numbers are not good . According to Digital Trends , a mass extinction event is an event " in which a large number of species become extinct at once — as was the case with the death of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago . Daniel Rothman told the publication that we are approaching a " threshold of catastrophe " in the carbon cycle similar to that of the five previous periods of mass extinction over the last 540 million years . " he study identifies two thresholds for major carbon cycle change , " Rothman said . " One is a critical rate of change , corresponding to the rate at which CO2 is added to the ocean / atmosphere system . The other , a critical size or mass , corresponds to the total carbon added to the oceans . " Exceeding the critical rate at slow time scales — much greater than about 10,000 years — or exceeding the critical size at fast time scales — much less than about 10,000 years — is associated with mass extinction , " he explained . " The MIT research paper ] predicts that the critical mass , about 300 gigatons of carbon , " he concluded , " will likely be exceeded sometime this century . If so , following the paper 's logic , the marine carbon cycle would proceed to follow a trajectory which could excite a mass extinction over a period of about 10,000 years . " Rothman goes on to explain that the tipping point of " unknown territory " wo n't take that long – he predicts it will come as soon as 2100 , or sooner . Rothman says that " decreasing carbon emissions , " would be the best way to try to avoid the catastrophe . Those who point to discrepancies in the global warming narrative have also noted that many of the solutions offered by climate change advocates do very little to actually stop carbon emissions and turn back the clock . They also cite previous " doomsday " scenarios offered by alarmist scientists that did n't come to fruition , including acid rain and global cooling .
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Enviro - Funded Report Ties Exxon Crusade To Largest Oil Spill In History Global warming is partially responsible for a decades - old oil spill that happened after an Exxon Mobil tanker hit a barrier reef , according to a Los Angeles Times report funded in part by liberal billionaire George Soros . The LA Times published a wide - ranging piece Thursday suggesting climate change laid the groundwork for the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill , a disaster that eventually dumped more than 10 million gallons of crude off the coast of Alaska . Higher than normal water temperatures near Prince William Sound caused ice bergs to chip off the Columbia Glacier and force the ship into uncharted territory . Floating chunks of ice forced the tanker out of its primary shipping lane , the paper noted . It veered off and crashed into the Bligh Reef , causing Exxon more than $ 3.4 billion through 2008 in cleanup costs and court settlements . Columbia Journalism School 's Energy and Environment Reporting Project , the group that conducted the paper 's report , was also involved in an investigation last November targeting Exxon 's climate change research . Thursday 's report dovetails with the group 's previous investigations showing the oil company hid knowledge about climate change from the public for years . " For the two decades following the Exxon Valdez disaster , the company worked quietly to safeguard its operations and infrastructure against steadily rising sea levels and thawing permafrost , " The LA Times wrote . " Yet in public , it vociferously fought regulations and policies that would have limited fossil fuel emissions while publicly questioning the science behind climate change . " Some climate scientists believe the LA Times is taking a leap of faith . Roy Spencer , a climate scientist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville , for one , told The Daily Caller News Foundation that " ice always calves off glaciers , because snow falls on the mountains , and the ice flows downhill — no global warming needed . " There is a perfectly reasonable explanation for why ice bergs were cleaving off glaciers at the time of the Valdez disaster , he said , and it does n't really have anything to do with man - made global warming . " If the Columbia Glacier was calving more in the 1980s , it 's most likely because the Pacific Decadal Oscillation ( PDO ) flipped in the late 1970s , which caused it to suddenly warm in Alaska , " Spencer added , referencing an El Nino - like weather pattern that commonly affects the area the oil spill . What happened to the Valdez is no different than what happened to the Titanic , he said , referring to the passenger ship that hit an iceberg in 1912 , which killed thousands of people heading to New York from England . Several wealthy philanthropic groups such as the Rockefeller Brothers Fund ( RBF ) , Rockefeller Family Fund ( RFF ) , and the Open Society Foundations bankrolled large portions of the LA Times ' report . Soros is the director and founder of Open Society and has financed climate crusades in the past . RFF has single - handedly financially propped up the anti - Exxon campaign . It also pressured various attorneys general into investigating Exxon , namely for the purposes of bringing the company up on racketeering charges . The only way to target Exxon for hiding climate change research was to request the New York AGs office to open an investigation into the company , David Kaiser and Lee Wasserman , directors of RFF , wrote in an editorial for New York Books . The LA Times , for its part , has failed in the past to disclose its ties with RFF . Wasserman wrote an op - ed in January for the California paper , fleshing out specifics about the probes into Exxon 's climate research . The paper disclosed the Wasserman 's financial contributions to the investigation , but falsely suggested RFF had nothing to do with the investigations . " The Fund has made grants to the Columbia Journalism School 's Energy and Environment Reporting Project and InsideClimate News , but has no involvement in articles they produce , " the paper 's disclosure notes . The disclosure implies RFF did not actively participate in the investigations , which were first reported by environmental media group , InsideClimate News and the LA Times last November . Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience . For licensing opportunities of our original content , please contact [ email protected ] .
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The Arctic Sea Ice Reduction since 1978 is 4 x10 ^ 6 km2 half of which is since 2016 Its true that not all the sea ice is gone yet , but much of what remains is thin enough that the light passing through it is allowing algae blooms . In many places it is cracked and subject to being broken up by storms which due to the extremes of heat and cold confronting eachother in that region have extremes of wind and wave . The Jacobshaven Glacier delivering 10 % of the ice melt from Greenlands ice caps to the sea no longer flows at a glacial pace but rather is retreating at 10 km / yr with the rate of retreat increasing at an increasing rate just as with the sea ice . Instead of climate changing over millennia we are now seeing it change in ways we can observe with our own eyes in the course of a season . Even as some scientists are still looking at what happened during the second half of the 20th century at a scale of change over decades others are beginning to address the significant acceleration of changes observed year by year . A link to a number of papers since 2015 showing dramatic climate change globally and in particular with extremes at the poles is still controversial to some . " Dramatic climate change is affecting both the Arctic and West Antarctica , yet the relative roles of local versus remote forcings in causing the changes are being debated . As global climate change continues to unfold , the two - way links between the tropics and the poles will play key determining factors in the climatic evolution of these sensitive regions . Thus , the time is ripe for a detailed look at how the tropics and the poles are coupled climatically . This special collection of the Journal of Climate on " Connecting the Tropics to Polar Regions " grew out of a mini - conference on the same topic that was held at Lamont - Doherty Earth Observatory in June 2014 : of the sea ice from over the ESAS allows storms to churn up the bottom sediments speeding the release of Methane . Methane releases speed up the melting of the permafrost . The permafrost stores huge amounts of methane and fresh water . We have known this since 2007 . " policy briefing from the Woods Hole Research Center concludes that the IPCC does n't adequately account for a methane warming feedbackWhile most attention has been given to carbon dioxide , it is n't the only greenhouse gas that scientists are worried about . Carbon dioxide is the most important human - emitted greenhouse gas , but methane has also increased in the atmosphere and it adds to our concerns .... As the Earth warms , and the Arctic warms especially fast , the permafrost melts and soil decomposition accelerates . Consequently , an initial warming leads to more emission , leading to more warming and more emission . It is a vicious cycle and there may be a tipping point where this self - reinforcing cycle takes over . Recently , a policy briefing from the world - leading Woods Hole Research Center has moved our understanding of this risk further through a clearly - written summary . The briefing cites two recent papers ( here and here ) that study the so - called permafrost carbon feedback . One of these studies makes use of projections from the most recent IPCC report to estimate that up to 205 gigatons equivalent of carbon dioxide could be released due to melting permafrost . This would cause up to 0.5 ° C ( up to 0.9 ° F ) extra warming . " Arctic scientists warn that the release of the methane from the ESAS could happen with the same surprising acceleration we see with glaciers , sea ice and the polar ice caps melting and have a huge effect on the melt rate of the permafrost . " Just as bad , the permafrost melting would continue after 2100 which would lock us into even more warming . Under this scenario , meeting a 2 ° C limit would be harder than anticipated . The current IPCC targets do not adequately account for this feedback . " This is essentially what arctic scientists have been warning about for a decade now but pointing out that the time scale is no longer centuries but just years , and this is another reason why the IPCC is moving up their next report date
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Cory Booker Says Any Serious Climate Plan Has to Include Nuclear Power Among the 2020 presidential candidates , Cory Booker stands out for his record of advocating for the people who bear the brunt of pollution and toxic waste . Before his presidential run , he traveled to Louisiana , North Carolina , and Alabama to inform a sweeping bill that codifies the federal government 's requirement to incorporate the interests of communities of color in environmental regulation . And as the mayor of Newark , Booker tackled the city 's lead water crisis and industrial pollution . Booker is also one of the few presidential contenders to embrace nuclear energy openly — his $ 3 trillion plan to address the climate crisis includes $ 20 billion in research and development of nuclear technology . This is one major difference between Booker and his opponent Bernie Sanders , who has called nuclear power a " false solution " and actually phases it out in his climate plan . The candidate sat down with Climate Desk in Anacostia , Washington , D.C. for an exclusive interview a day before the climate strikes taking place around the world . As part of the wide - ranging conversation about climate change , he explained how he squares his support for nuclear power with his passion for cleaning up pollution in disadvantaged communities . " did n't come to the United States Senate as a big nuclear guy , " Booker told Grist 's executive editor Nikhil Swaminathan on Thursday , " but when I started looking at the urgency of climate change , I saw that over 50 percent of our non - carbon - producing power right now comes from nuclear . " Nuclear has to be a part of the blend , " Booker added . " And to say it 's not , to say you 're going to get rid of nuclear , really you are handicapping [ and ] undermining our ability to get to the ambitious goals we must have . " Booker also supports a fee or tax on carbon pollution that would be used in part to fund clean energy and efficiency investments . ( South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg is also in favor of price on carbon , and explained his plan to Climate Desk this week . ) " I do n't think there 's any pathway to get to where we need to go without putting some kind of price on carbon , " he said . " A lot of people say , ' well gas is so cheap right now . ' Yeah , it 's cheap because [ the price ] does not include the full cost to humanity . " Booker 's support for nuclear power and a carbon fee has tempered any praise from the Climate Justice Alliance , a network that fears these policies would hurt more than help affected communities . Indeed , critics of a carbon tax worry that it would be regressive , hurting the poor more than the rich . But Booker argues that rebates and investments in poor communities could help solve that problem . And while historically , nuclear power companies have built their plants — and dumped the waste — in poor communities of color , Booker believes it does n't have to be that way : He points to agreements struck between local and national governments in Canada and Europe as a model for a " community process to deal with the waste . " Nuclear has proven to be one of the safest ways to advance carbon neutrality , " he said . " Even if it means that we have to phase off it in the future , the real pressing challenge right now the threat to our health and our safety and our well - being is climate change and that needs to be our driving focus . "
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Delingpole : Mass Extinction Apocalypse Will Begin Around 2100 Claims MIT Professor According to Daniel Rothman , professor of geophysics in the MIT Department of Earth , Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences and co - director of MIT 's Lorenz Center , we are fast approaching " thresholds of catastrophe " in the carbon cycle which make doom almost inevitable . In a paper published today in Science Advances , he proposes that mass extinction occurs if one of two thresholds are crossed : For changes in the carbon cycle that occur over long timescales , extinctions will follow if those changes occur at rates faster than global ecosystems can adapt . For carbon perturbations that take place over shorter timescales , the pace of carbon - cycle changes will not matter ; instead , the size or magnitude of the change will determine the likelihood of an extinction event . Taking this reasoning forward in time , Rothman predicts that , given the recent rise in carbon dioxide emissions over a relatively short timescale , a sixth extinction will depend on whether a critical amount of carbon is added to the oceans . That amount , he calculates , is about 310 gigatons , which he estimates to be roughly equivalent to the amount of carbon that human activities will have added to the world 's oceans by the year 2100 . If we get a repeat of the Great Dying , 275 million years ago , what this means basically is that we are all going to die . Even you . But before you ring up your grandchildren and warn them to cancel the marquee they 've booked for their 100th birthday celebrations , perhaps a note of caution should be attached to professor Rothman 's cheery prediction . First , let 's not forget it that it is flatly contradicted by the recent bombshell study suggesting that the effects of carbon dioxide on global warming have been overstated , that the computer models are running " too hot " and that we 're not about to fry any time soon . Second , Rothman appears to have given himself so much margin for error as to render his doomsday projection meaningless . Does this mean that mass extinction will soon follow at the turn of the century ? Rothman says it would take some time — about 10,000 years — for such ecological disasters to play out . However , he says that by 2100 the world may have tipped into " unknown territory . " " This is not saying that disaster occurs the next day , " Rothman says . " It 's saying that , if left unchecked , the carbon cycle would move into a realm which would be no longer stable , and would behave in a way that would be difficult to predict . In the geologic past , this type of behavior is associated with mass extinction . " R - i - g - h - t. So what you 're saying , Dr Rothman , is that you 're allowing plus or minus 10,000 years ' leeway for this mass extinction which wo n't definitely happen but which " may " happen . Do you know what ? Even though I 'm not a professor of geophysics at MIT , I think even I could have come up with a scientific theory as rock - solid and testable as that one .
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Activists Outside the 2020 Debate Are Demanding That Climate Change Take Center Stage Just a few hours before the second round of 2020 Democratic presidential contenders are set to face off , dozens of local activists in Miami , Florida held an " Underwater Climate Rally , " calling for more discussion about climate change at the second Democratic debate . A coalition of local environmental groups organized the march to the Arsht Center in Miami , where this round of debates is being held , with marchers sporting signs calling for a specific climate change debate and pushing for the Green New Deal . Melissa Baldwin , co - organizer of Miami Climate Month , which organized the rally , says from the moment she and her fellow organizers found out the first debate would be in Miami , they wanted to " put a spotlight on climate change , because you ca n't come to Miami without talking about climate change . " Climate change and fossil fuels have already disturbed the daily lives of Floridians . Sea level rise and warming temperatures threaten cities like Miami . Kim Ross , ReThink Energy Florida leader , resident witnessed people in her community in Tallahassee feeling helpless after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster , which damaged Gulf Coast ecosystems . " his is n't something in the future , " Ross says . " This is something that 's happening now and needs to be addressed now . " At the first 2020 Democratic debate on Wednesday night , Democrats spent less than 10 minutes talking about climate change . Though not an extensive conversation , that was still more time spent talking about climate change than in all of three debates combined between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in 2016 . Baldwin tells Mother Jones that climate and energy policy needs a prolonged conversation at every debate because " climate change is an issue that affects every other issue : agriculture , the economy , including tourism . " She recalls a friend saying , " Who wants to go to Disney when it 's 105 degrees outside ? "
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Despite Few Details And Much Doubt , The Green New Deal Generates Enthusiasm Environmental activists occupy the office of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi this past December . They plan more sit - ins to push for support of as weeping resolution to address climate change . * * J. Scott Applewhite / AP******hide caption********toggle caption****J. Scott Applewhite / AP Environmental activists occupy the office of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi this past December . They plan more sit - ins to push for support of as weeping resolution to address climate change . J. Scott Applewhite / AP For a nonbinding resolution with an uncertain future , ) is getting a lot of attention , along with a decidedly mixed reaction . Dozens of Democrats on Thursday the measure , an ambitious framework for future legislation designed to eliminate the U.S. carbon footprint by 2030 . " Our energy future will not be found in the dark of a mine but in the light of the sun , " said Sen. Ed Markey , D - Mass. , as he announced the legislation on Capitol Hill . The resolution has few details , but it aims to overhaul the U.S. economy and spread wealth more evenly . It calls for a speedy shift in energy generation , from fossil fuels to renewable sources like wind and solar , and for " a fair and just transition for all communities and workers . " Much of the early criticism revolves around the scope of the plan , which backers say is big to match the challenge of the climate change problem . " All great American programs , everything from The Great Society to The New Deal , started with a vision for our future , " said co - sponsor Rep. Alexandria Ocasio - Cortez , D - N.Y. But this vision is for an extremely near - term future . " I 'm afraid I just can not see how we could possibly go to zero carbon in a 10 - year time frame , " former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz tells NPR 's _ All Things Considered _ . Moniz , now CEO of Energy Futures Initiative , agrees that the U.S. needs to"pick up the pace " of its shift away from carbon , but he calls the decade - longtime frame " impractical . " He worries it could turn off key constituencies needed in the climate effort , including labor unions , oil companies and the business community . I 'm afraid I just can not see how we could possibly go to zero carbon in a 10 - year time frame . Ernest Moniz , former energy secretary and CEO of Energy Futures Initiative The Green New Deal does n't even mention some of the usual ideas for addressing climate change , such as a carbon tax or cap - and - trade program . Instead , it calls for lots of spending to create , among other things , infrastructure and transport that do n't rely on fossil fuels . Environmental groups generally support the resolution . " It is a breath of fresh air to see leaders in Congress discussing climate solutions that rise to the scale of the challenge , " said Aliya Haq , federal policy director for the Climate & Clean Energy Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council ) . But some groups were disappointed the plan does n't call for a complete end to using fossil fuels . " We have 12 years , according to science , if we 're going to meet the challenge of the climate crisis . And to do that we have to tackle fossil fuels head - on . And the resolution just does n't quite get us there , " says Nicole Ghio , senior fossil fuel program manager at Friends of the Earth . The oil industry says it 's already reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the electricity sector as coal plants switch to natural gas . " They need to do a whole lot more homework"**These days , ) . Green New Deal backers say they want more high - speed trains to make airline travel less necessary , and more electric cars and charging stations . But experts warn that changing the existing fleet of cars in the U.S. would be an extraordinary effort . " There 's 350 million liquid fuel cars on the road today in the United States and most Americans do n't buy a new car except every decade , " says Amy Myers Jaffe , director of the program on Energy Security and Climate Change at the Council on Foreign Relations . Green New Deal backers say they also want to eventually phase out nuclear energy , which currently supplies 20 percent of electricity in the U.S. The Nuclear Energy Institute ) that its electricity is carbon - free and should be a part of any program addressing climate change . The proposal takes aim at methane from cows , too . Methane is an especially potent greenhouse gas , and cows produce a lot of it . But the beef industry is at a loss to respond because of the lack of details in the Green New Deal . " They need to do a whole lot more homework and much more research and analysis before we can ever even really engage in this discussion , " says Colin Woodall , senior vice president of government affairs for the National Cattlemen 's Beef Association . So far the plan 's biggest success may be that it 's energizing thousands of young activists . A group called the Sunrise Movement held a ) around the country Tuesday . Jeremy Ornstein , 18 , says he deferred going to college to work with the organization . Ornstein is among the Sunrise Movement organizers who plan three weeks of activism , including lobbying members of Congress to sign onto the Green New Deal . " And we 're going to give our elected officials a deadline . They 've got to get an answer to us by Feb. 26 or face the consequences , " warns Ornstein . He says activists around the country will occupy members ' offices in what the group calls a " nationwide day of action . " Given the scope and ambitious nature of the Green New Deal , it might be tempting to criticize or dismiss activists supporting it . But Amy Myers Jaffe hopes older , more experienced policymakers wo n't do that . " We need not to discourage them , " she says . " They have an energy and will to innovation that is not only infectious , but inspiring . " And she says that could be what 's needed to address a problem as daunting as climate change .
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Some unexpected consequences of extreme heat This weekend , close to 200 million Americans will face temperatures of 90F ( 32C ) and higher . Add in humidity , and many cities across the East Coast and Midwest will be feeling more like 110F ( 43C ) . Heat waves have killed more people on average than any other extreme weather event in the US , according to the Centers for Disease Control ( CDC ) . Officials define extreme heat as a period of two to three days of high heat and humidity with temperatures above 90F ( 32C ) . On the heels of earth 's hottest June on record , the US National Weather Service ( NWS ) estimates over 100 record - high minimum temperatures could be set as the heat lingers even past sunset . Here 's what that sort of heat can do . Air - conditioning is used in 87 % of US homes , according to a 2018 report by the US Energy Information Administration ( EIA ) . During heat waves , air conditioning use stresses power grids and can lead to city - wide outages . In cities , that means millions of units - including those on cars and buses and trains - constantly pushing out heat into the atmosphere . Studies have found the extra heat from air - conditioning can raise temperatures by as much as 2C. And when it gets hotter , our thermostats turn lower and the cycle continues . But it goes further than just an ever - hotter summer season - the emissions from air conditioners and their refrigerants is contributing to climate change . The man - made greenhouse gases used in air conditoners , called hydrofluorocarbons ( HFCs ) , are thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide in the atmosphere . In cities , the cycle is also exacerbated by all the concrete , asphalt , steel and glass , creating an urban heat island . When temperatures get too high , planes get grounded . Extreme heat reduces air density and the amount of lift a plane can get to take - off . Temperatures of 120F ( 49C ) saw dozens of flights cancelled in Phoenix during a 2017 heatwave . Smaller planes are affected first , but larger Boeing or Airbus jets have maximum operating temperatures around 126F ( 52C ) , AZ Central reported . In a heat wave , concrete and asphalt do n't fare well . Asphalt warps and melts . Concrete , if water is involved , can sometimes explode or break open . This week , local media in Kansas has reported several instances of cracked and buckled roads as temperatures rise . In Iowa , one city mayor said old concrete roads soaked with floodwaters from this spring are now exploding and damaging sewer lines . The NWS outpost in Omaha , Nebraska , demonstrated just how hot vehicles can get in heat waves by cooking American biscuits on a dash . The temperatures reached a high of 185F ( 85C ) - not quite enough for a proper bake , but certainly too hot for humans or animals to survive in . According to the National Weather Service , 21 young children have died in hot cars this year . Unsurprisingly , as everything warms up in a heat wave , anything metal gets even hotter . When it comes to power lines , this can cause dangerously low sagging . If lines droop low enough to touch the ground or trees , they can short out . Kinks can form on train rails when the metal expands . In 2012 , a " heat kink " caused a 32 - car - long freight train to derail and fly off an overpass ; a similar derailment happened in 2017 . Experts told Fox 26 News more than 2,100 trains have been derailed in the last 40 years because of these heat warps . Metal components in draw - bridges can expand and become inoperable - last year , Chicago firefighters had to hose down a downtown draw - bridge so it could be used . Crops can also feel the heat . Farmers across the Midwest are warning that vegetables can wilt in the heat and farms will lose productivity - worsening the situation after a historic flooding season this spring . Soybean farmers also say the dry conditions could cause an increase in spider mites and other plant diseases . Extreme heat makes pollution worse , which can be dangerous for the very young , the elderly and anyone with respiratory diseases . In the nation 's capital , where the mayor has declared a heat emergency , officials warned that air quality would reach unhealthy levels for these sensitive groups over the weekend .
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E.P.A. Plans to Get Thousands of Deaths Off the Books by Changing Its Math Want climate news in your inbox ? Sign up here for Climate Fwd : , our email newsletter . WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency plans to change the way it calculates the health risks of air pollution , a shift that would make it easier to roll back a key climate change rule because it would result in far fewer predicted deaths from pollution , according to five people with knowledge of the agency 's plans . The E.P.A. had originally forecast that eliminating the Obama - era rule , the Clean Power Plan , and replacing it with a new measure would have resulted in an additional 1,400 premature deaths per year . The new analytical model would significantly reduce that number and would most likely be used by the Trump administration to defend further rollbacks of air pollution rules if it is formally adopted . The proposed shift is the latest example of the Trump administration downgrading the estimates of environmental harm from pollution in regulations . In this case , the proposed methodology would assume there is little or no health benefit to making the air any cleaner than what the law requires . Many experts said that approach was not scientifically sound and that , in the real world , there are no safe levels of the fine particulate pollution associated with the burning of fossil fuels . Fine particulate matter — the tiny , deadly particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream — is linked to heart attacks , strokes and respiratory disease .
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Enviros Come Out Against Offshore Wind Turbine In Lake Erie Conservation groups are protesting efforts to build a small offshore wind farm off the coast of Lake Erie , arguing that the project poses a grave risk to the local bird population . A local energy company wants to construct a six - turbine , 20.7 megawatt offshore wind development eight miles from Cleveland in Lake Erie . If completed , it would be the first freshwater offshore wind farm on the continent . Supporters point out the project would create more than 500 jobs and pump millions into the local economy over the turbines ' 25 - year lifespan . Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation , the company behind the project , also argues it would be a step forward for environmentally friendly energy production . However , not every ecologically minded group is on board with Icebreaker , the name of the project . The Black Swamp Bird Observatory and the American Bird Conservancy — two different bird conservation groups — are opposed to the proposal , claiming the turbines would harm the local bird population and that major errors were made during an environmental assessment . " We reject the [ environmental assessment 's ] claim that this wind energy facility would have ' little to no impact ' " on birds , Kimberly Kaufman , Black Swamp Bird Observatory 's executive director , said in a statement . " The six - turbine Icebreaker project poses a larger threat to wildlife than is now indicated in the documents , " Kaufman continued . " But the planned expansion of offshore wind energy to over 1,000 turbines will have even more major impacts to birds that breed and migrate across Lake Erie , and that must be addressed . " The bird conservancy groups point out that " vast numbers " of migratory birds and bats have been recorded just a few miles from the Great Lakes shorelines , with many flying at the same level of the rotor - swept area of windmills . They submitted their concerns to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Energy . A second public hearing about Icebreaker will take place Thursday at Cleveland City Council . This is far from the first time bird advocates have lamented over wind turbines . Wind farms across the globe kill thousands of birds a year that inadvertently fly into their turbines . Offshore wind farms , while also posing a threat to birds , can also harm the local aquatic ecosystem . Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience . For licensing opportunities of our original content , please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation . org .
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Soil damage ' set to fuel climate change ' Climate change ca n't be halted if we carry on degrading the soil , a report will say . There 's three times more carbon in the soil than in the atmosphere – but that carbon 's being released by deforestation and poor farming . This is fuelling climate change – and compromising our attempts to feed a growing world population , the authors will say . Problems include soils being eroded , compacted by machinery , built over , or harmed by over - watering . Hurting the soil affects the climate in two ways : it compromises the growth of plants taking in carbon from the atmosphere , and it releases soil carbon previously stored by worms taking leaf matter underground . The warning will come from the awkwardly - named IPBES – the Intergovernmental Science - Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services - a panel studying the benefits of nature to humans . The body , which is meeting this week , aims to get all the world 's governments singing from the same sheet about the need to protect natural systems . IPBES will formally release its report on Monday 6 May . About 3.2 billion people worldwide are suffering from degraded soils , said IPBES chairman Prof Sir Bob Watson . " That 's almost half of the world population . There 's no question we are degrading soils all over the world . We are losing from the soil the organic carbon and this undermines agricultural productivity and contributes to climate change . We absolutely have to restore the degraded soil we 've got . " Governments have focused on climate change far more than they have focused on loss of biodiversity or land degradation . All three are equally important to human wellbeing . " Soil expert Prof Jane Rickson from Cranfield University , UK , added : " The thin layer of soil covering the Earth 's surface represents the difference between survival and extinction for most terrestrial life . " Only 3 % of the planet 's surface is suitable for arable production and 75 billion tonnes of fertile soil is lost to land degradation every year . " She said soils form at a rate of 1 cm in 300 years . There 's uncertainty about the exact level of global soil degradation . But the major hotspots are reported to be in South America , where forests are being felled ; sub - Saharan Africa ; India and China . Soil scientists in both the biggest Asian nations are worried that their ability to grow their own food may be compromised . In the US , some soils are being restored as forests take over poor quality land previously worked by small farmers , but others are still being degraded . The UK is not immune either . Some maize fields in south - west England suffer major soil loss with heavy rainfall because growing maize leaves bare soil exposed . Heavy rain is more likely under climate change . Erosion is also a long - standing issue in the fertile Fens , where , on dry windy days , peaty soil particles sometimes form a kind of smog called the " Fen Blow " . Peat has a high carbon content – and a recent paper suggests there 's far more carbon being lost from peatlands than previously thought . And on the chalky hills of southern England , chemical - intensive crop farming is said to have caused the loss of over a foot of soil in some places . Soils are " incredibly important " for our well - being , said Dr Joanna Clark from Reading University . " We all know that crops are grown in soil , but soils are important for climate change as well . There 's three times more carbon stored in soil than there is in the atmosphere . So imagine if all that carbon was released , we 'd get runaway climate change . So we need to keep the carbon in the soil . " The simplest way to protect soils while combating climate change is to let forests grow back . This option is favoured by fans of re - wilding . But some farmers believe they can continue to produce food by changing the way they farm to enhance the soil . Brexit could give the UK greater flexibility on how to spend public money on farming - enabling much more leeway to reward farmers for capturing carbon in the earth . But there are more than 700 soil types in the UK alone , so it wo n't be simple .
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Environmentalists in California Take Aim at Kitchens to Save the Planet Environmentalists in California are willing to let the state dictate how they cook in their own kitchens in an attempt to save the planet . Thirteen cities and one county in California have put in place zoning codes encouraging or requiring all - electric new construction , virtually banning builders from running natural gas lines into homes and apartments to fuel appliances , including stoves and ovens . USA Today reported that people believe the move is necessary to fight climate change " with an eye toward creating fewer legacy gas hookups as the nation shifts to carbon - neutral energy sources . " For natural gas companies , it 's a threat to their existence . And for some cooks who love to prepare food with flame , it 's an unthinkable loss . Natural gas is a fossil fuel , mostly methane , and produces 33 % of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation , according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration . Carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse gas causing climate change . " There 's no pathway to stabilizing the climate without phasing gas out of our homes and buildings , " Rachel Golden of the Sierra Club 's building electrification campaign , said . " This is a must - do for the climate and a livable planet . " But the page linked to on the U.S. Energy Information Administration ( EIA ) website is referring , ironically , to CO2 emissions from the U.S. electric power sector by source for 2018 . The new codes call for replacing gas with electricity . The federal website reports on the benefits of using natural gas as an energy source : Burning natural gas for energy results in fewer emissions of nearly all types of air pollutants and carbon dioxide ( CO2 ) than burning coal or petroleum products to produce an equal amount of energy . About 117 pounds of carbon dioxide are produced per million British thermal units ( MMBtu ) equivalent of natural gas compared with more than 200 pounds of CO2 per MMBtu of coal and more than 160 pounds per MMBtu of distillate fuel oil . The clean burning properties of natural gas have contributed to increased natural gas use for electricity generation and as a transportation fuel for fleet vehicles in the United States . " Probably the biggest stumbling block for most pondering an all - electric home is the prospect of not having a gas stove , " USA Today reported . " It 's the only thing that people ever ask about , " Bruce Nilles , who directs the building electrification program of the Rocky Mountain Institute , a Colorado - based think tank that focuses on energy and resource efficiency , said in the USA Today report . According to a 2017 kitchen study by the NPD Group , 35 percent of U.S. households have a gas stove , while 55 percent have electric . " But the number of natural gas customers is also rising , " USA Today reported . " The American Gas Association , which represents more than 200 local energy companies , says an average of one new customer is added every minute . " That 's exactly the wrong direction , " Nilles said . " The idea that denying access to natural gas in new homes is necessary to meet emissions reduction goals is false , " American Gas Association President and CEO Karen Harbert . " In fact , denying access to natural gas could make meeting emissions goals harder and more expensive . " They also say it 's more expensive to run an all - electric home , " USA Today reported . " A study by AGA released last year suggested that all - electric homes would pay $ 750 to $ 910 a year more for energy - related costs , as well as amortized appliance and upgrade costs . " USA Today also pointed out that California is not the only place where people want more government regulation . New York , Hawaii , Colorado , and Maine have carbon - neutrality goals , and as many as 140 U.S. cities have similar plans .
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Eric Garcetti Declares ' Green New Deal ' in L.A. , Cancels Natural Gas Plants ; Officials Doubt ' Keeping the Lights On ' Instead , the city will look for energy from renewable sources , including wind and solar , he decided . " This is the Green New Deal ... Not in concept , not in the future , but now , " Garcetti said , as quoted by the Los Angeles Times . He made the decision despite the fact that " top staffers have argued in recent months that the gas plants are critical to keeping the lights on in the city , " the Times noted . The term " Green New Deal " refers to a bill introduced by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio - Cortez ( D - NY ) last week , which proposes moving the entire U.S. economy to renewable energy in the next ten years . The plan also aims to provide every American with a guaranteed " job with a family - sustaining wage , adequate family and medical leave , paid vacations , and retirement security to all people . " The bill does not explain how those benefits will be paid for , nor how the renewable energy goals will be achieved , given that renewables currently provide less than 20 % of the country 's energy . Environmentalists are also opposed to using one of those renewable sources , hydroelectric power , because of concerns about environmental damage caused by dams . California has a law already in place mandating a shift to 100 % renewable sources — but by 2045 , not 2030 . It is not clear how the state will achieve that goal . In his comments , Garcetti slammed natural gas as an energy source : " [ N]ow is the time to start the beginning of the end of natural gas . " Ironically , the switch from coal to natural gas over the past decade has enabled the U.S. economy to grow while reducing emissions over the long run . " More gas for electricity has been our most effective weapon at combating climate change , " wrote RealClearEnergy editor Jude Clemente last year . Garcetti pledged to replace L.A. 's natural gas plants with wind and solar energy , but offered no plans describing how the city would do so , nor whether it would be able to meet the energy needs of an expanding city . Southern California already struggles to provide electricity to consumers during heat waves , when air conditioning use is at a maximum , and prices soar . In addition , utilities have begun shutting down power lines during high winds for fear of starting wildfires . During a natural gas leak in Porter Ranch in 2016 , L.A. authorities worried that the temporary closure of one natural gas plant could lead to power outages . Nevertheless , Eric Garcetti was bullish on a future without fossil fuels — even without a plan to replace them . The mayor said he had challenged the city 's Department of Water and Power to come up with an answer : " Instead of saying all the reasons why not , get to a reason as to why . " Garcetti will leave office in 2022 . The first of the three plants to be replaced will be retired in 2024 . Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor - at - Large at Breitbart News . He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship . He is also the co - author of How Trump Won : The Inside Story of a Revolution , which is available from Regnery . Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak .
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Bill de Blasio , pitching $ 10B climate change plan , blames global warming for Hurricane Sandy In a video posted to social media on Monday , New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio again directly blamed climate change for 2012 's deady Superstorm Sandy -- a contention that lacks scientific support - and touted his plan to spend $ 10 billion to fortify and " protect Lower Manhattan " against future storms . Even as local leaders warned that de Blasio 's plan to construct new barriers would actually destroy the waterfront neighborhoods he says he wants to protect , de Blasio insisted his views were now mainstream among New Yorkers . " After Sandy , there were n't a lot of climate change deniers left in New York City , " de Blasio said directly into the camera , after reminding viewers that the storm left dozens dead and cost the city billions in economic losses . " We need to protect this city and this country , and this world , from global warming . There 's no national policy to do it right now . ... We have to do it ourselves . " Mayor de Blasio added in the video , which appeared on Facebook and Twitter , that the federal government also must act quickly : " We have to fight for the bigger changes , like the Green New Deal , " de Blasio said . The mayor claimed that studies undertaken by his office and others has determined that if the city does not prepare for climate change , rising seas will expose 20 percent of lower Manhattan to daily flooding by 2100 . However , past expert predictions on the effects of global warming have proven inaccurate at best . For example , United Nations scientists predicted that the world had only 10 years to immediately address climate change all the way back in 1989 , in order to protect entire cities from destruction and a resulting flood of eco - refugees . A NASA scientist falsely predicted the same thing in 2006 . Contrary to de Blasio 's assertions , no study has defintively linked the existence or power of Superstorm Sandy to man - made climate change , or made the claim that such a link can be definitively established at all . Some contested studies have , however , suggested the storm may have become more intense to some degree as a result of warming sea temperatures . " We suggest that it is more useful to regard the extreme circulation regime or weather event as being largely unaffected by climate change , and question whether known changes in the climate system 's thermodynamic state affected the impact of the particular event , " stated one paper produced by researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research . The researchers added : " Some examples briefly illustrated include ' snowmaggedon ' in February 2010 , Superstorm Sandy in October 2012 and supertyphoon Haiyan in November 2013 , and , in more detail , the Boulder floods of September 2013 , all of which were influenced by high sea surface temperatures that had a discernible human component . " The Green New Deal backed by de Blasio has not attracted universal support even among Democrats , after the resolution 's botched rollout in Congress earlier this year included the release of an official document by New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio - Cortez 's office that promised economic security even for those " unwilling to work , " as well as the elimination of " farting cows " and air travel . The Democratic mayor on Thursday first announced his plan to meet the " existential threat " of climate change , specifically by extending a section of the lower Manhattan coastline as much as 500 feet into the East River . He said the $ 10 billion effort to protect lower Manhattan from flooding by extending the shoreline between the Brooklyn Bridge and the Battery will be funded partly by private development if federal funds are not available . " If there 's federal money in play , it probably looks one way , " de Blasio said last week . " If there 's not federal money in play , we have to get some private money into it and there has to be some development . " Officials have been developing schemes to fortify New York City 's waterfront since Superstorm Sandy destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in 2012 . De Blasio said it will cost about $ 500 million to fortify most of lower Manhattan from future effects of climate change , including rising sea levels and intense precipitation , with grassy berms and removable barriers . But planners determined that protecting the lowest - lying area , including South Street Seaport and the financial district , will require adding more land over several years . De Blasio , who is contemplating joining the crowded field of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates , said the $ 10 billion landfill project should be supported by federal funds , but that 's unlikely to happen during the administration of Republican President Donald Trump . " Lower Manhattan is one of the core centers of the American economy , " he said . " It 's where the financial capital of the United States is . The security of lower Manhattan should be a national priority . The fact is it is not . And it 's incomprehensible to me that there 's no sense of urgency from the federal government . " He added , " We ca n't afford to bury our head in the sand and that 's right now what our federal government is doing . " The plan to extend the coastline will go through the city 's environmental review process , de Blasio said , but he hopes to avoid " the endless dragging on that usually accompanies something of this scale . " CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPBut the prospect of private development on the newly built land is sure to meet resistance from downtown Manhattan community members . City Council member Margaret Chin , who represents the area , said a more resilient future " can not be paid for by private real estate development that would destroy the waterfront neighborhoods that we are trying to protect . " De Blasio announced the climate resilience plan at a news conference after previewing it in New York magazine . " This is the existential threat , " de Blasio said . " This is the core issue we all must face as aggressively as humanly possible . " The Associated Press contributed to this report .
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California , 16 other states sue EPA over auto emissions rollbacks California and 16 other states sued the Trump administration Tuesday over its plan to scrap Obama - era auto - emissions standards that would require vehicles to get significantly higher gas mileage by 2025 . At issue is a move by Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt to roll back 2012 rules aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions . Under those rules , vehicles would have to get 36 miles of real - world driving per gallon , about 10 miles over the existing standard . " Pollutants coming out of vehicles , out of the tailpipe , does permanent lung damage to children living near well - traveled roads and freeways . This is a fact . The only way we 're going to overcome that is by reducing emissions , " Gov. Jerry Brown said in announcing the lawsuit along with other top California Democrats . The rules were set six years ago when California and the Obama administration agreed to a single nationwide fuel economy standard . Pruitt , who has sought to block or delay an array of environmental regulations , has argued that assumptions about gas prices and vehicle technology used by the Obama administration to set the standards were too optimistic . And he said the standards would hurt automakers and consumers who ca n't afford or do n't want to buy more fuel - efficient vehicles . Automakers have likewise argued that the Obama - era rules would cost the industry billions of dollars and raise vehicle prices because of the cost of developing the necessary technology . EPA representatives did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the lawsuit . California officials say the standards are achievable and the EPA 's effort to repeal them is not based on any new research . They argue the plan violates the federal Clean Air Act and did n't follow the agency 's own regulations . California has a unique waiver that allows it to set its own tailpipe emissions standards for vehicles , which it has used to combat smog and , more recently , global warming . Thirteen other states and the District of Columbia have adopted the California standards as their own . California has now sued the Trump administration more than 30 times on topics including immigration and health care policy . " The world is not flat , pollution is not free , and the health and safety of our children is not for sale , " said Democratic state Attorney General Xavier Becerra , standing alongside the governor . Brown , who has made fighting climate change a core of his policy and political platform , said the state 's battles with Washington over climate are the most essential . " If we follow the Pruitt - Trump path , we follow our way off the cliff to disaster , " he said . The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia . Joining California were Connecticut , Delaware , Illinois , Iowa , Maine , Maryland , Minnesota , New Jersey , New York , Oregon , Rhode Island , Vermont , Washington , Massachusetts , Pennsylvania , Virginia and the District of Columbia . All have Democratic attorneys general .
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China ' Greens ' Its Economy By Funding Massive Coal Projects In Pakistan China is helping Pakistan build up its energy sector , including a $ 3.5 billion joint venture to extract 1.3 gigawatts worth of coal in the Thar desert . Pakistan plans to use Thar brown coal to bring electricity to the millions of people living in energy poverty or suffering through daily blackouts . The country could get 24 percent of its electricity from coal by 2020 with the help of China . It 's one of many coal projects China is backing abroad , while it cuts coal mining and power generation at home to fight pollution . China also promised to " peak " greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 as part of the Paris climate agreement . China 's energy ministry canceled more than 100 coal - fired power plants that were being planned or being built in January . The country reaffirmed its commitment to its Paris commitments after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order rolling back global warming regulations in late March . " As a responsible developing country , China 's plan , determination and policy to tackle climate change is resolute , " Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told the Associated Press . China 's coal use fell nearly 5 percent last year , but the country still gets 62 percent of its electricity from coal - fired power plants . The country 's cut in domestic coal use comes as they fund coal projects abroad , including the Engro mine in the Thar desert . Another Chinese joint venture plans to build another coal project near the Engro mine in June . Another block of coal will begin production for electricity generation by 2019 , reports the Salt Law Tribune . China has also backed coal - fired power plants in Southeast Asian countries , including Vietnam . China is involved in financing or building at least 79 coal - fired power projects around the world . The total generating capacity of those projects is 52 gigawatts . Why the push abroad ? It provides Chinese firms and investors with opportunities to make money off coal projects at a time when that 's less politically popular in China . Coal workers also travel to these projects , keeping them from losing their jobs . The Engro mine , for example , has 350 Chinese workers , and the return on equity for Chinese investors is about 30 percent , according to the Salt Lake Tribune . Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience . For licensing opportunities of our original content , please contact [ email protected ] .
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DEATH BY PIN PRICKS , Water Lilies & amp ; Boiling Water There must be a new approach to public policy development that makes " Earth First . " " Property , " " economy , " and " jobs " must serve " Earth First . " The planning frame should be at least 100 years , possibly 1,000 , NOT 25 . Environmental change is occurring so fast that small decisions made locally avalanche regionally ( e.g. downstream pollution ) , or even globally ( e.g. ozone layer destruction ) . The Economic Growth discussion is always the same : " highest and best value " ( a misnomer if ever there was one – profits trump survival - pun intended ) . Fat City is over , although many are still trying to milk it for the last bit of cream ; we call these asshats " Vulture Capitalists , " they feed off the dead and wounded ) . We must do more with less , and the rich must share or move out . We do n't need more deadhead users and freeloaders . We must develop a mutually supportive community again . The business of government is the people 's business ; developers step to the rear . Legislators must renounce corporate campaign contributions as contrary to the public good . We must CONTROL land and resource value to discourage speculation , and eliminate or lessen the wide market swings due to nerves or manipulation . We must impose firm , honest value on land and resources and discourage speculative over - inflation – speculation is not bad per se , but it is one of the easiest activities to exaggerate and corrupt . We need a National Land Use Comprehensive Plan . Unlimited Growth is the ethos of a cancer cell , observes David Suzuki , noted biologist . Because one can not personally conceive of an alternative to growth does not mean that one does not exist . Sustainability is NOT a myth – it is an under - represented , and too - often wrongfully rejected younger child ; the one bearing truth to co - dependent addicted parents in deep denial over their multi - generational destruction of the natural environment . Three well - known parables apply : One more stick with the pin ? Deal with it later ? Turn up the heat ? Earth 's Life Support Systems Failing . The world has failed to slow the accelerating extinction crisis despite years of international effort . It is hard to imagine a more important priority . The biodiversity of life on Earth comprises the ecosystems that provide climate regulation , food , fiber , clean water and air . Like a Dooms Day asteroid , human over - population , pollution , logging , over - exploitation , consumption , land use changes and engineering projects have produced the planet 's sixth great extinction of species . Freshwater Species that live in lakes and rivers are vanishing four to six times faster than anywhere else . " There is clear and growing scientific evidence that we are on the verge of a major freshwater biodiversity crisis . " We are in a life - threatening situation and must make fundamental and absolute changes without delay . We can not give " just a bit more " to Trump and his greedy followers . Spoiled children need discipline in order to live wholesome , productive lives . Developers , energy barons , other planet - killers and we , must settle for less and work together to plan and build a healthy sustainable community . We require teamwork to endure what is coming . We have no luxury to indulge selfish , ignorant behaviors . What are our politicians doing that makes any positive difference ? Let us ask them . Demand Party Platforms that respond to reality , justice , science and full democracy . Demand to be treated like adults . How to Help , Where to find the ActionGet Corporations out of Government : movetoamend . org . Be Sure to VOTE , take a new registered progressive voter to the polls with you .
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France 's Biggest Bank Becomes The First To Cut Off Funding For Natural Gas Fracking BNP Paribas on Wednesday became the first big bank to pledge to stop financing natural gas fracking projects as part of a new policy cheered by environmentalists as having the greatest impact of any financial giant yet . Under the new policy , France 's largest bank will refuse to lend to companies who generate more than half their revenue from fracked oil , gas or liquefied natural gas export terminals . The rules also apply to tar sands , considered one of the dirtiest sources of oil . Multinational banks , including BNP Paribas , began putting strict limits on funding for coal projects in 2015 . At that point , coal was becoming an unprofitable investment , and banks faced mounting pressure from environmentalists to stop supporting the dirtiest fuels in the lead up the Paris climate agreement . Last month , JPMorgan Chase became the target of a new campaign urging it to end financing for companies that drill tar sands , a particularly dirty source of oil that forms the backbone of Canada 's industry . Until now , no financial giant has clamped down on natural gas , which produces far less carbon dioxide than oil or coal . The fuel now provides most of the United States ' electricity and is credited with reducing emissions by weaning the country off coal . That has allowed advocates to tout the gas as a critical tool in the transition from heavily - polluting fuels to renewable energy . But fracking ― an extraction technique that involves shooting a highly - pressurized chemical and sand - laced water into shale rock to extract oil and gas ― has become a lightning rod for environmentalists . It produces toxic wastewater and leaks emissions of methane , a far more most potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide . And the process of liquefying natural gas from vapor requires so much energy it ends up being as dirty as coal . " The scientific literature on the climate impact of gas , especially fracked gas , is emerging , " Jason Disterhoft , a senior campaigner at Rainforest Action Network , told HuffPost by phone . Now that the prices of solar and wind energy were plummeting , there 's less need to use natural gas as a stepping stone between dirtier fossil fuels and renewables , he added . BNP Paribas offered few details on its new policy , including when it would go into effect , though it said it should have an update by the end of the year . Europe 's second largest bank also said that companies could continue to receive backing if they lower the amount of revenue earned from fracking or tar sands to less than half their business . The exact ratio has not yet been decided , a spokeswoman said . " Even though we 're going to have this policy in place does n't mean at the same time we 'll right away cut all the clients that do n't fall under it , " Mylene Benmoussa , a BNP Paribas spokeswoman , told HuffPost by phone on Wednesday . " It 's going to be a gradual and shared transition . " The bank had not not yet calculated how many clients would be affected by the new policy , and could not immediately respond to questions about how much money is invested in the targeted sectors . France banned fracking in 2011 . The country generates 11 percent of its electricity from gas , according to data from RTE , the French transmission operator . And the government in Paris announced plans last month to prohibit oil and gas production by 2040 . For a bank in the regulatory environment BNP Paribas is facing , an aggressive climate policy makes business sense . Yet the announcement garnered praise from three environmental groups that teamed up to pressure BNP Paribas to curtail support for fossil fuels that pose a particular threat of exacerbating climate change . The trio includes the San Francisco - based Rainforest Action Network , the French chapter of Friends of Earth , and Save the Rio Grande Valley from Liquefied Natural Gas , a local Texas group protesting the construction of a liquefied natural gas terminal in the state 's southern region . Still , the move represents a public relations victory for a bank plagued by scandals in recent years . In 2015 , the company was ordered to pay $ 8.9 billion to the U.S. for violating sanctions against Sudan , Cuba and Iran . In June , three human rights groups accused BNP Paribas of complicity in the 1994 Rwandan genocide that killed more than 800,000 people . In July , the Federal Reserve fined the firm $ 246 million for its " unsafe and unsound practices " in foreign currency trading division , failing to crack down on employees who violated rules on sharing information with competitors . " We 're a long - standing partner to the energy sector and we 're determined to support the transition to a more sustainable world , " BNP Paribas CEO Jean - Laurent Bonnafé said in a statement . " As an international bank , our role is to help drive the energy transition and contribute to the decarbonization of the economy . "
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Meds pose global environmental risk , experts warn ... There are growing fears that the unchecked use of antibiotics in both medicine and agriculture will have adverse effects on the environment and on human health ( AFP Photo / LOIC VENANCE)Paris ( AFP ) - Residues from billions of doses of antibiotics , painkillers and antidepressants pose a significant risk to freshwater ecosystems and the global food chain , a new analysis said Thursday . There are growing fears that the unchecked use of antibiotics in both medicine and agriculture will have adverse effects on the environment and on human health . When animals and humans ingest medicines , up to 90 percent of active ingredients are excreted back into the environment . Many medicines are simply discarded -- in the United States alone an estimated one third of the four billion drugs prescribed each year ends up as waste . The Organisation for Economic Co - operation and Development ( OECD ) compared data on concentrations of pharmaceutical residue in water samples worldwide as well as prescribing trends and water purification regulations in various countries . One study cited in its report estimates that 10 percent of all pharmaceuticals are potentially harmful to the environment -- including hormones , painkillers and antidepressants . The OECD said that antibiotic use for livestock is predicted to rocket by more than two thirds in the next decade , stoking concerns over antibiotic resistance . Human prescriptions are also set to drastically increase , according to the report . " We 're seeing constant engineering of new pharmaceuticals and seeing clinical practices evolve to include recommendations of earlier treatment and higher doses , " said the lead report author Hannah Leckie . Another study cited said " extremely high " concentrations of pharmaceutical products had already been detected in water ways in China , India , Israel , South Korea and the United States . In Britain alone , ethinyloestradiol , diclofenac , ibuprofen , propranolol and antibiotics are now present in the run - off of 890 wastewater treatment plants at high enough levels to cause " adverse environmental effects " , according to another study . " The residues of pharmaceuticals have been detected in surface and ground water across the world , " said Leckie . " However there 's still a lot we do n't know about their occurence , and know even less about the concentrations we find . " More than 700,000 people already die each year from drug - resistant infections . As the global population grows and ages and prescribing rates continue to climb , that figure is set to hit 10 million annually by 2050 -- higher than the number of people dying from cancer . " Unless adequate measures are taken to manage the risks , pharmaceutical residues will increasingly be released into the environment as ageing populations , advances in healthcare , and intensification of meat and fish production spur the demand for pharmaceuticals worldwide , " the report said . And the situation is set to get even more acute as climate change increases the spread and frequency of infectious diseases such as malaria and dengue . Leckie said there was something of a vicious circle when it came to medical prescriptions and climate - related disease . " Human activity such as population ( growth ) and transport combined with climate change increases antibacterial resistance ... and therefore the need for more pharmaceuticals . "
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Pope Francis Calls for ' Prompt and Effective ' Response to Climate Change The international summit " Water and Climate : Meeting of the Great Rivers of the World , " sponsored by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe ( UNECE ) and other partners , is taking place in Rome 's Capitol building ( the " Campidoglio " ) from Oct. 23 - 25 . In the Pope 's written message to the meeting , conveyed by the Vatican 's Secretary of State , Cardinal Pietro Parolin , the pontiff expressed his concern for water conservation around the world , as well as his fervent desire that " the threat posed by climate change to our brothers and sisters in the most vulnerable countries will find prompt and effective responses . " In another speech at the summit Monday , Mr. Karmenu Vella , European Commissioner for Environment , Maritime Affairs and Fisheries , echoed the Pope 's concerns regarding climate change , tying it into the situation of the world 's rivers . " We are here today because our climate is under threat , " Mr. Vella said . " Seasonal river flows are changing , and floods and droughts are more severe , more frequent than ever before . " Climate change is raising the temperature of rivers and lakes , with major impacts on ecosystems and water quality . These problems are just as real in Europe as they are elsewhere around the globe , " he asserted . The European Commissioner insisted that the key to addressing the problem of climate change and avoiding a " point of no return " is to be found in " political will . " The Paris Agreement reminds us of the need to prepare and adapt , and to build up our climate resilience , " he said . In a major report last week , the prestigious UK journal , The Lancet , suggested that pollution of air and water , rather than carbon - induced global warming , is the real crisis facing the world , one being overlooked by environmental activists . The Lancet revealed that pollution - related diseases were responsible for an estimated 9 million premature deaths in 2015 , or some 15 times more than from all wars and other forms of violence combined . Pollution is not only the largest environmental cause of disease and premature death in the world today , the study found , but diseases caused by pollution were responsible for roughly 16 percent of all deaths worldwide—"three times more deaths than from AIDS , tuberculosis , and malaria combined and 15 times more than from all wars and other forms of violence . " Curiously , neither the European Commissioner nor the Pope made any mention to the extraordinary number of deaths caused by water and air pollution , preferring instead to focus on the nebulous and ideologically charged notion of anthropogenic climate change . While to date there has not been a single documented case of a person being killed by carbon dioxide related " global warming , " real pollution of air , water and land is killing an average of 25,000 people every day across the globe . Late last week , a report out of Canada suggested that many nations around the world have quietly begun ignoring or abandoning the energy goals outlined by the Paris Climate Accord . According to Lawrence Solomon of Energy Probe , a Toronto - based environmental organization , Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is one of the only signers of the Paris agreement who is actually abiding by the exacting demands of the accord . Solomon proposed that while feigning interest in global warming is politically expedient , most people are unconvinced that it poses a real problem — unlike the real pollution that is killing millions . In an essay in Friday 's Financial Post , Solomon said that " most signatories are ignoring , if not altogether abandoning Paris commitments , undoubtedly because voters in large part put no stock in scary global warming scenarios . " Trudeau now stands almost alone in sincere support of Paris , " Solomon wrote . " The populist backlash — a revulsion at top - down governments laden with jet - setting politicians landing in posh places to preach restraint to the masses — has swept America with Trump 's election , Great Britain with Brexit , much of Europe , and Australia . " In the process , global warming enthusiasts are being swept out , " he said .
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Report : Most Signatories Are ' Ignoring ' or ' Abandoning ' Paris Climate Commitments According to Lawrence Solomon of Energy Probe , a Toronto - based environmental organization , Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is one of the only signers of the Paris agreement who is actually abiding by the exacting demands of the accord . Meanwhile , Solomon notes in an essay in Friday 's Financial Post , " most signatories are ignoring , if not altogether abandoning Paris commitments , undoubtedly because voters in large part put no stock in scary global warming scenarios . " Trudeau now stands almost alone in sincere support of Paris , " Solomon writes . " The populist backlash — a revulsion at top - down governments laden with jet - setting politicians landing in posh places to preach restraint to the masses — has swept America with Trump 's election , Great Britain with Brexit , much of Europe , and Australia . " In the process , global warming enthusiasts are being swept out , " he writes . Last week , Australia rejected its Clean Energy Target ( CET ) , a lengthy proposal that would have forced electricity utilities to rely on renewables and other low - emission sources for a substantial percentage of their production . The measure had been put forward as a way of complying with requirements of the non - binding Paris agreement . Earlier this month , the prominent Australian economist Judith Sloan wrote a scathing essay decrying renewable energy as the greatest " scam " being perpetrated against taxpayers and consumers , greater even than Ponzi , Madoff or Enron . While sinking enormous financial resources into propping up renewable energy prospectors , national governments are providing no perceptible benefits to their citizens , Sloan wrote . " With very few exceptions , governments all over the world have fallen into the trap of paying renewable energy scammers on the basis that it is necessary , at least politically , to be seen to be doing something about climate change , " Sloan writes , before providing readers with an avalanche of economic data to back up her assertion . Apparently , Sloan 's arguments and those of like - minded analysts prevailed on policy makers , and the country rejected the CET with its taxpayer funded subsidizing of renewables . A second blow to disciples of the Paris Climate Accord was last week 's Austrian election , Solomon argues , " which saw two conservative parties with no interest in climate change — it was n't even an election issue — come in first and second , making them likely to form a pro - carbon coalition government . " Germany , too , which has been a staunch proponent of anti - climate change regulations , has fallen " hopelessly behind in meeting its carbon targets , " according to a leak . The current state of affairs has not only undermined Germany 's climate policy , but also jeopardizes " Germany 's international reputation as a climate leader , " Solomon asserts . According to the analyst , popular opinion against German Chancellor Angela Merkel 's " Energiewende " ( energy transition ) policies , which had doubled electricity prices , played no small part in Merkel 's terrible showing in last month 's national elections . Costs of the ill - fated Energiewende now total some € 650 billion , a bill that weighs heavily on the shoulders of German taxpayers . Late last year , to their national embarrassment , the Germans had to be bailed out of a small energy crisis by Poland when the wind failed to blow for several days and a thick fog surrounded many parts of Germany , driving the output from renewables to just 4 percent of total demand . It was coal - fueled Poland that had to rescue Germany from its self - induced energy crisis . " Merkel may now be unable to form a government without the support of the libertarian Free Democratic Party , which demands an end to renewables subsidies , " Solomon notes . And so around the world — except in Trudeau 's Canada — nations are once again turning back to inexpensive coal rather than pouring more money into costly " renewables , " and coal plants are being built at five times the rate that old plants are being decommissioned . This quiet revolution may simply be a welcome return to common sense and realism . After all , once the photo ops are finished and the politically correct accords are duly signed amidst solemn brow furling , political leaders must get back to the business of meeting the real needs of their citizens — which all depend on the availability of affordable energy .
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US approves Alaska offshore oil & gas drilling , enraging environmental groups The US arm of a European multinational oil and gas company has been approved to begin exploratory drilling in Alaska 's Beaufort Sea . Environmentalists argue the Trump administration does n't have the authority for such a move and it would endanger land and marine life . The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management ( BOEM ) gave conditional approval late Wednesday to Eni US , the US subsidiary of the Italian company Eni S.p . A. , to drill four exploration wells from Spy Island , an artificial island created in the Beaufort Sea in Alaska . Drilling can only be conducted in the winter months , and is scheduled to begin in December 2017 and end in May 2019 , BOEM said . The permit is for preparatory work , and does not authorize Eni to produce oil . " Over the past 30 days BOEM has been carefully evaluating the EP ( exploration plan ) in accordance with federal law and regulations ... [ including ] site - specific Environmental Assessment ... [ and ] conclude with a Finding of No Significant Impact , " BEOM said in a statement . The Obama administration banned oil and gas exploration in most of the US 's Arctic Ocean and Atlantic Ocean waters last year , but President Donald Trump ordered Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke in April to review the ban with the goal of opening up offshore areas for oil and gas drilling . Eni 's lease was due to expire at the end of 2017 , according to Kristen Monsell , an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity . The Trump administration provided the public only 21 days to review and comment on the exploration plan and only 10 days to comment on scoping for environmental assessment , according to Monsell . " Approving this Arctic drilling plan at the 11th hour makes a dangerous project even riskier , " Monsell told the Guardian . " An oil spill here would do incredible damage , and it 'd be impossible to clean up . " The Center for Biological Diversity , Greenpeace and REDOIL , a coalition of Alaska native groups , sued the Trump administration on May 3 , citing the risk of offshore oil and gas exploration development to local communities and wildlife . The lawsuit also argued that Trump 's reversal of the ban exceeded his constitutional authority and was thus unlawful . In the lawsuit , the groups argued the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas are still undeveloped and are home to a rich array of unique wildlife species including polar bears , walruses , whales , seals , other mammals , birds and fish , some of which are classified as threatened or endangered . " Some of these animals also support thriving indigenous Alaska Native cultural and subsistence activities , " stated the complaint . " Several Arctic mammals , including polar bears and bearded seals , have been listed under the ESA ( Endangered Species Act ) . " The region serves as important nurseries , feeding grounds and transit routes for marine animals . Seismic surveys and drilling activities could cause disruption and threaten wildlife directly . The area is " remote and foreboding , " the complaint said . In winter , the seas are covered in ice and shrouded in darkness , it is prone to storms and fog , and there is little infrastructure to support industrial activity , with just small communities , and few jet runways . The region is hundreds of miles from the nearest Coast Guard station . Mentioned in the complaint is Shell Oil 's exploratory adventures in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas in 2012 , which led to a series of problems , mistakes and violations of environmental laws . During testing in the placid waters of Puget Sound , Shell destroyed its oil spill containment drone . On the way north , its drillship , the Noble Discoverer , dragged its anchor and nearly ran aground while moored near an Alaskan island . Once at the drill site in the Chukchi Sea , Shell had to undertake an emergency maneuver to relocate the drillship to avoid a large ice floe . On its way back from the Beaufort Sea , it lost control of its drilling vessel , the Kulluk , which ran aground in the Gulf of Alaska in severe weather and had to be towed to Seattle , Washington and then scrapped . The US Coast Guard cited the Noble Discoverer for numerous deficiencies after the drilling season , and the EPA determined Shell had violated the Clean Air Act during its drilling efforts and fined the company $ 1.1 million . Its drilling contractor pleaded guilty to eight felony offenses relating to environmental pollution and safety and agreed to pay $ 12.2 million in fines .
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These 3 supertrees can protect us from climate collapse Dozens of countries have extraordinary tropical forests , but three stand out : Brazil , Indonesia , and the Democratic Republic of Congo . These countries not only have the largest areas of tropical forest within their borders ; they also have the highest rates of deforestation . Dozens of countries have extraordinary tropical forests , but three stand out : Brazil , Indonesia , and the Democratic Republic of Congo . These countries not only have the largest areas of tropical forest within their borders ; they also have the highest rates of deforestation . We traveled to protected areas deep inside these countries to learn the superpowers of three tree species that play an unusually important part in staving off environmental disaster , not just locally but globally . These trees play many ecological roles , but most impressive is how they produce rainfall , remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere , and support hundreds of other species . If these ecosystems collapse , the climate effects are likely to be irreversible . And so what happens to these forests truly affects all life on Earth . This is the story of three trees at the center of our climate crisis that provide big benefits to you , me , and the whole world . Meet the trees , get to know their superpowers , and learn how scientists are trying to protect them . This project was supported by the Pulitzer Center .
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Activists Press Congress to Help Black Communities Fight Climate Change Advocates of man - made climate change believe that it causes strong storms , rising tides , and hot temperatures , and that black communities are disproportionately hurt by the effects of " global warming . " That was the topic at a recent roundtable discussion in Washington , DC , where Bloomberg Environment reported that activists at the event said Congress needed to take action . " People of color have always been on the front line of this movement , " Alaina Beverly , a former Obama White House urban affairs official who is now vice president for urban affairs at the University of Chicago 's Office of Federal Relations in Washington , said at the event . " We 're hit first and hit worst . " This is our issue , " Beverly said . Bloomberg Environment reported on how blacks are allegedly suffering from climate change - related hardships : Most of the worst effects of climate change are hitting — and lingering in — poor black neighborhoods in the South , according to the Rev. Leo Woodberry , executive director of the New Alpha Community Development Corporation in Florence , S.C. In coastal South Carolina , for example , residents in largely black towns have been told they wo n't be eligible for flood insurance if they do n't elevate their homes ; but a survey of local engineering groups showed the cost starts at $ 20,000 for a 900 - square - foot house , Woodberry said . In New York City , many residents who die from heat stroke are African American , Peggy Shepard , executive director of West Harlem Environmental Action Inc. , also known as WE ACT for Environmental Justice , said at a Sept. 12 roundtable hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation , where Beverly and Woodberry also spoke . " This is about social disruption , " Shepard said . " Extreme heat is killing thousands every year . " Bloomberg Environment cited a University of California at Berkeley study that said blacks are 52 percent more likely than whites to live in so - called " urban heat islands , " where the sun beams down on brick , concrete and asphalt . " There 's no question that this is a topic area that black politicians , including the CBC [ Congressional Black Caucus ] , have not focused on as much , " Thomas A. LaVeist , dean of Tulane University 's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine , said in an interview . " And I think it 's because the stereotype is that the environment is about tree hugging or saving exotic birds . " Members of the Congressional Black Caucus say they 've heard the call and are working on solutions , " Bloomberg Environment reported . " The caucus is made up of 55 African American members of the House and Senate . " I think we 're going to be energetic in supporting any legislation that is aimed at improving the environment , but I also have to tell you how congested the major issues have become , " Rep. Emanuel Cleaver ( D - MO ) said in the Bloomberg Environment article . Cleaver said lawmakers could add language to the Federal Emergency Management Agency 's ( FEMA ) budget to put resources in poor black communities , and the National Flood Insurance Program could add more protections for black communities . Bloomberg Environment reported that some are already putting out legislation with this goal in mind , including Reps . Maxine Waters ( D - CA ) , Raul Grijalva ( D - AZ ) and A. Donald McEachin ( D - VA ) . " For African Americans and people living in urban poor communities , it provides them with an empowerment tool to enforce the law , to demand action , and to try to get remediation done , " Grijalva told Bloomberg Environment . " Deparately , Rep. Kathy Castor ( D - Fla. ) , chairwoman of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis , is working on a climate bill to be rolled out in March that , among other things , will aim to help communities of color living near pollution sources , " Bloomberg Environment reported . " Many House Democrats think there 's value in putting these measures up for a vote , even if they have little chance in the Senate now , to send a message . " The article also quoted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio - Cortez ( D - NY ) about her Green New Deal resolution that puts social justice even above climate change . " think it 's backwards and shortsighted to say , ' Well , let 's just throw a bunch of solar panels on everyone 's roof and call it a day , ' " Ocasio - Cortez said . " Because you can not build a winning political coalition to fight climate change on just technocratic solutions . " By fighting for the actual justice and livelihood of working people , you are going to create the political energy to actually address climate change , " she said .
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Company bans meat for employees on business ... If WeWork employees want a burger while on business , the money is coming out of their own pockets . The global workplace startup told employees this week that the company will ban employees from expensing meals that contain red meat , pork or poultry , Bloomberg reported . The company wo n't provide meat for events at its 400 locations , either — part of an effort to reduce its environmental footprint . " New research indicates that avoiding meat is one of the biggest things an individual can do to reduce their personal environmental impact , even more than switching to a hybrid car , " WeWork co - founder Miguel McKelvey said in an email to staffers . The no - meat policy will also affect self - serve food kiosks at many of WeWork 's 400 locations worldwide , according to Bloomberg . Employees wanting " medical or religious " exceptions can hash those out with a company policy team . WeWork boasts 6,000 employees worldwide , according to Bloomberg . The company estimates its no - meat policy will save 15,507,103 animals by 2023 , according to Business Insider , along with 16.6 billion gallons of water and 445.1 million pounds of carbon dioxide , the heat - trapping gas that alters Earth 's climate . WeWork confirmed the policy change to both news outlets . WeWork is perhaps the most well - known company to emerge offering co - working spaces to freelancers , small businesses and even employees of large companies such as Microsoft . The Motley Fool named it one of the top five most valuable startups in America .
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The LA Times Inadvertently Admits Trump Is Right About What 's Causing California 's Massive Wildfires Adopting more active forest management policies such as increased thinning of trees and conducting controlled burns will help mitigate damage from future wildfires , the Los Angeles Times editorial board writes . Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke began advocating similar policy prescriptions earlier in 2018 after President Donald Trump blamed California 's " bad environmental laws " for creating a wildfire - prone environment . California forests have grown drier and less healthy from overcrowded trees , infestations of bark beetles and the effects of climate change , the LA Times writes . California 's restrictions on active forest management have contributed to the poor and worsening conditions of the forests , allowing them to grow uninhibited while suppressing fires that would normally naturally control the forests ' growth . " Fire is not necessarily bad for forests . California used to burn with regularity , and low - intensity fires are vital in some ecosystems to clear excess brush and small trees from the landscape , " the editorial board writes . " But there 's been a change in fire behavior over the last century , as the state and federal government began dousing the blazes . Decades of fire suppression have allowed forests to grow dense with trees . " Combined with drought , insect infestations and the stress of a warming climate , those management practices have led to more intense and destructive fires that are more dangerous to people living near the forests and more damaging to air quality , " the op - ed continues . California 's environmental laws entered the national spotlight in early August when Trump blamed them for the severity of the wildfires that were ravaging the state . Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke was soon at the front of the administration 's push for California to begin adopting more active land management policies . Zinke traveled to California to see the damage from the fires and meet with local officials and firefighters Aug. 13 . Zinke ramped up calls for greater forest thinning while also dismissing the idea that climate change is playing a significant factor in the wildfires ' intensity . " I 've heard the climate change argument back and forth , " Zinke told Sacramento - based KCRA . " This has nothing to do with climate change . This has to do with active forest management . " California Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown partnered with state lawmakers to introduce changes to the state 's policies . The bill would grant $ 1 billion toward forest thinning and ease regulations on cutting trees on private property , according to the LA Times .
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North Carolina Gov Roy Cooper Says New Green Policies Will ' Lessen The Impact ' Of Hurricanes North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper signed an executive order Monday he says is meant to " combat climate change " and " lessen the impact of future natural disasters , " like hurricanes . Cooper 's order requires state agencies to encourage people to buy more electric vehicles , use more wind and solar energy , and cut energy use at state - owned buildings . Cooper also asked agencies to promote " climate adaptation " and green energy use , including wind and solar . " strong clean energy economy combats climate change while creating good jobs and a healthy environment , " said Cooper . " With historic storms lashing our state , we must combat climate change , make our state more resilient and lessen the impact of future natural disasters . " The order comes more than one month after Hurricane Florence dumped record amounts of rainfall over the Carolinas after making landfall as a Category 1 storm . Florence dumped 11 trillion gallons of rain over the Carolinas , causing devastating floods and taking more than 50 lives . Democrats and environmentalists claimed the storm was made worse by man - made global warming . Some scientists said warm waters " supercharged " Florence and sea level rise made storm surge significantly worse . However , not all scientists agreed . Cato Institute atmospheric scientist Ryan Maue pointed out that Florence formed over " abnormally cool " ocean waters , then weakened over cooler waters — the opposite of what forecasters expected . " There is no reason to suggest that global warming or an ' ocean heat wave ' supercharged Hurricane Florence , " University of Washington climate scientist Cliff Mass said in September . " So the ' ocean heat wave ' theory is obviously bogus . " The order comes more than one month after Hurricane Florence dumped record amounts of rainfall over the Carolinas after making landfall as a Category 1 storm . Florence dumped 11 trillion gallons of rain over the Carolinas , causing devastating floods and taking more than 50 lives . Democrats and environmentalists claimed the storm was made worse by man - made global warming . Some scientists said warm waters " supercharged " Florence and sea level rise made storm surge significantly worse . However , not all scientists agreed . Cato Institute atmospheric scientist Ryan Maue pointed out that Florence formed over " abnormally cool " ocean waters , then weakened over cooler waters — the opposite of what forecasters expected . " There is no reason to suggest that global warming or an ' ocean heat wave ' supercharged Hurricane Florence , " University of Washington climate scientist Cliff Mass said in September . " So the ' ocean heat wave ' theory is obviously bogus . " Mass also said that " most of the major impacts of the storm was because it slowed down near the coast , causing an extended period of rain . " He added there 's " no credible theory of observational evidence that such slowing down has anything to do with global warming . " While scientists predict continued global warming could make future hurricanes more intense , the latest United Nations climate report found that many studies showed a " decreasing trend in the global number of tropical cyclones and/or the globally accumulated cyclonic energy . " Cooper , however , says his executive order will make North Carolina " more resilient and lessen the impact of future natural disasters " by putting more electric vehicles on the road and cutting emissions . But even if Cooper 's plan achieves its goal of cutting state greenhouse gas emissions , it would have virtually no impact on projected global warming , based on climate model simulations . For example , the Obama administration 's pledge to cut U.S. emissions 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025 was only projected to avert 0.001 degrees Celsius of projected global warming a year . If that 's the impact on future temperatures cutting emissions for the entire country would have , North Carolina 's emissions cuts would have an even less significant impact .
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Tribe looks on helplessly as rainforest is destroyed by man and fire ... These devastating images show an indigenous family surveying the ruins of their homeland in the Amazon rainforest . Surrounded by dry soil and fallen timber , their native land has been all - but destroyed by rapid deforestation . During the day , the usually - fierce sun is obscured by a thick , grey smoke caused by deliberately - lit wildfires that are raging out of control across Brazil . The smell is of barbecue , caused by vast swathes of the world 's largest tropical rainforest going up in flames . Raimundo Mura , indigenous leader with the Mura tribe who live in a reserve near Humaita , Amazonas state said : ' For the forest , I will go on until my last drop of blood . ' All the trees had lives , they all needed to live , each in their own place . ' For us this is destruction . What is being done here is an atrocity against us . ' The rainforest is home to some one million indigenous people and three million species of plants and animals . But it is being decimated at record rates – burnt or cleared for farming and mining . Scientists have recorded more than 74,000 fires in Brazil this year – an 84 % increase compared to the same period last year . They can now be seen from space and have plunged the largest city Sao Paulo into darkness because of the heavy smoke . In total , the blazes have created a layer of smoke estimated to be 1.2 million square miles wide that spreads across Latin America to the Atlantic coast . Handech Wakana Mura , another local leader within the forest , said : ' With each passing day we see the destruction advance – deforestation , invasion and logging . ' We are sad because the forest is dying at every moment . ' We feel the climate changing and the world needs the forest . ' We need the forest and our children need the forest . ' Environmentalists and academics have blamed the Brazilian government , under far - right President Jair Bolsonaro , for a sharp increase in Amazon deforestation . The climate change sceptic swept to power in January promising to open up the Amazon to mining and farming . His rhetoric is said to have emboldened farmers to burn large sections of the rainforest for beef and soy production . Camila Veiga of the Brazilian Association of NGOs said : ' The fires are the consequence of a policy of environmental devastation , of support for agribusiness , of increasing pastures . ' The fires have been raging for around three weeks and an area the size of a football pitch is said to be lost every minute . Global concern is growing as the rainforest is key to tackling global warming because of the way it absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen . Mr Bolsonaro largely ignored the issue at first and even attempted to blame environmental charities , accusing them of lighting the fires . Opposition MPs have said the raging infernos are a ' crime against humanity ' and blamed his policies for fuelling the blazes . French President Emmanuel Macron had called the wildfires an international crisis and said the leaders of the G7 group of nations should hold urgent discussions about them during their summit in France this weekend . Mr Macron tweeted : ' Our house is burning . Literally . The Amazon rain forest – the lungs which produces 20 % of our planet 's oxygen – is on fire . 'Mr Bolsonaro hit back at Macron , complaining he was the subject of a smear campaign and the media had exploited the fires to undermine his government . His chief of staff , Onyx Lorenzoni , also accused European countries of exaggerating environmental problems in Brazil in order to disrupt its commercial interests . Relations between Europe and Brazil are at a low , which has worried the powerful agriculture sector . Last week , Norway joined Germany in halting $ 60 million worth of Amazon protection subsidies , accusing Brazil of turning its back on the fight against deforestation . French and German leaders have also threatened not to ratify a trade deal between the European Union and Mercosur countries ( Argentina , Brazil , Paraguay and Uruguay ) to pressure Brazil into complying with its environmental pledges within the Paris Climate Agreement . In contrast , the UK is currently on a trade mission in Brazil attempting to forge closer ties post - Brexit . The neighbouring country of Bolivia is also struggling with wildfires , many believed to have been set by farmers clearing land for cultivation .
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Beto O'Rourke : just how green is the Texas Democrat ? It was not hard for Beto O'Rourke to seem like a champion of green issues during his eye - catching Senate campaign in America 's 2018 midterm elections – after all , he was up against Ted Cruz , a climate change denier . Now , as the former US congressman vies to be the Democratic candidate to run against Donald Trump in the 2020 race for the White House , he faces much closer scrutiny on the subject . Environmental advocates and experts wait to see if – as O'Rourke pivots from an election in a conservative - led oil state to a national primary race heavily influenced by left - leaning Democratic candidates – he will have more latitude and desire to put progressive green policies at the heart of his strategy . " He did n't really emphasise climate change and global warming very much when he was running against Ted Cruz , but he 's got a field that is absolutely filled with people who are making it a campaign item for voters to consider , and I think he 's going to have to adjust his narrative when he 's out on the trail , " said Robert Forbis , an assistant professor of political science at Texas Tech University . " He 's going to have to take a pretty strong stand . " The seeds of a decisive and urgent approach were visible in his first campaign visits to Iowa in March , when O'Rourke praised the radical climate change - led proposals in the Green New Deal , citing his home state 's struggles with extreme weather such as droughts and hurricanes . " Storms like Harvey are only going to become more frequent and more severe and more devastating and ultimately they 'll compromise the ability to live in a city like Houston , Texas , " he told the audience . O'Rourke signalled support for reducing the country 's dependence on fossil fuels and investing in green technology to reach net zero emissions . " Some will criticise the Green New Deal for being too bold or being unmanageable . I 'll tell you what : I have n't seen anything better that addresses the singular crisis we face , a crisis that could at its worst lead to extinction , " he said . " Literally the future of the world depends on us . " Cruz held his Senate seat with a narrow win over O'Rourke last November . The Republican has dismissed climate change as a " pseudoscientific theory " and wrote an opinion article in 2017 urging Trump to rip up the landmark Paris climate agreement . O'Rourke , meanwhile , wrote a blog backing the Paris accord and during six years in Congress he successfully worked to secure federal protection for more than 7,000 acres of mountainous land on the outskirts of his native El Paso . The League of Conservation Voters ' National Environmental Scorecard gives Cruz a lifetime rating of 4 % based on his voting record in Congress ; O'Rourke 's score is 95 % . Still , O'Rourke 's history on environmental issues is more complex than that number might suggest – perhaps unsurprisingly for a politician who hails from west Texas . Texas has more installed wind power capacity than any other state and solar power is growing . But the state 's economy is heavily dependent on the fossil fuel industry , which also wields immense political clout . O'Rourke received $ 476,325 in campaign contributions from oil and gas sources in the 2017 - 18 election cycle , according to the Center for Responsive Politics – second nationally to Cruz , albeit not from Pacs and a small percentage of his total donations . This helped fuel accusations that O'Rourke is more of a fossil fuel ally than his lofty rhetoric might imply . The Sludge , an investigative website , reported last December that O'Rourke 's Senate campaign failed to comply with a pledge not to knowingly accept contributions of more than $ 200 from the oil and gas industry . O'Rourke has not yet signed up to the pledge for 2020 . " Already , five declared presidential candidates have officially signed the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge , meaning more than a third of declared Democratic candidates have done so , " said David Turnbull , strategic communications director of Oil Change US , a group that urges politicians to commit to clean energy . " We look forward to the sixth candidate signing the full No Fossil Fuel Money pledge , and we 're hopeful that Beto might be that candidate . " O'Rourke 's campaign did not respond to questions about whether he plans to sign the pledge or how his qualified support for natural gas is compatible with the Green New Deal . In 2015 , O'Rourke twice voted to repeal the nationwide ban on exporting crude oil internationally , arguing that lifting the prohibition would boost the economy and national security . " We have seen the result , which is an emergency of booming fossil fuel production here in the United States at precisely the time we need to be urgently moving away from those dirty fuels , " Turnbull said . " similarly problematic , Beto has pointed to fracked natural gas as a potential part of the solution to the climate crisis when the reality is that there is simply no room for new fossil fuel development of any sort , including fracked gas . Like with his support for the removal of the crude export ban , we hope that when Beto lays out his full climate policies it will reflect the fact that we ca n't afford any new fossil fuels of any sort , including gas . " Given Texas 's critical importance to the environmental and economic future of the country , a Texas presidential candidate can deliver a powerful green narrative , said Luke Metzger , executive director of Environment Texas , an advocacy group . " I think Texas has a real interesting story to tell in terms of our both being number one in the country for global warming pollution but also being number one for renewable energy , " he said . To be able to come from Texas and show we can reduce our pollution , we can invest in clean energy ... I think that 's a strong message . " " "
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theguardian
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Here 's the Outrageous Cost of Ocasio - Cortez 's " Green New Deal " Freshman Democrat Alexandria Ocasio - Cortez has some lofty goals for herself and for America , with the benefits definitely more geared to benefit her . Meanwhile , her plans for us are incredibly costly , and not just because she 's pushing a failed economic system for us to operate under . Ocasio - Cortez 's " Green New Deal , " as Fox News highlighted on Tuesday , is unprecedentedly expensive . The plan involves completely removing any and all uses of fossil fuels within America and moving to 100 percent renewable energy . The New York Democrat says the plan will take ten years . The cost of this ten - year plan ? $ 7 trillion . As I 've highlighted previously , the plan is beyond bad . Not only would it indebt us to Russia and China who hold the vast majority of the rare - earth materials needed to build the tidal wave of renewable energy devices we 'd need to keep up with the nation 's energy needs , but the wind farms , tidal generators , and solar farms have proven to be more deadly to the environment than oil spills . Hundreds of thousands of birds , many of them protected species , die at the hands of wind turbines yearly . Tidal generators beach whales with such frequency that if it were a Republican - backed project , environmental groups would be having conniption fits and endless marches . Still , Ocasio - Cortez believes that if this plan gets put into action it 'll solve every problem under the sun , including racism and bigotry . What 's more , the young democratic socialist proclaims that if we do n't do it then we 're all going to die in 12 years . When pie - in - the - sky thinking meets end - of - times conspiracy theories we get something like this . A scenario where we 're all going to die unless we do exactly the thing some brave Democrat has proposed . All we have to do is give up our common sense .
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Chew On This : Farmers Are Using Food Waste To Make Electricity Chew On This : Farmers Are Using Food Waste To Make Electricity . This story was produced as part of a collaboration with the PBS NewsHour . As the season of big holiday meals kicks off , it 's as good a time as any to reflect on just how much food goes to waste . If you piled up all the food that 's not eaten over the course of a year in the U.S. , it would be enough to fill a skyscraper in Chicago about 44 times , according to an estimate from the U.S. Department of Agriculture . And , when all this food rots in a landfill , it emits methane , a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change . In fact , a recent report from the United Nations from a panel of climate experts estimates that up to 10 percent of all human - made greenhouse gas emissions are linked to food waste . So , here 's one solution to the problem : Dairy farmers in Massachusetts are using food waste to create electricity . They feed waste into anaerobic digesters , built and operated by Vanguard Renewables , which capture the methane emissions and make renewable energy . The process begins by gathering wasted food from around the state , including from many Whole Foods locations . We visited the chain 's store in Shrewsbury , Mass. , which has installed a Grind2Energy system . It 's an industrial - strength grinder that gobbles up all the scraps of food the store ca n't sell , explains Karen Franczyk , who is the sustainability program manager for Whole Foods ' North Atlantic region . The machine will grind up all kinds of food waste — " everything from bones , we put whole fish in here , to vegetables to dry items like rice or grains , " Franczyk says as the grinder is loaded . It also takes frying fats and greases . While Whole Foods donates a lot of surplus food to food banks , there 's a lot waste left over . Much of it is generated from prepping prepared foods . Just as when you cook in your own kitchen , there are lots of bits that remain , such as onion or carrot peel , rinds , stalks or meat scraps . The grinder turns all these bits into a slurry . " It really becomes kind of a liquefied food waste , " Franczyk says . From here , the waste is loaded into a truck and sent to an anaerobic digester . " There 's no question it 's better than putting it in the trash , " Franczyk says . She says the chain is committed to diverting as much waste as possible and aims for zero waste . In addition to food donations , Whole Foods composts ; this waste - to - energy system is yet another way to meet its goal . " We really do like the system , " she says . We visited Bar - Way Farm , Inc. in Deerfield , Mass. Owner Peter Melnik , a fourth - generation dairy farmer , showed us how his anaerobic digester , which is installed next to his dairy barn , works . " We presently take in about a 100 tons [ of waste ] , which is about three tractor - trailer loads , every day , " Melnik says . In addition to all the food waste from Whole Foods , he gets whey from a Cabot Creamery in the area , as well as waste from a local brewery and a juice plant . In the digester , he combines all of this waste with manure from his cows . The mixture cooks at about 105 degrees Fahrenheit . As the methane is released , it rises to the top of a large red tank with a black bubble - shaped dome . " We capture the gas in that bubble . Then we suck it into a big motor , " Melnik explains . Unlike other engines that run on diesel or gasoline , this engine runs on methane . " This turns a big generator , which is creating one megawatt of electricity " continuously , Melnik says — enough to power more than just his farm . " We only use about 10 percent of what we make , and the rest is fed onto the [ electricity ] grid , " Melnik explains . It 's enough to power about 1,500 homes . He says times are tough for dairy farmers , so this gives him a new stream of revenue . Vanguard pays him rental fees for having the anaerobic digester on his farm . In addition , he 's able to use the liquids left over from the process as fertilizer on his fields . " The digester has been a home run for us , " Melnik says . " It 's made us more sustainable — environmentally [ and ] also economically . " Vanguard Renewables hopes to expand its operations in the state and elsewhere . " There 's more than enough food waste in Massachusetts to feed all of our five digesters , plus many more , " says CEO John Hanselman . Massachusetts has a state law that prohibits the disposal of commercial organic waste — including food — by businesses and institutions that generate at least one ton of this waste per week . This has created an incentive for food businesses to participate in the waste - to - energy initiative . Hanselman points to Europe , where there are thousands of digesters in operation . His hope is that the concept will spread here . " The food waste recycling through anaerobic digestion could be done in every part of the country , " Hanselman says . The company is currently building an anaerobic digester on a farm in Vermont . The gas produced there will be piped to Middlebury College , which will help the college reduce its carbon footprint .
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Europe 's growing ' climate civil disobedience ' movement ... Thousands of European activists plan to blockade a large German lignite mine this week , the latest protest of a growing " climate civil disobedience " movement . While school students have held " Fridays for Future " rallies for months , protesters of the " Extinction Rebellion " group launched in Britain have risked arrest with more confrontational protests . From next Thursday to Monday , Europe 's veteran " Ende Gelaende " ( EG ) anti - coal activists will hold their sixth large - scale blockade of an open - pit coal mine and power plants run by German energy giant RWE . The group 's online " action consensus " says : " In view of the urgency of the climate crisis , we consider it necessary and appropriate to go one step further : from public protest to civil disobedience . " Here is a look at this growing form of environmental activism . Tadzio Mueller , a German organiser of the movement , argues that " massively breaking the rules ... is the only thing that works to prevent the status quo in the face of climate chaos " . Azna Lecuyer of the French branch of Ende Gelaende agrees that " we feel a passion for actions of civil disobedience , especially among young people . " This is reflected in demand for training courses everywhere and by the very rapid rise in skills of new activists . " Lecuyer stresses that " non - violence is part of our action consensus : it is forbidden to harm the security forces , site employees or to damage the equipment " . During past protests at the nearby Hambacher Forest , police and RWE company staff have accused the most militant protesters of having hurled rocks or molotov cocktails . The Ende Gelaende movement has distanced itself from those environmental militants and any acts of violence . The EG activists — dressed in trademark white overalls symbolising the toxicity of fossil fuels — plan to march from their protest camp to the Garzweiler mine about 10 kilometres ( six miles ) away . They hope to evade police roadblocks and enter the vast open - pit mining area to occupy strategic locations and " technical infrastructure such as rails , access roads and excavators " . Meanwhile they plan to organise in so - called affinity groups of up to 10 people of similar physical fitness — and a willingness to be arrested for trespassing and other offences . Before the protest , activists attend training workshops to learn non - violent resistance techniques such as locking their arms and legs in formation with names such as " the little train " or " the turtle " . What risks do protesters take ? Occupying an industrial site is illegal under German law , and volunteer legal advisers are on hand to support activists before and after they are arrested . They advise them to say as little as possible while in custody . Other risks lurk at the Garzweiler site . A vast moonscape - like terrain where the surface can be unstable after rain or drought , it is criss - crossed by high - power cables and dug up by building - sized excavators . When breaking up protesters ' blockades , German police have in the past employed high - powered water jets and pepper spray . Lecuyer says that some activists experience a form of " trauma ... due to the high emotions from stress and excitement and the physical effort , because you have to walk for miles in groups to the target , pass police roadblocks , sometimes under water cannon or pepper spray , and then hold the blockade " .
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drudgereport
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Humans delayed onset of Sahara desert by 500 years ? The study by a team of geographers and archaeologists from UCL and King 's College London , published in Nature Communications , suggests that early pastoralists in North Africa combined detailed knowledge of the environment with newly domesticated species to deal with the long - term drying trend . It is thought that early pastoralists in North Africa developed intricate ways to efficiently manage sparse vegetation and relatively dry and low fertility soils . Dr. Chris Brierley ( UCL Geography ) , lead author , said : " The possibility that humans could have had a stabilising influence on the environment has significant implications . We contest the common narrative that past human - environment interactions must always be one of over - exploitation and degradation . " The fact that societies practising ' pastoralism ' persisted in this region for so long and invested both economically and ideologically in the local landscape , does not support the scenario of over - exploitation . Our study shows that increasing human population and sustainable pastoralism did not accelerate — and may even have delayed — the decline of the ' Green Sahara ' . " Around 8,000 years ago , the Sahara was n't desert , but instead was a vibrant ecosystem that supported hunter - gatherers and fisherfolk . The ' Green Sahara ' - the colloquial term for the African Humid Period – was the period in which North Africa became much wetter than it is today thanks to a series of monsoons . As the Earth 's orbit slowly changed , the rain started to reduce , and the vegetation started to die back . Around 5,500 years ago , the ecosystem in the Sahara went into a terminal decline towards the desert we have today . Pastoralism ( nomadic or semi - nomadic cattle - herders ) blossomed in the Sahara from around 1000 years before that collapse . Previous studies have put the blame for the collapse of the ' Green Sahara ' onto these nomads who have often been marginalised in history , but this latest studies dispels that myth . The study uses a novel climate - vegetation model to determine whether the end of the African Humid Period occurred earlier than expected . The model keeps track of variables such as vegetation and rainfall , and other processes such as the amount of energy coming from the sun , and the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere . The model found that the ' Green Sahara ' should have collapsed earlier than it did . This suggests that pastoralists lasted longer than expected and the techniques they used helped them to adapt to the environmental changes . Dr. Brierley added : " Those places where pastoralists last longer are where there are more resources . It 's a good adaptation to the climate change taking place at the time . There is now work today looking at what we can learn from nomadic pastoralists , such as selective grazing strategies , which can be applied to sustainable adaption to desertification that we expect from future climate change . " Dr. Katie Manning ( King 's College London ) , concluded : " Despite the largely inhospitable conditions of the Sahara today , it is not hard to find evidence of human occupation from the last 11,000 years . Thousands of rock art sites illustrate a lush environment , large - game hunting and livestock herding . The spread of domestic animals across the Sahara occurred at a time of increasing climatic instability , and yet , these pastoralist populations thrived . " It is likely that strategies used by contemporary traditional herders , such as seasonal movement and selective grazing , were also used by these early pastoralists , helping to maintain an otherwise deteriorating ecosystem . " Explore further : Did humans create the Sahara Desert ?
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White House Abruptly Orders EPA To Loosen Clean Air Rules In Polluter Giveaway The executive order ― titled " Promoting Domestic Manufacturing and Job Creation ― Policies and Procedures Relating to Implementation of Air Quality Standards " ― reverses an Obama - era decision . The 2015 decision allowed the EPA to intervene in states that fail to meet National Ambient Air Quality Standards , forcing them to adopt federal regulatory plans to reduce ozone emissions that generally come from power plants , refineries and cement factories . It opens the door to drastic changes in how science is used to set clean air rules , disqualifying huge amounts of peer - reviewed public health research in favor of industry - backed studies in a move that builds on steps EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has already taken . The order requires the EPA to speed up reviews of state plans to reduce air pollution , setting a strict 18 - month deadline , and complete reviews of all pre - construction permits for industry within a year . Construction permitting is primarily a state - level issue ; the language in the order , critics say , appears to be a dog whistle to polluters , suggesting the EPA would pull back on any oversight . " The purpose is that if states make determinations that are somewhat less than the rigor of what might be expected , EPA wo n't second guess it , " Stan Meiburg , a former acting deputy EPA administrator who spent 39 years at the agency , told HuffPost by phone . " It 's a go - ahead for industry that if they take their best shot at states , the EPA wo n't be getting in the way . " The order instructs the EPA to consider what countries that do n't border the United States are doing to reduce pollution , allowing the agency to compare U.S. regulations to those in developing nations like China and India . It also directs Pruitt to allow states to trade pollution permits , a move environmentalists warn could make offsets nearly impossible to track and police . In what could be the most controversial part , the order requires the EPA 's science advisers to consider the downside of cleaner air rules , something for which industry groups have clamored for years . They argue the policies could raise electricity costs and make things like air conditioning more expensive . That directive is likely to prompt watchdog groups to sue . The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in 2001 , in a decision written by late Justice Antonin Scalia , that the EPA can not consider the costs of implementation when setting air quality standards . It marks the latest assault on clean air rules , putting poor people and communities of color particularly at risk . People living below the poverty line were exposed to 1.35 times more particulate matter than those living above it , according to a landmark EPA study released in February . People of color breathe in 1.2 times more particulate matter pollution , and black people , in particular , are on average exposed to 1.54 times more particulate matter pollution than the general pollution . The National Association of the Advancement of Colored People released a report in February that found black people are exposed to air that is 38 percent more polluted than white people on average , and they are 75 percent more likely to live in communities abutting industrial sites . " People who are most affected by air pollution are the most vulnerable and these policy changes would mean even less protection for those people , " Janet McCabe , who served as the assistant administrator for the EPA 's Office of Air and Radiation until 2017 , told HuffPost by phone . " It could mean yet more pollution in their neighborhoods . " The new order could put the administration at loggerheads with California regulators again . But the quiet rollout of the memorandum avoided swift criticisms . The California Air Resources Board told HuffPost the agency had not yet reviewed the ordered by Thursday afternoon . " This is yet another example of this administration selling out our future to industry polluters – it 's nothing more than a naked attempt to attack science , gut our clean air protections , and put polluter profits ahead of our health , " Sara Jordan , a legislative representative at the nonpartisan League of Conservation Voters , said in a statement .
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Marco Rubio lies about climate science while Florida drowns After Florida was hit by the devastating Hurricane Michael this week , Sen. Marco Rubio ( R - FL ) made it clear he would rather lie about climate change , which makes these storms worse , than commit to doing anything to stop it . On Sunday morning 's edition of CNN 's " State of the Union , " host Jake Tapper pressed Rubio about the recent United Nations report on climate change , which predicts global catastrophe if carbon emissions are not cut dramatically in the next 12 years . " So you believe [ climate change ] is , at least in part , man - made ? " Tapper asked . Rubio said that while scientists agree that human behavior is " contributing " to climate change , " I ca n't tell you what percentage of that is due to human activity . " He also claimed that " many scientists " would " debate the percentage of what is attributable to man , versus normal fluctuations . " No matter what we do with laws — let 's say we went to all solar panels and did all that stuff , which is not realistic — this trend [ of sea - level rise ] would still continue , " Rubio said . Instead of clean energy or reducing emissions , Rubio said he is focused on " strategies to mitigate those factors that are going be in place no matter what happens with our energy policy . " But , he added , " I 'm also not going to destroy our economy . " Almost every word out of Rubio 's mouth was either a lie or a shameful dodge . There is overwhelming scientific consensus , including from the United States government , that human activity is the main driver of climate change . There is no " debate " among scientists about this . Human society is overwhelmingly responsible for our warming planet . That 's why it makes no sense to quibble , as Rubio does , about exactly what " percentage " of climate change is caused by humans . No matter what , the answer is " most or all of it . " And contrary to Rubio 's assertions , the United Nations ' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) report says that drastic reductions in carbon emissions could , in fact , prevent the most catastrophic effects of climate change . The report says that in order to avoid irreversible global warming , " Global net human - caused emissions of carbon dioxide ( CO2 ) would need to fall by about 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030 , reaching ' net zero ' around 2050 . " Reducing our carbon emissions will also reduce the effects of climate change . It 's as simple as that . But Rubio apparently wants to throw up his hands and claim that since rising seas will drown Florida no matter what , all we can really do is strengthen levies or lift up roads and buildings . Rubio also seems to think that reducing carbon emissions would do more to " destroy our economy " than , say , allowing 1 million Florida homes to flood by the end of this century . Unfortunately , Republicans like Rubio have joined Trump in ignoring science , and doing everything they can to keep pumping as much carbon into the atmosphere as they can get away with . Americans deserve leaders who will do everything they can to prevent the catastrophic effects of climate change , instead of waffling and lying about it like Rubio . Published with permission of The American Independent .
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Kids Around The World Are Using Climate Change As An Excuse To Skip School Young students across the world plan to skip class on Friday , claiming that they will devote the day to protesting man - made climate change . Students from more than 70 countries will skip class on Friday , March 15 to demand that their governments take more action on addressing climate change , according to # FridaysForFuture , a youth - led movement that is behind the strike . Tens of thousands of students will reportedly take part in the event . " We will no longer accept this injustice . We demand justice for all past , current and future victims of the climate crisis , and so we are rising up , " read an open letter that the activists published on the Guardian , claiming they would be protesting on " every continent " on Friday . " Thousands of us have taken to the streets in the past weeks all around the world . Now we will make our voices heard . " 350 . org , an international environmental group , is helping bolster the strike with its own promotional video . Activists are hoping to closely mirror the youth - led March For Our Lives protests in Washington , D.C. , which took place nearly a year ago following the fatal Parkland , Florida school shooting , and spark more debate among lawmakers about the dangers of climate change . Activists in the U.S. are making similar demands that are found in Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio - Cortez 's Green New Deal : a swift transition to 100 percent renewable energy , a complete abolition of fossil fuels and other environmental mandates . The group strongly references the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 's 2018 report , which claims the world only has a few year to dramatically reduce carbon emissions or else face dire environmental consequences . " We have the right to live our dreams and hopes , " the letter continues . " Climate change is already happening . People did die , are dying and will die because of it , but we can and will stop this madness . " The protesters in Washington , D.C. , will enjoy the presence of one well - known adult figure : Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar . The freshman Democrat , who has made national headlines recently for a slew of anti - Semitic remarks , says she will attend the strike along with her 16 - year old daughter , Isra Hirsi , an organizer of the protest . Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience . For licensing opportunities of our original content , please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation . org .
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US ambassador to Canada tries to " both sides " climate science During an interview with CBC , the new US ambassador to Canada , Kelly Craft , claimed she believes " both sides " of climate science . Asked , " Do you believe in climate change ? " Craft responded , " I believe there are scientists on both sides that are accurate . " Do you believe there is science that proves that man is not causing climate change ? " the interviewer followed up . " Well , I think that both sides have , you know , their own results from their studies , and I appreciate and respect both sides of the science , " Craft said . Though several members of the Trump administration , including President Trump himself , continue to cast doubt on humans ' role in the changing climate without providing any evidence , it 's simply not a matter on which scientists disagree at all . The latest National Climate Assessment , written by more than 300 scientists at 13 US federal agencies including the Department of Defense and NASA , for instance , opens with the statement : " Earth 's climate is now changing faster than at any point in the history of modern civilization , primarily as a result of human activities . " The report goes on to detail the toll climate change has already taken on health , quality of life , and the economy of the US and how those impacts will mount if emissions are not dramatically reduced in the coming years . " With continued growth in emissions at historic rates , annual losses in some economic sectors are projected to reach hundreds of billions of dollars by the end of the century — more than the current gross domestic product ( GDP ) of many U.S. states , " according to the assessment . The Trump administration released the report ahead of schedule on the Friday after Thanksgiving — a move many interpreted as an attempt to bury the findings . The facts of climate science and the urgency of the climate threat to the US are a nuisance to an administration that has consistently prioritized the demands of the fossil fuel industry to roll back federal policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions . And Trump has appointed a number of officials like Craft whose allegiance to industry is clear . In 2016 , Craft reportedly donated $ 265,400 toward Trump 's election and $ 17,000 to the Republican National Committee . Craft 's husband , Joseph Craft , is a billionaire coal magnate . A Global News report from 2017 provides some details about him : While the Crafts have a personal financial stake in pushing climate denialism , other prominent Republicans have tried to tamp down on the conclusions of the Climate Assessment by citing concerns about the impact curbing greenhouse gas emissions would have on " industry and jobs . " But as Vox 's David Roberts has detailed , " [ t]here is no consistent evidence that environmental regulations cause long - term changes in overall employment . "
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Trump 's New Pollution Rules Will Kill Off His Own Supporters President Donald Trump picked West Virginia to announce his plan to reduce pollution controls on coal - fired power plants , which is no surprise . West Virginia loves coal , and coal miners love Trump , but what both of them may not love is the fact that a reduction in pollution controls is going to greatly increase the number of people who die prematurely from pollution created by burning coal . It will also greatly increase the number of people who get sick with serious illnesses such as heart and lung problems . When he made his announcement somehow Trump left out those details of the life - threatening side - effects of using coal to create electrical energy . Even though they will be getting sick and dying at higher rates , it is not expected that Trump 's actions will reduce his popularity among West Virginians . An analysis done by his own Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) concludes that the rollback of Obama - era pollution controls will lead to many more people dying and suffering health problems that they otherwise would not have . Clean - air controls since the 1980 's stopped the columns of black soot that used to rise from coal smokestacks in the region . The clean air rules reduced the number of people dying from coal - fired power plants substantially . Technology has changed , and now pollutants rise from smokestacks as gases before solidifying into invisible particles small enough to pass through lungs and into bloodstreams . An EPA analysis says those pollutants would increase under Trump 's plan , when compared to what would happen under the Obama rules . This will result in many thousands of more heart attacks , asthma problems and other illnesses than would have happened without Trump 's new rules . The EPA says up to 1,500 more people will die each year under Trump 's plan . And the areas that will be hit the hardest are in Trump country — the coal mining regions of West Virginia . There could be dozens of new deaths and hundreds of new serious illnesses each year because of Trump 's plan . Obama 's Clean Power Plan targeted climate - changing carbon dioxide and would have curbed harmful emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants from the coal - fired power plants . It would have increased federal regulation of emissions from the nation 's electrical grid and broadly promoted natural gas , solar power and other cleaner energy . Trump 's Affordable Clean Energy program will dismantle President Barack Obama 's 2015 Clean Power Plan which has not yet been implemented due to court battles . Trump 's plan will give up much of the federal oversight of existing coal - fired power plants . Not only that , but the government will no longer promote cleaner energy . Individual states will decide how much to regulate coal power plants in their own states . At his public announcement Trump said " I 'm getting rid of some of these ridiculous rules and regulations , which are killing our companies ... and our jobs . " There was no mention of the increases in harmful emissions that would result , compared to the Obama plan , or the health risks . In West Virginia , coal is popular , and politicians who support coal get elected . Vivian Stockman of the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition was protesting outside Trump 's rally . " Our state is beholden to coal . Our politicians are beholden to coal . Meanwhile , our people are being poisoned , " she said .
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California fires : death toll rises to 79 as winds threaten efforts to control blaze Strong winds on Sunday were expected to hamper progress for crews battling California wildfires which have now claimed at least 79 lives . Gusts of up to 50 mph were threatening efforts to control the Camp blaze , which is still only 55 % contained 10 days after it brought devastation to northern California . The fire which destroyed nearly 10,000 homes and has spread across 233sq miles is already the deadliest American wildfire in a century . And there are fears that the eventual death toll will rise much higher , with almost 1,300 people still unaccounted for . However , it seems likely that number of missing persons may be an over - estimate amid confusion over the way the list has been compiled . Butte county sheriff Kory Honea has stressed that the roster has been built up from missing person reports from calls , reports and emails since the fire began on 8 November . He has described it as " raw data " and said " there is the likely possibility that the list contains duplicate names " and some evacuees who have not reported themselves safe . California 's outgoing Democratic governor Jerry Brown visited the scene of devastation at the town of Paradise with Donald Trump on Saturday . He told CBS 's Face the Nation that Trump has " got our back " and has committed emergency support . Trump initially blamed state officials for poor forest management in making the fires in northern and southern California worse and even threatened to cut off federal funding . At the scene on Saturday , Trump recounted a conversation he had in Paris on 11 November with Finland 's president Sauli Niinisto , who talked about monitoring forest resources with a good surveillance system . Trump said wildfires were n't a problem in Finland because the Finns " spend a lot of time on raking " leaves and " cleaning and doing things " . But Sauli Niinistö , president of Finland , told one of the country 's leading newspapers , Ilta - Sanomat , on Sunday that he never discussed raking with Trump . " mentioned [ to ] him that Finland is a land covered by forests and we also have a good monitoring system and network , " Niinistö said , but had no recollection of mentioning raking of leaves or forest undergrowth , which the president appears to have seized on as a key point in wildfire prevention , while dismissing the issue of global warming . Asked on Saturday whether he thought climate change had a role in the fires , he said " you have a lot of factors " . And asked if seeing the devastation changed his mind on climate change , Trump said : " No . No . I have a strong opinion . I want great climate . We 're going to have that . " Jerry Brown , in the interview aired on Sunday , said : " Changing climate and the increasing drought and the lower humidity and water vapor " were important factors . He said : " Managing the forest is part of it . They 're a lot denser than they were 200 years ago . But on top of that , we have this five year drought . We have reduced rainfall . We have the dryness that turns vegetation and bushes and houses and trees into – literally into timber . So it 's ready to explode . So there is an atmospheric element which is part of the natural cycle and then there is an increasing effect of climate change . " But asked if he had made that case to Trump , he said : " I certainly raised it but I did n't feel that that was where we needed to go , " then added that science would be the guide for analysing the fires " and the president in no way negated that " .
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Clean water : the latest casualty in Trump 's attack on the environment | Ross Barkan The cruelty and the idiocy of Donald Trump 's presidency does not chiefly lie in his tweets or even his words . Trump the performer is ridiculous , but that 's the clown show that keeps many of us either terrified or entertained – the real harm is elsewhere , away from the blaring headlines . Trump has been most destructive in his willingness to carry out an unabashedly right wing policy agenda . Most Republicans competing for the nomination in 2016 embraced their party 's total capitulation to the fossil fuel industry , denying the existence of climate change and promising to shred Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) regulations . This is a central threat to America 's future : a major , powerful political party rejecting science itself . This week , the Trump administration said it would ) designed to protect millions of acres of wetlands and thousands of miles of streams from pesticide runoff and other pollutants . This proposal would not just undo Obama - era regulations but chip away at protections instituted under the late George HW Bush , perhaps the last major Republican to pay even lip service to the environment . The Obama era rule was designed to limit pollution in about 60 % of the nation 's bodies of water , protecting sources of drinking water for about a third of the United States . Federal authority was extended to limit pollution in large bodies of waters and smaller bodies that drain into them , like streams and wetlands . Rural landowners complained about the government regulating how much pollution from chemical fertilizers and pesticides could seep into water on their property . Real estate developers and owners of golf courses attacked the water regulations too , and cheered the news that Trump , a fan of both real estate development and golf , was delivering on a campaign promise . The protection of our water , they figure , should n't interfere with business . Not only will it soon be easier for pollution to seep into our waterways , if a developer finds a wetland is in the way of a money - making opportunity , the habitat can be paved over altogether . Wetlands adjacent to a major body of water will warrant federal protection . The rest are fair game . Environmentalists are rightfully horrified and fearful of what 's to come . It 's not just clean drinking water the Trump White House has disregarded . Proposals have circulated to weaken regulations on planet - warming emissions from power plants , oil rigs , and cars . Trump is trying to speed new drilling at the Arctic national wildlife refuge . As climate change accelerates and the planet hurdles ever closer to an existential crisis , Trump went to a United Nations conference to ) of fossil fuels . The current administrator of the EPA , Andrew Wheeler , used to spend his time lobbying against environmental regulations on behalf of coal magnate Robert E Murray . He was chief counsel to Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma , a proud denier of climate change . Democrats hoping Trump is impeached , indicted or somehow toppled before 2020 should understand even such far fetched scenarios wo n't change the status quo . Trump has surrounded himself with people who care far more about the sanctity of fossil fuel profits than the safety of the American people . They worship at the altar of nihilistic capitalism . Mike Pence wo n't save you . For 2020 and beyond , climate justice will have to become the most animating issue for Democrats – not because it 's a " winning " argument , though it is , but because the future of the planet depends on it . This is why Alexandria Ocasio - Cortez ) Nancy Pelosi 's office to force support for a " Green New Deal " . We are left with no other alternatives . The job of the next president will be to undo the damage Trump has wrought . There will be much hand wringing about the shattering of democratic norms , but the real work will be in doing whatever we can , in the little time we have , to avert a true climate catastrophe .
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Environmental Hypocrites of the Left Why progressives refuse to live by their own Earth Day bluster George Monbiot recently expressed a carefully calibrated environmental message that allows people on the environmental left to feel self - righteous without making any real sacrifice . In a video that was shared widely , including by celebrities such as James Corden , the British writer argues that the only way to help the environment is to change the " big , structural , political economic stuff . " Monbiot concludes that we need to " go straight to the heart of capitalism and overthrow it . " At the same time , he dismisses " pathetic , micro - consumerist bollocks which just is n't going to get us anywhere . " This is absolution for those who want to feel green but ca n't be bothered with going to the effort and expense of actually living their own values . Publicly advocating the " do as I say , not as I do " approach reinforces the reality that conservatives tend to live out the environmental ethic that the Left only preaches . As a conservative who has worked in environmental policy for two decades , I have been frustrated watching as ideological fellow travelers avoid environmental topics , even as they privately express their commitment to environmental stewardship . As the Left becomes more detached from responsible and effective environmental solutions , conservatives should confidently fill the void . One reason conservatives do not engage is that environmentalism has become synonymous with horrible government policy . Every Earth Day , we are treated to theatrical images of marches featuring unhinged activists demanding action on a range of environmental issues . Clever hashtags are generated . Alarmist slogans are flaunted . Naked people glue themselves to park benches . And all who disagree with the demands for more government power are denigrated as " deniers . " The other 364 days of the year , however , people on the left do little in their daily lives to justify all that environmental browbeating . A study by researchers at the University of Michigan and Cornell University found that those who are " highly concerned " about climate change are " least likely to report individual - level actions " to reduce their environmental impact . Those who considered themselves " skeptical " of climate change " were most likely to report engaging in individual - level pro - environmental behaviors . " To be sure , not all conservatives are skeptical of climate change , but generally , we are n't nearly as alarmist about climate change or other environmental issues , even when we recognize the risk . That gap between the Left 's loud talk and their unwillingness to make personal sacrifices is not an accident . It is now part of their dogma . Individual actions are mere " bollocks , " useless gestures . Only the sacrifices made by others will make a difference . This dichotomy is evident in my home state of Washington , where politicians pride themselves on showing " leadership " in the effort to reduce carbon dioxide emissions . This year , our legislature enacted a law requiring the state to meet a 100 percent renewable - energy target by 2045 . Environmental activists tweeted their support , saying they " demand action now " and worrying about the climate crisis . Ironically , though , many who demand action do little of it themselves . For only a few dollars a month , anyone who supports renewable energy can already buy renewable - energy credits ( RECs ) , ensuring that there is enough renewable energy on the grid to cover their personal use . I asked one politician pushing for the 100 percent – renewable requirement if she buys RECs to cover her environmental impact . She admitted that she does not and has no plans to do so . This is consistent with the message of Monbiot and political leaders pushing the Green New Deal . Personal sacrifice is of little consequence , so why even try ? Even as they call for an end to air travel , politicians who demand we impose lifestyle change have not curtailed their own carbon - producing travel , despite living in the era of HD video conferencing . The most effective environmental efforts are often small , personal actions in which people have skin in the game . Farmers find ways to conserve water because waste costs money . Aluminum cans are lighter today because it saves resources and they cost less to ship . Homeowners and businesses conserve energy because they pay the price for every kilowatt - hour . When they do n't save , they change course , unlike politicians who fear public embarrassment and throw good money after bad . This is n't just a theory . The amount of energy per unit of GDP in the United States has fallen steadily for several decades . There are no sharp drops . Instead , the improvement is gradual and constant , as individuals and businesses find ways to squeeze a bit more out of their energy use . Politicians can lecture all they want , but these are truly the front lines of environmental stewardship . As Earth Day 2019 came and went , the pattern of environmentalists demanding action that they themselves wo n't take predictably repeated itself . The pattern of conservatives ' avoiding talk of environmental stewardship even as they live it every day , however , is a pattern we should break . Effective environmental policy does n't start with politicians and publicity stunts . Conservatives understand this . We should make it clear that personal environmental stewardship is not only more effective , it is a more moral way to live .
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Greta Thunberg FAILS her ' zero emissions ' promise after climate summit moves to Spain Greta Thunberg tried really hard to keep her " zero emissions " promise , but it has collapsed like all hypocritical left - wing plans because it was just too difficult . From the Hill : Greta Thunberg 's plan for carbon - free travel was contradicted when her sailboat captain flew across the Atlantic Ocean to pick her up . Thunberg , 16 , has been on a tour of North America to raise awareness for climate change . As part of her pledge to cut back carbon dioxide emissions to save the planet , Thunberg vowed not to travel by air to limit her carbon footprint while she tours . The plan for " zero emissions " travel was subverted when Thunberg 's yacht captain , Nikki Henderson , 26 , flew to the United States from England , burning roughly two or three tons of carbon CO2 in the process . Thunberg and her father , who has traveled North America throughout his daughter 's activist tour , could have flown aboard the same flight and burned just as much CO2 . Ironically , she failed because of left - wing communist protesters in Chile : Henderson was forced to make the flight last second because protests in Chile caused the U.N. 's Cop25 climate summit to be moved to Madrid , Spain . Thunberg was set to speak at the conference but needed to leave the U.S. sooner than expected . I mean , you really think the entire world is going to come to a screeching halt for carbon emissions when you ca n't even organize a publicity stunt with your own standards ? No wonder celebs opt to be complete and utter hypocrites instead of actually trying to get carbon neutral . And we all kinda see what is happening here – if they ca n't do it now , then why would we believe that they would be carbon free after they force all of us to live in backwards slums ?
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Judge Rules Dakota Access Pipeline To Continue Operating Amid Impact Study BISMARCK , N.D. ( AP ) — A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Dakota Access oil pipeline can continue operating while a study is completed to assess its environmental impact on an American Indian tribe . U.S. District Judge James Boasberg 's decision will come as a blow to the Standing Rock Sioux , who have argued that an oil spill from the pipeline under Lake Oahe — from which the tribe draws its water — could have a detrimental effect on the tribal community . " Today 's decision is a disappointing continuation of a historic pattern : Other people get all the profits , and the tribes get all the risk and harm , " said Jan Hasselman , an Earthjustice attorney representing the tribe in an ongoing federal lawsuit through which Standing Rock and three other tribes still hope to shut down the pipeline . Boasberg found that it is likely the Army Corps of Engineers will be able to justify previous decisions made while permitting the pipeline . " The Corps must simply connect the dots , " he said . " This , then , is not a case in which the agency must redo its analysis from the ground up . " Boasberg also acknowledged that shutting down the pipeline would disrupt the energy industry , but said it was n't a major factor in his decision . The $ 3.8 billion pipeline built by Texas - based Energy Transfer Partners has been operating since June 1 , moving oil from North Dakota through South Dakota and Iowa to a distribution point in Illinois . From there it can be shipped to the Gulf Coast and potentially lucrative markets abroad . It has the capacity to move half of the oil produced daily in North Dakota , the nation 's second - leading producer behind Texas . Energy industry officials applauded Boasberg 's ruling , with North Dakota Petroleum Council President Ron Ness calling the pipeline " a critical part of American energy infrastructure . " The Justice Department declined comment on behalf of the Corps . President Donald Trump had pushed for the pipeline 's completion , and the Corps dropped a plan to conduct more environmental study after he took office . Boasberg ruled on June 14 that the Corps largely complied with environmental law , but he ordered the agency to reconsider certain areas of its analysis , and took arguments on whether to shut down the 1,200 - mile ( 1,930 - kilometer ) pipeline while the work is done . Boasberg in June said the Corps did n't adequately consider how an oil spill under the Lake Oahe reservoir on the Missouri River in the Dakotas might affect the Standing Rock Sioux . The tribe is among four that have challenged the pipeline in court over environmental fears that ETP says are unfounded . The judge said the Corps also did n't adequately study how the pipeline might disproportionately affect the tribal community — a concept known as environmental justice . That aims to ensure development projects are n't built in areas where minority populations might not have the resources to defend their rights . In its analysis of the Missouri River crossing , the Corps studied the mostly white demographics in a half - mile ( 0.8 - kilometer ) radius , which the agency maintains is standard . But if the agency had gone an additional 88 yards ( 80 meters ) — about the length of a football field — the study would have included the Standing Rock Reservation . Boasberg in his ruling Wednesday said that issue was " a closer call " than the others , but that it still did not justify shutting down the pipeline . He noted that the tribe 's water intake has been moved about 50 miles ( 80 kilometers ) downstream since pipeline construction began , and said an alternative river crossing near Bismarck that had been studied and rejected would pass much closer to a drinking water intake that serve tens of thousands more people . " Risks presented to this tenfold increase in population must , of course , be considered , " the judge said . Corps attorneys said the agency expects to be able by next spring to substantiate its earlier determination that the pipeline poses no significant environmental threats . ETP maintained that a shutdown would cost it $ 90 million monthly and significantly disrupt the broader energy industry as well as state and local tax revenue . The North Dakota Pipeline Authority this week said that the Dakota Access pipeline boosted the state 's tax revenues by about $ 19 million in its first three months of operation . Tribal attorneys argued that ETP had overstated the potential effects of a shutdown , and Boasberg acknowledged " some cause for skepticism " regarding ETP 's predictions . Tribal attorneys also said a shutdown would create incentive for the Corps to take the review seriously . The tribes had proposed a fallback plan if Boasberg decided against a shutdown . It includes increased public reporting of pipeline issues such as repairs , and implementation of a spill response plan — including equipment staging — at Lake Oahe . Boasberg said he will hear arguments on the matter . He scheduled a status conference for Oct. 18 .
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Talking Points Memo
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Trump Axes Climate Plan As The World Burns Wildfires are raging through California 's wine country . Flooded homes in Houston , Texas , are still rotting . Puerto Ricans are languishing in darkness , collecting drinking water from streams . And South Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands were still picking through the rubble , as yet another hurricane made landfall over the mouth of the Mississippi River . Scientists say the frequency and severity of natural disasters like these are linked to climbing global temperatures . But the Trump administration on Tuesday announced plans to repeal the United States ' only major policy to combat climate change . The Clean Power Plan ― a set of Obama - era regulations aimed at slashing emissions from coal - fired power plants and boosting renewable energy production ― had yet to go into effect , after being temporarily blocked by the Supreme Court since February 2016 . On Tuesday afternoon , Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt ― who sued to halt the plan last year when he was Oklahoma 's attorney general ― released a proposal to eliminate the policy without any replacement , leaving the country without a national strategy to adapt to global warming . Rain soaked the state last winter , stacking its mountains with colossal snowdrifts and quenching soil left parched after more than half a decade of historic drought . But record - breaking heat baked the West in July and August , drying its woodlands and leaving it vulnerable to the sort of blaze now engulfing the wine - producing region neighboring San Francisco . " These people have either no sense or a very sophisticated sense of irony to be doing this at this time , " he added , referring to the Trump administration . Following an exceptionally hot summer , 172 fires ― 78 of which qualified as " large " incidents according to the National Interagency Fire Center ― burned more than 8 million acres in western Montana and the Pacific Northwest . That 's almost double the 10 - year average of 5.5 million acres . Elsewhere , a spate of fierce hurricanes inundated parts of the South and Caribbean . Warmer oceans tend to exacerbate storms and shift their directions . After Hurricane Harvey dumped 30 inches of rain on Houston in August , scientists warned that the Category 4 storm served as a teachable example of the type of weather event their models predict will become more common as the planet continues to warm . The next few weeks proved Mother Nature to be a cruel instructor . Hurricane Irma rampaged through the Caribbean before slamming into Florida as a Category 5 beast , knocking out power for millions and ultimately killing 69 people . Less than two weeks later , Hurricane Maria pummeled Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands , crippling the U.S. territories ' power grids and leaving whole areas uninhabitable . In Puerto Rico , which has a larger population than 21 U.S. states , the death toll continues to climb , hitting 39 this week as the island 's aging utility struggles to rebuild electrical transmission wires . But the proposal to scrap the policy without any kind of replacement to curb greenhouse gases underscores the extent to which the Trump administration 's refusal to acknowledge basic climate science is leaving the country vulnerable to global warming effects that are no longer theoretical . " It is crazy to think about having an EPA administrator who has nothing to offer in replacement of an admittedly not - so - good regulatory solution , " former Rep. Bob Inglis ( R - S.C. ) , now the executive director of the conservative environmental advocacy group RepublicEn , told HuffPost by phone on Tuesday . " To get rid of the Clean Power Plan without any idea of what to do that could be better is malfeasance on the part of the EPA administrator . "
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The Huffington Post
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CNN is giving 2020 Democrats 7 hours to talk about climate change CNN will host a seven - hour marathon of interviews with 10 presidential candidates about climate change on Wednesday beginning at 5 pm Eastern as part of its climate crisis town hall . A live stream of the town hall will air on CNN . com . You can also stream it via CNN apps on iOS , Android , Apple TV , Roku , Amazon Fire , Chromecast , and Android TV . The forum will also be broadcast on SiriusXM Channels 116 , 454 , 795 , and the Westwood One Radio Network . Here is the format : The audience will be composed of selected Democrats , independents , and stakeholders . No public tickets will be issued . That a major television network would devote so much time to a single issue is a sign of how important climate change has become for Democrats and how successful activists have been in elevating the issue . Climate change has rocketed up the list of concerns for primary voters , with some polls showing climate change as the number one issue and other indicating that strong majorities want robust climate action from the White House . Activists groups like the Sunrise Movement have refused to let the Democratic National Committee ignore the issue , holding sit - ins outside their headquarters to demand a climate debate . The DNC responded that it will not hold a climate change debate for 2020 presidential contenders , nor will it allow candidates to attend a third - party debate . But CNN and MSNBC have found a loophole in the rules that still permits candidates to attend televised forums and town halls . CNN did not respond to requests for comment . MSNBC 's climate forum is scheduled for September 19 and 20 . In the past few months , candidates have been steadily releasing their own visions for how to limit warming this century . Washington Gov. Jay Inslee , who made climate change the centerpiece of his presidential campaign and put out the most comprehensive policy agenda , is now out of the race , giving other candidates some room to distinguish themselves on the issue . Several candidates , including Booker , Buttigieg , and Harris , are issuing new climate plans this week . For the most part , the Democratic presidential contenders agree that climate change demands a serious policy response and that the US needs to become carbon neutral by roughly the middle of the century . And indeed many have voiced support for the Green New Deal and most have pledged to refuse donations from the fossil fuel industry . The main differences among the candidates lie in how much political capital they intend to expend on fighting climate change and what they would do with executive authority . The town hall will give them an opportunity to present their plans in greater detail , and with more nuance . In the prior two rounds of presidential debates spanning more than eight hours , climate change received just 35 minutes of airtime . Much of the discussion was shallow and uninformative , partly a consequence of having to split attention across 20 candidates . A forum format with one - on - one discussions with the candidates could better get at these distinctions , forcing candidates to make the affirmative case for their own policies rather than sniping at those from other candidates . On the other hand , a candidate in the hot seat wo n't receive any direct challenges from their opponents . It would behoove the networks to focus their discussion on getting at these subtle differences among the candidates , like what executive orders they would sign , how high climate change ranks as a priority , and what measures would a candidate pursue to ensure a just transition to clean energy . ( Vox 's David Roberts and I have come up with some questions that could serve as starting points.)CNN 's climate change forum has immense potential to illuminate real differences among the candidates and inform the public about the often - weedy details of climate policy . However , it remains to be seen if there is an audience with a seven - hour attention span for a single issue . And there 's always the risk that it could devolve into rote recitals of platitudes . Here 's to hoping we learn something new .
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Trump brags about ' crystal clean ' air — but his own EPA admits it 's gotten dirtier Trump regularly brags about making America 's air cleaner , but evidence from his own Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) shows the opposite is happening : The air we breathe is getting dirtier . New EPA data shows that since 2016 , a decades - long trend of improving air quality has started to backslide . In both 2017 and 2018 , the number of unhealthy air days in metropolitan areas increased 15 % compared to the last four years of President Obama 's administration , the Associated Press reported Tuesday . That 's the exact opposite of what Trump regularly claims . During his embarrassing trip to Ireland in early June , Trump said , " We have the cleanest air in the world , in the United States , and it 's gotten better since I 'm president . " At his big rally Tuesday in Orlando , Trump made a similar false claim : " We have among the cleanest and sharpest — crystal clean , you 've heard me say it , I want it crystal clean — air and water anywhere on Earth . " Air pollution leads to the premature death of 100,000 Americans every year , the AP reports , and Trump 's own EPA shows not only worse air pollution , but a significant increase in the two worst categories : " very unhealthy " and " hazardous " conditions . During the Trump administration , U.S. cities saw air pollution in one of these two categories nearly 140 times , which is almost three times as often as the average from 2013 to 2016 . In fact , the AP notes that the four years from 2013 and 2016 , Obama 's second term in office , were a " clean air heyday " for America that boasted the fewest unhealthy air days since 1980 . That heyday appears to be over for now . To make matters worse , on Wednesday the EPA finalized what will be its " biggest climate policy rollback , " according to the Washington Post . The new rule will allow coal plants to spew more pollution into the air than a previous rule put in place by President Obama . The new rule " is really a dereliction of duty — moral , ethical , but also legal , " Andres Restrepo , a lawyer with the Sierra Club 's Environmental Law Program , told the Post . Scientists are unclear as to the exact reasons air pollution has gotten worse under Trump , but they say it 's very clear that his policies will make the situation worse . " There is zero reason to expect any other outcome " than worsening air quality if Trump continues to roll back regulations , Neil Donahue , an engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University , told the AP . While Trump has been in office , the air has gotten dirtier . His lies do n't make it cleaner , and his policies are on track to make it worse . Published with permission of The American Independent .
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Trump EPA appointees want more air pollution — that 's a very bad idea Climate change garners most of the headlines , but the Trump administration is pushing a much larger and broader pro - pollution agenda whose latest manifestation is a push at the EPA to overturn a long - established scientific consensus that fine particulate pollution ( colloquially " soot " ) kills people . This is critically important for two main reasons . One is that for decades the EPA has been regulating various sources of particulate emissions and the science around how harmful they are plays a role in driving how strict those regulations become . The other is that particulate emissions play a key role in the bureaucratic politics of climate change . Because carbon dioxide emissions are global and the consequences of climate change are also global , it is generally hard to demonstrate that cutting a given source of greenhouse gas emissions will have large benefits to Americans . But most regulations that reduce carbon emissions also reduce much more localized soot — and taking into account the fact that soot has a marked tendency to kill people who live nearby the emissions sources is important to making the cost - benefit analysis math work . Tony Cox , an industry consultant Trump tapped to lead the EPA 's Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee , argues that the EPA 's agency 's current standards for evaluating this question does not feature enough causal rigor . He wants to abandon the current " weight of the evidence " standards that allows for a wide range of evidence to be considered , with credibility weighted according to the quality of study design , in favor of a very narrow class of studies that employ " manipulative causation " methods . But as Francesca Dominici , a biostatistician at Harvard 's T.H. Chan School of Public Health , writes with researcher Gretchen Goldman in a new Science essay on the subject , this loads the dice against demonstrating harms , because " randomized control trials are not possible ( or ethical ) when studying environmental hazards . " In other words , you ca n't get a group of volunteers together and then randomly assign half of them to have the air they breathe be deliberately poisoned just to see how bad the poison is . You have to rely on ways of exploiting random variation through methods like observational data , time series , and quasi - experiments . It 's true , of course , that you do n't want to do a completely naive associational study and then leap to big policy conclusions from it . But public health researchers are aware of the limits of the data available and use matching , statistical controls , and other standard techniques to try to get a clearer picture of what 's going on . Barring all that evidence would , as Dominic writes , " place a nearly unattainable burden of proof on the scientific community " and totally undermine the EPA 's legal mandate to protect vulnerable people . Both the public health research and the EPA debate are largely focused on the question of soot 's ability to kill people ( through , e.g. , asthma ) , but there 's a big emerging set of empirical economics studies suggesting that fine particulates have a wider range of adverse cognitive impacts and are significantly underrated . In other words , the consequences of rolling back the war on soot could be substantially worse than the mortality impacts alone imply . Economists , like public health researchers , are limited by their inability to deliberately poison people in order to study the impact of the poisoning . Consequently , NONE of the studies I 've read on particulate pollution and cognitive impairment quite reaches " gold standard " levels of scientific evidence . But there are , instead , lots of quasi - experiments and statistical matching studies , and they all find that air pollution is worse than we thought . In addition to killing small numbers of people , air pollution harms large numbers of people in small but meaningful ways : This is an emerging field of study , and it would obviously benefit from some further inquiry . That said , it appears to be the case that fine particulate pollution induces cognitive impairments in school children , white collar workers , blue collar workers , and the elderly — in other words , all people at all stages of life . Each of these impacts independently suggests that we are currently allowing too much air pollution , and they also cry out for more research that attempts to assess the long - term cumulative impact of pollutants that appear to induce cognitive problems throughout the life cycle . The question of exactly how much we are under - regulating particulates seems somewhat open to me , but the sign of the error is very clear .
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