tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84419740952068863182024-02-20T18:23:03.426-08:00CLIMATE CHANGE NEWSChad Tolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198303455148896174noreply@blogger.comBlogger106125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441974095206886318.post-63796337571308829532018-08-09T14:50:00.001-07:002018-08-09T14:50:45.901-07:00CC NEWS FOR JULY 2018Chad Tolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198303455148896174noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441974095206886318.post-61435600606532707232018-06-22T13:24:00.000-07:002018-06-22T13:24:13.445-07:00CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS FOR JUNE 2018<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">On May 17 Damian Carrington published an article the <b><i>The Guardian</i></b> titled, </span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/17/climate-change-on-track-to-cause-major-insect-wipeout-scientists-warn">Climate change on track to cause major insect wipeout, scientists warn</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">He wrote, </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Global warming is on track to cause a major wipeout of insects, compounding already severe losses, according to a new analysis.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(136, 1, 5); color: #021eaa; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/insects">Insects</a></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> are vital to most ecosystems and a widespread collapse would cause extremely far-reaching disruption to life on Earth, the scientists warn. Their research shows that, even with all the carbon cuts already pledged by nations so far, climate change would make almost half of insect habitat unsuitable by the end of the century, with pollinators like bees particularly affected.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">However, if climate change could be limited to a temperature rise of 1.5C - the very ambitious goal included in the global Paris agreement - the losses of insects are far lower.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The new research is the most comprehensive to date, analysing the impact of different levels of climate change on the ranges of 115,000 species. It found plants are also heavily affected but that mammals and birds, which can more easily migrate as climate changes, suffered less.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“We showed insects are the most sensitive group,” said Prof Rachel Warren, at the University of East Anglia, who led the new work. “They are important because ecosystems cannot function without insects. They play an absolutely critical role in the food chain.””</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">On May 23 Alan Bjerga posted an article on Bloomberg titled, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-23/bee-death-increase-may-be-tied-to-climate-change-survey-says"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Honeybees May Be Dying in LargerNumbers Due to Climate Change.</span></a> He wrote, <br />
</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Beekeepers in the U.S. reported an increase in honeybee deaths over the last year, possibly the result of erratic weather patterns brought on by a changing climate, according to the scientist leading an annual survey on the insects.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">U.S. beekeepers said 40 percent of their hives, also called colonies, died unexpectedly during the year that ended March 31, according to a survey released Wednesday by researchers from Auburn University and the University of Maryland. That’s up from 33 percent a year earlier.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Elevated bee-loss rates have been an agricultural concern for the past decade, since a mysterious malady called <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2009-05-07/agriculture-demand-outpacing-honeybee-increase-researchers-say"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Colony Collapse Disorder</span></a> coincided with a <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/view/quicktake/bee-blight"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">doubling</span></a> of honeybee death rates and spurred greater attention and research on commercial and wild bees. Higher death rates make pollination more expensive for beekeepers and farmers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">An autumn that began with hurricanes in southern states, followed by <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-23/new-york-march-temperature-running-colder-than-february-so-far"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">abnorma</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #3a88fe; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">l</span></a> temperature patterns and frequent <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-12/why-so-much-snow-sometimes-weather-is-like-a-broken-record"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0056d6; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">winter storms</span></a>, may have disrupted bee feeding patterns and increased their vulnerability to other maladies, said survey coordinator Geoffrey Williams, an assistant professor at Auburn in Alabama.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">"Changes in climate and weather affect food and forage for bees," he said. "It’s pretty obvious that if you have bees already on the edge and you have a radical, quick weather shift, they aren’t going to do as well."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Other factors that may contribute to bee deaths are air pollution, pesticides, and large rapid weather changes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A May 30 article by Sean Couglan in <b><i>BBC News</i></b> reports recent data showing that childres’s learning and performance on exams decreases at higher temperatures. The title of the article is <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-44288982"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(30, 30, 30); color: #0061ff;">Hotter years 'mean lower exam results'.</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">The author wrote, </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>In years with hotter weather pupils are likely to perform less well in exams, says a major study from researchers at Harvard and other US universities.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">There is a "significant" link between higher temperatures and lower school achievement, say economic researchers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">An analysis of test scores of 10 million US secondary school students over 13 years shows hot weather has a negative impact on results.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The study says a practical response could be to use more air conditioning.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“But this study, from academics at Harvard, the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and Georgia State University, claims to have produced the first clear evidence showing that when temperatures go up, school performance goes down.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Researchers have tracked how secondary school students performed in tests in different years, between 2001 and 2014, across the different climates and weather patterns within the US.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE: </b>This is yet another reason why low income children in poorly funded schools are disadvantaged compared to children from higher income families and schools.</span></div>
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The following items are from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), Carol Werner, Executive Director. Past issues of its newsletter are posted on its website under "publications"<br />
at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102515421764&e=001VqmyLSnT7fkl-_mocGBcn8yb2ys8eiE4dr3Tnveazy1K0B1fU1CponAdxiy_W78b49PK6NHsR0pHlqO7KOWi-3m5yW4bNEJiyJt1G95YoNt46CLY1L4uGjNKLSPL84kX2r7jAaxw1oVR18YElOXvV8_lo1bRsASi9tPNMTm7-ZU="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">http://www.eesi.org/publications/Newsletters/CCNews/ccnews.htm</span></a></span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">EESI’s newsletter is intended for all interested parties, particularly the policymaker community. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/f88cad21-60e7-4f84-b866-c442581a2eed" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Federal Agency Recommends Greater Action to Prepare Chemical Facilities for Extreme Weather</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Officials with the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board have issued findings and recommendations to the Arkema chemical company, government officials, and chemical industry members. Arkema's facility in Crosby, Texas was flooded by six feet of water during Hurricane Harvey. The flooding took out the backup generators and cooling system, resulting in multiple explosions that exposed the community to hazardous chemicals. The investigation found that the facility had been at risk prior to the hurricane, but that Arkema appeared to be "unware." The board, an independent federal agency responsible for investigating industrial chemical accidents, recommended that the nonprofit Center for Chemical Process Safety work with companies to develop guidance on determining the risks posed to chemical facilities by extreme weather events. Board chair Vanessa Allen Sutherland said, "Given that experts predict that extreme weather events are likely to increase in number and severity, the chemical industry must be prepared for the worst-case scenarios. We cannot stop the storms, but by working together we can mitigate the damage and avoid future catastrophic events."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see: </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WTUBOLz8KoyvQCfLkkg8ABvxOIrKtxfq1spxwgLYHcSuU2IqYHDsi9tpkKDcnDrPAXJYJ8IHK5twTFPBEi-dVOa75nvZP-eYtTg38to_v_Vbr30AZep4X8Ber0nZ64EaJQmTGF-A3PdnG4zKH0BsuyscCky56trlvgH3gfGvCmnzCenkIkvAuE_gOg04a3PjUhK3Utbcp5Pe6UaeED_V9WOt5n3GN3-FGzGU1C38gxrswWw_Ythho5KgdRSIVl6SVcVxEkSPI_EXRYHzUD1CMJGkz2hONF6Eveg1i9HEgC8=&c=w1y7rfr44oqknL6eXwsmrDzX2yrTM9NJnSh2DYa7nPve5QVm_8KV7A==&ch=KHg4qdfH2JmikkZkkOp-hNc2nTrxeBjfvND0ogkhMIazvAIyOGg1KA==">Houston Chronicle<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_1.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/e118b019-9736-4e67-af9d-25ae77a2f123" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>City of Norfolk Is Serving as a Laboratory for Climate Adaptation</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Officials in Norfolk, Virginia are trying out creative solutions to help the city adapt to the frequent flooding and creeping sea level rise plaguing the city. Norfolk houses the largest naval base in the country, but is also experiencing sea level rise at a rate twice the global average. The city hopes to combine climate adaptation with economic development in order to assist impoverished and vulnerable neighborhoods. That includes Tidewater Gardens, where regular flooding hampers the quality of life of its residents. Proposals to leave the Tidewater site as open space and move people elsewhere have raised concerns that some residents may not be able to afford the neighborhoods they would have to relocate to. Meanwhile, the city's decision to designate the zones most vulnerable to flooding as ineligible for flood protection has residents worried that property values in those areas could crater. Norfolk overhauled its zoning codes in January 2018, featuring incentives to direct new development away from the coast and flood-prone areas. Norfolk's planning director, George Homewood, said, "Let's focus on the areas that aren't at risk, and how we can develop and improve and densify those areas."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #021eaa; font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WTUBOLz8KoyvQCfLkkg8ABvxOIrKtxfq1spxwgLYHcSuU2IqYHDsi9tpkKDcnDrPM-RouLjQtBWuhaqBs-Wv91UhbBFlqP-JuRxp7JkqgUrNqHeEe1wHtYUNBn9p41qSwIwmilvzUFxn3Zp9eb2xeNgGUGgt0E9g-s8peIM3rNcBWjGHK90nLSJpXeLEajrg6NOiuzj9suL0TAgNIJ99WWFQxrLyPQzaQ9VlG3ejggdZe5gQNJxKblMtTgdH45qVpCbZeRXrGZ2-xaUZdWMjw2EreyQ1KpiXogMRb8AFSINowtOgc9W8zKUnHHnfa0Yx&c=w1y7rfr44oqknL6eXwsmrDzX2yrTM9NJnSh2DYa7nPve5QVm_8KV7A==&ch=KHg4qdfH2JmikkZkkOp-hNc2nTrxeBjfvND0ogkhMIazvAIyOGg1KA==">I<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">nsideClimate News</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_2.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/26c2f18b-a6db-4be6-8dbf-5e0816d888a6" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Houston Attempts a More Resilient Rebuild Following Hurricane Harvey</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Houston is attempting to rebuild following Hurricane Harvey without repeating the planning mistakes that contributed to the storm's destructiveness. Northwest Houston is rebuilding according to new, stricter standards that account for projections of additional extreme weather events in the coming decades. The 2018 hurricane season, scheduled to start June 1, is already expected to be worse than last year's. City officials are also requesting additional flexibility in how billions of dollars in federal emergency funds can be used to address frequently flooded neighborhoods. The nation's fourth-largest city has never had zoning regulations and only added flood-protection standards about 20 years ago, leading to some neighborhoods springing up in flood-prone areas. Part of the problem was a rush to provide housing for Houston's booming population, even if it meant building in flood plains. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner called Harvey "a wake-up call" and has worked to implement building regulations that consider the latest weather projections. Turner noted, "We have had three 500-year storms in the last three years."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>New Mexico's Farmers Fear Rio Grande May Dry Up in 2018</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Climate change is clouding the long-term outlook of the Rio Grande. Arid conditions and the second-lowest mountain snowpack on record are threatening to bring water shortages to regions that rely upon the river. Farmers in New Mexico may be without irrigation water by the end of July - three months earlier than normal. Some are counting on the seasonal monsoon rains to meet their needs, but the storms can be highly unpredictable. The Rio Grande itself has long been a "feast or famine" river, with alternating wet and dry years. However, warmer temperatures due to climate change could make that year-to-year recovery more difficult. David Gutzler, a climate scientist with the University of New Mexico, said, "The effect of long-term warming is to make it harder to count on snowmelt runoff in wet times. And it makes the dry times much harder than they used to be." The river's conservancy district was able to store water upstream during an exceptionally wet 2016-17 season, but farmers are wary that those types of reserves will be unavailable if 2019 is dry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WTUBOLz8KoyvQCfLkkg8ABvxOIrKtxfq1spxwgLYHcSuU2IqYHDsi9tpkKDcnDrPRRdWVCcJUZWQ2wuYuC5M0_Or6rP82JwG-DSgpPGW3pwUV7YssWRD7dqy7vjskNMmJ6iS5vWQ7esgErHJfBclOx8hLRvZWZF6wG_xpKON09A36XAOks6ZUANKd5CYb-Y8WpOg3mQUzCpgjx5NTVGKPGcSDAfQqwZRIRcmgHcfAC_OpC-6O7et4UR6HqZjUFN-6EzR-KTbD4oAc4SO3-LgDft314ESrdQ7DLNfZIERl-yEs5WXm52amgVPv5r4koJHkU1QmHELmrrXJwE21mr8mrGF8kaUc5mF3Y37qIlgWenv44rIQdmw7aDaXtoedq2RX-2EI-sV1-N4j-TkYg9eu8dDXKAmJ85OwLKZ9Jzh4W0Hh7qbbpkD-6cPiFq3XO6eowe6Yn3iomjuTZbXFjxiD6uqyoNr_MHIg1UgW0xCLPD2APBoFWutD5A7rBrh_SlBx1NGz-AxllZ7kRwbfqKX0Q==&c=w1y7rfr44oqknL6eXwsmrDzX2yrTM9NJnSh2DYa7nPve5QVm_8KV7A==&ch=KHg4qdfH2JmikkZkkOp-hNc2nTrxeBjfvND0ogkhMIazvAIyOGg1KA==">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_3.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/023c3d8c-1144-4d31-b0ad-60b13e970837" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Climate Change Disrupts Long-Term Plans for California's Farmers</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">America's avocado industry is already experiencing the effects of climate change. Avocados are particularly sensitive to temperature fluctuations, as the trees start to falter when temperatures drop below 28 degrees Fahrenheit or rise above 100 degrees. Cold weather can shorten the trees' pollination period, while water shortages, salt accumulation in the soil, and warm-weather loving pests can also lead to death. California farmer Chris Sayer says all of these hazards are "quite possible in the next few decades, as the climate shifts." During a February freeze, Sayer's trees shed their leaves, which then caused the exposed avocados to burn in the sun. A string of strange weather events has stressed California's crops, which produces two-thirds of the fruits and nuts in the United States. Jay Famiglietti, a senior water scientist at NASA, cautioned, "It's a virtual certainty that California will get drier. I don't think it's a climate that's conducive to orchard crops anymore." Farmers who grow tree-based crops have to deal with the fact that it can take years for those trees to mature and pay off, which makes long-term planning in the face of an uncertain climate all the more challenging.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see: </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WTUBOLz8KoyvQCfLkkg8ABvxOIrKtxfq1spxwgLYHcSuU2IqYHDsi9tpkKDcnDrPcMZsyOvmj0LxPO75x2GLeGKi_o9JxZ1mouy7Z3daXCQMFO-AYW_eSmx-_K5cQ-AXtgUK2jFjKcQcr82V01gumB0YCpRLOf27wcAbIeIj_zPSYNuyCrfcoxPboP83xolnDwauMQSbblvh3ahNmvfAPjuQ04QKTHAFmdui7Mw_va4I1De9nQbz4e4x-ahebC3w&c=w1y7rfr44oqknL6eXwsmrDzX2yrTM9NJnSh2DYa7nPve5QVm_8KV7A==&ch=KHg4qdfH2JmikkZkkOp-hNc2nTrxeBjfvND0ogkhMIazvAIyOGg1KA==">Grist<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_4.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/b899f62a-1ecd-4e35-bc76-d727fa5cd9f9" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study: Limiting Global Warming to 1.5 Degrees Celsius Could Save Tens of Trillions of Dollars</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A new study appearing in the journal <i>Nature</i> asserts that limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius could lead to $20 trillion in savings. The Paris Climate Agreement's goal is to cap warming at two degrees C over preindustrial levels within this century. However, prior research found that the national commitments under the agreement would still lead to an increase of three degrees by 2100. Efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve these goals will require substantial investments, but will also result in benefits; the researchers wanted to determine what the value of those investments might be. They used historical data to calculate the relationship between temperature fluctuation and gross domestic product (GDP), then estimated how projected temperature increases would affect a country's economy. The study found that if temperatures were contained within the 1.5 degree C target, it could save around three percent of global GDP ($30 trillion). Co-author Noah Diffenbaugh of Stanford University noted, "Low-latitude countries are highly likely to benefit from lower levels of warming because of the fact that they're highly likely to incur damages for higher levels of warming."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WTUBOLz8KoyvQCfLkkg8ABvxOIrKtxfq1spxwgLYHcSuU2IqYHDsi9tpkKDcnDrPSgFU11yzRtooaroh0B5pvcW7QVKLq3pBVr8HmzjALKEiuADVchKWXwX4RtXK2ByxdHLhm0qCERMkXpfxzIPmyvuqGvDF4eOSkDzVms8IR2-Kx1V2EaQYNv5NtDo9J6hchWkQhtFFanJANrfcDircLuhbdqzDDGIX1V2QSebt3ppgaFqceeF0BUTI5fLkP7TTFuid45_jfpA=&c=w1y7rfr44oqknL6eXwsmrDzX2yrTM9NJnSh2DYa7nPve5QVm_8KV7A==&ch=KHg4qdfH2JmikkZkkOp-hNc2nTrxeBjfvND0ogkhMIazvAIyOGg1KA==">Los Angeles Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_5.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/fa1629e3-bf0f-4567-8831-59ebe798fe27" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study: Increased Levels of Carbon Dioxide Could Diminish Nutritional Value of Rice Crops </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Scientists have discovered that higher concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide could significantly lessen the nutritional value of rice. The study, appearing in the journal <i>Science Advances</i>, grew several varieties of rice in experimental plots. Some of the plots were enclosed and had their CO2 levels raised to a concentration of 580 parts per million, reflecting the projected atmospheric conditions after 2050 if no action is taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or deforestation. The rice plots otherwise received the same levels of sunlight, water, and other factors. The rice grown in higher CO2 concentrations saw severe declines in protein, zinc, iron, and B vitamins per grain. B9 vitamins are especially important to fetus development and a deficiency can result in birth defects. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, rice, corn, and wheat provide 60 percent of the global population's food supply. Professor Kristie Ebi of the University of Washington said, "When you look at a country like Bangladesh, three out of every four calories comes from rice. Obviously, that means any decline in nutritional value is very significant."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WTUBOLz8KoyvQCfLkkg8ABvxOIrKtxfq1spxwgLYHcSuU2IqYHDsi9tpkKDcnDrPRNfV-AgyOYF-NUo-Y9Bt4bYVCxO93BQ1MoS3DVwZbrO-f9BB3c0jIeFYdI3cXH2fDDspeZSMJDeNmmljnygnU6kMwFHB6Pmw8fL5NGUjejyOYlxjcfsVil1G1U01QPneeupvWUc4jFGzXEhMAR1c9SzId1xicYXQneETdVNKWRfteOragOCiw_T_V3y1Mjw-sQWamviF-4WVrqB26TGPcZC6gbs0jZXBuvabJQ9OnLz8sJJ_onYB4Q==&c=w1y7rfr44oqknL6eXwsmrDzX2yrTM9NJnSh2DYa7nPve5QVm_8KV7A==&ch=KHg4qdfH2JmikkZkkOp-hNc2nTrxeBjfvND0ogkhMIazvAIyOGg1KA==">NPR<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_6.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/4f7b0db2-9fc7-46e5-9358-313a1a99539d" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Trump Administration Rescinds Tailpipe Emission Monitoring Requirement</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On May 30, the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) announced in the <i>Federal Register</i> that it would be repealing an oversight rule regarding vehicle tailpipe emissions. The rule required around 400 state transportation departments and municipal planning organizations to track the annual amount of carbon dioxide emitted by vehicles traveling on the country's national highway system. The effort would have also captured traffic congestion data and had an initial report scheduled for completion by October 2018. The repeal will officially take effect at the end of June 2018. The rule also ordered states to set two or four-year emission reduction plans, but the provision did not establish any binding targets. The transportation sector was responsible for more than a third of all U.S. carbon emissions in 2016. A coalition of states, including California, Massachusetts, Washington, and Iowa, had previously sued in 2017 to require the Trump administration to continue enforcing the rule, contingent on a formal review of the rescission proposal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001uFdD_XrH589Gb1Nam3Fqox7e-9j1d2aRT8EF-M8YshSAMseHvW515e8kSaR_t4Q4h--6dNM7e6Vn_DQD2ELc12tZdUx2Fq5rFfJJ-H3Ucrap0tHmiNCNZ3u8yDr-8H_iQsQRQtngFa9HJze8KqyJ9LdQTWi3jMsLFcAfA-LTMbNaTpSkxmAW7Wjqr-5oTv72WB95JJNyIBYHeaI8NP3G8m4-t52_fcH61_83A35B2FTZjwB5xmXnyyMx66MxR05FgDf18XK3THRAV4RudzMNxjJph4SVecXsDJWOZpEGcbAe0pCtDb1vLKrTIakV0v8s&c=_O-OKZQYkvZf0oZtGF1kZM2bJA5E8n1anlhqbpFNvYKNS8BmSfJIWA==&ch=gUq74sCTILVbEV7ofWI1dKjBL2yxJEAntFv3Ab6GZxfupOb_RiZQIg==">Reuters</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_7.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/1887d985-d7a3-4b70-bd51-b11e576bcbc1" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Trump Administration Files Repeal of National Vehicle Emission Standards, Setting Up Clash with California</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On May 31, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a proposal to repeal a rule requiring automakers to nearly double the average fuel economy of its passenger vehicle fleet to more than 50 miles per gallon by 2025. The auto industry had expressed opposition to the rule and had been discussing a potential rollback with Trump administration officials. An EPA spokesperson said the proposal had been sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, indicating a formal rule could soon appear in the <i>Federal Register</i> for public comment. The move sets up a showdown between California and the federal government over the state's special exemption status. Under the Clean Air Act, California may set its own vehicle emission standards, which have been adopted by 12 other states. These 13 states account for one-third of the total U.S. auto market. Industry experts fear the administration's policy shift could create two divergent sets of fuel economy standards in the United States, which could create significant compliance burdens for the auto industry as a whole.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001uFdD_XrH589Gb1Nam3Fqox7e-9j1d2aRT8EF-M8YshSAMseHvW515UVRtgBJwePhI42N9n3-a4Ks50zEwpw1EDw42aQx2y9ZqcjgHY6z_VSJtKcuBGHRGDWu7arMuMvGgx6VbBXHwxsPBmtdqo9HOItHFjaN3jZt0tBVH005eU4kkZkExJbECmePU97V85lOZqZ4g6PT0aRMbYfhy3oQMId4vPl7U50DIrbuZouu_U1R4ZjeC1wCXN74bhhBprFA&c=_O-OKZQYkvZf0oZtGF1kZM2bJA5E8n1anlhqbpFNvYKNS8BmSfJIWA==&ch=gUq74sCTILVbEV7ofWI1dKjBL2yxJEAntFv3Ab6GZxfupOb_RiZQIg==">New York Times</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_8.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/51fdd4a3-5e29-4e28-802b-09997fee5674" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Climate Change Makes Life Harder for Stakeholders in Senegal's Fishing Economy</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The fish sellers of Senegal are struggling to keep up with the impacts of climate change. Warmer water temperatures and rising sea levels have caused commercial fish populations to either migrate farther north or decline altogether. In addition to climate change, growing competition and territorial disputes with neighboring Mauritania and fleets of foreign industrial fishing ships operating illegally in the area have placed enormous pressure on Senegal's fishing economy. In the coastal city of Saint-Louis, women largely occupy the job of processors, who purchase and prep fish for salting. The salted fish has a long shelf life and serves as a crucial nutritional supplement for people of modest means. However, the decline in fish stocks has led to an increase in price, threatening the livelihood of the processors and those who buy their products. Seventy percent of the fish processed in Saint-Louis goes to landlocked communities. Khady Sané Diouf of the Collaborative for a Sustainable Fisheries Future said, "Women are very vulnerable because of climate change, and also because of bad living conditions, which all makes them have less revenue than they did before."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001uFdD_XrH589Gb1Nam3Fqox7e-9j1d2aRT8EF-M8YshSAMseHvW515e8kSaR_t4Q4ndB0aQl1y-r5C0dRWoTpu_e7TrS2oF3FzWcfJa3KgKT3Znjw6KBU494HuRD0TTx0naidqtUZOALSVAcXhFByRa0sk20YpE9sSPa01wMTLfa1Z4TiMQ8ADdUkik0ZAKwKdyZOtObf_FLOnGhVeQLRuktxpszSlxyFBxwt0oA9654=&c=_O-OKZQYkvZf0oZtGF1kZM2bJA5E8n1anlhqbpFNvYKNS8BmSfJIWA==&ch=gUq74sCTILVbEV7ofWI1dKjBL2yxJEAntFv3Ab6GZxfupOb_RiZQIg==">Pacific Standard</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Canadian Government Invests in Controversial Oil Pipeline</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is drawing steady criticism from environmental organizations and indigenous communities for his administration's support of the oil sands industry. The administration announced it will be purchasing an oil pipeline from Kinder Morgan for CA$4.5 billion and moving forward with expansion plans, despite oil sands being one of the most carbon-intensive sources of petroleum in the world. The project is viewed as a central piece of Canada's petroleum industry and is expected to lower the cost of oil extraction. However, Trudeau defended the project by saying it would also be part of the government's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Trudeau said, "In order to be able to protect our environment, we do need to be able to have a strong and growing economy. That's why our plan to fight climate change features both a national price on pollution [and] getting our oil resources to new markets through responsible pipelines." The pipeline is part of an effort by the Canadian government to secure support from the oil-rich province of Alberta for a national carbon pricing proposal.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #021eaa; font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001uFdD_XrH589Gb1Nam3Fqox7e-9j1d2aRT8EF-M8YshSAMseHvW515e8kSaR_t4Q469njr-shpxTuyXg_OvUahysons8xQM32JB8z25WIQsQrJEouJ23nK0Gr-AENoGC6qv_0qGsBRtUcnew2EHDdb08ZBNOL5hqbCs-tELJfjurf1e_5OQqMS6cFCIXIRUmcQ41IFHWAbXd_qDj_n5RxBpHDnJCnUAKjMEC-ZI4DTCmuAe68p0wNpM46p-ZmecvJVUs0uvkF-104U8A8sYTWPePrYdS6xgkz_NMuPRP-00UdC6li6jfVmRU_h0n9yx16&c=_O-OKZQYkvZf0oZtGF1kZM2bJA5E8n1anlhqbpFNvYKNS8BmSfJIWA==&ch=gUq74sCTILVbEV7ofWI1dKjBL2yxJEAntFv3Ab6GZxfupOb_RiZQIg==">I<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">nsideClimate News</span></a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_9.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/781857b9-903c-4f93-be33-1c20e29eeea2" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study: Meat and Dairy Production Accounts for Vast Majority of Farmland Demand and Food-Related Climate Impacts</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">According to a new study appearing in the journal<i> Science</i>, demand for meat and dairy products has an outsized environmental impact relative to other types of food. The researchers found that without meat and dairy consumption, farmland could be reduced by 75 percent and still meet the global population's food needs. Although meat and dairy provide just 18 percent of humanity's calories and 37 percent of its protein, it uses 83 percent of all farmland and generates 60 percent of the agricultural sector's greenhouse gas emissions. The study discovered that even the "lowest impact" meat and dairy products still have a significantly outsized environmental impact when compared to the "least sustainable" vegetable and cereal-based products. The researchers also accounted for impacts on water and air pollution and freshwater usage. The study drew upon a dataset of nearly 40,000 farms in 119 countries, while covering 40 food products representing 90 percent of global consumption.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001uFdD_XrH589Gb1Nam3Fqox7e-9j1d2aRT8EF-M8YshSAMseHvW515e8kSaR_t4Q4lbXwMymJlHTs-_dmermSHkMG5o8L5Ien6Gd0nqmyMX5aM7Xq2thRqT_vjhrw4lKRBDnTauNZOCVh5P8Pdn1POMuosLKT_pHFbDxP_AvFFdUrxT0Eg67jC2zvQwyN_oZPC5DYqE6IdK_zm0BUXxISIkH_qL__-C88wfjlPV_Gw5Msi_8b_UTx5jr3JEpEvritkhZebMj8iAcr9iUUSXGHx8XH3v2gUJmkqYDs23JTOFrflOzDHfJ63HYgitj-2VXM&c=_O-OKZQYkvZf0oZtGF1kZM2bJA5E8n1anlhqbpFNvYKNS8BmSfJIWA==&ch=gUq74sCTILVbEV7ofWI1dKjBL2yxJEAntFv3Ab6GZxfupOb_RiZQIg==">Guardian</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>EPA Seeks Public Comment on Effort to Tear Down Current Cost-Benefit Methodology</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On June 7, EPA took an initial step toward altering the cost-benefit calculations it uses to formulate and justify its climate-related regulations. EPA officially opened up its proposal to public comment, signaling a potential series of moves on how the agency conducts one of its core duties. The proposal suggests that EPA may modify or end the practice of considering ancillary benefits that stem from the regulation of fossil fuel emissions. This could result in public health benefits no longer carrying the broad value they currently do. In a press release, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said, "Many have complained that the previous administration inflated the benefits and underestimated the costs of its regulations through questionable cost-benefit analysis." Pruitt's claim suggests that he intends to challenge the use of cost-benefit metrics for more than just climate rules. EPA stated that industry groups had previously requested these changes to the regulatory process.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #021eaa; font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07062018/pruitt-epa-cost-benefit-analysis-environment-regulation-health-climate-change-proposed-rulemaking">I<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">nsideClimate News</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> Before Trump, the EPA used to evaluate the value of new regulations by comparing their cost to the economy with the Social Cost of Carbon (SCC), the cost to society of health and property damage caused by each additional ton of CO2 emitted to the atmosphere. The SCC had been estimated to be around $40-$50 per ton. Trump and Pruett have greatly reduced the estimate in order to favor burning fossil fuels - with no scientific justification.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Trump Administration’s Coal Directive Could Reshape U.S. Energy Markets</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On June 1, President Trump released a directive ordering the Department of Energy (DOE) to prepare recommendations to keep at-risk coal and nuclear electricity generators from retiring. The directive utilizes DOE’s emergency and war-time powers under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act and the Defense Production Act (DPA). While supporters of the directive claim it provides an argument for the economic value of coal and nuclear, critics fear the action could upend today's competitive electricity market. Former FERC Chairman Jon Wellinghoff said, “Having a significant number of subsidized generating facilities will cause market prices to fall substantially and cause other plants to become uneconomic," leading other segments of the market into bankruptcy while raising the price of energy for customers. There will likely be multiple court challenges to the directive, seeking to characterize it as arbitrary and capricious. Industry experts have stated that the nation's energy system could be made more secure by investing in power grid upgrades and more distributed energy, rather than subsidizing older, centralized generators.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.utilitydive.com/news/how-trumps-soviet-style-coal-directive-would-upend-power-markets/524906/">Utility Dive<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #4d22b3; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Boston Pursues Climate Adaptation Steps; Critics Call for Greater Urgency</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">As Boston prepared to host the International Mayors Climate Summit on June 7, city officials declared they would be ready for the climate impacts expected to plague the city down the road. City Planning Deputy Richard McGuinness said, "We know the water is going to be coming in through South Boston, pretty much from every direction, by 2070." The 36 inches of sea level rise, relative to 2000 levels, projected for the city would affect 90,000 residents and 12,000 buildings, while potentially causing $14 billion in economic losses. Critics point to the continued development along Boston's low-lying areas as evidence the city is moving too slowly to adapt. Boston's "climate-ready checklist" provides guidance to developers on how to strategically plan for future adverse conditions, but companies are not required to implement such measures. City officials counter that they're investigating revisions to zoning codes and estimating the cost of major public works projects and neighborhood improvements designed to deal with flooding.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/bostons-booming-seaport-namesake-threat-55680948">ABC News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Maryland Farmers Seek Solutions to Salinization, Invasive Species, and Flooding</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Maryland contains some of the oldest farmland in America; however, the region is under threat from a rising Atlantic Ocean. For farmer Bob Fitzgerald, encroaching saltwater has killed 15 acres of his soybean crop, now replaced by invasive phragmite plants and degraded soil. Fellow farmer Kevin Anderson said the transformation has harmed his livelihood, stating, "There's 20 acres of farmland that I mortgaged and paid for 20 years ago that's not producing any income now." As the sea is pushed underneath the land and into the groundwater, a briny salt mixture is killing crops from below. Researchers from the University of Maryland have been studying the phenomena in an attempt to help farmers restore the health of their farmland. Wheat, barley, and switchgrass are being tested as potentially restorative and salt-tolerant crops. In the future, farmers may be compensated to set aside their land for conservation. Regardless of these efforts, there appears to be a general consensus that the farming of past centuries may have to be abandoned due to the rising seas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/06/02/616151979/flooding-and-rising-seas-threaten-americas-oldest-farmland">NPR<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study: Maintaining Fossil Fuel Investments Could Lead to Major Economic Losses in Future</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The decreasing demand for fossil fuels may result in a global economic decline, according to a recent study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. This predicted downturn, caused by a burst in the “carbon bubble,” could result in the global loss of one to four trillion dollars by 2035. A separate study found that if the Paris Climate Agreement goals are met, 20 percent of world electric generating capacity could become “stranded assets.” The United States, Canada, and Russia would likely suffer the largest economic losses under this predicted shift. Despite a recent trend among companies of divesting from carbon intensive industries, the fossil fuel energy sector still accounts for six percent of global stock markets. The authors note that the movement away from fossil fuels is likely a long-term trend, and a downturn may occur even if the implementation of emission reduction policies were to halt. The authors conclude that if action is taken soon, losses associated with the predicted economic decline could be reduced.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-44357243">BBC New<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">s</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Big-Name U.S. Corporations Leading Renewable Energy Boom</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Despite President Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement, dozens of U.S. companies have stayed committed to their renewable energy goals. Now big-name companies are investing billions of dollars in new wind and solar projects across the country, fueling significant growth in renewable electricity generation. Last year alone, 19 corporations announced deals with energy providers to build 2.78 gigawatts worth of renewable energy capacity. Long-term power purchase agreements between companies and energy providers have proven to be advantageous environmental and financial investments for large firms. However, these arrangements can often be too costly for smaller companies to consider. “Green tariffs” have emerged as a potential solution to this problem, where deals are made with local utilities to pay a fixed price for electricity from a solar or wind farm. The hope is that the momentum created by these companies can have a sizable influence in transforming America’s grid, despite an absence of federal oversight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/01/climate/companies-renewable-energy.html">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE</b>: Germany had a system like that described above, where people generating PV power and feeding it into the grid were paid a fixed price - above the current market price. People saw the installation of more PV power than they could use themselves as a good way to make money, and solar power grew rapidly in Germany as a result.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Market Forces Display Greater Influence on Decarbonization Efforts than Trump Administration</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A year after President Trump announced the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, the rate of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States has remained relatively unchanged. Emissions continue to slowly decrease, despite initial fears the withdrawal announcement would usher in a period of increased emission rates. In fact, one independent analysis (the Climate Action Tracker) has recently released an improved assessment of the country's trajectory for reducing GHG emissions – a result of the “continuing reduction of carbon in the electricity sector… driven mainly by market forces, rather than Trump policies.” The actual impact of the Trump administration on GHG emissions is unclear, due to this decreased demand for carbon-intensive services and a surge in cities and states implementing their own climate measures to fill a “policy vacuum” at the federal level. Yet, the United States is still not on track to meet its emission reduction targets outlined in the Paris Agreement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/06/01/trump-withdrew-from-the-paris-climate-plan-a-year-ago-heres-what-has-changed/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.5f21848ea9dc">Washington Post<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>With Stronger Storms on the Rise, Experts Call for New Category Six Designation</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has published its outlook for the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season, projecting above-average storm activity this year. Scientists point to climate change as the driver of increasing storm frequency and intensity, noting that the number of storms with winds stronger than 155 mph have tripled since 1980. In response to Hurricane Maria's devastation in Puerto Rico, experts are now calling for adding a Category Six to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale to capture storms with peak winds of 190 mph. Climate scientist Michael Mann of Penn State University said, "The current intensity scale doesn't capture the fact that a 10 mph increase in sustained wind speeds ups the damage potential by 20 percent. That's not a subtle effect. It's one that we can see." The new category could help save lives, in part by guiding efforts to implement disaster preparedness measures that can withstand such storms. Scientists argue that small investments in resilience are critical to preventing future fatalities and catastrophic losses.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #021eaa; font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/02062018/hurricane-season-2018-noaa-storm-forecast-global-warming-atlantic-ocean-temperature-new-category-6">I<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">nsideClimate News</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_10.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/640b61ca-65b3-459b-a330-f770a76a2479" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>IPCC: Global Temperatures to Surpass 1.5 Degree Celsius Threshold by 2040</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A draft report by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projects global warming will pass the 1.5 degree Celsius threshold around the year 2040. The report adds that governments may still be able to hold off the 1.5 degree C increase if they implement "rapid and far-reaching" transitions spanning the world economy. The final report is scheduled for publication in October 2018 following additional revisions and approval. The IPCC's reports serve as the primary scientific resource guiding international climate policy. The latest edition builds on an earlier draft from January 2018, drawing upon 25,000 comments from experts and a broad scientific literature review. The Paris Climate Agreement's declared goal was to limit global warming "well below" two degrees C, although temperatures have already risen by a full degree and are increasing by 0.2 degrees C per decade. The IPCC said, "Economic growth is projected to be lower at two degrees C warming than at 1.5 degrees for many developed and developing countries," due to extreme weather impacts on agriculture and an increase in public health threats, such as heatwaves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nknPMLZlDlMC0uzcYO-3hhXn_EGXU_70B3b6M9iiaC_aLgXNLSJt63RlR_bTsgTLhwYg2obcUPn9E9KX2wPeQGf8nvO_SgMMbqSGGBESg0Ddk59Wr6KAfrolaDYKN29H33YR33Hg5DJMx5x7pWkMnjYIfKbWKPm7KatFeicKUQUYy1NT5NpAByEbqtmJUt2CUSnNZaJQ1UCm_AmCKLwVTQ==&c=JUIAy5S70Na81USWeDX5oC4LY0_E_w0TwdFnxT2x-EiavdIw09a9eg==&ch=zZt6r_hNLqvg0zVijyhYMNFdK6uBKhsU804K0IuUqHQvNpBIVn4Q6Q==">Reuters</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>China Looks to Install Solar Panels on Highways to Overcome Land Scarcity</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A professor at Shanghai's Tongji University is behind an ongoing test of solar roads - roads with surfaces made of plastic and solar panels. For China, which has become a massive player in the world market for renewables, solar roads could help meet rising energy production demands while capitalizing on the open space roads already provide. Falling solar panel prices enable this type of deployment, and although the cost of installation remains higher than that of regular roads, the panels would recoup that cost within 15 years. The energy production of solar roads is less than that of regular solar panels, which can turn with the sun and are not obscured by vehicles passing over them. There are also concerns about how well the panels would hold up under the stress of frequent vehicular traffic, but experts see a high potential upside for this application. In addition to generating electricity, solar roads could potentially charge electric cars that ride over them and feature lights to provide signals to drivers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nknPMLZlDlMC0uzcYO-3hhXn_EGXU_70B3b6M9iiaC_aLgXNLSJt63RlR_bTsgTLhGP19DeqyG4tWeWz_DSYpwCPw0JkvAAcHxZZe4cdUxd1gPCL9nritRfGM0NH5er-TJXCVJP_XKlu7KjHvTOGHFKsgc5UXxE_BgHg7WG7I5D-o5f6ZnY6Bp5TKZifVR9zkJhw3SOareVoXF8jjYDXXAWbAC0yeQRfhnmUmWtTNJ2hiQexZ7qjH8oEITIQSykMpTD9CX5YraRlrwH_BO4A5fxWyRr6FaJK&c=JUIAy5S70Na81USWeDX5oC4LY0_E_w0TwdFnxT2x-EiavdIw09a9eg==&ch=zZt6r_hNLqvg0zVijyhYMNFdK6uBKhsU804K0IuUqHQvNpBIVn4Q6Q==">New York Times</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_11.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/cda5b3bd-0d1d-4ecf-aa6a-d09a64b94ce0" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Vulnerable, Impoverished Border Communities Lack Protection from Extreme Weather</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Along the United States-Mexican border, residents of "colonias," or shantytowns, are disproportionally affected by climate change, due to the increasing frequency and severity of storms. Colonias are generally located in low-lying areas within the Rio-Grande floodplain, and have little (if any) capacity for storm drainage. The housing in colonias is usually composed of trailers or self-made houses "consisting of little more than tin, cinderblock and cardboard" and is ill-prepared to handle extreme environmental conditions. There is little to no infrastructure, as tens of thousands of residents must cope with a lack of paved roads, street lights, and even clean water. There are approximately 2,300 colonias in Texas alone. While regional advocacy groups have worked with governments to address stormwater drainage, a Texas program designed to deliver services to colonias was eliminated in 2017. Martha Sanchez, an organizer with the advocacy group LUPE, said, "In the last four, five years we have seen an increase in the storms, and that increases the vulnerability of these people that don't have proper infrastructure. It has to do with climate change ... It's going to get worse.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nknPMLZlDlMC0uzcYO-3hhXn_EGXU_70B3b6M9iiaC_aLgXNLSJt63RlR_bTsgTL6Mh_B5m4lnjE_z31aFCWzaExGZ605mHVD_A8O6dBjxsE1cxXaNDFv6BWqsD5dsLNyit6MZ1FHmUZue06UesN4fmh9n_2SZAsA1VwWBeYl_JmOSk5fbSbqhyV-tBnZKo-nEsjDYWV79iQazfHqCeeng==&c=JUIAy5S70Na81USWeDX5oC4LY0_E_w0TwdFnxT2x-EiavdIw09a9eg==&ch=zZt6r_hNLqvg0zVijyhYMNFdK6uBKhsU804K0IuUqHQvNpBIVn4Q6Q==">Reuters</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_12.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/f7ddb497-e7d6-4d52-a252-61e9dede470a" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>As Extreme Rainfall Becomes Commonplace, American Infrastructure Struggles to Keep Up</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Recent storms, like the one in Ellicott City, Maryland, are profoundly damaging to communities. The increased danger of these storms stems from the increased rainfall that has been made more frequent and severe by climate change and a lack of environmental systems to help deal with the excess water. In Ellicott City, torrential rains triggered flash flooding, but the proliferation of impermeable surfaces, like roads and roofs, compounded by insufficient stormwater infrastructure made these events devastating. This potent pairing of increased rainfall and deficient infrastructure was also responsible for the damage wrought by Hurricane Harvey. Development without appropriate environmental mitigation puts communities and municipalities at risk, and the repercussions of falling behind with flood control have become evident in recent storms. Ellicott City Resident Ron Peters said, "Merchants and property owners are the ones who pay the price [of inaction]." With extreme rains becoming more frequent and intense, many towns will have to confront their increased vulnerability to extreme weather events.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nknPMLZlDlMC0uzcYO-3hhXn_EGXU_70B3b6M9iiaC_aLgXNLSJt63RlR_bTsgTLzYYCEwFS-ey-_DKAnYl4_rqpxYngLigbxjyup23421zbXRMfaONUq_pLF_UuNmZxshysa9XDtL8yk3kDMgHFI6axH5mO3PJbvE1T_nuxf9rsaY0vISa6JK04ZqQQ2fyaRgRITx-pBHNIhRvW8VN0uzoPfgYAfQKvNIduWuE08Q4c0nPtm0nhwzhjBwLhD21MvmN6gDH5T3BkoSrXSsUm8sTvL9iW-DBQ&c=JUIAy5S70Na81USWeDX5oC4LY0_E_w0TwdFnxT2x-EiavdIw09a9eg==&ch=zZt6r_hNLqvg0zVijyhYMNFdK6uBKhsU804K0IuUqHQvNpBIVn4Q6Q==">NPR</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_13.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/9c0bacf2-8d06-4d21-b83b-c21692139275" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Climate Change Could Lead to Major Crop Failures, Including American Corn Production</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On June 11, two studies were published in <i>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</i> that analyze the effects of climate change on the global production of food. The first study analyzed the effects of climate change on corn production, finding "significant differences in corn yield depending on how high global temperatures rise." Notably, the authors found that an increase of two degrees Celsius would reduce U.S. corn production by 18 percent, while a four degree increase would reduce production by nearly 50 percent. The second study analyzed how climate change may affect the global production of vegetables and legumes. The authors found that the impacts of climate change - specifically, an increase in ozone and salinity, and reduced water availability - would reduce vegetable production. These effects "would cut yields of vegetables by about 35 percent in the second half of this century." Both studies found that climate change will decrease crop yields, creating potential food shortages and affecting the nutritional intake of individuals around the globe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nknPMLZlDlMC0uzcYO-3hhXn_EGXU_70B3b6M9iiaC_aLgXNLSJt63RlR_bTsgTLthdhiOHON4Qtpk8GBylqxwKdWAKOA04NTN8m7DiSNqW5lSksNCrUpPqRn6WI2q_rSgZAB2BRd7q03bS5jcX6CUQYutpyBL0tRE367m2rc02YosYS6_9yylxm3GR9I0g-8iE2NFvVVLdfZewKa9zTojcKnGWawKFtL4NArvg5kSvd3wSuPyCPLkKsUItu10UlQoIfRMLpUTuK9w0tivcDfYVIHOtHN8zSigkAOpd-iNdQE3eltVfjYkE3WRIc95P5&c=JUIAy5S70Na81USWeDX5oC4LY0_E_w0TwdFnxT2x-EiavdIw09a9eg==&ch=zZt6r_hNLqvg0zVijyhYMNFdK6uBKhsU804K0IuUqHQvNpBIVn4Q6Q==">InsideClimate News</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_14.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/a8bebed9-7134-4c8a-b65c-e8e996578d6e" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study: Antarctic Ice Sheet Loss Has Tripled Over Past Decade</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A group of 80 scientists has published discouraging findings on the state of Antarctica's ice cover in the journal <i>Nature</i>. The findings revealed recent measurements of Antarctic ice loss from 24 studies, producing alarming statistics on glacier and ice sheet depletion. The most startling news: Antarctica lost 219 billion tons of ice annually from 2012 through 2017 - approximately triple the rate from a decade ago. While this equates to just 8 millimeters of sea-level rise, experts note that as Antarctica's ice sheet shrinks, gravitational pull on the ocean relaxes, letting water travel further from the poles and accumulate along city coastlines like New York and Boston instead. The sea level rise is largely attributed to two glaciers, Pine Island and Thwaites, along West Antarctica. Scientists say the degradation of Thwaites poses a potential emergency scenario because it is considered a gateway for warm ocean water to reach the center of West Antarctica. University of Waterloo glaciologist Christine Dow said, "If you start removing mass from [West Antarctica], you can have a very large-scale evacuation of ice into the ocean and significant sea-level rise."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nknPMLZlDlMC0uzcYO-3hhXn_EGXU_70B3b6M9iiaC_aLgXNLSJt63RlR_bTsgTLwUqc28pr4A26gvDJSzgE2r_TP8qNfoVppY9w1D-Z0ELHm0C2a9RC45KDPpEQti1ZyxbChihKxZFK3KoHYskhsp4tzMMsmqK17195ZA-L77vq96hbda0uCcI9KWIC1mvOnG8e9m8iZi7xyOIfwTOv9VD6_u5m1zLx_1pH4MKJ81qNKNpGfbgTNSB77xoqwt7rD1aklGAz1KR7ao3xITXI0uUVFk8TzOcGs0NP9KbEbD-TkA475fFy_5h6o2a3vw27PscwlVuKqzmWZg38wosBgvwHyz3F3s8hqszux2h5fGcvQJBYJFpIf_gfHPdqQ2jWqL781BgpCk8t4HTEsDKsUGtwUxAN4bGTbD89P3-sGEw=&c=JUIAy5S70Na81USWeDX5oC4LY0_E_w0TwdFnxT2x-EiavdIw09a9eg==&ch=zZt6r_hNLqvg0zVijyhYMNFdK6uBKhsU804K0IuUqHQvNpBIVn4Q6Q==">Washington Post</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> </span></div>
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Thanks,<br />
Chad A. Tolman</span></div>
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Chad Tolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198303455148896174noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441974095206886318.post-66650969115143623862018-05-22T08:51:00.001-07:002018-05-22T08:51:24.693-07:00CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS FOR MAY 2018<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>CC NEWS FOR MAY 2018</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Dec. 6, 2011 David Roberts posted a blog in <b><i>Grist</i></b> titled, <a href="https://grist.org/climate-change/2011-12-05-the-brutal-logic-of-climate-change/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(58, 136, 254); color: #3a88fe;">The brutal logic of climate change</span></a>.<b> </b>I<a href="http://theconversation.com/why-is-climate-changes-2-degrees-celsius-of-warming-limit-so-important-82058"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 86, 214); color: #0056d6;">t has been generally accepted that the global average temperature should rise no more than 2 degrees C</span></a> above pre-industrial levels if we are to avoid serious damage to the climate system. He writes that the additional amount of CO2 needed to reach that temperature change is about 1300 to 2200 gigatons (billion tons); the range is because of uncertainty in the temperature response to a given amount of added added CO2. The additional CO2 required to reach 2 degrees C is called the “climate budget” the total amount of cumulative CO2 that can be tolerated before crossing the red line. Total annual emissions, which are now about 40 Gt per year and are growing every year, need to reduced soon to have any chance of staying within budget. The longer we take to start reducing emissions, the less time we’ll have to reduce them to near zero. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">You may ask, What’s wrong with relaxing the carbon budget and setting the allowable temperature rise to 4 degrees C? <a href="http://www.mace.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/staff/academic/profile/?staffId=8"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 74, 97); color: #0061ff;">Kevin Anderson</span></a></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">, a professor of energy and climate change was, until recently, the director of Britain’s leading climate research institution, the <a href="http://www.tyndall.ac.uk/research/energy"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 74, 97); color: #0061ff;">Tyndall Energy Program</span></a>. Along with his colleague Alice Bows, he published a paper called “<a href="http://rsta.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/369/1934/20.full.pdf+html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 74, 97); color: #0061ff;">Beyond ‘dangerous’ climate change: emission scenarios for a new world</span></a>” [PDF]. Roberts wrote, </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">“ … if 2 degrees C is extremely dangerous, 4 degrees C is <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/environment/too-hot-to-handle-can-we-afford-a-4degree-rise-20110709-1h7hh.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 74, 97); color: #0061ff;">absolutely catastrophic</span></a>. In fact, according to the latest science, says Anderson, “<i>a 4 degrees C future is incompatible with an organized global community, is likely to be beyond ‘adaptation’, is devastating to the majority of ecosystems, and has a high probability of not being stable</i>.””</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Roberts goes on to write,</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“One of the most uncertain areas of climate science today has to do with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change_feedback"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 74, 97); color: #021eaa; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">f</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 74, 97); color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">eedbacks</span></a> — processes caused by climate change that in turn accelerate (or decelerate) climate change. For instance, heat can melt the <a href="http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1969767,00.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 74, 97); color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Arctic permafrost</span></a>, which releases methane, which accelerates climate change, which melts more permafrost, etc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Based on current scientific understanding, positive climate feedbacks — the ones that accelerate the process — considerably outweigh negative feedbacks. <b><i>At some level of temperature rise, some of those positive feedbacks are likely to become self-reinforcing and effectively unstoppable, no matter how much emissions are cut.</i></b> <b><i>(emphasis added).”</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> Something like the climate runaway that humans might inadvertently trigger by adding more CO2 to the atmosphere, was an event that happened about 55 million years ago, long before there were humans, that was possibly triggered by increasing concentrations of CO2 from volcanos, but was driven by methane emissions. It was called the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleocene%E2%80%93Eocene_Thermal_Maximum"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0056d6;">PETM</span></a>) and caused the global average temperature to increase 5-8 degrees C, along with a global oceanic extinction event.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In 2009 I wrote a paper for the League of Women Voters titled, <a href="https://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/5950/c/9217/images/Positive%20Feedbacks.pdf"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Positive Feedbacks and Climate Runaway - The Need to Act without Delay</span></a>, giving more background for the interested reader.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">On April 23 <b><i>Sierra</i></b> published an article by Jason Mark titled, <a href="http://livepage.apple.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255);">The Case for Climate Reparations - Who should pay the costs for climate-change-related disasters?</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">He wrote,”</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">In 2017, extraordinary wildfires, floods, and storms pummeled large sections of the United States and led to never-before-seen destruction. The complex of fires that torched California's Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino Counties in October caused more than $10 billion in damages, making them the most expensive wildfires in U.S. history. At least 44 people lost their lives during the firestorm. The surreal Christmas-season fires near Santa Barbara led to another $2.5 billion in destroyed property. In August and September, widespread flooding during Hurricane Harvey caused at least $125 billion in damages in the greater Houston area and contributed to 93 deaths. Hurricane Irma damaged $50 billion worth of property in Florida, while Hurricane Maria's September scouring of Puerto Rico caused another $90 billion in damages. At least 60 people in Puerto Rico died as a direct result of the storm; as many as 1,000 lives may have been lost due to the long-running electricity blackout on the island. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2017 was the most expensive year for natural disasters in U.S. history, costing a total of $306 billion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The mounting price tag of extreme weather events and the prospect of greater destruction to come have brought into</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">focus a question that has been lurking at the edges of climate change conversations: <b><i>Who should pay the costs of the death and destruction caused by human-driven global warming?” (emphasis added)</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><i>“</i></b>In the late 1980s, when climatologists were still trying to determine the magnitude of the risks from industrial greenhouse gas emissions, academics and policy specialists began calling attention to the fact that the alteration of the planet's atmosphere would lead to unequal harms, and that basic principles of fairness would require that those harms be compensated.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“"Climate change reparations" is the shorthand for this claim—reparations meaning, basically, "a rectification of past and ongoing harms." A plainer word would be justice. But justice is elusive, difficult to calculate, and often impossible to enforce. The notion of climate reparations, also referred to as "climate restitution," has proved radioactive within international climate change talks, as richer nations resist acknowledging the responsibilities they may hold.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“THESE ETHICAL DILEMMAS are beginning to disentangle as the impacts of climate change become immediate. Climate change is no longer a far-off threat to be suffered by future generations. It is happening here and now, the destruction in real time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Meanwhile, new research is tightening the chain of causality between fossil fuel consumption and extreme weather disasters. After Superstorm Sandy walloped New York City in 2012, many people were careful not to attribute the storm's strength to human actions. That uncertainty is evaporating under the glare of a hot new sky. Climatologists report that record-breaking heat and strong winds intensified the disastrous 2017 Northern California wildfires. A few weeks before, San Francisco had posted an unprecedented September high of 106°F. On the first night of the fires, the Diablo winds were clocked at a hurricane-force 79 miles per hour. The record rainfall during Hurricane Harvey (one Texas community measured 51 inches) was three times more likely to occur than it would have been during a storm a century earlier. In December, the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society issued a first-ever report linking extreme weather events to climate change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On January10, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio held a press conference to announce that the largest city in the United States was moving to divest its holdings in fossil fuel corporations and was filing a lawsuit against five Carbon Barons—ExxonMobil, BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, and Royal Dutch Shell—seeking to recover damages from Hurricane Sandy as well as the costs for sea level rise adaptation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">"<b><i>For decades, Big Oil ravaged the environment, and Big Oil copied Big Tobacco</i></b>," <b><i>(emphasis added)</i></b> the mayor said. "They used a classic cynical playbook. They denied and denied and denied that their product was lethal. Meanwhile, they spent a lot of time hooking society on that lethal product. . . . It's time for them to start paying for the damage they've done."” </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Most damning are the recent revelations that, for nearly 40 years, the leaders of these companies have been aware that their products were emitting dangerous greenhouse gases. A series of exposes published in 2015 by the Los Angeles Times and Inside Climate News showed that in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the oil companies' own in-house scientists had confirmed that CO2 from oil products was contributing to the greenhouse effect. As early as 1977, scientists at Exxon warned the company that the "use of fossil fuels . . . should not be encouraged" because of the risk they posed. In a 1980 presentation to members of the American Petroleum Institute (API), a scientist warned that a global temperature rise of 2.5°C would likely have "major economic consequences" and that further rises would likely produce "globally catastrophic effects." A year later, a director in Exxon's research unit warned that the CO2 emissions modeled in the company's 50-year planning documents "will later produce effects which will indeed be catastrophic (at least for a substantial fraction of the earth's population)." There's the smoking gun, in the form of an engineer's memo</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> While winning lawsuits against big oil, natural gas and coal companies will be very difficult<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> because of their wealth and political power - and the fact that they provide jobs - the idea of the justice of reparations may dawn on even the most ardent deniers of climate science, once the damage is clear enough for anyone to see.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On April 25 <i>Bloomburg</i> published an articlel by Christopher Lavelle titled, <a href="http://livepage.apple.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">FEMA Proposes Letting People Rebuild Homes After Taxpayer Buyouts</span></a>. He wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“The Federal Emergency Management Agency is proposing t<b><i>o allow owners of homes destroyed by storms and bought out by the government to rebuild on the same flood-prone land. (emphasis added)</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Currently, FEMA offers to buy homes that have been repeatedly damaged by flooding but then tears down the structure and turns the land into open space. The policy is intended to limit future disaster costs, by removing buildings in locations that make them particularly vulnerable to floods.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Under a change proposed in February, the agency would let homeowners sell their homes to the government but retain ownership of the property underneath it. Once FEMA tears down the home, the owners would be allowed to rebuild the house, so long as the new structure "meets community flood management building codes."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">"Why would you want to change the rules?" Larry Larson, senior policy adviser for the <a href="https://www.floods.org/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Association of State Floodplain Managers</span></a>, said in an interview. "That doesn’t make sense."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> Allowing the owner whose home has been repeatedly destroyed by flooding to build there again costs FEMA (you the tax payer) more at a time when FEMA is paying out more for flood damage than it has income to cover the loses. Stupido.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On April 26 The <b><i>NY Times</i></b> posted a newsletter by </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Nadja Popovich </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">in its weekly <b><i>Climate Fwd.</i></b>, titled, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/26/climate/countries-responsible-global-warming.html?emc=edit_clim_20180426&nl=&nlid=8059560820180426&te=1"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0061ff;">What countries are most responsible for carbon emissions?</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">She wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333;">“ … Justin Gillis and I <a href="http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=pMJKdIFVI6pghfX2HXfSzxRpdoyDWYNWN1TiSyEdC6WnCYkmJw6xemxx8Q3GrZv6qOvg+wR+13IBamMXHmKk7HqlpDm+3o4uqUdIrDOUbtdvngGakd6kLuf81O1fC5r1CdD95Rfs2BQLkm68o9YDIh+fRV7i+HiTGB3zRyeHGaNjanNbi6ET9ERlE8zuDC51YeyKvnoK8cRCc4UxMKraD2jqbX7mSHNKDXIqwu0jChA=&campaign_id=54&instance_id=1055&segment_id=1440&user_id=3d7116fc5997917b58ee6fb7702dbd1c&regi_id=8059560820180426"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff;">took a look at America’s historical responsibility for climate change</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Using data from the <a href="http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=cdOHbQcFwifiEnUXzCHj178GDyojbo8RmBj5tuWH3Jt9DIkucTfZ4DDMLTbop1pHCsj4kagtMxuJkKwxH4vK/Q==&campaign_id=54&instance_id=1055&segment_id=1440&user_id=3d7116fc5997917b58ee6fb7702dbd1c&regi_id=80595608"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center</span></a> going back more than 160 years, we compared how much planet-warming CO2 has been released by every country since the industrial revolution. You can see the results <a href="http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=pMJKdIFVI6pghfX2HXfSzxRpdoyDWYNWN1TiSyEdC6WnCYkmJw6xemxx8Q3GrZv6qOvg+wR+13IBamMXHmKk7HqlpDm+3o4uqUdIrDOUbtdvngGakd6kLuf81O1fC5r1CdD95Rfs2BQLkm68o9YDIh+fRV7i+HiTGB3zRyeHGaNjanNbi6ET9ERlE8zuDC51YeyKvnoK8cRCc4UxMKraD2jqbX7mSHNKDXIqwu0jChA=&campaign_id=54&instance_id=1055&segment_id=1440&user_id=3d7116fc5997917b58ee6fb7702dbd1c&regi_id=8059560820180426"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #021eaa; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">i</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">n the chart</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Today’s highly industrialized economies — the United States and Europe — got a big head start on burning fossil fuels. But China and other developing nations have ramped up output in recent years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In total, the United States pumped more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than any other nation between 1850 and 2014, the latest year for which the center’s data is available. The European Union, including Britain, was the second-largest source of fossil-fuel emissions over that period; China came in third.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“China may emit twice as much carbon dioxide as the United States today, but the country is home to four times as many people (about 1.4 billion compared to 328 million). Divvying up national emissions by population gives us a different view of “responsibility.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Small countries with fossil-fuel-intensive economies, like Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, tend to top the per capita emissions list. But among more populous nations, the United States, Canada and Australia rank highest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In 2014, the average American was responsible for more than twice as much carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere (16.2 metric tons per person) as the average Chinese citizen (7.5 metric tons); two and a half times as much as the average Briton (6.5 metric tons); and 10 times as much as the average Indian (1.7 metric tons).”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE: </b>You can subscribe for weekly electronic delivery of NY Times newsletters on climate change <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/climate-change?emc=edit_clim_20180426&nl=&nlid=8059560820180426&te=1"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">here</span></a>. You can also submit questions.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">On May 9 <b><i>The Seattle Times</i></b> published an article by Hal Bernton titled, <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/washington-state-regulators-tell-utilities-to-tally-social-costs-of-carbon-emissions/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(35, 31, 32);">Washington state regulators tell utilities to tally social costs of carbon emissions.</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">He wrote, </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">State regulators this week stepped up their activism on the climate front by telling three utilities to reconsider the carbon-emission costs of producing electricity from coal and other fossil fuels.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The <a href="https://www.utc.wa.gov/aboutUs/Lists/News/DispForm.aspx?ID=527"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(7, 119, 179); color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission</span></a> directives were sent to Puget Sound Energy, Avista Corp and Pacific Power, which collectively serve more than 1.47 million state customers from a mix of coal, natural gas and renewable power.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The commission asks the utilities to assign a hefty cost to carbon emissions, a pollution source that scientists say is driving climate change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This would be for planning purposes, and not used to try to justify higher rates. But such an accounting would bolster the financial case for the three utilities to hasten their planned exit from the <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/as-washington-state-looks-for-cleaner-power-a-montana-coal-town-faces-an-uncertain-future/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(7, 119, 179); color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Colstrip Generating Plant</span></a>, a major Montana coal plant in which each as an ownership stake.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“The higher the (carbon) price, the less economic that facility will look, “ said Ken Johnson, a vice president of Puget Sound Energy, which currently forecasts to be off of coal-fired power by the early 2030s.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> The “social cost of carbon” (SC-CO2) is an estimate of the total cost to society in <a href="http://livepage.apple.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">dollars per metric ton of CO2 emitted</span></a>. Prior to the Trump administration, the best estimate used by the EPA and other federal agencies was $42 per ton in 2020 and $60/ton by 2040 as the impacts of climate change increase. Since Trump’s election the cost estimate has been greatly reduced to <a href="http://socual%20cost%20of%20carbon%20under%20he%20trump%20administration"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa;">$1 to $6 per ton</span></a>, making fossil fuels much more economically attractive.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/76d50ad5-e7ff-4fae-b603-b46ed218f98a" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">The following items are from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), Carol Werner, Executive Director. Past issues of its newsletter are posted on its website under "publications"<br />
at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102515421764&e=001VqmyLSnT7fkl-_mocGBcn8yb2ys8eiE4dr3Tnveazy1K0B1fU1CponAdxiy_W78b49PK6NHsR0pHlqO7KOWi-3m5yW4bNEJiyJt1G95YoNt46CLY1L4uGjNKLSPL84kX2r7jAaxw1oVR18YElOXvV8_lo1bRsASi9tPNMTm7-ZU="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">http://www.eesi.org/publications/Newsletters/CCNews/ccnews.htm</span></a></span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">EESI’s newsletter is intended for all interested parties, particularly the policymaker community. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Declining Snowpack Levels Continue to Plague Western United States</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Officials in the western United States are dealing with a range of issues stemming from low flow in parts of the Rio Grande and Colorado River. States in the Colorado River Basin are being urged to install drought contingency plans by the end of 2018 to prepare for an increasingly strained water supply. Meanwhile, officials are trying to save endangered fish in New Mexico, where the Rio Grande is beginning to run dry at an unusually early time of year. The Southwest's wildfire season has also started early, with at least 10 major wildfires having already burned tens of thousands of acres. Researchers are eyeing diminished mountain snowpack in the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains as one culprit behind the parched conditions. The California Department of Water Resources found that the Sierra's snowpack levels were only 52 percent of its historical average. The Colorado River Basin has also experienced some of its lowest snowpack levels in decades. Collectively, the mountain snowpack provides drinking water to millions of people, while the spring runoff helps moisten the soil and reduce stress on vegetation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001hN-NQbhzwoK1nIWcYiSoVhoZkvMXpr6R5k9NwGkmfEY4EzhZtMpSzWC2I__QSu-JJ1fLYeefxte8PapXQFMmuxYq26JeetIPmomTFf8-_-TdmNW6ycJyk-2eKR5aSddkVBje1L3rhGoz59j-LPg7Jy6CZFkBxZUf2le-ZwasCjYTKQ6OQrR3TrZlq6hEKnGC5HutwTzOhPRjE9IXG2B9z0dhBDPo_-GPtYzQ6kcyB64jhXHszappG6dTiiQln52a0_zv8Kr3qNo=&c=pZ1-tKLJotXzQp5dGw4mcI7Ows3DJCnPG1BSEf2NLPszDpnV6hv_ww==&ch=J5M3qh1Tsx7NSLMzvJ5rwk9EFwBD9mBLlspiktz3Kj5ZMdXfrby_3w==">Scientific American<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The state of Alaska is actively discussing policies to address climate change, including greenhouse gas emission reduction goals targeting 2025 and a potential carbon tax on industry emissions. Alaska is already experiencing the effects of global warming. The permafrost located underneath much of the state's buildings and infrastructure is beginning to thaw and destabilize the construction above. At least 31 towns and cities may have to relocate farther inland due to the loss of sea ice buffers and severe wave erosion of the shoreline. Alaska's Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott said, "The change has been so real and so widespread that it's become impossible to ignore. Folks are realizing that it's something we have to deal with." A task force established by Gov. Bill Walker is scheduled to provide recommendations by September 2018 on policies to help Alaska reduce its emissions and better adapt to climate change. This desire to deal with climate change is contradicted by the fact that 85 percent of Alaska's budget is funded by revenue from oil production. Gov. Walker and Lt. Gov. Mallott recently declared in an op-ed that "[Alaska] will continue to be an energy producer for as long as there is a market for fossil fuels."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001hN-NQbhzwoK1nIWcYiSoVhoZkvMXpr6R5k9NwGkmfEY4EzhZtMpSzWC2I__QSu-J5feUupSVoGk10wfH2Xjv0cm7MRgHKJVOOZRzw_hTGLSOWRUrsKgA1J-0swSSrlZLywxba-Ev7ltfDGY595M0qH-Jxd-Ej5dLXn71-VtwjqFARhw9YOoVyiXUoIHBGkBXpNuGZvrkWM0bFDZ4-HLgtfJVpUkmkZk6nMB74gLu7n0o3FFDu2Bhsw==&c=pZ1-tKLJotXzQp5dGw4mcI7Ows3DJCnPG1BSEf2NLPszDpnV6hv_ww==&ch=J5M3qh1Tsx7NSLMzvJ5rwk9EFwBD9mBLlspiktz3Kj5ZMdXfrby_3w==">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_2.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/524d6e00-35b5-4d9e-9024-e8e41181d915" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study: As Manufacturing Moves Beyond China and India, Emissions Rise</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A study from researchers at the University of East Anglia has documented an increasing number of industries relocating from China and India to less-developed Asian countries. This trend may undermine global emission reduction targets outlined in the Paris Climate Agreement, since the less-developed nations typically have less capacity or resources to deal with large-scale emission reductions. The study found that energy-intensive industries, including electronics manufacturing and steel production, are moving to countries with cheaper labor like Vietnam, Thailand, Bangladesh, and Indonesia. Meanwhile, China's economy is beginning to shift to "higher value-added" products and services as its labor costs rise. China itself has sought to cut its emissions from these industries in order to improve its air quality and preserve worker health, but less-developed countries have begun exporting more and experienced a simultaneous surge in emissions. International trade increased by 50 percent between 2005 and 2015, with 60 percent of that representing growth in exports from developing countries. Lead author Dabo Guan said that China and India should help ensure their former industries adopt energy efficient technologies and methods in less-industrialized nations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001hN-NQbhzwoK1nIWcYiSoVhoZkvMXpr6R5k9NwGkmfEY4EzhZtMpSzWC2I__QSu-JE1CKfhzIVoSxvkg4HgdvzUkr3gLn7zzTFCxiv0CHobM8p6WeycBYlxIV1sEvdrD8E1zX9wz_M-9ckyuUA78DC4pPvUblidIncFUUAhiZfhum1CWbey0bXW2aDb6hJyiT7EaS_r-xNX9PGkpe4oT4QSD8XnPdVFd3U1uD6o05FeICcq4_ePfEyaMqnuhXd5tPC-V3v7s0urThBe2VkZ-r_c8b1NzIYc4r4cT8WXdlLsP7yfQ8EhWdKYGIlKqvoS6M&c=pZ1-tKLJotXzQp5dGw4mcI7Ows3DJCnPG1BSEf2NLPszDpnV6hv_ww==&ch=J5M3qh1Tsx7NSLMzvJ5rwk9EFwBD9mBLlspiktz3Kj5ZMdXfrby_3w==">Reuters<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #3a88fe; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_3.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/8a66a482-bcce-436c-897a-0359640fe608" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>IEA: Unchecked Air-Conditioning Demand Could Lead to Climate Change Feedback Loop</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The International Energy Agency (IEA) has published a report predicting the number of air-conditioning units worldwide will explode from 1.6 billion today to 5.6 billion by 2050. If this looming trend is not addressed, air-conditioners could end up consuming as much electricity in the future as the entire country of China uses today. The report calculates that generating enough electricity to power all those air-conditioning units could lead to twice as many greenhouse gas emissions, thus exacerbating global warming and the need for air-conditioning. Today, most air-conditioners are located in a few countries, primarily the United States and Japan. Ninety percent of American homes have air-conditioning. IEA predicts that as incomes increase in the developing world, much of the growth in air-conditioning units will occur in India, China, and Indonesia. IEA executive director Fatih Birol said, "When we look in fact at the hot countries in the world, in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, where about 2.8 billion people live, only about 8 percent of the population owns an air-conditioner."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001hN-NQbhzwoK1nIWcYiSoVhoZkvMXpr6R5k9NwGkmfEY4EzhZtMpSzWC2I__QSu-JRS2ScGlBak8YaUxbDtBAdFkaZyqk14GhWtbOVlVdopS0H4lto2u7tHd-_wsTl_rQn3VXBNrwlcBDEzKvxk4iv3tjet2vITPFAzcXgUTDUdJJbKrjW6mS6ItT2FDV6tkkf1m2F0uvynrifbv4TP6RivsjEHXtsr-m9POFSPqeMuw=&c=pZ1-tKLJotXzQp5dGw4mcI7Ows3DJCnPG1BSEf2NLPszDpnV6hv_ww==&ch=J5M3qh1Tsx7NSLMzvJ5rwk9EFwBD9mBLlspiktz3Kj5ZMdXfrby_3w==">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> A positive feedback in a warming climate means that rising global temperatures cause the rate of warming to increase. Burning more fossil fuels to generate electricity to run more air conditioners as the temperature rises is one example. Another is the replacement of highly reflective ice and snow as the </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">North Polar ice cap melts and is replaced by deep blue sea, which absorbs much more of the solar radiation that hits it.</span></div>
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<img alt="pastedGraphic_4.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/5f814070-1db0-42e7-bc70-5d786b5c28fe" /><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study: American Insurance Companies Still Largely Unprepared for Climate Change</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">According to a new study appearing in the British Journal of Management, most American insurance companies have failed to adequately modify their strategies to cope with the risks of climate change. The alleged complacency is expected to force the industry to increase insurance rates or even deny coverage in the most vulnerable areas. Thousands of people who live in areas that are regularly struck by extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, could end up unable to afford insurance in the future or lose their coverage altogether. In 2017, three record-setting hurricanes hit the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, causing billions of dollars in damage, but the study found that the majority of insurance companies continue to treat such storms as "anomalous rather than correlated to climate change." A 2015 analysis by reinsurer Swiss Re noted that insured losses reached an all-time high between 2004 and 2014. However, as of 2015, only three percent of a sample of 178 property insurers and reinsurers were taking climate change into consideration in their operations and investments.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001hN-NQbhzwoK1nIWcYiSoVhoZkvMXpr6R5k9NwGkmfEY4EzhZtMpSzWC2I__QSu-JHZj_zEPkg4JIkspBur6YL4GwyngNK8GdOdX2o12wLZag6LDQZ6SNKubm_ElxNKF3XNTjbUHTjnyLDe4j72UOAdH9weLjaWKVz10FaBj6qJ5-kxIKCgc_aTKewH8c3tuBdwRFfzAPibP737OVpHo45-WDxuV9msRaklInFryNcnm-emrETl3Rc7VXzPW38Jg9ufkHoEpEi7qbS-bDQouvbA6c5wU9siRxY-PDM0kP6O2cEA6fSp4Y17zN9AKVuCc_TuMVMkDz5LQ=&c=pZ1-tKLJotXzQp5dGw4mcI7Ows3DJCnPG1BSEf2NLPszDpnV6hv_ww==&ch=J5M3qh1Tsx7NSLMzvJ5rwk9EFwBD9mBLlspiktz3Kj5ZMdXfrby_3w==">Reuters<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<img alt="pastedGraphic_5.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/547f06c6-91db-4990-a43d-6bfac409e825" /><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Report: Algae Blooms on the Rise in the United States</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A report from the non-profit Environmental Working Group documented nearly 300 large algae blooms across the United States since 2010. In 2017 alone, 169 such events occurred. Scientists have projected an increase in algae blooms as a consequence of climate change. The blooms themselves can also emit significant amounts of greenhouse gases, as a recent report from the University of Minnesota, Minnesota Sea Grant, and U.S. EPA found. Lead researcher John Downing and his team examined lakes and impoundments, finding that "as the lakes go greener, more eutrophic, the atmospheric effect of the lakes skyrockets. That's because plants are decomposing and shooting methane and CO2 into the atmosphere." Downing added that a modest increase in algae blooms could increase the greenhouse effect of lakes by 5-40 percent. Algae blooms, particularly in the Great Lakes, are largely fueled by phosphorus contained in agricultural runoff. In 2014, a toxic algae bloom in Lake Erie caused health officials to declare the city of Toledo's water supply unsafe for drinking and bathing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001hN-NQbhzwoK1nIWcYiSoVhoZkvMXpr6R5k9NwGkmfEY4EzhZtMpSzWC2I__QSu-J1oDrhDlCMpRZQ77jPScbPv_IHfnhLa19P8E82zUDcsGrEZIz0COtYrn7US0FF0sIEPnOAmtaGYnPmgyrhKHFdiFtmAERKFsYLQRyeWgbFOGg7uvydA3h2Q_aVcpeS-piSHVVRFvSRcd7f8h438zSnevp4JgdCtaX11GR6IC0oYCaOFAtNWBikvjbIY1asFKy26EA2M0WRsAihWnBRjx0zfKX8ZJAN4yPZer3Ck9ktTkUgS32lFhGC-GsQJd5_nBjzrdikoq0eA_ulHp3uYHjzlb-c2UbdmXgfkqAoQC4VXE=&c=pZ1-tKLJotXzQp5dGw4mcI7Ows3DJCnPG1BSEf2NLPszDpnV6hv_ww==&ch=J5M3qh1Tsx7NSLMzvJ5rwk9EFwBD9mBLlspiktz3Kj5ZMdXfrby_3w==">InsideClimate News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> Increasing emissions of CO2 and methane as a result of algal blooms that are enhanced by rising temperatures is another example of a positive feedback.</span></div>
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<img alt="pastedGraphic_6.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/c39ad3a3-7c6a-4fa1-a6fa-adfb106f1d0b" /><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study: Warming Oceans Projected to Force Fisheries Farther North</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A study appearing in the journal PLOS One has found that hundreds of fish and invertebrate species will move as much as 900 miles farther north to escape warming ocean waters. The mass migration would significantly disrupt the fishing industry on the east and west coasts of the United States and Canada. Some of the species expected to be most affected include Atlantic cod, black sea bass, and Pacific rockfish. Lead author James Morley of Rutgers University said, "We've already seen that shifts of a couple of hundred miles in a species' range can disrupt fisheries." Co-author Malin Pinsky of Rutgers added that the shift in habitat for commercially valuable species will lead to longer trips and higher fuel costs for fishermen. The study drew from 16 different climate models to project future ocean temperatures, then combined this data with statistical models on the known temperature preferences of various fish species. In New England, warming waters could decrease the region's cod population by 90 percent, while lobster populations are expected to continue their northward march.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001hN-NQbhzwoK1nIWcYiSoVhoZkvMXpr6R5k9NwGkmfEY4EzhZtMpSzWC2I__QSu-JwejOERW-RpoSHSmqg1ksXhtnemiq7ERVuoI4QvCTjZjQK8Vi7ZA4lN0iHeOb2cCrveweFp5wIyh4Z4wSwihLD7pNTVob8CIQVXZCKM-92CtvrS70Gs5Zdoze6HR5_5MV4r-ChtECeHx5Zd4R4dyINbpt-bOBTdOXDP5nkDnA5QNUtPp1te96aBxV7jJlI9pLwYgIRNmYtrBDih-ewO-96LtGpWMlgAFNNxf3tkzzVcds3G_qlaO_BstP-BueWmtxP9ZFpFM11YFrUaa7SeEyGVnzaSc9rTSU&c=pZ1-tKLJotXzQp5dGw4mcI7Ows3DJCnPG1BSEf2NLPszDpnV6hv_ww==&ch=J5M3qh1Tsx7NSLMzvJ5rwk9EFwBD9mBLlspiktz3Kj5ZMdXfrby_3w==">Boston Globe<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><img alt="pastedGraphic_7.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/8da20490-c213-4bdf-84f8-ff3c76a3a9d7" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Trump and Merkel Expected to Huddle on Climate before Next Round of UN Talks</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">President Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel held a meeting on April 27 ahead of a United Nations climate meeting in Bonn scheduled for April 30 through May 10. Merkel is expected to lobby the U.S. president on the benefits of staying in the Paris Climate Agreement, much as French President Emmanuel Macron did during a recent state visit to Washington. During the visit, Macron said, "I am sure, one day, the United States will come back and join the Paris Agreement. Let us face it: There is no Planet B." Even if the U.S. government refuses to engage in climate talks, the rest of the world has shown a willingness to work with American state and local leaders and the private sector to advance the agreement's emission reduction targets. There are concerns that a U.S. withdrawal would only make reaching those goals more difficult though, since many participating countries have not exhibited enough ambition in their mitigation actions to date.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001MoNU2OfJk7IMH6Ti2uG8yubbJheoUj8t90VR-slGgGPB1r-j2b5JuJNz7XW0Zras6OUjvRwXASwkpIVUIryBpXI9iL_q5iv8oLArn8h9q3mtA3M1zTCoy2BdCxY0peVNW_5iEy2GVcvpbiQ9WUaDKfXvqLQ5gIpBzWBN4xUJI4bm_egrFfuie-KEb0tmnkPNHnXNqgRmiPUUMY0n6gsGCYpqYzBdbHtRXizlhIv-K_7WjvN3IOWjSdry3EPstX0qHZZbufUGDklo4dcu26i1RuUq6ogGBqCXCL_W25yB_SxEqs-0FpnrcQ==&c=M49Du3wsdVLvoPU_UzZQxmpcdxwH_hZort2wVUzh_1pao0cvd5XhHQ==&ch=lb2492FzEFFBiAGl_NjZY3FSy7vA1cdYXxP-krhiFjSGsjBw6EqN1Q==">Washington Examiner<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<img alt="pastedGraphic_8.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/d60bae19-dd19-4079-ae4d-f7acb3ea1f9a" /><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study: Sea Level Rise May Render Pacific Island Uninhabitable Within Decades</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A new study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Defense found that by midcentury, waves will begin washing over a key Pacific Island with enough frequency to contaminate groundwater supplies, damage crops, and impair infrastructure. The study combines climate projections with weather and wave modeling to analyze the impacts of rising seas on Kwajalein, an island that houses the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Site, which has been used to test U.S. defenses against a nuclear attack. The study explains that without global efforts to reduce emissions and costly adaptation projects, facilities on islands like Kwajalein may come under threat as soon as 2030. In the meantime, building seawalls and shipping in water would allow operations to continue, but this is not a sustainable, long-term solution. John Conger, director of the Center for Climate and Security, explained, "A lot of people have asked me in the past about how much the [Defense Department] is going to invest in dealing with climate change, and I think it's the wrong question to ask. I think climate change is an important factor to study to save money."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001MoNU2OfJk7IMH6Ti2uG8yubbJheoUj8t90VR-slGgGPB1r-j2b5JuJNz7XW0ZrasPryuV8Tv9B8-NIHbGatPfs59Ypuo_cDVVZ5fA-jniLCXcTJaiMUfqZ_Tkar5x0zwZvWua2ahBmc4yOIFSSrN6SzATH-S8JCP51A2YdI6kBHdraroo1LBDvLu7YuNjvXb4vT0dH2aiW74fzYAFJrR_SieokKqVzbil0kF_t9ztrVDsARyuWDAVsvUip6zS_FHwFeQMq7lmeRpjoBy7JGUnkdBWJj3RmGnZqMdebzLkBKmpOSEmQDO9g2pI6SEdLSjVgVV2A148eM2g0LoExFxlg==&c=M49Du3wsdVLvoPU_UzZQxmpcdxwH_hZort2wVUzh_1pao0cvd5XhHQ==&ch=lb2492FzEFFBiAGl_NjZY3FSy7vA1cdYXxP-krhiFjSGsjBw6EqN1Q==">InsideClimate News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<img alt="pastedGraphic_9.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/8865bb2f-a589-44a0-b137-e8445f8925e8" /><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Climate Change Poses Risks to Farmworkers in Texas</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Thousands of farmworkers in Texas are among the most vulnerable to climate change as its impacts intensify. Dangerous heat conditions have curtailed work hours for farmworkers in Hidalgo County and damaged crops before they can be harvested. Many farmworkers also live in substandard houses and face a range of problems, such as a lack of running water, disease-carrying mosquitoes, and flooding. More than 500,000 people live in unplanned neighborhoods, called colonias, along the Texas-Mexico border with more than 40 percent of those residents living below the poverty line. Besides working in the fields, working in crop packing sheds without air conditioning can also endanger the health of laborers. Nevertheless, some are wary about taking a rest from the heat because this would cut into their wages. During peak harvest season in July, low temperatures tend to be in the 80s with highs above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Homes offer little opportunity to bring body temperatures down during sleep, since the multiple families that occupy them take turns cooking on the stove, which heats the home for extended periods.</span></div>
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<img alt="pastedGraphic_10.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/43ca2039-120d-4421-8182-8de33373f12a" /><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Chef Advocates for Less Food Waste to Combat Climate Change and Boost Business</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Tim Ma, chef at the popular DC-based restaurant Kyrisian, recycles food parts that are usually discarded as trash to create new dishes, fighting food waste while saving money and increasing revenues. For instance carrot tops are used as an ingredient in pesto, and sea bass heads are deep fried and served as an off-menu delicacy. Ma's vision follows the recent trend of fighting food waste as a chic choice in high-end eateries. But it is not only about creativity and environmental ethics, it is an economic choice. Ma argues that cutting down food waste "is a business decision," adding that "you do this as a function of saving every penny that you can, because the restaurant margins are so slim right now." The business case is confirmed by a new report by the World Resources Institute. By using data from 42 hotel sites in 15 countries that have implemented food waste-reduction strategies, the study found that for every dollar used to reduce food waste, the restaurants made an average return of seven dollars.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001MoNU2OfJk7IMH6Ti2uG8yubbJheoUj8t90VR-slGgGPB1r-j2b5JuJNz7XW0ZrasIWkZeecbx-N4RFdIZ4spMEbfdXsS5cCNTv6awkwsxLVhAaxLQwyI_cvVe5NlaG4CdXikoMJaiR9ckCdHWrxzHuPJ9CAMcsNCwJnfwVK12P82y9m-3fSE-rFcX6CQWudHLTr_NTWB0mJPUjByQKnc7ZhY1KptWpihDiXB3xOrDt5xAwmIgb1Eet3gncg2C8FlXMIzaRt_ARQm0-g8Twuo_kWVdyT5iq5kDJvGXHfcbap4X--yMTGFJMiBqSMrywEj-_JduTLw79F3eNp-u2gNSA==&c=M49Du3wsdVLvoPU_UzZQxmpcdxwH_hZort2wVUzh_1pao0cvd5XhHQ==&ch=lb2492FzEFFBiAGl_NjZY3FSy7vA1cdYXxP-krhiFjSGsjBw6EqN1Q==">NPR<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Hurricanes Create Conditions for Economic Disparity in Coastal Housing Markets</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">After extreme weather events, houses in coastal cities are often replaced with more resilient, more costly houses, which attract wealthier residents and displace others. Such a phenomenon is described as "climate gentrification." Many factors lead to higher housing prices after extreme weather events, including higher construction costs as a result of stricter building codes, rising premiums for federal flood insurance, and increased taxes as local governments spend more money on coastal defenses. In addition, without federal requirements, coastal local governments seldom replace or repair damaged public housing. Without a low-income workforce that can afford housing, the tourism economy in coastal cities tends to suffer. However, "climate gentrification" is not a universal phenomenon. USC Economics Professor Matthew Kahn describes this difference as an "amenity gradient," meaning climate gentrification tends to occur in coastal areas already attractive to the rich, since the wealthier residents have the means of staying in the area despite the elevated risk of climate change. Research also suggests that climate gentrification is occurring inland. Houses along the coastlines are not able to meet the growing demand for higher-elevation properties, making houses further inland more attractive to real estate developers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001MoNU2OfJk7IMH6Ti2uG8yubbJheoUj8t90VR-slGgGPB1r-j2b5JuJNz7XW0ZrasKUIuvc1ImB1R77-NO67pAerfh3R7uEIiTJ5C4O-dQdWi0MRAbtXqj3FQYPWhV2inismXAyPdHFAzb2T2CM1fCpasBW8tB-yu0Q-4d8gSbUYW5lEt8iwTB-0987Vjp-ZygOHUuNG4GTIW44edAZGTp-yq3NPIO31G90d-8f8LopoitMjRXvpfQ4QHj_0JSzFMsgyeK4--snDgBG5wskoMq-2sTI-knZs2MhkM1lPaQEQ=&c=M49Du3wsdVLvoPU_UzZQxmpcdxwH_hZort2wVUzh_1pao0cvd5XhHQ==&ch=lb2492FzEFFBiAGl_NjZY3FSy7vA1cdYXxP-krhiFjSGsjBw6EqN1Q==">Bloomberg<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><img alt="pastedGraphic_11.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/d09e68bf-fa66-4ada-b61a-6b1e095e831c" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>From Severe Droughts to Severe Floods, Climate Change Hits California's Weather </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">According to a new study by UC-Los Angeles researchers, California may be destined to suffer more from weather volatility and extreme shifts between wet and dry periods. The study found that even though the state's long-term average annual precipitation will not change much, there is going to be an increase in extremes. "We expect to see more really wet years and also more really dry years," said lead author Daniel Swain. The study projected a 25 to 100 percent increase in extreme dry-to-wet precipitation events. These predictions seem to hint at the possibility that major cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco could be hit by a series of storms in the coming decades similar to those that led to the 19th century's "Great Flood." The study shows that the frequency of storms similar to that 1862 event could increase by 300 to 400 percent, but it also argues that the rainy season is set to shorten due to a decrease in precipitation in autumn and spring. In addition, climate change is affecting California's water reserves by shrinking the state's snowpack. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001MoNU2OfJk7IMH6Ti2uG8yubbJheoUj8t90VR-slGgGPB1r-j2b5JuJNz7XW0Zrash3pzXNAgEOk4PZxsqxcZss52td30CfE7cqpEo2e9UCchwfJm_lyZTxMfZ3V1zhgBvOrgF1-OF9sSXzrxmtKMEMgyd2cIUt8kasEinp0rVbXl8YgnfRxpOAzVoAvYNztowPqn7PLFHjjSkAZj86UA57J-rX3HeYRYIiyJlBuMIXz3DsG3k14gEIv0u6ruZZAmwTLCaylTLNscNxfMOWgG172xXwS59w_jz0muOZ7b1sOi_a43HWrq-9O9mo1u2LJTd_v1_-PQSPI=&c=M49Du3wsdVLvoPU_UzZQxmpcdxwH_hZort2wVUzh_1pao0cvd5XhHQ==&ch=lb2492FzEFFBiAGl_NjZY3FSy7vA1cdYXxP-krhiFjSGsjBw6EqN1Q==">Reuters</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001MoNU2OfJk7IMH6Ti2uG8yubbJheoUj8t90VR-slGgGPB1r-j2b5JuJNz7XW0ZrasgHnlnd0_KiKs60OgtO2MhtDPWQYPEv4rWYLq0sVJylceQtOLFuXawX8fVdmBt8k0TJqiAospp3KMr3_KewBfO2r2PbqbkA5XfRYhF4hOq6oJQW7x3UD-ZDt8GA2W4XGoH0K08Ea-OdhUGzLMIVEv67h7vuPKGtEz37kusSQORZyxThUcPIKnuw==&c=M49Du3wsdVLvoPU_UzZQxmpcdxwH_hZort2wVUzh_1pao0cvd5XhHQ==&ch=lb2492FzEFFBiAGl_NjZY3FSy7vA1cdYXxP-krhiFjSGsjBw6EqN1Q=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Los Angeles Times</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><img alt="pastedGraphic_12.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/5f183842-e32f-41e0-997d-d2b512e32ca5" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Scientists Examine Natural Processes for Potential Carbon Removal Technologies</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Distinctive geologic formations in Oman and elsewhere have attracted the attention of scientists hoping to advance carbon sequestration methods. The rocks of interest convert carbon dioxide into stone through a natural process called carbon mineralization. Although there is a great deal of uncertainty at this early stage, scientists are hopeful that the process may one day be harnessed on a massive scale to help remove excess CO2 from the atmosphere. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has stated that the use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) will be essential to blunting the worst impacts of global warming, but the technology itself has lagged behind in practice. Today, there are fewer than 20 large-scale CCS projects operating worldwide. These projects typically capture CO2 from fossil fuel combustion or other industrial practices and store it underground as a gas. The carbon mineralization process being researched falls under the category of direct-air capture, meaning the removal of CO2 that's already in the atmosphere. Some scientists caution that direct-air capture may prove impractical, while others view it as part of a diverse research approach to developing climate solutions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001MoNU2OfJk7IMH6Ti2uG8yubbJheoUj8t90VR-slGgGPB1r-j2b5JuJNz7XW0Zras3IcpxahR6Wbuxy82o23xSNDN5xTO8GlhU3E91J4-rakSVuB0T6jyQa-PTLiaX5nN-Cpif0WukxtoVwGRBZjWp_S4FP2LdHHUXVEDnlk5qhD_Tz_dfaPDufETcjM0QjAXqyelifZiFKNxkWIuJ39fhCSlxfSM_Fw7RPzIlBaWDMPDpV9h1FI3Zw==&c=M49Du3wsdVLvoPU_UzZQxmpcdxwH_hZort2wVUzh_1pao0cvd5XhHQ==&ch=lb2492FzEFFBiAGl_NjZY3FSy7vA1cdYXxP-krhiFjSGsjBw6EqN1Q==">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><img alt="pastedGraphic_13.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/c63c4a7f-6cb3-4d5d-ae38-14730893266f" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study: Warm Ocean Currents Accelerate Melting of Glaciers</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">According to a new study, the primary driver of glacier loss in Antarctica is now warm ocean water coming in under the ice. The study, appearing in Science Advances,shows that meltwater from the glaciers affects the oceans and makes it easier for warm water to reach the ice. This results in more melting and a continuous feedback loop, which may prove difficult to stop. This mixing process has been significantly lessened in East and West Antarctica, due to the influx of fresh water from glaciers, allowing warm water to seep under nearby glaciers. Essentially, the processes that typically mix and circulate warm and cold water layers near the Antarctic coast are being disrupted. Instead of cooling down due this mixing, the warm water remains a greater threat to melt any glaciers it comes into contact with. Researchers are still trying to find out what causes the feedback loop and the initial high melt rates. Some of the possible causes include natural climate variations, anthropogenic climate change, and influences from Antarctica's ozone hole.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001MoNU2OfJk7IMH6Ti2uG8yubbJheoUj8t90VR-slGgGPB1r-j2b5JuJNz7XW0ZrasrYn1SLT9tMg9DEDIdRhZsMQO7znwy3jy-tTOPr01Gz0D1wa6IMuW73dfiM7ULMfVE9Zj4HerQ2IPpWyK97_FClwqlTfKjce29qz5AY1Vcmur4r-6o6Cibe4C9NQPV2D9LzdzVKHLbHTflgQCJ0uDVvI4vXis3aK0NvahXc__rNc_Zdc8ow8we5OB78RKGf-Ng0aznzSCAgf-ncjEp63rbQ==&c=M49Du3wsdVLvoPU_UzZQxmpcdxwH_hZort2wVUzh_1pao0cvd5XhHQ==&ch=lb2492FzEFFBiAGl_NjZY3FSy7vA1cdYXxP-krhiFjSGsjBw6EqN1Q==">Scientific American<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<img alt="pastedGraphic_14.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/96d928e1-c6c7-4f32-8d48-97c91dcc8573" /><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Seventeen States Sue Trump Administration to Preserve Fuel Efficiency Standards</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On May 1, California joined 16 other states in suing the Trump administration for its plans to roll-back federal vehicle fuel efficiency standards. The targeted rules would require the entire vehicle fleet for model years 2022-2025 to achieve 36 miles per gallon on average by 2025, an improvement of 10 mpg over the existing standard. California and the Obama administration had agreed to the rules in 2012, establishing a unified efficiency standard. California is the only state allowed to set more stringent vehicle standards than EPA as a means of combatting pollution, but 13 states and the District of Columbia have also adopted California's standards. Trump administration officials and auto industry representatives have argued that the standards are too stringent and would lead to higher vehicle prices. California counters that EPA's plan to repeal the rules is not backed by any new research and would violate the Clean Air Act. Auto industry leaders and President Trump were planning on meeting soon to discuss the issue.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KgwK2fqA73mNrkmxGXUp5qV7K46eQ4XcWthdmAccqTYq9Hjk2cw351AZ6NVvVZXZEBqJwHLDybItBzHDVWJA52FtKrhM6-o175ng0BiwL0wHB3dHE7_XjtpubIR8xcy46nY0OW-xc5TvIM9li-XAATGkP_j4f_4Fprl8a_15zCPmspiYd_e4GzjbKZnxmSI-QK-AZKSsfP2UfeJHXo9K9h4BFV5Jhd2rCrkAGZkcrxNEwO0KowdM9vxVbARAc1ERas6AqrwN48Q_oo1cKImeRA==&c=qcxcxUUcFgPr2615UKeZlz9Pl4g-X2uhUbekwFGbZFGGgQEAkKwvcw==&ch=3uNL5D1u_ESHE6hQVMBKHhh48idmBzS-96UjzBV3CNbc1wvkGCQP1Q==">CBS News</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KgwK2fqA73mNrkmxGXUp5qV7K46eQ4XcWthdmAccqTYq9Hjk2cw351AZ6NVvVZXZNGX7huiXKfeW3tgIznHPyxIWF-UoEL293s4TKiZpIpKCwwUX4kuhcd1wFGyERV0zLkZubimJ2atZQD3lRimw2kT_gn3aEVwSETy0ixIGMGjPO6bW_bp77OZQCaf5EDo2A4g_4hA1KduXJXb2aQ6bSayEYpgtvV5Md4zVjDOL81pgD0YwhN8TtTBlSMHJaB7RQcrSbsSGNSPtxIwMVhoNfGSM8WG3tsL8p7HDWBP85qg=&c=qcxcxUUcFgPr2615UKeZlz9Pl4g-X2uhUbekwFGbZFGGgQEAkKwvcw==&ch=3uNL5D1u_ESHE6hQVMBKHhh48idmBzS-96UjzBV3CNbc1wvkGCQP1Q=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 50, 255);">Bloomberg</span></a></span></div>
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<img alt="pastedGraphic_15.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/0367904f-d66d-4289-89f2-3d1280770e9f" /><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study: Pruitt's Industry Focus Bringing EPA Closer to "Regulatory Capture"</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A new study in the American Journal of Public Health concluded that the Environmental Protection Agency is at risk of "regulatory capture," meaning that the agency prioritizes industry concerns over the public interest. The study conducted lengthy interviews with 45 former and current members of the agency and examined data gathered by a watchdog group to assess where EPA may be headed. The study observes that EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, who faces at least 10 on-going investigations related to his actions at the agency, has gone to "extraordinary lengths ... to preserve secrecy and autonomy from the EPA career staff." The study documents how Pruitt's policy decisions have undermined the agency's public health mission, such as accepting little-to-no input from staff and scientists and dismissing long-standing scientific practices. The industry-oriented approach is also reflected in Pruitt's political appointments, drawn almost exclusively from industry. Pruitt has tried to revoke or delay at least 30 existing rules and presided over a 60 percent reduction in civil penalties, as well as an overall decline in regulatory enforcement during his first six months on the job.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KgwK2fqA73mNrkmxGXUp5qV7K46eQ4XcWthdmAccqTYq9Hjk2cw351AZ6NVvVZXZMO2D7aK793McgpYWgknSwFqVOIvVuYqVbRja9fQucSnZcHSgZ5p_HoudYpOmUJprhxB9KM81Ak2UQuhSA4Iwadv-7hED4lr4NdjRwVBG0bou6a7bhPHimftA5scrBxfBsvXRorzItpc9aGEjn7qpuWpe_0FDUbAKfsaGnCZvULOM_d82sBdMwndQ3Kcle_dQ1eodPihNwtyUrua9ieglmZ28n22yUiZTC9383avPWhFgnXjWElzk2X0AjPV1k8NsPgLyAVr85UUeRtvIir9OL9i1kNSMlE9e87E3mSW3HUisjwe9RwkturiAkn85pt7UTvDSAuTLq8ULkgOaCPXXF83lusnWsElr5TgHIkoNlinI6U4bIxP-1-g87b0MLUix5U1rtwfMo0nR9wDdqstJ4gBGt2c6PrhD2WdZUhKlmFo9oSBxz3z5KrYMSOjX4o6C7lcP5a0OOMM=&c=qcxcxUUcFgPr2615UKeZlz9Pl4g-X2uhUbekwFGbZFGGgQEAkKwvcw==&ch=3uNL5D1u_ESHE6hQVMBKHhh48idmBzS-96UjzBV3CNbc1wvkGCQP1Q==">InsideClimate News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>America's Eastern Seaboard Experiencing Escalation of "Sunny Day Flooding"</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Locations across the East Coast of the United States are experiencing frequent nuisance flooding decades sooner than scientists anticipated. One study estimates sea levels are rising at an inch per year in areas ranging from North Carolina to Florida. This increase is most frequently experienced during tidal flooding (also known as "sunny day flooding"), which can temporarily inundate low-lying areas, damage buildings, and block roads. The cost of dealing with such hazards can add up over time, especially for smaller communities with fewer fiscal resources. According to NOAA, this type of flooding will continue to grow in frequency and reach. For instance, Charleston, SC experienced tidal flooding during 50 days in 2016, versus four days 50 years ago. Wilimington, NC saw 84 days of tidal flooding in 2016. A recent report from NOAA stated, "It is important for planning purposes that U.S. coastal cities become better informed about the extent that high-tide flooding is increasing and will likely increase in the coming decades."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KgwK2fqA73mNrkmxGXUp5qV7K46eQ4XcWthdmAccqTYq9Hjk2cw351AZ6NVvVZXZiUGLq6RstnPEIycpY2jLGPQqNip0c-4majvpGvCvm-XqrLKEystAKY-px85nHY24yKhThFAkt8jU6vnuVPXTjfVynuSPnDSCspSf8OWZBxLu517XhP1_5IXzWGhbTT1NhN-VRcNXpoNrSrgewWby6EXwoNKXXhIn8SRZBSnAd2U=&c=qcxcxUUcFgPr2615UKeZlz9Pl4g-X2uhUbekwFGbZFGGgQEAkKwvcw==&ch=3uNL5D1u_ESHE6hQVMBKHhh48idmBzS-96UjzBV3CNbc1wvkGCQP1Q==">News and Observer<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>U.S. Government to Spend Millions to Move Alaskan Village Threatened by Coastal Erosion</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Denali Commission, an independent federal agency, has decided to spend $22 million to help a village in Alaska move to higher ground as coastal erosion and flooding threaten its existence. The small village of Newtok has a population of 375 and is located about 500 miles west of Anchorage. The village is at risk of disappearing as the nearby Ninglick River gains roughly 70 feet each year, threatening to destroy homes and major facilities within a few years. Fifteen million dollars in funding will come from a March 2018 federal spending bill, while the rest will come from pre-existing agency funds and a required match by the Alaskan state government. With this amount, roughly 13 houses can be relocated to a new site located nine miles inland, in addition to the construction of new water, electric, and transit infrastructure. The commission's plan entails the renovation and delivery of abandoned barracks buildings from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson to keep costs down. The relocation effort started 20 years ago and agencies have spent about $47 million so far, but the estimated total cost for the whole operation is estimated at $150 million.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KgwK2fqA73mNrkmxGXUp5qV7K46eQ4XcWthdmAccqTYq9Hjk2cw351AZ6NVvVZXZh74rKQciP97phUIt_jHFTLKQPytvehVm1mzMKw9_lBcMep7-D5ppLyAGbOJXsRISu6nUAQuXZuCo0ueSUHbQJ3QZE3WOMgDRTYxMr2at9UACeF4s6hc59LhkC5E6FOjyroOdouyDYosfe7L-edIRpPBJbV22K-GzIDPlQp4KaK9QwxUo8TApaPTTbplenYQ_a99uBJmG8FLIHMvO1UjGJf7mCsaJsLCs5MFs0yBmGur7waGd2JDOmcpRv6VFTdZqVoFK0jngwarZdq-Xz5vLYg==&c=qcxcxUUcFgPr2615UKeZlz9Pl4g-X2uhUbekwFGbZFGGgQEAkKwvcw==&ch=3uNL5D1u_ESHE6hQVMBKHhh48idmBzS-96UjzBV3CNbc1wvkGCQP1Q==">Anchorage Daily News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study: Southern Hemisphere Expected to Suffer Disproportionately from Climate Impacts</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A new study appearing in the journal Science Advances is asserting that "the countries that have contributed least to climate change, and are most vulnerable to extreme events, are projected to experience the strongest increase in [climate] variability. These changes would therefore amplify the inequality associated with the impacts of a changing climate." The researchers found that tropical countries, which tend to be less wealthy and emit far fewer greenhouse gases than more developed nations, could face severe extremes in temperature in the future. These significant swings can harm agriculture and public health. The simulations conducted for the study also illustrated that if the Amazon region were to dry out, this could result in 15 percent more regional climate variability for every one degree Celsius of global warming. Mass tree die-offs in the Amazon would only serve to increase atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and feed even more warming.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KgwK2fqA73mNrkmxGXUp5qV7K46eQ4XcWthdmAccqTYq9Hjk2cw351AZ6NVvVZXZsrFgJSIcxAMKJlBy89xWIbzmDuDnmy-l15kWVoukMFokb937PDz5gRJyGkoZ6N_Z6jkR43WRO5Zk9P1x5Zf5uA0E9kRs3O7Z7aBolsgsYgk9osT8mpvYsC6mzfT8pbjtof0XlRSNTgZOB0iNk9ynZsy9IWdwZXiIisZ_Dinv8FRmXFL-wtvhjdI_i64BwEKEmDcbMPYGVsr68oiwHGVsJdNWws8BR2rDQK3OeV3MepO0ErheYE12ipzK1dOcIl-Ycde6vGa82O-h7GZtKmtYN3b73bNZ5RzOTisM3DpT96UUnI5bOsFkh_ycipg6Qfy7pwvetCq-3J4=&c=qcxcxUUcFgPr2615UKeZlz9Pl4g-X2uhUbekwFGbZFGGgQEAkKwvcw==&ch=3uNL5D1u_ESHE6hQVMBKHhh48idmBzS-96UjzBV3CNbc1wvkGCQP1Q==">Washington Post<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<img alt="pastedGraphic_16.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/bc2dccc8-8ba1-467e-a916-83da6b0c09bb" /><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Women, Disproportionately Affected by Climate Change, Take the Lead to Address It</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">As climate change impacts intensify, women in rural communities in developing countries are facing higher risks since they are often responsible for work heavily tied to the land. However, in Guatemala, women are taking a lead role in addressing climate change. In 2017, the Ut'z Che' network of community forestry groups gathered women from across the country to share their experience in water conservation, sustainable forestry, and farming. They also learned how to empower themselves and leverage their legal rights. Women are increasingly using their knowledge and urging those in power to address communal issues, such as drought and deforestation. Eleanor Blomstrom, co-director of the women's advocacy group WEDO, noted, "[Women] get in touch with others and so it builds their capacity to engage with local governments and even then, to figure out how to make their stories visible on the international stage." But women still face challenges in this process, especially those from unequal societies. For example, without land titles, women from Guatemala find it difficult to make an impact. Another challenge is to ensure female representation and involvement in action plans from the start. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KgwK2fqA73mNrkmxGXUp5qV7K46eQ4XcWthdmAccqTYq9Hjk2cw351AZ6NVvVZXZA-iM43tpDqelrRUZKMZ2Y0Hy3nC9T3yJccWgsvd4l5LAlCKP493FutYXKTD0n8e-UVtClIe_AMxShs7Gz6f7ogRIAErMSdZ2dI6dh2bEAMMsJJ3fYy2JDk29awk7M47ocwdygWk699Bmv8Jk04cMcYbJigjXsdtkHk7GLKTNk-IwgFV85We5rE4ykIoZWHTK&c=qcxcxUUcFgPr2615UKeZlz9Pl4g-X2uhUbekwFGbZFGGgQEAkKwvcw==&ch=3uNL5D1u_ESHE6hQVMBKHhh48idmBzS-96UjzBV3CNbc1wvkGCQP1Q==">Christian Science Monitor<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<img alt="pastedGraphic_17.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/40216c0a-65d0-4c73-8d56-17ed3babfbdf" /><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Climate Change Increases Risk from Mosquito-Borne Diseases in South Florida</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Higher temperatures brought on by climate change are increasing the range and biting season of many types of mosquitoes, including those that are carriers of viruses like Zika and dengue. Climate change may also increase the chance that mosquito-borne diseases largely eliminated from the mainland United States (such as yellow fever) may return. According to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control, the incidence of insect-borne diseases have tripled between 2004 and 2016. These effects have been deeply felt in South Florida, where the warm and wet climate is ideal for mosquitoes. The risk is elevated further when combined with Florida's influx of international visitors from countries that are currently grappling with these diseases. During Florida's Zika outbreak, tourism declined amid public health fears. Since 2016, Florida has had over 1,500 cases of Zika, but its 30 cases in 2018 have all been travel-related. The outbreaks caused Miami-Dade County to increase its Mosquito Control Division budget from $2 million to $16 million to better prepare for the extended mosquito season.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KgwK2fqA73mNrkmxGXUp5qV7K46eQ4XcWthdmAccqTYq9Hjk2cw351AZ6NVvVZXZVXoza2V9Nxux_POeBM8ybxCEvxQ2KxjlYVkfGObu7N126tkG_fFcrUbyJjSB_Gxkbu8xnv3wBjSVq-AMFBvSl876r5Kk0_yZEwBSl0NGyhoR5_D5r3sX8MRru947xXTGZ0lH0BLnBl9xXJe39HhwMmd6LNEo4cee0t4rkt5N-To=&c=qcxcxUUcFgPr2615UKeZlz9Pl4g-X2uhUbekwFGbZFGGgQEAkKwvcw==&ch=3uNL5D1u_ESHE6hQVMBKHhh48idmBzS-96UjzBV3CNbc1wvkGCQP1Q==">Miami Herald<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">NOTE: Mosquitos are not the only disease carrying vector that is spreading northward in the U.S.. Black-legged ticks are spreading northward as temperatures rise, spreading Lyme disease. <a href="https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2017/07/threat-of-lyme-disease-spreads-north/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Reported cases of the disease have more than doubled in the last 20 years</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>U.S. and U.K. Scientists Lead Expedition to Examine Melting Antarctic Glacier</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Scientists from the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.K.'s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) are leading a five-year project to examine the Thwaites Glacier in west Antarctica. Satellites show that the Thwaites Glacier is melting faster due to climate change and has already been responsible for four percent of global sea-level rise. The project aims to figure out the mechanism leading to the Thwaites' melting and whether it could collapse in the future, which could result in more than 2.5 feet of additional sea-level rise. The expedition will use numerous instruments and techniques while enlisting the help of remote-controlled submersible vessels to gather data. Researchers will study the way ocean water moves beneath the glacier, drill for sediment samples to better understand the Earth's past warming events, and map out the ice stream's behavior. Duncan Wingham, chair of NERC, said the expedition is essential to understanding the changes taking place in the region, since the Thwaites Glacier is "one of the least explored parts of the Antarctic continent."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KgwK2fqA73mNrkmxGXUp5qV7K46eQ4XcWthdmAccqTYq9Hjk2cw351AZ6NVvVZXZ56Pn6t1SpPoHkoWR0MMExwc1LYasZEL2pqFTgl1dDwlpVYDQB30r3hQFpR2fB6MvvcypRlSPHcGL4M7aYtH9oX3O1ll_U68r_lkoxIGOwKOsSwQS0LMwg0FF_JN1pqZSPHWrTTXsZFW7K6qHbiagmhqWgoc6iK0Tlt-ula6VWWxZMZZRDEtyALQp-VnrCViejmFsirZscKn_OzHckMxDIK0Uc5ZVeljGv9rGTH1yguRSeYS5RKYZlA==&c=qcxcxUUcFgPr2615UKeZlz9Pl4g-X2uhUbekwFGbZFGGgQEAkKwvcw==&ch=3uNL5D1u_ESHE6hQVMBKHhh48idmBzS-96UjzBV3CNbc1wvkGCQP1Q==">Guardian</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KgwK2fqA73mNrkmxGXUp5qV7K46eQ4XcWthdmAccqTYq9Hjk2cw351AZ6NVvVZXZEPKRym3vEnq5ehvp5uTRj4RWtnmsTmtzw28yC5TaN7oidW-RyBsPt61P-7cs7gX7igbrbNL_tmHHO0LtHpkgweIZ17mm6h41XccG0w7cyQaE7lmcnIzkzwOvfNpaEfwxRnZoGqD7qRH8knutPkZOtg==&c=qcxcxUUcFgPr2615UKeZlz9Pl4g-X2uhUbekwFGbZFGGgQEAkKwvcw==&ch=3uNL5D1u_ESHE6hQVMBKHhh48idmBzS-96UjzBV3CNbc1wvkGCQP1Q=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 50, 255);">BBC</span></a></span></div>
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<img alt="pastedGraphic_18.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/82dfd35c-da04-4dc8-8f04-21a23ec8c8ee" /><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Trump Administration Ends NASA's Carbon Monitoring System</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Trump administration has quietly eliminated funding for a crucial tool used by climate change researchers. NASA's Carbon Monitoring System (CMS) is a $10-million-a-year research line that helps tie together data collected from satellite and aircraft instruments into high-resolution models for tracking the flow of carbon sinks and sources worldwide. The loss of the program would also make it more difficult to verify whether countries are complying with the Paris Climate Agreement. Kelly Sims Gallagher, director of Tufts University's Center for International Environment and Resource Policy, called the cancellation of CMS "a grave mistake," adding, "If you cannot measure emissions reductions, you cannot be confident that countries are adhering to the agreement." The White House has previously targeted NASA's earth science budget for cuts, but the last congressional spending deal in March 2018 preserved those programs. However, the deal did not mention CMS, thus providing the administration with an opening. Current grants under CMS will be completed, but no new research will be supported going forward. Experts expect European agencies to take on some of the duties NASA previously executed under CMS.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bEvOKispLOLeBoX6QS_k9PxcJNQ5nicEakMpiDB8OLvk3gMVxlJivSJAJwY1QgwcfTV5ngwLN4mZliED4DnmXqPFTah22ZEVHWVBxqHNahhy0z5cZVrmt2jUL4M4VUw6lD72Zi-Um8rSNX0do5Ww8TjFxzmv0CGRQO10b7hKbtO7Ja7tMrb_1HmtCMVtAIkWQ-kRUalIT56l9nLQg1RgBfMdVEo09-Vs3ThiligTgPy-UhP_8zfnPULFxcIq2BrwjswkUzCTCj4jUOMf6zqBA8wMXhnZmABfJ9WlOtvvR-cgpSA8Y4yBWw==&c=lGpAEOTNOenxclF9dtdhNnBk9yD2kL4MIyMVmHpGPXiBY-9Y1v4yKQ==&ch=i9kPCqQlFtGkHKVFI0AA1VOpPvSE6-j05XYObpe80PNzfkAxaXZ1fg==">Science<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Report on Environmental Threats to DOD Facilities Had Climate References Scrubbed Out</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A review of a draft version of a Pentagon report on climate-related risks to defense infrastructure revealed that explicit references to climate change were removed or altered for the final version. The 32-page report delivered to Congress in January 2018 stated that out of the 3,500 Defense Department facilities located around the world, 782 were affected by drought, 763 by severe wind events, and 706 by flooding, in addition to other challenges. However, the report was far less direct in making references to "climate change," "extreme weather," or even "climate" when discussing these threats. The phrase "climate change" appeared 23 times in the December 2016 draft, but only once in the final document. A map detailing facilities that may be vulnerable to the effects of mean sea level rise between 0-3 feet, as well as references to the decline in Arctic sea ice and the National Climate Assessment were also removed. The report was built around a survey of military installation managers asking how present and future climate impacts may affect those sites.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bEvOKispLOLeBoX6QS_k9PxcJNQ5nicEakMpiDB8OLvk3gMVxlJivSJAJwY1Qgwcs2U0uoHDflx0bugTaCRdUcQvIEF7Bcsa35mIzxhfrU2SECkhaBE4m53ZI1qR0NleCENAB2wr-TaoCrfOXDE-CZv2y5cLwoPA2KnmG1LT_OKY8qDhNFtUMmuBDdKFu-VzrRsebHIh099P7kTSN_vK7D7SJi_ayFoQWRS3v5zKEetp0KbIyoXt6anGGt1JfXdqPupd8G2RClw_EucnWHmm7XHFO5MHc1rtH_4fvog-MklHGkH-L7Lyk_qj-ThlUNk27WBgRqkpbZlcLaMjW2GtQDDq_q38UgGjOGa3jG3KN4aSRduqjDfmDV7VJKPjEq9X&c=lGpAEOTNOenxclF9dtdhNnBk9yD2kL4MIyMVmHpGPXiBY-9Y1v4yKQ==&ch=i9kPCqQlFtGkHKVFI0AA1VOpPvSE6-j05XYObpe80PNzfkAxaXZ1fg==">Washington Post<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>EPA Administrator Prefers Outside Advisors Over Agency's Own Climate Scientists</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A Freedom of Information Act request has shed additional light on EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's plans for a "red team, blue team" debate on climate science. The documents show a deep advisory relationship between Pruitt's EPA and the Heartland Institute, which is known for its extreme positions disavowing climate change and its causes. The CO2 Coalition, an organization that claims excess carbon dioxide is "beneficial" to humans, has also been assisting Pruitt after calling the idea to hold climate science debates "superb." Meanwhile, the EPA's own scientists are reportedly being shut out of internal discussions and are removed from any planning going into the exercise. Climate researcher Benjamin Santer of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory observed, "[These organizations] do not have scientific expertise." The idea for a series of potentially televised debates was originally proposed by Pruitt to a group of coal executives in June 2017, with EPA staff working to further develop the concept alongside groups that actively oppose mainstream climate science.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see: </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bEvOKispLOLeBoX6QS_k9PxcJNQ5nicEakMpiDB8OLvk3gMVxlJivSJAJwY1Qgwc1IzBm6jg8rEK4EOJEd_0nRSD8Bynb0ahdVsHnixBGc23fCO_CKTlVrst31dTSZRMRxdXyut7DS6zoiFuP8VYvgzHULo99ZseJ0GtQRRxWZHRXtFF2-J9YwPoUhYqxqC5523wcF6Y8Kwa9Mi5QP53ZVEdH3s0vEMIB6gYqcJgmJ80XNKxfFOOT0kkXjE6IxmFJD0inluVf0E=&c=lGpAEOTNOenxclF9dtdhNnBk9yD2kL4MIyMVmHpGPXiBY-9Y1v4yKQ==&ch=i9kPCqQlFtGkHKVFI0AA1VOpPvSE6-j05XYObpe80PNzfkAxaXZ1fg==">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<img alt="pastedGraphic_19.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/d595c8b8-653c-469d-80f8-7d9b23560e22" /><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>King County, WA Sues Petroleum Companies Over Climate Change</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On May 9, the government of King County, Washington filed a lawsuit in the state's Superior Court against five major oil companies over their alleged role in suppressing awareness of and action on global warming. The suit is seeking financial compensation to assist the county in dealing with sea level rise, extreme weather events, and other effects of climate change. Exxon Mobil, Shell, ConocoPhillips, Chevron, and BP are named as defendants in the suit. The suit names the companies liable for the production and marketing of fossil fuels known to drive global warming, alleging the consequences of their actions equate to "a continuing trespass onto county property." Nine other cities and counties have also filed separate suits against fossil-fuel companies over climate change issues. King County hired the law firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro to pursue the case. The firm was previously involved in the 1990s case brought against American tobacco companies that resulted in a $206 billion settlement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bEvOKispLOLeBoX6QS_k9PxcJNQ5nicEakMpiDB8OLvk3gMVxlJivSJAJwY1QgwcTsgNA1m16u9cO-q62seJvf_ZD5qpx4pHiwc11SFWjq5bn3CWrzTn8AI0FQ9ezvjJe9vfFD2suQYTj_9q3ErymuV7fxMc4W9-Tn-2x8ijdhL2vONiKVxK9HzWe-XdzjLc4BCNJ9MehBNbYDHPX6J2Dh7HfVO9Q3xiNyY_-9Tr9kJF3rMM8VLxoOjL7PgAPtGNzOazILYyjDgxO-n1nQKNtTN2qDGlMjY947XCM4729v8eYbCYlTQ6hw==&c=lGpAEOTNOenxclF9dtdhNnBk9yD2kL4MIyMVmHpGPXiBY-9Y1v4yKQ==&ch=i9kPCqQlFtGkHKVFI0AA1VOpPvSE6-j05XYObpe80PNzfkAxaXZ1fg==">Seattle Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Report: Climate Change Increasingly Disruptive to California's Environment</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">According to a new report by the California Environmental Protection Agency, climate change is expected to cause significant environmental issues across the state. The report covers 36 indicators of climate change divided into four categories: those driving climate change (emissions, acidification, etc.); actual changes in the climate (temperature, precipitation); climate impacts on physical systems (snowmelt runoff, sea level rise); and climate impacts on biological systems (vector-borne diseases, migratory bird arrivals). Although California has made gains in reducing its own emissions, including a 90 percent reduction in black carbon from tailpipe emissions over the past 50 years, global CO2 levels have continued to rise. California's warmest years on record all took place during a span from 2014 to 2017. In addition, the state's five largest fire seasons since 1950 have all taken place after 2006. Christopher Field, director of the Stanford Woods Institute, said, "The risks are coming into sharper focus, the range of impacts are coming into sharper focus. [The report] reinforces and amplifies the messages we've already seen."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bEvOKispLOLeBoX6QS_k9PxcJNQ5nicEakMpiDB8OLvk3gMVxlJivSJAJwY1Qgwcqu8Rc_21Gg16G-KaDcn0Lf3SV2nqXIwPKSGS1SoD-1q7p4un4dpRnybbchuF2Pu6-AChtx58YPlCH7_GM72ByzRwVJnc7jgyNB04P6I2H7UOkeM5NioKKmuStTh40uADppk7cpNRaaVZ2vnoxdH67sPuF6R0XSg8Xs2Dz5Hm4PXACCSjVdyXMmgu8ZQzEsGEinEf-jsTa2s=&c=lGpAEOTNOenxclF9dtdhNnBk9yD2kL4MIyMVmHpGPXiBY-9Y1v4yKQ==&ch=i9kPCqQlFtGkHKVFI0AA1VOpPvSE6-j05XYObpe80PNzfkAxaXZ1fg==">San Francisco Chronicle<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><br />
Thanks,<br />
Chad A. Tolman</span></div>
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Chad Tolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198303455148896174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441974095206886318.post-14740333895004817252018-04-22T13:57:00.000-07:002018-04-22T13:57:12.625-07:00CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS FOR APRIL 2018<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>CC NEWS FOR APRIL 2018</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Feb. 22 Yoshiguro Yugi posted a blog in MAHB (Millenial Alliance for Humanity and Biosphere, which originated at Stanford) titled,<a href="https://mahb.stanford.edu/blog/fatal-errors-humanity/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;"> Fatal Errors of Humanity</span></a>. The author wrote:</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">The current ways of civilization cannot be continued much longer, because the basic concepts of human existence are wrong and humanity has been destroying her community and her only habitat. This essay is an attempt to point out the fundamental errors that will lead to the destruction of the ecosystem and civilization and to show a way to a peaceful world, by clearly conceptualizing what many people seem to be feeling but unable to formulate.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Humanity has a narrow window of time to choose a path for the future from two options. One is the continuation of the current ways. This will lead to further social conflicts, likely another global war, and probably to an end of civilization as we know it, if not to the end of Homo sapiens.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Humanity needs to understand, and correct, the cause of the current situation, namely, the lack of rational guiding principles, or constitution of humanity. Instead we have the following combination of irrationality, idealism, shortsightedness, egoism, brutality and ignorance:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">– freedom of procreation,</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">– right to own whatever wealth one can acquire based on competition,</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">– promotion of consumption for economic growth,</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">– right to life for every human while animals and plants are viewed as consumable resources,</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">– idealized view of human nature that does not admit evil in the human mind,</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">– justification of killings and seizure of territory and properties by wining wars,</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">– perception of environment as a trash dump,</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">– disregard of the finiteness of space, resources, and capacities of the planetary systems,</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">– disregard of the principles of the biosphere,</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">– disregard of the conditions necessary for functional planetary systems.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE</b>: The author’s article is unusual, but very thought provoking. I don’t know what the third phrase from the end means, but I agree that we are living in an unsustainable way that will have grave consequences unless we change course before it is too late. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;">Fiona Harvey on March 19 posted an article in <b><i>The Guardian</i></b> titled, <a href="http://livepage.apple.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(18, 18, 18); color: #0061ff;">Climate change soon to cause movement of 140m people, World Bank warns</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;">“<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-change"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(136, 1, 5); color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Climate change</span></a></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> will result in a massive movement of people inside countries and across borders, creating “hotspots” where tens of millions pour into already crowded slums, according to the World Bank.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">More than 140 million people in just three regions of the developing world are likely to migrate within their native countries between now and 2050, the first report on the subject has found.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The World Bank examined three regions, which between them account for 55% of the developing world’s population. In sub-Saharan Africa, 86 million are expected to be internally displaced over the period; in south Asia, about 40 million; and in Latin America, 17 million.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Such flows of people could cause enormous disruption, threatening governance and economic and social development, but the World Bank cautioned that it was still possible to stave off the worst effects.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Climate change-driven migration will be a reality, but it does not need to be a crisis, provided we take action now and act boldly,” said John Roome, a senior director for climate change at the World Bank group.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“He laid out three key actions governments should take: first, to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/28/world-has-three-years-left-to-stop-dangerous-climate-change-warn-experts"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(136, 1, 5); color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">accelerate their reductions of greenhouse gases</span></a>; second, for national governments to incorporate climate change migration into their national development planning; and third, to invest in further data and analysis for use in planning development.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On March 20, 2018 Damian Carrington published an article in <b><i>The Guardian </i></b>titled, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/20/can-climate-litigation-save-the-world"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Can Climate Litigation Save the World?</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">He wrote, </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Courts are a new front line of climate action with cases against governments and oil firms spiralling, and while victories have so far been rare the pressure for change is growing.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Global moves to tackle climate change through lawsuits are poised to break new ground this week, as groups and individuals seek to hold governments and companies accountable for the damage they are causing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Tuesday, action by 12 UK citizens reaches the high court for the first time, while on Wednesday in San Francisco, the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/21/climate-science-lawsuit-san-francisco-sues-chevron"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(136, 1, 5); color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">science of climate change will effectively be on trial</span></a> at a key moment in a lawsuit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The litigation represents a new front of climate action, with citizens aiming to force stronger moves to cut carbon emissions, and win damages to pay the costs of dealing with the impacts of warming.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“They are inspired by momentous cases from the past, from the defeat of big tobacco to the racial desegregation of schools in the US. Big oil is fighting back hard, but though victories have been rare to date wins are more likely in future, as legal experts say the attitudes of judges often shift with the times.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A flurry of billion-dollar cases against fossil fuel companies <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/10/new-york-city-plans-to-divest-5bn-from-fossil-fuels-and-sue-oil-companies"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(136, 1, 5); color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">brought by New York city</span></a> and <a href="https://www.climateliabilitynews.org/2018/01/23/richmond-california-climate-lawsuit-chevron/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(136, 1, 5); color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">communities in California</span></a> over the rising seas has pushed climate litigation into the limelight. But cases are being brought across the globe, with more than 1,000 suits now <a href="http://climatecasechart.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(136, 1, 5); color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">logged by the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law</span></a></span><span style="color: #0061ff; font-kerning: none;"> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">at Columbia law school in New York.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On March 22 <b><i>Ethanol Producer Magazine</i></b> publised andd article titled, <a href="http://www.ethanolproducer.com/articles/15139/toyota-reveals-world-first-flexible-fuel-hybrid-prototype"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Toyota reveals world-first flexible fuel hybrid prototype.</span></a>It said, </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">A prototype of the world's first hybrid flexible-fuel vehicle (hybrid FFV), debuted in an event Toyota recently held in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Stakeholders including the state government, universities, and the sugarcane association (the Sugarcane Industry Union: UNICA) attended the event. The prototype is the combination of a flexible-fuel vehicle (FFV) that can be powered by both gasoline and alternative fuels such as ethanol, and Toyota's famous hybrid system which combines a combustion engine and an electrical powertrain.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“The development of hybrid FFV represents one of Toyota's efforts to achieve its "Environmental Challenge 2050" where it challenges itself to reduce vehicle CO2 emissions by 90 percent in comparison with 2010 levels, by 2050. Another objective of the Environmental Challenge is to completely eliminate CO2 emissions from the vehicle lifecycle, including materials, parts and manufacturing. In line with that goal, Toyota also targets to have more than 5.5 million electrified vehicles in its global new vehicle sales by 2030.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On March 22 Nina Chestney Poster an article in <b><i>Reuters</i></b> titled, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-energy-carbon-iea/global-carbon-emissions-hit-record-high-in-2017-idUSKBN1GY0RB"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Global emissions hit record high in 2017</span></a>.</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"> She wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;">”</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Global energy-related carbon emissions rose to a historic high of 32.5 gigatons last year, after three years of being flat, due to higher energy demand and the slowing of energy efficiency improvements, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Global energy demand rose by 2.1 percent last year to 14,050 million tonnes of oil equivalent, more than twice the previous year’s rate, boosted by strong economic growth, according to preliminary estimates from the IEA. Energy demand rose by 0.9 percent in 2016 and 0.9 percent on average over the previous five years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Over 70 percent of global energy demand growth was met by oil, natural gas and coal, while renewables accounted for almost all of the rest, the IEA said in a report.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE</b>: Scientists have warned that we must begin soon to drastically reducing CO2 emissions, yet they are increasing. This is not smart.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-kerning: none;">Onn March 23 <b><i>PBS Frontline </i></b>published a report by Katie Worth titled. <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/mailings-to-teachers-highlight-a-political-fight-over-climate-change-in-the-classroom/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Mailings to Teachers Highlight a Political Fight over Climate Change in the Classroom</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">She wrote,</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> “Last spring across the nation science teachers began to receive unsolicited classroom materials from a liberterian group that rejects the scientific consensus on climate change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This spring some of the same teachers are opening packages containing very different materials: A book written by a Cornell University affiliate called “The Teacher Friendly Guide to Climate Change,” which embraces the prevailing science, explains the phenomenon in detail and includes information on how to teach the subject to children.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Last year’s mailings were sent out by the Heartland Institute, an Illinois-based think tank that holds an annual conference that has become a pilgrimage for those who reject the overwhelming findings of the scientific community that humans are causing earth’s climate to change. The packages contain pamphlets a book titled “Why Scientists Disagree about Global Warming.” A spokesman for the group said it sent out more than 350,000 packages to K-12 and college-level science teachers last year.”</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">On March 28 <b><i>Climate Home News </i></b>published an article by Zak Derler titled, <a href="http://www.climatechangenews.com/2018/03/28/un-security-council-warns-climate-threat-somalia-peacekeeping/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">UN Security Council makes ‘historic’ warning on climate threat to Somalia.</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">He wrote </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has formally recognised climate change as a destabilising factor in Somalia.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In a <a href="https://www.un.org/press/en/2018/sc13264.doc.htm"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(33, 117, 155); color: #0061ff; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">resolution</span></a> adopted on Tuesday as part of a renewed mandate for assistance and peacekeeping in the country, the council noted “the adverse effects of climate change, ecological changes and natural disasters among other factors on the stability of Somalia, including through drought, desertification, land degradation, and food insecurity”.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The council emphasised the need for peacekeepers and governments working in Somalia to be better prepared to cope with complications arising from climate impacts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The links between climate change and insecurity have been emerging on the ground and in the halls of diplomacy.”</span></div>
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The following items are from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), Carol Werner, Executive Director. Past issues of its newsletter are posted on its website under "publications"<br />
at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102515421764&e=001VqmyLSnT7fkl-_mocGBcn8yb2ys8eiE4dr3Tnveazy1K0B1fU1CponAdxiy_W78b49PK6NHsR0pHlqO7KOWi-3m5yW4bNEJiyJt1G95YoNt46CLY1L4uGjNKLSPL84kX2r7jAaxw1oVR18YElOXvV8_lo1bRsASi9tPNMTm7-ZU="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">http://www.eesi.org/publications/Newsletters/CCNews/ccnews.htm</span></a></span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">EESI’s newsletter is intended for all interested parties, particularly the policymaker community. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Final Omnibus Budget Bill Preserves Climate Programs, Boosts Scientific Research</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On March 22, the House passed a $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill to fund the government through September 2018. The Senate followed suit late that night ahead of a March 23 deadline to avoid a government shutdown. The massive bill largely rebuked the President's budget proposal, which contained deep cuts and numerous eliminations for federal climate, energy, and environmental programs. Instead, the bill either maintained or increased funding levels for these programs. EPA's $8.1 billion overall budget remained stable, despite the White House's demand to cut it by one-third. The Department of Energy saw increases to its research and energy efficiency programs, including the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), both of which were targeted for cuts by the administration. NOAA's major weather and polar observation satellite programs received full funding, while NASA's ongoing earth science initiatives were also spared the chopping block. Numerous "poison pill riders" were left out of the final bill, including a provision that would have prohibited funding to enforce a Bureau of Land Management methane emission reduction rule.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001XL7FKH2puNGnm5LlwbzI2x6WLwvXl_2wXQaHHcnr6nOWob40xq1ZRlMnGr8vGGyGtk_ke7b9jdY6qKiAgzw7qG9dSbv5J7e9840VKztkdmZsqhtN2ps_hzElV0S4qSW5cEG6ABMSmnP5rPKDgrhTuiExwysIwQAY7lcvW_ur6Q008c94xbrtTbgmZNYwwgoPbrN0XVQ_jw4=&c=e-fzUD541WBktXrK5gl6zepBXA1RWv_LcPqCdA_6DvQiZHIkBbOi7w==&ch=_R4rBdOdVzYEIA-PuSQsMeMMbT0Tu_WDsExujorq2tMQLh0_y6zb6Q==">E&E News</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001XL7FKH2puNGnm5LlwbzI2x6WLwvXl_2wXQaHHcnr6nOWob40xq1ZRlMnGr8vGGyGe-fiCP85D-bRdAhB2x-EjXrDwTjgQadyLSBZwUIh-nHWR4wOxlYWoJumjKmQY0F251BHvC5n8A73vkY_HNz1QkJujlZSUyPnTtaIR0KgmJCJkEnCWJ1ahHQDC8unSp1IVFGpmP-7jSHzIaupLHceNVxlbdOuNSQu5M9ChNlApir0oXFiVd8qgtsw98DfvCn440pcZbYfnHvnSE-i_lPioD5DTxy84FYy&c=e-fzUD541WBktXrK5gl6zepBXA1RWv_LcPqCdA_6DvQiZHIkBbOi7w==&ch=_R4rBdOdVzYEIA-PuSQsMeMMbT0Tu_WDsExujorq2tMQLh0_y6zb6Q=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Space News</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001XL7FKH2puNGnm5LlwbzI2x6WLwvXl_2wXQaHHcnr6nOWob40xq1ZRlMnGr8vGGyGd8A1lFuSvTK5uAi6vIHVtv1X9nwRKAA3qEgbmVTRZ3rnSuYBUEID-bLCAXoeCt16Se07bCay4Zi685X7YvKrj0o-_33ht1h7tr0tG1i-7-1bsFzSYqFkD_HNuDWX5BG882QcY-iPWGDRvsivcWjWSlh_OyzPGYp9BJQa-F2-fJR-XekYDJM1K9lh4GI2s2h8Wt_rNaOeXaE=&c=e-fzUD541WBktXrK5gl6zepBXA1RWv_LcPqCdA_6DvQiZHIkBbOi7w==&ch=_R4rBdOdVzYEIA-PuSQsMeMMbT0Tu_WDsExujorq2tMQLh0_y6zb6Q=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Atlantic</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Energy Secretary Pledges to Support Research Program Trump Wants to End</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Secretary of Energy Rick Perry defended his agency's $30 billion budget and the $300 million Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) program at a March 20 Senate committee hearing. ARPA-E focuses on funding promising early-stage energy technologies that are deemed too risky for private investment. The Trump administration wanted to slash funding for the program again this year, claiming the private sector would be a better judge of what technologies should be funded. At the hearing, Perry pledged to back the program, "If this Congress ... supports the funding of that, it will be operated in a way that you will be most pleased with." During a prior appearance at a major ARPA-E summit, Perry praised the program's "power of innovation" and named it a "window into our future." ARPA-E enjoys bipartisan support in Congress, including from the chair and ranking members of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Congress' recently issued budget bill increased funding for ARPA-E, despite the White House's proposal to eliminate it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001XL7FKH2puNGnm5LlwbzI2x6WLwvXl_2wXQaHHcnr6nOWob40xq1ZRlMnGr8vGGyGhMcbmLAA8QY4CxHJ5AuYJ0APShrGf2C84oAIZ004fr1_0SkM4vgiNG1QLoDGZ3ELROD6iCLPQg8KEHpi0yObCruWMvtOBCUPv7us0kGE2sgcqb7DZvhrm9GUrNqc1Ijf-6vXOVCpgbgsG5KLXzG28X0JC-xtgFJ9KcYDhsFinFoox25lopNVMZysynNZwzgg3kVCci3cAGqmDWBunC8j0uP3ZlNhcsFBCxeuim14JzOFJcE_DYXbkPc3T2Qxhcdx0GWxjgTHfKBoxcjXiSmu3g==&c=e-fzUD541WBktXrK5gl6zepBXA1RWv_LcPqCdA_6DvQiZHIkBbOi7w==&ch=_R4rBdOdVzYEIA-PuSQsMeMMbT0Tu_WDsExujorq2tMQLh0_y6zb6Q==">Dallas Morning News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/dd8c6db5-b4a1-42b5-a86e-453447a12691" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Report Explores Unique Climate Threats to Alaskans</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) published a report discussing the health impacts of climate change on Alaskans. The DHSS report emphasized two themes: food access and storage and vulnerability to mental and emotional stress. According to the report, as temperatures rise, it becomes more difficult to store food and thus the risks of foodborne illnesses increase, especially in the native communities where people hunt for wild food. As climate change begins to limit access to wild foods and traditional storage methods (like permafrost cellars), Alaskans are starting to rely on store-bought food, which is not as nutritious and tends to be more expensive. Solastalgia, a distress caused by rapid environmental change in people's communities, could lead to mental health issues. Lead author Sarah Yoder said, "As people's way of life changes and as anxiety about how things around the community might change ... that can all impact their general feelings of well-being." Gov. Bill Walker (I) signed an administrative order in the fall of 2017 to create an Alaska Climate Change Strategy and other entities to address these challenges.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001XL7FKH2puNGnm5LlwbzI2x6WLwvXl_2wXQaHHcnr6nOWob40xq1ZRlMnGr8vGGyGS-ENzlw2XJUdgcBm7SBotgPdehzQXL7Lx3-DT3-MJx71t0zQmyf02Y5oE2w5RJDgrSUjLEiVdsPHlDhh6kR_u-kSShU0oGvzIjmlpEgmmanR6QS2Y8e9nK4jSIqifBkK5xVNpoEwCbHtX3OtdDrcLtRDxqghn8SrVe7_fZ85Geu0ExEol11i6g==&c=e-fzUD541WBktXrK5gl6zepBXA1RWv_LcPqCdA_6DvQiZHIkBbOi7w==&ch=_R4rBdOdVzYEIA-PuSQsMeMMbT0Tu_WDsExujorq2tMQLh0_y6zb6Q==">Earth & Space Science News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_1.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/1e070a0c-3f43-44ef-b7f6-c806731e7319" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>U.S. District Judge Requests Climate Science Tutorial from Litigants </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On March 22, the U.S. District Court for Northern California heard a lawsuit that the cities of San Francisco and Oakland filed against oil companies, including Chevron and Exxon, over the firms' liability for damages stemming from greenhouse gas emissions. The suit argues that the industry knew about the likely consequences of fossil fuel use decades ago, but actively fought regulations and spread false information about scientific findings. Presiding Judge William Alsup ordered a five-hour tutorial on climate change science at the hearing. Each side would have 120 minutes to talk about climate science history and the state of today's best available climate science. The litigants have been asked to answer a series of questions produced by Alsup, such as, "What are the main sources of heat that account for the incremental rise in temperature on Earth?" Alsup is known for asking litigants to tutor him on technical issues, but legal experts claim that such a hearing on climate change is novel. Both sides regard the tutorial as an opportunity to argue for their claims.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001XL7FKH2puNGnm5LlwbzI2x6WLwvXl_2wXQaHHcnr6nOWob40xq1ZRlMnGr8vGGyG2fFJPGitxdih8yUc81ewDD0yIXuFNCZ9QnFB0MxEfiBeuuyXZWjcUKIfaLMKKHkuAROMT1OSr2FsTq8QeDIQ6oRLxkkvEVJJgw8_FnJodvpmMXqQ0S6otRhPOjMXaQgpdMAAgkbfs1iuu9LYZQk3FEewp5gDrQfhtfHKNkNxDgESIXipj4UOCQ==&c=e-fzUD541WBktXrK5gl6zepBXA1RWv_LcPqCdA_6DvQiZHIkBbOi7w==&ch=_R4rBdOdVzYEIA-PuSQsMeMMbT0Tu_WDsExujorq2tMQLh0_y6zb6Q==">McClatchy<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_2.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/407aab24-8c47-4592-9848-a77eb96271e7" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study: American Beef Consumers Responsible for Significant Portion of Diet-Related Greenhouse Gas Emissions</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A new study from the University of Michigan and Tulane University found that 20 percent of American eaters, whose diets were heavily reliant on beef, were responsible for nearly half of diet-related greenhouse gas emissions. If this group decreased its beef consumption and calorie intake, they could achieve 10 percent of the emissions reductions needed for the United States to meet its goals under the Paris Climate Agreement. When diets were ranked by their emissions, the study found that the top 20 percent were responsible for eight times more emissions than the lowest 20 percent, with beef consumption accounting for 72 percent of the gap. This was the first study to look at what individual people actually consumed, rather than measuring how food commodities move through the broader economy. The study's researchers constructed a database of the environmental impacts of producing 300 commonly eaten foods and connected this to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a survey that includes self-reported dietary data for more than 16,000 Americans.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001XL7FKH2puNGnm5LlwbzI2x6WLwvXl_2wXQaHHcnr6nOWob40xq1ZRlMnGr8vGGyGaJ__FpW2-ZybH8wCXZyz7HSBvs94UKUChNe7W6zjAyBG-idMicWfBxWg7JN-KQAFnGGpPljc9zxOtV-NlcQZT1KF9xSaEZb7y3lr0hADe7QRBG1IW0a-uHrRE9AsnwJPSxHlCxRQ8yLP2WKb0ucvwoMgu9EQlAMNalCILd74ptDP5keLkIzp4G9b9J4xY_DsISSUKo9DcKyBXhgBawXxQXVsV95RFsWuF5B9DXxpiQoNEk8axMZAY0OnCE7dKsvW&c=e-fzUD541WBktXrK5gl6zepBXA1RWv_LcPqCdA_6DvQiZHIkBbOi7w==&ch=_R4rBdOdVzYEIA-PuSQsMeMMbT0Tu_WDsExujorq2tMQLh0_y6zb6Q==">InsideClimate News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> This study supports the idea that people who want to reduce their family’s carbon footprint should greatly reduce their consumption of beef. Producing beef not only requires a lot of feed (and water), but cattle make a lot of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, that goes from their digestive system into the atmosphere. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_3.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/0c14bf09-b4bf-42ca-a421-c7587d770bfc" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Climate Change Putting a Damper on Outdoor Ice Rinks </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Backyard ice rinks are a long-standing tradition in Canada, where winter sports are deeply embedded in the culture. However, climate change has led to rapid warming in the Northern Hemisphere, making it increasingly difficult to maintain a backyard rink and drastically shortening the outdoor skating season. Robert McLeman of Wilfrid Laurier University noted a temperature of 23 degrees Fahrenheit or lower is necessary to maintain a good skating surface. "Any warmer than that and the rink is no longer skateable. And that's sort of on the horizon for us in the second half of the 21st century," he said. Researchers with Rink Watch, a citizen science project gathering data from more than 1,500 backyard rinks, predicts the number of skating days in Toronto will decline by 34 percent by 2090. His colleague Colin Robertson said, "The fact that this could be taken away and is tied to climate has been a real eye-opener." The changing conditions have led everyone from skating enthusiasts to the National Hockey League to give renewed consideration to global warming.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001XL7FKH2puNGnm5LlwbzI2x6WLwvXl_2wXQaHHcnr6nOWob40xq1ZRlMnGr8vGGyG7gVQpfIY0XGSFBvaL-9wD0kvISMhC8r05iA241-bghetogLeuh3hwKZzLE_yS_afDTYaZkRy-ZHyb9Yzw7Bv6ZBD0tF2FHeoTZcCoDuQqHGA2UdAnDIWG5tDrc3NMcBsbkU7II6SzZ-mekjKR5Zk_-i5jnumHsxCQXU3jm2elaE-o3KUiwpAKQ==&c=e-fzUD541WBktXrK5gl6zepBXA1RWv_LcPqCdA_6DvQiZHIkBbOi7w==&ch=_R4rBdOdVzYEIA-PuSQsMeMMbT0Tu_WDsExujorq2tMQLh0_y6zb6Q==">NY Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> The path going to my front door, which is on the south side of the house, becomes ice-free much sooner than my driveway. The path is paved with dark paving stones while the driveway is nearly white. The reason is simple. Once some of the paving stones appear from beneath the snow, they are heated more by the sun that the concrete is. The replacement of sea ice in the Arctic by more heat-absorbing deep blue sea is a major reason why the Arctic is warming twice as fast as the global average.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_4.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/2cf385ec-2c76-4c41-915a-19e63de390b5" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study: Reducing Carbon Emissions Could Save 150 Million Lives by 2100</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">According to a new study appearing in Nature Climate Change, reducing carbon emissions could prevent 150 million premature deaths across the globe. The effect would mostly be felt in Asian countries with polluted air - 13 million lives could be saved in large Indian cities alone. Although the Clean Air Act has vastly improved air quality in the United States, over 330,000 lives could be saved in major American cities if air quality conditions were to improve further. However, these outcomes would only be possible if emissions were reduced enough to cap global temperature rise to less than 3 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century which, although lower than the target set by the Paris Climate Agreement, is still unlikely to be achieved. The study projected that if governments fail to work towards zero emissions by 2100, there would be about 7 million deaths per year related to air pollution. Drew Shindell, a professor at Duke University and the study's lead author, said, "There's got to be a significant amount of progress within the 2020s or it's too late."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001XL7FKH2puNGnm5LlwbzI2x6WLwvXl_2wXQaHHcnr6nOWob40xq1ZRlMnGr8vGGyGrIcBW7Wp0blFGqyQIu36QmrPq_BXWQdWcNTMQx2nbU0fe_VtHafWzuGNvv6rXtwZQxUoa1rMseTJ5a_cXvTFLk30Y81rRMrr_DWjAOCkQUNa-0La2fgonNu152wZbv-6EjZOcp92Hf2CWWuwmc_hFxa1w54CNrL2zlcx3Zoyn-BmBFHdCkCWBbpx-fBpdm0zONor2xsoi7J2UWKSaLHDqZdRfd3ffG-_QsVLQtht-PJnWBkl2eLw6-gljcJCYZOTPbUPkdORh7KvESyK7FEcJ15erjOIcdLqG-476Kdg0XknRnpiTPtLKodWDoRVCUUvN3quzSOkfpk=&c=e-fzUD541WBktXrK5gl6zepBXA1RWv_LcPqCdA_6DvQiZHIkBbOi7w==&ch=_R4rBdOdVzYEIA-PuSQsMeMMbT0Tu_WDsExujorq2tMQLh0_y6zb6Q==">Washington Post<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A series of eight "talking points" distributed by EPA's Office of Public Affairs to regional staffers instructed them to play up uncertainties in the relationship between human activity and climate change. The phrasing of the points hewed closely to past statements made by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt meant to diminish climate science. The memo containing the points was obtained and published by the press. The memo stated, "The ability to measure with precision the degree and extent of [climate change's] impact, and what to do about it, are subject to continuing debate and dialogue." The memo added that "clear gaps remain including our understanding of the role of human activity and what we can do about [climate change]." These statements directly conflict with the vast majority of climate scientists, including those within the federal government who have written it is "extremely likely" that humans have been the primary cause of climate change since the mid-20th century.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0012KIsyD8nJ5PMkuGYFc-uIK11iEZJtiIsTXBrzYKN9JYr4UHc1qujQJ27GEGZMJ29KUAX5v-xp23jRPbAI5zzmhNUHDv9NIRN6EmLkWYI4BTHG9YeBhqXjmZ4veLUhfCIokj-eAmOyZqq15PCQEXfaeC5mtrV81JSTBTs8n6HVLLe2yNMApgzcuX6Gqk0C4TBRGaoM8L0uTyYe9aWzN5izdVcRmvxBFZzN8DJN02HWeoVlmpEHeQ3bIp5LSoekH6PhwMQ7dZAvBL0z5ZgQ1oI14-_YFByofvYNcHldmyoCMvDT2j_FRRx_f-Mf7yNQgOm2qiJ68-KE50LhsFh554_3d3D_mS6kS-VeSnVlPuDWAHcsz_zGdDkX-kj0cfBquk5&c=EGdzc2nd9jc9_Qy92HQzVfD0y794NnhiZO21rgm8EglnxJA9P4xcVw==&ch=7g5fiXpi1Wn5Hthk4m_j59HhXX3a0_NGxqiG0Rq0OXEHlEqMuAWs6Q==">Washington Post<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_6.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/0a64571b-21bb-4fe1-a1ab-a154bd181c32" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>U.S. District Court Rules against Fossil Fuel Extraction Plans</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On March 23, a U.S. District Court in Montana ruled against an Interior Department plan to open over 15 million acres of public land and mineral rights to fossil fuel extraction, claiming that the government did not sufficiently consider how this plan would affect the climate and environment. The case was filed in 2016 by environmental groups with the plaintiffs arguing that the fossil fuel development plans violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) because they did not address the damages that coal, oil, and gas would cause to the environment. The area under dispute in Montana and Wyoming's Powder River Basin contains around 10.2 billion tons of coal and the potential for 18,000 new oil and gas wells. This decision comes after multiple others that were ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, due to the defendants' lack of consideration for the environmental impacts of their plans. Interior's Office of the Solicitor said they would review the court's decision, but declined to say if they would file an appeal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0012KIsyD8nJ5PMkuGYFc-uIK11iEZJtiIsTXBrzYKN9JYr4UHc1qujQJ27GEGZMJ29nqd7RWdGUuow9b4Mmoff2oRuvwrwdThyad5epEqgrEMvhmDO8LI05qkOzudP6KSvdyH4A_PHjNZoRnxSWkvh_wxkeEGbNsGoTcLMJo7sn2I9BzlcgnJ4h3e9pv6j4U-_G63qQRkqeFjEiHr3TkRFMkpwKannXxbo1Z182s7Ns46MyAOBvP6guSdgiltnqH48Y7Zpm4Ef0nicfsJLnXYKJ44MnfAocmseZl20omj4rUNwPz91QtoQjB0Unb6Y33fSRxt9laF9NNE=&c=EGdzc2nd9jc9_Qy92HQzVfD0y794NnhiZO21rgm8EglnxJA9P4xcVw==&ch=7g5fiXpi1Wn5Hthk4m_j59HhXX3a0_NGxqiG0Rq0OXEHlEqMuAWs6Q==">InsideClimate News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>California Ready to Retaliate if Trump Administration Rolls Back Vehicle Emission Standards</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">With EPA poised to relax rules limiting vehicle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that the administration views as too aggressive, California is set to retaliate by decoupling the state's rules from federal standards. EPA's anticipated action would initiate a long-term process to rewrite regulations implemented under the Obama administration to dramatically reduce carbon emissions from cars and light trucks. California officials have said they would revoke the state's "deemed to comply" rule, which says that car producers abiding by EPA's tailpipe GHG regulations automatically fulfill California's standards as well. Twelve additional states follow all or part of California's vehicle emission standards. Altogether, the 13 states make up a third of the U.S. auto market. California is already committed to its standards through 2025 and is currently developing even stricter standards through 2030. Automakers, who at first lobbied the current administration for revising the vehicle emission rules, are now expressing concern over the growing rift between Sacramento and Washington. Some companies are trying to convince federal officials to avoid lowering the requirements to the point that California would break away entirely.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0012KIsyD8nJ5PMkuGYFc-uIK11iEZJtiIsTXBrzYKN9JYr4UHc1qujQJ27GEGZMJ29_s5bsrFrPi_XKKTV7rLyLWNFemklTJys3xVL_hhOZTO29VBikQa4xDr30ewlHc12TaDl01_we0cSL63CNxlm1DIPFB5O0vwdxv9uz13Qu4yCHV1t2JzHHYWSDof3AJciEVTzSnrUvtyYB6TboPY263q_W-LqEdISwUjYHZkkCHeKSkCy7r_bs7j1m5VoYnKJ0k2aZ9wkmaSmGh8CnrU5HnBvaz1dlo-MJVZl4V3_KuE=&c=EGdzc2nd9jc9_Qy92HQzVfD0y794NnhiZO21rgm8EglnxJA9P4xcVw==&ch=7g5fiXpi1Wn5Hthk4m_j59HhXX3a0_NGxqiG0Rq0OXEHlEqMuAWs6Q==">Bloomberg<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Supporters and Opponents of Clean Power Plan Convene in Final Meeting to Discuss Repeal</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In Wyoming, at the last of four meetings regarding the repeal of the Clean Power Plan (CPP), supporters discussed the well-known effects of climate change, the benefits of the CPP, and the negative impacts of the coal industry. Meanwhile, the regulation's opponents pointed out coal's history of regional employment and affordable electricity, arguing that some regions in Wyoming cannot afford to abandon the coal industry. State economists predicted a 25 to 50 percent drop in Wyoming coal production, representing a downturn in employment, if the CPP were to be implemented. Even though the CPP never took force, coal production decreased by about 25 percent from 2015-2017 due to competition from natural gas-fired electricity. However, community members at the meeting described the impacts of continued coal use, such as miscarriages and other health issues attributed to poor air and water quality. Other speakers explained that the CPP would not call for the immediate elimination of coal use, but rather a gradual adjustment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a manner suitable for Wyoming.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0012KIsyD8nJ5PMkuGYFc-uIK11iEZJtiIsTXBrzYKN9JYr4UHc1qujQJ27GEGZMJ29rTklLrALkEfSeupFZ0-unsGOrdhTVWZK_QVG-VdjST7JJFjoPO0Gp5jVX1OIuZBjPnxLeFORjd_ZnqqdlwVzLJZiOfhMLSF4GMDFeeAt1VSJAMNEXiajwWOPe_xf9kY892zy7wQV-c1o0rAMW5i4RjJejEcu0icyk_dBvGdpXBFR6fGvD2U5vlAN7tu2nNBFdPLP-yONP1pdBsCbQU01pmNOTxv2nI7SY-ZnTsqhxPmDyR9xjMm7R7zt3jZrFJDMHg2dQWhnCRdlBc38C29Efw==&c=EGdzc2nd9jc9_Qy92HQzVfD0y794NnhiZO21rgm8EglnxJA9P4xcVw==&ch=7g5fiXpi1Wn5Hthk4m_j59HhXX3a0_NGxqiG0Rq0OXEHlEqMuAWs6Q==">Casper Star Tribune<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_7.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/1bf37655-a7eb-4fa8-b7e1-2355c653c77b" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>As Snowpack Declines, Ski Resorts Find New Methods to Save Winter</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Although recent weather has been great for skiers and snowboarders, overall trends show a 30 percent decline in North America's snowpack in the past century. By 2050, winter sport seasons for ski resorts will be cut in half. The decline in snow is significant beyond recreation, since it also supplies drinking water and irrigates farms. Some skiing regions in the western United States renowned for their "fluffy powder" will likely see denser snow in the future. Resorts are having to rely more frequently on snowmaking machines due to unpredictable snowfall, though innovations have led to greater automation and require less electricity and water than in the past. High winds and snowstorms can also lead to power outages and infrastructure damage. While resort operators have expressed concern about climate change, the industry still has a large carbon footprint. Visit Salt Lake CEO Scott Beck said, "The ski industry has not found a good narrative for our own responsibility for driving demand."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0012KIsyD8nJ5PMkuGYFc-uIK11iEZJtiIsTXBrzYKN9JYr4UHc1qujQJ27GEGZMJ29Sa_OVwDkM3uSLhdKAm1tKLDklPKpPKlXerYONqeTTDKNw4sN_s0-NL_FSk-EETqeOU6IS2oUdwID3lIYTBRYOUfaQvdjNYdVdd8VUQZfuK_0ulK871Zj6jYvxBe7PS4lWLmEIEx0TldjmZiMZNzb8rjiOFhJw2jF6F-qlKAeeVxzK8vLwjhcPhol2nMlqCjO8rfLpaa3dT77c0dSXXqCvD08Ru1uJAoCcaFsAUIdkxZgf0C1Fgh0KH6IZ-erSZNZUu_gNj9gYQKKOGZU5MQ2BOx333JgV4aJ41UDFyEr2ekGM19EbXpAzGofXWDtWnHLH_McjLPN5aDm6gL_v2w6Zfm6QkKQajcWGVnwa095WtnUXGJr37ZS2tMw0EtjWRnO&c=EGdzc2nd9jc9_Qy92HQzVfD0y794NnhiZO21rgm8EglnxJA9P4xcVw==&ch=7g5fiXpi1Wn5Hthk4m_j59HhXX3a0_NGxqiG0Rq0OXEHlEqMuAWs6Q==">Wired<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_8.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/f390da01-9e74-4796-a902-9a22bebcb239" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>IEA Report Shows Global Carbon Emissions Rose in 2017</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The International Energy Agency's (IEA) annual survey of global carbon levels showed an overall increase in CO2 emissions a year after the signing of the Paris Climate Agreement. In 2017, energy-related emissions increased by 1.4 percent, equivalent to adding 170 million cars to the road. The surge in carbon emissions came primarily from Asia and Europe, while the United States achieved the steepest year-over-year decline in CO2 levels of any advanced economy. IEA analysts were not surprised by these findings, citing a stronger global economy coupled with lower energy prices as cause for the global CO2 increase. Dan Klein, head of global coal research at S&P Global said, "If it weren't for the increase in overall [electricity] demand, the biggest story would have been the increase in renewables." Chinese wind and solar output grew by 21 and 38 percent respectively in 2017, while the United States saw a surge in renewables and a decrease in electricity demand.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0012KIsyD8nJ5PMkuGYFc-uIK11iEZJtiIsTXBrzYKN9JYr4UHc1qujQJ27GEGZMJ29KEUv0-E2W--Rf7whEplA1vVf3ypJaCUwXmkVNA9KN6qeZY3MnfvYK4VA0OsyfvFs2_yok8pQ8yfUSj3Kpxvx1pcN7TQFqy6qjneGZQe2sKZTwTY7dPfakdQEorf4ceCWYHUm7N_mk-mfovDOl-X36tOiWmLyZgH05SsWlI3Jw2PKE0KQyeA6NPg9Vm8ODBDc9HeJBHii7SQSvLSEjPRjh6clc7u6eeBz&c=EGdzc2nd9jc9_Qy92HQzVfD0y794NnhiZO21rgm8EglnxJA9P4xcVw==&ch=7g5fiXpi1Wn5Hthk4m_j59HhXX3a0_NGxqiG0Rq0OXEHlEqMuAWs6Q==">Scientific American<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study: Sahara Desert's Expansion Fueled by Climate Change</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">New research published in the Journal of Climate has found that the Sahara Desert is growing. The desert's southern advance into Sudan and Chad is drying out vegetation and leaving farmland barren. The expansion has been partly fueled by a lack of rain, which is unusual for Africa's summer. Although the study only covered the Sahara, the authors said that their findings suggest other hot deserts are likely expanding due to the effects of climate change on weather circulation patterns. The study examined data from 1920 to 2013, including satellite data from the past three decades. The researchers found that in the 1960s, one of these cycles, the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), switched from a phase that delivered more rain to areas around the Sahara to one that facilitated drier conditions. One of the most intense droughts of the 20th century was later attributed to this shift. Lake Chad is among the water resources being depleted due to the encroachment of drier conditions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0012KIsyD8nJ5PMkuGYFc-uIK11iEZJtiIsTXBrzYKN9JYr4UHc1qujQJ27GEGZMJ29vM_sHWDQrcWTaA8wZFZ7ExSodm3UEbWo2YUZaUWs_OZSqupQ44oXx20I4-D0SJoekd5UrrViik6LSnEAfxcou2e-EC5UaUegnNUF_e6uQYjScCqXInPc-4nf3xOK5--BvCKI5tkfuYidx69O1WUywOyCLfYNLo2Vcf8o7LW4a-jpqbsKInaR5Hx7JLg-idI64IaDdGc_7-vOKoFO83_Fh5Y_GeQyrAh_GmSlr6fIjMxfeJ6-vraEJqLnC0B2HCwq05-_tjTC45YSYFHrmaLU6f3rvt93KUHVtmOudoVhdIw=&c=EGdzc2nd9jc9_Qy92HQzVfD0y794NnhiZO21rgm8EglnxJA9P4xcVw==&ch=7g5fiXpi1Wn5Hthk4m_j59HhXX3a0_NGxqiG0Rq0OXEHlEqMuAWs6Q==">Washington Post<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> What started out as the civil war in Syria, which now includes several other countries, including Russia, Iran and the U.S., was preceded by four years of drought putting farmers out of work. Increasing conflicts over food and water have been cited by the U.S. Department of Defense as an effect of climate change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>EPA Administrator's Swift Retreat from Regulations May Not Hold Up</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Legal experts are predicting that EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's hasty rollback of federal regulations is unlikely to stand up to court challenges. So far, six of Pruitt's actions to delay or eliminate environmental regulations established under the Obama administration have been struck down in court. EPA has also backed away from efforts to delay smog regulations and withdraw mercury pollution limits. The courts have cited a lack of appropriate justification, missed deadlines to enact policies, and the flaunting of clear legal statutes among the reasons for the reversals. In EPA's proposed rollback of vehicle emission standards, independent analysts found a lack of legal, scientific, and technical data to defend the action, meaning the request filed would be unlikely to convince a judge to allow the repeal. Former EPA policy analyst James McCargar said, "I just don't see how [EPA provides] anything that gives a technical justification to undo the rule. The EPA has just never done anything like this."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001aPYjX928XKIare-CYviIzxTCy6Vq050ppA9TwUCeQno0QScinEGghKq1hH7LXir22CBe7nPgjDCLqNxgwKoxE6Hn0kciRwupNgGHRZYg6YsIbVYHHM5K5Ox_lFfHfZwVweSshokdm9sIAYYGN9-UpqroF0LOu1gv0llyipJqxOtu0X2kFO0Bzfm1N0WaZ5NB2xbI-ISWje82W_BvP51dcszX9cnfF_IBDatxH_URgF99Mo48SJhtglqqvxbbSiTO&c=NlThDklAQ-TInakfbaibJA68n3E2NCZMjE_45zPrPE-caD6qo4SIfw==&ch=K-1tYqtRK2JjXUjViBwjVlR2tA8IPL1GjDVal32C8bpxu_Gw8y6lXQ==">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_9.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/17748956-8dd0-48b3-b663-e07b0fa39382" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Clouds Over Pruitt Raise Stakes for EPA Deputy's Nomination</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On April 12, the Senate confirmed President Trump's nominee for deputy administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. The contentious nominee, Andrew Wheeler, is a former coal lobbyist. The confirmation vote passed 53-45, with all Republicans and three Democrats (Sens. Donnelly (IN), Heitkamp (ND), and Manchin (WV) voting in favor. The trio of Democrats are facing reelection in states that lean heavily Republican. Democratic senators opposed to Wheeler argued that he has not been thoroughly vetted to hold the second-most senior position at the agency. Wheeler has gotten extra attention due to the uncertainty surrounding EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's job security. Pruitt has come under fire from White House officials and legislators for a string of ethics and spending controversies. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) said, "I think it would be best advised to hold off on [the Wheeler] vote to see if we are voting on the acting administrator or the deputy administrator." However, Sen. Cardin admitted that Democrats had few options available to them to delay the confirmation vote.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001aPYjX928XKIare-CYviIzxTCy6Vq050ppA9TwUCeQno0QScinEGghKq1hH7LXir2Xilt7KFb1Clen4hWSqFeHwS9wE1gJjcobr7Y8KfRV0zK6wVl6BTfnWsX4XVk6xG9szZtwB37xjbtIT_4wKz8_bFUn1xD4iZbujcr6q4urOvRW9_ro4O8Ej4hULGZimW8AGMYiQImP01MdKOpK4I9Xe1JMFdBxogpPYMWk6osbTH9ysNcHtain4Vt_KyMvzY__iG0FyS6ZOP7whsD52VCNg==&c=NlThDklAQ-TInakfbaibJA68n3E2NCZMjE_45zPrPE-caD6qo4SIfw==&ch=K-1tYqtRK2JjXUjViBwjVlR2tA8IPL1GjDVal32C8bpxu_Gw8y6lXQ==">The Hill<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_10.pdf" src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/01a6a7b2-a357-49e7-9315-ff941c9ff96b" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study: Marine Heatwaves Are Lasting Longer, Occurring More Frequently</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A new dataset indicates that marine heatwaves have become 34 percent more likely and 17 percent longer in duration since 1925. Overall, the number of days in a year featuring a marine heatwave has increased by 54 percent during that span. The study's lead author, Eric Oliver of Dalhousie University, said, "We can expect a continued global increase in marine heatwaves in future, with important implications for marine biodiversity." The researchers classified a heat wave as an event lasting for at least five days where daily ocean temperatures exceeded the 90th percentile of what is considered "very warm" for that time of year. The study is the first to quantify long-term changes in the frequency and length of marine heatwaves as the climate warms. Marine heatwaves have been behind mass coral bleaching events, the loss of carbon stores like seagrass meadows, mass die-offs of marine species, and changes to the range and structure of ecosystems. The heat waves can also significantly affect commercial fisheries.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001aPYjX928XKIare-CYviIzxTCy6Vq050ppA9TwUCeQno0QScinEGghKq1hH7LXir2dNutZmsaVsUD37W3FiOXaCp5eYlTOPyn43foJbYkdPQgbL4i3j3bYyg6jmnfhFcqvJUh_hizI8BVJ06ylANkmQJXKqGyeT6GqbqemC8cql9aOuNDg4nWHpl1OXtBYp56rkkE-pn0yGY_85KkDv0ZN_m3lH2FsEqwR0XsH5rGFnKSF1kVEbZ--XCwiR5Mar5u&c=NlThDklAQ-TInakfbaibJA68n3E2NCZMjE_45zPrPE-caD6qo4SIfw==&ch=K-1tYqtRK2JjXUjViBwjVlR2tA8IPL1GjDVal32C8bpxu_Gw8y6lXQ==">Carbon Brief<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Scientific Studies Conclude Key Ocean Current Has Changed, Potentially Affecting Weather Patterns</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">According to new research appearing in the journal Nature, the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) has declined in strength by 15 percent since the mid-20th century. The record-low is problematic, since the AMOC ferries warm water from the equator into the north Atlantic, while pushing cold water back into the deep ocean. This ocean circulation contributes to Western Europe's temperate weather and is crucial for the health of New England fisheries. Researchers point to Greenland's melting ice sheets as part of the reason for the AMOC disruption. Stefan Rahmstorf of the Potsdam Institute said the disruption is "something that climate models have predicted for a long time, but we weren't sure it was really happening. I think it is happening. And I think it's bad news." A second study found that the AMOC has slowed down over the past 150 years and is now the weakest it's been in more than a millennium. Although the papers differ in their attribution of the problem (natural versus anthropogenic causes), both concluded that the circulation has weakened.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001aPYjX928XKIare-CYviIzxTCy6Vq050ppA9TwUCeQno0QScinEGghKq1hH7LXir2Qma7CRv3Q7kIuUeWI96ZJ81W5a3DRDWbV-EpT9_mImQEyqsvzHHo-PxvuAzf1_7jh7-X60bBMOuwbGL4I9R0OIChK5yRn0w0Pk6mCyVQhK_sod6maGaCbDTsBPgrn85kUtLsiphR3ph1ClJneuQiqXPna0iR-5pfWFgTZonAQvEUQFDnHQfJO1c9_cFzwArFr4EPguSObytyQmzBpGeVstUL528fBMj3yXXRdCjoEVQZRd1hvPlioC6WNH1fvb1-SzAjr_mT3kn4xVxyITzcFuv9aHhCJ2HGcsKNMOSHztXzZbS6pGTVvcii73OjQaKbRO40Iu73Kj91W65ccyYZX2fKmFwWnGin&c=NlThDklAQ-TInakfbaibJA68n3E2NCZMjE_45zPrPE-caD6qo4SIfw==&ch=K-1tYqtRK2JjXUjViBwjVlR2tA8IPL1GjDVal32C8bpxu_Gw8y6lXQ==">Washington Post<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0056d6; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><br />
Thanks,<br />
Chad A. Tolman</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">ctolman141@gmail.com<br />
New Castle County Congregations of Delaware Interfaith Power and Light</span></div>
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Chad Tolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198303455148896174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441974095206886318.post-68490508673731462922018-03-19T13:32:00.000-07:002018-03-19T13:32:44.144-07:00CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS FOR MARCH 2018<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>CC NEWS FOR MARCH 2018</b></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">On Feb. 27 Eric Holthaus posted an article in <b><i>Grist</i></b> titled, <a href="https://grist.org/article/meet-the-teens-schooling-us-on-climate-change/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(9, 34, 43); color: #0061ff;">Meet the teens schooling us on climate</span></a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">. He reports that teenagers </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">“are increasingly finding their voices in the Trump era, expanding media-savvy campaigns for <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-protest-marist-mount-greenwood-met-20161111-story.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 74, 97); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">racial equality</span></a> and <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43138544"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 74, 97); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">gun control</span></a> to encompass climate change. A group of high school students are now planning a nationwide series of climate marches on July 21, when they will confront lawmakers in Washington, D.C., with a list of their demands for a livable climate.” </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">The head leader of he marches is Jamie Margolin, a 16-year old high school sophomore.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Margolin is one of 13 young plaintiffs <a href="http://kuow.org/post/13-kids-sue-washington-state-life-liberty-and-livable-climate"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 74, 97); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">suing Washington state government for not taking sufficient action to address</span></a> climate change.” “And the Seattle teen is not an anomaly: Statistically, young women of color like Margolin are<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/page/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2014/06/02/National-Politics/Polling/question_14331.xml"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 74, 97); color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 74, 97); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">the demographic most engaged on climate issues</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Margolin started planning the upcoming climate march, which she calls “Zero Hour,” last August, after the Trump administration announced its plans to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. She recruited Mrinalini Chakraborty, head of strategy for the national Women’s March, to help the students file for permits and plan logistics. Now, the organizing committee includes dozens of youth from Connecticut to California. The <a href="http://thisiszerohour.org/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 74, 97); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">official website</span></a> for the march launched last week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Now, the group is drawing inspiration from the teen-led movement for federal gun control in the wake of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Margolin was particularly impressed when the Parkland students confronted lawmakers about accepting money from the NRA — which produced <a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/2/22/17038928/cnn-town-hall-gun-debate"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 74, 97); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">some predictably awkward stammers</span></a>. Her team is considering making similar demands for politicians to refuse money from the fossil fuel industry.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">NOTE: Thank God, for the youth! They can get the older ones like me to finally get up off their duffs and provide a healthy, livable world for future generations. The actions of these young people reminds me of Our Children’s Trust - a law suit brought against the government of the United States for not protecting the rights of young people to life, liberty and property. You can see a 2-minute video at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZVfNDcWOpU"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZVfNDcWOpU</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Climate Home News </b>published an article on January 3 by Joseph Curtin titled, <a href="http://www.climatechangenews.com/2018/03/01/one-country-will-blame-paris-climate-deal-fails/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0061ff;">Only one country will be to blame if the Paris climate deal fails</span></a>. He writes,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">“US scientists like Charles Keeling and James Hansen are largely responsible for drawing the world’s attention to global warming. States like California are leading the world in their policy response, and American innovation in areas like electric vehicles and battery storage may well prove crucial in long-term. At the same time, American politics has prevented real action to reduce emissions for two decades, not just at home but globally.”</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“No country has a perfect record, but the situation either side of the Atlantic is incomparable. <b><i>Each European emits about 6.4 tonnes of heat-trapping CO2 per year, compared to 16.5 tonnes for the average American.</i></b> <b><i>(emphasis added</i></b>)The EU will overachieve its 2020 targets by a considerable distance, whereas the US federal government has reneged on its commitments.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A notable achievement is the EU-wide emissions trading scheme, which places a modest but <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/commodities/co2-emissionsrechte"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(33, 117, 155); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">steadily increasing</span></a> price on carbon emissions. Binding targets for the growth of renewables have spurred their uptake, while demanding energy standards for appliances, vehicles and homes have transformed behaviour.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Curtin points out that though China has been the world’s major emitter (tons of CO2/yr) since 2006, CO2 has such a long atmospheric lifetime that it is the total amount that is most important in warming the climate. Since 1870 the total Chinese emissions have been 194 billion metric tons tons while those of the U.S. have been 393 billion. Furthermore, China has taken the lead in manufacturing solar panels and electric cars, while the U.S. is falling behind in the technologies of the future. Curtin ends with this:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“It is often said that climate change is a global problem requiring a global solution. This might be true, but the biggest barrier to action is that the biggest contributor with the greatest means refuses to lead. America holds the key, and if its government, its capital, its innovators, its communities, and its citizens can lead, the world will follow. I have absolutely no doubt that change is around the corner, but the clock is ticking.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Feb. 28 the <b><i>NY Times</i></b> Climate Forward published an article by Henry Fountain titled, What are the leading/viable technologies to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere? This is what he wrote:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“There are five major approaches to carbon dioxide removal:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Plant more forests. </b>Trees remove carbon dioxide naturally, incorporating it into their tissues as they grow. Worldwide, forests store about one billion to two billion tons of carbon annually, offsetting a chunk of the roughly 10 billion tons emitted by human activity. Reforestation and afforestation, properly managed, could remove a lot more and keep it out of the atmosphere. But planting forests is slow work — <a href="http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=pMJKdIFVI6pghfX2HXfSzxRpdoyDWYNWN1TiSyEdC6WnCYkmJw6xek1DtoD82cyOQQISNCw0K0qoDU/jwU6JEVzJMz9uSTxLiHUYOW/96txJmVCWU4lsB2Hsir56CvHEQnOFMTCq2g9o6m1+5khzSu2D34HCgLZC&campaign_id=24723&instance_id=112358&segment_id=121461&user_id=3d7116fc5997917b58ee6fb7702dbd1c&regi_id=80595608"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">as Icelanders know well</span></a> — and requires a lot of land. The world is currently much better at cutting down forests than planting new ones.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Crush a lot of rock. </b>This technique is called enhanced weathering, and is based on the fact that some types of rock weather by naturally combining with carbon dioxide in the air or water. <a href="http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=pMJKdIFVI6pghfX2HXfSzxRpdoyDWYNWyJjIIhGWdNdPsT0LCXnmyyqITtO/q6fcCCaVeznoAI+2iA+5t/xArQUwLaxbQ4+cjFJBPNRdP0M+nimKFanWbW6w5SvA27eF2edhSlJfFvkofumKVUbCXG3b0hWHtit39GVE+9AsQZg=&campaign_id=24723&instance_id=112358&segment_id=121461&user_id=3d7116fc5997917b58ee6fb7702dbd1c&regi_id=80595608"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">One suggested approach</span></a> would use the mineral olivine, which is plentiful, crushing it into fine sand and spreading it on land, perhaps along coastlines. But mining, crushing and transporting the billions of tons needed would be expensive and energy intensive. And the carbon removal would still be exceedingly slow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Burn plants for energy and capture the carbon dioxide. </b>In this high-tech approach, called bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, or BECCS, vegetation would be used to naturally remove carbon dioxide. The vegetation would then be burned in a power plant and the carbon dioxide in the exhaust gases would be captured and stored. So far there are only a handful of working BECCS projects; others have been canceled. Among the many questions about the technology is whether emissions are really negative if the carbon cost of growing and harvesting the vegetation is taken into account.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Sprinkle iron in the ocean. </b>Like enhanced weathering, fertilizing the ocean by putting iron particles or other nutrients in the water is among the more far-fetched approaches. The idea is that the nutrients would stimulate the growth of tiny marine plants called phytoplankton, which would incorporate carbon dioxide as they grew and then sink to the bottom of the ocean when they died, taking the carbon with them. Generally, however, putting large amounts of metal or chemicals into seawater is considered ocean dumping. There have been only a few tests of the idea, <a href="http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=pMJKdIFVI6pghfX2HXfSzxRpdoyDWYNWap5dDNJu6nTzWOzGchnHTCqITtO/q6fcpAsqT2meiZZo3eLgNIO9TirrpyJXk4Xk34QHa7oyxsFIUdvASf9Mo/VMFo94dsfiWVmRzVq3sYusSaIJv0sXafeUNFVs5A61RlcqaJDmNgajiFBZ/APUxRJwQja4+7Ip&campaign_id=24723&instance_id=112358&segment_id=121461&user_id=3d7116fc5997917b58ee6fb7702dbd1c&regi_id=80595608"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">one of which was conducted without scientific oversight off Western Canada in 2012</span></a> under the pretense of helping a native Canadian community improve its salmon catch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Suck carbon dioxide out of the air. </b>There has been a significant amount of research into “direct air capture.” Much of the technology is similar to what is used in carbon capture projects at power plants: chemicals bind with carbon dioxide molecules and then are heated or otherwise treated to release them for capture. Several companies, including <a href="http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=cdOHbQcFwifNEV2zEjH9a23I5UPPPlYzkuaboE0TUuk=&campaign_id=24723&instance_id=112358&segment_id=121461&user_id=3d7116fc5997917b58ee6fb7702dbd1c&regi_id=80595608"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Carbon Engineering</span></a> and <a href="http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=4z5Q7LhI+KW8Abp0l0flPd+yVaF/krr4CTtb1Hodjxs=&campaign_id=24723&instance_id=112358&segment_id=121461&user_id=3d7116fc5997917b58ee6fb7702dbd1c&regi_id=80595608"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Climeworks</span></a>, have developed machines to do this. But carbon capture at a fossil-fuel plant, where carbon dioxide can make up perhaps 5 to 10 percent of the exhaust gases, is one thing. Doing it from the air is another. For all the rightful concern about rising carbon dioxide levels, the gas still makes up only about 0.04 percent of the atmosphere. Removing a significant amount of it would involve moving huge volumes of air through thousands upon thousands of capture machines, and powering the machines for decades.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Fountain wrote: </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Some removal technologies are more fanciful than others, but as for which are most viable, it could be argued that none are, at least not yet. <a href="http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=pMJKdIFVI6p4ss+8W5kd+mVqsjb44IW1zIyCsNG2ohfH3LhpovuRGb3jkZRHY0yS6yxgUDBAxw8KTxvmLvI3jeqxq7sPByJ1VWjZDWhBuJ9wwmfAD4BHwkVXVcZDj3c99DmvMmWWpq6q1Q9rT9QtUBVlPI5sSUM/FoGyWxfwoFpJ7ldiI61/Gd9kJfqv89WF&campaign_id=24723&instance_id=112358&segment_id=121461&user_id=3d7116fc5997917b58ee6fb7702dbd1c&regi_id=80595608"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">In a report last month</span></a>, the European Academies of Science Advisory Council offered a pessimistic outlook for carbon removal, saying that it offered only “limited realistic potential” to have a climate impact. The authors argued that the world should not count on removal technologies to make up for a failure to sharply reduce or eliminate emissions in the first place.”</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">On March 1 Hiroko Tabuchi posted an article in the <b style="color: black;"><i>NY Times</i></b> titled, <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07032018/kids-climate-change-lawsuit-trial-juliana-v-usa-childrens-trust"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="color: black;">Parts Suppliers Call for Cleaner Cars, Splitting With Their Main Customers: Automakers. </span></span><span style="color: black;">He wrote,</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07032018/kids-climate-change-lawsuit-trial-juliana-v-usa-childrens-trust">“<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">In the debate over how quickly to make American cars pollute less, the nation’s auto-parts makers are now in open disagreement with the automakers that buy the countless transmissions, turbochargers and other components that make up modern automobiles.</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07032018/kids-climate-change-lawsuit-trial-juliana-v-usa-childrens-trust">Car manufacturers would like to roll back standards dating from the Obama administration that mandate a deep cut in auto emissions. The rules, which require automakers to <span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff;">nearly doubl</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #021eaa;">e</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"> the average fuel economy of new cars and light trucks by 2025, are </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff;">the single biggest step</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"> the United States has taken to combat </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff;">climate change</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">.</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07032018/kids-climate-change-lawsuit-trial-juliana-v-usa-childrens-trust">Automaker groups say the Obama-era rules fail to take into account the rising demand for larger vehicles, which pollute more and make progress on overall emissions more challenging. The Trump administration is reviewing the rules for possible revision.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07032018/kids-climate-change-lawsuit-trial-juliana-v-usa-childrens-trust">But on Thursday, five groups representing the country’s major auto suppliers urged the country to stay the course. In an unusual joint statement, the suppliers said that it was “in the nation’s best interest” that the United States continue to develop and manufacture “the cleanest and most efficient vehicles in the world.”</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07032018/kids-climate-change-lawsuit-trial-juliana-v-usa-childrens-trust">“At stake is a measure that the Obama administration estimated would eliminate as much as <span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff;">six billion metric tons</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"> of greenhouse gas emissions and save consumers more than $1 trillion at the pump over the lifetime of the cars affected. Together, <b><i>the nation’s vehicles now regularly emit </i></b></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff;"><b><i>more earth-warming gases</i></b></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><b><i> than its</i></b> <b><i>power plants.</i></b>” <b><i>(emphasis added)</i></b></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07032018/kids-climate-change-lawsuit-trial-juliana-v-usa-childrens-trust"></a></span><br /></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;"><a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07032018/kids-climate-change-lawsuit-trial-juliana-v-usa-childrens-trust"><span style="color: black;">On March 7 Nicholas Kusnetz posted an article in <span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><b><i>Inside Climate News</i></b> titled, </span></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #0061ff;">Children’s Climate Lawsuit Heads to Trial: Court Rejects Trump Attempt to Block It. </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">He wrote,”</span></a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #333333;">A federal appeals court rejected the Trump administration's attempt to halt a landmark climate change lawsuit on Wednesday, ruling that the case can proceed to trial in a lower court.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The lawsuit, brought in 2015 by 21 youths, argues that the federal government has violated their constitutional rights by failing to act on climate change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">"We're excited to be back in the district court," said Julia Olson, chief legal counsel for Our Children's Trust, a nonprofit that is representing the youths. "We'll promptly ask for a new trial date for 2018 and get there as quickly as we possibly can, given the urgency of the climate crisis."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The plaintiffs are asking the courts <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/13062017/kids-climate-change-lawsuit-childrens-trust-jayden-foytlin-louisiana"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(131, 190, 68); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">to force the government to enact policies</span></a> that would cut the nation's greenhouse gas emissions and end subsidies to fossil fuel companies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Obama administration tried to get the case dismissed in 2016, but a federal district judge in Oregon <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/571d109b04426270152febe0/t/5824e85e6a49638292ddd1c9/1478813795912/Order+MTD.Aiken.pdf"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(131, 190, 68); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">rejected the request</span></a></span><span style="color: #0061ff; font-kerning: none;"> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">and set a trial date for February 2018. Last year, the Trump administration tried <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/17112017/climate-change-lawsuit-kids-donald-trump-administration-our-childrens-trust"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(131, 190, 68); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">to halt the case</span></a>, this time by employing an unusual legal tactic to have an appeals court review the lower court's ruling before the case proceeded to trial.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On March 13 Georgina Gustin posted an article in <b><i>Inside Climate News</i></b> titled, <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/12032018/climate-change-solutions-national-science-academies-commonwealth-of-nations-paris-agreement"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">22 National Science Academies Urge Government Action on Climate Change</span></a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal;">. </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">She wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“As some of the world's biggest polluters resist efforts to address climate change—most glaringly, the United States—thousands of scientists from countries that make up the Commonwealth of Nations say their governments need to take bolder steps to lower greenhouse gas emissions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Monday, the national science academies of 22 Commonwealth countries, including from the UK, Canada, India and Australia, issued a "Consensus <a href="https://rsc-src.ca/sites/default/files/pdf/Commonwealth%20Academies%20Consensus%20Statement%20on%20Climate%20Change%20-%2012%20March%202018%20-%202.pdf"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(131, 190, 68); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Statement</span></a> on Climate Change," declaring that the "Commonwealth has the potential, and the responsibility, to help drive meaningful global efforts and outcomes that protect ourselves, our children and our planet."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The statement comes one month before the <a href="https://www.chogm2018.org.uk/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(131, 190, 68); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting</span></a> in London, where leaders intend to discuss sustainability and climate change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Monday's statement warns that countries need to adopt stronger measures to limit global temperature rise to less than 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels—the goal of the 2015 <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/tags/paris-climate-agreement"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(131, 190, 68); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Paris climate agreement</span></a>. The statement points out that, even if countries meet their existing greenhouse gas reduction targets under the agreement, a <a href="https://www.unenvironment.org/resources/emissions-gap-report"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(131, 190, 68); color: #4d22b3; line-height: normal;">recent repor</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(131, 190, 68); color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;">t</span></a> from the United Nations projects "a global temperature rise of 3 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In the statement, scientists from 22 national academies of sciences call on the government leaders to use the "best possible scientific evidence to guide action on their 2030 commitments" under the agreement and "take further action to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions during the second half of the 21st Century."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“The <a href="https://www.chogm2018.org.uk/the-commonwealth"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(131, 190, 68); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">53 countries of the Commonwealth</span></a> comprise former territories of the British Empire, including Botswana, Zimbabwe, Pakistan and Bangladesh, and are <b><i>home to about 2.4 billion people</i></b>.” <b><i>(emphasis added)</i></b></span></div>
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The following items are from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), Carol Werner, Executive Director. Past issues of its newsletter are posted on its website under "publications"<br />
at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102515421764&e=001VqmyLSnT7fkl-_mocGBcn8yb2ys8eiE4dr3Tnveazy1K0B1fU1CponAdxiy_W78b49PK6NHsR0pHlqO7KOWi-3m5yW4bNEJiyJt1G95YoNt46CLY1L4uGjNKLSPL84kX2r7jAaxw1oVR18YElOXvV8_lo1bRsASi9tPNMTm7-ZU="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">http://www.eesi.org/publications/Newsletters/CCNews/ccnews.htm</span></a></span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">EESI’s newsletter is intended for all interested parties, particularly the policymaker community. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Federal Judge Orders Trump Administration to Enforce Methane Emission Controls</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On March 1, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ordered the Trump administration to cease its suspension of rules that require oil and natural gas producers on federal and tribal lands to take preventative measures against rogue methane leaks. Judge William Orrick granted New Mexico and California’s bid for a preliminary injunction against the repeal of the rules, which had taken effect in January 2017. The case was combined with a similar suit filed by a coalition of 17 tribal and environmental groups. Orrick reasoned that the Bureau of Land Management had not provided substantial evidence for justifying the rules’ repeal. Orrick stated, “[The plaintiffs] have shown irreparable injury caused by the waste of publicly owned natural gas, increased air pollution and associated health impacts, and exacerbated climate impacts.” This marks the third federal court to rule in favor of preserving the rules. Oil and gas industry representatives and the states of Texas and North Dakota had joined the administration in pursuing the repeal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-environment-wasterule/u-s-court-blocks-trump-administration-from-ending-oil-gas-waste-rule-idUSKCN1G71WJ?il=0">Reuters</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">, <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/nation/article/Trump-administration-ordered-to-enforce-limits-on-12704732.php"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 150, 219); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">SFgate</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E3102577-3EF9-4C8D-A05B-08DC6CC4E9B7/pastedGraphic.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Hurricane Debris Adds to U.S. Virgin Islands' History of Environmental Strife</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">During the 4.5 months since Hurricane Maria struck the U.S. Virgin Islands, the U.S. Army Corps and local contractors have gathered more than 61,000 truckloads of debris in their effort to clean up the three major islands of St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix. The consequence of this work has been mountains of waste appearing at local landfills, to the point that they have become part of the visible landscape on the scenic islands. Gov. Kenneth Mapp has requested the Army Corps remove the debris from the islands, fearing they pose a fire hazard. Residents fear burning the waste would present threats to public health and the environment. The cleanup effort is already projected to cost $275 million. The U.S. territory has a history of environmental incidents being inflicted upon it. Hess constructed one of the world's largest oil refineries in St. Croix in the 1960s, but residents suffered from a string of issues. Complaints over the lax environmental standards there led to the facility closing in 2012.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001CFgRrL1PpJjmuRnbCgA24mAzGdTzL84oKxoZnvWZ_l3zKr9gfVgtqroKv2sD2txyufrQLceJyZq5IrQL0e5KQteJCKlJUZ5hZUvENPcVmK0K7-_jFO2yNnLHj4C7y65xLaVa9J_qZ4zy_6IKNMXE1ExnTwZ6VG6keNfz2LEB1MaP6i_y9uDRePoSBvJgD7KoLU38qzX5eNI6ZbktTkqnMWxuhcu39FPXVu9ze-6px6yyOPL_Z7uo-llmQ-OhPBKoSO9BivEuWvdilVFu5FSnj56-nwQI9-jUKNsaVnVYJKv5inN6UfUAaVpBHs9zs3Q3QwK4IfVOaH33UbxVr4y3ERJbNCzUC7FvBJS9UjDgnTxhqndCjNRBLLvUABmYo7FFPmgpn8aonZ4E85Bpbo22dM_mC6HKFqEesAhm-vgYejf0nRcsk9H5_orOk_WFQs7gKr7lwagQSZYPdh_8EfjLRsQCyYCasRiU&c=lXM2pzA09P6pnw8oqdoVt8-NxTk-gfWe1JDYs2hWz4mi1Q89bsdKBA==&ch=CCQHJmimMEVdsaXeZM4vwHF0bFcKwNUkW__RYgXU28ql-0D4AIIn_g==">Washington Post<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>As a Water Shortage Worsens, Inequality in Cape Town becomes More Apparent</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In a few months Cape Town's primary water supply could run dry. The drought that has hit the South African city is proving to be a challenge for all citizens, but some are more affected than others. The water crisis seems to be widening the divide between rich and poor. The wealthy have been spending on several countermeasures, such as buying enormous quantities of bottled water, hiring companies to dig wells, and purchasing desalination machines. Many of the city's impoverished residents are left to consider cutting back on food to buy water at inflated prices. Giulio Boccaletti, of the Nature Conservancy, said, "Inequity plays out in water very obviously, and what we're seeing in Cape Town risks becoming an example of that." Residents in informal settlements around and within Cape Town, just a few kilometers from the expensive villas of the richer neighborhoods, are the most affected. The government has announced that these informal settlements will be prioritized in the emergency water distribution plan. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see: </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001CFgRrL1PpJjmuRnbCgA24mAzGdTzL84oKxoZnvWZ_l3zKr9gfVgtqroKv2sD2txyBnULnJiTeTrFAhDiGORni_KEz4NpYnByr-hUJIbL15Zz3PbtnfdgfJKtL8w2WaWtcrJn-6latEG4ScWBcw7UX3Yd-sB-QHjLoeF3Gsrc2wgU_oUQZ8__0e3xo3ZGjm1zE1Jft-GQbW2QdxwM-8vaoZziqycZDFg8Babo18UF_A861WoB_bw1DW4f2mz2Jz1cdKnrxKXWKlLzT98ddsGDjTo9GGtUzB6P0mdzl2FWjaWCIdL9MnD0J6CAcG3Ucxsqpe9ToJyVGmX4btPwHebXX6sAu7a4DwUk0XLaEeCQIgYF4-vI2T_aUkYtZU8TdsZc-s0Vo_zrknnP7CpchNOalC9rXwVCln0yUlEkGl_d_XUSykbhd4WU5w==&c=lXM2pzA09P6pnw8oqdoVt8-NxTk-gfWe1JDYs2hWz4mi1Q89bsdKBA==&ch=CCQHJmimMEVdsaXeZM4vwHF0bFcKwNUkW__RYgXU28ql-0D4AIIn_g==">Washington Post<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> As a general rule, the poorest people, who are least responsible for the emmissionn of greenhouse gases, suffer the most from climate change, because they don’ have the resources to adapt.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_1.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E3102577-3EF9-4C8D-A05B-08DC6CC4E9B7/pastedGraphic_1.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>A Rebuilt New Orleans Braces for Future Storms</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Despite installing some of the strongest environmental protections of any American city since Hurrican Katrina, New Orleans may still not possess enough defenses to spare itself from future disasters. The city's storm damage risk reduction system is only graded as strong enough to protect against storms that would cause a "100-year" flood, or one that has a one percent chance of occurring in any given year. However, as the effects of climate change advance, the odds of a major flood increase and the system becomes less effective. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, stated, "What we should have done is build to a 10,000-year flood standard, which is what the Netherlands built to, and we didn't, and that was for the country a monetary decision." A Dutch study even suggested that New Orleans needs a "5,000-year" storm protection system. The 100-year standard is what the federal government currently uses to assess eligiblility for flood insurance in a flood zone, which in turn influenced the protection systems selected.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001CFgRrL1PpJjmuRnbCgA24mAzGdTzL84oKxoZnvWZ_l3zKr9gfVgtqroKv2sD2txy9af1bUOLtT8CNb9ND9dxmItKVIEbfWLRltST8MONy02CSAmEAZuIAczBeRhbXTS_6RJEQlhhPEX1vn_klbR_4PIsSZ7KZZu4Kh_zlKPehgHbAiN_QvoMGgr1oUA150YeP_Xrj3vr1DcBZ_k4rgKKsslWfTvilycc1JaJkaLssHNB1BEbez8Klg7ZwOCFmwE8bUu5td0nkq8=&c=lXM2pzA09P6pnw8oqdoVt8-NxTk-gfWe1JDYs2hWz4mi1Q89bsdKBA==&ch=CCQHJmimMEVdsaXeZM4vwHF0bFcKwNUkW__RYgXU28ql-0D4AIIn_g==">Times-Picayune<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On February 26, the Center for Climate and Security released a report indicating that U.S. military sites are facing an accelerating threat from sea level rise and extreme weather events. More than 200 domestic military facilities have been flooded by storm surges recently, versus 30 such incidents in 2008. The report also describes the extensive consequences of sea level rise, including loss of life, infrastructure, and electricity, in addition to damage to critical equipment and communications capabilities. Installations damaged by extreme weather events abroad could become limited in their ability to assist other nations in the region, such as delivering humanitarian aid following a major storm. The total value of the Department of Defense's global installations exceeds a trillion dollars. To address climate change, the report recommends identifying operational and infrastructure vulnerabilities, integrating climate change into planning, accounting for potentially catastrophic scenarios, and collaborating with local communities and international partners. The report was discussed in detail during the 2018 Climate and National Security Forum, held in conjunction with EESI.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001CFgRrL1PpJjmuRnbCgA24mAzGdTzL84oKxoZnvWZ_l3zKr9gfVgtqroKv2sD2txyl5wrettyD94wEZe2J2lLlhC8Zu_aCQ7nQvym4MMTf6zyyje1yUbCbjzlgFPbdDsOU1CQfysvhm6MBfPSiPEjKkj-L-tr-KRkJnnjWLrnlet16cRquA1qz0nrzGrkCCi7OktfHUbkyQib8ZRysacGI76F5Y8s8wsHEBRKR_jOJ7qgbvtQlDwSO7y9dTOsCIEwFiSzij5R6-J4YoWgc63uOjF_WC2H7LY_dgJ7N5UFCcvpOrUgpfh2NyaeBslstNdf&c=lXM2pzA09P6pnw8oqdoVt8-NxTk-gfWe1JDYs2hWz4mi1Q89bsdKBA==&ch=CCQHJmimMEVdsaXeZM4vwHF0bFcKwNUkW__RYgXU28ql-0D4AIIn_g=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255); line-height: normal;">InsideClimate News</span></a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001CFgRrL1PpJjmuRnbCgA24mAzGdTzL84oKxoZnvWZ_l3zKr9gfVgtqh1P_EHDyJab2zUgtuQ6fQecTmzrNBzwo6yThZS-RINEFnfS_xjtiUoG9h51Em8av-_g9U4Iem7lsR0pklGXl_e7Nke5QiK7v8U6t1qvYD05aHg85RlUC4i1FibzFqClAGsjfaWb3boHtculMy_IMwzGCzMiz2DNkQ==&c=lXM2pzA09P6pnw8oqdoVt8-NxTk-gfWe1JDYs2hWz4mi1Q89bsdKBA==&ch=CCQHJmimMEVdsaXeZM4vwHF0bFcKwNUkW__RYgXU28ql-0D4AIIn_g=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Briefin</span></a>g</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_3.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E3102577-3EF9-4C8D-A05B-08DC6CC4E9B7/pastedGraphic_3.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Montana Wildfires Shed Light on Long-Term Health Effects of Smoke Exposure</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Last summer, Montana had several major wildfires, resulting in the worst season for wildfire smoke on record. The number of people visiting emergency rooms due to respiratory problems more than doubled in some Montana communities, from 163 in 2016 to 378 in 2017, suggesting that the more exposure a person has to polluted air, the worse it is for their health. The healthy limit on air pollution is an average daily concentration of 35 micrograms per cubic meter of polluted air, but this summer it reached over 1,000 micrograms per cubic meter of polluted air at times. Scientists don't know what the long-term effects of prolonged smoke exposure are, but this summer's events may provide some answers, as scientists track the health of Seeley Lake residents. Chris Migliaccio with the University of Montana's School of Pharmacy suspects scientists may observe an increase in respiratory infections due to people being exposed to greater amounts of fine particulates present in wildfire smoke.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001CFgRrL1PpJjmuRnbCgA24mAzGdTzL84oKxoZnvWZ_l3zKr9gfVgtqroKv2sD2txyY1A3-2bXjIm9iYu_okaXMLgvn4Rw6EQT-Efg-XEsBfQ25hcHQnzqIEx9UXQZCnTDRrcqMauvr9NsJaTn-aMgpcoXlzdc2XkF20E5gdAoetcJoU3VrJzPyViavynalSQVFAspXfLtc1c43WHel9BfCAomWNeQZcTV5Lu-DUaqzjWXy-tfj68jhZF7HL4kCJYj_OyEoNxRyv4P0uNYG27XEpKpW2pok2m5e67foeBPUaincYxV1nsetxoXvO_WY1Cz_wPa_Tbkw4w9mR1q_lWT4Q==&c=lXM2pzA09P6pnw8oqdoVt8-NxTk-gfWe1JDYs2hWz4mi1Q89bsdKBA==&ch=CCQHJmimMEVdsaXeZM4vwHF0bFcKwNUkW__RYgXU28ql-0D4AIIn_g==">NPR<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Arctic Temperatures Surge to 50 Degrees Fahrenheit Above Average</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Scientists are alarmed over a bizarre stretch of above-freezing temperatures in the Arctic during what should be some of the coldest weeks of the year there. On February 25, temperatures at the North Pole were more than 50 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than normal. While the North Pole reading was generated from satellite and other temperature data, a weather station at Greenland's northernmost point recorded an air temperature of 43 degrees F. Giant gaps in Arctic sea ice formations indicate that the ice formation has stagnated more than month ahead of schedule, contributing to a record-low winter sea ice extent for the region. Researcher Zachary Labe of the University of California-Irvine said, "There are other cases in the reanalysis record with greater than 20 degree Celsius departures. However, it does appear this particular event featured one of the largest departures on record." Meanwhile, Western Europe has been slammed with record-breaking cold, though meteorologists say its still difficult to tell how closely the two events may be related.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001CFgRrL1PpJjmuRnbCgA24mAzGdTzL84oKxoZnvWZ_l3zKr9gfVgtqroKv2sD2txyid8rAiAqLvq7Cct39A0KgMaYC5Xcq6JghGHhMqm9mhTh4UVXzLakX7nYIxvZTK9XRIZB1JDrJ0HDU306PWIu36679TsK5NcNsfI0KrJxqjkAzk5vSgKvuwhZ64-zBvuGSUPf_H7noPNJJDf0OllgNlURHGWz1R0RNq0ns8r-Hi_XiUUzfpUgVnZ3IWRRpgqCVnEUcmLQ7jmw_r_Kbhdb_zvTVd8TRZRpJ3q4dt2rX6Q=&c=lXM2pzA09P6pnw8oqdoVt8-NxTk-gfWe1JDYs2hWz4mi1Q89bsdKBA==&ch=CCQHJmimMEVdsaXeZM4vwHF0bFcKwNUkW__RYgXU28ql-0D4AIIn_g==">Atlantic</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_4.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E3102577-3EF9-4C8D-A05B-08DC6CC4E9B7/pastedGraphic_4.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Climate Change Poses Serious Threat to King Penguin Species</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A new study appearing in Nature Climate Change has found that the majority of the planet's king penguin population could come under threat by 2100. The problem lies in the penguins' primary source of food moving away from the species' current breeding grounds. This food source, a band of nutrient-rich water called the Antarctic Polar Front, provides more than 80 percent of the king penguins' nutrition. The research forecasts the band will shift closer to the South Pole, increasing the distance between the penguins' ice-free island habitat and their food supply. Emiliano Trucchi, a researcher with the University of Ferrara, said it was "surprising ... to find such a massive change is going to happen in such a short time frame." Trucchi added that a massive relocation (about 1 million penguins) could have unexplored and unpredictable impacts on their and other species' survival. The predictions were based on a range of greenhouse gas emission scenarios, the most severe of which estimates the relocation or disappearnce of 70 percent of the king penguin breeding pairs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001CFgRrL1PpJjmuRnbCgA24mAzGdTzL84oKxoZnvWZ_l3zKr9gfVgtqroKv2sD2txygSxH9TKPs0595xmmnJnrh2nwROMEvbtMUijLQMhAOa2tfpwSSRP12vIl5lzat3IcE2A_EdnAUbYqHYf6nawOaJyGYuzoX9ZV5y4m3HpggdmTr0IUk3uHSgAvDsyQtL_v9NkDYe0kT_eqTYldqshvhJm9v7lacLThnEGl_9AvHbMHB2xfPOuJQsKrZAo6z_2kyn7_Zfh9joB3Gpn8EWQA1WNCWUU-w2zEl8_fuyIu1gNOkqkAaxfz2nBoeos261oNxdEgcKoVDDLojJQFxqC8Qg==&c=lXM2pzA09P6pnw8oqdoVt8-NxTk-gfWe1JDYs2hWz4mi1Q89bsdKBA==&ch=CCQHJmimMEVdsaXeZM4vwHF0bFcKwNUkW__RYgXU28ql-0D4AIIn_g==">NPR<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_5.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E3102577-3EF9-4C8D-A05B-08DC6CC4E9B7/pastedGraphic_5.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Federal Flood Insurance Chief Urges All Florida Residents to Purchase a Policy</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Speaking at an insurance industry conference, Roy Wright, who manages FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program, said all Floridians should consider themselves at risk of flooding. Wright's point was that the risk is so acute in the state, that rather than relying on flood zone maps, Floridians should hold a flood insurance policy no matter what. Hurricane Irma showed how winds and storms can span for hundreds of miles, nearly covering the entire state. Immediately before Irma, data showed that the number of insured homes in high-risk zones in Florida had decreased by 15 percent over the past five years. Wright said the problem lies partly in flood maps, which can sometimes mislead property-owners on the actual risks. He added, "We really gotta help people move beyond and quit focusing just on the lines. Because nature ... pays no attention to the lines." Flood claims in Florida stemming from Hurricane Irma have reached $850 million, totaling 28,000 claims. Private insurers covered another 900,000 claims for other damages, totaling $8 billion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NQ2FfwzIzDV7SgOcuDlPtSp0IvWYoPUABdpGpz6gdkj9jfoj--GOIs-71dk4NcUaAmjqjpcqfA0tk5ntzieNIr5CHFPEzE4TFJxoR6BuUVNpDpxpjdRhrtepqDPgtFoc9duVDb7cK__uKQ1mxFv_e0_l4xXWmaSAm3AWyM5Xz_j3iPXdOiovh-4W5FfDosN5jEdMd5NXMV2AQxQvuZ5vNe8qSqVQ7ALedg0y4ilN2whLQLQ10FMxJA==&c=Mo9sHP3SD3cOAW9Z6e8o5aHyphRe8yzwPJL02OGyDbTnOkikPDjbWQ==&ch=1zK-i74pnoKTeKuprd-YB-p0LqLj_rcw78cb4o4UjEK-a6hZvNEtFg==">Miami Herald<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Aftermath of Hurricane Maria Is Accelerating the Exodus from Puerto Rico</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Puerto Rico's population has been declining, due in part to the damage of Hurricane Maria. Residents had been leaving the island even before Hurricane Maria struck, with roughly 500,000 Puerto Ricans departing for the mainland United States over the past decade. Residents have been burdened with power outages, infrastructure failures, and communication lapses left in the hurricane's wake, quickening the pace of migration for those who have the means to leave. Tens of thousands of Puerto Rico's residents have been without electricity for nearly five months. Scandal and mismanagement have plagued the island's bankrupt public utility, while the governor's recent plan to privatize it has led to protests and suspicions. Almost 58,000 homes have nothing more than blue tarps for roofs and more than 437,000 residents have requested financial assistance from FEMA for repairs. Since Puerto Ricans received U.S. citizenship in 1917, they have been moving between the island and the mainland. However, the latest migration trends could end up changing the island's demographics in a more permanent fashion and influence recovery efforts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NQ2FfwzIzDV7SgOcuDlPtSp0IvWYoPUABdpGpz6gdkj9jfoj--GOIs-71dk4NcUaGf5w-rDgL_X2zjmV5NaT55NIhxaewkXZmR9tE_YaX8c-u8LNMrZRMMX0BPwwPfWHXVltdcl5El7NAbb_yykYJ3Ckra6WhlInlvgdFrF1LZHs6xNi3swpLhABLSKymaprgef4xd5xzzU-1fzwYt-mityOFgoMVdNJwNiRfnvp9M03M2-rtKMThQw0-9rwG1ZSqVrCQWDJUogwKrIMIGeo1Tt233BAqx-PMwfspf7dN92KC0qzCDXZd6nt6Sc3bcTs77S2ujiu_lfXo4pbSpuTyvqTUGGbhMCagwXjESCVYk538W7LOfIjR5zD1cZgWtbNghtuPjvyatyH5rVg0-7vKQBim678O51SSDaMc_KT0bg=&c=Mo9sHP3SD3cOAW9Z6e8o5aHyphRe8yzwPJL02OGyDbTnOkikPDjbWQ==&ch=1zK-i74pnoKTeKuprd-YB-p0LqLj_rcw78cb4o4UjEK-a6hZvNEtFg==">Washington Post<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> Puerto Rico is an example of what have been called “climate refugees,” whose numbers are expected to increase greatly as a result of climate change, sea level rise, and conflict over food and water.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_6.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E3102577-3EF9-4C8D-A05B-08DC6CC4E9B7/pastedGraphic_6.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Sea Level Rise Threatens Millions in Indonesia</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Villages on the north coast of Java, Indonesia are being flooded as a result of man-made environmental degradation and sea level rise. The subsidence of coastal lands has been caused partly by the over-pumping of groundwater to supply large cities, such as Jakarta. With around 40 percent of Jakarta situated below sea level, new walls have been built to defend the city against flooding, but these measures have been ineffective. The recurring flooding is affecting millions of people, forcing them to leave their homes and elevate their belongings. Indonesia is home to about 81,000 km (50,000 miles) of coastline and more than a fifth of the world's mangroves, which can help block the ocean tides. However, over the past 30 years, the number of mangroves has declined significantly due to clear-cutting to make way for fish farming and rice paddies. The Indonesian government has tried to replant the mangroves, build dykes, and relocate residents, but many people are unwilling to leave or have nowhere to go on the crowded island of Java.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NQ2FfwzIzDV7SgOcuDlPtSp0IvWYoPUABdpGpz6gdkj9jfoj--GOIs-71dk4NcUaMA_etWvk-V11PRjUaoh_fQhWWEG6UYMkoFqBveUm2PbtWSAIpQG2GnqTU7QgBpVuu5kv_RfbPZX6a0AYZCiAgqWoVJdrX1ytSz7WyFfn3opuNhFBl93kKEpsVjGePDjCdOpibaTnCfvUnWlGiRz_OwTuF4VqcVIHVEOHbZerNEEA6_MLVubiibQIDxT4Z7M4epZklyn_xo-jymZneszNrz-E_29mL7e8S_JmTnqqL_kx4v_B0ghjwt6YnAqzY9fm4QElFWVdkaY=&c=Mo9sHP3SD3cOAW9Z6e8o5aHyphRe8yzwPJL02OGyDbTnOkikPDjbWQ==&ch=1zK-i74pnoKTeKuprd-YB-p0LqLj_rcw78cb4o4UjEK-a6hZvNEtFg==">Reuters<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_7.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E3102577-3EF9-4C8D-A05B-08DC6CC4E9B7/pastedGraphic_7.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Climate Skeptics Occupy Top Posts in Trump Administration</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">According to a review of the Trump administration's top agency advisors and leaders, at least 20 have a record of disparaging climate science and/or expressing overt skepticism toward the validity of scientific findings on anthropogenic climate change. The roster of vocal climate skeptics includes the president himself, the attorney general, the director of OMB, numerous EPA, Energy, and Interior appointees (including the cabinet secretaries for those agencies), the nominee for NASA administrator, the Homeland Security secretary, and many others. These views accompanied the administration's removal of climate change information from government websites, the dismissal of scientists from agency advisory boards, and the exclusion of climate change from the list of threats in the government's latest national security strategy review. The White House has tried to portray itself as holding moderate views on climate change, telling media outlets that "the climate has changed and is always changing. The administration supports rigorous scientific analysis and debate." However, observers note that this view is both misleading and fails to line up with the administration's real actions and appointments to date.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NQ2FfwzIzDV7SgOcuDlPtSp0IvWYoPUABdpGpz6gdkj9jfoj--GOIs-71dk4NcUa7VidCAbjpQzO8xwQY6rn-JwJVD3NPNvu0YD6PFID0C6skeb_B4Rrg_mdGYSo-cgXsuIuJTnVciZUSQrhz5YLLdSe-aBr4wIbdZIhldf6L7sMlt6U_rvt7O2kJ7CVlx_1ZFbMdQTQQWdFsyly4tc0ae8E9Jm3lemhyqB7gtoXlEL4hJRomkSAJGJzX9Bt_c5J&c=Mo9sHP3SD3cOAW9Z6e8o5aHyphRe8yzwPJL02OGyDbTnOkikPDjbWQ==&ch=1zK-i74pnoKTeKuprd-YB-p0LqLj_rcw78cb4o4UjEK-a6hZvNEtFg==">Politico<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_8.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E3102577-3EF9-4C8D-A05B-08DC6CC4E9B7/pastedGraphic_8.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Interior Officials Continue Attempts to Censor Climate Change Findings</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study warned that "the warming climate has dramatically reduced the size of 39 glaciers in Montana since 1966, some by as much as 85 percent." This conclusion drew criticism from two high-level Interior Department officials, Doug Demenech and Scott Cameron. In an email, Domenech wrote, "This is a perfect example of [agency analysts] going outside their wheelhouse." Cameron characterized the study's language as "inflammatory." The correspondence, revealed through a Freedom of Information Act request, provides a prominent example of Interior's political appointees attempting to insert themselves into the agency's climate science work. According to a policy created during the Trump administration, news releases from Interior must undergo a "policy review" by department officials. Andrew Fountain, a co-author of the study, said, "In short, they just didn't like the idea we found yet more evidence of climate warming. This is what we do. It is our wheelhouse." Agency officials had previously requested language attributing sea level rise to climate change be removed from a news release for a study published in a scientific journal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NQ2FfwzIzDV7SgOcuDlPtSp0IvWYoPUABdpGpz6gdkj9jfoj--GOIs-71dk4NcUaDQK7jbBSnhmtoqMhWx97D6RYKM6fGSP18O2t-2gQIVpMkWEVnMd3mmu4gsDpVZUw9t_98z73TRC719DCREDG8Kuk6uXIdE4OPdbH1fIi_BXJ-JneBSc1GkUBdrEcB96BPXVv_cXmoMg61CAl0rMMgMurNRsk-o4wx6vIQ-e8nl4XIOAzkIwIXV1Mbq22QU_i1PySd1eTQpLTv3Ef702jBX8oZqEnTXqMOe2P66nXnJAb_rYbx_CwdC36OHuxZYCYwpBGz5gVVTxciDC_73iF1ujLbV3PQI_HaNWryzXgyUvYyRBNKTcKtEF5T0E5UGvJhJrmN1rALjg9vWW-KXZOeSY-G7UNTzcwnrkwF7g1MZnsvYxCyr-FSvJIi6lohmN32i9uYSs1xMVJKrt3I-9c6ALL2titu1gupLU9uT6Szzn4VcWWAcWUZQ==&c=Mo9sHP3SD3cOAW9Z6e8o5aHyphRe8yzwPJL02OGyDbTnOkikPDjbWQ==&ch=1zK-i74pnoKTeKuprd-YB-p0LqLj_rcw78cb4o4UjEK-a6hZvNEtFg==">Washington Post<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_9.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E3102577-3EF9-4C8D-A05B-08DC6CC4E9B7/pastedGraphic_9.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>U.S. Energy Secretary and European Oil Companies Diverge on Future of Energy</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">During the CERAWeek conference, held March 7 in Houston, U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry declared a world without fossil fuels would be "immoral," while Shell CEO Ben van Beurden called for the development of renewable energy and greenhouse gas emission reductions in the energy sector. The two speeches showed a widening gap between powerful American and European energy stakeholders. Shell and other European oil companies are supporters of the Paris Agreement and have been actively developing renewable energy projects for their fossil-heavy portfolios. In contrast, Perry firmly leaned into fossil fuels, stating, "We are passionate about renewable energy. But the world, especially developing economies, will continue to need fossil fuels, as over a billion people on the planet live without access to electricity." Some executives at the conference echoed Perry's remarks, dismissing the viability of renewable energy and electric vehicles. Others, such as BP President Robert Dudley, urged the development of carbon capture technologies and carbon pricing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NQ2FfwzIzDV7SgOcuDlPtSp0IvWYoPUABdpGpz6gdkj9jfoj--GOIs-71dk4NcUaCjcdDiWVjoSvz5DGhTIDGyJ02287W74fvDxMu2JHnA7aeePtucON4idRToBPQkHgD-0hIBVFqicQMsyZj1X8ylJckd-U76ziOobCdCSS9rOehc-Fqd8XYKd5OblFu2u13S9K7YTYZslX2UBcpQJSX6uOvnNZNxH0qQ0no82WQ756r9nqzJ8ULeM8FQyrZliY1QRF1627RLZjFtY17PwO-bxwWfN2oqTqn-d7xXz1GRg=&c=Mo9sHP3SD3cOAW9Z6e8o5aHyphRe8yzwPJL02OGyDbTnOkikPDjbWQ==&ch=1zK-i74pnoKTeKuprd-YB-p0LqLj_rcw78cb4o4UjEK-a6hZvNEtFg==">Reuters<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_10.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E3102577-3EF9-4C8D-A05B-08DC6CC4E9B7/pastedGraphic_10.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Scientists Say Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough Could Be (Relatively) Close</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A team of scientists at MIT claim they may have the technology to fast-track a breakthrough in the use of nuclear fusion for commercially-viable energy generation. The team is developing a new class of high-temperature superconductors. The superconductors play a role in producing smaller, more powerful magnets, which create the magnetic field necessary to contain plasma hotter than the center of the sun. The experimental reactor is designed to produce about 100 megawatts of heat, which would theoretically be twice as much energy as it would require to heat the plasma. The potential of positive net energy production would be transformative for the global grid. The nuclear fusion reaction would not produce greenhouse gas emissions or hazardous radioactive waste. While the research team says it could get fusion power on the grid within 15 years, other scientists are skeptical of such a rapid development timeline. Despite this, Prof. Howard Wilson of York University added, "The exciting part of [the project] is the high-field magnets."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NQ2FfwzIzDV7SgOcuDlPtSp0IvWYoPUABdpGpz6gdkj9jfoj--GOIs-71dk4NcUacIYZ95_7N2c_VpbCr6skNMnX84IAmuuqs-1_9jsJcWFDljglQNvsy5vseRbicwVqCW3OwBEvJUCOEURwesTxHJNqhvBK6Yfo8GtzY2cwOtY6PaEVaCAcD0ZSinbXkG6pxUlCAKnxO5RWMCFmoDKiMfpsRnj51OvZSeyUFNGxXmHMnYiT5eK4Iwdmbh2-BbXqWWi8rz3xZv70xYA6VxxPbCutCQkOHLhKSkWi7_mGmrg=&c=Mo9sHP3SD3cOAW9Z6e8o5aHyphRe8yzwPJL02OGyDbTnOkikPDjbWQ==&ch=1zK-i74pnoKTeKuprd-YB-p0LqLj_rcw78cb4o4UjEK-a6hZvNEtFg==">Guardian<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_11.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E3102577-3EF9-4C8D-A05B-08DC6CC4E9B7/pastedGraphic_11.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>EPA Administrator and California Headed Towards Showdown on CAFE Standards</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">With an April 1 deadline approaching, EPA must decide whether the 2009 Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards should remain in place or not. In a March 13 interview with Bloomberg News, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said that California's actions "shouldn't and can't dictate to the rest of the country what these [vehicle emission] levels are going to be." California has been permitted to set more stringent standards than the federal government since 1966 under the Clean Air Act. Pruitt added that the EPA is not "presently" seeking to extend the more stringent CAFE standards beyond 2025. California officials had previously offered to consider easing the state's current transportation emission standards if the current national standards were to be extended beyond 2025. Some automakers are urging the administration to loosen the CAFE standards, while others support the current standards since they have invested billions to gain a larger stake in the Californian and foreign automotive markets. Overall, the auto industry has expressed a desire for the federal government and California to achieve a consensus on emission standards.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001tQTVtUTlo3RIg2vcXwvve_FaQRD0NbRfRUrqsykd5UE2z4dh3Xmdk4yVnll8ijFo5niAXYRyZHOGBC0RBFhP8404Pj5_sG7VS5KYts4wAVbDWy_Zze2pg7PP4M-CqXDlrtB9buhpntet0MA9reX9ZkY2BN2zZiBoSImeXwUdTiwhgNZV_NLKCO1U5GmuiQrGtmQ4604_cpkBZQs2K4GUK7lmCd4kEhx0C_KEk25_bGJZEAnwjPf5WIw4yJMHuMldPK7cT7DVd7FIA8VLQ228AzA5ueaM5hGAdA6y_dJMyHA=&c=RU4aTVso1N8OVCWrIEirUqlSAkmWmw3vx2xdJj20d6HCfNNzACecYg==&ch=DL_PrNw1XHk6x6joQGisIG_gRl29OxKLm2akJbFObv28-sx0_NCuYg==">Bloomberg<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_12.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E3102577-3EF9-4C8D-A05B-08DC6CC4E9B7/pastedGraphic_12.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>FEMA Strips Climate Change from its Strategic Planning Document</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On March 15, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released its strategic planning document for the years 2018 to 2022. One major change is that the document no longer contains any references to climate change, despite counting "rising natural hazard risk" among the greatest threats to buildings and infrastructure. In addition, the document does not mention sea level rise, global warming, or extreme weather events in its "Emerging Threats" section. The absence of climate change as a factor in worsening hurricane and wildfire seasons contradicts findings from other federal agencies that greenhouse gases are likely contributing to the increasing severity of these disasters. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, there were 16 weather and climate disasters with losses exceeding $1 billion each in the United States in 2017. The version of the document released during the Obama administration directly addressed climate and called for the agency to incorporate those risks into its long-term planning. FEMA Administrator Brock Long, a Trump appointee, has previously expressed doubt about whether climate change is happening.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001tQTVtUTlo3RIg2vcXwvve_FaQRD0NbRfRUrqsykd5UE2z4dh3Xmdk4yVnll8ijFoO1w_ZwTLHJvdFGDm5P47NZV_MhOdjFajnk64P0jQj8JkMeuEn9y3XLw5yPHMSmzyhurxwCbWN5r42nF-8g0O3TpCoK7QnufbNqdSQZCW1TQksH3MEC9kS0fzuh-RSXLLkrL7j6-zy-mxOn028GMr9eTsvwoSyQUZ1hltSPegAJLNshI8x8h1ay476TNq7g7qmNSk0rS3OL71ZASOPdQ_8cGgLXQWE0HMhuYYs2bRgNnbjI_rMcXzwQ==&c=RU4aTVso1N8OVCWrIEirUqlSAkmWmw3vx2xdJj20d6HCfNNzACecYg==&ch=DL_PrNw1XHk6x6joQGisIG_gRl29OxKLm2akJbFObv28-sx0_NCuYg==">NPR</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001tQTVtUTlo3RIg2vcXwvve_FaQRD0NbRfRUrqsykd5UE2z4dh3Xmdk4yVnll8ijFo9hUGxj5q791gJCtYK3_RSKwVz9jFMzyIylhSnPRpA41ITHkVto9tGwZGaehNedudTuansqp8_Z9Uk8j9yuZpufUvQyPtkVmgUjLxF_J87pPGzUUt1xWafGBXJmG5-5OKuLD1k5DphEfJgh5YEskcnr-vr6T5eEo93Ib_KfzwPdmlvV20Z3-dmyL0LIfTp429buMckbVPLR6dG0W0Xs1A8HiXyOUQW-7kLk7kkd8u41LWLC8MaMUMuA==&c=RU4aTVso1N8OVCWrIEirUqlSAkmWmw3vx2xdJj20d6HCfNNzACecYg==&ch=DL_PrNw1XHk6x6joQGisIG_gRl29OxKLm2akJbFObv28-sx0_NCuYg=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255); color: #0061ff;">Bloomberg</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_13.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E3102577-3EF9-4C8D-A05B-08DC6CC4E9B7/pastedGraphic_13.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Major Federal Climate Change Report Reaffirms Impacts of Climate Change</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On March 12, the U.S. National Academies publicly released a draft of the Fourth National Climate Assessment. The legally mandated report was compiled by the federal Global Change Research Program (USGCRP). The report examines how climate change is affecting states, regions, and different economic sectors. The last edition of the report was issued in 2014, while the updated version is expected later in 2018. The content has been reviewed and approved by a panel at the National Academies. Review committee chair Robin Bell of Columbia University said, "We had 16 experts review [the report], go through it in detail, see if it meets the congressionally mandated requirements, and we agree that it did." The fundamental climate science in the report is based on the USGCRP's Climate Science Special Report, issued in late 2017. While the special report did not encounter any political meddling, concerns remain that the draft report may be challenged, given its detailed accounting of impacts on communities and industries.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001tQTVtUTlo3RIg2vcXwvve_FaQRD0NbRfRUrqsykd5UE2z4dh3Xmdk4yVnll8ijFoFX6v-7f_UhiXCKxU6EY_0PJzeNBdv7LX107q5rZ8YIF_Lgc5jaWqXk6m6Yng8ukXG8EyR0xF7uz3Y8-NgB5ycCnBjbgEWmy6ud1kKGcNe2a1ACyi8v-Ohw_Cuckf1XSMGnnqkCYSS4-Cof7ru3vngFZAzxfXUd3zaYXu989JcTOGmdFNivSQiFkBXb-nERIlt2HDm9wVhTT8r8oDPCvQamiJjY9rssnrjGfN7P77JjB2DYHlM992KtrE7J8cwzHgE9kcQxx2D9YXIrftqERJBN0O8vz6UgVrTsXdSVmeKyh8fXre2h0ynwLcianxh5PDia_RAYeaIEY=&c=RU4aTVso1N8OVCWrIEirUqlSAkmWmw3vx2xdJj20d6HCfNNzACecYg==&ch=DL_PrNw1XHk6x6joQGisIG_gRl29OxKLm2akJbFObv28-sx0_NCuYg==">Washington Post<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_14.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E3102577-3EF9-4C8D-A05B-08DC6CC4E9B7/pastedGraphic_14.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Recurring Droughts in East Africa Endangering Food and Economic Security for Millions</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Horn of Africa is becoming hotter and drier more quickly than any time over the past 2,000 years, with its cyclical precipitation patterns proving less reliable than in the past. Over the last two decades, four major droughts have taken their toll on the region, dramatically affecting millions of the world's poorest inhabitants. The risk of famine has become even more acute, with 12 million people relying on food aid and 650,000 children under the age of five severely malnourished across the countries of Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia. The main source of income in the region is raising livestock, since very little food can be grown in the harsh conditions. The droughts have taken a toll on local herders, who are losing their animals more quickly than they can afford to replenish them. Some residents have turned to charcoal production to make money, but this is further depleting the few trees that have survived. The lack of water and resources has sometimes led to conflict among the herders, leading them to expand their range even further for basic necessities.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001tQTVtUTlo3RIg2vcXwvve_FaQRD0NbRfRUrqsykd5UE2z4dh3Xmdk4yVnll8ijFoHf6XYF0yIkKjIOYqxp0eoUb7GEvlIZQaKvqIoMQQi9EP-p3r366yQFyUy0b9HfrAy8TBqSzXaV2kcjqasma5WIxvhUdQiyflk9b81-K2E8NdT2Q1yF5Vk1v9HReEtFEgfweHrV_Ci0IDq83iRmBWo5YgRA2LIYts-P_VH0fl5gsHgp332zyg-TNekm0qODGV_H4AU-8-iPD85OjrYpGFoadfWrtpz_cySUrutWivJ--GOH-FmjS4u8vhgTCQibQUsVMW_gD6Tne4CoQKHvnnT77jxk5gc35M09UJXk8-XGBjlP_UgdR5HLZFqwgM7Imbvx8r3xSfjZJpU2knnb7U1nDzlcFSV3aJwYAhsJtDh2OgfoXSSLOYqAShH_sBZT0UXavArGcSj_b75sdvE1Z2Pd14Ta330FsS&c=RU4aTVso1N8OVCWrIEirUqlSAkmWmw3vx2xdJj20d6HCfNNzACecYg==&ch=DL_PrNw1XHk6x6joQGisIG_gRl29OxKLm2akJbFObv28-sx0_NCuYg==">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_15.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E3102577-3EF9-4C8D-A05B-08DC6CC4E9B7/pastedGraphic_15.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study: Development of Rural Land into Suburbs Leads to Emissions Spike</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The world's cities produce roughly 60 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions, but the technology to detect and measure urban emissions is a relatively recent development. Various cities have hosted CO2 monitoring projects for more than 10 years, but the devices are only placed in a single location, making it difficult to analyze emission variations across different urban landscapes. A new study carried out in Salt Lake City, featuring an emissions sensor network covering multiple locations, has shown that high density urban areas emit less than sprawling suburban areas. The data showed that emissions are dependent on population density and population growth, with new housing developments constructed in areas with fewer than 1,000 people per square mile resulting in significant emission increases. Areas with more than 5,000 people per square mile saw a much lower increase in emissions relative to their population growth. The study also found that "on-road emissions increased when rural areas were developed into suburban areas."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001tQTVtUTlo3RIg2vcXwvve_FaQRD0NbRfRUrqsykd5UE2z4dh3Xmdk4yVnll8ijFoO31udpcMSRh_P2Se5-cPZvr2FvPxAnpmd4oO1e1aef4XryYw5efw2bZez5iCDk8VrtGd6DeRURG2ixMSc0sZdikdUgxIfbrmWSwoMrSD3R6w7384vTp4rJRe7BoEWi-F557YpDWfWkE5IPF3GOIpC912IC9abWfsk_pdkuG-ffkYOBjGNQQAHNOl0YnKjBvJduNDbUw-Oi6ue419YLCP7K8YBA1FCS0J&c=RU4aTVso1N8OVCWrIEirUqlSAkmWmw3vx2xdJj20d6HCfNNzACecYg==&ch=DL_PrNw1XHk6x6joQGisIG_gRl29OxKLm2akJbFObv28-sx0_NCuYg==">ArsTechnica<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Warming Climate Projected to Cause Prolonged Pollen Allergy Seasons</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Researchers have found that warmer temperatures are leading to longer allergy seasons. Depending on how future greenhouse gas emissions progress, pollen counts of all plant varieties could double by 2040 in some parts of the United States. Lewis Ziska, a plant physiologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said that the increase in carbon dioxide concentrations from the preindustrial level of 280 parts per million (ppm) to today's 400 ppm have corresponded with a doubling of pollen production for ragweed. Higher CO2 concentrations have been found to cause plants to generate more pollen. Plants release their pollen in response to environmental signals, such as temperature, precipitation, and sunlight. Different plants release pollen across different seasons (spring, summer, and fall), meaning an overlap in these periods due to temperature changes could lead to fewer periods of relief for allergy sufferers. Around eight percent of American adults suffer from hay fever caused by pollen allergies, with treatment costing the country between $3.4 and $11.2 billion annually in direct medical expenses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001tQTVtUTlo3RIg2vcXwvve_FaQRD0NbRfRUrqsykd5UE2z4dh3Xmdk4yVnll8ijFo0sB6pRimGi2CfI4vr_PP5rl-_DriE7fkvFtwLoJjXsAf1Gnk7RBp9VCugBYgK_4EKlwCRQk0QSKWRec5Na5zEuog05HPu-UMPnoN4lj0mQIflj5SuSA3hrZNwAzgt3vFb3lumWdoT6TOuqjlwx7VaoUAlQiXplyyIcgf5hflr_Rwltagh9ji_u_hWhioG4LotVIW4NOxp-3RfC9l5fGpBw==&c=RU4aTVso1N8OVCWrIEirUqlSAkmWmw3vx2xdJj20d6HCfNNzACecYg==&ch=DL_PrNw1XHk6x6joQGisIG_gRl29OxKLm2akJbFObv28-sx0_NCuYg==">Vox<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">If you want to stop receiving it, just send a message to climate_change_news-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. If you come across some really interesting information, please send it along and I may include it in the next issue. Recent issues are available at: <a href="http://tolmanccnews.blogspot.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">http://tolmanccnews.blogspot.com</span></a></span></div>
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Thanks,<br />
Chad A. Tolman</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">ctolman141@gmail.com<br />
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Chad Tolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198303455148896174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441974095206886318.post-91576597269193908542018-02-26T06:35:00.000-08:002018-02-26T06:35:23.952-08:00CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS FOR FEB. 2018<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>CC NEWS FOR FEB. 2019</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-kerning: none;">On Feb. 14, 2017 <b><i>Inside Climate News</i></b> published a paper by Nichlas Kusnetz titled, <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/14022017/climate-change-endangered-species"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">The impacts of global warming already affecting species have been widely underestimated, new research show</span></a>s. He wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Climate change may be harming far more of the world's threatened species than previously thought. A <a href="http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nclimate3223.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(131, 190, 68); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">new study suggests</span></a> that nearly half of the mammals and a quarter of the birds on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's "red list" have already become victims of a shifting climate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The research, published this week in the journal Nature Climate Change, concludes that scientists and wildlife conservationists have failed to account for the damage inflicted by global warming.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">"Our results clearly show that the impact of climate change on mammals and birds to date is currently greatly under-estimated and reported upon," co-author James Watson, of the Wildlife Conservation Society and the University of Queensland in Australia, said<a href="https://newsroom.wcs.org/News-Releases/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/9848/Climate-Change-Impacts-on-Threatened-and-Endangered-Wildlife-is-Massively-Underreported-Scientists-Say.aspx"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(131, 190, 68); color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"><b> </b></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(131, 190, 68); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">in a statement</span></a>. "We need to greatly improve assessments of the impacts of climate change on species right now, we need to communicate this to the wider public and we need to ensure key decision-makers know that something significant needs to happen now to stop species going extinct.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">"Climate change is not a future threat anymore."”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Feb. 19 the <b><i>Washington Post </i></b>published an article by Brady Dennis and Chris Mooney titled, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/its-not-fast-enough-its-not-big-enough-theres-not-enough-action/2018/02/19/5cf0a7d4-015a-11e8-9d31-d72cf78dbeee_story.html?utm_term=.6175309325c2"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Countries made only modest climate-change promises in Paris. They’re falling short anyway</span></a>. The article pointed out that though the mood in Paris two years ago was euphoric, because 195 nations had pledged to reduce carbon emissions enough to keep the global average temperature increase to 2 </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">℃</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> or less, the increase will go beyond 2 </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">℃</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> even if all of the countries meet their pledges. With the U.S. - the world’s largest economy - droping out of the accord,, continued deforestation in Brazil, and rapid growing emissions from countries like Turkey, the prospects look rather dim. The bright spots are the rapidly growing renewable energy industries in China and India, the possibility that many countries will decrease their emission pledges, and the fact that many cities and businesses are getting on board. The authors write,</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;"> “</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; text-shadow: rgb(0, 0, 0) 0px 1px 0px;">The problem, experts say, is that if the world’s emissions don’t start declining decisively by then <b><i>(2020, added)</i></b>— and declining fast — it may be too late to stave off devastating sea level rise, crippling droughts and storms, and other catastrophic effects of climate change.”</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; text-shadow: rgb(0, 0, 0) 0px 1px 0px;">On Feb 21 Reuters published an article by Sebastien Mali titled, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-canada-climatechange-carbonmarket/u-s-canadian-provinces-launch-first-cap-and-trade-auction-to-battle-climate-change-idUSKCN1G52T7"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(63, 63, 64); color: #0061ff;">U.S., Canadian provinces launch first cap-and-trade auction to battle climate change</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The article announces that Ontario has now joined California and Quebec in putting a price on carbon emission through a cap-and-trade system. The merger has created the second largest emissions trading market in the world. The author wrote, </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">“</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(49, 49, 50); color: #313132; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">For now, the European Union is considered the world’s largest carbon emission market, but China’s market is rapidly growing, experts say.”</span></div>
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The following items are from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), Carol Werner, Executive Director. Past issues of its newsletter are posted with the title, on its website under "publications"<br />
at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102515421764&e=001VqmyLSnT7fkl-_mocGBcn8yb2ys8eiE4dr3Tnveazy1K0B1fU1CponAdxiy_W78b49PK6NHsR0pHlqO7KOWi-3m5yW4bNEJiyJt1G95YoNt46CLY1L4uGjNKLSPL84kX2r7jAaxw1oVR18YElOXvV8_lo1bRsASi9tPNMTm7-ZU="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">http://www.eesi.org/publications/Newsletters/CCNews/ccnews.htm</span></a></span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">EESI’s newsletter is intended for all interested parties, particularly the policymaker community. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Trump Administration Proposes Deep Cuts to EPA's Budget Once Again</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On February 12, the Trump administration released its annual budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2019. The proposal would reduce EPA's budget by 23 percent, a cut of more than $2.5 billion. It also proposes to eliminate several dozen programs, including partnerships to clean up the Gulf of Mexico and other large water bodies. Nearly all of the agency's climate change programs would be eliminated, including slashing a third of the funding for EPA's Office of Science and Technology. Meanwhile, the administration's priorities of Superfund cleanups and storm and waste water infrastructure would see an increase in support. EPA's popular Energy Star program is no longer on the administration's chopping block, but it would be funded entirely through fees, under the proposal. Overall, the Trump administration has sought to reduce EPA's workforce by more than 20 percent, dating back to its Fiscal Year 2018 budget. Environmental groups have been highly critical of the proposals, stating the agency cuts are a vehicle for culling federal environmental safeguards across the board.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001CzNG7JkW-Dw1WKc-5bOG2EKThgYK5ytZCbmBexWTRxQhUxiA63CXiUM-YNlhGF1GTQzP9RI7XUIEqHqNZW2Y7zpJ5uJDJ4QKqYVD1ukAJ5LzLHY0JxVpiTfvm2vnm0mjqN2-KJYA-n_aylPbfcCdG3vyUua8GtNGG9Pax5NqcxEY-pwozA2_cqhfQpOsM2Yfs2menN8lKsIF_4xJXmA9n8JWSxazmRYSjCgIDqViogvIM4BrHA2XKjQFloDVrQ75Kkk7xCuVurSZgbfAo-SnJ2V62fasNCq_lYmGJ7-q3DT5l7i_fg7S1M1SIZ_ARRG-nsan-g_LizzbZGCmS-4av86uBqLnqmr2KVElzQXNwIQFl872mzzJgwuaI4k0kgcrpMFZ-v96UJo=&c=2_BpT-g6puF98N2uQuBSjNoeR0zkz_1P_itP8rJQ2okMdtfTCEZeKg==&ch=ejQQSkXjgV-Q1-HLTzwwA6vLOJ55hZy5qQzonAeS0pZtjHN4xN8rag==">Washington Post<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Intelligence Chief Warns Congress of "Abrupt" Climate Change Consequences</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On February 12, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats warned members of Congress about the devastating impacts of a warming climate and how they are likely to cause economic and social turmoil. Coats said, "Research has not identified indicators of tipping points in climate-linked earth systems, suggesting a possibility of abrupt climate change." Coats' words mark the first time a Trump administration intelligence official has assigned such a high degree of urgency and risk to climate change. Recently, Defense Secretary James Mattis said that the military is preparing for climate change, although the Pentagon did not address climate action in its latest National Defense Strategy. The Trump administration did include a $720 million request for a new heavy icebreaker in its Fiscal Year 2019 budget request, a vessel the Coast Guard called essential as warming temperatures open up new territory in the Arctic region. There is no official requirement for the White House to act on the intelligence community's warnings.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001CzNG7JkW-Dw1WKc-5bOG2EKThgYK5ytZCbmBexWTRxQhUxiA63CXiUM-YNlhGF1Go8IYjH10uZ-IgTgrqlyhsKQOzFuuW6Mk-Nqc7Y-_meenuFSgV3YdJO98d-ZC6d2tP7uU4aWmcUkC8tyDXoAFnI36pcMX-9LvOb9gYNPyJZiHShtQxIe9PA9xhHMZKFfWFwV2qPsr33M=&c=2_BpT-g6puF98N2uQuBSjNoeR0zkz_1P_itP8rJQ2okMdtfTCEZeKg==&ch=ejQQSkXjgV-Q1-HLTzwwA6vLOJ55hZy5qQzonAeS0pZtjHN4xN8rag==">E&E News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE</b>: In 2009 I wrote a paper for the <a href="http://participate.lwv.org/c/9217/t/6398/p/salsa/web/common/public/content?content_item_KEY=3766"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">LWV Toolkit for Climate Action</span></a> titled, <a href="http://www.lwv.org/files/CCTF_BP_PostiveFeedback.pdf"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Positive Feedback and Climate Runaway - the Need to Act Without Delay</span></a>. It describes a tipping point based on human-caused decomposition of methane hydrates - causing an accelerating increase in carbon emissions</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://4E214F3E-D837-450E-9273-4C763946A333/pastedGraphic.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Interior Department to Loosen Rule for Capturing Methane Emissions on Federal Land</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Department of Interior (DOI) intends to replace a 2006 regulation for methane emissions produced by oil and gas extraction on federal lands. DOI is expected to revert back to regulations that were in place prior to the Obama administration. The announcement marks the fourth time the Trump administration has delayed, set aside, or replaced this rule, which was finalized in late 2016. The rule requires energy companies to capture methane released at drilling sites, often through burning it off or flaring. Methane is a primary component of natural gas, with an estimated $330 million worth of methane from operations on federal lands wasted each year. However, many energy companies regard regulations to control the waste emissions as "unnecessary and overly intrusive." A federal judge rejected the administration's attempt to wholly repeal the rule in 2017, citing a lack of a "reasoned explanation" for doing so. The current effort would replace, rather than eliminate the existing methane rule.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001CzNG7JkW-Dw1WKc-5bOG2EKThgYK5ytZCbmBexWTRxQhUxiA63CXiUM-YNlhGF1GD45Jor7RU9H0zOQSRTEAqbhn4_kKngas21Hx6bIBelsHuw_tKE311UN_GLkxwWCqyvmsRogidyKIIWJqvvl72sM5pxcHHu0XGUzF0zb6NzLYkVHeC355qvcPGstroy3lR-yYBn8eFZvA9xlWr9NRLAFmKqLXAgynKeRyvZajimlSNsWW7t2WnsNG-rpaCa692nY-hMjMnY3UNt47TN0Sg77Cy5_ocEAu&c=2_BpT-g6puF98N2uQuBSjNoeR0zkz_1P_itP8rJQ2okMdtfTCEZeKg==&ch=ejQQSkXjgV-Q1-HLTzwwA6vLOJ55hZy5qQzonAeS0pZtjHN4xN8rag==">SFGate<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>White House Continues to Neglect Key Science and Technology Appointments</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Trump administration has yet to nominate an individual to serve as the president's chief science advisor at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Instead, the role is currently occupied by OSTP's deputy assistant, Michael Krastios, who has no professional scientific background. One of the rumored nominees to take over the job is William Happer, an emeritus physics professor at Princeton University, who espouses "<b><i>there is no problem from CO2.</i></b>" (<b><i>emphasis added</i></b>). Prior advisors caution that leaving the position vacant makes the country more vulnerable to crises that require a scientific leader to manage a rapid and informed response. In a letter, a group of Democratic senators urged the President to appoint a science advisor, writing, "Scientific and technical input would have contributed to decisions around climate change, the Iran nuclear deal, and North Korea's nuclear program - areas where key decisions have been made over the past nine months in absence of a science adviser."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001CzNG7JkW-Dw1WKc-5bOG2EKThgYK5ytZCbmBexWTRxQhUxiA63CXiUM-YNlhGF1GOFzGspHWC8p1ZzeHpUAuY9rkPE6utb09waT1r859kHu-Ogd7yEhOu_DQKiiLOr5RyKk7l8gZHc_2W_aoYVbbZFr_-oW2bhBNrQVfBFNTgm-EZFzovoPiKsn2YtcR81VYng9LT47SuwXNl10ncJVE2Rks7EH8HZ5NXguRVi9IqkLl8feNTavVh2FDcT5nRRtMfnDtM2n5B-KPS1n6zQtQwiegsiZHYh-dBT3-6HHrgg0=&c=2_BpT-g6puF98N2uQuBSjNoeR0zkz_1P_itP8rJQ2okMdtfTCEZeKg==&ch=ejQQSkXjgV-Q1-HLTzwwA6vLOJ55hZy5qQzonAeS0pZtjHN4xN8rag==">Scientific American<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE</b>: How can a physics professor at Princeton be so ignorant of basic climate science that he says, "there is no problem from CO2"? </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I recommend a booklet on the basic science of climate change for decision makers and educators, released jointly by. the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the U.K.’s Royal Society in 2014, titled, <a href="http://nas-sites.org/americasclimatechoices/events/a-discussion-on-climate-change-evidence-and-causes/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Climate Change : Evidence and Causes</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_1.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://4E214F3E-D837-450E-9273-4C763946A333/pastedGraphic_1.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Alaskan Fishing Communities Explore Adding Climate Risk to Accounting Metrics</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Climate change is becoming a real threat to the economy in Alaska's coastal fishing communities, as the state is warming twice as fast as the rest of the country. Dramatic changes in the marine ecosystem are affecting communities that rely almost entirely on their fishing industries, like the small town of Unalaska on the Bering Sea, which, along with other towns, is considering the addition of climate risks to their balance sheets. Even though the state's treasurer, Deven Mitchell, said that climate change is not a risk to the state's credit, some hold that having a credit rating for individual cities can help communities better understand their particular financial situation, especially when it comes to funding large infrastructure needs. Unalaska Mayor Frank Kelty noted that fishing is the region's only major industry, adding, "The trickle-down effect you get for jobs throughout the community is all driven by the health and well-being of the seafood industry."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001CzNG7JkW-Dw1WKc-5bOG2EKThgYK5ytZCbmBexWTRxQhUxiA63CXiUM-YNlhGF1G83qfP4B11reAIrXiwmnSpVvGV4W7ANzsB_2_Vx6duI_mxzXkUwyAK-fqMK1ElPRO09ngyoGdv_GuXupwRVkiyExr-Z0HQzqKjH9yKDqGSDSMxeTivLRtD7DlLR-c7w1DHo4TKdLxSwQvWGGDu4-lzfHtKi1TJZbR-66GlhVHETz4dwCmnrXgYPj6wul0zXyeEzZ1uFH5oetZmK4mDWQhvHGiaiWdJmZP4zEeaO683oamJH_BFTIgdw==&c=2_BpT-g6puF98N2uQuBSjNoeR0zkz_1P_itP8rJQ2okMdtfTCEZeKg==&ch=ejQQSkXjgV-Q1-HLTzwwA6vLOJ55hZy5qQzonAeS0pZtjHN4xN8rag==">Alaska Public Media<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that the annual rate of global sea level rise is accelerating. The researchers used 25 years of satellite data to measure fluctuations in the oceans over time. They observed a total global sea level increase of 7 centimeters, which lined up with the generally accepted current rate of 3 millimeters per year. Lead author Steve Nerem of the University of Colorado-Boulder explained, "This acceleration, driven mainly by accelerated melting in Greenland and Antarctica, has the potential to double the total sea level rise by 2100 as compared to projections that assume a constant rate, to more than 60 centimeters." The study's findings also concur with the most recent climate models published by the authoritative Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which projects sea level rise of 52-98 centimeters under a "business as usual" scenario. More than half of the current sea level rise was found to be the result of thermal expansion, with the rest resulting from melting glacial melting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001CzNG7JkW-Dw1WKc-5bOG2EKThgYK5ytZCbmBexWTRxQhUxiA63CXiUM-YNlhGF1GiKqXs4JznoMOJsUkhwF5dj5hRAV3sFWB6cnPGt-WoaEBxVkMBBsVhYUDi4z2usdvfORJiyGIAqrKjh16JRUSfPK9Tb-TcTLBy8TlENVFgvXegeUh_ST9jWNWWQRmpNphnSWql9Pux5l00HPNpWDRcGWxAnRxxDYmZ1Lnvl7fgZ91AzcY5DwolVGqHFMtFTVN&c=2_BpT-g6puF98N2uQuBSjNoeR0zkz_1P_itP8rJQ2okMdtfTCEZeKg==&ch=ejQQSkXjgV-Q1-HLTzwwA6vLOJ55hZy5qQzonAeS0pZtjHN4xN8rag==">CNN<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_3.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://4E214F3E-D837-450E-9273-4C763946A333/pastedGraphic_3.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Bat Populations Are Migrating Earlier and Staying Longer As Climate Warms</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Each spring, millions of bats fly towards their breeding cave near San Antonio, Texas, with scientists tracking their movement by radar. Scientists recently reviewed this data and found that the bats are migrating two weeks earlier than they did just 20 years ago, with 3.5 percent of the population spending the winter in Texas as well. Researchers suspect this change in migration is due to altered food chains and weather patterns caused by climate change. Spring is seeing the highest temperature increases of all the seasons, which could disrupt the seasonal pest control cycle that the bats provide, causing crop damage and a heightened need for pesticides. In addition, increased temperatures mean bats may run out of a primary food source, the corn-earworm moth, potentially affecting their ability to reproduce. Overall, there is already not much for the bats to eat in the hot and dry climate of Texas, and global warming is intensifying that plight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001CzNG7JkW-Dw1WKc-5bOG2EKThgYK5ytZCbmBexWTRxQhUxiA63CXiUM-YNlhGF1G47PigAr_q9mgODTSw4J8Wt7PkR-cs9J7Ddb2zDVVb2cQK4OGE1mYko5dr34A-0DZYUJmiHDESRmq7I1W7G5hYcN6wSlPX1JQZexgdLhF5o7R_Bw72bs0eN2gaB_rtuYoBz2Y5R1Tg4Q16yAJTNXDDNaZNLs65woLYE8rcjXGgw_vQw0FvFyh2bkBr6rp6Qa0_ZqFQ5z7wbnrBR1ULNCZ9P4r8DrRjMfuCmvb3hbmKUFGaeweQkBWSXaJc7RhZJ60&c=2_BpT-g6puF98N2uQuBSjNoeR0zkz_1P_itP8rJQ2okMdtfTCEZeKg==&ch=ejQQSkXjgV-Q1-HLTzwwA6vLOJ55hZy5qQzonAeS0pZtjHN4xN8rag==">InsideClimate News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study: As Oceans Acidify, Cold-Water Coral Reefs May Face Severe Decline</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Hard corals prefer specific seawater saturation levels of a calcium carbonate called aragonite. According to a new study in Nature, ocean acidification can alter these saturation levels, creating corrosive conditions that can dissolve coral skeletons over time and leave fewer habitable regions for them. The study found that up to 70 percent of the cold-water coral living below depths of 1,500 meters in the North Atlantic Ocean may be threatened by the impacts of ocean acidification by midcentury. The researchers investigated changes to a "global conveyor belt" known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, which is now transporting acidified seawater to the deep ocean. As a result, transport of aragonite to the deep oceans has dropped by 44 percent since the Industrial Revolution and may continue to drop until the flow is only a fraction of pre-industrial levels. Without cold-water reefs, some marine ecosystems may lack a place for fish to gather and breed in an otherwise barren landscape.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001CzNG7JkW-Dw1WKc-5bOG2EKThgYK5ytZCbmBexWTRxQhUxiA63CXiUM-YNlhGF1G_-OMhkvy7T5ilxHR-6F8gB2T7ID1SskRn6qvUOyyeizagVaBSpK_ick0CJUrgSyAYXzb2KwfnpX5a0e8c8IHrzAz23I8SYQp0YIy6iIvl9B7N6OnFjpSYkBpSjQPiHXRjGBtWU2GLTlFw7M4gMpjGuVM6XPYMS4cb4WQxY7vUX2_BtRw1f7W1BVTONoAPtQLnm4I8zXD6lU=&c=2_BpT-g6puF98N2uQuBSjNoeR0zkz_1P_itP8rJQ2okMdtfTCEZeKg==&ch=ejQQSkXjgV-Q1-HLTzwwA6vLOJ55hZy5qQzonAeS0pZtjHN4xN8rag==">Carbon Brief<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study: Decline in Krill Poses Threat to Antarctic Wildlife </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">According to a new study in the journal Plos One, a combination of climate change and industrial-scale fishing is harming the krill population in the Antarctic, threatening the regional ecosystem. The tiny animals are at the base of the Antarctic food chain and serve as a key source of nutrition for whales, seals, and penguins. The krill themselves feed on marine algae and carbon-rich food, excreting this waste when they move to deeper, colder waters. Since the 1970s, krill populations have declined by 80 percent. The study also estimated that krill size could shrink by up to 40 percent in parts of the Scotia Sea, leading to a drop in predator populations. This drastic reduction has been partly attributed to global warming reducing the ice surfaces where the krill's food sources, algae and plankton, reside. Krill populations are facing additional pressures from a growing global demand for krill-based products and advances in fishing technologies that enable larger catches.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see: </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001CzNG7JkW-Dw1WKc-5bOG2EKThgYK5ytZCbmBexWTRxQhUxiA63CXiUM-YNlhGF1G1LkE6bWth6HDrQYVGJpbsk8lM-JUBewLhrn2V9iOEYBoOOomkGdy0jhLN4wy4R7tfsfIM556R_DSwOzz7XAuiZ96cqQA1UJsFSTwwvDjpYEW9C-qvfzMaNuNg1eql9q32ELU7-qEmYCmNAms6Wn4nas64oNEs13sON23YCmlqXYaCaaheePoR_t7fnBy4UnZBz8c59Jzb4Hv_4Xl0pYetwQXhOH21N4GW9_U1B-yByJv3mKE7L-aHg==&c=2_BpT-g6puF98N2uQuBSjNoeR0zkz_1P_itP8rJQ2okMdtfTCEZeKg==&ch=ejQQSkXjgV-Q1-HLTzwwA6vLOJ55hZy5qQzonAeS0pZtjHN4xN8rag==">Guardian<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_4.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://4E214F3E-D837-450E-9273-4C763946A333/pastedGraphic_4.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Trump Budget Tries to Eliminate Energy Star Funding for Second Consecutive Year</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Trump administration is facing stiff resistance to its plan to halt federal funding for the EPA's Energy Star program. The President's budget proposal for fiscal year 2019 called for the elimination of the program's entire $42 million budget. Under the proposal, companies seeking an Energy Star certification for their products would be required to pay a fee to EPA. Implementing the proposal would require congressional action, followed by the EPA setting up the fee structure. The Energy Star program provides energy efficiency benchmarks for appliances, electronics, building materials, lighting, and other products and allows companies to label their products with the program's insignia if they meet certain performance criteria. The program maintains broad support with industry, consumers, and environmentalists. Advocates note that the program generates an estimated $30 billion in energy savings annually. Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MI), ranking member on the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees EPA, said, "I've heard from builders, realtors, manufacturers, and retailers and they all support [Energy Star]."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001DhKTgjpLj-cChqSYujgkX1YH9TJ0P1Ke4Y00znrpmk60fjrVTFeGfy8El36qRa--wdkJMgR5gDTwHNP4-gdfAz-9Ye73lY3QBoqCC7MbA-dcHzf4E8zk7eaQnyVTXliGeFs8AGm2vu-tQElEcJnVlkBOX1v2Gz-T6FdDgolzpVtwkQm10YvjaZJWBY9AHqjfyguB1eFSFysRdOya3uI5e1PSAmWCqreC8LWqbiLCxdbxgg5q1ui38Ssynmus24CJEOAuUDEx6bX-Ug6xa0OzCqUb0nuzM1KQ_bWQosTdq5cviTj-l7KNs0addsgwuoxef1fWmPNR6Gw53OoWyHbA2U5uYpWdnRLXvyBlpK4ovZ8=&c=o5UUyNH0b1lmE5mZ5B47hd8Q8TaWVgUfIhSDrjmjOjZyX9hMPsasGw==&ch=EY4OLg2t5NBB08wn26pr4a6ozzRGQkjSbc81aX_lNk8PbD0Am5Fm_A==">The Hill</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>EPA Administrator's Effort to Hold "Debate" on Climate Science Hits Snag</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has been publicly sharing his plans to convene a "red team-blue team" event to push back against established climate science since at least July 2017. However, the effort appears to have stalled for the time being. Advocates for conducting the exercise have questioned Pruitt's ability to lead the effort, while others have expressed concern about the potential political fallout for the administration if it fails to produce a desirable outcome for President Trump's anti-climate agenda. Most recently, the so-called "red team" was being pitched as an internal review of policy, but Pruitt has informed Congress that the original exercise is still expected to happen. Michael Mann, a Penn State University climatologist, said, "The impacts of climate change are now obvious to anyone with an even half-open mind, and I suspect that [the administration's] own polling tell them that their anti-science tropes no longer are playing well with the public."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001DhKTgjpLj-cChqSYujgkX1YH9TJ0P1Ke4Y00znrpmk60fjrVTFeGfy8El36qRa--ThTBVOrzvlLTcfmZwHuCOkiYUlx6-FCPeIJDp4Z8hBjOcT4QJEalKkvUvsnBDOdSL00r4aKxFA1RVNRVKMIb8WDBDbcci1RPhhflPSHbBhdKl5LLMnigYbHiin5ULia9Sm2qbFQPAYg=&c=o5UUyNH0b1lmE5mZ5B47hd8Q8TaWVgUfIhSDrjmjOjZyX9hMPsasGw==&ch=EY4OLg2t5NBB08wn26pr4a6ozzRGQkjSbc81aX_lNk8PbD0Am5Fm_A==">E&E News</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The attorneys general of Montana and Wyoming have suggested that Washington State's carbon tax proposal amounts to an unlawful regulation of environmental issues across state lines. The states have cited the Interstate Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution and EPA's federal authority under the Clean Air Act as grounds for their complaint. Montana and Wyoming both house coal-fired power plants that sell electricity in Washington, which is currently considering a $10 per ton carbon tax. For instance, the Colstrip Power Plant is located in Montana, but its largest stakeholder is Puget Sound Energy, which serves 1.5 million customers in Washington. Any pollution generated by the plant in connection with those customers would be subject to the tax. One point of contention is a tax exemption granted to a coal-fired plant in Centralia, Washington that happens to exclusively source its coal from Wyoming and Montana. The plant's owners had agreed to switch to natural gas by 2021.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001DhKTgjpLj-cChqSYujgkX1YH9TJ0P1Ke4Y00znrpmk60fjrVTFeGfy8El36qRa--dhOKIJeoGEJ93Mkean41xIViIraOfegsgjhiSODwdsDl9MwYphtctL0jhSAAgOUxbJzAkUKlvfQw4TjAGiIdhdnaBCWUk_AqOiYrGLj_lKamU6dOq5yyTKBR0qMR0QMcdAoaj15w3l2NgJDUXl9GUv1lvIXOZ5NmwPCANp6HOO_oqvvoIlwwerSHncimZJYH0nam9XlfI29mGhXDA8U7H8HKiKY4xWWP6zBCXGBD_Ij7d2fhqoXlm-dySjcSnSq7tjGjvTPk4PLW5rE2g2n11D1NimXdsHC6fxDv9Sgouzmjrlp63U7LsJnH6Z3u2eKE64n7wZfEvTkOm8oD-vYzBEDNLfBJPbkJ9xAn2DB4ELfWQLtgKb6gKmNrNNbd-i1N11ZBhojeDR4m1I6_FADNIWGPmu9OLJTvdK_ubzQZVWUfGRZEST6U1LwT_-HCF6lIL9MUp-qEO1YfplKOF0nf_wpEetL5BVmGSIe6P0YlWcZjCD65-uevLRq1ZwQT--CAVN6bXbMzrqIxTaj2YlEqhA==&c=o5UUyNH0b1lmE5mZ5B47hd8Q8TaWVgUfIhSDrjmjOjZyX9hMPsasGw==&ch=EY4OLg2t5NBB08wn26pr4a6ozzRGQkjSbc81aX_lNk8PbD0Am5Fm_A==">Billings Gazette</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_6.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://4E214F3E-D837-450E-9273-4C763946A333/pastedGraphic_6.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Petroleum Industry Takes Notice as Electric Vehicle Adoption Accelerates</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A rapid shift toward electric vehicles by the global auto industry has forced the oil industry to adapt as well. General Motors has stated it will bring at least 20 electric vehicle models to market by 2025, while Daimler and BMW predict up to 25 percent of their sales will consist of electric models by then. National governments are also advancing the transition. China has expressed a desire to have one in five vehicles sold there to be electric within a decade, while India is aiming to sell only electric vehicles in the country after 2030. France and the United Kingdom have pledged to ban petroleum-fueled cars altogether by 2040. As a result, Dutch Shell and BP are predicting global oil demand will peak by 2040, if not earlier. Petroleum companies are beginning to move away from petroleum assets and are emphasizing alternative energy and natural gas. In the United States, gasoline and diesel sales currently account for 70 percent of American crude oil demand.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001DhKTgjpLj-cChqSYujgkX1YH9TJ0P1Ke4Y00znrpmk60fjrVTFeGfy8El36qRa--FdkyicgLGq90bmzrq7wrx3PKiq4A95EOT66uUqOfyi0r6auVgNSABjViCNdXDSId7PF_BdtX3iLzh8iTAiHQitQrDxGyZDm9AL7TZ-7VeD2Qq8QUydDF9eN4N3pegsd30k99U0sAWsV4I_T2zSz_zOKCYt0zbo65pf86DYUdFimGxvS81XnOZ3Q-TpG6rJOxeP9OjKfohe8qe_DwtFhibhM_uL8BGRJGkriNVe2L8EXgNjex1pLaog==&c=o5UUyNH0b1lmE5mZ5B47hd8Q8TaWVgUfIhSDrjmjOjZyX9hMPsasGw==&ch=EY4OLg2t5NBB08wn26pr4a6ozzRGQkjSbc81aX_lNk8PbD0Am5Fm_A==">Houston Chronicle</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_7.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://4E214F3E-D837-450E-9273-4C763946A333/pastedGraphic_7.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Report: Warmer Temperatures Could Cost U.S. Winter Sports Industry $1 Billion per Season</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">According to a new report from the advocacy group Protect Our Winters, the low and variable snowfall that is expected to become more common due to climate change can make a significant dent in the American recreation industry. An analysis of reduced snowfall years led to a loss of $1 billion to the economy and 17,400 jobs compared to an average season. While some ski resorts do have equipment to generate their own snow, less business can lead to layoffs. Resorts across the western United States have been experiencing warmer temperatures and reduced snowfall, affecting the quality and availability of activities including skiing, snowboarding, and snowmobiling. Rebecca Hill, a natural resources economist and report contributor, said, "When somebody goes and skis, they don't just spend money on that lift ticket. They also spend money at restaurants in the area. They buy gas in the area. So it's those other support industries that are also going to be harmed."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001DhKTgjpLj-cChqSYujgkX1YH9TJ0P1Ke4Y00znrpmk60fjrVTFeGfy8El36qRa--jJ73qj7HZETfsBRmoj8ZVBDFW3hajCavhAms6USN4KdttF9jDCX5THqts4ZxrL3QSxiMC8bRgHYdsmPlKwz2dm5W3qrbgThgv3qmtz-kI03r6gDBNzFXo2WSXzPFlUjtU8cZ4_kjdkdDMKPYfCItv2owGB9OYeTFzY0S9drYzdmAqIdPL8RCtapkXkjlds-_iCt9OwW8NyYQkDZcobVjep7BUHaQ1i_aJov9Lr9HbJaBBSxgv7VpYg==&c=o5UUyNH0b1lmE5mZ5B47hd8Q8TaWVgUfIhSDrjmjOjZyX9hMPsasGw==&ch=EY4OLg2t5NBB08wn26pr4a6ozzRGQkjSbc81aX_lNk8PbD0Am5Fm_A==">NPR</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001DhKTgjpLj-cChqSYujgkX1YH9TJ0P1Ke4Y00znrpmk60fjrVTFeGfy8El36qRa--UK2Wk8_zYnlln1L6dzE9sOdyalQQvqW52Ix2UpRNKSRZvMgErAYt_P_5tcPrg2ozIFuYQ-CsYH5bmJmC7D4NOZKt8XxE4WAUuQsnRJO6BJTtThDtFdrz0y-bJf1Zpp5pxVg6EZsfdozJAm_OWsabBQ==&c=o5UUyNH0b1lmE5mZ5B47hd8Q8TaWVgUfIhSDrjmjOjZyX9hMPsasGw==&ch=EY4OLg2t5NBB08wn26pr4a6ozzRGQkjSbc81aX_lNk8PbD0Am5Fm_A=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Report</span></a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_8.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://4E214F3E-D837-450E-9273-4C763946A333/pastedGraphic_8.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Private Sector Developing Services for Hyperlocal Climate Risk Assessments</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A growing demand for knowledge on how climate change may disrupt private sector operations has led to the growth of companies working to fill in the gaps left by the slow pace of government entities. However, these new companies will have to contend with the uncertainty that follows location-specific, short-term climate forecasting. Some insurance companies already study climate risks and use those outlooks to advise clients on how to avoid those risks. One tech sector start-up, Jupiter, has received $10 million in venture capital and has been recruiting scientists, weather modelers, and data analysts to develop a range of predictive tools that can provide granular risk management details for clients. Company founder Rick Sorkin said, "We know the planet's getting warmer and sea levels are rising, but on a hyperlocal basis, the quality of those predictions can be much better than it is." Although the U.S. government could assemble this information as well, federal agencies tend to devote their resources toward short-term weather predictions, while long-term needs like updated flood plain maps remain underfunded by Congress.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001DhKTgjpLj-cChqSYujgkX1YH9TJ0P1Ke4Y00znrpmk60fjrVTFeGfy8El36qRa--Aa_vawCn_SQ9KCGjhBmHgoO-5KPwHQJCGNVfzsyVioKdeWsPP7jZxKDoQZMvC_ldDvUZy5yrhqKOQQDxPvsc-y0J0dJc8hYklemqoTI1IxxDDaDtgMCW1iPR_Kc6qWaeJFrwWkI7uy5UUgPZ6Aq0X7gqv8us6oy82Opw21khnPHPmXhsOW9M7b0nnfjHn6it714PpJZBO6FW0PgULGBBuqiVl9YbrxlQSQ-MWBhjR9tr8j644FhGEUriWnunpIIra-PtFkrAekJa9fVHEOJ6zHfAP-8XD_BlCWXTN7eDoYoZ45PYJJLgu84YMX96rYvSc7jo__lrkrRYc1hJPCfkdvm5-2Qyi3fsce-jfQd-b0jBB4KYmRZMRealW7oXVWbA30KwI2lTSHTDFzMkYNs7ptsW63uGS33i2qsntjekd_ulhJbT4Y8xMW3XVuRuAVj5hDRWjI4ILO6DbASumBa2FA==&c=o5UUyNH0b1lmE5mZ5B47hd8Q8TaWVgUfIhSDrjmjOjZyX9hMPsasGw==&ch=EY4OLg2t5NBB08wn26pr4a6ozzRGQkjSbc81aX_lNk8PbD0Am5Fm_A==">New York Times</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_9.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://4E214F3E-D837-450E-9273-4C763946A333/pastedGraphic_9.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study: Ocean Acidification May Dissolve Coral Reefs before 2100</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">According to a new study appearing in the journal Science, ocean acidification could begin to dissolve coral reefs before 2100. The acidic waters could lead to "net dissolving," meaning the reefs would be losing more material than they can gain for coral growth. The sediments that reefs rely upon for construction are made up of small pieces of coral and other carbonate organisms that have accumulated over millennia. These sediments are 10 times more vulnerable to acidification than the coral animals themselves, which may be able to adapt somewhat. Ocean acidification occurs when carbon dioxide reacts with sea water to form a weak acid. The researchers said it was unclear whether the sediment dissolution could eventually threaten the integrity of entire islands. Coral are already threatened by rising ocean temperatures, pollution, and overfishing. Particularly vulnerable habitats, including Kaneohe Bay in Hawaii, are already starting to dissolve due to a mix of factors.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001DhKTgjpLj-cChqSYujgkX1YH9TJ0P1Ke4Y00znrpmk60fjrVTFeGfy8El36qRa--8lJfmYSrdupUTsVzu75sN2PCT8mUpxvLsTImTKsE35IVqkygKHo7_CMm0ntWx5TaGlz5Jhk2Z3yD8qFPWaUSQplzJaEsDXTMGTso86yq9D3wdTU6tefTwK9IW5bfqjsSWKnCu3UJRl8p1BpeW8I8O9GqSmVCt3hofbBqIvT_pj7QHRit4bN9uL9zcVAJoBVFSpWOI4P7hXXk1zKvanlBsj7vLyL-1mmkZ7tYGXDG16cgY5sj3suT5Y9tQz_a_CW03NuTtWAKwWAe3IV2kri-EfcpuXMhrGL_RmoShM8sWTpgTEKL6zEETK5YDRq4ePICPhp2LQx0-gtIJ24GjDFvbE3AbnRn9ayeuvo9wv9v00jZUPTjADnVtk6frplJUI6wkHi1o5z_gWJEJXwRg7abOFJ4XM2ihm7M4DPcdgoNfvRSivufKApFvw==&c=o5UUyNH0b1lmE5mZ5B47hd8Q8TaWVgUfIhSDrjmjOjZyX9hMPsasGw==&ch=EY4OLg2t5NBB08wn26pr4a6ozzRGQkjSbc81aX_lNk8PbD0Am5Fm_A==">Reuters</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_10.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://4E214F3E-D837-450E-9273-4C763946A333/pastedGraphic_10.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study Adds to Evidence of Connection between Today's Emissions and Future Sea Levels</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">New research indicates inaction on addressing greenhouse gas emissions could have serious consequences for global sea level increases. A study published in Nature Communications found that every five year period where significant climate action is delayed, sea levels could increase by an additional eight inches per year by 2300. The projection is based on the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global warming below 2 degrees Celsius, which necessitates an end to new greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The longer countries wait to begin drawing down emissions, the less likely this goal will be achieved, thus leading to more severe sea level rise in the future. Additional factors, such as the destabilization of the Antarctic ice sheet, could produce even greater sea level spikes. Lead author Matthias Mengel of the Potsdam Institute said, "One important point was to reveal that sea level [rise] is not in the far future, it's now, and because the system is so slow, we just can't see it at the moment. But we cause it now."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001DhKTgjpLj-cChqSYujgkX1YH9TJ0P1Ke4Y00znrpmk60fjrVTFeGfy8El36qRa--_5tsE37VJ3BBaCwSBhr3eRFggmMATotqvtGchVgNEaF5AFZkhUAZJD67_g5He7Xp3MapEoytVz41FdkeJ47zca04yr_2_lqZY4D0UtREEGSsFsklCS7rdTaa6eDVoN_OW0dNzZgOp2D327iV23LyaMQnNPkfCIOfm-kUPD_ATIHJBhTBBnS-x4bWiU4dEN6olxsbaWd2wWJlIgPgzKM6D75t-rzzTM2PMszibtNc8W-EjmWcZ17_K-sS4qFjfJxCFoGYIiBGtiXKU8bzDmVWryEQumpIBX8jgVvjnTvDEVAYuw1cTqEEHp3iPVG3x4n5&c=o5UUyNH0b1lmE5mZ5B47hd8Q8TaWVgUfIhSDrjmjOjZyX9hMPsasGw==&ch=EY4OLg2t5NBB08wn26pr4a6ozzRGQkjSbc81aX_lNk8PbD0Am5Fm_A==">Washington Post</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> </span></div>
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Chad A. Tolman</span></div>
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Chad Tolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198303455148896174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441974095206886318.post-41598823627261095162018-01-26T05:33:00.000-08:002018-01-26T05:33:56.954-08:00CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS FOR JANA. 2018<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>CC NEWS FOR JANUARY 2018</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">There is a video on You Tube whose first 16 minutes is called <a href="https://www.onitube.com/video/37116/vice-s05e03-when-the-earth-melts-the-displaced"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">When the Earth Melts</span></a>. It describes the methane that is released when the permafrost melts, and shows a big flame of burning methane when a hole is made in an ice covered lake in the presence of a source of ignition. Russia has the largest area of permafrost of any country in the far north. Release of the methane as the earth warms as a result of burning fossil fuels could drive the global average temperature substantially higher, in what is called a positive feedback in the climate system.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Oct. 10, 2016 <b><i>ScienceDirect </i></b>published an article by Uwe Brand and eight other authors titled. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1871174X16300488"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">Methane Hydrate: Killer cause of Earth’s greatest mass extinction</span></a>. This is what they wrote in the Abstract:</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">The cause for the end Permian mass extinction, the greatest challenge life on Earth faced in its geologic history, is still hotly debated by scientists. The most significant marker of this event is the negative δ13C shift and rebound recorded in marine carbonates with a duration ranging from 2000 to 19 000 years depending on localities and sedimentation rates. Leading causes for the event are Siberian trap volcanism and the emission of greenhouse gases with consequent global warming. Measurements of gases vaulted in calcite of end Permian brachiopods and whole rock document significant differences in normal atmospheric equilibrium concentration in gases between modern and end Permian seawaters. The gas composition of the end Permian brachiopod-inclusions reflects dramatically higher seawater carbon dioxide and methane contents leading up to the biotic event. Initial global warming of 8–11 °C sourced by isotopically light carbon dioxide from volcanic emissions triggered the release of isotopically lighter methane from permafrost and shelf sediment methane hydrates. Consequently, the huge quantities of methane emitted into the atmosphere and the oceans accelerated global warming and marked the negative δ13C spike observed in marine carbonates, documenting the onset of the mass extinction period. The rapidity of the methane hydrate emission lasting from several years to thousands of years was tempered by the equally rapid oxidation of the atmospheric and oceanic methane that gradually reduced its warming potential but not before global warming had reached levels lethal to most life on land and in the oceans. Based on measurements of gases trapped in biogenic and abiogenic calcite, the release of methane (of ∼3–14% of total C stored) from permafrost and shelf sediment methane hydrate is deemed the ultimate source and cause for the dramatic life-changing global warming (GMAT > 34 °C) and oceanic negative-carbon isotope excursion observed at the end Permian. Global warming triggered by the massive release of carbon dioxide may be catastrophic, but the release of methane from hydrate may be apocalyptic. The end Permian holds an important lesson for humanity regarding the issue it faces today with greenhouse gas emissions, global warming, and climate change.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">NOTE: GMAT > 34 °C means a global mean average temperature above 93 °F. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permian%E2%80%93Triassic_extinction_event%23Methane_hydrate_gasification"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">End Permian Extinction</span></a> that the authors refer to is the greatest extinction event in geologic history, about 252 million years ago, when up to 96% of marine species and 70% of terrestrial vertebrate species became extinct. The “negative δ13C spike” referred to above, means a relative rapid decrease in the ratio of 13C/12C (the two non-radioactive isotopes of carbon), which paleontologists have taken to mean an addition to the atmosphere of massive amounts of methane released by the thermal decomposition of methane hydrates by global warming. A similar but less extensive extinction event occurred about 55.5 million years ago, called the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleocene%E2%80%93Eocene_Thermal_Maximum"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum</span></a> (PETM) also accompanied by a negative δ13C spike and a temperature increase of 5-8 °C.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The significance of this for us is that <b><i>continued burning of fossil fuels may be able to initiate a runaway situation that we would not be able to stop</i></b>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">More about the interaction of climate change and methane hydrate can be found <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2016RG000534/full"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">here</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The total mass of methane in the methane hydrate on the continental shelves of the world is estimated to be between <a href="http://worldoceanreview.com/en/wor-1/energy/methane-hydrates/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">1 and 5 x 10</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-size: 8.7px; line-height: normal;"><sup>12</sup></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;"> metric tons</span></a> - about the same as the <a href="https://micpohling.wordpress.com/2007/03/30/math-how-much-co2-by-weight-in-the-atmosphere/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">3 x 10</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-size: 8.7px; line-height: normal;"><sup>12 </sup></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">metric tons</span></a> of CO2 in the atmosphere (in 2007)! About 10 years ago I wrote a paper for the League of Women Voters titled, <a href="http://www.lwv.org/files/CCTF_BP_PostiveFeedback.pdf"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Positive Feedbacks and Climate Runaway - the Need to Act Without Delay.</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(80, 80, 80); color: #505050;">Stephen Fesler posted and article in <b><i>The Urbanist</i></b></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b> </b>on Jan. 10 titled, <a href="https://www.theurbanist.org/2018/01/10/20-per-ton-governor-inslee-proposes-carbon-tax/?utm_source=Sightline%20Institute&utm_medium=web-email&utm_campaign=Sightline%20News%20Selections"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">$20 Per Ton: Governor Inslee Proposes Carbon Tax</span></a>. In it the author wrote that Gov. Inslee of Washington State, in his recent <a href="https://www.governor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/State%20of%20the%20State%20Address.pdf"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">State of the State speech</span></a>, said that he favored a tax on carbon emissions, starting at $20/ ton of CO2 and increasing by 3.5% plus inflation per year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> An increasing <a href="http://priceoncarbon.org/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 86, 214); color: #0056d6;">price on carbon</span></a> - through a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade system - is one of the most effective ways to reduce CO2 emissions - the primary source of global warming.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">On Jan. 9 Jeff Tollefson pasted and article in <b><i>Nature</i></b> titled, </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">Climate scientists unlock secrets of ‘blue carbon’. (The article is on an encrypted website.). Blue Carbon is the term used to describe the carbon stored in coastal wetlands, which is substantial. The author writes, </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Tidal wetlands come in many forms, but they could be more alike below the surface than anyone realized. Whether it’s a mangrove forest in Florida, a freshwater swamp in Virginia or a saltwater marsh in Oregon, the amount of carbon locked in a soil sample from each of these coastal ecosystems is roughly the same.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A <a href="https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/inventory-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">report</span></a> that the EPA released in April last year, found that the United States’ 3.8 million hectares of coastal wetlands soak up 8.1 million tonnes of CO2 each year</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Jan. 10 the <b><i>NY Times</i></b> published an article by Karen Weintraub titled, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/10/science/female-sea-turtles-global-warming.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">More Female Sea Turtles Born as Temperatures Rise</span></a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #333333;">. She wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-kerning: none;">“</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333;">Male sea turtles are disappearing from Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">A new study of gender ratios found that 99 percent of immature green turtles born in the northern part of the reef are female. Among adult turtles, 87 percent are female, suggesting that there has been a shift in gender ratios over the last few decades.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A sea turtle’s sex is determined by its nesting environment. As sands warm, more females will hatch relative to males; if the sand temperature tops 84.7 degrees during incubation, only females will emerge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The gender shift suggests that climate change is having a significant effect on one of the biggest green turtle populations in the world, said Michael Jensen, lead author of the new study, published in <a href="http://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(17)31539-7"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Current Biology</span></a>.</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“The group conducted its research over 16 days in July 2014, plying small boats around the Howick Group of islands in the north Great Barrier Reef — “an absolutely magical place,” according to Dr. Jensen. They captured 411 foraging turtles, one at a time, drawing blood to measure gender hormones and taking skin samples for DNA. The genetic analysis allowed them to determine whether the turtle had been born in the northern or southern parts of the reef, which are separated by about 1,200 miles.’</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Turtles born in the cooler south were only biased 65 to 69 percent female, the study showed. Researchers still don’t know the ideal ratio, or how many males to females it takes to effectively sustain the population, Dr. Jensen said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Without the new study, he said, scientists might not have recognized the gender skewing in the north for decades — perhaps missing the window to make a difference.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“The result is definitely alarming,” Dr. Jensen said. “But now we know and can focus our research on the right questions and start thinking about what can be done. So I’m hopeful as well.””</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;">On Jan. 11 <b><i>Bloomberg</i></b> published an article by Christopher Flavelle titled, <a href="http://livepage.apple.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #0061ff;">Disaster Mitigation Targeted by Trump Saves $6 for Every $1 Spent, Report Says</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-kerning: none;">. The author wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">The report, released Thursday by the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/7580932Z:US"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">National Institute of Building Sciences</span></a>, found that every $1 the federal government spends on so-called mitigation projects, such as elevating homes at risk of flooding, improving stormwater management systems or strengthening buildings against earthquakes, reduces future costs by an average of $6.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Trump’s first budget request called for cutting many of the programs designed to protect Americans from the effects of climate change. He and some of his cabinet members have questioned the science of global warming, rolling back many of the programs and regulations established by President Barack Obama to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Yet 2017 went on to become the most expensive year on record for natural disasters, with <b><i>$306 billion in damage</i></b> (<b><i>emphasis added</i></b>) and <a href="https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">362 deaths</span></a> in the U.S. led by hurricanes in the southeast and wildfires in the west. The results have drawn scrutiny to whether the government does enough to prepare for those disasters, especially as much of <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/STOPR1:US"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Puerto Rico</span></a> remains without electricity. And they have focused new attention on the costs of those disasters to federal taxpayers, not least from Republicans in Congress, and how to reduce those costs.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On January 11 106 bipartisan members of he U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to President Trump on the importance of climate change to our national security. Here is part of what they wrote:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“As Members of the House of Representatives with a deep interest in the many dimensions of our national security, we write to express our concern about your National Security Strategy, which fails to recognize climate change as a threat to the United States..</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">We have heard from scientists, military leaders and civilian personnel who believe that climate change is a direct threat to America’s national security and to the to the stability of the world at large. As global temperatures become more volatile, sea levels rise, and landscapes change, our military installations and our communities are increasingly at risk of devastation. It is imperative that the United States addresses this growing geopolitical threat.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"> On Jan. 16 Sarah Parsons of the <b><i>World Resources Institute</i></b> wrote an article titled, </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.wri.org/blog/2018/01/bad-air-better-oceans-6-environment-and-development-stories-watch-2018?utm_campaign=wridigest&utm_source=wridigest-2018-01-16&utm_medium=email&utm_content=learnmore">Bad Air to Better Oceans: 6 Environment and Development Stories to Watch in 2018</a></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">. </span><span style="color: black; font-kerning: none;"> I’ll give the detail for just two. Click on the link above to see the others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Bad Air Days</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>The Future of Oil</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Progress on International Climate Action</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Negative Emissions</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Water and Conflict</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Most people point to sociopolitical dynamics and economics as the reasons behind humanitarian crises, but water stress is often another <a href="http://www.wri.org/blog/2017/09/water-stress-driving-conflict-and-migration-how-should-global-community-respond"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(227, 129, 10); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">underlying and underreported trigger</span></a>. Drought preceded Syria’s civil war. The drying up of Lake Chad led to the displacement of more than 2 million people. Without interventions, the situation is poised to worsen: <a href="http://www.wri.org/blog/2015/08/ranking-world%E2%80%99s-most-water-stressed-countries-2040"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(227, 129, 10); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Projections show</span></a> that 33 countries will face extremely high water stress by 2040.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">At the same time, the world is making major progress in monitoring the world’s water. Can early warnings prevent future conflict?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The UN Security Council may take up a climate resolution later this year, which would formally recognize water scarcity’s role in conflict prevention. Emerging platforms like the <a href="http://www.wri.org/our-work/project/aqueduct"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(227, 129, 10); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Aqueduct mapping tool</span></a> can provide data to support better resource management: It evaluates current and future water stress, and will soon analyze water availability’s potential impact on staple crops in every region of the world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Ocean Rising</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Half the world’s corals <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/04/climate/coral-reefs-bleaching.html?mtrref=undefined&gwh=F4376C9A22A39F6F0304A1FBD4EB8005&gwt=pay"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(227, 129, 10); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">have been lost</span></a> to bleaching; <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5555e.pdf"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(227, 129, 10); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">nearly 60 percent</span></a> of fisheries have been fished to capacity; and experts predict the oceans will hold <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jan/19/more-plastic-than-fish-in-the-sea-by-2050-warns-ellen-macarthur"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(227, 129, 10); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">more plastic than fish</span></a> by 2050. “This is a tragedy of the commons writ large,” Steer said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Oceans are rising — literally, in terms of sea levels — and also on political agendas. Will it be enough to save the seas?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Forty countries have already <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/28/world/africa/rwanda-plastic-bags-banned.html?mtrref=www.google.com&gwh=23C298A7F6D1B7DC243CF440CF6227E8&gwt=pay"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(227, 129, 10); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">banned or restricted</span></a> the use of plastic bags that often end up in the water. Last year, the UN appointed a <a href="https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/personnel-appointments/2017-09-12/mr-peter-thomson-fiji-special-envoy-ocean"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(227, 129, 10); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Special Envoy for Oceans</span></a>, while countries made 1,400 commitments to ocean protection at the UN Ocean Conference.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This year, Canada has promised to put oceans on the agenda for the upcoming G7 meeting. We will see new initiatives introduced to improve ocean management at theWorld Economic Forum later this month. And negotiations may begin for a <a href="https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/12/un-high-seas-conservation-treaty-ocean-protection-spd/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(227, 129, 10); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">UN Treaty on the High Seas.</span></a> Research shows that world needs to bring <a href="http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/analysis/2016/03/21/protecting-30-percent-of-the-ocean-brings-multiple-benefits"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(227, 129, 10); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">30 percent</span></a> of the world’s oceans under protection in order to achieve sustainability. Political and business leaders would do well to pay attention—key ocean assets are worth a <a href="http://www.nature.com/news/oceans-are-worth-us-24-trillion-1.17394"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(227, 129, 10); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">whopping $24 trillion</span></a>.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Jan. 17 <b><i>Bloomberg News</i></b> posted an article by Gerald Silverman titled, <a href="https://www.bna.com/northeast-states-tap-n73014473510/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Northeast States Tap the Gas Pump for Carbon Emissions Cuts</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The seven states that are part of the Transportation and Climate Initiative - Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont—and the District of Columbia are seriously considering pricing carbon emissions through a cap-and-trade system like that used in RGGI (the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative) for power plant emissions and to which the seven states already belong. RGGI has decreased emissions from the electric sector by over 40% since 2009, so that transportation now makes a larger contribution than electricity generation in several RGGI states. The author wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“The policy framework for the program was laid out in a <a href="http://src.bna.com/uVX"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(38, 122, 189); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">report</span></a> from the Transportation and Climate Initiative, which outlines the key options and the benefits and drawbacks from different approaches. The report didn’t make a specific recommendation but favored a cap-and-trade program that covers a minimum of gasoline and on-road diesel fuels.”</span></div>
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The following items are from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), Carol Werner, Executive Director. Past issues of its newsletter are posted on its website under "publications"<br />
at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102515421764&e=001VqmyLSnT7fkl-_mocGBcn8yb2ys8eiE4dr3Tnveazy1K0B1fU1CponAdxiy_W78b49PK6NHsR0pHlqO7KOWi-3m5yW4bNEJiyJt1G95YoNt46CLY1L4uGjNKLSPL84kX2r7jAaxw1oVR18YElOXvV8_lo1bRsASi9tPNMTm7-ZU="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">http://www.eesi.org/publications/Newsletters/CCNews/ccnews.htm</span></a></span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">EESI’s newsletter is intended for all interested parties, particularly the policymaker community. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Negotiations between Senate staff, consumer advocates, mortgage companies, and clean energy supporters have yielded a compromise on the Property Assessed Clean Energy program (PACE). The compromise, devised by the Senate Banking Committee to address fraud concerns, would grant the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau the authority to regulate PACE and establish lending and repayment standards. The program has assisted more than 180,000 homeowners in financing solar panels and energy efficient appliances through their local tax bills. PACE is not a federal program, but is instead administered at the local level and often facilitated by state legislation. The PACE model was originally used for financing the replacement of infrastructure before being adapted as a tax assessment for individual energy projects. Repayment of the tax assessment is the responsibility of the homeowner, comes at no cost to other taxpayers, and can be passed on to a new owner if a property is sold. Energy savings resulting from the upgrades are often enough to cover the cost of borrowing for property owners.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001MrqENqH5boHiEJstOXDLc2-Kg1CVHD6SrFxL-MawfteP8zxOCKVV7RyOHhubPS_p9Ouo5WjY1FzHvDULCpm24Si2oH4kLNwfgDX6q0eeKdb_hoNNJ1vwhgxAdyRrlWZ-3zRIEK1fjgl4xeE_FT7KeHh10io4dxSM7F3baTJV4KKn4fn5MdmHEdSWdCYqwEycSlgd3GPlbvpfP-dVnmvSBVQpH7YjvwY3C3WQQSvbM0YKs1GXwq2BBnJOy7h3hZdDMaztBPetSae1kXgKp2ab6TFLseqVwM_jZ01IB22wrK4=&c=DGcM6bzBTXf9-3-y5CQj8WSysIAfosIsQAnPUcJBBX0UZuzje_FrHQ==&ch=ZWey_2n43iD2hg2SPnOWBLYded6gQpwji9Lw1p6BbaQeuDK9_pWt0g==">Bloomberg<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://49889E96-1A40-4816-B790-AA63D490E08A/pastedGraphic.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>EPA Is Shedding Scientists and Other Employees, with Replacements Unlikely</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has seen its workforce decline by more than 700 people since the start of the Trump administration. More than 200 of these departed employees were scientists, with another 96 categorized as "environmental protection specialists," a broad job set that can deal with the analysis and investigation of pollution levels. Dozens of attorneys and program managers, as well as nine department directors have also left. The employees have quit, retired, or been bought out and most are not being replaced. The Trump administration has publicly declared its desire to reduce the agency's workforce by 20 percent (3,200 jobs). Republican-led budget cuts caused EPA to shrink to about 15,000 employees during the Obama administration. EPA offices that deal with science and research have been hit particularly hard, causing observers to worry that EPA's capabilities in these fields will be diminished over the long-term and hinder its ability to safeguard public health.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001MrqENqH5boHiEJstOXDLc2-Kg1CVHD6SrFxL-MawfteP8zxOCKVV7RyOHhubPS_pH-5BNsUk13fq0zgC0tRfHdjyKL8xL2JBTrlWst2gW68oQWEvKN4ykJ1zM4gKlo7_92XBUb-RIzWJ7C88_dxGIApWMQWQpPSv-dZwdfPcuhOCCysGpZt25mhH2IxpGGgfzYuj6Yzqe7LfBUhfXa1atc6VGp4LC1QX&c=DGcM6bzBTXf9-3-y5CQj8WSysIAfosIsQAnPUcJBBX0UZuzje_FrHQ==&ch=ZWey_2n43iD2hg2SPnOWBLYded6gQpwji9Lw1p6BbaQeuDK9_pWt0g==">ProPublica<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_1.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://49889E96-1A40-4816-B790-AA63D490E08A/pastedGraphic_1.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Natural Disasters Took a Historic Toll on U.S. Communities in 2017</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A steady stream of hurricanes, wildfires, heat waves, tidal flooding, and extreme rainfall have put 2017 on track to be the costliest year in American history in terms of natural disasters. Property damage to residences, transportation infrastructure, and the electrical grid has stressed government programs, insurance agencies, and individuals. Hurricane Maria alone is estimated to have caused $40 billion in lost economic output and $55 billion in property damage. The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico was among the locales hardest hit by the storm, with the government still struggling to restore basic utility services. California's wildfires have caused $9.4 billion in damages so far this year, even with the damage from ongoing wildfires in the southern portion of the state not yet accounted for. There were at least 15 extreme weather events costing at least a billion dollars each in 2017, with the cumulative damages eliminating 0.2-0.3 percent of U.S. wealth. Another consequence is the long-term shuttering of local businesses and the evacuation of residents, placing a community's jobs and growth on hold.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001MrqENqH5boHiEJstOXDLc2-Kg1CVHD6SrFxL-MawfteP8zxOCKVV7RyOHhubPS_pkd9FeIYUC1jbsKd6YPImtMwWaHMvvM_LBgPKcOelHqwAR4hYypj_RxIfBI9mz2US9U-IzcxjmNRZVZFpnD_f1APJ-OYG3Pbr5ATINjs8jzQ7AdF5XYTDKSDptazI5FfB17wX8oPZ9CFrfMwTxhww2KGcYfXc3MykeI3fFvZECIijEmF0cB033IC5s8aVj_O5yxLNfK23H3M=&c=DGcM6bzBTXf9-3-y5CQj8WSysIAfosIsQAnPUcJBBX0UZuzje_FrHQ==&ch=ZWey_2n43iD2hg2SPnOWBLYded6gQpwji9Lw1p6BbaQeuDK9_pWt0g==">The Atlantic<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study: Europe Could See Significant Increase in Asylum Seekers Due to Climate Change</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">According to a new study in the journal Science, Europe could see a significant increase in asylum seekers due to climate change by 2100. Under current climate change scenarios, the continent would have three times as many migrants applying for asylum versus today's levels, independent of other political and economic factors. Bob Ward, policy director at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change, said, "Hundreds of millions, perhaps billions, of people will be exposed to coastal sea level rise and shifts in extreme weather that will cause mass migrations away from the most vulnerable locations. We know from human history that such migrations often lead to conflict and war." Ward added that models examining the economic impacts of climate change often neglect to account for migration-related conflicts. Europe could be a particularly attractive destination for asylum seekers due to its economy, climate resilience, and infrastructure. The study examined asylum requests for the European Union over a 14-year period and determined that people from countries with greater climate stressors tended to submit more applications.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001MrqENqH5boHiEJstOXDLc2-Kg1CVHD6SrFxL-MawfteP8zxOCKVV7RyOHhubPS_pkhM-vFkCuSFxBPs_wOHM554hSpDPe4QbMP25uGWxepczMFZlCADWOm18IXbJkbetppP1hvyWysOLpwMkM1MklSicb8Q2CD6QHcJn8pgV0XUDOJyp7Ueu7AlcSwqpGnuXcnhAEXfOr97l2G2eNkXFC-nONYO8svdtBT91paU4Vtswj2PGMDS32lS5g7o-gbSNiQiNxVfappVt3eSWPy1voDQWN9jeZ3iIsA_qt8oIBqW8wLdpH0D7dWdc-nftgAuWC_Q05wByEDk=&c=DGcM6bzBTXf9-3-y5CQj8WSysIAfosIsQAnPUcJBBX0UZuzje_FrHQ==&ch=ZWey_2n43iD2hg2SPnOWBLYded6gQpwji9Lw1p6BbaQeuDK9_pWt0g==">Guardian<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Texas Continues to Reap the Benefits of Wind Energy</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The wind industry has transformed the landscape in Texas, a state historically known for its oil and gas production. Past governors George W. Bush and Rick Perry helped create a regulatory path for wind farms to spring up in Nolan County back in 2001. The installation of key infrastructure and Texas' near-autonomous electric grid also facilitated the wind industry's growth, while production tax credits brought federal incentives for capital investment. If it were an independent nation, Texas would be the sixth-largest wind energy producer in the world, with Nolan County accounting for a significant chunk of the electricity generated. As of 2016, at least one-fifth of the country's 100,000 wind industry jobs were based in Texas. The industry's growth has led to substantial benefits for the region. Ken Becker, executive director of the Sweetwater Economic Development Corp, said, "In pre-wind, our county taxable value was $500 million. In 2008, it was $2.8 billion," funding education and healthcare improvements and providing a source of steady income for landowners that host the turbines.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #021eaa; font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001MrqENqH5boHiEJstOXDLc2-Kg1CVHD6SrFxL-MawfteP8zxOCKVV7RyOHhubPS_p1ISHIQWEH65fcOthxiI8KnOqU74lA7xh0lYjnpi5V7emDXlSUnX9mrrf1JDYi6BhiybB_zvLPIPU2oKpH2ZLKUTDEsLsY7Veci2IYTnobDMuE2vbiIFpu3bR0Ioe7Yllqt38-JMdH6Yi_8Ygcwt4VtVlLywWisso1kP7IydINVmLcd2x5XZVB9sSZxsM5i2-7IYb6OPZaMnbGw8GrFuMSB3AE8EIOXumZ1nLxPYXsLo=&c=DGcM6bzBTXf9-3-y5CQj8WSysIAfosIsQAnPUcJBBX0UZuzje_FrHQ==&ch=ZWey_2n43iD2hg2SPnOWBLYded6gQpwji9Lw1p6BbaQeuDK9_pWt0g==">I<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">nsideClimate News</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_2.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://49889E96-1A40-4816-B790-AA63D490E08A/pastedGraphic_2.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Florida's Exemption from Offshore Oil Drilling Draws Protests from Coastal Governors</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Governors and legislators of both parties have expressed criticism and dismay over the Trump administration's exemption of Florida from offshore oil drilling. Florida is the sole state to be exempted from the new policy, just four days after it was first announced. Critics cite the political nature of the January 9 move, given that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke flew to Florida afterward for a public appearance with presumptive Senate candidate and current Governor Rick Scott (R). In 2010, Scott expressed support for offshore drilling, but walked back that support after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. To gain the same drilling exemption, other states may turn to the Administrative Procedure Act, which prevents agencies from acting in an "arbitrary and capricious manner." Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) said, "Virginia's governor (and governor-elect) have made this same request [as Florida], but we have not received the same commitment." Twenty-two senators from 12 states, as well as the Republican governor of South Carolina, have also requested drilling exemptions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0010Oh3G6FoVk2ifg10TKkRyQ6zjM0idIAkEqhGPJr4Ogl_tw8ogT-uqnE7vxrv7Gkh35AYMxZDdL4CM9bvPw2ycakycAHsK0FXdahsGOnL6aoec2z7o8R3Zx0ezoRIxh7K66L-Q-9FVWg3poosr2Kqw67uSPUIXXdg-EgQKVx9U0dELRYOArJD8mRFE7moogSC6KeEcmBH_BGuWaqY_w1zFLwIjVzZNrMhNKjhs6d3Oxu6SvwSsCymOXHaT4lz7qK10GoH42NbQmYVQy1BpX98IrtOS6H9Wt2gFfdER3SBn-i3qhlUTG0TckReFm6rnziRw-8b9VZW1EY=&c=t1ymmWGPJ_Kl4IZ8rqmuB3Rufl3XdojGZYZVWtcIWDbR29K4nGclNQ==&ch=PRdI29QBuXy_QfhIcP3JKhYTi046M6FXBakDW49LIBKKopmRDu0zDw==">Politico</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0010Oh3G6FoVk2ifg10TKkRyQ6zjM0idIAkEqhGPJr4Ogl_tw8ogT-uqnE7vxrv7GkhTXpiOj6SlLU-uq51kC97vGCxiWpWJWwcZWJKhCk_T8R7rLrvLqL_aG_N_w9sO9TTYyJ1OsYdvz7mg9KJKNEnTaVlkEB7dKd7n5rAwflTK-WeV6ID35ZN4Kz1dzNBZ0-7-0kNq1fTjWyZR2em4PRgZ9yD4bBRh6w2HqlVO2Gm2oZDaKfxPGPqCDS9tPlkcL74qdqukKnpSv4i1r733LLB7tYNMfZnNcd2AHajkmNUqNG5u2_3DVzoWHGKJDxUqZz4VKWJOu81adSGGYcZFHj40Q==&c=t1ymmWGPJ_Kl4IZ8rqmuB3Rufl3XdojGZYZVWtcIWDbR29K4nGclNQ==&ch=PRdI29QBuXy_QfhIcP3JKhYTi046M6FXBakDW49LIBKKopmRDu0zDw=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Reuters</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_3.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://49889E96-1A40-4816-B790-AA63D490E08A/pastedGraphic_3.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Washington Gov. Inslee Unveils Carbon Tax Proposal</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On January 9, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced plans for a state-wide carbon tax. The proposal would set a $20 per ton price on carbon emissions, with the price rising 3.5 percent annually above the rate of inflation. The plan would be implemented in the 2020 budget year, with projected revenue of $726 million generated in the first year and a total of $3.3 billion in revenue over the initial four year period. According to analysis from the governor's office, residential natural gas prices would rise 10 percent, gasoline prices would rise 6-9 percent, and electricity costs could increase by 4-5 percent by 2020. The tax would be placed on businesses that use fossil fuels, with some exemptions such as aircraft and agricultural fuels. Utilities would be allowed to invest in emission reduction projects in exchange for tax credits. Republican legislators are strongly opposed to a carbon tax, while Democrats have different opinions on its implementation and how to spend revenue. British Columbia implemented its own carbon tax in 2008, which is now priced at $30 Canadian per ton.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0010Oh3G6FoVk2ifg10TKkRyQ6zjM0idIAkEqhGPJr4Ogl_tw8ogT-uqnE7vxrv7GkhYD18O8m6fNasQkjGXD9aDphD5GTReRFbl0ekBKzvUqJDBracF-Xj8rAy2aAc9PthRTS2O9_7frm-RorMghp9_kmy-enX0MYhZFwZGObnrfojNjQcSuV-9nrqKOo5iUCoPSE_dSaVjLmh8K_DpjuOzHy_Mq_e-DoGVefJh8MDROVdoZg1kBPNfCdgzqIGUHpgFxyElrFYTCUHa6fbrTPRfvX-V3N6b5ga&c=t1ymmWGPJ_Kl4IZ8rqmuB3Rufl3XdojGZYZVWtcIWDbR29K4nGclNQ==&ch=PRdI29QBuXy_QfhIcP3JKhYTi046M6FXBakDW49LIBKKopmRDu0zDw==">Seattle Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_4.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://49889E96-1A40-4816-B790-AA63D490E08A/pastedGraphic_4.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>UN Program Helps Fiji's Farmers Adapt to Climate Impacts</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In February 2016, the most powerful cyclone ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere devastated the islands that make up the country of Fiji. Cyclone Winston destroyed more than 30,000 homes and displaced more than 150,000 people. Persistent rain brought by the storm caused flooding, landslides, and soil erosion. These impacts hit the country's farmers particularly hard. Farmer Adi Alesi Nacoba saw all of her crops wiped out that year. Over a six-month period, she rebuilt her business using climate-resilient methods learned from a United Nations Women Markets for Change program. The adaptations included crop diversification and staggered planting to better ensure crop survival. Terraced plots have also helped to protect crops from wind and flooding. In addition to reserving seeds, farmers have also begun to rely on banks to protect their savings. Sandra Bernklau with Fiji's UN Women office said, "I know that a lot of women farmers are saving more. They're much more conscious of having some money in the bank when things go wrong."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0010Oh3G6FoVk2ifg10TKkRyQ6zjM0idIAkEqhGPJr4Ogl_tw8ogT-uqnE7vxrv7Gkh7-1bc3pKFi4GatzpUJwKm2uXO9FcsRrxrNMw8QHoByeyPZyw5lF9fZ8DBetw6twluMaHTXTgru-GuxkSg4nJqNnZ_pJ6vmOvaaki63GB_hj7L_VLvruHY7m4gE-EPIV1cmGnHRWsFM4gn0XhYGzy_tUNILM6AqEsCVzsK9pw0Jn-SQehpN2bIAiRwtUi4_xAEpJXcviqWOEOpOWbArxSn7j_FLFCl3pCgKlOKu_gEZJqKpFYrbV6oE1gffZJE2Yh&c=t1ymmWGPJ_Kl4IZ8rqmuB3Rufl3XdojGZYZVWtcIWDbR29K4nGclNQ==&ch=PRdI29QBuXy_QfhIcP3JKhYTi046M6FXBakDW49LIBKKopmRDu0zDw==">NPR<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>New York City Sues Fossil Fuel Industry Over Contributions to Climate Change</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The City of New York is suing to hold the energy industry accountable for its contributions to anthropogenic climate change. BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Exxon, and Shell were all named in the suit. New York's effort will follow the example of recent cases in California, as well as past legal challenges against producers of cigarettes, asbestos, and lead paint. The city is building its argument on the legal tenants of "public" and "private nuisance," which address illegal impacts on a community's welfare or its land. Representatives for Chevron and Exxon have expressed strong resistance to the case. New York City attempted to use federal public nuisance law against companies operating fossil fuel-fired power plants in 2011, but the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that federal law grants the EPA (not city and state governments) regulatory power over greenhouse gas pollutants. New York City also announced it would be divesting $5 billion in fossil fuel assets from its five pension funds, which are valued at $189 billion overall.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0010Oh3G6FoVk2ifg10TKkRyQ6zjM0idIAkEqhGPJr4Ogl_tw8ogT-uqnE7vxrv7Gkhn59stR6zNKfC_9my3MWtrhstZQ1S7fA4HpvIY876WYmIu1OkRlSOdf0dwYQa1QJ6Jb_3CuimZJpOMIjuqWT0KyVqMn6RXAs628df4JgbPwJL1bk9-_girID-j33YiRolnGDJTJ76Uk59HW2Ft4f1S_jGBad_gBwEMnVQvj_lM2MidZc6qH5syzjZIiDb3v2IbmJm_7n6CpcZPfgDxGGwva6FYCwrvK-F1kgd-75X6Bc=&c=t1ymmWGPJ_Kl4IZ8rqmuB3Rufl3XdojGZYZVWtcIWDbR29K4nGclNQ==&ch=PRdI29QBuXy_QfhIcP3JKhYTi046M6FXBakDW49LIBKKopmRDu0zDw==">Bloomberg</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0010Oh3G6FoVk2ifg10TKkRyQ6zjM0idIAkEqhGPJr4Ogl_tw8ogT-uqnE7vxrv7Gkh4tGKMNC-j4_moByeWOuRn0jZ_JFtdl2TmROgeEnzOM_HuE2G1CcPs5LmOQR3OPqgqH2EaoN9EMqnoAkDyCe8Dy2TOeEL4RgbCSoDTfccosz3nRj-0Q9tK4w1Jt2ze7Uk2AI0mmv5Eerh9Q2MGKPDow==&c=t1ymmWGPJ_Kl4IZ8rqmuB3Rufl3XdojGZYZVWtcIWDbR29K4nGclNQ==&ch=PRdI29QBuXy_QfhIcP3JKhYTi046M6FXBakDW49LIBKKopmRDu0zDw=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Associated Press</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_5.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://49889E96-1A40-4816-B790-AA63D490E08A/pastedGraphic_5.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Push to Lease Public Lands for Drilling Draws Diminished Interest from Energy Industry</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Despite a concerted effort by the Trump administration to expand the development of oil and natural gas resources in the United States, the energy industry's actual response has been fairly tepid. A March 2017 executive order was issued with the goal of slashing "regulatory burdens" and increasing the scale of federal oil and gas lease auctions. However, activity has been limited beyond a few specific lease sales in regions such as Wyoming and New Mexico. For instance, a December auction in Alaska's North Slope saw only seven of 900 parcels receive any bids at all. The highest bid from that auction was $14.99 per acre, versus hundreds or thousands of dollars per acre elsewhere. This trend has played out in other auctions across the country, with industry experts citing America's lessened demand for oil and the high cost of drilling public lands with uncertain production prospects. According to a spokesperson for the Bureau of Land Management, the agency is "required to hold auctions by regulation," regardless of the current industry response.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0010Oh3G6FoVk2ifg10TKkRyQ6zjM0idIAkEqhGPJr4Ogl_tw8ogT-uqnE7vxrv7GkhobVgC-9ivcyI2Fy2xPFYvdOOV676tIol8awbOituw1HvMlXS-QbgL-pzYOqqP-wn4DTwZEqrmYhcaDKzZDlnxzJ48dtl7W1l2Q7nJgJ3vQ7lLsevXSe5w4e0p4pNmcTRFl6Fex3AelcihyCYamvgjCMERQq_VunZdN1uMObeFVPYRk-1i1jVWA==&c=t1ymmWGPJ_Kl4IZ8rqmuB3Rufl3XdojGZYZVWtcIWDbR29K4nGclNQ==&ch=PRdI29QBuXy_QfhIcP3JKhYTi046M6FXBakDW49LIBKKopmRDu0zDw==">LA Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_6.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://49889E96-1A40-4816-B790-AA63D490E08A/pastedGraphic_6.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Oil and Gas Companies Investing in More Offshore Wind Energy Projects</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The growing demand for offshore wind projects, combined with the steady transition of major markets away from gasoline, has led oil and gas companies to begin diversifying their portfolios. Major fossil fuel extraction companies are applying their experience constructing and maintaining offshore drilling rigs toward the development of offshore wind turbines. Senior vice president at Statoil, Stephen Bull, said, "We see a similar supply chain and skill set and can grow within this area." The Norwegian company is developing a floating wind farm off the coast of Scotland and has leased 80,000 acres off New York's coast for wind energy. Meanwhile, Ørsted (formerly DONG Energy) is investigating wind development near Massachusetts and New Jersey. Offshore wind accounts for 17.6 gigawatts of generating capacity worldwide, with most of that concentrated in Europe. The U.S. market has been slower to develop and currently has just one wind farm operating off the coast of Rhode Island. Analysts hope that the involvement of oil and gas companies in the U.S. wind market could jumpstart projects and mirror Europe's growth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0010Oh3G6FoVk2ifg10TKkRyQ6zjM0idIAkEqhGPJr4Ogl_tw8ogT-uqnE7vxrv7GkhSfRfMMb7yvOqsOcI6_GHVC5VMmcSENYxKjfsf9H0KaBt6yWK5f2zE4f_IKLI7l30FMkDfccAXYMSuIoMYvp7406MnLqgsZVR6V322Gdti2cvKx5WaRZUXt8mrBZkc2LeGK0Yyn3iL3B5APpB4eOm7s9LmBRU6vCuyDMI7t-AxkFyRxYBeceBiFjIuXF4laC-2XZcVha6A8LRCQscjrLN4BpXnBaNQDqvjqX80JQU6X4XG7T3tL30ODmo8BsBtX05GmANSu0ZRIY=&c=t1ymmWGPJ_Kl4IZ8rqmuB3Rufl3XdojGZYZVWtcIWDbR29K4nGclNQ==&ch=PRdI29QBuXy_QfhIcP3JKhYTi046M6FXBakDW49LIBKKopmRDu0zDw==">InsideClimate News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_7.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://49889E96-1A40-4816-B790-AA63D490E08A/pastedGraphic_7.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Report: China Moving into Pole Position on Renewable Energy Investment</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">According to a new report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), China is on track to become the leading nation in international renewable energy investment. The report states, "As battery storage and electric vehicles technologies pick up momentum, China is setting itself up to dominate these sectors globally over the next several decades of this century." China's "One Belt One Road" policy has been a major economic driver, including $8 billion in solar equipment exports since it began. China also moved past the United States and Germany as the leading exporter of environmental goods and services. The report found that China has been leapfrogging other nations in securing supplies of lithium, nickel, and cobalt - essential elements in battery and electric vehicle manufacturing. Under the Paris Agreement, China committed to peak its emissions by 2030 and generate 20 percent of its electricity from renewable or nuclear energy sources within that timeframe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0010Oh3G6FoVk2ifg10TKkRyQ6zjM0idIAkEqhGPJr4Ogl_tw8ogT-uqnE7vxrv7Gkh8HfXPJWgncUSWQmVSbJP5Eb1_lOMR5NqXdma-prmJ0kA0YqjKmuabjfmeWHNc65PgnjmSRoHyZC_suy2keV-uIdAasCOMTaxCm7QjmDoW64y9r8FC3mQr0gkOTpO3l2FADAZQiX3dKL-MjtueVKc8y9tTfko7U23OAxRH3x5Y8fPwwueuDoZtI5oAJr8i0xZE-lmFBKFnCE_R0CV8qIFdw727QJpLJvnDWvodIc0yOr1D7if9X2q8w==&c=t1ymmWGPJ_Kl4IZ8rqmuB3Rufl3XdojGZYZVWtcIWDbR29K4nGclNQ==&ch=PRdI29QBuXy_QfhIcP3JKhYTi046M6FXBakDW49LIBKKopmRDu0zDw==">Guardian<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Scorching Temperatures Pose Deadly Threat to Australia's Bat Population</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On January 7, Sydney, Australia experienced its hottest day since 1939, with temperatures reaching 117 degrees Fahrenheit. Searing summer heat waves have led to a 10 percent increase in ambulance calls and deaths. While humans are typically able to seek shelter from the heat, many animals are unable to adapt quickly enough. Specialists have sought to deliver relief to at-risk animals, but hundreds of flying fox bats have died so far due to a lack of shade, with the death toll expected to accumulate in the thousands. The fruit-eating bats are key pollinators and seed dispersers and are one of four types of vulnerable bat species that populate Australia's east coast. A 2014 heat wave in Queensland saw 100,000 bats perish. At the time, bat ecologist Micaela Jemison wrote, "This is of great concern to scientists not only due to the increased risk of these 'die off' events, but also for the long term impact it will have on the recovery of several of these already threatened species."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0010Oh3G6FoVk2ifg10TKkRyQ6zjM0idIAkEqhGPJr4Ogl_tw8ogT-uqnE7vxrv7Gkh1VFxyTCg8itMfgdIVf60FhrzCV575vMz0sBg2P9vDgo68hIvoTLM3rQgADIYSi8c19k8Kk8SZ1ggy1_Zg3RipPVNT__wEyC15pmVDtRE59JrxHUBeXip6cGaQMz59-WvtC2EWlCWV2_djmFHfaBFs7obKrcJzIP6msh5VMMhVJjyt-ACMhkQCrL6DlzN7xKH2Anls1vSMhBmm2VTN7s7iRybaztGZCTx7tK8tOjGM6COKB8f7JVuGspvxXEEZxAy35rPoXiDxtQpmisULsZ66eNIrB_BdrEw&c=t1ymmWGPJ_Kl4IZ8rqmuB3Rufl3XdojGZYZVWtcIWDbR29K4nGclNQ==&ch=PRdI29QBuXy_QfhIcP3JKhYTi046M6FXBakDW49LIBKKopmRDu0zDw==">Washington Post<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Washington and Oregon Consider Joining California in Regulating Carbon Emissions</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The next wave of greenhouse gas emission reduction policies could lead to a price on carbon for the entire west coast of the United States. On January 9, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee proposed a state-wide carbon tax, calling for action against the "damaging health effects of carbon pollution." Inslee's proposal would place a $20 per ton tax on carbon, with that valuation increasing 3.5 percent annually above the rate of inflation. Oregon's legislature is slated to consider a "cap and invest" system, which would limit the amount of carbon industrial polluters can emit before having to purchase emission allowances. Advocates see Oregon's 2018 legislative session as the best opportunity yet to adopt the system, though specific details of the plan are still under development. California had previously approved its own cap-and-trade program. Some critics of Washington's tax have called for more of the revenue generated to be reinvested in communities that will be disproportionately affected by higher energy prices and climate impacts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017jSFxJsZrzfbhYfycarHsdBO-73jwzkl-44FGQDyWn--WyQmvbuctVfwLCW62DxbG2O53yHvdZLgXPW6o448rifeC_DEHLtu6MoiL9pgMF5C5QGMTQ4TZvT18Xm2_Ztrv-MfYlg5xb3MxWUQ9Swiylb0wn95y68XUTounPFqVWJSgQM2J88CdQYGxnzlroKZuVklNqtAhoNkyhxGN7w_xKgqXs6tRoOYdDdtretnJXa2gWyvXLeVcHLDV3ZMGM0PBCullQoV4IcxWKATpnJ9lUmb1jAsVAcMSi7hcLysbLrQUOYw64khkHvCJTc_rekl&c=WzGnSO62EozJbRNCN7_NoLMdbaeHcDyo3ZWc6wRUPhpH56BX-tMniQ==&ch=HY79xrVXE_dIO8UYQegpzp8kSuiecS0XWqRfH4t0oZQ-MYmiDXtNgw==">Reuters<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_8.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://49889E96-1A40-4816-B790-AA63D490E08A/pastedGraphic_8.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Decline in Seasonal Snowpack Poses Water Supply Concerns for Western States</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Dozens of basins across the western United States have experienced snowpack 50 percent lower than average for this time of year. The snow melt feeds into the Colorado River, which provides water for 40 million people stretching from Denver to Los Angeles. The west's growing population has strained water supplies, but the decline in snow is making a difficult situation worse. The snowpack's usual pattern of freezing and gradual melting is being disrupted by higher temperatures. As the snow line recedes, precipitation is taking the form of rain instead of snow, resulting in less stored water to draw from later. Many reservoirs lack the capacity to accommodate the extra rain, forcing managers to release it to avert flooding. Climatologists caution that there have been down snow seasons before and further study is needed, but the overall trend is troubling. According to a 2017 study in Nature, western snowpack could decrease by an average of 60 percent over the next 30 years due to a combination of anthropogenic and natural warming.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017jSFxJsZrzfbhYfycarHsdBO-73jwzkl-44FGQDyWn--WyQmvbuctVfwLCW62DxbixE1PH1cza0442HUFgLaM6eYaOAWUjP3kFFUpVB01xs34Vy74VO0NIRiNllMYlH1wyHt8YY8_vP8kIKAhF9PUuj4ouBFC4pbaPNiRlnoPH-e-V5kD7PM_l-q1CIgx-bPmMvV0Idxm2YAcuK1o1DjxlPkI1JuY5cWI2HTnnhvrfAj478odUyQJyc13rLyx43u7e_3c1PFSAI=&c=WzGnSO62EozJbRNCN7_NoLMdbaeHcDyo3ZWc6wRUPhpH56BX-tMniQ==&ch=HY79xrVXE_dIO8UYQegpzp8kSuiecS0XWqRfH4t0oZQ-MYmiDXtNgw==">Bloomberg<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>United Kingdom Could Provide a Model to New England States Seeking Wind Development</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The United Kingdom currently leads the world in offshore wind energy development and could offer practical lessons to coastal communities in the United States hoping to jump-start their economies. Massachusetts plans on generating 1,600 megawatts of electricity from offshore wind by 2027, despite having no such generating capacity today. Three different companies have submitted proposals for the state's first offshore wind farm, which would cover a quarter of the state's goal. For Grimsby, England, a fishing town struggling to stay afloat, the seven wind farms that have been constructed off its coast to date invigorated the local economy. The town's port is now full of crews responsible for operating and maintaining the offshore turbines. Martyn Boyers, operator of the Grimsby fish market, said the fishing community was skeptical at first, but soon embraced the economic benefits of wind. Boyers said, "If we can do it in a place like Grimsby, which was steeped in history, and only fish, you can do it anywhere. It's an opportunity."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017jSFxJsZrzfbhYfycarHsdBO-73jwzkl-44FGQDyWn--WyQmvbuctVfwLCW62Dxb_SQ6h8CxRtkZ-W1fn1Kax7K698wO8hqFyEW5VwvJIwxhAoPaKBe_mUT74yBUThRImXvbQ9-NanP_YQEm9tq33OCXOjJXIFe5BCWFGl3uqGv5qebK-XpQx9Zj1CymiD5dRrN21ILJIhGwZGyR-jAb_JePfBSHhyBQ8jGJeKXappQ=&c=WzGnSO62EozJbRNCN7_NoLMdbaeHcDyo3ZWc6wRUPhpH56BX-tMniQ==&ch=HY79xrVXE_dIO8UYQegpzp8kSuiecS0XWqRfH4t0oZQ-MYmiDXtNgw==">WBUR-Boston<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_9.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://49889E96-1A40-4816-B790-AA63D490E08A/pastedGraphic_9.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Prolonged Drought and Public Health Impacts Stir Activism in Iran</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In western Iran, years of declining water resources and unpopular water transfer projects sparked a protest of 200 people outside a provincial governor's office. The protest was part of a nation-wide movement in response to a variety of societal and economic issues, but some experts argue that climate change and the government's approach to water scarcity played a noteworthy role. The dramatic decline in precipitation and an increase in temperatures have dried up lakes, created dust storms, and caused struggling farmers to seek out employment in cities. Environmental activist Yusef Farhadi Babadi, said, "People in my area do not want to politicize their environmental concerns, but water shortages and pollution of the air and rivers are seen as political crises." According to Iran's Drought and Crisis Management Center, 96 percent of the country's land area is experiencing "prolonged drought conditions." Protests over water diversion practices, dam construction, and pollution in Iran's agricultural regions have led to the involvement of government military units to quash dissent.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017jSFxJsZrzfbhYfycarHsdBO-73jwzkl-44FGQDyWn--WyQmvbuctVfwLCW62Dxb3jGY1Wtkg0nwjJrNc6l06FO7P4YBBHBA13161mBJkTUkgIQU5sKF-aYvnUbePN47j7-v2FUoqC_drOQPGxCqM19ndRZ5x-JxbIoITReensuBszSc34OKKfx6Euh6axFkyWVH2197BdtIZldC3msGdWJeApozHCIYhR8uLu8PG-rVCavffaxFkk7poY2CjzwjbUh5mF50xoQ=&c=WzGnSO62EozJbRNCN7_NoLMdbaeHcDyo3ZWc6wRUPhpH56BX-tMniQ==&ch=HY79xrVXE_dIO8UYQegpzp8kSuiecS0XWqRfH4t0oZQ-MYmiDXtNgw==">LA Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE</b>: Increasing shortages of water as climates change are likely to increase conflicts both within nations and among them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has continued to assert its position that climate change is a serious national security threat and the military must prepare for these impacts accordingly. This view is in direct conflict with President Trump, who has sought to withdraw the nation from the Paris Climate Agreement and slash funding for domestic and international climate programs. Although DOD is working to reduce its carbon footprint and become more resource efficient (it remains the single largest institutional user of fossil fuels in the world), some key members of Congress are trying to increase the size of the military even further. However, the latest National Defense Authorization Act to fund the military was signed into law containing language naming climate change as a "direct threat" to national security and a congressional reporting requirement on military installation vulnerabilities. Past DOD reports have noted climate change's role as a "threat multiplier," contributing to food and water scarcity, the spread of disease, and mass migration, which can amplify the chance of conflict in already unstable regions. A study by the American Security Project found that 70 percent of the world's nations recognize climate change as a threat to their own security.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017jSFxJsZrzfbhYfycarHsdBO-73jwzkl-44FGQDyWn--WyQmvbuctVfwLCW62DxbFuXfw2x0EFmCXKhqVsH6EZKfP33EL6Duev1rnfUcaRwK8LspymOrbh4QpHOYUOjSryN0LPB7zOUK_TW9jGCR36OFQCGyARj4bc8sWeEastv74S9o_4QIOFepCZUOumlR7yFh253LOBAIaBS08Z4E8reeEnKqHttqbF_WmngqwNrVs6OMghd5_1uu6fRgv82B&c=WzGnSO62EozJbRNCN7_NoLMdbaeHcDyo3ZWc6wRUPhpH56BX-tMniQ==&ch=HY79xrVXE_dIO8UYQegpzp8kSuiecS0XWqRfH4t0oZQ-MYmiDXtNgw==">Pacific Standard<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>BlackRock's Chief Executive Urges Financial Firms to Be More Socially Conscious with Investments</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Laurence Fink, the founder and chief executive of the investment firm BlackRock, published a letter on January 16 calling upon financial leaders to take a more active role in addressing societal issues. The letter said, "Society is demanding that companies, both public and private, serve a social purpose. To prosper over time, every company must not only deliver financial performance, but also show how it makes a positive contribution to society." BlackRock is the largest investor in the world and manages more than $6 trillion in assets, making Fink's voice highly influential in the global financial sector. BlackRock will purportedly add staff to monitor whether companies act upon Fink's call to action. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, associate dean at the Yale School of Management, observed, "It is huge for an institutional investor to take this position across its portfolio," calling it "a lightning rod." A past example of BlackRock's influence came in 2017, when the firm supported a shareholder proposal to override Exxon's disclosure policy on climate change to expose the company's strategy and risk exposure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017jSFxJsZrzfbhYfycarHsdBO-73jwzkl-44FGQDyWn--WyQmvbuctVfwLCW62DxbjgQx7DctMl1rITje08VXrLCiX8Y9DFioxqUKWqfb5r9iN56yUJm_FdWwDASL6T7oav6TTAzl2yMXumfqrH8q0XbJRG5zrCE1uOt7BmGucBLKUsVMWGVcdCtX6d8ZBurHjssrGX86ma8qPIzO8pvAcFuhZ0S14VmxwnnTt2w28ApHMEc2rr384qd9oSL2zVXpvY4QFnkHJBcV3ITMkcI6xw==&c=WzGnSO62EozJbRNCN7_NoLMdbaeHcDyo3ZWc6wRUPhpH56BX-tMniQ==&ch=HY79xrVXE_dIO8UYQegpzp8kSuiecS0XWqRfH4t0oZQ-MYmiDXtNgw==">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>New Cost-Effective Satellite to Provide Wealth of Greenhouse Gas Data</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The new Geostationary Carbon Cycle Observatory (GeoCARB) satellite currently under development stands to significantly improve the scientific community's capacity to study the global movement of greenhouse gases. The satellite is scheduled to launch in the early 2020s and will collect 10 million observations daily of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and solar-induced fluorescence for use by researchers. GeoCARB will also be able to measure methane leaks, a problem that costs the natural gas industry up to $10 billion annually. The satellite's low-Earth orbit will focus on a geographic area ranging from the tip of South America to Hudson Bay in Canada. GeoCARB will be only a third or a quarter of the cost of a traditional mission because it will rent space on a commercial communications satellite, making it an appealing project amidst today's constrained federal budget priorities. David Crisp, a senior scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said, "Our job is to actually make the tool</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">s that the policymakers need so that they can make good decisions."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017jSFxJsZrzfbhYfycarHsdBO-73jwzkl-44FGQDyWn--WyQmvbuctVfwLCW62DxbvfBwklZSN4mCLYAaPPjd11KgFHkhhJ2J22l5FIZoinOgvl8O9EUB8kvE7as7wahZmc6QHMUQaES8s1jBAlyu_PZfj7h9yxpHv8Lw_z9hAf8QBtK2yxDRSDpzjS0js_hHfPvKatn2aPIvLR2CopJr9FvlVWyqDIW6Jr2BHhJwh0CjUWJ22rrDnvBuGH0xLvLOz4gZvLskeQSnuq4dv2AIGYPt-6oi1obfEK05tOnBn-yc-I-BGGpreA==&c=WzGnSO62EozJbRNCN7_NoLMdbaeHcDyo3ZWc6wRUPhpH56BX-tMniQ==&ch=HY79xrVXE_dIO8UYQegpzp8kSuiecS0XWqRfH4t0oZQ-MYmiDXtNgw==">Scientific American<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Bacterial Outbreak Caused by Uncharacteristic Heatwave Pushes Ancient Saiga to Brink of Extinction</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A new paper in the journal Science Advances has uncovered additional details behind a massive animal die-off, where unusually high temperatures served as the catalyst. Over the course of three weeks in 2015, more than 200,000 saiga antelope died without warning in central Kazakhstan. A bacteria called Pasteurella multocida type B was known to be present in the adult saiga at the time. The latest evidence states that a 10-day stretch of high heat and humidity caused the bacteria in the saiga to multiply rapidly, leading to hemorrhagic septicemia and a swift death. Richard Kock, a professor at the Royal Veterinary College in London, recalled, "You went from one or two animals to within three or four days - thousands. And then they were all dead by the seventh day." The 30,000 surviving saiga were thought to have been outside of the "climate envelope" that initiated the outbreak. Kock added that a similar event for the critically endangered saiga could result in "total extinction."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017jSFxJsZrzfbhYfycarHsdBO-73jwzkl-44FGQDyWn--WyQmvbuctVfwLCW62DxboFS5EXhJfIAiOEYswJjgegOFmteJDL2xcTuloGX2PXAaqJItngKlNR32GGKMY3oFj00cF-IWQnkS1f8ajjCEW_5rc4TxL5hJhZbsXbVBRB2B3NMWKtWLAY-lt8IleGm0ysJTzqrsz7Ep5102Bf46cyerrd4cmBbYM5m-uzyadtLTxN_Kkv_cNbcc-UOzEpWJmDFQGVhCO9tu8EReMuPV4hLJtyLzxJ3Vugy3k0-N8hzcdazhfTrujRkmT8yELFg5-_11M8MS7XpRBlg4jNak4Q==&c=WzGnSO62EozJbRNCN7_NoLMdbaeHcDyo3ZWc6wRUPhpH56BX-tMniQ==&ch=HY79xrVXE_dIO8UYQegpzp8kSuiecS0XWqRfH4t0oZQ-MYmiDXtNgw==">NPR<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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Thanks,<br />
Chad A. Tolman</span></div>
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Chad Tolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198303455148896174noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441974095206886318.post-65216162688199647802017-12-18T14:07:00.000-08:002017-12-18T14:07:16.573-08:00CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS FOR DEC. 2017<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>CC NEWS FOR DEC. 2017</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Nov. 12 talks by Dr. James Hansen and Daniel Galpern - given at the world climate conference in Bonn, Germany - were published on YouTube in a 28-minute video titled, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLuWNew3znU&feature=youtu.be"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">Making the Carbon Majors Pay for Climate Action</span></a>. Dr. Hansen, formerly a scientist at NASA and a professor at Columbia University, has been a whistle-blower for decades on the threat posed by climate change and the need for climate action; Mr. Galpern is an environmental lawyer who acts as Hansen’s legal advisor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE</b>: This video is a must-see for anyone interested in the climate change threat and what is being done about it in the courts. I strongly recommend it. On the link in the paragraph above one can find links to nearly 20 useful videos featuring Hansen and otherl</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">On Nov. 14 USA TODY published an article by Doyle Rice titled, <a href="http://Global%20warming%20makes%20'biblical'%20rain%20like%20that%20from%20Hurricane%20Harvey%20much%20more%20likely"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0061ff;">Global warming makes 'biblical' rain like that from Hurricane Harvey much more likely</span></a>. He wrote, </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">“</span><span style="color: #333333; font-kerning: none;">The odds of a storm dumping Harvey-like rain on Texas have gone up sixfold in the past 25 years, thanks to man-made climate change, a <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2017/11/07/1716222114"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(25, 144, 229); color: #0061ff;">study</span></a> said. </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">And looking ahead, the chances probably will triple that by 2100.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In the 1980s and 1990s, there was a 1% chance of a 20-inch rainfall somewhere in Texas in a given year. Now it’s up to 6%, and by the end of the century, it’ll hit 18%, said meteorologist <a href="https://emanuel.mit.edu/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(25, 144, 229); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Kerry Emanuel</span></a> of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who led the study. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">"That's a huge increase in the probability of that event," and the change is the result of global warming, he said. The study appeared in the peer-reviewed <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/current"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(25, 144, 229); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</span></a>.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Harvey dumped a U.S. storm record of 5 feet of rain across southeastern Texas in late August, leading to catastrophic flooding and the nation's worst natural disaster since Katrina in 2005. Harvey killed at least 70 people and likely caused at least $100 billion in damage. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">"Harvey’s rainfall in Houston was ‘biblical’ in the sense that it likely occurred around once since the Old Testament was written,” the study said.”</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">On Nov. 14, <b><i>YaleEnvironment360</i></b> published an article by Christian Schwagerl titled, <a href="http://e360.yale.edu/features/in-drive-to-cut-emissions-germany-confronts-its-car-culture"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">In Drive to Cut Emissions, Germany Confronts Its Car Culture</span></a>. He wrote, </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Despite its green image, Germany is being held back by its national love of the gasoline-powered car. To truly transition to renewable energy, experts say, Germans must start moving beyond private autos and embrace new digitally-run systems of shared mobility.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Germans like to think of themselves as the most environmentally friendly people on earth. They see their sophisticated recycling programs, their love of forests, and, most recently, the country’s drive to replace both nuclear and coal-fired power production with renewable sources — the so-called Energiewende, or “energy turn” <i>(“energy transition” is a better translation; comment added) </i>— as evidence of their strong environmental consciousness, especially compared to top polluters like the United States and China.”</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">The author goes on to say that Germany, in spite of its desire to be an environmental leader, has had a century’s love affair with fast, gas-guzzling cars - like those made by BMW and Mercedes-Benz, making it difficult to meet the country’s CO2 emissions-reduction targets. He writes, “</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Germany has made major strides in deploying wind and solar power to generate electricity. But plastering the landscape with wind turbines is an easy task compared to changing the way Germans move between places. The greening of Germany’s transportation sector will be a decades-long project. One obvious solution is the electrification of the nation’s vehicle fleet. But that will lead to significantly reduced emissions only when the country’s electricity is generated by renewable sources, whereas today more than half of the country’s electricity comes from burning coal and natural gas.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Increasingly, German transportation experts, entrepreneurs, and environmentalists say the solution to greening the nation’s transportation sector needs to go beyond replacing gasoline-powered automobiles with electric ones. These advocates are calling for deeper changes, envisioning a future with a greatly diminished role for individually owned cars and the adoption of what is called “cooperative” or “coordinated” mobility. This would mean creating a new transport system that connects bicycles, buses, trains, and shared cars, all controlled by digital platforms that allow users to move from A to B in the fastest and cheapest way — but without their own car.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The author pointed out that the typical privately-owned car is on the road for only about one hour per day, and sits idle for 23; during the rush hour there are so many cars on the road that traffic moves at a crawl. This could be avoided if more travel were on public transportation and bicycles, and a much smaller number of cars could be used if they could communicate with each other and be shared.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE</b>: This is the kind of out-of-the-box thinking we need in an increasingly crowded and industrialized world - especially since in both Germany and the U.S. the transportation sector produces nearly as much CO2 as electricity generation. Moving toward all-electric vehicle fleets with better batteries, and with the electricity to charge them generated from renewable energy sources, will also be a large step in the right direction.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Nov. 30, 2017 <b><i>Yale Climate Connections</i></b> posted the names and Abstracts of a number of books published since 2008 under the heading,<a href="https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;"> Climate Change and International Conflict</span></a>. Some of the titles are:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.brookings.edu/book/climatic-cataclysm/"><i>Climate Cataclysm: The Foreign Policy and National Security Implications of Climate Change</i></a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(80, 87, 95); color: #50575f;">,</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://oneworld-publications.com/climate-wars-pb.html"><i>Climate Wars: The Fight for Survival as the World Overheats</i></a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(80, 87, 95); color: #50575f;">,</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://us.macmillan.com/globalwarring/cleopaskal/9780230104815/"><i>Global Warring: How Environmental, Economic, and Political Crises Will Redraw the World Map</i></a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(80, 87, 95); color: #50575f;">, </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.publicaffairsbooks.com/book/tropic-of-chaos/9781568587295"><i>Tropic of Chaos: Climate Change and the New Geography of Violence</i></a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(80, 87, 95); color: #50575f;">,</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0745651453.html"><i>Climate Wars: Why People Will be Killed in the 21st Century</i></a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(80, 87, 95); color: #50575f;">,</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/power-warming-world"><i>Power in a Warming World: The New Global Politics of Climate Change and the Remaking of Environmental Inequality</i></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(6, 179, 165); color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">Here is the Abstract for <i>Climate Wars</i>: </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">In this major book Harald Welzer shows how climate change and violence go hand in hand. Climate change has far-reaching consequences for the living conditions of peoples around the world: inhabitable spaces shrink, scarce resources become scarcer, injustices grow deeper, not only between North and South but also between generations, storing up material for new social tensions and giving rise to violent conflicts, civil wars and massive refugee flows. Climate change poses major new challenges in terms of security, responsibility and justice, but as Welzer makes disturbingly clear, <b><i>very little is being done to confront them</i></b>. <b><i>(emphasis added)</i></b> (The paperback edition includes a new preface that addresses the most recent developments and trends.)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(80, 87, 95); color: #50575f; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">On Dec. 12 an article was published by Doyle Rice in <b><i>USA Today</i></b> titled, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2017/12/12/arctic-warming-faster-than-has-1-500-years/944940001/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0061ff;">The Arctic is warming faster than it has in 1,500 years</span></a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">.<b> </b>He wrote, </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">“</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333;">The Arctic is running a fever. </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">The magnitude and pace of the recent Arctic sea-ice decline and ocean warming is "unprecedented" in at least the past 1,500 years and likely much longer, according to a<a href="http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/Report-Card/Report-Card-2017"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(25, 144, 229); color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(25, 144, 229); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">federal report</span></a> released Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The polar region shows no sign of returning to its reliably frozen state of recent decades, and its permafrost is thawing faster than ever before, the report warned.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">““The Arctic is going through its most unprecedented transition in human history, and we need better observations to understand and predict how these changes will affect everyone, not just the people of the north,” said Jeremy Mathis, head of NOAA's Arctic Research Program. "The Arctic has traditionally been the refrigerator to the planet, but the door of the refrigerator has been left open."”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE</b>: The acceleration of the loss of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean and permafrost in the land is partly because humans keep adding more CO2 to the atmosphere every year by burning carbon-containing fuels, and partly because of positive feedbacks: The loss of ice causes more heating and an increasing rate of loss of additional ice. The loss of sea ice reduces the reflection of sunlight as bright white ice is replaced by deep blue sea and the water warms faster; the melting of permafrost releases methane and CO2 as the organic material in the soil decays - like the food in your freezer if you leave the door open.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333;">On Dec, 12 <b><i>The Sydney Morning Herald</i></b> published an article by Nicole Hasham titled, <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/worlds-biggest-100-polluting-companies-put-on-notice-by-investors-to-tackle-climate-change-20171212-h032o0.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(29, 29, 29); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">World's biggest 100 polluting companies put on notice by investors to tackle climate change.</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">She wrote, </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Shareholders have turned up the heat on the world's 100 biggest polluting companies including Australian firms BHP Billiton, Wesfarmers and Rio Tinto, in the first coordinated global effort by investors to force corporate action on climate change. </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333;">The Climate Action 100+ initiative … will target 100 global companies responsible for an estimated 15 per cent of global emissions.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">I</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">t marks a significant escalation of investor pressure on corporations to rein in greenhouse gas emissions, improve climate-related financial disclosures and increase governance on climate change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">More than 200 of the world's biggest investors, responsible for $26 trillion in assets, have signed up to the initiative.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Shareholder action on climate change has been gathering pace, given new momentum by the Paris climate accord. A strong response from the international corporate sector is needed if the goal of limiting the global rise in average temperatures to no more than two degrees is to be met.”</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">On Dec. 15 an article was published in <b><i>Mashable</i></b> by Andrew Freedman titled, <a href="http://livepage.apple.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">We may be in for far higher amounts of sea level rise than ever thought before</span></a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">. He wrote, </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">The amount of sea level rise that many of us will experience in our lifetimes may be more than double what was previously anticipated, unless we sharply curtail greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new study that factors in emerging, unsettling research on the tenuous stability of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Importantly, the study highlights that cuts we could still make to greenhouse gas emissions during the next several years would significantly reduce the possibility of a sea level rise calamity after 2050.”</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(85, 85, 85); color: #555555;">The study referred to was published on Dec. 14 in <b><i>Earth’s Future</i></b> - An Open Access AGU Journal. The AGU is the American Geophysical Union. The authors are </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Robert E. Kopp (Rutgers), Robert DeConto (Univ. of Mass.), Danial Bader (Columbia), Caring Hay (Boston College), Bradley Horton (</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory), Scott Kulp (Princeton), Michael Oppheimer (Princeton), David Pollard (Penn State) and Benjamin Strauss (Climate Central). The title of their study is <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2017EF000663/abstract;jsessionid=55666B825B53BBADF10B998A245B83F9.f03t01"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #0061ff;">Evolving Understanding of Antarctic Ice-Sheet Physics and Ambiguity in Probabilistic Sea-Level Projections</span></a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #2f7bae; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">. </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">The authors looked at the effects of ice shelf fracturing as a result of water accumulation on the top of the ice and ice-cliff collapse for a number of different scenarios of future carbon dioxide emissions. Thy found that without protective measures, the global mean sea level rise by 2100 for a low emissions scenario could be 0.3 to 1.0 m (meter) while for the high emission scenario it could be 0.9 to 2.4 m, submerging land currently home to 153 million people. By 2300 the difference in sea level rise could give a difference for the two scenarios of more than 10 m (33 feet), with the higher one inundating land now occupied by 950 million (nearly a billion) people. Thus significantly reducing CO2 emissions soon can provide a tremendous positive benefit for future generations.</span></div>
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The following items are from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), Carol Werner, Executive Director. Past issues of its newsletter are posted on its website under "publications"<br />
at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102515421764&e=001VqmyLSnT7fkl-_mocGBcn8yb2ys8eiE4dr3Tnveazy1K0B1fU1CponAdxiy_W78b49PK6NHsR0pHlqO7KOWi-3m5yW4bNEJiyJt1G95YoNt46CLY1L4uGjNKLSPL84kX2r7jAaxw1oVR18YElOXvV8_lo1bRsASi9tPNMTm7-ZU="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">http://www.eesi.org/publications/Newsletters/CCNews/ccnews.htm</span></a></span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">EESI’s newsletter is intended for all interested parties, particularly the policymaker community. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://EEBF09A5-3B2A-46C0-8172-A34E0BCD9E46/pastedGraphic.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>House Bill Would Require Exploration of Geoengineering Oversight and Risk</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Congressman Jerry McNerney (D-CA) has introduced a bill directing the National Academies of Science (NAS) to investigate geoengineering technologies. The Geoengineering Research Evaluation Act (HR 4586) would lead to two reports on a potential research agenda, oversight issues, and an assessment of the risks involved with geoengineering methods. Rep. McNerney explained, "It's very important that we understand what our tools are. What options do we have? How much risk is there?" There are currently few options available as scientists investigate these questions. One concern is that certain methods could result in one part of the globe benefitting and another suffering unintended consequences. A country taking up geoengineering alone presents another issue, as the rest of the region may not approve of the risk. Anna-Maria Hubert, principal investigator at the Geoengineering Research Governance Project, said, "The current framework for ensuring accountability under international law is pretty thin on what it substantively requires. Whether it could even be enforced is a separate question."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001qu1Wy2OkjNSsoW4pVNT47wKO1u6pf9g4UnG4AK_WBS3YkkFyBQUJ1z2SCGFo4X9peQuIa2Oa-s_F-EQsbOlSjLVVEtocjfrXdlNYR9E5MyCWsYBk2aeRkqTtwScyzkVe3CTaGIFcps1NBe2WgMHO9-hPGq2pXxNNInR8xg77qXkkr-VvmJvS2VtjYv5XQqOtGaqNmMZwKt8MTht5km-yNdBiB9ads6lR5ik9oDKw3Ck=&c=DYjsJeQ-osEcoQQp0_KQCquGwPb6mbhYPe2-Baz72zLpwq6z1d7Fow==&ch=OjKB-A-gS3CKsqbQYVyg5PpQDLtO1pGPDZx1fsPUTX_OOYy-Tc5MtA==">Wired</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001qu1Wy2OkjNSsoW4pVNT47wKO1u6pf9g4UnG4AK_WBS3YkkFyBQUJ1z2SCGFo4X9p1yX7SBLIYt4RcB2TfuWCRsw6cyzmW25mJd0_d5j5Q3ARnnActfrYjUW8VuGUT0SX5LwLXCsl7u18pulCuo6YNgJ0Pj7xpJh0JKUS72YLjGPfpu6P8Rs8SAUpz_Ylc_WkHtE8WulGA6f9LVlfQx4HsFfl4nz6sp9vMFnzvQj9P9xaAtOJHPP_OTPGEpU9CHqAXRjJiUIQXRg5IO2eDKLt4bgnPzEUsTMYEqn6pJ1YEmg=&c=DYjsJeQ-osEcoQQp0_KQCquGwPb6mbhYPe2-Baz72zLpwq6z1d7Fow==&ch=OjKB-A-gS3CKsqbQYVyg5PpQDLtO1pGPDZx1fsPUTX_OOYy-Tc5MtA=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Press Release</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Government Audit Finds Many Military Facilities Are Behind in Planning for Climate Impacts</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On December 13, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report stating that the Department of Defense (DOD) is not adequately tracking the costs incurred from the effects of extreme weather events on military installations. The report stated that "the military services lack the information they need to adapt infrastructure at overseas installations to weather effects associated with climate change and develop accurate budget estimates for infrastructure sustainment." The report's authors found that only a third of the 45 military facilities they toured had integrated climate adaptation into their overall planning. GAO recommended that DOD make it mandatory for all military facilities to track climate and extreme weather costs; incorporate adaptation measures in installation-level plans; and conduct a climate vulnerability survey at relevant sites. A DOD response claimed GAO had relied upon outdated policies and that the next iteration of the department's National Defense Strategy will address some of the issues raised.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see: </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001qu1Wy2OkjNSsoW4pVNT47wKO1u6pf9g4UnG4AK_WBS3YkkFyBQUJ1z2SCGFo4X9p8Yi39VBJlNC_UU1BlpnE_I17rzxX5cU8wg4he6oA1XO1Dsxct3AHzfKE_x65PR24rqJfDJPQmliYr1rFe7BiPnxb0QJnw7dpLQZK17N9DYdpT2yBlrsQ-e4nH2tYHHwC4jJlOkBZ8yEEbZsM1PHwZ_cbZWTuKnPYkNpuoz1-62F8-ed-mpsyWYyQXiSwchxHzJDi_WFzYlUUAuvnbL0cnyGVrGYpJbRvtHg0bfnKfbA=&c=DYjsJeQ-osEcoQQp0_KQCquGwPb6mbhYPe2-Baz72zLpwq6z1d7Fow==&ch=OjKB-A-gS3CKsqbQYVyg5PpQDLtO1pGPDZx1fsPUTX_OOYy-Tc5MtA==">InsideClimate News</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001qu1Wy2OkjNSsoW4pVNT47wKO1u6pf9g4UnG4AK_WBS3YkkFyBQUJ1z2SCGFo4X9pCnhrtwQdUUgIgfDWCNSDlMhORpNXHWXn2LJ6DK7mXIzULoYpIc2Eh78gqvZ449WUYJCXaIWEGHyK_vEszmMktYJ2NMp3AhhPFUrdfjyN0DgXJJASSeRjPREDNf4EqPJl&c=DYjsJeQ-osEcoQQp0_KQCquGwPb6mbhYPe2-Baz72zLpwq6z1d7Fow==&ch=OjKB-A-gS3CKsqbQYVyg5PpQDLtO1pGPDZx1fsPUTX_OOYy-Tc5MtA=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">GAO Report</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_1.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://EEBF09A5-3B2A-46C0-8172-A34E0BCD9E46/pastedGraphic_1.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Report: Lack of Enforcement Significantly Undermines Effectiveness of Flood Insurance Program</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">An investigation by Reuters has documented widespread violations of National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) rules governing where homes may be built or rented. Local, state, and federal officials have fallen short in enforcing regulations meant to limit the construction of new buildings in high-risk flood zones. From 2000-2015, new construction projects in flood-prone areas across the country led to more than $9 billion in claims for structural damage under the NFIP. The regulation of new construction, the maintenance of accurate flood plain maps, and the performance of community-level enforcement audits are some of the critical tools cited by federal officials. However, the audits have become infrequent for many communities and FEMA has been largely ineffective in mandating fixes to major violations. An analysis of results from 6,253 floodplain-management enforcement audits from 2009-2016 found evidence of significant issues in 13 percent of those cases. During that span, no federal or state auditor visited the highest-risk communities in 13 states.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001qu1Wy2OkjNSsoW4pVNT47wKO1u6pf9g4UnG4AK_WBS3YkkFyBQUJ1z2SCGFo4X9pzt_QDEp1l6ssWNs_7HtTlD2Mns5l9ucTTiCirPUfRjeLPCjFpBwFrdEUiWcuscuv-2biPqUA6tvkCYjOkDaRjCDiB6VpFdlX9Mwr0imZfmEZo9K1d5_eUUzYeVus0rgfIhwZFyckhI6eKvRcmAQywwQCbVbSQb9-1fy7p3riB3VICh_XgE27bAGZdiulS_OzJOa8bseB9OpZExg7BdOwtyqxVdA0IMTHJpUnJUZAOzISroRwD2UgMw==&c=DYjsJeQ-osEcoQQp0_KQCquGwPb6mbhYPe2-Baz72zLpwq6z1d7Fow==&ch=OjKB-A-gS3CKsqbQYVyg5PpQDLtO1pGPDZx1fsPUTX_OOYy-Tc5MtA==">Reuters</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_2.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://EEBF09A5-3B2A-46C0-8172-A34E0BCD9E46/pastedGraphic_2.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Report: Lack of Enforcement Significantly Undermines Effectiveness of Flood Insurance Program</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">An investigation by Reuters has documented widespread violations of National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) rules governing where homes may be built or rented. Local, state, and federal officials have fallen short in enforcing regulations meant to limit the construction of new buildings in high-risk flood zones. From 2000-2015, new construction projects in flood-prone areas across the country led to more than $9 billion in claims for structural damage under the NFIP. The regulation of new construction, the maintenance of accurate flood plain maps, and the performance of community-level enforcement audits are some of the critical tools cited by federal officials. However, the audits have become infrequent for many communities and FEMA has been largely ineffective in mandating fixes to major violations. An analysis of results from 6,253 floodplain-management enforcement audits from 2009-2016 found evidence of significant issues in 13 percent of those cases. During that span, no federal or state auditor visited the highest-risk communities in 13 states.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001qu1Wy2OkjNSsoW4pVNT47wKO1u6pf9g4UnG4AK_WBS3YkkFyBQUJ1z2SCGFo4X9pzt_QDEp1l6ssWNs_7HtTlD2Mns5l9ucTTiCirPUfRjeLPCjFpBwFrdEUiWcuscuv-2biPqUA6tvkCYjOkDaRjCDiB6VpFdlX9Mwr0imZfmEZo9K1d5_eUUzYeVus0rgfIhwZFyckhI6eKvRcmAQywwQCbVbSQb9-1fy7p3riB3VICh_XgE27bAGZdiulS_OzJOa8bseB9OpZExg7BdOwtyqxVdA0IMTHJpUnJUZAOzISroRwD2UgMw==&c=DYjsJeQ-osEcoQQp0_KQCquGwPb6mbhYPe2-Baz72zLpwq6z1d7Fow==&ch=OjKB-A-gS3CKsqbQYVyg5PpQDLtO1pGPDZx1fsPUTX_OOYy-Tc5MtA==">Reuters<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_3.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://EEBF09A5-3B2A-46C0-8172-A34E0BCD9E46/pastedGraphic_3.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>World Bank to Cease Financing of Oil and Gas Exploration Projects</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">During the One Planet Summit in Paris, France, the World Bank announced it will cut off its financial support for oil and gas exploration after 2019. The Bank currently spends about $1 billion annually on upstream oil and gas development in developing nations. The financial institution is on track to spend 28 percent of its lending on climate change projects by 2020, but 1-2 percent of its $280 billion portfolio is still dedicated to oil and gas. An exception to the ban would be projects in the poorest countries where energy access is lacking, so long as it does not conflict with a country's Paris Agreement obligations. The Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures, which promotes the disclosure of climate risks by companies and banks, also announced its progress at the summit. The Task Force's ranks include 20 globally significant banks and eight of the largest asset managers and insurance companies in the world. The participants have pledged to use their financial reports to highlight direct and indirect climate change risks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001qu1Wy2OkjNSsoW4pVNT47wKO1u6pf9g4UnG4AK_WBS3YkkFyBQUJ1z2SCGFo4X9p4Yn5T1Ndkdzp-pJzWUsfcVLMKJ2E3OMQTMKa6oRbdyULbY1VWnHNn5wgJ9_ocizIZVj7aA1LNdQWKrqLKW4zJI2sHPMzCoXzJzdCBmQs_RlLpueaE8Vlak4mEgbju_f2MMMEkbXTminQ8oLj2YhohhJZOf7J_AI7ZFB155ZyqG8_j3vqSM2vKkd7on3qeCpP84MjtLwcaoi5iC39uExKZoc1b3nVZB0PBsB3CUWmXAKbMNOA-BHa3WHKww903OXk&c=DYjsJeQ-osEcoQQp0_KQCquGwPb6mbhYPe2-Baz72zLpwq6z1d7Fow==&ch=OjKB-A-gS3CKsqbQYVyg5PpQDLtO1pGPDZx1fsPUTX_OOYy-Tc5MtA==">Guardian<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_4.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://EEBF09A5-3B2A-46C0-8172-A34E0BCD9E46/pastedGraphic_4.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Suit on Federal Government's Inability to Protect Future Generations from Climate Change Proceeds to Trial</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">During a hearing on December 11, a three-judge panel ruled that a unique case on the federal government's obligation to protect future generations from climate change could proceed to trial. The plaintiffs are a group of young people who are suing the U.S. government for damages inflicted upon the country's "climate system" through 50 years of adverse federal policymaking. U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken wrote of the case, "It alleges that defendants' actions and inactions -- whether or not they violate any specific statutory duty -- have so profoundly damaged our home planet that they threaten plaintiffs' fundamental constitutional rights to life and liberty." Justice Department attorneys argued the case was based on "utterly unprecedented legal theories" and should not move forward. The suit was first filed in August 2015 and will be the first of its kind to appear before a federal appeals court. If the case advances past the appeals court level, it could eventually land before the Supreme Court.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001qu1Wy2OkjNSsoW4pVNT47wKO1u6pf9g4UnG4AK_WBS3YkkFyBQUJ1z2SCGFo4X9pX4ryxnX1oteZRzzBeiKrEC5SMgRgEq2IR5BMKmvaYTettsGIGQ2JqOS9Qe_eWGX2gM4P6YxhH6c82q0l973Y-n9IXcnJX8juv8l0CEQNHMngmS4BY5N0RwYZXT-zjXcKfWXta7p1QbonjQmUE-Xer7sfZVB4Af0tpMVWysjC_Alp1QrwBaU881sUJ_jzQZgKB1dtyZGhBWnf7LczBLVTF4yYsxadV_RQuj5T1m1rlxo=&c=DYjsJeQ-osEcoQQp0_KQCquGwPb6mbhYPe2-Baz72zLpwq6z1d7Fow==&ch=OjKB-A-gS3CKsqbQYVyg5PpQDLtO1pGPDZx1fsPUTX_OOYy-Tc5MtA==">Bloomberg<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_5.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://EEBF09A5-3B2A-46C0-8172-A34E0BCD9E46/pastedGraphic_5.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Wildfire Smoke a Persistent Health Issue for California's Vulnerable Populations</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">California's wildfires have pushed people out of their homes while making exposure to elevated levels of air pollution unavoidable. The smoke produced by 2017's extreme wildfire season is nullifying long-standing regulatory efforts to preserve clean air and protect public health in the region. The smoke carries chemicals from the burning of building materials, plastics, and rubber and can worsen ozone pollution. Wildfire smoke is also rife with small particulates (known as PM2.5) that can enter the lungs, worsen respiratory diseases, and contribute to long-term ailments like cancer. Wildfires can distribute smoke over hundreds of miles, where it can settle over a region for days under certain conditions. Non-profit organizations in California have been trying to distribute masks to farm workers and the homeless, who spend much of their time outdoors. In Los Angeles, outreach teams have worked to alert homeless populations of the elevated risk and to direct them to indoor shelters. Laren Tan, a pulmonologist at Loma Linda University, reported, "It's been very difficult for outpatients to breathe" due to the presence of the wildfire smoke.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001qu1Wy2OkjNSsoW4pVNT47wKO1u6pf9g4UnG4AK_WBS3YkkFyBQUJ1z2SCGFo4X9pEAj0NIc00_lxrC-VKQwe_wnJCnSuWi6PJy8fn0BOT8nXdH703VBmZYPctCpAYA9Y6yXm8OSSfWC3tCNnYaRoRkb_kfmw2gO9NeoEnfvKOGMFUQ-jBpH11Rlr1PBJ3ZxYI4qBFg_n7M2S7MqFy_Chlme0kGW6T-Tg2__dmMA9QRLVMybikIGnuttjjJv3dY6uF1NMZfrn79pjd88pU0RD0Q==&c=DYjsJeQ-osEcoQQp0_KQCquGwPb6mbhYPe2-Baz72zLpwq6z1d7Fow==&ch=OjKB-A-gS3CKsqbQYVyg5PpQDLtO1pGPDZx1fsPUTX_OOYy-Tc5MtA==">PBS Newshour<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE</b>: Wildfire smoke - and black carbon from diesel engines and other sources - not only makes it hard to breathe, but the small particles can be carried far away from their sources - <a href="http://e360.yale.edu/features/carl_zimmer_black_carbon_and_global_warming_worse_than_thought"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">darkening the ice on glaciers and ice caps</span></a>, increasing their rates of melting as well as the rates of global warming and sea level rise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_6.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://EEBF09A5-3B2A-46C0-8172-A34E0BCD9E46/pastedGraphic_6.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study: Internet Data Centers Projected to Drive Electricity Demand and Raise Carbon Emissions</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A new study indicates that information and communications technology (ICT), which includes mobile devices and server farms, could account for 20 percent of the world's electricity use by 2025. Researchers project ICT may account for 14 percent of total carbon emissions by 2040, equivalent to the proportion of global emissions produced by the United States today. The study concluded that without significant increases in energy efficiency, the ICT industry could be responsible for 5.5 percent of the world's carbon emissions by 2025. The surge in computing services and internet-connected devices accounted for 3-5 percent of all electricity use in 2015. According to computing firm Cisco, "More than one billion new internet users are expected, growing from three billion in 2015 to 4.1 billion by 2020." The demand for data centers that began in the United States is skyrocketing in Europe and Asia, bringing with it additional demand for electricity. Researcher Anders Andrae said, "There is a real risk that it all gets out of control. Policy makers need to keep a close eye on this."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001qu1Wy2OkjNSsoW4pVNT47wKO1u6pf9g4UnG4AK_WBS3YkkFyBQUJ1z2SCGFo4X9pG2gFv58tns3NtM7t-grCxsxHvxSZIc5p_jpPcnp8NMpn8zAQ6_cmsPdBkGyuiBGRGTk318OImMnwlKMzPosnSCph5xyXjOtW6u37ufBYq6jWCXqdJmwq5RGNa9epFHNTLk46Zo6e4jlBP5DI9CZ-fMdDNTwyjY3Rda3dNDWzayJ75qkFxYGQxnluzUAMHog_trDmmflReVwyllVoou1lFPJplR_XTrD9&c=DYjsJeQ-osEcoQQp0_KQCquGwPb6mbhYPe2-Baz72zLpwq6z1d7Fow==&ch=OjKB-A-gS3CKsqbQYVyg5PpQDLtO1pGPDZx1fsPUTX_OOYy-Tc5MtA==">Climate Home News</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_7.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://EEBF09A5-3B2A-46C0-8172-A34E0BCD9E46/pastedGraphic_7.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Hotter, Drier Climate Threatens American Barley Growers and Beer Brewers</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">American barley farmers are a key part of the supply chain for beer makers, including both small craft brewers and major corporations such as Anheuser-Busch. Drought, wildfires, and other shifting conditions have hit Montana's barley crop hard. The heat stress can lower the quality of a harvest and knock off a third of its market value, producing barley more suitable for animal feed than brewing. Barley crops have a high risk of failure, to the point that growers in some states do not even qualify for federal crop insurance. Collin Watters, executive vice president of the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee, said, "Malting barley is inherently different than other crops. What you are hoping for, as a farmer, is a seed within a certain set of parameters that your customer, the malthouse, is calling for. Without high-quality malt, you can't make good beer." An increase in damaging heat and unpredictable weather conditions has led to a decrease in barley acreage across the United States.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001qu1Wy2OkjNSsoW4pVNT47wKO1u6pf9g4UnG4AK_WBS3YkkFyBQUJ1z2SCGFo4X9p2UFjZWYYAs5DnxCVtBd5Dmqf_Er15uaXH2__HpP58VsSNmfdvyRHmQWdzbcTSw3PBkBerZeX-dfbZ-VlKmrHhsArYmj-ddnbPh1G4enxaG6vJm6PLY5wGy195hGer0LvXnONFRf7NxiV6pL9po5bzGv--rUAuPBbb3dLOHfGVy0hAVVJpwiGllObxIc8c33MM8Mj8fSHcNc=&c=DYjsJeQ-osEcoQQp0_KQCquGwPb6mbhYPe2-Baz72zLpwq6z1d7Fow==&ch=OjKB-A-gS3CKsqbQYVyg5PpQDLtO1pGPDZx1fsPUTX_OOYy-Tc5MtA==">Food & Environment Reporting Network<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE</b>: Barley is no doubt not the only crop liable to drop in yield and quality as global temperatures increase. <a href="http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2013/06/19/warming-climate-to-hit-bangladesh-hard-with-sea-level-rise-more-floods-and-cyclones-world-bank-report-says"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Bangladesh</span></a> has a large area devoted to growing rice not far above current sea level.</span></div>
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Chad Tolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198303455148896174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441974095206886318.post-26649223381012050902017-11-20T16:03:00.000-08:002017-11-20T16:03:42.647-08:00CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS FOR NOV. 2017<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>CC NEWS FOR NOV. 2017</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Nov. 10 Flannery Winchester of the Citizens Climate Lobby (CCL) published an article titled, <a href="http://redgreenandblue.org/2017/11/10/climate-solutions-caucus-members-introduce-carbon-pricing-bill-congress/?utm_source=Sightline%20Institute&utm_medium=web-email&utm_campaign=Sightline%20News%20Selections"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">Climate Solutions Caucus members introduced a carbon pricing bill in Congress</span></a>. The bill, sponsored by Democrats in the Caucus, would put an increasing national price on CO2 emissions, starting at $49 per ton and increasing at 2% per year plus inflation. Under the bill the money raised would be used for several purposes, including: repairing or replacing crumbling infrastructure, helping workers and communities heavily dependent on fossil fuels make the transition to renewable energy sources and jobs, and helping low-income families with their energy bills. More on the America Wins Act on be found on the CCL Communities page on <a href="http://livepage.apple.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">legislation of interest</span></a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">One significant difference between this scheme and that from CCL is that the latter proposes that <b>all</b> of the money raised (minus administrative costs) be used for a monthly dividend to all citizens, with none going for other purposes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">While the bill is unlikely to become law without significant bipartisan support and without a veto by Trump, it is encouraging for the future.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The <a href="http://livepage.apple.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">Sierra Club</span></a> recently announced that there are 10 cities across the U.S. that in 2017 committed themselves to transition to 100% renewable energy. They are some of the more than 160 mayors who have committed themselves so far. You can get the new report for 2017, along with a 1-minute video from the website above.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><i>Climate Access</i></b> has announced a <a href="http://livepage.apple.com/https://climateaccess.webex.com/mw3200/mywebex/default.do?nomenu=true&siteurl=climateaccess&service=6&rnd=0.3682958100441206&main_url=https://climateaccess.webex.com/ec3200/eventcenter/event/eventAction.do?theAction=landingfrommail&&&EMK=4832534b000000041ba33ec9899610009a34346f034e230cf81db0fc548e33efc2cdbc6efba5130d&siteurl=climateaccess&confViewID=78621426535398463&encryptTicket=SDJTSwAAAAT84ayd8y8N-cNRPDd5c1c66_muvAuzPnCg32zIXtEFtg2&email=merherr%2540gmail.com"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">webinar</span></a> on Nov. 21 at 1:00 to 2:00 PM with speakers from Pueblo, Colorado and Atlanta, Georgia - cities that have pledged themselves to 100% renewable energy. If you would like to attend,, please register at the website.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Alexander Kaufman in the<b><i> Huffington Post</i></b> of Nov.13 posted an article titled, <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/fossil-fuel-emissions-2017_us_5a09c01fe4b0bc648a0ca1f0?ncid=engmodushpmg00000006"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0056d6;">Fossil Fuel Emissions Set To Hit All-Time High In 2017 As Coal Burning Increases</span></a>. He wrote, </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels are surging again after staying flat for three years, climate scientists reported on Monday, a sign that efforts to rein in planet-warming gases still have a long way to go.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Emissions from fossil fuels and industrial uses are projected to grow 2 percent this year, reaching 41 billion tons by the end of 2017, according to the <a href="http://www.globalcarbonproject.org/carbonbudget/17/events-prm.htm"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">report</span></a> presented at the United Nations’ climate summit in Bonn, Germany. The increase was predicted to continue in 2018.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Total greenhouse gas emissions remained level, at about 36 billion tons per year from 2014 to 2016, even as the global economy grew, which suggested carbon dioxide emissions had crested with the rise of renewable electricity sources and improved fuel efficiency standards. But emissions from fossil fuels will hit 37 billion tons this year, a report from the Global Carbon Project finds. The report draws from three papers in the journals Nature Climate Change, Environmental Research Letters and Earth System Science Data Discussions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This is very disappointing,” Corinne Le Quéré, director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia, said in a statement. “We need to reach a peak in global emissions in the next few years and drive emissions down rapidly afterwards to address climate change and limit its impacts.”The uptick comes as climate change is becoming more tangible. Vicious hurricanes ravaged the Atlantic this summer, killing hundreds and leaving billions of dollars of destruction in places such as the Barbuda, Puerto Rico and Houston. In August, flooding and mudslides killed thousands in disasters from the <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/anupkaphle/south-asia-is-also-experiencing-the-worst-flooding-in?utm_term=.ip3jDq87g#.jeKdpJEeX"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">South Asian nations</span></a> of India, Nepal and Bangladesh to <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/rosebuchanan/hundreds-of-people-are-still-missing-in-sierra-leone-after?utm_term=.xqXkRWjv2#.xaMgvwKlo"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Sierra Leone</span></a> in West Africa. The grueling six-year civil war in Syria, which began shortly after its worst drought in 900 years, is now considered the world’s first major “<a href="https://phys.org/news/2017-07-syria-climate-war-links-drought.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">climate war</span></a>.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Nov. 13 William J. Ripple published a paper in BioScience titled, <a href="https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/advance-article/doi/10.1093/biosci/bix125/4605229"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(42, 42, 42); color: #0061ff;">World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity: A Second Notice</span></a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(42, 42, 42); color: #2a2a2a;">.</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> They wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Twenty-five years ago, the Union of Concerned Scientists and more than 1700 independent scientists, including the majority of living Nobel laureates in the sciences, penned the 1992 “World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity” (see <a href="https://oup.silverchair-cdn.com/oup/backfile/Content_public/Journal/bioscience/PAP/10.1093_biosci_bix125/2/bix125_supp.zip?Expires=1511184656&Signature=JtxYfATES4-LzzlVIBrsRE46kTSnleBcMis7TPGS00CsMVWjo76zfa3TriqGHr~j1SL-sXmr0eBiQryXt29ELCeY8wzAX2nb2-IvX3ecALRKRN1RumM~qokoEqmpLam-GpvokUMp305RsoABKE4NriXJTaf~GphFe5jfqFuGoR0bWxG6DskL74kFqbN9rRskdtzMMHQ~e2Y4v3RMnYIGLVr4-2C6bLH60bzzhbAWwUsZoYDGp2hqOSboh1t3VDxZmBN1FzaLQRBgzpzPDS3XRLfjs3qlc-w0p684wD7knP67NelfsAom4O1UQXOoMnJ4~HtCDEZ3GHt9B5fvyqrTOw__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAIUCZBIA4LVPAVW3Q"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 111, 183); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">supplemental file S1</span></a>). These concerned professionals called on humankind to curtail environmental destruction and cautioned that “a great change in our stewardship of the Earth and the life on it is required, if vast human misery is to be avoided.” In their manifesto, they showed that humans were on a collision course with the natural world. They expressed concern about current, impending, or potential damage on planet Earth involving ozone depletion, freshwater availability, marine life depletion, ocean dead zones, forest loss, biodiversity destruction, climate change, and continued human population growth. They proclaimed that fundamental changes were urgently needed to avoid the consequences our present course would bring.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The authors of the 1992 declaration feared that humanity was pushing Earth's ecosystems beyond their capacities to support the web of life. They described how we are fast approaching many of the limits of what the biosphere can tolerate without substantial and irreversible harm. The scientists pleaded that we stabilize the human population, describing how our large numbers—swelled by another 2 billion people since 1992, a 35 percent increase—exert stresses on Earth that can overwhelm other efforts to realize a sustainable future (Crist et al. </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 111, 183); color: #006fb7;">2017</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">). They implored that we cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and phase out fossil fuels, reduce deforestation, and reverse the trend of collapsing biodiversity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On the twenty-fifth anniversary of their call, we look back at their warning and evaluate the human response by exploring available time-series data. Since 1992, with the exception of stabilizing the stratospheric ozone layer, humanity has failed to make sufficient progress in generally solving these foreseen environmental challenges, and alarmingly, most of them are getting far worse (figure </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 111, 183); color: #006fb7;">1</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">, <a href="https://oup.silverchair-cdn.com/oup/backfile/Content_public/Journal/bioscience/PAP/10.1093_biosci_bix125/2/bix125_supp.zip?Expires=1511184656&Signature=JtxYfATES4-LzzlVIBrsRE46kTSnleBcMis7TPGS00CsMVWjo76zfa3TriqGHr~j1SL-sXmr0eBiQryXt29ELCeY8wzAX2nb2-IvX3ecALRKRN1RumM~qokoEqmpLam-GpvokUMp305RsoABKE4NriXJTaf~GphFe5jfqFuGoR0bWxG6DskL74kFqbN9rRskdtzMMHQ~e2Y4v3RMnYIGLVr4-2C6bLH60bzzhbAWwUsZoYDGp2hqOSboh1t3VDxZmBN1FzaLQRBgzpzPDS3XRLfjs3qlc-w0p684wD7knP67NelfsAom4O1UQXOoMnJ4~HtCDEZ3GHt9B5fvyqrTOw__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAIUCZBIA4LVPAVW3Q"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 111, 183); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">file S1</span></a>). Especially troubling is the current trajectory of potentially catastrophic climate change due to rising GHGs from burning fossil fuels (Hansen et al. </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 111, 183); color: #006fb7;">2013</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">), deforestation (Keenan et al. </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 111, 183); color: #006fb7;">2015</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">), and agricultural production—particularly from farming ruminants for meat consumption (Ripple et al. </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 111, 183); color: #006fb7;">2014</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">). Moreover, we have unleashed a mass extinction event, the sixth in roughly 540 million years, wherein many current life forms could be annihilated or at least committed to extinction by the end of this century.”</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">They ended with the following Epilogue:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“We have been overwhelmed with the support for our article and thank the more than 15,000 signatories from all ends of the Earth (see <a href="https://oup.silverchair-cdn.com/oup/backfile/Content_public/Journal/bioscience/PAP/10.1093_biosci_bix125/2/bix125_supp.zip?Expires=1511184656&Signature=JtxYfATES4-LzzlVIBrsRE46kTSnleBcMis7TPGS00CsMVWjo76zfa3TriqGHr~j1SL-sXmr0eBiQryXt29ELCeY8wzAX2nb2-IvX3ecALRKRN1RumM~qokoEqmpLam-GpvokUMp305RsoABKE4NriXJTaf~GphFe5jfqFuGoR0bWxG6DskL74kFqbN9rRskdtzMMHQ~e2Y4v3RMnYIGLVr4-2C6bLH60bzzhbAWwUsZoYDGp2hqOSboh1t3VDxZmBN1FzaLQRBgzpzPDS3XRLfjs3qlc-w0p684wD7knP67NelfsAom4O1UQXOoMnJ4~HtCDEZ3GHt9B5fvyqrTOw__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAIUCZBIA4LVPAVW3Q"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 111, 183); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">supplemental file S2</span></a> for list of signatories). As far as we know, this is the most scientists to ever co-sign and formally support a published journal article. In this paper, we have captured the environmental trends over the last 25 years, showed realistic concern, and suggested a few examples of possible remedies. Now, as an Alliance of World Scientists <a href="http://scientists.forestry.oregonstate.edu/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 111, 183); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"><i>scientists.forestry.oregonstate.edu</i></span></a>) and with the public at large, it is important to continue this work to document challenges, as well as improved situations, and to develop clear, trackable, and practical solutions while communicating trends and needs to world leaders. Working together while respecting the diversity of people and opinions and the need for social justice around the world, we can make great progress for the sake of humanity and the planet on which we depend.”</span></div>
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The following items are from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), Carol Werner, Executive Director. Past issues of its newsletter are posted on its website under "publications"<br />
at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102515421764&e=001VqmyLSnT7fkl-_mocGBcn8yb2ys8eiE4dr3Tnveazy1K0B1fU1CponAdxiy_W78b49PK6NHsR0pHlqO7KOWi-3m5yW4bNEJiyJt1G95YoNt46CLY1L4uGjNKLSPL84kX2r7jAaxw1oVR18YElOXvV8_lo1bRsASi9tPNMTm7-ZU="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">http://www.eesi.org/publications/Newsletters/CCNews/ccnews.htm</span></a></span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">EESI’s newsletter is intended for all interested parties, particularly the policymaker community. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On November 3, the U.S. government issued the fourth edition of its authoritative report on climate science, the National Climate Assessment (NCA4). The publication represents the first of two volumes to be issued for the NCA4. The second volume of the NCA4, as well as the State of the Carbon Cycle Report, are currently going through a public review period. The NCA4 was authored by scientists from across the federal government and academia, including NOAA, NASA, and the Department of Energy, and drew from more than 1,500 scientific studies. The report found that it is "extremely likely" that human activities are the "dominant cause" of global warming, and that greenhouse gas emissions from industry and agriculture are the largest contributors. The report stated that the past 115 years have been the warmest in modern history, with global average temperatures increasing by 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit during that time. Without emission mitigation efforts, this mark could soar to 9 degrees F relative to the pre-industrial baseline. The NCA4 also noted that sea levels have risen 3 inches since 1993, a rate faster than during any century over the past 2,800 years. The NCA4's findings directly contradict the positions of many high-ranking Trump administration officials.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001zscbnyCASgYlQStuxPEHS1AV1iaApaAFw-L0DBx1lremELQcn96Y5YZWnnh7BEMklRZ3NoAzbxr6akoUl5LyGsL39a_XEet4lL71ip5rWBgjjZBwBxetk1CNMUsrMe7MEQyCepDH8USPZbve1BclizFkmHDmjFL_6NzjLF0qOMkSr4AbLLZctarLKlc0wx6_m4QeFbgRAy6Da3YuqhIOe7V9Cy9z9Z9zq5iiK39b5hq5d7yfZZiVCAPyt370IJA9WaNh4zoFh4Zie2iNcF1tHZYqjbuLU66qTHvIK73YUKJeNwCkTeymxlguI2v713h_7K82Y-S2o_qfMlkKvP7ASA==&c=pf1boFg3XWL5kD21EapikTA5Jy5ftfBXYCLhUsHRtZM-e_CP1aGUMA==&ch=P4EPd1hAxznZ7L_mUC3_VmgHDLBz2mUTTnUtxVnh8NJLA2ZD0PH-cw==">NPR</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001zscbnyCASgYlQStuxPEHS1AV1iaApaAFw-L0DBx1lremELQcn96Y5YZWnnh7BEMk0df46iAsVbVrobaMGr7evY4bqs-WJ41TLJ1tCmRR8W9nPF4eH6P1JHK8tbrrg5IgHGnydLpmnd74IQyva43mo1LMZqy5uitMSkueHDESeEa6cHS4GvX-UbHoc3CVcRac&c=pf1boFg3XWL5kD21EapikTA5Jy5ftfBXYCLhUsHRtZM-e_CP1aGUMA==&ch=P4EPd1hAxznZ7L_mUC3_VmgHDLBz2mUTTnUtxVnh8NJLA2ZD0PH-cw=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">NCA4 Report</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Alaska Governor Issues Administrative Order on Climate Change</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On October 31, Alaska Governor Bill Walker signed an administrative order establishing an Alaska Climate Change Strategy and a leadership team for addressing climate change in the state. The leadership team is responsible for developing a plan of action by September 1, 2018. The team will be headed by Lt. Gov. Byron Mallot and will include 15 "diverse stakeholders" from the public. In announcing the administrative order, Gov. Walker expressed hope that Alaska will transition toward renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and hydro. Walker emphasized the need for community and economic resilience, while "mitigating environmental harm." The order comes days after 16 Alaskan youth joined to sue the state for failing to act on climate change. The group claimed that the state is violating their constitutional rights by valuing their long-term safety and well-being less than fossil fuel production. The plaintiffs in the case were unimpressed by Walker's administrative order, which doesn't include any actionable rules for limiting fossil fuels.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001zscbnyCASgYlQStuxPEHS1AV1iaApaAFw-L0DBx1lremELQcn96Y5YZWnnh7BEMkuSWjtB1SYguNnsVGL87CzUBkWhfOWGFmbWEt_bD4Retflyoaqcqd8g-Csk55wGEl6uNKcABltIFjsC37rItBzgx2icOSwZTOt4wtnVK8mfKOB1mbskNnBw1bQDz6LQ_MGX1LvuxTNO5zj6sIV9yZuWDCBQbJx05Gi3Qh6E5npALSYdugo9EdRY9EnTf4q97Fdo5armngVIS_u7Cx625qcM5MOhA3Nn274C-aVMQIcCfX_q-dyZBv9KkfqKArlMr1GbEUshjeHYB3hH2PiR5psA==&c=pf1boFg3XWL5kD21EapikTA5Jy5ftfBXYCLhUsHRtZM-e_CP1aGUMA==&ch=P4EPd1hAxznZ7L_mUC3_VmgHDLBz2mUTTnUtxVnh8NJLA2ZD0PH-cw==">Fairbanks Daily News-Miner<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; font-size: 14.7px; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>New Zealand Considering Creation of Special Visa Designation for Climate Change Refugees</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">New Zealand's newly elected Labour-led governing coalition is actively exploring the creation of a visa category for people displaced by climate change. The proposal for the special visa was part of the Green party's campaign platform, which promised to issue 100 such visas and increase the country's overall refugee quota. Recently, two families were rejected by New Zealand immigration authorities after trying to seek asylum from climate impacts on the island of Tuvalu. Despite Tuvalu's lack of clean water and rising sea levels, a tribunal ruled the family was not being persecuted, making them ineligible for refugee status under the 1951 international convention. A 2014 case saw a resident of the Pacific island of Kiribati apply to become the world's first climate refugee, but the case was dismissed by New Zealand's supreme court. Professor Alberto Costi of Victoria University noted, "The conditions are pretty strict. These people who arrive here hoping to seek asylum on environmental grounds are bound to be sent back to their home countries."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001zscbnyCASgYlQStuxPEHS1AV1iaApaAFw-L0DBx1lremELQcn96Y5YZWnnh7BEMk6v7urCdLFwQtluHr2OBesYtGRwqNrsTKMCxCe7TukMAPexUE2X6FfPYs3PkyZkHQk0GtnX7ihDVack6acaAAtZVXOo3-E_YbE4i6SAYuAOuvJPKyIga4JeCExFx-j_oPwhNqLvyFg0-0I-ZGhkQQ80JoJ7TjmY-Rihw0fvLMOcFRtS9DcYDm6_CYYZbNrBo8jW_f17H2Xl2_tEnKr-ODyJswrjU6PKqG&c=pf1boFg3XWL5kD21EapikTA5Jy5ftfBXYCLhUsHRtZM-e_CP1aGUMA==&ch=P4EPd1hAxznZ7L_mUC3_VmgHDLBz2mUTTnUtxVnh8NJLA2ZD0PH-cw==">Guardian<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; font-size: 14.7px; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> It. looks like we have a ways to go before nations realize that there can be such a thing as a climate refugee. I’m sure that if we stick to a “business as usual” path, the number of refugees will be staggering.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://3997C627-6FA6-453B-95C4-C3CF031A81EE/pastedGraphic.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Report: Climate Change Poses Major Threat to Public Health Worldwide</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A new report published in the Lancet has found that hundreds of millions of people around the world are experiencing detrimental health impacts from climate change. The report draws its findings from research conducted at 26 different institutions, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Meteorological Organization. Heatwaves, air pollution from burning fossil fuels, crop losses due to extreme weather, and the increasing prevalence of deadly diseases are among the threats documented. Temperature increases have placed the greatest number of people at risk. Outdoor laborers and the elderly are two groups that are particularly vulnerable to the surge in heat and humidity. Research also showed that warmer temperatures have facilitated the spread of dengue fever, since mosquitoes that carry the disease are able to breed more quickly. Professor Anthony Costello of WHO said, "The outlook is challenging, but we still have an opportunity to turn a looming medical emergency into the most significant advance for public health this century."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001zscbnyCASgYlQStuxPEHS1AV1iaApaAFw-L0DBx1lremELQcn96Y5YZWnnh7BEMkMxLU9EWsohvURzYNyKhZVCrz9GE56Qq3FZD9t6utzNMPZK_S19LRc65tSYuq2WF1pyg1B3tyizJbnQQQqQRjZzs-lKFTpJqjx3_4RNaTGLwnhS6kZwl87y79-l_vydX8zUGYogWf5GXBSoQZBsRYcTFW9BskZydhWAeZNCN7j3D4cfzM4Ro1Ke9NWOX7D9aD6bpQFdq442DVHU3lwoKF9ZOiX4ov0h2xn-Ke3etBkjz3P_eq105LVBJAAt8L5yLv&c=pf1boFg3XWL5kD21EapikTA5Jy5ftfBXYCLhUsHRtZM-e_CP1aGUMA==&ch=P4EPd1hAxznZ7L_mUC3_VmgHDLBz2mUTTnUtxVnh8NJLA2ZD0PH-cw==">Guardian<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; font-size: 14.7px; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> Another health effect we can expect is the spread of the Zika virus, carried by mosquitos, farther north.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Cost of Combating U.S. Forest Fires Continues to Escalate</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The U.S. federal government spent $2.7 billion combating national forest fires in fiscal year 2017, surpassing the overall record of $2.1 billion set two years prior. Hotter and drier weather in already fire-prone areas has increased the frequency of fires while extending the wildfire season. Federal, state, and local agencies share the fiscal responsibility for combatting wildfires. The U.S. Forest Service exceeded their firefighting budget by $500 million in 2017, which was 25 percent more than the allocated funds. CalFire, California's firefighting agency, had a more robust budget of $1 billion, plus $469 million in emergency funding for significant fires. However, in three months alone California has used half of its emergency funding. Agencies have considered expanding these budgets, but do not want to cut programs like forest management, which help prevent fires. Two bills to re-label forest fires as natural disasters have been introduced by the U.S. Congress. If passed, some efforts to combat major wildfires could be eligible for financial assistance from the Disaster Relief Fund.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017ky-CK8SHjB-blaDX4nEVxym4WwtmNlbdg0u9cB4uktG-PzIr_h1Ohm3bbPn7cx6o-4E37x4yUDY9ZSibU8HR6wrIb9weFaamSDXHHiXurGZ7egvcdIwAEcSDFfOhZSBThGb4PGXBOlokqLVDyWHxfgnUosNCFDEyyJItCWJbp-JdtOEYs7WgD44IOYGByefcDq7ApJnRRsvxlSHL5xcqMv1mfoYzvlzhKcrSmf31SjJFUQfgOPJBPvk5VQ9eSo7WBSKg2QAaSLkZQ5eqIlgT7awy3M7FTjFcrsujA_d6fg=&c=zoc0cCMv-H_Xy_jPYESz81fp4rzVCT1lgdjKjZLIQdhXWNhZ2v5oVg==&ch=aEkE38yNfh8cCZXfmebPUZ2QTy6Hq9MUqNslnCaXh3kkl32SZ8uUNg==">Associated Press<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_1.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://3997C627-6FA6-453B-95C4-C3CF031A81EE/pastedGraphic_1.pdf" /><img alt="pastedGraphic_2.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://3997C627-6FA6-453B-95C4-C3CF031A81EE/pastedGraphic_2.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Hazardous Waste from California Wildfires Causes Public Health Emergency</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In the wake of recent wildfires, at least three Northern California counties declared public emergencies over the health risks of toxic ash and debris. The fires burned more than 5,700 structures, most of them homes, each containing a potentially dangerous mix of household chemicals. Risks include pesticides, paint, plastics, propane, gasoline, treated wood, and even melted electronics, which can release harmful metals such as lead. As the wildfires are brought under control, the next challenge for Californians will be cleaning up the waste left behind. Dr. Alan Lockwood, a retired neurologist, called the situation in California "unprecedented" and a "major hazard for the public." Ash and debris, if not swiftly removed, can adversely affect community health and the local ecosystem. Following a 2011 fire in Alberta that destroyed 400 homes, the local landfill was found to be leaching toxins after receiving the fire debris. At the moment, it's unclear who will take the lead on clean-up efforts - the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), state and local governments, or the impacted homeowners. Many residents fear a prolonged clean-up period will delay rebuilding for years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017ky-CK8SHjB-blaDX4nEVxym4WwtmNlbdg0u9cB4uktG-PzIr_h1Ohm3bbPn7cx6GvYqJbnmTr8z4KVDaXto4uXDn3Qk1GfCgH0xRD0termXnl-0kNzGNhu1JbC5jKO7Z2vTDbAIC2zvJbUanFupOFQ_Zelv1tiwuOqyS-UuxIIDFGTYmS0shsVSgYkTLkjJf1Vi5RlGU9_z0gbLRTyDqCxYD33rKTAVsAY5oqhQM4-5mkmVZZRYwIakVbWSowLl&c=zoc0cCMv-H_Xy_jPYESz81fp4rzVCT1lgdjKjZLIQdhXWNhZ2v5oVg==&ch=aEkE38yNfh8cCZXfmebPUZ2QTy6Hq9MUqNslnCaXh3kkl32SZ8uUNg==">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Phoenix Tries to Adapt to Searing Heat</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Phoenix, AZ suffered 150 heat-related deaths in 2016, the most since agencies began keeping track. Climate change is expected to make conditions even worse in the future, with average temperatures projected to climb for the Phoenix metropolitan area. Scientists anticipate Phoenix's current record high of 122 degrees Fahrenheit may become the new average yearly high before the end of the century. Today, Phoenix's "hot season," featuring temperatures exceeding 100 degrees F, starts an average of three weeks earlier and lasts two to three weeks longer than it did 100 years ago. Heat-related fatalities are often overlooked since they occur over a prolonged period and tend to make existing health conditions worse, masking some of the blame. Many urban heat wave victims live in poorer neighborhoods that lack cooling greenspaces and the money to either own or operate an air-conditioner. Studies show that neighborhoods with minimal tree cover can experience average temperatures eight degrees warmer during the summer versus areas with more shade.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017ky-CK8SHjB-blaDX4nEVxym4WwtmNlbdg0u9cB4uktG-PzIr_h1Ohm3bbPn7cx6euD8EU-A80bd9gyujdua1jDTBzmDt6666PK8qSy3ZWzaRjsUOG6gIeTEGWMGXBZfRq9hkTzBmJLjEvi8xRwl6i27SBJaEmTg2zZu1qjUX7zVY8zR5XOeRQoCYvNnbQ80nu7UWmzuH1qCq0pfp8-NIZNE4F8N3Bzqez5CTwIMa4Ycx50L9pViE9-3vZsE_eeBk8BIaVlqLgGx5s41cuWJqVWF007vhtpJu_Vqkf8GoivfbR3jHUhr1hhe5iA-tM8MoZEhv8VTq7Uh4gGLqKJPmQ==&c=zoc0cCMv-H_Xy_jPYESz81fp4rzVCT1lgdjKjZLIQdhXWNhZ2v5oVg==&ch=aEkE38yNfh8cCZXfmebPUZ2QTy6Hq9MUqNslnCaXh3kkl32SZ8uUNg==">The Republic<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE: </b><a href="https://futurism.com/study-asserts-climate-change-could-make-south-asia-uninhabitable-in-our-lifetime/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Some studies</span></a> indicate that parts of the earth may become uninhabitable by 2100 because of very high temperatures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_3.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://3997C627-6FA6-453B-95C4-C3CF031A81EE/pastedGraphic_3.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Climate Change's Effect on Food Security Recognized by G7 Countries and the European Union</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In Bergamo, Italy, agriculture ministers representing the G7 nations (United States, Japan, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, Canada, and France) and the European Union signed a communique describing climate change as a major threat to "our capacity to feed a growing population and need[s] to be taken into serious consideration." The ministers stated that recent natural disasters such as floods, droughts, pest infestations, earthquakes, and plant and animal diseases were recognized as threats to the agricultural industry that are likely to be amplified by climate change. The ministers also commissioned a study on the impact of extreme weather events on agriculture and food production. References to the Paris Climate Accord were largely excluded from the communique due to U.S. opposition to any potential endorsement of the international agreement. Although U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue signed the communique, he reiterated his position as a science skeptic to the press, voicing his opinion that human-caused climate change has not been "proven."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017ky-CK8SHjB-blaDX4nEVxym4WwtmNlbdg0u9cB4uktG-PzIr_h1Ohm3bbPn7cx6D8uAjLWxsqVmRK-jJ7yqAGTFnepa9Dvsk6dqHG2K6Ovf28f_XsrvDqExNon9qy8uHHJt4Do-GUdo0cIaukPfI93_J3vXqaPNmG3t4xFHOvZ-Rh2kqBRKE04gSJbdyhR62KFdgL_CN9GdfWT6dIny0z_x0y29f3zJp9mGUg1TQQUsgnQH05rgBKlxVSt4rJg8oYoQpXJL9M3I7QMNjTverUZufGJUIASMOWfhJC6TunA=&c=zoc0cCMv-H_Xy_jPYESz81fp4rzVCT1lgdjKjZLIQdhXWNhZ2v5oVg==&ch=aEkE38yNfh8cCZXfmebPUZ2QTy6Hq9MUqNslnCaXh3kkl32SZ8uUNg==">Climate Home News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_4.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://3997C627-6FA6-453B-95C4-C3CF031A81EE/pastedGraphic_4.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Solar Industry Offers Assistance in Restoring Power to Puerto Rico</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Solar energy companies have worked to deliver renewable energy capabilities to San Juan, Puerto Rico, following near-total damage to the U.S. territory's electric grid from Hurricane Maria. As part of the humanitarian effort, Sunrun plans on shipping more than 12 tons of solar equipment, while Tesla has promised its Powerwall battery systems to enable energy storage. The Solar Energy Industries Association, a trade group, has received more than $1.2 million in pledges for solar products and financial aid for Puerto Rico from its members. Industry, relief workers, and NGOs have also helped bring solar-powered microgrid systems to help power fire stations participating in rescue and recovery efforts. Sunrun views the solar experiment at the fire stations as a test for expanding renewable microgrids to other locations on the island. While restoring power remains the current priority, Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosello said that they must pursue "[opportunities] to not just rebuild the old system but rather to establish a platform so that we can consider microgrids [and other renewable sources]."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017ky-CK8SHjB-blaDX4nEVxym4WwtmNlbdg0u9cB4uktG-PzIr_h1Ohm3bbPn7cx6JoSXUIp3-CUgsD-H18vViqZ5YL1LBxmeeK8aRDy5ROgKtnldrwma_SjHbs6u0OynNYMi_6NPqU9AfSSz7ey3mh30PgRC4s2gxX7GErgRpYsj6hBQQhDFOA6kA4BL2WKFlEs_oe1w35tsIZB7gI6Qa3eTw3jhNrvyTRUfZVbRX-o_hBM3PrEPsS_QsXflslJkG6y-nXZE7rGWpi_5l-lEUTdcLkdyEPnSQnsR2b0p7xV2Ix06F4gXvBnlCuhJRdEF&c=zoc0cCMv-H_Xy_jPYESz81fp4rzVCT1lgdjKjZLIQdhXWNhZ2v5oVg==&ch=aEkE38yNfh8cCZXfmebPUZ2QTy6Hq9MUqNslnCaXh3kkl32SZ8uUNg==">Bloomberg<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>GAO Report Warns Federal Government of Fiscal Impact of Climate Change</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On October 24, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the auditor of the federal government, published a report on the economic effects of climate change with a focus on how much it could cost the government. The federal government has spent $350 billion on extreme weather events in the last decade. Just this past week, the Senate passed a $36.5 billion disaster-relief package for areas affected by recent hurricanes and wildfires. The GAO report predicts that spending on natural disasters will increase in coming years, and recommends executive action to assess and mitigate the risks of climate change, which are "unevenly distributed" across regions and industries. The report was requested by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Susan Collins (R-ME), who have stated that the government should consider climate change to be a fiscal responsibility. "We simply cannot afford the billions of dollars in additional funding that's going to be needed if we do not take into account the consequences of climate change," said Collins.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001BrzMIYbk8UHYamfUIdNf4lw6P5seMqChV3vwks-RnLQvZIMfB16Pv7TlHv96uaC6hruvqEFe_VgwbuQRx5qFGiQLrIa_V2Ptkjqt1u6TpI1qHUGYnBN-wKmY7D48Nu-6pCL6Xs6f9F_6HRUciW05YFS69QBf_m44SJcP4HrtCEjpt-boiStlHso8Julb1yafQ10_tx6qEQ1xyGv5EPyIUKtCkuINdGfxYhy3DztUCm_9A_dUYjx-uw==&c=1WB53WnkjhKt7pygRYxihj5n0ok-P3atMcXOzCnFIzf-5M3WybEcxQ==&ch=8cqIjiSfKuOc02tZ5SYWLSISQuZAqh4nzJa_xASp5KgrjhNE9N5sAw==">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Vital Weather Forecasting Agency Understaffed as Hurricane Season Rages</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The National Weather Service (NWS) has found itself spread dangerously thin as one of the worst stretches of natural disasters in U.S. history has unfolded. Hundreds of vacant forecaster positions have left the agency "teetering on the brink of failure," according to the NWS Employees Organization, the agency's labor union. Managers have had to reduce operations, while staff are showing signs of being overworked. Leading up to and during a natural disaster, NWS provides services to government agencies, emergency managers, and the media. In the NWS office serving the Washington-Baltimore region, the vacancies have reportedly led to cutbacks in forecasting, even with staff working double shifts and foregoing vacation time to cover key forecasting stations. Brooke Taber, a forecaster at a Vermont NWS office, said, "Given our staffing, our ability to fill our mission of protecting life and property would be nearly impossible if we had a big storm." The NWS union has raised the alarm about the vacancies for the past five years, but stressed "understaffing is not due to underfunding," instead directing criticism toward agency leadership.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001BrzMIYbk8UHYamfUIdNf4lw6P5seMqChV3vwks-RnLQvZIMfB16Pv7TlHv96uaC6M4tWUXYf636Kf3oG-wYgiukRZIcbKO2BqVDDgCzhVFXyne7c32_WLsp-YXFHDExZEsMUUSgvzLu21-R0d1N2F_lDYsqjb9wTXwADyJilClaMvQBp429Guor7CGIu2RCP3j9_CvA1ZSSi01x5OUlVSzLEUMcCwBfLVgfCyr15gOAs7GuylsebYBX3qHPM3UiRVaI8ZiyW3UOe7qgy04BuF0C11UV6LkygRB_JX7-Gh9um4BR_CR68E91WB_aXmyfmGbfRlSX4RoSSlrfptobGR2ZbrWAXmM1nB2RtIlMGgIMI-I7b1R74RcRaEgWCw7_gmYI_NKxiyQ6F5ckfEEbhsGZc5ijZhUAYHUULSKASRlPVXw-FeNabZIvowUk8NyvQR9Mfh_O-WRc=&c=1WB53WnkjhKt7pygRYxihj5n0ok-P3atMcXOzCnFIzf-5M3WybEcxQ==&ch=8cqIjiSfKuOc02tZ5SYWLSISQuZAqh4nzJa_xASp5KgrjhNE9N5sAw==">Washington Post<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_5.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://3997C627-6FA6-453B-95C4-C3CF031A81EE/pastedGraphic_5.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Boston Fearful of Future Hurricane Strikes</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The city of Boston, located in a vulnerable location on the Atlantic Coast, is considering building a seawall to protect itself from future storms. The seawall would cost about $10 billion by one estimate, an amount that could be paid back through avoided flood damages. A recent study by MIT finds that a Category 1 hurricane accompanied by a few feet of storm surge could flood a quarter of a million Boston residents. Boston's leaders are eager to act, fearing the destruction a Harvey-scale storm could cause. Rising sea levels are an especially alarming threat to the city, which sank nine inches during the 20th century. Sea-level around Boston could rise three feet by 2070, making the need for flood-resistant infrastructure urgent. In 2016, the city released its "Climate Ready Boston Plan," a roadmap for climate adaptation that offered many potential solutions to the city's vulnerability. Kathy Abbot, president of Boston Harbor Now, said, "We've got to think about the impact of climate change from inland to the coast, out into the harbor and the harbor islands and beyond."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001BrzMIYbk8UHYamfUIdNf4lw6P5seMqChV3vwks-RnLQvZIMfB16Pv7TlHv96uaC61C_tWGWhr8vUdYEIlHd1k3gr9vwh9shQr2oDFPk1Z8wFkehuVKYKQJyS7tSNhWdlXeUehg6RefkFIjWnauBXBuYIQoeuqXdpd6P5froI4XplNROONVI9lijn6KwggBhGGqlQOD9eIRw=&c=1WB53WnkjhKt7pygRYxihj5n0ok-P3atMcXOzCnFIzf-5M3WybEcxQ==&ch=8cqIjiSfKuOc02tZ5SYWLSISQuZAqh4nzJa_xASp5KgrjhNE9N5sAw==">Ensia<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_6.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://3997C627-6FA6-453B-95C4-C3CF031A81EE/pastedGraphic_6.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Norfolk Naval Base Under Siege by Rising Sea-Levels</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Sea-levels around the Hampton Roads region of Virginia are rising twice as fast as the global average, threatening 18 military sites and 1.7 million residents, many of them military personnel. Naval Station Norfolk, home of the U.S. Navy's Atlantic Fleet, is among the sites affected. In the last 100 years, recorded sea-level rise was 1.5 feet, and a 2014 study by the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center warns that an additional 1.5 feet could be a "tipping point" for Naval Station Norfolk. At the current rate, 1.5 feet of rise is expected in the next 20-50 years. The city of Norfolk has already taken action to protect itself from rising water by elevating roads and houses, building floodwalls, and creating wetland buffers. The Department of Defense has conducted many studies on climate change vulnerability, but has not yet funded any physical projects targeting sea level rise. The Trump administration has rolled back prior climate adaptation policies for the military, although Congress may accept an amendment to the pending Defense Authorization Act containing language to provide some climate change planning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001BrzMIYbk8UHYamfUIdNf4lw6P5seMqChV3vwks-RnLQvZIMfB16Pv7TlHv96uaC6V6YJVG-DeZiIkVtgrQ4AV9GQCndNdxVR-LdXaB9QKe6q1exynLT6yxoV97YO1GFiI-ac-0h6Y7s66kPBv3YoE7nqmgVf6ktcMIInXN7-LkeQb1xSuU0y95YILbFQdDJSH3rCIj3mRy88ARyxBzJv7UarZZiy4gHdXF6JZeDWjuGcrDFfdtXtVRw4PMwGZgd2RxULrNdtLVYcnjbIHaIiRs0XfQUpDeVJ8SBLO9e7CRf9ZaDoUbk9_qFQCdnE0Ot0&c=1WB53WnkjhKt7pygRYxihj5n0ok-P3atMcXOzCnFIzf-5M3WybEcxQ==&ch=8cqIjiSfKuOc02tZ5SYWLSISQuZAqh4nzJa_xASp5KgrjhNE9N5sAw==">InsideClimate News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_7.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://3997C627-6FA6-453B-95C4-C3CF031A81EE/pastedGraphic_7.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Low-Lying Kiribati Faces Existential Threat from Rising Sea Levels</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Rising sea levels are presenting a serious danger for the 33 islands of Kiribati and its 100,000 residents. Salt water is threatening to contaminate fresh water sources upon which islanders rely for drinking water and agriculture. Long-time residents worry that they have no place else to go if they are displaced. Meanwhile, typical protective seawalls are viewed as unlikely to stand up to strong ocean waves. The 2016 election of President Taneti Maamau has brought along Kiribati Vision 20 (KV20), which plans to increase national revenue through fishing licenses. The plan puts little emphasis on addressing climate change, which the past president, Anote Tong, was passionate about. Tong said, "Climate change for most if not all of the countries in the Pacific is a survival issue. If we do not address the climate change challenge, all of our efforts in trying to achieve economic survival, economic viability all will come to naught." Tong is looking to the upcoming United Nations' Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting in Germany for representatives of Australia and Fiji to speak up on behalf of Kiribati.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001BrzMIYbk8UHYamfUIdNf4lw6P5seMqChV3vwks-RnLQvZIMfB16Pv7TlHv96uaC6IhI0aFSqLuHdf_niMEzt9xqQbkCG-NoskRbwyfhrHdAFKX5hIXrx22e8h4ezau8520iZl7jpvYCzOPwrfhU-_padviDz_fMcf7zeAVUkt1uqV7pUeLa--2iSyx2XakuQGXaiwXHnBbgLe7TQfNe_GTSzudzrkgu5BzSCsBMHM7GJ33305iZ82QFFiQ4SqGTQoMiD9CXMeF-fye8pkR9nImBLfkxYzzVf&c=1WB53WnkjhKt7pygRYxihj5n0ok-P3atMcXOzCnFIzf-5M3WybEcxQ==&ch=8cqIjiSfKuOc02tZ5SYWLSISQuZAqh4nzJa_xASp5KgrjhNE9N5sAw==">Guardian<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_8.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://3997C627-6FA6-453B-95C4-C3CF031A81EE/pastedGraphic_8.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Medical Professionals Call for Greater Preparedness for Health Impacts of Climate Change</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A set of 11 studies published in the Journal of Nursing Scholarship highlights the many ways climate change threatens public health and how the nursing profession can adapt to these challenges in the future. The aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico represents a "worst-case scenario" for public health, according to professionals in the field. The lack of access to potable water, electricity, and communication systems has endangered the island's residents, particularly those who were already in need of medical treatment or special services. Groups such as National Nurses United are calling upon the federal government to use its resources to deliver relief to Puerto Rico, while also better preparing for the next disaster. Eileen Sullivan-Marx, an editor of the journal edition and dean of New York University's College of Nursing, said, "Recent natural disasters have had considerable health consequences, including deaths in nursing homes and an extreme lack of access to medical services. It is critical that the nursing community work with other health professionals to plan for changing conditions."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001BrzMIYbk8UHYamfUIdNf4lw6P5seMqChV3vwks-RnLQvZIMfB16Pv7TlHv96uaC6KUhTvbp8QObR1Wcrv7EfHFJW5GkWnNTYFTGMDHN2dHrp8aoRr46292lG_VLTs7UoQy0u23XVUHQ9BeZglD2_Tebm6pe46ZwbBK-A_zT5b7hg4wUipPXnPxttnh1X6C-nLPdGijJ1deAcWjxVOoYqkyEVgJU1ZjL7Ib-uNojjEi5YR0_i9LpEuE11E8IBbaAPUCCmU9ZQHw_BLtOf5-aTxqi1-1Mzs8s3AcNHfp1jYERDcXKLPh5C4Q==&c=1WB53WnkjhKt7pygRYxihj5n0ok-P3atMcXOzCnFIzf-5M3WybEcxQ==&ch=8cqIjiSfKuOc02tZ5SYWLSISQuZAqh4nzJa_xASp5KgrjhNE9N5sAw==">InsideClimate News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_9.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://3997C627-6FA6-453B-95C4-C3CF031A81EE/pastedGraphic_9.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study: Melting Glaciers Could Cause Sea Level to Rise in Rapid Bursts</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A new study found that sea-level rise during the planet's last significant warming period may have occurred in rapid bursts. Researchers examined fossilized coral 200 feet below the surface of Texas's coastal waters. Between 12,000 and 14,000 years ago, the reef grew in a step-like pattern, forming a coral terrace. Coral can only survive close to the ocean's surface. If sea-level rises, coral has to grow towards the shoreline to survive. The steepness of the coral terraces suggest that water levels rose several meters in a matter of decades. The terrace levels correspond with warming periods determined from ice core samples from Greenland. Scientists believe that the rapid collapse of the glaciers at the end of the last ice age caused meltwater pulses across the globe. In the future, the melting of the Greenland ice sheet and West Antarctic ice sheet due to global warming could have a similar effect. Rice University Professor André Droxler, one of the study's authors, believes his research might provide a type of "analog" for future events.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001BrzMIYbk8UHYamfUIdNf4lw6P5seMqChV3vwks-RnLQvZIMfB16Pv7TlHv96uaC6_m8HODXcC2OXIbMRywC2M5kE2MM0BxM88rRwRX_M8cz2E4wdJO8eiZpO9xD7sCQR9SeZ9_AK38K8h4DqxICXHsbx6n85E62pnytUcmLVWlpcwrha4-p4Xjt5M1aK-0jqjZQjuaDDNirzuuKb6QNhNQEgGJ1CIo8BnatdPp9xEtJvCw0lH8D_Fw==&c=1WB53WnkjhKt7pygRYxihj5n0ok-P3atMcXOzCnFIzf-5M3WybEcxQ==&ch=8cqIjiSfKuOc02tZ5SYWLSISQuZAqh4nzJa_xASp5KgrjhNE9N5sAw==">Scientific American<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_10.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://3997C627-6FA6-453B-95C4-C3CF031A81EE/pastedGraphic_10.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>City of Miami Passes Bond Measure to Help Finance Climate Resilience Projects</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Miami voters approved a new bond measure to provide $400 million in funding for public infrastructure investment. The bond endorsement will allow the city government to borrow from the municipal bond market and use a new property tax to finance storm drain upgrades, flood pumps, and sea walls at a cost of $192 million. The bond measure would also cover housing, recreation, transportation, and public safety initiatives. Miami's outgoing mayor, Tomás Regalado, pitched the bond as a means to combat climate change. About 55 percent of Miami's electorate voted in favor of the bonds during November 7th's election, despite strong opposition from labor unions and a majority of candidates for public office. Bond advocates cite the four inches of sea level rise and a 400 percent increase in flooding the city has experienced within the past decade. Miami joins other American cities, including Seattle and San Francisco, in passing bond sales to finance climate resilience projects.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00139N7k9efHvGrh13To0zfZk2aCYessyAj3rwwL6TK0gctdTMZoVDui1PSkH-8Ci3mlEn0gx1bWiH0fQprcjracQLE2o0_vahPSMkwa2qWTPIi7YDLy7vf5r1q2pLssm2KyUgj7CY5JJn9MFlaWL6acpDpZKmYi6BZKSsfFvfhhffB64jDXoM1PwnKhYidQ-70y0WeXrV1YT1DcbU8FVv5eT6U5kYZEk6LpTzC1mrlE2GEAAgeCV0rGkf44f3olwOX&c=1iW_XD5oaZqiGcxcsMpLcVkS-bH7mCmAhZkkJMvoGzPTA92Xq76tLQ==&ch=XwS_kRCBfFZd6oPMmPXsRSlMMFfx54-jMJCifbWbMsolV0_dZPtKtg==">Miami Herald</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00139N7k9efHvGrh13To0zfZk2aCYessyAj3rwwL6TK0gctdTMZoVDui1PSkH-8Ci3mXRHMcfRbBAek_cEODU9VXGBlJISB5hkzGd922mmA1Dhwzz4ihDvGn3Fcgfms2J6cnBu4v3f5RyqfbXR-usBCLlwZqgPzkrUtmva_qr8x7jvP1h1BQVUVbFyQx2Yg7fXM920FXbnJQ_KvpqbvpOQq7MqGlnxGNJNBFLRRG-Ez4EuEJeSdaT5zNpkaTMiYc7RberEfgnE42zoYJ49qvvTCnmPZoH6idfy3T0of7lT-DjQ=&c=1iW_XD5oaZqiGcxcsMpLcVkS-bH7mCmAhZkkJMvoGzPTA92Xq76tLQ==&ch=XwS_kRCBfFZd6oPMmPXsRSlMMFfx54-jMJCifbWbMsolV0_dZPtKtg=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255); line-height: normal;">Bloomberg</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_11.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://3997C627-6FA6-453B-95C4-C3CF031A81EE/pastedGraphic_11.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>City of Jacksonville to Offer Buy-Outs of Floodplain Homes</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Officials in Jacksonville, Florida have proposed voluntary buy-outs of homes in low-lying neighborhoods that were most recently flooded during Hurricane Irma. The plan would focus on the historically flood-prone neighborhood of South Shores and allow owners of 73 properties to sell their land to the city. The reaction from residents has been mixed. The proposed plan would clear several blocks of homes and convert the area back to a natural wetland. A cost has not yet been assessed, but city officials are relying on a FEMA flood-mitigation grant to cover three-quarters of the cost. The use of federal funds bars the city from condemning the property, leaving the decision to move up to residents. Sea level rise is expected to worsen flooding in neighborhoods adjacent to the St. Johns River and its drainage system. City Councilwoman Lori Boyer said, "This is an opportunity for these property owners to be made whole ... and put [their investment] someplace else where they're not going to have this problem."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00139N7k9efHvGrh13To0zfZk2aCYessyAj3rwwL6TK0gctdTMZoVDui1PSkH-8Ci3mr0hJNPt4Caks4a9bVpGSEvQyB3oVh2WXDde_TGioaDd3aTwZ8agFbl2F2QmWYfLkggvCUIbVGCzmWaQhNWxtMRdR9GKHCg_CZoFh0IjVxzUv4Ttkdl-douvqh0z9sVRUYunMXDjQVhDebWFGcfqtdpXJot0DsR6NmNjvcR6bFXmClOTXEmF6YIgOZG5sf26qd1PtnIXubEZP4gIYelvV6U3HmLZqoogzE-6vUsXn-po5JV65YACK7A==&c=1iW_XD5oaZqiGcxcsMpLcVkS-bH7mCmAhZkkJMvoGzPTA92Xq76tLQ==&ch=XwS_kRCBfFZd6oPMmPXsRSlMMFfx54-jMJCifbWbMsolV0_dZPtKtg==">Florida Times Union<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_12.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://3997C627-6FA6-453B-95C4-C3CF031A81EE/pastedGraphic_12.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Syria Plans to Ratify Paris Agreement, Isolating the United States on Climate Change</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Syria announced its intention to ratify the Paris Climate Accord on November 7 at the United Nations climate talks in Bonn, Germany. Syria is the final signatory, following Nicaragua, who joined in October. Syria was unable to sign the agreement at its inception due to European and American sanctions imposed in response to the country's civil war. Syria has not yet submitted emissions reductions targets, as all members of the agreement are required to do. Roua Shurbaji, a spokeswoman for the Syrian delegation, said that leaders are in the process of developing targets. She explained the country's decision to join as part of an effort "to be effective in all international areas including climate change." Syria's addition makes the United States the only country openly opposed to the Paris Agreement. In June 2017, President Trump announced his decision to withdraw from the treaty, but the country cannot officially exit the agreement until 2020.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00139N7k9efHvGrh13To0zfZk2aCYessyAj3rwwL6TK0gctdTMZoVDui1PSkH-8Ci3mNqf8eHv4Lh77NEkymcrWXuK2_L5D5T-s4Zml2apEM_NmbzSpI8jIxN2lpeWDIDTxSp7oWygAV9N_ucmpumJc9ROYefGFRuyxF0q2nv_Ee4svEcQhxqV19f-xrSICTC-2IXfZLP7XdvYSDtRvwIQY2DblNgaPWMkpjVtbxcGG0zzUvIO-FNuVMTU3qOLChp7vRyuSaxZjvvij8iBP-DA7H0zE0IvQLPOQ2Fa-goeQSTdNOzj6luzgHZMwI5Mao4P-KBhDgKFh-BoD4rNDT1feTW7vRiS9GnuBaGE9ggLPmLpT9LzT2EebD-nX0Wx2Qg4ch1dw3XUJcXfWZBraGlPTNmdJQwvqiDEB0sYJgBeYdf7MQAOW2lwYQg==&c=1iW_XD5oaZqiGcxcsMpLcVkS-bH7mCmAhZkkJMvoGzPTA92Xq76tLQ==&ch=XwS_kRCBfFZd6oPMmPXsRSlMMFfx54-jMJCifbWbMsolV0_dZPtKtg==">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_13.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://3997C627-6FA6-453B-95C4-C3CF031A81EE/pastedGraphic_13.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>On Climate Change, India's Development Creates Challenges and Opportunities</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">An estimated 240 million people in India still lack access to electricity, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised electricity for the country's entire population by the end of 2018. As India continues to develop, energy consumption is expected to at least double by 2030, and how that energy is produced will have a significant impact on global climate change. Although India's emissions per person are below the global average, it is the only major polluting nation with rising emissions (emissions from the United States, China, and the European Union are in decline). Half of the world's most polluted cities are in India, and air quality could get worse as urban populations grow by 200 million people between now and 2030. Despite many challenges, India's development also creates opportunities. Wind and solar energy are blossoming in India and the government has no plans for new coal-fired power plants in the near-term. India also has an ambitious proposal to ban the sale of new fossil fuel-powered vehicles by 2030.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00139N7k9efHvGrh13To0zfZk2aCYessyAj3rwwL6TK0gctdTMZoVDui1PSkH-8Ci3ma9w89X255f0ZB39Kdy2isvY0QsNE_x4BzxslBHzGg698qRTM4nucpq_mRHHy2bzqljrCk-1j_l7AtwD7GTv6zHiXIw-1JErYI-jJpzEP2UIndvnyY3xz--XvsQkseI6jxBer-0agCEanqt7ELLWjS9T_lG1GVkrtlcLv-0WaNMtjwUHPL0-OmXWTuenZbfgS2W6MoRZuml4gwBbJXWgCMjKWKd2SEychI-z_QnD4VX9IVpXg26E-v5RMDVbyvegB&c=1iW_XD5oaZqiGcxcsMpLcVkS-bH7mCmAhZkkJMvoGzPTA92Xq76tLQ==&ch=XwS_kRCBfFZd6oPMmPXsRSlMMFfx54-jMJCifbWbMsolV0_dZPtKtg==">Guardian<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Report: Climate Change Can Contribute to Regional Conflicts</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's (SIPRI) released a new report describing the effects climate change has on regional conflicts. The report states that climate-driven events, such as droughts and food insecurity, can contribute to potentially violent conflict. Rob van Riet of the World Future Council said, "Existing threats - like resource shortages, poverty, famine, terrorism or extreme ideology - are only amplified by climate change." Those most heavily hit are North Africa and the Middle East where increased temperatures have dried up agriculture and grazing land. One region of Nigeria has lost 60,000 lives over the last 15 years due to a conflict between grazers and farmers. Climate impacts have also increased the amount of refugees moving to new countries, which can sometimes overwhelm regional institutions and place a strain on resources. This sudden influx can worsen the relationship between refugees and a country's citizens, such as the mass migration Germany recently experienced. SIPRI director Dan Smith has advocated for a collaborative effort between agencies at the United Nations to address the issue of climate migration.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00139N7k9efHvGrh13To0zfZk2aCYessyAj3rwwL6TK0gctdTMZoVDui1PSkH-8Ci3mrfLdPxEEDos5761cme8wwRS440TgKo-7QtPBW243dD3MeOq6l1Soq2dxW74UT_oMXarPVClUyJWSt0EOfXxuT0R-uWMT15L7msn4aXpxoJz4ymCNE1QdcE-afG2Ut9Dj75b5k26KEodINcczRRAzDNW7kS6muTxUguNfgehTQLAgzcrkYW-LLg==&c=1iW_XD5oaZqiGcxcsMpLcVkS-bH7mCmAhZkkJMvoGzPTA92Xq76tLQ==&ch=XwS_kRCBfFZd6oPMmPXsRSlMMFfx54-jMJCifbWbMsolV0_dZPtKtg==">Deutsche Welle<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_14.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://3997C627-6FA6-453B-95C4-C3CF031A81EE/pastedGraphic_14.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>No Simple Solutions for Flood Insurance Problems</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">By December 8, Congress must decide if it will reauthorize the troubled National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), the primary provider of flood insurance in the United States, administered by FEMA. NFIP has been in the red since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In October 2017, following Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, NFIP drained its $30 billion borrowing capacity and Congress agreed to a bailout including $16 billion in debt forgiveness. Both environmental advocates and fiscal conservatives agree that the program is in dire need of reform. NFIP uses problematic methods for setting rates, resulting in low premiums that are insufficient to cover claims and encourage high-risk coastal development. Although there is broad support for reforming the NFIP, there is no consensus on how to accomplish reform. Re-privatizing the flood insurance market would address many issues, but private insurers are unlikely to serve the tens of thousands of "severe repetitive risk properties," that is, homes that have a history of recurrent flooding.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00139N7k9efHvGrh13To0zfZk2aCYessyAj3rwwL6TK0gctdTMZoVDui1PSkH-8Ci3mXHv2W8Q1Rr6eDADFOpE6qUzJpJroIv_pldqCysXMKiqRctb123-2D8cJMLPc8V9e8R2HqkBf4vxhSsTkjovc1tjp51KCUSwecoPcBk5J0Lvlk9eVnLrktLRUdUpeNxaftQyJETbzxRvnnl18HDaCwN3PAaBdzpepqheKrWatOdsYO2-kNEdAza_mMrs2jL_-Jk-lE6kVnWEnZ6ffjjd-CLoLsPA5aKcibHt8Jskskq9XPppXkgVtZ0GmSVC2XqbViaoahGehmvpj2n8vm3HNSYv17ZIc04DCdF9mr7BiW4pVLzaCE-wnYFIdpUkshGx5Bk0WOnRAlAXWME8qp0yxcdxthq_uLuFsV6GG-4I6j9P3dZ19KANp7fMVPDaSl32FZBmxY6KacOMXP6uLmg1UkmKdnumbZGKS&c=1iW_XD5oaZqiGcxcsMpLcVkS-bH7mCmAhZkkJMvoGzPTA92Xq76tLQ==&ch=XwS_kRCBfFZd6oPMmPXsRSlMMFfx54-jMJCifbWbMsolV0_dZPtKtg==">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Virginia Regulatory Board Approves Draft Proposal to Cap Utility Sector Carbon Emissions</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On November 16, the Virginia State Air Pollution Control Board unanimously approved a draft rule to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants in the Commonwealth and join a regional carbon trading network. The rule resulted from a months-long study ordered by departing Gov. Terry McAuliffe and a panel working in conjunction with the state's Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). If the rule is adopted, it would make Virginia the 10th state to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and the only state beside New York to do so via executive action. The proposal would establish a carbon cap for Virginia of either 33 or 34 million tons of CO2 starting in 2020, followed by an annual decrease of 3 percent. Virginia's power plants emitted 34 million tons of CO2 in 2016. Under the trading scheme, fossil-fuel power plants generating more than 25 megawatts would be given emission allowances from the state. The plants could then "consign" their allowances to the RGGI auction in return for revenue or to purchase additional allowances to cover their excess CO2 emissions, as needed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001uuCa-uo-I943MWCUHTUNnjc0pBQAYkHFAzxzlstWohn5TuUDdTQvGlIp9moEhG0qlrjwOkkcq1oIFkfhIhHCQN926GXStTa41NtiAdiEervbEBz4tHSK6vEmn6bGhLJxbEYkMi0UJOETvozKT6ucV05uM-a4f1DvtuXDNrZ2BliyK-ikfm_3vRt4zpYRjeOZw8kRP5UQalAJUvM_PiawmyQbzgfmw8zLSKzXK2GdzM_8FMEhqx8l5WfRnNs35r5R-PKoy9XSJ7RpDyI3WVz9Eu6eqOexY3XNexDis1hVhVQ9WO4fRa2wBIEPlcNqkmwoL1YBtj_eUEzcGHVDOwzEBA==&c=4NuL0aJdP8wSAnKNq6AIhuWWQRuw2xEnufqD0xeJWUnb_Uh_Jy7X9Q==&ch=-9MBPJ16sdsEzm8ZT6FHBW6o60r17Q4KmKIuO2g0td6HD_Ass0109w==">Richmond Times-Dispatch<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_15.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://3997C627-6FA6-453B-95C4-C3CF031A81EE/pastedGraphic_15.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Trump Administration's Promotion of Fossil Fuels at Climate Conference Met with Jeers</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On November 13, the only public event held by the United States on the sidelines of the United Nations climate conference drew vocal protests and sharp rebukes. The Trump administration's panel discussion was meant to promote the continued use of coal, natural gas, and nuclear power and featured speakers from those industries. White House energy aide George David Banks argued that renewable energy was insufficient for displacing fossil fuels on the electric grid and that the use of fossil fuels would help alleviate poverty in developing regions. The panel was met with a spirited crowd of 100 protesters who chanted criticism of the panel's positions before exiting the room, leaving it half-empty. When asked by a reporter if the administration felt the Paris Agreement's two-degree Celsius threshold for limiting the increase in global average temperature needed to be met, Banks replied, "I actually don't know what that means, the 2C target." Fijian Prime Minister and president of COP23, Frank Bainimarama, called coal the dirtiest fossil fuel, adding, "There is really no need to talk about coal because we all know what coal does with regard to climate change."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001uuCa-uo-I943MWCUHTUNnjc0pBQAYkHFAzxzlstWohn5TuUDdTQvGlIp9moEhG0qWIoO_244OJzw5-4ACBoUDK0MWa-D9Ty6G5HyHgBYvpwmIsURWr05xmopK8Pae0lLM1gscdZF7YRk0X8ss257HIsIxRgy9BRXW49XylnjejeIkuQhTARPurn3ojUPib-oWPvEQw6I2Fui__t0Rf4luNou1irIDPnPTU04LdQKGqJ0k-GFl8YK7_JbrLB-6UlWwYDkGtaPgGWNE-P9fexAkb5QqF0p7BRh&c=4NuL0aJdP8wSAnKNq6AIhuWWQRuw2xEnufqD0xeJWUnb_Uh_Jy7X9Q==&ch=-9MBPJ16sdsEzm8ZT6FHBW6o60r17Q4KmKIuO2g0td6HD_Ass0109w==">Climate Home News</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001uuCa-uo-I943MWCUHTUNnjc0pBQAYkHFAzxzlstWohn5TuUDdTQvGlIp9moEhG0qkzGIC078qEQBeIdZsMXnqhTGFpf29BLm9kLoioAGegIAaU7SQQSqD_lcRNwsKQvXewrnvBvoqK5xAy1Oz38nzw1Ni04E8eHFKNouP0Mtnly4Pd8mAfF0njz_XmbFBJjUCq12Yh-Vnb_0izSN8ABVgi9lop-kY4cFm0w4GGYVrj1hpUM6hu38QLRos9OEhE9JWiuPY_Uhsm8=&c=4NuL0aJdP8wSAnKNq6AIhuWWQRuw2xEnufqD0xeJWUnb_Uh_Jy7X9Q==&ch=-9MBPJ16sdsEzm8ZT6FHBW6o60r17Q4KmKIuO2g0td6HD_Ass0109w=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); line-height: normal;">Politico</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Global Mayors Pursue Greater Ambition on Climate Mitigation and Adaptation</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On November 12, a coalition of 25 mayors from across the globe vowed to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 and improve the climate resilience of their cities. The geographically diverse coalition represents 150 million urban residents and features major cities, including London, Rio de Janeiro, Paris, and Accra. The mayors intend to finalize their individual climate action plans by 2020, with support from the C40 Cities Network. C40 and the German government will also be assisting nine African cities, including Addis Ababa, Cape Town, Lagos, and Nairobi, in developing long-term sustainability plans that align with the Paris Agreement's goals. Meanwhile, the 7,500-strong Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy announced a new international standard for measuring and reporting emissions from cities and local governments, beginning in 2018. Officials emphasized the need to acquire more funding for cities to build sustainable infrastructure and greater renewable energy capacity. One delegation of local leaders led by the mayor of Quito, Ecuador would recruit the G20 governments and international financial institutions to acquire funding for such efforts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001uuCa-uo-I943MWCUHTUNnjc0pBQAYkHFAzxzlstWohn5TuUDdTQvGlIp9moEhG0qFixhJzkaGXIsiSA9K4kB9BW5RUiPCfwxJcjJLBQMBihcSmbo0ttm3O2_6ssQCzWM1Bh7tt93UQ7HqQEQ-YWgwDNJZb9BQvt6-5rj1wtsjKXvdq-VmQAasi4o_bs23iAhdJu2B5GeyelsRPp-KbCQTWeIcPCD0yFBvUJ-KJgz6YcHYj6XUSnyytqCakghRWyEFy84sJ62Zb4AVCHQFmiJjgafqxDGj607vIX2f9ZNY443z3giZoej708zdyfnASzhiDX05TxbRXjwe9mmnwmEnA==&c=4NuL0aJdP8wSAnKNq6AIhuWWQRuw2xEnufqD0xeJWUnb_Uh_Jy7X9Q==&ch=-9MBPJ16sdsEzm8ZT6FHBW6o60r17Q4KmKIuO2g0td6HD_Ass0109w==">Reuters<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Twenty Nations Reaffirm Their Commitment to Phase-Out Coal-Fired Electricity by 2030</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On November 16, the United Kingdom and Canada announced an alliance of 27 countries and states that have pledged to phase out coal-fired power plants and end all domestic and international investment in coal. The "Powering Past Coal Alliance" was organized by climate ministers Catherine McKenna of Canada and Claire Perry of the UK during the United Nations climate conference in Bonn. Among the initial members are Austria, Costa Rica, France, New Zealand, and El Salvador, as well as five Canadian provinces and the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. The alliance further solidifies existing commitments, as each member had already planned on phasing out coal on their own, with some small island members having never used coal. The Netherlands is the most coal-dependent member, generating 32 percent of its energy from coal. The alliance intends to expand to more than 50 members by the next UN climate conference in Poland in 2018. Private sector businesses are also being encouraged to pledge a divestment from coal and join the group.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001uuCa-uo-I943MWCUHTUNnjc0pBQAYkHFAzxzlstWohn5TuUDdTQvGlIp9moEhG0q5bS0MJzsQreB-YGzC0GkcORuWtGFOXv09MPNqbXFIoIW-AtIMdolL9Q7KvLsvrQKBpa0h0CK7tSj8a_BjlHtG9ybeBxZrOpBd4AihG-zeY_laFC1nGJlKEgKsy2XK4lBltwTCwUolrCt969vLZHcPf_5ErzXFhscl_ARq0KAibiamr--L0wTpsByQSQ7iHYj&c=4NuL0aJdP8wSAnKNq6AIhuWWQRuw2xEnufqD0xeJWUnb_Uh_Jy7X9Q==&ch=-9MBPJ16sdsEzm8ZT6FHBW6o60r17Q4KmKIuO2g0td6HD_Ass0109w==">Deutsche Welle<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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Thanks,<br />
Chad A. Tolman</span></div>
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Chad Tolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198303455148896174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441974095206886318.post-8573462309454310222017-09-25T13:42:00.000-07:002017-09-25T13:42:49.100-07:00CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS FOR SEPTEMBER 2017<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>CC NEWS FOR SEPT. 2017</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><i>The Guardian</i> </b>on July 10 published and article by Tess Riley titled, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/jul/10/100-fossil-fuel-companies-investors-responsible-71-global-emissions-cdp-study-climate-change"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">Just 100 companies responsible for 71% of global emissions, study says</span></a>. She wrote, </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Just 100 companies have been the source of more than 70% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions since 1988, according to a new report.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The <a href="https://b8f65cb373b1b7b15feb-c70d8ead6ced550b4d987d7c03fcdd1d.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/cms/reports/documents/000/002/327/original/Carbon-Majors-Report-2017.pdf?1499691240"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 86, 137); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Carbon Majors Report</span></a></span><span style="color: #0061ff; font-kerning: none;"> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">(pdf) “pinpoints how a relatively small set of fossil fuel producers may hold the key to systemic change on carbon emissions,” says Pedro Faria, technical director at environmental non-profit CDP, which published the report in collaboration with the Climate Accountability Institute.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“The report found that more than half of global industrial emissions since 1988 – the year the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was established – can be traced to just 25 corporate and state-owned entities. The scale of historical emissions associated with these fossil fuel producers is large enough to have contributed significantly to climate change, according to the report.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">ExxonMobil, Shell, BP and Chevron are identified as among the highest emitting investor-owned companies since 1988. If fossil fuels continue to be extracted at the same rate over the next 28 years as they were between 1988 and 2017, says the report, global average temperatures would be on course to rise by 4C by the end of the century. This is likely to have <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/dec/31/planet-will-warm-4c-2100-climate"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 86, 137); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">catastrophic consequences</span></a> including substantial species extinction and global food scarcity risks.”</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">On Aug. 4 <b><i>The Guardian</i></b> published an article by Nicola Davis titled, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/aug/04/extreme-weather-deaths-in-europe-could-increase-50-fold-by-next-century"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">Extreme weather deaths in Europe ‘could increase 50-fold by next century’</span></a>. She wrote, </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Deaths from weather disasters could increase 50-fold in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/weather/index/europe"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 86, 137); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Europe</span></a> by the start of the next century if no action is taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or protect citizens, researchers have warned.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A new study estimates a toll of 152,000 deaths a year between 2071 and 2100 as a direct result of hazards relating to extreme weather, with those living in southern Europe likely to be the hardest hit.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Actions to protect citizens included adaptation as well as mitigation (reducing GHG emissions). It turns that high temperatures and humidity are expected to be the cause of 99% of the increase in deaths.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE</b>: The record European <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn4259-european-heatwave-caused-35000-deaths/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">heatwave</span></a> in August 2003 was responsible for at least 35,000 deaths - mostly in France.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Aug. 4 an article was published in <b><i>Scientific American</i></b> by Nina Heikkinen titled, <a href="http://livepage.apple.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(26, 26, 26); color: #3a88fe;">Obama Emissions Rules Could Yield $300 Billion Annually by 2030</span></a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(26, 26, 26); color: #1a1a1a;">. She reported,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(26, 26, 26); color: #1a1a1a;">”</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">The benefits of Obama-era rules to curb greenhouse gas emissions would greatly exceed the costs in the coming years, according to a new analysis.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Regulations designed to control emissions from power plants, oil production and motor vehicles could together lead to close to $300 billion in net benefits per year by 2030, according to the report by Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The paper comes as President Trump has sought to roll back any regulations his team says could hinder domestic energy development and is part of a broader shift in focus away from action on climate change throughout the administration.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">While the Trump administration has taken other actions to depart from the Obama administration’s climate change priorities—like pulling out of the Paris Agreement—the analysis cites the elimination of these rules as having the greatest impact on the nation’s ability to address climate change.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“The $370 billion in gross benefits includes the positive impacts of reducing 980 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030, along with the health benefits of also reducing other pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">These benefits would be four times greater than the projected $84 billion in total costs of implementing major regulations crafted under the Obama administration, said researchers in a paper published on the center’s website yesterday.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Aug. 9 the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) released a report written by Andrew Wollenberg and titled, <a href="http://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-plug-in-electric-vehicles-2017"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">Fact Sheet: Plug-In Electric Vehicles (2017)</span></a>. It covers all-electric (or battery-electric) vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), which are powered by a combination of battery-electricity and liquid fuels that can be used when the battery is depleted. In order to compare the efficiency of these cars with regular gasoline powered cars the EPA has developed what they all the miles per gallon equivlent (MPGe). It equates 33.7 kWh of electrical energy with the energy produced by one gallon of gasoline. Wollenberg wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">It is important to note that while plug-in vehicles produce no tailpipe emissions, generating the electricity plug-in vehicles use may produce pollution, depending on the energy source used. Nevertheless, even though about two-thirds of U.S. electricity is generated by carbon-emitting natural gas and coal, the electricity required to power BEVs produces less than half the carbon dioxide of a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle. And, BEVs do not emit the harmful particles released by gasoline-powered engines, which means battery electric vehicles have the potential to save billions of dollars in health and climate costs. Indeed, a study performed by the American Lung Association of California found that gasoline vehicles are responsible for $37 billion in health and climate costs each year.“</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">He also gives the Make/Model, Type, Price, Electric Range (miles) and MPGe (city/highway) for seven BEVs and PHEVs currently marketed in the U.S. It turns out that at the current price of about $2.32 per gallon of gasoline, it casts about half as much to power a car with electricity as it does with gas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Fact Sheet can be downloaded and printed as a PDF file.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE</b>: This article is a must-read for anyone interested in electric vehicles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Aug.10 the <b><i>NY Times</i></b> published an article by John Scwartz titled, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/10/climate/climate-change-lawsuits-courts.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Students, Cities and States Take the Climate Fight to Court</span></a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;"><b>. </b></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">He wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Can the courts fix <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/globalwarming/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">climate change</span></a>?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Several groups and individuals around the United States have gone to court to try to do what the Trump administration has so far declined to do: confront the causes and effects of global warming.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In California, two counties and a city recently <a href="http://blogs2.law.columbia.edu/climate-change-litigation/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/case-documents/2017/20170717_docket-C17-01227_complaint.pdf"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;">sued</span></a> 37 fossil fuel companies, seeking funds to cover the costs of dealing with a warming world. In Oregon, a <a href="https://www.ourchildrenstrust.org/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;">f</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">ederal lawsuit brought on behalf of young people</span></a> is moving toward a February trial date, though the so-called children’s suit could be tossed out before that. And more than a dozen state attorneys general have sued to block Trump administration moves to roll back environmental regulations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Efforts in the United States are part of a wave of litigation around the world, including <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/25/science/ruling-says-netherlands-must-reduce-greenhouse-gas-emissions.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">a 2015 decision</span></a> in which a court in the Netherlands ordered the Dutch government to toughen its climate policies; that case is <a href="http://www.urgenda.nl/en/climate-case/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">under appeal</span></a>. A <a href="http://columbiaclimatelaw.com/files/2017/05/Burger-Gundlach-2017-05-UN-Envt-CC-Litigation.pdf"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0056d6; line-height: normal;">2017 report</span></a> from the United Nations Environment Program found nearly 900 climate litigation suits in more than 20 countries. In Switzerland, a group of nearly 800 older women known as <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/press/releases/2017/Swiss-authorities-refuse-to-act-so-these-senior-women-are-taking-their-climate-case-to-court/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Senior Women for Climate Protection</span></a> have <a href="http://klimaseniorinnen.ch/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/request_KlimaSeniorinnen.pdf"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">sued their government</span></a> over climate change. In New Zealand, <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/94124957/government-defends-climate-targets-in-sarah-thomson-lawsuit"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">a court recently heard a climate case</span></a> brought by a law student, Sarah Lorraine Thomson; a decision is pending.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">But in the United States, lawsuits to get American courts to take on the climate fight have until now gone nowhere. In 2011, the <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/2010/10-174"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Supreme Court threw out a case</span></a> filed by eight states and New York City against electric power producers. A lawsuit brought by inhabitants of Kivalina, Alaska, against fossil fuel companies over the diminished buffer of sea ice that had protected the town was dismissed by a federal judge in 2009. A <a href="http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2012/09/25/09-17490.pdf"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">federal appeals court</span></a> and the Supreme Court declined to reinstate the case. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The new California cases resemble the state tobacco lawsuits of the 1990s, which argued that the industry knew and concealed the dangers of smoking, leaving the states with enormous health care bills. In the new suits, Marin and San Mateo Counties and the City of Imperial Beach are accusing the <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/energy-environment/oil-petroleum-and-gasoline/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">oil</span></a> companies of knowing that their industry would cause catastrophic climate change and covering up the evidence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE</b>: Thank God for the courts!</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Aug. 10 the <b><i>World Resources Institute</i></b> posted an article by Johannes Friedrich, Mengpin Ge and Alexander Tankou titled, <a href="http://www.wri.org/blog/2017/08/6-charts-understand-us-state-greenhouse-gas-emissions"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">6 Charts to Understand U.S. State Greenhouse Gas Emissions</span></a>. They wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">As major global greenhouse gas emitters, U.S. states have the economic heft and legislative authority to move the United States toward much lower emissions and cleaner energy. While many have done so in the last decade, some remain stuck in the high-emitting past. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The following six charts show how emissions from U.S. states compare, how they are changing and what could come next. These are based on the latest <a href="http://cait.wri.org/historical/US%20State%20GHG%20Emissions"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(227, 129, 10); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">greenhouse gas emissions data</span></a>. World Resources Institute compiled for all 50 states (through 2014, the latest year for which in-state emissions data is available).”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">They show that 10 states are responsible for nearly 50% of U.S. GHG emissions, with TX and CA at the top because of their large populations and economies. Over the 10-year period of 2015 to 2014, the last year for which compete data are available, total U.S. emissions decreased by only 6%. Thirty five states and Washington DC reduced their emissions, with Vermont, Maine and Alaska having the greatest reductions, while 15 states, including North Dakota, Montana and Iowa in the lead. Fugitive emissions are a growing problem in Texas and North Dakota, especially from methane leakage associated with natural gas production.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The authors ended with the following:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“With the U.S. representing a <a href="http://www.wri.org/blog/2017/04/interactive-chart-explains-worlds-top-10-emitters-and-how-theyve-changed"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(227, 129, 10); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">significant share of global emissions</span></a>, it’s a good sign to see many poised to step up their efforts on action to address global warming <a href="http://www.wri.org/blog/2017/03/deeper-look-trumps-climate-action-sledgehammer"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(227, 129, 10); color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;">i</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(227, 129, 10); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">n the absence of federal leadership</span></a>. As we have looked to how states got to where they are, there’s a new direction being carved out through the <a href="http://wearestillin.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">We Are Still In</span></a> coalition and <a href="https://www.americaspledgeonclimate.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">America’s Pledge</span></a> on climate change to determine where they are going. To reign in emissions across all sectors and prevent the worst impacts of climate change, states must accelerate a shift towards clean power and greater efficiency. There is ample proof that this is not only possible but can also be an economic opportunity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE</b>: The article also has a <a href="http://www.wri.org/blog/2017/04/interactive-chart-explains-worlds-top-10-emitters-and-how-theyve-changed"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">link</span></a> to emissions from many countries around the world. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Aug. 12 Peter Sinclair published an article in <b><i>Climate Denial Crock of the Week</i></b> titled, <a href="https://climatecrocks.com/2017/08/12/greenland-fire-update/comment-page-1/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">Something’s Burning: Greenland Fire Update</span></a>. Recently back from a trip to Greenland, Sinclair reports that thousands of acres of permafrost moss, lichens and grass are burning on Greenland. Fire warms the permafrost below it, releasing methane, a flammable gas, and producing soot that darkens the surface of the ice sheet, causing it to absorb more solar radiation and melt faster. This provides another example of positive feedback, where the more the ice melts, the faster it melts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE</b>: The Greenland ice sheet holds enough ice that when it all melts, enough water will be produced to raise global average sea level by 7 m or about 23 feet. NASA measurements of the i<a href="https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/land-ice/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">ce loss by satellites</span></a> show that is has been accelerating.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">On Aug 15 an article in<b> <i>Grist</i> </b>by Eric Holthaus titled, <a href="http://grist.org/article/meet-july-the-hottest-month-yet/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">Meet July, the hottest month yet</span></a>. NASA recently reported that last July had the highest global average temperature ever recorded. He wrote, </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Using measurements collected from about 6,300 land- and ocean-based weather stations around the world, NASA scientists calculated that the planet’s average temperature during July was about 2.25 degrees C (4.05 degrees F) warmer than the long-term annual average.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Such a warm month during the peak of the Northern Hemisphere’s summer created a cascade of extreme weather conditions. In western Canada, the <a href="http://www.climatecentral.org/news/british-columbia-second-worst-wildfire-season-climate-21684"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 74, 97); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">worst forest fires in nearly 60 years</span></a> have already torched upwards of a million acres, more than four times what normally burns in an entire wildfire season. In California, Death Valley recorded <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2017/08/03/death-valley-just-experienced-the-hottest-month-ever-recorded-in-the-u-s/?utm_term=.f13b40389b4a"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 74, 97); color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;">t</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 74, 97); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">he hottest month ever measured</span></a> anywhere on Earth, with an average temperature of 107.24 degrees F. Several days <a href="https://twitter.com/Weather_West/status/893347102872322049"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 74, 97); color: #0056d6; line-height: normal;">topped 120 degrees</span></a>.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE</b>: Do you think that the destructiveness of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma might be related to the unusually high temperatures?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Aug. 18<b> <i>The Economic Times</i> </b>published an article by Vishwa Mohan titled, <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/finance/climate-change-costs-india-10-billion-every-year-government/articleshow/60113030.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Climate change costs India $10 billion every year: Government</span></a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">. The author wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Extreme weather events are costing India $9-10 billion annually and climate change is projected to impact agricultural productivity with increasing severity from 2020 to the end of the century. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In a recent submission to a parliamentary committee, the agriculture ministry said productivity decrease of major crops would be marginal in the next few years but could rise to as much as 10-40% by 2100 unless farming adapts to climate change-induced changes in weather.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">NOTE: A loss of 40% of India’s major crops could be a catastrophe - especially if its population continues to grow. The population is expected to increase until <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33720723"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">India’s becomes the largest in the world</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Sept. 3 the <b><i>Popular Resistance Newsletter</i></b> published a powerful article by Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers titled <a href="https://popularresistance.org/newsletter-climate-breakdown/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Climate Breakdown</span></a>. They wrote:</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">“<a href="https://popularresistance.org/why-are-the-crucial-questions-about-hurricane-harvey-not-being-asked/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(80, 146, 149); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Climate breakdown</span></a></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">, as George Monbiot calls it, is happening before our eyes at the same time the science on climate change grows stronger and has wider acceptance. Hurricane Harvey, which struck at the center of the petroleum industry – the heart of climate denialism – provided a glimpse of the new normal of climate crisis-induced events. In Asia, this week the <a href="https://popularresistance.org/1200-dead-up-to-41-million-affected-in-asian-flooding/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(80, 146, 149); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">climate message was even stronger</span></a> where at least 1,200 people died and 41 million were impacted. By 2050, <a href="https://popularresistance.org/number-of-people-displaced-by-climate-change-could-reach-one-billion-by-2050/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(80, 146, 149); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">one billion people could be displaced</span></a> by climate crises.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Climate disasters demonstrate the immense failure of government at all levels. The world has known about the likely disastrous impacts of climate change for decades. Next year will be the thirtieth anniversary of <a href="http://www.ipcc.ch/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(80, 146, 149); color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;">the </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(80, 146, 149); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</span></a> (IPCC), which operates under the auspices of the United Nations and was founded in 1988. The IPCC published the first of five reports in 1990. Thousands of scientists and other experts write and review the reports and 120 countries participate in the process. The most common surprises in successive reports are <a href="https://popularresistance.org/scientists-caught-off-guard-by-record-temperatures/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(80, 146, 149); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">more rapid temperature increases</span></a> and <a href="https://popularresistance.org/antarctica-at-risk-of-runaway-melting-scientists-discover/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(80, 146, 149); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">greater impacts</span></a> than scientists had predicted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The science on climate change has become extremely strong as the <a href="https://popularresistance.org/speaking-truth-to-power-on-climate-change-why-the-report-leaked/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(80, 146, 149); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">final draft of the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s Climate Science Special Report</span></a> showed. The <a href="https://popularresistance.org/federal-scientists-startling-climate-report-released-before-trump-can-bury-it/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(80, 146, 149); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">document was leaked</span></a> last month because scientists feared the Trump administration would amend, suppress or destroy it. The report describes overwhelming evidence of man-made climate change impacting us right now and the urgent need to get to zero net carbon emissions.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">NOTE: The article is both powerful and extremely well written. I recommend that you read the whole thing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Sept. 20 <b><i>Time</i></b> updated an article by Justin Worland titled, <a href="http://time.com/4947960/lindsay-graham-climate-change-carbon-tax/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; font-family: Calibri; line-height: normal;">R</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">epublican Senator Endorses ‘Price on Carbon’ to Fight Climate Change</span></a>. Worland wrote:</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Sen. Lindsey Graham endorsed a "price on <a href="http://time.com/4672110/donald-trump-carbon-tax-dividend/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(233, 6, 6); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">carbon"</span></a> to fight climate change, breaking with much of the Republican Establishment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Speaking at a climate change conference held by former Secretary of State John Kerry at Yale University, the South Carolina Republican called for a "price on carbon," saying he would take the idea to the White House for consideration.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">"I'm a Republican. I believe that the greenhouse effect is real, that CO2 emissions generated by man is creating our greenhouse gas effect that traps heat, and the planet is warming," said Graham. "A price on carbon—that's the way to go in my view."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Graham said he is working Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat, on legislation. Despite the statement, any significant global warming legislation would meet <a href="http://time.com/4874888/climate-change-politics-history/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(233, 6, 6); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">near-certain failure</span></a> in the Republican-controlled Congress.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Still, the announcement makes Graham part of an increasingly vocal <a href="http://time.com/4762376/republicans-climate-change-debate/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(233, 6, 6); color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;">contingent</span></a> of Republicans on Capitol Hill bucking their party along with 28 Republican members of a bipartisan climate change caucus (though the group has not endorsed a carbon tax or anything close to it).</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Another group of prominent Republican elder statesmen, including former secretaries of State James Baker and George P. Shultz and former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, <a href="http://time.com/4663995/republicans-gop-climate-change-council/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(233, 6, 6); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">offered a proposal</span></a> earlier this year for a carbon tax and dividend that would pay returns to taxpayers.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE</b>: This growing Republican support for dealing with rather than denying climate change by is an important development. Climate change is a critical issue demanding a response that members of both parties might work together on.</span></div>
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</span><span style="color: black; font-kerning: none;"><b> </b></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">The following items are from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), Carol Werner, Executive Director. Past issues of its newsletter are posted on its website under "publications"<br />
at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102515421764&e=001VqmyLSnT7fkl-_mocGBcn8yb2ys8eiE4dr3Tnveazy1K0B1fU1CponAdxiy_W78b49PK6NHsR0pHlqO7KOWi-3m5yW4bNEJiyJt1G95YoNt46CLY1L4uGjNKLSPL84kX2r7jAaxw1oVR18YElOXvV8_lo1bRsASi9tPNMTm7-ZU="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">http://www.eesi.org/publications/Newsletters/CCNews/ccnews.htm</span></a></span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">EESI’s newsletter is intended for all interested parties, particularly the policymaker community. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CEEAD240-B0AF-40C3-8204-EE78663F28BA/pastedGraphic.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Scientists Fear Trump Administration May Suppress Findings of Prominent Climate Change Report</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A draft section of the National Climate Assessment concludes that "many lines of evidence demonstrate that human activities, especially emissions of greenhouse (heat-trapping) gases, are primarily responsible for recent observed climate change." The congressionally-mandated quadrennial report is the product of numerous federal agencies and cites evidence from thousands of past studies indicating the causes and impacts of climate change. These findings are in direct conflict with the Trump administration's public views on climate science, resulting in a heightened level of scrutiny towards how the White House decides to handle the report. Scientists have expressed concerns that the administration may alter or suppress the report. The draft has already received approval from the National Academy of Sciences, but will also require sign-off from 13 federal agencies, including the EPA. The report is regarded as one of the most comprehensive and rigorous summaries of climate science available. The draft version includes findings attributing some extreme weather to climate change, as well as an overview of how climate change has affected the entire United States.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0011t-IPWvgZCbJgcxRyiOn6TJe21RYuXGUpkvABOP0nB_L3oNdQh1cLvoRFyl43njAntzt1C5f9Ke2U0Phcw1CUacnYSaJfMNVCgKdCdtM4jd6Xcx6J1M5aUZ4IPF7nh2XMtBhI2YkS65e8NsduYpwhA8IJ8D0w2cYs5EQHIjEP6jVmSMjlLFhIPLlXTzhitHWDb3Lk3jrNzPVu4DyuaAdoBgHNPwqkcm90Sy2CzqbVdKBelZTvqmfc2A-woVFdi7eKFzGDOxCUkc=&c=jClJRGuaemijwBIckUkdXxS3qLPBdEOeUaoYk1ygd2Pc2LzziDSpTw==&ch=xrW8I92UZwrVb3SaQYtgqAf6WNatUqGGfaxChLEG7IhQRUiVCXtRSg==">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Trump Administration Restates Desire to Exit Paris Agreement; Will Continue to Attend Climate Talks</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On August 4, the Trump administration delivered a letter to the United Nations declaring the government's intent to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. However, the document is merely a political statement and does not carry any legal authority. According to the terms of the Paris Agreement, the United States will not be able to officially begin the withdrawal process until November 4, 2019. A statement issued by the U.S. State Department said, "[The President] ... is open to re-engaging in the Paris Agreement if the U.S. can identify terms that are more favorable to the United States." It remains unclear what new terms the Trump administration may be seeking, as each country is free to adjust their individual emission reduction goals under the accord. The statement also advocates for providing developing nations with increased access to fossil fuel technologies. Despite its aim to exit the agreement, the United States will continue to send a delegation to future climate negotiations, including the next Conference of Parties in Bonn, Germany.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0011t-IPWvgZCbJgcxRyiOn6TJe21RYuXGUpkvABOP0nB_L3oNdQh1cLvoRFyl43njAkqxFkY9f1m5__VQnRoBpidiGxIrJ4w04qnr4L_tDwOX4BZKntJGSFr2I46PHWpL3XEXTOeSRTldN9tKL7AelpmY4D8OzsyA3TM9K75aCNr72MihxnHvtiE1k1g47CYqkHh_xVJJgpg88OKDHMyBhSn0M44KN-_tbeyhV_oJzTtvg2fEC7p0R6KaUrKPhc7F8jVqD2ueJU5KlWawaKW5oc7f2nOH_IWtOPHbAqk3cUEtw49ceYkPQaqx8DqGGV0Yg&c=jClJRGuaemijwBIckUkdXxS3qLPBdEOeUaoYk1ygd2Pc2LzziDSpTw==&ch=xrW8I92UZwrVb3SaQYtgqAf6WNatUqGGfaxChLEG7IhQRUiVCXtRSg==">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Climate Science Terms Are Quietly Being Phased Out of USDA's Research</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A series of emails obtained by The Guardian revealed climate change terms are being censored out of work performed by U.S. Department of Agriculture staff. In a message from a top department official, the terms "climate change," "climate change adaptation," "reduce greenhouse gases," and "sequester carbon" were to be replaced by alternative language, such as "weather extremes," "resilience to weather," "increase nutrient use efficiency," and "build soil organic matter." The February 2017 email from Bianca Moebius-Clune, director of soil health at USDA, said the agency will change how it talks about climate change. Emails from other senior agency staff suggested the Trump administration would not be prioritizing climate change and that staff should be "[made] aware of this shift in perspective." Messaging indicated some staff were confused as to what scientific terms would be acceptable in publications, while others expressed a desire to keep the existing language to maintain the "scientific integrity of the work." The administration's nominee to be <i>USDA's chief scientist, Sam Clovis, has no scientific background</i> <b><i>(emphasis added)</i></b> and has previously declared climate research to be "junk science."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0011t-IPWvgZCbJgcxRyiOn6TJe21RYuXGUpkvABOP0nB_L3oNdQh1cLvoRFyl43njAWcbhcDE2CarlJOAQ4ji_W4OQ9YyQJUUgdwko2b1wFCa_n9Ye_9DF1mpyUV6zkaJgZTVK_BRio4_C9PqXIGB3aIFSS6lbEh5U0i--NsB_WfvE1b-BnVS70tHWylHvC4LULkDB9aQakW2qaR45yzr2HpN6hDOLOSryf2-fF_CrcZQFlPE784IPEgLB30LRHCyY5iB6_SDrScLQ8WRtrtd8Oh4a6APtg3Hk&c=jClJRGuaemijwBIckUkdXxS3qLPBdEOeUaoYk1ygd2Pc2LzziDSpTw==&ch=xrW8I92UZwrVb3SaQYtgqAf6WNatUqGGfaxChLEG7IhQRUiVCXtRSg==">Guardian<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Louisiana Still Trying to Recover from One of the Worst Storms in State History</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Louisiana residents are struggling to cope with the aftermath of the worst rainstorm in the state's history, which led to 13 deaths and damaged nearly 100,000 homes. Flooding from the August 2016 storm resulted in $10.3 billion in damages, with $110 million in agricultural losses, making it one of the worst floods in the country's history. However, the storm did not garner a lot of media coverage and Congress authorized aid totaling just 13 cents for every dollar of damage, whereas Hurricanes Sandy and Katrina were granted 65-70 cents on the dollar. Jeffrey Schlegelmilch of Columbia University cautioned Congress is "getting a little frustrated with [funding] these emergency supplementals" that have provided relief from recent disasters, noting "they've gotten more difficult to pass." Scientific analysis concluded that climate change made the occurrence of Louisiana's extreme rainfall event twice as likely compared to a century ago. Study author and climatologist Robert Gillies said, "We found that the background climate - the circulation pattern - had changed in such a way that it has increased the odds for such weather."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0011t-IPWvgZCbJgcxRyiOn6TJe21RYuXGUpkvABOP0nB_L3oNdQh1cLvoRFyl43njABixSOMTCPJSnREvOLml2yyPXQei4ouK_Y4slHwv1VC0bx-fawzasycEL0ONZHb0fiQwMR_K0jwjZaq73Mkg1qzfB2mDJQ72oNXyHbkzZem12pgF8tEZ_zUoqE3J-qX-nps6LA_6rabjSaRFqrfdnGujJOTqcqAT5tlnN0VcLWWmaHNyrumPlMg==&c=jClJRGuaemijwBIckUkdXxS3qLPBdEOeUaoYk1ygd2Pc2LzziDSpTw==&ch=xrW8I92UZwrVb3SaQYtgqAf6WNatUqGGfaxChLEG7IhQRUiVCXtRSg==">Climate Central<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Climate Change Is Causing Peru's Highland Glaciers to Disappear</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Peru is grappling with the steady loss and degradation of its mountain glaciers, which supply water for drinking, agriculture, and hydroelectricity for millions of people. The country is home to 70 percent of the world's tropical glaciers, but has seen those glaciers lose 90 percent of their mass. A lack of glacial runoff will force government officials to reevaluate the irrigation and electricity infrastructure that relies upon those water sources. According to Nelson Santillán at Peru's national water authority, "For countries like Peru that are trying to climb out of poverty, there are major social, cultural, and economic obstacles to adaptation. Identifying risks is one thing, but doing something about them is another." Flooding from swollen glacial lakes is another danger. If the dam defending the city of Huaraz's 200,000 residents failed, it would result in $2.5 billion in damage and thousands of deaths. However, government action is paralyzed by a history of corruption and a lack of buy-in from local communities for proposed solutions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0011t-IPWvgZCbJgcxRyiOn6TJe21RYuXGUpkvABOP0nB_L3oNdQh1cLvoRFyl43njAi3PnNmw54qLxD21UxTBW98lbeBhJVK6pTSwZXqCAMhT23Y6PnexFw9dT2No8EriT8g3TI4Xy0pniVZcteLcV3Swjh9vf30ucHlHkUyN_XF_Km6Bw9n3NJ5rbD5Ai0r9qlmvgiYKekVvZeVBve7WKiE2IIXSKd_1DzWeVZFwuaM817YLPibsVOodmzcqXT3On-vgVLOEQED-cEUlfvOBjK95JRPzxOg7nbTMEgDj26WBP7_Q_Oohp0wsMmp5sMEMeRqbMg5v9_Kteh4KslnecxRwvIgyMsdYoKYQl97GT7mPJgumBuaN8oGjvArA4mqVA&c=jClJRGuaemijwBIckUkdXxS3qLPBdEOeUaoYk1ygd2Pc2LzziDSpTw==&ch=xrW8I92UZwrVb3SaQYtgqAf6WNatUqGGfaxChLEG7IhQRUiVCXtRSg==">Washington Post<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Climate Change and Unpredictable Weather Threaten Madagascar's Subsistence Farmers</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Disruptions to the weather cycles in Madagascar are putting entire communities of subsistence farmers at risk. Rice is a staple food for the island nation, but erratic precipitation and severe storms have threatened the crop's production. According to long-time farmers, a major cyclone used to occur about every five years, but now five such storms may hit in a given year. The island's 1,000-mile-long east coast leaves it particularly vulnerable to cyclones. Droughts, abnormal cold, and other factors have harmed the growth of crops. A 2014 study verified the anecdotal evidence, finding that Madagascar's weather has indeed become more extreme over the past 20 years. Researcher Celia Harvey of Conservation International said, "We found that farmers are experiencing very variable rainfall and very variable crop production. Anything that affects their rice production ultimately very quickly undermines their livelihood." Many farmers are poor and financially anchored to their land, making it virtually impossible for them to move if the environment drastically changes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0011t-IPWvgZCbJgcxRyiOn6TJe21RYuXGUpkvABOP0nB_L3oNdQh1cLvoRFyl43njA0024u91vHA86OayORxs0h6p0z8zVmaso6W4z-fLFKHEPyAaSxDYbKZqvyFx0DLl7b4sZyTCa4k9JVix7qerFcTz4yAVMC-4zleUfVLnxOUTb0li35MSrsATRucag9VgzaSunzSCMeHB1cmt3d2eVE1OssEOTp9XI2UJPdUa1CN3eAA6fJaQJQoYy4no8POjBNQvexyXSGrkGeWls93pXf8m3s_gSBAJujhFLgA_3tws2OklOsu3h6GWD4-PhtGKE&c=jClJRGuaemijwBIckUkdXxS3qLPBdEOeUaoYk1ygd2Pc2LzziDSpTw==&ch=xrW8I92UZwrVb3SaQYtgqAf6WNatUqGGfaxChLEG7IhQRUiVCXtRSg==">NPR<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study: Greenhouse Gas Regulations Could Produce $300 Billion in Annual Benefits by 2030</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">According to a new report from the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University, regulations issued under the Obama administration to reduce greenhouse gas emissions could yield $300 billion in net benefits per year by 2030. Whether these benefits will be fully realized is in question, as the Trump administration has been actively working to roll back many of these rules. The study's author, Jessica Wentz, said her team wanted to examine the impact of the rules as a "complete package" and assess the narrative presented by those opposed to the regulations that "these rules impose undue costs on industry and society as a whole." The study compared cost-benefit analyses conducted by federal agencies, as well as independent research done outside the government. The $370 billion in benefits included the impact of reducing carbon dioxide levels and the health benefits of cutting other pollutants, but did not factor in jobs created. Meanwhile, the total cost of implementing the rules was projected to be $84 billion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0011t-IPWvgZCbJgcxRyiOn6TJe21RYuXGUpkvABOP0nB_L3oNdQh1cLvoRFyl43njAHpPAa2XSpj3tJ4FuYcnF5OXHmsvqBW3_5VXZ85HfrPWdqM3Jvp3_3XT1678R_7c6yav0RLpmPa1OnbK4SHg2EDe_21Gdu-OewEEC5FF_BZAI57S4-udkUpFer5uz4Ew7uYxv6b_OiZevINMFhgGoS5Mb2rW4b7-hG86UtJT_6ljO0UwprQl3-eBO57oRRHrFFAcCdJ4hPXWMK5OJVcXCpW-rEdDjff3e&c=jClJRGuaemijwBIckUkdXxS3qLPBdEOeUaoYk1ygd2Pc2LzziDSpTw==&ch=xrW8I92UZwrVb3SaQYtgqAf6WNatUqGGfaxChLEG7IhQRUiVCXtRSg==">E&E News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Scientists Continue to Study the Potential Risks and Rewards of Solar Geoengineering</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Interest in solar geoengineering is beginning to rise as researchers work to better understand its potential benefits and drawbacks. The method is designed to reduce the amount of heat that is able to enter the Earth's atmosphere by reflecting sunlight back into space. This can be achieved through a variety of ways, including cloud brightening, deploying reflective gas at high altitudes, and encouraging cloud formation high in the atmosphere. The organized study of the moral, political, and technological merits of solar geoengineering arose over the past decade. Scientists have also begun to examine potential risks, such as impacts on the water cycle and ecosystems. Researchers are careful to point out that geoengineering is intended as a stopgap for climate mitigation. Prof. Alan Robock of Rutgers University said, "The Paris Agreement was a good start, but those pledges aren't enough. So what we're looking at is: If global warming is so dangerous, could we shave off a little warming while we continue to mitigate greenhouse gases?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0011t-IPWvgZCbJgcxRyiOn6TJe21RYuXGUpkvABOP0nB_L3oNdQh1cLvoRFyl43njAIVwjDDnPP0mJp_LFBt9OS8cTHDDVOtTL8jw7ob7fniTisyE5CeATpo9oKcebe9G1qN23B493gjJBOKiIVI2D7KKP5L3zt6ca0v0dlwPpbyBB_uA9muT_n1QbcVoKCOngr_J3xmMm89PX7snTuTcLJ5PQKFTIVpE0JhG7S3O1IJoysvFPSpiLvKzPWt_0WsE5BMR2i0e-NqMeD1q2AKc1Bw==&c=jClJRGuaemijwBIckUkdXxS3qLPBdEOeUaoYk1ygd2Pc2LzziDSpTw==&ch=xrW8I92UZwrVb3SaQYtgqAf6WNatUqGGfaxChLEG7IhQRUiVCXtRSg==">The Atlantic<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_1.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CEEAD240-B0AF-40C3-8204-EE78663F28BA/pastedGraphic_1.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Trump's Executive Order Will Leave Federally-Funded Projects More Vulnerable to Flood Risks</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On August 15, President Trump signed an executive order to roll back the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard, which was created through an earlier executive order by President Obama. The 2015 standard required projects built with federal aid to account for the risks posed by sea level rise. Several building trade groups, including the National Association of Home Builders, lobbied for the repeal of the flood planning guidelines, arguing that they would increase construction costs and raise rents. However, a significant coalition of city planners and engineers supported the existing policy. Jessica Grannis of the Georgetown Climate Center said, "What [Trump's] order will do is ensure that we will waste more taxpayer money because federal agencies will no longer have to consider long-term flood risks to federally-funded infrastructure projects." Trump's order would also purportedly streamline the federal permitting process for infrastructure projects, but watchdogs fear it could potentially lead to a stifling of public comment opportunities central to federal environmental reviews.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001lefZiCucnGu48JqIE8aYdNENoDDauGHNtfSXMT2oYpbB8QUGzdKMbHdTZiu_BIKRmSJwVuu-_tChvJatMfiFPMgRy4YGFzaw-DpTaH1U8ByqGmeldxSsdIa1H5BZTY541z0vtshOBzZKce_dF0wySmNToTD0pQSyTTSERVdnokClUtIzDo3A_KM3b6eWAZ02Tj-kDFG5_Pvw3VRfxwgkGTZbatxdPxOiaC_Aes2XkJP0fcECP2Ddl6BOUzsGANfdG0yGvbnjGcKGz6n6bozqY78FDdusBwVtVqu3JdTfgJ_7i93nhaKRz_Msn7WpI63fsZlxgjjkrCSLAclrDUmOzSvB2gzRHPuC&c=Q-_AseOxn19b4jv0q9GlFzOyTs3PLu6zcDKq1on9Hwbi7ZOvV7SvYA==&ch=_rQvyVcYyqYylMgP78Q6vbtR1FCjkC2OcEKQbMRBA1ydL4Uh4RigPA==">Associated Press</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001lefZiCucnGu48JqIE8aYdNENoDDauGHNtfSXMT2oYpbB8QUGzdKMbHdTZiu_BIKRFtiWJVN6Wj0-MnTMPbaljcmpNIFTe7NrmAGT4UU8kRL0KlpNZ2jIvQXIKhURbopaII6S7f_NoxT_7_1VuSBTm3F2Da-Zcg5Y2bX9WmX3w4UisQKVB08xu6dg247Byc-mjSyE7R3xdGAnu1uEyV9H1ynUA-zrmZ0dvtSRmq0tHRELCurZ6CRN9AGhbvTKwjegWNYW6l70_QLr5vHRVCfOqHVoyXuA7SwA2ml2hkf_CwqVwmmlIDJcSRY91wnFQiJzqPdvF5IepBk8uyolTTBZa7pMrOEGmdYHIDUfUcMFV-dff6eFa16IWamkv2xGowIJ&c=Q-_AseOxn19b4jv0q9GlFzOyTs3PLu6zcDKq1on9Hwbi7ZOvV7SvYA==&ch=_rQvyVcYyqYylMgP78Q6vbtR1FCjkC2OcEKQbMRBA1ydL4Uh4RigPA=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Washington Post</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">NOTE: This item was published by EESI on Aug. 21 - before Hurricanes Harvey and Irma - the most powerful Atlantic hurricane in history. Prophetic words.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_2.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CEEAD240-B0AF-40C3-8204-EE78663F28BA/pastedGraphic_2.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Interior Department's Climate Advisory Committee Put on Hiatus</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Signs indicate the Interior Department's Advisory Committee on Climate Change and Natural Resource Science has been quietly shelved. The committee was created in 2013 to advise the Secretary of the Interior on climate change. It featured 25 members from scientific, policy, and economic disciplines. The committee's charter was allowed to lapse in June 2017, while a meeting scheduled for April was cancelled. An Interior spokesperson said the committee is not currently active, as its future is being reviewed. Members were told the department would like to see "[a redeveloped] charter with slightly different tasks and a reduced membership that brings more professional societies onto the committee." Given the minimal cost of convening the committee, former members suspect the reorganization is tied to the Trump administration's view of climate science. Prior recommendations from the committee covered ways to improve communication on climate change across Interior's agencies and how to assist tribes in developing adaptation strategies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001lefZiCucnGu48JqIE8aYdNENoDDauGHNtfSXMT2oYpbB8QUGzdKMbHdTZiu_BIKR572-r4aZ_aP4y2Wn5lJhEzHguoDAK83sBJ__LjlTuqKpKbFDMkqeKz0AToMXZARGcpd79Q3FvqOPcILVm7EOVhqVxZuR2tEarxfenwo4NYDgl2Kf95f7me-dFY_PSVbrsq_S5pIUaVo=&c=Q-_AseOxn19b4jv0q9GlFzOyTs3PLu6zcDKq1on9Hwbi7ZOvV7SvYA==&ch=_rQvyVcYyqYylMgP78Q6vbtR1FCjkC2OcEKQbMRBA1ydL4Uh4RigPA==">E&E New<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;">s</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>California May Invest Hundreds of Millions in Climate Research Programs</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A coalition of researchers is crafting a proposal to establish a California Climate Science and Solutions Institute, which would focus on basic- and applied-research projects for dealing with climate change. The initiative would invest hundreds of millions of dollars per year and could potentially draw funds from the state's cap-and-trade program. While the governor's office has expressed support, any proposal would have to pass the state legislature. Daniel Kammen of UC-Berkley said, "The goal is to develop the research we need, and then put climate solutions into practice." Thus far, the idea has gained the backing of all 10 University of California campuses, as well as Stanford and the California Institute of Technology. Researchers from any institution would be eligible for grants, with a priority given to projects that "engage communities, businesses, and policymakers." The coalition hopes to submit a plan to the state legislature before the end of 2017, with the institute up and running by September 2018.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001lefZiCucnGu48JqIE8aYdNENoDDauGHNtfSXMT2oYpbB8QUGzdKMbHdTZiu_BIKRDkIHvE2JBfbp2pRcXuEqL8yadQ9qJN6CyxRa7EbYIvOUisw1bvJVelxurZ2NGNAsFyJRI0WyGIK_Ia01imgSZ27rCP_k3X8a54DsTEjNFsOtpOAGtVF5RVVOIT8g9r0cjWko3hi67Lcm87TQf_p_0qNJPp6Ngscb5qelQv-6-HUKVA4iLIYQKST8NwI9pn8PdACgr2msNIgRPIIdx9ybm9a4Gcjl0tyU&c=Q-_AseOxn19b4jv0q9GlFzOyTs3PLu6zcDKq1on9Hwbi7ZOvV7SvYA==&ch=_rQvyVcYyqYylMgP78Q6vbtR1FCjkC2OcEKQbMRBA1ydL4Uh4RigPA==">Nature<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_3.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CEEAD240-B0AF-40C3-8204-EE78663F28BA/pastedGraphic_3.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Drought in Sri Lanka Drives Displacement of Young People from Rural Communities</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Sri Lanka's agricultural industry is struggling to adapt to increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather patterns. A 10-month-long drought has impacted 19 of the island nation's 25 districts. A report by the World Food Program and United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization declared the drought the region's worst in 40 years, warning Sri Lanka "is highly susceptible to climate change, and therefore the frequency of the weather hazards will likely increase as the Earth warms." Sri Lanka's production is expected to be 35 percent less in 2017 than its five-year average. More than a quarter of the country's workforce is employed in agriculture, accounting for eight percent of its GDP. The hardships have led to a migration of young people from rural villages to urban areas in search of a steadier source of income. Sisira Kumara, a government administrator for the village of Adigama, said, "If they get the lowest paying job overseas, or in a garment factory, they will not return. There is no income here. All the crops have failed in the last four seasons."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001lefZiCucnGu48JqIE8aYdNENoDDauGHNtfSXMT2oYpbB8QUGzdKMbHdTZiu_BIKRyw08ykZ3g4hk9e-f3fYa2PhFBtXk9d_xMoF3hsLCVtq9gd2nwwSzHibBBYV2KuCJBM-JZaGAhcfqocJ9nv2iu16mfBDM04OfhqhFMA3fkT_eAjsNWEB_EYM8Z-7t-RjuArWlxDb5GbCwDSLDGFz9vA==&c=Q-_AseOxn19b4jv0q9GlFzOyTs3PLu6zcDKq1on9Hwbi7ZOvV7SvYA==&ch=_rQvyVcYyqYylMgP78Q6vbtR1FCjkC2OcEKQbMRBA1ydL4Uh4RigPA==">Reuters<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_4.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CEEAD240-B0AF-40C3-8204-EE78663F28BA/pastedGraphic_4.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Bangladesh's Cities Grapple with a Steady Influx of Displaced Peoples</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Environmental and economic changes in Bangladesh are pushing large swaths of the population to migrate. Coastal flooding in Bangladesh destroys property, leaves farmland too salty to grow crops, and contaminates ground water. Tropical cyclones are expected to become more frequent and severe due to climate change, elevating the risk of storm surges. Over the past 20 years, rural residents have been moving to cities, with the city of Dhaka alone seeing its population double to 19 million. City planners have not been able to keep up with the region's growth spurt, leading to crowded slums and flooding due to new construction interfering with natural drainage systems. An additional 20 million Bangladeshis are believed to have crossed illegally into neighboring India, resulting in the construction of a guarded fence along the border. Efforts to address South Asia's migrations are in the early stages. One challenge is that climate migrants are difficult to differentiate from economic migrants, since both essentially move in search of work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001lefZiCucnGu48JqIE8aYdNENoDDauGHNtfSXMT2oYpbB8QUGzdKMbHdTZiu_BIKRHEDcX9rrLAIFuTms6aV1pXG_seT9iPbtZpYQri_8crhsxLLMJQfu4TxSqpJ-BdM9z2O9asfk5nh1S9qu3m5O5KxPHsiPP6rDsSBoGz9tZmoZn_tRPpOBq179eUIIU-hzj0oZb2USns2eqbBWa1gppTrInTciKHH4YOCZMjeGaMM7f8Da6--YkIxvFBYX6o49kwEXZ1F3_Lo=&c=Q-_AseOxn19b4jv0q9GlFzOyTs3PLu6zcDKq1on9Hwbi7ZOvV7SvYA==&ch=_rQvyVcYyqYylMgP78Q6vbtR1FCjkC2OcEKQbMRBA1ydL4Uh4RigPA==">Climate Change News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_5.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CEEAD240-B0AF-40C3-8204-EE78663F28BA/pastedGraphic_5.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Innovative Public-Private Collaboration Helps Norway Reduce Food Waste</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">At the urging of the Norwegian government, supermarket chain Lentusgruppen developed a new business model to help combat food waste. The company's offshoot, Best Før, opened up shop in Oslo in October of 2016 and specializes in selling goods that have been overproduced or have exceeded their listed "best before date" but are still perfectly safe to consume. The products are sold at a steep discount due to their age. Operations manager Naeeh Ahmed explained, "Most supermarkets won't buy products that are within 10 days or so of their expiry date - it often has to be wasted." Collaboration between Norway's government and the food industry has led to other innovative programs that ensure such food reaches consumers. Norway began pursuing these efforts in 2010 upon realizing its food waste translated to 978,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually (equivalent to about one-quarter of its vehicle emissions). As of 2015, food waste had been reduced by 12 percent per person, still short of the country's goal of 25 percent per person.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001lefZiCucnGu48JqIE8aYdNENoDDauGHNtfSXMT2oYpbB8QUGzdKMbHdTZiu_BIKR6RSCZ3LZyU5Ic95whcFgA8GJ7NBGhaAog5ZLBsQO1LfkJYgpoFM3xUePY1uHgI4gsoVA26Cgoc08Qmu2oL6P85M0aA2pgmekuCe7JrUsQopis95vQDerRoTRLZ6OHNfDcInxl26fnK7qz-rSJGzXhquLR4vfxIeNyOz822U0LAYr_h-t9BNLJyl5MBkEawLLGVwH4QzUQ8zeG-4nberS3Bn3otTmmA_W6m1gVc5va7c=&c=Q-_AseOxn19b4jv0q9GlFzOyTs3PLu6zcDKq1on9Hwbi7ZOvV7SvYA==&ch=_rQvyVcYyqYylMgP78Q6vbtR1FCjkC2OcEKQbMRBA1ydL4Uh4RigPA==">Guardian<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b> </b> <b> </b> <b> </b> <b> </b> <b> </b> <b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_6.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CEEAD240-B0AF-40C3-8204-EE78663F28BA/pastedGraphic_6.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Tampa Bay Remains Highly Vulnerable to Future Hurricanes</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Hurricane Irma spared Tampa, FL from serious flooding, but the next major storm may not. The Tampa Bay region was developed right up to the shoreline, leading to construction on top of natural islands and coastal marshes. The World Bank named Tampa seventh in a ranking of cities around the world most vulnerable to storm damage. The property information firm CoreLogic estimated that 455,000 Tampa Bay homes are threatened by storm surges, representing about $80 billion in financial risk. These estimates place Tampa among Miami and New York as the most vulnerable metropolitan areas in the United States. Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn admitted the city is unlikely to "go another 90 years without a direct hit [from a storm.]" Buckhorn explained, "We're a low-lying area, a city on the water with 100-year-old infrastructure and 2017 growth patterns. We live in Florida where people want to live on the water. None of that I can change. I'm trying to be an advocate for investment in infrastructure."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001i_9v7l7Zf5ltUTtPlhKQ2QpkinwZW4sGFZ427lk_rbL9evkr1KZTs-tToDEu26ri9bdfglqLe6KgOqbxoYAza8VEzJ-Pv4B-MjtZM6aGxsGFCKmcdq80LquAOXe2mMW6LXCaqtvA_DFcqlvFRvUYA4ZkUG4bVkKOK8PuBjUK6N_3DUqrn78LyhEfNDcRC0fc1tQ3zHhFaUfPgwiA_m880-gPOWe12JL1m7LrRRsuUxqTP7HAC6sF5JurdkB1mjQleItVUfECEdPOqjVaJFD9Xw==&c=unelmZI0z6t-NkZWWyEKy7UmckFA5Se5TsKDa0HuqDUKt4hry_yxOA==&ch=ttVakmnBRbTTEhwtRniV-5HFTxmWgR_E_H0Qh9rdJPtb6va9uEIp1A==">Business Insider<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_7.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CEEAD240-B0AF-40C3-8204-EE78663F28BA/pastedGraphic_7.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Hurricane Irma Overflows Sewer Systems in Florida</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">As of September 12, nine million gallons of wastewater had been released into Florida waters as a result of Hurricane Irma. One Miami-area facility spilled six million gallons of sewage into Biscayne Bay, while a Middleburg site released 250,000 gallons of untreated liquid due to flooding. EPA has sent specialists to Florida to assist wastewater facilities impacted by flooding or power loss. Wastewater plants are commonly located near a body of water, where treated water is eventually released before it gets withdrawn as drinking water downstream. Industry analysts observe that South Florida's decades-old sewer systems are ill-equipped to handle the region's booming population, on top of severe weather events. EPA estimated that $271 billion would be needed to maintain and improve the country's wastewater pipes and associated infrastructure. Nathan Gardner-Andrews of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies said, "If these outlier events are now going to become the norm, then we really need to be looking significantly at how do we make these utilities more resilient."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001i_9v7l7Zf5ltUTtPlhKQ2QpkinwZW4sGFZ427lk_rbL9evkr1KZTs-tToDEu26riFaaLuZKX6p4anUCiDJInZgFH3NTK38aKJyXkmoABVC88P1rFVHa2AsfxSv5-9GoL1rT29LxglLYhyAfgfgGCojfxhWmWlttgJ-t59Kla7OPC_Su6AL6K9E6N4rqQcTOaj8RkFxpah7NMmBKgn0kMNI0lJsu9UEYGalAkX0TUSDatL_0yr79NOiLR4-ivxfAoSld6ouJl-ottcL_3v-V4kdjRd9e3b1U6RC1Vk5wcMsM=&c=unelmZI0z6t-NkZWWyEKy7UmckFA5Se5TsKDa0HuqDUKt4hry_yxOA==&ch=ttVakmnBRbTTEhwtRniV-5HFTxmWgR_E_H0Qh9rdJPtb6va9uEIp1A==">Bloomberg<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_8.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CEEAD240-B0AF-40C3-8204-EE78663F28BA/pastedGraphic_8.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Proposed NASA Cuts Could Mean a Loss of Vital Earth Observation Data</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The White House and members of Congress are targeting multiple NASA satellite programs for budget cuts, endangering an unbroken record of crucial earth observation data. The House's proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2018 contains a $217 million cut to NASA's Earth-sciences budget, while the White House has proposed defunding four climate-related missions within the division. If federal funding for these programs dries up and their work is halted, it will create a "data gap," making it extremely difficult for climate researchers to develop scientific conclusions about environmental trends. One program under fire is Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiments (GRACE), which consists of a pair of synchronized satellites that "produce an unprecedentedly accurate reading of Earth's gravity field." GRACE has been instrumental in analyzing global aquifers, changes in ice sheets, and many other climate change trends. Recently, GRACE has gauged soil moisture, flood patterns, and power failures in Texas following Hurricane Harvey, which was beneficial to relief efforts and future planning. However, the satellites are in need of replacement after operating years beyond their planned lifespan. Scientists hope to launch follow-on satellites before the current set fails, but budget cuts could slow progress.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001i_9v7l7Zf5ltUTtPlhKQ2QpkinwZW4sGFZ427lk_rbL9evkr1KZTs-tToDEu26rilmhgqB1rZ2MH4C4HPYt4FikBttOHAOhasnBL5Ny9B2E2u78UB7xkKHfNn4eTQ21wZ8N-yye_DS5ravPTqFIrTJTMn2HLjjbApFnsIhoJ2M2Bn12oYYKRJtit7u8WoYABqj1jQfEPWa_rCmZn2XINnTmVImQm30nocbhTLZkg6HUfxAbvxsjyoFVL0pplG6zEFCkeSsz_GOerhBsRvsw7rg==&c=unelmZI0z6t-NkZWWyEKy7UmckFA5Se5TsKDa0HuqDUKt4hry_yxOA==&ch=ttVakmnBRbTTEhwtRniV-5HFTxmWgR_E_H0Qh9rdJPtb6va9uEIp1A==">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>China Announces Plans to Sideline Fossil Fuel-Powered Vehicles in the Future</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">China, the world's largest auto market, has announced plans to ban the sale and production of cars fueled by gasoline and diesel. The government is currently researching a timeline for the ban and policies to support it. It is likely that the government will offer significant production subsidies to facilitate this transition. China's shift away from fossil fuel-powered vehicles follows similar bans by Britain, France, India, and Norway. The Chinese government's latest proposal would require that electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles make up at least 12 percent of domestic automakers' sales by 2020. The proposed ban coincides with automakers' existing plans to develop more electric vehicles for the Chinese market, but adds pressure to the industry to adapt. Although China bought 40 percent of the world's electric vehicles in 2016, these sales made up just one percent of the country's total auto sales. If implemented, the ban in China will have a significant impact on global emissions, given that China is the world's second-largest consumer of oil.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001i_9v7l7Zf5ltUTtPlhKQ2QpkinwZW4sGFZ427lk_rbL9evkr1KZTs-tToDEu26riWbT1swx5AMLW1Epys1G48o0KcK5JyYIXXm5fDM6Z5BSTbcTR_8J9T217ddwT0nuPllcbu4BYdV59OHwIUg77j_R3Sme7kovPfZ2R5xkifkob-bxbj24hwaFjqMDLY8YV_y13-NcLTb7VSn9Lk3GrCRb7i85KBDqaASNrz0L0XTgnkGdkUW_GX_11uFfPYA5FOqICgk1gw2isolkllayCSvMtf20lDMvsTG6iOS1SoEakgR8UGIfNuA==&c=unelmZI0z6t-NkZWWyEKy7UmckFA5Se5TsKDa0HuqDUKt4hry_yxOA==&ch=ttVakmnBRbTTEhwtRniV-5HFTxmWgR_E_H0Qh9rdJPtb6va9uEIp1A==">Reuters</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001i_9v7l7Zf5ltUTtPlhKQ2QpkinwZW4sGFZ427lk_rbL9evkr1KZTs-tToDEu26riJerG2Ne34pTrdCELcLG2_cAQc1JPjcgTH6oe__bTXoElAac28LHy9aBB90L62kf8-u4tfHvIrdKCNhRKG13EUk1vBYRaKo97Z739BW-uWxr_3hA4don5EzdidJ_kWlOOP7ziIm60AKUOS4A_wp5tApq3_wt7thnkv8jWG4P0bDqz223EMo6pyVrx32SFQx8d&c=unelmZI0z6t-NkZWWyEKy7UmckFA5Se5TsKDa0HuqDUKt4hry_yxOA==&ch=ttVakmnBRbTTEhwtRniV-5HFTxmWgR_E_H0Qh9rdJPtb6va9uEIp1A=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">CNN</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_9.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CEEAD240-B0AF-40C3-8204-EE78663F28BA/pastedGraphic_9.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Climate Change Connected to a Decline in Crop Nutrition</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">An emerging field of scientific study is the intersection of climate change and nutrition. Agricultural research has shown a decline in the nutritional content of crops over the past 50-70 years. Crop selection practices are partly responsible for this trend, but a growing body of evidence supports the idea that climate change is another important factor. Since the Industrial Revolution, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased from 280 parts per million to over 400. Scientists believe that more carbon dioxide accelerates photosynthesis, which produces more glucose at the expense of other nutrients in plants. Mathematical biologist, Irakli Loladze, said, "We are witnessing the greatest injection of carbohydrates into the biosphere in human history - [an] injection that dilutes other nutrients in our food supply." In experiments, plants exposed to high levels of carbon dioxide contained lower concentrations of protein and essential micronutrients such as calcium, iron, zinc and potassium.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001i_9v7l7Zf5ltUTtPlhKQ2QpkinwZW4sGFZ427lk_rbL9evkr1KZTs-tToDEu26ri04PBqd06Un65FWYsPCtWbSUyhdlfBFxBkGdfHii-7LyINWuU3ao9ZiwRfmjSlxnQKr4qK-1H7lt5WOkTmTUEroeS0B7VoUvjhtus2wScAEHuuv5UYajFC9rnBZNYRn-jW8aAcuUPz__fttMwlxooxyZ86bLKXrKEwC_XV8k7A9iJ5DhMXH41R1iV5RATOnHxZZ6JU5zvHn4=&c=unelmZI0z6t-NkZWWyEKy7UmckFA5Se5TsKDa0HuqDUKt4hry_yxOA==&ch=ttVakmnBRbTTEhwtRniV-5HFTxmWgR_E_H0Qh9rdJPtb6va9uEIp1A==">Politico<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_10.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CEEAD240-B0AF-40C3-8204-EE78663F28BA/pastedGraphic_10.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Reef Damage Exposes Florida to More Forceful Storm Surges</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Scientists believe the deterioration of Florida's barrier reef intensified the storm surges from Hurricane Irma. Reefs mitigate the impact of storm surges by breaking waves before they reach shore. Studies suggest that reefs may reduce the energy of waves by up to 97 percent and the height of waves by up to 70 percent. Warming water and a series of bleaching events have weakened Florida's 360 mile-long reef to the extent that, living coral covers less than 10 percent of the tract today. Living coral is much more resilient to incoming waves than dead coral, allowing it to act as a more effective breakwater. However, rising sea levels can make it increasingly difficult for reefs to break up the taller waves. Lead marine scientist for The Nature Conservancy, Michael Beck, explained, "I think it's incredibly important to recognize that these coral reefs are our first line of defense, and when we degrade them, we put ourselves at much greater risk."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001i_9v7l7Zf5ltUTtPlhKQ2QpkinwZW4sGFZ427lk_rbL9evkr1KZTs-tToDEu26rirxyNPWx12T2vNqdguWoJ69LzCpFobe7KhQytLL4o9DxDnlwSdFES4B7JPFqhQLUhJxF_wXF_b6UcY7nRRT2-mAM7XC5F2_gxUGNrffqv0M0ag0wU5yknlY0BUDn7pyw3SUJ0KpM5YPrnOw3DUz_skOETHSxYeFGboCWk6HduEypN3TBkp-IW60Reg9WEFjpN8Y1-9JKdoy_MQ219jPaa0A0jP0h7Y7pzqYWOdOatpPvq9QVNrVhw01CKKS_YrHQfqbFyhCRlmDpwhERjt0C0FQMRUhoi2YWztQhjscpG41g1Rv_7uji4AIPrhnRa78Rp4SkGkGjTOkc=&c=unelmZI0z6t-NkZWWyEKy7UmckFA5Se5TsKDa0HuqDUKt4hry_yxOA==&ch=ttVakmnBRbTTEhwtRniV-5HFTxmWgR_E_H0Qh9rdJPtb6va9uEIp1A==">Washington Post<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_11.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CEEAD240-B0AF-40C3-8204-EE78663F28BA/pastedGraphic_11.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Florida Continues to Build, Despite Greater Awareness of Environmental Risks</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Florida's most appealing real estate locations are also among the most vulnerable to hurricanes and rising sea levels, but this is unlikely to deter future development. Florida has a history of building over sensitive coastal ecosystems such as marshes and mangroves. Half of the Everglades was lost in an effort initiated by the Army Corps of Engineers almost 100 years ago to reshape the natural water system. Now, Florida is the third-most populous state and the risks of maintaining the status quo keep adding up. New houses built right next to the water are dangerously exposed to storm surges and evacuation plans are increasingly challenging. Florida continues to prioritize real estate interests and oppose taxes that could help fund resilience measures, with Governor Rick Scott eliminating a state agency and a key law designed to manage rampant development. Regarding the political gridlock, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn said, "If you keep refusing to acknowledge that climate change is real, if you keep promising an infrastructure bill that never appears, you're not much help to us."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001qMGM4hHBhwc7MqCrm3fHSMi5byl00weUeHzDVnQD9MKsteESfFjIB3HGG-OqGUDGeHy0MIKKKXfL8VX95kxzEQa-00x_qWasQyjgAzXvWqIE298aUGNVMWW2-j3nMsFll0Z1J5GIeAer_7-b4BDwsBbuwHqotbrTXqJFt_tm8I_FRcKj--A92d2TkOO9g9QlrY7_3m2d1tSOJwNCz-yvN_dyKhtH4Z79hW0r1pXNQ-4FPGvBt_3HH0S0NIx-Fa2U&c=7mKSCNJ3FWUC5pyiStkTue269tevGY7h60CF2T_JosffXQT4s3aDEQ==&ch=5jWr3bshdnbvV-CBo6dGzLCx8xpofTVU53em1ltIT79wwXC_oa2OPw==">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Native American Tribes Take a Stand against Climate Change </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">While Native American populations possess a small carbon footprint relative to the rest of the United States, they are among the communities that would likely be most affected by climate change. Two days after President Trump announced that the United States would move to withdraw from the Paris Accord, several tribes, including the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and the Standing Rock Sioux, issued a joint statement of support for upholding the treaty. A 2008 United Nations (UN) declaration opened the door for indigenous populations to participate in UN affairs, but both UN and US law would have to be changed to allow American tribes to sign on to Paris. Nevertheless, several tribes have developed international partnerships, as well as domestic actions to protect salmon, monitor ocean acidification levels, and observe algae blooms. The Trump administration has proposed cutting the federal Tribal Climate Resilience Program by $9.9 million, which would diminish the ability of tribal governments to pursue new climate change projects on their own.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001qMGM4hHBhwc7MqCrm3fHSMi5byl00weUeHzDVnQD9MKsteESfFjIB3HGG-OqGUDGfvtNppVhJ1iO2IvzLFHWRaPl3_LoVuAoZboF0_MWD-h3Tu5akRolqqrsS1qqAGBk2EJyK6LiiUtJiBvGZf3Up7tt8G2Bc9MeOTeHZmwbCmJMlSf2rr8G-hrWo5MJTXGX78Dx8ziIq2m2BMo1PFL-10Qp4YCnTAg4Y5wFHpbnYJjbUppbr_eoDw==&c=7mKSCNJ3FWUC5pyiStkTue269tevGY7h60CF2T_JosffXQT4s3aDEQ==&ch=5jWr3bshdnbvV-CBo6dGzLCx8xpofTVU53em1ltIT79wwXC_oa2OPw==">High Country News</a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_12.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CEEAD240-B0AF-40C3-8204-EE78663F28BA/pastedGraphic_12.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Gov. Jerry Brown's Climate Coalition Continues to Add Members Heading into COP23</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On September 17, California Gov. Jerry Brown's Under2 Coalition welcomed 10 new members, including Mozambique and the Marshall islands. The coalition pledges to greatly reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by the middle of the century and has been signed or endorsed by 187 national, state, and local governments. Signatories must submit a plan for reducing their CO2 emissions to 80-90 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, or they must reduce their annual emissions to two tonnes per capita. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, a signatory of the coalition, explained, "The withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement puts us, as a nation, out of step with where the rest of the world is headed. That doesn't mean that the cities can't pick up the slack." In aggregate, the governments that have joined the coalition to date represent 1.2 billion people, or 16 percent of the world's population. In addition, the group accounts for a GDP of $28.8 trillion, representing 39 percent of the global economy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001qMGM4hHBhwc7MqCrm3fHSMi5byl00weUeHzDVnQD9MKsteESfFjIB3HGG-OqGUDGUSaZguhd_eQpB825N87crtmwZYjC2Ne6fpL9BLgIL7AzSufYE9cUlZEnAdZAczZlumPSFKVOSP36jiV9NFdbiBUwXxba2JUF2iIlhh_AZCydQcd-Q7VRBBngqE5_wr45P7C7FxTMvCft-Afz8Kv-ujNjygIGFVptLdl1G472b7Lbqwat7WxcmyXKTG8-aw3fV6Vdwu93JeBC-oclRIl6GEzRnlesquwm&c=7mKSCNJ3FWUC5pyiStkTue269tevGY7h60CF2T_JosffXQT4s3aDEQ==&ch=5jWr3bshdnbvV-CBo6dGzLCx8xpofTVU53em1ltIT79wwXC_oa2OPw==">Climate Home<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_13.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CEEAD240-B0AF-40C3-8204-EE78663F28BA/pastedGraphic_13.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>U.S. Companies Display a Disconnect between Their Public Stance on Climate and the Groups They Fund</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A recent report from the Center for Public Integrity contrasts the public support for climate action by 27 businesses with their financial donations to a group that has fought the Paris Agreement. The companies who defended Paris, including Walmart, Facebook, Coca-Cola, Google, and Microsoft, were also found to have donated to the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA), an active opponent of the accord. In the past three and a half years, these companies have donated more than $3 million to RAGA, which has consistently spoken out against initiatives designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and filed lawsuits to halt the implementation of federal policies like the Clean Power Plan. Companies defended their need to "engage with elected officials on both sides of the aisle to influence policy," but collectively, 23 of the 27 companies examined gave $1.4 million less to the Democratic counterpart of RAGA. Daniel Weiner of the Brennan Center for Justice said these types of monetary decisions by corporations "does lead one to wonder how strong their commitment to fight global warming actually is."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001qMGM4hHBhwc7MqCrm3fHSMi5byl00weUeHzDVnQD9MKsteESfFjIB3HGG-OqGUDGKRtNLzWvVXGNtKljuWGLMIUlvBBKo_8oty3cUKUy_XXcdm2dn6wC61SMoky_6QfsDmmYwOlCKH3kS9l1W8GwbEnOl-d19Poq3QYAiXAZazV_7lzceey-Axwp1biHSxIxX-lStE1PsaHDWoGo0N2oGfU1Qi0D_O0K9ttJzckbCTu2QxPOhXrOVmAX5RQFFGUZtOn4Rxu3Fd5HM9nYjVoqlFXtDtfrPjwPY92ONcerPW0sPUpQ9HCMNtTj39ugDXvq&c=7mKSCNJ3FWUC5pyiStkTue269tevGY7h60CF2T_JosffXQT4s3aDEQ==&ch=5jWr3bshdnbvV-CBo6dGzLCx8xpofTVU53em1ltIT79wwXC_oa2OPw==">Center for Public Integrity<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_14.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CEEAD240-B0AF-40C3-8204-EE78663F28BA/pastedGraphic_14.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Companies Band Together to Boost Demand for Electric Vehicles</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The EV100 coalition contains ten companies who plan to increase the use of electric vehicles in their company's transportation fleet. More than half of all cars on the road today belong to private companies. Meanwhile, gas and diesel-powered transportation contributes nearly a quarter of all global greenhouse gas emissions. Seven of the ten companies have fully committed to transitioning their fleets to hydrogen-powered or plug-in electric cars. Other companies have pledged to build charging stations for electric vehicles or research ways to alter employee and consumer transit practices. Overall, the group hopes to expand its membership to 100 companies. Sam Abuelsamid of Navigant Research expects the electrification trend to gain momentum, stating, "By 2020 I would expect that most fleets that can will probably commit to it." Supporters of fleet electrification are pinning their emission reduction predictions on the continued integration of renewable energy into the electric grid, thus leading to more vehicles powered by low-carbon electricity in the future.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #021eaa; font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001qMGM4hHBhwc7MqCrm3fHSMi5byl00weUeHzDVnQD9MKsteESfFjIB3HGG-OqGUDGEnQC1D0pRVPs115ekM4zR-qp582SX2fZJy5NxAvkv6PWMF-dBs57eV6b95BV0wdkvUIwscFf4KcYKIpKeB16xzTBKK9aENomtJLMCy8hdCs657wn1YP1c478dvT-Qe0pLenzOFHnnsXlRXvhi7JZvA855hySSUFI2unbMVfQSDsyU6ksTSOvPRqjpZ4MdzdtIQB2XJXj8-21O8xBbS17gA==&c=7mKSCNJ3FWUC5pyiStkTue269tevGY7h60CF2T_JosffXQT4s3aDEQ==&ch=5jWr3bshdnbvV-CBo6dGzLCx8xpofTVU53em1ltIT79wwXC_oa2OPw==">I<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">nside Climate News</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Future Heat Waves Are a Source of Global Concern</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Though international efforts to curb the use of fossil fuels have increased, scientists say the world is on a path to warming at least 3-4 degrees Celsius by 2100. There is concern about how the world will respond to a global temperature spike and the effects it may have on public health. For instance, Russia lost tens of thousands of people to a heat wave in 2010, and 35,000 Europeans died in the heatwave of 2003. Heat is considered a "silent killer," since few of the deaths it leads to are directly attributed to the heat waves themselves. The populations most vulnerable to extreme heat include the elderly, young, poor, and those with existing health conditions. Some governments have begun to prepare for this new threat with mitigative solutions, including white roofs, planting more trees, and sending water to needy areas. Gulrez Shah Azhar of the RAND Corporation observed, "The cost of setting up a heat preparedness plan is orders of magnitude cheaper than the cost of lives."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001qMGM4hHBhwc7MqCrm3fHSMi5byl00weUeHzDVnQD9MKsteESfFjIB3HGG-OqGUDGQbB-uLglGkjN12kRYOcskW1weSqocVgrWeFbH88re288T4uxvtcTHx-h2EmZIklAnf7TN3FFHw3-grcE4KaBrbwStvkIcpJwFVwR0xbIITw0RfQhlgkd3MtGsbrzBLlnfpQlKECMKNyf7mVN6RlumA==&c=7mKSCNJ3FWUC5pyiStkTue269tevGY7h60CF2T_JosffXQT4s3aDEQ==&ch=5jWr3bshdnbvV-CBo6dGzLCx8xpofTVU53em1ltIT79wwXC_oa2OPw==">Reuters<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">If you want to stop receiving it, just send a message to climate_change_news-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. If you come across some really interesting information, please send it along and I may include it in the next issue. Recent issues are available at: <a href="http://tolmanccnews.blogspot.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">http://tolmanccnews.blogspot.com</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><br />
Thanks,<br />
Chad A. Tolman</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">ctolman141@gmail.com<br />
New Castle County Congregations of Delaware Interfaith Power and Light</span></div>
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Chad Tolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198303455148896174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441974095206886318.post-79825667161339047432017-08-21T13:56:00.000-07:002017-08-21T13:56:18.311-07:00CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS FOR AUG. 2017<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">CC NEWS FOR AUG. 2017</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On July 14 the <b><i>New York Magazine</i></b><i> </i>published an article by David Wallace-Wells titled, <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/07/climate-change-earth-too-hot-for-humans-annotated.html?utm_source=eml&utm_medium=e1&utm_campaign=sharebutton-t"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">The Uninhabitable Earth, Annotated Edition</span></a>. He called it, </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">”The facts, research, and science behind the climate-change article that explored our planet’s worst case scenarios”</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">. He based the July 14 article on an unannotated version called, <a href="http://livepage.apple.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">The Uninhabitable Earth</span></a> that had appeared in the magazine a few days earlier, on July 10. In the annotated version he wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">“We published “The Uninhabitable Earth on Sunday night,</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> and the response since has been extraordinary — both in volume (it is already the most-read article in <i>New York</i> Magazine’s history) and in kind. Within hours, the article spawned a fleet of commentary across newspapers, magazines, blogs, and Twitter, much of which came from climate scientists and the journalists who cover them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Some of this conversation has been about the factual basis for various claims that appear in the article. To address those questions, and to give all readers more context for how the article was reported and what further reading is available, we are publishing here a version of the article filled with research annotations. They include quotations from scientists I spoke with throughout the reporting process; citations to scientific papers, articles, and books I drew from; additional research provided by my colleague Julia Mead; and context surrounding some of the more contested claims. Since the article was published, we have made four corrections and adjustments, which are noted in the annotations (as well as at the end of the original version). They are all minor, and none affects the central project of the story: to apply the best science we have today to the median and high-end “business-as-usual” warming projections produced by the U.N.’s “gold standard” Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">But the debate this article has kicked up is less about specific facts than the article’s overarching conceit. Is it helpful, or journalistically ethical, to explore the worst-case scenarios of climate change, however unlikely they are? How much should a writer contextualize scary possibilities with information about how probable those outcomes are, however speculative those probabilities may be? What are the risks of terrifying or depressing readers so much they disengage from the issue, and what should a journalist make of those risks?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I hope, in the annotations and commentary below, I have added some context. But I also believe very firmly in the set of propositions that animated the project from the start: that the public does not appreciate the scale of climate risk; that this is in part because we have not spent enough time contemplating the scarier half of the distribution curve of possibilities, especially its brutal long tail, or the risks beyond sea-level rise; that there is journalistic and public-interest value in spreading the news from the scientific community, no matter how unnerving it may be; and that, when it comes to the challenge of climate change, public complacency is a far, far bigger problem than widespread fatalism — that many, many more people are not scared enough than are already “too scared.” In fact, I don’t even understand what “too scared” would mean. The science says climate change threatens nearly every aspect of human life on this planet, and that inaction will hasten the problems. In that context, I don’t think it’s a slur to call an article, or its writer, alarmist. I’ll accept that characterization. We should be alarmed.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE</b>: Many years ago I was very concerned about the possibility of a large scale nuclear war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, which I concluded could cause changes on the earth’s surface and atmosphere similar to those that resulted in the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. When I heard </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Jim Hansen’s congressional testimony in 1968, I realized that climate change was another way that humans could drive themselves and many other life forms to extinction.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The article by David Wallace-Wells is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of life on the planet - if we don’t take the scientists seriously and continue on the self-destructive business-as-usual path we are on.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">On July 25 Dolye Rice posted an article in <i><b>USA Today</b></i> titled, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/science/2017/07/25/algae-melting-ice-greenland-threatening-raise-sea-levels/508976001/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); font-size: 13.1px; line-height: normal;">A</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); line-height: normal;">lgae are turning Greenland green - and that’s a problem for sea-level rise</span></a>. He writes,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Thanks to global warming, algae are expanding on Greenland, helping to slowly melt the massive island's ice sheet and turning it "green." </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The microscopic algae that grow on the Greenland ice sheet are dark, which means they absorb more sunlight and warm up the surface more quickly than white ice, which reflects light.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">"More algae means a darker surface, and darker surfaces melt faster," said <a href="https://blackandbloom.org/meet-the-team/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(25, 144, 229); color: #0061ff;">Martyn Tranter</span></a>, head of the British research project <a href="https://blackandbloom.org/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(25, 144, 229); color: #0061ff;">Black and Bloom</span></a>, the first group to study the phenomenon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">As this feedback loop continues, the extra warming from increased algae coverage causes a more rapid melting of the ice sheet. That's a problem because if all the ice on Greenland melted, sea levels would rise by as much as 20 feet in spots worldwide, inundating coastal cities.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE</b>: It’s been known for some time that the Arctic has been warming twice as fast as the global average temperature. The reason has been described as the positive feedback produced when highly reflective snow and ice are replaced by deep blue sea, which absorbs more of the sun’s energy: the farther it goes the faster it goes. The algae have a similar effect, replacing snow and ice by a darker, less reflective surface. The result is to accelerate sea level rise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On July 26 Timothy Cama posted an article in <b><i>TheHill</i></b> titled, <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/343997-dem-senators-pitch-carbon-tax-to-conservatives"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(44, 44, 44); color: #0061ff;">Dem senators pitch carbon tax to conservatives</span></a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(44, 44, 44); color: #2c2c2c;">. He wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(44, 44, 44); color: #2c2c2c;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Two Democratic senators spoke at a conservative think tank Wednesday to introduce legislation to establish a tax on carbon dioxide emissions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Sens. <a href="http://thehill.com/people/sheldon-whitehouse"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">Sheldon Whitehouse</span></a> (D-R.I.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) pitched their American Opportunity Carbon Fee Act as a proposal Republicans should be able to get behind due to its simplicity and the fact that the revenues would go back to taxpayers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">It would set a $49 per ton fee, increasing annually, on carbon dioxide emissions, charged at the point of a fossil fuel’s extraction or importation.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE</b>: This proposal is very similar to one supported by the national <a href="https://citizensclimatelobby.orghttps//citizensclimatelobby.org"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">Citizen’s Climate Lobby</span></a>. The Fee and Dividend system they propose is also advocated by Jim Hansen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On July 26 Alister Doyle posted an article in <b><i>Reuters</i></b> titled, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-climatechange-geoengineering-idUSKBN1AB0J3"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Scientists dim sunlight, suck up carbon dioxide to cool planet</span></a>. He wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Scientists are sucking carbon dioxide from the air with giant fans and preparing to release chemicals from a balloon to dim the sun's rays as part of a climate engineering push to cool the planet. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Backers say the risky, often expensive projects are urgently needed to find ways of meeting the goals of the Paris climate deal to curb global warming that researchers blame for causing more heatwaves, downpours and rising sea levels.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The United Nations says the targets are way off track and will not be met simply by reducing emissions for example from factories or cars - particularly after U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the 2015 pact.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">They are pushing for other ways to keep temperatures down.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In the countryside near Zurich, Swiss company Climeworks began to suck greenhouse gases from thin air in May with giant fans and filters in a $23 million project that it calls the world's first "commercial carbon dioxide capture plant".</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Worldwide, "direct air capture" research by a handful of companies such as Climeworks has gained tens of millions of dollars in recent years from sources including governments, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and the European Space Agency.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">If buried underground, vast amounts of greenhouse gases extracted from the air would help reduce global temperatures, a radical step beyond cuts in emissions that are the main focus of the Paris Agreement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Climeworks reckons <b><i>it now costs about $600 to extract a tonne of carbon dioxide from the air and the plant's full capacity due by the end of 2017 is only 900 tonnes a year (emphasis added)</i></b><i>. </i>That's equivalent to the annual emissions of only 45 Americans.” (who now produce on average about 20 metric tons per person each year.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“The Paris Agreement seeks to limit a rise in world temperatures this century to less than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit), ideally 1.5C (2.7F) above pre-industrial times.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">But U.N. data show that current plans for cuts in emissions will be insufficient, especially without the United States, and that the world will have to switch to net "negative emissions" this century by extracting carbon from nature.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Riskier "geo-engineering" solutions could be a backstop, such as dimming the world's sunshine, dumping iron into the oceans to soak up carbon, or trying to create clouds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Among new university research, a Harvard geo-engineering project into dimming sunlight to cool the planet set up in 2016 has raised $7.5 million from private donors. It plans a first outdoor experiment in 2018 above Arizona.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">"If you want to be confident to get to 1.5 degrees you need to have solar geo-engineering," said David Keith, of Harvard.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Keith’s idea is to release finely divided calcium carbonate into the upper atmosphere with the idea that the white powder will reflect much of the sun’s light back into space. The problem is that such geo-engineering might have serious unintended consequences.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">NOTE: This work shows that we are still a very long way from a geo-engineering solution to climate change. Global emissions of CO2 are now about 36 billion metric tonnes, for an average of about 5 tonnes per person per year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On July 29 the <i><b>NY Times</b></i> published ab article by Diane Cardwell titled, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/29/business/energy-environment/vermont-green-mountain-power-grid.html?_r=0"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">Utility Helps Wean Vermonters from the Utility Grid</span></a>. She wrote, </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">In a new low-income development that replaced a trailer park here, rooftop solar panels sparkle in the sun while backup batteries quietly hum away in utility closets.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">About an hour away, in Rutland, homes and businesses along a once-distressed corridor are installing the latest in energy-saving equipment, including special insulation and heat pumps.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">And throughout Vermont, customers are signing up for a new program that will allow them to power their homes while entirely disconnected from the grid.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The projects are part of a bold experiment aimed at turning homes, neighborhoods and towns into virtual power plants, able to reduce the amount of energy they draw from the central electric system. But behind them are not green energy advocates or proponents of living off the land. Instead, it’s the local electric company, Green Mountain Power.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The system involves solar panels, wind turbines, and high-capacity batteries that can supply power when the sun and wind can’t meet the demand.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Even as the Trump administration has broken with almost all the world’s nations by <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/01/climate/trump-paris-climate-agreement.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff;">renouncing the Paris climate accord</span></a>, the Vermont program offers just one example of the continuing efforts at the local level to rethink a largely carbon-based power system. The initiatives are driven by financial advantages as well as environmental ones.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE</b>: It’s an inspiring story - one that should be replicated around the world.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">The Aug. 1 <i>NY Times</i> posted an article by Lisa Friedman titled, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/01/climate/islamic-state-climate-change-worlds-greatest-threats-pew-survey.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">Islamic State and Climate Change Seen as World’s Greatest Threats, Poll Says</span></a>. The author wrote, </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">“<a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/globalwarming/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Climate change</span></a> is essentially tied with the Islamic State as the most-feared security threat across much of the world — except in the United States, where cyberattacks are considered a greater danger than global warming, according to a <a href="http://www.pewglobal.org/2017/08/01/globally-people-point-to-isis-and-climate-change-as-leading-security-threats/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Pew Research Center report</span></a> released on Tuesday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Residents of 13 countries ranked climate change as the greatest threat to national security, while in 17 countries the Islamic State was considered a more immediate problem.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In the United States, however, a gaping partisan divide pushed climate change to third-most severe perceived threat, after ISIS and <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/c/cyberwarfare/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff;">cyberwarfare</span></a>. Just 56 percent of Americans surveyed identified global warming as the most serious threat to the country, compared to 71 percent for cyberwarfare and 74 percent for Islamic State attacks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The American intelligence community concluded that Russia used cyberweapons to interfere with the presidential election last year, perhaps accounting for the heightened sense of threat. The Trump administration has consistently played down the dangers of a warming climate and has withdrawn the United States from the Paris accord on climate change signed by nearly 200 nations.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Although 56% of Americans think that global warming is the most serious danger we face, the issue is highly partisan, with 86% of left-leaning Americans thinking that it is a serious threat, only 31% on the right do. The small percentage of those on the right reduces the ranking of climate change for Americans to third place, after ISIS and cyberattacks, making it unique among the nations surveyed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Aug. 2 the <i>National League of Cities</i> (NLC) posted an article by Paul Konz, Cooper Marton and Daniel Barry titled, <a href="https://citiesspeak.org/2017/08/02/nlc-launches-local-climate-solutions-engagement-program/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">NLC Launches Local Climate Solutions Engagement Program</span></a>. The NLC partnered with ecoAmerica, a national communications and engagement group. The authors wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">One of the most important skills for local elected officials is the ability to lead their communities in productive and civil debate, particularly in today’s political environment. City leaders need to communicate with residents using messages that are clear, positive, inclusive and relevant to their concerns. Nowhere is this more challenging than on issues related to climate and environmental policy. One of the most important skills for local elected officials is the ability to lead their communities in productive and civil debate, particularly in today’s political environment. City leaders need to communicate with residents using messages that are clear, positive, inclusive and relevant to their concerns. Nowhere is this more challenging than on issues related to climate and environmental policy.” Assistance to polcy makers was in the form of several guides to effective communication, which included:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.nlc.org/resource/lets-talk-communities-climate">Let’s Talk Communities & Climate: Communication Guidance for City and Community Leaders</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://nlc.org/resource/lets-talk-climate-messages-to-motivate-americans">Let’s Talk Climate: Messages to Motivate Americans</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://nlc.org/resource/15-steps-to-create-effective-climate-communications">15 Steps to Create Effective Climate Communications</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://nlc.org/resource/american-climate-values-psychographic-and-demographic-insights">America Climate Values: Psychographic and Demographic Insights</a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">On August 3 an article by Trevor Nace was published in <i><b>Forbes</b></i> titled, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2017/08/03/global-ocean-circulation-appears-to-be-collapsing-due-to-a-warming-planet/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Global Ocean Circulation Appears To Be Collapsing Due To A Warming Planet</span></a>. They wrote, </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Scientists have long known about the anomalous "<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2017/05/22/sinkhole-forms-in-front-of-trumps-mar-a-lago-twitter-response-is-huge/#305400056f32"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 56, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">warming hole</span></a>" in the North Atlantic Ocean, an area immune to warming of Earth's oceans. This cool zone in the North Atlantic Ocean appears to be associated with a slowdown in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), one of the key drivers in global ocean circulation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A recent study published in <a href="http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/v7/n8/full/nclimate3353.html?foxtrotcallback=true"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 56, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Nature</span></a> outlines research by a team of Yale University and University of Southhampton scientists. The team found evidence that Arctic ice loss is potentially negatively impacting the planet's largest ocean circulation system. While scientists do have some analogs as to how this may impact the world, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2017/08/03/humanity-officially-consumed-more-earth-produce-year/#d82ca2559a4d"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 56, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">we will be largely in uncharted territory</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 56, 145); color: #0061ff; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_meridional_overturning_circulation">AMOC</a></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> is one of the largest current systems in the Atlantic Ocean and the world. Generally speaking, it transports warm and salty water northward from the tropics to South and East of Greenland. This warm water cools to ambient water temperature then sinks as it is saltier and thus denser than the relatively more fresh surrounding water. The dense mass of water sinks to the base of the North Atlantic Ocean and is pushed south along the abyss of Atlantic Ocean.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The main idea is that loss of the AMOC will greatly slow the heat transfer north by the Gulf Stream - cooling Europe and leading to greater heating elsewhere. Scientists are uncertain about what the other effects might be.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Aug. 8 the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab reported in a press release I received titled, Annual DOE Report Finds that Wind Energy is Being Sold at Record-Low Prices, based on the publication of an annual report on wind power for electricity generation in the U.S.: <a href="https://emp.lbl.gov/wind-technologies-market-report/?utm_source=newsletter75&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Constant%20Contact&utm_source=Wiser-+Wind+2016+announcement&utm_campaign=Wiser-+Wind+2016+announcement&utm_medium=email"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">2016 Wind Technologies Market Report</span></a>. The report contained the following conclusions:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Wind power additions continued at a rapid clip in 2016, with $13 Billion invested in new plants.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Bigger turbines are enhancing wind project performance, especially because of the use of longer turbine blades.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Low wind turbine pricing continues to push down installed project costs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Wind energy prices remain low, with a national average price of 2 cents/kWH.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The supply chain continued to adjust to swings in domestic demand for wind equipment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Continued strong growth in wind capacity is anticipated in the near term.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On August 8 <b>The Conversation</b> published an article by Jon Christensen titled, <a href="http://livepage.apple.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Climate gloom and doom? Bring it on. But we need stories about taking action, too.</span></a>The jist of it is that just talking about the science of climate change tends to be full of gloom and doom, and leaves a lot of people unconvinced, or even if they believe the science, doesn’t leave them with the feeling that there is much that they can do in their own lives. He wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">There’s been no shortage of pessimistic news on climate change lately. A group of climate scientists and policy experts recently declared that we have just <a href="http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nclimate3352.html?foxtrotcallback=true"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 102, 153); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">three years left</span></a> to dramatically turn around carbon emissions, or else. Meanwhile a widely circulated New York magazine article detailed some of the most <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/07/climate-change-earth-too-hot-for-humans.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 102, 153); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">catastrophic possible consequences of climate change</span></a> this century if we continue with business as usual.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Critics pounced on the article, claiming <a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/science-public/new-york-magazine-climate-change"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 102, 153); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">gloom-and-doom messages are disempowering</span></a> and thus counterproductive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">But are they? And is there a better way to communicate to people about the urgency of climate change? In a somewhat unorthodox way – creating a mini-series of videos on climate change – my colleagues and I think we’ve gained some insight into these questions.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">What he did was to work with Vox and a number of professors from the University of California, using the results of research on climate change communication, to produce a series of short (8-9 minutes) videos on various topics related to climate change, including one on how we can significantly reduce GHG emissions and food costs by reducing food waste. (Currently, 40% of the food grown in the U.S. is wasted!) </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"> The 6 videos produced so far can be found at a website called the <a href="https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/climate-lab"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">Climate Lab</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">NOTE: There is a useful book by the <b><i>Union of Concerned Scientists</i></b> titled, <a href="http://livepage.apple.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">Cooler Smarter - Practical Steps for Low-Carbon Living</span></a>, which has lots of ideas fir what ordinary people can do to reduce their own carbon emissions. It claims that almost anyone can reduce their emissions by 20% within a year. It costs less than $12 for a new paperback and much less for a used one.</span></div>
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The following items are from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), Carol Werner, Executive Director. Past issues of its newsletter are posted on its website under "publications" at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102515421764&e=001VqmyLSnT7fkl-_mocGBcn8yb2ys8eiE4dr3Tnveazy1K0B1fU1CponAdxiy_W78b49PK6NHsR0pHlqO7KOWi-3m5yW4bNEJiyJt1G95YoNt46CLY1L4uGjNKLSPL84kX2r7jAaxw1oVR18YElOXvV8_lo1bRsASi9tPNMTm7-ZU="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">http://www.eesi.org/publications/Newsletters/CCNews/ccnews.htm</span></a></span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">EESI’s newsletter is intended for all interested parties, particularly the policymaker community. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Climate Change Viewed as a "Threat Multiplier" to Department of Defense's Mission</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Former Department of Defense (DOD) officials are working with members of Congress to communicate the risks climate change poses to the military. Roundtables and hearings have been taking place on the Hill recently in an effort to illustrate the specific climate-driven "threat multipliers" that contribute to global instability. While DOD has been aware of climate change as a threat for over a decade and has taken action, Republicans in Congress have attempted to put an end to climate-related defense programs. Ann Phillips, a retired admiral and an advisor with the Center for Climate and Security, said, "This isn't a political issue for the defense community. We in this community are pragmatic and mission-focused." Locales such as Syria, Egypt, Nigeria, and Guatemala have experienced a range of climate impacts, including severe drought, food insecurity, and displacement, which in turn feed social and political tensions in those regions. A lack of budgeting and preparation could limit the U.S. military's ability to aid in resolving future conflicts and humanitarian crises around the globe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001LgkxMsWK1SnksYRrVE2oIxOfv30FtyIGACzudq_3iGbD2jfHg8aeIUPDLgyNAoqpJI0V7SNNaByaq3Dy9n2sMSeqPgqsbaXXUfKC_Z6eRKRv8DfXGUCNzu85wdr5meiOLY8eYKAaUoEqFFHABMmxMjHEKaEdj3Z5pV7V6p1ABfoOmeB9Iu35XZ7gZzztF_MEXX883boZDZyL4HpJDrAQ0wHAjU2Dg9JZgY_zI2sKE41PVcOXB4UEehmVhF5Bhvtb&c=2iulqxRRzEEwPibxr_ziKv7-3fXNalcbbUEE9SkTBbZuiHIX2fKxNQ==&ch=rFw1D2P9m4LyXkI8AFdblrPM1DwIoP3NADOoF3a8rv7hq8jAt4PIhw==">Wired<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Trump Administration Proposes FEMA Cuts as States Face More Severe Natural Disasters</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Climate change will likely increase the frequency and intensity of natural disasters, and many places will have to deal with challenges they are not currently equipped to deal with. Ken Kunkel from the North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies says, "We have adapted to a certain kind of world. We're not going to have exactly that kind of world in the future." According to experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, global warming was likely the cause of wildfires in Alaska, drought in Washington state, and nuisance flooding in Miami in 2015. While the threat of natural disasters increases, the Trump administration has proposed an 11 percent cut to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's budget, targeting emergency preparedness funding for state governments. This is forcing cities and states to reconsider how they will prepare for and recover from these events. Though for most local officials, it's difficult to set aside funds for a potential disaster when schools and roads need immediate attention.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001LgkxMsWK1SnksYRrVE2oIxOfv30FtyIGACzudq_3iGbD2jfHg8aeIUPDLgyNAoqpVrwWYBZYhHByavINSqiQcYwIZCZYf9dceLUwSgXTgcTB8ZpluHZ9vfuRUZngOjpDXCTvxCU3Y34J1fIISfmyLWcEior4BoGQidhn_pYkycP4zW4zangWAPeXm0dEJiJ8gICuR5GUDnGiCM0dmcou3tqSUMMgXM7EOqiOXArLPbLqXa_uD4T7biz5c2XKIGwp17HXWm89wxhwh5MbucOyaSjUzzck3Knop3tqHLDbnwHTP-j6zen3SHmfZ6MM93y8PxlChmYLW4-w7G7EqmG3uY2PMJn_ln4nwg2jal07iYWma5cEBVXQGTEeKBspyNgS4Le52A7DDwecsfmFsC_K2KA3HSy1xkEpKEmYehI3wek=&c=2iulqxRRzEEwPibxr_ziKv7-3fXNalcbbUEE9SkTBbZuiHIX2fKxNQ==&ch=rFw1D2P9m4LyXkI8AFdblrPM1DwIoP3NADOoF3a8rv7hq8jAt4PIhw==">Washington Post<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Bipartisan Support Extends California's Cap-and-Trade Program</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On July 17, California's landmark cap-and-trade program was extended to 2030 thanks to bipartisan support from lawmakers and a "broad consensus" in the state toward addressing climate change. The five-year-old initiative, in which companies are offered economic incentives for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, was backed by both environmental advocacy organizations and business groups. Despite concerns from conservatives about higher gas taxes and activists who felt the regulations did not go far enough, the bill was passed with the supermajority Governor Jerry Brown (D) had desired to protect the program from legal challenges. Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) said the bill shows "free market policies to clean up our environment" can co-exist alongside the "fight for a booming economy." Although many national Republicans opposed the program, Assembly Republican leader Chad Mayes remarked, "California Republicans are different than national Republicans. Many of us believe that climate change is real, and that it's a responsibility we have to work to address it."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001LgkxMsWK1SnksYRrVE2oIxOfv30FtyIGACzudq_3iGbD2jfHg8aeIUPDLgyNAoqpnMoAAUJMuUKf82taNhgEBKE8MJXO6qmAx-BcPlxZGOcdohVgRFwsjTfVTfjkgs7WcCPAgxI_JlnRq7UcIojdqtKoXnEwec-jxNko_D9XzAdoK0LLyAfOdkuUaiVstOsmfVrkbAquXWVnHEVrnb5hWy1XjZ3Zu-4V09sj08p5zDqohMWBaSCJ4Rlu3U8-8-jA6Uol9kukvt6ArpXeVhBalLFgEkXPsJ8C&c=2iulqxRRzEEwPibxr_ziKv7-3fXNalcbbUEE9SkTBbZuiHIX2fKxNQ==&ch=rFw1D2P9m4LyXkI8AFdblrPM1DwIoP3NADOoF3a8rv7hq8jAt4PIhw==">Los Angeles Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Chile's Environment Minister Says There Is "No Space for Climate Denial"</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">After seven years of severe drought, Chile's Laguna de Aculeo, a lake four times larger than New York's Central Park, has nearly dried out. The lake was once a center for recreation, farming, and a thriving housing market, but many have been forced to leave after waters receded. Unusually warm temperatures have also intensified algae blooms, reducing local salmon production by 20 percent. While no studies have looked at whether climate change is responsible for these events, Chile's Environment Minister Marcelo Mena says most Chileans see climate change as their greatest external threat. According to Mena, there is "no space for climate denial because we see climate change threatening us in multiple shapes." Chile's government is working to mitigate climate change by increasing green spaces in urban areas and improving water conservation. Chile hopes to generate 80 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2050, and the country will require climate change classes be taught in schools starting next year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001LgkxMsWK1SnksYRrVE2oIxOfv30FtyIGACzudq_3iGbD2jfHg8aeIUPDLgyNAoqpixf5cl8xa8AAZW8o3BTcILaPeVHDsbdl70BaVPpPGUK8oKpVnGMTeLOnc_lU33L48laJsyTAatWK3lWI7n5NaAty7nZzST06QEbIGdFElDxB8SDG5PHZaHfqvcCc46_JeyzPbpRGGvW2aIZG1WPiJrRr2abEynvylXt9AFzsnjDh_cfsxjsDzuGc4eq_98iMUpDTtiYWCR7f5se8ZP16qJD-4gf4tRVFhEUbYwrRafCtxujFBsPhljmDs2umJZaYIFiJpy-j1AE=&c=2iulqxRRzEEwPibxr_ziKv7-3fXNalcbbUEE9SkTBbZuiHIX2fKxNQ==&ch=rFw1D2P9m4LyXkI8AFdblrPM1DwIoP3NADOoF3a8rv7hq8jAt4PIhw==">NPR<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>California Counties Sue Oil and Coal Companies Over Climate Change Damages</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On July 17, Marin County, San Mateo County, and Imperial Beach, CA sued 37 of the world's largest oil and coal companies, seeking reimbursement for climate change-related damages that could be in the billions of dollars over the next several decades. According to Marin County Supervisor Kate Sears, these areas, which lack the funds needed to increase the resilience of public transportation infrastructure and properties, are "standing up for [their] residents and businesses" in a case that is about "accountability." In order for their case to have standing, lawyers must demonstrate that these companies' actions have created a public nuisance and caused widespread harm, which they argue occurred because executives "knew about the damage their actions were causing, denied it, and sought to discredit scientific findings." Although similar efforts in the past have had little success, they are confident that new, up-to-date research and greater knowledge about the activities of these companies will help them succeed in what is being referred to as "a long anticipated move in climate litigation" by Michael Burger, executive director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001LgkxMsWK1SnksYRrVE2oIxOfv30FtyIGACzudq_3iGbD2jfHg8aeIUPDLgyNAoqpoIV1y3Z06aYOISRW4ikDvlOueJANCekioHLpRhNJ8oCDPtw51wm1vCX20oqPYEq8DHuob6cvF6wzbAPVANxIYk49FqcIjIU0z5aHUeI37EmhBqq--fbdrMD2SzRjfWR-XDOCrH18grjqBR2LK1jxd22Cv_fLPXg34Fcwpcwl5RDtoZ8ymXrv7bysLemxOv1RUiRrYm5ijwGTeYKBhlaYRA==&c=2iulqxRRzEEwPibxr_ziKv7-3fXNalcbbUEE9SkTBbZuiHIX2fKxNQ==&ch=rFw1D2P9m4LyXkI8AFdblrPM1DwIoP3NADOoF3a8rv7hq8jAt4PIhw==">San Francisco Chronicle<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Expansion of Natural Gas Pipelines Could Be a "Climate Disaster"</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In the past 30 years, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has only rejected two natural gas pipeline proposals out of the hundreds it has received. Under the Obama administration, however, the EPA repeatedly asked FERC to more closely consider the climate impacts of projects. Former FERC Chairman Norman Bay also raises concerns over the actual demand for the proposed pipelines, stating, "It is inefficient to build pipelines that may not be needed over the long term and that become stranded assets." Scientists warn that expanding natural gas pipelines would extend the country's dependence on fossil fuels by 50 years, and Robert Howarth, an environmental biology professor at Cornell University, calls pipeline expansion "a true climate disaster." Although the burning of natural gas emits about half the carbon dioxide of coal, the gas is predominantly made up of methane, another powerful greenhouse gas. FERC estimates that the combined greenhouse gas emissions for five pending pipelines is 170 million metric tons per year, the equivalent of 50 coal plants.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001LgkxMsWK1SnksYRrVE2oIxOfv30FtyIGACzudq_3iGbD2jfHg8aeIUPDLgyNAoqpe8VcVr8wBzCpkT7buprdaHNcQ9xtvl878sFNfqsvl3aD63DYFeS5_5GVLxLZkYa5D9_MK0l0ek35jPO-31CrlGkcFV_72R61DTyPYAhXENrOVRzk_bF2ch-HR3eGv5tdrK7RzmiondoVzJRS_QHyCT93Wq6iiniZvRP3avDR98E4hULVgqt02tOytKBa6eCL-LBfwz9vXYR1mOJj5oQv2korNL5jIbbphqL-MCQqJ1_2rSOoAENjYg==&c=2iulqxRRzEEwPibxr_ziKv7-3fXNalcbbUEE9SkTBbZuiHIX2fKxNQ==&ch=rFw1D2P9m4LyXkI8AFdblrPM1DwIoP3NADOoF3a8rv7hq8jAt4PIhw==">Center for Public Integrity<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study: Arctic Permafrost Is Melting, Releasing Significant Quantities of Methane</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">According to a new study, melting permafrost in northwestern Canada may be releasing vast quantities of methane into the atmosphere. Scientists used aerial sampling to examine a 10,000 square-kilometer stretch along the Mackenzie River Delta over a two-year period. The results show that the most deeply thawed sections of the permafrost are releasing 17 percent of all the methane found in the region, yet these hotspots represent only one percent of the total surface area under review. The study authors wrote that global warming will "increase emissions of geologic methane that is currently still trapped under thick, continuous permafrost, as new emission pathways open due to thawing permafrost." This is problematic, as permafrost methane sources have not typically been accounted for in current climate change models. The Arctic as a whole is at risk of releasing methane emissions in the future. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that 16-24 percent of the permafrost in Alaska could melt by 2100.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001LgkxMsWK1SnksYRrVE2oIxOfv30FtyIGACzudq_3iGbD2jfHg8aeIUPDLgyNAoqpctxhYFtQMiXS3Vk6LuZe6myq3RlMKqUnmz_uR-GaLOH3EL-j-cw9OE79trT7RU3RErWm_cscROyH8IlSl1pAIkEoLjGVUDbkxJtRhTDxGvrT7mPCAo1c8MuFy_kDT4d6lOKQkm_b_CaLo0YNTTTBzdR5mblqqBdOHByJTIsXHLIJBoxqDHmNMJwro0-uzD_xkRfaaIq-TJ-fL398BdImn8wXsocrDz5IV7E0_JSEOwY=&c=2iulqxRRzEEwPibxr_ziKv7-3fXNalcbbUEE9SkTBbZuiHIX2fKxNQ==&ch=rFw1D2P9m4LyXkI8AFdblrPM1DwIoP3NADOoF3a8rv7hq8jAt4PIhw==">Inside Climate News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">NOTE: This release of more methane as the permafrost melts is another example of a positive feedback in the climate system.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Urban Heat Island Effect Can Overwhelm a City's Most Vulnerable </b>Residents</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Researchers examined the impact of the urban heat island effect in Philadelphia as part of an effort to allow city officials to better adapt to extreme heat in the future. The study used data from weather stations and satellites to measure air and land surface temperatures in the city and its surrounding rural areas. Historical data showed the annual number of "extreme heat event" days in the city increased threefold between 1980 and 2013, while the number of events in rural areas stayed the same. Stephanie Weber, a principal scientist on the study, said, "It's not the hottest temperature, but something that when it is sustained and without relief during the night [and] early morning [that] can pose serious health risks." A lack of cooling at night can put serious stress on the elderly and other populations who may be without air conditioning. Using socioeconomic data, the researchers found that roughly 10 percent of Philadelphia's population resided in neighborhoods that were most vulnerable to these heat event health impacts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001LgkxMsWK1SnksYRrVE2oIxOfv30FtyIGACzudq_3iGbD2jfHg8aeIUPDLgyNAoqpKfeUU2AlaIHUjV58EJHYIl3yWaldkccpXtAPPXYDKWQe52g3S0rYk4pdpWU40UL113pulu2b2NcVer98oa9-ggBk2hWhU8pCKa3FlyIdRl6tEeAaX430Fza04a5B7ksixkCXxW4hyC0p0QVKIoLxwajF7FFRi4nhvKQ2xOL5b5jk512fdq3Hab3YCWSMcmKA7XygvsZdQzKpk2XWBi-7x5ekhVqDnj-S7mVcnbqZ3v3WWXw8lEKRYQ==&c=2iulqxRRzEEwPibxr_ziKv7-3fXNalcbbUEE9SkTBbZuiHIX2fKxNQ==&ch=rFw1D2P9m4LyXkI8AFdblrPM1DwIoP3NADOoF3a8rv7hq8jAt4PIhw==">Scientific American<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>United Kingdom Plans to Ban Sale of Fossil-Fuel Vehicles by 2040</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The United Kingdom (U.K.) currently has the largest number of diesel vehicles in Europe, but the government will now ban the sale of diesel and gasoline-fueled vehicles by 2040. The U.K. plans to invest more than $1 billion in driverless and zero-emission vehicle technologies, in addition to over $300 million in battery technology research. Mike Hawes, chief executive officer of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, is concerned that "outright bans risk undermining the current market for new cars and our sector, which supports over 800,000 jobs." However, many automotive companies like Volvo and BMW are already shifting production to electric vehicles. Bloomberg predicts that with lower battery prices, one in 12 cars sold in the U.K. will be fully electric by 2030, up from one in 200 today. Energy Secretary Michael Gove said, "It's important we all gear up for a significant change which deals not just with the problems to health caused by emissions but the broader problems caused in terms of accelerating climate change."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001VCbmY-IOJE5AjIp5TmJ5dEiVgZ6YOmhW_9biU0-IBNKwgnwJ9L6hCfIPkMwAeswWJTxlx02293yXpkDGVdtJMPAhJForvQnG-SW04XaJxFAIbDwflZeEWB7Nv_2UBLoqApkiufQX5_kjPY58epza9y0xNljXOB5a0iQO-IKDpOv1NPi47cCqceqoe9jyhOYVhBoByIyCaXmPPkqAMTyq2SBOSxPXnY-o_h1RJwrztrrC2o1nSM1mWAzDgRSbBCeQFds4sy94HfeAYSuGZMyrDMIgjjernjItzzmYnnwaaTU=&c=SVd1Zn0sD6mxzEAiHPk6cN8X5BLmTLGjWM2f_BJptr1XEgOxR-0ygA==&ch=IEovXtyEgxK-bypMP9ckx17VUEVxp23rko0DO4y-xH0lQw2S6uu3Lw==">Bloomberg<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Trump Administration Officials Sow Public Doubt by Questioning Veracity of Climate Science</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">During their confirmation hearings in January 2017, several of President Trump's top officials told senators they generally agree with the scientific consensus that human activity is driving climate change. However, many have drastically changed their public views since taking over their respective agencies. Energy Secretary Rick Perry, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke have all argued that climate science is not "settled," with Pruitt stating in a television interview that humans are not a "primary contributor" to climate change. Pruitt and Perry are now moving to set up a so-called "red team, blue team" exercise to give climate deniers a government-backed voice in debating the established science. Edward Maibach, director of the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University, called Pruitt's efforts to question science a "communication tactic to reinforce what he wants Americans to believe [about climate change]." Maibach added, "Things like this can have a very powerful unsettling effect on people who are already uncertain to begin with."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001VCbmY-IOJE5AjIp5TmJ5dEiVgZ6YOmhW_9biU0-IBNKwgnwJ9L6hCfIPkMwAeswWFRCMt0xIf3GtygSyE9R0O8SwjwE9r07zWG3TyGerQuttsBRnh5LdsKiCeSIh9suY3kuI6MZtUnnGx_KxlwFm5lyVSgBi9CU3lFOzQWFjhLCrkkYHeWdGGO9-bLdEkwK8aWb1TUTf5BQ=&c=SVd1Zn0sD6mxzEAiHPk6cN8X5BLmTLGjWM2f_BJptr1XEgOxR-0ygA==&ch=IEovXtyEgxK-bypMP9ckx17VUEVxp23rko0DO4y-xH0lQw2S6uu3Lw==">E&E News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Environmental Justice Likely an Uphill Battle Under Trump Administration</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Trump administration's proposed budget seeks to eliminate the Office of Environmental Justice under the Environmental Protection Agency. The office was created to protect minorities and the poor, who are most vulnerable to the effects of pollution, and seeks to secure grants and policy changes to address environmental inequities. The proposed budget would also reduce funding for the enforcement of environmental laws. An EPA statement said environmental justice is "a requirement in all rules EPA issues," suggesting there is no need for an office specifically devoted to this work. However, the Flint water crisis is just one example of why a robust federal oversight office remains vital. Democratic members of the House and Senate are introducing legislation to protect environmental justice, but advocates are not optimistic given the current political climate. Former EPA advisory council member Vernice Miller-Travis said, "Is this a moment when I think we can get something passed that expands civil rights and equal protection? I don't think this is that moment. That doesn't mean we won't try."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001VCbmY-IOJE5AjIp5TmJ5dEiVgZ6YOmhW_9biU0-IBNKwgnwJ9L6hCfIPkMwAeswWhyqr9lBZnxGWj5_gMFpOMleiJxqcX0FOy2ld8-TgRsukHYx7FGoLGzYXVNDEPzUICN5s9l8Jl13t2Ud3ykxPEtBrTbLsTPi2BDk50bjWIoKqsQdhAD4xc_pKfXjQK7EDoV4ohg5NI2kAGfpPzKsEQsWRw27AoqDQ3ji5YL49v_aw8sd7ybVJtUf2Vu-EyW6GZixD0h4Shc5Z9Z3QzbNIYIEkCH4GPSj9GXHcbvnnkz50xfpcHAueiQ==&c=SVd1Zn0sD6mxzEAiHPk6cN8X5BLmTLGjWM2f_BJptr1XEgOxR-0ygA==&ch=IEovXtyEgxK-bypMP9ckx17VUEVxp23rko0DO4y-xH0lQw2S6uu3Lw==">ProPublica<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Report Finds U.S. Utilities Have Known About Climate Threat for Decades</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">According to a study issued by the Energy and Policy Institute, the U.S. utility industry has known about the threat of climate change since the 1960s. In 1968, then-President Lyndon Johnson's administration warned the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) that carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels could have "catastrophic effects" on the climate. The industry-affiliated Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) published its own research in the 1970s showing similar warnings of rising sea levels and warming temperatures. An additional 1988 EPRI report determined "there is a growing consensus in the scientific community that the greenhouse gas effect is real." Despite these findings, the industry began lobbying against climate regulations and making long-term investments in coal-fired power plants. In response to the recent findings, an EEI spokesperson stated, "The electric power industry has reduced carbon emissions by 25 percent below 2005 levels as of the end of 2016." Although many utilities plan to move toward natural gas, solar, and wind, some continue to cast doubt over whether CO2 is driving climate change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001VCbmY-IOJE5AjIp5TmJ5dEiVgZ6YOmhW_9biU0-IBNKwgnwJ9L6hCfIPkMwAeswWFCU6k1Ja1G7dcbJhCarubkPPK8M6I-vdvX07zUX23QQbNmzqHBCHLITb2_HV76oIMqusBy2PjbJ-iOMbqTudNP2rG61l6uIIPulZK5vonR_bYg-v0XnRAygIddARBq-cm4WvDTy76UD8EvGGU22xh3BrTq1pKMIIta-u-KCzVF1fHsmQm7q3zkCAHhGavRugJc-SaqGNj8lKblQ69rLbvevABRhT0gy0OxpPxV1gZFnIaDtI8I9ezg==&c=SVd1Zn0sD6mxzEAiHPk6cN8X5BLmTLGjWM2f_BJptr1XEgOxR-0ygA==&ch=IEovXtyEgxK-bypMP9ckx17VUEVxp23rko0DO4y-xH0lQw2S6uu3Lw==">Inside Climate News</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001VCbmY-IOJE5AjIp5TmJ5dEiVgZ6YOmhW_9biU0-IBNKwgnwJ9L6hCfIPkMwAeswWmG37J4BpRyQmucF7tl70oBC__p1XHdVuRhFv70LunKKaE0d6tsEd32s-Hv9fLsfNtZDDUq8puKtWZcNpl_Cyj82FvHeDQwBRWGw2eX1MEZaFKCOavP4q1sCkma4krKwCrV3IBb0KLo3srsgAYyn9zKlVRpifVYZgwD_RZNxE7BAyRyYjzOAQnw==&c=SVd1Zn0sD6mxzEAiHPk6cN8X5BLmTLGjWM2f_BJptr1XEgOxR-0ygA==&ch=IEovXtyEgxK-bypMP9ckx17VUEVxp23rko0DO4y-xH0lQw2S6uu3Lw=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(2, 30, 170); line-height: normal;">Reuters</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Climate Impacts and Air Pollution Are Harming Working-Class Communities Across the Sun Belt</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Rising temperatures are beginning to pose pronounced hazards to working-class individuals in the Sun Belt. Low-income households are highly vulnerable to extreme heat and poor air quality, as they often cannot afford air-conditioning or adequate health care. Members of these communities are also typically unable to afford to move or evacuate ahead of severe weather. Professor Robert Bullard with Texas Southern University said, "For too long, a lot of the climate change and global warming arguments have been looking at melting ice and polar bears and not at the human suffering side of it." In Galveston, Texas, landscaper Adolfo Guerra said, "I think about the climate every day, because every day we work, and every day it feels like it's getting hotter." In Houston, African-American neighborhoods have had to deal with toxic pollution emitted by the refineries and chemical plants disproportionately sited next to minority communities. Citing unfair industrial zoning practices, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) stated, "You can't have freedom and justice in this country if you can't breathe your air."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001yYxcG8625uN0U1PRvDB9xBOTtwmORyaHAZkW1dMqDjnjoPLAD0GM7AhBpkooWPqX2Z04gcgKtsqDYoQrgdhkcjqfNSiV8SzmYdeko6n7I2XQts_ukG3aks6X8ZIDA5zOO9O3sKoUBnosSDTwehlCw6cFpuuMSUDmvftfrcd1B_i5CRGtRwwcZPgnPcF__DF-VkR8EafZfC59S0Twzm_12joqKDlpzTBKD06-4hNBMGiQULwA-zdJm1qmuGFKXNd8IaMySOETMYk2eP-E1lJ-UoeXmsS992me1ZW6omCLeQGgr-8sIAB5G5ST5Jtwe7wKeMmEOW3ezIy3qGCqId5RwH62lmMsixzfnM7cSi1p66DbhzFwVCO9rxb1fdAQF247QM--ehBpWVD2NnVeV1mcfMby8HHG92yeN2xUFF5fjQKz-WU2Q8twMRI08uhLHWas3MVKpwtJg5jlyzmC9LN_HgTUbyMuSIbmRH5GFIxB7JhkjRjkpzFDiOtXQ3074dikbS1_QvJo0M8VsHJr3UUV-IjupADAz5aY-QNK1hh2SaS0JHCpTV_mSVDLAsNoT5dN&c=72X2z-Myow4klk4SE8KCuvEj7QhSZ-auaF1fedyUhD1vdm3CeSNlCA==&ch=s8tKUcOUQbgeESml80XH72Tw3LRfBj_kuHXb83S9xPbZ571X0ltgxg==">New York Times</a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><b style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px;">Climate Impacts and Air Pollution Are Harming Working-Class Communities Across the Sun Belt</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Rising temperatures are beginning to pose pronounced hazards to working-class individuals in the Sun Belt. Low-income households are highly vulnerable to extreme heat and poor air quality, as they often cannot afford air-conditioning or adequate health care. Members of these communities are also typically unable to afford to move or evacuate ahead of severe weather. Professor Robert Bullard with Texas Southern University said, "For too long, a lot of the climate change and global warming arguments have been looking at melting ice and polar bears and not at the human suffering side of it." In Galveston, Texas, landscaper Adolfo Guerra said, "I think about the climate every day, because every day we work, and every day it feels like it's getting hotter." In Houston, African-American neighborhoods have had to deal with toxic pollution emitted by the refineries and chemical plants disproportionately sited next to minority communities. Citing unfair industrial zoning practices, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) stated, "You can't have freedom and justice in this country if you can't breathe your air."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001yYxcG8625uN0U1PRvDB9xBOTtwmORyaHAZkW1dMqDjnjoPLAD0GM7AhBpkooWPqX2Z04gcgKtsqDYoQrgdhkcjqfNSiV8SzmYdeko6n7I2XQts_ukG3aks6X8ZIDA5zOO9O3sKoUBnosSDTwehlCw6cFpuuMSUDmvftfrcd1B_i5CRGtRwwcZPgnPcF__DF-VkR8EafZfC59S0Twzm_12joqKDlpzTBKD06-4hNBMGiQULwA-zdJm1qmuGFKXNd8IaMySOETMYk2eP-E1lJ-UoeXmsS992me1ZW6omCLeQGgr-8sIAB5G5ST5Jtwe7wKeMmEOW3ezIy3qGCqId5RwH62lmMsixzfnM7cSi1p66DbhzFwVCO9rxb1fdAQF247QM--ehBpWVD2NnVeV1mcfMby8HHG92yeN2xUFF5fjQKz-WU2Q8twMRI08uhLHWas3MVKpwtJg5jlyzmC9LN_HgTUbyMuSIbmRH5GFIxB7JhkjRjkpzFDiOtXQ3074dikbS1_QvJo0M8VsHJr3UUV-IjupADAz5aY-QNK1hh2SaS0JHCpTV_mSVDLAsNoT5dN&c=72X2z-Myow4klk4SE8KCuvEj7QhSZ-auaF1fedyUhD1vdm3CeSNlCA==&ch=s8tKUcOUQbgeESml80XH72Tw3LRfBj_kuHXb83S9xPbZ571X0ltgxg==">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Tampa Bay Region Deemed Unprepared for the Next Big Storm</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Experts and urban planners are concerned that the greater Tampa Bay region on Florida's Gulf Coast may face severe damage if a hurricane were to make landfall there. Tampa Bay, home to four million residents, has been fortunate to avoid any major hurricanes since 1921. However, a recent risk analysis of the region estimated that a Hurricane Katrina-size storm could lead to $175 billion in losses. The World Bank has labeled Tampa Bay as one of the 10 cities on the planet at the greatest risk of flooding. A combination of sea level rise and the natural settling of the land has led to regular flooding in St. Petersburg, Tampa, and Clearwater following heavy rain. Despite such forecasts and warnings from the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, efforts to assess the impacts of sea level rise and more severe storms brought about by climate change lag behind. Republican officials at the state and county level have been dismissive of climate-related threats and have resisted raising taxes to fund infrastructure improvements to better defend the city from natural disasters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001yYxcG8625uN0U1PRvDB9xBOTtwmORyaHAZkW1dMqDjnjoPLAD0GM7AhBpkooWPqXQbP30hRrBGf5lww1iuQ9BQZVmXSQkOUGeoOOkITXBUOqu7bP5i3ksHgxeqmSrL6qBrIukoeF3AiQujNV20Vf2YDyorIuenYs59caTAT0JXkA-aXAzD8SGRVuyVcI9SPJE3XH8jsPihF6NOcD__3FbpV4XltsD1YlYX7vbs9AHDHG_iOstpffVNMhdvJlSb9gdFw86P990Ij-nb1MD4obEKVErcK4VMu_fZ-f3x3aV6566_dIUXJN12WIr91q50mXA2mzoWlGHQeItWC7nKaHcNaXshV4I92w&c=72X2z-Myow4klk4SE8KCuvEj7QhSZ-auaF1fedyUhD1vdm3CeSNlCA==&ch=s8tKUcOUQbgeESml80XH72Tw3LRfBj_kuHXb83S9xPbZ571X0ltgxg==">Washington Post<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Climate Change Strains Africa's Rural Communities as Fertile Land Diminishe</b>s</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Regions across Africa are facing a decline in arable farmland, as demand for quality land increases. The pressure on the land is derived from climate change, population growth, soil degradation, erosion, overuse, and fluctuations in global food prices. The land shortages are leading to mass migration and sparking conflict across Africa, including in Nigeria and Kenya. A recent study by NASA using satellite data revealed over 40 million Africans are trying to live off land whose agricultural potential is waning. According to the World Bank, 70 percent of Africa's population makes a living from agriculture. Meanwhile, the continent's population is expected to reach four billion people by 2100. Climate change is leading to more desertification, drought, and persistent hunger. In 2017 alone, more than 10 million people across Somalia, Nigeria, and Sudan are facing famine conditions. The urgent need to grow more food has led some farmers to exhaust the soil, rather than allowing it to replenish.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001yYxcG8625uN0U1PRvDB9xBOTtwmORyaHAZkW1dMqDjnjoPLAD0GM7AhBpkooWPqX7We7gRDTxu60vG-jSx-Z7KKIlCF28YubJmWBR67XAhsVanuclKpX7C-B-Dd7YMV5vluAxqWcbG4pMdhzkgxtMrwJ-JdD9W4UNi-hVi1fsAiMh9YtF0xk004Koy8D-0p8ZuZhq8svnqndoWutwE4g56e-21rEzFG3W3M8HivfTl1n5T12RNBEbNyPMtOF-M2_kFHTxE2kZV_YWuYpjNUK5yuvE1msx2Dq&c=72X2z-Myow4klk4SE8KCuvEj7QhSZ-auaF1fedyUhD1vdm3CeSNlCA==&ch=s8tKUcOUQbgeESml80XH72Tw3LRfBj_kuHXb83S9xPbZ571X0ltgxg==">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Congress Puts "Stamp of Approval" on Trump's Anti-Climate Orders</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Following President Trump's lead, Congressional Republicans are swiftly advancing legislation to roll back environmental protections in favor of oil and gas industries. Republicans know that once these laws are in place, it will take time for the next administration to repeal or rewrite them. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) has labeled these actions "a very slippery slope to government by fiat." On July 19, the House passed the "Promoting Cross-Border Energy Infrastructure Act," which would prevent any future president from blocking pipelines or electric power projects within U.S. borders, while the "Transparency and Honesty in Energy Regulations Act" would allow policymakers to ignore the social costs of carbon when crafting regulations. The House has rushed to pass a repeal of clean water protections and to dilute environmental permit reviews. States and environmental groups are using the courts to challenge the Trump administration's efforts to rescind regulations. However, with the public's attention focused on health care and Russia, Scott Slesinger of the Natural Resources Defense Council says Congress's actions are unfortunately "pretty much under the radar."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001yYxcG8625uN0U1PRvDB9xBOTtwmORyaHAZkW1dMqDjnjoPLAD0GM7AhBpkooWPqX2N8W74ozm-644-7abcxqlafyuY9nXeI8A3TJTCR_U1Zs4_XE8_rKQq2xIy3U6YqMYkh2sSJmCAg259qyam50uYZNazUmiY7yURxYanCe25XaaexR6ZO88qsIg6YULphJEqC0lZMBr8Q8KSyyldD4OL0c1M_Nxj3EAW8IvWfHvwyp3CqAhRTWd82is7S_kxzKDKgPGMSxut1_-KK68tz-pRCuutHkbJO0sW8Q7_WMqJGc92jD4YvkOg==&c=72X2z-Myow4klk4SE8KCuvEj7QhSZ-auaF1fedyUhD1vdm3CeSNlCA==&ch=s8tKUcOUQbgeESml80XH72Tw3LRfBj_kuHXb83S9xPbZ571X0ltgxg==">InsideClimate News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Studies Find That Two Degree Celsius Rise in Global Average Temperature Is Nearly Certain</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">According to two new studies published in Nature Climate Change, the global average temperature is nearly certain to rise beyond two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2100. The first study concluded that there is a 95 percent chance that the planet will surpass the two degree threshold. The second study emphasized that even if greenhouse gas emissions were to cease today, the pollutants already in the atmosphere will still lead to a global temperature increase and could reach as high as three degrees Celsius. Researcher Adrian Raftery at the University of Washington cautioned, "Even if the 2C target isn't met, action is very important. The more the temperature increases, the worse the impacts will be. We would warn against any tendency to use our results to say that we won't avoid 2C, and so it's too late to do anything. On the contrary, avoiding the higher temperature increases that our model envisages is even more important, and also requires urgent action."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001yYxcG8625uN0U1PRvDB9xBOTtwmORyaHAZkW1dMqDjnjoPLAD0GM7AhBpkooWPqXeFa8xh_jepvaPup8b9LnsE0WzPO2YsadX_iZYdu_76Ep3b6toxoHr8zEOD3EoMJDuUNo-g8HGe1pn3Xh83Tik9KUi7PYtwa38kyHAlUJMSB52E6t5Xf6IY3VuCED0dySrdFBo28UHnbFqhZ8A4G9PEYb0RXIhz7BO_ddBfb2HaRl_CGLuioN-pX_haWf6HR-tzzVZwcXRFE=&c=72X2z-Myow4klk4SE8KCuvEj7QhSZ-auaF1fedyUhD1vdm3CeSNlCA==&ch=s8tKUcOUQbgeESml80XH72Tw3LRfBj_kuHXb83S9xPbZ571X0ltgxg==">Guardian</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001yYxcG8625uN0U1PRvDB9xBOTtwmORyaHAZkW1dMqDjnjoPLAD0GM7AhBpkooWPqXmcmYd8R6Q_N0dXwpmBASpHJF9r7b3lXpmRQc17__nf79u4MpMEu3bdMztTwOBliQ-P0IemDAeOuwxKRDpk29nlXMTNSw-xlXlFVX5ZiQIpb1S3WHeFhft14__lZMhKe3FAWRlRpo2G-GYLlJG7SUosJlmou6JkxqnV5A4JZTl6fIfzbP71KnoLbyHIe2nOwEYQebdccHx1E=&c=72X2z-Myow4klk4SE8KCuvEj7QhSZ-auaF1fedyUhD1vdm3CeSNlCA==&ch=s8tKUcOUQbgeESml80XH72Tw3LRfBj_kuHXb83S9xPbZ571X0ltgxg=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(2, 30, 170); line-height: normal;">CNN</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Climate Change May Cause Widespread Protein Deficiencies in Crops by 2050</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the atmosphere could reduce the protein content of key crops, putting an additional 150 million people around the world at risk of protein deficiencies by 2050. Globally, more than 75 percent of people rely on plants for protein, and communities that already experience protein deficiencies, like those in Sub-Saharan Africa, will be the most vulnerable. In India alone, 53 million people could be at risk of not getting enough protein. According to researchers from Harvard University, protein levels in potatoes would be reduced by 6.4 percent, rice by 7.6, wheat by 7.8, and protein in barley would be reduced by 14.6 percent. Researchers discovered this after exposing plants in the field to high CO2 concentrations, though they're not yet sure why this happened. One hypothesis suggests the CO2 may increase starch levels in plants, in turn decreasing protein levels. To reduce the possibility of protein deficiencies, the researchers suggest diversifying diets, breeding crops that will be less sensitive to CO2, and reducing carbon emissions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001yYxcG8625uN0U1PRvDB9xBOTtwmORyaHAZkW1dMqDjnjoPLAD0GM7AhBpkooWPqX5X6l5JsqmVn-QTQPMCJo-PfzFLhE8KUxjQq3eTOpe1IFRzFP5WZdQYJdNqL7ZrCs8BsHkrELx__wSKQiXoAbZRo6hGq9njVClvNRKHdtHsinvSnOPFYPajnPBpHEYbl8tDGQFRtd9Adxx9dVqVHaIXLqovFWgQ5SgVev-L2durRCLlLL7gPcWFPPWPoMoyBdQZ7UPGABW6Xt7pt7jjz8IDmtQyo1OPjfSjH8eUph_bo=&c=72X2z-Myow4klk4SE8KCuvEj7QhSZ-auaF1fedyUhD1vdm3CeSNlCA==&ch=s8tKUcOUQbgeESml80XH72Tw3LRfBj_kuHXb83S9xPbZ571X0ltgxg==">Daily Nation</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001yYxcG8625uN0U1PRvDB9xBOTtwmORyaHAZkW1dMqDjnjoPLAD0GM7AhBpkooWPqX9KnNe78JOHiqMMFXv1dLcMRnBdQ9nAozUr6QFo8brc4Schr_I0dGnM1guj2vVNtGLg7UHI65WLSMUCo3bF0snaZ_XFXrNrLIwaH0F7Uz62WIJ2He29jXETDnKRXtFTHpcnn3FXkooHqsiwjpf48pltZUIDyF5B2Uf1GsMgcrtdLpFHVZO5bWXpQEeRp6kT428FNxdp6NCRqibzkwVxRsQsdiPW_sFNcubRd6r9WcfJbIDg4g2B2ClssCvnb_N79C&c=72X2z-Myow4klk4SE8KCuvEj7QhSZ-auaF1fedyUhD1vdm3CeSNlCA==&ch=s8tKUcOUQbgeESml80XH72Tw3LRfBj_kuHXb83S9xPbZ571X0ltgxg=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(2, 30, 170); line-height: normal;">NPR</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">If you would like to receive my Climate Change News automatically by email and don’t already, just send an email message to: </span><a href="mailto:climate_change_news-subscribe@yahoogroups.com" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">climate_change_news-subscribe@yahoogroups.com</a></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">If you want to stop receiving it, just send a message to <a href="mailto:climate_change_news-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(2, 30, 170); color: #021eaa;">climate_change_news-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com</span></a>. If you come across some really interesting information, please send it along and I may include it in the next issue. Recent issues are available at: <a href="http://tolmanccnews.blogspot.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">http://tolmanccnews.blogspot.com</span></a></span></div>
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Thanks,<br />
Chad A. Tolman</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(2, 30, 170); color: #021eaa; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="mailto:ctolman141@gmail.com">ctolman141@gmail.com</a></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br />
New Castle County Congregations of Delaware Interfaith Power and Light</span></div>
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Chad Tolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198303455148896174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441974095206886318.post-2195241702099265322017-07-19T13:07:00.000-07:002017-07-19T13:07:51.736-07:00CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS FOR JULY 2017<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>CC NEWS FOR JULY 2017</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Brian Kahn of <b><i>Climate Central</i></b> published an article titled, <a href="http://livepage.apple.com/http://www.climatecentral.org/news/carbon-dioxide-all-time-monthly-high-21507"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">Carbon Dioxide Set an All-Time Monthly High</span></a>. It occurred this May, which is the month when CO2 reaches its highest concentration in the northern hemisphere. After that, photosynthesis becomes rapid enough that the CO2 concentration in the northern hemisphere decreases. The annual highest concentration has been increasing for many years because carbon emissions every year have continued to be greater than the rate of carbon uptake by the oceans and plants. The highest reading this year at the Mauna Loa Observatory was 409.65 ppm (parts per million). Stopping the annual increase of CO2 concentration will basically require replacing the burning of fossil fuels by renewable energy sources.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">On June 20 Katie Fehrenbacher published an article in <b><i>The Guardian</i></b> titled, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/jun/20/california-climate-change-emissions-program-cap-trade"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255);">Climate goals: inside California’s effort to overhaul it ambitious emissions plan</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The first three paragraphs say:</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">“<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/california"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 86, 137); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">California</span></a></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> has one of the world’s most sophisticated and ambitious cap-and-trade programs, which are designed to provide financial incentives to big polluters, such as electricity providers and oil refineries, to lower their greenhouse gas emissions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The complex program, which began only in 2013, is a signature component of California’s plan to cut emissions in the midst of a controversial makeover by state policymakers, after they <a href="http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-jerry-brown-signs-climate-laws-20160908-snap-story.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 86, 137); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">passed</span></a> a landmark bill last year that created one of the world’s most aggressive climate change goals: to lower carbon emissions to 40% below the 1990 levels by 2030.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Fierce debates over how to achieve the new, ambitious goals began before President <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/01/donald-trump-confirms-us-will-quit-paris-climate-deal"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 86, 137); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Trump’s decision</span></a> earlier this month to withdraw the US from the Paris agreement. That decision will likely put a greater spotlight on how California – considered a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/07/china-and-california-sign-deal-to-work-on-climate-change-without-trump"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 86, 137); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">leader in fighting climate change</span></a> – will redesign its cap-and-trade program, which many say needs better market mechanisms and metrics to measure its successes and failures.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The article goes on to discuss some of the details of how to go about meeting the aggressive new goal set in last year’s legislation, including how the cap-and-trade system works. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">NOTE: California is unique among the states in that its cap-and-trade system applies to electricity generation, transportation, and several large industries - over 80% of all GHG emissions. It also includes the Canadian province of Quebec and soon will include Ontario. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which involves nine Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states also uses a cap and trade system with a decreasing cap, but it covers only electricity generation in the participating states.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333;">On June 20 <b><i>BBC News</i></b> published an article titled, <a href="http://livepage.apple.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(30, 30, 30); color: #0061ff;">Phoenix flights cancelled because it's too hot for planes.</span></a> The article said, </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">“</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">The weather forecast for the US city suggests temperatures could reach 120F (49C) on Tuesday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">That is higher than the operating temperature of some planes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">American Airlines announced it was cancelling dozens of flights scheduled to take off from Sky Harbor airport during the hottest part of the day.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The cancelled flights were scheduled to take off between 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM local time - the hottest tie of the day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“At higher temperatures, air has a lower density - it is thinner. That lower air density reduces how much lift is generated on an aircraft's wings - a core principle in aeronautics.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">That, in turn, means the aircraft's engines need to generate more thrust to get airborne.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">It's a well-known problem - a 2016 report from <b><i>the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) even warned that higher temperatures caused by climate change could "have severe consequences for aircraft take-off performance, where high altitudes or short runways limit the payload or even the fuel-carrying capacity".</i></b>” <b><i>(emphasis added)</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On June 21 an article by Raktrrm Katakey titled, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-20/oil-majors-risk-wasting-2-3-trillion-as-climate-goals-take-toll"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Oil Majors Risk Wasting $2.3 Trillion If Peak Demand Looms</span></a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">, </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">was updated for <b><i>Bloomberg News</i></b>. He wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Oil companies risk wasting $2.3 trillion of investments should demand peak in the next decade as the world works toward its goal of limiting global warming, according to a report from Carbon Tracker.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0061ff; font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/XOM:US">Exxon Mobil Corp.</a></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> is the most exposed oil major with as much as 50 percent of potential spending to 2025 on projects that wouldn’t be needed as the world changes its energy mix to meet climate targets, according to the report published on Wednesday in collaboration with the Principles for Responsible Investment. <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/RDSB:LN"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Royal Dutch Shell Plc</span></a>, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/CVX:US"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Chevron Corp.</span></a>, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/FP:FP"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Total SA</span></a> and <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/ENI:IM"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Eni SpA</span></a> risk wasting as much as 40 percent of expenditure and <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/BP%2F:LN"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">BP Plc</span></a> up to 30 percent.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">““There are clear signs that oil demand could peak in the early 2020s -- so companies need to start taking project options that would come on stream then off the table, and be transparent about how they are aligning with a low carbon future,” James Leaton, Carbon Tracker’s research director, said in the report. “Sticking with the growth at all costs scenario just doesn’t add up for shareholder value when the policy and technology momentum is heading in the opposite direction.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The companies are already facing some pressure from investors. Last month, Exxon shareholders, in a split with the company, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-31/exxon-ceo-sees-crude-oil-surviving-paris-driven-carbon-limits"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">urged the explorer</span></a> to publish a detailed analysis on how carbon curbs could affect the value of its oil fields, refineries and pipelines.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On June 23 Laura Parker and Craig Welch posted an article in <b><i>National Geographic</i></b> titled, <a href="http://Coral%20Reefs%20Could%20Be%20Gone%20in%2030%20Years"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Coral Reefs Could Be Gone in 30 Years</span></a>. They wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">The world’s coral reefs, from the Great Barrier Reef off Australia to the Seychelles off East Africa, are in grave danger of dying out completely by mid-century unless carbon emissions are reduced enough to slow ocean warming, a new UNESCO <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1676/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">study </span></a>says.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">And consequences could be severe for millions of people.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The decline of coral reefs has been well documented, reef by reef. But the new study is the first global examination of the vulnerability of the entire planet’s reef systems, and it paints an especially grim picture. Of the 29 <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/marine-programme/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">World Heritage reef areas</span></a>, at least 25 of them will experience twice-per-decade severe bleaching events by 2040—a frequency that will “rapidly kill most corals present and prevent successful reproduction necessary for recovery of corals,” the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization concluded. In some areas, that’s happening already.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“These are spectacular places, many of which I’ve visited. Seeing the damage being wrought has just been heartbreaking,” says <a href="https://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/star/Eakin_M.php"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Mark Eakin</span></a>, a reef expert with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and a lead author of the new report. “We’re to the point now where action is essential. It’s urgent.””</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On June 24 <b><i>WhoWhatWhy </i></b>published an article by Christine Capozziello titled, <a href="https://whowhatwhy.org/2017/06/24/epa-drops-scientists-invites-corporations/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">EPA Drops Scientists, Invites in Corporations</span></a>. She wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Since May, Trump-appointed EPA administrator and climate change skeptic Scott Pruitt has informed dozens of scientists on the EPA’s Board of Scientific Counselors (BOSC) that their tenure will not be extended. That would leave over half of the positions on the panel empty and effectively cripple the BOSC, which cancelled five meetings that had been scheduled for summer and fall.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Pruitt hasn’t been shy about his plans to include industry advocates to fill the void. He expressed his intent to increase representation of coal and oil companies on a board designed to regulate those same industries. In an interview in March, Pruitt revealed he does not believe that CO2 emissions are a primary contributor to global warming, leading many to voice concern over whether or not he would be able to perform the duties of his position.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On June 26 <b><i>The Real Climate News Network</i></b> posted a 17-minute video titled, <a href="http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=19241"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0056d6;">Estimates of Sea Level Rise Have Tripled in the Last Few Years</span></a>. In 2013 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said that said that if emissions keep growing as they have, global sea level could could rise by a meter (nearly 40 inches) by 2100. It did not take into account the accelerating pace of loss of ice from the big ice sheets on Greenland an Antarctica. NOAA scientists increased the estimate of maximum sea level rise by 2100 to 2.7 m. In a talk early this year NASA scientist Eric Rignot said that a temperature increase of 1.5 to 2 degrees C in the next 100 to 200 years could raise sea level by 6-9 m (20-30 ft). In addition to the video there is a transcript of the conversation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On June 26 Lizette Alvarez posted an article in the <b><i>NY Times</i></b> titled, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/26/us/mayors-trump-climate-change.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Mayors, Sidestepping Trump, Vow to Fill Void on Climate Change</span></a>. She wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">MIAMI BEACH — Meeting in a city confronted daily with the issues of rising seas and <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/globalwarming/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">climate change</span></a>, the <a href="https://www.usmayors.org/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">United States Conference of Mayors</span></a> approved a <a href="http://legacy.usmayors.org/resolutions/85th_Conference/proposedcommittee.asp?committee=Environment"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">resolutions</span></a> on Monday to urge the federal government to rejoin the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/world/europe/climate-change-accord-paris.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Paris climate agreement</span></a> and to redouble their own efforts to combat climate change and commit to renewable energy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“If the federal government doesn’t act, it doesn’t mean we don’t have a national policy; the federal government doesn’t occupy the only place on this,” Mitch Landrieu, the mayor of New Orleans and the new president of the conference, said before the vote on the nonbinding resolutions. “Mayors have to respond to circumstances. We have to keep moving no matter what.””</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Rather than bemoan President Trump’s decision this month to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/01/climate/trump-paris-climate-agreement.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">pull out</span></a> of the Paris Agreement, an accord signed by 195 nations to battle rising temperatures, many Republican and Democratic mayors here said the move had re-energized them. A separate effort by Eric Garcetti, the mayor of Los Angeles, and a group whose members call themselves the <a href="http://www.climate-mayors.org/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Climate Mayors</span></a> also picked up support here; more than 300 mayors have signed a document to abide by the Paris accord and “intensify efforts to meet each of our cities’ climate goals.””</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On June 28 I received an email from Donald Anderson with a copy of a letter to him from U.S. Senator Angus King of Maine attached. Here I quote the first few paragraphs of King’s letter.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Every week, I hear examples of a changed climate in Maine. As the Gulf of Maine warms, fishermen are finding the range of fish and lobster populations to be very different from what they were a generation ago. Populations of iconic animals like puffin, and many species of groundfish, are declining. Every year, foresters and farmers are combating additional non-native species and new diseases in their woodlots and fields. Shellfish harvesters and those involved in aquaculture are watching and wondering what an increasingly acidic ocean will mean for their future livelihoods. Municipalities and utilities are struggling to maintain infrastructure pummeled by increasingly frequent severe storms. In other parts of the country, Americans’ lives and livelihoods are being negatively impacted by droughts, floods, forest fires, and other changed weather patterns. The Arctic’s ice-pack, which I have seen first-hand, is at historic lows. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I feel strongly that the repercussions of our rapidly changing climate are more than a political or a scientific concern—they are a moral issue. We have an obligation to future generations to be responsible stewards of the land, water, and air we have been given, and to pass it on in as good or better shape than we found it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Unfortunately, the Administration’s approach to climate change has been, in my opinion, reckless and short-sighted. Right now, I believe that one of the biggest threats to our collective and individual future wellbeing, and especially that of our children and their children, is our changing climate and I have seen nothing to date to show that the President truly understands this threat. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Please be assured that I will continue to advocate for policies and programs that address climate change, transition our country away from our dependence on fossil fuels, and improve our stewardship of the environment. Future generations must be able to experience the natural treasures that we currently have the privilege of enjoying. Like other complex challenges we have overcome in our past, no one single step will stop or reverse climate change alone; but, in combination, they represent a comprehensive framework that will help us pass on a stable and hospitable climate to future generations. “</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #00afcd; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On June 28 <b><i>Climate Central </i></b>published an article by Bobby Magill titled, <a href="http://www.climatecentral.org/news/states-batteries-cut-carbon-21573?utm_content=buffer0ff74&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">States betting on Giant Batteries to Cut Carbon</span></a>. The reason for this is that wind and solar power because there are times when the wind is not blowing or the sun is not shining. Sometimes more electricity is generated from these renewable sources than required, and the extra energy is wasted. One way around this problem is to build large batteries to store the extra energy for times when the demand is more than the renewable sources can supply. Now most of the energy is supplied by burning fossil fuels - especially coal and natural gas - which produce carbon dioxide - the major source of global warming, along with other pollutants. Some of the giant batteries weigh 30 ton, but can produce thousands of kilowatts of electrical power. He writes,</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“The Tesla PowerPack, for example, is composed of 16 pods that together weigh more than 3 tons and are 7 feet tall. The pods are daisy-chained together and provide hundreds of kilowatts of power.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">New York officials say batteries are critical to the <b><i>state’s goal of generating half of its electricity from renewables by 2030</i></b>. (<b><i>emphasis added</i></b>). As more states create energy storage incentives and targets, more power plants using fossil fuels are likely to be eventually replaced or supplemented with batteries, helping to cut the amount of time the power plants are used. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Jeremy Firestone, director of the Center for Carbon-free Power Integration at the University of Delaware, said mandates and incentives for energy storage in some of the most populous states will help reduce climate pollution and drive innovation. They will also help to lower energy storage costs as batteries are adopted more widely, just as costs for wind and solar installations have fallen as more have been built, he said.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On June 30 an article with 12 authors was published in <b><i>Science</i></b> titled, <a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/356/6345/1362"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Estimating economic damage from climate change in the United States.</span></a> The following is a quotation from the Abstract:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Estimates of climate change damage are central to the design of climate policies. Here, we develop a flexible architecture for computing damages that integrates climate science, econometric analyses, and process models. We use this approach to construct spatially explicit, probabilistic, and empirically derived estimates of economic damage in the United States from climate change. The combined value of market and nonmarket damage across analyzed sectors—agriculture, crime, coastal storms, energy, human mortality, and labor—increases quadratically in global mean temperature, costing roughly 1.2% of gross domestic product per +1°C on average. Importantly, risk is distributed unequally across locations, generating a large transfer of value northward and westward that increases economic inequality. By the late 21st century, the poorest third of counties are projected to experience damages between 2 and 20% of county income (90% chance) under business-as-usual emissions (Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5).”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The combination of several models shows a probability distribution of models with the most likely global average temperature of about 3.5 degrees C (6.1 degrees F) by 2080 to 2099. The total aggregated U.S. loss is about 1.2% of GDP for each 1 degree C increase in global average temperature.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">On July 1 the <b><i>NY Times</i></b> posted an article by Coral Davenport titled, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/01/us/politics/trump-epa-chief-pruitt-regulations-climate-change.html?mcubz=0"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Counseled by Industry, Not Staff, E.P.A. Chief Is Off to a Blazing Start</span></a></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">. She wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">In the four months since he took office as the <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/e/environmental_protection_agency/index.html?inline=nyt-org"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Environmental Protection Agency</span></a></span><span style="color: #0061ff; font-kerning: none;">’s</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> administrator, Scott Pruitt has moved to undo, delay or otherwise block more than 30 environmental rules, a regulatory rollback larger in scope than any other over so short a time in the agency’s 47-year history, according to experts in environmental law.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Mr. Pruitt’s supporters, including President Trump, have hailed his moves as an uprooting of the administrative state and a clearing of onerous regulations that have stymied American business. Environmental advocates have watched in horror as Mr. Pruitt has worked to disable the authority of the agency charged with protecting the nation’s air, water and public health.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Since February, Mr. Pruitt has filed a <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/04/04/2017-06522/review-of-the-clean-power-plan"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">proposal of intent</span></a> to undo or weaken Mr. Obama’s <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/globalwarming/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">climate change</span></a> regulations, known as the Clean Power Plan. In late June, he filed a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/27/climate/epa-rescind-water-pollution-regulation.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;">legal plan</span></a> to repeal an Obama-era rule curbing pollution in the nation’s waterways. He <a href="https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2017-06-16/pdf/2017-12698.pdf"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #4d22b3; line-height: normal;">delayed </span></a>a rule that would require fossil fuel companies to rein in leaks of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/energy-environment/oil-petroleum-and-gasoline/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;">oil</span></a> and gas wells. He delayed the date by which companies must comply with a <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/06/14/2017-12340/accidental-release-prevention-requirements-risk-management-programs-under-the-clean-air-act-further"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">rule</span></a> to prevent explosions and spills at chemical plants. And he <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/15/health/pesticides-epa-chlorpyrifos-scott-pruitt.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">reversed a ban</span></a> on the use of a pesticide that the E.P.A.’s own scientists have said is linked to damage of children’s nervous systems.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">It’s a sad day for America, and for it’s most vulnerable citizens.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On July 5, I learned that the George Mason Center for Climate Change Communication issued a report titled, <a href="https://www.climatechangecommunication.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Climate-Change-American-Mind-May-2017.pdf"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Climate Change in the American Mind. - May 2017</span></a>, describing results of a recent study of American attitudes on climate change. Here are some of the Key Findings:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Seven in ten Americans (70%) think global warming is happening, which nearly matches the highest level in our surveys (71%), recorded in 2008. By contrast, only about one in eight Americans (13%) think global warming is not happening. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Americans are also more certain global warming is happening – 46% are “extremely” or “very” sure it is happening, its highest level since 2008. By contrast, far fewer – 7% – are “extremely” or “very sure” global warming is not happening. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Over half of Americans (58%) understand that global warming is mostly human caused, the highest level since our surveys began in November 2008. By contrast, three in ten (30%) say it is due mostly to natural changes in the environment – the lowest level recorded since 2008.”</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">There are several more findings. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">The <b><i>LA Times</i></b> for July 12 published an article by Alexandre Zavis and Sean Greene titled, <a href="http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-iceberg-antarctica-20170712-story.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">An iceberg the size of Delaware just broke off of Antarctica</span></a>. </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;"><br />
</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">They wrote,</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">“</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">Sometime in the last few days, a block of ice the size of Delaware broke away from Antarctica and is now floating freely in the Weddell Sea.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The iceberg, which at around 1 trillion tons is one of the largest on record, poses no immediate threat to sea levels. But scientists say the break may have altered the profile of the continent’s western peninsula for decades to come and offers a preview of what global warming might do to marine ice shelves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Scientists at Project Midas, a research team from Swansea University and Aberystwyth University in Britain, first confirmed the break Wednesday using data from <a href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/science/space/nasa-ORGOV000098-topic.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(69, 145, 184); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">NASA</span></a> satellites.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">They said they had been monitoring a rift in an ice shelf called Larsen C for years before it started to grow rapidly in January, increasing in length to about 120 miles and leaving the iceberg hanging by a thread of ice less than 3 miles wide.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On July 18 Jim Hansen and 14 co-authors published an article in <b><i>Earth System Dynamics</i></b> titled, <a href="http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2017/20170718_BurdenCommunication.pdf"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Young People’s Burden; Requirement of Negative CO2 Emissions</span></a>. ‘Negative CO2 emissions’ means that CO2 is removed faster from the atmosphere faster than it‘sadded. The hot-link takes you to Hansen’s website at Columbia University, which lists four major conclusions, quoted below. The Abstract to the full paper is available at <a href="http://www.earth-syst-dynam.net/8/577/2017/esd-8-577-2017.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa;">http://www.earth-syst-dynam.net/8/577/2017/esd-8-577-2017.html</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>1. Global warming in the past 50 years has raised global temperature (Fig. 1) well above the prior range in the Holocene </b>(the current interglacial period, approximately the past 11,700 years) <b>to the level of the Eemian period </b>(130,000 to 115,000 years ago), <b>when sea level was 6-9 meters (20-30 feet) higher than today. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>2. Global warming can be held below 1.5°C (the aspirational goal of the Paris Agreement) if rapid reductions of global CO</b></span><span style="font-kerning: none; vertical-align: -1.5px;"><b>2 </b></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>emission (at least 3%/year) begin by 2021 and if there is no net growth of other climate forcings (Fig. 2). However, 1.5°C global warming exceeds estimated Eemian temperature and is not an appropriate goal. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>3. The growth rate of greenhouse gas climate forcing has accelerated markedly in the past several years (Fig. 3), a conclusion starkly at odds with the common narrative that the world has recently turned the corner toward a solution of the global warming problem. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>An appropriate goal is to return global temperature to the Holocene range within a century. Such a goal was still achievable in 2013 if rapid emission reductions had begun at that time and if there were a global program for reforestation and improved agricultural and forestry practices. Now climate restoration this century would also require substantial technological extraction of CO</b></span><span style="font-kerning: none; vertical-align: -1.5px;"><b>2 </b></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>from the air. If rapid emission reductions do not begin soon, the burden placed on young people to extract CO</b></span><span style="font-kerning: none; vertical-align: -1.5px;"><b>2 </b></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>emitted by prior generations may become implausibly difficult and costly.” </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The figures referred to are shown below the Conclusions. There is also a link to an 11-minute <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mm57xlazv4I&feature=youtu.be"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">video</span></a> by Hansen and Stephanie Kiviehan - his oldest granddaughter - which explains the challenge of climate change in easily understandable language. It’s well worth watching.</span></div>
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The following items are from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), Carol Werner, Executive Director. Past issues of its newsletter are posted on its website under "publications"<br />
at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102515421764&e=001VqmyLSnT7fkl-_mocGBcn8yb2ys8eiE4dr3Tnveazy1K0B1fU1CponAdxiy_W78b49PK6NHsR0pHlqO7KOWi-3m5yW4bNEJiyJt1G95YoNt46CLY1L4uGjNKLSPL84kX2r7jAaxw1oVR18YElOXvV8_lo1bRsASi9tPNMTm7-ZU="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">http://www.eesi.org/publications/Newsletters/CCNews/ccnews.htm</span></a></span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">EESI’s newsletter is intended for all interested parties, particularly the policymaker community. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Utility Executives' Request for Carbon Regulations Met with a Shrug by EPA Administrator</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On June 19, over 30 energy industry executives met with EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to discuss what they would like to see replace the Clean Power Plan (CPP). Assuming the CPP is repealed, many of the executives still requested EPA issue a new carbon emission regulation in its place, albeit a less stringent version. The industry representatives emphasized the need for long-term regulatory certainty for their companies to plan around, while also signaling state governments that the utility sector was going to continue to move away from new coal plants. The industry's concerns were reportedly met with skepticism from Pruitt. Pruitt is thought to be considering a challenge to EPA's endangerment finding, a policy which informs the legal argument for regulating carbon dioxide. According to an industry executive who attended the meeting, "The only time [Pruitt] really perked up was when he heard the word 'coal.' None of our people are ever going to be building a coal plant again. It's devoid of reality."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001k4GWRpxYcY19TuI8o_XjLOBzEODJcmInXUST9xPspD0c78JHj9ByfCzAL0bDmhsPfwVuwj---0TqN87By-ljS_Gz7-zkoeuwGMhxmVzrDhLUgSCa3gQrF3O_O9Dg8FI38ra_wZAPV_kSoNYoRIun9kq0_ZixLbsvBu2D1oZ6xc1jL5llIxzXyRf-ZUb3za_j2z-sS9ZJApFwU1OuoGKiF8IJtr9EZVovd_qt9IlfF24bkHZgy0C0cyB5W1OFK6Hd8rRq8WhkZ_rL4p19-LzmFw==&c=QCpk_cWV_p8KDLrk1VSlrKglpRpxIsg3Kz_vo_WLQxDJT7NlAOAZ4w==&ch=9rAHlskPZajJxGxlEK2UtuRBK0na_qo6303G9T6EYVKMtIF1V2nZfg==">Scientific American<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>State Attorneys General Fight EPA on Delay of Methane Emissions Rule</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt recently initiated a two-year delay of a regulation that would reduce methane emissions produced by the oil and gas industry. The regulation was finalized in 2016 under the Obama administration. In defending the move, Pruitt argued that businesses did not have the opportunity to review the regulations before they were finalized. Now a coalition of 15 state attorneys general are filing a lawsuit claiming the EPA does not have the power to delay the implementation of a rule while the agency is reviewing it. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, who leads the coalition, said she is taking action to "ensure that the EPA does not roll back the progress we've made to protect our planet." Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Tom Udall (D-NM) are also pushing back against an Interior Department decision to issue a stay on a similar methane rule.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001k4GWRpxYcY19TuI8o_XjLOBzEODJcmInXUST9xPspD0c78JHj9ByfCzAL0bDmhsPkrK5GFzV6oXfPJf33VT76fgHWk3Rduy3lzwdonPtY7YgXEAOy3VmUXDVR-dBwit1-9kLkdKtz3s4DeYwR_dpzYORU51HFH7iNIPRljAnWvAuvA7WQn2-Hsvs3Z8YGo3NjQ7FrcKcIVxWWWxuZ_vKE6oIGsUtsWLymthulHuyF6z9W8KiDmvrFyhnBrBzL6Ecb1PofYR2Q__yhqKYT64ajpRO5kBl6rp3TQ31Wgty6Ok=&c=QCpk_cWV_p8KDLrk1VSlrKglpRpxIsg3Kz_vo_WLQxDJT7NlAOAZ4w==&ch=9rAHlskPZajJxGxlEK2UtuRBK0na_qo6303G9T6EYVKMtIF1V2nZfg==">The Hill</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001k4GWRpxYcY19TuI8o_XjLOBzEODJcmInXUST9xPspD0c78JHj9ByfCzAL0bDmhsPU4pcBxoFbUZiBU3HhnAK9sMfTNcuxpTqFeXhapA0HA5YJv5SzlSc88xWmSkYE1gpS8MQ0NimuMv0C8wEdbd5pQ3SOH-fvyJ9DKbGybY4EzpEPoJjt6_V54ziP3eyOO5Nfzwj39srIHQIcTYNlQ-HjACldv0WIeRlzzDpRFvovtbeWiT1FeZelgVHb_iNMbkXYxwIsjMgEs0JFPxV0Y2D6KdB2SmukPYWnxoHpBcMUXCrXrws8eHUJQ8VuPdwD0qwB9COf63LzGYg-lZpc2e2ew==&c=QCpk_cWV_p8KDLrk1VSlrKglpRpxIsg3Kz_vo_WLQxDJT7NlAOAZ4w==&ch=9rAHlskPZajJxGxlEK2UtuRBK0na_qo6303G9T6EYVKMtIF1V2nZfg=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); color: #0061ff;">Boston Globe</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Houston Faces Catastrophic Flooding Due to Climate Change and Overdevelopment</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Houston, Texas, already experiences some of the worst impacts of floods and hurricanes in the United States, and scientists are warning that a combination of climate change and irresponsible development will further exacerbate the problem. Researchers have noted significant flaws in the city's flood defenses, including two aging dams facing a high risk of failure and the conversion of the surrounding landscape from grassy plains to impervious surfaces. Texas A&M professor Sam Brody estimates that "each new square meter of pavement in Houston on average adds $4,000 worth of flood damage." One area of particular concern is the Houston Ship Channel, where experts fear a severe flood could result in millions of gallons of crude oil and chemical substances stored there to be released into surrounding neighborhoods. The multitude of threats has led to the formation of local advocacy groups calling for smarter development and better flood management. Dean Bixler, an activist and resident, said, "The truth is that most of the flooding in Houston is manmade."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001k4GWRpxYcY19TuI8o_XjLOBzEODJcmInXUST9xPspD0c78JHj9ByfCzAL0bDmhsPtiBHQNA2NeA5kaKwxwa39cupW-x1z1hy7UfncsP2MNhXwoKym70EbqfrjMnDV2wgXaMeJO0naZM1Y_05FHQyRRPeKPLGuWFdCm1EO61-FDhaHhSCpOy17UAge_m5Yv_vjwNN2X8sGVmqehNYfgWTEFIJBu6BwFcvkB9FdCkA191MbOu335T1ApQMSRmU3DqC4o-8TNOut_o1jUwBwLAzcjcykJY6hhFJ&c=QCpk_cWV_p8KDLrk1VSlrKglpRpxIsg3Kz_vo_WLQxDJT7NlAOAZ4w==&ch=9rAHlskPZajJxGxlEK2UtuRBK0na_qo6303G9T6EYVKMtIF1V2nZfg==">Guardian<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_1.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://AEAA3F2A-E9FD-4F2E-AB93-56B89B81801C/pastedGraphic_1.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Bangkok's Impoverished Communities at Risk of Being Swept Away by Floodwaters</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Phrom Samrit, a squatter community along a major canal in Bangkok, Thailand, is struggling with worsening floods. The slum's elected leader, Adirak Sangnut, says floods used to begin after three days of rain, but it now takes "just three hours." In 2011, Bangkok was hit by its worst flooding in 50 years, causing over $45 billion in damages and disrupting international supply chains. Climate change and widespread urbanization are expected to increase the capital's vulnerability to flooding, leading the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to plan 28 flood protection projects at a cost of $765 million dollars. The plans include expanding canals and constructing infrastructure to drain and divert water into the Chao Phraya River. The city has also drafted a resilience strategy to combat the issue. Critics suggest the plan would mostly benefit urban areas, as marginalized groups like farmers, fishermen, and rural residents would continue to experience losses. There is a call to make Bangkok a "sponge city," with more pavement and green space specially designed to take on water.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001k4GWRpxYcY19TuI8o_XjLOBzEODJcmInXUST9xPspD0c78JHj9ByfCzAL0bDmhsPAfjciwIuQYXhgD_G2hWAX5v4yGO8eOGAcpjzVnKvPzDNJ5KNG_uZ9zLJekwZFQ3c0lGF7P_ldWF0qeceO8Ac_3INGyCmImFS1szHyWYGSNGen8dLXSKKz2MHkZua1O0m2PiVEHY9FXp-rG4ef9L0Rw==&c=QCpk_cWV_p8KDLrk1VSlrKglpRpxIsg3Kz_vo_WLQxDJT7NlAOAZ4w==&ch=9rAHlskPZajJxGxlEK2UtuRBK0na_qo6303G9T6EYVKMtIF1V2nZfg==">Reuters<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_2.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://AEAA3F2A-E9FD-4F2E-AB93-56B89B81801C/pastedGraphic_2.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Oil Companies Seek "Conservative Climate Solution" and Protection Against Climate Change Lawsuits</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Exxon Mobil and several other large oil corporations have joined Stephen Hawking, Michael Bloomberg, Ratan Tata, and others on the Climate Leadership Council. The council was formed in February 2017 to promote a "conservative climate solution." The council plans to tax $40 per ton of carbon dioxide produced, arguing a market-driven approach would be more effective at reducing greenhouse gas emissions than setting regulations. The plan would return money collected to taxpayers as a "climate dividend," and the council predicts the average American family of four would receive $2,000 after one year. The plan would also protect companies from lawsuits for their climate change contributions. Exxon is currently under investigation for misleading the public about the risk of climate change. Some Democratic leaders and environmental organizations support the plan, to which chief executive of the council Ted Halstead said, "It's hard to argue against a carbon tax that Exxon's in favor of."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001k4GWRpxYcY19TuI8o_XjLOBzEODJcmInXUST9xPspD0c78JHj9ByfCzAL0bDmhsPDNFSv3L7sI-f5Kufo8WMvYyiiiw7uq3CGMl4qPzB2IhDzpOrVUDeDxdmX094I0bOaYdIVcRN7iQ3d6bByd3tq_-9_o8zneZwcwqrJHPKiiIbTk-SLfha9bkMYQo9soLJIBPcPc-0aPWVpII1_KExj1IVBCAtJAVQzaSxxc1LP62DiuwUtu6M-0UhdvqaH74zsg2TOBACyhqNnJeGMVI46Jy-Ya48O-fYK6F3rxWEs1H6rWsmVDsCuA==&c=QCpk_cWV_p8KDLrk1VSlrKglpRpxIsg3Kz_vo_WLQxDJT7NlAOAZ4w==&ch=9rAHlskPZajJxGxlEK2UtuRBK0na_qo6303G9T6EYVKMtIF1V2nZfg==">Bloomberg</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001k4GWRpxYcY19TuI8o_XjLOBzEODJcmInXUST9xPspD0c78JHj9ByfCzAL0bDmhsPdxrcZQNDObq_q4Mm6kr7Ooch97u087k9o9rn7GeQfKbmWICFFfN-qOTxQVW8mWGME9u1dqIId3j_VVnrIVj9Sa7cBt2AaE0UWdEF2tbLkNx0R_i_NEGTwVc0bS6Ghnl_6Rp9253c34d5lT0Hk0A7dQOuFnHZRc4d_WREg2I29ISTWqTzbPXsRbEJhr2qp1G3HVG1vs5qb5xj7MZFhzcIGpYlygx6GxH2lRCMdXymzwjTIAb-7xOyN8scD9HMB8G7XXja0kAunaYaSUStZBA_kcbekO-tzYzGAAMC2eEqNWLCq-WIxBX0aq8jMOElhyGeO9ogudiwhWAH1PVZfQ0Llk6KYTostLvzBcJHXbkjUu3u8pl5I9rcwDaQxemc2YgCobnTMWIW0fNIjP0QRLxXAf_c9k-rCgNOUIlBZfIEEKx2bAX2FNlZbtEoFgLcDz1b&c=QCpk_cWV_p8KDLrk1VSlrKglpRpxIsg3Kz_vo_WLQxDJT7NlAOAZ4w==&ch=9rAHlskPZajJxGxlEK2UtuRBK0na_qo6303G9T6EYVKMtIF1V2nZfg=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); color: #0061ff;">New York Times</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Corporations Are Now Some of the Largest Consumers of Renewable Energy in the Nation</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Driven by tax breaks and technological advances that have led to lower prices, corporations have become some of the largest consumers of renewable energy in the United States. In 2016, nearly 40 percent of wind contracts and 10 percent of large-market solar projects were backed by corporations (with contributions from universities and the military). The boom is largely due to wind and solar-power costs each dropping by over 65 percent since 2010. Corporations have taken advantage of these cheap prices by entering into long-term power purchase agreements where renewable energy producers supply electricity directly to the grid, which means companies do not need to invest in the technologies themselves. These favorable conditions have led to nearly 100 international companies committing to transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy since 2014. Many of these corporations were also vocal opponents of President Trump's recent decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001k4GWRpxYcY19TuI8o_XjLOBzEODJcmInXUST9xPspD0c78JHj9ByfCzAL0bDmhsPeiRfl_2jJvJzLGjVx6AtCPog8IujNTCMC6c5fWZSPmIk1NayQ_0z_56-scVk-43TUy8a-8amV1WIlotDKg1Gf3A8k0RKo-j1sRXjXvVLRPYfFYxKY9IzI568iN7zd2ozMBFrTpbH81fWsxH9H45TiUOjEAsQK4FO5wfBRDVz2rJ6gbypwPxRTXWKTXhOrZ-m&c=QCpk_cWV_p8KDLrk1VSlrKglpRpxIsg3Kz_vo_WLQxDJT7NlAOAZ4w==&ch=9rAHlskPZajJxGxlEK2UtuRBK0na_qo6303G9T6EYVKMtIF1V2nZfg==">Reuters<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Soaring Temperatures May Affect Future Air Travel Plans</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In the future, travelers will likely see increased flight cancellations, costs, and turbulence due to climate change. With temperatures reaching 120 degrees Fahrenheit in the southwestern United States recently, American Airlines had to cancel more than 40 flights in and out of Phoenix because the hot air was too thin for smaller planes to create enough lift for take-off. As above-average temperatures become the new normal, more airports may have to cancel or delay flights, or restrict passenger and cargo weight to reduce the amount of lift needed to take off. Stronger winds will also mean increases in turbulence, travel time, and fuel consumption. While airlines have started using more fuel-efficient engines and aerodynamic planes, industry members say more work needs to be done to prepare for the long-term effects of climate change. Industry analyst Robert Mann observed airline companies are in the habit of focusing on "near-term issues," meaning climate change can sometimes be left out of their fleet-wide planning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001k4GWRpxYcY19TuI8o_XjLOBzEODJcmInXUST9xPspD0c78JHj9ByfCzAL0bDmhsPJnippj2wlBiA3GMe5-eOF44BEk55umAEO4zL7tPDAs3cVBYcHwijLz-2reQaI0fy-wDs9Vts6klwBAkZpWXOyl3YP5am9pCQn0eWUA8VdO7AiRubZBKYgl_c8wo1WPyEqUgv4v6vWSi2TSBpKqtF-NLaMofTVE_T4Vnk8uykQ2PWq_lr8gkPEg==&c=QCpk_cWV_p8KDLrk1VSlrKglpRpxIsg3Kz_vo_WLQxDJT7NlAOAZ4w==&ch=9rAHlskPZajJxGxlEK2UtuRBK0na_qo6303G9T6EYVKMtIF1V2nZfg==">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_3.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://AEAA3F2A-E9FD-4F2E-AB93-56B89B81801C/pastedGraphic_3.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Climate Change Could Threaten 74 Percent of Global Population with Deadly Heat Waves</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">According to a new study in Nature Climate Change, prolonged exposure to temperatures above 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit combined with high humidity can create a deadly heat threshold for humans. Nearly a third of the world's population already experiences these conditions for at least 20 days per year. However, if no action is taken to mitigate climate change, deadly heat waves could threaten 74 percent of the population by 2100. For instance, New York City could experience 50 days per year with life-threatening temperatures if greenhouse gas emission levels are not reduced. Recent heat waves can take a steep toll on vulnerable populations, including the elderly. Europe's 2003 heat wave saw 70,000 people perish, while a 1995 incident in Chicago killed 700. These consequences can be multiplied by an increase in urbanization, which reduces vegetation while introducing more heat-trapping asphalt and building materials. University of Hawaii at Manoa biologist Camilo Mora says, "Our options are now between bad or terrible," but "we cannot afford to give up hope."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001k4GWRpxYcY19TuI8o_XjLOBzEODJcmInXUST9xPspD0c78JHj9ByfCzAL0bDmhsPRiEdlVu2lUX0GDd8aaYuIfobSlnJAKdTqfh25w3MAh7FWMnfNUi2wS-u6BPXUzSRBQD5T9Bl-xwvL9983IwSx8qkWCJrp5BNFrV5cua3Pndy7YSkI1a0MpFMhDyoHTzCbjnmexxzu3c0qxq_Kyw9p7BDVcYoRqKHFQGMaknta4QAoAJm0T46kJV3usbz9jtUM1EuXXXKScgV93lJzb9ZwT-zOF-CR6Zw&c=QCpk_cWV_p8KDLrk1VSlrKglpRpxIsg3Kz_vo_WLQxDJT7NlAOAZ4w==&ch=9rAHlskPZajJxGxlEK2UtuRBK0na_qo6303G9T6EYVKMtIF1V2nZfg==">Inside Climate News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_4.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://AEAA3F2A-E9FD-4F2E-AB93-56B89B81801C/pastedGraphic_4.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Dramatic Increase in Great Plains Wildfires Leads to New Challenges for the Region</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Wildfires on the Great Plains have dramatically increased in both scope and frequency over the last 30 years, leading to a strain on firefighting resources and costs. According to a new study, the number of wildfires on the Great Plains grew from 33 in 1985 to 117 in 2014, with the total area affected increasing by 400 percent. Although wildfires used to be common on the Great Plains, modern fire prevention techniques have left people unaccustomed to the recent uptick. Michele Steinberg with the National Fire Protection Association noted that this previously low frequency has lulled many people into a "sense of complacency." This rise is believed to be the result of both climate change and human activity, including population growth in fire-prone areas that increases the risk of accidental ignition. The lead author of the study, Victoria Donovan of the University of Nebraska, called the increase "undocumented and unexpected for this region," leaving Plains agencies struggling to secure the funds and personnel to properly combat the growing threat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001k4GWRpxYcY19TuI8o_XjLOBzEODJcmInXUST9xPspD0c78JHj9ByfCzAL0bDmhsPsBP_8N_k02zX1v5Q60VhZDPzeTrwc_H5LyMMaYjwgfPbZst00WileO4-ePXDYMXFDeK_UcuY8Qtw0fSMBXgSkXV4W7B1ZFtxmHPGABZa0ulrzwo1vPZ_7MlotgT9NGNRbJ015HCuFsfsStCiYBlPz8po55nrHu5b8hJkzWDHU031IaJxn3ygpG69gVd5ShBCj71lnEx1JusIc_NtWpozEzcB5ksUFuM2xpy_y1UNYwttsfive1RaDj1ZKASYWIc6NoMj07oIs6hjOJ-LF-SxZu5wTq87c-Ub-pzbKR0z0y3a1T1y1GP__5jJ-MbSu_DR7uOIpSXkGtw=&c=QCpk_cWV_p8KDLrk1VSlrKglpRpxIsg3Kz_vo_WLQxDJT7NlAOAZ4w==&ch=9rAHlskPZajJxGxlEK2UtuRBK0na_qo6303G9T6EYVKMtIF1V2nZfg==">Washington Post</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001k4GWRpxYcY19TuI8o_XjLOBzEODJcmInXUST9xPspD0c78JHj9ByfCzAL0bDmhsPp_A7z7vd2Z1-NTkB4up91CYhiZEPWW7nBJxyi-CJzzzF2kzWk_QMbVJncP8TWSfW9qiugBhDBzvlen99oU69NkgkRIFleBgRGXy3cMXNgUo14_2w81AzD8FmVN5w47igfQ1yke2-Wo_39FitjUlHkuK1qtr4TOv8lrp3aMsuYt8GX57-HYLbCvDFqy3LZ7I6&c=QCpk_cWV_p8KDLrk1VSlrKglpRpxIsg3Kz_vo_WLQxDJT7NlAOAZ4w==&ch=9rAHlskPZajJxGxlEK2UtuRBK0na_qo6303G9T6EYVKMtIF1V2nZfg=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); color: #0061ff;">Climate Central</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>House Armed Services Committee Acknowledges Climate Change as a National Security Threat</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On June 28, the House Armed Services Committee took a formal step toward acknowledging climate change as a threat to national security and military readiness. During its review of the National Defense Authorization Act, a bill detailing the Department of Defense's annual operating budget, the committee approved an amendment that declares "climate change is a direct threat to the national security of the United States and is impacting stability in areas of the world both where the United States Armed Forces are operating today, and where strategic implications for future conflict exist." The amendment was introduced by Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) and passed by a voice vote. The amendment would direct each service branch to compile a list of the ten facilities under its command which it deems to be the most vulnerable to climate change impacts over the next 20 years. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) was the only committee member to openly oppose the bill, while Republican representatives Rob Bishop (UT) and Jim Bridenstine (OK) suggested the findings of the report could be instructive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001OlzGuW7LHrKwrIdS0Ae9CKiyvxqU1NGtAukyHjQXwY9e8Uf-vU-WTRm8WNXH07LOgLKJNre3lCG9N97BdXyvfZNtBKYxiRalNj7--rL_gBuRlhsDZLINnDHg6PI_jhPCLmFcKfhOeJpEQMZWHqCA4knrgqo_92opoTdg80l7B64QbPAUIY0nr1fa-r4W840xh6uSu0yBvnweEWKp7bzTZ65RcWQ-n86xlbWM3BiOdHlnV5qZYlPmrXwHGIGgnz3lKbhfmgBGUjZGrE4tr9ay3-FRIAe1OK8RoO3v-JjbgBoRBCv3vnz5cU9BKe8SU5ueq5f-GzpvfKKVAjMaUTk_QpdzQJuSNmrEDhFGI2VGeTbjq2rAe7_-6g==&c=Kc2Se1cbXeooPOyryxS49vOo2hlRt8aNNDmjjIDik2pnA5jSNJNTGw==&ch=avsqyTv6ypEp_sXwk7s94WdaT8Gg8V1IbtoAgLEzs7E8UuWX-GcmaA==">The Hill</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001OlzGuW7LHrKwrIdS0Ae9CKiyvxqU1NGtAukyHjQXwY9e8Uf-vU-WTRm8WNXH07LOqu3-5q-zAnu-q7S8BitrhxcocXBxpmfC7ZbiRXQYulJ_i3RbHStjze8mN4ChJejTBPAIl-D4kSKGGeQXUQv7hMiRlwIA9jkGxXqKrLJVKUw5vnsFJd1E6Fslhc3ratrEh9cX_geiAgk-uaBQDAxRSjEm0gsWVgAnE9eMwTGt7QbiRXJfhOxnKNK2KKWIX8XsKF-PX-3wzSfAmPA3ow1Fbm5DxII6xPjk&c=Kc2Se1cbXeooPOyryxS49vOo2hlRt8aNNDmjjIDik2pnA5jSNJNTGw==&ch=avsqyTv6ypEp_sXwk7s94WdaT8Gg8V1IbtoAgLEzs7E8UuWX-GcmaA=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); color: #0061ff;">Amendment Language</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_5.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://AEAA3F2A-E9FD-4F2E-AB93-56B89B81801C/pastedGraphic_5.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>U.S. Mayors Take Lead on Climate Change, Pursue 100 Percent Renewable Energy</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A lack of climate leadership from the Trump administration has led the United States Conference of Mayors, which represents 1,408 American cities, to pledge its support for achieving 100 percent renewable energy by 2035 in member cities. The resolution urges Congress and the Trump administration to support the Paris Agreement, as well as the Clean Power Plan. The resolution also calls for the electrification of the U.S. transportation sector, a federal "risk management program to address future flood risks from sea level rise," and expanded government investment in renewable energy. An assessment by the Sierra Club found that if the conference members' adoption of 100 percent renewable energy were carried out, it would cut carbon dioxide emissions by 619 million metric tons, equivalent to the emissions from 180 coal plants. The mayor of Columbia, South Carolina, Steve Benjamin, said, "We are showing the world that cities and mayors can and will lead the transition away from fossil fuels."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001OlzGuW7LHrKwrIdS0Ae9CKiyvxqU1NGtAukyHjQXwY9e8Uf-vU-WTRm8WNXH07LOeQP6vXK4kPSzgCaWXJTIRIjBovutfFkkUxDe9d5kqvfhGTV2G7XBy2DNBwH0wFb27uFUhBmzzEO4i6uoLcwTA2n5urfIRYzq-8f8V2QVK-WAEflsUjdvCr0JyWdzzyto_jWK8jonCkQMhkR8B0S09UdveKh_fdV4hcmSFTKRJIt0vqbh-lWN7v2jx-CKGHRiBNJfngI7_s6UTMcj-uZpT7sDiU7jfJNSuqNRc3L1ePad5AkN0hxm_VdBjZYSf4-y&c=Kc2Se1cbXeooPOyryxS49vOo2hlRt8aNNDmjjIDik2pnA5jSNJNTGw==&ch=avsqyTv6ypEp_sXwk7s94WdaT8Gg8V1IbtoAgLEzs7E8UuWX-GcmaA==">Inside Climate News</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001OlzGuW7LHrKwrIdS0Ae9CKiyvxqU1NGtAukyHjQXwY9e8Uf-vU-WTRm8WNXH07LOB0n2Uz13l2xx1H0Bie3o2EpxOJA0G5UMC2oP-2vSYs0Iwt-EYDk7UJU0cecIMQ6j0J4la0_xQwQ3VGZNkoJBpqd8dnZlEg_hJMmJZmUvGrXNOshyQE3fV9Lb9jUyktejB5-7ptMS5NLAO1hZh9JgILL4wMSrPF6f3EPc7n8369XqyD15acuSJhO8kT0QyIeJAc1ZZ4-u-5mmDS3D1MnVhQ==&c=Kc2Se1cbXeooPOyryxS49vOo2hlRt8aNNDmjjIDik2pnA5jSNJNTGw==&ch=avsqyTv6ypEp_sXwk7s94WdaT8Gg8V1IbtoAgLEzs7E8UuWX-GcmaA=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); color: #0056d6;">Resolution Text</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Florida's Dying Reefs Could Kill the Local Economy</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The world's third-largest barrier reef along the Florida Keys, once a flourishing ecosystem, is now struggling and on the verge of collapse, having lost 90 percent of its living coral due to bleaching from rising temperatures. Three and a half million people visit the Florida Keys every year, providing 54 percent of all employment on the islands. As a result, the region's $2.7 billion coastal economy is highly vulnerable to disruptions from climate change. Extreme weather events that bring warmer waters have been known to trigger coral bleaching. The possible defunding of Environmental Protection Agency programs that protect the reef is a fear of Monroe County's board of commissioners, who stated, "A healthy marine environment is essential and the most important contributor to the economy of the Florida Keys." Scientists are replanting coral, but are unsure if the ecosystem will be able to stand up to climate change over the long-term. Research suggests the Keys could experience annual coral bleaching events by as early as 2020.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001OlzGuW7LHrKwrIdS0Ae9CKiyvxqU1NGtAukyHjQXwY9e8Uf-vU-WTRm8WNXH07LOjVY9upehLUHYIYF4xCF2XyteevgyZ6-Pq1os8u_uJiPpE5GIGNz5Gpbk7JhFoTgwc8ELS1lgyHVus8eXqmuPWyYLSxBehkc9fXsQZhYmwxU_HmiuKDFprsyiDrP4mCFiFYnILiVecrPV3mBnBNOwBLnbdRSVIjF49PnNfe-ylie-Qw1RpskodAvBiosQZ0fk1593SwAS8oMEqTBPXjCeOk_PPL8C3mTtvYsnK6lfwkzlOn-GpfqqnzLisNVPxGdXFTrswUN8gy2hpmGzr6FPH4VoQb5qXmCWguL9QGsKr_pWRKUBa3078xP_Ut8eaWyCfuQBsDGzDRcG02YXRd16Oc-EugBrx-uS&c=Kc2Se1cbXeooPOyryxS49vOo2hlRt8aNNDmjjIDik2pnA5jSNJNTGw==&ch=avsqyTv6ypEp_sXwk7s94WdaT8Gg8V1IbtoAgLEzs7E8UuWX-GcmaA==">Washington Post<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Climate Change Threatens Global Food Supply "Chokepoints"</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A new report from Chatham House warns that climate change is threatening 14 critical "chokepoints" used for the distribution of global food supplies and that little is being done to address the threat. More than 50 percent of the world's crop exports travel through at least one of these chokepoints, which include the Suez and Panama Canals, Black Sea ports, and U.S. Gulf Coast ports, inland waterways, and railways. According to the report, many of these areas have already experienced major flooding, drought, sand storms, and heavy rains in recent years which can lead to a chain reaction of rising food prices and major conflict, particularly if they coincide with a harvest failure. Areas that are particularly vulnerable include the Middle East and North Africa, which are the sites of numerous chokepoints, as well as any country that is heavily reliant on imports. The report urged increased global cooperation and a diversification of supply routes and infrastructure to limit the risk of major disruptions from these chokepoints.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001OlzGuW7LHrKwrIdS0Ae9CKiyvxqU1NGtAukyHjQXwY9e8Uf-vU-WTRm8WNXH07LOZ3zvi8l2h7eJ-iNvLC2CNfKBYd3vb-RF_9rDUX3RKSmotSibzJ9y-V-ACbuRX1bT5k4UcRDGfvAUpXmw4soO5YugBL-o3PS06yxCrZJiRmzGt3i2a8eHZwmQ7Ra0MY59O6PcU8zLHGiwILA-VY3OMI_nCXzt3KMX_rPycSDgCg11hdqhSmstOOwCsrNaiNcGx5mHGY9IN5RZQlUSELyO_5ghM1rZkalBnXLNRSkX6Xoj72xPJXtSqg==&c=Kc2Se1cbXeooPOyryxS49vOo2hlRt8aNNDmjjIDik2pnA5jSNJNTGw==&ch=avsqyTv6ypEp_sXwk7s94WdaT8Gg8V1IbtoAgLEzs7E8UuWX-GcmaA==">Guardian</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001OlzGuW7LHrKwrIdS0Ae9CKiyvxqU1NGtAukyHjQXwY9e8Uf-vU-WTRm8WNXH07LOG_1tsn8E28nTWmqOBL124GgYau7OGdwQ9ng_AE5UOdONimDUnDb3kZiNk0X5lqE6H2bui3X0w-_rDse9u_Hg_wTRlh66zV1PfuUMlP9s9uqEbAox6-7J67oy71RExj5RtqpSLsLnaF4hNaYR1jRXoasgchVabnRIbQbtzAEGw8NdR6eDqi3PmNb4bvTtzZdWoKOuA9wvd8QlDbSH9x4yT4Ji35KH8mtdFH-58gpEpH6XfVB6XnKzzKAOkTKCl_-1&c=Kc2Se1cbXeooPOyryxS49vOo2hlRt8aNNDmjjIDik2pnA5jSNJNTGw==&ch=avsqyTv6ypEp_sXwk7s94WdaT8Gg8V1IbtoAgLEzs7E8UuWX-GcmaA=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); color: #0061ff;">The Atlantic</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Atlantic Coast Pipeline Approval Likely, Despite Severe Environmental Impacts</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The 600-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline is expected to move 1.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. Running from North Carolina to West Virginia, the pipeline will cross 2,900 private properties and parts of the Monogahela and George Washington National Forests. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave developers a favorable draft environmental assessment, despite warnings that the project could "induce sinkhole development, alter spring characteristics, and impact local groundwater flow and quality." Dominion Energy, which owns 48 percent of the project, claims they have plans to mitigate these impacts and argues the pipeline will be necessary to supply domestic natural gas markets. Environmental groups argue Dominion is overestimating demand to justify the project. PJM, a regional grid operator, calculates peak power demand in 2027 will be 3.5 gigawatts lower than Dominion estimates. Advocates are also fearful the pipeline will lead to dozens of miles of mountaintops being cleared. Dominion expects the project will receive approval in the fall of 2017.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001OlzGuW7LHrKwrIdS0Ae9CKiyvxqU1NGtAukyHjQXwY9e8Uf-vU-WTRm8WNXH07LOXkEuomiaMJHSoOxeTanq7kn1yYxpzb0pYIYINfXRlM1kDPXl8MeuqsvPv4n4itAxkB7P3fQr5A5ZfUT-oddScqGVeUbStaSE6qVLocD50ND8T_8wiO0CIXkpGHby5sCV7fILjYmRAwkD1uxFDbd9-UtA9TjpnQaJwDJ65PUqbrpckr0J07qrURFzMNxbBgrt_xPn5RNqrpVaTV1CKqkEo3I0UmUdksPup2WtR5luc14=&c=Kc2Se1cbXeooPOyryxS49vOo2hlRt8aNNDmjjIDik2pnA5jSNJNTGw==&ch=avsqyTv6ypEp_sXwk7s94WdaT8Gg8V1IbtoAgLEzs7E8UuWX-GcmaA==">Utility Dive<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study: Great Barrier Reef Is Worth $42 Billion and "Too Big to Fail"</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A recent report from Deloitte valued Australia's Great Barrier Reef at $42.4 billion, which is comparable to the market values of auto companies like BMW and General Motors. The reef also supports 64,000 jobs. In the past year, the reef has endured two massive coral bleaching events. The report states, "The Reef is critical to supporting economic activity and jobs in Australia. The livelihoods and businesses it supports across Australia far exceeds the numbers supported by many industries we would consider too big to fail." Bleaching occurs as a stress response to warm ocean temperatures, and corals can die if exposed to prolonged periods of excessive warmth. Recent bleaching events affected about two-thirds of the 2,300 kilometer (1,429 mile) reef, and corals may take up to 20 years to fully recover. Sean Connolly, program leader of an Australian coral reef center, says, "You're looking at some potentially unfolding human tragedy over the decades if reefs cannot provide the same source of livelihood."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001OlzGuW7LHrKwrIdS0Ae9CKiyvxqU1NGtAukyHjQXwY9e8Uf-vU-WTRm8WNXH07LOYTDBAOAN9go5ePPYnPfOmMfsRWZUcCm-bdS-JUOKjgZboZP175fnmFOVEYoGf9c3iL3b_UAMtM27uMk8qZPyEDRTyfMROuHYXfWfHesShQZHi6RK8mb8fwt79YT-GklL9We_2DTV-hkHPgjdtpDZ1-z10M0Z4nj9Y5YuBy4VxS4xiWf07_wPmHZtNzl4ZjMqXVU0sukLwxCWepU3uujR91pNqn3ugCekpmjyqo6udgJnFo96NkwNXaWqwpfCgHE0JXtqjOftzRj_Ztwc92s7ccwGOTQTajyAQ8bi2KhvbauxBzXoGGARQqy9qUYy2DqvFgJajaS3M1_xQlf1rCQcoSTbpczlE8ukTaDJmKq8hIdrOd6JAOrPvw==&c=Kc2Se1cbXeooPOyryxS49vOo2hlRt8aNNDmjjIDik2pnA5jSNJNTGw==&ch=avsqyTv6ypEp_sXwk7s94WdaT8Gg8V1IbtoAgLEzs7E8UuWX-GcmaA==">Washington Post</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001OlzGuW7LHrKwrIdS0Ae9CKiyvxqU1NGtAukyHjQXwY9e8Uf-vU-WTRm8WNXH07LOBsBMNwkApbiXXrx-YLQ4a7oyEGerorHGWR-uia5t9GGdfqCxQoKu7BmyNHn7jgqN8QvXD3ITspB9MIA2lr98Lb-OkDtZZehV9lCacTYfmBK8jRl7ZJ8s16JPmkL98BfHXxeIyLzKKs453zUz0hlpoEIZIKJGlet8ZRT63Mja0SDEdgaBIgzrRbH3eXgqKzzbP_-xPlVSYoQ=&c=Kc2Se1cbXeooPOyryxS49vOo2hlRt8aNNDmjjIDik2pnA5jSNJNTGw==&ch=avsqyTv6ypEp_sXwk7s94WdaT8Gg8V1IbtoAgLEzs7E8UuWX-GcmaA=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); color: #0061ff;">CNN</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Study Warns That Global Sea Level Rise Is Accelerating Over Time</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For the third time in the past year, scientists have confirmed that not only are sea levels rising, but they are doing so at an increasingly faster rate. The most recent study attributes the primary cause of this increase to an accelerated melting of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, which are the two largest sources of land-based ice in the world. The study shows that the melting ice from Greenland is now responsible for 25 percent of all sea level rise, a drastic increase from five percent in 1993. While there is still some uncertainty on the precise rate of sea level rise, with studies disagreeing over just how rapidly sea levels are rising, a consensus has emerged that sea levels are increasing and will have a significant impact on coastal regions. Christopher Harig of the University of Arizona said, "[Sea level rise is] no longer a projection, it's now an observation. It's not something that [coastal communities] can continue to put off into the future."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001OlzGuW7LHrKwrIdS0Ae9CKiyvxqU1NGtAukyHjQXwY9e8Uf-vU-WTRm8WNXH07LOwkxxY7rQmiVP7R1k8MSh6Fk4ij4-LrgHb-Vozv6TPQGEptGN5auPVmJ9k5szGONOinNoy6hoKpSOlvfq9eKjlQ_0n7OgZMVY8QYPVbzx-sFZQm_swHJfGi1IrIlhN3LRMzYhIYIY6xAaBGlI9D1HSvCYT63bnKev8Saq1TGaTlwLPj2UE86kSiURyj3tmcjZPObLVjnC1ZuRjLDnq0KwqZG442-KOb2CyuFUEWEMKGUH40ho0RoybKu-h9lukOTo-ITvJz7PLNJFa7lH1HI-z01PSGsXTxUu8mZe3LqmIVM=&c=Kc2Se1cbXeooPOyryxS49vOo2hlRt8aNNDmjjIDik2pnA5jSNJNTGw==&ch=avsqyTv6ypEp_sXwk7s94WdaT8Gg8V1IbtoAgLEzs7E8UuWX-GcmaA==">Washington Post<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">European research institutes and universities are recruiting American scientists to take advantage of the Trump administration's lack of support for climate research. Piers Forster, director of the Priestley International Centre for Climate, said, "We live in a global marketplace and want to recruit the best minds-and many of the very best are in U.S. labs." However, some European researchers are more concerned that the Trump administration's proposed budget cuts to NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) research offices could have significant impacts, with many in the global scientific community reliant on U.S.-produced scientific data. Forster added, "[Europe needs] their satellite data and access to the U.S.'s many freely available datasets. We need their expertise." Michael Oppenheimer of Princeton University said, "There seems to be an interest in the administration of shifting resources out of science and once again to manned [space] exploration," but such research tends to produce "very modest returns" given the high cost.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001OlzGuW7LHrKwrIdS0Ae9CKiyvxqU1NGtAukyHjQXwY9e8Uf-vU-WTRm8WNXH07LOHxSBL_w-YcN8dBUMHvhz7HsJEJZ18OOJk53Ws79pbaSid26oq_iMQJxl0xV_I78i_61BXOjp8Icl-mVg2fzD236KKFUfY_gsvvQu09xxE_dh5pIRkoPhEmsh9UlFAocyN32_O30bzgpvtM9SaiEtA05K3V0xEi4tlDtYSqL0QxDsAywpBI-N6Zpt2nS6GkfuH3-qgqoWlgVqk99Jdn2uhuKaD29m5hjti1mcAZsRvz010W_JT0E19_60kii9alg-&c=Kc2Se1cbXeooPOyryxS49vOo2hlRt8aNNDmjjIDik2pnA5jSNJNTGw==&ch=avsqyTv6ypEp_sXwk7s94WdaT8Gg8V1IbtoAgLEzs7E8UuWX-GcmaA==">Bloomberg<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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Chad Tolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198303455148896174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441974095206886318.post-1935442633617953672017-06-21T06:59:00.000-07:002017-06-21T06:59:35.759-07:00CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS FOR JUNE 2017<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>CC NEWS FOR JUNE 2017</b></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">On May 22 Chris Mooney posted an article in the <b><i>Washington Post</i></b> titled, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/05/22/scientists-say-the-rate-of-sea-level-rise-has-nearly-tripled-since-1990/?utm_term=.176d523aee23"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">Scientists say the pace of sea level rise has nearly tripled since 1990</span></a>. He reported and new study that showed that prior to 1990 the global average rate was </span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-shadow: 0.0px 1.0px 0.0px #000000;">about 1.1 millimeters per year, or 0.43 inches per decade. From 1993 through 2012, though, it found that it rose at 3.1 millimeters per year, or 1.22 inches per decade - about three times as fast. Thus sea level is not only rising; it is accelerating.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-shadow: 0.0px 1.0px 0.0px #000000;">““We have a much stronger acceleration in sea level rise than formerly thought,” said Sönke Dangendorf, a researcher with the University of Siegen in Germany who led the study along with scientists at institutions in Spain, France, Norway and the Netherlands.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-shadow: 0.0px 1.0px 0.0px #000000;">“The cause, said Dangendorf, is that sea level rise throughout much of the 20th century was driven by the melting of land-based glaciers and the expansion of seawater as it warms, but sea level rise in the 21st century has now, on top of that, added in major contributions from the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica.”</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">On May 23 Marine Strauss and Brian Perkin posted an article in Bloomberg titled, <a href="http://livepage.apple.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(2, 30, 170); color: #021eaa;">China, EU and Canada Form Climate Pact as Trump Stands Alone</span></a>. The three are joining forces to advance the Paris Climate Agreement. They wrote, </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Canada’s environment minister Catherine McKenna, EU Climate and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete and China’s special envoy for climate change Xie Zhenhua are meeting Tuesday in Berlin to discuss climate leadership and how to maintain momentum if the U.S. pulls out of the Paris Agreement. In September, the three will convene a ministerial-level meeting in support of the Paris accord, Canete said …”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“It’s very important that we continue the shared programs on climate change," McKenna said in an interview at the Petersberg Climate Dialog hosted by Chancellor Angela Merkel. “There is a need to bring together key players. We think that China, Canada and the EU are in a good position to bring together other countries at the ministerial level to have high-level discussions about how we’re going to move forward on the Paris Agreement."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On May 24 the<b> <i>NY Times</i> </b>published an article by Nadja Popovich titled, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/05/24/climate/mapping-50-years-of-ice-loss-in-glacier-national-park.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Mapping 50 Years of Melting Ice in Glacier National Park.</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">She wrote that in 1910, when Glacier Nation Park was founded, the park and surrounding national forest had over 150 glaciers, Now most of them are gone. She reported that aerial and satellite images showed that of the 39 remaining named glaciers, 10 had lost more than 50% of their area in the past 50 years. Grinnel, the most visited glacier in the park, has lost 45% of its area. Scientists attribute most of the loss to human-caused global warming.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">On June 2 Maggie Fo posted an article in<b> <i>NBC News</i></b><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/trump-climate-decision-endangers-human-health-doctors-say-n767326"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); line-height: normal;"> titled, Trump Climate Decision Endangers Human Health, Doctors Say.</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">It said,</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> “</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">President Donald Trump’s<a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-pulls-u-s-out-paris-climate-agreement-n767066"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(67, 114, 184); color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"> decision to withdraw from the Paris climate change agreement</span></a> will endanger human health and make it hard to prevent even more damage from global warning, medical groups said Thursday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Many studies clearly lay out the risks from climate change — including respiratory and heat-related illnesses, insect-borne infections, water-borne diseases, and threats to safe food and water.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">““The elderly, the sick, and the poor are especially vulnerable,” the American College of Physicians said.”</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(35, 35, 35); color: #232323; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">On June 5 <b><i>The Guardian</i></b> published an article by Naomi Oreskes titled, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/05/republican-party-climate-change-policies-donald-trump"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">The Republican Party - not Trump - is the biggest obstacle to climate action</span></a>. She wrote, </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(35, 35, 35); color: #232323;">“A</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">s America and the world attempt to fathom <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/01/donald-trump-confirms-us-will-quit-paris-climate-deal"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 86, 137); color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;">t</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 86, 137); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">he US withdrawal from the Paris climate accord</span></a>, most of us are blaming Donald Trump. On one level this is obviously correct. During the presidential election campaign, Trump pledged, if elected, to pull the US out of the accord; he has now made good on that pledge. Withdrawal from the Paris agreement is also consistent with his belligerent personality and isolationist approach to foreign policy. Yet there is a larger context that needs to be understood if we are to find a way forward.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The fact is, Republicans have been resisting action on climate change for just about as long as scientists have been asking the world to do something about it. In 1992, George HW Bush signed the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), pledging to translate the written document into “concrete action to protect the planet”.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“He did this – along with other world leaders – because the scientific community had already made clear that anthropogenic interference in the climate system represented a serious threat to our future health, wellbeing and prosperity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">But even before Bush went to Rio, members of his own administration were objecting. The White House chief of staff, John Sununu, circulated a contrarian report that insisted – contrary to the emerging scientific consensus – that any observed warming was entirely natural, caused by the sun.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Shortly thereafter, Bush lost his bid for re-election, and Democrat Bill Clinton took office. Clinton did not particularly care about climate change, but his smart and articulate vice-president, Al Gore, did. As Gore made climate change an issue, and proposed the adoption of a carbon pricing system (a “BTU tax”), Republican opposition began to harden. Even while acknowledging that economists considered an energy tax to be most economically efficient means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, they insisted (without evidence) that it would hamstring the economy and destroy jobs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In fairness, Democrats did not rally around the carbon tax, but neither did they reject the scientific evidence that climate change was a real problem. Conservative and libertarian thinktanks with close links to the Republican party, however, did. They promoted the rejection of climate science, insisting (again without evidence) that the science was unsettled and that if climate change turned out to be a real issue, we could simply adapt. They also launched highly personal attacks on climate scientists.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“American business and religious leaders, distinguished senior Republicans who served in the Nixon and first Bush administrations, and even the Pentagon have called for action on climate change. But it has had no impact on Republican policies.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“But as scientists have called upon us to accept the reality of climate change, we must accept the reality that American climate change denial is not bipartisan. It is Republican. And the only way to fix it is to change the Republican party, or to vote Republicans out of office.”</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333;">NOTE: Naomi Oreskes </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">is a Professor of the History of Science at Harvard University and the co-author, with Erik M Conway, of <b>Merchants of Doubt</b> (Bloomsbury, 2010). While I have quoted some of the more telling parts of her article, the whole thing is very well written and well worth reading.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(35, 35, 35); color: #232323;">On June 9 David Shepardson posted an article in Reuters titled, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-autos-idUSKBN19027I"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Coalition of 13 states to challenge Trump on vehicle emission standards.</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">He wrote, </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">“New York State's attorney general and 12 other top state law enforcement officials said on Friday they would mount a vigorous court challenge to any effort to roll back vehicle emission rules by the Trump administration.”</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(35, 35, 35); color: #232323;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">The push to weaken the rules by the Trump administration comes as automakers are worried that consumers shift to larger vehicles and low gas prices will make it expensive or impossible to meet the regulations. They also fear a prolonged fight with states over the rules could make revising their product plans difficult.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“"In light of the critical public health and environmental benefits the standards will deliver, if EPA acts to weaken or delay the current standards for model years 2022-25, like California, we intend to vigorously pursue appropriate legal remedies to block such action," the state attorneys wrote in a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency including Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Iowa, Washington State, Oregon and Rhode Island.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“California has opposed weakening the rules, threatened to pursue tougher standards unilaterally and could mount a legal challenge.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Without a deal, automakers could be forced to meet one set of standards in California and a dozen states that have adopted its rules and other rules in the rest of the country.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In 2011, Obama said the rules would save motorists $1.7 trillion in fuel costs over the life of the vehicles, but cost the auto industry about $200 billion over 13 years.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On June 13 <b><i>ABC News</i></b> published an article by Kathleen Ronayne titled, <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/california-governor-named-adviser-climate-conference-48017536"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">California governor named adviser for UN climate conference</span></a>.</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">She wrote,</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;"> </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">California Gov. Jerry Brown was named Tuesday as a special envoy to states at the next United Nations <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/topics/news/climate-change.htm"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(93, 144, 206); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Climate Change</span></a> Conference, further elevating his international profile as a leader on the issue as President Donald Trump backs away from a key international agreement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The announcement of Brown's role at the November conference in Bonn, Germany, by Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama comes on the heels of the governor's meetings with Chinese President <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/topics/news/world/xi-jinping.htm"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(93, 144, 206); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Xi Jinping</span></a> and German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks to discuss climate change.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“The four-term governor has made reducing greenhouse gas emissions and boosting green technology a key tenet of his administration. He's launched non-binding climate change pacts, including the newly formed U.S. Climate Alliance of states committed to upholding the carbon reductions goals in the Paris climate agreement, from which Trump plans to withdraw.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Brown won't be the only governor potentially playing an outsize role at the conference. Fellow West Coast Govs. Kate Brown of Oregon and Jay Inslee of Washington, who also traveled to Sacramento on Tuesday, both plan to attend with other governors in the state's Climate Alliance.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“The state agreement is a non-binding commitment to uphold the Paris goals, which include reducing the country's emissions by 26 to 28 percent from 2005 levels. Many of the 13 states involved already have their own targets in place, and the goal of the coalition is to collaborate and share ideas on using green technology and other means to meet the goal.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">"When the president decided to run up the white flag of surrender to the challenge of climate change, we jumped right into the barricades," Inslee said.</span></div>
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The following items are from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), Carol Werner, Executive Director. Past issues of its newsletter are posted on its website under "publications"<br />
at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102515421764&e=001VqmyLSnT7fkl-_mocGBcn8yb2ys8eiE4dr3Tnveazy1K0B1fU1CponAdxiy_W78b49PK6NHsR0pHlqO7KOWi-3m5yW4bNEJiyJt1G95YoNt46CLY1L4uGjNKLSPL84kX2r7jAaxw1oVR18YElOXvV8_lo1bRsASi9tPNMTm7-ZU="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">http://www.eesi.org/publications/Newsletters/CCNews/ccnews.htm</span></a></span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">EESI’s newsletter is intended for all interested parties, particularly the policymaker community. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E61046C6-EBE0-477D-ADA1-715E666C074A/pastedGraphic.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Trump Administration's Budget Would Eliminate Climate Programs and Clean Energy Research</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On May 23, the Trump administration released a full budget proposal that bears a close resemblance to the outline published in March 2017. Overall, the President's budget would eliminate 66 federal programs spread across numerous agencies. Environment, energy, and climate programs would see steep cuts, with EPA's popular Energy Star Program, several NASA earth science missions, the Green Climate Fund and Global Climate Change Initiative, and the Department of Energy's (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency all zeroed out. During a press conference, Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney characterized past spending on climate science as "crazy." Energy research programs at DOE saw an 18 percent ($3.1 billion) reduction from last year. Jason Bordoff, director of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, said, "It is incredibly shortsighted to slash funding for energy R&D and let other countries take the lead in developing new technologies and markets that are going to grow quickly in the years to come." Many aspects of the budget have already drawn rebukes from Congress. In response to the proposed divestment of government-owned transmission lines connecting 20 Western states, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) stated, "Selling government-owned transmission lines to the highest bidder will just have the effect of jacking up power rates, and no one in that region is going to be in favor of this."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015MWyyhpnXKgtQQcTkhRRrfzWv63Cshk4Q7FYTYC65TjCiXcLjQxkUrWwZ01jiowxbj3p_B0DuT-A3I7mk3LM5PgEDexDKv7RWqz28EfpN5ftlyqZ5jL244MqoMb2Dt42vjkipC8Sq9-Pk_a0G7Pahm_KgaEjofMIm2lniYRJXbk4b-PyCTT6Ub7ZLRI_89sGdljzcf4c6oCCKM209kRaJsUuYe6PnM-VvVDffue5N1f_J_ITNIOM4dfotb6K5Byw-sHYVhsdAJhqXmVkMxu4wFvLGxoFDl_1&c=z4qOeCm5YBP12dXlH2ON3JCqqjAShJkc7-gxcm8kVCnsOuqBGanFZw==&ch=-C6Q-xM3Tt7d2dDVKqioaYzYbZDXtChD9XC0tuoxh3h6MIWEZcLt0Q==">New York Times</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015MWyyhpnXKgtQQcTkhRRrfzWv63Cshk4Q7FYTYC65TjCiXcLjQxkUrWwZ01jiowxWc-pqt7yMbVcqe2lfo9R6ox3GhDqtLmV0dASj6SEOTW-_OrgSWuyusm-j7km3-CDAfFtx_xoNPyrJR10hhCpgjXjjupN8E6rLhIHoA6neMxA4CCEwRv0yEB43uFjdhlPuI06kUPiGTKsEvn3tsKM-5NXTB1RUQqU94tRcuBghM9Ap96MFC6cwUq8dlc7hADGE-vRkXZZsMJGD19xF0MIhw==&c=z4qOeCm5YBP12dXlH2ON3JCqqjAShJkc7-gxcm8kVCnsOuqBGanFZw==&ch=-C6Q-xM3Tt7d2dDVKqioaYzYbZDXtChD9XC0tuoxh3h6MIWEZcLt0Q=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">The Hill</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015MWyyhpnXKgtQQcTkhRRrfzWv63Cshk4Q7FYTYC65TjCiXcLjQxkUrWwZ01jiowxQoBsMCwTzbV-OyyZgo356xpW0oM25VKQNr0Xjoa8v9wSk0nklw5xoFMCpwlgYfXSH_Uq2eI2k5kqZ81wvphi9kkNTtiAjp1OjyDjeysvj7VtZ6SI2CDixXWUA94iOeDBR-OBSazsyxMi0JyLicV3QKtDrZsjnPjIRHHX9ao9OYJwsuAbhQLuhxBYuaHCiWOYxpzW5_GoEqN2r3_0_Zq6LCmB5aTIq8Wa&c=z4qOeCm5YBP12dXlH2ON3JCqqjAShJkc7-gxcm8kVCnsOuqBGanFZw==&ch=-C6Q-xM3Tt7d2dDVKqioaYzYbZDXtChD9XC0tuoxh3h6MIWEZcLt0Q=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">The Atlantic</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_1.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E61046C6-EBE0-477D-ADA1-715E666C074A/pastedGraphic_1.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>President Trump Urged by European Leaders to Keep the United States in the Paris Agreement</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Throughout his recent European trip, President Trump received encouragement from world leaders to maintain the United States' participation in the Paris Climate Agreement. German Chancellor Angela Merkel addressed representatives from 30 countries on the importance of international cooperation on climate, stating, "I am trying to convince doubters. There is still work to do." Merkel was scheduled to meet with Trump during the G7 summit held May 26-27. At the Vatican on May 24, Pope Francis gifted Trump a copy of his 2015 encyclical calling for immediate and significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. During a trip to Brussels for a NATO meeting, French President Emmanuel Macron had a "very frank" discussion on climate change with Trump, urging the U.S. president to avoid making a "hasty decision" on withdrawing from the agreement. Speaking with reporters earlier that day, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Trump was "still thinking about [the Paris Agreement]," but would not consider the issue again until his return to Washington over the weekend.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015MWyyhpnXKgtQQcTkhRRrfzWv63Cshk4Q7FYTYC65TjCiXcLjQxkUrWwZ01jiowxYhKoPwE-oC9KOMb9zYAUO9xUQd0jZ_oNnU1_T6LH-Z5n0xiP4S8WEO6_VwCR3IOY6R_p7URt8LORtyILwLq5bsOOWfGo6AU8Tn-dHDQElQPSKQ6eFmkxvksIdZaXuzze8H7FqOAO4EyM48gVcdKi3X8TK3EyCQdQOZTcwmwp9LZL3MV8fwLdYgPPDuEgkP2G_FAW2aReJ9uguXR6Cfx1iw==&c=z4qOeCm5YBP12dXlH2ON3JCqqjAShJkc7-gxcm8kVCnsOuqBGanFZw==&ch=-C6Q-xM3Tt7d2dDVKqioaYzYbZDXtChD9XC0tuoxh3h6MIWEZcLt0Q==">CNBC</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015MWyyhpnXKgtQQcTkhRRrfzWv63Cshk4Q7FYTYC65TjCiXcLjQxkUrWwZ01jiowxLkVo1gN2i-riab_teQ1Jw11SjA-DwxKpAuBmdC93nbD-Arya8XpVTGcrJLMRzyWEqopBklF9p-NsR8ifkAIQm-h1WmcJhypcBckLelOBxb2z0kX8TK4zBOE2MzLkHPNFKUs3e3JKxvZ7cmOhDkyQkHgNF_IIzUpSQTDQ-M0jb8brLqpm-JV60Q6m__Mlpto0&c=z4qOeCm5YBP12dXlH2ON3JCqqjAShJkc7-gxcm8kVCnsOuqBGanFZw==&ch=-C6Q-xM3Tt7d2dDVKqioaYzYbZDXtChD9XC0tuoxh3h6MIWEZcLt0Q=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Reuters</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015MWyyhpnXKgtQQcTkhRRrfzWv63Cshk4Q7FYTYC65TjCiXcLjQxkUrWwZ01jiowxBnqiEZhTqzVAMkSEB_mI_ek7U4IWcgwqQ5IDrNply3gXQXQuoszkwegwyIq08-EsF12QBwN_J9DC-Sx9oeen9uPSf4u02_4ePZL-1XhkKXqoQLB93wXtByFw2gzb-yGFezryCZFwze9AXu7imSxurwRZzMzosoXYyVxG2Yh-zHycfkbw5QRte62GTPGwW_DMPYBfsxwbhwpTpDdvHihn6_7RxE34YRQSo9V3Z-NlY52rfnrW5HCOmQ==&c=z4qOeCm5YBP12dXlH2ON3JCqqjAShJkc7-gxcm8kVCnsOuqBGanFZw==&ch=-C6Q-xM3Tt7d2dDVKqioaYzYbZDXtChD9XC0tuoxh3h6MIWEZcLt0Q=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Bloomberg</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015MWyyhpnXKgtQQcTkhRRrfzWv63Cshk4Q7FYTYC65TjCiXcLjQxkUrWwZ01jiowxW3kR1L2fmmIB4nPkwQw2Zh8nfn942ZBCE1FHHM6LQEeDuKoln30DTBebTdakRKp-BgWlcqEi0QXUnjsNVH4UoCBBOYX70tVvKniu9rHZsdZZnnlRF40TxEgMUmXiKBJYMxOr0KcUKz-rQM6XoDEnfT_ydMiK7YxRpnn8vsLkvS4ZT3OFNSU22Q==&c=z4qOeCm5YBP12dXlH2ON3JCqqjAShJkc7-gxcm8kVCnsOuqBGanFZw==&ch=-C6Q-xM3Tt7d2dDVKqioaYzYbZDXtChD9XC0tuoxh3h6MIWEZcLt0Q=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Reuters</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_2.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E61046C6-EBE0-477D-ADA1-715E666C074A/pastedGraphic_2.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>California Engages World, and Stands Up to Trump, on Climate Change</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">California is emerging as a national and global leader in efforts to curb climate change. According to Mario Molina, a Nobel-winning scientist from Mexico, "California demonstrates to the world that you can have a strong climate policy without hurting your economy." California has an annual economic output of $2.4 trillion, the sixth largest economy in the world, while its policies served as a model for national environmental regulations like the Clean Power Plan. The Chinese government has recently worked with experts from the state to develop a cap and trade program, and California is working with Canada and Mexico to create a regional cap and trade market. California is also preparing to challenge the Environmental Protection Agency if they revoke a waiver allowing the state to set fuel economy standards higher than the federal level. As the Trump administration weighs pulling out of the Paris Agreement, Gov. Jerry Brown plans on representing California at the next United Nations climate meeting, stating, "We may not represent Washington, but we will represent the wide swath of American people who will keep the faith on this."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015MWyyhpnXKgtQQcTkhRRrfzWv63Cshk4Q7FYTYC65TjCiXcLjQxkUrWwZ01jiowxahJxv1qVe8MuIq9r_XtNz8eUeP8CPGX9lLE0MQDhy4L43W2KoVJ-PHF0iJdYb0lJHimjhP2cwKmCfJk-vFW3drIbdgQlQS5NNE5vXpIEPiwDsV_lkgeFPbgNZ9v9agb4wUvW38-tnMf4mBa9mhFZErdhYHQUOPZ6dOuRfP1gfLuVY8FBwQjoF6ypnwOTnhq-exmeueCHEbew1PREV1TMZzKkiKsT_na1jsZP_Qn7GKsiiO-Bk0-AE7JesPRTTmy_pMDv80hiIZM-q_rdYeXp9sA41NzIt46q4hX4u7PekgU_Ee9GI3ZzzO1NUw2VQtUBfVwtQ0rkTCIFVtZ-mGhuUhsLsqjqj4oe_zKr8HwfNLzY_lUjUIiAbqHep2oGjQ-eunkwtOxo5vo6KUxR4KeY3CjUVy461WJi_sSRda2s4-ykdjvHzQ92TA==&c=z4qOeCm5YBP12dXlH2ON3JCqqjAShJkc7-gxcm8kVCnsOuqBGanFZw==&ch=-C6Q-xM3Tt7d2dDVKqioaYzYbZDXtChD9XC0tuoxh3h6MIWEZcLt0Q==">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>State Laws Limiting Food Waste Deliveries to Landfills Can Reduce Methane Emissions and Create Jobs</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In 2014, the United States produced 38 million tons of food waste. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that food makes up 21.6 percent of the waste sent to landfills and incinerators, where it produces methane gas, a significant contributor to climate change. Reducing food waste can limit these environmental impacts, support the economy, and alleviate hunger-a "win-win-win" according to Meghan Stasz of the Grocery Manufacturers Association. New York recently passed legislation providing tax credits to farmers who donate what is left unharvested in their fields to food banks. Many farmers do not harvest entire fields because of high labor costs and consumer demand for perfect produce. In 2014, Massachusetts banned businesses from sending organic waste to landfills if they produce over one ton of organic waste each week. This waste is instead converted into electricity, livestock feed, or compost. A follow-up study of the law found that in two years this initiative generated over 900 jobs and $175 million in economic activity. Currently only four other states limit the amount of food waste that can be sent to landfills.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015MWyyhpnXKgtQQcTkhRRrfzWv63Cshk4Q7FYTYC65TjCiXcLjQxkUrWwZ01jiowxz46xEaFz-Asxsqa-_ebo1qxvpK0iscFE5CBbd-c4LNRXXGA0H1V8Pp3kXkk8qsJ0YMEKnoRrnyA8nl2ZdeQ0lL4XZk3ey-pYQb57aJ75cr3dRk8ex4pTSjhefCFAL1oAfWfMwePmdPyU2scTsBfNWRXFzpFy13QsLoa53Yxn3Co=&c=z4qOeCm5YBP12dXlH2ON3JCqqjAShJkc7-gxcm8kVCnsOuqBGanFZw==&ch=-C6Q-xM3Tt7d2dDVKqioaYzYbZDXtChD9XC0tuoxh3h6MIWEZcLt0Q==">Los Angeles Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>India Continues to Invest Aggressively in Renewables, Efficiency, and Electricity Infrastructure</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On May 11 at the Vienna Energy Forum, India's Energy Minister Piyush Goyal stated, "We must decouple economic growth from environmental impacts and leave a better world. Every moment counts." Although India is currently powered primarily by coal, the country is adopting a number of clean energy initiatives with surprising speed and plans to extend electricity access to thousands of rural villages. India is in the process of replacing 770 million household and street lights with more efficient LED bulbs, reducing annual carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 80 million tonnes annually. India is also increasing its use of solar and wind power, with plans to have a total of 186 gigawatts (GW) by 2022. The United States currently has around 100 GW of wind and solar installed. Solar is now cheaper than coal in India, potentially eliminating the need to import coal for energy. Goyal also believes no subsidies would be required to have all of India's vehicles run completely on electricity by 2030. The country currently taxes gasoline at the world average, which is 50 percent higher than the rate in the United States.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015MWyyhpnXKgtQQcTkhRRrfzWv63Cshk4Q7FYTYC65TjCiXcLjQxkUrWwZ01jiowxZxKcyuBw3Gfc9N2kvbZvJBOHI5BMnNfpuj5s4pcC0bPJCU3EWy91R8tXEGfpiEJ63iqsH8Jc2g1FM-2kjwRglSm_qYCZDA5VUXUQJH-m4XLoLCHH63tXNVqRBG04rGwXMQgHBRr4ECvPFN4rISdjGZae-zMtvjYYbgPA-uDsl2PZ4dSYYaGgOCijMoWrcUSdBHf9j8svR74lAtcReKlQHg==&c=z4qOeCm5YBP12dXlH2ON3JCqqjAShJkc7-gxcm8kVCnsOuqBGanFZw==&ch=-C6Q-xM3Tt7d2dDVKqioaYzYbZDXtChD9XC0tuoxh3h6MIWEZcLt0Q==">National Geographic<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0056d6; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_3.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E61046C6-EBE0-477D-ADA1-715E666C074A/pastedGraphic_3.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Scientists Advise Australian Government to Include Mitigation in Climate Plan for Great Barrier Reef</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Australia's Reef 2050 Plan, which seeks to increase the Great Barrier Reef's resilience to climate change, does not include plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For two straight years, the Great Barrier Reef has experienced mass coral bleaching due to warming oceans. Scientists estimate that nearly half of the reef's corals have died in the past year. A panel of expert scientists have advised Australia's federal government to revise the plan and include steps on reducing emissions, arguing, "We can't be passive bystanders in this. We're the custodians of the reef and its ecosystem for the world." While the Australian government has acknowledged the role of climate change in reducing reef health, the government stated that the 2050 plan focuses on local pressures and Australia is instead addressing climate change through the Paris agreement. Australia has agreed to cut their emissions to 26 percent below 2005 levels by the year 2030. However, the government recently supported a proposal to allow coal mining in the Galilee Basin, which could produce 25 million tonnes of coal each year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015MWyyhpnXKgtQQcTkhRRrfzWv63Cshk4Q7FYTYC65TjCiXcLjQxkUrWwZ01jiowxOsPFFnkIc5mwraAN2yYhNq1DFjJIcz9XFqF5humxngWVlLwOB6CdMIARGS65NIEg3M74Qc1LlBCHxoI8KQYcSca4e4B2KIPrKuykcC_wmEBetjPdzfZ0rXKU7rq9myUR47KlUjSLYtHmKiCV81xtfhcTydAIAKOEpZaIJx-m-oMD1rp-fqJSS0C-MEZwBUjbuWcduJ_q0w2kztp0Pn2mDUKaw6jHhnCE8FOOeEoK4tnrvM257BXuPJ4_bjvP1PGz2LuQ3Imv0qFl-2SAENWTyg9po1-BzXcTsn1wwyEFV-w=&c=z4qOeCm5YBP12dXlH2ON3JCqqjAShJkc7-gxcm8kVCnsOuqBGanFZw==&ch=-C6Q-xM3Tt7d2dDVKqioaYzYbZDXtChD9XC0tuoxh3h6MIWEZcLt0Q==">Sydney Morning Herald<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Senegal Struggles to Adapt to Coastal Flooding and Erosion</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Senegal's coastline is receding at an average rate of 1-2 meters (3-6 feet) per year, driven by sea level rise, urbanization, and illegal sand extraction for construction. Near Saint-Louis in Senegal, two villages have already succumbed to the water. When floodwaters threatened the city in 2003, the government tried to dig channels to redirect the waters, inadvertently exposing new parts of the mainland to flooding. As the region's sand dunes erode and the ocean creeps inland, farmland is gradually becoming contaminated by saltwater. Experts suggest the erosion trends are "irreversible," with other regions in coastal West Africa facing similar problems. Efforts to relocate families away from flood zones have had mixed success, as many have strong ties to the land and are reluctant to leave. Mangrove restoration in Senegal's river delta region has helped, but a lack of funds has stymied progress. Abdou Sane, a former legislator leading efforts to address the flood risk, said, "The people are trying to fight, but in reality the phenomenon has become very serious. It exceeds the means of the government, the means of communities."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015MWyyhpnXKgtQQcTkhRRrfzWv63Cshk4Q7FYTYC65TjCiXcLjQxkUrWwZ01jiowx-QlcZIodqX_lLBMCxH8qZfSPJ3E7sFZACEBgKB_mgqk1JqXa1VrLy0f9RHT4bmub1yRyiLalHkN3cCduv2Ji2YH_4njLmxYDxqkk7xNp0sPL0Y6azLYQdvojByTqSA70zJvEVs2Q--SDULi8KZ5zRysPhRzO23oZwRilSr5bX7qeT0G7LSy6XEt_ZkeS-I0f&c=z4qOeCm5YBP12dXlH2ON3JCqqjAShJkc7-gxcm8kVCnsOuqBGanFZw==&ch=-C6Q-xM3Tt7d2dDVKqioaYzYbZDXtChD9XC0tuoxh3h6MIWEZcLt0Q==">Reuters<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_4.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E61046C6-EBE0-477D-ADA1-715E666C074A/pastedGraphic_4.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Coastal Restoration Is Fueling an Employment Boom in Louisiana</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Sea level rise associated with climate change is a serious threat to coastal areas around the world. The U.S. Geological Survey has reported that Louisiana loses a section of coastline equal in size to a football field every hour. As oil prices decline, Louisiana has started investing in greener industries. With over 30,000 jobs, water management is now Louisiana's fastest growing industry, in many cases employing workers who were previously in the oil sector. Coastal restoration efforts are attracting projects involving hydrologic modeling and the construction of artificial reefs, which can help the state defend itself against future hurricanes. Louisiana's 50-year plan for coastal restoration has also been translated into several languages for other countries facing similar concerns to use as a reference. Although Louisiana remains a largely conservative state, Deb Abibou with the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana said, "Down here, 'climate change' is a bad word, but the reality of sea level rise is something that no one can deny."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015MWyyhpnXKgtQQcTkhRRrfzWv63Cshk4Q7FYTYC65TjCiXcLjQxkUrWwZ01jiowxmaeD1zKgDt0kc7K_wbH2hatoiTsGHPXCw0iQMeh868ilCKEVG8zEbmtIh11O00cul0yoXO0qYU29MsrQlxDh-Ltf1CTpwGJYnMUTgWjFkMu6ILt4PZNSkZgv4s7na5k9asRU0V8lcehsAKUjCmWh3P0D5Y3H1wCNiAidPGTNYIDCsVR3AnO6MqtmBYXpDO7GfgoXo5uGFqY0iWxm2wHP-g==&c=z4qOeCm5YBP12dXlH2ON3JCqqjAShJkc7-gxcm8kVCnsOuqBGanFZw==&ch=-C6Q-xM3Tt7d2dDVKqioaYzYbZDXtChD9XC0tuoxh3h6MIWEZcLt0Q==">OZY<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_5.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E61046C6-EBE0-477D-ADA1-715E666C074A/pastedGraphic_5.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Report: Litigation in Pursuit of Climate Action Is on the Rise World-Wide </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">According to a new study, governments are facing an increasing number of court challenges as citizens seek to advance action on climate change. While the bulk of the litigation is occurring in the United States, the number of countries hosting these types of cases has tripled since 2014 and now stands at 25. The United Nations Environment Programme and Columbia Law School partnered on the report, which discovered a "proliferation" of climate cases brought by citizens and environmental organizations to tackle issues such as sea level rise, greenhouse gas emissions, and fossil fuel extraction. The issue of climate refugees is also beginning to feature prominently within these types of cases. The United States led with 654 climate-related cases, followed by 80 in Australia, 49 in the United Kingdom, and 40 in the European Union's Court of Justice. Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment, said, "It's patently clear we need more concrete action on climate change. The science can stand up in a court of law, and governments need to make sure their responses to the problem do too."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015MWyyhpnXKgtQQcTkhRRrfzWv63Cshk4Q7FYTYC65TjCiXcLjQxkUrWwZ01jiowxQbiKWXKs8gdXIQ46Xrqj0UW9fy5q1RukEPrMAJN46O0Piri8dHsGThwOjc4-Rm4cgDkxIfFt6X9w9fTLpMgFq6yrIudagUDgae1GYzzU5W0si8IZds0qj0vwawWCUxTegEoWa-aMdD1tl3dXWZY2MyetVbXsb39XQwTeS8xpPEWLvuEjz685PEcKL4Ayn-YE14mjYqPX_He4Pnz791QJ3ayMXgIKnUcK2ZLeevU7utsowaX9hUHYdQ==&c=z4qOeCm5YBP12dXlH2ON3JCqqjAShJkc7-gxcm8kVCnsOuqBGanFZw==&ch=-C6Q-xM3Tt7d2dDVKqioaYzYbZDXtChD9XC0tuoxh3h6MIWEZcLt0Q==">Guardian</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015MWyyhpnXKgtQQcTkhRRrfzWv63Cshk4Q7FYTYC65TjCiXcLjQxkUrWwZ01jiowx1qZI7mKzav-mXmCPb3YEyB3rz2vTwKf7mIlfYdxcmlp2evidXRGpKZuWYYFn1JHFbYB6kteHRoi9l962Qkxwbx1mWXSwL_5ucep_IEz-JKhuYK_SFDnRLJqrid_NuzaqDDJIByvx5yc7VHKLre_nMvIam4T5Z-FS4N9Fk3EUsaZItbhFj0yx6W-6Nut3fpx_TAnHiqcHPcOMHIZOesBRyXngB_o8442_8QWKy5B6MmqpWcNzD3-5DA==&c=z4qOeCm5YBP12dXlH2ON3JCqqjAShJkc7-gxcm8kVCnsOuqBGanFZw==&ch=-C6Q-xM3Tt7d2dDVKqioaYzYbZDXtChD9XC0tuoxh3h6MIWEZcLt0Q=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">United Nations Report</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_6.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E61046C6-EBE0-477D-ADA1-715E666C074A/pastedGraphic_6.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Climate Change Suspected as a Contributing Factor in Yellow Fever Outbreak in Brazil</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Brazil is experiencing one of its worst yellow fever outbreaks on record, with more deaths in 2017 than from 1989 through 2008 combined. The hardest hit regions were largely rural and had been coming out of their worst drought in 80 years. However, when the rain finally returned, it hatched several years' worth of mosquito eggs, which can survive the dry conditions. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, said that a firm connection between climate change and Brazil's yellow fever trend remains "unclear." Yet, with the virus spreading much farther than in previous outbreaks, he added, "If this thing takes off in the urban areas of Brazil, we're in big trouble." Doctors in Brazil cite an ill-informed public and poverty as complicating factors in trying to stem Yellow Fever's spread. Warmer temperatures allow disease-carrying mosquito species to flourish, while international trade has provided a means for different species to spread around the world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015MWyyhpnXKgtQQcTkhRRrfzWv63Cshk4Q7FYTYC65TjCiXcLjQxkUrWwZ01jiowxBakg-41HIVsKZSvGxvTkFsmX85cfcRJtWVZEVbej24PkLNqMDRpHiWFjcVDX-5XP0fcQPL_mZyTPSnT_u2tXRtwjAxizlh92loCr6MU4NpXkB5UT5G8uo8gcrmU0pHsaRgohWBmbxc6SAFWteZpcXr6YCttUvtH8P_soH8TEvfI3bkCwk9LS7ajlOz0Pt3c8EXd2ySZM9JW2JI2b-8W0UMiSv3HRc34C&c=z4qOeCm5YBP12dXlH2ON3JCqqjAShJkc7-gxcm8kVCnsOuqBGanFZw==&ch=-C6Q-xM3Tt7d2dDVKqioaYzYbZDXtChD9XC0tuoxh3h6MIWEZcLt0Q==">Milwaukee Journal Sentinel<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_7.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E61046C6-EBE0-477D-ADA1-715E666C074A/pastedGraphic_7.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Trump Calls for U.S. Exit from Paris Agreement; Alliance of Cities, States, and Industries Oppose Move</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On June 1, President Trump announced that his administration will move to fully withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement. The decision set off a torrent of opposition, including the formation of a growing coalition consisting of three governors, 30 mayors, over 80 university presidents, and more than 100 businesses. The still-nameless group will negotiate directly with the United Nations (UN) and hopes to submit its own climate action plan. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is coordinating the effort, stated, "We're going to do everything America would have done if it had stayed committed." Bloomberg added that the group could even surpass the original U.S. pledge to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent from 2005 levels by 2025. The U.S. is roughly halfway to meeting this goal, but the federal government was expected to play a prominent role in future reductions. There is currently no formal method for a non-country entity to sign on to the agreement, but the coalition's efforts could be integrated into future UN progress reports. The governors of California, New York, and Washington (which make up a fifth of the U.S. economy) also announced they will be forming a coalition of states in support of the Paris Agreement's goals. CEOs Elon Musk of Tesla and Robert Iger of Disney resigned from President Trump's economic advisory council upon learning of his decision on Paris, underscoring the increasingly strained relationship between the White House and business leaders. American companies will still have to meet the stricter emission laws enforced in other countries if they hope to operate abroad and sell their products in international markets.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Imd8PJZyajxfd8RIA-vBXcDQiKp6_NCV8xiUxyq94EIri5DKoz9_q_j4q-SFkKCYfpiCjrDL33Imf7y0pCx9cDDqmDH2id1PKtlR0Evg_BqL4r2y7uf6CMbnLCAADeDQ75Fx9DHbnl-V-yNYjNjw02yKZWqMnwqH0P6oK6aNPl0nUCvYPNqUA1I12w3BbFYpNZm59uSfnQPSriwlTxHgG2Tz1VqE6Wmo0d8WeSIjMolT4XTa7ti21NKIiTUQvASi&c=SniP89CibKxYww5R4jTbqLd1NUWMugw-gL0N-fdejq-C1bGI4N3GTg==&ch=yN9cObAesImQprE_ZY7wr2AD9x3Uvyd6WMKcA2UI1rNJKtBnqYDmDg==">New York Times</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Imd8PJZyajxfd8RIA-vBXcDQiKp6_NCV8xiUxyq94EIri5DKoz9_q_j4q-SFkKCYAyPiWADsA7lvsen8sc4L5DWEmu971u2FZzPo0dA8YrVo3bwnULMud5arJKCGTnGlMMDFz-kxjbJLprjt909-vA2ny219yKsvu4ZIo7cWcF7-CkluxOSD1-6eGdvDfP0O-9wiRrUwAVBrDQ2HR17kDrt6UkSGXPPNttv9f2cShzxi116QM8kN4Rpgu2pzb2eDifbFrzhBnjwdmsTJRsljwOWVSVY8hfq9LEWk-XYWhbqMHMxSTLZFpUrl-qH9OTWM4mwg1WMumRSA-yyN1H9VjyPM_zwZ10einUDLmlM98bnAQ8Hv61qff9ViKGa35xHHFPk_3BfAR9g=&c=SniP89CibKxYww5R4jTbqLd1NUWMugw-gL0N-fdejq-C1bGI4N3GTg==&ch=yN9cObAesImQprE_ZY7wr2AD9x3Uvyd6WMKcA2UI1rNJKtBnqYDmDg=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Washington Post</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_8.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E61046C6-EBE0-477D-ADA1-715E666C074A/pastedGraphic_8.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>European Union and China Vow Close Cooperation to Fully Implement Paris Agreement; International Community Expresses Disappointment with United States</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">As President Trump announced the United States would initiate steps to pull out of the Paris Agreement, the European Union (EU) and China issued a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to the treaty. EU Climate Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete said, "The EU and China are joining forces to forge ahead on the implementation of the Paris agreement and accelerate the global transition to clean energy." The statement declares climate change is a "national security issue" and a "multiplying factor of social and political fragility" in the world. The statement also reiterated the duo's dedication to funding climate initiatives and for pursuing mid-century emission reduction targets. The leaders of Germany, France, and Italy issued a joint statement of their own, expressing their "strongest commitment" to upholding the agreement and urging "all our partners to speed up their action to combat climate change." Representatives of Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand all expressed regret over the U.S. decision.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Imd8PJZyajxfd8RIA-vBXcDQiKp6_NCV8xiUxyq94EIri5DKoz9_q_j4q-SFkKCY-cesahHRkBwwPSWJHunn63w50q4JUlNzmO2sIak_pUtL-jdGJogC9CDM8RntpwXipJmBluCpoz4t6jn4xKBiV49kv_NZX2lFdLJCiW7P1yYeoXDphDGNukD-W39PGqnWcyL1qXgNCy2nDgbJVOF3D1BFQA-DvDwhpC8U6DW-POpb7he739qUEn4YrPoSK-XRtoj-r2n2pCQ=&c=SniP89CibKxYww5R4jTbqLd1NUWMugw-gL0N-fdejq-C1bGI4N3GTg==&ch=yN9cObAesImQprE_ZY7wr2AD9x3Uvyd6WMKcA2UI1rNJKtBnqYDmDg==">Guardian</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Imd8PJZyajxfd8RIA-vBXcDQiKp6_NCV8xiUxyq94EIri5DKoz9_q_j4q-SFkKCYY5kkz9wIIMt5pVUXrjGus_sHfjTI73Wlv2DybOzpJ6zw8r9UFIFFelkmxVq-EXTI_srHwFeQKfkM4Ual_xMiO_LTWpkeFkw4BhKdYFubkIfOExQQm0x_fFxo93REDbrLNLgG8iYQvowzEt6yLBjxiWDheyjlwtGCcwQtlHwL1G4=&c=SniP89CibKxYww5R4jTbqLd1NUWMugw-gL0N-fdejq-C1bGI4N3GTg==&ch=yN9cObAesImQprE_ZY7wr2AD9x3Uvyd6WMKcA2UI1rNJKtBnqYDmDg=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">CNN</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Imd8PJZyajxfd8RIA-vBXcDQiKp6_NCV8xiUxyq94EIri5DKoz9_q_j4q-SFkKCYHSgsyHd_gtL0XPq-aDiLzf4O_4FLYFJEVQ50rhspQM7HOfMGiZzf9fqlYaJH_nXuCkWL6EPGuMs1Mn8_xE0hqHQPq7fPyNaPBEkglGkq-gBL2c8Arfv2u0UM1ib-D8cxSRK3SzTvCHzS6DVhRVwGsispYW3EGcIrU79bODxEdHUrIi-zqqAVHIBNvj4eVTseMdF4YwNA8NlsWJxtFdpYRaQXc5o6C-b2k_N9SBw56_k=&c=SniP89CibKxYww5R4jTbqLd1NUWMugw-gL0N-fdejq-C1bGI4N3GTg==&ch=yN9cObAesImQprE_ZY7wr2AD9x3Uvyd6WMKcA2UI1rNJKtBnqYDmDg=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Associated Press</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The potential policy impacts of the U.S. exit from the Paris Agreement would severely hinder any chance of keeping global warming below the two degrees Celsius target considered to be the climate "danger zone." According to Climate Interactive, removing U.S. emission reductions from climate models would increase projected global temperatures up to 3.6 degrees Celsius by 2100, rather than the anticipated 3.3 C baseline. John Holdren, professor of environmental science and policy at Harvard University, said, "U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Accord would not only be a setback for the prospects of halting global climate change short of the catastrophic level, but it would also reduce U.S. influence in the world on every other issue that Americans should care about." The U.S. withdrawal also raises concerns about climate-related funding and the potential for other countries to follow suit. Michael Grubb, an advisor to the European Union on climate change, remarked, "The loss of U.S. finance would be the biggest headache, and of course the symbolism is not good."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Imd8PJZyajxfd8RIA-vBXcDQiKp6_NCV8xiUxyq94EIri5DKoz9_q_j4q-SFkKCY7pP_FH5j9HVJ_xB6aYVUAORP_QRKwT6FzhAPyU5mCrtArzRSvq4Yn_V5rZZxJXe53hyHMQUt11EWizy9vSKCIiQpVZHbSgwY2G4qZk7MhjOB-Qk6FgFCc2N8D5Bm4Y2Nd8uNiqrMGYoQtYZOlcZ7kOesgzVSI0JvI6Hva78NBG8El7Dqh3gbfRomKku84BIZvSTenxaDtlu6JTyNGVY8ZtYyQclh9BhouR9hSLkdLSw=&c=SniP89CibKxYww5R4jTbqLd1NUWMugw-gL0N-fdejq-C1bGI4N3GTg==&ch=yN9cObAesImQprE_ZY7wr2AD9x3Uvyd6WMKcA2UI1rNJKtBnqYDmDg==">Bloomberg<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Under the Paris Agreement, the European Union (EU) agreed to reduce its carbon emissions by 40 percent by 2030. However, some East European member states, particularly Poland and the Czech Republic, have been attempting to subvert these requirements by opening up loopholes and prolonging the use of coal-fired electricity. A proposal from the Czech Republic would reduce its energy efficiency obligations from 1.5 percent to just 0.35 percent. In Poland, where the ruling party views coal as "the foundation" of the country's economic development, a procedure was implemented that, if ratified by a third of EU governments, could block the emission reduction limits proposed in the EU's winter legislative package. According to documents leaked to the press, the United Kingdom has also attempted to weaken the EU efficiency targets, despite their pending departure from the body. Claude Turmes, the European parliament's lead negotiator on climate governance, stated, "We cannot allow backward-looking east EU states to destroy the EU's credibility on the Paris Agreement."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Imd8PJZyajxfd8RIA-vBXcDQiKp6_NCV8xiUxyq94EIri5DKoz9_q_j4q-SFkKCYfN-JclJ0VN3tCh67sCfLhvWfsTRKcHzfzYlf-0nge3dubyz0UuuCtubJ1qs7xCVMkTuogDskPc0KCEYWCQxD4dTpNAyXCr7JfWCEFC-IdbL5t2bolB0VTfvtHGM49nxrmXfcYHHZuxMaq8bDhR6KVkgyAQteAXDN4bF3ZI_9k9cFORK0ijQS4k9rM4Sw-JIa-5_y4RZ5T3Ek8UMacUfidCD6d9sI9Gxr_qwdQdOfPas=&c=SniP89CibKxYww5R4jTbqLd1NUWMugw-gL0N-fdejq-C1bGI4N3GTg==&ch=yN9cObAesImQprE_ZY7wr2AD9x3Uvyd6WMKcA2UI1rNJKtBnqYDmDg==">Climate Home<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> Delaware has proposed Reducing all of its GHG emissions 30% by 2030, relative to emissions in 2006. Delaware is not a leader a]when it comes to climate change mitigation - in spite of its great vulnerability to sea level rise and coastal storms.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_11.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E61046C6-EBE0-477D-ADA1-715E666C074A/pastedGraphic_11.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Back-Bay Flooding Presents an Overlooked Hazard for America's Coastal Communities</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Millions of people around the world are increasingly experiencing back-bay flooding, which occurs as water moves behind barrier islands and can't drain back out to sea. Although back-bay flooding occurs as often as oceanfront flooding, it receives just a fraction of the government funding. This is because back-bay flooding is much more complicated to resolve than flooding along the coastline, where there is enough space to more easily install sea walls and bulkheads. President Trump's proposed budget would cut a total of $452 million from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of Homeland Security, which could mean fewer funds to study back-bay flooding. Over the next five years, Ocean City, New Jersey will spend $40.3 million to elevate roadways and improve drainage infrastructure, which have effectively reduced flooding in the past. Referring to an earlier back-bay dredging project, Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian said, "When you talk about $20 million in one seaside resort for just one thing, that speaks volumes about how much these coastal places need."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Imd8PJZyajxfd8RIA-vBXcDQiKp6_NCV8xiUxyq94EIri5DKoz9_q_j4q-SFkKCYllP64oTgpSLNiZh567596-l-GtpeRJAfgMKFy4sBspAniV8mLjWp7zbrtsfMeUkTGdELjQq-8z3-zbCBHJMYTzXTNrLh-33AlguPdRy30pFmQdzri_Chi9HjrYtSKpv_5K2eDCwhN8fvadNprSTvrH9g6lBSm_ATF8y5XULPhztJEtCEysdTZZy68cv3f0mkzw9HzAmNgHkBHvEWj2ybCvwoAGM2CAcb&c=SniP89CibKxYww5R4jTbqLd1NUWMugw-gL0N-fdejq-C1bGI4N3GTg==&ch=yN9cObAesImQprE_ZY7wr2AD9x3Uvyd6WMKcA2UI1rNJKtBnqYDmDg==">ABC News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>New England Region's Coal Consumption Is Drawing to a Close</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">With the closure of Brayton Point Power Station this week, the New England states will become almost entirely free of coal as a power source, bringing the region closer to its goal of cutting carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050. Sharing a common electricity market, New England states have been at the forefront of investing in renewable forms of energy, such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric. However, concerns remain over a continued reliance on natural gas, the hesitancy of Maine and New Hampshire to commit to the carbon emissions goal, and how best to integrate renewable resources into the energy market. Many states view procurement as a cost-effective option, which involves competitive bidding for long-term contracts to develop renewable energy projects. Former Massachusetts state senator Benjamin Downing described procurement as "the best politically viable path forward." Critics of procurement worry that guaranteed state contracts may displace private investment in energy facilities.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Imd8PJZyajxfd8RIA-vBXcDQiKp6_NCV8xiUxyq94EIri5DKoz9_q_j4q-SFkKCYq2B37y2onyvz5pE1gc2f_tHBn71jyE4jisN7bDanzQUqI8R2zIzFpBC7mJNK3b8GR81BaRUtlKNiH3zrigNjLbYt8Uumsnb62SSlY7n44F_7PgylK_2EAU89aPrAGxwV_BTs_4L9E9M=&c=SniP89CibKxYww5R4jTbqLd1NUWMugw-gL0N-fdejq-C1bGI4N3GTg==&ch=yN9cObAesImQprE_ZY7wr2AD9x3Uvyd6WMKcA2UI1rNJKtBnqYDmDg==">E&E News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Rising Sea Levels Will Make Gulf Coast Storm Surges and Hurricanes Worse</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Rising sea levels caused by climate change are causing larger and more frequent storm surges, according to a new study by Climate Central. Ben Strauss, the study's co-author, explained, "Every storm surge today reaches higher because it starts from a higher level, because the sea level is higher." Strauss warned that even a small rise in sea-level can cause significant damage to buildings and infrastructure. Texas' Gulf Coast region, which is experiencing sea level rise at a higher rate than the rest of the United States, could experience additional storm surges of seven inches in the future. A combination of larger storm surges and stronger hurricanes will, according to a January study from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), force the evacuation and resettlement of hundreds of thousands from the Texas Gulf Coast by 2100. Although Texas officials have requested $15 billion to build a storm-surge barrier, the Trump administration's proposed budget significantly cuts funding for projects related to combatting sea level rise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Imd8PJZyajxfd8RIA-vBXcDQiKp6_NCV8xiUxyq94EIri5DKoz9_q_j4q-SFkKCYrp3C9IlB3ccQUHmMHBGmMKDstqxXlNJQjUpF3QicKxup5fVB6-g-IEAMEgbsijc33owJe5n2mS7sTUQ8HGnbCiBlH795KUX7tBVJxOSdekXtiGQ61tDIYN97hO9ssIGuyEi2MmyqwVJk6soFJU8FzEf7a3WzWnV0Fr0uk8qlA17ksebFK4csyhlM-CLMgIZmD8JQtcsvAubLikDyrOU33l7_6lwuW-7ACLjCwn58owM=&c=SniP89CibKxYww5R4jTbqLd1NUWMugw-gL0N-fdejq-C1bGI4N3GTg==&ch=yN9cObAesImQprE_ZY7wr2AD9x3Uvyd6WMKcA2UI1rNJKtBnqYDmDg==">Houston Chronicle<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Urban Heat Island Effect Could Make Cities Significantly Warmer by 2100</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Scientists predict some cities may experience a warming of 14.4 degrees Fahrenheit (8 C) by 2100 due to a combination of global warming and the urban heat island effect. Concrete and dark asphalt trap heat in cities, causing them to have higher temperatures than surrounding rural areas. Professor Richard Tol of the University of Sussex states that ignoring this effect "leads to a fairly drastic underestimate of the total impact of climate change." While cities cover just one percent of the earth's surface, they contribute over 60 percent of global carbon emissions and are home to 54 percent of the world's population. This rise in temperature could have significant consequences for public health, reduce worker productivity, and put a strain on water supplies. A study considering the economic costs of warming reported that cities could lose up to 10.9 percent of GDP by 2100. To minimize the impacts of the urban heat island effect, cities can plant more trees, use lighter-colored pavement, and paint rooftops white to reflect sunlight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Imd8PJZyajxfd8RIA-vBXcDQiKp6_NCV8xiUxyq94EIri5DKoz9_q_j4q-SFkKCYBpW_rc4aj9v25w65DTbNG1JQOZg4XveWlDr0o0RugaP2t_erzpax3DjJgYXHPy-GDiXHaGbS15_PhJ02kfAE9-PeD4T_ph3yGB2cYFaC8icF7yO00eNRfJ9-bJrKNiwkfZ4JCKuxKu59TLBRrLFFdrl-fQtkXO5OrCAUDN-4xsQ=&c=SniP89CibKxYww5R4jTbqLd1NUWMugw-gL0N-fdejq-C1bGI4N3GTg==&ch=yN9cObAesImQprE_ZY7wr2AD9x3Uvyd6WMKcA2UI1rNJKtBnqYDmDg==">Reuters</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Imd8PJZyajxfd8RIA-vBXcDQiKp6_NCV8xiUxyq94EIri5DKoz9_q_j4q-SFkKCYXQgGzU9URCpUMMrW4x_0_upblIMKB_8tBlVxn8tQ7-q0yMHRDhCRCu9FhnOGF33SNEdvCGhB_oR_pIQMg_N94hsEoCVxEY8adSRBhYD8NrNy6baM4f9gcWNAGML84rWTiRPIL6rX7iARi9_hlPHUnMeMpDTfFKZSU48yyHo4UDl7j9g8xIQE6E6ZflzaxFAMjLlr0ECbxeqkfDSZR-Y6nryvcOiT-SS0&c=SniP89CibKxYww5R4jTbqLd1NUWMugw-gL0N-fdejq-C1bGI4N3GTg==&ch=yN9cObAesImQprE_ZY7wr2AD9x3Uvyd6WMKcA2UI1rNJKtBnqYDmDg=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Guardian</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_12.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E61046C6-EBE0-477D-ADA1-715E666C074A/pastedGraphic_12.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Coral Reefs in U.S. Waters May Disappear within Decades due to Warming Oceans</b></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.7px; line-height: normal;">g</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> Despite strong conservation efforts, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts extensive coral bleaching in Hawaii and Florida this year. According to Kim Cobb, an oceanographer at Georgia Tech, "The idea we will sustain reefs in the United States 100 years from now is pure imagination. At the current rate it will be just 20 or 30 years." The world's reefs are viewed as essential marine ecosystems, as they provide food and shelter to many species. Between 2014 and 2015, Hawaii's corals suffered from up to 90 percent bleaching, and 10 percent of corals within the protected Hanauma Bay nature preserve have died. Corals are home to tiny algae that provide corals with food and their vibrant color. High ocean temperatures put stress on corals, causing them to expel the algae and turn white. If exposed to prolonged periods of high temperatures, corals will likely die or be severely weakened. This is cause for concern as each year continues to bring above-average temperatures. As the world's oceans have absorbed over 90 percent of the heat produced from Greenhouse gas emissions, scientists are urging climate action to protect coral reefs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Imd8PJZyajxfd8RIA-vBXcDQiKp6_NCV8xiUxyq94EIri5DKoz9_q_j4q-SFkKCYSdZ8Xll5IzCDPtYe-cCaGdLGJZE_XaqTh_k9pBIfvT4fnxM4aaF8l6UWpFn0E2RF3w3YO2CQZ4YnXzUgfysw4xdXeyBwGoVXvOgmeF8bFuVzzKQEU-BfaoI9GrOnzKLkdMyLDwxgiu4Ot9kocqPesNx74E76lHsOKeyrF4bFPD2rj18GLq3fwdNFQDA_5EhBSFa8kUxf_oxtRfXwvyz0vw==&c=SniP89CibKxYww5R4jTbqLd1NUWMugw-gL0N-fdejq-C1bGI4N3GTg==&ch=yN9cObAesImQprE_ZY7wr2AD9x3Uvyd6WMKcA2UI1rNJKtBnqYDmDg==">Guardian<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;"><b>Oil and Gas Industry Receives a</b></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b> Pass from EPA on Methane Emissions</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a two-year suspension to a rule that would limit methane emissions from oil and gas drilling sites on private land. The rule, which was finalized in 2016 under the Obama administration, would also set equipment and employee certification standards for the industry. Methane is a greenhouse gas with 25 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. In 2015, the San Juan Basin in New Mexico was responsible for 10 percent of all methane emissions related to oil and gas operations. Documents show EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has a close relationship with Devon Energy, a large oil and gas producer that operates in the Basin. Pruitt also sued against the rule while he was still Oklahoma's attorney general. Drillers argue the rule is "excessive, uneconomic and threatening to the long-term production of oil and natural gas." However, the upper Green River Basin in Wyoming, a state with methane rules enacted versus none in New Mexico, produces twice as much natural gas as the San Juan Basin with only half the methane emissions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0012Z5HJ9m_H7tFQxLYgfeLnQyHeFCz-XgOadqlqVh0DAq2ugrBk5CTHr5xfDk1YWhfsPB6BUFv9c49GCrTnAdLG3G9aaUSXpk5IMIpj6H5SMnUbfPAG7ipC-MX_x5R0fIyXFf_M1gCNVE6OonSEiSZ4DJWz6oPJdWbv8-0uY70sM5NMqzUvMzkk1r7k6eJxFAtFA18HoGmAa1dtnMdIBL9v3BXRI2nX6OWUIYZpZRTGt1c4DrWqqqO0u6v6sha-PYgcnRnxRsBWlMNLam4av9kSw==&c=xs2h72H-3d9iBo0FdaNrgcpEaCLGQN292siP5X0epdRLZWXjZKawlg==&ch=Idgo-8gY3KuN1qhOtluFpAffH7yLNTB20I9ZZ44erPnV5mFoFGorOg==">The Hill</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0012Z5HJ9m_H7tFQxLYgfeLnQyHeFCz-XgOadqlqVh0DAq2ugrBk5CTHr5xfDk1YWhfZ2VKqrOclTVdtr9CGmi-6bvJ44S0N-a52zMnJIinKC9cwToCapJr12vBRw0xVIBNO9EgjpcfyYVp4Sw23ORMIfAFib6QSrVSc8sWJsq1-dNyEMbojd_ySB-VERmqrJdBRORCRbwl2Y3rV8-gIp3xzVE3lyt0KkdACQNh8J4FOQDPbhZDquzrTkPAbKFEHi026U7WnTWOHRiT-8Rh9uFB5Q==&c=xs2h72H-3d9iBo0FdaNrgcpEaCLGQN292siP5X0epdRLZWXjZKawlg==&ch=Idgo-8gY3KuN1qhOtluFpAffH7yLNTB20I9ZZ44erPnV5mFoFGorOg=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Reveal News</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_13.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E61046C6-EBE0-477D-ADA1-715E666C074A/pastedGraphic_13.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>United States Refused to Sign G7 Pledge Calling Paris Agreement "Irreversible"</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">After distancing the United States from the Paris Agreement, the Trump administration has now refused to sign a G7 pledge calling the agreement "irreversible" and crucial to the "security and prosperity of our planet." The G7 pledge also expresses support for multilateral development banks, which provide funds to poorer nations to lower their greenhouse gas emissions. A footnote to the meeting's report affirms President Trump's position that the Paris agreement undermines the U.S. economy and states the United States will take action on its own to reduce emissions. In a statement defending the country's position, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt wrote, "We are resetting the dialogue to say Paris is not the only way forward to making progress." The other G7 countries are open to maintaining conversations with the United States on climate, though Italian Environment Minister Gian Luca Galleti said the accord is "irreversible, non-negotiable, and the only instrument possible to combat climate change."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0012Z5HJ9m_H7tFQxLYgfeLnQyHeFCz-XgOadqlqVh0DAq2ugrBk5CTHr5xfDk1YWhfBAv5oZH0G2hdKhewZydRQ1FJ2pDk6DYH7L1l6i4qpe7zrZk5eX7kAbY5sliR2ptq1SMNn3l5c4N5wPcmKjJpM7qiepr_N_EkcK29u6f6-Jvo7WLh5QDsGHZLnt5jJuWlecb7yOy41b3WX3RFG7-3CeJuQIYuBSh4&c=xs2h72H-3d9iBo0FdaNrgcpEaCLGQN292siP5X0epdRLZWXjZKawlg==&ch=Idgo-8gY3KuN1qhOtluFpAffH7yLNTB20I9ZZ44erPnV5mFoFGorOg==">Reuters</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0012Z5HJ9m_H7tFQxLYgfeLnQyHeFCz-XgOadqlqVh0DAq2ugrBk5CTHr5xfDk1YWhfWVKng-MLlBlRUmdq19xw2EC3_MOCvaDuxA3QWrwVAFWBwQVd8GS3rhMBSrRfciMxnsPeIT5dM1aUgKMlKAXr1g0xrEU_5PoTXKcSXERkXepj2db_rJHvP1kfAj-qLlU9UqXNOlAWBLEdato-mS2GAY6A8BkADbXxU7_4LhUsQR1JYbmzzCkRf2MYQEs4uMs2BkQmx7jtChcTBg3J8fOAGrskBxkPuxiTcGj3Sgllkfg=&c=xs2h72H-3d9iBo0FdaNrgcpEaCLGQN292siP5X0epdRLZWXjZKawlg==&ch=Idgo-8gY3KuN1qhOtluFpAffH7yLNTB20I9ZZ44erPnV5mFoFGorOg=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Guardian</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Mayors Pledge to Move Port of Los Angeles Toward Zero Emissions</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On June 12, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia signed an agreement to move the Port of Los Angeles, the nation's largest port complex, toward zero emissions. The pact, which seeks to build off of the 2006 Clean Air Action Plan and follow new regulations from the California Air Resources Board, pledges the port's cargo-handling equipment will reach zero emissions by 2030 and trucks by 2035. This represents the "first attempt at having enforceable and quantifiable milestones" for reducing emissions, according to Nidia Erceg with the Coalition for Clean Air. According to Mayor Garcetti, the agreement is meant to demonstrate a commitment to improving air quality, after recent revelations that the Port had not followed earlier clean air procedures. The port, which primarily runs on diesel, is the largest smog producer in Southern California and has been a target of environmental groups who have been concerned about the health risks it posed. The mayors also acknowledged that despite recent efforts by the Trump Administration to weaken clean air measures, they remained committed to pursuing "environmental justice" for local citizens.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0012Z5HJ9m_H7tFQxLYgfeLnQyHeFCz-XgOadqlqVh0DAq2ugrBk5CTHr5xfDk1YWhfUPXymiNDJyebnDQ5_DxhTV1_YyG-mUoFEHa0Bm30umsJK47nyLmcfzWZ58fc1ZnbEnSniUAL1JhJ7fjUGrSOoO82laUgXW0wQKWhArj-O-1V8aMFnBrVsUuza91-qQ493i7TVr6SJ6HOaxL-UN3XzD1D8UJ7NGyIwYlXkwqKyYmKFoEgm84ddfgYnmsLvUvM&c=xs2h72H-3d9iBo0FdaNrgcpEaCLGQN292siP5X0epdRLZWXjZKawlg==&ch=Idgo-8gY3KuN1qhOtluFpAffH7yLNTB20I9ZZ44erPnV5mFoFGorOg==">Los Angeles Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>India's Prime Minister Calls Renewable Energy the "Foundation of the New Economy"</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The world's third-largest carbon emitter, India, is projected to see its greenhouse gas emissions start to level off in the near future. India is quickly becoming a global leader in renewable energy, with its renewable generating capacity doubling to 50 gigawatts in the past five years. India plans to generate over 50 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2027. India's government provides several renewable energy incentives, and building wind or solar projects is now cheaper than building a fossil fuel plant. In the state of Tamil Nadu, the Adani Group has installed a 648 megawatt solar plant, one of the largest in the world. The company previously attracted opposition from environmental groups for its involvement with coal mines and coal-fired power plants. Clean energy projects also help conserve water, reduce pollution, and are not built in highly populated areas, making them much more attractive to the public. As renewable energy technologies continue to advance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "The dream of universal access to clean energy is becoming more real. This will be the foundation of the new economy."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0012Z5HJ9m_H7tFQxLYgfeLnQyHeFCz-XgOadqlqVh0DAq2ugrBk5CTHr5xfDk1YWhf4K7Yuttw3b17diVCTRXqMstvzg-RAPyt0scanPWcp9UDJ2fGRk_AzyQuW4gdr6p8Zb6-75ZJsSWr0k6eENiWQo1axtJkO9BR7AEwu8-hbFZn7rnqkYJrnaLXyDUD8y01yUE8W-ui0fErt1gHnHmP8g==&c=xs2h72H-3d9iBo0FdaNrgcpEaCLGQN292siP5X0epdRLZWXjZKawlg==&ch=Idgo-8gY3KuN1qhOtluFpAffH7yLNTB20I9ZZ44erPnV5mFoFGorOg==">Circle of Blue<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_14.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E61046C6-EBE0-477D-ADA1-715E666C074A/pastedGraphic_14.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Management Challenges and a Loss of U.S. Support Are Holding Back the Green Climate Fund</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Green Climate Fund (GCF) was created in 2010 by the United Nations to help developing countries reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change. Over 40 countries promised $10.3 billion to the GCF in 2013, but so far the fund's administrators approved only $1.3 billion in 2016, falling short of its $2.5 billion target. GCF board members say funding disbursement has been slow because of legal complexities and developed countries that attach numerous stipulations to loans. Under the Obama administration, the $1 billion of the U.S. pledge of $3 billion has been paid. The United States actually trails other countries' donations, in terms of per capita dollars, by a significant amount. However, President Trump characterized the GCF as inefficient and has moved to end U.S. contributions. A GCF board member said of Trump's actions, "The fund is like a plane that's taken off but we're still building it in mid-air. That's a risky situation." Payments are voluntary and the GCF has no legal power to collect funds, meaning the United States will simply be listed as in arrears.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0012Z5HJ9m_H7tFQxLYgfeLnQyHeFCz-XgOadqlqVh0DAq2ugrBk5CTHr5xfDk1YWhfJNvzWWQ8PVKJwqJG1AtsJ2tMCfu1VSkDVIJrYdfk_ALKyMRiCSdyoikWLs4MWUPdWF4aXq0503aPIKRHf-lQ3WKwkdsEXiilPuFLBJ88fI5WZHSmYNGZfr3z9hba462Cos91vYSRaC0bcTUbxV9gMgPnBDVjgrs7ExUOu6B0uQc=&c=xs2h72H-3d9iBo0FdaNrgcpEaCLGQN292siP5X0epdRLZWXjZKawlg==&ch=Idgo-8gY3KuN1qhOtluFpAffH7yLNTB20I9ZZ44erPnV5mFoFGorOg==">Reuters<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_15.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E61046C6-EBE0-477D-ADA1-715E666C074A/pastedGraphic_15.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>The Netherlands Finds Economic Opportunity in Adapting to Sea Level Rise and Flooding</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Netherlands is one of the Europe's most vulnerable countries in terms of sea level rise, but the Dutch have successfully crafted a sophisticated civil engineering approach to tackle climate adaptation across the country. Many common urban features across The Netherlands, such as parks, plazas, and garages, have been designed to double as spare reservoirs during major flooding events. A national program called Room for the River encompasses dozens of projects and years of work to better prepare communities for the impacts of climate change. The program represents a policy shift by the Dutch away from building dams and dikes. Instead, the low-lying nation realized, "We can't just keep building higher levees. We need to give the rivers more places to flow," according to senior government advisor Harold van Waveren. He added, "Protection against climate change is only as strong as the weakest link in the chain, and the chain in our case includes not just the big gates and dams at the sea but a whole philosophy of spatial planning, crisis management, children's education, online apps and public spaces."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0012Z5HJ9m_H7tFQxLYgfeLnQyHeFCz-XgOadqlqVh0DAq2ugrBk5CTHr5xfDk1YWhfWIvVZ5TrLMAxkHaIXJjUe1FFgTP0JHcANhDB-kgEf_oYLQaOhfpPSydCXluaxYbb8qd96GXCtWbqAf0e-kBwqUM3LiJXgO5B0m4AEm36pEreid29y4A_HlJjWzultsYF8nM302I7BruOOQ2GhcbZxAz4QWSak4iXM9UuVm4Go19NqICzUrZPepTSwicCAD6AjCenlTJG4s95vQ3h0sTknYwknk7vCpQk&c=xs2h72H-3d9iBo0FdaNrgcpEaCLGQN292siP5X0epdRLZWXjZKawlg==&ch=Idgo-8gY3KuN1qhOtluFpAffH7yLNTB20I9ZZ44erPnV5mFoFGorOg==">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Miami Neighborhoods Consider Resilient Redesign to Address Rising Sea Levels</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Sea level in Miami, Florida is expected to rise up to five feet by the end of the century, a serious concern for neighborhoods that are currently only three feet above sea level. To accommodate these rising seas, municipalities are considering converting developed areas back into natural spaces - a "resilient redesign" approach popular in Europe. This will require residents to voluntarily sell their homes, and the government will need to find the funds to buy them. The Arch Creek community recently proposed purchasing and tearing down properties in flood-prone areas to return them to marsh. The Shorecrest neighborhood similarly plans to replace vulnerable areas with parks to retain flood waters. Shorecrest also intends to amend zoning laws to discourage development in low-lying areas. Some residents call the plan "delusional," but Miami's chief resilience officer Jane Gilbert argues, "Raising roads? That will be part of the solution. It will have to be. But we're going to look for more holistic solutions."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0012Z5HJ9m_H7tFQxLYgfeLnQyHeFCz-XgOadqlqVh0DAq2ugrBk5CTHr5xfDk1YWhf5z46JZuDGPPZr8GdRwTEsTsM0vAJeMJKjyeUusgyiNJP0BvKnJ3rVmqGEFfKJyY2ULBn1DbE0-XFd1SJ7zIdBba2xBdWhnm07nk5T2rD3kXtdupeAQglgB-1TwmXKPYY1axzP6dNu2D97ie1n8jiPAWduOONUHnG7qWB2XSS-XMUBzZlFl2YVhv9o_voRxIe&c=xs2h72H-3d9iBo0FdaNrgcpEaCLGQN292siP5X0epdRLZWXjZKawlg==&ch=Idgo-8gY3KuN1qhOtluFpAffH7yLNTB20I9ZZ44erPnV5mFoFGorOg==">Miami Herald<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Dusty Air Chokes Residents Near California's Salton Sea, as State Officials Search for Solutions</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The shorelines of California's Salton Sea will recede to dangerously low levels by the end of 2017, allowing dust to blow off the exposed lakebed and worsening air quality in the Imperial Valley region. Imperial County near the Sea has 180,000 residents and the highest rate of asthma-related emergency room visits for children in California. Nearby Coachella Valley's $5 billion tourism industry is also at risk from the dust pollution. High cost estimates have been a barrier to previous proposals to address the environmental degradation around the Sea. Frustrated resident Ruben Dominguez said, "People in Sacramento, they have no idea what we go through over here. They're not breathing in this air." The growing demand for water in Southern California led the county to sell off part of its water share in the Colorado River, leading to less runoff for the Sea. A 17-year drought made competition between western states for the Colorado River's water even more acute. The Imperial Valley's management officials hope to tie the Salton Sea's declining health to broader water negotiations for the west.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0012Z5HJ9m_H7tFQxLYgfeLnQyHeFCz-XgOadqlqVh0DAq2ugrBk5CTHr5xfDk1YWhf2th0x3Z80_AzE0P3GWaGa47mHnRZHg4pQUoA3U1GGJ2UkZUcWQzq_ajCs_1aYE-QLEevDtyaXfZJi225QsboYpU2VIoNfBFx-px3i88mk72pa-GurlienXBTrxhLsZHDxdr9PPiESVfQu96r8C-jVtrqxcZGEBAjXfFJObrkS_LlIFDFUNYZ8xIiftcKu0gbDGq1Nk12ShRwll7kr_BT-Ioi6IVNrwiDkO0rE7rOw7w=&c=xs2h72H-3d9iBo0FdaNrgcpEaCLGQN292siP5X0epdRLZWXjZKawlg==&ch=Idgo-8gY3KuN1qhOtluFpAffH7yLNTB20I9ZZ44erPnV5mFoFGorOg==">USA Today<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE: </b>Who would have thought that a lack of water coming into the Salton Sea would be responsible for asthma in children living in the area and breathing dust from the drying sea bed? What other unanticipated consequence will climate change have?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Current Carbon Prices Not Enough to Avoid Catastrophic Temperature Increase</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A new report by the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition warns that existing carbon prices designed to lower emissions are not high enough to avoid a global temperature rise above two degrees Celsius, in accordance with the Paris Agreement's mission. Although over 40 countries, as well as 25 cities, states, and provinces currently use some form of carbon pricing, most operate below $10 USD per ton. The report argues that carbon prices actually need to be between $40-$80 per ton by 2020, and $50-$100 per ton by 2030. Carbon pricing methods vary, with two of the most common forms being carbon taxes on fossil fuels and cap-and-trade systems that allow companies to buy and sell credits to stay under an overall cap on emissions. Although the report shows that significant improvement is needed for the approach to setting carbon prices, Stephanie Hallegatte, a senior economist at the World Bank, said, "There is also a trend with the fraction of emissions covered increasing rapidly in the last few years."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0012Z5HJ9m_H7tFQxLYgfeLnQyHeFCz-XgOadqlqVh0DAq2ugrBk5CTHr5xfDk1YWhfA_kkWRp_wY0IlEUgxDqx-KcHWOnFVH7bnp6-_BJCnduaBY4eD_Lr5z2_-aUHWpxLGCbod0U6DpATN6tmfVbAb6yVbBzbhugwcISGZR4rcEpsAsi-oYJx45VvcrMm29dJxPivyEp1cIQ_AR7s3zh_YjdqewM5GuPVojkBwp3F74XmRGSM4oe8l6fqOVYDGTSqZkgCBoXzVH_tJ7np_VolX6kgJ04o6O2_&c=xs2h72H-3d9iBo0FdaNrgcpEaCLGQN292siP5X0epdRLZWXjZKawlg==&ch=Idgo-8gY3KuN1qhOtluFpAffH7yLNTB20I9ZZ44erPnV5mFoFGorOg==">Inside Climate News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> At its 2014 Convention, the League of Women Voters of the United States passed the following resolution: </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;"><i>“The LWVUS should support a price on carbon emissions that will increase in stages, as part of an overall program to improve energy efficiency and to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy, fast enough to avoid serious damage to the climate system.” </i></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> One of our members, Linda Swift of Berkeley, California, has built a <a href="http://priceoncarbon.org/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Price on Carbon</span></a> website detailing the current pricing of carbon emissions around the world. The Citizen’s Climate Lobby proposes a <a href="https://citizensclimatelobby.org/carbon-fee-and-dividend/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">fee and dividend system</span></a>, where the money raised by putting a price on carbon emissions would be refunded to all households. A price of $50 a ton of CO2 would raise the price of gasoline by 40 cents per gallon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_16.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://E61046C6-EBE0-477D-ADA1-715E666C074A/pastedGraphic_16.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Renewable Electricity Generation Reaches New Heights, as U.S. GDP Decouples from Emission Reductions</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">According to a report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the total monthly electricity generation from wind and solar sources for the United States has exceeded 10 percent for the first time. The milestone occurred in March 2017, with wind constituting eight percent and solar two percent of electricity generation. In addition, a new report from consulting firm M.J. Bradley & Associates highlighted the continued decoupling of America's greenhouse gas emissions and its overall economic growth. The report found that by 2016, carbon emissions for U.S. power generators had declined to levels last recorded in 1990, yet the country's gross domestic product (GDP) continued to grow during that period. The power sector's emissions peaked in 2007, with the decline in emissions driven by the industry's shift to renewable energy sources. In 2015, coal produced only 34 percent of the country's electricity, versus 52 percent in 2006. Dan Bakal of Ceres noted, "You can achieve these [emission] reductions while growing the economy, and trying to reverse these trends would be an uphill battle."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0012Z5HJ9m_H7tFQxLYgfeLnQyHeFCz-XgOadqlqVh0DAq2ugrBk5CTHr5xfDk1YWhf4RVjhkcV-ZCioKYxTnkfEyRzDi86DOcfI8jTClaolYRXCBAZ5DY7y3Ii-qYQXf9U5uqOAT16CLwfI6vAaib3WteDEp28MorW1EqE03cFoKeD0bqJiEAoAtvA8j4ugsrB7Fr6UeFTrUmvWZ23108vo4FfeguJWkdtSHuz8neT4XMlX03Pnh9nGyOYLf7uJMGK2SlIVLry0RxU9qFlNaKg_Q==&c=xs2h72H-3d9iBo0FdaNrgcpEaCLGQN292siP5X0epdRLZWXjZKawlg==&ch=Idgo-8gY3KuN1qhOtluFpAffH7yLNTB20I9ZZ44erPnV5mFoFGorOg==">Inside Climate News</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0012Z5HJ9m_H7tFQxLYgfeLnQyHeFCz-XgOadqlqVh0DAq2ugrBk5CTHr5xfDk1YWhf3CvmrnToeD7kmSeCsgr5dwQd_ylgqAbFevz8_bsKKZAwO-KlO5ZprrQbko0a63OxILQOcjmxZZ4lJsQtOi5UPxjgRSU_GF08iK_NzAAERSxR6Fv1DCtH2Ynkdof1sEX5WfiKpOti6RWx9jxb1HWwdryR8O0E-Xvz&c=xs2h72H-3d9iBo0FdaNrgcpEaCLGQN292siP5X0epdRLZWXjZKawlg==&ch=Idgo-8gY3KuN1qhOtluFpAffH7yLNTB20I9ZZ44erPnV5mFoFGorOg=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">EIA</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">If you want to stop receiving it, just send a message to climate_change_news-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. If you come across some really interesting information, please send it along and I may include it in the next issue. Recent issues are available at: <a href="http://tolmanccnews.blogspot.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">http://tolmanccnews.blogspot.com</span></a></span></div>
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Thanks,<br />
Chad A. Tolman</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">ctolman141@gmail.com<br />
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Chad Tolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198303455148896174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441974095206886318.post-58850047183591471142017-05-24T13:50:00.000-07:002017-05-24T13:50:55.966-07:00CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS FOR MAY 2017<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>CC NEWS FOR MAY 2017</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Sept. 23, 2014 a 3.8-minute video was published that was shown at the U.N. Climate Summit that year. It was narrated by Morgan Freeman and titled, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vaajVtgRuI"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">What’s Possible: Take Part.</span></a><b> </b>It’s short but inspiring - well worth watching.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Robinson Meyer on April 13, 2017 posted an article in <b><i>The Atlantic</i> </b>titled<b>, </b><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/04/carbon-emissions-fell-during-obamas-last-year-in-office/522945/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">Carbon Emissions Fell in Obama’s Last Year in Office</span></a>. The key point is that while carbon emissions have been falling in the electricity generation sector - largely because of a switch from coal to cheaper natural gas - emissions in the transportation sector have been steadily increasing because of growing consumption of gasoline and diesel fuel. The drop in liquid fuel prices made possible by fracking has encouraged people to buy larger, less fuel-efficient vehicles. 2016 was the first year when U.S. carbon emissions were greater from transportation than from electricity generation. According to the author, </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">“… federal fuel-efficiency rules must either get more stringent or there must be a mass consumer move to electric vehicles.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> My bet is that the future of transportation will involve both a mass move to electric vehicles and a transition to electricity for their batteries from solar and wind power. The only question is whether we can complete this transition in time to avoid serious damage to the climate system.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">Matt Tinder and John Schneidawind issued a press release on April 17 from the American Institute of Architects titled, <a href="https://www.aia.org/press-releases/77461-where-we-stand-architects-respond-to-climate"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Where we stand: Architects respond to climate challenges</span></a>. They said, </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">“As the nation prepares to celebrate Earth Day, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) today issued eight <a href="https://www.aia.org/resources/77541-where-we-stand-climate-change"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(250, 65, 50); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">principles</span></a> governing how architects can mitigate climate change and urged the government to protect policies designed to conserve energy and reduce carbon in the built environment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">"Architecture and design can mitigate climate impact while simultaneously reducing operating costs for building owners," said AIA President Thomas Vonier, FAIA. "We need the federal government to keep and even expand incentives that are already producing major advances in energy efficient design and cutting the carbon footprint of buildings."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">"These principles reinforce our strong national position on how energy-conscious urban planning and appropriate building design can help meet global climate challenges," Vonier noted. "In fact, the business case for meeting these challenges has never been greater."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Vonier said that the design and construction of <a href="https://www.aia.org/resources/77561-sustainability"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(250, 65, 50); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">sustainable</span></a> and resilient buildings is already creating jobs and growing the American economy:”</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">It went on to say, </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">“AIA's Energy Leadership Group recently issued a <a href="https://www.aia.org/resources/77941-the-architects-critical-role-in-climate-chan"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(250, 65, 50); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">commentary</span></a> that calls on the profession to mobilize against climate change and on the United States to honor its commitment to the Paris climate accord. That treaty, ratified in 2016, calls for substantive national and international climate change mitigation actions, most of them implicating the building sector.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">"Today, more than half of the world population lives in urban areas, with cities generating more than 70 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, mostly from buildings," </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">the commentary states.</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> "By 2030, world population is expected to increase by 1.1 billion people, with all of that occurring in urban areas."” </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On April 25 Hiroko Tabuchi posted an article in the <b><i>NY Times</i></b> titled, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/25/climate/with-government-in-retreat-companies-step-up-on-emissions.html?_r=0"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">With Government in Retreat, Companies Step Up on Emissions.</span></a> He wrote:</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">The Trump administration may be <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/18/us/politics/trump-advisers-paris-climate-accord.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">pondering a retreat</span></a> from the United States’ climate commitments, but corporate America is moving ahead with its own emissions goals.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Nearly half of the <a href="http://beta.fortune.com/global500/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Fortune 500</span></a> biggest companies in the United States have now set targets to shrink their carbon footprints, according to <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/publications/power-forward-3-0-how-the-largest-us-companies-are-capturing-business-value-while-addressing-climate-change"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">a report published Tuesday</span></a> by environmental organizations that monitor corporate emissions pledges. Twenty-five more companies adopted climate targets over the last two years, the groups said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Almost two dozen companies, including Google, Walmart and Bank of America, have pledged to power their operations with 100 percent renewable energy, with varying deadlines, compared with just a handful in 2015. Google’s data centers worldwide will <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/06/technology/google-says-it-will-run-entirely-on-renewable-energy-in-2017.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #3a88fe; line-height: normal;">run entirely on renewable energy</span></a> by the end of this year, the technology giant announced in December.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“We believe that climate change is real, and it’s a severe crisis,” said Gary Demasi, who directs Google’s energy strategy. “We’re not deviating from our goals.””</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The real laggards in announcing any plans, as you might expect, are the largest emitters - the big energy companies Exxon-Mobil, Phillips 66 and Chevron.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The <b><i>Omaha World-Herold </i></b>ran an article May 1 titled, <a href="http://www.omaha.com/news/iowa/iowa-s-biggest-utility-aims-to-produce-all-its-energy/article_42cb68ba-ce80-5930-be7d-4d16ec44b5ec.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Iowa’s biggest utility aims to produce all its energy from renewable sources.</span></a> MidAmerican Energy plans to add about 1000 wind turbines to the 2000 it already has, increasing the 55% of the electricity it now generates from wind power to nearly 90%. On top of that, the company has agreed not to raise the price of its electricity till at least 2029!</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> Hoping that companies that have made fortunes from producing and selling fossil fuels might actually plan to reduce their emissions is like expecting tobacco companies to admit that nicotine is addictive, or that smoking causes lung cancer. The words that come to mind to describe their actions are understandable, but despicable.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">On May 3 <b><i>The</i></b> <b><i>Boston Globe </i></b>ran an article by Naomi Oreskes and Jeremy Jones titled, <a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2017/05/02/want-protect-climate-time-for-carbon-pricing/MEuNgzH4DaSoT7f8w4cNVJ/story.html?s_campaign="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Want to protect the climate? Time for carbon pricing. </span></a>Oreskes is a Harvard professor of the history of science, and Jones is the </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">founder of Jones Snowboards and Protect Our Winters. They wrote, </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">“OUR COUNTRY IS feeling the effects of a changing climate. The West is witnessing dramatic changes to winter, including decreased snowpack — which means less water availability the rest of the year — and tremendous destruction of Western forests by bark beetles that used to die off in winter, but now don’t. Here in Massachusetts, people might think that shorter, milder winters are a good thing. But they are not. If we don’t deal with climate change now, the snowpack will be confined to only the highest of elevations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Of course, renewable energy is helping to stop further climate change. But solar and wind have trouble competing with fossil fuels, because it’s just not a fair market. Fossil fuels — whose greenhouse gas emissions drive climate change — are more widely available than clean energy, and they are usually cheaper, <a href="http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.aspx?sk=42940.0"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(18, 118, 148); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">due to ongoing subsidies</span></a>. A carbon pricing system would level the playing field.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Putting a price on carbon is a proven market mechanism that has widespread, bipartisan support, and is increasingly being adopted around the globe. It will account for the true cost of burning fossil fuels, creating a more competitive market for clean energy sources. And, it can be implemented quickly to begin reducing carbon pollution.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In Massachusetts, there are two carbon pricing bills pending in the Legislature, with co-sponsorship of more than one-third of our lawmakers. These proposals focus on putting a price on fossil fuels once they enter the state and distributing revenue collected back to businesses and households in the form of rebates. One proposal returns 100 percent of the revenue collected; the other returns 80 percent of revenue while reinvesting the remaining 20 percent into a Green Infrastructure Fund, funding energy efficiency, climate resilience and adaptation measures, and public transportation. Either one would be a great step in the right direction.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> So if fossil fuels are wrecking snowboarding in Massachusetts and the world’s climate in general, why do we keep subsidizing them? Go figure.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">On May 3 Phil McKenna of </span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><i>InsideClimate News</i></b> posted an article titled, </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/03052017/wind-power-rising-clean-energy-jobs">U.S. Wind Energy Installations Surge: A New Turbine Rises Every 2.4 Hours</a></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">"We switched on more megawatts in the first quarter than in the first three quarters of last year combined," said Tom Kiernan, the CEO of the American Wind Energy Association.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Nationwide, wind provided <a href="https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=427&t=3"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(131, 190, 68); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"><b>5.6 percent of all electricity</b></span></a> produced in 2016, an amount of electricity generation that has <a href="https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.cfm?t=epmt_1_01_a"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(131, 190, 68); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"><b>more than doubled since 2010</b></span></a>. Much of the demand for new wind energy generation in recent years has come from Fortune 500 companies including Home Depot, GM, Walmart and Microsoft that are buying wind energy in large part for its low, stable cost.”</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">On May 7 James Ayre posted an article in <b><i>CleanTechnica</i></b> titled, <a href="https://cleantechnica.com/2017/05/07/worlds-oceans-experiencing-significant-decline-dissolved-oxygen-analysis-shows/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">World’s Oceans Experiencing Significant Decline In Dissolved Oxygen.</span></a> </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">The article says,</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> “</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">The amount of dissolved oxygen in the water of the world’s oceans — an important marker of overall oceanic biological health/livability — has been declining at a notable rate for more than 2 decades now, according to a new analysis from the Georgia Institute of Technology.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“The oxygen in oceans has dynamic properties, and its concentration can change with natural climate variability,” commented Taka Ito, an associate professor in Georgia Tech’s School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences who led the research. “The important aspect of our result is that the rate of global oxygen loss appears to be exceeding the level of nature’s random variability.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">With falling oxygen levels in ocean water, habitability for larger forms of marine life becomes harder and large-scale hypoxic events (dead zones) became more likely.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">While it’s long been known that rising ocean temperatures would result in less oxygen being present in the waters, oxygen levels have been falling much more rapidly than was expected”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“The trend of oxygen falling is about 2 to 3 times faster than what we predicted from the decrease of solubility associated with the ocean warming,” Ito commented. “This is most likely due to the changes in ocean circulation and mixing associated with the heating of the near-surface waters and melting of polar ice.””</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(99, 99, 99);">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">With falling oxygen levels in ocean water, habitability for larger forms of marine life becomes harder and large-scale hypoxic events (dead zones) became more likely.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> I was not aware of this depletion of oxygen in ocean water, which is considerably greater than would be expected based on the known decrease in solubility of oxygen as water warms. It doesn’t sound good.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(99, 99, 99); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">On May 9 <b><i>Reader Supported News</i></b> posted an article titled, <a href="http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/43474-co2-emissions-soar-as-alaska-heats-up"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">CO2 Emissions Soar as Alaska Heats Up</span></a>. It said,</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(99, 99, 99);"> “T</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">he Alaskan tundra is releasing an increasingly large amount of CO2 due to a warmer climate, new research shows.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2017/05/02/1618567114"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">study</span></a> published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that CO2 emitted from the tundra between October and December of each year increased more than 70 percent from 1975 to 2015, likely influenced by <a href="http://climatenexus.org/learn/science-primers/season-creep"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">season creep</span></a> and increasingly warmer winters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">"There is a lot of potential CO2 from these soils, which worries people," lead author Roisin Commane told the Guardian. "We'd prefer the carbon stays there."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The study suggested that the tundra's emissions of CO2 have become greater than its uptake during the spring and summer growing season.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">"Tundra soils appear to be acting as an amplifier of climate change," co-author Steve Wofsy, a Harvard atmospheric scientist, said in a statement issued by NASA. "We need to carefully monitor what it's doing up there, even late in the year when everything looks frozen and dormant."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> This increasing rate of emissions as the climate warms is another example of positive feedback in earth’s climate system: The more the climate changes, the faster it goes. In this case organic material in the ‘permafrost’ can be oxidized by microorganisms using atmospheric oxygen. If the warming takes place without much oxygen present, methanogenic bacteria can produce methane - a much more powerful greenhouse gas.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(99, 99, 99); color: black;">On May 11 </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Jason Pontin, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of the <b><i>MIT Technology Review</i></b>, delivered a striking 15-minute video presentation at the Statoil Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, Texas titled, <a href="http://livepage.apple.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">How Will We Solve Big Energy Challenges?</span></a>. Statoil is a large Norwegian oil and gas company. He compared the necessary mobilization of clean energy systems that do not emit greenhouse gases to the American effort to put two men on the moon - but on a far larger global scale - saying that it can be done if we work together and put a significant and increasing price on carbon emissions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On May 12 <b><i>The Real News Network</i></b> posted a short (2.3 min) <a href="http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=19081"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">video</span></a> interview of Bill McKibben (the founder of <a href="http://https//350.orglivepage.apple.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">350.org</span></a>) on what we need to do now that Trump is President. One thing he emphasizes is the need to set a goal of 100% renewable energy - no more partial measures to address global climate change. The title is <b>Inevitable Renewable Energy Will Win.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On May 18 the<b> Union of Concerned Scientists </b>posted an article titled, <a href="http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science_and_impacts/science/largest-producers-industrial-carbon-emissions.html%23.WR78vFKZODU"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Largest Producers of Industrial Carbon Emissions</span></a>. It points out that nearly 2/3 of all CO2 an methane emissions since 1854 can be attributed to just 90 companies - 83 producers of coal, oil and natural gas and 7 cement makers. “The top five investor-owned companies on the list — Chevron, ExxonMobil, British Petroleum, Shell, and ConocoPhillips — are responsible for one-eighth (12.5%) of all industrial carbon emissions from 1854 to 2010.” The article points out that two of the companies - Chevron and ExxonMobil - have not only contributed disproportionately to carbon emissions and climate change, but have spent millions of dollars on misinformation campaigns to convince the public that climate change isn’t really happening, or it has nothing to do with human activities, or, even if it does, addressing it would cost far too much.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The article is linked to a list of <a href="http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science_and_impacts/science/global-warming-faq.html%23.WR8Cy1KZOog"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Frequently Asked Questions</span></a> and answers:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">How do we know that humans are the major cause of global warming?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Why does CO2 get most of the attention when there are so many other heat-trapping gases (greenhouse gases)?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">What is the latest climate science?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Does air pollution—specifically particulate matter (aerosols)—affect global warming?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">How does the sun affect our climate?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Is there a connection between the hole in the ozone layer and global warming?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">What is the best source of scientific information on global warming?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Will responding to global warming be harmful to our economy?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">What are the options for the vast stores of coal around the world?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Is global warming already happening?</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 122, 165); color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">The article also takes the reader to what it calls an Infographic titled, <a href="http://www.ucsusa.org/global-warming/fight-misinformation/infographic-global-warming-climate-science-vs-fossil-fuel-fiction%23.WR8tblKZOog"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #0061ff;">Climate Science vs. Fossil Fuel Fiction.</span></a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(99, 99, 99); color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;"> The lead sentence is, </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(99, 99, 99); color: black;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Fossil fuel companies and their lobbying groups have been deceiving the public for nearly 30 years about the facts of global warming. They continue to do so today.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On May 18 Justin Gillis and Johathan of the <b><i>NY Times</i></b> emailed me a 3-part series of photos, videos, graphics and four virtual reality films put together by four reporters from the Times reporting on two weeks they spent in Antarctica. The series was called, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/05/18/climate/antarctica-ice-melt-climate-change.html?emc=edit_clim_20170517&nl=&nlid=60890102&te=1"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Antarctic Dispatches: Miles of Ice Collapsing into the Sea</span></a>. In Part 1 the authors wrote, </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">“</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(89, 89, 89); color: #595959; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">Glaciers in certain areas have been undercut by warmer ocean waters, and the flow of ice is getting faster and faster. </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(89, 89, 89); color: #595959; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 22px; line-height: normal;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The acceleration is making some scientists fear that Antarctica’s ice sheet may have entered the early stages of an unstoppable disintegration. Because the collapse of vulnerable parts of the ice sheet could raise the sea level dramatically, the continued existence of the world’s great coastal cities - Miami, New York, Shanghai and many more - is tied to Antarctica’s fate.”</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(89, 89, 89); color: #595959;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">A rapid disintegration of Antarctica might, in the worst case, cause the sea to rise so fast that tens of millions of coastal refugees would have to flee inland, potentially straining societies to the breaking point. Climate scientists used to regard that scenario as fit only for Hollywood disaster scripts. But these days, they cannot rule it out with any great confidence.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Recent computer forecasts suggest that if greenhouse gas emissions continue at a high level, parts of Antarctica could break up rapidly, causing the ocean to rise six feet or more by the end of this century. That is double the maximum increase that an international climate panel projected only four years ago.”</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">The authors wrote this in Part 2: </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Extensive satellite monitoring began in the 1990s and, within a decade, evidence emerged that the ice sheet was already starting to speed up, retreat and destabilize. Since then, the rate at which some of the glaciers are dumping ice into the ocean has tripled. More than 100 billion tons are lost every year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In 2016, Robert M. DeConto of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and David Pollard of Pennsylvania State University <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/31/science/global-warming-antarctica-ice-sheet-sea-level-rise.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">published a study</span></a>, based on a computer analysis of Antarctica, that raised alarms worldwide.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Incorporating recent advances in the understanding of how ice sheets might break apart, they found that both West Antarctica and some vulnerable parts of East Antarctica would go into an unstoppable collapse if the Earth continued to warm at a rapid pace.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In their worst-case scenario, the sea level could rise by six feet by the end of this century, and the pace could pick up drastically in the 22nd century.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><i>“If the rise turns out to be as rapid as the worst-case projections, it could lead to a catastrophe without parallel in the history of civilization.” (emphasis added)</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE: </b>Going through the dispatches you are asked if you would like to provide your email to receive more information on climate change around the world. I signed up.</span></div>
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The following items are from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), Carol Werner, Executive Director. Past issues of its newsletter are posted on its website under "publications"<br />
at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102515421764&e=001VqmyLSnT7fkl-_mocGBcn8yb2ys8eiE4dr3Tnveazy1K0B1fU1CponAdxiy_W78b49PK6NHsR0pHlqO7KOWi-3m5yW4bNEJiyJt1G95YoNt46CLY1L4uGjNKLSPL84kX2r7jAaxw1oVR18YElOXvV8_lo1bRsASi9tPNMTm7-ZU="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">http://www.eesi.org/publications/Newsletters/CCNews/ccnews.htm</span></a></span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">EESI’s newsletter is intended for all interested parties, particularly the policymaker community. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://96A29A78-1658-4B9E-ACCA-F0916F88B52C/pastedGraphic.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Seventeen Republican House Members Sign Resolution Vowing to Act on Climate Change</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Seventeen Republican House members have signed a resolution entitled "Expressing the Commitment of the House of Representatives to Conservative Environmental Stewardship," which recognizes that humans have contributed to climate change and calls for "economically viable ... and broadly supported private and public solutions." While the Republican base may disagree with increased government regulation on environmental issues, the members of Congress who signed the resolution recognize the need for action on this critical issue. First-term Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) stated, "[Climate change] is such a big issue that it should not be taken lightly on any side of the aisle." Conservative support for climate action is increasing and the congressional backing of the "eco-Right," an array of new policy groups including RepublicEn, R Street, and the Niskanen Center, suggests a promising future for bipartisan climate action. Other Republicans have taken action as well, such as through the establishment of a Climate Solutions Caucus, a bipartisan group that seeks to determine economically and socially viable solutions to climate change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WqM8F9rXNNTsXsCGdwoP9vftyyVLj33e-ADUBVwnpVaMYkiUNKYYWcC26kxtLOICnlZAOuApfTJOY2S-MicCjy0w8tEja8WXXJb1f37NDHntpmAWZixh3NEz5iOM0kFfwYVXrdwopYAG7dLziUaPuwW47o8urh5gHL_sKtxfjetCCkZHlmBZMopb_EY0F5PheqLz37pXz4bLT5TQzMmE0wdtcGLzr_C6cAb0WkacsfWm6DiQi3_0uo61O3J6jidg&c=v2lWsjK4Gc5gNJ1LOe7S5CRlAlNmMkrQ6m9De_lZowMLhloxGWWxyw==&ch=UxO70uKMYOgiKXBoNMQ-Bs4bVMKmmbJcI6YYIULl2h4qBhiwpiPqIQ==">Climate Change News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_1.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://96A29A78-1658-4B9E-ACCA-F0916F88B52C/pastedGraphic_1.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>EPA Staff Concerns about HONEST Act Silenced by EPA Leadership</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On March 29th, the House passed the Honest and Open New EPA Science Treatment Act of 2017 (H.R. 1430). The bill would require any data used by EPA to be "publicly available online and reproducible," in effect, vastly limiting the quantity and types of studies that could be done by the agency. Meeting the proposed data standards would impose an additional operating cost of up to $250 million on EPA. Though many agency staff members spoke out against the bill, their concerns did not reach the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Reportedly, EPA's Office of the Administrator instead chose to send a response to CBO saying "no cost, no comment." EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has previously vowed to change the culture of the agency and "base actions on sound science, rather than ideological convictions." According to Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, "Any efforts to suddenly limit the data the EPA uses to keep Americans safe is nonsensical and, frankly, irresponsible."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WqM8F9rXNNTsXsCGdwoP9vftyyVLj33e-ADUBVwnpVaMYkiUNKYYWcC26kxtLOIC9TYy1GVcZmmrCHQPK31Tmx8ALFTihHGjX-kpcSg4cf3HDBNB_0XkbFE1CUN3Sc35m5enoTW7wFkgP8B7BE4XKLazf-oJIAIIce2YoJVetfzuVCHNkAoZaPbHM5bsUU86CQhxOc088A_awbPUea82pA==&c=v2lWsjK4Gc5gNJ1LOe7S5CRlAlNmMkrQ6m9De_lZowMLhloxGWWxyw==&ch=UxO70uKMYOgiKXBoNMQ-Bs4bVMKmmbJcI6YYIULl2h4qBhiwpiPqIQ==">Bloomberg<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_2.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://96A29A78-1658-4B9E-ACCA-F0916F88B52C/pastedGraphic_2.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>European Utilities to Place Moratorium on New Coal-Fired Power Plant Construction Post-2020</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On April 5, a trade association representing 3,500 electric utility industry companies across Europe declared they will no longer build new coal-fired power plants after 2020. The national energy companies for 26 European Union countries have also signed on, with the exception of Greece and Poland. The board of directors for the group, Eurelectric, announced in a press release, "This commitment to decarbonize electricity generation, together with the electrification of key sectors, such as heating, cooling and transport, will make a major contribution to help Europe meet its climate change targets [under the Paris Agreement]." Eurelectric's secretary general, Kristian Ruby, added, "Europe's energy companies are putting their money where their mouths are." Coal industry representatives expressed skepticism toward the news, stating further advances in energy storage and affordability are needed before a shift away from "conventional sources" can take place. New coal plant construction fell by nearly two-thirds worldwide in 2016.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WqM8F9rXNNTsXsCGdwoP9vftyyVLj33e-ADUBVwnpVaMYkiUNKYYWcC26kxtLOICrWH7KJyzOQenscP7STMZDX8qxDz9Ml3LgWdENdEuFkC3625Y_5Jp46dq0UoXXPETf2lMgQthNhj_jyoK3ZmN8m0T88fy9CmtPfOpkKgAzClOz3To8DDECPNv4XTxxL3hvYR8kemoGCh0IPwsmciTBoZfO8vfkniWNH-KE8HkyXFGgxEQIJvPFSELVmTMpzGGk4qZKLA76K8zg2TU7lmtY7DQbqHAVzfn3R50zuehWqM=&c=v2lWsjK4Gc5gNJ1LOe7S5CRlAlNmMkrQ6m9De_lZowMLhloxGWWxyw==&ch=UxO70uKMYOgiKXBoNMQ-Bs4bVMKmmbJcI6YYIULl2h4qBhiwpiPqIQ==">Inside Climate News</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WqM8F9rXNNTsXsCGdwoP9vftyyVLj33e-ADUBVwnpVaMYkiUNKYYWcC26kxtLOIC-wBIthX-S2LJ6w3Oe39i9WozzAGLA31_6oGYlHMpOi3wfQeHZd9_XGG40S_-y9pGn2PQB7ik9B1EZuRUTnEMYis_7ew6Ck9ybvzeFMKG7SN-LhfNSF6kGr7vHmky0ATOJRv14ctVgVv0eet9bMCU8HSP5_fL7suctXS9Sh2drxe95-H4bE3_bw8US-jMsT93fYK3XygMtC9oXsqhy66_w27mW8RteS68864sMBBLqbeV760tgQ-KjQ==&c=v2lWsjK4Gc5gNJ1LOe7S5CRlAlNmMkrQ6m9De_lZowMLhloxGWWxyw==&ch=UxO70uKMYOgiKXBoNMQ-Bs4bVMKmmbJcI6YYIULl2h4qBhiwpiPqIQ=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Guardian</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_3.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://96A29A78-1658-4B9E-ACCA-F0916F88B52C/pastedGraphic_3.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Asia Pacific Braces for Crises on Multiple Fronts as Future Climate Impacts Loom</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">International security experts warn that climate change is a "threat multiplier" for global security. The increasing severity and frequency of extreme weather has already begun to exacerbate refugee crises emanating from unstable, water-scarce regions. According to Sherri Goodman, a former U.S. deputy undersecretary of defense, the Asia Pacific region is at especially high risk because countries will experience the direct climate impacts of extreme weather and the indirect impacts in the form of climate refugees. Australia is expected to experience worsening drought conditions while potentially taking in thousands of displaced people from low-lying Pacific countries. Goodman explains that "another extreme weather event, combined with sea-level rise and storm surge, could send upwards of 10 million people or more along that low-lying coastline in Bangladesh fleeing ... towards India, which is building a massive wall to keep Bangladeshis out." In Africa and the Middle East, drought is aggravating "tensions and conflicts that already exist," as terrorist groups take "advantage of desperate people in desperate circumstances."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WqM8F9rXNNTsXsCGdwoP9vftyyVLj33e-ADUBVwnpVaMYkiUNKYYWcC26kxtLOICiuREr2zgm30X1FOXP6pJOIFyOhY0JEV2WqjefrWP-zvdtiZEB1csycF3k124pCB2ox61XXGzzT-CTFzQxR1VupFAmKOykauk_s3aImHVuHsf_CnCuqL7TMWlW4HwDJ-sJvKMVqu6LGuKOSS5lgY0Gj2VYO6rld0LaixLFOaAjKrnl5Er5kM6As9jqE2AKYTrVPgmQ3M-h6Uaj5rZRy77CKI-jTI9Y1RsJ6LnKdirlfZGXKf7jlEkBKoaSjdXTbPQ&c=v2lWsjK4Gc5gNJ1LOe7S5CRlAlNmMkrQ6m9De_lZowMLhloxGWWxyw==&ch=UxO70uKMYOgiKXBoNMQ-Bs4bVMKmmbJcI6YYIULl2h4qBhiwpiPqIQ==">Guardian<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Cities That Sacrificed Natural Buffers for Rapid Growth Now Face Stark Climate Impacts</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The environmental consequences of Guangzhou, China's torrid rate of development over the last two decades has come into focus as climate change introduces severe disruptions to the region. Southern China's Pearl River Delta is home to a large industrial base, numerous cities, and a population of 42 million. However, the previously agriculture-rich region is highly vulnerable to flooding due to the presence of three rivers, their tributaries, and the South China Sea. According to a World Bank report, the cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen face the greatest economic risk from climate change, as a measure of gross domestic product. The impacts threaten not only the region's residents and industries, but also the stakeholders who rely upon the products manufactured and exported from there. In Shenzhen, over 70 percent of the mangrove forests, which serve as natural defenses against water threats, were removed for development. Liang Bo, with the Shenzhen Mangrove Wetlands and Conservation Foundation, observed, "Most of the people who live here now weren't around when the mangroves were still here. They see this park, which makes us more vulnerable to rising seas and typhoons, as they do all the tall buildings and highways. They equate it with progress."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WqM8F9rXNNTsXsCGdwoP9vftyyVLj33e-ADUBVwnpVaMYkiUNKYYWcC26kxtLOICpiAWBWN2_BwIZP4fpO9DmaeZB0n5qxV7xDdmh3vjdqqAsPENMhJnVZCzIO8G3I1mp70xnCaa7K9_C5yXg4AgX1qqH6pERJunN-suG6t_JfWaPjgVbXrE2xOzmkK_i3IiTQPBu0ruEsTJvT02DCD2UrPD4CkEwWka5o_XbxeQNRvJXqmbU8IiEWfJF0jpArviLlKaVsny9cnd5-bO2s0RMQ==&c=v2lWsjK4Gc5gNJ1LOe7S5CRlAlNmMkrQ6m9De_lZowMLhloxGWWxyw==&ch=UxO70uKMYOgiKXBoNMQ-Bs4bVMKmmbJcI6YYIULl2h4qBhiwpiPqIQ==">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_4.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://96A29A78-1658-4B9E-ACCA-F0916F88B52C/pastedGraphic_4.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Despite Trump's Statements, Utility Companies Are Still Looking Beyond Coal</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Even though President Trump signed an executive order to roll back the Obama Administration's climate change directives, electric utility companies remain unconvinced that the new administration's efforts will yield a resurgence for coal. In a survey conducted by Reuters of 32 utilities operating in the 26 states that sued to halt the Clean Power Plan, the majority indicated they have no plans to adjust their multi-billion dollar shift away from coal. The utilities believe that no matter what the president does, the demand for coal will continue to fall. "I'm not going to build new coal plants in today's environment," said Ben Fowke, CEO of Xcel Energy. The trend is largely driven by economics, as relatively inexpensive natural gas is plentiful and renewable energy costs continue to drop. The survey also found that utility executives still plan on retiring coal power plants, possibly at a slower pace, but do not plan on building new ones. According to Jairo Chung, an associate vice president at Moody's Investors Service, "This is not an environmentally driven trend. What we are seeing now is in the interior of the U.S., where wind is very rich, states and utilities are pushing ahead in investing in it."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WqM8F9rXNNTsXsCGdwoP9vftyyVLj33e-ADUBVwnpVaMYkiUNKYYWcC26kxtLOIC0GrgHXKevw2C2HVBf5YILGgnQ8-KzJ9eHJ7O-ozq_7vE4aV5o6MmbSU7jFWVlaEHU-roiR-s8d-erBWPPCzaBFskCXBr5vrTQOkGb5v9A0I8BZYcD9REiZ-lWiTMxuttPK0EgD--EWOahv2TgUzL5jbNA0eX3aeHy6j1TOymBAI=&c=v2lWsjK4Gc5gNJ1LOe7S5CRlAlNmMkrQ6m9De_lZowMLhloxGWWxyw==&ch=UxO70uKMYOgiKXBoNMQ-Bs4bVMKmmbJcI6YYIULl2h4qBhiwpiPqIQ==">Reuters</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WqM8F9rXNNTsXsCGdwoP9vftyyVLj33e-ADUBVwnpVaMYkiUNKYYWcC26kxtLOICngIjR7rJxW78E_MP-W7--zDvAZTbb0V191GzegHeiqh8UcpK-OqsE4YeSJ0B8PbDHxYnVxvl91obCxM9kbeAkubw_1Azk_nTHhrHAaKb0Mr04pZLWcHz_zOkJSqlFRgewflO_E1u3aowPHA5mxrfrf_O-YVyBm7LNJQ2LyXInP895rU9jIxLn3FEhO_D3bzQhfUp3-X3ue4ifB4Loo75vz8ellY38dVdyLl1xTuVtJc9vF8IemI8UJrO1oq72dVhHoKhAMw6R8Q8kBwpLQnJig==&c=v2lWsjK4Gc5gNJ1LOe7S5CRlAlNmMkrQ6m9De_lZowMLhloxGWWxyw==&ch=UxO70uKMYOgiKXBoNMQ-Bs4bVMKmmbJcI6YYIULl2h4qBhiwpiPqIQ=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">New York Times</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_5.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://96A29A78-1658-4B9E-ACCA-F0916F88B52C/pastedGraphic_5.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Climate Change Is Threatening Species on a Scale Not Foreseen by Scientists</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Recent studies reveal that climate change is harming ecosystems in more widespread and fundamental ways than scientists previously understood. Changes in seasonal patterns and other natural cycles has impacted 74 different ecological processes of species including genetics, migration behavior, population distribution, and physical traits. Woodland salamanders in the Appalachian Mountains are become smaller and the offspring of Arctic red knots are being born with diminished bills, causing a significant disadvantage for survival. Even when a particular species survives a transition, these changes can have devastating effects on the ecosystem. "In many instances genetic diversity is being lost due to climate change," explains Bret Scheffers of the University of Florida. "It is important to not confuse species responses and adaptation as an indicator that everything will be okay." Scientists warn that these disruptions to the ecological balance ultimately harms humans because we rely on healthy ecosystems to maintain our personal and economic welfare.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WqM8F9rXNNTsXsCGdwoP9vftyyVLj33e-ADUBVwnpVaMYkiUNKYYWcC26kxtLOICQrG6AlwcObDHxIpWqdxq3ChUuLHGPWuSwjv2tGV3TVH5S4hJsJwhaaYrjzGKti9mcd3ulHnWsDhavA8Q4X7HA8cgb2lyozubxjfBqZa6M9p6oaYc7_1rJfOb2CBM5zmfI2eFoyayYtM6sxwahCFNLn9S3Zvx5aejUoAyjTElCYwLEcQyJhxVq4PwJIq6ZJ793jVDhDWWb1z0L3WjF3MY40fRNDXkdZGe459rU95LHG25j1spsw-nZj7H0NSXKwd1aXIjVwYw0elBlJgSj3UA-Q==&c=v2lWsjK4Gc5gNJ1LOe7S5CRlAlNmMkrQ6m9De_lZowMLhloxGWWxyw==&ch=UxO70uKMYOgiKXBoNMQ-Bs4bVMKmmbJcI6YYIULl2h4qBhiwpiPqIQ==">Guardian<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_6.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://96A29A78-1658-4B9E-ACCA-F0916F88B52C/pastedGraphic_6.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Trump's Plan to Cut Energy Star Program Provokes Bipartisan Outrage and Ridicule. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">EPA's popular Energy Star initiative is among the many environment and energy programs proposed for elimination within the Trump administration's budget outline. The voluntary program has had strong bipartisan support over the last 25 years. The program costs about $60 million a year, but is credited with saving consumers and businesses over $30 billion in energy costs annually. Dave Pogue of the Fortune 500 Company CBRE said he never imagined the program that helped his firm lower energy use by 16 percent would come under fire. Christie Todd Whitman, President George W. Bush's EPA administrator, confirmed that "not in a million years" would she have eliminated Energy Star, explaining, "There was no reason to. It worked, and it hardly cost any money." Energy Star is widely seen as a win-win for consumers and companies. Under the program, companies voluntarily compete to earn an EPA certification that can differentiate their products as energy efficient, with consumers benefitting from reduced electricity bills.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001L2OjvsLWX0b1SomBNg2ByeojyfXKlNeesJG1kpWbTwV2uV9t7HGWAA1RSWp2yciI_guONQHWDfM22MuIB09I6A3iouwWIUh2CTUXesiYq7EzHDBVva1F67pfApg5Bzx2sOmc7FMdOU_urC57Nvk4Ql02g0ICP3WseGSw_EVRohFNQtBT_gR3up5oCenZc_vPS5fir06iC-IeSE65m8UlI4e6EXTw0grwRX013HIQrXLUk1L_pbg3fQ==&c=n42Zr921J-14l6Of_yXl5AnQHQ0Xzxc5mJ5NbpV3dOYTpou2EG9IWA==&ch=ii-1olY1omsemABXKtxr2neSJjf1vzcoxxgk5t_gHKMThmFOcEbFPQ==">Los Angeles Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_7.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://96A29A78-1658-4B9E-ACCA-F0916F88B52C/pastedGraphic_7.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt Calls for U.S. Exit from Paris Treaty</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">During an April 13 interview on Fox News, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said the United States should drop out of the Paris Climate Agreement. Pruitt said, "Paris is something we need to look at closely. It's something we need to exit in my opinion. It's a bad deal for America." Pruitt also said that "China or India had no obligations under the agreement until 2030." However, in an April 3 interview, Pruitt appeared to endorse continued climate negotiations with those very countries, saying, "Engagement internationally is very important." Under Paris, China has pledged to reduce its carbon emissions 60-65 percent per unit of GDP by 2030 versus 2005 levels, while India is targeting a 33-35 percent reduction under the same metric. The White House has suggested it will outline the administration's position on the agreement in about a month. High-level officials within the administration reportedly remain divided on the issue, with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson asserting during his congressional confirmation hearing that the United States should remain party to the treaty to "maintain its seat at the table."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001L2OjvsLWX0b1SomBNg2ByeojyfXKlNeesJG1kpWbTwV2uV9t7HGWAA1RSWp2yciI1wxRpGRzOZ8q61AzrrXAyMkX9LRqsPsNVQPEtmKKquOuo5P8tqJF_DLROaE73kkrG5C-27sfdVO4N0XvBzku4Zemcl7VDX3-ejXjsFRSAoSwIKc-DAq7L4VBQla-tBU18qDeljEXDh12ma4XrpeQE4hyUYDlUGF_0ZnlXvuFnmTUxrRVn4HDrDr7Fdbt_uVHMM7Q0_T1JWYL0mNNdvLzA1_vauFveZBHO4UIQ-PD5DuFiQn7zfQZN4Ca52KhZ25h&c=n42Zr921J-14l6Of_yXl5AnQHQ0Xzxc5mJ5NbpV3dOYTpou2EG9IWA==&ch=ii-1olY1omsemABXKtxr2neSJjf1vzcoxxgk5t_gHKMThmFOcEbFPQ==">Inside Climate News</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001L2OjvsLWX0b1SomBNg2ByeojyfXKlNeesJG1kpWbTwV2uV9t7HGWAA1RSWp2yciIlSnrYhL8GSWyRyKXTqiWscre4nvnuR5j-kUnt16S7jLhTiQ6StaOxgFGhZyz3AnfZYs_LUJN8V73ZJDX4kJ1FUG0sBrr7HUHwmRJgqTbBXXqr_CU0iapJURJx9KKZ5k5YaCz6QqTaGbPYz9YaLju_BuPA7LG6NooB8-IA5b7Dh333uh-vnQ8meB9RYCGSBYQy-ugSWtPPdLmB0BsDLYx1EuvaCnMbc3zijdcgUxzCWwwfZfyvzdoT6E5CGX-MGXb83o19Dg0AKxY1C4KFavySA2fNl3gjPZisHj49yZ1sNuY0QxT699nqElNyYuirvKVIxkdU6nTfbA=&c=n42Zr921J-14l6Of_yXl5AnQHQ0Xzxc5mJ5NbpV3dOYTpou2EG9IWA==&ch=ii-1olY1omsemABXKtxr2neSJjf1vzcoxxgk5t_gHKMThmFOcEbFPQ=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Washington Post</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>As Trump Administration Drags Its Feet on Paris Agreement, G7 Vows to Move Ahead With or Without the United States</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This year's meeting of the G7 energy secretaries failed to reach the consensus necessary to release a statement on international climate goals. U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry informed the conference that the United States is still reviewing its positions on climate and energy issues and the Trump administration would communicate its official policy stances at a later date. The G7 conference was anticipated as a potential sign of the Trump administration's decision on the Paris Agreement. Carlo Calenda, the economic progress minister of host-nation Italy, said that despite the U.S. position, he was "particularly pleased to see that all others joined the E.U. in reaffirming our solid commitment and determination to implement the Paris Agreement and continue the clean energy transition." Meanwhile, the United Kingdom's Climate and Industry Minister Nick Hurd proclaimed that he found "lots of common ground on energy security and innovation" with Secretary Perry. The group of ministers, including Perry, reaffirmed their commitment to a 2016 declaration to phase out fossil fuel subsidies by 2025.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001L2OjvsLWX0b1SomBNg2ByeojyfXKlNeesJG1kpWbTwV2uV9t7HGWAA1RSWp2yciIGYFNZGBFkHlcLOBGrpIj43X7L0QwrTj13kTcfpCUJnbjtBPqwgDTBI5hhx_2wZjDi_fzN6iEvr8UPksS63KGcKOha8CI7nSBfEwoHLC7nJFdn4CgThge5iiwPa-W_6NyKpF3BJhD_QyRTcXTYBg-s_dMcafkT4tQ-gSz2HcISGoNpKAQ9IyG-dgrdDC74UAcJsjhZpkDUhBBGGZa8Lzft8DkBAhYy7dF&c=n42Zr921J-14l6Of_yXl5AnQHQ0Xzxc5mJ5NbpV3dOYTpou2EG9IWA==&ch=ii-1olY1omsemABXKtxr2neSJjf1vzcoxxgk5t_gHKMThmFOcEbFPQ==">Climate Change News</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001L2OjvsLWX0b1SomBNg2ByeojyfXKlNeesJG1kpWbTwV2uV9t7HGWAA1RSWp2yciIE5TP89cK8RSAjKfUaHfUkCQ1n90rcIpegvKEH9arA2cZGS-rZo4_HYRrAwbWih1LJ521q2M0Lyf_p_f0Lm-AmCZhKQiNVoq3eFH9YdGew0RDCEKiegCN6oLmQ4XjDisEbjxrWJD9W5G0MLAooWXrSfcyCgrn14JGYuFVNADfmWbI1gDLPyJdgnJtMmgrLqeQF5NNNausrzg=&c=n42Zr921J-14l6Of_yXl5AnQHQ0Xzxc5mJ5NbpV3dOYTpou2EG9IWA==&ch=ii-1olY1omsemABXKtxr2neSJjf1vzcoxxgk5t_gHKMThmFOcEbFPQ=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Bloomberg</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Growing Evidence for Harmful Health Impacts of Diesel Vehicles Leads to Global About-Face</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Governments around the world are trying to break away from diesel vehicles after years of promoting the technology as beneficial due to its higher fuel efficiency. The market for diesel passenger vehicles boomed in Europe during the 1990s and still accounts for 50 percent of new cars sales there. The tide began to turn in 2012, as numerous studies were released showing the harmful health impacts of diesel emissions. The World Health Organisation ultimately named diesel exhaust a carcinogen. A recent study from the International Council for Clean Transportation found real-world nitrogen oxide emissions from diesel cars are 10 times higher than those for heavy trucks or buses, which face stricter regulations. In the wake of such findings, the mayors of Paris, Madrid, Athens, and Mexico City have declared that diesel vehicles will be banned from those city centers by 2025. Meanwhile, the C40 group of global city leaders are discussing steps to crack down on diesel vehicles. A history of governmental support for diesel leaves some politicians concerned about confusion and backlash from the public over the shift in attitudes, but cities like London are now pushing financial incentives to unravel these trends in an attempt to compensate consumers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001L2OjvsLWX0b1SomBNg2ByeojyfXKlNeesJG1kpWbTwV2uV9t7HGWAA1RSWp2yciIxeCx_Qh_5ZmI9X_vTrhb4cuClQpd0CsFOBayWPfLM6ssXpgdBGbZKhIJ_QdhAHbdUQtX0sS4GsBWva__1j4rG6YAby7QREGJJXqube6NwsgySSBDicEvc0z2xvU5rl6r3LNaTE2-AZTgcjFWvu55mMBVfPV3dF9J2sFl376a0SRYnnc4dnBKLR8lS2IJ-J0Wc5W5z5UsB80=&c=n42Zr921J-14l6Of_yXl5AnQHQ0Xzxc5mJ5NbpV3dOYTpou2EG9IWA==&ch=ii-1olY1omsemABXKtxr2neSJjf1vzcoxxgk5t_gHKMThmFOcEbFPQ==">Guardian<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Conservative Group Takes Anti-Science Campaign Directly to Teachers</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Heartland Institute has distributed a book disputing established climate science to 25,000 science teachers, causing concern among educators, advocacy groups, and politicians about the harmful effects of this misinformation. The book, entitled "Why Scientists Disagree about Global Warming," falsely claims that the science of climate change is "not settled" and argues that "students would be better served by letting them know a vibrant debate is taking place among scientists on how big the human impact on climate is, and whether or not we should be worried about it." The National Science Teachers Association asked its 55,000 members to stand firm against the "unprecedented attack" on climate science, teachers, and students. Representatives Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) and Bobby Scott (D-VA) decried the materials as anti-science propaganda that does not belong in classrooms. The National Center for Science Education also organized a fundraiser to "help teachers present climate change accurately, honestly, and completely." The Heartland Institute reportedly plans to mail their publication to an additional 200,000 teachers across the country.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #021eaa; font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001L2OjvsLWX0b1SomBNg2ByeojyfXKlNeesJG1kpWbTwV2uV9t7HGWAA1RSWp2yciI8xLN_aiKUJK-v-EpYGOAq6i8I0B1EW3Zg_Jx-Y3_mukbW16frrlOZq3Wv4SJ21lp37DLTwDguV94d1erqz0G5VW-P_XGcvsyfHNbxSjxutdNcK4VwmySUnvvCa8Ug-jVV-dqTTwSXevHEG4DsRnGvmRNb95_UxOpq8bl6vma6kyzoL1zoRMQQJB3ElVmt8b6iRYM5-nZDUd1orxzRCzyLtAZXT96PlpM&c=n42Zr921J-14l6Of_yXl5AnQHQ0Xzxc5mJ5NbpV3dOYTpou2EG9IWA==&ch=ii-1olY1omsemABXKtxr2neSJjf1vzcoxxgk5t_gHKMThmFOcEbFPQ==">I<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">nside Climate News</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_8.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://96A29A78-1658-4B9E-ACCA-F0916F88B52C/pastedGraphic_8.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Survey Reveals Generational Gap among Republicans on Climate Change</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">College students across the country who self-identify as Republicans are increasingly at odds with their adopted political party over climate change. According to a review of 21 college Republican organizations by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, students increasingly agree that "climate change is a human-caused problem, and that Americans have a responsibility to act on it and protect the environment." According to a 2016 survey by Pew, 52 percent of people aged 18 to 29 viewed climate change as a "very serious problem," while only 38 percent of respondents over age 50 agreed. Kent Haeffner, president of the Harvard University Republican Club, said, "Demographically, the 'Trump coalition' will not last. I think that the folks that are our age are going to have to reshape the party and take it in a different direction." Michele Combs, chair of Young Conservatives for Energy Reform, noted, "The younger generation and the younger conservatives do understand and appreciate and believe in [climate change], more than the older Republicans."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001L2OjvsLWX0b1SomBNg2ByeojyfXKlNeesJG1kpWbTwV2uV9t7HGWAA1RSWp2yciI-28akAHA4mFEAOInjUBMGmtCt8GAH0e4Gaur02YBW4qVEhXIgxblMO_8lIdasmLst-LXxZ1v-C4pDGv-lolxZqE_XNxD7erafbekYjTNnlPF4qI0gUm8bU__-fnevXtF74kGGP-S2EH82IdfoawaP_X9ETM6qm37pnUxrFNjgXbFB1Rjj8Xt-gMIOQt-B9nB&c=n42Zr921J-14l6Of_yXl5AnQHQ0Xzxc5mJ5NbpV3dOYTpou2EG9IWA==&ch=ii-1olY1omsemABXKtxr2neSJjf1vzcoxxgk5t_gHKMThmFOcEbFPQ==">Reuters<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Unprecedented Coral Bleaching Events Have Brought the Great Barrier Reef to Its Breaking Point</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Two straight years of mass coral bleaching has damaged the Great Barrier Reef to an extent from which it is unlikely to recover. Scientists say that although the reef system has recovered from previous bleaching, the magnitude and close timing of the two events has compromised the reef's ability to self-repair. Prior to 2016, there had been only two bleaching events along the reef over the past two decades in 1998 and 2002. While warming waters connected to climate change is the primary driver of bleaching, poor water quality exacerbates the damage to the vulnerable ecosystem. Experts say the Australian government is "spending insufficient amounts" on programs to control fishing, waste runoff, and direct pollution, yielding disjointed and ineffective policies. As a result, Australia is expected to fall short of its 2018 ocean water quality goals. Water quality expert Jon Brodie believes the reef is now at a "terminal stage," asserting that the unprecedented coalescence of factors gives the reef "zero time for recovery."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001L2OjvsLWX0b1SomBNg2ByeojyfXKlNeesJG1kpWbTwV2uV9t7HGWAA1RSWp2yciIWx3XAGa4svPM4T-x4zH0_hm16mtNEgXY0lWvYxzV39sUZWcFNJPNhz6jHjgYXWPgLPRVXTCcPHVP6MudEGlyGHsnFY71MpF0oAh20UgakcGddNflgNwfKttNw1PZZqjgHrFhjbHxjQYnPI8DMgwrpZh9QFqxijyAQKhGj3jUA-cIjD76qvCINCPgeLcnZGxoYzdvbpNL_73h-qPkeSsEVQDNZrW5IoV_ta-foXDhNI81Z1ggG-Avv4WrEuQ8BwEbwIJBC_tIBZBOq7vNoZT1xxk7po_f87PezMzEZt5atAc=&c=n42Zr921J-14l6Of_yXl5AnQHQ0Xzxc5mJ5NbpV3dOYTpou2EG9IWA==&ch=ii-1olY1omsemABXKtxr2neSJjf1vzcoxxgk5t_gHKMThmFOcEbFPQ==">Guardian</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001L2OjvsLWX0b1SomBNg2ByeojyfXKlNeesJG1kpWbTwV2uV9t7HGWAA1RSWp2yciIB5-Qjo1SqCJXPzNTFPAiHGuLQRy3rZ4Wtq2i75BEnkBH2S85DkjV4hYOhJM3nTQXbA4_S0njSMMAzjzKoHpPw8t3C1jlqtwoGuR9SjTBcP3lkNdHn6Wy91tc_XcbIW0iDQLjB4WRXjEWV5YrzuPEFe3dABMMpZJetCEdqP0lwnlQwovuv6jYvQ==&c=n42Zr921J-14l6Of_yXl5AnQHQ0Xzxc5mJ5NbpV3dOYTpou2EG9IWA==&ch=ii-1olY1omsemABXKtxr2neSJjf1vzcoxxgk5t_gHKMThmFOcEbFPQ=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">CNN</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>EPA to Pause and "Reconsider" Methane Regulation for New Oil and Gas Wells<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In an April 19 letter, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt informed oil and gas industry representatives that the agency will formally reconsider a regulation meant to reduce methane emissions from new oil and gas wells. A 90-day stay will be placed on the rule, freeing industry from compliance during that period. The Obama administration regulation was finalized in May 2016 and would have reduced methane emissions at the affected facilities by a CO2-equivalent of 11 million metric tons if fully implemented. As attorney general of Oklahoma, Scott Pruitt sued the EPA over the methane standard. The oil and gas industry also argued against the regulation, claiming it would be redundant, citing a financial incentive to capture and sell the rogue methane emissions. Michelle Robinson with the Union of Concerned Scientists said, "Methane is an incredibly potent greenhouse gas, and the scale of methane emissions from oil and gas production is enormous. There are proven, low-cost ways to capture methane ... and the last administration put in place standards to make sure we do just that. It makes no sense for Administrator Pruitt to put those rules at risk."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KM7EFHfM8It4vJN3jereTnvbfF7WpBS63l6zY4m6jsA3_-49rJu16guAX-jm3G6MNF43_ji9IPeIPbulnW6a7CM7R9EA8gA-zqLe6LA4x240gK4q5y5U7PJqn2lXH_A7Cp32OdiFF91Z7nKAxrJSno1Pxsy58K1MgPUvkDJLxuimQMeY7g5051TYFHC3i1fPrnjkE8iruQ8UOk87h_eCoWXvyAuIjGRbF6pBeYnlpD2Pe6OUZHGXAddcp1p5Guksceny2GbMYCy4htDMxWA7cw==&c=2w1Ebnhk2cJ9weEt_-Truinz0kYhX-MKungWWg9AgekQdwr93c56JQ==&ch=wA459BH3txhaow4QvZ6q_fcOz2vp2RLiK1HAGzWJpT-ZYVMa64jwRQ==">CNN</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KM7EFHfM8It4vJN3jereTnvbfF7WpBS63l6zY4m6jsA3_-49rJu16guAX-jm3G6M5pmnf_hLw3PuZJKc9gftalknywivKCYvmjP-j9XqX7MKtrEg6B5BfiEIyYvgkx5ImuXnkingTN5hmuJ8Y4fh3yL5yI2-CIvHX_wr1zWNngqlGMquo2GPqpxu6UNMjq4xA7LdVR8PSIFrubppAEWxopyNfCuwjr4b5Zs63P8wR4tj87Oh35jXk6keuZof3qujKPBSNGvkbIPvSE9heJbVWg==&c=2w1Ebnhk2cJ9weEt_-Truinz0kYhX-MKungWWg9AgekQdwr93c56JQ==&ch=wA459BH3txhaow4QvZ6q_fcOz2vp2RLiK1HAGzWJpT-ZYVMa64jwRQ=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">The Hill</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Persistent Flooding Haunts Coastal Residents, while Flood Insurance Premiums Skyrocket</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The residents of Norfolk, Virginia are wrestling with how to protect their homes, businesses, and infrastructure from rapidly encroaching seas. The region is experiencing the fastest rate of relative sea level rise on the Atlantic coast, making it much more common for storms and tides to flood neighborhoods that would have previously gone undamaged. As major flooding becomes more frequent, the cost of covering a home under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has drastically increased. Private companies have historically stayed out of the flood insurance business, leaving the task to an overwhelmed federal government. City officials have pursued forward-looking policies, such as requiring new construction to be elevated. However, Norfolk's aged and established infrastructure makes adaptation difficult. A Dutch engineering firm estimated $1 billion in upgrades would be necessary to implement a full-scale adaptation plan, with half of that going toward existing infrastructure. City planning director George Homewood said, "We absolutely cannot protect 200 miles of coastline. We have to pick those areas we should armor, and the places where we're going to let the water be."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KM7EFHfM8It4vJN3jereTnvbfF7WpBS63l6zY4m6jsA3_-49rJu16guAX-jm3G6M3nftHd-twg5tmSI1O8yu6bftj4HaXcJ8L2YZZxF8x_tyIy05W9MbnC_Covxo0LIlHxxm2KR68_13_gKYp7ghcvSNKUmAeQfpbWBWfGBKfW8GVpFIS9arTiK8-HbC3fEVO8NCDNDOCaFEmNDbrXuQQjevjuTQFbv27wdr1S9wzdUmPXppNO4wTQdna5HzCJnc62-VeP_1lGiTRvU4Mlog9lzDC6BlSlUi&c=2w1Ebnhk2cJ9weEt_-Truinz0kYhX-MKungWWg9AgekQdwr93c56JQ==&ch=wA459BH3txhaow4QvZ6q_fcOz2vp2RLiK1HAGzWJpT-ZYVMa64jwRQ==">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_9.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://96A29A78-1658-4B9E-ACCA-F0916F88B52C/pastedGraphic_9.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Warmer Weather Is Allowing Zika-Carrying Mosquitoes to Expand Their Range Across the United States</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Global warming is expected to bring an increase in mosquito-borne diseases to the United States, with the initial impact already reflected in the recent Zika virus scare. At least one resident in every state (except Alaska) has contracted Zika, a total of 5,200 cases. While most of the infected individuals were exposed to the disease while traveling outside the country, over 220 people caught the virus from mosquitoes in the United States. The Aedes aegypti species of mosquito that carries Zika is present in over 25 states, and scientists worry that the warming weather and a lack of preparedness in cities may lay the groundwork for a future epidemic. In 10 American cities, the mosquito season has already been extended by more than a month due to warmer temperatures. According to Nikos Vasilakis, a Zika researcher at the University of Texas Medical Branch, "Climate change is certainly expanding the geographic range of mosquito species, and inevitably the diseases follow them."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KM7EFHfM8It4vJN3jereTnvbfF7WpBS63l6zY4m6jsA3_-49rJu16guAX-jm3G6MPgDjcRc23YNkrHDjedr0vegrX29JbMboViaQTawP3UwcExsfs9fnjG2VJnZlOFUWA0not6QOqdb61FV0cN37OrQ-AbDofj_hqzmCM2GtuEMmdXuvEtETYqElXu6Me4WtMCdQR87GdNm-J-i2N5F0Gt0TB7pS6huxma97MeMyTbcFQbyz9_WRhIwilxx68zNIq3yfX90T4wjBxlpQfm8_kQ==&c=2w1Ebnhk2cJ9weEt_-Truinz0kYhX-MKungWWg9AgekQdwr93c56JQ==&ch=wA459BH3txhaow4QvZ6q_fcOz2vp2RLiK1HAGzWJpT-ZYVMa64jwRQ==">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>For Canadian Towns, Climate Change Is Especially Personal as the Ground Melts Beneath Their Feet</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Communities across Canada are seeing up close the severe effects of climate change, as the permafrost that blankets much of the country is thawing at unprecedented rates. As the climate warms, the frozen packs of water, soil, and organic materials that many towns are built on are giving way to craters and sinkholes. Communities are struggling to keep up with the rapid pace of change. As the ground implodes, large stores of the greenhouse gas methane, 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide, leak into the atmosphere. This process has set in motion a feedback cycle that causes more permafrost to melt as the climate warms. Scientists say that this cycle exacerbates climate change and makes it more difficult to predict. Other problems have been unleashed by the thawing permafrost as well. Last year in Siberia, the unusually high summer temperatures exposed a previously frozen reindeer carcass containing anthrax, which went on to infect nine people. Scientists are calling for more research to understand and prepare for these emerging threats.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KM7EFHfM8It4vJN3jereTnvbfF7WpBS63l6zY4m6jsA3_-49rJu16guAX-jm3G6MBNhdWBpe47xiKg1DdarJoOR8MHuOhjec1_qfDm_2JrTaGS0j-ZcPH92mvwXeWLCln4ZvZ0AF4O2DtYFrILMw_8UMDhWQUITXYedtK_Jd7ziSYRPxC0OAA07aqQP1jAHxe7yg_AIL2eyLSxyez51esEsg5tNGXQUJF4B3wj5cq1WAgr4zhj0YOjrTA2POJHkhPC1r0T1L_6jEY5fEjIZM3HlpQiw3QLYs41AgYg3bmb4=&c=2w1Ebnhk2cJ9weEt_-Truinz0kYhX-MKungWWg9AgekQdwr93c56JQ==&ch=wA459BH3txhaow4QvZ6q_fcOz2vp2RLiK1HAGzWJpT-ZYVMa64jwRQ==">CBC<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Climate Change Reroutes a Major River in a Geological Instant</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For the first time in recorded history, human-caused climate change has rerouted an entire river. The Slims River, which ran through Canada's Yukon territory and spanned almost half a mile at its widest points, relied on the Kaskawulsh glacier to replenish its water supply. Scientists found that by 2016 the massive glacier had retreated to such an extent that its meltwater had begun to stream into a different river. This abrupt change triggered a chain reaction through the region's water bodies that ultimately channeled its vast flow of freshwater into the Pacific Ocean instead of the Bering Sea. On a geological time scale, these events happened instantaneously, demonstrating the degree to which anthropogenic climate change can accelerate natural processes. While most glacial retreats do not typically yield such seismic shifts in such a compressed time period, the Kaskawulsh event will have a significant impact on the local ecosystems going forward.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KM7EFHfM8It4vJN3jereTnvbfF7WpBS63l6zY4m6jsA3_-49rJu16guAX-jm3G6M_jGACRl7WX9R_6ZjBR9zMXCSrwHo8M_VPD3cmagnApkMuRX6zert3UNhaY_tCfqseN9xZnpfZLFTebDVh0lfpcxtq_lhiNUNSADePJqu1rTayeK1Z5u7r3viiCYEuFWtb0zK6oSwZ4gS8WmRkCOtQfM7xUKWAhD5vAUnBvxrN6pgVOuZau6kpD8l7H-xBSDZ-qB3-YtdwZ1NeV01hyR5wZwyXiXLdE6pLMga_eDnUVlBwUVOhAe6Vo8trdapBoj-L7uBaVi44KBEMszv_UWKpXcFixCIdfoTl5pEkmDdrFLvZzJHtRpYIrPuUy9ET1aAhr7-6erKPGphtVhBfNia5J9LlFdqOJUf1RTqsA2deRlg4QGhJd0zVQ==&c=2w1Ebnhk2cJ9weEt_-Truinz0kYhX-MKungWWg9AgekQdwr93c56JQ==&ch=wA459BH3txhaow4QvZ6q_fcOz2vp2RLiK1HAGzWJpT-ZYVMa64jwRQ==">Washington Post</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KM7EFHfM8It4vJN3jereTnvbfF7WpBS63l6zY4m6jsA3_-49rJu16guAX-jm3G6MKVQyzosrZExnPjuxEGED_7373JBv-2-39s5JT7FB0pQZXKC2TsdIeszRCTbxcnVmcHCAbyLmVPVESKGGtQqGZ4rKZ15uM26GSUsAaqLmWVZoUWGbgoFVjLn2xemgHRfMicskb5yUZ6w0jo7HnTuSyskE1vCRCqu61vGd-7XpzK9VHr8XvR2lKCwG0HlfLFobpAjaps5nr00dSbOeWZtPkeRdLVoekVLr_HnV2E5AT2QhDZt0iNyDfA==&c=2w1Ebnhk2cJ9weEt_-Truinz0kYhX-MKungWWg9AgekQdwr93c56JQ==&ch=wA459BH3txhaow4QvZ6q_fcOz2vp2RLiK1HAGzWJpT-ZYVMa64jwRQ=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Inside Climate News</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>As Climate Change Exacerbates Wildfires, Governments Must Change the Way They Fight Them</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A new study from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences builds on research that shows climate change is making wildfires more common, more severe, and harder to fight. The report recommends that, given the rising costs and decreasing effectiveness of fighting fires using current methods, authorities must adopt new strategies. A central theme of this approach is the willingness to recognize which landscapes and ecosystems are beyond repair and to redirect those resources to areas that are able to be saved. Climate models project that "many ecosystems and species are not going to persist where they are right now," explains the study's co-author Max Moritz. He added, "We need the foresight to help guide these ecosystems in a healthy direction now so they can adjust in pace with our changing climate. That means embracing some changes while we have a window to do so." The researchers also offer solutions to discourage development in fire-prone areas, including shifting some of the financial burden of fire damage from federal to local governments.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KM7EFHfM8It4vJN3jereTnvbfF7WpBS63l6zY4m6jsA3_-49rJu16guAX-jm3G6MQK0VHWtw0d0bWoLnXti-4z2fVSOLXD1l-_Y1Yrlf01pFJ7INhAQ_WyTAjiYZmLq_f0jKEhE6EJ2a8fiZWp3qWAVE3qyZdtk6MNI5qVNZQ-SA3-E2bbKguTImjK3-3ub6IzuBoTYSGTC7lf-fytImegamsCHh55CKyvNio7csgs-cKOsovLrtLCGvjlXRkABz6MB0JamKoHE=&c=2w1Ebnhk2cJ9weEt_-Truinz0kYhX-MKungWWg9AgekQdwr93c56JQ==&ch=wA459BH3txhaow4QvZ6q_fcOz2vp2RLiK1HAGzWJpT-ZYVMa64jwRQ==">Pacific Standard<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_10.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://96A29A78-1658-4B9E-ACCA-F0916F88B52C/pastedGraphic_10.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Harvard Team to Conduct Small-Scale Solar Radiation Management Experiments</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A team of scientists at Harvard University are moving forward with a small-scale geoengineering experiment to better understand the benefits and risks of such measures. For the experiment, a high-altitude balloon equipped with sensors and a payload of highly reflective particulate matter will be released in the Arizona desert. Once the balloon ascends to seven miles above the earth's surface, it will release the particulates, allowing the sensors to detect how they behave in the stratosphere. The hope is that the particulates will reflect incoming sunlight back into space, causing less energy to become trapped by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and reducing potential global warming. The experiment is the first of its kind to provide "real world data" and will be the first in a series of tests to determine the possible impacts if the use of this technology were to be scaled up. While the team "stressed that the project is not endorsing doing large-scale solar radiation management," the hope is that it will prompt new discussions on where geoengineering may fit in to the broader challenge of addressing climate change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KM7EFHfM8It4vJN3jereTnvbfF7WpBS63l6zY4m6jsA3_-49rJu16guAX-jm3G6MfdBT2AA8pJ_Cfr_ahBFf5kfGIsj8gV3uQrxXfqjM_bYdyp99z819YelA5L-ux2Ko2ZJ85XKLA9DgBuPk2qDdGqRjcaTLBCpffAicZ3ER3z59cT3hn038ef5QhUbJXCAZg1X5WjOO6jQtPoNB_BaA5EPclYt1YWnonUeDMaMu1N-_CcvqDqnV7c5fxTznxURg-STKsQuuBobgD8uALxveyA==&c=2w1Ebnhk2cJ9weEt_-Truinz0kYhX-MKungWWg9AgekQdwr93c56JQ==&ch=wA459BH3txhaow4QvZ6q_fcOz2vp2RLiK1HAGzWJpT-ZYVMa64jwRQ==">Climate Central<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_11.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://96A29A78-1658-4B9E-ACCA-F0916F88B52C/pastedGraphic_11.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Trump Administration Continues to Consider Withdrawal from Paris Climate Agreement</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The consensus within the Trump administration is reportedly leaning towards backing out of the Paris Climate Agreement, which involves 195 nations. Top White House aides remain divided on the issue, with EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt calling for an exit, while Secretary of State Rex Tillerson advocates for continued participation. Meanwhile, Energy Secretary Rick Perry proposed staying in, but suggested a "renegotiation" of U.S. obligations, though there is debate as to whether a reduction in emission goals may occur without violating the agreement. At the same time, the goals are national and non-binding. Even if the administration chooses to opt-out of the Paris Agreement, the process of formally withdrawing may take an additional three years. According to Paul Bledsoe at American University's Center for Environmental Policy, "The Trump team seems oblivious to the fact that climate protection is now viewed by leading allies and nations around the world as a key measure of moral and diplomatic standing." On May 3, General Denis Mercier, NATO's supreme allied commander for transformation, told reporters, "If one nation, especially the biggest nation [does] not recognize a problem, then we will have trouble dealing with the causes [of climate change]," referring to the administration's pending decision on Paris.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nm6eTuBNaM2k87QAPBtDrppm39xWD5jdmQ1eVJb7CRdy9pbgr-dvydJGwUoMVY4CNIzstovZmd9WtIQX5nd7_cFk2unQFQd4O6pHRJjD-JZ2Fa_aCXm7e7TgmdlKkYzA5nz0XpPrz-TWPD2f3J2ohkwptVkaNrpy5BUz5sNfJob94LTtO4WSol1aba1jsoRpyzeYibbw-enehjYGp3Jsy1KVWXs9NtkPv_JEXqck56m3z7gvscpvBZNuAw5TLZ253KFkWiV8Py-JpIWs78XcnlFWmXdpeWbiV9g-LQ9iXfc=&c=J_24v7OaqWraxvHK0sRgto44-Jbxb9SAURTUETqHSovF7-KG0V-udg==&ch=dRdY257mgINyJFLbt9U81nmdkfx4pQh2UnhITe1WUUN_GOEXMQc6HQ==">Bloomberg</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nm6eTuBNaM2k87QAPBtDrppm39xWD5jdmQ1eVJb7CRdy9pbgr-dvydJGwUoMVY4Cnarf344v9NODCgGkx5HzcsTsKwodJPrM1QC-oU3j2vT7q0ybG5mDI3SwO4wgCA-UWh5178mgQrPvAStTe8i-emF52RhGJa8jj0Hng16iOiXLgD85x0LLaaBhRabWazjXWl3m5T0Tz_DoaqFPiVBw_tn28aauWRGTomEUIUm-T428pyRPq1lJTfpUt6zERKr2mubSMiDu63L67zt2dmYqVfHFXUTmeAnZlO49q21X9Hs2HAdmKnsx1YRSGRUNxFgSjkMp508uf-OHlez0D_E2EeXinuvI01xqKv52W6MkoUlSD78gkhnL7w1Sv2fKHoaA-NQXrFMwqpR-su9Y3I8Qe69KXcyrEsYc&c=J_24v7OaqWraxvHK0sRgto44-Jbxb9SAURTUETqHSovF7-KG0V-udg==&ch=dRdY257mgINyJFLbt9U81nmdkfx4pQh2UnhITe1WUUN_GOEXMQc6HQ=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Washington Post</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nm6eTuBNaM2k87QAPBtDrppm39xWD5jdmQ1eVJb7CRdy9pbgr-dvydJGwUoMVY4C5zDMw7r2q1-bFsMgNdpQBxgmT7dIH4Q0YxmBkfyLqF0ZCliXCtvnsH_dsW8nFNBgLNQY3jAqEfcm4TviV9Pxz6hRPN5F5TKXxrAkkN-LywALLQ02iVXvx-1utMLs57NBWa4ZjYW24VrU7oC-Ctow2UPya3j_jWblhujNJnNSYAtwHH1DMATwvg==&c=J_24v7OaqWraxvHK0sRgto44-Jbxb9SAURTUETqHSovF7-KG0V-udg==&ch=dRdY257mgINyJFLbt9U81nmdkfx4pQh2UnhITe1WUUN_GOEXMQc6HQ=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Reuters</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_12.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://96A29A78-1658-4B9E-ACCA-F0916F88B52C/pastedGraphic_12.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>World's Most Climate-Vulnerable Nations Urge G20 to Phase-Out Fossil Fuel Subsidies<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On April 23, at the Climate Vulnerable Forum in Washington, DC, 49 of the countries most endangered by climate change called upon G20 members to set a target date for phasing out fossil fuel subsidies. Advocates are urging the larger group of 20 to follow the lead of the G7 nations, which have already set their own deadline for a phase-out. The coalition of vulnerable countries issued a letter outlining their position and calling for the elimination of the subsidies by 2020. Advocates said that fossil fuel subsidies could only truly be justified if they provided "real benefits to the poor." The G20 states will hold their next meeting in Hamburg, Germany in July 2017. The group represents the world's 20 largest economies and reportedly spends $160-200 billion annually in support of the fossil fuel industry, though this is considered a "conservative" estimate. The German presidency is expected to make climate change a priority for the session.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001vS4JeQ8hkLgU8-5vnmT7h_J9EsB7xJe_jelcVZ8hthsZ6aIpurxI8LRFDDImxqlHsq_ThLTh-sDEqtzQKOY3GIsEc-lav9UuZfNPlSoLQxbXIm0VDNCG85PASZ-AwN1QrV38kxMaeP5pZ3pxSL0RSKmgrJEd0B2iRiRLixb7z7TzI6DIU8WB9rOC2DadrvTSmZoVNbhA9syh7Iu6CGFKfA1iF-LG2myAAFiR6CsrpA6ktdI9tjSOA3K4FhAMG32QLfIjnP1rLXE0l4uDMS_eszmXlvYUXM77&c=1vT6-WRmgmmg40rx5uLYhGVjyoGV0qSRBIZEfEL90sBn3NP_DINdqQ==&ch=mRC5UtJt3PcYS7ELj3gLOToIlDRURUTpDnwSnh-Jb-2H02edyxTIig=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Climate Change News</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Report: Majority of Top Global Investors Account for Financial Risk of Climate Change</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On April 26, the Asset Owner Disclosure Project (AODP) released its fifth global index ranking 500 of the world's top asset owners. The latest edition is notable for its assessment of the 50 largest asset managers according to their consideration of financial risks stemming from climate change. The managers were evaluated on "governance and strategy, portfolio carbon risk management, and metrics and targets." Overall, the report found that 60 percent of asset owners were taking some form of climate action, with the top performers all located in Europe and Oceania. Nearly one in five firms have staff that handle the integration of climate risk into investments, two in five include climate in their policy frameworks, while around 13 percent account for their portfolio's carbon emissions. AODP chairman John Hewson said "enormous resistance" still existed among Australia's asset managers in particular, adding that these firms "rely on short-term remuneration, so they won't take a medium to long-term challenge on easily."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001vS4JeQ8hkLgU8-5vnmT7h_J9EsB7xJe_jelcVZ8hthsZ6aIpurxI8LRFDDImxqlHpo8bPhWkNsBzob0spzwL-rlW57n-wcEngIfX8B-Cxg_9pj65qL8KeSjG-FgaFSFYl2RPSFY8jxWPUy-aGriI5EHU3REfTB1zGXHK6GU2dPX11DNPilSIwMjQdqqXnYRf3D4IJnZo8RcxGFTpsTUvJQwjkSvylPS0kNsvZpC3vdJagDBf9_rcV3wOoYoyLJejLv5LYdgHrGtGGJzoYKdcFayiKlcEXYw7seGMiedGnXBA0dDj4UDtLjPuaXYmx4cQ&c=1vT6-WRmgmmg40rx5uLYhGVjyoGV0qSRBIZEfEL90sBn3NP_DINdqQ==&ch=mRC5UtJt3PcYS7ELj3gLOToIlDRURUTpDnwSnh-Jb-2H02edyxTIig==">Guardian<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_13.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://96A29A78-1658-4B9E-ACCA-F0916F88B52C/pastedGraphic_13.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Private Sector Leaders Pledge Emission Reductions, but Verification Remains Elusive</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A new report reveals nearly half of all American Fortune 500 companies have adopted targets to reduce their carbon footprints. Nearly two dozen companies have committed to operating on 100 percent renewable energy, including Google, Walmart, and Bank of America. However, energy companies, including Exxon, Chevron, and Phillips 66, are both the largest emitters in the group and have also done the least to reduce emissions or improve their energy efficiency. Berkshire Hathaway, Costco, Comcast, and Tyson Foods are other notable companies without public climate targets. The voluntary nature of the emission targets and a lack of independent verification present a challenge to gauging actual progress. According to finance expert Andreas Hoepner at the University of Reading, "What most companies are disclosing is nowhere near their real emissions. Setting targets is a step forward. I'd rather know something than nothing at all. But for some companies, reporting could be just a form of marketing."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001vS4JeQ8hkLgU8-5vnmT7h_J9EsB7xJe_jelcVZ8hthsZ6aIpurxI8LRFDDImxqlHW-tsWAKUzPVtjPLTafGUbg19LMhWETBeI5BNFCWSUHEtQlvbOVXm8oYpOICQwJ72FYFIeS9DWzNQ_T4KaRMhyzKZfNNB5IV2vYUO1M0Lv4dKkOxnxB0_YEJ1-RgIvZamN7fT-Q9ovpIfQ2B2vmnTJjCLg_qOeZ1xb2AW2PZTexeBjRupeD34Go4yWMwKO6J3MKWZRpCK8k0vCEDqUO0q7w2Wkj2ssc-sYKDi3_lhdSOAE1mSkQdAjg==&c=1vT6-WRmgmmg40rx5uLYhGVjyoGV0qSRBIZEfEL90sBn3NP_DINdqQ==&ch=mRC5UtJt3PcYS7ELj3gLOToIlDRURUTpDnwSnh-Jb-2H02edyxTIig==">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0056d6; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Revised Sea Level Rise Estimate is Nearly Twice as High as Prior Figures</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">According to a new report from the Arctic Council's Arctic Monitoring Assessment Program, the melting of the Arctic's glaciers will contribute at least 19-25 centimeters (up to nearly a foot) of sea level rise by 2100. Projections integrating the Arctic's impact into the broader scope of global sea level rise show an increase of 52-74 centimeters (up to nearly 2.5 feet) by the end of the century. The report's authors observe that, "These estimates are almost double the minimum estimates made by the IPCC in 2013." The report also projects the Arctic Ocean could experience ice-free summers by as soon as 2030. However, the authors state that there is still a window to prevent the worst case scenario where the Arctic's temperatures increase to 6 degrees Celsius above average. The report distilled the best-available peer-reviewed science for use as a policy development tool. The Arctic Council is an intergovernmental body consisting of eight member countries that possesses the ability to commission work to inform Arctic policies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001vS4JeQ8hkLgU8-5vnmT7h_J9EsB7xJe_jelcVZ8hthsZ6aIpurxI8LRFDDImxqlHEK_hptdrTjiiS65jwe_NtxW7Q_qY1r8qQqKWRFohNrQGMFQT6nErUvLOxE0AEFg0ENV8dB_1h-8_zIxAPzCnFztOY8v2Ih-runAGOmK5PR1JvzO2ub6ufIcb2g63psJ72gwQUACJC4rwvQr31kXsE8MNKrMdGCvtMHraFOpWlw5LAh_69ZdOc7EtbInR8200MtaoyVSW2IsV9hMviXAGNBsX_0cRna1t&c=1vT6-WRmgmmg40rx5uLYhGVjyoGV0qSRBIZEfEL90sBn3NP_DINdqQ==&ch=mRC5UtJt3PcYS7ELj3gLOToIlDRURUTpDnwSnh-Jb-2H02edyxTIig==">Inside Climate News</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001vS4JeQ8hkLgU8-5vnmT7h_J9EsB7xJe_jelcVZ8hthsZ6aIpurxI8LRFDDImxqlH9P9OleND8tvasjYdZnK2cCRAl41z6SNePchHvmQEWtLsCB5By0euT0P72m8XoUtUVjnf6oQVnYOapsfC0wuv9lSspz7xgDFUFyqSLrrqrFSxmith49aCztpV3GQbIRSyAOtZ4Mv5pX16nkUwQYuuwlEYAMqZN-vf3dNfIv1NvU8=&c=1vT6-WRmgmmg40rx5uLYhGVjyoGV0qSRBIZEfEL90sBn3NP_DINdqQ==&ch=mRC5UtJt3PcYS7ELj3gLOToIlDRURUTpDnwSnh-Jb-2H02edyxTIig=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Reuters</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_14.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://96A29A78-1658-4B9E-ACCA-F0916F88B52C/pastedGraphic_14.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Trump Administration Continues to Consider Withdrawal from Paris Climate Agreement<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The consensus within the Trump administration is reportedly leaning towards backing out of the Paris Climate Agreement, which involves 195 nations. Top White House aides remain divided on the issue, with EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt calling for an exit, while Secretary of State Rex Tillerson advocates for continued participation. Meanwhile, Energy Secretary Rick Perry proposed staying in, but suggested a "renegotiation" of U.S. obligations, though there is debate as to whether a reduction in emission goals may occur without violating the agreement. At the same time, the goals are national and non-binding. Even if the administration chooses to opt-out of the Paris Agreement, the process of formally withdrawing may take an additional three years. According to Paul Bledsoe at American University's Center for Environmental Policy, "The Trump team seems oblivious to the fact that climate protection is now viewed by leading allies and nations around the world as a key measure of moral and diplomatic standing." On May 3, General Denis Mercier, NATO's supreme allied commander for transformation, told reporters, "If one nation, especially the biggest nation [does] not recognize a problem, then we will have trouble dealing with the causes [of climate change]," referring to the administration's pending decision on Paris.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nm6eTuBNaM2k87QAPBtDrppm39xWD5jdmQ1eVJb7CRdy9pbgr-dvydJGwUoMVY4CNIzstovZmd9WtIQX5nd7_cFk2unQFQd4O6pHRJjD-JZ2Fa_aCXm7e7TgmdlKkYzA5nz0XpPrz-TWPD2f3J2ohkwptVkaNrpy5BUz5sNfJob94LTtO4WSol1aba1jsoRpyzeYibbw-enehjYGp3Jsy1KVWXs9NtkPv_JEXqck56m3z7gvscpvBZNuAw5TLZ253KFkWiV8Py-JpIWs78XcnlFWmXdpeWbiV9g-LQ9iXfc=&c=S558DL3BDy5611XHaQ6iI1vyeFFtsN_8DT6cqeK2zKF3Fk7T2NPaAQ==&ch=xMNYmfxJEB-XihZQ87rNIYw0Ajm9YADqmVb9TD7oqcREH43ZRVv39Q==">Bloomberg</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nm6eTuBNaM2k87QAPBtDrppm39xWD5jdmQ1eVJb7CRdy9pbgr-dvydJGwUoMVY4Cnarf344v9NODCgGkx5HzcsTsKwodJPrM1QC-oU3j2vT7q0ybG5mDI3SwO4wgCA-UWh5178mgQrPvAStTe8i-emF52RhGJa8jj0Hng16iOiXLgD85x0LLaaBhRabWazjXWl3m5T0Tz_DoaqFPiVBw_tn28aauWRGTomEUIUm-T428pyRPq1lJTfpUt6zERKr2mubSMiDu63L67zt2dmYqVfHFXUTmeAnZlO49q21X9Hs2HAdmKnsx1YRSGRUNxFgSjkMp508uf-OHlez0D_E2EeXinuvI01xqKv52W6MkoUlSD78gkhnL7w1Sv2fKHoaA-NQXrFMwqpR-su9Y3I8Qe69KXcyrEsYc&c=S558DL3BDy5611XHaQ6iI1vyeFFtsN_8DT6cqeK2zKF3Fk7T2NPaAQ==&ch=xMNYmfxJEB-XihZQ87rNIYw0Ajm9YADqmVb9TD7oqcREH43ZRVv39Q=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Washington Post</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nm6eTuBNaM2k87QAPBtDrppm39xWD5jdmQ1eVJb7CRdy9pbgr-dvydJGwUoMVY4C5zDMw7r2q1-bFsMgNdpQBxgmT7dIH4Q0YxmBkfyLqF0ZCliXCtvnsH_dsW8nFNBgLNQY3jAqEfcm4TviV9Pxz6hRPN5F5TKXxrAkkN-LywALLQ02iVXvx-1utMLs57NBWa4ZjYW24VrU7oC-Ctow2UPya3j_jWblhujNJnNSYAtwHH1DMATwvg==&c=S558DL3BDy5611XHaQ6iI1vyeFFtsN_8DT6cqeK2zKF3Fk7T2NPaAQ==&ch=xMNYmfxJEB-XihZQ87rNIYw0Ajm9YADqmVb9TD7oqcREH43ZRVv39Q=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Reuters</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_15.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://96A29A78-1658-4B9E-ACCA-F0916F88B52C/pastedGraphic_15.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Trump Expresses Openness to Raising Fuel Tax to Fund Infrastructure Projects, but Congress Stands in Way</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On May 1, President Trump expressed an openness to the idea of raising the national gasoline and diesel fuel taxes to pay for investments in highways and infrastructure. "It's something that I would certainly consider," said the President during an interview. The fuel tax has not been increased or adjusted for inflation since 1993 and currently sits at 18.4 cents and 24.4 cents per gallon for gasoline and diesel, respectively. The tax is a key funding source for the Highway Trust Fund. The shortfall has led to deferred maintenance on the nation's freeways, roads, and bridges, which can increase travel times, worsen safety, and amplify wear and tear on vehicles. The trucking industry, which bears roughly half the cost of the fuel tax today, would support a fuel tax hike if revenue went towards fixing roadways. Chris Spears, president of the American Trucking Association, said, "The cost of doing nothing is more expensive than a higher fuel tax." However, Republican leaders in Congress, including Sen. Mitch McConnell (KY), Rep. Paul Ryan (WI), and Rep. Kevin McCarthy (CA) all remain opposed to a tax increase.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nm6eTuBNaM2k87QAPBtDrppm39xWD5jdmQ1eVJb7CRdy9pbgr-dvydJGwUoMVY4CczHZzMugPiry7oGdLjeo0JSbDLEh0dGihEpXGxiOWxDEuOPzJ6ZfJ_ATF5UIgq1_rmDL_OO-WgxPogJvce25POT05WAq234di72mLuM4p6YAzwDzWe6p4ApejOTYiYWdw7WZiBwhZwL2t3vFqFsRxwQmzJXGSDs1X5PnvkJkPFkwqnFC6MEh4w==&c=S558DL3BDy5611XHaQ6iI1vyeFFtsN_8DT6cqeK2zKF3Fk7T2NPaAQ==&ch=xMNYmfxJEB-XihZQ87rNIYw0Ajm9YADqmVb9TD7oqcREH43ZRVv39Q==">Associated Press</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nm6eTuBNaM2k87QAPBtDrppm39xWD5jdmQ1eVJb7CRdy9pbgr-dvydJGwUoMVY4CmOlE8Op_i9gaQIWAC2RBpa-QqX4rofqgm_FtaUED33MpE8288siHgFgu6b-HlUk4L6tq5gFywXZ_kVoVfwxHw9WNC0NohXENvyz-egN1ulYtVNXx7KRPSgjljJAUJSylZJKuQ5Si2NIgvc2yCJf2tbx_AxK_V0pcPIcZyZfOwjrHtWrnNzz2xBLJYYFJumtV&c=S558DL3BDy5611XHaQ6iI1vyeFFtsN_8DT6cqeK2zKF3Fk7T2NPaAQ==&ch=xMNYmfxJEB-XihZQ87rNIYw0Ajm9YADqmVb9TD7oqcREH43ZRVv39Q=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">The Hill</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>California's State Senate Leader Unveils Pair of Ambitious Climate Change Bills</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On May 2, California's Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leόn proposed legislation that would entirely phase out the use of fossil fuels for electricity generation in the state. The bill would also boost the state's current plan to obtain 50 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 by an additional 10 percent. In 2015, around 20 percent of the state's electricity came from renewable sources, while 44 percent was generated from natural gas. Natural gas industry representatives and environmental advocates each expressed concern with different aspects of the bill, but both raised queries about the degree to which consumers would have to pay for certain pieces of the infrastructure transition. A separate bill from Sen. de Leόn and Sen. Bob Wieckowski would swap out California's current cap-and-trade program with an updated version. The replacement cap-and-trade program would run through the year 2030, or once the state reaches its 40 percent emissions reduction target, depending on which milestone occurs first. The updated program would also direct a portion of the revenue raised to the public through rebates, with the intention of benefitting low-income communities.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nm6eTuBNaM2k87QAPBtDrppm39xWD5jdmQ1eVJb7CRdy9pbgr-dvydJGwUoMVY4C253vB06n8Iobn2pvNgwY8ZyNiqsZcoGp0MPqJnvDX2JzC1n0_IZiH77hZztMF-eEHXM9I0nN9rjI0PX2S__E9Rx9pibQw_mJDyj-Zc4mSN7ju0hpuFGpkYVsygKJz_aerZ8WdtLNnaXjXROJ0rU3X_K6eFd9KWn5C91qy5Uup8yaN5ve1yhe9fX9YHsrZGyFd7OrE4DFVARvOxt2UqnbGCkrqhkhiIj3-NtjS4VFQeuNN3PH_8iM-w==&c=S558DL3BDy5611XHaQ6iI1vyeFFtsN_8DT6cqeK2zKF3Fk7T2NPaAQ==&ch=xMNYmfxJEB-XihZQ87rNIYw0Ajm9YADqmVb9TD7oqcREH43ZRVv39Q==">Los Angeles Times</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nm6eTuBNaM2k87QAPBtDrppm39xWD5jdmQ1eVJb7CRdy9pbgr-dvydJGwUoMVY4CFZyvgYBRJt_gGr0_FoTg2ZG_cdp0stoTYBUIX-OxDRLa7LawtoWNm0XQujVStBVoXTXhPlOububHXucBlkKH_beXu2JmiTWiHdxuH3mXeGskoFDKAu9PTZ0MwE2Ow-kooEMmZtG4USENlPJ7hjEFYwrMJ-jSHelNMDZPGKVc2UixPXTYqfu0xVLIpMQklsVfzUnSL40BBzph-26SF1RR_mOenMjw9lXgZxrRcN3Z2KSkANB2TpnOMUgZBCg7VAxq-O_NU4ftiRoY83lkvLb123vhjrYfBmiizHpeg6-5s47FKpJVW2ojv7R3T_SFwLb1&c=S558DL3BDy5611XHaQ6iI1vyeFFtsN_8DT6cqeK2zKF3Fk7T2NPaAQ==&ch=xMNYmfxJEB-XihZQ87rNIYw0Ajm9YADqmVb9TD7oqcREH43ZRVv39Q=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Washington Post</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_16.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://96A29A78-1658-4B9E-ACCA-F0916F88B52C/pastedGraphic_16.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>As Senate Considers Loosening Methane Capture Rules for Oil and Gas Wells, Residents on the Ground Urge Restraint</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Senate Republicans are facing a fast-approaching deadline to use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to repeal a rule directing the Bureau of Land Management to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas production facilities on public lands. Away from Washington, individuals who have to deal directly with these rogue emissions are hoping the effort fails. Dan Schreiber's ranch in New Mexico is surrounded by 122 active wells and describes the persistent smell of methane emissions as the scent of "wasted money." In Colorado, former oil and gas industry worker Wayne Warmack points to cross-border methane emissions from New Mexico as motivation for a nation-wide regulation, noting even if one state has a strong regulation, the surrounding states may "not make for good neighbors." According to the Department of the Interior, enough natural gas to power 6.2 million homes was allowed to escape from facilities on public lands between 2009 and 2015. The Government Accountability Office calculated up to $23 million in potential natural gas royalty revenues are lost each year due to these leaks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nm6eTuBNaM2k87QAPBtDrppm39xWD5jdmQ1eVJb7CRdy9pbgr-dvydJGwUoMVY4C0zi1hSiRIjtR-UhHfIvXk-r9mcK9h5Xwg1NDGmFR5YgfLuYOZ7veBBSf8IAU_uboAoELD3Rymv4UAWIwhtG-CoLnAFItTwk0bFT4piHobjuniHplbKHxrArayKgbIp4HS5GLAKN6hvC8tQTcoRGyvGsWG7ESyhBcZ2Hrzxrq4ovOzctQ6EgO5EHYd2jji31n74qiiQGJk_lPTclI4EU7nQ==&c=S558DL3BDy5611XHaQ6iI1vyeFFtsN_8DT6cqeK2zKF3Fk7T2NPaAQ==&ch=xMNYmfxJEB-XihZQ87rNIYw0Ajm9YADqmVb9TD7oqcREH43ZRVv39Q==">NPR<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> Not only is leaking natural gas a waste of a valuable natural resource, but methane (the main component of natural gas) is a powerful greenhouse gas with much more global warming potential than carbon dioxide.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>First Offshore Wind Farm in United States Yields Early Returns for Block Island Residents</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The first U.S. offshore wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island stands to displace the use of diesel fuel to generate electricity in the community of Block Island, while reducing overall energy costs for residents. Millions of gallons of diesel fuel was shipped to Block Island annually to power four aging generators. The 1,000 residents of the tourism-oriented community currently pay the highest electricity rates in the country, at five times the national average (50 cents per kWh during the summer peak). Despite the high cost of offshore wind energy relative to mainland electricity rates, the initial cost of 24 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) from the new wind farm will save Block Island residents $25-30 a month. Offshore wind may be novel in America, but Europe's large-scale industry has seen prices drop 46 percent over the last five years to an average of 13 cents/kWh (Europe's coal-fired electricity costs 9 cents/kWh). To cut costs, experts say the United States needs to develop its own offshore industry infrastructure and workforce.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nm6eTuBNaM2k87QAPBtDrppm39xWD5jdmQ1eVJb7CRdy9pbgr-dvydJGwUoMVY4CuqibgfItO4MzawgzJ2Z4Jz_F0qdRKrgSUjp6NHPUTdEVo0NFKCTEzLk_-qxeV0h7_z44PQYqo9CMStN90YPoQyXk8J7L3wnJWrhla8yHRaUvWIutaIZ-QgQD6A0Yz7gw8bp3Upr8tPdQrZD8cxmw5YGVz2fOU0vezFmp1Buu0tIDYD6yUouOlS3vzbKs9HsyJEfxcdvi4PNoWL0IN4wZWTaiZ3JdvkEQLic045cLRi4=&c=S558DL3BDy5611XHaQ6iI1vyeFFtsN_8DT6cqeK2zKF3Fk7T2NPaAQ==&ch=xMNYmfxJEB-XihZQ87rNIYw0Ajm9YADqmVb9TD7oqcREH43ZRVv39Q==">Inside Climate News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_17.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://96A29A78-1658-4B9E-ACCA-F0916F88B52C/pastedGraphic_17.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Global Warming Is Melting Glacier National Park's Namesake Attraction</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">According to newly released data from the U.S. Geological Survey, Montana's famous glaciers have shrunk drastically over the last few decades. The 37 named glaciers in Glacier National Park, and two more on U.S. Forest Service land, have been reduced in size by an average of 39 percent since 1966, with some receding as much as 85 percent. Only 26 glaciers larger than 25 acres remain - the minimum size for a body of ice to be deemed a true glacier. In 1910, the region boasted 150 glaciers. Portland State geologist Andrew Fountain observed, "While the shrinkage in Montana is more severe than some other places in the U.S., it is in line with trends that have been happening on a global scale." Fountain added, "This is emblematic of what's happening all over the West." The melting glaciers are expected to have an ecological impact on local aquatic species due to changes in stream water volume, water temperature, and the timing of the run-off. The loss of regional tourism revenue is also a concern, as 2.9 million people visited the park during the summer of 2016, with the glaciers as a major attraction.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014Zx4r5IOyqMEM-cpd9KCKybcVp1PZeRFJLo9TLy31Rs2c6WEZf8UpNC4Ql7QZAmutpFTxPfA3vTCHp7X_0rFqbQDuykaZc-mIHcUNY3Kqq1GAhYsGQGbbdumFtSJZi4qFuLs2algV4FuPTpZlcXkYrhLi176hCJEu-tpqjqBrXd0403xTderv7JkgQ-FsEP-wL5pVs5eIzwdJE7sQa_93KJ7RY7H70NB_hNFSe3TfXXxQUT37vR8F_BXnR3EDicHKlIqzVvyNl8l4_56fDkSlA==&c=-1_bXoTAUm-PJANlzIOF29BUzwUo4hDnXtgDHITYhNQOikw1pQ_n_w==&ch=o4XC5GPHkvMuZ4WZDNpHbPlIcs_NwEP5w2xGY0nMj5ypi7KF05Xw8g==">USGS</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014Zx4r5IOyqMEM-cpd9KCKybcVp1PZeRFJLo9TLy31Rs2c6WEZf8UpNC4Ql7QZAmukjge5ao1xOqtBQ-aJ-N-q_YXaBWR6ShVcMxVUwxCSlGmupnFlukHrUdNXGJcpZQl4JWYXLyLz0kXqoQ4p1a5M2YtV799YKkGudGbKxcUgCrm0zJ8hFEQuisQppsTVI0-kRuc4cJTB0nWfXIqcl-QXTFDDaFLAUBeUn0_B9fc3En5T1dlWdjHuihnpus1mEbcfBdHJyFXkHIJekXoVz1ZhKlp-07DmPJY2qIJ4krHz7g=&c=-1_bXoTAUm-PJANlzIOF29BUzwUo4hDnXtgDHITYhNQOikw1pQ_n_w==&ch=o4XC5GPHkvMuZ4WZDNpHbPlIcs_NwEP5w2xGY0nMj5ypi7KF05Xw8g=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Inside Climate News</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_18.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://96A29A78-1658-4B9E-ACCA-F0916F88B52C/pastedGraphic_18.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Tundra May Be Shifting Alaska to Put Out More Carbon Than It Stores, Study Says</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">According to a new study sponsored by NASA and NOAA, climate change may be transforming tundra in Alaska and other Arctic regions from a carbon sink into a carbon source. Due to later winters, warmer summers, and other climate impacts, the tundra in Alaska's North Slope has been emitting 73 percent more carbon dioxide than average for October to December during the 2012-2014 study period. Scientists compared today's unseasonably warm temperatures to records from 1973. Higher soil temperatures have also allowed carbon-emitting microbes to remain active for longer stretches during the year. This has created an imbalance between carbon dioxide absorbing plants that photosynthesize during the day and the sub-surface microbes, which can carry on their activities without the sun. Harvard atmospheric scientist and study co-author, Steve Wofsy, said, "Tundra soils appear to be acting as an amplifier of climate change. We need to carefully monitor what it's doing up there, even late in the year when everything looks frozen and dormant."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014Zx4r5IOyqMEM-cpd9KCKybcVp1PZeRFJLo9TLy31Rs2c6WEZf8UpNC4Ql7QZAmuGyg3PjXbA7rIPKp5nDLrEBc3pjekkrSJKRF8545alWe9_dYvRxqc3VNOWjDHqqddHL_5iu28a1STqXM7LGOvWYYtdjUWLrBp19zahVGLXY0tIljyRGa09-MJitXAA-eg9vkdUClWKijazj4g6bIoBKAMxIbGpu8vZquQ1Uaq7mMPlzTe_P66B30-ujCk9UBYWFpnDb0bVLD2bfhlvvxdkiae4sgjyGooAkQp-IfLsFkpJyFUDoNE7g==&c=-1_bXoTAUm-PJANlzIOF29BUzwUo4hDnXtgDHITYhNQOikw1pQ_n_w==&ch=o4XC5GPHkvMuZ4WZDNpHbPlIcs_NwEP5w2xGY0nMj5ypi7KF05Xw8g==">Alaska Dispatch News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_19.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://96A29A78-1658-4B9E-ACCA-F0916F88B52C/pastedGraphic_19.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Governor Announces Virginia Is Pursuing a Multi-State Carbon Trading System </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">As the Trump administration seeks to undo the Clean Power Plan, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe declared, "Virginia will lead the way to cut carbon and lean in on the clean-energy future." A working group established by McAuliffe recently reported that climate change poses a significant risk to Virginia, with the state already seeing a 33 percent increase in severe storm events over the past 60 years and up to five feet of sea level rise possible by 2100. Following recommendations from a working group convened last year, McAuliffe instructed the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to design a regulation that would "allow for the use of market-based mechanisms and the trading of carbon dioxide allowances through a multi-state trading program." Virginia's power plants currently account for 30 percent of the state's total carbon emissions, though emissions have declined by 21 percent since 2005. Virginia's largest utility, Dominion Energy, considers carbon regulation "settled public policy" and has already taken steps to reduce its emissions. The DEQ has until December 31 to present their proposed regulation to the State Air Pollution Control Board, just prior to McAuliffe's departure from office.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001k2iEfOiAIHZgNS212LB-AtEfEQJ0VwK_--BKxIMbj8W55d1Kf9d5hXa9X_vlbNxldRvTjxU9nwF_imnJm2LKzQq7CqiN_gR1Os_kAgbXRVKXaw-TtFTVmECCGOK-diNBDR2pzzufUKe5jqub5YsVzzQynzQMKQN2iEZLm-2m-bSNn5dACZmI4455GUeBzscXngpP8b4jth2WQsyvZ7mUtUiVqpnlMYV75y20ZGR0zlhvlzTSe4BzUaKIFc3-ezuRRJHEMr2VT6oldeXNPyxSqFSEo3moCAA0KGpKlQPHdXYGTew_-YL5qe-t9RAs__Vi0esMugIqras3m967bjUKSysPgvZqeG0e&c=l-ynAkllcUC-dkA8WH_jsn2NEmjRlY4YuGp3hPE5UDrp6mbE2WhNUQ==&ch=O7OuvROUGRYPXTy4lRBSzf8RGqKTiWXg48EqKpoIZ9M5HUlRAiR68Q==">Richmond Times-Dispatch<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_20.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://96A29A78-1658-4B9E-ACCA-F0916F88B52C/pastedGraphic_20.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>U.S. Delegation Watered Down the Climate Language in the Arctic Council's Final Declaration</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">During its biannual ministerial meeting of the Arctic Council in early May 2017, the U.S. delegation requested several changes be made to the intergovernmental declaration that the group issued at the end of the session. These changes weakened the Fairbanks Declaration's language on climate change and the Paris Agreement. When representatives from the eight member nations and six indigenous groups met to negotiate the language, they were greeted by an alternative version from the United States that diminished the risk of climate change and the need for meeting emissions and renewable energy goals. The U.S. delegation asked for the removal of text "encouraging" the implementation of the Paris Agreement, but the other nations pushed back. The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals would also have been scrubbed by the Americans, but remained in after further protest. The U.S. delegation did succeed in removing an entire paragraph on the impact of an ice-free Arctic and the ice melt's impact on sea level rise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001k2iEfOiAIHZgNS212LB-AtEfEQJ0VwK_--BKxIMbj8W55d1Kf9d5hXa9X_vlbNxltD_RDK9m6OhMb8oMSu5Qe8myaPStWt5gqv39Tjd-sq7LGwRi-gOf_tZUoD8SMI2FYOPW5Iyhu5UqEX6l_VxdYa1C-tPcXuZ6_7wQtCegfk-r_AirnGv4akasKtlNJCMkipi-kPKi-m1BAy6uOd2VHoJNNu9yC0BZ_yyP7b_I5F53cNiUaZCZ4WazhJyF0LSITYtgDelUlx9YdFcUExcGyQ==&c=l-ynAkllcUC-dkA8WH_jsn2NEmjRlY4YuGp3hPE5UDrp6mbE2WhNUQ==&ch=O7OuvROUGRYPXTy4lRBSzf8RGqKTiWXg48EqKpoIZ9M5HUlRAiR68Q==">Inside Climate News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>China and India Projected to Surpass Emission Reduction Goals, as United States Lags Behind </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A new report from Climate Action Tracker projects China and India will meet their emission reduction goals under the Paris Agreement years ahead of schedule, while the United States is expected to fall well short of its own targets. A decline in coal use, the cancellation of new coal-fired power plant construction, and a surge in renewable energy development in China and India has led to a greatly improved outlook. According to the report, China will meet or surpass its goal to reduce its emissions intensity by 64-70 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. Meanwhile, India is expected to cut its emissions intensity by 42-45 percent by 2030, exceeding its Paris pledge of a 33-35 percent reduction from 2005 levels. Bill Hare, CEO of Climate Analytics, said, "Five years ago, the idea of either China or India stopping-or even slowing-coal use was considered an insurmountable hurdle. Recent observations show they are now on the way toward overcoming this challenge." China and India are the world's first and third largest producers of carbon emissions, respectively.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001k2iEfOiAIHZgNS212LB-AtEfEQJ0VwK_--BKxIMbj8W55d1Kf9d5hXa9X_vlbNxlsdyA0PsyeIFOzUP_foxvUuO2cu4UrQWQqmzcJnaGO6bGMsPJcMnwjndQll_MhbBkaqYuLjV0uIi8xLQUztq6-RRDczKbn8PNOioM6maeB0EYA8M3baWTKnDtrEBJnpWPGLFC6_6nJ6a5dPhc1O80k--h7KzKsBmfWpZjAQIbHjHZUUpN3w2K6Oy1RQsKjVD3wTIrhH4lSZUmt-ylK16JANWXj4OGkJy0&c=l-ynAkllcUC-dkA8WH_jsn2NEmjRlY4YuGp3hPE5UDrp6mbE2WhNUQ==&ch=O7OuvROUGRYPXTy4lRBSzf8RGqKTiWXg48EqKpoIZ9M5HUlRAiR68Q==">Inside Climate News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Scientists are alarmed that an accelerated shift in West Antarctica's ice sheet may be signaling the "early stages of an unstoppable disintegration." The destruction of such a large portion of the ice sheet could significantly raise global sea levels, endangering coastal cities and displacing tens of millions of people. A lack of information has stymied climate researchers trying to develop a clearer forecast for sea level rise, leading the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.K. Natural Environment Research Council to join forces. However, the $25 million endeavor may not produce the necessary answers until 2020. In order to address the urgent data gap, scientists have been surveying the Ross Ice Shelf in West Antarctica to assess vulnerabilities that may portend the structure's collapse. The Ross shelf is crucial in that it helps to slow the flow of land ice from Antarctica toward the ocean. West Antarctica's ice is especially at risk of melting due to its exposure to the warming ocean. Ted Scambos, a scientist with the University of Colorado said, "What we need to know is really the details of what is occurring where the ice, ocean and land all come together."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001k2iEfOiAIHZgNS212LB-AtEfEQJ0VwK_--BKxIMbj8W55d1Kf9d5hXa9X_vlbNxlCjVLx5dzDqewhCpWgOKQG7jtmm8UJtEydcxMcFHoDX8zDSYMITdkPiqUbVw1r3CyvbuH0E6E7M0OMzv9tbLuQ3GqUwG_4EqJmW1SIvcWXohSb_otOcMqAJ8THan-9Vn5qQMk33nFIPXjsQWzeMP98HLCCQawIaPcZJyERxvFYP5TbCiDLCOnLAbKleJLSyDU3HvpSbVI0cO6Va8oydb5rsGU936GJaT9&c=l-ynAkllcUC-dkA8WH_jsn2NEmjRlY4YuGp3hPE5UDrp6mbE2WhNUQ==&ch=O7OuvROUGRYPXTy4lRBSzf8RGqKTiWXg48EqKpoIZ9M5HUlRAiR68Q==">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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Chad Tolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198303455148896174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441974095206886318.post-47397582444227925882017-05-01T06:12:00.000-07:002017-05-01T06:12:09.592-07:00CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS FOR APRIL 2017<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>CC NEWS FOR APRIL 2017</b></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">On March 13 the <b><i>Sierra Club</i> </b>posted<b> </b>an article by Jason Mark titled, <a href="http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/green-life/us-going-pull-out-paris-climate-agreement-and-what-will-happen-if-it-does?utm_source=insider&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(35, 31, 32); font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">IS THE U.S. GOING TO PULL OUT OF THE PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT? AND WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF IT DOES?</span></a><b> </b>He wrote, </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-kerning: none;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">The Trump administration’s promised assault on President Obama’s climate action legacy is well underway. This week, President Trump is expected to sign an executive order directing the Environmental Protection Agency to start unraveling the Clean Power Plan, Obama’s effort to reduce carbon pollution from power plants. The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/05/.../detroit-automakers-emissions-standards.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(78, 145, 76); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">White House is scheming with Big Auto</span></a> to roll back Obama-era increases in vehicle fuel efficiency as it conspires with Congressional Republicans to <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/news/2017/02/14/415105/for-polluters-congress-will-overturn-an-environmental-rule-for-2-3-million/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(78, 145, 76); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">undo rules that address oil and gas wells’ leakage of methane</span></a>, a heat-trapping gas that is about 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. Trump’s forthcoming budget even <a href="http://grist.org/briefly/trumps-budget-would-get-rid-of-energy-star/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(78, 145, 76); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">threatens to dismantle the EPA’s Energy Star program</span></a>, a 20-year-old initiative that encourages the adoption of energy-efficient appliances and home heating and cooling—a program that, historically, has enjoyed bipartisan support since it saves Americans money. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">All of this has environmentalists wondering when the other shoe will drop: Are these moves just the first steps toward a feared U.S. retreat from the Paris Climate Agreement? </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">During last year’s presidential campaign, Trump promised that, if elected, he would “cancel” the Paris Agreement. But during his Senate confirmation hearings, Secretary of State Tillerson argued that the United States should keep “a seat at the table.” According to various reports (see <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/donald-trump-paris-climate-change-agreement-235892"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(78, 145, 76); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">here</span></a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/02/us/politics/climate-change-trump.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(78, 145, 76); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">here</span></a>) White House advisors are split on the issue. While svengali Stephen Bannon is said to be arguing for a Paris pullout—a position in-line with his hardline nationalist vision—Tillerson and Ivanka Trump and consigliere/son-in-law Jared Kushner are making the case that the United States should remain a party to the international agreement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Environmentalists, meanwhile, are feeling a bit left in the dark. “I think my crystal ball broke months ago,” Vicki Arroyo, director of the <a href="http://www.georgetownclimate.org/about-us/staff.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(78, 145, 76); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Georgetown Climate Center</span></a></span><span style="color: #0061ff; font-kerning: none;">,</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> says wryly. “I wouldn’t want to make a prediction.” Jennifer Morgan, the executive director of <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/about/how-is-greenpeace-structured/management/executive-director/Jennifer-Morgan/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(78, 145, 76); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Greenpeace International</span></a> and a longtime fixture at international climate talks, told me much the same thing: “You know, with this administration, it’s impossible to know anything.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Still, longtime climate action advocates are trying to remain guardedly optimistic, hopeful that, in the end, reason will prevail and that career diplomats at the State Department will successfully convince the White House to keep the United States within the Paris Agreement. A U.S. withdrawal would be nothing short of a “nuclear option,” in Arroyo’s words, that would erode American credibility and set back U.S. interests on other issues requiring global cooperation. “Aggravating our allies and walking away from an agreement that we helped craft is not a great practice,” Arroyo says. “It would undermine us on other issues that we care about.””</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Though a U.S. exit would be a blow, environmentalists say that global action to reduce greenhouse gas emission will nevertheless continue. The world’s largest emitter, China, remains committed to ambitious climate action; <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/28022017/chinas-co2-reduction-clean-energy-trump-us"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(78, 145, 76); color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;">i</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(78, 145, 76); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">ts greenhouse gas emissions have stayed stable or in decline for four years in a row</span></a>. The European Union member nations and the many countries—think, Bangladesh, Pacific Island nations, poorer countries in Latin America and Africa—that are already experiencing stresses due to climate change also remain committed to fulfilling their Paris pledges. “There is an unprecedented show of unity from nations around the world,” Arroyo says. “Countries are standing together and they are sticking with it [the Paris Agreement]. In a surprising turnaround since [the 2009 climate talks in] Copenhagen, <b><i>China is taking a lead. It can show international leadership with the vacuum of U.S. leadership.</i></b>” <b><i>(emphasis added)</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Trump likes to say that he’s going to “Make America Great Again,” and put “America First.” A withdrawal from global climate agreements would do neither. It would, instead, be a retreat from the U.S.’s moral responsibility to address the climate crisis. It would put the U.S. last, a country playing catch-up to other countries heading toward the clean energy future.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On March 14 Lydia Saad of <b><i>Gallup</i> </b>posted a report titled, <a href="http://www.climateaccess.org/sites/default/files/Global%20Warming%20Concern%20at%20Three-Decade%20High%20in%20US%20%7C%20Gallup.pdf"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">Global Warming Concern at Three-Decade High in US</span></a>. When asked if they worried ‘a great deal’ about global warming, the percentage from 2016 to 2017 increased from 36% to 45%. A new high of 62% said that global warming is happening now, and the percentage that believe that global warming poses a serious threat is up to 42%. All three concerns are up significantly since 2015. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE: </b>It is encouraging to me that more Americans are realizing the magnitude of the threat they face - in spite of the efforts to mislead them by a number of wealthy corporations and individuals with a lot of money invested in fossil fuels.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On March 17 the <b><i>World Resources Institute</i> </b>posted an article by Noah Kaufman titled, <a href="http://www.wri.org/blog/2017/03/why-social-cost-carbon-critical-america-make-sound-policies?utm_campaign=wridigest&utm_source=wridigest-2017-03-21&utm_medium=email&utm_content=title"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(77, 77, 77); color: #0061ff;">Why the Social Cost of Carbon Is Critical for America to Make Sound Policies</span></a>. He wrote, </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">“<a href="http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/323945-trump-dropping-climate-change-impact-from-government-reviews-report?utm_source=Daily+Carbon+Briefing&utm_campaign=2016c9ce4d-cb_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_876aab4fd7-2016c9ce4d-303464909"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(227, 129, 10); color: #0061ff; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">According to reports</span></a></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">, President Trump is poised to sign a new directive dropping climate change as a consideration when evaluating government agencies’ actions. The move would also reconsider the government’s use of a metric known as the “social cost of carbon,” which helps analysts assess the economic benefits of climate action and economic costs of inaction.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The social cost of carbon (SCC) assigns a dollar value to the benefits from reducing carbon dioxide emissions and addressing climate change. Examples of such benefits are wide ranging, from preserving crop yields and protecting human health to limiting the risk of flooding to coastal properties. With these estimates in hand, agencies can determine if the benefits from efforts to curb carbon pollution – such as standards calling for more efficient appliances or <a href="http://www.wri.org/blog/2017/03/4-reasons-why-trump-administration-should-keep-fuel-standards-place"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(227, 129, 10); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">vehicles</span></a> -- are worth the investment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>If agencies stop using the SCC, it would prevent the government from using the best available science to inform their decisions and from holding polluters accountable for damages caused by carbon dioxide emissions.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>How the Social Cost of Carbon Came to Be</b></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(227, 129, 10); color: #0061ff; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=43424">In 1981</a></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">, President Reagan required federal agencies to quantify the benefits and costs of major regulations before deciding whether to impose them and how stringent to make them. Federal agencies began estimating SCCs following <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/05-1120.ZS.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(227, 129, 10); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">a 2007 Supreme Court ruling</span></a> that led to the U.S. government regulating carbon dioxide emissions as an air pollutant.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In 2009, the Obama administration brought together a group of technical experts to develop a single set of U.S. government SCC estimates based on the best available science and economics. Because estimates of the SCC are highly uncertain—it requires forecasting how changes in emissions affect the climate, how changes in the climate affect economies around the world, and the value of climate damages occurring around the world over centuries—the U.S. government recommends using a wide range of values, from <a href="https://www.epa.gov/climatechange/social-cost-carbon"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(227, 129, 10); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">$11 to $105 dollars per ton of CO2 in 2015</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Why We Need the Social Cost of Carbon</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Eliminating the use of the SCC in federal regulations would squelch agencies’ ability to follow President Reagan’s guidance and conduct comprehensive cost-benefit analyses for regulations impacting carbon emissions. After all, without quantifying the benefits, how can we hope to compare the benefits of emissions reductions with the associated costs?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Worse still, the Trump administration could continue using benefit-cost analysis to make regulatory judgments with the assumption there is no value in curbing carbon emissions, despite the mountain of scientific evidence that shows otherwise. Virtually all regulations would then artificially appear too costly to justify, leading to a situation where polluters have license to spew carbon into the atmosphere with no accountability for the damages they cause.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The courts will likely find moves eliminating the SCC to be illegal, because they have ruled (and subsequently affirmed) <a href="http://www.hcn.org/articles/how-do-we-define-the-cost-to-society-of-climate-pollution"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(227, 129, 10); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">since 2007</span></a> that “the value of carbon emissions reduction is certainly not zero.” In 2016, a Federal Court of Appeals <a href="http://media.ca7.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/rssExec.pl?Submit=Display&Path=Y2016/D08-08/C:14-2159:J:Ripple:aut:T:fnOp:N:1807496:S:0"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(227, 129, 10); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">struck down</span></a> a challenge to the U.S. government’s SCC estimates. The Trump administration will have the challenging task of finding support for such a drastic change to the current U.S. government estimates, while evidence points in the opposite direction. In <a href="http://policyintegrity.org/files/publications/ExpertConsensusReport.pdf"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(227, 129, 10); color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;">a recent poll</span></a> of 1,100 experts on the economics of climate change, 69 percent said the U.S. government’s current “central SCC” estimate of $36 per ton is too low for the benefits of emissions reductions, while less than 10 percent said it was too high.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Following years of study, the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recently released <a href="http://sites.nationalacademies.org/DBASSE/BECS/CurrentProjects/DBASSE_167526"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(227, 129, 10); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">a report</span></a> outlining ways to improve SCC estimates and research priorities going forward. Rather than ditching the SCC, the Trump administration could use the findings of this report as a basis for continuing the constructive discussion over the benefits of reducing carbon dioxide emissions and avoiding the risks from climate change. In contrast, eliminating the use of the SCC in federal rulemaking would ignore the recommendations of the country’s top experts and push the Trump administration into a court battle that it has a high likelihood of losing.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> While I often quote parts of an article in this blog, this one is so good that I quoted it in its entirety.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">On March 20 <b><i>Reuters</i></b> posted an article by Emily Flitter titled, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-green-republicans-idUSKBN16R0ZJ"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #0061ff;">Republican green groups seek to temper Trump on climate change</span></a></span><span style="color: #111111; font-kerning: none;">. She wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“President Donald Trump's outspoken doubts about climate change and his administration's efforts to roll back regulation to combat it have stirred a sleepy faction in U.S. politics: the Republican environmental movement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The various groups represent conservatives, Catholics and the younger generation of Republicans who, unlike Trump, not only recognize the science of climate change but want to see their party wrest the initiative from Democrats and lead efforts to combat global warming.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Conservative green groups such as ConservAmerica and republicEn, along with politically neutral religious groups such as Catholic Climate Covenant and bipartisan groups such as the Citizens Climate Lobby, have ramped up efforts to recruit more congressional Republicans to work on addressing climate change since Trump's election.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Conservative environmental advocates promote what they call "free enterprise" solutions to climate change, like a carbon tax. That stands in contrast to the approach of liberal environmentalists under former President Barack Obama, who backed bans on certain kinds of oil drilling and regulations aimed at discouraging petroleum use.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">But whatever their differences, the conservative groups say they have an important role to play.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">"Conservatives now have a chance to earn back the trust of Americans on environmental issues," said Alex Bozmoski, director of strategy for republicEn. "They can lead in a completely different direction that actually grows the economy while cutting greenhouse gasses."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The activists' efforts have not swayed anywhere near a majority yet on Capitol Hill. Only 20 or so of the 237 Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have spoken out on climate change this year. But they hope to build a big enough bloc in Congress, or enough influence at the White House, to temper Trump's agenda.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Lobbying has yielded some early results: a pro-environment voting bloc in Congress, the Climate Solutions Caucus, for example, has signed on more Republicans in the last two months than in it had in the final year of Obama's administration - its first year in existence.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">NOTE: It’s very encouraging to me to see some younger and better-informed Republicans coming forward to say the climate change is an important problem that needs to be addressed. In my opinion, participation of significant numbers of Republicans and businesses is going to be required if a global scale catastrophe is going to be avoided.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111;">On March 21 the <b><i>NY Times</i></b> published an article by Nadja Popovich, John Schwartz, and Tationa Schlossberg titled, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/03/21/climate/how-americans-think-about-climate-change-in-six-maps.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=photo-spot-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #0061ff;">How Americans Think About Climate Change, in Six Maps</span></a></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">. The maps are the result of congressional district and county opinion studies of adults by the <a href="http://climatecommunication.yale.edu/news-events/act-on-climate-change/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Yale Program for Climate Change Communication</span></a> over the period 2008-2016. For example when asked if people support strict limits on CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants, 69% said yes; in fact a majority in every congressional district were favorable. Most of those asked thought that climate change is happening and is harming people in the U.S., but didn’t think it will harm them personally. The authors see part of the problem is risk perception. They write,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Global warming is precisely the kind of threat humans are awful at dealing with: a problem with enormous consequences over the long term, but little that is sharply visible on a personal level in the short term. <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2006/jul/02/opinion/op-gilbert2"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Humans are hard-wired for quick fight-or-flight reactions in the face of an imminent threat</span></a>, but not highly motivated to act against slow-moving and somewhat abstract problems, even if the challenges that they pose are ultimately dire.”</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">Those who are most concerned tend to live on coasts where they see sea level rise and flooding, or in the West where drought and large wildfires are becoming commonplace.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE: </b> The <a href="http://climatecommunication.yale.edu/news-events/act-on-climate-change/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Yale Program on Climate Change Communication</span></a> is one of the best sources of public opinion on climate change in the U.S. Its web site has a blog dated Feb. 5, 2016 titled, <b>Act on Climate Change </b>with lots of information in four sections:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Learn more and stay informed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Reduce your carbon emissions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Become a citizen scientist.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Take political action.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">On March 21 the <b><i>NY Times</i></b> also published a paper by Coral Davenport titled, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/21/climate/trump-climate-change.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Trump Lays Plans to Reverse Obama’s Climate Change Legacy</span></a>. It says, </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">”</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">President Trump is poised in the coming days to announce his plans to dismantle the centerpiece of President <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/barack_obama/index.html?inline=nyt-per"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Barack Obama</span></a>’s <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/globalwarming/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">climate change</span></a> legacy, while also gutting several smaller but significant policies aimed at curbing global warming.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The moves are intended to send an unmistakable signal to the nation and the world that Mr. Trump intends to follow through on his campaign vows to rip apart every element of what the president has called Mr. Obama’s “stupid” policies to address climate change. The timing and exact form of the announcement remain unsettled, however.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The executive actions will follow the White House’s release last week of a proposed budget that would eliminate climate change research and prevention programs across the federal government and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/15/us/politics/budget-epa-state-department-cuts.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">slash the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget</span></a> by 31 percent, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/03/15/us/politics/trump-budget-proposal.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">more than any other agency</span></a>. Mr. Trump also <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/15/business/trump-auto-industry-emissions-rules.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;">announced last week</span></a> that he had ordered Scott Pruitt, the <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/e/environmental_protection_agency/index.html?inline=nyt-org"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;">E.P.A.</span></a> administrator, to revise the agency’s stringent standards on planet-warming tailpipe pollution from vehicles, another of Mr. Obama’s key climate change policies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">While the White House is not expected to explicitly say the United States is withdrawing from the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/world/europe/climate-change-accord-paris.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">2015 Paris Agreement</span></a> on climate change, and people familiar with the White House deliberations say Mr. Trump has not decided whether to do so, the policy reversals would make it virtually impossible to meet the emissions reduction goals set by the Obama administration under the international agreement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In an announcement that could come as soon as Thursday or as late as next month, according to people familiar with the White House’s planning, Mr. Trump will order Mr. Pruitt to withdraw and rewrite a set of Obama-era regulations known as the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/04/us/politics/5-questions-about-obamas-climate-change-plan.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Clean Power Plan</span></a>, according to a draft document obtained by The New York Times. The Obama rule was devised to shut down hundreds of heavily polluting coal-fired power plants and freeze construction of new coal plants, while replacing them with vast wind and solar farms.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“At a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/20/us/politics/donald-trump-louisville-kentucky.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">campaign-style rally on Monday</span></a> in the coal-mining state of Kentucky, Mr. Trump told a cheering audience that he is preparing an executive action that would “save our wonderful coal miners from continuing to be put out of work.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Experts in environmental law say it will not be possible for Mr. Trump to quickly or simply roll back the most substantive elements of Mr. Obama’s climate change regulations, noting that the process presents a steep legal challenge that could take many years and is likely to end up before the Supreme Court. Economists are skeptical that a rollback of the rules would restore lost coal jobs because the demand for coal has been steadily shrinking for years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Scientists and climate policy advocates around the world say they are watching the administration’s global warming actions and statements with deep worry. Many reacted with deep concern to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/09/us/politics/epa-scott-pruitt-global-warming.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 104, 145); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Mr. Pruitt’s remarks this month</span></a> that he did not believe carbon dioxide was a primary driver of climate change, a statement at odds with the global scientific consensus.”</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #333333;">On March 28 the Whitehouse issued an Executive Order titled, <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/03/28/presidential-executive-order-promoting-energy-independence-and-economi-1https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/03/28/presidential-executive-order-promoting-energy-independence-and-economi-1"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0061ff;">Presidential Executive Order on Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth</span></a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-kerning: none;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On March 28 the mayors of 75 American cities sent a social media letter to President Trump, titled, <a href="https://medium.com/@ClimateMayors/climatemayors-letter-to-president-trump-on-roll-back-of-us-climate-actions-639389c80f1c"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); color: #0061ff;">#ClimateMayors Letter to President Trump on Roll Back of US Climate Actions</span></a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); color: black;">. It said,</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Dear President Trump,</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">As members of the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda (MNCAA), we represent more than 41 million Americans in 75 cities across our nation — in red and blue states alike. We write to strongly object to your actions to roll back critically important U.S. climate policies including the Clean Power Plan and vehicle fuel efficiency standards, as well as proposed budget cuts to the EPA and critical federal programs like Energy Star.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Climate change is both the greatest single threat we face, and our greatest economic opportunity for our nation. That is why we <a href="http://www.climate-mayors.org/cities-climate-action-compendium/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">affirm our cities’ commitments</span></a> to taking every action possible to achieve the principles and goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, and to engage states, businesses and other sectors to join us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">As Mayors, we work with our constituents face-to-face, every day, and they demand that we act on climate to improve quality of life and create economic growth. As public servants and stewards of public funds and infrastructure, we also cannot ignore the costs of inaction. That is why we are also standing up for our constituents and all Americans harmed by climate change, including those most vulnerable among us: coastal residents confronting erosion and sea level rise; young and old alike suffering from worsening air pollution and at risk during heatwaves; mountain residents engulfed by wildfires; farmers struggling at harvest time due to drought; and communities across our nation challenged by extreme weather.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Climate action is also an investment in our economy and job creation — electric vehicles, solar power, energy efficiency and battery storage are all avenues to restoring our nation’s manufacturing base and create good, middle class jobs. Recently, thirty MNCAA cities demonstrated how we can accelerate markets and drive economic growth by issuing a formal <a href="http://www.labavn.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=contract.opportunity_view&recordid=29142"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Request for Information</span></a> for the potential acquisition of nearly 115,000 electric vehicles for our municipal fleets.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">NOTE: A list of the names and cities of the 75 mayors who co-signed the letter is listed at the end.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">On March 30 Congressmen Ted Deutsch (FL-22) and Carlos Curbelo, the co-Chairs of the the Climate Solutions Caucus, issued a joint press release titled, <a href="https://teddeutch.house.gov/news/email/show.aspx?ID=A67FTWFIDGOYVJSRZ4NBFHDFKU"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #0061ff;">Bipartisan Climate Caucus Reaches Thirty Four Members from Across the Country, Evenly Split between Democrats, Republicans</span></a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">. They annunced that the caucus recently accepted 10 new members to reach a total of 34 - 17 from each of the major parties. They wrote, </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Americans from across the political spectrum are demanding that Congress put politics aside to act on climate change,” said <b>Congressman Deutch</b>. “The remarkable growth and diversity of this Caucus sends a clear signal to the White House and the American people that Congressional Democrats and Republicans are ready to work together on paramount issues like climate change. I look forward to working with my Caucus colleagues to explore bipartisan legislative initiatives to address the growing challenges of climate change.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE: </b>Although 34 is only a small fraction of the members of the House, the Caucus announcement does show that a growing number of members of Congress from both parties realize that climate change is a serious and growing problem and that many of their constituents want effective action - whatever Trump and members of his administration may say.</span></div>
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The following items are from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), Carol Werner, Executive Director. Past issues of its newsletter are posted on its website under "publications"<br />
at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102515421764&e=001VqmyLSnT7fkl-_mocGBcn8yb2ys8eiE4dr3Tnveazy1K0B1fU1CponAdxiy_W78b49PK6NHsR0pHlqO7KOWi-3m5yW4bNEJiyJt1G95YoNt46CLY1L4uGjNKLSPL84kX2r7jAaxw1oVR18YElOXvV8_lo1bRsASi9tPNMTm7-ZU="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">http://www.eesi.org/publications/Newsletters/CCNews/ccnews.htm</span></a></span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">EESI’s newsletter is intended for all interested parties, particularly the policymaker community. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://12ACAAA6-0FCD-47C0-896C-4150DE165070/pastedGraphic.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Trump Signs Executive Order to Further Dismantle the Obama Administration's Climate Policies</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On March 28, President Trump signed an executive order directing his administration to begin undoing several more of the Obama administration's climate change policies. The order's most prominent target is the Clean Power Plan, which required states to meet individual carbon emission reduction goals and is a key policy in the U.S. effort to meet its obligations under the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. "My administration is putting an end to the war on coal," said Trump at the signing of the order at EPA headquarters, at one point turning to a group of coal miners in attendance and declaring, "You're going back to work." <b><i>The order instructs federal regulators to stop using the "social cost of carbon" in their economic analyses of future environmental rules</i></b>. <b><i>(emphasis added)</i></b> Trump's signature also lifted a ban on coal leasing on federal lands, halted rules limiting methane leaks from oil and gas facilities, and rescinded multiple presidential memos meant to integrate climate action across numerous federal agencies. The EPA's underlying endangerment finding naming greenhouse gas emissions a threat to public health and U.S. involvement in the Paris Agreement both went unaddressed in the order, but are viewed as major targets by the administration.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Qw4pVQG3E9quCvjO0HAQ6Abm4MCOLqfgBbK6OaLzOJYQSp5RAjAeV-pDqsWzAKJ6jF0lLR1-ZAw-EYiRhE7-rlbxadTQu6Xy18MwDpfeIGtF-1n5DJig5cRamFMtfWMJmRVPK9Ohb5SdAxLgt0legDYRWzZ6qJ5rkzLAeWTWj-9u3__nbem-e3JFEWO0dAVzj4epO0jv68M1fL6X6kXvbi_8Hg4Q8zn5ungammXrWWH_aDRKGoU2SzBGgcBoF2Z8v8K1Dq0AP27lEcsigGU6F0GwYk7tp42pl9vHRNMHnb6IS31-JMrLm8wruz6oIEu1SCxwNre_RuAZH8I-Ig2-BvHaZ9O6RIPP5zT3FNi6I22mRAGLh7oCGQ==&c=DJ4_M6QmRDV8ML8phS-doSfGIKLWEZTGsXecgXMzH2fs2C--djR8yQ==&ch=pVgLD_BDzfRlOTp2uawZ8NiUHQqNm9Or8SrgcDqL807PQJLriAD7iw==">Politico</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Qw4pVQG3E9quCvjO0HAQ6Abm4MCOLqfgBbK6OaLzOJYQSp5RAjAeV-pDqsWzAKJ6CckxQJshLApBhDD_CxFdGwINBENfI9utry2wIehRvBWj_91gRadOTcRx9BVMad_CNHLtnwIoOncBBUcthaKV2DbXWHcDZlFYwNFYuq4HuOktPBnhVbGv4BfFYIMZQ_0fxFxyFtfKOJuj598p5n7GV0tWxkQBam6rmBhSsZ38WhU=&c=DJ4_M6QmRDV8ML8phS-doSfGIKLWEZTGsXecgXMzH2fs2C--djR8yQ==&ch=pVgLD_BDzfRlOTp2uawZ8NiUHQqNm9Or8SrgcDqL807PQJLriAD7iw=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Reuters</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Qw4pVQG3E9quCvjO0HAQ6Abm4MCOLqfgBbK6OaLzOJYQSp5RAjAeV-pDqsWzAKJ6WnX8oF-EoRVYUs1zzMZuh8HITCSFB0bLClX2vpToTSqn0KLTLLGfPe1nlHDbkThbZBuglIPWbbyYaCna8lrAlNJhUuzFIgNb3k_4fj9SbKl6PGuyHgDJevOf8bAHl7us68jYULvtkZlQLOhxHXm9TKpHBx3_JVDps5ajbOIKjTIRBrMy12ZPunmM0sYFHAPRlriCurS-si1RcSsJXySl5rrL6SqCKjAJvVU9rq6CiyIo8r4EJ_h7xaB38k8fTuUq471WXSvoCmXuVbeoIps-mIH5xnvDhzbl8Ftxeu0pHFcZ-7c5YYL6P13JVJRoDqrctsAjOapOM4tsWDPz3_dWdTrUivG9nBGNEvMXGugavVBsBUYlxUQ6xejohe88dUsGNPCd2AbkcIkgylvWSeFSikijHOkoEaVDoTUqBnj7rhgE51B_JuH1b7jIUxTl6uZGFv_iNjbmPRtHb5Fs88aoilXPu4J10SwB&c=DJ4_M6QmRDV8ML8phS-doSfGIKLWEZTGsXecgXMzH2fs2C--djR8yQ==&ch=pVgLD_BDzfRlOTp2uawZ8NiUHQqNm9Or8SrgcDqL807PQJLriAD7iw=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">New York Times</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE: </b>The social cost of carbon (SCC) is the estimated economic damage to society of each additional ton of carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere. Those costs could be in health care, premature death, property damage or crop loss. The EPA and other federal agencies have been using an estimate of $38/ton CO2 to show which regulations save society money, though some economists estimate much higher numbers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_1.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://12ACAAA6-0FCD-47C0-896C-4150DE165070/pastedGraphic_1.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Rescinding Clean Power Plan Will Not Halt Ascent of Renewables over Coal</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On March 28, President Trump signed an executive order eliminating the Clean Power Plan (CPP), claiming the regulatory repeal would revitalize the dying domestic coal industry. Yet, regulations imposed by the CPP are not the primary reason behind the coal industry's decline. Rather, the rise of natural gas and cost competitive renewable energy are at the root of this trend. While rescinding the CPP may slow the decline of coal in the short term, it will neither protect coal miners from further job losses, nor reverse the long term recession of the coal industry. Workforce automation poses a major threat to coal miners, and even if the industry rebounds, employment opportunities may not follow. Many American corporations have publicly pledged to power their operations entirely with renewable resources, while investors remain bullish on clean energy despite the administration's position. State laws and federal tax credits for wind and solar, extended in 2015 with Republican support, will also contribute to the "solid growth of renewables over the next three to four years," according to analyst Ethan Zindler of Energy Finance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Qw4pVQG3E9quCvjO0HAQ6Abm4MCOLqfgBbK6OaLzOJYQSp5RAjAeV-pDqsWzAKJ6wy08djitW1bkleGlLoSRJS6EGfBx265j0_YOhJD1kZpAjd-asQcH_hBJS7S-WwDESXmMOpQUUxlSraR1gMCHyg3hgkEJSAYi_2j0EYdvHporz-gj49zrmA7iqecA-fit3zqE5dHFgZf9cBNkKsDB8btEk4l4W67q7Ual6lLw4owBmc78F0v-JYuK-lYSsMf1hmcOQDcVe-yYvJ2nothf2MnqZi5YDL-3s6LOfBeGwbU=&c=DJ4_M6QmRDV8ML8phS-doSfGIKLWEZTGsXecgXMzH2fs2C--djR8yQ==&ch=pVgLD_BDzfRlOTp2uawZ8NiUHQqNm9Or8SrgcDqL807PQJLriAD7iw==">Bloomberg</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Qw4pVQG3E9quCvjO0HAQ6Abm4MCOLqfgBbK6OaLzOJYQSp5RAjAeV-pDqsWzAKJ6GeSzWbz1w08RZtb8ljwh74rrn-0bZVzj38LaRqGBP27o6bjhJHXQJxgQfd3HZC17ChTF25tLYXOWKylfLCRDlybaX49PMgwT4OtSPf_FDHigkdO3Qz1YRmlDbgUKQXU3BS61zGLlaofHA5vYUNE-GsZg1aFjgbN0KuwjQxY5VqfvPOv-m633WLtZJ5oFVMlTCmFBp_zDc5HjeabuVgIoWkoeBX4cl8q69FpBdcgTMjw=&c=DJ4_M6QmRDV8ML8phS-doSfGIKLWEZTGsXecgXMzH2fs2C--djR8yQ==&ch=pVgLD_BDzfRlOTp2uawZ8NiUHQqNm9Or8SrgcDqL807PQJLriAD7iw=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Utility Dive</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Qw4pVQG3E9quCvjO0HAQ6Abm4MCOLqfgBbK6OaLzOJYQSp5RAjAeV-pDqsWzAKJ6qbxy5-EoubK-3EsB34IsHtgBlioL4c-o6Fk1KRrsvK2hURb2NZWO5OWeCiZZsGgY717tkGSMi7ujnIcP7O37f6FdqJM1s1tmWiq8S_XBes8b2skkvrJFwR2Km9TbknLEvM6HLCVyhU9M6akbYjEREqxLi6dsmrGZHmez6HJX4WCVEhkRqVNV1Q==&c=DJ4_M6QmRDV8ML8phS-doSfGIKLWEZTGsXecgXMzH2fs2C--djR8yQ==&ch=pVgLD_BDzfRlOTp2uawZ8NiUHQqNm9Or8SrgcDqL807PQJLriAD7iw=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Five Thirty Eight</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_2.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://12ACAAA6-0FCD-47C0-896C-4150DE165070/pastedGraphic_2.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>State-Level Governments Continue to Pursue Clean Energy Policies</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">While the federal government has begun to shift its attention away from clean energy development, states have taken the opposite tack. Within the last year, there have been hundreds of clean energy bills introduced into state legislatures, revealing a bipartisan push for an increase in renewable energy that will benefit both the environment and state economies. State approaches vary, with some pledging to run entirely on renewable energy by mid-century, while others have pursued smaller, short-term goals. Most of the proposed bills are aimed at growing the clean energy sector, and while some of the proposals were in opposition to renewables, those have already begun to fizzle out. Many of the proposed bills call for increasing renewable portfolio standards (RPS), which involves mandating electricity to come from clean energy sources. So far, 29 states have an RPS and eight additional states have voluntary energy targets in place. Legislation emphasizing energy efficiency improvements through utilities, home improvements, and building codes have also gained favorability.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Qw4pVQG3E9quCvjO0HAQ6Abm4MCOLqfgBbK6OaLzOJYQSp5RAjAeV-pDqsWzAKJ6tx6ZdiiuDUzR4PU3DnKGdGCGCAljL8NadGkbyfIvLty1CNy4NCZu89CCS0N6dmMSpUeRqo-KY9BpBdGs7kXDUfLk5ZNEhPIc2BmK3LfomqkuF5_DhCFpZcNuVIyxmwxUDXDCQWZSmCV_jYKJOq-4yuDfav2YjXth80HyZr-9FIqwDhRqOUKj_qCwQcFdveXliT7Ntr8Q-721JaM4pcwA_8V1I6xYWIPPipU5uD-hbuI=&c=DJ4_M6QmRDV8ML8phS-doSfGIKLWEZTGsXecgXMzH2fs2C--djR8yQ==&ch=pVgLD_BDzfRlOTp2uawZ8NiUHQqNm9Or8SrgcDqL807PQJLriAD7iw==">Inside Climate News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_3.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://12ACAAA6-0FCD-47C0-896C-4150DE165070/pastedGraphic_3.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Phoenix Faces a Hotter Future Due to Urban Sprawl and Climate Change</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The city of Phoenix has undergone substantial growth, resulting in its neighborhoods becoming more paved with heat trapping asphalt and more reliant on air conditioning. The city receives only eight inches of rain a year and already features temperatures that routinely exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Phoenix's development choices have amplified the problem through the creation of a local "urban heat island effect," as only 11 percent of the city is covered by trees. Climate change has the potential to exacerbate these factors further, with temperatures potentially reaching 130 degrees F in the latter half of the century. "My colleagues and I wonder about the future habitability of Phoenix all the time," said David Hondula, a climatologist who researches the effect of heat on health at Arizona State University. Phoenix has taken steps toward climate mitigation by expanding the public transit systems, replacing fleets of vehicles with electric cars, and setting goals for reducing carbon emissions. However, the Republican-led state legislature has opposed local-level actions to combat climate change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Qw4pVQG3E9quCvjO0HAQ6Abm4MCOLqfgBbK6OaLzOJYQSp5RAjAeV-pDqsWzAKJ6RZnBcKrIgdN-HT53UHw1DHjkyi0lbilaKZUsH_2o-jWfvWKkjveCbjh1hEco1gNtdppgT-gutu-zzCZAkyiiYjEQ-DLxLwslBBaGAHwXspC2iqFyeAFQTpgE3EupsmxvCE4FoP6krN995Nk-BJ0Rhh17Sf-P7drQLuiC1s_yip0kTWP01nqK-w==&c=DJ4_M6QmRDV8ML8phS-doSfGIKLWEZTGsXecgXMzH2fs2C--djR8yQ==&ch=pVgLD_BDzfRlOTp2uawZ8NiUHQqNm9Or8SrgcDqL807PQJLriAD7iw==">Los Angeles Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_4.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://12ACAAA6-0FCD-47C0-896C-4150DE165070/pastedGraphic_4.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">A<b>rchitects of Paris Climate Agreement See a Path Forward Under a Potential U.S. Pullout</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">After months of consternation about the future of the Paris Agreement from which the Trump administration is considering a withdrawal, the treaty's supporters have adopted a more positive perspective on its successful implementation independent of the U.S. decision. Although President Trump's rebuff of climate action could cause other countries to waiver on their commitment to the agreement, some key proponents argue that no U.S involvement would be a better alternative to constant interference from an administration fundamentally opposed to the deal. The agreement requires a consensus for decision-making and Christiana Figueres, the UNFCCC's Executive Secretary during the Paris negotiations, asserts that a U.S.-free Paris Agreement could provide a clearer path toward consensus. China and the European Union are two parties who could assert greater influence over future negotiations and implementation of the treaty if the United States pulls back. The best scenario would be for the United States to remain fully committed to the accord, but its success, says Johan Rockstrom of Stockholm University, may be more likely without "a negative giant in the room."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Qw4pVQG3E9quCvjO0HAQ6Abm4MCOLqfgBbK6OaLzOJYQSp5RAjAeV-pDqsWzAKJ6npNPloqs40YYPhh_0aCVPuZIdY7Yjiy7Q7CeeNCVfA47u2td4VYM8pPNPghLPb_wJk7oyj05WGkqzkKXKrRyHgqzmaRzUCZhalIPPRoIJABuAcbE7kJeUWXiOugJVOeXgztmbu8a1Dl8LQYsMZK7CKL3VJtumh846P8cqwm-jTc=&c=DJ4_M6QmRDV8ML8phS-doSfGIKLWEZTGsXecgXMzH2fs2C--djR8yQ==&ch=pVgLD_BDzfRlOTp2uawZ8NiUHQqNm9Or8SrgcDqL807PQJLriAD7iw==">Reuters<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>As the U.S. Reverses Course on Climate Policy, China Moves to Fill the Void</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">As the Trump administration continues to remove key cogs in the Obama administration's climate action plan, China is moving ahead with its transition toward cleaner energy resources, setting in motion a role reversal on international climate leadership. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said, "All sides should move with the times ... and earnestly take proactive steps to jointly push the enforcement of [the Paris Agreement]." Meanwhile, China's government has prioritized climate mitigation by moving to improve air quality, integrating more renewable electricity into the grid, and setting up a national cap and trade system. China currently consumes as much coal as the rest of the world combined. Law professor Alex L. Wang of the University of California-Los Angeles, observed, "Trump's rejection of regulatory action on climate change creates a vacuum in global climate leadership that China can now seize," adding America's actions do not affect the "underlying drivers" motivating China to act.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Qw4pVQG3E9quCvjO0HAQ6Abm4MCOLqfgBbK6OaLzOJYQSp5RAjAeV-pDqsWzAKJ6jdPWU_R7ajMzH_j74NjMjJFqNXOnwnKhbnRlSrgnqYc9O9eqDqTdETcJu6HZJB_8ABaz8B-KqO-QhdGoN5Iasy8Ei3sUCKj_kJErkCuyw0HSREQIrt9LVHKWwbb5QAs-AXjq6C5zS-kVYAEsZ0K7iMmgZKFpkO1PiAKagV-z1rNhytycE3NihPRwPm5cQn7pHo_F3FpLU7w=&c=DJ4_M6QmRDV8ML8phS-doSfGIKLWEZTGsXecgXMzH2fs2C--djR8yQ==&ch=pVgLD_BDzfRlOTp2uawZ8NiUHQqNm9Or8SrgcDqL807PQJLriAD7iw==">NY Times</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Qw4pVQG3E9quCvjO0HAQ6Abm4MCOLqfgBbK6OaLzOJYQSp5RAjAeV-pDqsWzAKJ6VBwJCWYxxvFt8MtFFdV-IQg6cswQh4zbZ9yUAVnjeP_qvxQu9lWribQu5kMb34iD4Etji8d2I7FQEszk9D-X6jIPX8ZHmbpetMtS-JPKAV1xOlvribNZA4b_Kr1b7a5iu3NnDJGi_ykoggarQCjBkUcBXHNywLpUcKFS2SfHZzg=&c=DJ4_M6QmRDV8ML8phS-doSfGIKLWEZTGsXecgXMzH2fs2C--djR8yQ==&ch=pVgLD_BDzfRlOTp2uawZ8NiUHQqNm9Or8SrgcDqL807PQJLriAD7iw=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Reuters</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_5.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://12ACAAA6-0FCD-47C0-896C-4150DE165070/pastedGraphic_5.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Solar Jobs Rise While Coal Jobs Fall in Northeast Ohio</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Solar industry jobs have doubled in Cleveland, Ohio over the past year, driving around half of the entire state's total job growth in solar. "Ohio is the heavyweight among its neighboring states," said Andrea Luecke, president and executive director of the Solar Foundation in Washington, DC. Solar jobs in Cuyahoga County rose to 1,043 within the last year, more than doubling the previous year's count. Around 60 households will be installing rooftop solar panels as part of a local solar cooperative for the county. "In 10 years a rooftop that doesn't have solar will look out of place," said Mike Foley, head of Cuyahoga County's Department of Sustainability. This growth in the solar industry has beneficial effects on other sectors of the economy as well. "One solar-related job supports 1.31 jobs elsewhere in the Ohio economy, while every $1 spent on solar generates an additional $0.87 in spending throughout the state," Luecke stated. In 2015, Ohio experienced a 21 percent increase in solar industry employment, as the state's coal mining sector saw a matching decline over the same period.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Qw4pVQG3E9quCvjO0HAQ6Abm4MCOLqfgBbK6OaLzOJYQSp5RAjAeV-pDqsWzAKJ6Je6fCF1Orj0dgzTY3r3EYRn8OLGFSyQJsqXPUFSQMoO3R2SbEuvYmWh2OUh8FdX-cBPkOd6cDfrkBug7BVU1Z6pyNrK0YbbulIkS4gOPCohAOS7Wy5glblKVAPu8uugucWQREPdPj-zuhNIg8oBlu1sVMvD0kM1-Tfo1_3I1Onm_nth9YjhAWasEMMt09IIV5siVNDoaPOALF_C0zahJ44ZPHmZ1tgbj4pbJShTjHto=&c=DJ4_M6QmRDV8ML8phS-doSfGIKLWEZTGsXecgXMzH2fs2C--djR8yQ==&ch=pVgLD_BDzfRlOTp2uawZ8NiUHQqNm9Or8SrgcDqL807PQJLriAD7iw==">Midwest Energy News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_6.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://12ACAAA6-0FCD-47C0-896C-4150DE165070/pastedGraphic_6.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Trump's South Florida Estate Under Severe Threat from Climate Change Impacts</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Palm Beach, FL, home of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, is expected to be overtaken by nearly seven feet of sea level rise by the end of the century. Current residents of the 16-mile strip of real estate say they are already witnessing the effects of rising waters and have turned to pumping stations, higher sea walls, and a $100 million project to halt beach erosion. In addition, the town has commissioned a study to assess its vulnerability to future climate impacts. Scientists have described South Florida as "ground zero for climate change impacts" in the United States. One group of scientists wrote to the President, "Many of Florida's waterfront properties (including yours) are vulnerable to even minor increases in sea level, because of erosion and storm surge." Regarding the projected increase in sea level, Harold Wanless, chairman of the geological sciences department at the University of Miami, said, "I can't imagine that Donald Trump's properties will be viable for more than 30 years."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Qw4pVQG3E9quCvjO0HAQ6Abm4MCOLqfgBbK6OaLzOJYQSp5RAjAeV-pDqsWzAKJ6mycht1ZwoNhRyOnrUbGvRzf-I9Zb9Vsv9eC8VzVWHu4_e7xhv85m85-a62fy63Zv5HgINfsvaT1FSHaVdJPKPYMIowO_ygNJvr5dJdZlUYp6sOL_w71maOmDQwy0F1LMXKYFxO0cMq06vNndH8FkOJkg9zPtL4T9-uwteph6A14fQbcG1XftOP9pCIdQC_4tNENIRCsBeQIviPugr8uIxRu5KlhhtQsT7Hqw2GPtARn3EG0gAFdsPnXNG9NEABvmA2v1LIscVPwrEAHswTg_Cu4qwVxcDEEZ&c=DJ4_M6QmRDV8ML8phS-doSfGIKLWEZTGsXecgXMzH2fs2C--djR8yQ==&ch=pVgLD_BDzfRlOTp2uawZ8NiUHQqNm9Or8SrgcDqL807PQJLriAD7iw==">Boston Globe<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_7.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://12ACAAA6-0FCD-47C0-896C-4150DE165070/pastedGraphic_7.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>An Alternative Approach to Climate Adaptation: "Managed Retreat"</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">As climate change leads to increased storm severity and rising oceans, it has become clear that coastal residents will need to take action in the near future. Historically, this has included the construction of sea walls, levees, and elevated infrastructure, but a "managed retreat" presents another option. At its core, managed retreat is a well-coordinated relocation of people and assets away from danger zones, which works both to protect coastal inhabitants and also allow for the restoration of coastal habitats to their natural state. A new study, published in Nature Climate Change, examined 27 cases of managed retreat around the world and estimated that 1.3 million people have had to relocate due to storms, flooding, earthquakes, and tsunamis over the past 30 years. However, this pales in comparison to the 70-190 million people expected to be displaced by sea level rise alone by the end of the century. The study also provided a framework for assessing whether a retreat may succeed based on the balance of various factors, including who initiates the action and whether it benefits the broader society.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Qw4pVQG3E9quCvjO0HAQ6Abm4MCOLqfgBbK6OaLzOJYQSp5RAjAeV-pDqsWzAKJ6Y8bXC76HggAfyikINgYX3cxo3W_NvGu8uJJlcemuUMfyiIp5N6rXdXUar4e1yBY1D28_ALJ0kllrYoO2HsgdVfGaU5mJcMrggYOYwuaWtvzgW3MJY0Sdm8ZYq7wIeyze5V4hPTPt9WIII-DVIAibUoI4AHN5NjH0DgU3lZjE8XAHY85uMafSKBUrm3U4q3L5&c=DJ4_M6QmRDV8ML8phS-doSfGIKLWEZTGsXecgXMzH2fs2C--djR8yQ==&ch=pVgLD_BDzfRlOTp2uawZ8NiUHQqNm9Or8SrgcDqL807PQJLriAD7iw==">Carbon Brief<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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Thanks,<br />
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Chad Tolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198303455148896174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441974095206886318.post-46818215868486181142017-03-20T08:01:00.001-07:002017-03-20T08:01:54.981-07:00CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS FOR MARCH 2017<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>CC NEWS FOR MARCH 2017</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I learned recently that Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) released a report on January 13 titled, <a href="http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/energy/Documents/2016%20Climate%20Action%20Progress%20Report/Climate%20Action%20in%20Delaware%202016%20Progress%20Report.pdf"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">Climate Action in Delaware: 2016 Progress Report</span></a>. The planning work of state agencies led in early 2014 to the publication of the <a href="http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/energy/Pages/Climate-Framework.aspx"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">Climate Framework for Delaware</span></a>, which recommended that the state reduce total GHG emissions by 30% by 2030, relative to emissions in 2008. It also reported 155 actions that the agencies recommended to achieve this goal. The introduction says,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Since 2014, state agencies have been working together to put these recommendations into action. This progress report highlights the actions and accomplishments made by Delaware’s state government to curb greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. The report also provides an overview of local government actions and sets out a vision for future actions.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The 2016 Progress Report was divided into five sections:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Climate Change in Delaware</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Climate Mitigation: Reducing Greenhouse Gases in Delaware</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Climate Adaptation: Improving Delaware’s Resilience</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Supporting Local Communities</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Moving Forward</b></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;"><b><br />
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">On March 2 James Hansen published an 8.1-minute <b><i>YouTube</i></b> video titled, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ3lo9Jwlto&feature=youtu.be"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255);">Sophie Sez #2: Obama Missed a Golden Opportunity - but We Can Still Win!</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Sophie is Hansen’s granddaughter and one of the young people involved in suing the federal government in a lawsuit called <a href="https://www.ourchildrenstrust.org/us/federal-lawsuit/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">Our Children’s Trust</span></a> for not protecting their future from catastrophic climate change. In the video she and Hansen explain how President Obama missed the opportunity to get the United States to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% by 2050 - a feasible but stretch goal already adopted by a number of states, including California and New York. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> I’s well worth watching!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">On March 3 Mark Hachman posted an article in <b><i>PCWorld</i></b> titled, <a href="http://livepage.apple.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">Beyond lithium-ion: Researchers reveal a safer, longer-lasting, solid-state battery alternative.</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">John Goodenough, one of the inventors of the lithium-ion batters, teamed up with Maria H. Braga to develop a battery that uses solid glass as an electrolyte, has an energy density three times that of a convention lithium-ion battery, is less prone to overheating and catching on fire, and can be discharged and recharged many times. The inventors have a patent and are now looking for a manufacturer.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">On March 6 <b><i>Reuters</i></b> posted an article titled, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-climatechange-trump-idUSKBN16D25H"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(17, 17, 17);">EU says to beef up climate diplomacy to save Paris agreement</span></a></span><span style="color: #111111; font-kerning: none;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“EU foreign ministers on Monday said the bloc would strengthen diplomacy to promote the fight against climate change in the face of a possible U.S. exit from the Paris agreement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">U.S. President Donald Trump campaigned on promises to reverse the climate-change initiatives of his predecessor and withdraw from a Paris climate deal backed by 194 countries in late 2015 to curb global warming by cutting greenhouse gases.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">European foreign ministers agreed to raise climate risk awareness among partners and aid developing countries in gaining access to sustainable energy.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“"We are positioning our diplomats in the EU delegations and embassies to do an aggressive outreach so that the Paris Agreement be implemented and saved," an EU official said.”</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(17, 17, 17);">Also on March 6 Amy Mayer of <b><i>Iowa Public Radio</i></b> posted an article titled, <a href="http://iowapublicradio.org/post/study-climate-change-may-hurt-nations-agricultural-productivity%23stream/0"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #0061ff;">Study: Climate Change May Hurt Nation's Agricultural Productivity</span></a></span><span style="color: #222222; font-kerning: none;">. It said, </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">The agriculture sector needs to ramp up its response to climate change, especially in the Midwest, according to a <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2017/02/28/1615922114.full.pdf?sid=8d606259-fbff-433d-bab6-88d36c8b7a00"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(22, 141, 217); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">new study published in the </span></a>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Researchers at the University of Maryland used climate projections and historical trends in agricultural productivity to predict how changes in temperature and rainfall will impact food production.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">They found that without changes to farm policy and improvements to agricultural technology, the nation’s productivity in 2050 could look like it did in 1980. That’s because at the present rates of innovation, new technologies won’t be able to keep up with the damage caused by the changes in climate in our major growing regions.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“The new research identifies the Corn Belt as the region where the changes could have the biggest impact on overall productivity, with California and the Southwest region second in line. The transition area from the Corn Belt into the southern cotton and pasture region is also vulnerable. Losses in U.S. production could impact the global food supply.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On March 8 the Regional Greenhouse Initiative (<a href="http://www.rggi.org/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">RGGI</span></a>) held its first auction for 2017. RGGI, which involves electricity generating plants in nine Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states, requires that power plants have have enough emissions allowances - each one for a ton (2000 lbs.) of CO2 - to cover their emissions over a 3-year period. In this 35th auction, 14.37 million allowances were sold at $3.00 each for a total of $43.1 million, which will be invested in the participating states in energy efficiency, renewable energy, bill assistance to low income families, and GHG reduction programs. The cumulative proceeds from all CO2 allowance programs exceeds $2.68 billion. RGGI has provided jobs, improved public health, and reduced the cost of electricity in the participating states. The RGGI cap for 2017 is 84.3 million tons and is decreasing by 2.5% per year through 2020.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">On March 13 Mary Bowerman posted an article in <b><i>USA Today</i></b> titled, <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/03/13/great-barrier-reef-mass-coral-bleaching-second-year-row/99116432/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Mass coral bleaching hits the Great Barrier Reef for the second year in a row</span></a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-kerning: none;">. She wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“An expansive aerial survey found that the Great Barrier Reef has been ravaged by coral bleaching for the second year in a row, marking the first time the reef has not had several years to recover between bleaching events, according to researchers.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Warmer oceanic waters spurred by climate change, have led to an increase in coral bleaching around the world, according to the center.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The vibrant colors that draw thousands of tourists to the Great Barrier Reef each year come from algae that live in the coral's tissue. When water temperatures become too high, coral becomes stressed and expels the algae, which leave the coral a bleached white color. While some of the areas are expected to regain their normal color when temperatures drop, other parts of the reef have already experienced significant mortality of bleached coral.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The back-to-back summers of widespread coral bleaching likely mean that the water temperatures did not become low enough to allow the corral to adequately recovered, Neal Cantin from the Australian Institute of Marine Science said in a statement.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> While coral reefs cover only a fraction of 1% of the ocean’s surface, they support 25% of the sea creatures, which provide protein for hundreds of millions of people. Their loss would make it even more difficult to feed the earth’s increasing human population.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On March 20 Baher Kamal posted an article in <b><i>Inter Press Service News </i></b>titled, <a href="http://www.ipsnews.net/2017/03/new-evidence-confirms-risk-that-mideast-may-become-uninhabitable/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 69, 121); color: #0061ff;">New Evidence Confirms Risk That Mideast May Become Uninhabitable</span></a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 69, 121); color: #004579;">. He wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 69, 121); color: #004579;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">New evidence is deepening scientific fears, advanced few years ago, that the Middle East and North Africa risk becoming uninhabitable in a few decades, as accessible fresh water has fallen by two-thirds over the past 40 years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This sharp water scarcity simply not only affects the already precarious provision of drinking water for most of the region’s 22 countries, home to nearly 400 million inhabitants, but also the availability of water for agriculture and food production for a fast growing population.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The new facts are stark: per capita availability of fresh water in the region is now 10 times less than the world average. Moreover, higher temperatures may shorten growing seasons in the region by 18 days and reduce agricultural yields a further 27 per cent to 55 per cent less by the end of this century.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Add to this that the region’s fresh water resources are among the lowest in the world, and are expected to fall over 50 per cent by 2050, according to the United Nations leading agency in the field of food and agriculture.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Moreover, 90 per cent of the total land in the region lies within arid, semi/arid and dry sub/humid areas, while 45 per cent of the total agricultural area is exposed to salinity, soil nutrient depletion and wind water erosion, adds the UN <a href="http://www.fao.org/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(109, 144, 168); color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">Food and Agriculture Organization</span></a></span><span style="color: #0061ff; font-kerning: none;"> (<a href="http://www.fao.org/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(109, 144, 168);">FAO</span></a>)</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“This alarming situation has prompted FAO’s director general to call for urgent action. On his recent visit to Cairo, Jose Graziano da Silva said that access to water is a “fundamental need for food security, human health and agriculture”, and its looming scarcity in the North Africa and Middle East region is a huge challenge requiring an “urgent and massive response”.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Meantime, the rising sea level in the Nile Delta – which hosts the most fertile lands in Egypt– is exposing the region’s most inhabited country (almost 100 million people) to the danger of losing substantial parts of the most productive agriculture land due to salinisation.”</span></div>
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The following items are from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), Carol Werner, Executive Director. Past issues of its newsletter are posted on its website under "publications"<br />
at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102515421764&e=001VqmyLSnT7fkl-_mocGBcn8yb2ys8eiE4dr3Tnveazy1K0B1fU1CponAdxiy_W78b49PK6NHsR0pHlqO7KOWi-3m5yW4bNEJiyJt1G95YoNt46CLY1L4uGjNKLSPL84kX2r7jAaxw1oVR18YElOXvV8_lo1bRsASi9tPNMTm7-ZU="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">http://www.eesi.org/publications/Newsletters/CCNews/ccnews.htm</span></a></span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">EESI’s newsletter is intended for all interested parties, particularly the policymaker community. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CAC518B6-3559-49CA-828B-E416B6D5F741/pastedGraphic.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Popular Energy Star Program Is Reportedly on Trump's EPA Chopping Block</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A new White House budget proposal to cut 38 EPA programs includes Energy Star, a voluntary energy efficiency program that has saved money for consumers and businesses. The certification, which applies to appliances, heating and cooling systems, electronics, and buildings, boasts 85 percent brand recognition among consumers, allowing companies to differentiate their products in the market. The program has saved consumers $430 billion since its creation in 1992 under President George H.W. Bush and enjoys widespread support today. The elimination of a program that "is doing so much good across so many fronts," says Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy, is a "penny-wise and pound-foolish" idea. The program includes 16,000 participants ranging from schools and hospitals to a wide variety of companies and organizations. Callahan explains that she "can't imagine honestly that the manufacturers won't fight very, very hard to keep this program in place."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KkvgU183WuZRvcy4JI_SR4GQyk5BL94DcAvq5fezhFoYRsHErw023pMOFbd7hmr65jGIyqp1lybylgUQZVfRIJPZ845SPGnP50kDzWAWKRUtY5dKdf2VLZhyGtys6_27JBiWRzqLBOG__tJ0-CiZqowN58X-rij217jW8CKc-NEeqx2yf8mUQF6t1YuysLB2Ukhs1UHMvo-FvQ_pWGyuOBBe8tCDQrN7rgeHGEd2KJYUHgGvK3Jrq83K7e1axGIqYuAdCa9T7Bs_t9FV6ohndUYCYANsNy14qZhQAOrXJ7fjhv8-seXwKoipRDYTzfqSzICB8kuTzRSiWMRf2g-DoyFfCwhQlVHBm4DMmLf2HnXoPusMR9AuDOo_eQpW2WynOe_S1RcTrHFAIZc8uFz3Jq8RR1Blw6j0&c=cOqh8OgXskBxzWI-GJbxyEii03QWe1Omy7c7g3tPJXRHyJLJFpCF_g==&ch=baUXqFl-uXP3hZP-W5shwteRi14OVEg7B-4CK2esWGyZvU0Pfi-sIQ==">Washington Post<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_1.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CAC518B6-3559-49CA-828B-E416B6D5F741/pastedGraphic_1.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Proposed Cuts to NOAA's Budget Would Carry Serious Consequences for Multiple Sectors</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Trump administration is proposing a 17 percent cut to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) budget. Members of the weather and climate communities cautioned that the deep cuts would set back advances made in weather prediction and climate science. NOAA's weather satellite division, the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Services, would be one of the areas hardest hit by the budget cuts with a reduction of $513 million. NOAA's annual budget currently sits at $5.6 billion, a small percentage of the federal discretionary budget, and costs each American about $3 annually. NOAA's data is essential to a wide range of constituents, from water managers to farmers to local weather forecasters. Dan Sobein, president of the National Weather Service Employees Organization, said, "The weather has such a huge impact on the economy, that the small savings [from the cuts] are a losing proposition for taxpayers. It would leave a huge hole in our ability to warn people and could even cost lives."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KkvgU183WuZRvcy4JI_SR4GQyk5BL94DcAvq5fezhFoYRsHErw023pMOFbd7hmr6oRkzHrpHgmsKh9JqEmk0Cdnq-hUrHl8JtyYTSbdYSl0h-DZhi25grhK1Dtz7rO5gb_9FcsZIHP1iLJj8C0RdaPADYjICB0MMm3Klw_55m9DdfOx2hI_mNg1wqoyRxgkaLhxkTkWosZM=&c=cOqh8OgXskBxzWI-GJbxyEii03QWe1Omy7c7g3tPJXRHyJLJFpCF_g==&ch=baUXqFl-uXP3hZP-W5shwteRi14OVEg7B-4CK2esWGyZvU0Pfi-sIQ==">Washington Post</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KkvgU183WuZRvcy4JI_SR4GQyk5BL94DcAvq5fezhFoYRsHErw023pMOFbd7hmr6FLfRPdelr-SROFE5KPGKJgeVLh2NowBMelrCjOyzk_KnX892v-Vpp1s_KtRKQj0QKorcFQYtCMdVExREm5bCtwZnx26SMGorKvFEszFoLLEiWBCyWzaeoUXcw09Vbnheo6XEenJo2muz8Xft7m2jryGDr6lzxrGP1ludy61D4od2KpAe7KmvbEGggVKZaANvKneMHNzMeiupa4_lqhSbLz0DkZ0pAbF5iHCbOnv9OOk=&c=cOqh8OgXskBxzWI-GJbxyEii03QWe1Omy7c7g3tPJXRHyJLJFpCF_g==&ch=baUXqFl-uXP3hZP-W5shwteRi14OVEg7B-4CK2esWGyZvU0Pfi-sIQ=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">USA Today</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KkvgU183WuZRvcy4JI_SR4GQyk5BL94DcAvq5fezhFoYRsHErw023pMOFbd7hmr635kaSG176ZPyUQd_dYos0AQXmG78o4jJvtM_kQsbeKzQsheVlXzfh1TLnlMf09oPHMgR2snAMeubU6cxQnBgSlMfay3ntqj6p1QtyxCk6v_k98evHc9_uDF-bXmPJOvYDDhUk_5W7dWnrxSVvhJuHFeHNfFCTY4W_m7ZnkVheo-xj6Sm9GZfFMdTmW-lBMBd&c=cOqh8OgXskBxzWI-GJbxyEii03QWe1Omy7c7g3tPJXRHyJLJFpCF_g==&ch=baUXqFl-uXP3hZP-W5shwteRi14OVEg7B-4CK2esWGyZvU0Pfi-sIQ=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Pacific Standard</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>EPA to Reconsider Its Vehicle Fuel-Efficiency Standards</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Trump administration and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plan to withdraw a previously issued "final determination" on stricter fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks for model years 2022-2025, after receiving pressure from automakers to loosen the standards. Under the Obama administration, automakers were committed to a decade-long development cycle to produce more fuel-efficient vehicles, including hybrids and electric vehicles. The EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration agreed to review the stricter standards when they set them five years ago, but the EPA concluded in December 2016 "that no revision was necessary." This process occurred before the Trump administration took office in January 2017. In addition, the administration is also examining whether they will issue an executive order revoking California's ability to create its own vehicle emission targets, an exemption first authorized by Congress in 1970. California is the only state with the ability to set their own stricter vehicle emission standards under the Clean Air Act, but other states can choose to adopt California's regulations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KkvgU183WuZRvcy4JI_SR4GQyk5BL94DcAvq5fezhFoYRsHErw023pMOFbd7hmr6oAGUQY27KvdGfZXQRGosAuaKVfFUSPOG75pVAce_eklVJwPNDbOb_r68kPJtC1gPgiplVEk2j58zluVtrIE59roWtqow2YhMt3KBKn1rJhGBX_42FZgCsSY3UlOMPzvM4QNzeinRjvfiwiaJ9wmWSBzq8chHRcpZzMdfo7X6XAPJdSD1TRc5kKHKJQKwa21U&c=cOqh8OgXskBxzWI-GJbxyEii03QWe1Omy7c7g3tPJXRHyJLJFpCF_g==&ch=baUXqFl-uXP3hZP-W5shwteRi14OVEg7B-4CK2esWGyZvU0Pfi-sIQ==">LA Times</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KkvgU183WuZRvcy4JI_SR4GQyk5BL94DcAvq5fezhFoYRsHErw023pMOFbd7hmr6WVN7J1XMcL3-g94smT1x0G973J7T4tNrjNDNOhhiqrRK4jIxH12vidlvumtkXSL1Ee98PXjpZwmmjgztPGLLKIScZsr1G2ZNC-ocCULrUlCiw524ZOVU4weiS_p6OU3HLTV9NreL2tlXutOW9WWU_Mdq50kPde8WBbw-d-_YvRKN5747c__lGux6Nzz85AfRekJ2xhnQqE61DsSdXmGpdmrYUItXE0f3AhAKckW2gtE=&c=cOqh8OgXskBxzWI-GJbxyEii03QWe1Omy7c7g3tPJXRHyJLJFpCF_g==&ch=baUXqFl-uXP3hZP-W5shwteRi14OVEg7B-4CK2esWGyZvU0Pfi-sIQ=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">New York Times</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Trump Administration May End NOAA's Crucial Sea Grant Program</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A leaked White House memo shows that the Trump administration could attempt to abolish the National Sea Grant College Program, which supports partnerships between universities and localities to protect their economies and communities. Since its creation in 1966, the program has worked to "foster economic competitiveness" and "provide for the understanding and wise use of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources."Derek Brockbank, executive director of the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association, points out that "sea grants are and would be critical even if there was no climate change" and that they have "only become more critical with climate change." Experts say that cutting this program could impede climate adaptation for coastal communities and harm the economies that depend on these measures. "The Sea Grant program represents a tried-and-true model of cooperation between universities, local governments, state governments, and the federal government," explainedJason Evans, a Stetson University scientist who works with the program. "Its effectiveness is really something to emulate, not eliminate, for the sake of austerity."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KkvgU183WuZRvcy4JI_SR4GQyk5BL94DcAvq5fezhFoYRsHErw023pMOFbd7hmr6Lma9ZIKN5cEHgkbCrSyAF7iNbEJnkzDU2bzbo9vjOPP5bv4rkRbe2b5w0crYvWcbBlEbMEywhzLggfDKgSJFKfwNx6XZ7BbLq3s-6ZY3lTU85nVzSR_wbgFw8zMDX903HUhlg8lkCD-YN0d6lvfzqHYIBaFQzyu9rHB-mI6pLKqYglFqN6i9XqYq55sYdsPl&c=cOqh8OgXskBxzWI-GJbxyEii03QWe1Omy7c7g3tPJXRHyJLJFpCF_g==&ch=baUXqFl-uXP3hZP-W5shwteRi14OVEg7B-4CK2esWGyZvU0Pfi-sIQ==">Climate Central<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_2.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CAC518B6-3559-49CA-828B-E416B6D5F741/pastedGraphic_2.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Pruitt Brings Along Fellow Climate-Deniers to EPA</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Newly appointed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Scott Pruitt is beginning to fill up vacant offices at the agency with those who share his viewpoint towards environmental regulations and climate change. Pruitt has pulled heavily from the staff of fellow climate denier and Oklahoma Republican, Senator James Inhofe. Pruitt's vision appears to be bringing in personnel who are fundamentally in conflict with the career employees who have carried out the EPA's past actions. President Trump is expected to issue an executive order directing Pruitt to start the legal process of undoing the Clean Power Plan, in addition to weakening stricter fleet-wide fuel economy standards installed under the Obama administration. Former EPA administrator Gina McCarthy said, "If you want to do these executive orders that require a whole rewrite of the rule, you have to get that right, legally. It took years to do those rules. To now ask for those things to be undone with less staff and low morale - how are they going to do it?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KkvgU183WuZRvcy4JI_SR4GQyk5BL94DcAvq5fezhFoYRsHErw023pMOFbd7hmr69RP9TwXjV6deEC-7Ik0X9DO8iehO0g84FyKyzRm1U8p4D4d8qBXyTjkGRn6_V_pZ3QSmUWqceopdsbr_es1MczjPdM0E1p4crz_kTzyG3ryvyHWtxION592qVu-fYFfJWw-DFB1tcHEAAN_2rHfIL51d0jhxCEO1Br9FdVx_ODY1Om7HBHuEuuEt6X8wKHi-NTk_NOgZWxwJvxWKClxVvxe8m_PemO2z&c=cOqh8OgXskBxzWI-GJbxyEii03QWe1Omy7c7g3tPJXRHyJLJFpCF_g==&ch=baUXqFl-uXP3hZP-W5shwteRi14OVEg7B-4CK2esWGyZvU0Pfi-sIQ==">Washington Post<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_3.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CAC518B6-3559-49CA-828B-E416B6D5F741/pastedGraphic_3.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>To Achieve Climate Action Goals, California Must Drastically Alter Development Patterns</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">There are concerns about how California will reach its goal of reducing the state's greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. To achieve these reductions, its citizens will need to make lifestyle adjustments, such as Southern Californians driving 12 percent less than they currently do. Cars and trucks are currently the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in California. The state will also need to facilitate key actions, including increasing the number of electric vehicles on the road, expanding access to public transportation, convincing individuals to walk and bike more, and investing in renewable energy to supply the grid. However, many fear that the changes are too great for California to pull off in time. In order to achieve greater neighborhood density, state officials will need to change current development patterns-a major challenge that may see resistance from local governments. Ultimately, the state will need to reduce sprawl and invest in new housing units that promote clean transportation options.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KkvgU183WuZRvcy4JI_SR4GQyk5BL94DcAvq5fezhFoYRsHErw023pMOFbd7hmr6OGEnttKgn0VgIfgc1FxUM579ZgDpr4fPGeQ4ZA2qANdvw4MKVEpUBTCdvmChTxzfx0p-kbSG5GWAL7v7r0MJgaESpAjxRKAREgVrgivmq2G3MhpQxDtzF89aIF0JhEVi5WrhfHvTgHUFfwqBjkMQAEB48JOJDV5QZ10OOm7N0lJ6hvsdXpsRbpXGJDVX8gvz83doOofGe7I=&c=cOqh8OgXskBxzWI-GJbxyEii03QWe1Omy7c7g3tPJXRHyJLJFpCF_g==&ch=baUXqFl-uXP3hZP-W5shwteRi14OVEg7B-4CK2esWGyZvU0Pfi-sIQ==">LA Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_4.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CAC518B6-3559-49CA-828B-E416B6D5F741/pastedGraphic_4.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Delaware's Beach Towns Open for Business Year-Round Thanks to a Changing Climate, but at a Cost</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">More and more, climate change is changing the face of Delaware's beaches and the towns that depend on them. Like its shorelines, Delaware's freezing winter temperatures have steadily receded over the last few decades. The significant shift in climate has allowed many of the 80 percent of local businesses that once closed for the winter to operate year-round, which has helped to create "25 years straight of renaissance" in Rehoboth and other towns. However, the warming temperatures have come at a cost as damaging hurricanes and storms are occurring more frequently. Beach restoration projects necessary to repair beaches eroded after each big storm have cost the state millions of dollars. These projects have become too costly for Delaware to fund on its own, causing state leaders to continually push for more federal funding. The Trump administration has not indicated whether it will grant this funding under a future budget.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KkvgU183WuZRvcy4JI_SR4GQyk5BL94DcAvq5fezhFoYRsHErw023pMOFbd7hmr6PgrDJYnxngGaEJftyIlmU4sjQl-SuIdv16Y7-3Fc0ZPluuu9JszpRj80TFUwhTnZmV-zfx_5N4vrqQaCI6OJGbbJn08tsMS9oUXwbg-fw2a6zRhgBni_ozng5G1ELO3ZAsTS98hp5SB5bGm71sfERtRZJo4URiLdF8hqgMYWjxfH48hJyA7Wj7IZ5pdx6o7lLSoTb6d_mPZcjBAciPBwmuGQ2lmQkb9CB8xv-qR0tEmNSxKRhpiH3HtekKwXPjfz&c=cOqh8OgXskBxzWI-GJbxyEii03QWe1Omy7c7g3tPJXRHyJLJFpCF_g==&ch=baUXqFl-uXP3hZP-W5shwteRi14OVEg7B-4CK2esWGyZvU0Pfi-sIQ==">USA Today<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_5.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CAC518B6-3559-49CA-828B-E416B6D5F741/pastedGraphic_5.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Trump's Budget Outline Slashes Agency Funding for Climate, Energy, and Environment Programs</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On March 16, the Trump administration released its so-called "skinny budget," previewing the slew of cuts it will formally propose to Congress in the full-length version. The largest agency-wide cuts were at the EPA (31 percent), the Department of State (29 percent), Agriculture (21 percent), Labor (21 percent), Health and Human Services (18 percent), and Commerce (16 percent). NASA would experience a one-percent cut overall, but would see virtually all of its funding for Earth science research, climate change programs, and education shut down. The only agencies to see an increase in spending were the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs. Many individual programs, including Energy Star, the Weatherization Assistance Program, ARPA-E, and the State Energy Program, would be eliminated entirely. When questioned by the press about the numerous climate change cuts in the budget, Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney replied, "We're not spending money on [climate] anymore. We consider that to be a waste of your money to go out and do that."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016cRVN-wQNE5YnBVhTGahP5rvIcK1c2JCbp7jCD3YkssYiG6o89Gqg21hAU3HiUwQ_32mIEO0tumIyrkuoYJlE80b2HbYcthuKZQb8-no0uSKCTDUoRIGZWnKYEe6I35TcIQd-jhEvH_avhNxhYtQra_ww4YK0ZZVGZ-0Y7KS-UleEdDqb7zVa4NXISWrB0MRLqfIIhUvNWTh6uC_JK5VZ_WplNmswhU0QbJVTkyo8KzVvWiDIi9tHCqdSjxly-0GqlkTUeZSUSoXGB8-6CJuRGReQkhhLtL7pz6Kz1RRPkuJDeYKgK7dCA==&c=AzC2YYFGR4TYzin8H6oNpBVGqxKn38lmrDtVyvZ7bYEJZeMwwtYjCw==&ch=t1RMA6Mc3c80fg4r6nqMHx6wxMdjSShVEn6aS5U6s9p8cJLFgYXiGA==">Washington Post</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016cRVN-wQNE5YnBVhTGahP5rvIcK1c2JCbp7jCD3YkssYiG6o89Gqg21hAU3HiUwQ6Zxmq0KwKjmeVQVRaYTs3oBra_jun4K1igm9njYgUMF8DBGPd_HgkkKPl355RG2O-PVp47pbd5dIME7Ob54XAhn4kihtKuai8vqo2LYTs0_39pOX3tlOUE0l6aiBCPhXJZ10WIzrCy7Ji4JXhnRKEdepIv0huzJEmJ08lxMxcG0aApx26RV5j2BHFKzqGLI7GadlKJYeujAZ4GIiV7vcHA==&c=AzC2YYFGR4TYzin8H6oNpBVGqxKn38lmrDtVyvZ7bYEJZeMwwtYjCw==&ch=t1RMA6Mc3c80fg4r6nqMHx6wxMdjSShVEn6aS5U6s9p8cJLFgYXiGA=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">The Hill</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016cRVN-wQNE5YnBVhTGahP5rvIcK1c2JCbp7jCD3YkssYiG6o89Gqg21hAU3HiUwQGIXqzBtdIhmNnBAkc10W6GcfAw7gro9lFL5d8NCSqUaFIs8OH4FN25ISuECkI3pApU-gUYSuuDkRlmNdhErEpAhEjXVxJBcBb133HC4g_c-Ue8TUxKDj9jmZ89MvkHfY_Q1ORhXc3V71kE83FqJkjaxsXn1Cx6G_b_DAS4GwPKW5YCAnj4LFqA==&c=AzC2YYFGR4TYzin8H6oNpBVGqxKn38lmrDtVyvZ7bYEJZeMwwtYjCw==&ch=t1RMA6Mc3c80fg4r6nqMHx6wxMdjSShVEn6aS5U6s9p8cJLFgYXiGA=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">CNN</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_6.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CAC518B6-3559-49CA-828B-E416B6D5F741/pastedGraphic_6.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Seventeen House Republicans Break Away from Party, Push for Climate Action</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On March 15, a group of 17 House Republicans broke from the majority position of their party and introduced a resolution calling for climate change solutions. Spearheaded by Rep. Elise Stefanik (NY), Rep. Carlos Curbelo (FL), and Rep. Ryan Costello (PA), H. Res. 195 acknowledges humanity's role in causing climate change and calls for a commitment to "mitigation efforts and efforts to balance human activities that have been found to have an impact." The resolution suggests that the United States should seek economically viable solutions that include both private and public sector solutions. It also states that clean energy investment and innovation are critical to both job creation and addressing climate change. This resolution is similar to one introduced in 2015 by former Rep. Chris Gibson (R-NY). While the new resolution has the momentum of the Paris Agreement on its side, it will likely face resistance from the White House. The other signatories include Representatives Amodei (NV), Bacon (NE), Comstock (VA), Faso (NY), Fitzpatrick (PA), Katko (NY), Love (UT), Ros-Lehtinen (FL), LoBiondo (NJ), Mast (FL), Meehan (PA), Reed (NY), Reichert (WA), and Sanford (SC).</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016cRVN-wQNE5YnBVhTGahP5rvIcK1c2JCbp7jCD3YkssYiG6o89Gqg21hAU3HiUwQ-d-beGibaXQGTPCsRMEis_nAlyBXjygpDIJgl4KRVsbdmIRg-WT45hLfmMsXfs8FtMV3oO750hRh1qjeJ5EFZxIsWeiwIjX-yi4MvoOI1DEgD8_tUuc1528XdZWsHCvdvZN4hi8NeAhD2tVfHqJTw2_i2D95b_Hr5zGTZLC_Ky9bkl5LiAdLDDgQ3mPpoTx2MHjQdOPZXum_eTwmjCjlC1XDFFqd42Tpr6PlXmcUBuw=&c=AzC2YYFGR4TYzin8H6oNpBVGqxKn38lmrDtVyvZ7bYEJZeMwwtYjCw==&ch=t1RMA6Mc3c80fg4r6nqMHx6wxMdjSShVEn6aS5U6s9p8cJLFgYXiGA==">The Hill</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016cRVN-wQNE5YnBVhTGahP5rvIcK1c2JCbp7jCD3YkssYiG6o89Gqg21hAU3HiUwQ-NJOKzSTP5iynDDz9bZI_Wmt-vjZYzkn92cypYeyoJh455r4YyV_mgBesP7wapTUaimYVHefvKQflifcq0Z-mo5OMG_NPwN8Z9Z-HrJiZqJKUSmWu2ew84TvR6HNgCsZYMIysYZY5aNwzYW5g79xNn5oybmZib8HtPMzSe50qWPBSvO3ZO-KGHKb5DRlDMiJV0fe5nPuSbaB1UXQHHu8Y5peW_jPtheFqWmul_sw9rQ=&c=AzC2YYFGR4TYzin8H6oNpBVGqxKn38lmrDtVyvZ7bYEJZeMwwtYjCw==&ch=t1RMA6Mc3c80fg4r6nqMHx6wxMdjSShVEn6aS5U6s9p8cJLFgYXiGA=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Bloomberg</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_7.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CAC518B6-3559-49CA-828B-E416B6D5F741/pastedGraphic_7.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Defense Secretary Mattis Declares Climate Change a Threat to National Security</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In newly-released written testimony taken during his confirmation hearing with the Senate Armed Services Committee, Secretary of Defense James Mattis explained that climate change is an imminent and significant threat to national security. He stated that "climate change is impacting stability in areas of the world where our troops are operating today," and that "it is appropriate for the Combatant Commands to incorporate drivers of instability that impact the security environment in their areas into their planning." Mattis's longstanding view is that the military should reduce fossil fuel use and employ more renewable energy due to various strategic and operational factors, including climate change. During other parts of the testimony, Mattis made clear that "increased maritime access to the Arctic, rising sea levels, desertification" and other climate impacts play a role in U.S. security. "I will ensure that the department continues to be prepared to conduct operations today and in the future, and that we are prepared to address the effects of a changing climate on our threat assessments, resources, and readiness."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016cRVN-wQNE5YnBVhTGahP5rvIcK1c2JCbp7jCD3YkssYiG6o89Gqg21hAU3HiUwQE7eWP3asjKbjernv345RDfFCoLTfcIJOirNNminYEjZOAMhmpe0o9A2bZsKw2f7SPD64ol0H4EPgBQ15zIpW0TcKHeyOKZMrf52U7kfhoYRJCyquyBrd6UENXqe4DAPTjHw56bULW1hLIgkj3Usjw0Z6tZiB1BGIktLKOWZG2ob8wu-mKoKorWDLqxbfw6-raP-54KEYGmWa8VPWJLdYRpvSFQ6mbNfd&c=AzC2YYFGR4TYzin8H6oNpBVGqxKn38lmrDtVyvZ7bYEJZeMwwtYjCw==&ch=t1RMA6Mc3c80fg4r6nqMHx6wxMdjSShVEn6aS5U6s9p8cJLFgYXiGA==">ProPublica</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016cRVN-wQNE5YnBVhTGahP5rvIcK1c2JCbp7jCD3YkssYiG6o89Gqg21hAU3HiUwQkYVJhPI99JYIhEO0YGftY84P0tBVvEnYx8UY_0_5n-gTnYdwD6y6XSCw5V7grHbO-M0ZsWx1JhAtZTsBcHKpOuYYCqWrWgPDhirE095jX5oIDFwb5I4KhqZ1bFw9PLb9Z95A_6X1VFWb5XYTd7hksP3YxLInp6wYOIqiQ4FVPqB1i7b8W--slMfV77tbE78p_G8QEtMRlTXZ86NBfbbh2t7wero3L3mjx9pk2oB0S3s=&c=AzC2YYFGR4TYzin8H6oNpBVGqxKn38lmrDtVyvZ7bYEJZeMwwtYjCw==&ch=t1RMA6Mc3c80fg4r6nqMHx6wxMdjSShVEn6aS5U6s9p8cJLFgYXiGA=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">The Hill</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Scientists and Organizations Refute Pruitt's Denial of Greenhouse Gas Effects</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">During a televised interview on March 9, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said, "I would not agree that [carbon dioxide is] a primary contributor to the global warming that we see." The scientific community has refuted this statement with vigor, with multiple groups responding directly to Pruitt. One group of 30 prominent climate scientists sent him a letter, stating, "Just as there is no escaping gravity when one steps off a cliff, there is no escaping the warming that follows when we add extra carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to the atmosphere." The American Meteorological Society (AMS) also sent Pruitt a letter, stating that they are ready to help him understand climate science data because "mischaracterizing the science is not the best starting point for a constructive dialogue" on climate policy. AMS' letter noted the scientific community's position on climate change is "based on multiple independent lines of evidence that have been affirmed by thousands of independent scientists," adding, "We are not familiar with any scientific institution with relevant subject matter expertise that has reached a different conclusion."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016cRVN-wQNE5YnBVhTGahP5rvIcK1c2JCbp7jCD3YkssYiG6o89Gqg21hAU3HiUwQUwGEcYyrh91wjZtXOFef4Hj4ot4gJt5x_pR9gFuQnpljRIzSbCJG8IPoKR9JBqVtpxeYUYHN-SBHEzHUAuC2wil5OwuMAJRepBDaeUzE_IwRg4C1pobFkpe_rbhKkhWXhwZYA5VP5YqG2m69n2Ikvyp0MJ8aau6_yiM3Bt2VQtOimh2VpHn34xniR0WG47L8SaxccLplbn_u4L9D_f5fpb4Ds71RwTsuwdmjefH_20r7PwCCDG7Kfw==&c=AzC2YYFGR4TYzin8H6oNpBVGqxKn38lmrDtVyvZ7bYEJZeMwwtYjCw==&ch=t1RMA6Mc3c80fg4r6nqMHx6wxMdjSShVEn6aS5U6s9p8cJLFgYXiGA==">Inside Climate News</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016cRVN-wQNE5YnBVhTGahP5rvIcK1c2JCbp7jCD3YkssYiG6o89Gqg21hAU3HiUwQNLbyvv10MxLDf68_OLWYEEA0rMeJUorOx-LAq7j81ddiQM-XzsGljkB6Y4C_LEv9ZWUIZBuMIMCwO84oXnehNl1NMOGKcJIbrr-BhIQ92J9GJz2MRX7nYq8Xb-W4gH54jsO2AI6dgZueLXntar-pYcb61ncnnFoZahTcUudxm47iIpqAjY1v8CnlQDnQrH5KK8N_Qkaw3DXsCdnS7lINTA==&c=AzC2YYFGR4TYzin8H6oNpBVGqxKn38lmrDtVyvZ7bYEJZeMwwtYjCw==&ch=t1RMA6Mc3c80fg4r6nqMHx6wxMdjSShVEn6aS5U6s9p8cJLFgYXiGA=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">The Hill</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016cRVN-wQNE5YnBVhTGahP5rvIcK1c2JCbp7jCD3YkssYiG6o89Gqg21hAU3HiUwQcykhzQjbwmWsS-4B0zwsfpnfpOLwMIV4sWIMmejzEmIxmYHUl9vizYhTUFdBuU4aMs2NUbTPc9fyI6Fhc3xhYk_tIKcO4PJgIRuAd--2u7NK596-i-Eozp63yVcUxQzxpQBbPnaTda77_-GKVh94Bsww3vAEEQe_wryCThApeMNVLjsUkS7Xw7xwrnpK2l0sed5U-GE2ae0cp62TuxKWddNeY13IeHe5rglW1dPspK7B9iY2H-pBjRkQH1cpGGSy&c=AzC2YYFGR4TYzin8H6oNpBVGqxKn38lmrDtVyvZ7bYEJZeMwwtYjCw==&ch=t1RMA6Mc3c80fg4r6nqMHx6wxMdjSShVEn6aS5U6s9p8cJLFgYXiGA=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">American Meteorological Society</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Federal Report Provides Strong Evidence for Climate Change, Draws Praise in Independent Review</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Obama administration's final draft submission of the Climate Science Special Report, a national evaluation of the climate published every four years, has received high marks after undergoing an independent review by the National Academes of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The committee declared the draft "impressive" and "timely," while praising its "breadth, accuracy, and rigor." The report is produced by the U.S. Global Change Research Program and originated in 1990 when the National Climate Assessment process was first mandated by Congress. The latest report asserts that, "Many lines of evidence demonstrate that human activities, especially emissions of greenhouse gases, are primarily responsible for the observed climate changes in the industrial era. There are no alternative explanations, and no natural cycles are found in the observational record that can explain the observed changes in climate. (Very high confidence)." This is a sharp contrast to the recent statements made by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, who claimed that he did not believe carbon dioxide to be a primary driver of climate change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016cRVN-wQNE5YnBVhTGahP5rvIcK1c2JCbp7jCD3YkssYiG6o89Gqg21hAU3HiUwQYk6KqZgzZDTBYpqqs1M8xdTOHE4GxwRxFCqD20bvz0HC5VHrrfadsbz19QkbV5tQPnzfQDlj95tAiJX9EWr23VSqpMoUpFDLxv8KtN0ljH01a6vPAuVKM1SzBbFGiT8yRFiO7TLji3hvpw3W_zJy7fkCeC5W6KyUvqqdaGWtq-shCk_MQN3ms5NS0ZPKwRM_UZ4ahAAonRrpnE21E3CsqCv2sJyPqmNIWep5hoAPnVM1V-___-SVVL3rdcAIoVFwy7MX7Ra0WIPkCZ90MZpxgvSZzA27B7skSX92XpBQ8kV4RPNNzTaFY3xZePtmfQUzTRue5sqfPBoZ3s89-gKbDM-8ZQmAADtSIT1gQkQX4MnvPyv65NKDZA==&c=AzC2YYFGR4TYzin8H6oNpBVGqxKn38lmrDtVyvZ7bYEJZeMwwtYjCw==&ch=t1RMA6Mc3c80fg4r6nqMHx6wxMdjSShVEn6aS5U6s9p8cJLFgYXiGA==">Washington Post,</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016cRVN-wQNE5YnBVhTGahP5rvIcK1c2JCbp7jCD3YkssYiG6o89Gqg21hAU3HiUwQsSWf9JLSpRiNu29n3D9GdYKP4yEzBtAln9C8_Ih3tK4AKhfAdXNKwl978ysqXFTx9MZF4ZSV4Ju9QnD6zSzTfWbVu-hNqFpZ4GIXPsEbwWRx7mhea6QxgojTrOIux3CcCoMxePW1TfJHJYvI3bEQ4ZtiR-wGRzbiU7_33DjpvjGbeSXT5wIZ0jmHd38grlLD4WdW7hDe526itN8TisUnNFpq-KPD0F_Ashtjevy6fEE=&c=AzC2YYFGR4TYzin8H6oNpBVGqxKn38lmrDtVyvZ7bYEJZeMwwtYjCw==&ch=t1RMA6Mc3c80fg4r6nqMHx6wxMdjSShVEn6aS5U6s9p8cJLFgYXiGA=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">The Hill</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Republicans Reconsider Natural Gas Rule Amid Public Backlash</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Republican members in Congress are facing widespread criticism after the House voted to repeal a rule that mandated natural gas companies capture escaping methane emissions and use it to generate electricity. The rule also required royalty payments from energy sales to local governments. Citizens opposed to repealing the rule were concerned about exposure to the poisonous compounds that leak out alongside the methane at industrial sites. The vote coincides with the release of a new study finding that the methane emissions from natural gas-fired power plants are between two and 120 times higher than the EPA had originally estimated. The public outcry is particularly evident in western states, where more than 80 percent of people support the provision, putting pressure on Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) and others to oppose the roll-back. While Gardner stated that he "is continuing to meet with (his) constituents on this topic and will continue to do so until the vote," Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) have already committed to voting no.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016cRVN-wQNE5YnBVhTGahP5rvIcK1c2JCbp7jCD3YkssYiG6o89Gqg21hAU3HiUwQMKTySzGLYMORe-CCrSa59C081nbWKIrkLFbHLJqrZhAyfzMV9Ee_qsdrpl9bsxtj9kmv8h1ZzFOn56hvztFJwv4AsVFH8EccB5cF-f9qXyO083ofq2IYw0wxnrdD-lT1o_d8J1VmnJOuTv8gQLiJR6dZZkXdfIB1QvqpI-Pii7J-gETj4VYmK9_6NeVhuzIy&c=AzC2YYFGR4TYzin8H6oNpBVGqxKn38lmrDtVyvZ7bYEJZeMwwtYjCw==&ch=t1RMA6Mc3c80fg4r6nqMHx6wxMdjSShVEn6aS5U6s9p8cJLFgYXiGA==">Los Angeles Times</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016cRVN-wQNE5YnBVhTGahP5rvIcK1c2JCbp7jCD3YkssYiG6o89Gqg21hAU3HiUwQI-a8occWG75D9pdCUhk95srE6of6G6Jp_CgGT2SCin_ALqbjdyv8008lqrDzB_M36UoTefsoIO-i_w7bKW-u4_XdC7cGPZ2zi0gsv2HIyJCmRlIG9ChThzxB1CX0lWBfjzJK8-4XbYZpgjdyXxWrlhxwrXsoQjy62cA8n9Z0tuu2NpMLaLwDxlnfo4T_yBU3iXB-rNaH849ctNJlejerxGgC1l5eKxu0zjreAj67qT1RK2vmXEUALQ==&c=AzC2YYFGR4TYzin8H6oNpBVGqxKn38lmrDtVyvZ7bYEJZeMwwtYjCw==&ch=t1RMA6Mc3c80fg4r6nqMHx6wxMdjSShVEn6aS5U6s9p8cJLFgYXiGA=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">The Hill</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_8.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CAC518B6-3559-49CA-828B-E416B6D5F741/pastedGraphic_8.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>American Medical Societies Issue Report Warning of Impact of Climate Change on Public Health</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On March 15, the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health released a report titled, "Medical Alert! Climate Change is Harming Our Health." The report presents scientific evidence that climate change is aggravating health issues, such as heart and lung disease, the spread of infectious diseases, and extreme weather-related health problems. "It's not only hurting polar bears, it's hurting us," said Dr. Mona Sarfaty, the director of the new organization and a professor at George Mason University. The Consortium consists of 11 major American medical societies. Climate change has the ability to worsen air quality, by increasing smog through warmer surface temperatures. These warmer temperatures have also lengthened the growing seasons of pollen and ragweed, increasing their levels and aggravating allergies. "I see the effects of climate change on children here already," said Dr. Aparna Bole, a pediatrician at the University Hospitals system in Cleveland. "Here in Ohio we have high rates of pediatric asthma, so the poor air quality days that we see more and more of are a direct risk to children."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016cRVN-wQNE5YnBVhTGahP5rvIcK1c2JCbp7jCD3YkssYiG6o89Gqg21hAU3HiUwQdwN27UPB4qdNgUoMZ1wp0NiixwdrN6FUeXcODzH20rn5RqqQdAdON4ez9yIFXa6qS3cX4GWFXuBbrv9CJBpNfrV_hth7QD8Q0Ciy4sIW0OIcC5UBdK4hkHq2NWVSlEBKz3dXYY5gfhz8j4PziidI_pcPHgieKdkWBbW4uZ8z6VhMVaafgy9pMbUh38CS5_DgG5y3Kl5G_yc=&c=AzC2YYFGR4TYzin8H6oNpBVGqxKn38lmrDtVyvZ7bYEJZeMwwtYjCw==&ch=t1RMA6Mc3c80fg4r6nqMHx6wxMdjSShVEn6aS5U6s9p8cJLFgYXiGA==">CBS News</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016cRVN-wQNE5YnBVhTGahP5rvIcK1c2JCbp7jCD3YkssYiG6o89Gqg21hAU3HiUwQPLdfrD7vCsMQDL_mcSObY5wRO4z3Fvfu3wh1QCa6kemI7WP2PLknLl1ILbU9ebtxSoUSSbpSnGhFqwjmJ4GqAU87iKW5-KoH3k3FQHfY-jMxbvwoO7GsaQsDmiE2oDUNkA2u-oj5x8-7zG6Ma-DSuF2J3cfT-k0g9MFs4NJ2I8R83VNf8Z4tB_Fuuj9N2_pG7PXK584y6n8=&c=AzC2YYFGR4TYzin8H6oNpBVGqxKn38lmrDtVyvZ7bYEJZeMwwtYjCw==&ch=t1RMA6Mc3c80fg4r6nqMHx6wxMdjSShVEn6aS5U6s9p8cJLFgYXiGA=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Plain Dealer</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016cRVN-wQNE5YnBVhTGahP5rvIcK1c2JCbp7jCD3YkssYiG6o89Gqg21hAU3HiUwQXoRulAXOoC0XMZM2PyA1LPBwic9ajoyMOYA5uv_CvcuMwZ9iuTP_f7LY_8F8WnnAb9nOy2cOaaiNe_XP-mvHSl_Y0IH986BK4PB7sZMpFgo_ck1EtX6IhCcBBAh3vjBr7BRjzc_cECrYf_-ipzoufUgQmgxOTfgqY4AE45pBOtc=&c=AzC2YYFGR4TYzin8H6oNpBVGqxKn38lmrDtVyvZ7bYEJZeMwwtYjCw==&ch=t1RMA6Mc3c80fg4r6nqMHx6wxMdjSShVEn6aS5U6s9p8cJLFgYXiGA=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Consortium Report</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><br />
Thanks,<br />
Chad A. Tolman</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">ctolman141@gmail.com<br />
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Chad Tolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198303455148896174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441974095206886318.post-16241890014228013912017-02-22T10:01:00.001-08:002017-02-22T10:01:50.217-08:00CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS FOR FEB. 2017<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>CC NEWS FOR FEB. 2017</b></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;"><b><i>The Intercept</i></b><i> </i>for Jan. 26, 2017 posted an article by Sharon Lerner titled, <a href="https://theintercept.com/2017/01/26/government-scientists-at-u-s-climate-conference-terrified-to-speak-with-the-press/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">Government Scientists at U.S. Climate Conference Terrified to Speak with the Press</span></a>. She wrote, </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">While Donald Trump was reviving both the Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-epa-idUSKBN15822X"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(102, 83, 255); color: #0061ff;">muzzling</span></a> federal employees, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/environmental-protection-grants-staff_us_5886825be4b0e3a7356b575f"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(102, 83, 255); color: #0061ff;">freezing EPA contracts</span></a>, and first telling the EPA to <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-epa-climatechange-idUSKBN15906G"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(102, 83, 255); color: #0061ff;">remove mentions of climate change</span></a> from its website — and then <a href="http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2017/01/25/stories/1060048975"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(102, 83, 255); color: #0061ff;">reversing course</span></a> — many of the scientists who work on climate change in federal agencies were meeting just a few miles from the White House to present and discuss their work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The mood was understandably gloomy at the <a href="http://www.ncseconference.org/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(102, 83, 255); color: #0061ff;">National Conference and Global Forum on Science, Policy, and the Environment</span></a>. “I don’t know what’s going to happen. No one knows what’s going to happen,” one EPA staffer who works on climate issues told me on Tuesday, as she ate her lunch. She had spent much of her time in recent weeks trying to preserve and document the methane-related projects she’s been working on for years. But the prevailing sense was that, Trump’s <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2017/01/24/trumps-unsupported-claim-he-has-received-awards-on-the-environment/?utm_term=.4c0796a00a05"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(102, 83, 255); color: #0061ff;">claims about being an environmentalist</span></a> notwithstanding, the president is moving forward with his plan to eviscerate environmental protections, particularly those related to climate change, and the EPA itself.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">““It’s strange,” the woman said. “People keep walking up to me and giving me hugs.” Like several others I spoke to for this story, she declined to tell me her name out of fear that she might suffer retaliation, including being fired. She was not being paranoid. Already, agency higher ups had warned the EPA staff against talking to the press, or even updating blogs or issuing news releases. “Only send out critical messages, as messages can be shared broadly and end up in the press,” said one EPA missive that was shared broadly and <a href="http://www.latimes.com/politics/washington/la-na-trailguide-updates-trump-administration-orders-media-1485281190-htmlstory.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(102, 83, 255); color: #0061ff;">ended up in the press</span></a>. And while the staffer was at the meeting, the EPA’s new brass issued another <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/trumps-team-at-epa-vetting-controversial-public-meetings-and-presentations"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(102, 83, 255); color: #0061ff;">memo</span></a> to staff requiring all regional offices to submit a list of external meetings and presentations, noting which might be controversial and why.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The directives have left scientists fearing reprisal for merely mentioning the global crisis that has been at the center of their professional lives for years.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“The Senate held its <a href="https://niskanencenter.org/blog/john-chafees-1986-climate-hearings/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(102, 83, 255); color: #021eaa;">f</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(102, 83, 255); color: #0061ff;">irst hearing on climate change</span></a> more than 30 years ago, and in the intervening years, as understanding of our warming planet has grown, the government has not only collected precise measurements of <a href="https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-arctic-sea-ice"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(102, 83, 255); color: #0061ff;">vanishing arctic ice</span></a>, rising <a href="https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-sea-level"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(102, 83, 255); color: #0061ff;">sea levels</span></a>, <a href="https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-us-and-global-temperature"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(102, 83, 255); color: #0061ff;">increasing global temperatures</span></a>, <a href="https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-river-flooding"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(102, 83, 255); color: #0061ff;">river flooding</span></a>, <a href="https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-drought"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(102, 83, 255); color: #0061ff;">drought</span></a>, and <a href="https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-heavy-precipitation"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(102, 83, 255); color: #0061ff;">heavy rain</span></a>, it has used that data to understand the short- and long-term consequences of the phenomenon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">As a report I picked up at one of the tables, “<a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/climatehealth2016/low/ClimateHealth2016_ExecSummary_Standalone_small.pdf"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(102, 83, 255); color: #0061ff;">The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States</span></a>,” makes clear, these many objective phenomena have health consequences “now and in the future.” Among those listed were heat-related illness and death, drowning and injuries from flooding, lung and respiratory diseases due to worsening air quality, intestinal illnesses and blood stream infections from water-related infections, water-borne infections, and Lyme disease.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><i>Climate Home </i></b>on Jan. 31 posted an article by Ed King titled, <a href="http://www.climatechangenews.com/2017/01/31/fiji-says-2017-climate-summit-to-focus-on-vulnerable-nations/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 97, 255); color: #0061ff;">Fiji says 2017 climate summit to focus on vulnerable nations</span></a>.<b> </b>Fiji will be hosting the 2017 COP23 international conference in Bonn, where talks to set rules for the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement will take place. Frank Bainimarama, Fiji’s Prime Minister said, </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333;">“Our Presidency will keep the interests of all nations – including those that are low-lying and vulnerable – at the forefront of our negotiations.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“We are also focused on turning the words and commitments of the Paris Agreement into measurable actions on the part of all nations, and are calling for transparent systems of accountability and practical outcomes to ensure the agreement is a success.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">King wrote, “Intense speculation surrounds continued US participation in the Paris climate deal, which president Donald Trump threatened to “cancel” during his campaign.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Last November Bainimarama issued a <a href="http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/11/18/pacific-islands-climate-trump/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(33, 117, 155); color: #021eaa;">personal invitation to Trump</span></a> to visit Fiji and see for himself the impacts of rising sea levels and extreme weather linked to climate change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“I again appeal to the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, to show leadership on this issue by abandoning his current position that man-made climate change is a hoax,” said Bainimarama.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“I say to the American people: you came to save us then and it is time for you to help save us now,” he said, referring to Washington’s support for Fiji during the second world war.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Feb. 1 <b><i>Reuters</i></b> posted an article by Alissa de Carbonnel titled, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-eu-climatechange-idUSKBN15G5B3?utm_source=Daily+Carbon+Briefing&utm_campaign=0605940b31-cb_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_876aab4fd7-0605940b31-303474073"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #0061ff;">Faced with U.S. retreat on climate change, EU looks to China.</span></a> She wrote, </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Faced with a U.S. retreat from international efforts to tackle climate change, European Union officials are looking to China, fearing a leadership vacuum will embolden those within the bloc seeking to slow the fight against global warming.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">While U.S. President Donald Trump has yet to act on campaign pledges to pull out of the 2015 Paris accord to cut greenhouse gas emissions, his swift action in other areas has sparked sharp words from usually measured EU bureaucrats.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">When Trump's former environment adviser, until the president's inauguration this month, took to a stage in Brussels on Wednesday and called climate experts "urban imperialists", a rebuke from Britain's former energy minister drew applause from the crowd packed with EU officials.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“The EU's top climate diplomat Miguel Arias Canete will travel to Beijing at the end of March, EU sources said. Offering EU expertise on its plans to build a "cap-and-trade" system is one area officials see for expanded cooperation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><i>Enticed by huge investments in solar and wind power in economies such as China and India, Germany, Britain and France are seeking closer ties to gain a share of the business</i></b>.” <b><i>(emphasis added)</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">"We need to embrace the fact that China has invested very heavily in clean energy," Gregory Barker, climate change minister to former British Prime Minister David Cameron, told Reuters on the sidelines the environment conference in Brussels organized by conservative politicians.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">"If America won't lead then it's clear that China will."”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Feb. 13 <b><i>Bloomberg</i></b> posted an article by Joe Ryan titled, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-13/governors-of-red-blue-states-urge-trump-to-support-clean-energy"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Governors Urge Trump to Support Wind and Solar Power</span></a>. Ryan wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">The <a href="http://www.governorswindenergycoalition.org/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Governor’s Wind & Solar Energy Coalition</span></a> is seeking increased federal funding to modernize local power grids and boost clean energy research, according to a letter submitted to the White House Monday. The group is also calling for legislation to promote offshore wind farms and efforts to streamline the permitting process for wind and solar projects.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The message is the latest indication that Trump’s criticism of renewable energy puts him <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-23/economics-will-keep-wind-and-solar-energy-thriving-under-trump"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">at odds</span></a> with much of corporate America and members of his own party. Since he was elected, Republican governors in Illinois and Michigan signed legislation backing wind and solar. Last month, more than 600 U.S. companies issued a statement urging Trump not to withdraw from the Paris climate accord, saying it will generate trillions of dollars in investments.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“The nation’s wind and solar energy resources are transforming low-income rural areas in ways not seen since the passage of the Homestead Act over 150 years ago,” Kansas Republican Sam Brownback and Rhode Island Democrat Gina Raimondo wrote in the letter, on behalf of eight Republican governors and 12 Democrat state leaders.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Trump’s America First <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/america-first-energy"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">energy plan </span></a>posted on the White House website calls for increasing coal, oil and natural gas production -- making no mention of renewables. He has derided wind and solar power as uneconomical. The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Despite the president’s lack of enthusiasm for clean power, the industry is a boon in many rural regions that formed that backbone of his electoral support. Rural property owners earn more than $245 million a year from <a href="http://www.awea.org/MediaCenter/pressreleasev2.aspx?ItemNumber=9812"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa;">l</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">easing land</span></a> to wind farm developers, according to the American Wind Energy Association’s fourth-quarter report. Solar companies <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-07/u-s-solar-industry-clamors-for-workers-as-employment-climbs-25"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">employed</span></a> more than 200,000 people last year, and most new installations were in rural regions, according to the letter.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Feb. 18 the <b><i>Boston Globe</i></b> published an article by David Abel titled, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/02/18/seas-rise-city-mulls-massive-sea-barrier-across-boston-harbor/dxtlbGrfSmYE2zacwUKakJ/story.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff; line-height: normal;">As seas rise, city mulls a massive sea barrier across Boston Harbor</span></a>. He wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111;">“</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">As rising sea levels pose a growing threat to Boston’s future, city officials are exploring the feasibility of building a vast sea barrier from Hull to Deer Island, forming a protective arc around Boston Harbor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The idea, raised in a recent city report on the local risks of climate change, sounds like a pipe dream, a project that could rival the Big Dig in complexity and cost. It’s just one of several options, but the sea wall proposal is now under serious study by a team of some of the region’s top scientists and engineers, who recently received a major grant to pursue their research.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">With forecasts indicating that Boston could experience routine flooding in the coming decades, threatening some 90,000 residents and $80 billion worth of real estate, city officials say it would be foolish not to consider aggressive action, no matter how daunting.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“A massive barrier that would extend across the 4 miles between Hull and Deer Island, and rise at least 20 feet above harbor waters at low tide, would rank among the largest of its kind, but wouldn’t be unprecedented. <b><i>Similar barriers already exist, or are being built, off the coasts of New Orleans; Venice; and Rotterdam</i></b>.<b><i> (emphasis added)</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Like those barriers, Boston’s sea wall wouldn’t be a dam. It would have openings large enough for ships to pass through, but with gates that would close before significant storms.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">“The report recommends that the city brace for sea levels to be at least 1½ feet higher by 2050 than they were in 2000, and 3 feet higher by 2070.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">But <b><i>a climate report released in January by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found that East Coast cities are likely to experience even higher seas than had been predicted. Without drastic reductions in greenhouse gases, the seas could rise as much as 8.2 feet by 2100, up from its previous estimate of 6.6 feet</i></b>, researchers found.”</span></div>
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</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">The following items are from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), Carol Werner, Executive Director. Past issues of its newsletter are posted on its website under "publications"<br />
at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102515421764&e=001VqmyLSnT7fkl-_mocGBcn8yb2ys8eiE4dr3Tnveazy1K0B1fU1CponAdxiy_W78b49PK6NHsR0pHlqO7KOWi-3m5yW4bNEJiyJt1G95YoNt46CLY1L4uGjNKLSPL84kX2r7jAaxw1oVR18YElOXvV8_lo1bRsASi9tPNMTm7-ZU="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;">http://www.eesi.org/publications/Newsletters/CCNews/ccnews.htm</span></a></span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">EESI’s newsletter is intended for all interested parties, particularly the policymaker community. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On January 25, the Trump administration's EPA transition communications director, Doug Ericksen, said all new and existing content on the agency's website was currently under review, with a "temporary hold" placed on the publication of new scientific data. When asked whether scientific data collected by EPA scientists, such as routine air and water pollution monitoring, would be vetted in this fashion, Ericksen replied, "Everything is subject to review." Ericksen later clarified that he was not implying political appointees would be reviewing data, saying, "Any changes will be science-based." EPA's scientific integrity guidance states scientific studies should be publicly communicated and "uncompromised by political or other interference." George Gray, an assistant EPA administrator under President George W. Bush, said studies were typically reviewed at the branch or laboratory level, rarely appearing before political appointees. Meanwhile, the administration ordered EPA employees to get transition team approval to hold previously planned public webinars and speaking engagements. Employees at the Departments of Agriculture, Interior, and Health and Human Services have also had restrictions placed on the release of publications, the use of official social media accounts, and external correspondence. Andrew Light, a senior fellow at the World Resources Institute's Global Climate Program, said, "It's certainly the case that every administration tries to control information, but I think that what we're seeing here is much more sweeping than has ever been done before."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001kxGwY23-PjuSeCbZB9FAuNmH155807PFdV6g3qhPIsLgDaqtt0Vt96pxgUw1QwAM_t6bXx-vD8KmpJ-Flau4GNGwgSqUrqIpjaDPPTdUa3rbungCz9QSK-gRPxpwPZX3rMYaWkreOj2rM-w2ZTFLM6Gtq8QKUBy8BIe0A7kJ1CnyoTAh66iWVASCLFt6w_dwjKTieC5QrAmOr-0AVC0VB5m3_KRb9WrLpU6-Lx_3rVXuwkbiIB-K3BceFn_klYl3z77x3j8tUKgcebzixpiHM-uNoH_i0Sa7nMgYU-hZIVdx0S0wiRRGOQ==&c=7q-t2hSxNAcK2cr493d94U-fX4-foUqDpfc0-mB4T8fV_49p4hMCaA==&ch=qiIuK5F-S_D_e8nYu86o9fK0eh_aLxDmpzqHrOy268Ams_Mo-BilwQ==">Associated Press</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001kxGwY23-PjuSeCbZB9FAuNmH155807PFdV6g3qhPIsLgDaqtt0Vt96pxgUw1QwAM34x4PqUj3Bg1XeeMGgIcVtMOlsK9Tq4T_Mdw-q6W34mcPZJYaovuzoKmANfGw-1fHzS7aVKbqBLMW3H7q2UlzK_BJ6ecONFEI5SoQ69ucnxMs_1DzlCs8ltkIBuwXRBmW5Oz6pZkTwtTAXwSxmb0obUrkx9wUgghQ3kmvabeix-16eEhaGBPPSdtKnYGlspk3Jc7lq9d-TmhvwHILzurlapS1qmRmBb-Nc2-2KgmCHccynPXBKzgKSkBBiHx7oUS9SyzowsnXV-qeE5FEaGZkQ==&c=7q-t2hSxNAcK2cr493d94U-fX4-foUqDpfc0-mB4T8fV_49p4hMCaA==&ch=qiIuK5F-S_D_e8nYu86o9fK0eh_aLxDmpzqHrOy268Ams_Mo-BilwQ=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); font-size: 14.7px; line-height: normal;">NPR</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001kxGwY23-PjuSeCbZB9FAuNmH155807PFdV6g3qhPIsLgDaqtt0Vt96pxgUw1QwAMFDA9Krsvj6jc1a73SFPA4pMTiyfSyFoAFtODSNnh6UV5HpdCTEV7TYx3wWwaCCEuOh_XnkyqzChGp17F9OOwDNx0OenadOwqTWiXt11ERRzJXC9ZxOu3g7uuVW5pCItx7WlAyik1R1BEyOTA73nr2_bWgJmX86yOJ7iAqGfYeqmQ-LMMcJc4_UFhI_6uha2ASpccQz6GBr0dN8Y0MSKFKBVX3CNnOg2R&c=7q-t2hSxNAcK2cr493d94U-fX4-foUqDpfc0-mB4T8fV_49p4hMCaA==&ch=qiIuK5F-S_D_e8nYu86o9fK0eh_aLxDmpzqHrOy268Ams_Mo-BilwQ=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); font-size: 14.7px; line-height: normal;">The Hill</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001kxGwY23-PjuSeCbZB9FAuNmH155807PFdV6g3qhPIsLgDaqtt0Vt96pxgUw1QwAMvlkVPTw55xLWDt4XGHSulqu0KH-pELC3-e9Ql4jnhLStbcd7wGKagYvNaqkKwRZ0RvrGtUPXGZI1Gg0qbqMS0_LJE9vM7EJQS4761xNWoaUvqxmh4bWPvo_X_UJvwZOGSlDL_Z-mEHSY_QeXnadmycI3u1rm6sgR_OO6uGByU7Jc8OjVrbKQ7n8oxo6iNrVEvSExJFaHXDw=&c=7q-t2hSxNAcK2cr493d94U-fX4-foUqDpfc0-mB4T8fV_49p4hMCaA==&ch=qiIuK5F-S_D_e8nYu86o9fK0eh_aLxDmpzqHrOy268Ams_Mo-BilwQ=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); font-size: 14.7px; line-height: normal;">Politico</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Commerce Nominee Wilbur Ross Pledges to Protect NOAA Research</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Secretary of Commerce nominee Wilbur Ross has gone on record that he will not stand in the way of the scientific research conducted at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA falls under the Department of Commerce, giving Ross authority over the agency's climate and earth sciences work. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) announced he had received a written commitment from Ross, confirming that the nominee "intends to leave science to the scientists and to support their ability to disseminate peer reviewed data to the public." Nelson added that the letter provides assurances the Department of Commerce "will continue to research, monitor, and report climate information to the public." However, Ross would not directly address the causes of climate change, a common refrain from Trump administration nominees. Instead, Ross said, "We [should] put aside for now the question of what is causing these changes, and agree to focus on addressing the impacts of those changes."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001kxGwY23-PjuSeCbZB9FAuNmH155807PFdV6g3qhPIsLgDaqtt0Vt96pxgUw1QwAM4DtO65q0QnEogKSium5FbX2sIdHipL1_YcmRgNe5HWwRT3BpL5hWK48ihf4YCUSsgJMj4q_IbDkYpCOc2YD58pf58HzX_EhDUij47jqQHwxqm33We2lefrQLpLqOAArm4wP55dM084AVM-zplNYTIqoeMcZ_OrJY9X5aWY2UIrls2nRJVroTfA==&c=7q-t2hSxNAcK2cr493d94U-fX4-foUqDpfc0-mB4T8fV_49p4hMCaA==&ch=qiIuK5F-S_D_e8nYu86o9fK0eh_aLxDmpzqHrOy268Ams_Mo-BilwQ==">Mashable</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001kxGwY23-PjuSeCbZB9FAuNmH155807PFdV6g3qhPIsLgDaqtt0Vt96pxgUw1QwAM1fe7lP1MHVkUU4g3k15w6eG45p_n87DlIacxG1Htpk5MZMFsjk2yWKCzL38wa2TByvz5hFjaqDsf0ng13uiWCyWh5KQxNlvC8whboQrhGnsZ54380OiY6mi94Nk-KIXSpXpEJZW5d5xix2EnsEx8aY-mlJk966DH83xr8nMsReXtvxYX3CGq_cSRFa4bJYLFR0PmlbekI9c=&c=7q-t2hSxNAcK2cr493d94U-fX4-foUqDpfc0-mB4T8fV_49p4hMCaA==&ch=qiIuK5F-S_D_e8nYu86o9fK0eh_aLxDmpzqHrOy268Ams_Mo-BilwQ=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">CNN</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_1.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://BE7C2546-5E33-4C76-9107-0FD4B6A6066A/pastedGraphic_1.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Lawsuit and Legislative Hurdles Pose Future Pitfalls for California's Cap and Trade System</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A four-year-old lawsuit brought by the California Chamber of Commerce and private businesses threatens to undermine California's cap and trade system. The lawsuit asserts the cap and trade program is an unconstitutional tax placed on businesses, since the program was not granted the bi-cameral, two-thirds legislative majority required to implement a tax in California. Rob Lapsley, president of the California Business Roundtable, said, "The stakes [of the case] are huge" and that cap and trade is "one of the largest programs impacting the California economy." Even if the state government wins the case in the Appellate Court of Sacramento, its opponents may still appeal to the California Supreme Court. An additional concern is whether the program may expire after reaching its originally legislated emission reduction goals for 2020. Gov. Jerry Brown has requested the legislature pass a new bill extending the cap and trade program with a two-thirds vote, but negotiations on a successor bill are expected to be complicated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001kxGwY23-PjuSeCbZB9FAuNmH155807PFdV6g3qhPIsLgDaqtt0Vt96pxgUw1QwAMnye4T567-_nAWywCs-GT19CzLOqPHPsGPBzTIxKAnpcsrE-jOLRD12LyPgzoBAVtLlLOOsSQdrYzMaKAFjNODmiySoiEaAWX60A1tGw7WBLqRO58FWoCBoN1gHX0pBMvteKGixcR9DKRYyiXqmVmVZRBJf6fAT2nT6Rm6h-WsAjKFgmUIBqlBlthISGNg92bm4qxY3XSViI=&c=7q-t2hSxNAcK2cr493d94U-fX4-foUqDpfc0-mB4T8fV_49p4hMCaA==&ch=qiIuK5F-S_D_e8nYu86o9fK0eh_aLxDmpzqHrOy268Ams_Mo-BilwQ==">LA Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The state of Louisiana is moving forward with a "Coastal Master Plan" to bolster its coastline against climate change impacts, but it may require federal funding to fully implement its vision. The five-year, $50 billion plan developed by the state's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) outlines strategic investments in ridges, barrier islands, and marshes, while recommending actions for protecting homes and infrastructure. Louisiana's 7,700 miles of shoreline are degrading at the fastest rate in the country, forcing policymakers to prioritize which communities to devote resources to. Bren Haase, chief of planning at CPRA, said the plan is intended as "a framework to make those tough decisions" and could serve as a model for other Gulf states. Louisiana will partly fund the plan with settlement money from the 2010 BP oil spill, with another portion drawn from state oil and gas revenue and grants. State officials are looking to Congress to provide the rest. Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA) has been trying to persuade his colleagues to invest in resilience: "Many members of Congress believe we can't afford to come in and make these investments in adaptation in these coastal areas. I would argue that we can't afford not to."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001kxGwY23-PjuSeCbZB9FAuNmH155807PFdV6g3qhPIsLgDaqtt0Vt96pxgUw1QwAMZ11XEOvD-d_z7ZxABeihxu3Hewd6_ScaCTb0XENOVEEcb1eP3S2G9ADWfV_W1-p7oaNjMDruuDkTn1zHJhxd7NPNY7kOz-rw8HqRw-WYXIxTNFvsvH8pV_64sd0Etob6PadEdz5w6s8JAB4jpJI0V9NL93wa2vI2WO7W1ZSYq6651LRsj-jvgmjPb-fr0tN2HcVYCXby8tXwSrGNqZ8nU_gjPs8878agE4IjSKU9OFQ=&c=7q-t2hSxNAcK2cr493d94U-fX4-foUqDpfc0-mB4T8fV_49p4hMCaA==&ch=qiIuK5F-S_D_e8nYu86o9fK0eh_aLxDmpzqHrOy268Ams_Mo-BilwQ==">Bloomberg</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001kxGwY23-PjuSeCbZB9FAuNmH155807PFdV6g3qhPIsLgDaqtt0Vt96pxgUw1QwAMukPFzAg7fGTVpf59VQMv1ECLMZIYnh6AtCMuVuuOvty9tTx3JQSa2xYRE_P2T3PlOuqYyqxTWs300In3KX898JboFFV2Q0Bh-4CIo85HYuVhmrOsttTcT9WR0ZMFrcijhEyNCIln8J-HHNtT2KdVpAitxO6J7GH7-TNSKZlKtF7WGNg4b8ElTN0bH5_yJrIrlbp8Q4vEBKl1AVIAgLq1y_AMEOKBj8IsMYrnat8eMDE=&c=7q-t2hSxNAcK2cr493d94U-fX4-foUqDpfc0-mB4T8fV_49p4hMCaA==&ch=qiIuK5F-S_D_e8nYu86o9fK0eh_aLxDmpzqHrOy268Ams_Mo-BilwQ=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">NPR</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On January 24, President Trump met with automobile industry leaders and declared environmental regulations are "out of control." Trump went on to say his administration will cut taxes for corporations, make the United States more "hospitable" for businesses, and both simplify and shorten the environmental permitting process for the industry. However, the push to slash regulations for the auto industry could have deep policy impacts for the state of California. During his confirmation hearing, EPA Administrator nominee Scott Pruitt would only commit to a "review" of California's current waiver to have stricter vehicular air pollution standards, leaving the waiver's future uncertain. Thirteen additional states have followed California's lead and adopted the stricter pollution standards. Michael Wara, a professor at Stanford Law School, predicted early legal disputes with the Trump White House will focus on automobile regulations. Wara added the administration's pursuit of such a case in California could "test Scott Pruitt's and the administration's commitment to conservative values," given Pruitt's own defense of self-government by the states.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001kxGwY23-PjuSeCbZB9FAuNmH155807PFdV6g3qhPIsLgDaqtt0Vt96pxgUw1QwAM4c6CBnQSFHDZcA25sB9Y5P4Y-d2w0jFvnlw-FX5ZRdCWEySXbgTICdjxQlHrc7Nww3K-ATr37nh--ciIRcwF78UKYbuAfiim7V-fehHgrNf40MYA1XAQpcML2-om1i42caacuyJT4dcfKYad8vGKbC5dLCBEusGqDoC_OSL96L6GxSwRoIKOuki2o96mTEb53G_uL_7PqnApLJ2NtbL4hdl9NF7KGl4GGjLjpbpbLY8PScqFUeg62w==&c=7q-t2hSxNAcK2cr493d94U-fX4-foUqDpfc0-mB4T8fV_49p4hMCaA==&ch=qiIuK5F-S_D_e8nYu86o9fK0eh_aLxDmpzqHrOy268Ams_Mo-BilwQ==">NPR</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001kxGwY23-PjuSeCbZB9FAuNmH155807PFdV6g3qhPIsLgDaqtt0Vt96pxgUw1QwAMyJ6P7UsqLMNjtzRH_DCzxwcsBS_kI2BTU3NWX9Smb1Bp0-7n788Dq8-MxImLE2cZPYf1wlj60clqIjPiZeszltv3xM8QdywMFuosbaTZK_5hDuzwyXVywlN1YrqveizdQXMvjgwZu_XHvN0HGF9vORGoYVoqa-aPL3OJXSQOwpdXJcGpiRh_fy_TyF_rXdULasMg-JzFk_NzMqhpYFnEZQ==&c=7q-t2hSxNAcK2cr493d94U-fX4-foUqDpfc0-mB4T8fV_49p4hMCaA==&ch=qiIuK5F-S_D_e8nYu86o9fK0eh_aLxDmpzqHrOy268Ams_Mo-BilwQ=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">San Francisco Chronicle</span></a>, <span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001kxGwY23-PjuSeCbZB9FAuNmH155807PFdV6g3qhPIsLgDaqtt0Vt96pxgUw1QwAMSAsVxMG3QUWyHlJUQpKn4KhQfYBTxoIeUFQnrP4IdxpcGjfRfN5K909_6kEMRoBSX-Bz1Nj7-nrTdRd8Nq8ZODJrJhKAe-UNoixNPDMa9FrfHE9NeyZHYzY7NZRxZsXHfS6u22IFf_ixVX-ZIMCIJKFj8NWi159A0IQJDKm2TZFFDFeZVCkppvQum0zm-1BC&c=7q-t2hSxNAcK2cr493d94U-fX4-foUqDpfc0-mB4T8fV_49p4hMCaA==&ch=qiIuK5F-S_D_e8nYu86o9fK0eh_aLxDmpzqHrOy268Ams_Mo-BilwQ==">Politico</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A study published by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) found that not enough businesses are working with their suppliers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with their operations. Many companies set their own climate mitigation goals, but omit emissions generated from the products and components they buy from other entities. "The supply chain is a new frontier in environmental responsibility - an area rich with opportunity that remains mostly unexplored," stated Dexter Galvin, head of the supply chain program at CDP. Galvin added, "The vast majority of emissions of the average company are in the supply chain." While 29 companies, including General Motors, Bank of America, and Sony, were lauded for their mitigation actions, CDP found only 22 percent of the 4,300 companies surveyed were engaged in reducing emissions within their supply chain. Patricia Espionage, head of the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat, described the private sector's current mitigation efforts as "not enough," given the rapid pace of global warming.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001kxGwY23-PjuSeCbZB9FAuNmH155807PFdV6g3qhPIsLgDaqtt0Vt96pxgUw1QwAMXaOyxpAayv6IukJ-0bXUNGNkHR_icHfh-abbytvGdnw1S7B5AOzXC7vhmka402nXcYc-xqO5k1yTAUikkybtrljXR_wNPQ2eXsflz-vq9DSyGYq3AftaH1YuQIpz5h66LnI8bQP32m2VVHXC4cy_UCPtsP_nRPNG7wTko3E2pkA=&c=7q-t2hSxNAcK2cr493d94U-fX4-foUqDpfc0-mB4T8fV_49p4hMCaA==&ch=qiIuK5F-S_D_e8nYu86o9fK0eh_aLxDmpzqHrOy268Ams_Mo-BilwQ==">Reuters</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">, <span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001kxGwY23-PjuSeCbZB9FAuNmH155807PFdV6g3qhPIsLgDaqtt0Vt96pxgUw1QwAMRHJe39lOo-3NYWKnXJkWKLvOm2E2QVK0BwOdyl_S2TvViBQHLJZS9J2LL_NZXdCFtoA4BmNzk17rPpA-4NWWYGY3zV9to43GmufJa2esrddKXkorJByi8LZ4D42ZcYz1lpGtsQgvtcMCGulnWGhkDcd_wKIOVXzg7CYYguLnb9LCNfRaDz1_devOdB0wNuF1a-ozn9kQVeu93oatOrnAhrRRTCUlWzeY6Sr7OcImRGzyyCaxRjkChIBY90IjmdVeql5Do1qgWI8h5Vqu8e0NhEHxb2Dh_pi-aqn_2Zqi1JqvEC2-qzz_aR5KcoI1O2FS&c=7q-t2hSxNAcK2cr493d94U-fX4-foUqDpfc0-mB4T8fV_49p4hMCaA==&ch=qiIuK5F-S_D_e8nYu86o9fK0eh_aLxDmpzqHrOy268Ams_Mo-BilwQ==">Report</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Buildings in New York City Are Investing in Resilient Design to Dampen the Effects of Climate Change</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In New York City, JDS Development Group is hoping to create buildings that are better able to bounce back from the effects of catastrophic floods and storms anticipated due to climate change. The American Copper Buildings are being built to allow "tenants to live in their apartments for at least a week," no matter the height of the floods or the length of a power outage. "Rising sea levels and a changing climate present a challenge for our country's largest city, and also an opportunity to create a more resilient, sustainable and equitable New York City," stated Daniel Zarrilli, the chief resilience officer of New York City and director of climate policy. The lesson of Hurricane Sandy taught the city that those living in high-rise apartments were not immune to the effects of powerful storms, and may have to face multi-day power outages. As a result, JDS installed emergency generating units into their new buildings above ground level. These new generators possess enough capacity to power the refrigerator in every apartment for as long as necessary and one outlet for mobile phone charging in case of emergencies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001kxGwY23-PjuSeCbZB9FAuNmH155807PFdV6g3qhPIsLgDaqtt0Vt96pxgUw1QwAMcw-QPKIpIi1wKknnYyXGULCF8OjyM0j3W7QtIA_LKmsCJJlqpWktHCc0HmFLDrcdd_fEm5EinxiyJ6aO9ujrA7gdyt5aKsJCgZtpRndogFew3Ua-9LSsyaLcebZnl-4D6Uoe_H-hz8tiQPEFiF6mhgGiwnVHFQrI2yHavR31e-UtPivSGqxoqTyCmB_HI1digIo5xs9r5hhWLSX4at-zKEV5TyMzsMy-trpeD_ewmkUKcsfP61ozyzjnUWN4VwG3KrItROpgrAFThSlb-HpSg8_0XwcEsPH76zwOP0BtTqKhoXI_8TvZHBha2j48b3S41ICg_3zhOg4=&c=7q-t2hSxNAcK2cr493d94U-fX4-foUqDpfc0-mB4T8fV_49p4hMCaA==&ch=qiIuK5F-S_D_e8nYu86o9fK0eh_aLxDmpzqHrOy268Ams_Mo-BilwQ==">New York Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_5.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://BE7C2546-5E33-4C76-9107-0FD4B6A6066A/pastedGraphic_5.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>New NOAA Report Finds Sea Levels Could Rise Over Eight Feet by 2100</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A new report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reveals that many areas of the United States could experience sea level rise at a rate much higher than the global average. The report details regional impacts more extensively than previous studies, which focused on global estimates. Using six climate change scenarios of varying severity, the report predicts global mean sea levels could reach a range of 8.2 feet to 1 foot by 2100. However, even the "best-case" scenario of a 1 foot increase in sea level could lead to a "25-fold increase in the frequency of damaging floods" for coastal cities. In examining 90 American cities, the authors found that an "intermediate" sea level rise scenario would result in increased flooding for most locales by the year 2030, while the "low" scenario would bring these consequences by 2080. William Sweet, a NOAA oceanographer, said the scenarios were meant to "[give] communities a better sense of what the future might hold with continued sea-level rise so they can plan accordingly and have better insights and make smart decisions."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001kxGwY23-PjuSeCbZB9FAuNmH155807PFdV6g3qhPIsLgDaqtt0Vt96pxgUw1QwAMZ2i6ZvuwS3ejNZCD-yWWmJhF5lepklroHkioC4FyIayHM6H5eyRDHGGX52K_6L2I0Ki4PkxCpf6JV9LYxSLxAPiTccQcdMpZcHiYlH3k2eSYaGgK277TyrYc1ZUbmBvsB4mTc4fPrdvFsoI_2O-wNqN73p3fGg1ToZCGDULxxUwH1oaLLDi2U4JCUVCVpVLvJoRGhktQSK75dk3FN11zu7uz1AjRF5CRZH9F5yag_0J7paaoYwgct2M1g8vGFy2B8w9PHuJ4guha5yqj1y9f-ZwyyRymz21VjZARfLya9vn1lc0ltRTjmExlb6fZHI6ZzSpCVDJWcoYnhhSFA46U4Q==&c=7q-t2hSxNAcK2cr493d94U-fX4-foUqDpfc0-mB4T8fV_49p4hMCaA==&ch=qiIuK5F-S_D_e8nYu86o9fK0eh_aLxDmpzqHrOy268Ams_Mo-BilwQ==">Washington Post</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001kxGwY23-PjuSeCbZB9FAuNmH155807PFdV6g3qhPIsLgDaqtt0Vt96pxgUw1QwAMwcEHPMLyloaycw7S7TFQ_hxBEALUQgGoFtOd-NcxmvCj2z62dV4jqchyzTp_QOFP2pM_iUU-BI2sJAjvn-t8aOXL4u9qKRYx7rnYxtTvdn7tguWDg2unbLb1bg-4WXciEMLzngMPqAMvtM6jcqVt3vQ2b5o7B459eGq4_jKGLBD5NezVYGks7TyhSd-j3axQRL91cCWvvBQQlDw4AesTccBYhmEI0SAn&c=7q-t2hSxNAcK2cr493d94U-fX4-foUqDpfc0-mB4T8fV_49p4hMCaA==&ch=qiIuK5F-S_D_e8nYu86o9fK0eh_aLxDmpzqHrOy268Ams_Mo-BilwQ=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Report</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Trump's Travel Ban Targeting Muslim-Majority Nations Stuns Climate Scientists</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The scientific community has been deeply shaken by President Trump's executive order banning citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. Research institutions, including those specializing in the study of global climate change, depend upon access to the international scientific community to hire staff, conduct on-site research, and collaborate on studies. Many individual scientists and universities, as well as professional organizations including the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Geophysical Union, have issued strongly worded statements against the ban. The Washington Post reported that nearly one-fifth of scientists in America are immigrants. The introduction of the ban has made many feel unwelcomed, and as a result, some scientists are choosing to take jobs in Europe or Canada rather than the United States. Soumya Raychaudhuri, a professor and researcher at Harvard Medical School, expressed concern about the ban: "Immigration into the United States is tremendously important to science. There are other countries competing for this talent pool, and walking away from that jeopardizes our standing."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019sVO5ut9eV8KmqCDR7oBa_5QieI869dJG-6j2scvsbKtC2nUGGoasAKx0haJEgCj8RIbRC_9cYeZQ0zWiulZ9EMHvKcKPD1qSP_cqXwymiR26ms0jXIg_nZ8lD9JtyecKBhqCA8ZvctJ1j1NnjqXAd5fr7rW-qDHIt1vQRYaKVpxqcbN0jbghQm8obYVYCf5mC29roXNdWQJktVDqYnJL9W56DjHp81HahycdLmcBx37yghvgH5MWXup3ns2yr1w84JCnT_OkLdAIxpcVaU1lsdHLPLCjsPArfzUEo4yGJTW7rPcJtFjuVq8S71GNLeQtA4Y5l83FmhOnh_H2ewrQ2_DabwYerEi3Ea_BDiaD9A4FGeRTJaQQmbWzMF9Q-c1YR9hu6aikGZuV9cqHJdGJ6wiDX6SJWJjAIUQ3pfLwxiRb0HN7DKOuUvykpKeW3LpeBGtif2IUcXOFwT6l1ye-3l_Ts3XBZnAGpyyP-dWyiJ7axsSET5W4g==&c=HodGA6EqwVi4b156QNMoNYVMPMw82afShaWO5TI2-7lK0mlfSZa8dw==&ch=wTb-3sZGprsiZ1NwzmsHSTWhhNI5r7Go-72IMZ1t9wqn79XYBgq8Rg==">New York Times</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019sVO5ut9eV8KmqCDR7oBa_5QieI869dJG-6j2scvsbKtC2nUGGoasAKx0haJEgCjM7-ST-fo9pqdLyRZSKLincXXaJii1HuJZm6SK94Ja96Y2ej-revEDkmORoQUgaFMuB6gL4Ohz6RHI1QsKK9Csadptf1UBhJmlyWNpQu3C4e-NydJkFsSyJZuR--JQf8Y4IvI8pqq5R-0WIRWy2EBxpqYkcGD3R8g2PAc5VlOLhHNdUZpG1N3muslek4xTkpgujdyGh3yG167PNhomBwKKZ9k3Jb3KVEXc_223pXbOmvREZzaLSarZNrca6gCWhFmjNP6evWQsLXWfAKrEfOzMuRwC9GL1_LI7oijs1DeG39Js-zQ9AwTADFHK7bWUIw457_mfaKFycUDOS-vGIl6LSbvSgtrFIxSsWHL0KecO5HydhImYSTOes01edilxI9dRM2o716GBO0=&c=HodGA6EqwVi4b156QNMoNYVMPMw82afShaWO5TI2-7lK0mlfSZa8dw==&ch=wTb-3sZGprsiZ1NwzmsHSTWhhNI5r7Go-72IMZ1t9wqn79XYBgq8Rg=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); font-size: 14.7px; line-height: normal;">Inside Climate News</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019sVO5ut9eV8KmqCDR7oBa_5QieI869dJG-6j2scvsbKtC2nUGGoasAKx0haJEgCj11J3RansVx2y2sZqZRz8VF6Oci9dycd14UVIlBfv9-Tz8scrATYPlzqJ6tNMoIBv1ycjrYx-RAe4DM-S_DEOYLvUn5pzd6ISy06dw6MxVNRdgwzUIa7wLhC7f-sU43aVMoe8n9SVeGq6XH1HG5rdmrZQvxBZakPxhF9OxHunNim3lWMompcwqiiwWpMhqFOM8jwp_LP8sSmkbmSK-GkqaUfJC1cCftsWmq0FitFV8oPCwdQwj1pPdCUmZbLXdc0-56c6TU7O4rsTa8YbRqSIDw==&c=HodGA6EqwVi4b156QNMoNYVMPMw82afShaWO5TI2-7lK0mlfSZa8dw==&ch=wTb-3sZGprsiZ1NwzmsHSTWhhNI5r7Go-72IMZ1t9wqn79XYBgq8Rg=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217); font-size: 14.7px; line-height: normal;">Washington Post</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_6.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://BE7C2546-5E33-4C76-9107-0FD4B6A6066A/pastedGraphic_6.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>National Laboratory Scientists Fear Deep Budget Cuts Could Irreparably Harm Their Work</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Scientists at the U.S. National Laboratories have expressed concern over the future of their research under the new administration, citing communications restrictions and proposed budget cuts. Hansi Singh, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Department of Energy (DOE), says that many are worried climate change research may be the most at risk, since "this administration has not given us any indication that they take it seriously as an issue." Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL), who is a physicist and former DOE researcher, said that while political pressure will be a challenge for scientists under the Trump administration, the agency's budget may prove to be the biggest hurdle. Foster cautioned, "Building up a scientific effort in an area takes years or decades, and it can be destroyed in a single budget cycle." Although staff morale has sunk due to the looming budget threat, the nominee for DOE secretary, Rick Perry, vowed to "protect the men and women of the scientific community from anyone that would attack them, no matter what their reason may be," during his congressional hearing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019sVO5ut9eV8KmqCDR7oBa_5QieI869dJG-6j2scvsbKtC2nUGGoasAKx0haJEgCjzcrjkBXvOFGW0a5geJPBTNM8dvuK3UWZw5MFChnqzxe4Ir404VcQEUOcXN_YxSnCmYEiCQUE_rMnwoLGRnAWbh5o5m3iSa58KXEw_soWTzsBFrzk8XQoKXJq5skISB1apE-o5tKc4kx8-feKBFnWkR6d-TFsOH1O5sGyIV6rHandBOWrArbQ280tV0v-lLHqhC0mhvTvEOaUBFk9fhbrlWENyQ_ifMCUBC6miYRekK9uwWzuJP5XQrU3UREpf8cipa6gD-4fEkG45SfxhcfTe7uydZs09hBrkb9BqAKzOZ2Q9UJNwLPj016IRCl917Afnmyczl8o_HLIiiQy7sJavuM0nuUU6MJLqO8N4TRUS1O-XaIcmQT4Di536DZtomLgusQGGfC2SOCceT6k_g0SKCi5JLdSuVcO&c=HodGA6EqwVi4b156QNMoNYVMPMw82afShaWO5TI2-7lK0mlfSZa8dw==&ch=wTb-3sZGprsiZ1NwzmsHSTWhhNI5r7Go-72IMZ1t9wqn79XYBgq8Rg==">Scientific American</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">, <span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019sVO5ut9eV8KmqCDR7oBa_5QieI869dJG-6j2scvsbKtC2nUGGoasAKx0haJEgCjBT5Q0qVYam55SJZiTM4f6BoVlkzyfeUnrg_n_0RvTPb5YszTgTfKG_3PXYV4uT-a1YiFRYfixpLPJGqzZfM1Kgcm4MoLiFIi3qzHw8PsbWmof0AEh1hqib11BKpSCubiKbroPCf5hEq-NonwK6tcLBi8_ZlJy0LVfZPCgZSlQus=&c=HodGA6EqwVi4b156QNMoNYVMPMw82afShaWO5TI2-7lK0mlfSZa8dw==&ch=wTb-3sZGprsiZ1NwzmsHSTWhhNI5r7Go-72IMZ1t9wqn79XYBgq8Rg==">Greenwire</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Month-Long Barrage of Damaging Storms in California Reaffirms Need to Prepare for Climate Impacts</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A slew of severe storms hit California over the past month, an event expected to strike with greater frequency due to climate change. For government officials and scientists, these damaging natural disasters have reaffirmed the need to improve the resilience of critical infrastructure across the state. California, a U.S. leader in climate mitigation and resilience, faces the significant challenge of planning and funding programs to prepare major highways, airports, and communities for these increased climate threats. "People always tell us we're ahead of the curve," said Larry Goldzband, head of a regional San Francisco Bay commission actively working on regional adaptation efforts. "I always think, 'Man, if we are ahead of the curve, I feel sorry for the rest of the country.'" According to Fraser Shilling, co-director of the Road Ecology Center at the University of California-Davis, reports that the faster than expected rate of climate change is already outpacing adaptation efforts. "This is the new normal," Shilling said. "And all of our infrastructure is not accommodating the new normal."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019sVO5ut9eV8KmqCDR7oBa_5QieI869dJG-6j2scvsbKtC2nUGGoasAKx0haJEgCjsIQAR1ImwOo8duBnzBx5z2HtvtmYS4vxxxeRPleIy73Gmom47I_8R39pTdYEyBDyv7Eo-4ao96W8qfVQS4ixpBH3zSYBIXN_7UKFvC07GfE13TYJN0sI-sCZSUeI9afcGLSqrLnYvi114nnmO2v1FOFHLf24PnKL8PlbRTesbiLNrsJ3LuVPKDdMuFim-3QsKhzTcYSKcEqqjFWZR0ulVpD7G6VSfMdJRJ5Ibta7bjPeRaaWTZg60uFV3MMYWeyJN_X9VbHRmBN1QM4So1_qhhEoJABKHo0DNK9GZbM5aikWL8yOTum7TVXv0N943jPCamnFNA3dS_5ODAs2Q44VdDKUG0dX92y36M-9AjCihc4=&c=HodGA6EqwVi4b156QNMoNYVMPMw82afShaWO5TI2-7lK0mlfSZa8dw==&ch=wTb-3sZGprsiZ1NwzmsHSTWhhNI5r7Go-72IMZ1t9wqn79XYBgq8Rg==">Washington Post</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">, <span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019sVO5ut9eV8KmqCDR7oBa_5QieI869dJG-6j2scvsbKtC2nUGGoasAKx0haJEgCj63dy7em453TJn7tdLaKZnN4OLVB7D4oek9-6QaR_3vQAd_oLbeD8rwbdouQeaZ4z9xJHnKTI7FH8dgpzMla89fPAbIziWy3qnJSiuTK1J6_vJLxIeKL0XOfOA2FUuwFc7KpMACzUcMYAJ54pzFoDD0hLfTGlQN56VXEYZDubzmMe5n8oqC1xOw==&c=HodGA6EqwVi4b156QNMoNYVMPMw82afShaWO5TI2-7lK0mlfSZa8dw==&ch=wTb-3sZGprsiZ1NwzmsHSTWhhNI5r7Go-72IMZ1t9wqn79XYBgq8Rg==">CBS News</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_7.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://BE7C2546-5E33-4C76-9107-0FD4B6A6066A/pastedGraphic_7.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Trump's EPA Transition Head Says U.S. Withdrawal from Paris Climate Agreement Likely</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Myron Ebell, who led President Trump's EPA transition process, said that he expects Trump to fulfill his campaign promise to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement. While speaking at a climate skeptic conference in London, Ebell asserted that President Trump believes climate change is "not a crisis and does not require drastic and immediate reductions in greenhouse gas emissions." This statement comes after Trump had slightly moderated his public position on climate science, as he said he now believes there is "some connectivity" between human activity and a changing climate. Despite this statement, many of Trump's cabinet choices are climate skeptics. However, newly appointed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has acknowledged that "it's important that the U.S. maintains its seat at the table about how to address the threat of climate change, which does require a global response." When asked about Tillerson's statement, Ebell responded, "If Rex Tillerson disagrees with the president, who's going to win that debate? The president was elected and Rex Tillerson wasn't."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019sVO5ut9eV8KmqCDR7oBa_5QieI869dJG-6j2scvsbKtC2nUGGoasAKx0haJEgCjK-fJf3koLB8S_XQRs6_IDApJO_n3xVD8RRpLLDyAE8oPr5QULBHGiovoCMtILZvxvhSRZP6MCWA9gD5MB1kApZIoXtZVrsPI0ntAsbUTfJBJdZLfrOCsO2Zo90qQrvUdBFI-hoaWOU6zgJusUg1n_ityGUaspcIv5Wo1pD2fiZMVSMypwJh8unHm0gEXGMtMZ1cGyXNsNrgH6bg-rXPZxj6gQG_aRL8EARfaEboCpb5OuTbG7LKjLSaAHVFvQCPn8RA0t14A8ZRAY5LYE7wazRddjXf1Rmn4fpmUiuBU_SFVMhrpDUyhaHsmeob3eB0359BJiVOnKNSz4pfGQ8uSEUqdoBsHUUFgBV451-KPNk0p0co2yaXQ_pfExMMfk8e1ScQUUWLHPr1YsZzdgwt06U95Y6qcgBf1IikP94aP04Q=&c=HodGA6EqwVi4b156QNMoNYVMPMw82afShaWO5TI2-7lK0mlfSZa8dw==&ch=wTb-3sZGprsiZ1NwzmsHSTWhhNI5r7Go-72IMZ1t9wqn79XYBgq8Rg==">Bloomberg</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019sVO5ut9eV8KmqCDR7oBa_5QieI869dJG-6j2scvsbKtC2nUGGoasAKx0haJEgCjq2pKYEWHOeT8TnnKjqqILjIiNy-m1erZCcTjD-2lQhZ-c8dcXlAuZLn4v_CYhPUB7cWo9VvOsjd2ZhtyNOkzEl6QCbecDKcbgVnSAkiSq5o_9gqbz06IJrb7MJUpRSjTwDwgT3WQXmv69aiu8K1KnVtK75Sw8HjKT4diTFadP70ivyR-Imdx4gas9N_1rSZ0ZQS10Mu-5KqMev_0S4txPcXDivN1pV3i&c=HodGA6EqwVi4b156QNMoNYVMPMw82afShaWO5TI2-7lK0mlfSZa8dw==&ch=wTb-3sZGprsiZ1NwzmsHSTWhhNI5r7Go-72IMZ1t9wqn79XYBgq8Rg=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);">Climate Change News</span></a>, <span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 105, 217);"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019sVO5ut9eV8KmqCDR7oBa_5QieI869dJG-6j2scvsbKtC2nUGGoasAKx0haJEgCjifngDR6FkmJov0k0scMIy6mhXbqK7n8PgNVZS4ZDVvHKwhG_kbIdyD0iEZqsOZ2E-R97008mzDCin3iOcQItL8iUhgEJVx9E59pX1392JXEkdJY-XnDGM3n7euHwDmMSck6uDbOzckYYq3fZTKhqXS1CLRru0ygymh6js6dr6vUqGEeTSHzAi-QMK1qhcRCeOVBvlFCy2iDCt4HxXasoTcxRLWzPSxjGv2huGnrBgHvAuOhkjI2viXM6NWtDeolDskMMInPrWiTQG3gwhxNXpvdjmMg8cHQZSysshUvt2kwFBbdZ_Xvalve_AD8saPY3pIjVUDM5xhJS0RLRx227FvYihpyOX00EL0tP4MWdiTh-m23-tqKpcftHJCwly-0NPKDYSA2_Oqy43G4G1FitP2ZhvtehYqVC0RMesqzZQ-bkgDXPk4ayaU0L9ICZijJO&c=HodGA6EqwVi4b156QNMoNYVMPMw82afShaWO5TI2-7lK0mlfSZa8dw==&ch=wTb-3sZGprsiZ1NwzmsHSTWhhNI5r7Go-72IMZ1t9wqn79XYBgq8Rg==">Guardian</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_8.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://BE7C2546-5E33-4C76-9107-0FD4B6A6066A/pastedGraphic_8.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Gina McCarthy, Former EPA Head, Worries about Agency's Direction under Trump</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Formerly the EPA administrator under President Obama, Gina McCarthy is becoming increasingly concerned over the direction of the agency she once ran. Among her top concerns are statements coming from President Trump's EPA transition team that the agency's staff may be cut by two-thirds, as well as having political appointees potentially influence research findings. McCarthy stated, "If the science changes because of politics, that's not science." Regarding the Trump administration's approach to climate change, McCarthy said, "Climate science is more robust than the science that said cigarettes cause lung cancer. You'd laugh at me if I said cigarettes didn't cause lung cancer. It's incredibly dangerous that they don't believe it." Even if the federal government steps back in its approach to address climate change, McCarthy is optimistic that the individual states will lead the way and "continue to cut emissions and set an example for others."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019sVO5ut9eV8KmqCDR7oBa_5QieI869dJG-6j2scvsbKtC2nUGGoasAKx0haJEgCjNpCUs_XRRj6hOpLGQHL_tTRtgsoRC4bmXZPrXR6nSsjF5bdCJ5iZz2BDFWUll3NVxWE461-BqYoiL3wfnbXKBUhgiWde1FfaaeV3HvQI_uqFPNMoIJ6u2fTjNS0UZKzmUoXcqOXnRjxBtL6kG9f9RfwUzYfMR8P7TlHd1rg1craUdVNZihdhJR_Ns3IlcJpo16yPlGwUt70chwTnjdSWb9XLWLsplk-JexZKOm1N0cAOdK8G-aXsxKNMKe2IRaxUWCLl6NA321vDKoJObhxv3jXsu_pF-kDO0Sm9ai9BPpY-lrTsT32xnQ==&c=HodGA6EqwVi4b156QNMoNYVMPMw82afShaWO5TI2-7lK0mlfSZa8dw==&ch=wTb-3sZGprsiZ1NwzmsHSTWhhNI5r7Go-72IMZ1t9wqn79XYBgq8Rg==">Boston Globe<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_9.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://BE7C2546-5E33-4C76-9107-0FD4B6A6066A/pastedGraphic_9.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Warming Waters Off Alaska Bring Changes to the Local Ecology</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Signs of warming water temperatures are already becoming apparent off the coast of Alaska. New research released during the Alaska Marine Science Symposium found that higher water temperatures have negatively affected the eggs and larvae of the Arctic Cod, which are specially adapted to cold-water environments. The research also found that lower-fat fish, such as the Pacific cod and walleye pollock, have been moving into the warming waters and further displacing the Arctic Cod. Arctic Cod is crucial to the local ecosystem, as it is a high-fat fish eaten by seabirds, marine mammals, and people, and is a seen as a keystone species for the Arctic's food web. "It's looking bad for birds, and it's looking really bad for the fisheries as well," stated local biologist Martin Renner. Other creatures such as high-fat euphausiids and copepods, tiny organisms in the base of the food web, are much less abundant in the warming waters, driving the migration of predator species.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019sVO5ut9eV8KmqCDR7oBa_5QieI869dJG-6j2scvsbKtC2nUGGoasAKx0haJEgCjUaZBxn4SgRKt8pWKhMUjC1P4vzxheDl9cjzMHTDeylPscMIGm0qQAWA8AmCQZRHOKRU5vJwJ9oh1HYfkNb8fz0-J6a34aNlGiijPYaNRszPvI9rqnodVTzmZzDdlur3Y2f_r1nfB5ucZs-tqfK2Ge1lSjJ4OTWfnFeZzF7GF_fan_y37I28xPO-ogB7ZTGjYljEX8BNDC__C7LXBYqPJ8v4XVTdvitDEgInHXxhX7mygwMiJect6CcD1GqHaEP7Op0IZTyXGtUSF5GwrFw4Z9PWN7ozwGC_P22ADESD6kf4=&c=HodGA6EqwVi4b156QNMoNYVMPMw82afShaWO5TI2-7lK0mlfSZa8dw==&ch=wTb-3sZGprsiZ1NwzmsHSTWhhNI5r7Go-72IMZ1t9wqn79XYBgq8Rg==">Alaska Dispatch News<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_10.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://BE7C2546-5E33-4C76-9107-0FD4B6A6066A/pastedGraphic_10.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Veteran Republican Officials Seek to Make Climate Change a Bipartisan Issue with Carbon Fee and Dividend</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A coalition of veteran Republican officials have formed a new Climate Leadership Council (CLC) and proposed implementing a carbon fee and dividend system in an attempt to reduce fossil fuel consumption. The tax would begin at $40 per ton of carbon dioxide produced and would be collected where the fossil fuel enters the economy, like mines, wells or ports. At the end of each year, consumers would receive a dividend of the total money raised: around $2,000 for an average family of four. The idea of a carbon tax has been widely supported by economists, Democrats, and major oil companies alike. However, views differ about what to do with money raised by the carbon tax, with many Democrats and environmental activists suggesting that the money should go towards further environmental cleanup, while conservatives prefer the idea of the proposed dividend. Additionally, CLC's proposal would roll back the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan, leaving Republicans and Democrats divided on this component. The proposal is the first major show of support for climate change action by the Republican establishment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001GQCeKUOydIubjkrq8w4Tts3TIICnwG0TB08R3xsv8lAAHpv_Ixw7Q1Us4hwmwvc7ngPfUCS20aCGaDSGtFpSxmYCok4U1pcrLT1N-uNFzsNVynqjyX9D_hOZZX44EiZQDEOyKabXUXqJKIiRee1DP5J8UPhWD4lh03nGnKjfGsrGLpm_z0fZqwNwJM32lKFUQQV4S41NKoOMpJWr_XBM1qu3Z3RoE0XWZw6OzWJBRfLp5hzE02HnlTswzT8gkkjic4YA_Z5bYKoj9MGhWY9hT43Bo2PRbiRa3UgoV_fNmDnAVCesDiAmI_GSkLP8zXB-Z9u5efEfCqqrQV5TJj28CG9MAB_G4hfrb06xW_t_g74Rpx5PnnpaxI_PB2m-BzTa1X-QXG2r7NQ=&c=wZv_I_B3Tqog8JXaIuELQJmeZajDDMmD5fLef1hspkXzuXdDKmV4UA==&ch=0TNP2SHm_i6xZR3xSwboAp4YdMV14j9a872vrEH7xEjjkG9ROzdzjA==">Washington Post</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001GQCeKUOydIubjkrq8w4Tts3TIICnwG0TB08R3xsv8lAAHpv_Ixw7Q1Us4hwmwvc7GhbCQcCRAuUi2l_dtnCgO_dUO6N0H1PQXJZlT_isTU7RH-9vqWcNV1NClRmddkVIi_m-y2BOyFw3-xOUwxJygbPuPQKHiyer89NouVJueodkmAy3glylkEAhMSZLe1Jy9Vqid3fO4ZFOHhFj7_ILiieskDQt921EnssUx4hueRNoSvUyQbzk90x3yP0Th01JBPQKBxpcQFTdZ4qNodchY2KANV1FE9_ZKIqDrmpuBYPHt5xGQNrWRVKyiLIpt_8Y&c=wZv_I_B3Tqog8JXaIuELQJmeZajDDMmD5fLef1hspkXzuXdDKmV4UA==&ch=0TNP2SHm_i6xZR3xSwboAp4YdMV14j9a872vrEH7xEjjkG9ROzdzjA=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">New York Times</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> This move by Republican leaders to support a fee and dividend system for reducing carbon emissions could be a historical event leading to a bipartisan effort to mitigate climate change. Such a national effort, with an annually increasing fee, has been advocated by the <a href="http://citizensclimatelobby.org/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0061ff;">Citizen’s Climate Lobby</span></a> for years. Since the U.S. has the largest economy in the world, it’s active participation in reducing GHG emissions may be essential to global efforts to avoid catastrophic climate change - whatever Trump may say about the Paris Climate Agreement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_11.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://BE7C2546-5E33-4C76-9107-0FD4B6A6066A/pastedGraphic_11.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Florida Gag Order on Climate Communication Hampers Local Planning Efforts</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Florida's gag order on using the terms "global warming," "climate change," or "sea level rise" has affected efforts to plan for worsening flooding and extreme weather. The gag order on climate communication was implemented by Governor Rick Scott in 2014. Scott, who questioned the scientific consensus on climate change, did not ban studies on climate impacts entirely, but set priorities causing the government to "[disengage] from active statewide policy making and planning on sea level rise." Leonard Berry, a climate scientist at Florida Atlantic University, cautioned that without coordinated leadership at the state level, it will be difficult to protect Florida's coastline. Florida's issues represent a microcosm of what could occur at the federal level, if the Trump administration takes steps to curtail discussions on climate change. Furthermore, state and local government officials, scientists, and non-governmental organizations all rely on federal resources to deal with coastal climate impacts, making such capabilities vulnerable to federal budget cuts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see: </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001GQCeKUOydIubjkrq8w4Tts3TIICnwG0TB08R3xsv8lAAHpv_Ixw7Q1Us4hwmwvc7hrrszBlDdULrxw2jwkViXMjAmx-dt9j6Zy3kNaEnNwG4dn73Pr3-bFrl4Kqh8oyaaTz3DM9ZkabsT_q6wD2NLFI-38TQcqb8FZJpFxCNPNjNXVqckeqvsjK0f5eJ306tzKVkm4HbCCx7-_FHydxEyPRCeM_sjEPmXgbEG3coEZVQ1VQSKLZZ7osvJR9BPnENdHIWrthTF8SWSGTjVi3plsJN6KCX5dKQDj6yysjM5xzr_RgC_j2atxH7_MlIoqQe_nEQbKkV3p0wz9KJ7GEAUwzQXYBY7RC8ZrGIGrgidmiY6DRma-MeTXKW-2evK9lDNffcstxo3aNfgoB-UUUjFNG4zbZNdAC7XwR70koGCtm_7TtQGzxwgQx0Q938i_d_iwIJ02eK85LwP3cpE8tAq8utZe7mU-Nf&c=wZv_I_B3Tqog8JXaIuELQJmeZajDDMmD5fLef1hspkXzuXdDKmV4UA==&ch=0TNP2SHm_i6xZR3xSwboAp4YdMV14j9a872vrEH7xEjjkG9ROzdzjA==">Scientific American<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>NOTE:</b> Governor Stott’s banning of the use of offensive terms like "global warming," "climate change," or "sea level rise" by state planners is about as smart as banning of the use of terms like “rape,” “child abuse,” or “murder” by state law enforcement officers. How stupid can you get?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>China Pursuing an Elevated Leadership Role on Climate Change to Foster International Relations</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A series of recent actions by Chinese government officials suggest the nation is working to position itself as a global leader on climate change. Xie Zhenhua, the special envoy to the UN Climate Change Conference, has stated, "China is capable of taking a leadership role in combating global climate change." After the election of Donald Trump, President Xi Jinping called on the United States to preserve the "hard won" Paris Climate Agreement. Experts assert that China's climate stance is partly driven by a desire to improve foreign relations. "Due to its nature, addressing climate-change issues inherently entails cooperation among nations. Climate change concerns create a room for dialogues," said Margareth Sembiring, senior analyst with the Centre for Non-traditional Security Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. China has created a multi-billion dollar fund to help developing countries finance climate mitigation and adaptation projects. However, China continues to maintain a stake in the coal industry, having funded several coal projects in Asian countries, including Vietnam, Indonesia, and Bangladesh.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see: </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001GQCeKUOydIubjkrq8w4Tts3TIICnwG0TB08R3xsv8lAAHpv_Ixw7Q1Us4hwmwvc7pHsBQarILf_2h5iImM-i7AHUCU5HxsyS9tppswWsuTht485XX28CHuELRSgDeYc2UcehzcZJVKgNfq7exA0cWFVkp4eaVLU6BDubvGF9ajQRI2oRRte7QYRqvWM1cj-_7PlqAMllvaPKlR9LTqN60F48BEz_QDR22NXi7p7znZpvuiHAeu3BLgs_ZNLDskHnNf6j4eV3fd19f2zNpsPxR6zrTf9HKdeJZgwfSxJ8Q-CX-_hHsKtOk_tWDfzHb5pskO5D0WJ6jtMXWmT4nS86bewfNe5pf6JNU8kGAiQqEkOWAH9IfWXEaEtZw8ANIfjkmnPqCU9xWe-qdM5CZf6SrOJK0mWuXxYdhn6sxCsJTwvaSykL5nWg_2_hVJFMao0GZJc-G61D68RmRvQrOjJHx3Syg33iQNqJ&c=wZv_I_B3Tqog8JXaIuELQJmeZajDDMmD5fLef1hspkXzuXdDKmV4UA==&ch=0TNP2SHm_i6xZR3xSwboAp4YdMV14j9a872vrEH7xEjjkG9ROzdzjA==">South China Morning Post<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_12.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://BE7C2546-5E33-4C76-9107-0FD4B6A6066A/pastedGraphic_12.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Renewable Energy Made Up Nearly 90 Percent of New Installed Capacity for European Union in 2016</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The vast majority of all new electricity generating capacity added to the European Union (EU) in 2016 consisted of renewable energy sources. The EU installed 24.5 gigawatts (GW) last year, with 86 percent coming from wind, solar, biomass, or hydro power. Wind farms accounted for more than half of the EU's installed capacity for the first time, surpassing coal as the EU's second largest source of electricity generation behind natural gas. Germany led wind installations in 2016, with France, the Netherlands, Finland, Ireland, and Lithuania all setting individual wind installation records. Despite support to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, there are concerns that political support for renewables may waiver after the EU's renewable energy targets expire in 2020. Europe's current installed wind capacity is 153.7 GW, but makes up less than 17 percent of the overall electric generating capacity of 918.8 GW. Industry watchers hope more government-forced coal plant closures, such as the United Kingdom's 2025 commitment, provide an opportunity for future renewable energy development.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001GQCeKUOydIubjkrq8w4Tts3TIICnwG0TB08R3xsv8lAAHpv_Ixw7Q1Us4hwmwvc7RNEVhZLusyvfASP0bewxqN5JOLNwBia8LS9crwPIL7sfcPqZb8d4ndbET38CAzMoUMA_FAsPCBd2XZFfSta0TGgllgSUNjklF6lSARY8Qihbu4v6_DUcdIsLj9K4ac-_lwmskzM3BwtNcdkSGSGiT15CyYwDFKeb1PIRp_Cs5MqlUKIrC0p3ViHmiz4kpigOtcFtJOOqASy-Qg5nkVvg1Q==&c=wZv_I_B3Tqog8JXaIuELQJmeZajDDMmD5fLef1hspkXzuXdDKmV4UA==&ch=0TNP2SHm_i6xZR3xSwboAp4YdMV14j9a872vrEH7xEjjkG9ROzdzjA==">Guardian</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Scientists Fear Science Will Take a Back Seat in the New EPA</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">During a February 7 hearing by the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, the focus was on examining the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) "process for evaluating and using science during its regulatory decision-making activities." Committee chair Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) said, "Over the last eight years the EPA has pursued a political agenda, not a scientific one." Such statements have some Democrats and scientists concerned about what is to come for the EPA under the new administration. "I'm disappointed but not really surprised our very first hearing in this congress will be focused on attacking the EPA," said Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), the committee's ranking member. During the hearing, hints emerged that the Republican's probe may go beyond EPA, with Rep. Smith accusing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of playing "fast and loose with data" and "falsifying the data to exaggerate global warming."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see: </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001GQCeKUOydIubjkrq8w4Tts3TIICnwG0TB08R3xsv8lAAHpv_Ixw7Q1Us4hwmwvc7NGMi0Kdc6-2Z2_ga4Npm2Ulvl61gWqdaeqOiaSKTB8eldRUlxvv9ISHLYtIWy8yE5GgwutKAM9AqWKqSLmCLGGVvoa-8kr4EipGIpTGFtCIqooiiSFSABiehKj3nqAeBcREh8kAvucVnupo_sVJSrXeLykaO4fO7g8BzYsa0EoU4tIejdbQDyL8MyQvEQnKP98--WgSYdJFKQVoO2p4emhhKgzjKcr588xttX7nuKawOuUksZD7euSLsMuDcN4vgs3FXrbwHEk1c4LH03cgIwjnmZopriwe6PYTYusEhAY771rmucSj85zIWx9qIEacaGNpBqgwb_b5kgK_CzGKdSCOoHpQSywYO&c=wZv_I_B3Tqog8JXaIuELQJmeZajDDMmD5fLef1hspkXzuXdDKmV4UA==&ch=0TNP2SHm_i6xZR3xSwboAp4YdMV14j9a872vrEH7xEjjkG9ROzdzjA==">Washington Post</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001GQCeKUOydIubjkrq8w4Tts3TIICnwG0TB08R3xsv8lAAHpv_Ixw7Q1Us4hwmwvc7WgA7jhDgFtd0-oS0neitlFMQa0bvML6kB8KE93EPnnmnCrqnOWGlFSbDjxgqbxLPh5eymugJhtufmEmP2B-blaMwGBNnm9rQE_3NMGb-Cj8AVTHFTLuLiquBopaHfq-X4VqQezqbVmzlZ4Dy3FhCImCR3lmErXukc0_053OqSgR7XJTfiSTkGS6tLt6Hq-x42uA78iXjAP2zndd712I2UAElvQUtdHcu43eX5YpUbRE=&c=wZv_I_B3Tqog8JXaIuELQJmeZajDDMmD5fLef1hspkXzuXdDKmV4UA==&ch=0TNP2SHm_i6xZR3xSwboAp4YdMV14j9a872vrEH7xEjjkG9ROzdzjA=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Dallas Morning News</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001GQCeKUOydIubjkrq8w4Tts3TIICnwG0TB08R3xsv8lAAHpv_Ixw7Q1Us4hwmwvc7fzbQgJoLfChCJjNsR6i8wupMS2k1j_H97QNduz59wvFCKnrdfgfog4qg8BNueaLMMJIXh19KCr_LymDAyCbp5qBFK4mx4F_-K2LmUXVnY8rtZrsvEprjSYmW-B0DQ5YXLq8eCA6GAlaBAuJ3Ig-clOqeO2IUlH_X01C5xYP38tlEkhWpckla9YNUXvUAwk5YlexBuaUEQNid6bQHafcw58nLRl05_-Z0&c=wZv_I_B3Tqog8JXaIuELQJmeZajDDMmD5fLef1hspkXzuXdDKmV4UA==&ch=0TNP2SHm_i6xZR3xSwboAp4YdMV14j9a872vrEH7xEjjkG9ROzdzjA=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Associated Press</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_13.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://BE7C2546-5E33-4C76-9107-0FD4B6A6066A/pastedGraphic_13.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Antarctic Ice Shelf Is Ready to Break Apart, Setting in Motion a Severe Rise in Sea Levels</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Scientists monitoring the fourth-largest Antarctic ice shelf, Larsen C, predict that a major crack will soon span the entire length of the shelf. When that happens, the massive ice sheet will fully break off, producing one of the biggest icebergs ever to be recorded. The crack formed in an area particularly prone to warming and has grown at an increasingly fast pace in recent months. Since the end of 2016, it has expanded by the length of around five football fields every day. The researchers are even more worried, however, about the impact Larsen C's degradation will have on the larger ice shelves behind it. "If the ice shelf breaks apart, it will remove a buttressing force on the glaciers that flow into it. The glaciers will feel less resistance to flow, effectively removing a cork in front of them." The melting of these larger ice shelves will result in substantially higher sea level rise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001GQCeKUOydIubjkrq8w4Tts3TIICnwG0TB08R3xsv8lAAHpv_Ixw7Q1Us4hwmwvc7pseijk9_6YBxY-gApX8nSuleYAjvFjEVLv6EQSUfQMQhVbirjvnUbrBUauVU0-vEatfe3VgdXgoUhzLPs670KUSYPGtBd1__X7kqGPoNgc22idqIyV1qW4_9EopRahmP299QrGRYlLzG9cIWHggR7lzZ-oYa9MqMPCFh-faDSPuA0PwTK0PeVX17tkUm3xn5eWSyrA6QQqhiT4r3hgOzs9hDjie1LT-n9OnZmHruxphl58eKjQpeM9fPbUt9KHkrHQvpypPb3nVapgV_yM10BRrdHCQiu39XhT8K6DZDfLVXsrQkQL3zFDpuUP0-_7WkLxed5Qw5Go5WK_DWC3Hfb5kOWsEaSpg5V5e4g5JG5yxWcbWadw9x4Fyl_wngvjwmcwl1D1oeKNu5-iwWD8gyMg==&c=wZv_I_B3Tqog8JXaIuELQJmeZajDDMmD5fLef1hspkXzuXdDKmV4UA==&ch=0TNP2SHm_i6xZR3xSwboAp4YdMV14j9a872vrEH7xEjjkG9ROzdzjA==">New York Times</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001GQCeKUOydIubjkrq8w4Tts3TIICnwG0TB08R3xsv8lAAHpv_Ixw7Q1Us4hwmwvc7SGnyMh5OIuy_sMxlZmNx8oCDTEt2ZicLKz0WDYkTTxgHXRGAlxVszhGFA6JOahBDwRANncEby7H3UjRPGOyH7QR2del364DH_hxn2_JYQTucjuxT94rUSUMVaZVNXnWOdoTq7i-kW9pKxuevpI0WHAy-xnZ4sBKgSBm624STNEamd0RhpblXVRTbAoG9Frc4tN-AOBYEMyspTb03xbR20ctDbmVdZH02ouGNizRr2_U=&c=wZv_I_B3Tqog8JXaIuELQJmeZajDDMmD5fLef1hspkXzuXdDKmV4UA==&ch=0TNP2SHm_i6xZR3xSwboAp4YdMV14j9a872vrEH7xEjjkG9ROzdzjA=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Christian Science Monitor</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_14.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://BE7C2546-5E33-4C76-9107-0FD4B6A6066A/pastedGraphic_14.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>"Extreme" Changes Continue to Reshape the Arctic Environment</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Scientists have said during this past year the Arctic is "beyond even the extreme" as global climate change has altered the region. Arctic sea ice is sitting at a record low for this time of year and a new North Atlantic storm is about to bring more warm air in from the lower latitudes, bringing the Arctic temperatures near the freezing point. This shift in temperatures could magnify warming trends and begin to scramble weather patterns around the globe. The Arctic's four million residents will be directly impacted by these growing trends, with mid-latitude populations expected to experience more extreme weather events in the future. Models have consistently underestimated the level of ice loss in the past, leaving scientists concerned that the ice declines will beat current projections. Even the best-case scenario has the Arctic warming 4-5 degrees Celsius, with NOAA oceanographer James Overland, stating, "We really don't have any clue about how disruptive that's going to be."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001GQCeKUOydIubjkrq8w4Tts3TIICnwG0TB08R3xsv8lAAHpv_Ixw7Q1Us4hwmwvc7uJ-NLTlpec1bRPDkQyqkJTklX2wTkmBNfcJYvw80-KwfFX182wGn5Z_SysihE1MG8HH0Oq_qqRDnJGEM9xuWdVONMi8YVcuJim0tmDYIT4X5a0ibjumYD8Z5HQ9uJIK2W5E28JGFw6fu5sODChvZ29Mghk-8ED9FZMgifB8iAFMPeQdqf_CxlenoqbVjAodF&c=wZv_I_B3Tqog8JXaIuELQJmeZajDDMmD5fLef1hspkXzuXdDKmV4UA==&ch=0TNP2SHm_i6xZR3xSwboAp4YdMV14j9a872vrEH7xEjjkG9ROzdzjA==">Nature</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001GQCeKUOydIubjkrq8w4Tts3TIICnwG0TB08R3xsv8lAAHpv_Ixw7Q1Us4hwmwvc7kmNdBqedttU_ViG9Hx01Q5JwmJdc1z87Za6uWi-90hcZGUN0AVGterGNw2btN31O6moHUTO0icm0PUtxMTg1M9ieAPkv9FMfDHUQABMt1PauaZsLiddn_UYZMhQMmWtHl-gfL14CVzgjFz3Wo6q-9_2BsRKrPGYvrNIKUqCm2BM=&c=wZv_I_B3Tqog8JXaIuELQJmeZajDDMmD5fLef1hspkXzuXdDKmV4UA==&ch=0TNP2SHm_i6xZR3xSwboAp4YdMV14j9a872vrEH7xEjjkG9ROzdzjA=="><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Climate Central</span></a>, <span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001GQCeKUOydIubjkrq8w4Tts3TIICnwG0TB08R3xsv8lAAHpv_Ixw7Q1Us4hwmwvc7Ks2iPeBDKWk-lIPJi7Cp51sc-PRmKN6RkW0zRmARFLjcgeaLclYBn0PI03vMU4aFwPXgkj0gtYxOJXlUTS-Cg7948g2EtmU0ofQF-c_0rwFd7XqLtdwU6ZSbpOlUTXd3bbVxqXGlg73eGgjSIHGMhJ0WhbDNzpUTE38noUN26DHyfrggKnNK6LHiyqPgH5g3&c=wZv_I_B3Tqog8JXaIuELQJmeZajDDMmD5fLef1hspkXzuXdDKmV4UA==&ch=0TNP2SHm_i6xZR3xSwboAp4YdMV14j9a872vrEH7xEjjkG9ROzdzjA==">National Snow and Ice Data Center</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_15.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://BE7C2546-5E33-4C76-9107-0FD4B6A6066A/pastedGraphic_15.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Oroville Dam Crisis Forewarns Dangers of Country's Aging Water Infrastructure</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On February 12, California state officials declared part of the Oroville Dam unstable and at risk of catastrophic flooding, ordering the evacuation of over 180,000 residents who may be caught in the water's path. The dam's emergency spillways, chutes that allow the dam to handle particularly heavy volumes of water, were found to be faulty and at risk of imminent collapse. Engineers assert that California has failed to adequately maintain its water infrastructure and that the state's 1,500 other dams may pose similar threats. In addition, the aging dams may not be capable of handling the extreme weather events that have already begun to occur more often due to climate change. "Most dams are almost 50 years old," said Lori Spragens, Executive Director of the Association of State Dam Safety Officials. "Many of them are very behind in their rehabilitation and they need to be upgraded to current standards. It's the lack of money. The whole concern with infrastructure is just not there."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Ao_ILJBUXEWh60mY_wkcI6L4gv5otMdR6haPZvuZEGz-JJaNdX3RMpF1JWBPw7yFGNBiwTho0SJ1bejjYnAaYN7ceIqsm5C5qT-DhUn9Upy_H5-suLw3b6_ePHv_CFZ-JsotzKYMP0zqDhlxNmGBWRouynJjWqI-yN4Nvw72bDOlxTjeKPJ-rl6gPNDhJELir216Ho7iXXe1IIaOGtO2euGpJDH9B4EZ9eSsf4rlmVrc_dcezjb6AENWxBVxReqK&c=fQzWslR3fQhQ6PFFKSVnDyb_HLMWnvUWbzZ-53mwIkn4SWpzPZVUeQ==&ch=rchLN2OqSm6kOZ5hhEOTpaPj2JHOmIlutUWC0LZALXW96FAOMvGkRQ==">New York Times</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">, <span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Ao_ILJBUXEWh60mY_wkcI6L4gv5otMdR6haPZvuZEGz-JJaNdX3RMpF1JWBPw7yFpAJzxm6a2KHGkacADfA81F9rkRBMzCsGYgsrn3nXol5xFNcZdJ9wxfvhadiLJhyCWzSXMBEAcnIdPor3SVYRfXOsV0eT-GVr8RQpXMVL3pWxKmfe3kMJnvMNmNm6DSbKjGpoOm0q6uBmVBju1bvCH6HDQkUWVYY2IEKleJcTSIdax-1kem5R1xvokuSj4trB&c=fQzWslR3fQhQ6PFFKSVnDyb_HLMWnvUWbzZ-53mwIkn4SWpzPZVUeQ==&ch=rchLN2OqSm6kOZ5hhEOTpaPj2JHOmIlutUWC0LZALXW96FAOMvGkRQ==">Los Angeles Times</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_16.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://BE7C2546-5E33-4C76-9107-0FD4B6A6066A/pastedGraphic_16.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>G-20 Nations Brace for a Difference of Opinion with Secretary of State Tillerson on Climate Change</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">U.S. Secretary of State Tillerson headed to Bonn, Germany to join a February 16 gathering of the Group of 20 (G-20) to discuss climate change with other foreign ministers. Host-nation Germany ensured climate change would be on the agenda and indicated it was prepared to challenge the Trump administration on the issue. "You can't fight climate change by putting up barbed wire," said German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel. The G-20 meeting took up climate talks begun at last year's meetings in China and also discussed Agenda 2030, a set of United Nations goals for global sustainability. Germany's tone marks a strategic shift as it inherits the group's rotating presidency. Exxon Mobil, of which Secretary Tillerson was CEO, declared the Paris Agreement a "monumental" achievement, contrary to some signals coming from President Trump. A German official indicated uncertainty as to how much influence Tillerson would have over the decidedly pro-climate assemblage. The February meeting precedes another G-20 summit in June, which heads of state typically attend.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Ao_ILJBUXEWh60mY_wkcI6L4gv5otMdR6haPZvuZEGz-JJaNdX3RMpF1JWBPw7yF9EmJ0dEEbjxNuFq4WioV9rrA3imLE_VGpKSQqd5Wqh3E-MW4854TU0GULLGn5n3cG0iMwT9TqffE5FogiuzizYSEJDAL0UyYBuWg2rKdmcIC_f_p1MNKJhXoBE83lGmV-wyHpCXnNxZowrmJ2yMx02oGYF8UZZ7d_mpdlsj3LMzPupyQGPxebMjm2pobMo8WZ1CUrTvQKnSL44IFFBoEjZ3i_WJ5G1rItC_N1zdmA9E=&c=fQzWslR3fQhQ6PFFKSVnDyb_HLMWnvUWbzZ-53mwIkn4SWpzPZVUeQ==&ch=rchLN2OqSm6kOZ5hhEOTpaPj2JHOmIlutUWC0LZALXW96FAOMvGkRQ==">Chicago Tribune</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_17.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://BE7C2546-5E33-4C76-9107-0FD4B6A6066A/pastedGraphic_17.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>"Climate-Smart" Agriculture Helps Moroccan Farmers Adapt to Rising Temperatures</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Climate change has begun to interfere with the livelihoods of small-scale farmers across Morocco, due to its impact on commercially valuable Argan trees. The products from Argan trees make up the primary source of income for many villagers, but decreased precipitation and increasingly arid land has made growing these trees difficult. Farmers have begun to adopt "climate-smart agriculture" methods to combat these hardships. The new approach involves reducing water consumption, planting resilient crops, diversifying yields, improving soil management practices, and promoting "green" infrastructure to store carbon and manage flooding. To start, the Moroccan government will plant drought-tolerant Argan trees across 95,000 acres of the country, which will pull over half a megaton of carbon dioxide from the air over a decade (equivalent to taking 130,000 cars off the road). Locals have also considered collecting small "green" donations from tourists to offset the carbon emissions from traveling to that area and to help finance local sustainable agriculture efforts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Ao_ILJBUXEWh60mY_wkcI6L4gv5otMdR6haPZvuZEGz-JJaNdX3RMpF1JWBPw7yFdBmTjVIbgCD9uEguz5xVF8CMqRwW-pxGCkpDaEiIdw1pB3g-vcZzRBy1mtCoWIfKFwvSJ93h-ltNDUPjzZS18nCjf7UbV5IyiynTWbAXL3oypkz0sqgtV4JTb2jLYyKniqsqaztZwyP7fNemOCcSy0JRNUhhxlBZjZZtHxaHdqvBiALdFelJn3naGi16ccrC&c=fQzWslR3fQhQ6PFFKSVnDyb_HLMWnvUWbzZ-53mwIkn4SWpzPZVUeQ==&ch=rchLN2OqSm6kOZ5hhEOTpaPj2JHOmIlutUWC0LZALXW96FAOMvGkRQ==">Christian Science Monitor<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>GOP Moderates and Corporations Encourage Trump to Support the Paris Climate Agreement</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The goals of the Paris Agreement have proven to be widely accepted and recognized as necessary by corporations and moderate Republicans alike, and many do not want to see the United States relinquish its current leadership role in mitigating the causes of climate change. Many believe that regardless of President Trump's actions, the United States as a whole will continue to embrace energy efficiency and renewable energy. Andrew Hoffman, a professor at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, said, "The reason the Paris accord got signed is because so many companies wanted this." By reneging on the country's earlier commitment, Trump risks strong opposition from the more than 745 companies and investors who signed a letter of support for the Paris Agreement, as well as a confrontation with members of his own party. The agreement's goals are not viewed as particularly burdensome for the United States, which is currently on track to meet them due to more energy efficient technologies and a surge in electricity generation from wind, solar, and natural gas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Ao_ILJBUXEWh60mY_wkcI6L4gv5otMdR6haPZvuZEGz-JJaNdX3RMpF1JWBPw7yF5TdkqWsqIfLeZKzKDueSV2SaSen2vcuCnGnLFPk1Gf2FhivkbWJIHpxfXqlK0GWUDZIy7XAZj62ZSWPkiXi_G2zJHcDpQx3IJH702RT2z3zHf5nhLDv5DohLPBwXVWvchsuzCG4n2W-qYZAEtndlfp1RU8NQu7PMjra_d4fD0fR3qurRvuBGzv94jYaR2Cps&c=fQzWslR3fQhQ6PFFKSVnDyb_HLMWnvUWbzZ-53mwIkn4SWpzPZVUeQ==&ch=rchLN2OqSm6kOZ5hhEOTpaPj2JHOmIlutUWC0LZALXW96FAOMvGkRQ==">LA Times<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_18.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://BE7C2546-5E33-4C76-9107-0FD4B6A6066A/pastedGraphic_18.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Faith Groups and Environmental Organizations Are Coming Together to Cool Down Louisville</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">With Louisville, Kentucky becoming the fastest warming "urban heat island," environmental and faith-based organizations are coming together to combat the issue. A growing number of faith-based groups, including Evangelical Protestants in the Louisville area, are "squaring their faith with science's climate warnings." A large body of research has shown that keeping urban tree canopies healthy is one of the best ways to curb the urban heat island effect. A partnership between the Nature Conservancy and the Center for Interfaith Relations, with the help of participants from other local religious institutions, located hot spots around Louisville and launched a four-part landscape audit to understand how people can overhaul their landscaping practices to help reduce the urban heat island effect. "Faith-based organizations are the places people look for direction," said Sikander Chowhan, <b><i>chief strategic officer at Muslim Americans for Compassion</i></b>, "So hopefully we'll get folks seeing what we're doing to make things more beneficial, and becoming more aware of their own properties." <b><i>(emphasis added)</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Ao_ILJBUXEWh60mY_wkcI6L4gv5otMdR6haPZvuZEGz-JJaNdX3RMpF1JWBPw7yFxKpNpZudAbPhMhQG9dj38LWBFAj_R2oihNwQbDY7PCEIidRTpQQXD1ciodBeQTY0hx93WXBjp9FdlTv2lYR338M2dJ_EcBYp_bor_b6oNl556zRzqQSKZ77NnhQZEZ_uC3UhzT6slJRLmEch4gaqDDUMbwHeE_jkPM9slvnuZe6WFmN9Wa3tjHDgCSBtXnpxIwefNvKcNbZcUIA94UnxzvEIUjZ804u4U8YjNj_ylZkAgE-uCrTjAcduBnu2ZFEMDYIdLhW73YZque2hn_0n-I4LOoUww4FhCteZPDHneu5pvDB1kHb4-Xac5mY2AcOUEwbT12BPCxY2ThvcfW_Wt956FKUQtYmk8SYMyKaeBIl__or8z2P2crtgl9rKQitM0o3mE8vVjgI0Dlbb4YD-LA==&c=fQzWslR3fQhQ6PFFKSVnDyb_HLMWnvUWbzZ-53mwIkn4SWpzPZVUeQ==&ch=rchLN2OqSm6kOZ5hhEOTpaPj2JHOmIlutUWC0LZALXW96FAOMvGkRQ==">CityLab<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_19.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://BE7C2546-5E33-4C76-9107-0FD4B6A6066A/pastedGraphic_19.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>New NASA Reports Provide Closer Look at Greenland's Endangered Ice Sheets</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A NASA mission titled "Oceans are Melting Greenland," or OMG for short, has produced two new reports on how glaciers interact with oceanic currents. OMG is an ongoing study of the effect on glaciers and sea level rise as warming waters enter the fjords that connect to Greenland's ice sheets. Currently, Greenland's ice sheets are the largest global contributor to rising sea levels, adding around 1mm per year. However, the vast ice sheets hold the potential to cause over 7.36 meters (24 feet) of sea level rise if all the ice is lost. Researchers have found that the deeper waters tend to be warmer, meaning the largest and thickest glaciers that extend to those depths are experiencing the most severe effects. While the mission does not yet have enough data for modeling predictions, Josh Willis, the principal investigator for this mission, said, "I think these papers suggest that the glaciers as a whole are more vulnerable than we thought they were. These kinds of results suggest that we could be in for more sea level rise than we thought."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Ao_ILJBUXEWh60mY_wkcI6L4gv5otMdR6haPZvuZEGz-JJaNdX3RMpF1JWBPw7yFuzZulzoSQaVJwl5_nUVbX-sYudlnZKXRCLCvdESjiq42cRxOg05WHXEiqDGnP3RGEl4rqAeREBGBNiKOgv3nL1wDjlKOckKgB4z9vHWwPA-0anwemNxMk80JsKDj2Z3aesLTXyuXpIOM6utuxgckRauWaeLTIfOuE6u_7-ZYBNgATNgUuZKyAUxQxsI3-Z1Ni0r0AbL8u6JJYhkNFLIDJVNR2bueM18OtzpTbO85uSFTyBcTEr_IN4dvmw6BsZsvD1gpOJ5eyIyGLuELEHvMpRTUSHmDdIqzNJEGLpGyLbKchaZxXUDZoE-MGb0l4L0AtwxDS3gn5XhDCS5Y0_pjJ3A09Psa1bWT8p9mWSVmMWfo0PRyjacCqt_bTRYqGAb2IU0U8ehJ-3KxH0Q_QDUW2axW4oarQRJ1OnDjYAh9xBF9aF3E_jMKpqm-0xxWPM2_ZRgLAYlD9HO8idpYrW5FbIfX0p2ds9Le&c=fQzWslR3fQhQ6PFFKSVnDyb_HLMWnvUWbzZ-53mwIkn4SWpzPZVUeQ==&ch=rchLN2OqSm6kOZ5hhEOTpaPj2JHOmIlutUWC0LZALXW96FAOMvGkRQ==">Washington Post<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_20.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://BE7C2546-5E33-4C76-9107-0FD4B6A6066A/pastedGraphic_20.pdf" /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Rising Seas and Coastal Pollution Push Everglades to a Tipping Point</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Florida's coastal Everglades are a crucial wildlife habitat and a significant carbon sink, but new research shows the system is nearing a "tipping point" that could mark its decline. Rising sea levels are increasing the salinity of the water and altering its flow, causing mangroves along the coast to move inland and disrupt freshwater marshes. Periphyton algae is also disappearing, leaving a significant gap in the Everglades' food chain. The combination of organic pollution from fertilizers and rising sea levels has led to altered growth patterns, threatening to upend the way a healthy ecosystem would normally function. The sudden appearance of large, open-water lakes has alarmed scientists. Lead investigator Evelyn Gaiser of Florida International University said, "Once you lose that soil, it's gone. You create a place where nothing can effectively grow." According to Gaiser, this can present a major climate impact: "We're changing the system from one that is very good at sucking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere to one that's very rapidly losing it."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Ao_ILJBUXEWh60mY_wkcI6L4gv5otMdR6haPZvuZEGz-JJaNdX3RMpF1JWBPw7yFFRUWmmIat8dR_dxKZJVGSA7tcCwmqzbZOyJjxTaEHxtg7vZxw-riKWnM2_AfUPyNzX7QLGDomu183XLbBjMeSWTC2yVzYRVW2j87sEfh1J-EEeFru9hp61XdKypBU3d1GTQ2jdwibVCcgPR3rHDl2981cVibBZM4ni2EsOV9Z2N7_WpFadnwiA==&c=fQzWslR3fQhQ6PFFKSVnDyb_HLMWnvUWbzZ-53mwIkn4SWpzPZVUeQ==&ch=rchLN2OqSm6kOZ5hhEOTpaPj2JHOmIlutUWC0LZALXW96FAOMvGkRQ==">Miami Herald<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #021eaa; line-height: normal;"></span></a></span></div>
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Chad Tolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198303455148896174noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441974095206886318.post-43727287002033309642017-01-19T09:02:00.000-08:002017-01-19T09:02:12.877-08:00CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS FOR JAN. 2017<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>CC NEWS FOR JAN. 2017</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I just found an old but excellent article by Justin Gillis in the<b> <i>NY Times</i> </b>for Nov. 28, 2015 titled, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/11/28/science/what-is-climate-change.html?action=click&contentCollection=Science&module=RelatedCoverage&region=Marginalia&pgtype=article"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Short Answers to Hard Questions about Climate Change</span></a>. Here are the questions:</span></div>
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<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">How much is the planet heating up?</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">How much trouble are we in?</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Is there anything I can do?</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">What’s the optimistic scenario?</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Will reducing meat in my diet help the climate?</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">What’s the worst-case scenario?</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Will a tech breakthrough help us?</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">How much will the seas rise?</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Are the predictions reliable?</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Why do people question climate change?</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Is crazy weather tied to climate change?</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Will anyone benefit from global warming?</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Is there any reason for hope?</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">How does agriculture affect climate change?</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Will the seas rise evenly across the planet?</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Is it really all about carbon?</span></li>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Here are some partial answers; see the article for more:</span></div>
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<li style="color: #333233; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Scientists believe most and probably all of the warming since 1950 was caused by the human release of greenhouse gases. If emissions continue unchecked, they say the global warming could ultimately exceed 8 degrees Fahrenheit, which would transform the planet and undermine its capacity to support a large human population.</span></li>
<li style="color: #333233; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">… if emissions continue to rise unchecked, the risks are profound. Scientists fear climate effects so severe that they might destabilize governments, produce waves of refugees, precipitate the sixth mass extinction of plants and animals in Earth’s history, and melt the polar ice caps, causing the seas to rise high enough to flood most of the world’s coastal cities.</span></li>
<li style="color: #333233; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">You can reduce your own carbon footprint in lots of simple ways, and most of them will save you money. In the end, though, experts do not believe the needed transformation in the energy system can happen without strong state and national policies. So speaking up and exercising your rights as a citizen matters as much as anything else you can do.</span></li>
<li style="color: #333233; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">… in the view of the experts, simply banking on a rosy scenario without any real plan would be dangerous. They believe the only way to limit the risks is to limit emissions.</span></li>
<li style="color: #333233; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">That is actually hard to say, which is one reason scientists are urging that emissions be cut; they want to limit the possibility of any worst-case scenario coming to pass. Perhaps the greatest fear is a collapse of food production, accompanied by escalating prices and mass starvation. </span></li>
<li style="color: #333233; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">People like Bill Gates have argued that crossing our fingers and hoping for technological miracles is not a strategy — we have to spend the money that would make these things more likely to happen.</span></li>
<li style="color: #333233; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The ocean is rising at a rate of about a foot per century. … the crucial issue is probably not how much the oceans are going to rise, but how fast. And on that point, scientists are pretty much flying blind. Their best information comes from studying <b><i>Earth’s history</i></b>, and it <b><i>suggests that the rate can on occasion hit a foot per decade</i></b>, <b><i>(emphasis added) </i></b>which can probably be thought of as the worst-case scenario. A rate even half that would force rapid retreat from the coasts and, some experts think, throw human society into crisis.</span></li>
<li style="color: #333233; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Most of the attacks on climate science are coming from libertarians and other political conservatives who do not like the policies that have been proposed to fight global warming. Instead of negotiating over those policies and trying to make them more subject to free-market principles, they have taken the approach of blocking them by trying to undermine the science.</span></li>
<li style="color: #333233; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Scientists have been warning since the 1980s that strong policies were needed to limit emissions. Those warnings were ignored, and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have since built up to potentially dangerous levels. So the hour is late. What is still largely missing in all this are the voices of ordinary citizens. <b><i>Because politicians have a hard time thinking beyond the next election, they tend to tackle hard problems only when the public rises up and demands it. (emphasis added)</i></b></span></li>
<li style="color: #333233; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Many forest experts at the Paris climate talks in late 2015 considered the pledge as ambitious, but possible. And they said it was crucial that consumers keep up the pressure on companies from whom they buy products, from soap to ice cream.</span></li>
<li style="color: #333233; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The greenhouse gases being released by human activity are often called “carbon emissions,” just for shorthand. That is because the two most important of the gases, carbon dioxide and methane, contain carbon. Many other gases also trap heat near the Earth’s surface, and many human activities cause the release of such gases to the atmosphere. Not all of these actually contain carbon, but they have all come to be referred to by the same shorthand. <b><i>When you hear about carbon taxes, carbon trading and so on, these are just shorthand descriptions of methods designed to limit greenhouse emissions (emphasis added) </i></b>or to make them more expensive so that people will be encouraged to conserve fuel.</span></li>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On December 15, 2016, <b><i>Bloomberg Tech</i></b> published an article by Tom Randall titled, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-15/world-energy-hits-a-turning-point-solar-that-s-cheaper-than-wind"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">World Energy Hits a Turning Point: Solar That’s Cheaper Than Wind</span></a>. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333233; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A transformation is happening in global energy markets that’s worth noting as 2016 comes to an end: Solar power, for the first time, is becoming the cheapest form of new electricity.” </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This has happened in isolated projects in the past: an especially competitive auction in the Middle East, for example, resulting in record-cheap solar costs. But now unsubsidized solar is beginning to outcompete coal and natural gas on a larger scale, and notably, new solar projects in emerging markets are costing less to build than wind projects, according to fresh data from <a href="http://global-climatescope.org/en/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Bloomberg New Energy Finance</span></a>.” </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333233; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This year has seen a remarkable run for solar power. Auctions, where private companies compete for massive contracts to provide electricity, established record after record for cheap solar power. It started with a contract in January to produce electricity for <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-19/solar-power-costs-drop-to-record-in-rajasthan-auction-in-india"><span style="color: #0e23a3; letter-spacing: 0px;">$64 per megawatt-hour</span></a> in India; then a deal in August pegging $29.10 per megawatt hour in Chile. That’s record-cheap electricity—roughly <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-19/solar-sells-in-chile-for-cheapest-ever-at-half-the-price-of-coal"><span style="color: #0e23a3; letter-spacing: 0px;">half the price</span></a> of competing coal power.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">NOTE: The above <a href="http://global-climatescope.org/en/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Bloomberg New Energy Finance</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">has a short video titled, <b>The Peak Oil Myth and the Rise of the Electric Car</b> - well worth watching.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3c3c3c; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Around Dec. 18 an article was posted in <b><i>The Onion</i></b> titled, <a href="http://www.theonion.com/article/exxonmobil-ceo-relieved-it-finally-too-late-do-any-52732"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">ExxonMobil CEO Relieved It Finally Too Late To Do Anything About Climate Change</span></a>. It said,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3c3c3c; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Saying the multinational oil and gas conglomerate had “really dodged a bullet,” ExxonMobil CEO Rex <b><i>Tillerson told reporters Wednesday how relieved he was now that it was finally too late to do anything about climate change</i></b>.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The 64-year-old petroleum executive, who acknowledged that throughout his career he had feared the public might take action to curb rising temperatures by imposing emissions restrictions or mandating a switch to alternative energy, <b><i>said he was just happy that the window for avoiding the planet’s environmental destruction had closed, and that the entire industry was now free to carry on as usual</i></b>. <b><i>(emphasis added)</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“I was really worried for a while there that some kind of law would be passed to stop us from releasing all those hydrocarbons into the atmosphere, but I guess not,” said Tillerson, describing how <b><i>he felt as if a tremendous weight had been lifted from his shoulders now that catastrophic climate change was an inescapable certainty</i></b>. “Seriously, it’s a huge load off. There were a number of real tense years after the recycling movement picked up momentum when we thought people might all turn away from fossil fuels next. But it’s just so reassuring to know that we passed the point where it’s no longer possible to stop global warming through environmental regulation or green energy or anything like that.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“Now I can finally just relax,” he continued. “This really makes things so much easier.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The CEO remarked that, <b><i>back when it was still possible to halt the devastating effects of climate change, he constantly feared that the energy industry would be forced to make costly concessions toward sustainability</i></b>, perhaps investing in expensive technology that would reduce oil and gas companies’ environmental impact, <b><i>and thereby severely harm his corporation’s bottom line</i></b>.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“And thank goodness,” he added. “<b><i>Everyone’s complete hopelessness about the whole situation really is the best thing that could have happened to us</i></b>.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE: </b> <b><i>The Onion</i></b> is well known for its wry humor, so don’t take this literally.</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>The Nation</i></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px;"> on Dec. 21 posted and article by Daphne Wysham titled, </span><a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/this-city-just-banned-virtually-all-new-dirty-energy-infrastructure/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DAILY_2016_12_22&utm_term=daily" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">This City Just Banned Virtually All New Dirty-Energy Infrastructure</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px;">.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px;">She wrote: </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“On December 14, the city council in Portland, Oregon, voted unanimously” </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px;">for</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> “a groundbreaking new zoning ordinance that effectively bans all new fossil-fuel-export infrastructure within the city’s limits—including new port facilities for shipping coal, and holding tanks for oil and natural gas—and prevents existing facilities from expanding. The vote marks a hard-fought victory for local activists and <a href="http://sustainable-economy.org/nonewffipdx/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">environmental groups</span></a>. And, in anticipation of the Trump administration’s pro–fossil fuel agenda, it signals to other cities that innovative action to counter climate change is still possible at a local level.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A related article posted on Dec. 14 by the <b><i>Center for Sustainable Economy</i></b> by Daphne Wysham said: </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333233; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This victory is the result of over two years of organizing from local activists and community members committed to the betterment of Portland’s environment and the protection of our neighbors’ health and safety. <b><i>The ordinance</i></b> is an important step forward for Portland and <b><i>should serve as a model for other municipalities and states. (emphasis added)</i></b> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This policy was worked on by 350PDX, Audubon Society of Portland, Columbia Riverkeeper, Climate Action Coalition, Friends of the Columbia Gorge, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, Center for Sustainable Economy, the Oregon Chapter Sierra Club, and more.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE: </b>This important victory shows what can be accomplished by groups of passionate people working together to save the environment for future generations.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>The Washington Post</i></b> for Dec. 22 has an article by Chelsea Harvey titled, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/12/22/the-coming-battle-between-the-trump-team-and-economists-over-the-true-cost-of-climate-change/?utm_term=.1de6bb1fe6dc"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">The coming battle between economists and the Trump team over the true cost of climate change</span></a>. The Obama administration, especially the EPA, has been using a metric called “the social cost of carbon,” which is an estimate of the cost to society of each additional ton of CO2 emitted to the atmosphere. The cost includes things like increased illness and disability (e.g., microencephaly in babies born to mothers infected with the zika virus by mosquitoes, whose range in increased at higher temperatures), property damage from sea level rise, stronger hurricanes (e.g., Hurricane Sandy), coastal storms, tornadoes and forest fires, and loss of crops through droughts and floods. The federal government has been using a figure of $36 per ton of CO2 to justify regulations (e.g., to increase corporate average fuel efficiency standards for automobiles). </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The<b> <i>NY Times</i> </b>for Dec. 26 had an article by the Editorial Board titled, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/26/opinion/states-will-lead-on-climate-change-in-the-trump-era.html?_r=1"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">States Will Lead on Climate Change in the Trump Era</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">. It said,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">State governments will serve as an important bulwark against any attempt by President-elect Donald Trump to roll back the progress the United States has made in addressing climate change. And that’s good news for the planet. Over the last decade or so, most states have reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by promoting energy efficiency and renewable fuels. These trends should continue as clean energy costs continue to decline and, in some parts of the country, fall below the cost of dirtier fuels like coal. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The Brookings Institution <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/growth-carbon-and-trump-state-progress-and-drift-on-economic-growth-and-emissions-decoupling/#footref-2"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">reported this month</span></a> that between 2000 and 2014, 33 states and the District of Columbia cut carbon emissions while expanding their economies. That list includes red states run by Republican legislatures, like Alaska, Georgia, Tennessee and West Virginia. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It’s hard to know how Mr. Trump will change climate policy, but it is almost certain that he won’t advance it. He <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/22/us/politics/donald-trump-visit.html"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">told The Times last month</span></a> that he has an “open mind” about climate change, but has also called it a “hoax.” The people he has chosen to lead the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/07/us/politics/scott-pruitt-epa-trump.html"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Environmental Protection Agency</span></a>, the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/12/13/trump-taps-former-texas-gov-rick-perry-to-head-energy-department-he-once-vowed-to-abolish/?utm_term=.f01406f4ef7f"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Department of Energy</span></a> and the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/13/us/politics/donald-trump-ryan-zinke-interior-secretary.html"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Department of Interior</span></a> — the three agencies with the greatest influence on energy policy — have either denied or expressed skepticism that human activity is causing global warming, something that virtually all scientists agree on.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And many people expect him to walk away from President Obama’s commitments under the Paris climate agreement and get rid of or weaken the E.P.A.’s Clean Power Plan, which requires states to lower carbon emissions from the electricity sector. He and his appointees might also try to water down fuel economy regulations for cars and trucks, and cut clean energy tax incentives and research spending.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“<a href="https://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/pillars/pillars.htm"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">California</span></a> and <a href="https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-joined-vice-president-gore-announces-new-actions-reduce-greenhouse-gas-emissions"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">New York</span></a> plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. Hawaii hopes to get <a href="http://governor.hawaii.gov/newsroom/press-release-governor-ige-signs-bill-setting-100-percent-renewable-energy-goal-in-power-sector/"><span style="color: #0e23a3; letter-spacing: 0px;">all of its electricity</span></a> from renewable sources by 2045. This month, Charlie Baker, the Republican governor of Massachusetts, <a href="http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/12/baker_administration_release_r.html"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">proposed new rules</span></a> for power plants and vehicles to make sure the state achieves its goal of a 25 percent cut from 1990 levels by 2020. Emissions are already down by around 20 percent.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Cheap natural gas, which has increasingly replaced coal as a fuel source, has had a lot to do with this progress, but so has the drop in the cost of wind and solar power — 41 percent in the case of land-based wind turbines and 64 percent for solar, between 2008 and 2015, according to the <a href="https://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2016/09/f33/Revolutiona%CC%82%E2%82%ACNow%202016%20Report_2.pdf"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Energy Department.</span></a> The cost of batteries has dropped by almost three-fourths. In some states, including Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska and parts of Texas, new wind turbines can generate electricity at a lower cost, without subsidies, than any other technology, according to a <a href="https://news.utexas.edu/2016/12/08/natural-gas-and-wind-are-the-lowest-cost-for-much-of-us"><span style="color: #0259ce; letter-spacing: 0px;">report published this month</span></a> by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“<b><i>States are also beginning to put a price on carbon emissions to increase the cost of older fuels and encourage cleaner sources of energy (emphasis added)</i></b>, which Congress has refused to do. California has a <a href="https://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/capandtrade/capandtrade.htm"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">cap and trade system</span></a> in which electric utilities, fuel distributors and other businesses have to buy emission permits through auctions or from one another. New York and eight other Eastern states have a <a href="https://www.rggi.org/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">similar program</span></a> for power plants. And this month, Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington <a href="http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/gov-jay-inslee-to-announce-k-12-school-funding-plan/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">proposed</span></a> a tax of $25 per metric ton on carbon emissions to increase education funding.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Lawmakers, environmental groups and individuals who care about climate change ought to fight every effort to take the country backward on this issue. But it will be just as important for them to support states that are trying to advance the cause.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE:</b> It’s clear to me that cities, states and regions can do a great deal to address climate change even though Trump and his majorities in both the House and Senate are very unlikely to be helpful or supportive during the next four years. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Individuals can also do a great deal in their own homes to reduce their families’ carbon emissions and energy bills. A good source of ideas and information is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Smarter-Practical-Low-Carbon-Living/dp/161091192X"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Cooler Smarter - Practical Steps for Low-Carbon Living</span></a> by the Union of Concerned Scientists, Island Press, Washington, 2012.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On Dec. 27 Bruce Lieberman of Yale Climate Connections posted a tool developed by NOAA called <a href="http://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2016/12/explore-warming-where-you-live/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Climate Connections</span></a>. There is a 1.5 minute audio describing it. You can enter a Zip code (or the name of a city or country) and see the past and projected future of climate variables like temperature or precipitation in that area for two scenarios of climate change - a high and a low. You can for example ask how many days in future years are expected to have temperatures above 95 degrees.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333233; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><i>Truthout</i></b> for Dec. 28 posted an article by Dahr Jamail titled, <a href="http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/38885-we-have-released-a-monster-previously-frozen-soil-is-breathing-out-greenhouse-gases"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">We Have Released a Monster: Previously Frozen Soil is “Breathing Out” Greenhouse Gases</span></a>. The author wrote,</span><span style="color: #333233; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> “</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A study <a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/nature20150.epdf?referrer_access_token=6k-AhTWfe4-WMowE8ufmRNRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0Mik0TTmks8PdSiUZYeb2RTXh0fcXCzT3docMWWowBCsKV6juC9Hf2gYdZiGQr-MlvCF_V-JiTQhapXle9pFboTnp8Eo98Q7_rIaTDTqsBzg7aTEoOe1WJqGg7u6vEqm2DffDkHFNyu9T9cLr3Gav0HSCac088Nbuk1cvIE1sukHQ==&tracking_referrer=www.bbc.com"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">published in the journal Nature</span></a> has revealed an alarming new climate feedback loop: As Earth's atmosphere continues to warm from anthropogenic climate disruption (ACD), soils are respirating carbon -- that is, carbon is being literally baked out of the soils.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Microorganisms in soil generally consume carbon, then release CO2 as a byproduct. Large areas of the planet -- such as Alaska, northern Canada, Northern Europe and large swaths of Siberia in Russia -- have previously been too cold for this process to occur. However, they are now warming up, and soil respiration is happening there. As a result, these places are contributing far, far more CO2 and methane to the atmosphere than they ever have.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“The study also shows that if Earth is warmed to 2C above preindustrial baseline temperature levels by 2050, which is essentially a certainty in the best-case scenario, then an average of approximately 0.71ppm of CO2 will be released from soils every year through the year 2050.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The Earth has already warmed by more than 1C above preindustrial baseline temperatures. It is unlikely that human civilization can survive warming of 3.5C or higher, as humans have never lived on a planet that warm. However, we are currently on track for a minimum warming of 5 to 7C, or worse, by 2100.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The <b><i>NY TImes</i></b> for Dec. 30 had an article by Erica Goode titled, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/30/science/fish-climate-change-northeast.html"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Fish Seek Cooler Waters, Leaving Some Fishermen’s Nets Empty</span></a>. Goode wrote, </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“There was a time when whiting were plentiful in the waters of Rhode Island Sound, and Christopher Brown pulled the fish into his long stern trawler by the bucketful. “We used to come right here and catch two, three, four thousand pounds a day, sometimes 10,” he said …”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“But like many other fish on the Atlantic Coast, whiting have moved north, seeking cooler waters as ocean temperatures have risen, and they are now filling the nets of fishermen farther up the coast. Studies have found that two-thirds of marine species in the Northeast United States have shifted or extended their range as a result of ocean warming, migrating northward or outward into deeper and cooler water.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">One problem is that the allowable fish takes for coastal states have been set according to the historical fractions of a particular species off the states’ coasts, and those fractions no longer reflect the species distribution.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On January 4, 2017 <b><i>Science</i></b> published an article by Eric Hand titled, <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/01/fossil-leaves-suggest-global-warming-will-be-harder-fight-scientists-thought"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Fossil leaves suggest global warming will be harder to fight than scientists thought</span></a>. The article describes various methods for estimating the CO2 concentrations in earth’s ancient atmosphere, including a relatively new method based on the size of stomata in fossil leaves. The stomata are the pores in the leaf surface that allow CO2 to enter the leaf where it can be converted to sugars by photosynthesis. When atmospheric CO2 concentrations are higher, the stomata tend to be smaller, which minimizes water evaporation from the leaf. Peter Franks, one of the scientists working on the gas exchange method, said, </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;">“Temperatures are going to climb further for less carbon and we better be mindful of that.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Climate scientists use the term “climate sensitivity” to describe how much earth’s global average surface temperature will eventually increase for a doubling of CO2 concentration. For decades it was thought to be about 3 degrees C, but these new measurements suggest a higher value of 4 degrees C.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE: <i>A climate sensitivity of 4 degrees C for a doubling of CO2 means that we already have enough CO2 in the atmosphere (over 400 ppm) to eventually increase the global average temperature by more than 2 degrees C over what it was in 1750 (with 280 ppm CO2) - passing a red line which international agreements say we should not pass. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333233; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>BBC News</i></b> on Jan. 10 posted an article by Mark Kinver titled, <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-38559336?utm_source=Daily+Carbon+Briefing&utm_campaign=f732bd0c67-cb_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_876aab4fd7-f732bd0c67-303474073"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Warming world harming insects’ reproduction, says study</span></a>. In laboratory experiments fruitflies </span><span style="color: #333233; font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;">‘</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;">were exposed to a temperature increase of 5.5C (9.9F) for 10 days, which was enough to cause permanent damage to the insects' ability to reproduce.” </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">"Lots of insects in their juvenile stage can't move very far because they are larvae or because they are small nymphs - they are smaller and they do not have wings so they are not as mobile so they're stuck where they are."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px;">One of the scientists in the study said, </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">"I think that this is going to be a very common effect, a very common phenomenon across insects."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“While global average temperatures are not projected to increase by 5.0C or more, climate modellers have suggested that extreme weather events, such as heat-waves and droughts, are set to become more frequent. In these events, localised temperatures are set to meet the conditions in which insects' ability to reproduce will be harmed.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Dr Snook suggested that any change in insect populations could result in changes in ecosystems, but to what extent would require further research.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On January 18 James Hansen et al. posted an article on his Columbia University <a href="http://livepage.apple.com/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">web site</span></a> called, <a href="http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2017/20170118_Temperature2016.pdf"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Global Temperature in 2016</span></a>. They point out the earth’s global average surface temperature for 2016 was the highest ever recorded. Surface temperatures on a global scale go back to about 1880. The average temperature in 2016 was 1.26 degrees C (2.3 degrees F) above the average for the period 1880 to 1920, and broke the third world record in a row. Their Fig. 2 shows that the temperature increases are greatest in the Arctic, where they are more than twice the global average increase.</span></div>
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The following items are from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), Carol Werner, Executive Director. Past issues of its newsletter are posted on its website under "publications"<br />
at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102515421764&e=001VqmyLSnT7fkl-_mocGBcn8yb2ys8eiE4dr3Tnveazy1K0B1fU1CponAdxiy_W78b49PK6NHsR0pHlqO7KOWi-3m5yW4bNEJiyJt1G95YoNt46CLY1L4uGjNKLSPL84kX2r7jAaxw1oVR18YElOXvV8_lo1bRsASi9tPNMTm7-ZU="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">http://www.eesi.org/publications/Newsletters/CCNews/ccnews.htm</span></a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">EESI’s newsletter is intended for all interested parties, particularly the policymaker community. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CB7E668E-50C5-4D60-BD08-7A7760AF43C4/pastedGraphic.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>President Obama Announces Permanent Ban on Offshore Drilling Over Vast Stretch of Arctic Ocean</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On December 20, President Obama announced a permanent ban on offshore drilling operations across a vast stretch of the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas in the Arctic Ocean. The action also banned oil and gas exploration and development in 31 ocean floor canyons in the Atlantic. The administration cited the high environmental risk of offshore drilling in these regions, the importance of safeguarding distinct ocean ecosystems and biodiversity, and a desire to reinforce U.S. climate change mitigation policies. President Obama stated, "It would take decades to fully develop the production infrastructure necessary for any large-scale oil and gas leasing production in the region - at a time when we need to continue to move decisively away from fossil fuels." The President's authority to implement the ban comes from the <i>Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act </i>of 1953, which declares the president "may, from time to time, withdraw" unleased federal waters from future oil and gas development. However, the statute has no language or legal precedent for a reversal, suggesting any such action would require years of court battles by the incoming administration. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau jointly announced his own government's ban on offshore Arctic drilling, subject to review every five years.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nGFtMvXG2q8NLvXV1dKqBGAuSoD4G_usbQFcG23MrGbw0BwFlwkxsL1pyRmNRlimQiL-6iqFX9jHPtp0Jl6orTLyvAiQGk1BF2YfKXO-duYFltNbXwYhs5dRDm0WCPYuTYMSZmggNQzfBXjLfDDpvyql0R2cz5JGb8-3NwFc8TYBBgJdgn6bUIPjw7EIvywSrZUaqAEKCI1zae7wOWdtMh3sNiCr0RtD1MlfUxg_Enmh5YzNBBRSpvdaD7Kh2qWcXHoyPCcRcO3RGHOssV6OexEn8xBOzpDeE8vdQojqFf8IyvJqwpvRLQ6h2Q22Pa1c-aF7XMCSGjs=&c=CFWtGBqJsCt0J1X9C9ro5f-kLB_byxsP5bLIOINbqXQa07EC1zPyRA==&ch=cl8_s6NujizY8cixRVIOEjzJ58wiruLO-2SgQlwfeFOEKML1q1fQ5A==">NPR</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nGFtMvXG2q8NLvXV1dKqBGAuSoD4G_usbQFcG23MrGbw0BwFlwkxsL1pyRmNRlimMuKoNiLEDqLgNKKCv_AyAZOK07yXZvF2YvGfOG0LdM-MXDb_u2TU7gh5Gy0_5oOHIgjDeNPStMZQ4daStzWOUxDO1lJoLDr2oCosZrwZ_USsTI2ZrTovByqXU5-4u11gUJWsAXjnISDo9R3Rwx8areI9fwqUIjk4upc7zo_hqaxnLf4PTeyTNw==&c=CFWtGBqJsCt0J1X9C9ro5f-kLB_byxsP5bLIOINbqXQa07EC1zPyRA==&ch=cl8_s6NujizY8cixRVIOEjzJ58wiruLO-2SgQlwfeFOEKML1q1fQ5A=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Los Angeles Times</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_1.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CB7E668E-50C5-4D60-BD08-7A7760AF43C4/pastedGraphic_1.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Scientists Warn Trump Administration May Try to Distort or Delete Public Climate Information Sites</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Scientists and environmental communication experts are concerned that climate information hosted on government websites may be deleted or distorted under the incoming administration. Sites run by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and others are among the top hits for people trying to learn more about climate change on the web. The sites are designed to educate general audiences and ensure accurate, factual information on climate change is available for public discourse. Advocates fear the removal of these resources could create a vacuum filled by inaccurate or misleading information. Susan Hassol, co-author of three U.S. national climate assessments, noted a precedent exists for government officials removing "politically inconvenient" information from government websites. Under President George W. Bush, Philip Cooney of the White House Council on Environmental Quality was exposed by a whistleblower after altering language in government reports to downplay the risks and scientific consensus around climate change. Andrew Rosenberg of the Union of Concerned Scientists is concerned that state officials may follow the lead of a Trump administration, stating, "If the worst comes to pass and there is a concerted attack and removal of material, the public loses in terms of its trust in government."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nGFtMvXG2q8NLvXV1dKqBGAuSoD4G_usbQFcG23MrGbw0BwFlwkxsL1pyRmNRlim7Ho6dT_z8r1cX28uYnfA-n7TErMLoSEI5cC-yV1jjSuRiZd9FEqrGXFZs3cYm075gwiF6XZFUscsBWKIbCKRxhW2EPZ0gJw-C8L_LJb8J0sD2fnhfX7Y0v5SH8NjZT73MfoW2gsMqr3dx_Kw7I9dolwviXdsDr3I9HjoiaxwfWEtb_NVaICQkE_SrbmMHONqIARYUnIv-_-_l93XHZGQcom-JVsk7_NJeGOsxV6xps651nb0bXAWZwisEIKZt4KcPnAVttUgefTtYgos7FqaBdL2WLujdCpEGfYTH40lF4OP2r97mSihl5v01MY-56AyRSeZMNTDxsg0cvnFuTjWXPtA4aHCJx9Q3XfW_oKZjoT_4bLUcCzVLQHn3LWRSiU-&c=CFWtGBqJsCt0J1X9C9ro5f-kLB_byxsP5bLIOINbqXQa07EC1zPyRA==&ch=cl8_s6NujizY8cixRVIOEjzJ58wiruLO-2SgQlwfeFOEKML1q1fQ5A==">Climate Central<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Study: Zika Outbreak Influenced by El Niño and Climate Change in South America</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A new study asserts the 2015-16 Zika outbreak was likely driven by unusually high temperatures from a strong seasonal El Niño event and anthropogenic climate change. The warm temperatures were "especially conducive" to spreading Zika-carrying mosquito species across South America, where the human population lacked a natural immunity to the virus. While factors such as access to sanitation and healthcare can set the pace of a disease outbreak, the climate is what "sets the background," according to lead study author Cyril Caminade of the Institute of Infection and Global Health at the University of Liverpool. The distribution, life cycle, and habits of mosquitoes are all affected by the climate, in addition to the incubation period of the virus itself. The research, appearing in</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</i>, used data from 1950-2015 to model how climate-related factors affected the risk of Zika transmission. Caminade added that warming temperatures may allow vector-borne diseases like Zika to appear in higher latitudes and altitudes in the future.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nGFtMvXG2q8NLvXV1dKqBGAuSoD4G_usbQFcG23MrGbw0BwFlwkxsL1pyRmNRlimitLOT0RqqthNo1rS3nVrHeXqKQUgp1hBQp1ge4-jT7U0zt0pm5gl_3CY9jwJ2JxoYqcc_j8NpMTYk6noVS7RoI4EYaMQMPnADrtE7xb_6EQLOq8JwkIcem_w3JXgcokSwSRnrk5syWecZSyIqcCfH3smDJwh0k3oATlDMSmFliXSqgOEcI-eqvEDNEPFTZuhXZVq89g9MNd2vLKenU4jTnrvxdxnymLwpNQpQnnL9_VH-03cfqdyi_wqVUDSm0kKYtteJ5uuG6mpLjgbeYTsBHPsuXOYZsRKnLXvemA032P1vxWNFyZKNndoI6ddPIV77a6ZmDmhgXISuJa6QadCS8sJfG5b3ODBM7-GfVhCOiCwBWoo2ISQL4oLCGAHPpdh&c=CFWtGBqJsCt0J1X9C9ro5f-kLB_byxsP5bLIOINbqXQa07EC1zPyRA==&ch=cl8_s6NujizY8cixRVIOEjzJ58wiruLO-2SgQlwfeFOEKML1q1fQ5A==">Carbon Brief<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A new study has found that forests in California are struggling to recover from severe forest fires. Researchers examined 1,500 plots spread across 14 burned areas in California, and concluded that recent wildfires killed mature, seed-bearing trees in such large numbers that the forests are now unable to re-seed themselves. Warmer temperatures have also enabled small shrubs to take root more quickly following fires, further inhibiting the re-seeding. Wildfires were historically less frequent in the national forests studied, but climate change, prolonged droughts, and heatwaves have made the regions more susceptible to fire. Park Williams of Columbia University summarized the study's findings: "In the more intense fires that we've been seeing recently, the patches killed by the fire are tending to be far larger and it could take a very long time for the native tree species to repopulate these areas. With climate getting warmer in the coming centuries, it seems more likely that many large burned forest areas in the Southwest United States will be recolonized by shrub species that can reproduce quickly and tolerate heat and drought."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nGFtMvXG2q8NLvXV1dKqBGAuSoD4G_usbQFcG23MrGbw0BwFlwkxsL1pyRmNRlimjiuKLYZYhAWLtsBjjoMRs8MhCVurGTr-ketzPPlCYPca0Wbx7llOvIP1M7dce9Y58cppT596p46lebdFKQMo8ErJjDAJvcFfw6KAKB8gRza5rI1qghs8BGlkoSpGLdaRmKHFAQ4kHlF_y_J4rg6R1o5PXR2bcIaz19sj-X7XJDk8cKPkRi1HzpZsPFeE42b9XSG0y4532OA=&c=CFWtGBqJsCt0J1X9C9ro5f-kLB_byxsP5bLIOINbqXQa07EC1zPyRA==&ch=cl8_s6NujizY8cixRVIOEjzJ58wiruLO-2SgQlwfeFOEKML1q1fQ5A==">InsideClimateNews</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nGFtMvXG2q8NLvXV1dKqBGAuSoD4G_usbQFcG23MrGbw0BwFlwkxsL1pyRmNRlimh-m60mQJnU47SbRogLXlx8YXHdgfTJ41170VLm9FRP_2IuvnjghaimzUg_5Jj2HcL1-qsoJQBGUcVUpTSOfBT-Oa_Vnn_sgzJNvsiHg6gPwDznUkzdGQ0xcg8kAQKeeG4i8U7xk-wBemstVbHgXeuBg0-Go3h4R2&c=CFWtGBqJsCt0J1X9C9ro5f-kLB_byxsP5bLIOINbqXQa07EC1zPyRA==&ch=cl8_s6NujizY8cixRVIOEjzJ58wiruLO-2SgQlwfeFOEKML1q1fQ5A=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Study</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Disappearing Sea Ice Disrupts Way of Life in Alaska's Indigenous Communities</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Alaska's indigenous communities are being forced to navigate new challenges as climate change upends their local environment. "In December, we normally have waters covered in ice but right now we have open water out there. We are so dependent upon sea ice conditions. It's our life, our culture," said Vera Metcalf, director of the Eskimo Walrus Commission representing 19 native communities in Alaska. The Arctic sea ice extent reached a record low in November 2016, while the average temperature in the region is 3.5 degrees Celsius warmer than a century ago. Metcalf noted the decline in sea ice has narrowed the "window of opportunity for hunting," leading to food insecurity for remote communities where a gallon of milk can cost $15. As the ice continues to melt earlier each year and the land beneath coastal settlements starts to erode away, many communities in Alaska are thinking of re-locating. However, prohibitive costs make moving even a small village difficult to achieve.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nGFtMvXG2q8NLvXV1dKqBGAuSoD4G_usbQFcG23MrGbw0BwFlwkxsL1pyRmNRlim-nIzyfeY_c4YV7OB8HcTp6I7IMwa_pqRrW97Ygxj-TXGO8HyBR_gjOSiqwyyynLMPpiAlB-Bq9Y_j8-Z-QnKFtj-IrhgzVCHo9vpGm4tRTy5NqjNNScp56Oydbh9WjCCuuUAkQqdetNwW-2rLgd6g3l35VGeNZHGt515fvMlEwxZeAvogaQXwAREql7kdxEZqYmaDo9pSUKPz8cQh0uzbEcs-GrpFiofBOUB_b2gxHg=&c=CFWtGBqJsCt0J1X9C9ro5f-kLB_byxsP5bLIOINbqXQa07EC1zPyRA==&ch=cl8_s6NujizY8cixRVIOEjzJ58wiruLO-2SgQlwfeFOEKML1q1fQ5A==">Guardian<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Coalition of Attorneys General Urge Incoming Administration to Uphold Legal Defense of Clean Power Plan</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On December 28, attorneys general from 15 states, including California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and Virginia, issued a letter to President-elect Trump and congressional leaders requesting the federal government continue its defense of the Clean Power Plan. The letter invokes the "significant human and economic costs inflicted by unchecked carbon pollution" and cites the Environmental Protection Agency's obligation to adhere to the Clean Air Act. The signatories also provide a direct rebuttal to a December 14 letter signed by attorneys general in 22 conservative states that urged an "executive order on day one" to rescind the "unlawful" rule. The latest letter in defense of the rule states the question of its legality is still under consideration by the DC Circuit Court of Appeals and that a strong legal precedent exists for the Clean Power Plan as issued. The attorneys general go on to argue that an executive order striking the rule would not be upheld in court.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016xh_aSTse73G7T0Z4tIvW6DwxvKC5AyN_Cde13WvoLcCgvLQMcux16IiZB7D_AdCov6oBd-9a0EN4CmeV8LKFyvlq9WYPnHnd60HrZFJzIx9XDyaxNj5kluTGtiDy-sepRAo0BZG9pL3r68LnGcYw3KhxoBltANa7C7hBa3KbLgsj745snaZLcIo6elTm6N7zk0Cg3ShkFELwhLGiCrTZ_JGz_AiRY4Ks0DJiXfiRsYXON3iKnh9llvmvk4GOCWxXY8ler8SjMtdSeeJx71Y8g==&c=wmiNMCEdd6XCXJekOXHjebFCtwnz2vmPseje7F5AdmD0rbwBEOGQfw==&ch=PzZwDiUWcDF6Rc3UUQZFKIxPVpm6mnw9qZox_6_jalquYUsxoIlkdA==">Climate Change News</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016xh_aSTse73G7T0Z4tIvW6DwxvKC5AyN_Cde13WvoLcCgvLQMcux16IiZB7D_AdCJCHKUedKdnN3QWD8SZecstLuyyQYbOyQ0d8aZV3k22_laD8C42I0jBY8F87kmAFQ_lPCeUYpCZjW-td9HdCgQSkHppfQrHVi6upCcxUvfTfRQ1yQm8O_oD7d8FPW5-vy3A9ZFEt85Vlp5NtNFoIzoMov2l4NAhLVavh0mqTXMnhCKsYhHoZ654gUXxIOzgBtwkmRSdzzQXxRyHWerpR2SGigatpbCyVJQvEZf63S7euYZheDCAGH5vpxBiufnxlG1nxStF2wO4cpLgyA9qECqg1ojLFPyXDs_Tbej6LVo8O8neGo65uu7zcPbkwWQiH0zhQ4InMFJgz3oLHry7eWWgcCuqBtV3qb43pYNjdO5mY=&c=wmiNMCEdd6XCXJekOXHjebFCtwnz2vmPseje7F5AdmD0rbwBEOGQfw==&ch=PzZwDiUWcDF6Rc3UUQZFKIxPVpm6mnw9qZox_6_jalquYUsxoIlkdA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Washington Post</span></a>, </span><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016xh_aSTse73G7T0Z4tIvW6DwxvKC5AyN_Cde13WvoLcCgvLQMcux16IiZB7D_AdC1A1yFB-LERuniFszhHXttvs9futKPiAoryJOtWlnNbDt0hdvb-oJ8g9jSpY6JPxLeoZVXOiBZCuvsci8Loz8e-c2PFV0tLsWT4Q68BnYjg9oPCADcwwv9XQRgW_AJtlvLjCXEynZmpuoLv0_5cGI3h2o-MOPIyEoqPgxnBXWncA=&c=wmiNMCEdd6XCXJekOXHjebFCtwnz2vmPseje7F5AdmD0rbwBEOGQfw==&ch=PzZwDiUWcDF6Rc3UUQZFKIxPVpm6mnw9qZox_6_jalquYUsxoIlkdA==" style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Letter</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_3.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CB7E668E-50C5-4D60-BD08-7A7760AF43C4/pastedGraphic_3.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Skeptics Posit Exxon's Climate Stance Under Tillerson was an Elaborate Public Relations Ploy</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Climate watchdogs question the sincerity of Exxon's stance on climate change under the leadership of former CEO, Rex Tillerson. As the Trump administration's nominee for Secretary of State, Tillerson would hold authority over the office that represents the United States in international climate diplomacy. Peter Frumhoff, director of science and policy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said Exxon "agree[s] with the IPCC on climate science - except where it's inconvenient." Though Tillerson publicly endorsed a carbon tax in January 2009, industry monitors point to growing pressure on Exxon to shift its position at the time, as the pro-climate Obama administration took power and momentum gathered behind the Waxman-Markey cap and trade bill. Exxon lobbied against the failed bill, but has not pursued a carbon tax bill in its place. Exxon continues to fund organizations hostile to climate change policies, despite announcing it would no longer fund other like-minded groups. Naomi Oreskes of Harvard University characterizes Exxon's transition under Tillerson as a "clever and sophisticated" form of climate denial.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016xh_aSTse73G7T0Z4tIvW6DwxvKC5AyN_Cde13WvoLcCgvLQMcux16IiZB7D_AdCSYBUu4bQ90XHVgAUkwBsZvzHlp4kVbOfFA77a4G7OYev2k24cNqRgrWT8m8QvG_8UjMCTbSsQdDXryptbkT33wupi3u2s4rV-K-59Fnt_PRZVbDLH9N8xcdXXOsWkV2TnW2Agvqkv3fCc-tNN_MsDhcwy9uhRnq9OvDKgneydZza_6xtJVEH1SJ0NykVyYwVcI56DsqBUqIhlkLeTvi9NhMMaSBzFdhP-qff8n-MWhLoU_goS8cc3g==&c=wmiNMCEdd6XCXJekOXHjebFCtwnz2vmPseje7F5AdmD0rbwBEOGQfw==&ch=PzZwDiUWcDF6Rc3UUQZFKIxPVpm6mnw9qZox_6_jalquYUsxoIlkdA==">New York Times<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>California Leaders Vow to Continue Climate Policies Regardless of Federal Actions</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Governor Jerry Brown and California legislators have pledged to work directly with other states and foreign nations to enact climate policies, despite opposition from Republican leaders at the federal level. California's cap and trade program is already connected to the province of Quebec, Canada, while state officials have discussed potential partnerships with Mexico and China. Critics say California's aggressive policy stance could isolate it and present a competitive disadvantage versus states with less stringent regulations. However, as one of the ten largest economies in the world, California's actions carry weight with private markets. The state's clean air and energy efficiency efforts have become a vital part of the regional economy, but could suffer if the federal government reverses course on climate and environmental protection. Gov. Brown remains confident that governments already have the necessary momentum, stating, "In a paradoxical way, [Trump's election] could speed up the efforts of leaders in the world to take climate change seriously. The shock of official congressional and presidential denial will reverberate through the world."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016xh_aSTse73G7T0Z4tIvW6DwxvKC5AyN_Cde13WvoLcCgvLQMcux16IiZB7D_AdCeGy6q85ehnBg2PNXTWPgDl8BcIwwsSgvNoOsFBTmETfgLoHCawUKlWIjiEdDrTOkc61FAE_ezseBeABxMReKk9XxGcR91gFytVhD0bBsSosrKlcMY8AtAuUyYRWDkj-ncRzo_RP3CODBCmOJ-zKiy3JkoNcCNGzjxKmuzXxSq2Z_by4waiE06cqDpewk1w_hA7XgYeNAlAGfsBz0QC3KPEkrdkyEZU93&c=wmiNMCEdd6XCXJekOXHjebFCtwnz2vmPseje7F5AdmD0rbwBEOGQfw==&ch=PzZwDiUWcDF6Rc3UUQZFKIxPVpm6mnw9qZox_6_jalquYUsxoIlkdA==">New York Times<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On January 1, 2017, the Canadian province of Ontario will launch its own cap and trade system. The system will connect with existing cap and trade programs in Quebec and California, boosting the cross-state carbon market to 60 million people while driving down costs. Ontario's Environment Minister, Glen Murray, says the large economy of scale is necessary to make the carbon cuts economically viable. Starting in 2018, participants will be able to sell carbon credits across all three markets. Ontario's system will set a hard cap on emissions for companies, which will decrease annually. The mandatory cuts will be 15 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, 37 percent by 2030, and 80 percent by 2050. Cap and trade revenues, estimated at C$1.9 billion annually, will fund programs designed to increase electric vehicle ownership, retrofit buildings, introduce more efficient industrial equipment, and other climate actions. Estimates suggest Ontario's initial price on carbon will be C$19 per tonne, which could add C$13 to an average household's annual heating and gasoline costs.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016xh_aSTse73G7T0Z4tIvW6DwxvKC5AyN_Cde13WvoLcCgvLQMcux16IiZB7D_AdCn0F3CNS6Mqrxm8GuEadbecVaAlMXKHBbgCxZsEFr0UwxGHFdHTxDeVXscVxHevY4dzlB1iQUwfv3JEzU1mjDeY6oEZDTTA25DfvGOmDBi83DVC8INoHvoOyvsiy_Y956_H45CvxTrS_q9OCidygrE-hYe59BRh4h0FZ0pCHFHQ9wPp8AZbapuo9gClvqWr8K-BgzIoVUON2MFQJi-wz8KABpDb3jIiqR3sK_gMnssfrZslDinsgr5f_GtVT085LU3tuPCxsqihU=&c=wmiNMCEdd6XCXJekOXHjebFCtwnz2vmPseje7F5AdmD0rbwBEOGQfw==&ch=PzZwDiUWcDF6Rc3UUQZFKIxPVpm6mnw9qZox_6_jalquYUsxoIlkdA==">Globe and Mail<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_6.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CB7E668E-50C5-4D60-BD08-7A7760AF43C4/pastedGraphic_6.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Earth Scientists Urged to Push Back Against Anti-Science Political Agendas</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Climate scientists are grappling with how best to advocate for and protect their work as climate deniers prepare to take prominent posts within the federal government. December's American Geophysical Union conference saw this debate play out on a small scale among 20,000 scientists. An outdoor rally urging people to "stand up for science" was held near the conference site, drawing 500 attendees. Kim Cobb of Georgia Tech expressed dissatisfaction with the relatively small crowd, asking, "What is the nightmare scenario that will get you [to speak out]?" The conference itself featured sessions on how best to achieve the community's goals and navigate a new political landscape that has many earth scientists concerned. Jane Zelikova with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, said, "We as scientists have to become comfortable saying how we feel, even if it sounds political. And we need an organization like the Union of Concerned Scientists to be less risk-averse, and yell louder, and be political."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016xh_aSTse73G7T0Z4tIvW6DwxvKC5AyN_Cde13WvoLcCgvLQMcux16IiZB7D_AdCHiFxahairrb6jcfoHk1obScAMY_gB7StY8emj63NYsK1ic8PwVsMtQ092toCE1p7DgLyeWrmz8Q9LBVyJkloRg_MgjGuDOe-TPYg9rQYh9PWSGgSq6jVChDRzPMWMm8NSXOvfEvtMvwFEKLef6n8NWAn33w39OoPFM-xMZxSIZE9Gj6IZVUcOLRHWt-IeNSbuI5clwxC85S8-6peZjl3yWZMAvuxTOir&c=wmiNMCEdd6XCXJekOXHjebFCtwnz2vmPseje7F5AdmD0rbwBEOGQfw==&ch=PzZwDiUWcDF6Rc3UUQZFKIxPVpm6mnw9qZox_6_jalquYUsxoIlkdA==">Atlantic<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_7.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CB7E668E-50C5-4D60-BD08-7A7760AF43C4/pastedGraphic_7.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>More Research Needed if Negative Emissions Technologies are to Make an Impact</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A range of "negative emissions" technologies are being explored by scientists as tools for aiding global climate mitigation goals. A technique called "enhanced weathering" would use agricultural lands to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere through a natural chemical reaction. The crushed silicate would be applied across a field, capturing CO2 while releasing nutrients back into the soil. A major drawback of weathering is the economic and environmental cost associated with mining, preparing, and transporting the silicate. Another method, "bio-energy with carbon capture and storage," uses fast-growing plants to remove CO2, which are then harvested and burned in power plants. However, scaling up the process to sufficient levels would require an inordinate amount of arable land. According to Chris Field, director of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology, "All the negative emissions technologies, except for growing forests, are in the very early stages of development. If these technologies are going to make a difference, they're going to have to go from essentially nothing now to a massive scale in decades."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0016xh_aSTse73G7T0Z4tIvW6DwxvKC5AyN_Cde13WvoLcCgvLQMcux16IiZB7D_AdC88jEsz0vKzwcS8pzomdO5-vrw157reE21WwHDrq9tGUVMR9PoDzyh3Lr687KaUwb_J0uVkQNVeJzBiItaI6IBE8V5QYxFU9PAwceXGefYlFc6KypZFesjtvGVw8PZConMhj9fgKFi8xyG5UuC_eptUjJtSQSyGGSUAUEOSsT6oOvIaMPUHubKHMRHc_CgPWnvvUwIOothj4=&c=wmiNMCEdd6XCXJekOXHjebFCtwnz2vmPseje7F5AdmD0rbwBEOGQfw==&ch=PzZwDiUWcDF6Rc3UUQZFKIxPVpm6mnw9qZox_6_jalquYUsxoIlkdA==">Scientific American</a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE: </b>‘Negative emissions’ is a term that means pulling ambient carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. It can be done by using trees or other plants to pull CO2 out of the atmosphere by photosynthesis, or by chemical reactions, for example with amines. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_8.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CB7E668E-50C5-4D60-BD08-7A7760AF43C4/pastedGraphic_8.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>China to Invest $361 Billion in Clean Energy by 2020</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On January 5, China's National Energy Administration unveiled a plan to overhaul its electricity generation sector by investing $361 billion into clean energy development between 2016 and 2020. The investment would focus on developing wind, solar, hydroelectric, and nuclear power, resulting in about a $72 billion annual effort. The projects would make up roughly half of China's new electricity generation during that span, as the world's largest economy moves to meet its goals under the Paris Climate agreement. The agency in charge of China's economic planning, the National Development and Reform Commission, projected in its own five year plan that 1,000 yuan would go towards ramping up solar generation capacity, with 700 billion yuan going to wind, 500 to hydroelectric, and additional funds to tidal and geothermal projects. However, China's substantial demand for energy means the boost in clean energy sources will still account for just 15 percent of its overall energy consumption, with coal fueling more than half of the country's installed generating capacity in 2020.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001VqR1ssEMI7VeaSNVM-grOVIoEkzTn8NrHAjulkhZ4gTbJLs9cS75SjPsKJIRiQpLjtMdjgT_QdOoTJcwWVRWrcc3mU62NXRxGicnpBbKMU-G2cV37Xhmbtjyug8pcrocjBALzH3iXqHVrPjrZmyGphjIUdqH60NwmmyuvXlCaROze9tHvNCgvhG7XhYvwEdkLbJrEiwvBVocZ1RqglwM5oNJx6KQ35Gr6F086CEVa04=&c=nLTOKRl6Kd_5IRe0Gn5nmamXu8o9KpE12LnsxCpAgHipbnb-NSsdQg==&ch=w3SphYwqglSitvSpl9RIBaSpCf5_Sty09p6-ajjExHHl7NYZu0TeIg==">Reuters<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_9.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CB7E668E-50C5-4D60-BD08-7A7760AF43C4/pastedGraphic_9.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Agriculture's Role in Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Planning Continues to Grow</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Agricultural practices are being targeted by numerous countries as a way of meeting greenhouse gas emission reduction targets under the Paris Climate Agreement. Over 90 percent of the agreement's participating countries have said they would use changes to farming, and forestry and land use connected to farming, as a means of reducing emissions. "Agriculture has really lagged" until recently, said Craig Hanson of the World Resources Institute. Hanson added, "Considering [agriculture] contributes 13 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, and 24 percent of net emissions with land-use change, it's surprising it's taken so long." About a decade ago, research began to define the impact of agriculture in global emissions and now features prominently in national mitigation and adaptation plans, particularly for developing countries. Agriculture is responsible for 35 percent of emissions in developing countries compared to only 12 percent in developed countries. However, many farmers face financial limitations in implementing such measures and will look to their governments to provide assistance.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001VqR1ssEMI7VeaSNVM-grOVIoEkzTn8NrHAjulkhZ4gTbJLs9cS75SjPsKJIRiQpLELtDCz5RGcVL6Rz30bUaRAyZ0b8yLtzwUPlaNEJDZifiqQxYxvLqr-fMSyWxZv9br0JoOwl2n6mHQlmE12eDcl1rW6cf0DvsA7KP--pL_kd9nU2FZqr3WsS3CklWPrST0GH_Mz0DJZvXftdm1lIaRAvaLHiHDM74dpC4g4faqKIMQkpmhfxVjVZ7cO0iew4ZjF6j9dv3ERtjjUgLoGVT4Wg0h5MbbJtq&c=nLTOKRl6Kd_5IRe0Gn5nmamXu8o9KpE12LnsxCpAgHipbnb-NSsdQg==&ch=w3SphYwqglSitvSpl9RIBaSpCf5_Sty09p6-ajjExHHl7NYZu0TeIg==">Inside Climate News<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_10.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CB7E668E-50C5-4D60-BD08-7A7760AF43C4/pastedGraphic_10.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>"Eco-Right" Movement Touts Free Market Solutions to Combat Climate Change</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A band of Republicans calling themselves the "eco-right" hope to convince President-elect Trump to steer the United States toward a low-carbon future. The movement consists of think tanks, activists, and political operatives advocating for a "free market approach to environmentalism," based around conservative ideals. Former South Carolina Congressman Bob Inglis has been a vocal member of the movement. Inglis said, "I think the path [to dealing with climate] is mostly through the business community, where unlikely partners could really step forward and say, 'There's a free enterprise solution to this. Don't give us regulations. Don't try to tell us how to run our business. Just internalize the negative externality and we will deal with it.'"<b><i> The eco-right supports replacing existing taxes with a "revenue-neutral, border-adjustable" carbon tax as a centerpiece for cutting emissions, rather than regulations like the Clean Power Plan. Eli Lehrer, leader of the think tank R Street, described a carbon tax as "good tax policy," predicting state-level efforts to adopt such a tax as "very likely in the next four to eight years." (emphasis added)</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001VqR1ssEMI7VeaSNVM-grOVIoEkzTn8NrHAjulkhZ4gTbJLs9cS75SjPsKJIRiQpLcRbhAOspAIR9GpdptQs1H2RyeQoMXeq2RIpzZg5ppntFP2hErG9PfzltZbCJko4tgHPmzqunj_r7_w7eYOyZrYS6MOvtnz_2oGrgKA4M7kSV4w8xt9LLoqov9LdQi0FVridXxKbNvkKn8rQfodZqqArKhbK600zl4gK7GhjtDm3-ua56UAlJilPIC3YaV4sW4ikzubwyrHX80CDS5ysitU6xnwBkh0c3S82djm8UEFf7fgJneLciDKVdEZJmL8M7n0EwdlcMrZ1_Wn0s20Ufmjd6bLeGO5TL25gjZMrWDUBoAIvf955tuad862mSYab27SMNgzQni2kr-59I2DSgWKka8WU8CD6xALBDpTxQRvGPR4hmxPelg_CSg1i5f9HcochKv9WFu24=&c=nLTOKRl6Kd_5IRe0Gn5nmamXu8o9KpE12LnsxCpAgHipbnb-NSsdQg==&ch=w3SphYwqglSitvSpl9RIBaSpCf5_Sty09p6-ajjExHHl7NYZu0TeIg==">Atlantic<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_11.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CB7E668E-50C5-4D60-BD08-7A7760AF43C4/pastedGraphic_11.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Lawsuit Accuses Exxon of Endangering Public Health by Failing to Prepare Its Facilities for Climate Impacts</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A first-of-its-kind lawsuit is being filed in Boston's U.S. District Court by the Conservation Law Foundation against Exxon Mobil for the company's purported negligence in safeguarding communities against the effects of climate change. The suit states that rising sea levels will make it more likely that carcinogenic materials will leak from Exxon's oil terminal on the Island End River and into the basements and streets of nearby towns like Everett and Chelsea. The suit states, "Exxon Mobil's failure to adapt the Everett Terminal to increased precipitation, rising sea levels, and storm surges of increasing frequency and magnitude puts the facility, the public health, and the environment at great risk." Exxon has called for the suit's dismissal, claiming the Foundation lacks standing to sue. However, the Foundation claims Exxon is currently in violation of existing environmental laws and the consequences of such violations will be made worse by projected climate impacts.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001VqR1ssEMI7VeaSNVM-grOVIoEkzTn8NrHAjulkhZ4gTbJLs9cS75SjPsKJIRiQpL6MuYMZET-2yehpRyzmOChX4UV2NDvbICde4D3_BwyWBFWBN-i76KwbT9ent0PNXLdFt4NJCLfeCuQAmEAXnHvikuWJu3m0uYyc8Lr8P4PDOFJz1N4J52Lvu-4ERUMcL4NtjFf0AyOlYeE6wb5-TGFgrmdfB0qEZ4GEOtADS9EHtV2gBa-2CYjUoyD6wo0eiVgg1i4fpVIucAb0rSkj-7ZOpxo5byy4FkZJQiL8oSqLsca-aJt4yKqQ==&c=nLTOKRl6Kd_5IRe0Gn5nmamXu8o9KpE12LnsxCpAgHipbnb-NSsdQg==&ch=w3SphYwqglSitvSpl9RIBaSpCf5_Sty09p6-ajjExHHl7NYZu0TeIg==">Boston Globe<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_12.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CB7E668E-50C5-4D60-BD08-7A7760AF43C4/pastedGraphic_12.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Labor Advocates Call for a "Just Transition" for Workers Formerly Employed by Fossil Fuel Industries</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">As the global economy moves toward renewable energy and other sustainable industries, the portion of the workforce reliant upon industries driven by fossil fuels are trying to keep up with the transition. Other groups, like Arizona's Navajo tribe, suffered from the negative impacts of fossil fuel-based electricity generation, but are now seeing the few economic benefits once afforded to them depart for cleaner energy technologies. In order to better cope with the "human impact" of the fossil fuel sector's decline, advocates are calling for the adoption of "just transitions" to reduce hardships for these workers, allow them to adapt their skills to new industries, and preserve public health and the environment in impacted communities. Sam Smith of the International Trade Union Confederation said, "It doesn't really help us to solve climate change in a way that creates massive economic and social disruption ... we want to come out not only with a world where emissions are down, but actually people have decent and better lives."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001VqR1ssEMI7VeaSNVM-grOVIoEkzTn8NrHAjulkhZ4gTbJLs9cS75SjPsKJIRiQpLxE7LLKHaj6GFb5fDcjEyt6L8UBlzgO2xjEJpJkiKZI9MNx8C1U2IGiFe7hwr4tFpyNFPV6UY28vk_MiigFSByrDMFqvmXIdVJATBTYEdDoUI63tsG53cLCn4fIWSb09IZ1aCNdzCw_Y2Q6_S_-w4feacUs7tSbZL4moo2l2aFgN-HoFaksjxZheWf3tdvbnZ7N_fSS_BVvUFxEiWZuGiFGRM8BQWAUxA4tQ5YtqE771xtYCNOzQZEJmGJperQVJxy_Uu3-xCVF-XIvR3nCYiBp70KtjPa08nZZ8wBqX68zvv928AqpFXLm6UeWRk1RxqNeljI16ugrLAd1_OTFw_DnSwQJy4StVJxv6h0-SznpzoJ1xM1su2tsJzTgdn0uCTwwWeVn4WfcI_Gde5Rk69rA==&c=nLTOKRl6Kd_5IRe0Gn5nmamXu8o9KpE12LnsxCpAgHipbnb-NSsdQg==&ch=w3SphYwqglSitvSpl9RIBaSpCf5_Sty09p6-ajjExHHl7NYZu0TeIg==">Carbon Brief<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_13.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CB7E668E-50C5-4D60-BD08-7A7760AF43C4/pastedGraphic_13.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>American Forests Face Heavy Losses as Climate Change Allows Destructive Insects to Expand Their Range</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Climate change, global trade, and drought are allowing invasive insects to harm forest biodiversity across the United States. The insects cause billions of dollars in damages annually in the form of dead tree removal, declining property values, and timber industry losses. According to a peer-reviewed study in the journal <i>Ecological Applications</i>, 63 percent of the nation's forests will be at risk from the pests through 2027. Several species of hemlock and nearly 20 species of ash may be threatened with extinction due to the onslaught. The die-offs erase habitat and food sources for wildlife, remove carbon sinks, and can increase the risk of wildfires. Invasive insects pose the greatest risk to forests in the Northeast, Midwest, California, Colorado, Florida, and North Carolina. U.S. Forest Service entomologist Andrew Liebhold said, "The primary driver of the invasive pest problem is globalization, which includes increased trade and travel, but there are cases where climate change can play an important role. As climates warm, species are able to survive and thrive in more northerly areas."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001VqR1ssEMI7VeaSNVM-grOVIoEkzTn8NrHAjulkhZ4gTbJLs9cS75SjPsKJIRiQpLThXQJPe8UY6s1vdbgy34mC2Dz3twL5GlBAe2fbMVKxtM1yPzCSFOmuJX8sByvJMwDAOfvJpKddL7FS0-QABqxgt6HIzDWJ0u5V-ey8tE0yRcraMAFDS5aRk2t7xZHsUYPqW3wlj0OlWIeS8bMmTJjRsZeNZhOYX7ASY1NgsVAukoxjEU0EzHpxghAGYb-KSSU1M1UQIZL4-MgLe0UEnZNiRFlCBqChoIT8Jhan5BAKVoAj8_M7xnil_ZMzi84VFr_q0xX_FJ3EKqsR3_uuVKqpe9tB16gmTebudJe9UpDVvLCN8EFJVj1KPnjKgDYLVM7eEQVOxput1o5waH_UPM_Fs9LJteg5agkzQdnAP_GYw=&c=nLTOKRl6Kd_5IRe0Gn5nmamXu8o9KpE12LnsxCpAgHipbnb-NSsdQg==&ch=w3SphYwqglSitvSpl9RIBaSpCf5_Sty09p6-ajjExHHl7NYZu0TeIg==">Washington Post<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_14.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CB7E668E-50C5-4D60-BD08-7A7760AF43C4/pastedGraphic_14.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>White House Recommends Federally Funded Research to Improve Understanding of Geoengineering</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) submitted a new advisory report to Congress outlining a research roadmap for geoengineering through 2021. The report marks the first time the White House has recommended investing federal funds in geoengineering. Geoengineering primarily consists of two major fields designed to reduce the impacts of climate change: altering the reflectivity of the earth and removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The measures have stirred controversy among scientists, with some arguing the risks are too great and not well understood. The report itself calls for the funding of basic research to address these uncertainties. Michael McCracken, chief scientist for the Climate Institute, said the proposal is a "very first step of what is needed - given the faster than projected severe [climate] impacts that are emerging." Other scientists fear that geoengineering may be characterized by policymakers as a viable last-minute solution and an excuse to not take current action on climate change through emission reductions.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0013U_sG_8FwwKytiDXODLOljUd72QXSGLSyyz5gsLzNqIOAK36B6teKFaxxILf6CxCb5gbJXpLZlkYvM-xUGEFbgNMhne3MdPoyb0UkPp9PhdIBhdSxAezAxygGJoxN_W7-twiJ6JX9SJ_UE1_yChcxqLIhRsQck-2dVtVUkU-7BFaNoxXiqZKHEFaCx07hdVrJISggtSt4uFVopyCU0ZvPDowuntns3DLNL5A6rILZ7u6X3YsrllPJhX5bC1yEdRDNLOtSHtEuyYbAMqwPXO5p3H2eaqU0WzZI6Z-8fGvgTW9nyqFgfgNZUG5AbNSSuZSYC_5uUjkwqtwYJMXQdc8_vJ2wa2VzfLDO8gwMeKzl5RYF9BhJ2SxBDK-IqPAR6FVtCnATK3AwsJsX0nZgkvAuzfLvsLJgEtw35SFWoa_iCM0nlz5nPIndL3SR7u2GjnplVUgARt3hC_etgRdfAlPZKAXG_Tf7khJ&c=Jtlpzw1T1zxwqwkzPLvBnTX_32eK75aw6EFlb1Yne2yYyiZq1PULcw==&ch=gC4r6sdZYKALGJ2aQi14tV14HiIKnI4rMsJ1XawShhjdcObeM1TppA==">New York Times</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0013U_sG_8FwwKytiDXODLOljUd72QXSGLSyyz5gsLzNqIOAK36B6teKFaxxILf6CxC2gtUAUTD-0bJLLuXtcZOlVBl1BGYW-mn7tQhnVkOWw8ipharA4VnGfRA16AMZPmbl0c3mj18kHuE80rLoQYDbAwmNIFg3lw7KB2z356IU1OM2DjB8p6k3zBF8aEAYMOBY9UGmKGg0x2GtWmYl4QWfpZLMw5B2piMbt1ZBzFrU7FGp7BXyESEAczRn7M-pNPqdP_eow-uDl1fqljTL09HWyFExh40cjwQGEWI6Kvzwh_hfw3kFb_9qg==&c=Jtlpzw1T1zxwqwkzPLvBnTX_32eK75aw6EFlb1Yne2yYyiZq1PULcw==&ch=gC4r6sdZYKALGJ2aQi14tV14HiIKnI4rMsJ1XawShhjdcObeM1TppA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Science</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0013U_sG_8FwwKytiDXODLOljUd72QXSGLSyyz5gsLzNqIOAK36B6teKFaxxILf6CxCHN0lK4cxq3Cye3Gspquvy7bJcCSzoLs4qdBJ7BHnQ3Egb0i4jxEUUHkqttaPEt9xnMS9XMZ7ha7X655LQpQBlkWMUYDNOpsh1JlCNHoDe8M8AHZm01QcrVhtScJT_q6Jn2V0bp9B0RVU3xtrBH7v7HXwBIxSQ6pomUdILFt6zaedaHOIaoadDk5pJjp8DJQZ&c=Jtlpzw1T1zxwqwkzPLvBnTX_32eK75aw6EFlb1Yne2yYyiZq1PULcw==&ch=gC4r6sdZYKALGJ2aQi14tV14HiIKnI4rMsJ1XawShhjdcObeM1TppA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Report</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Judge Orders Exxon to Share Internal Climate Change Documents in On-going Massachusetts Case</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On January 11, a superior court judge denied Exxon an emergency motion or a protective order in relation to Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey's request to release the oil conglomerate's internal research on climate change. Exxon is currently under investigation by the states of Massachusetts and New York for the company's concerted efforts to downplay climate change risks resulting from fossil fuel emissions, despite findings to the contrary produced by their own scientists. Suffolk Superior Court Judge Heidi E. Brieger wrote that Healey had the right to pursue evidence as to whether Exxon may have violated consumer protection statutes. Judge Brieger rejected Exxon's argument that the document request "lacked specificity," noting Healey "seeks information related to what (and when) Exxon knew about the impacts of burning fossil fuels on climate change and what Exxon told consumers about climate change over the years." Exxon had previously provided the same documents to New York's attorney general.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0013U_sG_8FwwKytiDXODLOljUd72QXSGLSyyz5gsLzNqIOAK36B6teKFaxxILf6CxCPjZ-_BLvlRMhfKmPHyoKuI6NWjM3fcH_bXqd5PzSVZeZOoXcwXm2gJAo03jH8AspVbeDwkVLOEkAfgTpB3KFVR7_yWtPRzuI5KizHaYz9JzOVg3OjL58BAzKT15QA92Dy1Hr7xJ2-MtILSb3so2Rg4o2HMJFloP0H0jGHsWQuOe6rC3A0S7bgtBQLlc_1kijkmVQeVkNEv-9YraS4vBN54VxazA11-AaTlgTLepB0fxuGecDQUbBWQ==&c=Jtlpzw1T1zxwqwkzPLvBnTX_32eK75aw6EFlb1Yne2yYyiZq1PULcw==&ch=gC4r6sdZYKALGJ2aQi14tV14HiIKnI4rMsJ1XawShhjdcObeM1TppA==">Boston Globe<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_15.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CB7E668E-50C5-4D60-BD08-7A7760AF43C4/pastedGraphic_15.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>National Academy of Sciences Recommends Updates to Social Cost of Carbon</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On January 12, the National Academy of Sciences published a new report, "Valuing Climate Damages: Updating Estimation of the Social Cost of Carbon Dioxide," recommending updates to the social cost of carbon (SCC) formula. Developed by the Obama administration in 2009 and applied to various regulatory cost-benefit analyses, SCC attempts to capture the global monetary cost of carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) to society. According to Michael Greenstone, former chief economist on President Obama's Council of Economic Advisors and professor of economics at the University of Chicago, "Social and economic understanding of climate change has advanced greatly in the last six years ... the report identifies important ways to take advantage of those improvements in our understanding." The current price is approximately $36 per ton of CO2. The report recommends updating SCC estimates every five years to reflect changing conditions and the most up-to-date science.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0013U_sG_8FwwKytiDXODLOljUd72QXSGLSyyz5gsLzNqIOAK36B6teKFaxxILf6CxCQkr0XQiDk-GEREnORLwx9cZO7OR2FMb_kywS0DwA-1CMzi4RukpYqZXv6p0guA43v3R9PZQSVpNgfRKD0IjTiUM59uVga4jyQ4HyvQ0_dTyxglYCHheEZov_fwereVmY3FSXl0XGF2jbq3ewhEjjsl49U66OKobVw7EkGfkyjnqrxDGAsBqiGEeeip93j-DGB3OZoKBxgaKEjWCvhQLIzyqUE7FsYMFJ-Y6EYA8YlrvQeJDuNbaUe1avC9Ijrji5HLVGCRd0aCEHjjRtbst96Z66e2TDVVwSjPBdDN7yRP-woKurtdyn_wDCbEj18lTYzOTSanzClLR0RZU0kEo8LMYGxw3TZzHQ&c=Jtlpzw1T1zxwqwkzPLvBnTX_32eK75aw6EFlb1Yne2yYyiZq1PULcw==&ch=gC4r6sdZYKALGJ2aQi14tV14HiIKnI4rMsJ1XawShhjdcObeM1TppA==">Washington Post</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0013U_sG_8FwwKytiDXODLOljUd72QXSGLSyyz5gsLzNqIOAK36B6teKFaxxILf6CxCC70tTb6XgGOMsFmdbjVz1wjgNRYcaJry73ZcLh3dtwNQvmaevwu50faEUikmw_3d9zfa9JZYGiKEbOX9RTL8eB5wEhapy3hWU5RndHg8UFMplkJ3ItuzU75bohO-fDVhwO_AvHXvwGENFcc8TpcNEdPmd38a03khxHEOGLC-VegaP2MfNGzk8Nx2jANOt0Sk5X22ObrwTfw8zsA3oL-Ayw==&c=Jtlpzw1T1zxwqwkzPLvBnTX_32eK75aw6EFlb1Yne2yYyiZq1PULcw==&ch=gC4r6sdZYKALGJ2aQi14tV14HiIKnI4rMsJ1XawShhjdcObeM1TppA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">National Academy of Sciences</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE:</b> The Social Cost of Carbon (SCC) is an estimate to the economic damage to society for each addition ton of CO2 emitted to the environment by human activites. According to the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/global-greenhouse-gas-emissions-data"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">EPA</span></a>, global emissions of carbon dioxide in 2010 from burning fossil fuels were about 33 billion tons in 2010.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_16.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CB7E668E-50C5-4D60-BD08-7A7760AF43C4/pastedGraphic_16.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>National Labs Publish Report on the Impact of State Renewable Portfolio Standards</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have released a new study examining the future cost-benefit of state renewable portfolio standards (RPS). The study assessed the impacts of RPS's through 2050 using one scenario with no change from today and a second where RPS's expand to every state and achieve higher targets. According to the study, the business-as-usual scenario projects renewables will make up 26 percent of the nation's electricity generation by 2030 and 40 percent by 2050. The more ambitious scenario sees a 35 percent renewable electricity share by 2030 and a 49 percent share by 2050. Currently, 29 states and the District of Columbia have RPS. Half of all renewable energy installed since 2000 was done so to meet RPS standards. The study projects that the ambitious scenario would add 11.5 million job-hours, but the overall number of energy jobs would remain roughly equal as renewable technology jobs displace other roles across the industry.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0013U_sG_8FwwKytiDXODLOljUd72QXSGLSyyz5gsLzNqIOAK36B6teKFaxxILf6CxCtk8oCwhC_ZBmvV0QTLvA0IAtmHPHcjyye5dH3eyxgWEvw02ayzbn8ff0JOSY1HFT2Jcxa_cxUuvnnzGUfAhcurZ3gDdioLUWv3NT7Q7HvwKQ51sRBXBx2YLkmDK5Kmk2epfVu4zKDattAXGmq7709E6nekNrTsLqdIWNeTMow1XvgO-aZVwOwpzZ4E3VQc5bgazrQcOeMVObWYfIZP9bcDZfQG0Npj7jc-YScqul8Sc=&c=Jtlpzw1T1zxwqwkzPLvBnTX_32eK75aw6EFlb1Yne2yYyiZq1PULcw==&ch=gC4r6sdZYKALGJ2aQi14tV14HiIKnI4rMsJ1XawShhjdcObeM1TppA==">Midwest Energy News</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0013U_sG_8FwwKytiDXODLOljUd72QXSGLSyyz5gsLzNqIOAK36B6teKFaxxILf6CxCyjZ-dg15GIzb3tCTnzyNkUAzNwbqEmmq6W4Oa7DJUOgF2OC6WcjJoZZtlS3BhPaAUDWkd5v1GR8fEIpe2LwPaqRygnzf1j1Y7oE8jareojFDto5t4tYiNXZayWwMpNZbUabspFM7HPN6HpcZrcTh88AQEZFRoJ0V&c=Jtlpzw1T1zxwqwkzPLvBnTX_32eK75aw6EFlb1Yne2yYyiZq1PULcw==&ch=gC4r6sdZYKALGJ2aQi14tV14HiIKnI4rMsJ1XawShhjdcObeM1TppA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Report</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_17.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://CB7E668E-50C5-4D60-BD08-7A7760AF43C4/pastedGraphic_17.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Businesses Ask Trump to Uphold Paris Climate Agreement</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On January 10, the group Low-Carbon USA sent a letter signed by over 600 businesses and investors to President-elect Trump, urging the next administration to implement the Paris Climate Agreement. The letter states, "Implementing the Paris Agreement will enable and encourage businesses and investors to turn the billions of dollars in existing low-carbon investments into the trillions of dollars the world needs to bring clean energy and prosperity to all." The latest letter builds upon a similar effort in November 2016. An additional 200 companies have signed since, including giants like DuPont, Mars Incorporated, Nike, Unilever, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, and others. They are part of a broader effort spanning many areas of the private sector, which continues to make a strong case for the business opportunities inherent to addressing climate change. According to the signers, "We want the US economy to be energy efficient and powered by low-carbon energy. Failure to build a low-carbon economy puts American prosperity at risk."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0013U_sG_8FwwKytiDXODLOljUd72QXSGLSyyz5gsLzNqIOAK36B6teKFaxxILf6CxChXQgdgZWoVTCgwSAyDs2vU3AjxoRbiujRfmO7GXeyvw0qCMSLi2CjXIzlRYLKMKQXH_Ca5uFvIEO3wOoALDc1HqMtupqoh-VHgAvx_TaE8OxEwJ7vE0ZM9WTf9M5lBeLDLnXh6lNGDmIgsdaZnxTNXMsx8E-zbNFKocqh2-Y95iCISQ3HHizBrD9dKEqgVi5jNi0Quw_6cu5z2iJLTP7u7WKQ7VfDVtykG1Ia5ErB2QjZxI5BB6Lzw==&c=Jtlpzw1T1zxwqwkzPLvBnTX_32eK75aw6EFlb1Yne2yYyiZq1PULcw==&ch=gC4r6sdZYKALGJ2aQi14tV14HiIKnI4rMsJ1XawShhjdcObeM1TppA==">Guardian</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0013U_sG_8FwwKytiDXODLOljUd72QXSGLSyyz5gsLzNqIOAK36B6teKFaxxILf6CxCW8FUJtWs_ky2KIzZQ7ZLClmbCBt5XRXS47q3d6ujgiUH-42zGAU_v06aByIxomeI8MR_nrLJybt8kLf9ZztgCQh3JMdVNiQ22nQKvfvU99UP3aL48aiibQ==&c=Jtlpzw1T1zxwqwkzPLvBnTX_32eK75aw6EFlb1Yne2yYyiZq1PULcw==&ch=gC4r6sdZYKALGJ2aQi14tV14HiIKnI4rMsJ1XawShhjdcObeM1TppA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Low Carbon USA</span></a></span></div>
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Chad Tolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198303455148896174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441974095206886318.post-5581887770434289612016-12-19T16:58:00.001-08:002016-12-19T16:58:40.226-08:00CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS FOR DEC. 2016<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>CC NEWS FOR DEC. 2016</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On October 5<b> </b>the<b> Risky Business Project, </b>founded by Michael R. Bloomberg, Henry M. Paulson, and Thomas F. Steyer,<b> </b>published a report titled, <a href="http://riskybusiness.org/site/assets/uploads/sites/5/2016/10/RiskyBusiness_FromRiskToReturn.pdf"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">From Risk to Return: Investing in a Clean Energy Economy</span></a>. It finds that reducing the risk of climate change is both economically and technically achievable, and could provide significant new opportunities for American business. The Executive Summary says:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="color: #5d5e62; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In our 2014 inaugural report, “Risky Business: </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The Economic Risks of Climate Change in the United States,” we found that the economic risks</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">from unmitigated climate change to American businesses and long-term investors are large and unacceptable. Subsequent scientific data and</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">analysis have reinforced and strengthened that conclusion. As a result, we, the Co-Chairs and Risk Committee of the Risky Business Project, are united in recognizing the need to respond to the risk climate change poses to the American economy. Now we turn to the obvious next question: how</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">to respond to those risks. <b><i>Seriously addressing climate change requires reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 percent by 2050 in the U.S. and across all major economies.</i></b> <b><i>(emphasis added)</i></b> We find that this goal is technically and economically achievable using commercial or near-commercial technology. Most important, we find that meeting the goal does not require an energy miracle or unprecedented spending. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>The transition to a cleaner energy economy rests on three pillars: moving from fossil fuels to electricity wherever possible, generating electricity with low or zero carbon emissions, and using energy much more efficiently. (emphasis added) </i></b>This means building new sources of zero- and low-carbon energy, including wind, solar, and nuclear; electrifying vehicles, heating systems, and many other products and processes; and investing in making buildings, appliances, and manufacturing more energy efficient. Meeting these targets requires a large-scale shift away from ongoing spending on fossil fuels and toward up-front capital investments in clean energy technologies. Many of those, such as wind and solar, have little or no fuel cost once built. Given an appropriate policy framework, we expect these investments to be made largely by the private sector and consumers, and to yield significant returns. Because of the large capital investments and the long-term savings in fuel costs, this shift presents significant opportunities for many American investors and businesses. Notably, shifting the U.S. to a low-carbon, clean energy system presents not just long term benefits but also immediate, near-term opportunities, particularly for those actors best positioned to capitalize on these trends.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In November <b>National Geographic </b>downloaded to YouTube a 1.6-hour documentary film narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio titled, <b>Before the Flood</b>. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I believe it is now available for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5929776/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">rent</span></a> or purchase. You can see the official trailer <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UGsRcxaSAI"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">here</span></a>. The film includes interviews with a number of world leaders and historical footage.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>T</b>here was a 5-minute radio interview with an energy expert on WNYC on a program called <b>The Takeaway</b> hosted by John Hockenberry. The program, titled, <a href="http://www.wnyc.org/story/bringing-back-coal-jobs-will-be/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Reversing the Decline of Coal</span></a>, addresses the promise of President-Elect Trump to bring back lost of coal mining jobs. He can’t do much because of automation, cheap natural gas, environmental concerns, and the growth of renewable energy - mostly from the sun and wind.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On Nov. 22 Marianne Lavelle posted an article on <a href="http://livepage.apple.com/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Inside Climate News</span></a> titled, Here are 9 Obama Environmental Regulations in Trump’s Crosshairs. Here are some titles and effective dates:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Clean Power Plan (Aug. 3, 2015)</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Waters of the U.S. Rule (Aug. 28, 2015)</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Methane Rule: New Facilities (May 12, 2016)</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Methane Rule: Existing Sites (Underway)</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Blowout Preventer Rules (April 14, 2016)</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Greater Sage Grouse Protections (Sept. 25, 2015</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Hydraulic Fracturing on Federal Lands (March 20, 2015)</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Crystalline Silica Worker Safety Rule (March 23, 2016)</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE: </b>I was unable to open <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Inside Climate News</span></a>. The article was sent to me in an email by a friend.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On Nov. 23 <b><i>The Real News Network (TRNN) </i></b>posted a 6.7-minute video titled, <a href="http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=17791"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Filmmaker Facing 45 Years for Covering Keystone Pipeline Protest Wins Suspension of Prosecution</span></a>. The video features Deia Schlosberg describing her arrest and the criminal charges brought against her for filming an act of civil disobedience by others cutting off the flow of Alberta tarsands oil through the Keystone Pipeline. She was not involved in breaking the law in any way and was filming the act from public property. She was informed that if she remained felony-free for six months, the charges against her would be dropped.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE:</b> Since when is telling the truth against the law?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On Nov. 24 an article was posted in the <b><i>NY Times</i></b> by Ian Urbina titled, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/24/science/global-warming-coastal-real-estate.html?_r=1"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Perils of Climate Change Could Swamp Coastal Real Estate</span></a>. He wrote, </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Real estate agents looking to sell coastal properties usually focus on one thing: how close the home is to the water’s edge. But buyers are increasingly asking instead how far back it is from the waterline. How many feet above sea level? Is it fortified against storm surges? Does it have emergency power and sump pumps?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Rising sea levels are changing the way people think about waterfront real estate. Though demand remains strong and developers continue to build near the water in many coastal cities, homeowners across the nation are slowly growing wary of buying property in areas most vulnerable to the effects of <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/globalwarming/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">climate change</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/topic/subject/global-warming-climate-change?8qa"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">warming planet</span></a> has already forced a number of industries — coal, oil, agriculture and utilities among them — to account for potential future costs of a changed climate. The real estate industry, particularly along the vulnerable coastlines, is slowly awakening to the need to factor in the risks of catastrophic damage from climate change, including that wrought by rising seas and storm-driven flooding.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>But many economists say that this reckoning needs to happen much faster and that home buyers urgently need to be better informed. Some analysts say the economic impact of a collapse in the waterfront property market could surpass that of the bursting dot-com and real estate bubbles of 2000 and 2008</i></b>.”<b><i> (emphasis added)</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Over the past five years, home sales in flood-prone areas grew about 25 percent less quickly than in counties that do not typically flood, according to county-by-county data from <a href="http://www.attomdata.com/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Attom Data Solutions</span></a>, the parent company of RealtyTrac. Many coastal residents are rethinking their investments and heading for safer ground.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“These concerns have taken on a new urgency since the presidential election of Donald J. Trump, who has long been a skeptic of global warming, <a href="https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/265895292191248385?lang=en"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">claiming in 2012</span></a> that it was a concept “created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing noncompetitive.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A real estate developer, Mr. Trump is also the owner of several <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/great-homes-and-destinations/destinations/south-florida/index.html?inline=nyt-geo"><span style="color: #0e23a3; letter-spacing: 0px;">South Florida</span></a> properties, including Mar-a-Lago, a 20-acre site that stretches between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway in Palm Beach.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Mr. Trump’s recent <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/12/science/myron-ebell-trump-epa.html"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">selection of Myron Ebel</span><span style="color: #0e23a3; letter-spacing: 0px;">l</span></a> to lead his Environmental Protection Agency transition team intensified these worries in <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/classifieds/realestate/locations/florida/index.html?inline=nyt-geo"><span style="color: #0e23a3; letter-spacing: 0px;">Florida</span></a> and among many climate scientists. Mr. Ebell has helped lead the charge against the scientific consensus that global warming exists and is caused by people.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On Nov. 27 the <b><i>Wall Street Journal</i></b> published an article by Sarah Kent and Brian Spegele titled, <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/oil-industry-anticipates-day-of-reckoning-1480248012"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Oil Firms Anticipate Day of Reconing</span></a>. They write:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This month, European oil company <a href="http://quotes.wsj.com/MOL.BU"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">MOL Group</span></a> delivered a stark message to investors: Demand for fuel in its key markets is bound to fall.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">So-called peak oil demand is a mind-bending scenario that global producers such as <a href="http://quotes.wsj.com/RDSB.LN"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Royal Dutch Shell</span></a> PLC and state-owned Saudi Aramco are beginning to quietly anticipate. But MOL has a transformation plan that is among the most explicit responses to the trend, indicating how the landscape may change for big energy providers over the next decade.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“Although there will still be customers for its fuel, the company reckons demand will soon flatten and then start falling in its Eastern European markets around 2030. “We see that as an inevitability,” MOL Chief Financial Officer Jozsef Simola said.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Big oil players such as <a href="http://quotes.wsj.com/XOM"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Exxon Mobil</span></a> Corp, <a href="http://quotes.wsj.com/BP.LN"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">BP</span></a> PLC and Saudi Arabia—which is leading recent efforts by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to boost oil prices—are also anticipating significant shifts in demand, though there is no consensus on the timing and their moves have been gradual. They are increasing their investment in petrochemicals, pumping more natural gas, driving down costs and even diversifying into alternative energy sources like solar power.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“The International Energy Agency, which advises industrialized countries on energy policy, says consumption will continue to rise for decades in its most likely scenario. <b><i>But that picture shifts radically if governments take further action to limit global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius with more stringent policies like carbon pricing, strict emissions limits and the removal of fossil-fuel subsidies. If that happens, oil demand could peak within the next 10 years, the IEA says</i></b>.” <b><i>(emphasis added)</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>The Guardian</i> </b>on Dec. 1 published an article by Damian Carrington titled, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/dec/01/climate-change-trigger-unimaginable-refugee-crisis-senior-military?utm_source=Daily+Carbon+Briefing&utm_campaign=9eb1a22be3-cb_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_876aab4fd7-9eb1a22be3-303474073"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Climate change will stimulate ‘unimaginable’ refugee crisis, says military</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-change"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Climate change</span></a> is set to cause a refugee crisis of “unimaginable scale”, according to senior military figures, who warn that global warming is the greatest security threat of the 21st century and that mass migration will become the “new normal”.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The generals said the impacts of climate change were already factors in the conflicts driving a current crisis of migration into Europe, having been linked to the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2011/mar/22/middle-east-protest-interactive-timeline"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Arab Spring</span></a>, the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/02/global-warming-worsened-syria-drought-study"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">war in Syria</span></a> and the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/adam-smith-international-partner-zone/2015/dec/05/climate-change-has-exacerbated-poverty-in-nigeria"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Boko Haram terrorist insurgency</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk/military">Military</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> leaders have long warned that global warming could multiply and accelerate security threats around the world by provoking conflicts and migration. They are now warning that immediate action is required.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>“</i>Brig Gen Stephen Cheney, a member of the US Department of State’s foreign affairs policy board and CEO of the American Security Project, said: “Climate change could lead to a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions. We’re already seeing migration of large numbers of people around the world because of food scarcity, water insecurity and extreme weather, and this is set to become the new normal.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">““Countries are going to pay for climate change one way or another,” said Cheney. “The best way to pay for it is by tackling the root causes of climate change and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. If we do not, the national security impacts will be increasingly costly and challenging.””</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">NOTE: Overlaying maps showing land areas inundated by various increases in sea level and population densities shows that a sea level rise of only 1 meter (40 inches) - very likely by the end of this century - will displace over 100 million people. The number of people who will be forced to flee from this effect of climate change alone is staggering. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On Dec. 2 James Hansen published a 30.6 minute video titled, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu8AYvT0u3I"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">We Hold These Truths to Be Self Evident</span></a>, featuring a conversation between him and his granddaughter Sophie, who is one of the plaintiffs in the Our Children’s Trust law suit - suing the federal government for knowingly violating the children’s rights to a healthy climate.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333233; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px;">On Dec. 8 Reuters posted an article by David Ljunggren titled, <a href="http://click.actionnetwork.org/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Canada set to agree carbon price, making climate split with Trump</span></a>. The author writes, </span><span style="color: #333233; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Canada's government and 10 provinces are set to agree a national carbon price on Friday, doubling down on a bid to cut greenhouse gas emissions just weeks before avowed climate change skeptic Donald Trump becomes U.S. President.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the carbon price - the first of its kind in Canada - will help the country meet its targets under the 2015 Paris environmental accords and boost the Canadian clean technology sector.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“Under Trudeau's plan, carbon pollution would cost C$10 ($7.60) a ton in 2018, rising by C$10 a year until it reaches C$50 in 2022. The provinces can either implement a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade market and hold-outs will have a price imposed by Ottawa.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>Climate Truth.org Action</i></b> has posted a 1.5-minute video titled, <a href="http://livepage.apple.com/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Scientists Take to the Streets to Stand Up for Science</span></a>. It shows clips from a rally in San Francisco, organized by ClimateTruth and the Natural History Museum, protesting Trump’s anti-science views and his nominations for a number of high level positions in his administration. One of the speakers is Naomi Oreskes, a professor of the history of science from Harvard University and the author of the book, <b>Merchants of Doubt</b>.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE:</b> To learn more about the rally and the background for it, see the Dec. 14 article in <b><i>EOS</i></b>, a publication of the American Geophysical Union, by Randy Showstack titled, <a href="https://eos.org/articles/fearful-of-trump-hundreds-in-san-francisco-rally-for-science"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Fearful of Trump, Hundreds in San Francisco Rally for Science</span></a>.</span></div>
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The following items are from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), Carol Werner, Executive Director. Past issues of its newsletter are posted on its website under "publications"<br />
at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102515421764&e=001VqmyLSnT7fkl-_mocGBcn8yb2ys8eiE4dr3Tnveazy1K0B1fU1CponAdxiy_W78b49PK6NHsR0pHlqO7KOWi-3m5yW4bNEJiyJt1G95YoNt46CLY1L4uGjNKLSPL84kX2r7jAaxw1oVR18YElOXvV8_lo1bRsASi9tPNMTm7-ZU="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">http://www.eesi.org/publications/Newsletters/CCNews/ccnews.htm</span></a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">EESI’s newsletter is intended for all interested parties, particularly the policymaker community. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://F70130FA-6473-4FFA-8DBE-151D94AA5A60/pastedGraphic.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Proposal to Eliminate NASA's Climate Change Programs Draws Sharp Rebuke from Scientists</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A senior adviser to President-elect Trump's transition team indicated that the new administration plans to pull all funding for climate programs within NASA's Earth science division. The incoming administration has characterized NASA's climate work as "politicized science," arguing the agency should focus on space exploration. The comments and accompanying plan have drawn widespread criticism from the scientific community, citing the importance NASA's data collection activities hold for global climate research and policymaking. Kevin Trenberth, senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, emphasized the importance of satellite data in transforming how society understands climate change issues: "It could put us back into the 'dark ages' of almost the pre-satellite era. It would be extremely short sighted." NASA's satellite-collected data has been essential to the work of climate scientists. Officially, NASA remains "committed to doing whatever [it] can to assist in making the executive branch transition a smooth one."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B_qSUUx-xWTpEcUSDOoImPS0Yp5bCLWKV98b_O65CUENTEK4NxQxBQ8rLU8fBSvVWUTQwg_Bc4fHKH-dwHfIBi8AcnL0hZwTQQsuHdOWij_rU0UWVQOK36C_o0YfN57ehop0Xk_W_Tg4a5owaXeptFli34zwoyd5eYO5KPJhb15XRMuVUBeSIWSg5zrmgR0V2wWWtfUUHgk2lkBKxOnBTpZOg84kUmiCISHSMwU7-BNixVAf1Q_tcjkNrxd5vBKqPL_Eo4auxq-6htrYz7-uAl6TPx3gALvujsMDtl82ZouigH9oEplbumnDfDPfAIJbzarNLx1aNMkTasC06TSuEJmZzcEgqkcrVPT8ZP6i77RQ8UR30prAUQZpAc9Jm4Y-jZk8PL45-BhQxNtMYdtgnKEuQFaQXwt8n2s6YmaTCkZKflquvVNAzxM0LHfYkSUeHL8hEXqU61i4Hw6cHp172mdo7qAlcE49P22liDrmG5c=&c=Bb3kXlFVYELN8DgYuQQrqr4Lq1g9UpC1EkHXWVGnCjkPzrOvJdZF8w==&ch=tJ6Vb4AjBqjyIu3FNLD022YqtuWCSgB4b1Qz1lX3-5-STIvzQoLQzA==">Guardian<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>States Take Up Climate Action in Federal Government's Stead</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In the wake of campaign promises from President-elect Trump to rescind federal environmental regulations, uncertainty about the future of climate change mitigation efforts has spurred local-level activists to take the fight to their state governments. Communities across the nation already feeling the effects of climate change are unwilling to wait on the federal government to take action. In response, state governments, including California, New York, and Massachusetts, are moving forward with their own initiatives. These states have passed legislation to cut greenhouse gas emissions and encourage utilities to adopt renewable energy technologies. However, tackling emissions at the state level can create compliance issues, as parties seeking to participate in inter-state electricity markets will be forced to consider multiple individual regulatory schemes instead of a unified set of federal rules. Meanwhile, the lack of a federal standard is clouding the path forward for states like Virginia, where the pro-climate action governor is stymied by the state legislature and utility sector.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B_qSUUx-xWTpEcUSDOoImPS0Yp5bCLWKV98b_O65CUENTEK4NxQxBQ8rLU8fBSvVsq6ErVO69BgJbGmKHjifNFZU7-fAZbqKknE2jPocxVQ0E5DzBjbbA4vpDucMqK_Objk0QRdtkSc83rj7OuLCvz4CHNGNngePr0NPt8wxFx6_JIAlRFVz8e5iqkTW8-toyssxiOF2c0WZYyXx3Gpu9xH7FddRzdImZQCb68_g-Y0GxIxu0XY64rwCZKVL2dZL87Cx3DMT6QmRXJXOKxLZYPO24d4e84KtEBAaN4yoeDY=&c=Bb3kXlFVYELN8DgYuQQrqr4Lq1g9UpC1EkHXWVGnCjkPzrOvJdZF8w==&ch=tJ6Vb4AjBqjyIu3FNLD022YqtuWCSgB4b1Qz1lX3-5-STIvzQoLQzA==">Center for Public Integrity<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_1.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://F70130FA-6473-4FFA-8DBE-151D94AA5A60/pastedGraphic_1.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Mayors from 37 U.S. Cities Ask President-elect to Embrace Climate Action</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On November 22, the mayors of 37 major American cities submitted an open letter to President-elect Trump urging him to partner with municipal governments to address the threat of climate change. The cities are part of the "Mayors' National Climate Action Agenda" (MNCAA), which advocates for climate mitigation and adaptation measures and shares best practices for achieving those goals. The letter states that climate change impacts could cost the U.S. economy $500 billion annually by 2050. The letter frames climate action in cost-benefit terms for the President-elect, declaring, "The cost of prevention pales in comparison to cost of inaction, in terms of dollars, property and human life." The signatories request that the federal government assist cities in achieving the "transit, energy, infrastructure, and real estate development necessary" for them to succeed in the future, as well as support renewable energy, extend tax credits for electric vehicles and clean energy, and stand by the Paris climate agreement.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>China Unlikely to Stray from Climate Mitigation Commitments if United States Waivers</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">While the U.S. leadership and involvement in climate policy has been thrown into doubt, it is unlikely that China will follow a similar path. China's national policy on environmental standards and renewable energy has faced pressure to include emission reduction measures due to anger and resentment from citizens living in cities with chronic air pollution problems. In response to the pollution, since 2012 China has become the largest investor in clean energy, spending over $380 billion on clean energy technologies. Already in 2016, China has invested $48 billion in new clean energy projects while the U.S. has spent just $32 billion. Since 2015, China has led the world in installed solar capacity and possesses twice the installed wind capacity of the United States. According to Sophie Lu, head of China research for BNEF, China has more reasons than not to continue supporting international climate policy: "If China stays green, it maintains both moral leadership abroad and helps to support green industries, which it dominates."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B_qSUUx-xWTpEcUSDOoImPS0Yp5bCLWKV98b_O65CUENTEK4NxQxBQ8rLU8fBSvVH4dSnALPJj8cqibF1FA2h2MUhgRs8Xcbm6AW7kJQQ9KYu--oMm6qm9-6ydNMoB4Gkf0JaK21PzioivU22IIF5-nBOMOva6lIKRuMdlI6S3GyCWZxw3D3zoOeKdQRokaUnpsLkxF1znMBYC_Uy7gh3OGQYX4fThIilgVAu4IS9WOx6wqSAzXEUrd5YSW__uPTY0u2I1Wszbe_3dljJJHcKY_5p0Q5yAQDd-6mD_kCR2c=&c=Bb3kXlFVYELN8DgYuQQrqr4Lq1g9UpC1EkHXWVGnCjkPzrOvJdZF8w==&ch=tJ6Vb4AjBqjyIu3FNLD022YqtuWCSgB4b1Qz1lX3-5-STIvzQoLQzA==">Bloomberg</a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The government of Luxembourg has unveiled a new sustainability "roadmap" as part of a national effort to transition to a clean energy economy and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. The plan, titled the "Third Industrial Revolution," was commissioned by Luxembourg's government and led by Jeremy Rifkin, an American economist. Rifkin presented the plan at the Luxembourg Sustainability Forum, where he emphasized the advantages of leveraging renewable energy sources, stating, "What happens when your business plugs into [solar and wind resources] and everything is marginal cost? It changes the business model. That's the revolution." Luxembourg's plan is based around nine pillars of sustainability, including energy, transportation, finance, food, and industry. Luxembourg is the first European Union member state to receive European Investment Bank funds for the specific purpose of implementing a nationwide sustainability plan. Other European governments are monitoring the initiative closely to gauge its success.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B_qSUUx-xWTpEcUSDOoImPS0Yp5bCLWKV98b_O65CUENTEK4NxQxBQ8rLU8fBSvV_ZMeTNGAhQkJ2V_PARlAQGa15UfVkNWrqjBQlF8M4AwZhfNqVNoTMaD3XZHy5iw0bXw77jNNCMpNtz_LKCkScrNNtLF2QHYClZhNWnMlWYTU90iioioVFfIZu6IRLu7IZ-y-d8xmhzdccYQHGzNfnyjczhl2YTjQmgs7EglSRo47ObJIPuWuqu5MdKGDAvINqGcz9JfPdRca9UfJtC__TQ==&c=Bb3kXlFVYELN8DgYuQQrqr4Lq1g9UpC1EkHXWVGnCjkPzrOvJdZF8w==&ch=tJ6Vb4AjBqjyIu3FNLD022YqtuWCSgB4b1Qz1lX3-5-STIvzQoLQzA==">Delano</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B_qSUUx-xWTpEcUSDOoImPS0Yp5bCLWKV98b_O65CUENTEK4NxQxBQ8rLU8fBSvV-NfyZlJXHWmZusFJVDCGXnQnLwQEovDTJ7yV_FEi0IdE7CXwAeQIxCINr4YGtCaAIhsxBabQhDKE5ko0C00Tpgh1R_NOwAleL1Qe1zQC7N_fd_i1i9henyiu6ObjbyXbNzzxq6Ufmu6EPXVcJzXHVA==&c=Bb3kXlFVYELN8DgYuQQrqr4Lq1g9UpC1EkHXWVGnCjkPzrOvJdZF8w==&ch=tJ6Vb4AjBqjyIu3FNLD022YqtuWCSgB4b1Qz1lX3-5-STIvzQoLQzA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Paperjam</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">American companies have reaffirmed their commitment to implementing sustainable, environmentally-friendly business practices in the weeks following the presidential election. Wisconsin is one state where this sentiment runs deep, as over 160 companies have enrolled in the state-run Green Masters Program to improve their sustainability efforts. According to Tom Eggert, executive director of the Wisconsin Sustainable Building Council, business are pursuing sustainability programs to "save money [and] reduce risk" and "because [customers and investors] are asking about what they're doing to be green." Companies are pursuing sustainable initiatives that cut carbon emissions from supply chains and are implementing sustainable building practices. Jack Wilson, a businessman based in Milwaukee, said, "Too often domestic companies remain caught up in the misconception that if something's sustainable it's going to cost more, [but] it may be more economical than what they're doing right now." In addition, 200 multinational corporations have adopted "science-based targets" to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated by their operations.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B_qSUUx-xWTpEcUSDOoImPS0Yp5bCLWKV98b_O65CUENTEK4NxQxBQ8rLU8fBSvVaFqOPmdqFEDbfeCSGpd3UMX8cL_m1DrYgtGoYTo1oJUWW2a7ZQlJ5LNCsq06sriHLl7gpjESuoTeqVIymsBLWRWDu4x8d96zlRe4Nqmt7W1aNpQkMOPEt5bAAInVww2yRdaAtl5KWh4Vgm1rDQUFDMeS2X_wnV1kxgwU2mXmQVAbTudPorCT2hhs2hCQdhUzaXRVGHuReOijUIb576T89dGAaRs7UWc6HaU8GhuVydJlpOiMHqfFnYwArpwYKuyKoTQ4Sl14zMQ=&c=Bb3kXlFVYELN8DgYuQQrqr4Lq1g9UpC1EkHXWVGnCjkPzrOvJdZF8w==&ch=tJ6Vb4AjBqjyIu3FNLD022YqtuWCSgB4b1Qz1lX3-5-STIvzQoLQzA==">Journal Sentinel<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_4.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://F70130FA-6473-4FFA-8DBE-151D94AA5A60/pastedGraphic_4.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Study: 71 Percent of Americans Support U.S. Participation in Paris Climate Agreement</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Although President-elect Trump had expressed a desire to withdraw from the Paris Agreement during the campaign, a new survey conducted by the Chicago Council for Global Affairs has revealed 71 percent of Americans support U.S. participation in the agreement. While respondents self-identifying as Democrats overwhelmingly supported the climate deal, 57 percent of Republicans were also in favor. A more severe split existed over whether the United States should take immediate climate actions, even if they may involve "significant costs," with 62 percent of Democrats and 19 percent of Republicans answering affirmatively. Republican support for climate action jumped to 46 percent when faced with "gradual" and "low in cost" steps. Dina Smeltz, lead author of the study, shared, "When we ask about agreements in general, especially in our wording, Americans do seem to support a lot of international agreements which are collective agreements."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B_qSUUx-xWTpEcUSDOoImPS0Yp5bCLWKV98b_O65CUENTEK4NxQxBQ8rLU8fBSvV4jDXcry90C-t8Ux4kuGfsf9Q9XR15ZN0QxtrVD_-WqfCOoNGs8uwcepfKwS9L3wS8lN59x3uEoKHm20EtMhje0E7f7vjK9XXbqcfRtetzWOlTcu9ToPbvLU7l1nggaQqK8jSOUpm_dA9XSi2qJ1LsGREnpOkI5xN8IaiMR1yjVDq9OWl68ZpIo-wwZLqlZjQGn48Dx9oa7WNUltBCQmeTv6uVGfBgHVFntX_zatsTfjxtvxfSuACyp7gkyRdIkYsVBDiKblh-iuAceVZAz7wAn_s2DlypNQbTsY7rKPzwJNf_8w8H3ay3Ib1h-7HDxNREj_5fLopNAMycXdzePhJ-osG6Y1PfkrBGZQi4gWSMozNJxIrS4ty7xaYcsD1mWD__WaRYZKhpyQ=&c=Bb3kXlFVYELN8DgYuQQrqr4Lq1g9UpC1EkHXWVGnCjkPzrOvJdZF8w==&ch=tJ6Vb4AjBqjyIu3FNLD022YqtuWCSgB4b1Qz1lX3-5-STIvzQoLQzA==">Washington Post,</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> <span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B_qSUUx-xWTpEcUSDOoImPS0Yp5bCLWKV98b_O65CUENTEK4NxQxBQ8rLU8fBSvVsr5WwdOMz3p8_At6q5p0ZT4GDfOeNhPFen5PfWjHDzL6QAGHdm9xSkL-kab7Yg_BgwsRMe-nfICZdx7R-w_eLhEd58vVJN_fuUMZzDb_zuaFUkYVv6PHE1r6hk0x44dqsEs29vI8k5zOl1LwvzZ8_S4fy50C-AF8e0RWT7ohPTBDplY1CtXpH09XcP_7TUgIAP1KFxh1WyE=&c=Bb3kXlFVYELN8DgYuQQrqr4Lq1g9UpC1EkHXWVGnCjkPzrOvJdZF8w==&ch=tJ6Vb4AjBqjyIu3FNLD022YqtuWCSgB4b1Qz1lX3-5-STIvzQoLQzA==">Study</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_5.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://F70130FA-6473-4FFA-8DBE-151D94AA5A60/pastedGraphic_5.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Worrying Trend Sees Arctic and Antarctic Sea Ice Levels Reach Record-Lows for November</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">November is typically a month in which Arctic sea ice expands as temperatures decrease, but the latest data indicates the sea ice extent is nearly one million square kilometers less than the previous record-low experienced in November 2012. This trend is not just confined to the Arctic, as Antarctica's November sea ice levels also hit a record low based on data dating back to 1979. Mark Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center, attributes the decline in ice cover to increasing average global temperatures. "I think that it's fair to say that the very slow ice growth is a response to the extreme warmth (still ongoing as of today)," Serreze said. The decline in sea ice has a dangerous compounding effect, as lower amounts of light-colored ice allow the more darkly colored ocean to absorb more solar radiation, further increasing ocean temperatures. In turn, warmer ocean and air temperatures during winter months hinder sea ice formation and further accelerate the rate of melting in the polar regions.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B_qSUUx-xWTpEcUSDOoImPS0Yp5bCLWKV98b_O65CUENTEK4NxQxBQ8rLU8fBSvVfSkCtHQ3kk8gJH3ORvShRhmRYfwjIDvVGOxdjH7KW8VMfDlLJdRsMx_yfq5TsmXfcDv5NjTTREfq21ydm6GVJYgmiEjMbRB2pT6u3D99ahZRS1tZikiaFj_nuPoGpSi5-z3Y79xroU6rpYEPnTGbKDmNikqqi2E4CCRcex5aQXCHMNfGBZ4D-Kcj-5xob3m3LEUC1kepM4aI_J4PI3qYW_n14CwA9gLOjXa2Ts2cjmcMkwC3UmvakGRTtrt0eZouxBn_6hEVa7n21ztOf6cm-amEccEcsrHfjXdnV_DyBF7eOeeDT-6jEbi6F63_3kk3&c=Bb3kXlFVYELN8DgYuQQrqr4Lq1g9UpC1EkHXWVGnCjkPzrOvJdZF8w==&ch=tJ6Vb4AjBqjyIu3FNLD022YqtuWCSgB4b1Qz1lX3-5-STIvzQoLQzA==">Washington Post<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b> </b></span><span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_6.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://F70130FA-6473-4FFA-8DBE-151D94AA5A60/pastedGraphic_6.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Climate Change Is Bringing Major Changes to the Arctic's Food Web</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Researchers have confirmed that climate change is drastically altering the state of the Arctic's food web. In 2016, the Arctic region has seen temperatures as high as 36 degrees Fahrenheit above average in November, while October sea ice levels were at their lowest since 1979. These changes are impacting the production of algae, which is integral to the Arctic's food web. Algae production has increased 47 percent between 1997 and 2015, leading to a significant spike in growth in the Arctic Ocean. Researchers found that algae blooms are occurring up to two months earlier due to the warming conditions. The algae feed many other organisms, such as krill, which then support fish, mammals, and birds. However, the rapid changes to algae production may be happening too swiftly for many organisms to adapt, leading to disruptions in their life cycles. For example, migrating whales and birds may arrive too late and fish larvae may not develop fast enough to take advantage of the algae before it descends to the sea floor.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B_qSUUx-xWTpEcUSDOoImPS0Yp5bCLWKV98b_O65CUENTEK4NxQxBQ8rLU8fBSvV_kFSOnikU--LdK27fkckIrKndrDXn_Cx74rRJcrnY3cgujTBcQ5W6VpmSYHlmAe7p27d4TBZNN-Z9zrAVVr738Rs2x1Aug3cJ3nzWTR2ucfscOCqeaYpxIKJKrZ1v77kdfamRxhCw5QacYe3KlXdmczwv9361EBNXW_-JUaf6pEbxF53xz13i2-UNxh1oyuOHWTnGp7mnZSqUUb797YDiHmVzvhcZJ-DwP6M5t951EGhjnw7-KGkWy-bps_6NXnxmy3Fn1BhGIvgS5NNI9sue5m_HKbzYSRAxwHTSO7kI5kpgqunNIwVMmRL6gf4CcvppjKEH9bsFkCHfESbXnHpc6T7wx3Z7s8tB7d6FlFoVy0B2iHfogNKyEWLsfooHx-f2wp3FKcqUZa0mwprigeLZ7B02wwsyavza3mF_N21b1V_uOz2Yve97juRzbJpe4Tz_P8raAaJ1HSdLobitlgXwy-JAlnWVZbpEBMfoBj2hidJSjgm7JM-kCb4tAo8-1l65wp6abJE26-HfMBJsuQjYj-9K0uo2qGK&c=Bb3kXlFVYELN8DgYuQQrqr4Lq1g9UpC1EkHXWVGnCjkPzrOvJdZF8w==&ch=tJ6Vb4AjBqjyIu3FNLD022YqtuWCSgB4b1Qz1lX3-5-STIvzQoLQzA==">New York Times<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_7.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://F70130FA-6473-4FFA-8DBE-151D94AA5A60/pastedGraphic_7.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Milestone, Youth-Driven Case Calling for Federal Action on Climate Change Headed to Trial in 2017 </b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Our Children's Trust, a nonprofit representing 21 young people aged 9-20, has been allowed to take its case against the U.S. government to trial as it attempts to force the country to take more stringent action toward curtailing the impacts of climate change for future generations. The trial is slated for summer or early fall of 2017. The case is built upon several legal claims, including the "public trust doctrine" which holds the federal government accountable for the preservation of public resources, such as clean water and air. The case also leans on the concept of "substantive due process," which prevents the government from hindering an individual's right to "life, liberty, or property without due process of law." The plaintiffs are arguing that these liberties and common resources are under threat due to the government's inadequate action to address climate change and reduce fossil fuel consumption. James May, a law professor at Widener University, calls the case "terrific," but says its unique nature will prove challenging: "The federal judiciary of the United States is not yet ready, by and large, to apply federal common law public trust doctrine and substantive due process to climate change. I think it's likely that the cases will be struck." However, legal experts agree that the case represents a milestone in environmental law. Mary Wood, a law professor at University of Oregon, argues the case advancing this far sets a precedent for the plaintiffs to sue for their constitutional right to a safe and clean environment. Wood added, "If the [plaintiffs] can show that the federal government is neglecting its fiduciary duty of trustee ... then they can force a remedy." </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see: </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001h9yH_5xK6Q7wxT9KLEvhZd-mjp-ty5bNGkRvaP4Wht0NMePUbYPWdW6S6ByGuKx9cQlH64btejY2OTUvJ1DFNnk-ZlrzISqt6m80dpapQg6psxob7XLbAhcD8nbuzmA0OWC1Qx12TeNwi4jDutF3p8g9dxmC5gXW66PeqQTImMP8KWQAAUva0AxfHCvyRw7IsJ7O0teRV7RVQVMUcFESOg22DyudgXvSuGSO69VHdrv1m7Z72KX59f1IW_VHPRFqiU0A4VTQ0YxpxpWv6zZh3vKFeM5DBoPNQs7BIIivza3YGNdo7XP5191qAia8ZVTNx9ItdFESWk8hhEZaiXGcp_PE0QScPqG9tpMUft_xNaWi6iPqlNfgpBD5LZz0HK75&c=vGVShBe8WWmzQqKQN-WNHKtj4R9_19GpegwG1NdvOIwVv-PyrU4WSA==&ch=xvW-TLswTS3E_y5wg1FN18J7VOTAK3IC02M2FYQ-VOM4a29jyEO0yQ==">Washington Post</a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Obama's Environmental Legacy Weighed Down by Export-Import Bank's Financing of Fossil Fuel Projects </b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The Obama administration's environmental legacy has come under renewed scrutiny following a report on the U.S. Export-Import Bank's (EXIM) involvement in the development of fossil fuel-based projects. EXIM, housed in the executive branch, provides American companies with loans to sell goods and services abroad when private lenders do not. Since 2009, EXIM has financed nearly $34 billion in low-interest loans and guarantees to expand the use of fossil fuel-based projects overseas. The amount of activity under President Obama is three times what EXIM spent on fossil-based projects under President George W. Bush and twice the amount spent under Presidents Reagan, H.W. Bush, and Clinton combined. According to EXIM calculations, the 70 fossil fuel projects it has financed since 2009 will contribute 164 million metrics tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, equivalent to 95 coal-fired power plants currently operating in the United States. However, the calculation does not include the foundries, mines, smelters, and other projects EXIM has also financed during that period, making its portfolio's carbon footprint even larger. Most of EXIM's fossil fuel-oriented activity occurred before 2014 when the Obama administration began to put a stronger emphasis on climate mitigation policy. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see: </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001h9yH_5xK6Q7wxT9KLEvhZd-mjp-ty5bNGkRvaP4Wht0NMePUbYPWdW6S6ByGuKx9nc7pHmzgg1JtYBczwbVMwluN9IxvKDmYSedSTywcUfJMvS3Z7QYQEf0jaVbRlnU2_RInBqsnJIrgKCi-5ibpTScE0VIt--DGA8TP3c0cAzS3NRLIAbzlv7lyTlexnBJhbPohRyt7XiwmHIZ8qlUBmS4e_U0zTfsdG5k_EhkOrkZdKRGtV7PtlB5A5PaDybzgnIvxhobv6R6v5Q0CesGepAA0C4m_NBiNll08AUBd6MTfL90gu2MkzEidPGQ176G7fFvwQbJwfMWyjZvg-GbVAICBubBPSw6nKqH2qSL21WpmrCx0OsFxvXk1K0oO9Qgv25C1MISlfrxgCWX0xlI8onyuQB7bGNdm2cvO4P0NB9kgz-JvQJTuNGNziYedAUAtcdKFrlyAxgpttU7QNxDQqIL5imEGXKG09NOG00axtU8=&c=vGVShBe8WWmzQqKQN-WNHKtj4R9_19GpegwG1NdvOIwVv-PyrU4WSA==&ch=xvW-TLswTS3E_y5wg1FN18J7VOTAK3IC02M2FYQ-VOM4a29jyEO0yQ==">Guardian<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_8.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://F70130FA-6473-4FFA-8DBE-151D94AA5A60/pastedGraphic_8.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>California to Regulate Emissions from Livestock Operations for the First Time</b> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In September 2016, California Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation to regulate emissions emanating from livestock operations for the first time. Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is a byproduct of digestive cycles for cattle. According to a United Nations report, livestock account for 14.5 percent of global emissions stemming from human activity. In the past decade, California has passed sweeping legislation to regulate vehicles, buildings, and factories, but has not yet addressed livestock emissions despite being the largest milk-producing state in the United States. Dairy farmers in fierce opposition of the legislation are worried that with drought, rising labor costs, lower milk prices, and new legislation increasing overtime pay, they will be forced to shut down their operations. One option is for farmers to buy methane digesters to convert cattle waste byproducts into energy, but farmers are concerned about the technology's cost. To alleviate the financial burden on farmers, California has allocated $50 million to subsidizing the digesters. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001h9yH_5xK6Q7wxT9KLEvhZd-mjp-ty5bNGkRvaP4Wht0NMePUbYPWdW6S6ByGuKx9oLFGfV89C_1BnicCMDB6b-JP_nfF4BFFdRjgzXjPBuDLwzUiN2C_vtIJL0jzX3YEAu2dbMi74dgo8rBJ8XjTqiFAZskBXp0FIHrzAvBdYI5NxOyJoNdByk77FjwAcA1uhIeu5YAtSkyeQe2xEMyfrovyCREASoWW2Z8Dis20Obj_eH9dvuZSZZQ0u0XCOeQrFoXe_glR3xrJPL4n8fl6uxPYJp_obZVBAFtS9ESsTNY=&c=vGVShBe8WWmzQqKQN-WNHKtj4R9_19GpegwG1NdvOIwVv-PyrU4WSA==&ch=xvW-TLswTS3E_y5wg1FN18J7VOTAK3IC02M2FYQ-VOM4a29jyEO0yQ==">Associated Press<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_9.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://F70130FA-6473-4FFA-8DBE-151D94AA5A60/pastedGraphic_9.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>European Union Sets Binding 30 Percent Energy Efficiency Target to Reduce Carbon Emissions </b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A newly proposed regulatory package from the European Commission is showing the depth of Europe's commitment to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent by 2030 under the Paris Agreement. The proposal looks to decrease total energy consumption by establishing a binding target of 30 percent for energy efficiency. In support of the target, new incentives will be implemented for the deployment of smart meters and technological innovation. The utility industry will have to achieve a 1.5 percent reduction in energy usage annually from 2021 to 2030. Greater integration of renewable energy sources and the renovation of buildings to promote energy efficiency are two additional priorities in the proposal. Buildings account for 40 percent of Europe's current energy consumption. The proposal will require approval by individual European Union states and the European Parliament.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see: </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001h9yH_5xK6Q7wxT9KLEvhZd-mjp-ty5bNGkRvaP4Wht0NMePUbYPWdW6S6ByGuKx9erHmBqkQOgso-ab3XFdXJ7knO8wDNlO5R65wZGvnejyCeU5EsJZBqFBWlWNcFTGva3NkPpjfFI2ePJSvuvYhwWI6vZoDO2L-60wknXgXFN7QnoR2jFF6yIXi4-aL2nQ78ebpEt_5o8Czoyqz-LHSdigBPLk8GeUH-uznTSQc6_FR0ahcwVcZHRBZgmWw4JE8M9yZfWo1b_k0aQbGZk2eFKS78nycNRA5NZoyBO7w45ydbXJa-vP5cev0at3y-cpH5lWIvk2Nkn7P452kHHJLoZhGRj-16PALipxOj5PvTojNN6gCrE2fw9at-Rm4MSltErbP4x9fdWRvsdmoTpVpzA==&c=vGVShBe8WWmzQqKQN-WNHKtj4R9_19GpegwG1NdvOIwVv-PyrU4WSA==&ch=xvW-TLswTS3E_y5wg1FN18J7VOTAK3IC02M2FYQ-VOM4a29jyEO0yQ==">BBC</a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>China's Resurgent Coal Industry at Odds with Nation's Climate Narrative </b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">While China's recent actions in the international climate arena have sparked hope among climate activists, recent trends in the Chinese coal industry are causing concern. Coal generates nearly 75 percent of Chinese electricity, while coal consumption in China causes more emissions than the consumption of oil, coal, and gas combined for the United States. A series of policy initiatives and aggressive investment by China in renewable energy led to a 3 percent reduction in the nation's coal production during 2015, creating optimism in the climate community that China was on the path to de-carbonization. Economic pressures, such as a housing production boom, have created a spike in demand for electricity across multiple sectors, leading to an increase in the production and consumption of coal. China will face significant domestic policy challenges associated with its coal industry as the nation looks to take on a larger leadership role within international climate negotiations and better manage its air pollution issues.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001h9yH_5xK6Q7wxT9KLEvhZd-mjp-ty5bNGkRvaP4Wht0NMePUbYPWdW6S6ByGuKx9DwdayQzP6L1skvIHKYcuSwX3J3sTAQ851w9tsa7jiNAsSmcddr3-kT62omTvGvkQU_v7cE5FuT969hG38tA1XJcl_Tn1viZX8uaVe8MyywDUx2xYDZkAIjyqQHJw_A1KB4K6MunPJLGYm8QwZU04FDWD0WH72PWQs5QwUO9SUwefcJInbVC9QxxqOeqnjMBvua8xSwonM0RZL0IvtPo7Lg==&c=vGVShBe8WWmzQqKQN-WNHKtj4R9_19GpegwG1NdvOIwVv-PyrU4WSA==&ch=xvW-TLswTS3E_y5wg1FN18J7VOTAK3IC02M2FYQ-VOM4a29jyEO0yQ==">New York Times</a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_10.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://F70130FA-6473-4FFA-8DBE-151D94AA5A60/pastedGraphic_10.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Bolivian Cities Grappling with Water Shortages Due to Shrinking Glaciers </b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">As attention turns toward improving the climate resilience of cities, the nation of Bolivia presents a case study in how to manage water resources when faced with uncertainty from climate change. Bolivia's major cities receive a large percentage (20-28 percent) of their water supply from glaciers that are steadily shrinking. The Stockholm Environmental Institute (SEI) released a report detailing how a two degree Celsius increase in global temperatures would eliminate small glaciers and drastically shrink larger ones by 2050, presenting a major challenge to Bolivia's population. Furthermore, climate impacts, such as drought, will drive even more people to relocate to cities, putting an additional strain on urban water resources. The SEI report recommended utilizing a community stakeholder participation model to develop innovative policy solutions, stating, "Conservation and recycling methods will be needed to build the resilience of Bolivian cities' water systems." The lessons learned from Bolivia could serve as a valuable template for developing solutions elsewhere. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see: </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001h9yH_5xK6Q7wxT9KLEvhZd-mjp-ty5bNGkRvaP4Wht0NMePUbYPWdW6S6ByGuKx93466cdXzTDofz4sCzd7T2h8eeQlPN_HD0r1DNDJ0FXt5pBmjcHfVfpHYH9aWgMr9KV_2hBO0vJr3XFbreH5EpY8z4PTZ4oUeNB9th4Okj0WWw-aHmf29evHbWLz2M13cGILnQSUoQbSgTYBya1y23DwqYIFU8q9RoH_ruL0YgCKy6VhegKGy-llnH94jDw9PhHC4nLdZD71Mw-TUoNEZhG4HPyf1SSZnvqUoxDi7ihMH9-Mm9rFQsrGiLSgbTiQJmthe3kiq-wLkoEk4GtNZymzXEv48IidbUsn1ep9XpgMiV05jFD9n6CRqMUwdTgR8e_lvipDmT3-kY_S0KEc6ZpkHBrUsC0k7M95keA21I-8MT1znpxUeAjXUY17-2qj965tsTNUTt0id0uIXJ9ISj6fUuT4PZa7y92NDKw3lVWY=&c=vGVShBe8WWmzQqKQN-WNHKtj4R9_19GpegwG1NdvOIwVv-PyrU4WSA==&ch=xvW-TLswTS3E_y5wg1FN18J7VOTAK3IC02M2FYQ-VOM4a29jyEO0yQ==">Guardian<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Over 2,300 Scientists Submit Letter to Trump and Congress Demanding Integrity of Science Be Preserved </b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On November 30, over 2,300 scientists, including representatives from all 50 states and 22 Nobel Prize recipients, submitted an open letter to President-elect Trump and the incoming 115th Congress, advising them to foster a "strong and open culture of science" in crafting policy. According to Andrew Rosenberg, the Director of Union of Concerned Scientists' Center for Science and Democracy, the scientific community perceives the Trump administration as inaccessible and prone to the "political manipulation of the science," motivating the group to pen the open letter. Many scientists and researchers are concerned not only about what Trump will do within his term, but the lasting effects of his actions. Climate scientist Ken Caldeira, a researcher at the Carnegie Institution for Science, said, "It takes decades to build up leadership in a scientific area, because you have to train people for many years. It would be very easy in just a couple of years to destroy what has taken many decades to build up." </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see: </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001h9yH_5xK6Q7wxT9KLEvhZd-mjp-ty5bNGkRvaP4Wht0NMePUbYPWdW6S6ByGuKx9wW9lNZr8tolu3eXVGod7Wj--UFjXQjfm3hwwuj0o64jKnHCXcbCKJFenbLue0xi4Rz4mXucRlbxC7bdFDGbwSRaJ6V43e5cJlZ6TyEdqHwG6IRFThbwyc2WkYBsgl1OKa76aFntAT8J50OjMx0uMK0S70WL-R5zdq7iHIYRrcnblEVC4pfzvrxIuUDlW6EyyAJlaXHL2XTORkdKC5ttAaLXBerrBeMrPAKy71pFVBMS5fRRmugPL6etDy-6RO6qx7dkVaU1F18PgZnAnvYP3uIuaHT_xp6tInNRX7K8e3Tu_KiHm8Ke71rOop4Y8C37h3OJvBlJ2fgc=&c=vGVShBe8WWmzQqKQN-WNHKtj4R9_19GpegwG1NdvOIwVv-PyrU4WSA==&ch=xvW-TLswTS3E_y5wg1FN18J7VOTAK3IC02M2FYQ-VOM4a29jyEO0yQ==">Washington Post</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001h9yH_5xK6Q7wxT9KLEvhZd-mjp-ty5bNGkRvaP4Wht0NMePUbYPWdW6S6ByGuKx9H5dU9wC1wB6crqQ24wHEaChH0-bzjqaUmkM0K9VIL74QNj-8i80-o2KC-tOZF5H-XjLwDvmwJryD7q5L620Mu_bUeZfK9ZzwP9YZKldWKVTuWjihdNtPwIN7fp-OtaXPSf-W8I0I-G_Ofx-Iy5NiaHGkR1cOH1TPeIe3es7Z14ewh5EL5-aZkXM_VA36mXdyJSO8AlDiTmzI5Q3mMQsYGDOmQcFsrFX_Q4VAaToKJhEBsefFxZp1blowj9KUvzKS&c=vGVShBe8WWmzQqKQN-WNHKtj4R9_19GpegwG1NdvOIwVv-PyrU4WSA==&ch=xvW-TLswTS3E_y5wg1FN18J7VOTAK3IC02M2FYQ-VOM4a29jyEO0yQ=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Letter</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_11.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://F70130FA-6473-4FFA-8DBE-151D94AA5A60/pastedGraphic_11.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Warming Ocean Waters are Melting Antarctic Glaciers from the Inside Out </b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A new study in the journal Geophysical Research Letters has confirmed scientists' fears that longstanding glacial formations are weakening from the inside out. In 2015, analysis of a major rift in the Pine Island Glacier had originated 20 miles away from the edge of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, where such breakups tend to occur due to weaker ice. These unusual glacial rifts are fueled by the ice's increased exposure to warming ocean waters. The glacial melt leads to a "self-perpetuating cycle" where the melting ice exposes new parts of the glacier to the warmer ocean waters and destabilizes the ice sheet. Research indicates the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is at risk of collapsing within 100 years, which could raise global sea levels by up to 10 feet. Study leader Ian Howat of The Ohio State University, said, "This kind of rifting behavior provides another mechanism for rapid retreat of these glaciers, adding to the probability that we may see significant collapse of West Antarctica in our lifetimes." </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001h9yH_5xK6Q7wxT9KLEvhZd-mjp-ty5bNGkRvaP4Wht0NMePUbYPWdW6S6ByGuKx9aOZRkiX-G9YSPi-0E2WOJMZqfcZGXp4ptgpTUPAxvfDHMxPXnX-okHR8F0goFTDH3eTmrCPcV3rM9GqY6WM0r_o-l6l4ucqqxcQU8Ao0fZHLVCG8kQSQbRLPlqjdeHPtAm1WKjuqczNd56j5hHtqUUtARdYaBts7fvpepQh2_rl4YnLbZOfB3ttyvDCKh4HZAypPLBQf8DvhnHZmkG15NbYf-4zkLibO0yzzY5NVdFotEqbyx2TGIw==&c=vGVShBe8WWmzQqKQN-WNHKtj4R9_19GpegwG1NdvOIwVv-PyrU4WSA==&ch=xvW-TLswTS3E_y5wg1FN18J7VOTAK3IC02M2FYQ-VOM4a29jyEO0yQ==">Christian Science Monitor<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE:</b> The lack of understanding of ice sheet dynamics and their inadequate inclusion in models of sea level rise means that actual sea level rise during the century is likely to much greater than the 0.5 to 2 m (0.6 to 6.6 ft) in most current estimates.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Nature published a comprehensive study exploring the carbon emission potential of soil. Soil acts as a carbon repository due to the growth and death of plants and roots in the soil over long periods of time. Scientists fear that microorganisms occupying the soil will react to warming temperatures by increasing their rate of respiration, releasing carbon dioxide and methane and creating a climate feedback loop. This feedback loop was often left out of past projections due to uncertainty associated with its impacts. The study estimates that by 2050, global soils have the potential to emit 200 billion tons of carbon dioxide under a "business as usual" scenario. Jonathan Sanderman, a scientist with the Woods Hole Research Center, said, "This is really critical, because if the additional release of carbon is not counterbalanced by new uptake of carbon by plants then it's going to exacerbate climate change." </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see: </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001h9yH_5xK6Q7wxT9KLEvhZd-mjp-ty5bNGkRvaP4Wht0NMePUbYPWdW6S6ByGuKx94aWFxlrLXcOE-xbuQ8NWLemvVk3x9yBj1AY3TszuyT7w61p8mglU_k3g79yCXpYQ7UJsKuhKBcA0aednCOg2EAhal2xo5TVaLVstyqDTfitD-6uu2OwQeK8Bc_3zWfyuymZdeiC6HL-yd7C0lxmJCP3ro4g_QEQTWTuUuTIVooyDd9DTOru-iqn9Pvcg0_-9seDhWkYJ7PuhB7tQZJBDBrda5CzwTXj-vc3ZZy-AUxdE1_FBUQUzAW9Y18IR56o4wR5zFkbk4NFgA3wZisBmLe2MADDeb7C5dzE3Di4eoRjWloi6MYGVb4_10qx-yg_01Di0AzFBPfWOFYG-PiF358gvaTZrCfhSEPb3BmSemXB4q50wNoavSKlv6qWtBnXEbvZkzVYtUNiQjsoN4vrZkFkwGyV9d7Pi6AsysoV0wfeXeHsMz20rcdNm9PtBFostWf8nNMTeKaJKX6p9z02i6y_CXNFAxlo2bBXDCyS8QdJkqeC10oWneJSmePQletv4EvfJQKXIjX4=&c=vGVShBe8WWmzQqKQN-WNHKtj4R9_19GpegwG1NdvOIwVv-PyrU4WSA==&ch=xvW-TLswTS3E_y5wg1FN18J7VOTAK3IC02M2FYQ-VOM4a29jyEO0yQ==">Washington Post<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Oklahoma Attorney General and Fossil Fuel Advocate, Scott Pruitt, Nominated for EPA Administrator</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On December 8, President-elect Trump selected Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to lead the EPA. Pruitt is one of 27 attorneys general suing the federal government in an effort to block the Clean Power Plan and is part of a separate suit to roll back the Obama administration's regulation of methane emissions in the fossil fuel sector. Pruitt built his political career around advocacy on behalf of the fossil fuel industry and bills himself as a "leading advocate against the EPA's activist agenda." In defending his deep ties to the energy industry while attorney general, he has stated that the position empowered him to "[protect] Oklahoma's economy from ... federal overreach by agencies like the EPA." A 2014 investigation by the New York Times found that letters criticizing environmental protection rules were written by energy lobbyists, but signed by Pruitt and delivered as official state correspondence to federal agencies. Pruitt's appointment came on the heels of a November 5 meeting where former Vice President Al Gore met with President-elect Trump to discuss climate change at the invitation of his daughter, Ivanka Trump.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q1kFAlCJE4p3b9wA_CDQPKJUwFVFPvSLkURY8-ueGt0cyifCGpwcD2mcxSzN8FC69WHHDF0_GYZMv69MMYne-d4Ws7xHIAyfOLRgZfIrbnGy1vDNN2MiY7rT3F_MlLLEN5h57TZqTSVx0m5NPniZJxMBYcKJ44cIzMKab7R7zPOSmGMk8PG-qQFHlw6LGazxfvFvDVs3ul3tDyeAyMBoo2vEiY5PcaAMjwbEMH2VQ7mz4Fs3kf09xxPGzWidTEiq6m4wFIh6Pcq9xylRyWbKWc26c7pwmP9uHEtfjEJATQNDvdbGBImBsZV-sP1E85s2RRqgVDrJQ5fJwogquvL6AuVBTDQKVw4UjHvJphCGMxprqUfwhOGZH1Y8mLnb8HypYwQxrElonDDCosdo73rG_68Shx7LWr22&c=mT3C48ukDzTL8OQnaCZVsYojT9fn8U4acH_zGV71Ih9AFOsP1ycgHQ==&ch=S5H7YXJK0loRK-ck9EtAuHnfA_uNABxhQEB8D8xSmj7KBPdB69o0_w==">Washington Post</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q1kFAlCJE4p3b9wA_CDQPKJUwFVFPvSLkURY8-ueGt0cyifCGpwcD2mcxSzN8FC6ldchdP3inARgdeRcPTm1vWtnOzmsyVmv2vIjVDFUfmFVFwkvSUNojSCjWYPuEL6dhpMX6B3yxJ4_ejRhi29c8jjaspX6BA1hqj2gZuuj2o8zdezJY9bEyRcz-thLLnmIIJE8iRB-GUnPcpIa6rJrUK3w_P8ao3R-Ou-RTswcuc0iZoOgYXE_IZrariTcDpRT&c=mT3C48ukDzTL8OQnaCZVsYojT9fn8U4acH_zGV71Ih9AFOsP1ycgHQ==&ch=S5H7YXJK0loRK-ck9EtAuHnfA_uNABxhQEB8D8xSmj7KBPdB69o0_w=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">New York Times</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q1kFAlCJE4p3b9wA_CDQPKJUwFVFPvSLkURY8-ueGt0cyifCGpwcD2mcxSzN8FC6HkIPbAMGrZEtVhiNItB6WwlgYnZa5LBH4mRsj83B-LvZSAmLXL-ybHWntIXROUiBQcS1BTJgbDXclyNltEGLDzTd9Hu4DgTwJt1mp811xWEKWhU8GhORqtidY_lGM1IhoNLTWO7hLTmPZstbJTQcracj9cg0YkIawNqjd32P9HQ_H3mJJEm1mXCoXb6s39M-kOtJ1XLjy3YxICspzxPKxDWyVECc9miAcflkyks7eNz5z_Wb1k8yVdmIgQtJnCL6NiCAfZ2f3FcwACyyrGdRpcUnnyjbLGXwv-vEMd29067lAbykyJUM4gKts3fh-_W2gHAHGN9vcC-KsGdVxyNL8_VNobdt7UAbw3X1tJkNfswAZvbNRQKGVwGopXp6nQ8hxq1vDaAZdbT9XFFIFiwosUCpQQ4hOFiJCa2T-iLgihpj9aFMzzPEWYvxdtLQg-m-&c=mT3C48ukDzTL8OQnaCZVsYojT9fn8U4acH_zGV71Ih9AFOsP1ycgHQ==&ch=S5H7YXJK0loRK-ck9EtAuHnfA_uNABxhQEB8D8xSmj7KBPdB69o0_w=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Guardian</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Trump Transition Team Requests List of Agency Employees Involved in Climate Change Actions</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">According to an internal Department of Energy (DOE) document obtained by the press, the Trump administration's transition team is requesting a list of employees and contractors who were involved in climate-related work during their time at the agency. The information requests were detailed in a transition memo featuring a lengthy questionnaire on DOE programs, actions, and analytical methods. Of note, is the transition team's request for individuals who have participated in international climate talks and "which programs within DOE are essential to meeting the goals of President Obama's Climate Action Plan." In addition, the questionnaire requested "a list of department employees or contractors who attended interagency meetings, the dates of the meetings, and emails and other materials associated" with the social cost of carbon, an institutionalized method of calculating the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions. Energy Department employees have characterized the questionnaire as "intrusive" and unsettling. Officials are concerned the transition team's tactics are part of an effort to intentionally target civil servants who helped carry out the Obama administration's climate change policies. DOE is still considering how it may respond to the questionnaires' targeting of climate activities.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q1kFAlCJE4p3b9wA_CDQPKJUwFVFPvSLkURY8-ueGt0cyifCGpwcD2mcxSzN8FC6o5tnOltF1Oj5xYtDY2odJ-YC8KpptdHdd__NC-ihS12Oh5Kc3sZ7jQ0kOwe2YD3t9rzjkr7lYPwvz7LfPInMliaoDkFo9MAag-LF0IrKe0_Azhf0bS2ex28iipSyqBqHkgZyoQc36BAACB1hAT_1Gh-ZSZMXc8x4Tm3pPQMOCPXXBaWhDF47quHITZ3eLnKgSar_I_-ZYC3jy9ukNVNRJe3sKaEhEuvjiSar1pULJ7KlGqAsxxipfgDNfkUgzRWuMCBLmwJxhDBaj3rblt8jUt_YpfbJObdiovDupiwrmNyhC5ZpjWR0ZlRb1AJULmRhlDaZvvTa3RbnHK1hB_g2H2nUIVUb3FVA&c=mT3C48ukDzTL8OQnaCZVsYojT9fn8U4acH_zGV71Ih9AFOsP1ycgHQ==&ch=S5H7YXJK0loRK-ck9EtAuHnfA_uNABxhQEB8D8xSmj7KBPdB69o0_w==">Washington Post</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q1kFAlCJE4p3b9wA_CDQPKJUwFVFPvSLkURY8-ueGt0cyifCGpwcD2mcxSzN8FC6Tr6iWENeEaC8B7qeLi9LANm3jLd0kH8EYnP7dyKA6vD5xJRXgUw1kFIEq2tELyE94Ay_rfyucGIkUsfd7kN7uUidDq4c7jPCB8w0IsVQ6D_aE_ufj3yG1Ks1m7Arexu_K3L288taa8K3NIP_VBfNOiA7qiy1sShZB8GD_jrG_rKhwiNE0kUhAjp3kp-nSH-6DT-BUw_eAbha2ogSek6CvaLvA8qtr5SSwbVnR5O5de4=&c=mT3C48ukDzTL8OQnaCZVsYojT9fn8U4acH_zGV71Ih9AFOsP1ycgHQ==&ch=S5H7YXJK0loRK-ck9EtAuHnfA_uNABxhQEB8D8xSmj7KBPdB69o0_w=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Bloomberg</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_13.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://F70130FA-6473-4FFA-8DBE-151D94AA5A60/pastedGraphic_13.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Appointment of Former Koch Lobbyist to Lead DOE Transition Hints at Future of Renewable Energy under Trump</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The appointment of Thomas Pyle to lead the Department of Energy (DOE) transition team seems to confirm the fears of climate and clean energy advocates. Pyle, the former president of the Institute for Energy Research (IER), is a longtime skeptic of climate science and has pledged to "reset" the Obama administration's energy and environmental policies. IER is funded by the Koch brothers and is one of many conservative think tanks pursuing a coordinated assault on state-level renewable energy initiatives. According to Robert Maguire of the Center for Responsive Politics, "IER [funds] research and citable material that fits with the Koch network ideology, and which can be used for its political goals." IER has made an impact on state governments, including a successful campaign to roll back mandatory renewable energy quotas in Ohio in 2014. DOE has been instrumental in funding state efforts to ramp up renewable energy deployment, and a reversal could negatively affect state climate mitigation efforts.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q1kFAlCJE4p3b9wA_CDQPKJUwFVFPvSLkURY8-ueGt0cyifCGpwcD2mcxSzN8FC6EOpENluHa4PSGzdk0GNG4XKWT_7WcApC-4vHqm2AxTPqZsEKgf_TcbJi3o0XtfbVhQxUhRBwMxqnTTjG6eC8DlWJeEGmMNeupn402A5d3LtZbkk-H0ieSYzz0FkAj2xgTS5ZxjNkobNDaPvszMYhn5kqA0KFLAoF9LsTYKrjtNwbuyPhROliFqPWrcYrh9oV&c=mT3C48ukDzTL8OQnaCZVsYojT9fn8U4acH_zGV71Ih9AFOsP1ycgHQ==&ch=S5H7YXJK0loRK-ck9EtAuHnfA_uNABxhQEB8D8xSmj7KBPdB69o0_w==">Los Angeles Times<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_14.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://F70130FA-6473-4FFA-8DBE-151D94AA5A60/pastedGraphic_14.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Global Coalition of Cities Releases Roadmap for Climate Mitigation</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On average, cities across the globe account for approximately 75 percent of energy-related CO2 emissions. A growing concern among these cities is their vulnerability to the effects of climate change, with 90 percent located in coastal areas that may be at risk from sea level rise. The C40, a global coalition of 90 cities representing a quarter of the world's GDP, held its Mayors Summit in Mexico City from November 30 to December 2. A roadmap for mitigating city-wide carbon emissions was announced during the summit, with the greatest cuts to be undertaken by developed cities. The plan stated that immediate mitigation actions must be taken by cities over the next four years to keep global average temperatures from rising beyond 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit. However, such action could cost $1 trillion in collective investments from C40 members, with expenses concentrated in Europe and East Asia. C40 membership includes twelve U.S. cities: Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Chicago, New Orleans, Houston, Austin, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q1kFAlCJE4p3b9wA_CDQPKJUwFVFPvSLkURY8-ueGt0cyifCGpwcD2mcxSzN8FC6BO_iWNyRRCDloPylD3yXHjFh-PFh1jktrHa0Va0EVXXPWcBHVq4_09R37uoG65w1xn9wGVfWZBDTaOyDaF9_bk9dUw4RpufXUQhew8DYu_6KYccImqJWP3D0Fxsp2zUeQUirURcDnh-jd2RHZr94TKG-8KFJe-tmQgzno-Ne8JvzXfu6dixqjTd7zY4MXXYG&c=mT3C48ukDzTL8OQnaCZVsYojT9fn8U4acH_zGV71Ih9AFOsP1ycgHQ==&ch=S5H7YXJK0loRK-ck9EtAuHnfA_uNABxhQEB8D8xSmj7KBPdB69o0_w==">Vox</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q1kFAlCJE4p3b9wA_CDQPKJUwFVFPvSLkURY8-ueGt0cyifCGpwcD2mcxSzN8FC6z8UVwkqnqEY_601YslbAgD_ohY1-0q1RlVnOIttlwuDtDvUCA-CtHLBKm64f65hodhqChZZR_k-wuIk8zIZBBewWfxW8FL777Lf6sEioS1L8xSjpcBVZNzZMB-DaN8B91WWFw8YZVcXFqEFwOVV1B2qVKJu4NmCre0UaWnwe3kWK-h4iGpjxTeZQGht5eCJpLr9jeFdX0JMDzCz9KBexGNl8RIa50fn6SoMFOrj0G_BRtM0RosJeWrkEL2FPG-HF&c=mT3C48ukDzTL8OQnaCZVsYojT9fn8U4acH_zGV71Ih9AFOsP1ycgHQ==&ch=S5H7YXJK0loRK-ck9EtAuHnfA_uNABxhQEB8D8xSmj7KBPdB69o0_w=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Report</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> <b>United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity Discusses Vital Climate Resilience Actions</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The United Nations' bi-annual Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) conference convened this week in Cancun, Mexico to try and devise solutions to an oft overlooked aspect of climate change. Defending biodiversity can translate into healthier forests, which serve as carbon sinks, and the restoration of wetlands, which protect against storm surges. A key policy goal of the conference is ecosystem-based adaptation, which leverages sustainable landscapes as a buffer against climate impacts. <b><i>Since 1970, fish, reptile, mammal, and bird populations have decreased 58 percent. Marco Lambertini, head of WWF International, painted a stark picture: "Lose biodiversity and the natural world, including the life support systems as we know them, will collapse." (emphasis added)</i></b> CBD seeks to reverse this trend, but is expected to face significant funding challenges moving forward. CBD is primarily financed through the Global Environment Facility, which in turn receives most of its funds from the United States. Negotiations to replenish the fund begin in 2017, with the United Nations seeking over $8.5 billion through 2023.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q1kFAlCJE4p3b9wA_CDQPKJUwFVFPvSLkURY8-ueGt0cyifCGpwcD2mcxSzN8FC6u_o-ALqJjsHWUBut1975JLQ773OoNT7LyfF6AfeRGUneIm4W1Kf3TAqd-QAgijpx_63ieED3rRm1x6lPjRVh-X70mywUTMJrR7TO9ixn9HSaURskAPSprtKynOTmYEfB4ZqNs2l_1cY0qYRnbVFel_Y6hxhJhw3msVWK0FXCrijd8RX4P9Y7AWl8yqI_eg76_hMUo61PEpRp9nNBiGp6uKhlCYqhEsHqGVNL7hu_T8rtfi6je5R3dsXWmVfbEy4_5Y9QMJFHZc4Wgf-YNn1BVfhD7BZWlBXlNwpO8QS3lJDtIXioPKwhDE8idZqDcQCUUBUG70PaPA98v1V9fFxrtkZAGgns_6spPT47IMYM22rGhCs_BMYmPz3C-HKhc5lkt3AfWFrohCHth0I_OnUB-S8jc6FCzCoi&c=mT3C48ukDzTL8OQnaCZVsYojT9fn8U4acH_zGV71Ih9AFOsP1ycgHQ==&ch=S5H7YXJK0loRK-ck9EtAuHnfA_uNABxhQEB8D8xSmj7KBPdB69o0_w==">Climate Change News<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Deep Red States in the Southeast are Among the Most Vulnerable to Climate Change</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">As President-elect Trump and his advisers continue to signal a jarring shift away from President Obama's climate and environmental policies, many of the deeply Republican regions who carried Trump to the White House are among the "most vulnerable" to the impacts of climate change. According to a 2015 report by the Risky Business Project, southeastern states will experience a significant increase in temperatures over the next several decades. For instance, Mississippi currently averages 13 days of 95-plus degree Fahrenheit heat annually, but is projected to have 85 such days by 2050. Florida is expected to have 5,080 additional heat-related deaths by 2050, 90 percent of which would be among its vulnerable elderly populations. The high temperatures can also burden state energy grids, as air conditioning usage rises, and the agricultural industry. For instance, Tennessee could see a 31 percent decline in soybean yields and a 47 percent decline in corn yields unless adaptation measures are adopted. Sea level rise is projected to submerge $152 billion worth of waterfront properties in Florida by 2050, while low-lying states like Louisiana and South Carolina will face catastrophic losses due to rising waters.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q1kFAlCJE4p3b9wA_CDQPKJUwFVFPvSLkURY8-ueGt0cyifCGpwcD2mcxSzN8FC6SX_8ZtdvE4YQSdrziRxoh5q-yn_7ftwvGuID73Haq5VnYDl5hxA12v6E-9S1qEIav4gpXfm4vOlrEhaq7ZnNRk7rg3Zln2OozJaf_0JYJIKQNsdKPQgToRmsVFC5w_nIPOZqSD0R_3hTUHFPKQ3HFyEh5YoIezQGgHQULUBBwCZn_aNDVipgX7uAlvQwjS4KmX7zZ2K0GDXrdcGHePdMmA==&c=mT3C48ukDzTL8OQnaCZVsYojT9fn8U4acH_zGV71Ih9AFOsP1ycgHQ==&ch=S5H7YXJK0loRK-ck9EtAuHnfA_uNABxhQEB8D8xSmj7KBPdB69o0_w==">The Atlantic<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Google to Transition Operations to 100 Percent Renewable Energy by 2017</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On December 6, Google announced that all its data centers will be powered entirely by renewable energy within the next year. To put this feat in perspective, the global conglomerate consumed as much energy as the city of San Francisco in 2016. The U.S. information technology sector has become increasingly hungry for electricity, with Google alone consuming roughly 2 percent of all electricity delivered to businesses in the country. Google serves billions of customers through its globally distributed network of 13 data centers. According to Joe Kava, Google's senior vice president of technical infrastructure, solar and wind prices are more stable than carbon-based fuels, in addition to being cheaper than fossil fuels in some areas, such as Chile. Jonathan Koomey of Stanford University says the sheer scale of one company purchasing so much renewable energy "is a very big deal" and that similar companies "will feel pressure to move" toward investment in renewables.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q1kFAlCJE4p3b9wA_CDQPKJUwFVFPvSLkURY8-ueGt0cyifCGpwcD2mcxSzN8FC6ssjxBRr9Q37_GcShzhyz59AzxhUDJxglXyE58Es3FJULjNwgausQ_IOEK2yp-aCoff56Iq1trkp9S2rkGNLqoGPI99JPMXlEuUs6x6Ayv7xT0tOpka8G4-uLpAz9n31EpddDN1etm_CGBT81kpBycaASW01r0GpU4M5t3Bnd6Yy9_Lhm8DO1OdY03Yd3wwECbj9_1bYq9cfOHRmavR3CoWJFbR988me1OUj-DRrtR8UGVVkAkciuFk1uWN9p9pTMhmKfJIgzhLWtRu7LiUxheO3C0-1-pQRlQ1ZK_qa-KaCyzkcnCxOogvBtXw_A9AccWC9xDVIyJQ8=&c=mT3C48ukDzTL8OQnaCZVsYojT9fn8U4acH_zGV71Ih9AFOsP1ycgHQ==&ch=S5H7YXJK0loRK-ck9EtAuHnfA_uNABxhQEB8D8xSmj7KBPdB69o0_w==">New York Times<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Connecticut's Green Bank Serves as a Model for State-Wide Clean Energy Financing</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Connecticut's Green Bank was established five years ago as the first ever state-wide financing program for clean energy. The bank leverages the limited amount of public funding available for green projects into private sector investment, eventually eliminating the need for the public funds. Green Bank President Bryan Garcia observes, "The green bank model may be an attractive tool under a Trump presidency. Public-private partnerships like ours spur investment in local clean energy economies that create jobs and ultimately mitigate greenhouse gas emissions." The bank has issued over $1 billion in loans, default security, and other financing and has developed over a dozen clean energy and energy efficiency financial products and marketing campaigns. The bank is credited with the creation of nearly 215 megawatts of clean energy distributed across 20,000 projects and 13,000 jobs. The Green Bank averages $6 in private funds for every $1 in public money invested and features participants from the region's private banking and commercial property sectors.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0e23a3; letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001cYUJpdkbcTNvh30mlPJ5WbwLn3OP_r07F_-jJh1gQDkofkqvsz9-nelvACfDS8AnP5THzE7yzyKSE35rlcMQZq2AETou9IAGzZec23tVdWL-RpX9LtQoYC_JtJTHhnIn1pppl_00Zp-h9FjgQg4MOe3_aX3p0G1tx5_Xz8unTlnGMpy9Z5Y-hFcVtjVjvgd7lTFtEIcCYa6F4ajXeITLSskZMey2I0FEcROaFSCtUiCcFOp8Ab05zc5S4sWS9HAy7YrSY97RCGHYonxBEytA6Q==&c=x8cNOK8lKkWudcvcHOY1InEXajJYx060v77EsDxYs2vIDoxdyBSHAA==&ch=TXjQ97wUeoETdbxkkju_CfSBPVGkDPyRerCARwBx5XL3-m_2NRa13g==">I<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">nside Climate News</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_15.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://F70130FA-6473-4FFA-8DBE-151D94AA5A60/pastedGraphic_15.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Business Task Force Urges Corporations Not to Ignore Climate Change Risks</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), commissioned by the world's 20 richest nations, issued their recommendations for private sector disclosure of climate change risks. TCFD advised corporations to voluntarily disclose climate risks resulting from their operations, but are unlikely to be adopted by the oil and gas industry. The group suggests companies undertake "stress tests" to determine how their businesses would hold up under a projected warming scenario of 2 degrees Celsius. According to the recommendations, the inclusion of climate impacts into corporate financial forecasts would make the business sector more resilient. TCFD lead <b><i>Michael Bloomberg declared, "Climate change is not only an environmental problem, but a business one as well." </i></b>Executives from JPMorgan Chase, BHP Billiton, Tata Steel, and other multinational banks and companies provided input on the recommendations. The creation of TCFD was preceded by a 2015 <b><i>warning to oil companies from Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England, that ignoring climate change could spark an economic crisis. (emphasis added)</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001cYUJpdkbcTNvh30mlPJ5WbwLn3OP_r07F_-jJh1gQDkofkqvsz9-nelvACfDS8AnbhMF7-gObBcOesD0xXx2T2AFIUmt4A5CKQ-iXZJgdJ5bcTxcMfXIE09aeqbSiyK0bLORJLaaWEA_8oiTcVeNXekMXxDeQBNxfuowU2LCCN2O-n9Ss7KyJZmZ0-9L1cFqsX8A8ueEvG-4hX09ituqcNgO2RXlvEwenHnq2nmWsl8OWa4ioGT6uh7AhTmb5Rp_52tSSSopix8s4V3c37khzaUt0L2ApqtngLWtwnfEjKHxczcyzdkSTkvc8UZ32d1HKc3BLnlHLC6jhysNf_dNsQ==&c=8Xk2If9IPVgc1usfw03wrtp0Q6ju-8qyKwHvHdJ4xfwaxG3CfbzSwA==&ch=MVRZdcyDJFr7HhXeI6uy2Fzx1rQWlVyQYU8oDe2gpoy2HpPwN9PbYw==">New York Times</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001cYUJpdkbcTNvh30mlPJ5WbwLn3OP_r07F_-jJh1gQDkofkqvsz9-nelvACfDS8AnK8FYUjQKlR1OM7U7AThqs4Gz_Z9Dczp69biDDp2ik4UnPX9Z--iReOoHIb0KEna4BrkNlNQ6-XIP-b0DSp5Cmds_gnJFZ7iVWyxWoHk3l7LlnO8QWwLLwD_IfvAZEOH_VavlsL36-ATTbGgpK5rjNq6sIQIO51Oe&c=8Xk2If9IPVgc1usfw03wrtp0Q6ju-8qyKwHvHdJ4xfwaxG3CfbzSwA==&ch=MVRZdcyDJFr7HhXeI6uy2Fzx1rQWlVyQYU8oDe2gpoy2HpPwN9PbYw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Report</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_16.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://F70130FA-6473-4FFA-8DBE-151D94AA5A60/pastedGraphic_16.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOAA's 2016 Arctic Report Card Provides Bleak Assessment of the Region</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On December 13, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its 2016 Arctic Report Card. The report, co-authored by 50 international scientists, found that the Arctic is warming twice as fast as the global average temperature, resulting in the latest-ever formation of sea ice this past fall and steep declines in the region's sea ice and snow. Between October 2015 and September 2016, Arctic temperatures over land were 2 degrees Celsius higher than the 1981-2010 baseline. The report was released at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union, where scientists expressed concern over the Trump administration's stated preference to cut federal earth science programs. The programs are essential to tracking and understanding the rapidly changing Arctic, including NASA's IceBridge program, which provides data on ice thickness. <b><i>The chair of Arctic 21, Rafe Pomerance, said, "[U.S. government leaders] ought to take what's going on in the Arctic really seriously. This is a crisis. The Arctic is unraveling." (emphasis added)</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0e23a3; letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001cYUJpdkbcTNvh30mlPJ5WbwLn3OP_r07F_-jJh1gQDkofkqvsz9-nelvACfDS8AnadAOZPwa_2mu4y7js6yjdWaD1n3HX_7CBhMKfHp1CAAxfIUQNzZkIXqxoyymxbqt-M0lHEs-BBI5M6YRUXum7EEVyyb7CL__TEDiFR2Ccz8HEwOSMQmf0r7CqqNIIzmeAKOugNneRE0AtZ9uLD2WQLiWSoILtTxoEv5N5mAy5KbdsEWnvF5c5mtSf4Tw_YTjWFrtblmnhKI=&c=x8cNOK8lKkWudcvcHOY1InEXajJYx060v77EsDxYs2vIDoxdyBSHAA==&ch=TXjQ97wUeoETdbxkkju_CfSBPVGkDPyRerCARwBx5XL3-m_2NRa13g==">I<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">nside Climate News</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001cYUJpdkbcTNvh30mlPJ5WbwLn3OP_r07F_-jJh1gQDkofkqvsz9-nelvACfDS8AnUspYW0iLBlnNHjfioJr0LqW0R7yrHD9BsLAuZmBCzKHIkrR5nnqTeYKB8A6F1cUSBLSKddii_FAjIlCTM3cBmMaGi6gbn04MOgYBU6eD3UWjbNebGfU_RjqOXxYGlM3A&c=x8cNOK8lKkWudcvcHOY1InEXajJYx060v77EsDxYs2vIDoxdyBSHAA==&ch=TXjQ97wUeoETdbxkkju_CfSBPVGkDPyRerCARwBx5XL3-m_2NRa13g=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Report</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001cYUJpdkbcTNvh30mlPJ5WbwLn3OP_r07F_-jJh1gQDkofkqvsz9-nelvACfDS8AnbhMF7-gObBcOesD0xXx2T2AFIUmt4A5CKQ-iXZJgdJ5bcTxcMfXIE09aeqbSiyK0bLORJLaaWEA_8oiTcVeNXekMXxDeQBNxfuowU2LCCN2O-n9Ss7KyJZmZ0-9L1cFqsX8A8ueEvG-4hX09ituqcNgO2RXlvEwenHnq2nmWsl8OWa4ioGT6uh7AhTmb5Rp_52tSSSopix8s4V3c37khzaUt0L2ApqtngLWtwnfEjKHxczcyzdkSTkvc8UZ32d1HKc3BLnlHLC6jhysNf_dNsQ==&c=x8cNOK8lKkWudcvcHOY1InEXajJYx060v77EsDxYs2vIDoxdyBSHAA==&ch=TXjQ97wUeoETdbxkkju_CfSBPVGkDPyRerCARwBx5XL3-m_2NRa13g==">New York Times</a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001cYUJpdkbcTNvh30mlPJ5WbwLn3OP_r07F_-jJh1gQDkofkqvsz9-nelvACfDS8AnK8FYUjQKlR1OM7U7AThqs4Gz_Z9Dczp69biDDp2ik4UnPX9Z--iReOoHIb0KEna4BrkNlNQ6-XIP-b0DSp5Cmds_gnJFZ7iVWyxWoHk3l7LlnO8QWwLLwD_IfvAZEOH_VavlsL36-ATTbGgpK5rjNq6sIQIO51Oe&c=x8cNOK8lKkWudcvcHOY1InEXajJYx060v77EsDxYs2vIDoxdyBSHAA==&ch=TXjQ97wUeoETdbxkkju_CfSBPVGkDPyRerCARwBx5XL3-m_2NRa13g=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Report</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">If you want to stop receiving it, just send a message to climate_change_news-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. If you come across some really interesting information, please send it along and I may include it in the next issue. Recent issues are available at: <a href="http://tolmanccnews.blogspot.com/"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">http://tolmanccnews.blogspot.com</span></a></span></div>
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Chad Tolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198303455148896174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441974095206886318.post-6218298269120891272016-11-22T13:22:00.001-08:002016-11-22T13:22:23.141-08:00CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS FOR NOV. 2016<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>CC NEWS FOR NOV. 2016</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In October the World Bank Group published a report titled, <a href="https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/25160/9781464810015.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">State and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2016</span></a>. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b> </b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> It’s one of a series of annual reports following the development of pricing carbon emissions around the world to mitigate climate change. Finland and Poland began carbon pricing with taxes in 1990. With the project national Chinese Emissions Trading System in 2017, there will be a total of 43 carbon pricing mechanisms at regional, national and subnational levels covering more than 20% of the world’s GHG emissions. Prices vary from less than $1 in Mexico to $131/tonne CO2e in Sweden.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Describing the Paris Climate Agreement, which went into force on Nov. 4, the Executive Summary said:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“The vast majority of governments around the globe - 189 countries representing 96 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and 98 percent of the world’s population - have committed to reduce their GHG emissions and adapt to the changing climate through their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs). The urgent priority now is for governments to ensure implementation of these commitments, requiring sustained efforts to influence investment and consumption decisions made every day by firms and households.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">While implementation of the INDCs will rely on a range of policies and programs, carbon pricing initiatives will play an increasing role, with about 100 parties - accounting for 58 percent of global GHG emissions - planning or considering these instruments. The pivotal role of carbon pricing in supporting efforts to decarbonize is also reflected in the Paris Agreement. <b><i>Article 6 of the Agreement provides a basis for facilitating international recognition of cooperative carbon pricing approaches and identifies new concepts that may pave the way for this cooperation to be pursued.” (emphasis added)</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">October 17 article posted by Brian Kahn of <b><i>ClimateCentral</i></b> was titled, <a href="http://www.climatecentral.org/news/worlds-poorest-most-at-risk-from-drought-conflict-20793"><span style="color: #1a42f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">The World’s Poorest Most at Risk From Drought, Conflict.</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b> </b>He wrote,</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Agriculture is the key source — and in many cases, the only source — of income for many living in the developing world. When drought hits, it has the potential to take away everything and unravel the threads that stitch together society.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1607542113">New findings</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science are part of a burgeoning body of literature showing how climate change can lead to conflict. It shows that drought exacerbates existing conflicts in some of the poorest countries and the farmers who are most dependent on a stable climate for their livelihoods. The findings highlight why climate change is intimately tied with development, <a href="http://www.climatecentral.org/news/obama-climate-change-national-security-20723"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">national security</span></a> and <a href="http://www.climatecentral.org/blogs/experts-debate-moral-religious-case-for-climate-action-16586"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">morality</span></a>.’</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On October 21<b> <i>CleanTechnica</i> </b>posted an article by Joshus Hill titled,<b> </b><a href="https://cleantechnica.com/2016/10/21/global-cooperation-carbon-trading-reduce-climate-change-mitigation-32/"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Global Cooperation On Carbon Trading Could Reduce Climate Change Mitigation Costs By 32%.</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It says,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>“</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">According to a new World Bank report released this week, increased global cooperation through carbon trading could reduce the cost of climate change mitigation by 32% by 2030. Released at an international carbon event held in Vietnam on Tuesday, the <a href="https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/25160"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><i>State and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2016</i></b></span></a> report shows that <b><i>increased international cooperation on carbon trading could enable large-scale emissions reductions at much lower costs</i></b> than are currently present, based on the carbon mitigation goals currently outlined in the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) filed under the Paris Agreement.” </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>The Real News Network (TRNN) </i></b>is a relatively new news organization (started in 2007) dedicated to getting out the real story on the grievous threat posed by global climate change - in spite of the short shrift given to the problem by the major news organizations and many leading U.S. politicians. Their website has a number of interesting videos related to climate change, including one about 30 minutes long released 10/31 titled, <a href="http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php%23"><span style="color: #1a42f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">The Koch Brothers’ War on Climate Science.</span></a> You can find it and more about the organization at: <a href="http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2930"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2930</span></a></span><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE:</b> The Koch Brothers’War on Climate Science is a must see for anyone interested in the welfare of their children and grandchildren or the future of the planet.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On Nov. 9 Gerald Silverman posted an article on <b><i>Bloomberg New</i></b>s titled, <a href="http://www.bna.com/states-climate-paths-n57982082643/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">States See Same Climate Paths After Trump Election</span></a>. He wrote the following:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">States already controlling greenhouse gas emissions will continue unabated despite Donald Trump’s presidential victory, but his election could offer a reprieve for those states that had resisted action.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“I think that dynamic is not changed by this election,” Kenneth Kimmell, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists, which is based in Cambridge, Mass., told Bloomberg BNA.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Kimmell said states acted because they wanted to address the dangers of climate change and become leaders in “the clean energy economy,” not because they were under pressure from the federal government. States like California and the nine states in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative went beyond federal requirements under Democratic and Republican administrations and are expected to continue on their current course, environmentalists and academics said.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“We may see a return to the situation that prevailed during the Bush-Cheney era, when, in the face of a hostile administration, states took many actions on their own,” Michael Gerrard, director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University in New York, told Bloomberg BNA in an e-mail.” Silverman went on to describe in some detail what is going on in California, Washington state, Colorado, Florida, the Northeast and the Southeast.</span></div>
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The following items are from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), Carol Werner, Executive Director. Past issues of its newsletter are posted on its website under "publications"<br />
at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102515421764&e=001VqmyLSnT7fkl-_mocGBcn8yb2ys8eiE4dr3Tnveazy1K0B1fU1CponAdxiy_W78b49PK6NHsR0pHlqO7KOWi-3m5yW4bNEJiyJt1G95YoNt46CLY1L4uGjNKLSPL84kX2r7jAaxw1oVR18YElOXvV8_lo1bRsASi9tPNMTm7-ZU="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">http://www.eesi.org/publications/Newsletters/CCNews/ccnews.htm</span></a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">EESI’s newsletter is intended for all interested parties, particularly the policymaker community. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A new report projects the world's wealthiest countries will not meet their goal to raise $100 billion a year by 2020 for climate aid in poorer developing nations. The report, published by the British and Australian governments, forecasted that donor countries will raise only $93 billion annually over the next ten years to fund green energy projects and adaptation efforts in vulnerable regions. UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa is increasing pressure on countries to fulfill their 2009 aid promises as November's international climate summit in Morocco approaches. The report authors stressed "the projection should be considered a conservative, indicative aggregation of public climate finance levels in 2020, rather than a firm prediction," and stated increased private sector support could yield $133 billion in annual funding under a best-case scenario. Jan Kowalzig of Oxfam warned that a rush to involve the private sector could "create an incentive for donor countries to favor mitigation over adaptation as this makes it easier to make the $100 billion."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001SKCSkoDotLgXA7vzRMc__O12ob0e0jqnRY2zDbeD5ZMv-eO9HPsP0kXSmkXbpYM-CfWGFrVSlQJ_WhG2aXP2D0VGrzNtzaXnMjJ5-OCfjKKq9bJT5Vc3z6d8rYcaotQzZEDqfbesVOiuYbWojxwcjyShGdefc02LsDhBHKoqfLpLijMD4ak7MfB4vY4SldaYzX58fL2awhUyJBNBDVubyUudRGcYHrDk4DGeQtBtUC3Bk3kREwsvYXGddyotexNoPIDEhM4TJj043uOmHwiqL0zkJCipHjr2&c=ae6o-BBY1N7UgPp0dJX22Af7jkVgEjoZTHqYb01rz-SIpkXarGP9kw==&ch=yUW5AHoX-4DGk1HvlVq5yXHh-V09WMIzrHgte9Jr5FquHViWUr-4fA==">Climate Change News</a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_1.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B50281C8-84D1-47DE-8D87-2010589E28C5/pastedGraphic_1.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Norwegian Government Faces Lawsuit over Approval of Offshore Oil Exploration</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Greenpeace has partnered with indigenous activists, youth groups, and the former director of NASA's Goddard Institute, James Hansen, to file a lawsuit against the Norwegian government over its decision to allow 13 oil companies to enter the Barents Sea for oil exploration. The Barents Sea would be the most northern point tapped for oil in Norway and would be an expansion of the fossil fuel industry that dissenters say violates not only the Paris Agreement, but also Article 112 of Norway's constitution, "which guarantees every citizen's right to a healthy, diverse and productive environment." Norway has often been touted as the paradigm model of green energy for its use of hydropower and climate neutrality goals. Hansen, however, paints a different picture, stating that "Norway is not all that green. It is burning 70 percent more fossil fuels per person than Sweden, and mining 20 times more fossil fuels than it needs for its own use."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001SKCSkoDotLgXA7vzRMc__O12ob0e0jqnRY2zDbeD5ZMv-eO9HPsP0kXSmkXbpYM-9r8IAf711M9_0-6pVduTzEZy-GKqfCXo-XpXseV2UC0zrrUZDzS0CVp_w9T4dQmxXfmwlkV5gikI_qzMvaolXYtz20rsjjmy6vVSuKCgohxdiqLQjEHMIKPB8sMs8ysnSlkxW6YxPKUiY14du_QSJ_YRTnY4FLW3SfbKEVRE52QGsVC_Yv8TSSg7tC3NnL-dpVRtK90tNDOhIlYE0DWnftK7SX9wjsHrvzcxAAL7HJWuA3gvrFXT-ZFKZjVKH6N27HBMrKSZ2cJHj67KDpkj4hfumjEc4d6ybfgXKDBBPy1_H2mUe4kv6rR_WvpH4nlq_xL_F1mGsIZCjHkvKJS58IA33xGP7j2XoykKkSUl_t90zdM_2XC0U_IbxTgseqIRdZD-Asjm9BtFwp9hK_43_RFKTwMAZZkPEwflNQ5bhjkGg9woRvRj2WgXqOsFcqWf&c=ae6o-BBY1N7UgPp0dJX22Af7jkVgEjoZTHqYb01rz-SIpkXarGP9kw==&ch=yUW5AHoX-4DGk1HvlVq5yXHh-V09WMIzrHgte9Jr5FquHViWUr-4fA==">Guardian<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_2.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B50281C8-84D1-47DE-8D87-2010589E28C5/pastedGraphic_2.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Global Oil Consumption Subsidies Persist Amidst Political and Economic Pressures</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">As the international community continues to seek common ground in the fight to mitigate climate change through mechanisms such as the Paris Agreement, fossil fuel subsidies in developing countries are being viewed with increasing skepticism. Consumption subsidies that fix the price of fossil fuels at artificially low levels have been commonplace for decades in developing economies as a means of ensuring domestic political stability. However, a consequence of these subsidies is that consumer behavior tilts toward excessive consumption of fossil fuels, with no incentive to transition to more sustainable behaviors and technologies. Recent estimates project that additional consumption of fossil fuels through consumption subsidies is potentially responsible for over 10 percent of global carbon emissions. Malaysia, Morocco, and India chose to reform their fuel pricing policies following 2014's steep decline in oil prices, but action in other nations has been stayed by special interest groups, street demonstrations, or a fear of public backlash.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001SKCSkoDotLgXA7vzRMc__O12ob0e0jqnRY2zDbeD5ZMv-eO9HPsP0kXSmkXbpYM-GE2xIzt4ibKTAjNC0W4baMx0x2HbNLUxAJnaJrtdbX7vpVKP198i-tL8YBqdUHrYTnMuJ2iTP7uOuMIuStMrsY0W8vcH27XBNu2LxN7Gcz07NV2SphswJIQyP-iZFLcNC8wtSpf8doZeV__G3uMc_SooSjdgDAPInq4qlHhQS0teug0mO68j1JVAiUAoAktow1U9RAWzF9v6P5v7Fq9RzkKc1TIQJsg6pb0KMlYGHAy8vebod9lp1y16ejhLrkFE&c=ae6o-BBY1N7UgPp0dJX22Af7jkVgEjoZTHqYb01rz-SIpkXarGP9kw==&ch=yUW5AHoX-4DGk1HvlVq5yXHh-V09WMIzrHgte9Jr5FquHViWUr-4fA==">New York Times</a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A coalition made up of Maersk, Cargill, the Global Shippers' Forum, and 45 other shipping organizations are urging the United Nations' International Maritime Organization (IMO) to take "ambitious" action and set the shipping sector's first climate change targets next week at a London UN meeting. The shipping sector is currently not "subject to any treaty on climate change, country-by-country emissions controls or reduction targets of any kind," despite emitting up to four percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. China, Brazil, some small island states, and various lobbying groups have argued against imposing emission targets until more data and analysis have been collected and a comprehensive global CO2 monitoring scheme is put in place. The group has also expressed concern about potential taxes or caps on fuel and emissions that could have economic consequences. Proponents of the emission reduction plans have stated that there is enough information known about CO2 emissions and that if the Paris Agreement is to truly deliver, then shipping will have to pay its "fair share" of CO2 reductions.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001SKCSkoDotLgXA7vzRMc__O12ob0e0jqnRY2zDbeD5ZMv-eO9HPsP0kXSmkXbpYM-xt4E9oa0sOlVdvphwWeql1uYwMan0BbroEgrPvghoG7tmKGFMFdLgN4N3TMb9yt7eSHWMr6c0OzBdzT0_-CRZjqdZhdWNa1TwjedgZ-W7nk95kAI8GVIw4eXSv2IrmPLD_qqUp16uytMQW8Ssnl_ykeNE04sSbzz7j3Ug75Kj7yA_jrW-8cZiqgBmR7vOPVEEci_k3MTf8WTWIVrFh5tp0YUh98OCrb4e1lCQJwyfJ8=&c=ae6o-BBY1N7UgPp0dJX22Af7jkVgEjoZTHqYb01rz-SIpkXarGP9kw==&ch=yUW5AHoX-4DGk1HvlVq5yXHh-V09WMIzrHgte9Jr5FquHViWUr-4fA==">Guardian</a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) reveals that American beef buyers have been lax in their efforts to reduce deforestation in the Amazon. American companies made a commitment to promoting sustainability in their supply chains by purchasing beef only from deforestation-free farms, but often companies have no way to verify how cattle were raised. The report contends greater transparency and oversight in supply chain purchasing decisions are needed to ensure that loopholes aren't being exploited. Burger King, ConAgra, Kroger, and Pizza Hut earned the worst scores for failing to determine the environmental impact of their beef. The protection of tropical rainforests can play a large role in meeting the global carbon cuts outlined in the Paris Agreement, according to UCS. Brazil is the world's second largest beef producer. From 1990 to 2005, beef production was responsible for 71 percent of all deforestation in South America.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Chemical Industry Merges Profits with Diplomacy in Pursuit of HFC Deal</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Major chemical manufacturers were deeply involved in the passage of the new international agreement to phase out the use of HFCs, a potent greenhouse gas used in air conditioning and refrigeration. The deal, finalized during a United Nations meeting in Rwanda on October 15, is noteworthy in that the industry that will be regulated has fully embraced the proposed rule. Honeywell and Chemours were among the most active private-sector advocates for the agreement, but also have much to gain as the market for HFC replacements gains momentum. Honeywell started developing an alternative to HFCs in the early 2000's and is poised to cash in on its investment as the new agreement drives demand for the company's next generation of coolants. Several environmental groups argue that industry involvement was too great and limited the ambition of the agreement. Meanwhile, China and India expressed concern that the deal would only further consolidate the global chemical industry and that product prices would rise.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001SKCSkoDotLgXA7vzRMc__O12ob0e0jqnRY2zDbeD5ZMv-eO9HPsP0kXSmkXbpYM-TXJ53WUFnXCEjg-P8I5Mh7EDgVaSPZ1X11oaqwIhHywWa3D1yLNp4H28bdf0seHQFOHtKHDc2Zj4eHBht2_KSPzv4-fBEY1DraUiGefuOxSJKLAiTGc3HHLop-8Dn5a1dORo3_LHsvQaNsFj5Q6YY5i33s78aX4Ij-_PdpGIG0oNqxXfo-J8iMkCttjEs4hcxLw-a8GmIyiYcWJu37TZ4TX4ak-Q6qryQ8407FOo2XYVr9GPlj-vwMTC4dDJJNL6&c=ae6o-BBY1N7UgPp0dJX22Af7jkVgEjoZTHqYb01rz-SIpkXarGP9kw==&ch=yUW5AHoX-4DGk1HvlVq5yXHh-V09WMIzrHgte9Jr5FquHViWUr-4fA==">New York Times</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">,<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001SKCSkoDotLgXA7vzRMc__O12ob0e0jqnRY2zDbeD5ZMv-eO9HPsP0kXSmkXbpYM-_QZJGzVLlcIF9wl1EoSWrgxwfLOBeEF9e6sncrN5njzlKLBWvlKAYlZEmawQ1vSUplHyDYfflAz0Q89umHY0KpKweAb1GaHMqw6Km8p9BdDJKZqZ9tRBbtpHuqN8HRk5iTp3bV4izr_TiTfeDc8R2qDOrWkHJYmEaocsdKU5Wps=&c=ae6o-BBY1N7UgPp0dJX22Af7jkVgEjoZTHqYb01rz-SIpkXarGP9kw==&ch=yUW5AHoX-4DGk1HvlVq5yXHh-V09WMIzrHgte9Jr5FquHViWUr-4fA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> Reuters</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Study: Climate Change Doubled Lands Damaged by Wildfires in Western United States</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">New research published in the <i>Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences </i>works to quantify the relationship between climate change and recent record-breaking wildfire seasons. The study found that anthropogenic climate change was responsible for doubling the amount of land area burned in the Western United States from 1984 to 2015. Rising temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns due to climate change increase the rate at which plant cells lose moisture, fostering environmental conditions conducive for wildfires. The authors modeled the relationship between temperature and fuel dryness and found all eight simulations "correlate well with fire." Park Williams, a bioclimatologist at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, stated the strongest relationship between changing environmental variables and the growing frequency of wildfires was fuel aridity. Williams said, "Every few years we're kind of entering a new epoch, where the potential for new fires is quite a bit bigger than it was a few years back."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001SKCSkoDotLgXA7vzRMc__O12ob0e0jqnRY2zDbeD5ZMv-eO9HPsP0kXSmkXbpYM-eE7CVABE1OeqOJI_dUsP9Wx3CWpN0h9Hi7IESJXoFOc1PV9pOQvikAOLzQWc8SjYFWXv-pttt_i7DZtjM6DqsX7EadTFPRePoMgTcs7jNz3GzoU6BEmJky3Fu6tIc_ndbrbQ3XuoAInbqTMOARCQZtaec9n_SVwRIEYeu3whSiA9r3GSYuddu98EENykKd2H5w6cAXvdScuZwNKH4UYkYA==&c=ae6o-BBY1N7UgPp0dJX22Af7jkVgEjoZTHqYb01rz-SIpkXarGP9kw==&ch=yUW5AHoX-4DGk1HvlVq5yXHh-V09WMIzrHgte9Jr5FquHViWUr-4fA==">FiveThirtyEight</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001SKCSkoDotLgXA7vzRMc__O12ob0e0jqnRY2zDbeD5ZMv-eO9HPsP0kXSmkXbpYM-n6DtRVB3-r3LW2eYnf_dYrfuGIH_8YT4Youx9VE4AsDAlo9oSn50ySQP9D_kkBEW57sLwY9TcWZl_1jfHWGC-jVmmFvjN8uFX0Uyv0DpgpIrPeC2AuSoxLkoh6klGNTm-izqEqdWCSVC3oxRrAAJ3g==&c=ae6o-BBY1N7UgPp0dJX22Af7jkVgEjoZTHqYb01rz-SIpkXarGP9kw==&ch=yUW5AHoX-4DGk1HvlVq5yXHh-V09WMIzrHgte9Jr5FquHViWUr-4fA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Study</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Climate Change Could Put an Additional 42 Million People at Risk of Food Shortages</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On October 17, the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) issued a report cautioning that climate change has already begun to jeopardize global food security and that farmers must begin to adapt their growing methods. The report estimates that due to climate impacts, an additional 42 million people will be at risk of going hungry by 2050 and an additional 122 million people may be living in extreme poverty by 2030. More than 60 million people have already faced food shortages this year because of droughts brought about by the El Niño system. Small farmers in developing nations are among the most vulnerable to climate change and are already struggling with poverty. The findings call for increased government intervention, including greater investment to encourage resilient agricultural practices. FAO Director-General, José Graziano da Silva, cited the "moral imperative" for "hunger, poverty and climate change ... to be tackled together."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001SKCSkoDotLgXA7vzRMc__O12ob0e0jqnRY2zDbeD5ZMv-eO9HPsP0kXSmkXbpYM-UnG818wH6i03Z9UxKU2EM-013CvHdjgdaFbkCG2r8QItRLosGZITYRI7i0j_zXQq3A5JTVYFJIemH7OOraGpTvIaR7lJ-MpZ6hhEk2IMPUWkoUQ8Vf4mAT77oV_wKw28-v-77L1RIJ5w7Wm1GAWYukvLseziI_tIVFy8Mca3zbVl6mwhuB2r3Q==&c=ae6o-BBY1N7UgPp0dJX22Af7jkVgEjoZTHqYb01rz-SIpkXarGP9kw==&ch=yUW5AHoX-4DGk1HvlVq5yXHh-V09WMIzrHgte9Jr5FquHViWUr-4fA==">Reuters</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001SKCSkoDotLgXA7vzRMc__O12ob0e0jqnRY2zDbeD5ZMv-eO9HPsP0kXSmkXbpYM-AlSWS3c8ywAUdRXvVZYnGpTN3hOihLxgvErW-5tOrvYklc9sjWmNMftr5ZlE_8zS3vDW_9xIPf8yfMvtifgqqlqoW18EwpCydyaE-pssdisTwAmpPYfdKh8FTniURb4bFVrMTtMsfMOfhHoUEBiBkWbWq-9bZjCClyifB_wJyVRJP7kzeu5ZItHoQaGWdM4VJoPG-Jfinep9knIeNl3zah3SZVVXnt1FqRTtIDKOLTWLJC878eysLIHf71VaSPsSVk39iW7LTsr3Gap8icMK378GOc6fvuu7T1JCj73XB7qKwhENULyXC4rGzr5ROSeSRgulZZBpdvKoz-snnQvZ_jps1wbxJxGjZDUIvV2nobJs6jU3XJ-bzZtj6IR_Xpky5M8x4QNBh6kmHwTWjFtHDt6sRQvZkmczcI7P2G_z7956A77NSdaQqcfqYHO0IMZw9dwy2Sy0c4suD1xh0QWyi1vv3NVI9zOCoKsZPmVohohSpk63Gx2dtw==&c=ae6o-BBY1N7UgPp0dJX22Af7jkVgEjoZTHqYb01rz-SIpkXarGP9kw==&ch=yUW5AHoX-4DGk1HvlVq5yXHh-V09WMIzrHgte9Jr5FquHViWUr-4fA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Washington Post</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_4.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B50281C8-84D1-47DE-8D87-2010589E28C5/pastedGraphic_4.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>United States to Unveil Plan to Decarbonize Its Economy by 2050 at COP-22</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The United States will reveal plans to decarbonize its economy by 2050 at the United Nations' November climate summit in Marrakech, Morocco, giving other countries a roadmap to achieve similar carbon reduction goals. The plan will build upon the U.S. commitment in the Paris agreement to cut its emissions by 28 percent by 2025 from the 2005 baseline. Dr. Jonathan Pershing, the State Department's Special Envoy for Climate Change, added that a primary factor in the fulfillment of this plan will be the continued cost reduction of renewable energy options, as well as the deployment of carbon capture technologies for coal and natural gas-fired power plants. In 2015, the Group of Seven largest industrialized countries pledged to do their part in decarbonizing the world economy by 2100. During negotiations in Paris, countries were reluctant to include a blanket economic decarbonization provision in the final agreement, since many developing nations would have struggled to make that transition by 2050.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001pi6Cyl1ySJ-F6YvSjB3CHNy_IJ9veyn2M5Nn2UaMXmOGPndow3f2S0vWrzerTdI1g0JUEDodThAUoV7ELLNSz9FqpVVgmd_-Xs7WZfnvVGatHh2Sz5jH7pVpBhqORmupm97gyKm4bIgtFdDpxcGYELZQ_wwHivsnjslt5OsttNTAGHw08e9yD8g2cMdWxQrzr8LM8S4w_T0=&c=6Ddz9e83L8t2BRND-tCQhDpjXVzNU3HK5X3Is5hyHYpPWqCwxlBVYg==&ch=NWBTjHJJMwOgMuAwNyLSYZTGhXZYrqy63r9KFQ2k_4dQtdf0m7Uzjw==">Bloomberg<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_5.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B50281C8-84D1-47DE-8D87-2010589E28C5/pastedGraphic_5.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Federal Court Rules Species May Be Protected Based on Projected Habitat Loss from Climate Change</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On October 24, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that federal authorities may list a species as threatened based on projections of future habitat loss. The Alaskan state government, oil companies, and indigenous peoples had argued against the measure, claiming that any regulation of that scope was founded on speculation, since the population of Pacific bearded seals in question was currently healthy. Due to climate change, the ice floes that act as a safe haven for breeding seals will disappear this century, leaving seal pups and their mothers vulnerable to predators. This decision is the first of its kind to determine risk based on future environmental threats. The court reasoned that, per the Endangered Species Act, an agency is only required to consider the best available data in pursuing protection. However, that data is not required to be "ironclad and absolute" and that "the only uncertainty [in the case] is the magnitude of warming ... and the severity of its effect."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001pi6Cyl1ySJ-F6YvSjB3CHNy_IJ9veyn2M5Nn2UaMXmOGPndow3f2S0vWrzerTdI1gjVr3LbFl42gd0bU9cRB94WmQWYkNsaqNVndgy5seAI14twx7q_Dxt9btNYGKDYIL--YZlVr1DnOnswDd_TnycUDnCIRxuBvCO303qkPhePIXu2aTiY2G3lyYrtAZqpVFZvlSZjKUI-6BZkR0n5M73Dx-RvM3IPra3W5dQVaIXnsTUoSRHIZYiZRZK0rfn59u422646zKl5inzcWZd0Dimvp-C768mOET2IcQLDjVx0e0KsFakGsF1wmK4kA7ejwH98Ai6pRELKdDvVaKs7vg5g5oS651-KQnihsm6Rg01kmZ4tsAefaWObeypT5SpFI3kEozYaOg6_wiJ8x-GOmBjbrYPCOGA15cVtvIuKM9PNBqfKcH7Vff-uvmF2RmCy6mZELh2bXIi51EVp-qQ_AHQ==&c=6Ddz9e83L8t2BRND-tCQhDpjXVzNU3HK5X3Is5hyHYpPWqCwxlBVYg==&ch=NWBTjHJJMwOgMuAwNyLSYZTGhXZYrqy63r9KFQ2k_4dQtdf0m7Uzjw==">LA Times</a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>New Jersey's Beach Communities Stay in Place after Sandy, Rather than Retreat from Shoreline</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In New Jersey, a gap persists in the acknowledgement of climate-driven risks and the municipal plans that are actually implemented. Beach-side towns faced heavy damage from Hurricane Sandy in 2012, but their rebuilding efforts failed to take new data into account, resulting in the construction of additional vulnerable structures. A complex interaction of local, state, and federal policies have led to this style of rebuild. For instance, FEMA is not permitted to use predictive modeling in drawing its flood plain maps, which influences insurance costs and building standards for flood-prone communities. Governor Chris Christie chose not to promote relocation as a coastal adaptation policy, opting to invest in building height and a controversial dune reinforcement project. David Kutner of NJ Future, a nonprofit advocating for sustainable land use, responded to the region's recent construction choices: "A lot of communities feel that the answer is to elevate homes. How are you going to serve that home when roads and utilities are under water?"</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d2099; letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001pi6Cyl1ySJ-F6YvSjB3CHNy_IJ9veyn2M5Nn2UaMXmOGPndow3f2S0vWrzerTdI1GJPviCDdRJ3ZyaZj3GLLdrbjnRdCKxnarclU7iIaMWs5TjY3SiasQwd1mEni2AvONc-YEqMSod7ixx6szPO-Qsi9szYG8u-eCB_HrjTjRCKzj2aY38YvIDfLm9XpBH3onD3lKx6xZA89duYStIym4EsOslWM1L3nh1PYWu8AdMknSCu0DQ636M8k9H5XM4oKlPrVkwNR4iEjKtyKuZoouW9GNqUeoQDTjdWvEqiUZOiJGsvS06L2eQ==&c=6Ddz9e83L8t2BRND-tCQhDpjXVzNU3HK5X3Is5hyHYpPWqCwxlBVYg==&ch=NWBTjHJJMwOgMuAwNyLSYZTGhXZYrqy63r9KFQ2k_4dQtdf0m7Uzjw==">I<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">nside Climate News</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Melting ice caps and warmer temperatures have allowed Greenland to generate more hydroelectric energy, grow previously unharvestable crops, access valuable minerals, and fish migrating marine species. The Arctic region is warming twice as quickly as the rest of the world, rising 1.5 degrees Celsius in temperature in contrast to the world's 0.7 degrees Celsius. With less ice cover to reflect solar radiation, there is more surface water absorbing the warming radiation instead. This perpetuating cycle has caused Greenland to lose one trillion tons of ice between 2011 and 2014, while rising sea levels continue to threaten low-lying countries. However, Greenland officials say there is a dichotomy between environmental preservation and economic benefit, causing the country to ask for a territorial opt-out of the Paris Agreement: "Signing the deal will cost us hundreds of millions of dollars," says Greenland's deputy foreign minister, Kai Holst Andersen, "and we would never be independent."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001pi6Cyl1ySJ-F6YvSjB3CHNy_IJ9veyn2M5Nn2UaMXmOGPndow3f2S0vWrzerTdI1Pf4Q_Gmuyvx7imOpQ2aEqtfMROnBzKZYshKST1du8qm5LdlRamObYgtxGM79SNN1MRqFcSbcCuVVqxzKNMxKLdE2zCnBii7IUGGdd1ZobuYgQ6YA16EWtWmgvWcsJcODUcsMb_FH02ffvsXRy5W9OGOBwTcFkpmp&c=6Ddz9e83L8t2BRND-tCQhDpjXVzNU3HK5X3Is5hyHYpPWqCwxlBVYg==&ch=NWBTjHJJMwOgMuAwNyLSYZTGhXZYrqy63r9KFQ2k_4dQtdf0m7Uzjw==">Quartz<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE:</b> While some countries are going to suffer a great deal from climate change, others - like Greenland - may actually benefit, at least inthe the short run. Other countries that my befit initially are Canada and Russia.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Bleaching Damage to Great Barrier Reef More Extensive Than Previously Believed</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Coral researchers with the Australian Research Council (ARC) revealed a bleak assessment of the health of the Great Barrier Reef, six months after a massive bleaching event. While the southern portion of the reef appears to be intact, the northern end was hit by the worst bleaching episode on record. Estimates indicate 22 percent of all coral in the reef died due to the heat stress, with losses upwards of 80 percent in some areas. The follow-up surveys revealed millions of additional corals had slowly died since the original heat wave, with some damaged organisms falling to predation or disease. Andrew Hoey, a senior researcher at ARC's Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, said, "Coral reefs are always being subjected to some kind of disturbance, but they will bounce back. But if they're being knocked over in too rapid succession, they just won't get back to where they were."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001pi6Cyl1ySJ-F6YvSjB3CHNy_IJ9veyn2M5Nn2UaMXmOGPndow3f2S0vWrzerTdI1nrC0dE5Es9T4f9SIuydAGwINCThbspA4MuOZted-Mt5mdZKbenVK-mYimS_vQZhpjiGVy4W39-LjoVWFxCwQ9wFDwMdn-9nMLiLQ9ex4kv369J6gamaDkIchGsBKHmPcXI8F9ojQC8nkcIEukgI9HL66z34yXToGHiZ6gmEFbgQ1YOVshFzwBHelCAq-Wnu02O7rXvBjBBZEysWmGKmMy0j-_fTOKnx0L9UreZWA-IfY1TMER6tXoA==&c=6Ddz9e83L8t2BRND-tCQhDpjXVzNU3HK5X3Is5hyHYpPWqCwxlBVYg==&ch=NWBTjHJJMwOgMuAwNyLSYZTGhXZYrqy63r9KFQ2k_4dQtdf0m7Uzjw==">Sydney Morning Herald</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001pi6Cyl1ySJ-F6YvSjB3CHNy_IJ9veyn2M5Nn2UaMXmOGPndow3f2S0vWrzerTdI1VQUqKbFGuBdlIfBJTD47nlyfvXw-ip05F4vzSePHDX8GgxQUVcOIBuIpkWydJuvYxaaAdyHmra0AkLp-ydcND4yrt1wdGfVSFT165su4mNR3XfUMGnOelKZW1v9oRXxVVMEYJsCotWvs4iTsGzYC-FcvaKIAPOPouBjiX3Ld-t3bMine1z88w45ECUoh9dMTvqE6gPzAGzLyj9j5b48GyiWMxKOoMtr-mo3tDlVXKXB7Xj-zIQrHjIJptTfsjtQmZ1ViMFmVCW5T9kiAtwYA_6vfvU9tpJ8f8DIAs9KAFlrHtbKKEw0PbjeCn-ayf6NU&c=6Ddz9e83L8t2BRND-tCQhDpjXVzNU3HK5X3Is5hyHYpPWqCwxlBVYg==&ch=NWBTjHJJMwOgMuAwNyLSYZTGhXZYrqy63r9KFQ2k_4dQtdf0m7Uzjw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Washington Post</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE:</b> Coral reefs are important to sea life because many species spend at least part of their lives in reefs. Reefs are now dying (bleaching) as the result of rising sea temperatures and increasing acidity of the water as the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere inccreases.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_7.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B50281C8-84D1-47DE-8D87-2010589E28C5/pastedGraphic_7.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>First of Its Kind Study to Examine How Bacteria May React to Ocean Acidification</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">New Zealand researchers have set out on a million-dollar study to investigate the effects that ocean acidification might have on microbial communities. Ocean acidification is primarily caused by the increasing amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which is absorbed by the ocean and leads to more acidic, lower pH waters. The acidity poses significant risks to shellfish and corals that depend on their calcium carbonate shells to survive. Microbes play essential roles in regenerating nutrients in food webs and taking care of pollution, oil spills, and runoff that enters the marine ecosystem. The study will simulate 50-years of ocean acidification in order to look for a threshold at which the water becomes too acidic for the bacteria to carry out their ecosystem functions. If a baseline is established, the team's next step would be to create a model showing how industry may have to respond to the emerging conditions.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001pi6Cyl1ySJ-F6YvSjB3CHNy_IJ9veyn2M5Nn2UaMXmOGPndow3f2S0vWrzerTdI15ZjrcqRcPtCUdVtsWgXmC6PksX5omhwqTcNjnEz685nlmsZzNKVcI5ciD6yH2e-eOHt_-n4OhtbX8gWALUf70qPxnicePEG-_1y5aLbEmBNIRZ4j25gxO0sTmRVNERgEdngGam7N4sD2QN-GHwyHjrPL6M2Qt6GQELWYL3Yac_xcCe9e5Np7FzHMyiQjNCeS&c=6Ddz9e83L8t2BRND-tCQhDpjXVzNU3HK5X3Is5hyHYpPWqCwxlBVYg==&ch=NWBTjHJJMwOgMuAwNyLSYZTGhXZYrqy63r9KFQ2k_4dQtdf0m7Uzjw==">NZ Herald<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Study: El Nino's Warmer, Wetter Conditions Elevate Risk of Disease Outbreaks in United States</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences underscores the connection between short-term shifts in climate and weather patterns and disease outbreaks. While most studies of this nature focus on climate-influenced disease vectors in the developing world, the researchers instead examined these risks for the United States. The study used national hospitalization data from 1970-2010 to compare illness rates during El Niño season. The data showed an elevated risk of diseases carried by ticks and mosquitos was present in the western United States during El Niño, while the rest of the country showed a higher risk of intestinal illnesses under El Niño conditions. The storm system's warmer, wetter conditions unsurprisingly led to an increase in insect populations that carry the diseases, but the researchers were uncertain of the exact cause of the intestinal illness spike. Due to its reliance on hospitalization cases, the study likely underestimated the actual impacts from these trends.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001pi6Cyl1ySJ-F6YvSjB3CHNy_IJ9veyn2M5Nn2UaMXmOGPndow3f2S0vWrzerTdI1zQH3JnDtL15tUZ3maDJfRYhbpTP5Y3G2X2P-lbsGDEvV8QOQjyaEPGOGmopfObmARCX-kmLuVDACdGNITZBZmhpQ7wpKZ5oKGMp46fgvqpJJ7QN0sEDDlyp7d-GXuK5XPkUBwxOQHC1pn40wkUvRi8-35rCcPOjhQ45RHe8yk8QOpzsWl-jkxMhVACqkx65ADU5TQusOyr739E5FUwpYMylrKV-Onfir50fLLfgq9blg-gHrLvMY01hFrsdtez982tV-KOAZ-V33JnGot4WTf0EEvXMFCjxGE0K6YXRvTuuYem_fPBNnNV_6cfqrgQxwriKk26pAA0M=&c=6Ddz9e83L8t2BRND-tCQhDpjXVzNU3HK5X3Is5hyHYpPWqCwxlBVYg==&ch=NWBTjHJJMwOgMuAwNyLSYZTGhXZYrqy63r9KFQ2k_4dQtdf0m7Uzjw==">Washington Post</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001pi6Cyl1ySJ-F6YvSjB3CHNy_IJ9veyn2M5Nn2UaMXmOGPndow3f2S0vWrzerTdI1LobF94EGwFeKJ-hrCRLuyvkdVFgWTpqkKM0GLuLTsacbh8V9gb1D_siibJKGnoZHaVOx9J82WoUzaaVmlRz9ozEPKijV10wV2M6zocV-L6D2dZmlSbRZBAHDWiF28MEYkZxMDv1BR6X3XY_qUH4Z0Qp7K0JTlyi82nbcGkWe9k3iQqSrbSm_zrUFjwK_nuzimwn4vMUIn_7UUc4TGP9z68A6_i5rZ6wQgqpbA6BHy4I=&c=6Ddz9e83L8t2BRND-tCQhDpjXVzNU3HK5X3Is5hyHYpPWqCwxlBVYg==&ch=NWBTjHJJMwOgMuAwNyLSYZTGhXZYrqy63r9KFQ2k_4dQtdf0m7Uzjw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Study</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_8.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B50281C8-84D1-47DE-8D87-2010589E28C5/pastedGraphic_8.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Washington State's Carbon Tax Draws Nervous Eye of Coal Industry</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Grass-roots activists in the Pacific Northwest are opening a new fight against the coal industry, with reverberations felt across the country. In addition to preventing energy companies from operating coal export terminals along the Pacific coast, local activists in Washington State have introduced a carbon emissions tax as a ballot initiative for the November election. The proposal would feature a tax of $25 per ton of carbon dioxide emissions and provide rebates to low-income families to counter any rise in electricity costs. The ambitious action has caught the attention of energy experts outside the region, including Harvard economist Gregory Mankiw, who called the carbon tax "the right step to a global solution." Meanwhile, coal executive Robert Murray dismissed the Washington activists as "radicals" and vowed to shift his blocked coal export business to Canada. If passed, the Washington ballot initiative would be the first state-wide tax on carbon emissions in the United States.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00128ynwpMGZk4ZwgpmxLU-1B-uNPm-kgXGeKsW3OukOXywzfImoWh-TcvEi_fx3J5YJHQAb8uKo8CKGsKjJsyYVR4ufTC6NbzlJn7__gR_8YRs80metemT2xDbt8jrjgIck-Q7nvHs0WtGxr45NFIG8309mDeCX6jCM1lV4Xbj4QP9MXnao-weC92vhk673PoQXCgRv-L5yknClmqj12RhjXkdnsFbpSN3-RaauWUPt0tTcBIJWNKEEdLHIlaKuCoScCm2VblA1xrvLZhq4kwJ8IdpWNwK4UItWJHEstgxbc1Fye46QUylDNRaHCUMwh0JOjbrpJWAp0KK4DR5re0l-SjtGK0XwLxPFh-VCFph1GDteO9bvS8nlw==&c=lnCLUVOgBMLt27VL_Y_eZbO7GHAn1WPz9Hty2i4P3jfu0zFVECwE7A==&ch=1rZGXlmTecP0R3JscZWIGLEYf4ya-eaj2DylCan_W4MMY72L_qyfpA==">New York Times<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE:</b> The Washington carbon tax measure - modeled on the carbon emissions tax to the north in British Columbia - failed, largely it seems because of disagreements over how the money raised should be spent. The $25/ton CO2 would have raised the cost of gasoline about 25 cents per gallon. California and Quebec have a price on carbon determined by a cap-and-trade system that covers emissions from electricity generation, transportation and industry.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>More Frequent, Severe Storms Could Devastate Vulnerable U.S. Public Housing Stock</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">As climate change amplifies the intensity of storms, many vulnerable populations are being forced to relocate as a result of prolonged recovery efforts. One example of this migration trend is the Florida town of Punta Gorda, which is still reeling from when Hurricane Charley hit the area 12 years ago. The hurricane destroyed public housing structures to a point that they were still being rebuilt up until late 2016. Federal law used to require a one-to-one replacement ratio for every public housing unit that was demolished or destroyed, but that requirement was lifted by Congress in 1998 - a reality that many speculate will further exacerbate the affordable housing shortage. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the United States loses 10,000 units of public housing each year. Courtney Rice, with housing insurer HAI, said, "If this trend in severe weather continues, taking away more housing units from this already underserved population, there won't be a sufficient number of units left."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00128ynwpMGZk4ZwgpmxLU-1B-uNPm-kgXGeKsW3OukOXywzfImoWh-TcvEi_fx3J5YAyPxcHiCFSKAiP2fLtPK_XM5eWrqwtzj_Nkv57d9ELBWCn57HVYioh3TCwWK8kI3nm_MMYKjuiAmk7D3bs92ENztHIWeJR0f_NoJ7eEo8fU1sGPBKU77YW8TXQW1wieQC9yqYkQsWZBJkte1onY9Aq-Md7o0M5Z-63n7vaenYuvGaSVV1gixiV-iIuMAnCENmrJikvnKtuSOBif52GAzO4O-_dYCvBGM&c=lnCLUVOgBMLt27VL_Y_eZbO7GHAn1WPz9Hty2i4P3jfu0zFVECwE7A==&ch=1rZGXlmTecP0R3JscZWIGLEYf4ya-eaj2DylCan_W4MMY72L_qyfpA==">Bloomberg<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_9.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B50281C8-84D1-47DE-8D87-2010589E28C5/pastedGraphic_9.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Bangladesh Hopes to See Progress on "Loss and Damage" Discussions at Climate Summit</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will present a national adaptation plan during the United Nations climate summit in Morocco in an attempt to spark dialogue on financing. "Loss and damage" has long been a sticking point in negotiations and was formally recognized for the first time in the Paris Agreement. Loss and damage comes into play when climate-induced natural disasters breach conventional adaptation infrastructure, such as sea walls, and cause devastation in regions that lack the resources to recover on their own. Countries have been resistant to providing additional funding streams for loss and damage and uncertainty surrounds the financing question heading into the summit. Saleemul Huq, who authored the Bangladeshi proposal, said, "When [climate negotiators] talked about loss and damage, [developed countries] heard liability and compensation, which are taboo words, but I think we have moved on." Bangladesh has received praise for its allocation of $100 million annually in its national budget since 2009 for responding to domestic climate emergencies.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00128ynwpMGZk4ZwgpmxLU-1B-uNPm-kgXGeKsW3OukOXywzfImoWh-TcvEi_fx3J5YcjdbtCcabZNYD5v-AgzWMY08wcCXvQf_yUgy23bYeq761xLxuwtAwD7C3FPyCAAJSyFphVA0C6WB71K6wFOAMVrHW_HgKJB8TCm7rn9B6izX8u68xYKxroSRMSidbtNVwUIbzpvqkVaxVDoRzGe7Ly72zp4xbGKGRf-mSlvUy6RayBY7XnfWIMjuMYMxVrD9nt-NyB-_tRd6Ht3Me7bKP2Nfe64CscNb&c=lnCLUVOgBMLt27VL_Y_eZbO7GHAn1WPz9Hty2i4P3jfu0zFVECwE7A==&ch=1rZGXlmTecP0R3JscZWIGLEYf4ya-eaj2DylCan_W4MMY72L_qyfpA==">Climate Home<span style="color: #00a4d3; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_10.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B50281C8-84D1-47DE-8D87-2010589E28C5/pastedGraphic_10.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Renewables Figure Prominently in Africa's Future Energy Infrastructure</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Technological innovations and global trends may position Africa to largely bypass carbon-intensive electricity sources and move directly into a clean energy future instead. Factors such as the increasing unreliability of hydropower due to droughts, volatile oil prices, and increasingly cost-competitive renewable energy technologies are poising the continent for a clean energy revolution. This is especially important for international climate change mitigation efforts, as Africa is set to experience rapid population growth and will account for a greater share of global emissions. South Africa is one country that has been aggressively pursuing renewable energy by building 100 wind and solar projects over the last four years. Morocco is another nation leading the way and has committed to generate 42 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020. However, efforts have been hindered by the inability of nations to acquire the necessary funding due to concerns over government corruption and political instability. Energy development companies, governments, and international organizations are all working to attract private investment in Africa.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00128ynwpMGZk4ZwgpmxLU-1B-uNPm-kgXGeKsW3OukOXywzfImoWh-TcvEi_fx3J5Y6SxjpQTTWXhYxquOR6pKDRktLDuMyfXOllFAIdmPaaXLFENZbud6r4v0MXhBquItsWg3zRAmDH5T6xh0czHhAh6GTYqH5LGgK7gkeYMhw13jssh6CZKwu1dwSj42EQkyuNz7VxMyZ2cqt5F6qNy-2cxobrxhQc1h89MWmqii9mdUK4LWRlwwoA==&c=lnCLUVOgBMLt27VL_Y_eZbO7GHAn1WPz9Hty2i4P3jfu0zFVECwE7A==&ch=1rZGXlmTecP0R3JscZWIGLEYf4ya-eaj2DylCan_W4MMY72L_qyfpA==">Nature</a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Report: Window to Prevent Warming Greater than 1.5 Degrees Celsius Will Close Within Three Years</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The United Nations Environment Program's annual "emissions gap" report warns nations must significantly cut their emissions by 2020 or the window to keep global warming from surpassing the 1.5 degrees Celsius mark will be closed. The report documents the ambition gap between emission reduction steps countries have committed to and what is actually necessary to curtail the worst effects of climate change. According to the report, "[The next three years are] likely the last chance to keep the option of limiting global warming to 1.5 C in 2100 open, as all available scenarios consistent with the 1.5 C goal imply that global greenhouse gases peak before 2020." The analysis is the first to scrutinize the pledges contained in the Paris Agreement within the context of the latest 1.5 C goal. Under the existing agreement, global emissions would risk exceeding the carbon budget to prevent greater than 2 C of warming and would be well over the 1.5 C threshold.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00128ynwpMGZk4ZwgpmxLU-1B-uNPm-kgXGeKsW3OukOXywzfImoWh-TcvEi_fx3J5Ydpnte92AYeOkULsRT6AzI3OROk5YwcAdfMbthO2QpCQwHXI5KjwlAnMgzR13DpEayH4yWu8Rry8YT87oXRm2FV3Ju1Ta2cZGDakHYxgWfAtyaML9DkBpUNBvkh_tc-nd2I92lfdo32eozs58nWte4Uw3WjFD-hRWSL0A3sq93Mfx2o3YHCzuaydP-RHJ6-zzAuOaQZJlu_x61z36Jc_uURcrzClNTYUvchbC9b40CqTSwvwCUx6mfnBU6LFIgqnrveEdIlCTFaBxI4T0WJaASnsxKUX1io4n8nS_jDOwNHy5dpKHH-xTZb560aaDmbtnchZFe01PDLMU3M9unn4atOQnK8N5V0eJQw9feY0SN31t4O8FW7qXmrGuKkDh6GdG_Yw3xyQ8hVbQcUVWLOoOmTY2-ZCc7pnBep3BPJk_mfpcCONwzAIlKVLlSNzmrlJUalhEvy5D1NY=&c=lnCLUVOgBMLt27VL_Y_eZbO7GHAn1WPz9Hty2i4P3jfu0zFVECwE7A==&ch=1rZGXlmTecP0R3JscZWIGLEYf4ya-eaj2DylCan_W4MMY72L_qyfpA==">Inside Climate News</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00128ynwpMGZk4ZwgpmxLU-1B-uNPm-kgXGeKsW3OukOXywzfImoWh-TcvEi_fx3J5YkFH5rficgn_vkQv55rsHNF5_85lNbJD1P4Z-Z32Y4qusN7F8J5W52Da5my2Bm1QimXuXrYVdUl5HRXdu-URoubEVha5_OZaIC2t4QzhHM16DpzSIW_Silr0XWqlOomRP&c=lnCLUVOgBMLt27VL_Y_eZbO7GHAn1WPz9Hty2i4P3jfu0zFVECwE7A==&ch=1rZGXlmTecP0R3JscZWIGLEYf4ya-eaj2DylCan_W4MMY72L_qyfpA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Report</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE:</b> Some low-lying island nations are particularly keen on limiting global warming since the beginning to the Industrial Revolution to 1.5 degrees C. If the sensitivity of the global average temperature is 3 degrees C for a doubling of the CO2 concentration, 400 ppm, which we have already exceeded, is enough to raise the temperature 1.5 degrees at thermal equilibrium (given time for the CO2 concentration, temperature and radiation balance to stabilize). We have already warmed 1.0 degree C, but we’re not yet at equilibrium because of the large heat capacity of the ocean and glacial ice. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_11.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B50281C8-84D1-47DE-8D87-2010589E28C5/pastedGraphic_11.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Sea Level Rise Threatens the Southeastern Coastal Forests</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Rising seas are expected to devastate coastal forests and jeopardize the ecosystem's survival within this century. The freshwater-dependent forests are becoming increasingly accessible to salt water, which has left scientists concerned about the many species reliant upon these habitats. In their place, invasive salt-tolerant plants are growing and displacing the native vegetation. Due to the low-lying elevation of the southern United States, these areas are among the most vulnerable to salt-water intrusion due to rising sea levels. So called "ghost forests" have appeared in Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland. David Kaplan, a watershed ecologist at the University of Florida, has grouped these coastal forest areas into three categories: "healthy," "stressed," and "remnant," with the two latter damaged categories on the rise. Kaplan and his colleagues hope to increase awareness among land managers and policy makers to ensure appropriate action is taken to protect coastal ecosystems.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00128ynwpMGZk4ZwgpmxLU-1B-uNPm-kgXGeKsW3OukOXywzfImoWh-TcvEi_fx3J5YxMioUnvatO0ZKVftFBA4mOcBpYRMv2dms5O_RdiPTm4ha-gWJwuzFprRfL1nh-PGtJrbiaeSRmQKgL_Jk6zVmGe56262SrY05TtCED7i3LSz2b4O6ODO6q7eyvPlQIXzROwqFjytNngJZFmghHDlPhWDtHBqAKKzBIRZV87TySzufWPHoQU7roYF46kRw3qrsPnt28ZYpOo=&c=lnCLUVOgBMLt27VL_Y_eZbO7GHAn1WPz9Hty2i4P3jfu0zFVECwE7A==&ch=1rZGXlmTecP0R3JscZWIGLEYf4ya-eaj2DylCan_W4MMY72L_qyfpA==">Environment 360</a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Spain Could Face Desertification and Agricultural Disruptions if 1.5 C Threshold Is Crossed</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Researchers simulating four different carbon emission scenarios in Spain are projecting a country that is dramatically different than it is today. The study's researchers urged Spain to take measures to immediately reduce its carbon emissions and achieve decarbonization by 2050. Unless global atmospheric warming is limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius, Spain could see an expansion of its desert and a die-off of deciduous trees. The globe has warmed roughly 1 degree Celsius since the dawn of the industrial revolution. This has led to an overall warming of 1.3 degrees Celsius in the Mediterranean region. An extra 0.5 degrees of global warming, though small, would have significant consequences for the vegetation in Spain and its immediate Mediterranean surroundings. The study did not look specifically at the implication of climate change for food production, but noted that warming in the region could have a negative impact on olive crops and the production of other Mediterranean cuisine staples.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00128ynwpMGZk4ZwgpmxLU-1B-uNPm-kgXGeKsW3OukOXywzfImoWh-TcvEi_fx3J5YdWd4gog8KRrksSSgfJbFTdFsJm_qsf8eeNL-yxUYuQcLW94LLI7wjCeF5R-dLWE4FBzCaVz84ko0mZNu0yJiiBYpGt55Ui3RjhmKwec-qPvlcP_J5wsIXIlZ1Is5C70aKzw_OiZp95CPhp4BqqjmPAQjDp_QmhSewm0d8CMQHIZSm6WHFDiVWJJLgp2_X8TpQNxJ_jatEZocDbjGCJZYgLahI6ze7hWb&c=lnCLUVOgBMLt27VL_Y_eZbO7GHAn1WPz9Hty2i4P3jfu0zFVECwE7A==&ch=1rZGXlmTecP0R3JscZWIGLEYf4ya-eaj2DylCan_W4MMY72L_qyfpA==">CS Monitor<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_12.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B50281C8-84D1-47DE-8D87-2010589E28C5/pastedGraphic_12.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Geoengineering Gains Traction as a Global Climate Mitigation Option</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A new report commissioned by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity has significant implications for the future of geoengineering for climate change mitigation. The Convention has approached geoengineering with caution until a sufficient governance system is put in place to oversee the development and implementation of such measures. Geoengineering measures may involve seeding the ocean with nutrients to help coral ecosystems adapt, or disbursing particulates into the atmosphere to reflect solar radiation. Geoengineering has been tenuously pursued as a mitigation policy due to the uncertainty of its long-term effects. The report acknowledges the environmental, political, and economic risks associated with geoengineering, but suggests the methods have merit if potential side-effects can be identified and minimized. According to Phil Williamson, a report author at the University of East Anglia, greenhouse gas removal technologies will be necessary to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement: "Climate geoengineering is what countries have agreed to do [in the Paris Agreement], although they haven't really realized that they've agreed to do it."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00128ynwpMGZk4ZwgpmxLU-1B-uNPm-kgXGeKsW3OukOXywzfImoWh-TcvEi_fx3J5YtTN_PmXZ9htF3P6mXYvPCJt1c_a3dxwTO1IWl1wtJ-jFAAv4mVQcZryTaqo2_g4IiiHzvirYspUUczNtItbTnJ6uGWK-cOKZ839OxKtotnNN0Lt1e5BrcP4sMUe7M0SxU9kdQTyhOHt5FjKPNuQLBq6n_FjMtKF1OfuXvc6Fa8u3O38YJvSX65lKIB4qaa96-0pph-i7S2DNMbtuiFULlSx-gdCt1CbLIEKxbfSk9Qc=&c=lnCLUVOgBMLt27VL_Y_eZbO7GHAn1WPz9Hty2i4P3jfu0zFVECwE7A==&ch=1rZGXlmTecP0R3JscZWIGLEYf4ya-eaj2DylCan_W4MMY72L_qyfpA==">Bloomberg<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_13.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B50281C8-84D1-47DE-8D87-2010589E28C5/pastedGraphic_13.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Trump's Election Threatens America's Participation in the Paris Climate Agreement</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The election of Donald Trump to the White House has cast doubt over the future participation of the United States in international climate change negotiations. Campaign promises from Trump include backing out of the Paris climate agreement, cutting all federal spending towards international climate change mitigation, and opening up federal public lands to fossil fuel drilling and mining. The United States can legally back out of the Paris treaty after four years, or simply refuse to honor its emission reductions commitments. Meanwhile, an increase in the extraction and consumption of fossil fuels would severely undercut America's ability to reduce its emissions to the levels necessary to help stave off the worst effects of global climate change. There is currently no punitive measure for nations that fail to meet their emission reduction targets under the treaty. Scientists such as Michael Oppenheimer from Princeton University have expressed concerns about the global implications of the United States withdrawing its support: "Without U.S. action to reduce emissions and U.S. diplomatic leadership, implementation of Paris will surely slow and avoiding a 2 degree warming, the benchmark of danger, would become impossible."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nTFc2EBhrtzQas_XGwfSaJRgXAfdyS0t5IbBbgbSfiH3vi7oCkEN58aV6Ul-ku0m4tSndc--w--Frgy-3ZlGQsbx9Fovu4a3AhpY9NyH-u0qdZKYKvMLZLCzRSqxNWdE2cIJwCN0JL4-B1nEwfo5iLWnI1e0robzr7cD0YEyYi0Bhhlh68ZSX-XR-QAPUKjfsdj7pzDSn1cIMsqmW1e1uAN3l6-TFzrFDln814FXKLAMY88Y5BXCPyREsH0sHVJV47ysGSdZAW8=&c=mz2XtLBrOPvzMzD00AKLo953-Owu88G6N_uiArLq3Iu3FYvII14anA==&ch=3ZtpLrOu9PXV9gMkm5xkmJ0S1o8kwN0j1sO-EP9_JU990OpezHqsJA==">ABC News</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nTFc2EBhrtzQas_XGwfSaJRgXAfdyS0t5IbBbgbSfiH3vi7oCkEN58aV6Ul-ku0mNYhuTcvfsInAugP5HFc7IEHwUVmyoDKc22epEJTowOzNz7foICX3nbpR15Ytf7hqpTKSI-8kxEnZ6e6SPl3Zt8vJJ9ozRqMhWRwQvDBplzVapOp2J_GINMlLlULkYoyvNvAjnC2-018Xa-r5ukvOEQLR__oq9RWUL0VFTLx471CuV2BroB5uoz97hNVNcwMMGGbuv8eRx6M=&c=mz2XtLBrOPvzMzD00AKLo953-Owu88G6N_uiArLq3Iu3FYvII14anA==&ch=3ZtpLrOu9PXV9gMkm5xkmJ0S1o8kwN0j1sO-EP9_JU990OpezHqsJA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">New York Times</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nTFc2EBhrtzQas_XGwfSaJRgXAfdyS0t5IbBbgbSfiH3vi7oCkEN58aV6Ul-ku0mssHADxppvyZsU7nDNPHBpK300hlXibYLWxGce3GIePmAEsu6qYxliu5n2Tjfjn1T5_KallYsr2VQ3BFW5CqqnUevC-q2Lstn91TcncQKQbOMocF0Da5mwFsPpVa_ODI00V2LFR32DnEPysKTgBIbK6AzbpQiTVEldc4-mnYs9j9njkDYTomdbrIKMApEcVVWlsm0OXT3959oRXdNG8L6k0-HR_cgBoiucddpQQbM2aWVabdXpk9WU40_76tJMy_PJ_ig5ITpHEVQ6sbGjFzoEfZ-JQhkoZe4GeKlAblwo_XnWoq4hVIBVZMYizA1DhK_uL3ItkF9gF-EERYuvfJaWekxt-u_4HrE9eegjaZWEEXz2Y3dkSAu01UMD1oDzTglTH-g00odFkzT5QQYv8ZAREJDBigv9J7hN6KIz2qUgUCAHwzdXglGUi2k5zNQYzrIDpdcNLVuH2Q=&c=mz2XtLBrOPvzMzD00AKLo953-Owu88G6N_uiArLq3Iu3FYvII14anA==&ch=3ZtpLrOu9PXV9gMkm5xkmJ0S1o8kwN0j1sO-EP9_JU990OpezHqsJA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Washington Post</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_14.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B50281C8-84D1-47DE-8D87-2010589E28C5/pastedGraphic_14.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Bureaucratic Procedure and Legal Precedent Could Slow Trump Administration's Rollback of Climate Policies</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to reverse much of the current United States environmental policy, but the actual implementation of this about-face could take significant time given the numerous procedures and factors standing in the way. The soonest Trump could withdraw from the Paris climate agreement is 2020, but his administration could take action to severely undermine the agreement in the meantime. One possibility would be to withdraw from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, but this departure would require a year to take effect. The $800 million in international aid the United States promised for climate adaptation may be another component reviewed by incoming Administration officials. Senior political and business leaders may run interference over the next four years to try and lessen the diplomatic damage and assure countries that the United States will rejoin upon Trump's exit from power. The Clean Power Plan may also prove difficult to dislodge. Jody Freeman, director of the Environmental Law Program at Harvard, said, "You can't rescind a rule with the stroke of a pen. [The Administration would] have to engage a focused effort to undo regulations and replace them with something else," adding that the courts would be unlikely to favor steps that are not based on "sound scientific or technical reasoning."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nTFc2EBhrtzQas_XGwfSaJRgXAfdyS0t5IbBbgbSfiH3vi7oCkEN58aV6Ul-ku0mMsRjtnYzWRS418kv-kbUh38SU5mHkm4YPKeP_Tr40HGEBIT80TrC-J2UQ0tOIdFlHKKpnk3qxlZ-yaxvpilmQgza-IL9Qvq-tvBhbwlcTOMhkFj8BmUm17rSmQJjjvb_ic3S4M3kGzW_ShuaS2JPLPJ5A7ynOIRXyn_jWULdWezdtUcRw_aVIT6bBHZheDFQkQtuvJrtdKY=&c=mz2XtLBrOPvzMzD00AKLo953-Owu88G6N_uiArLq3Iu3FYvII14anA==&ch=3ZtpLrOu9PXV9gMkm5xkmJ0S1o8kwN0j1sO-EP9_JU990OpezHqsJA==">Science</a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_15.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B50281C8-84D1-47DE-8D87-2010589E28C5/pastedGraphic_15.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Suit Alleging U.S. Government Failed to Protect Future Generations from Climate Change Allowed to Go to Trial</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A lawsuit alleging the federal government has failed to take adequate action to protect future generations from the impacts of climate change has been allowed to proceed to trial. U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken issued the ruling in federal court in Eugene, Oregon on November 10. Aiken's decision declared, "Federal courts too often have been cautious and overly deferential in the arena of environmental law, and the world has suffered for it." The Department of Justice has stated that while they do not dispute the climate science, they disagree with the plaintiffs' view on how the United States should coordinate with other nations on climate. However, Aiken found "no contradiction" between America's international obligations and the judicial order. The 21 plaintiffs, ranging in age from 9 to 20, allege the government's failure to act has violated their constitutional and public trust rights. The plaintiffs are seeking a court order to require the government to rapidly reduce carbon emissions.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nTFc2EBhrtzQas_XGwfSaJRgXAfdyS0t5IbBbgbSfiH3vi7oCkEN58aV6Ul-ku0mlSK0_UCnTRq_cCd51736rstLpSvdxHlta_EQL2-x-CP4AMNqZUREnRBJDqESjNINT4LX-hwF-_wEFpG2QbBmT14tUX54ppGH6kdA7xmUzpFTjBie-cldKvEk084IS4s1q4ftYlKR5T_MUuHEDkvFyTcX1Spbo61VMF-y5ySRLgs0fgAd7BqHLfHKIjEoXl7J6kdX8T9mBTgT-gq0qEb_kpZFt6bw9xK84qm9mbR3CHxVL1ZoX39MNbSkrZTyWrwUfuZ6oXl-uxCOMWGL25_uYsCN6mxERJ2N&c=mz2XtLBrOPvzMzD00AKLo953-Owu88G6N_uiArLq3Iu3FYvII14anA==&ch=3ZtpLrOu9PXV9gMkm5xkmJ0S1o8kwN0j1sO-EP9_JU990OpezHqsJA==">Register-Guard</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Morocco Introduces Agricultural Adaptation Plan for Africa to Aid Farmers</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Climate change impacts are already beginning to affect harvests in Africa. In Boumia, a small village in Morocco, apple farmers are encountering hardship with the increased frequency of droughts and warmer temperatures. Morocco is not unlike many other African countries, where 40 percent of its population works in agriculture, leading climate shifts to have a particularly deep economic impact. Morocco's Ministry of Agriculture estimates that the nation's total crop output fell 70 percent in 2015. In northern Africa's dry Sahel region, Chad, Niger, and Mali have been suffering from severe recurring droughts since the 1980s, leading to a suppression of agricultural and economic activities. According to a study in <i>Nature</i>, approximately 60 percent of the land for bean production in the Sahel, a staple food, will become unsuitable by 2090. Morocco is leveraging its role as host of this year's United Nations climate summit to introduce the Adaptation of African Agriculture (AAA) initiative. The initiative includes proposals to improve soil and water management, set up insurance programs for drought-afflicted farmers, and bring better weather forecasting to the continent.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nTFc2EBhrtzQas_XGwfSaJRgXAfdyS0t5IbBbgbSfiH3vi7oCkEN58aV6Ul-ku0mRn_h_tyecKFgsb2_CwzG-QLPxkq-7Mq8zlf9SwWMBM7STdDp7sw47YT6X-uUvmIouyQ8qNISs2t1SyiF31hqDyk6bxRtxkdM8fK3FNwGVXOJA1SL1WKjM1kn0HrYXj-UseAXQTXw86NamJsdR_hWD9zh5jep9QADwXgLaqSik7HGQdRYlGCLa0SoZd1KI8yc7XP_eaocyvVy4z3KYZkjPMbnVyHPR73KQNkQbdl-znGe-LBNKaIxrqwhw1deq_Jhm406Q2ud71xqdzBIjR2Va7FLuzmO24vm_DS4OoLZeFw=&c=mz2XtLBrOPvzMzD00AKLo953-Owu88G6N_uiArLq3Iu3FYvII14anA==&ch=3ZtpLrOu9PXV9gMkm5xkmJ0S1o8kwN0j1sO-EP9_JU990OpezHqsJA==">Guardian</a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Africa Struggles to Meet Its Climate Goals as Vital International Financing Fails to Arrive</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">African countries are struggling to fulfill their Paris agreement commitments due to a shortfall of promised funding. Many of African nations' mitigation and adaptation objectives depend on international aid. For instance, the Democratic Republic of Congo has received only $200,000 of the $20 billion it requested through the REDD+ program for rainforest protection. Many negotiators within the African delegation have offered grim outlooks for achieving their climate goals, citing already limited domestic budgets and a need to prioritize poverty reduction. Trinto Mugangu of the Congolese delegation, said, "Delivering on the [climate plans] is becoming unrealistic because the money is not there. I think three quarters of Africa will not deliver." The Africa Low Emission Development Strategies Partnership (LEDS) was introduced during the COP22 climate summit in Morocco as a way to jumpstart Africa's transition to a low carbon economy. Some nations, like Kenya, are striving to balance current energy demands with a desire to utilize renewable sources as their electricity grid expands.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nTFc2EBhrtzQas_XGwfSaJRgXAfdyS0t5IbBbgbSfiH3vi7oCkEN58aV6Ul-ku0mHRn-0AZtGe-DahQZdLgrlzUeYWhgOWhXP7W10xNADtqtopLwT-uI5lb6eFjti23xqmssgy7rzbx04TK71DFRoN_8UrsTaX48i79-5QsNdFDczHd_xJt04vJZzGTCqJYbpnHuUkbDenzZI7_s-xG3P1Ktk86xtVdhokFtTFqQtueqiBNp8p-9t_M_Ui7JEjKbymSTBbKlXf6qcWg9iAMb3Q==&c=mz2XtLBrOPvzMzD00AKLo953-Owu88G6N_uiArLq3Iu3FYvII14anA==&ch=3ZtpLrOu9PXV9gMkm5xkmJ0S1o8kwN0j1sO-EP9_JU990OpezHqsJA==">Climate Change News<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_16.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B50281C8-84D1-47DE-8D87-2010589E28C5/pastedGraphic_16.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Auto Industry Trade Group Seeks Rollback of Vehicle Emission Standards under Trump Administration</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, a primary government lobbyist on behalf of the industry, issued a memo to President-Elect Trump's transition team requesting a rollback of the more stringent vehicle emission standards installed under the Obama Administration. The current standards would require automakers to achieve a fleet-wide average of 54.5 miles per gallon for cars and light-duty trucks by 2025 and have already begun to affect model-year 2017 vehicles. The industry memo characterized the CAFE standards as "a substantial challenge to the auto sector due to the steeper compliance requirements for model years 2017-2025" and that they "[over-project] technology efficiencies and inadequately [account] for consumer acceptance and marketplace realities." Andrew Linhardt, associate director of federal advocacy at the Sierra Club, said, "[Automakers have] been pushing this for the last year. Trump pretty much ran on tearing down President Obama's climate legacy, and this is a pretty big part of it."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nTFc2EBhrtzQas_XGwfSaJRgXAfdyS0t5IbBbgbSfiH3vi7oCkEN58aV6Ul-ku0m4N7_CMZoPxR5G7-udBYqoHyib31IuXM1guPOMgid7GLug5g73yPuQ-g0-AXhJPkK7k38PlH2knCkdjIn5CWpXreQm2phE9Y85Yjq5FjHg96bzHjdLU72dorsGTezL12FM2NDYhiqC1PJVMWyZxw4OFKfo0CKgumQWOdR7QUpoQ0AUEm-hmFWE8HdnrFRkaac0vf4lqQ0ZFeqKOUaFPQt1w==&c=mz2XtLBrOPvzMzD00AKLo953-Owu88G6N_uiArLq3Iu3FYvII14anA==&ch=3ZtpLrOu9PXV9gMkm5xkmJ0S1o8kwN0j1sO-EP9_JU990OpezHqsJA==">Detroit News</a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Moody's Integrates Climate Change into Its Ratings, Warns of Downgrades for Vulnerable Nations</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On November 7, Moody's rating agency announced changes in the rating scale used to determine sovereign nations' credit ratings. Moody's implemented the changes to reflect potential threats to economic productivity created by climate change. Moody's described its rationale for the decision: "Climate change has ramifications for countries' credit profiles through potential economic impact, damage to infrastructure, rising social costs, and population shifts." To determine new credit ratings, a country's vulnerability to climate change was determined by exposure and resilience. Exposure relates to a country's geographic location and economic diversity, while resilience was a combination of adaptive capacity, fiscal flexibility, and national income levels. Countries with high vulnerability ratings featured large amounts of coastline and economies lacking a strong, centralized infrastructure with a large percentage of the workforce employed in the agriculture sector. African and South Asian countries were projected to experience the worst economic side effects and would experience the largest decrease in creditworthiness. Standard & Poor's, a competing rating agency, has already integrated climate change into its sovereign credit valuations.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nTFc2EBhrtzQas_XGwfSaJRgXAfdyS0t5IbBbgbSfiH3vi7oCkEN58aV6Ul-ku0mXElYwEWdhg8YSw9LawMHC5qaSfTBFrhdBFTDyAk1RmL_0R3z6Fcl4AnsJqVBPoJfefwrzqZPhBw_UO_flRNki5CEepSjP046bUnI2a-630TsdI3dtFbp9KE9juxaxFIGHppiQ2qhaq_4BenGGiJETTXOv-T9rzQsJBMY8loYufgGSAcvpqFF60vP3UOQ7wkSkyuGvtezBeAG3CmxfdSyBiuR3as7WjO46CmnufRH0dJQ4ocHeoA_cCZNJXMDAMRUvBlSyH5iEKZE4XtlIQuBlFHOAzVPcUNou90-JNAJ695SyINOEnZIuKwyLqjadS3rjP2CyXOXIl8gpQCEe8raYGUSpgQXXyXl2Ej_4tIGEW337nrbA9WaBA==&c=mz2XtLBrOPvzMzD00AKLo953-Owu88G6N_uiArLq3Iu3FYvII14anA==&ch=3ZtpLrOu9PXV9gMkm5xkmJ0S1o8kwN0j1sO-EP9_JU990OpezHqsJA==">Reuters<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_17.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B50281C8-84D1-47DE-8D87-2010589E28C5/pastedGraphic_17.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Exxon Seeks to Lengthen Its Court Battle with State Attorneys General through Expanded Depositions</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">An alliance of state attorneys general from across the United States have been pursuing legal means to hold ExxonMobil accountable for its long-standing role in disseminating false or misleading information on the risks of climate change associated with fossil fuel use. For years, many scientists and leaders in the field have questioned Exxon's internal understanding of climate implications through the corporation's development and sale of petroleum. However, Exxon has revealed plans to depose at least 17 of those attorneys general, which could prolong the ongoing legal dispute for years. Exxon had initially cooperated with state officials, but is currently seeking to block the investigation through a Texas court. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said the company's effort to depose the other officials would facilitate "Exxon's goal of putting off as long as possible any investigation into the critically important question of whether Exxon broke the law and deceived consumers and investors."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nTFc2EBhrtzQas_XGwfSaJRgXAfdyS0t5IbBbgbSfiH3vi7oCkEN58aV6Ul-ku0miaNZLc7vF7TpaxbDGSCeBWzRNWwbuOg1zU6pjNWf3Gi4gcCTC3xLsZL_mf14tY88WeP5jsg05DoDKcttK6kYMVMFUsnKE1JlulKTYuGdZR1Wk5Vv2E64tgtZNDntwOHbAvv9gOIOuQJpSmcmU0WfuNnmDia9e4F1R9Z8Wov7nS9H0gJ4ydh9oXqaVzmqDbbVLVQavKAGLvWzeQl4Gn9upyx3JHu_HzW8iRLYfqbGDr3tWVSfMVfbOA==&c=mz2XtLBrOPvzMzD00AKLo953-Owu88G6N_uiArLq3Iu3FYvII14anA==&ch=3ZtpLrOu9PXV9gMkm5xkmJ0S1o8kwN0j1sO-EP9_JU990OpezHqsJA==">Inside Climate News<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Major Australian Workers Union Calls for "Just Transition" to a Clean Energy Economy</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has published a policy paper calling for Australia to implement a managed decline of coal-fired power plants and begin a "just transition" to a clean energy economy. The ACTU argues that Australia has a responsibility to assist the workers affected by fundamental shifts in the energy industry. Recommendations from the paper include creating a government office (Energy Transition Australia) to manage the transition and funding the transition by ending fossil fuel subsidies, introducing a carbon tax, and allocating funds from federal and state budgets. According to the paper, adopting proactive measures to retrain workers and transition them into new industries will grow Australia's economy and increase energy security. Ged Kearney, president of ACTU, says the pending shutdown of coal plants is "obvious" and their proposal "very squarely places responsibility on the federal government to come up with a national plan for the sake of the workers in [the energy industry]."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nTFc2EBhrtzQas_XGwfSaJRgXAfdyS0t5IbBbgbSfiH3vi7oCkEN58aV6Ul-ku0mL1vyvrw6cSC3UBAdlsjw-Wy2MSo5s89q0qSKj471BbDp6JFMAutbSqQ8m_vIFcS868G76AEMvHQuE6QriyrG67nCOuDcGRs8NIsIYZW-4noTIt4uNSSCsTF3jbODuF0FQNd71Xjh68g03yFKqtCC-jfa3gxW1rlfpsnPpHoR7FRrVuO2nmQZIjKKthRy-by_MnYmcPAAKqdvMgboIT0BOQBQ_FEr9-mUvp5oTZecL1waGj7znNoeVY_iA5CtAkAO2GTQzXF-QqpGqnL0-C73S7A2HtkzmUldwRBqqvVUeZL3zP4uSjMk66atKrqs3VmPPWJbsKvBC9VEuidZj5zLKKyM26qdijYONx0QnR2siKw0EmN3__6rfMD2kiPogpyBbLUG5llNueki-ODB60i2qXMAGekY-nEVuqZfu4gaz4zHsXsmRFDqLqQlgQbLeAWAx_fazbXc5ag=&c=mz2XtLBrOPvzMzD00AKLo953-Owu88G6N_uiArLq3Iu3FYvII14anA==&ch=3ZtpLrOu9PXV9gMkm5xkmJ0S1o8kwN0j1sO-EP9_JU990OpezHqsJA==">Guardian<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_18.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B50281C8-84D1-47DE-8D87-2010589E28C5/pastedGraphic_18.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>OMB: Worsening Climate Impacts Could Take Significant Bite Out of Future Federal Budgets</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On November 15, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a report examining the fiscal costs to the federal government associated with climate change. The report looks at the possible toll on taxpayer funds if the government is forced to cope with projected increases in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters such as droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, and floods. By the end of the century, these severe weather events would cause additional hundreds of billions of dollars to be spent annually on federal funding for disaster relief and rebuilding, combating wildfires, and protecting government facilities from coastal erosion, rising seas, and thawing permafrost. If no actions are taken to mitigate climate change, the report projects that, "The total fiscal impact quantified to-date could be equivalent to as much as 15 percent of total federal discretionary spending by late-century." <b><i>Keeping global average temperature increases below 2 degrees Celsius (relative to a 4 degree increase) could yield more than $2 trillion (in real terms) in avoided damages annually by 2100. (emphasis added)</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q39eASyrOcyVrVxS1heS44O8FxwBjspz0aiVHkO-Lf3jAcTokZ-a7Q6ooEZmjX2zsfGVSMnAduPHcOpo57KhOHjGTiNKGS6R-vUf7XEgwGa5rMBeB8vT3pgGtcnjqDmpKIXMIC7hC4m-G7teIjstUv_pMwUf-MsdLu-BZJhq5L5K-njDLaiMWwZEa85d2Q2cl_OkImVY77GcWHEkPxAMnnspN_FMN_erWmhyEuqphwFY8JKciXIXLRerJsScmi1IaSDNyoYFdjU=&c=jGlap6xBjZiTB6ymXrMFPe1KWhdM0NL5fqj8Y68JO_FVvoHX7hE0EA==&ch=8L0Wo2_EI7imRkfp6eifzxKPFkXkklrQOlEBup2UzRdiTFvmqMqi9w==">The White House</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q39eASyrOcyVrVxS1heS44O8FxwBjspz0aiVHkO-Lf3jAcTokZ-a7Q6ooEZmjX2zMvrABouG35LSlPCdEbwY75YCtNr5RYLq4Oa9Sej9Mu8H6_AdZUg_0f9vee3lkDxwwQPCJJC1pnD_YnLcslYR7ncRCXVeshzM79i51PrNBvLaGgfT2Xcu_dtIEuIPAjwduRLkAwKZzsriMk16r7x9xKf2l2JN-B-IVHqXcuNAtlr5Vwf8lREN7gqBsQ0Jk3UIp_5UkeiPcdpTLumL2HkEJqwY1HnPrzhf&c=jGlap6xBjZiTB6ymXrMFPe1KWhdM0NL5fqj8Y68JO_FVvoHX7hE0EA==&ch=8L0Wo2_EI7imRkfp6eifzxKPFkXkklrQOlEBup2UzRdiTFvmqMqi9w=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">OMB Report</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_19.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B50281C8-84D1-47DE-8D87-2010589E28C5/pastedGraphic_19.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Washington, D.C. Releases Climate Adaptation Plan to Prepare for Heatwaves and Flooding</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">According to a new report from the District of Columbia's Department of Energy and Environment, the nation's capital will face a greater frequency of heat emergencies, longer durations of heat waves, and heavier rain and flooding in the coming decades. Projections show that D.C.'s current rate of 11 annual heat emergencies will nearly double by 2020 and increase to 75 annual emergencies by 2080. Older residents and individuals who cannot afford to own an air conditioner are among those at greatest risk from the sweltering conditions. The intense heat will also impact D.C.'s infrastructure, since rail lines and many buildings are not designed to consistently function under such high temperatures. Lower-lying areas of the city, such as downtown and Southwest, bridges, and freeways will be at risk of flooding due to sea level rise and more severe precipitation patterns. D.C.'s climate adaptation plan identifies the most vulnerable populations and assets across the city and proposes long-term plans to curtail future climate impacts.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q39eASyrOcyVrVxS1heS44O8FxwBjspz0aiVHkO-Lf3jAcTokZ-a7Q6ooEZmjX2zulJBSkhwDY_6Jr0Q_6ES-nMkmMH66HMeFHJCSy_4njup4jLgAs7GaOYvm7ccVPfbqOKaO9zpAHUFfoSfVjN4oX0hwRQbVQuKawak7I9yZlyKGR1HLEPFzvgAFlR8_oW01SZwnk8nRNBwPDQ4c8jGQybLX0xUegDTWwp8zpQzutI=&c=jGlap6xBjZiTB6ymXrMFPe1KWhdM0NL5fqj8Y68JO_FVvoHX7hE0EA==&ch=8L0Wo2_EI7imRkfp6eifzxKPFkXkklrQOlEBup2UzRdiTFvmqMqi9w==">DCist</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q39eASyrOcyVrVxS1heS44O8FxwBjspz0aiVHkO-Lf3jAcTokZ-a7Q6ooEZmjX2z1PFqkTd8WCppVPYA3vt173ueH0YVNFaTTo0Rilm24BTc4Y4uEspgeBi61E_QqeSHtSz-8UhKAXekjSNihU99ExAgspUxJaecQMABgMSPQl2ayl0hyWwJ_oPZI0FKwmoguFe2GtCeUu1U8-EuFC4CkTCBN7wntD1wPqTLmqMbr08=&c=jGlap6xBjZiTB6ymXrMFPe1KWhdM0NL5fqj8Y68JO_FVvoHX7hE0EA==&ch=8L0Wo2_EI7imRkfp6eifzxKPFkXkklrQOlEBup2UzRdiTFvmqMqi9w=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Report</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_20.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B50281C8-84D1-47DE-8D87-2010589E28C5/pastedGraphic_20.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Global Leaders Reassess Means of Achieving Adaptation Finance Goals in Marrakech</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">At the United Nations climate summit in Marrakech, Morocco, more than 50 heads of state discussed ways to raise funds to help the world's most vulnerable regions adapt to climate change impacts. Given the incoming Trump administration's rhetoric against international climate aid, there is concern that the effort may fall short of its goals. To date, the United States has paid only $500 million of the $3 billion it originally promised for the Green Climate Fund, or roughly three percent of the United Nations' Global Environment Facility's (GEF) total climate funding. The GEF's chief executive, Naoko Ishii, said "I'm actually not much concerned about Trump. The climate financing picture is really more diverse," referencing the mix of private sector interests supplementing government spending. UN Special Envoy on Climate Change Mary Robinson said, "In a way the $100 billion [pledge by developed nations] is almost a distraction in amount. We need much more than that. So the most effective thing is how we can ... encourage investment in developing countries [through public money]."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q39eASyrOcyVrVxS1heS44O8FxwBjspz0aiVHkO-Lf3jAcTokZ-a7Q6ooEZmjX2zFI4lZ47FtZi9PAOLol5TcemC6Fdw_rkM2TAXpFb321NkFSIptv8k3RjA6SZkOSfgv-W9vTMve6U8xIWrfp6gCKrQ3Kw0mgGVqmjb8n8aFpK0O0qGzcx581UJseDZKS4b2dNPrzQKBkCgRX9LjK6ld0VDqJM7PxMaAbbsZ9bVAa6tyVO639kXcqYAuaY_sA_D342Q9V4Qff45OtcuoeZuYdTCgEXHJgYTKlGPizKdyDI=&c=jGlap6xBjZiTB6ymXrMFPe1KWhdM0NL5fqj8Y68JO_FVvoHX7hE0EA==&ch=8L0Wo2_EI7imRkfp6eifzxKPFkXkklrQOlEBup2UzRdiTFvmqMqi9w==">Bloomberg<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_21.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B50281C8-84D1-47DE-8D87-2010589E28C5/pastedGraphic_21.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Proposal Would Screen for Conflicts of Interest, Ban Fossil Fuel Reps from Climate Talks</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On November 16, the United States agreed to officially receive a petition signed by more than 500,000 people to bar fossil fuel lobbyists from future United Nations climate negotiations. The petition, led by Corporate Accountability International, would ban any non-state participant from the summit meetings if they fail to pass a screening for conflicts of interest. The primary advocates for the measure are developing states, who represent a majority of the global population, but whose national GDP may be less than that of some fossil fuel conglomerates. Delegations from the European Union, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States have pushed back, arguing the climate talks should be open to everyone and no clear definition for "conflict of interest" has been determined. In a statement, Ecuador's delegation defended the proposal, declaring, "Too much is at stake to continue allowing the world's biggest polluters and their agents to undermine [the negotiation] process."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q39eASyrOcyVrVxS1heS44O8FxwBjspz0aiVHkO-Lf3jAcTokZ-a7Q6ooEZmjX2zIXOQNdnRvu4RtYiAmUxcFlCd3Ivc7rS_fRCsM6VdT97B8-9iOy1RTg5NqtrmZMo_BxhcGV5pDId8g6iNKrThW0s-afRVPhF4cO91AmBZKK3m4l8lDpP6JIPwz5sZH4yhKKGLRBMA8sCbfaxOeqftZKyuyFZ_Y5tx_JixS9BQ80-56jbtd4m9HnSNBduQvkkOMqDvNbae6UGoLnrPEaG5-R802JjhfwAKFBihW_fnnHzRRErTqghnX0KWd2NZPCbG_yG_eL9Hm9ZBwDioqI5SufgaaID7KAnuvGORIv7xIITugikL-6AeBBn02Qr0jnh2wtmLgUfhjUaD95Id4JluezRBOctqzCo27GMISxzP03OT-METUM6NRabzaJ5KHpV_6kv7camYcByWzk1VoPJWw6XICtGL2DPXI301r_q8A1NYe9hMx7TfrYexmjiY_gPq7gzrmUz5alQ2THf3YKGos32VTsxyyoUx&c=jGlap6xBjZiTB6ymXrMFPe1KWhdM0NL5fqj8Y68JO_FVvoHX7hE0EA==&ch=8L0Wo2_EI7imRkfp6eifzxKPFkXkklrQOlEBup2UzRdiTFvmqMqi9w==">Guardian<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>International Community Vows to Carry Out Paris Agreement, Despite American Political Upheaval</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">While President-elect Trump's campaign promises may hint at a reversal of the climate policies issued under the Obama administration, American negotiators expressed confidence in the strength of the institutional agreements that have been achieved. This sentiment was best expressed by Special Envoy for Climate Change Jonathan Pershing: "Heads of state can and will change, but I am confident that we can and we will sustain a durable international effort to tackle climate change." International colleagues have expressed their appreciation for the work of the U.S. staff over the course of the Marrakech climate summit, with the delegations from China, the European Union, Brazil, Mexico, and Canada reaffirming their commitment to implementing the Paris agreement regardless of the upheaval in the United States. U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz stated, "In the United States an enormous role is played by the states and regions in terms of implementing clean energy and climate polices and there's no suggestion that I know of that there is going to be a profound change in those state, regional and ... city initiatives."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q39eASyrOcyVrVxS1heS44O8FxwBjspz0aiVHkO-Lf3jAcTokZ-a7Q6ooEZmjX2zEFg_H_WHSlkZeheA2ioMiezQl9QnG8VvSn1xZhDTYeh_3Wqd-yVyUQ24Njy085Isw9qiDlZNI-CEX_PCOHA8Eqi-1zQfz-gQjKgnkXT4wbzcGl3OH8H40EEAugNQzqSp0Tg-oVKa6JHAXyJ7gr87wIZYLzZJS-7CZRonPg_eHJeH4dIjQE5edFSBYxuHtCcBaJZIX3TOjdHiwsqhJ6v17g==&c=jGlap6xBjZiTB6ymXrMFPe1KWhdM0NL5fqj8Y68JO_FVvoHX7hE0EA==&ch=8L0Wo2_EI7imRkfp6eifzxKPFkXkklrQOlEBup2UzRdiTFvmqMqi9w==">Climate Home<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>European Union Rejects Call for Carbon Tax on U.S. Imports, Advocates for Carbon Market Instead</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The European Union (EU) Commission and Germany have dismissed calls by former French President Nicolas Sarkozy to implement an import tax on the United States if the incoming administration chooses to back out of the Paris agreement. Sarkozy, who is running in France's 2017 presidential election, proposed a 1-3 percent tax rate. The EU's pushback signals its commitment to an emission trading market to regulate carbon emissions in lieu of a carbon tax. The market issues carbon allowances to companies with the total carbon allowance decreasing each year to spur investment in and adoption of renewable energy technologies. Regulators have cited a need for market reform as emission prices in the market have been slow to drive a transition toward a low-carbon economy. While there are reports that the Trump administration is exploring early exit options from the Paris Agreement, nations such as China, the EU, Canada, and Mexico have reaffirmed their emission reduction commitments.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Hundreds of American companies signed a letter asking President-elect Trump to honor the nation's obligations under the Paris climate agreement. The 365 companies and investors argued that by investing in sustainable practices, the incoming administration would help strengthen the economy and spur job creation. The letter was addressed to Trump, President Obama, the U.S. Congress, and delegates at the United Nations climate summit in Morocco. The letter calls for the "continuation of low carbon policies," "investment in the low carbon economy at home and abroad ... to boost the confidence of investors worldwide," and the "continued U.S. participation in the Paris agreement." The diverse list of signatories includes DuPont, Nike, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Intel, Starbucks, and Monsanto. While Trump's specific environmental regulation plans remain unclear, the companies involved pledged their own carbon emissions would continue to decrease. Renewable energy companies are also urgently appealing to Trump's business sensibilities by advertising the industry's employment potential.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q39eASyrOcyVrVxS1heS44O8FxwBjspz0aiVHkO-Lf3jAcTokZ-a7Q6ooEZmjX2zTnPNM4wFM865MivwAFzuQZAHymqj9r8SiDzJzN71dWk3wtAswrA2o__yR_Mjy4Ey-FBhV_cjayN1GM-lybNSel5_CSbNM-AfbfMDZGzUObM8rc4lmgQWb7CvgK70ATCANxkqT1dVNMLilDnrnqEEoqywRhosLnlCKV5dABERcdqMSIMLKKEHmRX2z_26EvK-_tj999CPknpMpyv4ezpgmOIcC4FE71QWCN-0uj4mUnQyJvAeQOhzoRx3ici9QYFv&c=jGlap6xBjZiTB6ymXrMFPe1KWhdM0NL5fqj8Y68JO_FVvoHX7hE0EA==&ch=8L0Wo2_EI7imRkfp6eifzxKPFkXkklrQOlEBup2UzRdiTFvmqMqi9w==">NY Times</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q39eASyrOcyVrVxS1heS44O8FxwBjspz0aiVHkO-Lf3jAcTokZ-a7eKc_iDsbg2-VR4wkfX7DOuVBb9EYbGVsJAE6pKjqLPnhDKNCWfcOYx-cvbWoNYU2pI7rs5vSyNmXxCCSAEeQLeqO2HiQJVemM0u9jveCMpNFyB2Q4iiVOo=&c=jGlap6xBjZiTB6ymXrMFPe1KWhdM0NL5fqj8Y68JO_FVvoHX7hE0EA==&ch=8L0Wo2_EI7imRkfp6eifzxKPFkXkklrQOlEBup2UzRdiTFvmqMqi9w=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Letter</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_23.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B50281C8-84D1-47DE-8D87-2010589E28C5/pastedGraphic_23.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Faith-Based Environmental Groups Strive to Engage Congress and Voters on Climate and Conservation</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For faith-based environmental activists, the results of the U.S. presidential election presents a new set of obstacles. Donald Trump's climate skepticism and hostility toward environmental protections conflicts sharply with the faith-based community's belief to act as responsible stewards of the planet and nature. Many fear that the environmental progress achieved under the Obama administration may be lost, but activists such as Shantha Ready Alonso, executive director of Creation Justice Ministries, have remained optimistic: "We operate on faith not fear. And we are not going to assume that views can't change." As evangelical Christians voted for Trump in overwhelming numbers, activists hope to find grounds for engagement with these groups on climate change and the environment. Reverend Mitchell Hescox, president of the Evangelical Environmental Network, believes faith-based environmental groups can work with Congress by redefining issues through a conservative lens. Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb of the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life said, "We will hold the feet of those [elected] officials, irrespective of party, to the fire when it comes to defending creation."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001q39eASyrOcyVrVxS1heS44O8FxwBjspz0aiVHkO-Lf3jAcTokZ-a7Q6ooEZmjX2zg6x3OGTN5GwC5Yio-RwXiD7LFl9CoPjofrH0_oAP7-16WjaNEgmEpe4PLhw8oAVY7ZyZp26aLZgkp5fdovbPe_0AKBSUWmkhPPit9AfSj9sHXlfr_huRrvP1ZSI9N_nILHSTNbBhh2gMdIcIdDyGFL7BjSiPEOgI1WMXWly8OaVVzN6AcHuVBe6_i3ON2gWnRfjc0Ia7B-A=&c=jGlap6xBjZiTB6ymXrMFPe1KWhdM0NL5fqj8Y68JO_FVvoHX7hE0EA==&ch=8L0Wo2_EI7imRkfp6eifzxKPFkXkklrQOlEBup2UzRdiTFvmqMqi9w==">Religion News Service<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">If you want to stop receiving it, just send a message to climate_change_news-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. If you come across some really interesting information, please send it along and I may include it in the next issue. Recent issues are available at: <a href="http://tolmanccnews.blogspot.com/"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">http://tolmanccnews.blogspot.com</span></a></span></div>
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Thanks,<br />
Chad A. Tolman</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">ctolman141@gmail.com<br />
New Castle County Congregations of Delaware Interfaith Power and Light</span></div>
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Chad Tolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198303455148896174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441974095206886318.post-32340332200055341632016-10-28T06:56:00.000-07:002016-10-28T06:56:14.927-07:00CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS FOR OCT. 2016<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>CC NEWS FOR OCT. 2016</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px;">On Sept. 2 Ed Stein posted a cartoon and article at<b> <i>EdSteininkcom</i> </b>titled, <a href="https://edsteinink.com/the-one-weird-place-climate-change-just-isnt-happening-5efc22b0d7ce%23.t2jahgcst"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">The One Weird Place Climate Change Just Isn’t Happening</span></a>. He writes, </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“Climate change appears to be happening faster than scientists predicted. Storms are more violent and more devastating. Coastal areas in Louisiana, Florida and Virginia are flooding regularly as polar ice melts and the seas rise. Diseases formerly confined to the tropics are spreading northward as the Earth warms. Evergreen forests in Colorado are decimated by pests that no longer die off during the warmer winters. Tropical birds in Hawaii are disappearing as the temperature rises. And the list goes on and on.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Yet there is one area where global warming seems not to be taking place, and scientists are unable to explain why. The brains of Republicans in Congress seem to be almost entirely resistant to the forces that are changing the climate everywhere else on Earth.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“There are a number of theories being floated to explain the phenomenon. One idea is the effect of campaign contributions from industries that would be hurt by policies needed to address climate change. The theory is that wads of money tend to insulate the brain from invasive thoughts. Another hypothesis is that gerrymandered districts have led to the election of people whose brains are more rigid and less able to process new information. Or possibly the threat of losing a primary election to an extreme climate denier changes something in the brain of an otherwise rational person.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.ourchildrenstrust.org/">Our Children’s Trust</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> is an organization suing the federal government on behalf of 21 young plaintiffs, claiming that they have a constitutional right to a stable climate suitable for life for future generations. <a href="http://livepage.apple.com/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Dr. James Hansen</span></a> (Columbia University) has supported the effort. There is a <a href="http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/kids-v-us-government?source=c.em&r_by=14657487"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">petition</span></a> you may sign, as I have, co-sponsored by Our Children’s Trust and MoveOn.org. the following is given as background:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This petition backs the 21 kids from across the U.S., ages 8-19, who have taken the U.S. government to federal court, demanding science-based action on climate change. Every person, regardless of age, race, gender or religion has the right to a clean environment and a safe future - and the U.S. government's continued acts that prevent meaningful climate recovery undermine that right. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">When these kids spoke up, Big Oil companies like ExxonMobil, Shell, BP and Koch Industries got scared and through their trade associations joined the U.S. government in trying to stop the lawsuit. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Our children know that we can’t wait to achieve a binding climate justice deal. We stand with them in demanding that the U.S. government stop the continued permitting and subsidy of the fossil fuel industry and adopt a national science-based Climate Recovery Plan to bring atmospheric CO2 concentrations below 350 ppm by the year 2100.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">You can also watch a 9-minute video of a press conference by </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0px;">Julia Olson of Our Children’s Trust following a hearing of the case in federal court in Eugene, Oregon on Sept. 13. You can also</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> <a href="http://static1.squarespace.com/static/571d109b04426270152febe0/t/57e4b56fe58c624b613c92da/1474606448428/09-13-2016+Aiken+civil+Juliana.pdf"><span style="color: #0e23a3; letter-spacing: 0px;">l</span><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">ink to the full transcript</span></a> of the hearing. The argument for the plaintiffs begins on page 39. An amicus brief filed by the League of Women Voters in support of the plaintiffs is mentioned on page 59.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4d4d4d; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE</b>: </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">If the President and the Congress are unable or unwilling to guarantee the constitutional right to life, liberty and the protection of property, then it will be up to the courts. Donald Trump has promised that if he is elected President, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-energy-idUSKCN0YH2D9"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">he will undo all the progress President Obama has made in addressing climate change</span></a></span><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On Sept. 19 <b><i>North American WindPower</i></b> posted an article by Betsy Lillian titled, <a href="http://nawindpower.com/los-angeles-takes-enormous-step-toward-100-percent-renewables"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Los Angeles Takes Enormous Step Toward 100 Percent Renewables</span></a>. She wrote that the City Council unanimously adopted a measure instructing the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to chart a path toward 100% clean energy in the city - making it the largest city in the country to do so. Seventeen American cities have committed to achieving 100% clean energy so far, including Salt Lake City, San Diego and San Francisco. Cities in other countries with 100% clean energy targets include Paris, Sydney and Vancouver.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px;">On Sept. 22 <b><i>USA Today</i> </b>posted an article by Doyle Rice titled, <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2016/09/22/greenlands-ice-melting-faster-than-we-thought-study-finds/90841276/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Greenland’s ice melting faster than we thought, study finds</span></a>. He wrote, </span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Greenland's ice sheet is losing 40 trillion additional tons of ice each year, melting about 7% faster than previously thought, according to a new study.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The new calculated loss is equivalent to more than 50,000 Empire State Buildings, the Associated Press reported. Overall, the sheet is losing about 590 trillion tons of ice each year.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Melting ice from Greenland and Antarctica contributes to sea-level rise, which threatens low-lying countries and cities around the world. Greenland's ice sheet is the world's second-largest behind Antarctica. Warmer air and sea temperatures caused by man-made climate change is one of the main reasons the ice is melting.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">According to the National Snow and Ice data Center, loss of all the Greenland ice would raise global sea level about 20 feet.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE: </b>One of the mechanisms contributing to Greenland ice loss not mentioned in the article is the increased rates of ice sliding downhill and calving, the breaking and falling off into the sea of large chunks of ice from the faces of the outlet glaciers - those that empty directly into the sea. (To see what’s been happening see the video of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC3VTgIPoGU"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">the largest calving event ever photographed</span></a>, from the National Geographic Documentary, Chasing Ice.) As soon as the ice falls into the sea, it displaces its own weight of sea water. It can then melt at its leisure without further affecting sea level. While global average sea levels rose only about 8 inches during the last century, they are projected to rise by as much as 2 m (nearly 80 inches) or more during the coming one - mostly as a result of loss of ice now on Greenland and Antarctica. Jim Hansen (Columbia University) has warned of possible multi-meter sea level rise during the next century. A lot depends on how rapidly and how thoroughly humanity reduces the emissions of greenhouse gases - especially carbon dioxide.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley from Oregon recently gave a 34-minute speech describing a plan to get the United States to 100% clean and renewable energy by 2050. The title of the video is <a href="https://www.merkley.senate.gov/news/video/100-clean-and-renewable-energy-the-challenge-of-our-generation"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">100% Clean and Renewable Energy: The Challenge of Our Generation</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px;">On Sept. 26 the <b><i>NY TImes</i></b> posted an article by Hiroko Tabuchi and Clifford Krauss titled, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/27/business/energy-environment/a-new-debate-over-pricing-the-risks-of-climate-change.html?_r=1"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">A New Debate Over Pricing the Risks of Climate Change</span></a>. They wrote, </span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Some companies, including Exxon Mobil, say the economics of climate change are too hard to predict for them to give investors hard numbers about the business impact of global warming. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Federal regulators may disagree and are considering requiring Exxon to do just that for the value of its oil reserves.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Now a long-shot legislative effort by a Florida congressman to prevent such a move by the federal government has become an unexpected flash point in the battle over disclosing climate-related risks — with potentially hundreds of billions of dollars in the balance.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The congressional measure, an <a href="https://www.congress.gov/amendment/114th-congress/house-amendment/1261"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">amendment to an appropriations bill</span></a></span><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">,</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> originally introduced in July by Representative Bill Posey, a Florida Republican, has been picked up in the Senate version of the legislation. Because the bill is tied up in a partisan debate over spending, there is no certainty the amendment will pass.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">But at a time when many Republicans dispute the very notion of climate change, the Posey measure has focused the debate over whether it is reasonable — or even possible — to expect companies to put a price tag on the environmental impact of climate change.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Donald J. Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, has called climate change “a hoax” and promises to slash environmental regulations to bolster economic growth.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The issue is not limited to Exxon and oil companies. The Posey amendment would allow real estate companies to stay mum on the risks posed to waterfront properties by rising seas, for example, and let food companies leave the impact of future water shortages unaddressed.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And scientists estimate that as much as three-quarters of the world’s coal, oil and gas reserves must remain in the ground if the world has a shot at keeping carbon emissions under levels set by the Paris climate accord — unless there is a technological breakthrough in capturing carbon and keeping it out of the atmosphere.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On Sept. 29 Elizabeth Kolbert posted an article in the <b><i>New Yorker</i></b> titled, <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/donald-trump-and-the-climate-change-countdown"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Donald Trump and the Climate Change Countdown</span></a>. She pointed out that the Clean Power Plan - meant to reduce carbon emissions from the nation’s electricity generating sector by about 30% (relative to 2005) - is President Obama’s most important effort to reduce U.S. carbon emissions in order to meet it’s commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement. If the U.S. doesn’t live up to its pledge, It’s unlikely that other countries will. William Ruckelshaus and William K. Reilly - Republicans who both served as heads of EPA- in a Sept. 26 <b><i>NY Times</i></b> Op-Ed, titled, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/26/opinion/why-obama-is-right-on-clean-energy.html?_r=0"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Why Obama Is Right on Clean Energy</span></a>, wrote, </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;">“The debate about whether the climate is changing is over. The consequences will be drastic if the United States and other countries do nothing.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“The actions this country is taking to reduce greenhouse gases exemplify American exceptionalism. Our leadership is indispensable to international progress. Failure to accept and assert that responsibility guarantees that future generations of Americans will face a world markedly different from today’s and bear a cost far in excess of addressing the challenge now.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Twenty seven states, led by West Virginia and supported by a group of oil and coal companies, have sued the EPA to prevent the plan from going into effect. Oral arguments against it were recently heard in the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. If it goes to the Supreme Court, the result may well depend on who is chosen to replace Justice Scalia, who recently passed away. Hillary Clinton has said she will support the Clean Power Plan, while Donald Trump has said he will rescind it. Kolbert wrote, </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;">“This could be seen as yet another reason to be terrified of a Trump victory. Or it could be seen as <b><i>the</i></b> reason to be terrified of a Trump victory.”</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> <b><i> (my bolding added to her italics)</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Alister Doyle and Roberta Rampton posted on article on Oct. 5 on <b><i>Reuters</i></b> titled, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-climatechange-paris-idUSKCN12523G"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Paris climate accord to take effect; Obama hails 'historic day'.</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">They reported that the European Union agreed to support the Paris Climate Accord, pushing the total carbon emissions of the supporting nations over the 55% threshold required to have the agreement go into effect. There are now 72 countries out of 195 that have ratified the agreement. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;">“</span><span style="color: #101010; font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;">The deal will formally start in 30 days on Nov. 4, four days before the U.S. presidential election in which Republican Donald Trump opposes the accord and Democrat Hillary Clinton strongly supports it.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4d4d4d; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> “</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Obama called Wednesday "a historic day in the fight to protect our planet for future generations" and he told reporters on the White House Rose Garden: "If we follow through on the commitments that this Paris agreement embodies, history may well judge it as a turning point for our planet."”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #101010; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The <b><i>Sacramento Bee</i></b> posted an article on Oct. 5 by Brad Branan titled, <a href="http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article104776131.html"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Disappearing Yosemite glacier becomes symbol of climate change.</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> It is accompanied by a 3.3-minute video clip showing what is left of the Lyell Glacier,, which has lost 78% of its area and no longer has enough ice to flow. The article says, </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;">“</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;">In a speech about climate change at Yosemite this summer, President Barack Obama highlighted Lyell Glacier as a warning for the future.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“Climate change is no longer just a threat; it’s a reality,” he said. “Yosemite’s largest glacier, once a mile wide, is almost gone.””</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On Oct. 12 the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) posted an article in <b><i>Today in Energy</i></b> titled,</span><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> <a href="http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=28312"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Energy-related CO2 emissions for first six months of 2016 are lowest since 1991.</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The article reported that U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions reached an historical high near 6 billion metric tons/yr during the period 2005-2009. Based on the results for the first half of 2016, the EIA projected that the total this year will be only 5.175 million metric tonnes - their lowest level since 1992. The 14% drop is attributed primarily to switching from coal to natural gas for a lot of electricity generation, and to a lesser extent, the replacement of fossil fuels by renewable energy sources - especially wind. Solar power is growing rapidly on a percent per year basis, but its contribution is still small relative to wind’s.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On Oct. 20 <b><i>PBS</i></b> published a 9.4-minute video featuring Paul Salmon on YouTube titled, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShsZ3E2K8-Q"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Paying for carbon pollution? Why some environmentalists don’t support this state tax</span></a>.</span><span style="font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It’s interesting to watch. Audubon supports I 732 but the Sierra Club opposes it. </span><span style="font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Initiative 732 - <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Washington_Carbon_Emission_Tax_and_Sales_Tax_Reduction,_Initiative_732_(2016)"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">the Washington Carbon Tax and Sales Tax Reduction Act</span></a> - is on the ballot in Washington state in November. To quote from the above BallotPedia article, </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4d4d4d; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Initiative 732 would establish a tax on <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Carbon_dioxide"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">carbon emissions</span></a> at $15 per metric ton of emissions in July 2017, $25 in July 2018, and then 3.5 percent plus inflation each year until the tax reaches $100 per metric ton. The tax would be phased in more slowly for farmers and nonprofit transportation providers.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The designers of Initiative 732 sought to neither increase nor decrease state revenues. Rather, the general goal behind the tax is to encourage families and firms to reduce fossil fuel consumption and <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Greenhouse_gas"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">greenhouse gas emissions</span></a>. To meet this goal of remaining "revenue neutral," Initiative 732 would lower the state sales tax from 6.5 to 5.5 percent, increase the Working Families Tax Credit for low-income families, and reduce the business and occupation tax rate from 0.484 to 0.001 percent.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">If the Washington carbon tax passes, it would be the first such tax designed to reduce CO2 emissions in the U.S. It is modeled on a carbon tax just to the north of Washington in British Columbia. That tax is also used to offset other taxes. It started at $10 (Canadian) per metric tonneof CO2 in July 2008 and increased by $5 per year until it reached $30/tonne in July 2012, where it remains. To leanr more see <a href="http://www.carbontax.org/blog/2015/12/17/british-columbias-carbon-tax-by-the-numbers/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">British Columbia’s Carbon Tax: By the Numbers</span></a>.</span></div>
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The following items are from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), Carol Werner, Executive Director. Past issues of its newsletter are posted on its website under "publications"<br />
at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102515421764&e=001VqmyLSnT7fkl-_mocGBcn8yb2ys8eiE4dr3Tnveazy1K0B1fU1CponAdxiy_W78b49PK6NHsR0pHlqO7KOWi-3m5yW4bNEJiyJt1G95YoNt46CLY1L4uGjNKLSPL84kX2r7jAaxw1oVR18YElOXvV8_lo1bRsASi9tPNMTm7-ZU="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">http://www.eesi.org/publications/Newsletters/CCNews/ccnews.htm</span></a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">EESI’s newsletter is intended for all interested parties, particularly the policymaker community. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On September 21, President Obama signed a presidential memorandum requiring climate change be considered in the future development of national security policies and plans. The memo orders 20 federal agencies and offices to share information and collaborate on addressing issues overlapping climate and security. The memo will create a Federal Climate and National Security Working Group to be staffed by National Security Council and Office of Science and Technology Policy staff. The working group's task is to identify climate security priorities and propose steps to enhance science and intelligence sharing to better inform policies. An action plan outlining these actions will be published by the group within 90 days. Individual agencies will be responsible for developing their own implementation plans to identify climate-related threats, economic implications, and international outcomes relevant to their missions. The National Intelligence Council also released a report detailing the risks climate poses to national security operations and facilities over the next two decades, including country destabilization, food access, human health, economic disruptions, and extreme weather events.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Gd0mCNXJQj4xT-bKtNBFTHarp3ne3x2GBYslXsTvCXPxwelVOF9ERYqBMZcW93vWLX8Sg4N6dkeXxNkcYXeOcrLZP_g5hzay_iDgsd9U-mBqrrsIiUekqtkGl4HpzMQLYatpBuDz9vY0EYYHMcR9aNPi3JGIOvDCDI4EYhOIIoWf8Q2Deapl5Fw4k2PIV9_pBZOqC9N6Rd7veQDEfo9oC4qnO7yqEXAVETOm0D6_n-Hsg_nK_AlmyNNJaYDPvOo_iX8-Z_0c2giKYIs1W5hLo6bWucWHXx-Rbb-tNuEI8b-3mcnjKzgpSpyNEbbvtrBB&c=d7GfWUK4YZjlNTyR1_dtWFN5EOjEfNgTTzeaPArv4EzuqlsJKtCsTw==&ch=4CEV6wddLcaGxqzrS7DF08EGJk_ysDYEoBOWaeSjNQQ79WO3ZdVgGA==">White House Fact Sheet</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Gd0mCNXJQj4xT-bKtNBFTHarp3ne3x2GBYslXsTvCXPxwelVOF9ERYqBMZcW93vWM5Ai6ls_uGLcE20nia9qgCLU0SRN7gHA3j8CLz_1spWApBWnsjYixElbMz3sp4jzrzv80SNkBH3eX1x64-Wl7YZ0m30902oQw9uMb79n-Yhm_7Ufx7jDiyJ8qUmxqSIRbuFwGx2OX5NQpvH3BqVKDv5yj44D_vNAG2fxjpwg8xBbhfSaHl1lOsvWBj7Zm1wSlbuIDwzYFl6b4n20Uc3jFqlHtkIwAHVO_J95mDY700qRh_JzQ1tJgUZkqfiBlXuRpQoPipXAG6VgYIMz2bfna-57XWTy39ZTHiO4lIp5979t3ltsdT4gFw==&c=d7GfWUK4YZjlNTyR1_dtWFN5EOjEfNgTTzeaPArv4EzuqlsJKtCsTw==&ch=4CEV6wddLcaGxqzrS7DF08EGJk_ysDYEoBOWaeSjNQQ79WO3ZdVgGA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">NIC Report</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>California Governor Signs Stricter Standards on Black Carbon, Methane, HFCs</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On September 19, a pivotal law applying new standards to black carbon, methane, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and tropospheric ozone was signed by California Governor Jerry Brown. The standards require a 50 percent reduction in black carbon and a 40 percent reduction in methane and HFCs by 2030 versus 2013 levels. These "super pollutants" exacerbate the effects of global warming at a much higher rate than carbon dioxide (CO2). Since the 1960s, California has been able to cut black carbon emissions by more than 90 percent through the regulation of car and truck emissions, as well as a ban on new open-hearth woodstoves. The new law will ramp up efforts to reduce pollution from the state's large freight industry. A compromise with the dairy industry did not cap livestock methane, but advised controls be implemented "when economically viable." According to Gov. Brown, the emissions reduction law is the strictest in the nation targeting black carbon and methane.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Gd0mCNXJQj4xT-bKtNBFTHarp3ne3x2GBYslXsTvCXPxwelVOF9ERYqBMZcW93vWpmdE5XuSIwF8Wk0rX6VQFNTOP6Sss7j_K9bW4j5Nljby5CuT455Qv683M8AZn24G3DdL9RCCZ1NCKVgx7hAEdGcdyxRV_vUAGMDfZYHv9FTADy6bUPbrb5naeRXwK8yLuJvf1upGI0AhgxMXEEWwJlxhrT9p85_sthr2kIeJYLiPXWZiWXX5Fc0L0_1uJUNWpSbsrtERgG4=&c=d7GfWUK4YZjlNTyR1_dtWFN5EOjEfNgTTzeaPArv4EzuqlsJKtCsTw==&ch=4CEV6wddLcaGxqzrS7DF08EGJk_ysDYEoBOWaeSjNQQ79WO3ZdVgGA==">SF Gate<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Paris Climate Deal Surpasses 55-Country Ratification Threshold</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On September 21, 31 additional countries ratified the Paris climate accord, surpassing a major threshold necessary for the agreement's entry into force. In order for the agreement to take effect, at least 55 countries accounting for 55 percent of global emissions must ratify it. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was "convinced that the Paris Agreement will enter into force before the end of 2016." The Paris agreement has progressed at an unprecedented rate for a modern international treaty and has a chance to enter into force before the start of the next climate conference (COP-22) to be held this November in Morocco. Swift action has been motivated by the urgency to act on climate change and uncertainty about the outcome of the U.S. presidential election. Among the countries officially joining the agreement were Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and the United Arab Emirates.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Gd0mCNXJQj4xT-bKtNBFTHarp3ne3x2GBYslXsTvCXPxwelVOF9ERYqBMZcW93vWvOrWACeaJK2okNRuaOITJIMpH16hD1mRXVI5iDy42Nd7vKJnP5sLEdygndsRjCMT4T9gCttVfApJ67jL3KapY5A89nfeLIetPol3Ii_FlJgZlHOEqg7Vxa328ABsMGsTTZwh7zc5LqWdT6eezlX2urq83lj7-UuCaWtgk7DG4280zIIV6Y3YGg==&c=d7GfWUK4YZjlNTyR1_dtWFN5EOjEfNgTTzeaPArv4EzuqlsJKtCsTw==&ch=4CEV6wddLcaGxqzrS7DF08EGJk_ysDYEoBOWaeSjNQQ79WO3ZdVgGA==">CBC News</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Gd0mCNXJQj4xT-bKtNBFTHarp3ne3x2GBYslXsTvCXPxwelVOF9ERYqBMZcW93vWRKpNIddkAobY3Z5zFx2nWdOFhNyAazuC92vJejuXVWsqPMw3PBw80pa3mLnmhfqFtRvRGzGTySDJtAAxUptzT8DsyAm3mDrUxcSneYhf30uUAYA-xkbw7GeOsSbf-IXdq-STPC78mEZZjB4CwFVb8__S2rBSnTW_zxzOP3xeZBOKA0R17froWjAD44FMaOMlyRpPb9KiHlZHeBTIGxZTsIg5Hb1VbRvAoo20Sf-pZmQDxXn8p1hijYh5u0zPsuRT&c=d7GfWUK4YZjlNTyR1_dtWFN5EOjEfNgTTzeaPArv4EzuqlsJKtCsTw==&ch=4CEV6wddLcaGxqzrS7DF08EGJk_ysDYEoBOWaeSjNQQ79WO3ZdVgGA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">New York Times</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>United States and China Peer Review Fossil Fuel Subsidies, Identify Inefficiencies</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">As part of a continuing effort to reduce global carbon emissions, the United States and China are participating in a transparent peer review assessment of their domestic fossil fuel subsidies. According to Peter Wooders, director of the energy program at the International Institute for Sustainable Development, "This gesture of openness signals a genuine desire to remove subsidies that are both environmentally and economically harmful." <b><i>Of the $8.2 billion in fossil fuel subsidies issued by the United States, $4.8 billion were deemed inefficient (emphasis added) </i></b>(a major exception was the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP). <b><i>The Obama administration has presented eleven proposals to Congress since 2010 to end fossil fuel subsidies, but all have died in the House.</i></b> An international review panel determined that American citizens needed to be better informed and motivated to exert pressure on Congress in order for subsidy reform to occur. Chinese officials have yet to lay out a timeline for altering their current subsidy policies, but encouraged other nations to also submit their subsidy practices for review.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Gd0mCNXJQj4xT-bKtNBFTHarp3ne3x2GBYslXsTvCXPxwelVOF9ERYqBMZcW93vWlKvjtUNMc8W2lsbYeqVilecw8eAg3qjrrH63pCgaZJs3LjQOIlITIz0BJCsKoPOQwUufie-EbGFyWse27kJogwRw2KD7sS7eb-pPt2sIFEh3y3l2YPgs3aBv3nTyIRJYmRij0kr5E8r6NH4KZyeDyH5urwNMFoTxOwIidCDM6Pz7FXD03Gsu0HsS9ILS7rHwSNk4HjrRazgxsrQLA0cZUqrujnpbxXVJ&c=d7GfWUK4YZjlNTyR1_dtWFN5EOjEfNgTTzeaPArv4EzuqlsJKtCsTw==&ch=4CEV6wddLcaGxqzrS7DF08EGJk_ysDYEoBOWaeSjNQQ79WO3ZdVgGA==">Climate Home </a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE:</b> Subsidizing fossil fuels is stupid and counterproductive, when that money could be used to hasten the transtiion to a. more efficient and renewable energy future. It’s self-destructive - like shooting yourself in the foot.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The Canadian government announced plans to adopt a new national carbon price by October 2016. Environment Minister Catherine McKenna discussed the upcoming regulation during a CTV interview on September 18. According to McKenna, Canada's 10 provinces would be allowed to pursue emission reductions on their own terms, but must ultimately comply with the national standard. The four largest provinces of Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta have already established either a carbon tax or cap and trade system. Provincial authorities have requested autonomy over crafting their own carbon reduction policies. Under the proposed regime, provinces that fail to implement their own regulatory schemes would be subject to a carbon price determined by the federal government.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Gd0mCNXJQj4xT-bKtNBFTHarp3ne3x2GBYslXsTvCXPxwelVOF9ERYqBMZcW93vWp1YqYDb-Vck0no0NUrW9Psafh3WjLWH91hJRac6Hs0a7r-PJyhDziK2eNWps-OPvz15xf8-L6g77Y4qft9Gaxr82u4UcSiVPiwgdB21Y77OFfRvWuOHGV71int3UEGqJ_Ii9rgHo3gCBoCgjvp82YmQTSo2qQbkOpL7AoO5VeGFp7AlTuCkyBY5-QGX09jeHJmNqFGgAj-h0HYNvlTbbIC13Htpo5BM-a5slyTXIpzYTQ3vzplkv0qNxl-p_VuRg2uG_sCjEIQcwIFkNlFtLlbBqr_CRNZGN6sHW29Py9LRQlNXlEDWlI5RPmn_Xv6ICH3rMAUrozJPDGRkmbRdozTYa3BwuNQXdvT4DTSAsYiM=&c=d7GfWUK4YZjlNTyR1_dtWFN5EOjEfNgTTzeaPArv4EzuqlsJKtCsTw==&ch=4CEV6wddLcaGxqzrS7DF08EGJk_ysDYEoBOWaeSjNQQ79WO3ZdVgGA==">Reuters<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_1.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://959EB43C-7AA7-43D1-8A6F-0F01E73548A5/pastedGraphic_1.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>SEC Investigating Exxon's Calculation of Climate Risk in Asset Valuation </b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">An investigation by the SEC into the asset evaluation formula employed by Exxon Mobil to value petroleum reserves and projects may have a significant impact on energy firms moving forward. Exxon is under investigation for how the firm calculates the effect global climate change regulation will have on the business operations of the firm. For instance, the price of carbon is used by Exxon to calculate how their profits would be affected by the implementation of a cap and trade program. These calculations have implications for the overall value of an energy firm, since they can dictate whether it would be profitable to pursue future activities, such as oil exploration and drilling, within the global regulatory and economic landscape. The investigation has come on the heels of mounting pressure from members of Congress and advocacy organizations demanding increased efforts by the SEC to accurately assess risks associated with climate change.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Gd0mCNXJQj4xT-bKtNBFTHarp3ne3x2GBYslXsTvCXPxwelVOF9ERYqBMZcW93vW5vWxYhoPD94fZtFAqASeKRqpZN70j9hdseedJSlYCkrvW8GN_4qSRkKHqPuX7rPOtsfMUhBgT3XgJR3-Bsx28bN1h-g8v3KLUfwf5J0RLxByct2u9msl8QvSqbEAuGLtQz5uIQFmGg4SgNXVbaYcrQfR5C2I1s9Fz2D6EZTedBwiED9g79Fg6XYnVzvoIY6Npqf_m47fZT1DfHbuKdJ6HXIWl1Lv_J5AzFJDEes21jGPFiU6SIY7FA==&c=d7GfWUK4YZjlNTyR1_dtWFN5EOjEfNgTTzeaPArv4EzuqlsJKtCsTw==&ch=4CEV6wddLcaGxqzrS7DF08EGJk_ysDYEoBOWaeSjNQQ79WO3ZdVgGA==">Wall Street Journal<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Federal Appeals Court Hears Key Oral Arguments for Clean Power Plan</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Oral arguments in the D.C. circuit court over the legality of the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan (CPP) were held on September 27. The hearing for <i>West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency</i> is the latest development for the CPP since the Supreme Court issued a stay on the plan in February 2016. The CPP mandates a 32 percent reduction in carbon emissions from the electricity generation sector by 2030 and is a critical tool in the United States' efforts to meet its obligations under the Paris climate agreement. Opponents of the CPP argued the rule is too "transformative" for the utility industry and that EPA lacks clear authority from Congress for implementation. Supporters cited the Supreme Court ruling that first declared carbon dioxide a pollutant, as well as precedent for the EPA's regulatory authority under the Clean Air Act. The 10-judge panel appeared to split largely along party lines, per the president who appointed them, but a healthy degree of skepticism was directed towards both sides of the argument.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001be6OJ1OC7QF7Kh07K2c_N11saOnGdcvejp3Xyo4R8zOJPSVeoJR46WkgXGcDWdp3l71qd3Yp_L6-tkPIJQ2ZiMA1VXx5GVkcsP5FRZSPDvW5-an70OO_qiNwEUwStZy5BnYGSWdO3fajRQoySxgkp4pxDzFI1fISQKIF-kXwTD3J1NyaM440Nk3feUOzGlYfcePTSgZoyenQHA4qloOYD-PpfADtAFAwocZF05D9Qj2Wr896EcS9eCpNDwSkOujAjkD9jT3i-DdDZ8hDMxzgwt_ur14SxGxn1nyS8wT2yiGp3NanPXdrnBZrg8AHeG5U4NWIEOQ23rBuf3Wx24MXZIuVm67TgOTO&c=hG4b-JaP2-DfIa2WLZNuJNXbHFXurJ-PHOuy_WjbWbno8uy5v2bFHg==&ch=EtYMyZStTr_oy3z6xi4yNrVMh20LX7wI--ltuz4I6UA_3w52VVO5PQ==">The Hill</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001be6OJ1OC7QF7Kh07K2c_N11saOnGdcvejp3Xyo4R8zOJPSVeoJR46WkgXGcDWdp36omMkkW1EN53TSqFbgoASV6gI1niz45HrD2aouyaKulDLaF36uBfg5KHWYTUCGw6NwSJo7FI418-gJ5YsP_e7D73yaVGGrFUrnMMutOzDTzb24qFn2wHwx6Q07NCrQIMEq9ZYOupwfS_aRsnlw0fNHwV-_o06NCLzuFlCOXYaMfSB45bUT9DvHqbizfAdpgrzJ2k5olFNQVPKrqFcojfjqNnd2HFDru2XX6BgXwr93urslCXoKuVv94qb6F3JPWSn9rYHc97Qfta-5gDFZx-j3IqQ5dihnTcivUjbwtDLOKiTp4Og_IrAQ==&c=hG4b-JaP2-DfIa2WLZNuJNXbHFXurJ-PHOuy_WjbWbno8uy5v2bFHg==&ch=EtYMyZStTr_oy3z6xi4yNrVMh20LX7wI--ltuz4I6UA_3w52VVO5PQ=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Washington Post</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001be6OJ1OC7QF7Kh07K2c_N11saOnGdcvejp3Xyo4R8zOJPSVeoJR46WkgXGcDWdp3jxnhZeceFhGGxKBKsQxbRZpv39m3HaIbivo8LWjDvbdMmApJp4YkrRggAUm1yjCpROsk7pozCfDg7Sy5rIG_BHfKVvZrlR6b2WvqoCyeVmQNuuGbxIXTsQkp2s6yXuarPaTa1Bt8Ghel20MhDacbMb1-OEdL1jX_Q8TUpFquYFsxnWrEEe9M8zoy3TLFlEo8SP1if-HyvDfmBBhpgy0Z4-LTpCfGeLsDfAH3lyuPUgw=&c=hG4b-JaP2-DfIa2WLZNuJNXbHFXurJ-PHOuy_WjbWbno8uy5v2bFHg==&ch=EtYMyZStTr_oy3z6xi4yNrVMh20LX7wI--ltuz4I6UA_3w52VVO5PQ=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Bloomberg</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_2.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://959EB43C-7AA7-43D1-8A6F-0F01E73548A5/pastedGraphic_2.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Prime Minister Modi Declares India Will Ratify Paris Treaty on October 2, 2016</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On September 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged that India will ratify the Paris climate agreement on October 2. The symbolic date coincides with the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. India accounts for about 4.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and is vulnerable to many impacts of climate change, such as coastal flooding. Modi said, "The world is now talking about how to stop global warming; to prevent the temperature of the earth to rise by another two degrees ... and we know what it could mean for coastal cities and countries. We need to play a part." For the Paris agreement to enter into force, at least 55 countries must ratify the treaty and at least 55 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions must be accounted for among the signatories. The impending ratification by India would push the treaty's captured emissions to around 52 percent.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001be6OJ1OC7QF7Kh07K2c_N11saOnGdcvejp3Xyo4R8zOJPSVeoJR46WkgXGcDWdp3y_JysCs8H1a6R76jjM3B5jzjTIV4lppJZDFcl13Z3jg71WEGtmVt5iugEjkQk02aXTk5qW7QuVDMg5OjlY4trKcJcF8pL4oKw5teNuaY16PKCCUCMhuQNJEFvhMfvYB9a8JDK0dtMlOtL_AuENN4j1QYRhvoC8_Bx3iitFntkMHRl-66EP4_V8WFOJZjwnxI44eLMOpNWvaHSXov-pyxiMhWHQnkBst_x0zboHDpVLAkPAjWFPtLbNJHaPLvIZeq-U7jPemZgKmPvD5HrPzALwHceUk7QdAiBaYD1NTo24IPXi7apwcpsXtUM8lPkoVYcoQFl0G4t4ahigb1bgFX4zJORocQBfIqGsDiTx9WcFA506M4klaLdi6tLX83bQuNNw2URSTwTh3CPMtQLGGq1Ct_lqBc52X--tCmhI6DCkCu0L-g4y68yw==&c=hG4b-JaP2-DfIa2WLZNuJNXbHFXurJ-PHOuy_WjbWbno8uy5v2bFHg==&ch=EtYMyZStTr_oy3z6xi4yNrVMh20LX7wI--ltuz4I6UA_3w52VVO5PQ==">The Hindu<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Hundreds of Top Scientists Endorse U.S. Climate Action, Denounce GOP Presidential Nominee's Views</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On September 20, hundreds of the world's top scientists published an open letter addressing the perils of dismissing climate science and the risks associated with a U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement. The letter was signed by 375 members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, including 30 Nobel laureates, as a direct rebuttal to the views of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has said he would remove the United States from the Paris agreement if elected. The letter states a U.S. exit "would send a clear signal to the rest of the world ... 'You are on your own.' Such a decision would make it far more difficult to develop effective global strategies for mitigating and adapting to climate change. The consequences ... would be severe and long-lasting - for our planet's climate and for the international credibility of the United States." The signatories clarified that they were signing as individuals and not on behalf of the Academy or their institutions.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001be6OJ1OC7QF7Kh07K2c_N11saOnGdcvejp3Xyo4R8zOJPSVeoJR46WkgXGcDWdp382irAc9d07GqHPRlPpwAo-GXxl_AM_-uIefnQfnHcRb8RUhGM86w2iXJcc6o6cSehiv-3Yg0m4fbHpkVkzT2Q7csosivqP98F7r-UtiN8iRtlmDg7RvkuLfJf5He-03zhogFhjIOyywBpkXXvib3IPkpEOOHaiVNkzybf7bumGve7rN78NZ1NhFpE92IcnA4xmvtl5B843E3E8Byj49fXpJBcO90p1X1m7kzMh-GRfiUwiqlf-NwlJPYnXcDbnfQpS4MLo-DiDe84iEQeA1WtWeuVK_BQuYdjWroGEm-02iPrUlvVziLMV-W4NrE3F7Q9VgwUQjAxGU83vmk3tnIW2uhJtMy0sLlBV37Avs6Kc1w5QLKyvaWra3FhiZPFTX7ux3scL_InPQRiE9AaeLJUKbRfu7qJM-4o-XiXd170YXxXNDQKRrcTA==&c=hG4b-JaP2-DfIa2WLZNuJNXbHFXurJ-PHOuy_WjbWbno8uy5v2bFHg==&ch=EtYMyZStTr_oy3z6xi4yNrVMh20LX7wI--ltuz4I6UA_3w52VVO5PQ==">Reuters</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001be6OJ1OC7QF7Kh07K2c_N11saOnGdcvejp3Xyo4R8zOJPSVeoJR46WkgXGcDWdp3Bhwf6tC4Yd_vn4lUXH-6L3BccDP3bytdfvVpGoSGGPN4dcfzsIQ5t36LDv7KOS7S-kWwZGWrUjO_8u_zspePLMfseBCGMs4tLbRjj0ZLmWOdM5FravZb_w==&c=hG4b-JaP2-DfIa2WLZNuJNXbHFXurJ-PHOuy_WjbWbno8uy5v2bFHg==&ch=EtYMyZStTr_oy3z6xi4yNrVMh20LX7wI--ltuz4I6UA_3w52VVO5PQ=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Letter</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">With the Paris climate agreement's entry into force appearing imminent, attention has begun to shift toward whether countries are actually following through with their pledged emissions reductions. The United States vowed to cut its emissions 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025 - an ambitious goal that has prompted critics to question its feasibility. In a new study published in Nature Climate Change, Jeffery Greenblatt and Max Wei of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory concluded that even with today's existing and proposed climate policies, the United States will likely fall short of its targets. Nonetheless, Greenblatt is hopeful, stating that "There is certainly need for further policy action, [but] I think the U.S. should be complimented. They set their own target and they set out a path to meet it as best they could. I think if they need to work a little harder, [meeting their goal is] not an unexpected outcome."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001be6OJ1OC7QF7Kh07K2c_N11saOnGdcvejp3Xyo4R8zOJPSVeoJR46WkgXGcDWdp3elOX3DreQQqUQIO1clwjh31rwA92M19dORlkqVdvP6M06rft96WwhKS0G6wyjNhpt0bV6aZDu7Qt9Gg1mgU-scY3t-rVeJSQNlcQqBtd_YbGdTyaBeqKvKlBx9e_A719yLnE4ualdMVtsk-ZwGj6fcCwDlAJKxqFmGiX3FQHC3M_Z5ZHI__r1t6xen3uqcI2EcsgA_tp9Q5uRZJRpaGRjAjaaxB33A0uJaEkcQvnxthGDPxUTsWn2ZSPgIDRbrpvBHNiO7pM0_l4b-RnuvHARIGDm7VCToN1O7AMEXFbgfqyEFDhzIwNYdzZQ07elr9ocwiqslHyDj0Ojeq4glWmt7yiDefO4YYACVKyW_M2Kwop2VHVjuu5z0VnY9uaJ9YQKZZJNWAi7mBrDI6mxsgearDZBb_9SWCnrg3RmMEWn6DD-7cpXAwgkRs176bqyLjxVAsxLHYVXXjrLHbJgfW3jvYjXUq9EA79tg4iM6EOlg3-1PMPk3TXtybWEomZ0oNY&c=hG4b-JaP2-DfIa2WLZNuJNXbHFXurJ-PHOuy_WjbWbno8uy5v2bFHg==&ch=EtYMyZStTr_oy3z6xi4yNrVMh20LX7wI--ltuz4I6UA_3w52VVO5PQ==">Washington Post</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001be6OJ1OC7QF7Kh07K2c_N11saOnGdcvejp3Xyo4R8zOJPSVeoJR46WkgXGcDWdp3knuL1v-ROzIlhekZ-Hs0dhfCW3Bb9mAfZwD3aE7I2wj8rOkRwI0e0GlVnAFSt4BzDBDZESflxj472GYi9DwNToGc-uJ0xRI3M6jhtPGtAkOMEkDMUjYCV2s1BjdwOIdOzPmAl-5mzwepw1oJupcuwJrYSMyNqIJpDbzDnpusKeGUQVq3gRer_7ifpblpqHBUj01k76TKXTFJuT47cu_IH8dZjXuavpIqK7Y9iLNkPW2Sua7JV4kdXaNlzsggojNr1-8l1hjVljv_sgZZISRzZqKy70PaFkFNjhY7WSDSACYcJN04w0Xtgu0WUqOb0k8N2l_vHoYOP-fUTfdu8S6xWQzSOi4ay0Xm76CszunyQWmAosW-rNuHh2whaEbcOau2GoxPlIULgS-tPq0X8qy1aJsJi1gYuR1V5hfHqOXWNe3DWEb7iY1PSslXLUBEYTtGAQnu62-UyeLGEZ08KZdL5KM0LRAppZsmSJaDg9nWPJfAbBlaADsrxXbSV7OMQGJ7Yidky3Z1F9lajvmhSk0ItOgZP2ucCrbRLtcBJnXZyh-M_NaWsFPIPWTU9GBuSJyGEQEveaPOXT8r3uejRdxpUDGz5zNY4R0Wt5GHm4GVGY3HCNhkNuibjafOq5ww5kEA6KyqwgjTT_nZ3xWWYzMayy-k51yAfLE8W-jruZeV6k58LZuujuN7J09CEOS8Mu2UHrgEkonyax7Whq4u94lI0aDebLqpTMIEEiBxVv_XCWFznjo-Nl2ehRNXYdRKfZZ_XAj95heizEW6QY4sIBMdir0Fxr4FMhwpSIusAK0t2JlJoCrGztHeINfsJHRsvBeoWuyO9DN48wak361ixdrpBbyLjI5FPbMfF-2of1nU5QA4-bdesh4xB36lHOEirDWlHceQtp3"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Study</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Coastal Bangladesh Already Suffering from Climate-Induced Storms and Water Shortages</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A community in Bangladesh is quickly succumbing to the effects of climate change. Water scarcity has forced the impoverished residents of Koyra number 6 (named under colonial British rule) to travel to a town nine miles away to gather their daily water supply. After Cyclone Sidr hit in 2007, the entire fresh water supply turned saline. Dr. Saleemul Huq, Director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development in Bangladesh, says climate change has made such cyclones more severe due to changing sea temperatures. Neighboring towns are experiencing the same fate as intensifying cyclones destroy their crops, cattle, and infrastructure. The flooding alone has caused irreparable damage to hundreds of small towns, causing many to live in makeshift housing on a permanent basis. According to Dr. Huq, "Inevitably over time millions of people in the coastal areas will lose their livelihoods and will have to move. They simply will not be able to continue living there."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001be6OJ1OC7QF7Kh07K2c_N11saOnGdcvejp3Xyo4R8zOJPSVeoJR46WkgXGcDWdp34WeRyiVUG3AzQOAD3Ud7ZfIkqZlkQg4p9Q6cTvNn0Y8mHzmzwkXb6UTZd5jj_VKjkzD9uaEj2gDgqkDQ4VXaFWWa318MGEcceifauBtJu88F6n5ybyPVBA3i7tusPmVNKIlHCm-XPPgWvmWMYybXtA4st31YV-f7dZxVYAVxJ3U=&c=hG4b-JaP2-DfIa2WLZNuJNXbHFXurJ-PHOuy_WjbWbno8uy5v2bFHg==&ch=EtYMyZStTr_oy3z6xi4yNrVMh20LX7wI--ltuz4I6UA_3w52VVO5PQ==">Pulitzer Center</a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>State-Wide Carbon Tax in Washington Would Be First for United States</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Voters in Washington State will decide the fate of the first U.S. carbon tax during the November elections. The ballot measure, Initiative 732, would place a $15 per ton tax on carbon produced in Washington state, starting in July 2017. The price per ton would increase to $25 the following year, with annual increases until the tax reaches its ceiling of $100 per ton. A one percentage point decrease in the state sales tax, phased in over two years, would accompany the carbon tax upon implementation. Separate analyses by the Washington State Department of Revenue and the left-leaning Sightline Institute project a loss of $800 to $320 million, respectively, over the first four years of the carbon tax. Yoram Bauman, a contributor to the tax's design, says the proposal was based on a carbon tax already in use in British Columbia, Canada. The Washington state Democratic Party and state Sierra Club have opposed the initiative, claiming it would only complicate the state's budget woes.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001PRRbjgHfS3wChMu_4ADw1bo9tGHCCEcnvxaNZhNqxrXOo7ymRo75SkXaX-jIHHOHg5yb18kkmTLb_t11ctd9ngRSEn5z9svejwzO8gG_A5l58Q-YnOU7NCeJY0GWa-4CA2BB7in9fZolbHyae_H_LSAthtp8Gusas-y3YfT1L1a1Yy0pvtc8hbjpB2Fgn01s7U9i5Ayb0f9QkUE9w-Mme3ZLlJo2JO0d7kAY0G_dZKdgkYU0RAE0f82TRexmcmm-OroheFSeDFe1yme-kn3Fz4Rj1xMj6uqm&c=tRNnTS-LHZnP4ha4kaErQYcCgEjxKU_XyNslhjJ3BMa_9CTGix0YmA==&ch=fVgN-LPi3L6-8uwGO-HQygzjOon9ate_VTOqwB1yO0tUEKX3kthXuw==">Spokesman-Review</a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Legal Insiders Indicate EPA's Defense of Clean Power Plan Will Succeed</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Legal experts are expecting the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to win the legal battle over the Clean Power Plan (CPP) as the DC Circuit Court considers the arguments brought forth during a pivotal September 27th hearing. In lieu of traditional procedure, the court decided to hear oral arguments as a whole instead of the typical three-judge panel. The "en banc" format reflects the court's significant interest in the case, as eight of the ten presiding judges spent a large portion of the 7.5 hour hearing questioning attorneys on both sides. Arguments focused on the interpretation of the Clean Air Act and the authority of the EPA to regulate power plants as part of a national CO2 emission reduction strategy. Bruce Huber, a law professor at Notre Dame, observed the consequences of inaction may be weighing on the judges' minds: "[Climate change is] a social problem for which a massive solution has been generated by the sitting administration and if I'm going to declare that to be outside the bounds of the statute, I better be darn sure that I'm right about that."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001PRRbjgHfS3wChMu_4ADw1bo9tGHCCEcnvxaNZhNqxrXOo7ymRo75SkXaX-jIHHOHIqYV1G7zCb3GSR03Ld1iEgWK-lKWPt_1Ok9eTZfNdDx0Jxq_fK2QFCbHN61nzx1AtpJ_XACCKsZAU2xS1rJxp2wfHB2s-Ov9jw-s1i_x7ffPM8UQ-Y-_pHkDpAbDG0OBcKo6Ppyo43bbYtYeLw8TaG4tzwYAshuJWCpdwqAD1qeQCDLr0b1HZK5Bgr6ld85EUsQmi9eAILskcdcVEBT_dw==&c=tRNnTS-LHZnP4ha4kaErQYcCgEjxKU_XyNslhjJ3BMa_9CTGix0YmA==&ch=fVgN-LPi3L6-8uwGO-HQygzjOon9ate_VTOqwB1yO0tUEKX3kthXuw==">Utility Dive<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Paris Climate Agreement Crosses Finish Line, Will Enter into Force November 30, 2016</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On October 5, the Paris climate agreement passed a final threshold and will officially enter into force on November 30, 2016. The European Parliament approved the deal on Tuesday and submitted their paperwork earlier than expected to avoid being "upstaged." European Union members Germany, France, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Portugal and Malta had previously completed domestic procedures for ratification and were able to sign on to the Paris agreement on Wednesday. Canada, Bolivia, and Nepal also joined, raising the ratification count to 74 countries representing nearly 59 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. The threshold for enactment was 55 countries and 55 percent of emissions. Commemorating the international milestone, U.S. President Barack Obama said, "If we follow through on the commitments that this Paris agreement embodies, history may well judge it as a turning point for our planet." Two United Nations agreements to cap airline emissions and phase out HFCs (a potent greenhouse gas) under the Montreal Protocol are also expected to gain approval in the coming weeks.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001PRRbjgHfS3wChMu_4ADw1bo9tGHCCEcnvxaNZhNqxrXOo7ymRo75SkXaX-jIHHOHK6WvmhGsFNcnMf4cnFb8iqzxt-bQVJMcN6PPtDpIhEc2hjcMYPgL7UAx2uWBuTB5KtquKYkHPzAyC42pDskhhbmFTEO-OzaD0LDIk6f5lhE2pMWcwNm494FkN26cTDOoL4u5Y9nmucd7V2YI0hqitBCc5hHpZHSoR-m8mjo4WFueXxKHMXl7IRPl-eN1BQxt7UQ2uvcdt1MhhtxMfPv4YGjm-HuAvVnSa-9o3P45l_uZRzoQBeNoP-0GKRQjznyh4fKeU9f4v5a9A1K_DGcCZUnAmG6XB9R1oLaN9k64Fl-AE5u78cdQvw==&c=tRNnTS-LHZnP4ha4kaErQYcCgEjxKU_XyNslhjJ3BMa_9CTGix0YmA==&ch=fVgN-LPi3L6-8uwGO-HQygzjOon9ate_VTOqwB1yO0tUEKX3kthXuw==">Washington Post</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001PRRbjgHfS3wChMu_4ADw1bo9tGHCCEcnvxaNZhNqxrXOo7ymRo75SkXaX-jIHHOHmzV4KXi4opxV81k1SiOCqQKjPMhKCfx_IwxqdUBR9s4lCWCig9MmUtvpoj_KN70ykaaivHVrn3_yov-1GySZm1UCnuEvXnu6kcpgmO-z7lWt-A4aJXMwWAfU064p0kOoo5z9sI1kqVZwRbfaWeiVizwGQa_9u1442sp05rMkV8xiTnU0ecCwbKPoEiNFCiWV22gzhJo1XhXumE46mVu_3-zB2RdvzbpLX8iVvOwDbydKhbANXlklcM_Ci2sQqjnqtzbhxK0xQUFIFH4_g4nT0vb-l7Cl0X6W1-0lmDu-yz1PvDHKCMghvM3ujszieqB8ChYCevAu-buoHRCBVfQxoVLKNG2OFEDTe-9RIAt83DXtzrvPsI7XDGp3AnEH119rfTLzfdMOAaiayYCn-3iF6FmuWvgDtVuC&c=tRNnTS-LHZnP4ha4kaErQYcCgEjxKU_XyNslhjJ3BMa_9CTGix0YmA==&ch=fVgN-LPi3L6-8uwGO-HQygzjOon9ate_VTOqwB1yO0tUEKX3kthXuw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Climate Change News</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001PRRbjgHfS3wChMu_4ADw1bo9tGHCCEcnvxaNZhNqxrXOo7ymRo75SkXaX-jIHHOHyYPpfD75GxeHEToGyZeF6aBSqqqhbKPVeQQw27a9lNwJoq74BcjRr-3ChF0i3AQGgFetrD2vF-yYP-tLElsY0vklv4_N9IHtweUoe8NpthYpNJxuHbuqQVmMure470aQtsjFTCnbe4Hz91VFss4juMiVS9H3hDCYWdzhaSCUIRb_uXxMUJuyPFe8A9MnuyIczdG2iFj4X9RtH-mZZasmMThZ3FCdtp7rf5IxW_7pFAwO6upZ7zUSU12RgBXsZu5NRqmYAf8DZ9tcmlMGIG8P_obRdIyhrZXcazscVJttRm2h1JrTpPxh51JngIGgfNdNeLjoytBUhVCadLzELfC8RfTx-pFGlW5WKirVZkqejdWm4tRONA2c87jFbkRWA0lu7tC-iSLgqUOV4bdcELjSWqu7gHXZ9ZyT4vtKd1G2ggs=&c=tRNnTS-LHZnP4ha4kaErQYcCgEjxKU_XyNslhjJ3BMa_9CTGix0YmA==&ch=fVgN-LPi3L6-8uwGO-HQygzjOon9ate_VTOqwB1yO0tUEKX3kthXuw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Reuters</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Airline Industry and 191 Nations Agree to Cap International Aviation Carbon Emissions</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On October 6, the United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) approved a carbon emissions reduction scheme for the global airline industry. The scheme will be voluntary from 2021-2027, but will become mandatory from 2028-2035. The agreement's upper limit for emissions will use the year 2020 as the baseline. Any airlines that exceed that upper limit on carbon dioxide emissions must make up the difference through the purchase of carbon credits. The new emissions cap only applies to international flights, since domestic flights are already captured by the Paris climate accord. Each of ICAO's 191 member states must still undertake domestic action to implement the terms of the agreement. The airline industry has backed the ICAO agreement, despite projected costs to the industry ranging from 5-24 billion dollars by 2035. Sixty-five nations have already agreed to participate in the voluntary phase of the agreement, including the United States, China, and the European Union's 44-member aviation conference.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001PRRbjgHfS3wChMu_4ADw1bo9tGHCCEcnvxaNZhNqxrXOo7ymRo75SkXaX-jIHHOHy6tIfKcf3jqmfE_SdEnhZrCLZ4mX3ubLARRjR1l-6g2A7wxoY9JF1MIgX4QQbLM1AUAzDARd9whRjIbPgZT96BJ_rO0kdBFDuqspd2v_Sny9jpGOJeCDH8biKFvMFSQRvc34DgdwhKXqB7z3encIfdTq4Qg5Zb9ex77phThKRb8bK49VbDp1d-b8eH7rKbxDgl34Z21njSXA9D8AnBbuILnkyxBqccX3nHllUzsaifS9fotg50upaQ==&c=tRNnTS-LHZnP4ha4kaErQYcCgEjxKU_XyNslhjJ3BMa_9CTGix0YmA==&ch=fVgN-LPi3L6-8uwGO-HQygzjOon9ate_VTOqwB1yO0tUEKX3kthXuw==">Associated Press<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Canadian Provinces Required to Adopt a Carbon Pricing Plan by 2018</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On October 3, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a carbon pricing mandate for every provincial government. The provinces have until 2018 to adopt a carbon pricing plan of their choosing, or else the federal government will impose its own price for any non-compliant provinces. Plans may take the form of a cap and trade system or a direct price on carbon emissions, so long as the scheme meets the federal "floor price." The floor price will be $10 per ton in 2018, but will increase by $10 annually until it reaches $50 in 2022. The initiative is part of Canada's goal to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent from 2005 levels by the year 2030. Representatives from Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador expressed their displeasure with the Trudeau administration's plan by walking out of a meeting with Environment Minister Catherine McKenna. Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta already have carbon pricing schemes in place.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001PRRbjgHfS3wChMu_4ADw1bo9tGHCCEcnvxaNZhNqxrXOo7ymRo75SkXaX-jIHHOH2DqNppwynvlCWvT9CxuqQ45RaFqtqyqjraJ_wLkeeKDRL4DM3gbMowUz6vCMVXHXVoXeBjmfmQOroMNVZ7ofXk3rXSa5FVfHUkP7eRpX7KaT8nuxpO7UJUpepDLcJxrziA_dP1YV4xuceYPFVw428rwFCRvZHOyyTEan6RLCVmcIMiS8S43eh6puyFTymyJb&c=tRNnTS-LHZnP4ha4kaErQYcCgEjxKU_XyNslhjJ3BMa_9CTGix0YmA==&ch=fVgN-LPi3L6-8uwGO-HQygzjOon9ate_VTOqwB1yO0tUEKX3kthXuw==">CBC News<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE:</b> Since it takes about 100 gallons of gasoline to make a ton of CO2, a price of $10 per ton of CO2 is expected to raise the cost of a gallon of gasoline by about 10 cents, and $50 about 50 cents.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_5.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://959EB43C-7AA7-43D1-8A6F-0F01E73548A5/pastedGraphic_5.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>African Coalition Brings Adaptive Farming to Forefront of Climate Conference</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A coalition of 27 African states hopes to spark a discussion on the world stage concerning food supply issues related to climate change. The Adaptation of African Agriculture (AAA) group will champion the issue at the upcoming United Nations climate conference in Marrakech, Morocco. A white paper published by AAA concluded increased temperatures and erratic precipitation could cause a 20 percent reduction in crop production in Africa by 2050. Africa's farmers often lack access to financing options and technologies to help them adapt to extreme weather. According to Mohamed Ait Kadi, president of Morocco's General Council of Agricultural Development, "There is a general consensus that our countries are already affected by the impacts of climate change. African farmlands and ranges are increasingly degraded and face declining yields." Considering that climate change impacts are projected to reduce Africa's GDP by 1.4 percent annually, and that 70 percent of the continent's population derives revenue from farming, projected climate impacts could be severe.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001PRRbjgHfS3wChMu_4ADw1bo9tGHCCEcnvxaNZhNqxrXOo7ymRo75SkXaX-jIHHOH4-brfH6FnCsumRmuAQR9-Mo621bknfESnX9p3NvpK1uzeUNWZi72-W8Q1vfkYne85CONo9RBMuIkGOrzDEIh4FNSl9j-cS1w1DwL-4_TjHJNCzfKOozkDeIg071oH-k0wbJNg88Nh192k9cRfG_KuXdYsZ9bPuNeaonGgZqqIGFOwKgBFC1_-oDWIWg60qNXYiu9MGlCwCyIs3RJ29KzCIIb9OUZgAID&c=tRNnTS-LHZnP4ha4kaErQYcCgEjxKU_XyNslhjJ3BMa_9CTGix0YmA==&ch=fVgN-LPi3L6-8uwGO-HQygzjOon9ate_VTOqwB1yO0tUEKX3kthXuw==">Climate Change News<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Poll: Americans Follow Party Line on Climate Science, but Embrace Renewable Energy</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On October 4, the Pew Research Center published a poll revealing deep divides over the nature and causes of climate change among Americans, with significant differences along political lines. When asked if climate change is mainly a result of human activity, seven out of ten Democrats responded affirmatively, while fewer than a quarter of Republicans did so. There is broad skepticism of climate scientists among both parties. Only 54 percent of Democrats and 22 percent of Republicans trust climate scientists to report "full and accurate" information. Broad bipartisan support exists for renewable energy. Over 80 percent of respondents favor building more solar and wind farms, versus only 41 percent approval for more coal mining. Former Republican Congressman Bob Inglis said "addressing climate change would result in greater independence, more mobility and more freedom," but that the language typically used to discuss climate had led to a perception gap between liberals and conservatives.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001PRRbjgHfS3wChMu_4ADw1bo9tGHCCEcnvxaNZhNqxrXOo7ymRo75SkXaX-jIHHOH9qr25ueqiNhz85FKDTLI3n_2OtX_83EdmJUZQ3LPio7gjV5x4VfVyF_HAVPHV-jHXXmE9Y1aU3g8VnK3qfGGDJEmdiPtZU5MFCUdjg15BqzoXqIvoJ-I_UksJ0HBTFPj4Zct8qMNFTtnSU4p7IhCrVcRsfxAG7C6kvde8EfRNH0VsIekSVeJcA3cIiwTokJr6WsWSo9WKHuwyKyP5mkqiA==&c=tRNnTS-LHZnP4ha4kaErQYcCgEjxKU_XyNslhjJ3BMa_9CTGix0YmA==&ch=fVgN-LPi3L6-8uwGO-HQygzjOon9ate_VTOqwB1yO0tUEKX3kthXuw==">New York Times</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001PRRbjgHfS3wChMu_4ADw1bo9tGHCCEcnvxaNZhNqxrXOo7ymRo75SkXaX-jIHHOHJWWublY2qrF5691UywUdC-aq7Xwpja5T_l67g3Md9BW0FQr-7AR0-nSrAs9mp1ID0FWLeIDSavsSJjZ4nerxP1bp4ZRRaxcK-3D-tgqCYSm0DZHqkiiGhjjy8OE7n3LUphEEwnQbTTvfJ4Jo-bqi_szGsrp7u1WkUI0xCwTo4Z_OtIrrqZW1YpCv1dCeUHM9dxSA687f5QHxv7suqLia_Q==&c=tRNnTS-LHZnP4ha4kaErQYcCgEjxKU_XyNslhjJ3BMa_9CTGix0YmA==&ch=fVgN-LPi3L6-8uwGO-HQygzjOon9ate_VTOqwB1yO0tUEKX3kthXuw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Pew Research Center</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>American Southwest at High Risk of "Megadroughts" Unless Greenhouse Gas Emissions Are Reduced</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Temperature increases and reduced rainfall driven by climate change will place the American Southwest at significant risk of "megadroughts," according to a new study published in Science Advances. The study estimates certain southwestern regions face up to a 99 percent risk level of getting hit by a multi-decade megadrought this century unless greenhouse gas emissions are reduced. Different warming scenarios were modeled, including a global average temperature increase of 2 degrees Celsius, 4 C, and 6 C compared to pre-industrial levels. The models showed holding global warming to no more than 2 C could cut the risk of catastrophic drought in half. Earlier studies have shown natural fluctuations in the Earth's climate generated megadroughts once or twice a century over the past 1,000 years. However, scientists warn that the addition of human-caused climate change factors increases the likelihood of these events in the future. Climate models currently project global emissions will elevate global average temperatures by 4 C by 2100 if action is not taken.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001PRRbjgHfS3wChMu_4ADw1bo9tGHCCEcnvxaNZhNqxrXOo7ymRo75SkXaX-jIHHOHbH-_txMxL-YjDaMLANhMaszfmY-6K8HM8gOtzR9MDI8zFZwAEbqfL4h1unDodYFP5aKND3ZIQWN77UH8IkNOTCtYWslrki4Wy7Z2IxPDPEZigMVN1LNOrQYtLfI7VqQ7CGhEJYVHOe-8pQFehnmRCoWuDCh79gpwP7SWeEeTATWhMQIcOKlo2YmedxbUWHjIsnGci_jgAAGFIM9eEHd_BQ==&c=tRNnTS-LHZnP4ha4kaErQYcCgEjxKU_XyNslhjJ3BMa_9CTGix0YmA==&ch=fVgN-LPi3L6-8uwGO-HQygzjOon9ate_VTOqwB1yO0tUEKX3kthXuw==">Carbon Brief</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001PRRbjgHfS3wChMu_4ADw1bo9tGHCCEcnvxaNZhNqxrXOo7ymRo75SkXaX-jIHHOHgCgqwBmDnreOoiv5AahSSPscol3LpBq9VjsDz_NmtcXu4wu0S_XSLDC_ggA6ePiqwaCN-bQDsM6MqIGGz0zgBjjZFT4Zd7siG2brEjf6-cEihUSza-K01Qq3rSskPdKgATUTzx4W2gy1w4UVD8Z33lhxmvDcG-r5&c=tRNnTS-LHZnP4ha4kaErQYcCgEjxKU_XyNslhjJ3BMa_9CTGix0YmA==&ch=fVgN-LPi3L6-8uwGO-HQygzjOon9ate_VTOqwB1yO0tUEKX3kthXuw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Science Advances</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE:</b> The amount that the global average surface temperature (GAST) increases by 2100 depends not only on how much CO2 and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) are released into the atmosphere by human activities, but on the sensitivity of the GAST at equilibrium to the type and concentration of the GHGs, and how fast equilibrium is achieved once human-causes GHG emissions stop. It is also possible to raise GAST enough to set off a self-sustaining massive release of methane - a powerful greenhouse gas - from methane hydrates that could spiral out of control. All indications are that GHG emissions caused directly by human activities should be reduced to zero ASAP.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_7.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://959EB43C-7AA7-43D1-8A6F-0F01E73548A5/pastedGraphic_7.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Zimbabwean Farmers Turn to Indigenous Crops to Adapt to Climate Change</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A new farming practice may bring hope to communities suffering from the environmental effects of El Niño and La Niña. In recent years, Zimbabwe has experienced unrelenting drought and devastating flooding due to extreme seasonal weather fluctuations. Many living in the region have begun to adapt by farming small grains and indigenous crops resistant to the worsening conditions brought about by climate change. Machinda Marongwe, country director for Oxfam International, stressed that the government must invest in agricultural resilience programming and encourage the development of local seed banks. "Commercial seeds are not locally available or affordable, so smallholders rely on farmer seed system to access the varieties they need. Access is especially important in cases of drought, as farmers may be forced to replant several times." Food insecurity has become a mounting issue throughout the country, forcing communities to spend more money on food at the expense of funds that would normally be allocated elsewhere, such as education.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001be6OJ1OC7QF7Kh07K2c_N11saOnGdcvejp3Xyo4R8zOJPSVeoJR46WkgXGcDWdp36zT1NXtmtOLexH8fSZFv9ZFnFxZFJlgIe4Sz3tLDaoh2gzpC1NdNB1QPKB__Bx9ZFaCD6an3epDs2s5GYvSj5MdyEWG_NOAvZgkrrqQFnmuMxuztTHPyUK8fGiFLPyASFWMZeAdnc7f_tubBy8_947YDd-fQU0F-wxoJXxOPFZnsw3NyhadafbYlD9KIXxVMw23T7zwDzoA=&c=hG4b-JaP2-DfIa2WLZNuJNXbHFXurJ-PHOuy_WjbWbno8uy5v2bFHg==&ch=EtYMyZStTr_oy3z6xi4yNrVMh20LX7wI--ltuz4I6UA_3w52VVO5PQ==">The Standard<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_8.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://959EB43C-7AA7-43D1-8A6F-0F01E73548A5/pastedGraphic_8.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Landmark Deal to Ban HFCs Agreed to by 197 Nations</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On October 15, representatives from 197 nations agreed upon a legally binding deal to phase out the use of HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons), a potent greenhouse gas commonly used in air-conditioners and refrigerators. The legally binding deal, finalized in Kigali, Rwanda, was a result of seven years of negotiations and will solely target HFCs. Unlike the Paris climate accord, the Kigali deal features enforcement mechanisms in the form of trade sanctions to punish non-compliant countries and includes financial assistance to ease the transition for poorer nations. Scientists predict the resulting ban on HFCs will prevent an increase of atmospheric temperatures of almost one degree Fahrenheit, since the chemical is 1,000 times more effective at trapping heat than CO2. To accommodate concerns from less-developed countries, the deal will be implemented along three tracks. The richest nations will halt production and consumption of HFCs by 2018, while most other countries will end usage by 2024. A special subset (India, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait) will not have to phase-out HFCs until 2028. Though given the option to join the most lenient timetable, the entire African delegation chose to join the mid-level group instead. Vincent Biruta, Rwanda's minister of natural resources, said, "Africa is a continent that is deeply vulnerable to climate change. We need to address climate change if we are to address poverty."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001b8a18_h-Is-IdLedeHx20D3P3-gAdJd2cGtUmh75RfSkplnS54cCmUE20nARO9-47oxPfWjDLUw4kjqAWFthkseGG0wH4QoAEALQKXUSYhXdrIpjVEGzBsD8MAeziXXJfoRcCdzzffwedRsRESGZbjKtO3lIKtHA5tZJ4UHDTBVzcH0CACcSE2L-YyXUWPJ72-yERJA3m1v0Ie_ppkmwKMDtTsai1kJ1nqrbdp6wmkK7QYUDO6Y1BNE9cb_kDCWzBXLJKGnIc5yUtFL1HDpdrKorr-s1L0aM&c=GkghcqI_LZzkzv0ucWNAnVKufA9GccLG7HDKT2e7Nu5xJ0wLzUVKBA==&ch=-JypvNjYNKyWCR_Vfk-ztC3XWDNuLnA4kUYTcRKHEIvhguxZw7G6hw==">New York Times</a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001b8a18_h-Is-IdLedeHx20D3P3-gAdJd2cGtUmh75RfSkplnS54cCmUE20nARO9-48rx5Ztd_LZctgnhxJhTX1D0nS5s_wfqY582w1gUxsOPJePo2iorb7EC-xX3T16zCRapnKrehjnRUnlqz_uqyeFCCdDBBJQsolhsxgt--mxXp5SfZkThNuEdvbWpXG17chJxvcSrKldfT2_jCbOjgI-kb6KzgI4-wEaBmlSZXYfMkl5dv8gfLDi9t1dgWG8jmil640WEzGB4y1VzptvqL6u9x1jb8JT3cnAi2fLaFOOio1oVCf6HFGSRoHhMgSQJg&c=GkghcqI_LZzkzv0ucWNAnVKufA9GccLG7HDKT2e7Nu5xJ0wLzUVKBA==&ch=-JypvNjYNKyWCR_Vfk-ztC3XWDNuLnA4kUYTcRKHEIvhguxZw7G6hw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Guardian</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001b8a18_h-Is-IdLedeHx20D3P3-gAdJd2cGtUmh75RfSkplnS54cCmUE20nARO9-4llB7lfs86MqjUZlISsrpUCEiNofX3gsHgzEjIH6CFhYxOeHmNHTorv6A7q9nkjunJPBOz3n8ebQZSAQAAw9xww0ufoP7BpVVmOvB1ZWH1t1NNgrWmOnzAYGEfNGNpwmMH58gXqFyFkdKoqaj70zjkhILRAWVw6tW5mfdUQrlHrsyl_Le8RM94aKUpgpKl0srbfLcavLFAiwKufnr0p3HkcuoFwn550mvAqqVW1h5524DZA8eKDMwfwNkn9IxVql7-Sl-DmtIzh3ZVzR3TaX2x8qWe41wySEd&c=GkghcqI_LZzkzv0ucWNAnVKufA9GccLG7HDKT2e7Nu5xJ0wLzUVKBA==&ch=-JypvNjYNKyWCR_Vfk-ztC3XWDNuLnA4kUYTcRKHEIvhguxZw7G6hw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Hindustan Times</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Clinton and Gore Stump on Climate Change in Miami</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore made climate change a major theme of their campaign stop in Miami, Florida, on October 11. Forgoing her usual stump speech, Clinton focused on climate change, an important issue to Florida as sea level rise threatens the state's coastal communities. Clinton promised to combat climate change and partner with global leaders to implement and enforce international agreements. Clinton also hinted at a potential role for Gore in her prospective administration, stating, "I can't wait to have Al Gore advising me [on climate change]." Citing the views of the Republican nominee Donald Trump, Clinton said voters "cannot risk putting a climate denier in the White House." Gore framed the election as an opportunity for the United States to continue addressing climate change, saying, "The world is on the cusp of either building on the progress and solving the climate crisis, or stepping back."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001b8a18_h-Is-IdLedeHx20D3P3-gAdJd2cGtUmh75RfSkplnS54cCmUE20nARO9-44hEc22sYePEcNNjBJsd4GexqCPIrMNy1gCpw0Z_UWMkyfvDGSBR5zuT3cCRMwjU_EFffUu5I-OJEqVzMTBOJh4O1H24UVq_hqRrhXdek9r9C9yTDGOwHdl_MM38SeQpF2689yRkdzHBEjBMNe3EVL8PHOghn2JxCxanl8PeLJG1gypOkdg6KNgM0Hw7nL1Cs876eOrJPkiic-wV2HB15ts1uwsA7D1Hv&c=GkghcqI_LZzkzv0ucWNAnVKufA9GccLG7HDKT2e7Nu5xJ0wLzUVKBA==&ch=-JypvNjYNKyWCR_Vfk-ztC3XWDNuLnA4kUYTcRKHEIvhguxZw7G6hw==">Miami Herald</a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001b8a18_h-Is-IdLedeHx20D3P3-gAdJd2cGtUmh75RfSkplnS54cCmUE20nARO9-4nLNw1CFCrzI2g7dp6UF-hEWzUbwr2oAD-CrLKo69HVNYe8TD1JkaYqWzNoz_ZiDE369OJZr8PTdIeic0Wu54hvic8FfdFnlCgM1ZmvME4c2Z754qtP1PULXY3hS5dcIANRs5gtTN8kWDulG4X4sAmWo2Zc_oYw13a9eNkRIKGzq8JtkRvQ4qFM3Kne5mZCszoZ13TQqtS256xP8fEvXL7w==&c=GkghcqI_LZzkzv0ucWNAnVKufA9GccLG7HDKT2e7Nu5xJ0wLzUVKBA==&ch=-JypvNjYNKyWCR_Vfk-ztC3XWDNuLnA4kUYTcRKHEIvhguxZw7G6hw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">CNN</span></a> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE:</b> On Oct, 21 the Wilmington, DE <b><i>News Journal</i></b> published the following letter-to-the-editor I (Chad Tolman) submitted after the second presidential debate:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Another Reason Not to Vote for Trump</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A number of readers have written letters with reasons not to vote for Trump for president. There is another that is very important that I have not seen. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>One of the major responsibilities of a president is to protect the lives and property of our citizens. I see global climate change as one of the greatest threats to our grandchildren, our country, and to people around the world. Addressing the issue vigorously and rapidly requires U.S. leadership, as the U.S. has the world’s largest economy and is responsible for more of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than any other country. Trump has promised that he, if elected, will pull the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement, stop the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, and promote the burning of more coal - undoing decades of progress and ignoring the warnings of our best climate scientists. His views are ignorant and his promises are dangerous. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>You may not like Hillary Clinton, but she at least recognizes the danger of the threat of climate change and has promised to address it using the best available science. For the sake of your families and future generations, please help elect her president.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_9.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://959EB43C-7AA7-43D1-8A6F-0F01E73548A5/pastedGraphic_9.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Colorado Counties Follow Divergent Paths toward Addressing Climate Change</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In 2001, the divide between Republicans and Democrats on whether global warming is human-caused stood at 17 percentage points. In 2016, the gap has spiked to 41 points. This increasing divide can be observed in Colorado, where two counties have become a microcosm of American politics. Fort Collins, the largest city in Larimer County, has developed a plan to become carbon neutral by 2050. In contrast, the city of Greeley in Weld County, a heavily-fracked area deeply rooted in the oil and gas industry, is much more resistant to climate action. Greeley Mayor Tom Norton, who also served in the Colorado state legislature, recognizes that climate change is "something we need to deal with [but], ... we have to pay a lot more attention to the cost to the general public." Elsewhere in Weld, candidate for county commissioner, Carl Erickson, observes, "There are the polarized groups that are going further away, but there's a vast majority in the center that are starting to actually listen and think [about climate] and that's the group we really have to [engage]."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001b8a18_h-Is-IdLedeHx20D3P3-gAdJd2cGtUmh75RfSkplnS54cCmUE20nARO9-4EE8yEnzsOp8Wpoh8j_7qIFmyRIL_HcyYBRaHfDXhqnKjc8HckEdRIGEAyhFhDx5cCCH_PQjV5psq1mTVvKAc0d9lzUDVk1QckoDj9R_CAhb9C8dzwEKOTHYuy_sSfUmXRN4jtQosG10kt4tIpLuEJl1ixdCL4BanFwXl2vH7MNCLtBwopSVEJzwSYAT0raCH&c=GkghcqI_LZzkzv0ucWNAnVKufA9GccLG7HDKT2e7Nu5xJ0wLzUVKBA==&ch=-JypvNjYNKyWCR_Vfk-ztC3XWDNuLnA4kUYTcRKHEIvhguxZw7G6hw==">Christian Science Monitor</a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_10.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://959EB43C-7AA7-43D1-8A6F-0F01E73548A5/pastedGraphic_10.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Major Investment Group Urges Auto Industry to Better Prepare for Low-Carbon Economy</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A new report from the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) is placing pressure on the automotive industry to accelerate its preparations for a low-carbon economy. The report calls for automotive companies to appoint climate change specialists to their boards, extend cooperation with policymakers on sustainability initiatives, and invest heavily in the development of low-emission vehicles. IIGCC also cites the recent Volkswagen emissions testing evasion scandal and "the gap between real world and emissions testing" as motivation to reform the industry's reputation as a climate action hold-out. IIGCC, a group of 250 investors controlling assets worth over $24 trillion, also pointed to a growing number of emissions regulations and government incentives for electric vehicles as cause for the industry to improve its market resiliency. According to Chris Davis, a program director at the Ceres Investor Network on Climate Risk, "a growing number of institutional investors recognize that climate change will impact their holdings, portfolios, and asset values in the short and long-term."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001b8a18_h-Is-IdLedeHx20D3P3-gAdJd2cGtUmh75RfSkplnS54cCmUE20nARO9-4Y5EDTUgNbIHlQb3aHhjaKIQ6WYEfTOi4niQbWTxUV4vkM8-Voxuz8wTn6uIX_kf_Cgm0ZeeT_zPLQiZY1KGlSRmmEXpGHumLfvdYfFhiensG4r7AGA6d-I5cpKLSpgR7GMq_e-luR5E8D6jxjR9N--r7S7etvadWD8HdgjNDj80Jvhrko8rbn5Glfkfwd-ZGKczAdtxkT6B703DmKEvEc340h4vz76a9&c=GkghcqI_LZzkzv0ucWNAnVKufA9GccLG7HDKT2e7Nu5xJ0wLzUVKBA==&ch=-JypvNjYNKyWCR_Vfk-ztC3XWDNuLnA4kUYTcRKHEIvhguxZw7G6hw==">Guardian</a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_11.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://959EB43C-7AA7-43D1-8A6F-0F01E73548A5/pastedGraphic_11.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOAA: Global Rogue Methane Emissions Have Been Significantly Undercounted</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A two-year study recently published in <i>Nature</i> revealed that the amount of global methane resulting from fossil fuel production is 20-60 percent higher than originally thought. The study also found that livestock and waste disposal sites are a leading cause behind previously-observed methane spikes. Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is difficult to track. Rogue emissions from the fossil fuel industry account for 20-25 percent of global methane emissions, according to the study. The study's methane emissions assessment is one-fifth higher than existing IPCC estimates and 60 percent higher than those of Europe's Global Atmospheric Research center. Scientists used data from 7,500 natural gas, oil, and coal extraction facilities in 45 different countries to obtain accurate measurements of the emissions. The findings show that methane leaks have decreased over the past 30 years due to technological advancements and improved oversight, but an increase in fossil fuel extraction activities has prevented an overall decrease in global methane emissions.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001b8a18_h-Is-IdLedeHx20D3P3-gAdJd2cGtUmh75RfSkplnS54cCmUE20nARO9-4U-6XvzALVj2aoXfETUvF7wiRB6TIkBXKNuvWEeR5zHnUv4r3XrttQkXhXp7jutKQOiZBC3OXEIPv8fyAtcvWy60fCy82pVeOliYMlFWCrAc16y5pAWePKbBXhJy--foDhsrCGT_wqHVkmWoTuohQEnGEkDVbwqyvVImPmMwlt1sKrX6ROpSF9ohIW1euvNiOpVfyNwB7me0kPwsuDLR6O8dkB3EhFficC9hL6_OehAHMri0DOrSDTfT2q8-YR1HI&c=GkghcqI_LZzkzv0ucWNAnVKufA9GccLG7HDKT2e7Nu5xJ0wLzUVKBA==&ch=-JypvNjYNKyWCR_Vfk-ztC3XWDNuLnA4kUYTcRKHEIvhguxZw7G6hw==">InsideClimate News</a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Two novel papers in <i>Geophysical Research Letters </i>investigate the relationship between "supraglacial lakes" and meltwater "plumes" in glaciers. As ice sheets melt, accumulating water forms glacial lakes, which can then penetrate the glacier and flow to a discharge point in the ocean. Some of the resulting plumes occur at a submerged portion of the glacier, allowing warm ocean water into the base and further destabilizing the ice sheet. According to Dustin Carroll, a scientist at the University of Oregon, the largest and deepest glaciers suffer the most degradation from the interaction between glacial lakes and underwater plumes. Carroll said, "The more melt we have on the Greenland ice sheet, the more water drains down to the bed, the plumes are more vigorous, and they're going to draw in more ocean water and transport heat to the ice. This is a direct ocean feedback that's really going to amplify as there's more melting on the ice sheet."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001b8a18_h-Is-IdLedeHx20D3P3-gAdJd2cGtUmh75RfSkplnS54cCmUE20nARO9-4OZLAtZ5zG-LPysmEIxp0hF4DeY74o8pCt7tOFkDjAbOuKEYNStsSk7LUBfAUZ-EvAXPwgPpGQeVZjIxwNS-J2taTAQ_i-MiPyg6YNSSdwZsWFOECrsXo7hADWzF4nSfSmpcD01KhCjf0CdmNh4yVfgO7DZOE4mdM8WwKWg0_YGVvi3HVytaJtMaMf_xkk89H8IUsneLMDAMsUNdsOXqZ3X_91DJeJ55qMu_UgmqYHe8s_Dcklg8bvwJoaa0EsilR4EdGrr0JpHIpsqRULHoMD3ysKnY5v9K8&c=GkghcqI_LZzkzv0ucWNAnVKufA9GccLG7HDKT2e7Nu5xJ0wLzUVKBA==&ch=-JypvNjYNKyWCR_Vfk-ztC3XWDNuLnA4kUYTcRKHEIvhguxZw7G6hw==">Washington Post</a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A study published in the <i>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</i> found that climate change has exacerbated both the effects and causes of wildfires in the western United States. An increase in temperature and changes in precipitation have resulted in drier vegetation more prone to burning. The study connected these factors to a doubling of lands marred by forest fires since 1984. Through their research, authors Park Williams and John Abatzoglou determined that over half of the vegetative dryness recorded since 1979 can be attributed to human-caused climate change. These climate-driven effects are expected to grow over time, resulting in more severe wildfires. "The fact is that this relationship between fuel aridity and forest fire area is exponential," said Williams, "that means that every degree of warming has a bigger impact on forest fire area than the previous degree of warming. ...That explains to me why every year we hear career-long firefighters saying they've never seen fires burning the way that they're burning."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001b8a18_h-Is-IdLedeHx20D3P3-gAdJd2cGtUmh75RfSkplnS54cCmUE20nARO9-4EVRZ6y_aSJgh54c_0-btEqG5xQFV1Y2eG-LYmntpoDec46MkqpJZCeTB2wHSugodPJW--bPWqbgXc0YeKLcvZCDyTLChe1qAuPcI3zhSAxgg9SiBhTtryC5S95Mflk33arQiT3-FGEhfFds-o9L48m02ehR160Lsld7__AXzwNTIWb0k_6iD1KKyHasSadGkm6rwLrO5UpbCPWiIiiuOjhNU96f_QZzOTV9ypVFSS6DvvCT65h8g60UeqcOg_dn4rGQtX0wKOQYAR6MALGR3Sq7-fa3PfgcHFubQtLCHTjth4lshUVxoeSIP5bBnX19eKmpYat_4waJakNz6ZCxYwvkm8mZU5J384ejNo9vp2EyHNEHP1Q9SPAnAumlCRe5hmvvQciSAHUCg5bxI10sB0_T8y6lsJLBywr9RrI9Nhn0l_Y4f3Wm8DCZHO93w5UbmVs4Juj7TvJ3hrram_ZW_3A==&c=GkghcqI_LZzkzv0ucWNAnVKufA9GccLG7HDKT2e7Nu5xJ0wLzUVKBA==&ch=-JypvNjYNKyWCR_Vfk-ztC3XWDNuLnA4kUYTcRKHEIvhguxZw7G6hw==">Washington Post</a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001b8a18_h-Is-IdLedeHx20D3P3-gAdJd2cGtUmh75RfSkplnS54cCmUE20nARO9-4JuH-GHR4SHkxXlRCD9Ml6PO9Gg6s319UBrs7HYE4toJE3b-ti3LvKFCoAPY1REKlKBq0g__WF3LiA9yVp7CqJj65VxWoChI7iAXh72n5pPA9IX_9SFw1gsBzvEv7CACyL4ixdiN-kwuXD73LAj0PtkHkYBgbKmAGecxL49TqL_TE8Vi1mGpnvA==&c=GkghcqI_LZzkzv0ucWNAnVKufA9GccLG7HDKT2e7Nu5xJ0wLzUVKBA==&ch=-JypvNjYNKyWCR_Vfk-ztC3XWDNuLnA4kUYTcRKHEIvhguxZw7G6hw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Study</span></a> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>New York City Faces Elevated Risk of "Sandy-Like" Flooding Events This Century</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A new study in the <i>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</i> predicts a significantly greater risk of Hurricane Sandy-like flooding for New York City during the next century. The study used two factors to model future storm surge events: sea level rise and the size and severity of storms. The model integrates historical data and projections, while accounting for the influence of climate change. Based off a moderate emissions scenario, the likelihood of a flood as severe as that experienced during Hurricane Sandy is 3-17 times more likely over the next 100 years compared to the present day. The scenario predicts a major flooding event could hit New York City every 23 years. Study author Ning Lin, a professor at Princeton University, expressed the value of such research for cities: "New York has started the planning of building coastal protection defense. Our analysis can help determine what magnitude of such defense - e.g., height of levees - is needed to protect the city from future increasing surge inundation."</span></div>
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Chad Tolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198303455148896174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441974095206886318.post-6579241000176908092016-09-21T17:08:00.000-07:002016-09-21T17:08:52.463-07:00CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS FOR SEPT. 2016<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>CC NEWS FOR SEPT. 2016</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On August 15 Beth Borenstein posted an article in <b><i>AP</i></b> titled, <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/d4380f1cf2c6487198a293d8b687e0b6/nasa-last-month-was-earths-hottest-recorded-history"><span style="color: #6435e2; letter-spacing: 0px;">NASA: Last month was Earth's hottest in recorded history</span></a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">. The next two highest global temperatures were in July 2015 and July 2011.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #282b30; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px;">Reuters posted a Note on Aug. 24 by Alister Doyle titled, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-g20-climatechange-idUSKCN10Z0A5?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=Daily+Carbon+Briefing&utm_campaign=5a013b76b1-cb_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_876aab4fd7-5a013b76b1-303474073"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Investors urge G20 nations to ratify Paris climate deal this year.</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b> </b>He wrote, </span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Investors managing more than $13 trillion of assets urged leaders of the Group of 20 on Wednesday to ratify a global climate deal by the end of 2016 and to step up efforts to shift from fossil fuels.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A total of 130 investors, grouped in six coalitions, wrote a letter to G20 leaders and also called on them to double global investment in clean energy, develop carbon pricing and phase out fossil fuel subsidies. Among backers were the California Public Employees' Retirement System, Swedish National pension funds, Aegon, AustralianSuper, the Church of England Pensions Board and the New York City Comptroller, it said.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">"The Paris Agreement provides a clear signal to investors that the transition to the low-carbon clean energy economy is inevitable and already under way," the investors wrote to G20 leaders before a Sept. 4-5 summit in China.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #101010; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On August 30 the <b><i>Morning Consult</i></b> posted an article by Asha Glover titled, <a href="https://morningconsult.com/alert/polling-shows-american-support-climate-change-action/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Polling Shows American Support for Climate Change Action</span></a>.</span><span style="color: #101010; font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">She reported the results of three recent polls that show that a majority of Americans think that climate change is real and needs to be addressed. Acording to a poll by Yale and George Mason University,, 73% of registered voters believe that climate change is real and 56% beliee that it is mostly due to human activity. Another poll by St. Leo University foundd that 75% were concerned about climate change and 56% said that the government is responsible for addressing it. Another poll by ABC News/Washington Post showed a split in views along party lines. While 81% of Democrats said that climate is a very serious problem, only 43% of Republicans did; 65% of democrats wanted the government to do more, while only 22% of Republicans did.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px;">The <b><i>NY Times </i></b>for Sept. 3 had an article by John Schwartz titled, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/03/us/hurricanes-global-warming.html?_r=0"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Hurricane Season Is Heating Up. So Is the Planet. Coincidence?</span></a></span><span style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px;"> After explaining that this is the height of the hurricane season in the Atlantic, he wrote, </span><span style="color: #4d4d4d; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">When it comes to hurricanes and climate change, scientists are still trying to figure out what warming is doing now and will do later. “It’s a really tough problem,” said Gabriel A. Vecchi, a climate researcher at NOAA’s geophysical fluid dynamics laboratory in Princeton. The issue might appear to be simple: Warmer oceans provide more energy for storms, so storms should get more numerous and mighty. But other factors have complicated the picture, he said, including atmospheric changes that can affect wind shear, a factor that keeps cyclones from forming.” </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“Kerry A. Emanuel, a climate scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said the evidence suggested climate change would cause the strongest storms to grow even stronger, and to be more frequent. Unresolved questions surround the effect of warming on the weaker storms, but even those will dump more rain, leading over time to increased damage from flooding.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“The fuzziness about whether hurricane patterns are changing does not undercut the overwhelming scientific consensus about climate change in general, Dr. Vecchi said. “There is no conflict between uncertainty about what global warming is going to do to hurricanes, and the reality of global warming and human activity being one of the drivers of global warming,” he said.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“Any storm can do tremendous damage where it hits, depending on the strength of its surge and winds and flooding. And overdevelopment along the nation’s coastlines means that the cost of damage is bound to escalate.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A big part of preparing, Dr. Emanuel said, is overhauling the nation’s flood insurance system, which currently does little to dissuade people from living in hazardous areas.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“A <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/rob-moore/flood-rebuild-repeat-need-flood-insurance-reforms"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">recent report</span></a> from the Natural Resources Defense Council showed that many homes are rebuilt over and over after storms with money from the National Flood Insurance Program. The owners of one Louisiana home that has flooded 40 times have received $428,379 from the program over time. More than 2,100 homes flooded more than 10 times and received payments from the program. The 30,000 most-flooded homes make up less than 1 percent of the five million homes in the program, but have received more than 10 percent of the claims paid since 1978.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“Climate change just makes it worse,” Dr. Emanuel said, and he predicted far greater property damage and rebuilding costs in years to come. The insurance problem, he said, “sets up for a string of Katrinas and Sandys as far as the eye can see.””</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE:</b> Large and powerful cyclonic storms, where winds circle around a central eye, are called hurricanes in the Atlantic and typhoons in the Pacific. M.I.T. Professor Kerry Emanuel has written an excellent book titled, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Wind-History-Science-Hurricanes/dp/0195149416"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Divine Wind: The History and Science of Hurricanes</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On Sept. 7 the<b> <i>International Energy Agency (IEA)</i> </b>posted an article titled,<a href="https://www.iea.org/newsroomandevents/news/2016/september/cities-are-at-the-frontline-of-the-energy-transition.html"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"> Cities are at the frontline of the energy transition</span></a>. It pointed out that while countries and regions are setting targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the real action is likely to take place in booming cities all over the world. In 2013 urban areas used 64% of the world’s primary energy and produced 70% of it CO2 emissions. According to the IEA <a href="http://www.iea.org/etp/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Energy Technology Perspectives 2016</span></a> the evolution of city transport systems to encourage walking, biking and mass transit could save $21 trillion by 2050 while substantially reducing carbon emissions. According to the IEA, </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><i>“</i></b></span><span style="color: #4f4f4f; font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><i>Policy at the national level must encourage the deployment of clean energy technologies, and include greenhouse gas emission reduction targets (such as those under the Paris Agreement), carbon pricing mechanisms, and investment in energy research, development and demonstration. (emphasis added) </i></b>But these targets must then be complemented by action at the local level. To meet their renewable energy targets, cities can provide detailed solar maps giving valuable information on expected energy yields and installation costs for buildings and houses in various neighborhoods for example. On transportation and fossil fuel emissions, cities can also invest in the long-term development of walking and cycling infrastructure. For energy efficiency, cities can take a leading role in adopting, monitoring and enforcing building energy codes for new construction.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“There are cities that are already taking serious action. Some small towns in the United States are already running entirely on renewable power, including Aspen, Colorado, and Burlington, Vermont. Bigger cities have set ambitious goals, with Copenhagen, Denmark, aiming to be carbon neutral by 2025. San Diego, California, aims to be 100% powered by renewable sources by 2035, and Vancouver, Canada, by 2050.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On Sept. 11<b> <i>The Washington Pos</i>t </b>published an article by the Editorial Board titled, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/with-more-people-hitting-the-road-its-time-for-a-carbon-tax/2016/09/11/87eb0f4a-7085-11e6-9705-23e51a2f424d_story.html?utm_term=.165873be497c"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">With more people hitting the road, it’s time for a carbon tax.</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px;">It says,</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> “</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-shadow: 0.0px 1.0px 0.0px #000000;">AMERICANS ARE <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/usa-gasoline-kemp-idUSL8N1BD2WM"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px; text-shadow: rgb(0, 0, 0) 0px 1px 0px;">burning record amounts of gasoline</span></a>. The Energy Department announced Aug. 31 that the country fueled up more this June than in any other month the agency has measured, underscoring <a href="https://www.eia.gov/forecasts/steo/report/us_oil.cfm"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px; text-shadow: rgb(0, 0, 0) 0px 1px 0px;">a finding</span></a> last month that the United States is on track to set an annual gas consumption record in 2016. This was not supposed to happen.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-shadow: 0.0px 1.0px 0.0px #000000;">A couple of years ago, government experts <a href="http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=16871"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px; text-shadow: rgb(0, 0, 0) 0px 1px 0px;">projected</span></a> that gasoline use would bump up about now — but not that it would hit or breach its 2007 peak. The economic downturn cut gas demand after 2007, then persistently high oil prices kept it down. Now the economy has rebounded, which was fairly foreseeable, and oil prices are strikingly low, which was less so. Americans are driving more and buying bigger vehicles. The Environmental Protection Agency <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/us-fuel-efficiency-goals-could-fall-short-by-2025-federal-report-finds/2016/07/18/43660cec-4cf1-11e6-a7d8-13d06b37f256_story.html"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px; text-shadow: rgb(0, 0, 0) 0px 1px 0px;">recently projected</span></a> that people would buy more trucks and fewer gas-sipping cars in coming years than its experts had previously estimated. All of this is happening while one of the EPA’s marquee anti-climate-change policies, increasingly stiff <a href="https://www3.epa.gov/otaq/climate/regulations.htm"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px; text-shadow: rgb(0, 0, 0) 0px 1px 0px;">fuel-efficiency requirements</span></a> for cars and trucks, has been phasing in.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-shadow: 0.0px 1.0px 0.0px #000000;">The news does not show that the EPA’s fuel-efficiency policy is failing. But it does punctuate the fact that it has some flaws. One of the most glaring is that, while EPA fuel-efficiency mandates will require cars and trucks to use less fuel to go the same distance, they cannot control how much people drive or what type of vehicles people buy. As recent events have shown, when oil prices sink, people worry less about conservation, no matter how environmentally desirable. In fact, higher fuel efficiency might also encourage some people to drive more than they would have otherwise, because their gas bills are lower.” </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; text-shadow: rgb(0, 0, 0) 0px 1px 0px;">The new fuel efficiency standards are expected to provide an average of 51 MPG by 2025 for new vehicles.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-shadow: 0.0px 1.0px 0.0px #000000;">“But it would be better to encourage people to buy cleaner cars and cut out unnecessary trips all at once — in fact, it would be better to establish a policy that encouraged individuals and businesses to account for the environmental impacts of driving, turning on the light switch, buying clothes or doing anything else that involves fossil fuels. <b><i>This policy is a steadily rising carbon tax.</i></b> <b><i>(emphasis added)</i></b> A carbon tax would put a lower ceiling on national gasoline use without more aggressive regulatory interventions. It would also encourage every other piece of the economy to green up over time, starting with those for whom doing so is cheapest. This is why <b><i>it is also the least expensive path to lowering the country’s carbon dioxide emissions.</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On Sept. 12 Bryan Wiser from the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, with coauthors from Insight Decisions, the National Renewable Energy Lab, and the University of Massachusetts, published an article in <b><i>Nature Energy</i></b> titled, </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0964f6; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/nenergy2016135.epdf?author_access_token=xOjt15xAsgbwf-DTbC9umtRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0Pm0tcEncNIRUyqt3vi2Zdm55gFQx3FMImKG0Gh8VsP0wqN8AeZekJAOtf6AfxskkGU8raC7OZ5Y_20S7qTMDRvAjSHfuoi9oAte8h3yQ3nDw==">Expert elicitation survey on future wind energy costs</a></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px;">. The paper summarizes the results of a survey of 163 of the world’s foremost wind power experts knowledgeable about land-based wind, fixed-bottom offshore wind and floating offshore wind. The abstract says,</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> “Wind</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">energy</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">supply</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">has</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">grown</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">rapidly</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">over</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">the</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">last</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">decade.</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">However,</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">the</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">long-term</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">contribution</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">of</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">wind</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">to</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">future</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">energy supply,</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">and</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">the</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">degree</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">to</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">which</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">policy</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">support</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">is</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">necessary</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">to</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">motivate</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">higher</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">levels</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">of</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">deployment,</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">depends—in</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">part—on the</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">future</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">costs</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">of</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">both</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">onshore</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">and</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">offshore</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">wind.</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Here,</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">we</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">summarize</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">the</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">results</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">of</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">an</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">expert</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">elicitation</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">survey</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">of</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">163 of</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">the</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">world’s</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">foremost</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">wind</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">experts,</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">aimed</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">at</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">better</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">understanding</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">future</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">costs</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">and</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">technology</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">advancement</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">possibilities. Results</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">suggest</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">significant</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">opportunities</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">for</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">cost</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">reductions,</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">but</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">also</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">underlying</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">uncertainties.</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Under</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">the</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">median</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">scenario, experts</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">anticipate</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">24–30%</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">reductions</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">by</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">2030</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">and</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">35–41%</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">reductions</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">by</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">2050</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">across</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">the</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">three</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">wind</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">applications</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">studied. Costs</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">could</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">be</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">even</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">lower ...” </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The largest levelized cost reductions are expected for fixed-bottom (seafloor mounted) offshore wind turbines. By 2030 these are expected to have a capacity of 11 MW with a hub height of 125 m and a rotor diameter of 190 m (625 feet). Land-based turbines are expected to be smaller: 3.25 MW capacity with a 135 m rotor diameter.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> On Sept. 14 Seth Borenstein of the <b><i>Associated Press</i></b> posted an article titled, <a href="http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2016-09-14-US--AP%20Poll-Climate%20Change/id-0b3acd385e75470984bef4326d022bf2"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Poll: Americans favor slightly higher bills to fight warming.</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4d4d4d; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">He wrote, </span><span style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;">“</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;">Most Americans are willing to pay a little more each month to fight global warming — but only a tiny bit, according to a new poll. Still, environmental policy experts hail that as a hopeful sign.”</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Polling was done by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago. The poll showed that 71% of Americans want the federal government to do something about climate change, even if they’re not sure it’s happening. When asked if they would be willing to pay an extra $1 per month on their electric bill, 51% said yes, but support fell sharply with increasing cost. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;">“At $10 a month, 39 percent were in favor and 61 percent opposed. At $20 a month, the public is more than 2-to-1 against it. And only 1-in-5 would support $50 a month.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“There remains a partisan divide in how Americans view climate change. While 84 percent of Democrats and 55 percent of independents view global warming as a fact and a problem that the government needs to address, only 43 percent for Republicans agree. And 18 percent of Republicans said they think climate change is happening but don't think the government should address the issue.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Slightly more than half of Americans — 54 percent — said they approved of Obama administration rules to cut pollution from coal power plants, the biggest emitter of heat-trapping carbon dioxide.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE:</b> In the classical <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stern_Review"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change</span></a>, released by the UK government in 2006, Stern projected that climate change could be addressed at an annual cost of 1% of global GDP. Failure to address it could result in an annual cost to the global economy of 5-20% of global GDP. In 2008 he revised the cost of addressing climate change upward from 1% to 2% of global GDP. For the U.S., 2% of a $15 trillion GDP would be $300 billion per year, or an average of about $1000 per person per year ($85/month). I conclude that most Americans have no realistic idea of what it will cost to address climate change, or that failing to address it might cost 10 times that much! My view is that failing to address climate change in a timely way could cause the collapse of the global economy, and perhaps the collapse of civilization itself. Lester R. Brown wrote a book titled, <b>Plan B 4.0 - Mobilizing to Save Civilization</b> W.W. Norton & Co,. New York, (2009), detailing the growing threats.</span></div>
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The following items are from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), Carol Werner, Executive Director. Past issues of its newsletter are posted on its website under "publications"<br />
at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102515421764&e=001VqmyLSnT7fkl-_mocGBcn8yb2ys8eiE4dr3Tnveazy1K0B1fU1CponAdxiy_W78b49PK6NHsR0pHlqO7KOWi-3m5yW4bNEJiyJt1G95YoNt46CLY1L4uGjNKLSPL84kX2r7jAaxw1oVR18YElOXvV8_lo1bRsASi9tPNMTm7-ZU="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">http://www.eesi.org/publications/Newsletters/CCNews/ccnews.htm</span></a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">EESI’s newsletter is intended for all interested parties, particularly the policymaker community. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Alaskan Village Chooses to Relocate from Disappearing Island Home</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Residents of the remote Alaskan village of Shishmaref voted to relocate from their ancestral home to a new location to be determined in the future. Along with Isle de Jean Charles in Louisiana, Shishmaref will be among the first U.S. communities to move due to climate change impacts. Home to 650 residents, the mile-wide island upon which the village rests has seen 3,000 feet of coastline wash away over the past 35 years. Melting permafrost and shrinking sea ice have weakened the island's natural erosion buffers, forcing residents to move buildings further inland. Resident and activist Esau Sinnok stated, "To put this in perspective: I was born in 1997, and since then, Shishmaref has lost about 100 feet. Within the next two decades, the whole island will erode away completely."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001DP8NMwGEQjOukIrTx7DacY7nEUmk2w8rCv1uq2CeZef_yM5oPUWdR888I3V_13Z1GaRC749hXGaxI0PlFOTVw8XffJ35QXC1Gw804eW1xkxKHdNubY9pGphQtiyuWapx7gQUIqkg9MdIOsMqjmOA9nGBOLhw0XBAiwY0vsM0MyMx6gM0p0S5bj8KSsikJzNfyvqT9Z0yH5mMX8oGQ9b_5gBhEyTdskIy5dgNf_gY4aJpRu2S2wmS1sDs-Jf5igRBE8fuu28iIFSphnUGlrQHyT7ECCcZ5L6UxnqiR1xWkOK81461MSrVrlW11kz66qrpPao5aU1MpB1w2DWNDK05ZhSMCkfoezBRp3JnnIeQJEjKKaXr7eep3s4ql1gYqq50Zw3wb34b_4cbmjQ4YL0L9c-wqziC5iqp-9lEtIMnevqBniogEz724EeNqtLLkECwfBtGI8zDJVYlcHpkwcGvqm8SAjFjYART&c=s_Z1pnjtnZdtIKk2Rlx6uUELKtm7RZutzpsVA5vnLm8EmTWEJu8jjg==&ch=8aADs8Iotl-okoFtkBuVQHRZf8B0eWAcuzbGoDY_hPZV7JJHRaPjfA==">The Telegraph</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001DP8NMwGEQjOukIrTx7DacY7nEUmk2w8rCv1uq2CeZef_yM5oPUWdR888I3V_13Z1q7tAB4-dWb9TL0qAzcQXKhc_OY8fDBdcT2qJRHdNi1RJjH62k3ai8xQ_yHU2KWpBlvzWu4PtlX50J2dblb1t3xtPx-6hsZAQha3qhUebS6BwNy6QHDPYIpm9OIVbSynUdF__dy6FnQH-_9v1EPEgjzmPBE5l41TTAr0-uAFfAbJwqTuvwHgKSPneGkSNFr15NPt211VF20Wgfra0Pw62TQ-eOIq-rZygYLkfQuerEl0=&c=s_Z1pnjtnZdtIKk2Rlx6uUELKtm7RZutzpsVA5vnLm8EmTWEJu8jjg==&ch=8aADs8Iotl-okoFtkBuVQHRZf8B0eWAcuzbGoDY_hPZV7JJHRaPjfA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Associated Press</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001DP8NMwGEQjOukIrTx7DacY7nEUmk2w8rCv1uq2CeZef_yM5oPUWdR888I3V_13Z1r723Nb7JfQVRsLtzWUOzSCeDfUGCf6YTvcOqKxi0DIiFr0GR8nKs_SXo7h6mlsf87D2HNrJxkyX9qB98SMM3jY-waQbQ2iUvpiqpN5VGp6rmi9Q2hnAy3fKZiVEQ8c4MKhE1fvkKz-Y4JRDYKSn245t-Ly6YVXZxUS7PauReQao=&c=s_Z1pnjtnZdtIKk2Rlx6uUELKtm7RZutzpsVA5vnLm8EmTWEJu8jjg==&ch=8aADs8Iotl-okoFtkBuVQHRZf8B0eWAcuzbGoDY_hPZV7JJHRaPjfA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">CNN</span></a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://0F5FD508-5872-4C51-A29F-62CA72797E09/pastedGraphic.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Mexico Preparing for National Cap-and-Trade Program, Expected in 2018</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The Mexican government will initiate a pilot cap-and-trade program in November to test plans for a national carbon market slated for 2018. The voluntary pilot will allow up to 60 companies to practice operating under the proposed program, while providing the government with feedback heading into the final implementation. The government will be responsible for setting the emissions cap and managing a registry where companies will submit their emissions data for verification. Private-sector firms would be allowed to trade emissions certificates under the plan. Mexico has committed to reducing its emissions by 22 percent from 2013 levels by 2030 in fulfillment of the Paris climate agreement.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001DP8NMwGEQjOukIrTx7DacY7nEUmk2w8rCv1uq2CeZef_yM5oPUWdR888I3V_13Z1Tn31nLYABHWfHsUWX9tmOrs2_JAuUVRc_awYPzMCYkiKE0ERidrxGwHXvNXnYpi_GauMThLjGUFFjHaMqJGkOd-SVWZKL6rVYXs0WHvgwOBHc9u92vmgenmNYxbhU1lH1SXjh4ENcW1spXMaWU-xGaHQurgar6zMNO-YPqIKviduDMt2oerzGnjmU6a_iaBsk9zmmKh-NqxOv6m7PKQiZ_xHVQFZDmlEdNwa2WsUe_M4QxZDSDP6_nKCJLyZ5F8nAXndXdKFlqBD-p8CBrryO6uywDM1AMuRDNfkC2o7yfoB7Tq1hxnf_kXCzd8kg0WhEflhOpGMJyoORHPUwj9QfL44iBpqmhzIFPHbcTkkcERDzZ5Y2zmIvJGYHR8c8Jb_PG9Nkcu2e88glua2C9nw5Ja9N35qyyXEgSGBIBMVgOo=&c=s_Z1pnjtnZdtIKk2Rlx6uUELKtm7RZutzpsVA5vnLm8EmTWEJu8jjg==&ch=8aADs8Iotl-okoFtkBuVQHRZf8B0eWAcuzbGoDY_hPZV7JJHRaPjfA==">Reuters<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_1.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://0F5FD508-5872-4C51-A29F-62CA72797E09/pastedGraphic_1.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Insurance Industry Still Faces Challenges in Adapting to Climate Threats</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A new report by the Asset Owners Disclosure Project (AODP) found insurance companies are changing their operations too slowly and risk getting left with stranded assets as climate impacts become more prevalent. CEO of the AODP, Julian Poulter, underscores the vulnerability within insurer investments: "They're going to get hit on the liability side from climate change; they're going to get hit through the transition on their portfolio side ... and they're unable to manage the risk by going to the companies and urging them to transition early." A second study by University of Chicago economist Michael Greenstone examined the practice of capping premiums for high-risk coastal policyholders, concluding a cap "effectively prevents the market from sending the signal that people need to adapt to the risks they face" to keep their premiums down.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001DP8NMwGEQjOukIrTx7DacY7nEUmk2w8rCv1uq2CeZef_yM5oPUWdR888I3V_13Z1zjH7KZD0N2uDSp1BBPK0H1ScCvbVJdT6oIckj4Ul_CiwVu9SbT3d3c3wg2Q676wexSIIB19_pvrH3zwv3u1eKu0G36hoDtryKtJdAIOLBREh8XviOubPaHTAwePlqp3Ir7AghDcS8hgSW8BXzEUpaRxzgdy5fZcg4GL1mIZ10PVywIQi1mryodgL8_O67mDqAdE6LbC0bVRTQbmfYq-T7Q==&c=s_Z1pnjtnZdtIKk2Rlx6uUELKtm7RZutzpsVA5vnLm8EmTWEJu8jjg==&ch=8aADs8Iotl-okoFtkBuVQHRZf8B0eWAcuzbGoDY_hPZV7JJHRaPjfA==">Marketplace<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Public opinion remains split over climate change, more so than other contentious contemporary issues. According to Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, climate is "more politically polarizing than abortion ... [and] gay marriage." Recent surveys published by Yale and George Mason University found that 17 percent of Americans were concerned and demand immediate action, whereas 28 percent shared concern but perceived the threat as distant. An additional 27 percent are somewhat cautious, 11 percent expressed doubt, and seven percent were not following the issue at all. The final 10 percent dismissed the science and threat of climate change entirely. Surveys conducted by Stanford University illustrate this divide in political terms, as 90 percent of Democrats and 80 percent of independents view climate change as a serious threat to the United States, while only half of Republicans share this view.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001DP8NMwGEQjOukIrTx7DacY7nEUmk2w8rCv1uq2CeZef_yM5oPUWdR888I3V_13Z1qZtxgvRMJwaK7Pf35m4VQfZRnEtwGUjGUoY6ljMn-JNQ0X5epLM5aLYq3vkWFlpWh4YR0r9Ap5AEkDaMjXybWa--2Jifeznk4mJVAKwh6bDSt3ftBD9f-SWmrRNKxEBmsMRghG8K0gz-NyyNBbeska0DBxNoT9Su5yWL8taVDpSaUeBfm5KOWT2Y230b71AJCKeBowrT6zna8V8XyGOzAkj9ewX6lNsOHGG5ByTVN-LKT3V-2BSD_Q==&c=s_Z1pnjtnZdtIKk2Rlx6uUELKtm7RZutzpsVA5vnLm8EmTWEJu8jjg==&ch=8aADs8Iotl-okoFtkBuVQHRZf8B0eWAcuzbGoDY_hPZV7JJHRaPjfA==">Associated Press</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_3.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://0F5FD508-5872-4C51-A29F-62CA72797E09/pastedGraphic_3.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Airborne Sensors Locate Elusive Methane Leaks in Southwestern United States</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A study published August 15 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences identified the sources of 250 methane leaks in the U.S. Four Corners region. The study builds on previous investigations in the region by using aircraft-mounted near-infrared and thermal infrared spectrometers to identify the location of the methane leaks to within a few feet. The researchers found that just 10 percent of the leaks in the region were responsible for more than 50 percent of the excess methane. Ramón Alvarez, a senior scientist with the Environmental Defense Fund, said that although this study will be helpful in reducing emissions, "you have to keep looking, because next week or next month there could be a different population of sites that are in this abnormally high-emitting state."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001DP8NMwGEQjOukIrTx7DacY7nEUmk2w8rCv1uq2CeZef_yM5oPUWdR888I3V_13Z1FPfxpks7ghRChCNkoBOMG0V_8EP9V-DXkPVGyX39R008IwkuLefe6tk8xHtdFU_apD8QoP_zVlVJ7TnNXLTFWtfMq8Bg666f7h7ZaOT3HUPrpGuOhxaHAGeJ7_uAT8KWpY5JmyNfqnnMuY64vtTfHO3FaL0-Y_XTycOzvSqhjgq2mF2iUWRIB4T_Ii5iI1lrUFnAO400u_h5TNUgaCn7EDMRoFASYxwmuKiXESNn2qmfvQYx-c1_xRdr8kMGTKcSj6CXHrbwk-elKcfFcWyTPmiNJU5maKGjuWTzlg49Sh4ikxnVbVBQKXYxQksJFWydvRe0X9z95_R6J6NtcBBjtm22e0mhbUx4jn7XpFJd1rRh8Y6pzuDds3OKpoLhBy0KD_GyTZOf46VA4FiWNuVVBEMAd8nORieT&c=s_Z1pnjtnZdtIKk2Rlx6uUELKtm7RZutzpsVA5vnLm8EmTWEJu8jjg==&ch=8aADs8Iotl-okoFtkBuVQHRZf8B0eWAcuzbGoDY_hPZV7JJHRaPjfA==">Inside Climate News</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001DP8NMwGEQjOukIrTx7DacY7nEUmk2w8rCv1uq2CeZef_yM5oPUWdR888I3V_13Z1NlRvxwOVABM8dSH4iD1Khcot-XvriYVs6UlrC0a6s1x9YpA4o5hGFzR88YMc7nSXfdKcTEZqRquIoBe0fcvKpQDDYKU2puOYXCsSMisZJk1kbamudri9U6XStC_XaPO7G4J6W8y7JGkEkE290LkvK0A9CzGZjEAv&c=s_Z1pnjtnZdtIKk2Rlx6uUELKtm7RZutzpsVA5vnLm8EmTWEJu8jjg==&ch=8aADs8Iotl-okoFtkBuVQHRZf8B0eWAcuzbGoDY_hPZV7JJHRaPjfA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</span></a> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE:</b> While there is much less methane in the atmosphere than there is CO2, methane is a very powerful greenhouse gas. It produces only half as much CO2 per kWh as coal, but that advantage can be lost if the methane is lost to the atmosphere before it is burned.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Warming Climate Sets the Stage for Extreme Rainfall in Louisiana and Elsewhere</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Many climatologists have associated the past week's massive flooding in southern Louisiana with rising global atmospheric temperatures. Warmer temperatures can lead to increasingly higher amounts of water vapor in the atmosphere, resulting in more frequent extreme rainfall events. According to data from the 2014 National Climate Assessment, the frequency of the heaviest rainfall events in the southeastern United States rose by 27 percent from 1958 to 2012. In response to these trends catching communities off-guard, Katherine Hayhoe, a climate researcher at Texas Tech University, explains that "when climate is changing, ... relying on the past to predict the future will give us ... not just the wrong answer, but a potentially dangerous one."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001DP8NMwGEQjOukIrTx7DacY7nEUmk2w8rCv1uq2CeZef_yM5oPUWdR888I3V_13Z1zQHgJwZWBZwgB5P6ncQYpy3GloIJ258h_62VKCvV4FvFOM-belvIVCmv4cXvA9NbA_CCzNWtTcrZs4gLtZoHYI-poJNaMnC37Sq82Gk4RFPLNEWR4ggaTHTk3zVsUICOYPYBo8mCOCL1bxmoWYPvowk80MmRfhLyS7FSGh2LxLJJQobyAy8Oner0LiKKug47qFVkDShhfylbUP15R28646yElAl0ColMdSSBSswbaTlsFn5h_0_ALsT9qVFGSs7sW2CU7E_zm7Q6KhC-ZPVmXwVz0zVIVEEz8632mkyDjCduqD0zUHr3pMfwf7q2D1oqu6iaGVlODSD9yW_-jQuLDnCSTo-PPI_6rtqFTjeoJwVV_7BCivC-ahVCif571SU1vP_Ce9GgtOPIsq10KxyDvKkQICTaoxURa_GNFCzyoBLlhKrpwPZsrPAiPTy0WIG0&c=s_Z1pnjtnZdtIKk2Rlx6uUELKtm7RZutzpsVA5vnLm8EmTWEJu8jjg==&ch=8aADs8Iotl-okoFtkBuVQHRZf8B0eWAcuzbGoDY_hPZV7JJHRaPjfA==">The Washington Post<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A recent stretch of marine heatwaves has had a devastating impact on ecosystems across the Pacific Ocean. Relatively new to science, these ocean phenomena were responsible for raising Western Australia's typical surface water temperatures 5 degrees Celsius during a 10 week period in 2011. The 2011 temperature surge killed off hundreds of kilometers of coastal kelp forests, while a 2016 heatwave caused 22 percent of coral in the Great Barrier Reef to die. Eric Oliver, an oceanographer at the University of Tasmania, commented that "the seas [off Australia's southeastern and southwestern coasts] are warming fast and so we might expect there to be an increased likelihood or increased intensity of the [marine heatwave] events that happen there." As global climate change continues to warm oceans worldwide, scientists fear that the frequency of these heatwaves may be on the rise, which in turn could trigger further ecological catastrophes.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001DP8NMwGEQjOukIrTx7DacY7nEUmk2w8rCv1uq2CeZef_yM5oPUWdR888I3V_13Z12q7L5mbxIU4UYsljEFafJYRvX1inKxp3_r4QJ6ECa0-DvUhD_3L9qhgrp_JTAVQVEZFS21Ym-rWGSeicegkKo13cvxJqswhDHHv2G-YQa8rwIB7zfMDVJlFyoPd_e1iKhDzEx9VEZ7GZi7PWQ9ciuxsfBpQVP8ArvL6hcrnjkyaiiXuBl-Hn2XNERY6ovzUl3Wf0hR3IMN44-WbAy4AldJqwuZKpQg2eHjm9c6_MkrXxdcTkea3qDQ==&c=s_Z1pnjtnZdtIKk2Rlx6uUELKtm7RZutzpsVA5vnLm8EmTWEJu8jjg==&ch=8aADs8Iotl-okoFtkBuVQHRZf8B0eWAcuzbGoDY_hPZV7JJHRaPjfA==">The Guardian<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_5.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://0F5FD508-5872-4C51-A29F-62CA72797E09/pastedGraphic_5.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>California Assembly Passes Bill to Strengthen Emissions Standards</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On August 23, the California Assembly approved Senate Bill 32 (SB32), a measure intended to extend California's greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals. The bill would mandate a 40 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2030, relative to 1990 levels. The state is already on track to achieve its current standard requiring 1990 emissions levels by 2020. The original law, Assembly Bill 32, passed in 2006, provided the basis for California's cap-and-trade program, which has been struggling with low permit revenue. SB32's author Senator Fran Pavley said, "Today's action sends an unmistakable signal to investors of California's commitment to clean energy and clean air." The Assembly-amended version of SB32 is headed back to the Senate for a final vote. Governor Jerry Brown has already vowed to sign the bill if it reaches his office.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001-UWDJkeZ6F700DqAsfZa3x0h3TEhTkI38Mo5EQNQMVbeiYMS0oEx6LKDPYi_rggrdpBqRla41CJYdMnbCFZ11yXf1uUhLD6CI-mjPDSRykonT0dJkEQWyu5NUFZJ7YUl7_JU4Ftl-Xp1YF2tjtZIzk8Mb2m38_zXeLcfCqM78FCC_GfuSEpgzBJvjmnpiP1BBBh6w6QJtZS_xT9t5b4HvuFKJrnPZ412mPVJhfeVnvhfH0k6OTDqCNjCX1OPPJ6Liywhi0cPQGgZQZ2r8OU9vvDvbChyS6K4&c=w_SV60ypf_kxrFYPpeXg-y-DldOz38TBDe679eplXd8S4Xd_lY6BRQ==&ch=9LvYZCudpdUr1OIt7LQkbhpKX6ra3GGJxl1COTbhIJsdzU95s_T8rw==">Los Angeles Times</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001-UWDJkeZ6F700DqAsfZa3x0h3TEhTkI38Mo5EQNQMVbeiYMS0oEx6LKDPYi_rggraMBnKRjXwLq_8jLT3H5ShgRMeVo-mlF4DxUYVq1GcURuP5dlix3eaNhE77pgLgdOU8egrwB9vqgIj-unsLGNFmQYaauwfkUtcLfKvqhY6iuMYXhxWsb4lE0p7YmLCXgm5T5yUUHeZn8o-1so21zlotLChJZyY-RwoQoSe-c0tFUGOlOF_NXkyly9eUkl5ga7GlR9jidwLpmTekiEh9Hesw==&c=w_SV60ypf_kxrFYPpeXg-y-DldOz38TBDe679eplXd8S4Xd_lY6BRQ==&ch=9LvYZCudpdUr1OIt7LQkbhpKX6ra3GGJxl1COTbhIJsdzU95s_T8rw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">SF Gate</span></a>, <span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001-UWDJkeZ6F700DqAsfZa3x0h3TEhTkI38Mo5EQNQMVbeiYMS0oEx6LKDPYi_rggrQHgQc1olBRAVEuqyM6gd0SOPCtMknR8YrNIz3wiNpZOpiWZBoYOanbBH1NRUMTYrhhlO_hi8vd58o0MuLhBx1cWWn615SSBSonTHZhyBS47ZsDuDHfAk9fTUyT3AjLVXCV1UKZyXUEZXT7Xh3Em1tlrF_KAYx6gjXYpcjPJKmzqWp7mw2lgQEA==&c=w_SV60ypf_kxrFYPpeXg-y-DldOz38TBDe679eplXd8S4Xd_lY6BRQ==&ch=9LvYZCudpdUr1OIt7LQkbhpKX6ra3GGJxl1COTbhIJsdzU95s_T8rw==">Reuters</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_6.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://0F5FD508-5872-4C51-A29F-62CA72797E09/pastedGraphic_6.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Colorado Governor Mulling Executive Order to Combat Carbon Emissions</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On August 23, draft documents leaked suggesting Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper may issue an executive order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the state's electric utility sector. The executive order under consideration would mandate a 25 percent cut in CO2 emissions by 2025 and a 35 percent cut by 2030, both relative to 2012 emission levels. Gov. Hickenlooper has argued that Colorado should proceed with plans to comply with the federal Clean Power Plan (CPP) despite the rule's judicial stay and opposition to the plan from the state's attorney general, Cynthia Coffman. Colorado's goal under the CPP involves a 31-38 percent emission reduction by 2030 compared with 2005 levels. Kathy Green, a spokeswoman for the Governor's office, clarified that the draft "is a working document that was created for discussion. No decisions have been made."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001-UWDJkeZ6F700DqAsfZa3x0h3TEhTkI38Mo5EQNQMVbeiYMS0oEx6LKDPYi_rggrZti_2rjzQkFiJAXHKWgTDoTGPktjeb_ShkW-VV_HCbiNfHjXR6ELXz7adehe-42t3sD6vHfTELlBQqhq99Na3quHBcUI9SifJYUaGpAOthVqoGi0K3-7ZppuYRZsTqwqQgE_yoZAf_6ApZCqoG3q1oShhwk1saZ-3KT7Ym-fZc_hETuiJtCfdFIAvuyHRqw7rBmyAGQdvEcJEe-zTmEWX8o4xW-Q9KVZoliLgmS-nsYYR5SO1uiFMaO0M-XR8ia_YhFfTTcprKo9g8HDcw5ry5wwwC75FaRYElDEqNn2oUo3YIIhXOk1G-funmgpCzsBI9Hs9mYVW8on_CtRQ84AbiSp6NYqGarGnlc4Fpoj2-9E2J6yNzzz_Kgt3r8RiTeVGBrvPB3Z-AxYB28f-ShsvsmeVjCHOOh9Kp61IF9L48M9Ce5UC1YffcTrQw8kStKYl47YfBfccGzKIPUTuUl2rwrG4vD8WHh1mFz-BPbaCeZHWRd3dr6Eoj2iFgpEOTWlKltkxhogagHjTvuDeRRc2wIOv_9xYr4sD4W2GOV0NEMKLQHG3v5ALw==&c=w_SV60ypf_kxrFYPpeXg-y-DldOz38TBDe679eplXd8S4Xd_lY6BRQ==&ch=9LvYZCudpdUr1OIt7LQkbhpKX6ra3GGJxl1COTbhIJsdzU95s_T8rw==">Denver Business Journal</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001-UWDJkeZ6F700DqAsfZa3x0h3TEhTkI38Mo5EQNQMVbeiYMS0oEx6LKDPYi_rggraQYv_gCgWyzUEzVT9PPoA_Ry0henYnMDAaoR6y5F800CkjNVM70KQbMQvGokBMrGIADkFC0p745Cjrwh5MMWirYKEpPp1Wt0PxoUz7og_rRQqehCZOATdT3pft7j58c7cqy-q2yHliPEbl4LClGTzwcTQBxK2ykJt5wT-3VJ1xNbO3d5zdHSzw==&c=w_SV60ypf_kxrFYPpeXg-y-DldOz38TBDe679eplXd8S4Xd_lY6BRQ==&ch=9LvYZCudpdUr1OIt7LQkbhpKX6ra3GGJxl1COTbhIJsdzU95s_T8rw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Denver Post</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001-UWDJkeZ6F700DqAsfZa3x0h3TEhTkI38Mo5EQNQMVbeiYMS0oEx6LKDPYi_rggr2csFNpigCR6KBSjanE2DkW5e-glAH9hFfd0WHy-yWQTS7OJyLr13arXYe0YUWIjZXMbjT2MyJpTCoC6G8VZn47qO76c15Rd-IZqMZZhBzYUcsXKHo6PHLl3uBYzLeOKDGOG0LEBQ3O0OFAddI7l6MK81Bsl5JA6VSzM5iTsSxGY=&c=w_SV60ypf_kxrFYPpeXg-y-DldOz38TBDe679eplXd8S4Xd_lY6BRQ==&ch=9LvYZCudpdUr1OIt7LQkbhpKX6ra3GGJxl1COTbhIJsdzU95s_T8rw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">ClimateWire</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>California Lawmakers Call for Climate Policy Reforms to Aid Vulnerable Communities </b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">State and local government leaders are advocating for California's climate policies to better reflect the needs of the state's low-income communities. With Governor Jerry Brown pursuing tighter limits on greenhouse gas emissions, concerns over how the cap-and-trade program's funds will be allocated have re-emerged. Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez of Los Angeles expressed dismay over the flow of dollars toward California's electric vehicle rebate program, stating, "A poor person in my community doesn't see a person driving a Tesla and say, 'That benefits me.'" Critics of the cap-and-trade program argue the global scale of addressing climate change results in local-level concerns being overlooked, particularly in poorer communities vulnerable to climate impacts. State officials and the Air Resources Board have responded by ensuring a greater share of funds directly benefit communities with elevated levels of pollution and poverty. Meanwhile, legislators continue to debate various proposals to advance additional reforms.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see: </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001-UWDJkeZ6F700DqAsfZa3x0h3TEhTkI38Mo5EQNQMVbeiYMS0oEx6LKDPYi_rggrYmQJpFqxnOOZJDujkS_nN2NuU4yn5K4qf3vHEi6DOBvc7q2Yti9h7dSIqLMQ7X_JEKpjfqckJ-kiWdfChtfHViO5kNZFedZq2cEeZpskF7kRPzZU8C1tDrW0qSWWpyP_FX_R3FJKhKwWrMrwC9JBHYrJxlmPNqZ6nYh93yuDh8iPlnGpUbt7HMd-TvTRXSo7QaEPfnRLE8sKpXRQUxhvtpC1Gv6xNcNZ&c=w_SV60ypf_kxrFYPpeXg-y-DldOz38TBDe679eplXd8S4Xd_lY6BRQ==&ch=9LvYZCudpdUr1OIt7LQkbhpKX6ra3GGJxl1COTbhIJsdzU95s_T8rw==">LA Times<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>United States and China to Ratify Paris Treaty Ahead of September's G20 Summit </b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The United States and China are preparing for a bilateral announcement before the G20 summit that they will ratify the Paris climate agreement. Sources indicate the announcement will be made on September 2, prior to a scheduled meeting of U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the summit in Hangzhou, China. Both governments have previously indicated a desire to ratify the deal before the end of 2016. According to an unnamed source, "There are still some uncertainties from the U.S. side due to the complicated U.S. system in ratifying such a treaty, but the announcement is still quite likely to be ready by Sept 2." The United States and China are responsible for 38 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see: </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001-UWDJkeZ6F700DqAsfZa3x0h3TEhTkI38Mo5EQNQMVbeiYMS0oEx6LKDPYi_rggrAHnAdJ1FnwhYYi_-iTnvQAWhzT4DOFzNCvhFaABmfRsBKRM3G6EU9ShiMmM_wfvr5XNjkeJuqE2VpEwHPjGZiWx3sxjf-jQaDidKqmvVs8xzF_AMMfbah4-tjwkKqkeOnR0Ym-nlCukXUTBrak4Njij3dxU8DV638bl6ZM2rYIA4eKXdj1schzZPa6bu3eaiXTZjmPeii0FmpWqBiiuxqgogI-ypV9feYQ8NNomOPaVOgtORNQTu0MoRzzyRUXtzqcGD3T59emWiVkDhRWJ3MV60rTTukHPU2mEZsLq41sTZCNDmAkuBFl24__ReIFwPdwEVaqc6rC0_UTOMmrkfwqRAh7s_WbexCu9zmubI6bdFKPO_JkdjnmJDt-2IhWRaOtfNI05yp9y7KSemNB_d4Ai9VRgupcAP2S00-VQ0M3EbAQmGLMUb0w==&c=w_SV60ypf_kxrFYPpeXg-y-DldOz38TBDe679eplXd8S4Xd_lY6BRQ==&ch=9LvYZCudpdUr1OIt7LQkbhpKX6ra3GGJxl1COTbhIJsdzU95s_T8rw==">South China Morning Post<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_7.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://0F5FD508-5872-4C51-A29F-62CA72797E09/pastedGraphic_7.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Antarctica's Fourth-Largest Ice Shelf in Danger of Breaking Away</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Researchers monitoring Antarctica believe the continent's fourth largest ice shelf, Larsen C, is in real danger of being lost. A substantial crack in Larsen C has grown an additional 13.67 miles (22 km) since it was last examined in March 2016 and now stands at over 80 miles long (130 km). The massive rift is reminiscent of the losses of the Larsen A ice shelf in 1995 and Larsen B in 2002. According to Martin O'Leary, a researcher with Project MIDAS, Larsen C breaking apart would result in a loss of ice roughly equal in area to the state of Delaware. Regarding the timing of the event, O'Leary explains, "It's a lot like predicting an earthquake - exact timings are hard to come by. Probably not tomorrow, probably not more than a few years." Researchers worry the partial loss of Larsen C would leave the remaining portion unstable and vulnerable to further losses.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001-UWDJkeZ6F700DqAsfZa3x0h3TEhTkI38Mo5EQNQMVbeiYMS0oEx6LKDPYi_rggrgj3mQfHsA6ei8aaQr4vGa8q0FqWwec6MWAGu18Q04TJBkrLt9Je0MaUV5ITU5VTR9rXDNZCkNWYY8wQt_AjmPjNAFdpoVBYRc8L26kdL7gSCkcnayyQnxc69q0qERj0kDvzo8sXX1hHjuD0XF1r0Jt7fIc9O2CA0kKvLWtgb3JWIk-ZrHwc8b2RLXgn1hEaIxjk0MESt2KA6lBHPoRz9o-i_i1MF5DnPHqXj0zKPSshr7lVhPqsUxAhz1oC0vjkgY-Q3ERwB6kHfu1IS6j3a1V1BETEZqdmdaX4yNo3ZEVN9DsHZStE4AutG5l9MjOghs3iUHTJDa3Z8z0U_AlkEyg2CFu0Zy6-d&c=w_SV60ypf_kxrFYPpeXg-y-DldOz38TBDe679eplXd8S4Xd_lY6BRQ==&ch=9LvYZCudpdUr1OIt7LQkbhpKX6ra3GGJxl1COTbhIJsdzU95s_T8rw==">Washington Post<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b> </b></span><span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_8.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://0F5FD508-5872-4C51-A29F-62CA72797E09/pastedGraphic_8.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Black Carbon Accelerates Melting of Asia's "Third Pole" </b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Regional air pollution is partly to blame for accelerated glacial melt in the Himalaya-Hindu Kush Mountains and Tibetan Plateau, according to new findings published in the journal Nature Communications on August 23. Black carbon sampled from the glaciers was analyzed and traced back to origins in India and China. Researchers were surprised to find that two-thirds of black carbon from the interior of the study area was created by the burning of biomass fuels for cooking and heating, rather than fossil fuels. Black carbon is a particulate pollutant that promotes glacial melt by darkening their surfaces, resulting in greater sunlight absorption. Co-author Shichang Kang of the Chinese Academy of Science believes "the most important [outcome of the research] is that [they] can provide mitigation [advice] to policymakers." Kang notes government-sponsored efforts to improve cooking stove efficiency and make cleaner fuel sources available could make a significant impact on air pollution. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see: </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001-UWDJkeZ6F700DqAsfZa3x0h3TEhTkI38Mo5EQNQMVbeiYMS0oEx6LKDPYi_rggrh1zZ61STYNmcr9kxxdjnOFSKiU5yVH2tjjOgS7Qm8ASI4zB9ZXO9T4nMtmItUeRcpSq6jNzq0FfZZ4jtmMU4bCTlE8dV8BjtUjacM3LVnBBfXB_YRkYXftIieXJivC4OF8zOVZVi29HBY3iL2-QATyGpApK-DtHwLbneLW5_b86hz4jL3bk3wcbCsxZcyvx8WIIbQm-_TXkMF8F7ek4dYuWxmPEtJq4pMZLnNlBH16CAdJQBwxmt0aFQ_fkBEdh_kbIgo4Irrfw5XgcmF9Zq2d2jL41oZQwvHn7Zo21CDidyKReEok5qu4WndSmg9c-Cg7M7l_oacHIahqhPh1HYAg==&c=w_SV60ypf_kxrFYPpeXg-y-DldOz38TBDe679eplXd8S4Xd_lY6BRQ==&ch=9LvYZCudpdUr1OIt7LQkbhpKX6ra3GGJxl1COTbhIJsdzU95s_T8rw==">Washington Post</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001-UWDJkeZ6F700DqAsfZa3x0h3TEhTkI38Mo5EQNQMVbeiYMS0oEx6LKDPYi_rggrl_20blONKbh1xhysqXcy5zhq-RVnnmHIdnXg5KnEdLsGTIO-4lTIgzx903O7v3644kbcEXJJEn9ffqZuxaJrM9NsuYtH0iZAlD3SjKYcCE1EMDGrojdfT8Thc6d4c5qpKt6u422-jyp1rLux5_aSYWZCM0kkDfzZl8iZGc4vRYyeYG-v0_LguBtlV0LXMC6r&c=w_SV60ypf_kxrFYPpeXg-y-DldOz38TBDe679eplXd8S4Xd_lY6BRQ==&ch=9LvYZCudpdUr1OIt7LQkbhpKX6ra3GGJxl1COTbhIJsdzU95s_T8rw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Nature Communications</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_9.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://0F5FD508-5872-4C51-A29F-62CA72797E09/pastedGraphic_9.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Study: Man-Made Climate Change Began Earlier than Previously Thought</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">According to a new study in <i>Nature</i>, ocean temperatures began to rise due to industrial carbon emissions as early as 1830. Climate scientists previously thought that man-made climate change did not begin to affect temperatures until the 20th century. The findings are the result of studying new data from fossilized coral, which provides tropical ocean temperatures from as early as 1500. Previous studies primarily relied on land temperature data, where warming occurred at a different rate. While the "climate change signal" (the point at which the warming trend in the data can be distinguished from natural variability) did not emerge in tropical oceans until the 1950s, this study pinpoints when the warming subtly began. The study used computer models to verify that ocean warming was due to greenhouse gas concentrations of the era and not natural factors. "Our findings show that the climate can respond very quickly to changes in greenhouse gases," said lead author Nerilie Abram, a professor at Australian National University.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see: </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001-UWDJkeZ6F700DqAsfZa3x0h3TEhTkI38Mo5EQNQMVbeiYMS0oEx6LKDPYi_rggrhthCTWAQsxHzeJm9LUFvcyeetW814zVfVwqGIW7870wXIoZTLEChqYB5KN0TZg8gnLTdgA-TywdlQ_H1QZOKOabpAc5leyIMfD4YAgjlm86g5IxzLg3BWTOjRTpAeEsv2nmGBcUa_8Kbkqn2gOGY5GKIVTwoztGgASr1WEil2TmK_2e6VFG1QQ==&c=w_SV60ypf_kxrFYPpeXg-y-DldOz38TBDe679eplXd8S4Xd_lY6BRQ==&ch=9LvYZCudpdUr1OIt7LQkbhpKX6ra3GGJxl1COTbhIJsdzU95s_T8rw==">Reuters</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001-UWDJkeZ6F700DqAsfZa3x0h3TEhTkI38Mo5EQNQMVbeiYMS0oEx6LKDPYi_rggrkTTbNGGKuB1MGVl4NWKRz-opwD-l2T3xQk6WqVVdql5HLFYcHnZFMJIqCnuAGcH2QCFEkh3q_Sb8F1w4erHYdMPre82Xm2nMped6y6omPKzYkWVKD81QbLmzHsqOWwfu29VVDD7NJoLr6U-D299bdZ18ZoyZo_ui7cXE1Y7-zh0QW52hgUalLPflTFz7VNKA9_lxfxJQ45U=&c=w_SV60ypf_kxrFYPpeXg-y-DldOz38TBDe679eplXd8S4Xd_lY6BRQ==&ch=9LvYZCudpdUr1OIt7LQkbhpKX6ra3GGJxl1COTbhIJsdzU95s_T8rw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">CarbonBrief</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001-UWDJkeZ6F700DqAsfZa3x0h3TEhTkI38Mo5EQNQMVbeiYMS0oEx6LKDPYi_rggrWddlNxxhwhgOF6HSFA1yDtB04f-uLjLAKT-1CZz6h-wMSvgaoDQR9w85VWEIFv7gx2zY1xexlXcDrvFmjwA4CDevXuPJ77lskFcY8lOgmOv1_nSqzdPdPdVDakKIwqltVIsIa__H3Bz5SgGNHKPMDC0AVpjK1qcV8wn28U45dPlD-DlBdEUKlw==&c=w_SV60ypf_kxrFYPpeXg-y-DldOz38TBDe679eplXd8S4Xd_lY6BRQ==&ch=9LvYZCudpdUr1OIt7LQkbhpKX6ra3GGJxl1COTbhIJsdzU95s_T8rw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Nature</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On September 3, President Barack Obama and President Xi Jinping announced their countries' ratification of the Paris climate accord on Saturday at the G20 summit in Hangzhou, China. China's National People's Congress approved the climate deal Saturday morning, with President Xi stating China will "unwaveringly pursue sustainable development" in support of the Paris treaty. After the signing ceremony, President Obama stated: "Just as I believe the Paris agreement will ultimately prove to be a turning point for our planet, I believe that history will judge today's efforts as pivotal." Referencing recent tensions between China and the United States, Obama added, "Despite our differences on other issues we hope that our willingness to work together on this issue will inspire greater ambition and greater action around the world." </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">White House press secretary Josh Earnest reiterated that the Paris accord was structured around the President's "existing authority" already granted by Congress, opening the path for the U.S. ratification without additional legislative approval. Ratification by the United States and China is viewed as essential to the climate accord's success, as the two nations account for 38 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions combined. The accord requires at least 55 countries representing 55 percent of global emissions to ratify before the agreement enters into force. Additional climate proposals to be discussed between the United States and China at the summit include the phase-out of HFCs under the Montreal Protocol and a cap on international aviation emissions. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see: </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001VN7D2qA9eVL8JjV_Z29LkDt08-Th2aDryPEfi2cxVU0ccO7s8xWBL8s1c8n8KyPgKCwEacGg0RNvZpPyPEGCPwhkCHPIfe8m4PBOyTe3ChYFYeN41is37sYOSsh92ZeCAcLKCsGknCWhmHTFolRcH0ub43ZjAO9_qLsP43u3yz_R-N87b8An9xrwl_6MjsJ3pUuVhLZDh1sPhtCwhEmz0Q_jhMnA-hsJ&c=2Tc4I-e1_GjpAv1TqlEHVcMIn7zv3adVl8lBjDb1C0D4H4KRjhjgvA==&ch=MBguMrjfK_HQu9HfxWhmYeJI-OlUw1uTe4mcSgo0AgdRCTmrYGzDaw==">Reuters</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001VN7D2qA9eVL8JjV_Z29LkDt08-Th2aDryPEfi2cxVU0ccO7s8xWBL8s1c8n8KyPgPdr1qJjJcA2h7VNxh962vKwpsm3_8tFl4oCvt9Si0tg0DAZvmkskcRUztOgXV93CHGdd6XybDr6EVShL10YwZsQdcEDs4qzOi9OVYToTuh_lymKvAVN6jv9Uj_TfGniNSDAATSBmn82RaTZARa87f6a7ZoRLobj7C9Chgv6dMRM_gR3jPLYDfgF4QG3eXh30QTks8gNNTpuL8O37mWV9_dYY1OHp_6cDm01bwXk-HIc=&c=2Tc4I-e1_GjpAv1TqlEHVcMIn7zv3adVl8lBjDb1C0D4H4KRjhjgvA==&ch=MBguMrjfK_HQu9HfxWhmYeJI-OlUw1uTe4mcSgo0AgdRCTmrYGzDaw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Guardian</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001VN7D2qA9eVL8JjV_Z29LkDt08-Th2aDryPEfi2cxVU0ccO7s8xWBL8s1c8n8KyPg5bc4jfnY6ly_0qwkwrNr02ReonDDkeBS6EP-GNFStbl8BdsKKxD7UnKRtweNnO32FJmqKVnH0EG0zM_gsp4IHLY79UA_lTzAFmriD5MOFTvg1hNXTffVafo-AxxPhE_5sqJBTZRvIgZgquW8mJBv-n-CkqnWJnMo3mspw7nLLf2lJgNGlNSpp7y3poMDMz74NDZLlMUkTbCsBbnatai9EbfTHUFKfc25pPi54H54J7trfb9rlg0_Sg==&c=2Tc4I-e1_GjpAv1TqlEHVcMIn7zv3adVl8lBjDb1C0D4H4KRjhjgvA==&ch=MBguMrjfK_HQu9HfxWhmYeJI-OlUw1uTe4mcSgo0AgdRCTmrYGzDaw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Bloomberg</span></a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_11.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://0F5FD508-5872-4C51-A29F-62CA72797E09/pastedGraphic_11.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>China and United States First G20 Nations to Peer-Review Fossil Fuel Subsidies</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For the first time, China will provide the United States government the opportunity to review its fossil fuel subsidy records. The arrangement will shed light on China's practices and will facilitate a peer-review of domestic energy policy between the world's two largest economies. Fossil fuel industry subsidies have persisted among the G20 nations, despite a 2009 vow by its leaders to transition away from the practice. The agreement between China and the United States signals a breakthrough, three years after a voluntary process for peer-reviewing fossil fuel subsidies was issued by G20 finance ministers. Liu Shuang with Energy Foundation China said the new transparency would allow China to develop "a reform road map [for domestic policies] ... [and] a systematic review of its fossil fuel subsidies [to identify] those that are the least efficient." </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see: </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001VN7D2qA9eVL8JjV_Z29LkDt08-Th2aDryPEfi2cxVU0ccO7s8xWBL8s1c8n8KyPgKMs6TFgJevMg9sA0fFoRNF7HQsNHPpXTtY6LNFvU9gh54OKU5_ewwYNT-JKsYI5OSTpLUQ8zhWGt1lkM2yIdiTu14TB7oBlEgklin7fiPCkMid-FUr8Bm6JuWrCtS-zAK0z1NBfP8LX0wJnmBfCiCBFPWlF39UbLE56O7H5vG4ZTNc6Nhw0E4N-clP1-ly5x5KCarw0ZTsmz1wl7wvqyMtTCYbPEYMtz1wyjcj_EctmRDL_xefU6ew==&c=2Tc4I-e1_GjpAv1TqlEHVcMIn7zv3adVl8lBjDb1C0D4H4KRjhjgvA==&ch=MBguMrjfK_HQu9HfxWhmYeJI-OlUw1uTe4mcSgo0AgdRCTmrYGzDaw==">South China Morning Post</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_12.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://0F5FD508-5872-4C51-A29F-62CA72797E09/pastedGraphic_12.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Northeast States Debate Future of Emissions Trading Program</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The current agreement for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a carbon cap and trade system among nine Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states, expires in 2020. The participating states are currently debating how the program will continue into the next decade, if at all. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is proposing to cut the emissions cap by five percent each year from 2020 to 2031, doubling the current annual rate. The governors of New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Connecticut are also in favor of the plan (or something similar). "We think it's important to get the maximum greenhouse gas reductions we can," said Commissioner Martin Suuberg of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, "but we still have a lot of work to do with the other states." The other states - Delaware, Maine, Maryland, and New Hampshire - have reservations. "If the caps are unacceptable, we'll have to talk about the next steps," said Maryland environment secretary Ben Grumbles, adding, "pulling out is an option, but it's not the preferred option. We're not issuing an ultimatum, but this matters a lot to us." RGGI states have cut emissions by 37 percent since the program began in 2008.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001VN7D2qA9eVL8JjV_Z29LkDt08-Th2aDryPEfi2cxVU0ccO7s8xWBL8s1c8n8KyPgLvywdSOvdyFazpvUVQROEZL9U5c88WoeLOVFr_AcJpA6lfx63tZMVpi6lV-NWwHx6otw0y6ONUNflxwb5798UQUVZnGVKIVXJQymxsxBM_atZmFIA7ZTzPodh3EUjgKbz5ke1ZZH3B75JutKtE9LT5aufmRc9gxprAanLFZn7DCZaR9s9XaCindVfIs5eDgNoGesDq_OTfrI7hjgbNwIUy-2myiHcli7_haMZlV-L2bp_MSSGVEgP_sxt95o4To37_HGZraMFib8kXFedZ-tEA==&c=2Tc4I-e1_GjpAv1TqlEHVcMIn7zv3adVl8lBjDb1C0D4H4KRjhjgvA==&ch=MBguMrjfK_HQu9HfxWhmYeJI-OlUw1uTe4mcSgo0AgdRCTmrYGzDaw==">Boston Herald<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>U.S. Energy Sector Set to Emit More Carbon Dioxide from Natural Gas than Coal in 2016</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">According to the U.S. Energy Information Agency (EIA), the U.S. energy sector is on track to emit approximately 1.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) from natural gas in 2016, exceeding the 1.4 million metric tons that is projected for coal. This will mark the first year that natural gas eclipses coal on this measure, after being roughly equal in 2015. Oil is still the leading source of CO2 emissions in the U.S. energy sector and is on track to emit 2.3 billion metric tons in 2016. Between 2000 and 2007, annual natural gas and coal CO2 emissions were about 1.2 billion and 2.1 billion metric tons, respectively. But the balance began to shift in 2008, resulting in roughly equal emissions in 2015. Experts point out, however, that the production of natural gas leads to substantial methane emissions, causing a significant climate impact.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001VN7D2qA9eVL8JjV_Z29LkDt08-Th2aDryPEfi2cxVU0ccO7s8xWBL8s1c8n8KyPg614VWLiskElNUVb0Aphd9PBnFDmFjdYiuUDSkeDxOZzJjKHc0upXb4mP7TP6C03JIwMGLjE6Oqx9uYOirEn-KBAnA39l8DPjtnysyrKM1D1mD1f_l-Arlj_PVp-_hnl9M1Z-_kC5e-pVTfwhoLx26rNyqTPWObv8KvuHVT7iCP5NtoP7LN61Fwf4JvjjMYqE&c=2Tc4I-e1_GjpAv1TqlEHVcMIn7zv3adVl8lBjDb1C0D4H4KRjhjgvA==&ch=MBguMrjfK_HQu9HfxWhmYeJI-OlUw1uTe4mcSgo0AgdRCTmrYGzDaw==">Climate Central</a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_13.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://0F5FD508-5872-4C51-A29F-62CA72797E09/pastedGraphic_13.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Researchers Show Grass Can Independently Verify Power Plant Emissions</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Researchers have discovered an inexpensive means of measuring carbon dioxide emissions from power plants by assessing the properties of grass located downwind. The new method is viewed as a breakthrough in independently verifying carbon emissions, which is particularly valuable in cases where power plants are subject only to self-reporting their emissions data. The method revolves around the fact that carbon dioxide produced from fossil fuel combustion contains zero amounts of radiocarbon, while naturally occurring carbon dioxide contains high amounts of radiocarbon. Researchers measured the amount of radiocarbon present in grass samples and compared it with known emission rates obtained from the power plant operator to determine how much carbon dioxide actually originated from the facility. Study author Jocelyn Turnbull of GNS Science explained, "Our next steps are to go out and do this in the 'real world' where we don't know what the emissions should be, and see if the power plant people are emitting what they say they are."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see: </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001VN7D2qA9eVL8JjV_Z29LkDt08-Th2aDryPEfi2cxVU0ccO7s8xWBL8s1c8n8KyPg8GS83u04oyIn0D_ymaFDTZ9qvMIhB9KgAUdu9Kbm6oTaYJjNLOdoA0r-Pn7hsJRV_2S6Exqd0WnhgFyreng4SQlqDFLJpNtoEhr-mOxLxzjhodF8QdwrKZlFDI8NMinfLXjC7wHU3nS4vUbt_hTZxxWCT-oy-oCEdsCsxSo7oqG8Y8FLJP_K_5rd8bC51oB5GDdq1re8-wvZJxqQiW3TnilI73UFMFS3cqIjiwR29JCZZtjOfjRa7g==&c=2Tc4I-e1_GjpAv1TqlEHVcMIn7zv3adVl8lBjDb1C0D4H4KRjhjgvA==&ch=MBguMrjfK_HQu9HfxWhmYeJI-OlUw1uTe4mcSgo0AgdRCTmrYGzDaw==">Stuff (New Zealand)</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">,<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001VN7D2qA9eVL8JjV_Z29LkDt08-Th2aDryPEfi2cxVU0ccO7s8xWBL8s1c8n8KyPgan6WZPBiTvSVgg4ypBT3OU9zG5Wp6cTeGIURuzPVeihc5sGXkNRedsa8UTf9s1FCzBxZX-frQ_drcc4V7du8eNUbqEAYFt5bR-SEWQNKOG3-8kmwzw-Zsjj8l8dz7Xoe7KD_HckBS-o60zVd3r4fiWk7u6rljE6C4RMSK7foTwi6CCXdxRwtjQ==&c=2Tc4I-e1_GjpAv1TqlEHVcMIn7zv3adVl8lBjDb1C0D4H4KRjhjgvA==&ch=MBguMrjfK_HQu9HfxWhmYeJI-OlUw1uTe4mcSgo0AgdRCTmrYGzDaw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> PNAS</span></a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_14.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://0F5FD508-5872-4C51-A29F-62CA72797E09/pastedGraphic_14.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Warming in Alaska Allows Ticks to Move North, Bringing Risk of Disease</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The state of Alaska is experiencing an influx of invasive tick species, prompting health concerns for humans and wildlife. According to a study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology, non-native brown and American dog ticks, Rocky Mountain wood ticks, deer ticks, and Lone Star ticks have all been discovered in the region. Experts are alarmed by the trend, since ticks are a potential carrier of serious diseases like Lyme and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Some of the ticks sampled traveled on humans and animals from more southern regions, but not all. Kimberlee Beckman, a veterinarian with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, described the situation: "It appears the American dog tick is established in Alaska. We've been isolated from these because we've been cold and haven't had these ticks here. We're very vulnerable and tick-borne diseases are the most rapidly spreading diseases in the U.S."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001VN7D2qA9eVL8JjV_Z29LkDt08-Th2aDryPEfi2cxVU0ccO7s8xWBL8s1c8n8KyPgJKpgkgGNoBY9BYkrw7KAPB-91j0eI4pocywWrILGa6R7vJ97Na8qk5ReVrex2r5aZ-8OA1lz-tTYjWEb_QAOLIQFL6QeSILekoevEB8P5Gmf-utvSQqyhfm9payXgZj05aoz2aPRT0UAceKjQoFOdVlprnBgDyMHlo3t6UVlyDPnr9fgDbOiJ4GfilemyIqGRa8JbYPkr75o74cynkguEQ5_37s6iLKF1-OWFCWmkbaBccryE-sf4A==&c=2Tc4I-e1_GjpAv1TqlEHVcMIn7zv3adVl8lBjDb1C0D4H4KRjhjgvA==&ch=MBguMrjfK_HQu9HfxWhmYeJI-OlUw1uTe4mcSgo0AgdRCTmrYGzDaw==">Alaska Dispatch News</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_15.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://0F5FD508-5872-4C51-A29F-62CA72797E09/pastedGraphic_15.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Maryland Cautious Toward Deeper Emission Cuts for RGGI</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Maryland officials are pushing back against a Massachusetts-backed proposal for more stringent emission reductions under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). The group's nine state members are discussing terms for an extension of the cap-and-trade agreement prior to its 2020 expiration date. The proposal under consideration would reduce the carbon emissions cap for power plants by five percent annually for ten years, which is double the current rate. Maryland's utility companies occupy the same grid as the non-participating coal-reliant states of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Kentucky, making it tougher for Maryland to meet the same standards as its RGGI partners. Massachusetts Energy Secretary Matthew Beaton emphasized the state is not looking to "[strong-arm] anyone to do anything." Meanwhile, Maryland Secretary of Environment Ben Grumbles said his administration "[wants] to reduce the risk of having other neighboring states being able to provide dirtier and cheaper energy to the citizens of Maryland."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NfYYGLmgnFs512wm_1OOZ5m_5J-gDbXcftpjs8FhCRDHQlJ5XQCvXaxbb_IkV_5DQokeoh0sthWnTIj7ivdbnxVVkLv5VCgOvJTFBHPSfrXdCohBsttjfUJ45YAY1IXLcbYSIOGgPtySJQxWpGAd1uYsl1PQ1N81Rq-gRrURrkPPqWkbOhmhaSBHc3Csluaif4JccGkTwdB4mj96kKVwg0h0SfRTvzUP9aQUI8ps95lp35kufhTC4AXO14-PWxHE8idQM4Mv5f-pOuMtZnI2j1YyL_4IsOumnDelN9K370c5g6jl37qWYXsrnua04vpB2tIm7Z67J5bqEWd2smNScG7ZkaeQI0Z3lyiLRLDchInn-1110Fsui9MYyZUcaVExNTRZuDG0ej0=&c=eRoqsyak70l6MA1NNlHLHuV_uRB-C4xeNLCr2ZDg9sujrEpvYvKiHg==&ch=OCYhzvIbZsawU7cSfXl9W2JFUofGppXV7B8gi8NRV0WD9KcF_UiWEA==">Washington Post</a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_16.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://0F5FD508-5872-4C51-A29F-62CA72797E09/pastedGraphic_16.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>UK Prime Minister Promises Paris Ratification amidst Calls for Action</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Following the United States and China's ratification of the Paris climate accord, pressure has shifted to other industrialized nations like the United Kingdom. Prime Minister Theresa May provided reassurance to the House of Commons on September 7 that "[the United Kingdom] will indeed be ratifying the Paris agreement." A spokesman for the Prime Minister added the ratification would occur "as soon as possible," but declined to provide a specific date. Leaders from the Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party, and Green Party have all voiced support for the Paris deal but have become frustrated with the presiding government's sluggishness. Liberal Democrat spokeswoman Lynne Featherstone stated, "This is a hugely important example of where Britain should be working with our European partners to set an example for the rest of the world." Critics argue that the post-Brexit United Kingdom must persist in playing a leading role in the climate change discussion.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NfYYGLmgnFs512wm_1OOZ5m_5J-gDbXcftpjs8FhCRDHQlJ5XQCvXaxbb_IkV_5DbZQi-0tKuIEwv0cDyWYQv7wDwM1I_tV-Y4zwoef7L1LpMvJScmdVBIJ-VyTcsqUvP8JU7AoN2D9lzhVCG2YUbxVv-dQxwlr4wLgAUFvUW5h9VuF9Vz7E_8ibJU5UsFcPA-Co0e6eijubtXPy6kl6CA==&c=eRoqsyak70l6MA1NNlHLHuV_uRB-C4xeNLCr2ZDg9sujrEpvYvKiHg==&ch=OCYhzvIbZsawU7cSfXl9W2JFUofGppXV7B8gi8NRV0WD9KcF_UiWEA==">BBC News</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NfYYGLmgnFs512wm_1OOZ5m_5J-gDbXcftpjs8FhCRDHQlJ5XQCvXaxbb_IkV_5DU_9fDKJp3NtJsgjqZGmYqM39a6L31MfAJLw-mUoMV38wsVj6CkmkPYH3BDUqbG_kVyB7z48lQ57Cmc02vwZBaAnTiyRRSSq5GPzdsKUwKGXUPW4Y3m8gpy92_mxkHJlxt72JacrsqEB7cr8JbdLPb5epI94TOI2psXJqoR3AT_d_aFcMdwVXUw==&c=eRoqsyak70l6MA1NNlHLHuV_uRB-C4xeNLCr2ZDg9sujrEpvYvKiHg==&ch=OCYhzvIbZsawU7cSfXl9W2JFUofGppXV7B8gi8NRV0WD9KcF_UiWEA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">International Business Times</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NfYYGLmgnFs512wm_1OOZ5m_5J-gDbXcftpjs8FhCRDHQlJ5XQCvXaxbb_IkV_5DvnD3ydG8YXCm3jqQ7JjXXZ1GjBtxQOFmAl-q37as0-4BD-6UQkkvbbY-di9CUqfkCz9vcJnRirDTBX-HkSPex2DWbuKlma5LuE-iLfbY0LvGO4FIKHet77oJtPHQmT2AzkMCaZua2EvYIqE8Ga3eAOrxlEpMjzk-EaxkSsq_MkbEWho9h3RkxbOUvwy-xDTh75R_RiO5mhW7l4Zn_AR-vQQS1hh6CRPzjHvGzQBdJMMEx0T9Vav0D7dtxu8QDy32c364zdqhQ6jFeRMTyy82bmxupZcrcCaFt78tNhR6dRmi1Z0YP0j_-gcFQlKfjz3H2g6SSkqs4SzPDDdrS_iiac6j-WUUDbWDzHIPzZNhzC5edDxNsRbm5-zkvMbbJGnD3hONcXbDUEFmTdnBsueKFH9og2UyUTLndEJDnoehtdd3ZrTSpG_anQ==&c=eRoqsyak70l6MA1NNlHLHuV_uRB-C4xeNLCr2ZDg9sujrEpvYvKiHg==&ch=OCYhzvIbZsawU7cSfXl9W2JFUofGppXV7B8gi8NRV0WD9KcF_UiWEA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Herald Scotland</span></a> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Climate Change Could Dramatically Extend Window for Trans-Arctic Shipping Routes</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">By 2050, opportunities to traverse the Arctic will double for non-ice strengthened vessels, according to a study by the University of Reading, published in Geophysical Research Letters. Rising average global temperatures have led to a long-term decrease in seasonal ice extent in the Arctic. The minimum extent for September 2016 is projected to be the second lowest on record. Research models showed that under a high-emissions scenario, trans-Arctic routes could be open to all vessel types for 4-8 months a year by the end of this century. The commercial benefits of the Arctic route include reduced shipping times, avoidance of fees for certain passages, and lower fuel costs. Ed Hawkins, with the University of Reading, said, "If we experience a 2-degree [Celsius] increase in global temperatures, we will get close to an Arctic that is effectively ice-free for part of the year; that's less than a million [square kilometers] of ice cover."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NfYYGLmgnFs512wm_1OOZ5m_5J-gDbXcftpjs8FhCRDHQlJ5XQCvXaxbb_IkV_5D5LIth35Jo3QhjBu83I252gHA3eq3ntWAIislIMHL1VBh6WA5b95SUtUiQSKDsvCOzjKjsNI9gYboAY9xijD6lDM-Q9StzvvAZ7KBobLe69bgx8OlxkaCCeRgcTWXgLZyJ231rjvLo0FEtSxVCdZYFikx19buzJ4PGnDqmWEhb1rk5H5CR79gncXEtYau3I48bjJD1WlV51Go-wjlOIbtzIpcveUIPJXkfprVpTkLFTPCKGFNc_dZSkottXEDbOncZuVPb8R1Ne9Bj3_ujmyAoTMvg_taC6enXzd6Ct1VvD5_ao8OGvN8tyTY2IhEiFIzXbsXZ-u4L_o0fIz3oMnD2A==&c=eRoqsyak70l6MA1NNlHLHuV_uRB-C4xeNLCr2ZDg9sujrEpvYvKiHg==&ch=OCYhzvIbZsawU7cSfXl9W2JFUofGppXV7B8gi8NRV0WD9KcF_UiWEA==">BBC,</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NfYYGLmgnFs512wm_1OOZ5m_5J-gDbXcftpjs8FhCRDHQlJ5XQCvXaxbb_IkV_5Dnk7GU-Rvs9bxklM1WBLdR8Efv-wWwiRIXo2KA-qVfbmd_Y0x4JuIXkPyEHHoz4DF8ZAGdQ8_JtcAIuoio-Bzfj9x2TqCzrlF-5ElxUqCSIy3oiXMs_a9wU3IyOsMH-jFIR71ZY4p7psV5xwqX62p8sYtaVc1Bi83-m0imakQ4CtX8Qcex4Dal_R3uUI6eOAnxz8pTDT2YwytWyRH4CYkQ85rZ7Jf52_0gvscPgVKNFO8S_yuuNk_Dw==&c=eRoqsyak70l6MA1NNlHLHuV_uRB-C4xeNLCr2ZDg9sujrEpvYvKiHg==&ch=OCYhzvIbZsawU7cSfXl9W2JFUofGppXV7B8gi8NRV0WD9KcF_UiWEA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Geophysical Research Letters </span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_17.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://0F5FD508-5872-4C51-A29F-62CA72797E09/pastedGraphic_17.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>U.S. Companies Donate to Climate Skeptics While Touting Pro-Climate Policies</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">According to a Reuters review, major U.S. companies which have publicly supported President Obama's climate change policies have also backed climate skeptics in Congress. Reuters found PACs (political action committees) affiliated with DuPont, PepsiCo, AT&T, Google, GE, Verizon, and Mondelez gave more than a third of their total campaign contributions during the 2016 election cycle to opponents of the Obama administration's climate agenda. Reuters examined the PAC contributions of 30 of the largest publicly traded U.S.-based companies that are signatories to the White House's "American Business Act on Climate Change Pledge." The study revealed 25 of these companies had also donated to campaigns for legislators listed on Organizing for Action's "climate deniers" list. Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), who embraces his "climate denier moniker," said, "These are competitive companies, and the board might have said 'Look, right now it might be a popular thing to join this, and there's no downside since we're not really committing to anything.' That absolutely goes on."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NfYYGLmgnFs512wm_1OOZ5m_5J-gDbXcftpjs8FhCRDHQlJ5XQCvXaxbb_IkV_5DZgh2AV_4JIGPp5tVREqCLDgGjiHolQ77paWPY_FL4klhMwWkcfJD4MJI4FoNUqFdcibLJkcdkeXKqZrOECurMbCCVKiEXNeS8YzlZrUhE8EWYzZu-g54KxFOzjb8-T5Qo7q0Qdb98n60oaPZmy5bf7Ueoj5MNi_o--C8RuryWxyTVs1MCz034A==&c=eRoqsyak70l6MA1NNlHLHuV_uRB-C4xeNLCr2ZDg9sujrEpvYvKiHg==&ch=OCYhzvIbZsawU7cSfXl9W2JFUofGppXV7B8gi8NRV0WD9KcF_UiWEA==">Reuters</a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_18.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://0F5FD508-5872-4C51-A29F-62CA72797E09/pastedGraphic_18.pdf" /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>S</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>tudy Strikes at Belief that Climate Change Would Improve Plant Growth</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Scientists in California are refuting claims that plants can thrive in, or even withstand, increased concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen, and heat. In a 17-year long experiment, scientists at Stanford University maintained an ecosystem to simulate the predicted atmosphere of 2050. The findings show that plants exposed to these hotter conditions do not grow more or remove CO2 from the atmosphere at greater rates. A separate study, newly published by Indiana University researchers, further underscores the relationship between hot, dry air and a reduced capacity of plants to capture CO2. Scientists commended Stanford's in-depth experiment. Boston University biologist Richard Primack said, "this study clearly demonstrates that as temperatures continue to rise due to climate change, grassland ecosystems will likely not be able to tolerate the higher temperatures and increased drought stress." While the experiment's conclusions can only be applied to the single type of ecosystem featured, the experiment could be modified to assess areas such as the Arctic tundra and boreal and tropical forests.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NfYYGLmgnFs512wm_1OOZ5m_5J-gDbXcftpjs8FhCRDHQlJ5XQCvXaxbb_IkV_5DdDr4VyuHm2ieNUv4nswHFl7R_YgisFlA9RANc2GOJhoWK7yM4baJZujrmyJTCtLKaHwoPqwvAPeS9hMzxLiqim44GsPseF3Y4uxskpzzWve9ja8oC8LqPVFBZ2hzWqVsFJnurOj5zadyI4RAjX2Nlm35JZUuZ7_pFg6X5t1qNNQXGwGMebZfSyR2A56BtE6IhXNS7-vc6tfCk-Sp0FSJQ094zGYgMqbLbAov_ZAav29H6bxZYqlFgQ==&c=eRoqsyak70l6MA1NNlHLHuV_uRB-C4xeNLCr2ZDg9sujrEpvYvKiHg==&ch=OCYhzvIbZsawU7cSfXl9W2JFUofGppXV7B8gi8NRV0WD9KcF_UiWEA==">Associated Press</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NfYYGLmgnFs512wm_1OOZ5m_5J-gDbXcftpjs8FhCRDHQlJ5XQCvXaxbb_IkV_5D-O2PaxwMhQGChEw_-4PCNt8pw3IUwW6BAmeiaD-kr8qbCq6P9pI4B13RWfU68LOp5HXMtn6rTzKxYVLONz9EqPzP-rX9R3LL9ODHg1pBXFSa_fIKGiOxiV8v5SuvS3K0SrPdvV46esM1pTEQnb0yjPPeJPd-zt5HtRKdIj4qHD0=&c=eRoqsyak70l6MA1NNlHLHuV_uRB-C4xeNLCr2ZDg9sujrEpvYvKiHg==&ch=OCYhzvIbZsawU7cSfXl9W2JFUofGppXV7B8gi8NRV0WD9KcF_UiWEA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">ScienceDaily</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On September 5, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) released a report reaffirming that global warming is taking a heavy toll on ocean environments. Dan Laffoley, a lead author and marine vice chair of the World Commission on Protected Areas at IUCN, stated, "The world's waters have absorbed more than 93 percent of the enhanced heating from climate change since the 1970s, curbing the heat felt on land but drastically altering the rhythm of life in the ocean." According to the report, the habitat movement of marine species are one and a half to five times greater than those of land-based organisms. IUCN also cited evidence that ocean warming is producing unprecedented cases of disease in plant and animal populations, which could impact human health in coastal areas. The report was drawn from peer-reviewed research and assembled by 80 scientists representing a dozen countries.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NfYYGLmgnFs512wm_1OOZ5m_5J-gDbXcftpjs8FhCRDHQlJ5XQCvXaxbb_IkV_5DORKFy1FS6tmB5tc_NtdXZyT8NdzC5x8svQFW8A88sdgSmAsrdd2UfhjRr_y1tEuqJXJswaUKdOa_DCE34uYutWR_dNROL-p_7CeEFSEzmqbzhIGIUu1MryY8Zex1K1GJadrw_PowSF1BHy0uqgtGxtImUcwVfyaJvcoTK1KqjPUOllU9Jp3o0UdLWNynT8CuLi0W9PGEN9zpguhGwlBk9Ai3DsNFkEB9ciwTCrTf_4YVUqmwWy-eC50hyBRxyBpsz502bSoVjrMbGT_hpvFGfmF0MyE3ZWjDUn7sgolgxX6Z866X5hHoWfaHZuKF3dELTwKRcT5kN4y4ZUCwDpvQZzXeNkkG8meufW4LnCt8y_qYaOsEXB16FndCCXETNTgvlUBkNlOpSrOLfJwhExVBxw==&c=eRoqsyak70l6MA1NNlHLHuV_uRB-C4xeNLCr2ZDg9sujrEpvYvKiHg==&ch=OCYhzvIbZsawU7cSfXl9W2JFUofGppXV7B8gi8NRV0WD9KcF_UiWEA==">Telegraph</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NfYYGLmgnFs512wm_1OOZ5m_5J-gDbXcftpjs8FhCRDHQlJ5XQCvXaxbb_IkV_5DTN4E3oDJKClSwBXwdULWP40HPyBOwrHJlwTiJpwNtz4MDdjCkSt880PzCXMrTGhIu91txB1CX5_XZMy3t8X0oDPVd8vWlcVr3HarXhGPByqbNvjV5CJt4ZzJUMTUTfgEzhflMhlqGzM1vXDsxhqxNOC8yal4QNDuNxf5urPGH4shEof2jX4fqn4USFlD19wI&c=eRoqsyak70l6MA1NNlHLHuV_uRB-C4xeNLCr2ZDg9sujrEpvYvKiHg==&ch=OCYhzvIbZsawU7cSfXl9W2JFUofGppXV7B8gi8NRV0WD9KcF_UiWEA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Report</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A new study in Nature Geoscience predicts typhoons sweeping across Japan, China, Korea, and the Philippines will become more severe in the future. Researchers found that northwest Pacific storms have increased in intensity by 50 percent in the past few decades as a direct result of rising sea temperatures. This greater intensity poses an elevated risk of casualties, as well as economic and infrastructural damage to already vulnerable countries. Since the study only covers the last 40 years, scientists cannot confirm whether these superstorms are a product of anthropogenic impacts or merely naturally-occurring cycles. However, projections by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicate global warming will be a factor in the intensity of storms in the future, regardless of whether or not it has been in the past. Kerry Emanuel, a tropical cyclone researcher at MIT, said, "The [study's] results leave little doubt that there are more high intensity events affecting south-east Asia and China ... Stronger storms cause higher storm surges, which often cause the most destruction and loss of life."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NfYYGLmgnFs512wm_1OOZ5m_5J-gDbXcftpjs8FhCRDHQlJ5XQCvXaxbb_IkV_5DxsdROHc0JTRZc5hYSMe4fuRCljXPdY_A-fvlFwzpff-j4Zidp-J3_B1DAWm7iVRTrFGQi4xs34BR_lzH5fD3sbDkvQQj9wcVXaGiB0sZ6WH-V7qEBHy5vjlG_D-h3zIti89tvaJJJXmt1RV493WYrOQGJOSTqoHc8LDeoNvXbJSAYABY3q8T9HbXdhhgnBPyAM2YXXpJn5qxdWOjBp0N_ru_xOfLVP6R&c=eRoqsyak70l6MA1NNlHLHuV_uRB-C4xeNLCr2ZDg9sujrEpvYvKiHg==&ch=OCYhzvIbZsawU7cSfXl9W2JFUofGppXV7B8gi8NRV0WD9KcF_UiWEA==">Guardian</a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Warming Climate Making African Dams a Hotspot for Malaria-Laden Mosquitoes</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">According to a study in Malaria Journal, temperature increases due to climate change and a spike in dam construction could expand habitable zones for mosquitoes and potentially double the number of people living near dams in Africa who are at risk of malaria by 2080. The stagnant waters present along the shorelines of dam reservoirs are prime breeding grounds for mosquitoes. The majority of the dams of concern are located in the eastern highlands and southern reaches of the continent, where resident populations may lack previously established immunity to malaria. Transmission mitigation strategies will revolve around the introduction of mosquito predators and regularly drying out shallow shorelines to eliminate breeding grounds. Lead author Solomon Kibret of the University of California said, "Accurately predicting the impacts of such changes is critical to planning effective disease control."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NfYYGLmgnFs512wm_1OOZ5m_5J-gDbXcftpjs8FhCRDHQlJ5XQCvXaxbb_IkV_5DMM3Z6isLkyTeu4iiwwOgZY9SUnrImLyn7MfS2wh7QNU5ekcQy5YA2MHRrC-YkzJO9aIyZyu4Rzv-d8mNaqEzPCqJI8JRhpRGI4v-nLjgAlghbiGYNVYJrbQ4717M4a3gpMUWiBOKtog90roZQh0emmNYjlWF9VOUvn5H6nDgmB6mXna0E0SqGh5WpaFtIKxmNtIsScZfRG1f5JRhxNCOI4Our88fDDRjgJ34Hh4-L1uke38ol8YAinqXFfqcGodviFHhY6Ih7L0raPpWJuR8Z1x_k4fXi6KuEqyF-9Fo_90NEScJ7toNIBHDNg_HUCWyMvoDK1ZmjTqGhNowhGdQ8w==&c=eRoqsyak70l6MA1NNlHLHuV_uRB-C4xeNLCr2ZDg9sujrEpvYvKiHg==&ch=OCYhzvIbZsawU7cSfXl9W2JFUofGppXV7B8gi8NRV0WD9KcF_UiWEA==">Thomson Reuters Foundation</a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>As Historic Flood Plains Shift, Federal Flood Program Works to Adapt</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Researchers have observed a greater number of storms resulting in "100-year flood" conditions, while flooding has been extending beyond the historical flood plain for many regions across the United States. These extreme flooding events are running counter to the probabilities projected by scenario models. One study found that between 2007 and 2014 in Illinois, nearly all of the damage in urban areas was found outside the historical flood plain. The drastic shift in precipitation and flood patterns poses a challenge for the Federal Emergency Management Association's (FEMA) flood insurance policy. According to Kathy Schaefer, a former FEMA engineer and mapper, in the past "you had to ignore climate change [in drawing the maps]. All of the mapping had to be based on the existing [rainfall and flooding] conditions [at the time they were drawn, or many years earlier]." The agency has begun to account for climate-induced factors in recent years.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001GGwO9maga6jum9xqsQ74XzhR42MfCTF4xME1pbkOuK_WI4FmM5dN6kTynT8MhgdPk5_MO_fUcOGvl-ly538Lt9INbGRb3otd6vG8Q6SpboQCboBAk-JKtSfM2UPJNgUq-ssJDunaqZyq5RveWbRq1mwxvljLMlXoG8zFaYeSHOwuEsUHOxWXbxw0dOXd3XXjrMfO5iwq8ppQxo3ZMv_M_QyOihVOnuCyqWfSf6CszCmQxa27l48fqHC3DgDGK6zhPKHKw6eZarrP_26uh8lfR_DO2YPtVFxIWmTbVHrvo0wAQUMW5NCPEKoFn4OgQo3jh8L0FQEHxHl32rce9w8337uNyOaf2raDzPGNGCXHPC98qMXEY7VrRJpCby5i0ayvPDqEVaIDz186uklAaje9-0tBNO-dSLvUc2x0cIA8NXmqU9t0jGb5fCUUxyuYNHLMgER4fRhEqnDOdS6KmbTcSdOdMEcGhZFtKd6e-UDBgzE=&c=7SaFKafHY56lfaIPx2DPnH6VrnXcaYWY0RYAfqKLAcs4o4z_rhpZ2w==&ch=r3RM89ImLsc4Jsu1n7UK0byB0pYGwWyU_0wem3kzgNDvEiZxvVVYLA==">National Public Radio<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_21.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://0F5FD508-5872-4C51-A29F-62CA72797E09/pastedGraphic_21.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Military Leaders Warn of Defense Infrastructure's Vulnerability to Climate Change</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On September 14, the Center for Climate and Security published a consensus statement and report affirming the dangers of climate change to U.S. military installations and operations. The statement was signed by more than a dozen retired military and national security experts, including former Generals, Admirals, and Department of Defense officials. The bipartisan collection of signatories advised the incoming U.S. president to implement a new cabinet post to address the nexus of climate change and national security. The endorsements follow an emerging consensus among military and intelligence officials that defense assets and operations are increasingly vulnerable to climate change, with the U.S. Department of Defense designating it a "threat multiplier." Retired Air Force General Ronald Keys, former commander of the Air Combat Command, said, "Before, a minor storm was a nuisance, now it is a danger to some of our operations ... It's hard to energize people now, but it's too late when the water is around your ankles ... We need to do this threat analysis now."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001GGwO9maga6jum9xqsQ74XzhR42MfCTF4xME1pbkOuK_WI4FmM5dN6kTynT8MhgdPO4-LkCORCv85PuALTjmCMSaDhA37FSTEasoO0WxZWvMey-Ww8QqL0mHAA5vwv8nYoKO_HMm_WuEEfwp3jxoXx_Pv4qfvPJcvUUE0s0wR5YwIysuB2SCGLRZFodp2LzTN2WL2RPb6Vvh4BAppUvF0Z0gYto_xlULgzhI07HKNQ4c=&c=7SaFKafHY56lfaIPx2DPnH6VrnXcaYWY0RYAfqKLAcs4o4z_rhpZ2w==&ch=r3RM89ImLsc4Jsu1n7UK0byB0pYGwWyU_0wem3kzgNDvEiZxvVVYLA==">Reuters</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001GGwO9maga6jum9xqsQ74XzhR42MfCTF4xME1pbkOuK_WI4FmM5dN6kTynT8MhgdPRFojjmprGLT9jC_Cemj98JKvwe03U7L9_LugWR7vuXELxmFvD3VhBUKkQprOHdumUd4_Ro0tq2Gm5KVWg5AU3Xb-3pF74MWgieHNtnX7qM0o5-YN5PROt3Mf-jNwy66ZCJWF8XKQgsan-8FoEmSTk2LRZ8xt1KJml-WEahuvePo-AXkNR6mZuxCAtXmhU1yocP5hUAlAwRJ07orgqtSZ3yX7bsogRkxrRTA_-JbqRW0=&c=7SaFKafHY56lfaIPx2DPnH6VrnXcaYWY0RYAfqKLAcs4o4z_rhpZ2w==&ch=r3RM89ImLsc4Jsu1n7UK0byB0pYGwWyU_0wem3kzgNDvEiZxvVVYLA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Guardian</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001GGwO9maga6jum9xqsQ74XzhR42MfCTF4xME1pbkOuK_WI4FmM5dN6kTynT8MhgdPyz9nc9CaXQB2bhb0jZVUBcfQpF3ghhXgmH4QXJKF82Z-43xD4bOKU7phbTXsXbBgTfMETV82jYtIDOp2MYsqZM2c6XD3HVH4xHGOFy7GgP7-tOkglODQShVvMPLVaaa0g-tdtTeTHJy0vXSzsh7uqddg5w1XsjLIpK5nYt1bBWDvO2-KsAsF42Qv_u4NJxi53YVK8ukPXk3SMkcrgqgA5NxI97WW9W1M&c=7SaFKafHY56lfaIPx2DPnH6VrnXcaYWY0RYAfqKLAcs4o4z_rhpZ2w==&ch=r3RM89ImLsc4Jsu1n7UK0byB0pYGwWyU_0wem3kzgNDvEiZxvVVYLA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Christian Science Monitor</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001GGwO9maga6jum9xqsQ74XzhR42MfCTF4xME1pbkOuK_WI4FmM5dN6kTynT8MhgdPrBU5lVV4b6SZRlUTo95LOajOrcQKX6gQ5vDgSd1ZAqC4-66Ud_Md_obW2gqZEKYDLwaJytm4NhErvGoN4--4FHl-iUaDwjBNfBPgAdR5WB1hBoh0mHExXS2N0XIlmeik7ES1FI8mu5n8ayMDgEFWfvBTms5-kVq7rxzZ3mRKilYmLJViAc46Ylz8OCMdUml6ZvFg99CB3ut8BXoXF1SjIuiF259Nmdqe8-t41PHh2iC4hGgrzNwL801aZ1KgAbOusD5dEfuy3XUQjjySbvEobk-WVZjTg-48&c=7SaFKafHY56lfaIPx2DPnH6VrnXcaYWY0RYAfqKLAcs4o4z_rhpZ2w==&ch=r3RM89ImLsc4Jsu1n7UK0byB0pYGwWyU_0wem3kzgNDvEiZxvVVYLA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Reports</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Study</b></span><span style="color: #026ae3; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>: </b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Global Wheat Production Expected to Decline as Temperatures Rise</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On September 12, the journal Nature Climate Change published a new study highlighting the threat climate change poses to the world's wheat crop. An international team of scientists found that a one degree Celsius increase in global temperature could result in a 4.1-6.4 percent reduction in wheat production worldwide, translating into a loss of 35 million tons annually. Even greater losses were projected for countries in warmer regions. Predictions for 2016-17 from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization revealed 500 of the 741 million tons of wheat produced is expected to be consumed by humans, the highest percentage of direct human consumption for any crop. The study utilized statistical analysis and modeling techniques and focused solely on the effects of temperature rise, leaving uncertainty as to how other environmental factors may influence wheat production. The United States, China, India, and France are among the world's leading wheat producers.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001GGwO9maga6jum9xqsQ74XzhR42MfCTF4xME1pbkOuK_WI4FmM5dN6kTynT8MhgdPClrBsXYzeB_ktxb2liApdp8AWrxDFAuesAIs1ItODNqH6r2I3oEhcAt2uolT0Qcaq3Sxf2m3RlN7VnkUV14IXC9MuWKLg5GcwAVxG31YjzVmzxfOHoHf9BuE2W-ueAIrpADVfFZ9eEnE6WD35WbyKPmj2xIgx2-RcCilX5C5ofXPmYHwo07TRw6Y5UTpGshx4USKS_kjVFJp3GLOnjMhtDJ28dWJP_AQ6CQTYoNT5EebfsH5k0Es9bspF6cXPIKm_6QoK2_8KesYwxqSVdFVSS78EDuptemUrxAR_S_1gfDeFm2mqUsUeL-l2aB_V0fYDvXwpMXMIdeHt20LOCe7B9UG2BY_uv267jc0tXe0BpjFdbnkdmfF3htG3uLseUQaBhrcO7l6x_49pdEVCKpdGRpY0pH7dwluXhlquhbO3untRvMUvos8hxitceVFouKY&c=7SaFKafHY56lfaIPx2DPnH6VrnXcaYWY0RYAfqKLAcs4o4z_rhpZ2w==&ch=r3RM89ImLsc4Jsu1n7UK0byB0pYGwWyU_0wem3kzgNDvEiZxvVVYLA==">Washington Post<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b> </b></span><span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_22.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://0F5FD508-5872-4C51-A29F-62CA72797E09/pastedGraphic_22.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>New Research Challenges Conventional Wisdom on Methane Emission Origins</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On September 12, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published a report challenging prior research on the origin of U.S. methane emissions. Experts had previously believed industrial fugitive methane emissions were decreasing, but the new report suggests they have actually increased by an average of a million tons annually since the 1980s. Methane is released in a variety of ways, including permafrost thaw, agriculture, and accidental leaks through fossil fuel extraction and transport operations. The existence of conflicting studies on the origin of methane emissions is a challenge for regulators, who must know where to look in order to curb emissions. Drew Shindell, a professor of climate sciences at Duke University, described the situation as "a major problem and a major opportunity," stating, "We need to control the methane leaks far better or our transition from coal to gas will provide no environmental benefits ... if we were to apply best available technology to all [industrial] sites we could make a big difference."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001GGwO9maga6jum9xqsQ74XzhR42MfCTF4xME1pbkOuK_WI4FmM5dN6kTynT8MhgdPEZlCCrGDyn-dOLrx7Izfb9bPPQfFuwkyukztngqdYydbqChaS4BHMPSO58fieEtNkuFWc2SmCk1la-B1pnQ4dH7LDnkf8xWfki0a_9jO46xlzv5jpm6_H1BX5U0eSa9v1dIM1zX9C1Nnk76RKOwK84x6ae0hmzFIrhaS7h-_LJscBLboB7u1JfNa1ZUtix-vg8tl6G63Rt3pVkoSSQ98H2p84iEVunhzc19lR9Blr7rFr4is_c8KEvO7kiCEXFfYiOaY0pmu94NAyCngyfuHdhQsnTsZXXzFjRDOKUtw8Sv5fmQ7lwPJMKQt-v5kbFYlhXkP9sByOfLXHC7MJ8dYO9ukLkp6g8ruJ81l4_qy5kw--jiFHKCk0g==&c=7SaFKafHY56lfaIPx2DPnH6VrnXcaYWY0RYAfqKLAcs4o4z_rhpZ2w==&ch=r3RM89ImLsc4Jsu1n7UK0byB0pYGwWyU_0wem3kzgNDvEiZxvVVYLA==">Washington Post<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Oceans Absorbing Record Amounts of Heat, Hiding Climate Impacts beneath the Waves</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Ocean temperatures have been steadily increasing, especially in the Southern Hemisphere, according to a recent report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found, "since 1955, more than 90 percent of the excess heat retained by the Earth as a result of increased greenhouse gases has been absorbed by the oceans." Despite the clear warming trend, many researchers caution that the ocean's mass heat absorption can shield the bulk of climate change's effects from typical human observation, translating into a lack of urgency toward climate action on behalf of the public. The ramifications of warmer oceans entail both long-term and immediate effects, including higher intensity storms and sea level rise as warming waters expand. The temperature trends cannot be entirely explained by natural cycles, such as El Niño, because those occurrences only alter temperature temporarily, as opposed to the decades-long increases that scientists have observed to date.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001GGwO9maga6jum9xqsQ74XzhR42MfCTF4xME1pbkOuK_WI4FmM5dN6kTynT8MhgdPZqPw9TVFiOc8gAeddrFzRy-P_xkvPhH_WXxqVUcgNvKI0XXpFDmJqmqrEXB-YeO12jP7JglUvBCYPC8qSToKQcZBL5oqXtmWThQoPZy48pCZhDj8ndWv4_AIZCnJuJsu6LHRXHmifipgf3EwgeFNR29QoTH9lzg37uxiNYMqMi4rLnVn8oMxboGfgewXuaqmg57hC-Vr42qirMtP6to77eGKV7tf6zh_Y4om8QfdWeQ=&c=7SaFKafHY56lfaIPx2DPnH6VrnXcaYWY0RYAfqKLAcs4o4z_rhpZ2w==&ch=r3RM89ImLsc4Jsu1n7UK0byB0pYGwWyU_0wem3kzgNDvEiZxvVVYLA==">New York Times<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_23.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://0F5FD508-5872-4C51-A29F-62CA72797E09/pastedGraphic_23.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Scientists Advocate for Carbon Removal Technologies to Clean Up Climate Pollution</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Negative carbon emissions, the process by which carbon dioxide is physically removed from the air, is garnering increased attention as a potential tool for combatting global warming. Research funding for atmospheric carbon removal is scarce, while most policies target only emission prevention. Sabine Fuss, a sustainable energy expert with the Mercator Research Institute, points to the lack of public awareness as a roadblock to negative carbon research. Sabine says the first challenge is "how late we are with mitigation - i.e., how full the bathtub already is. The other relates to the lack of public acceptance of the technologies - i.e., the way you take water out of the bathtub." Klaus Lackner, director of the Center for Negative Carbon Emissions at Arizona State University, stated, "We need to start working backward [to reduce emissions] as soon as we can ... we need to do all the other things as well to stop emissions. Negative emissions combined with positive emissions will not get us there."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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Chad Tolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198303455148896174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441974095206886318.post-21151700585374538522016-08-24T06:46:00.001-07:002016-08-24T06:46:07.970-07:00CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS FOR AUGUST 2016<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>CC NEWS FOR AUGUST 2016</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The<b> <i>Ohio Valley ReSource</i> </b>posted an article on July 22 by Glynis Board titled, <a href="http://wfpl.org/the-flood-next-time-warming-raises-the-risk-of-disaster/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">The Flood Next Time: Warming Raises the Risk of Disaster</span></a>, Clicking on the link will let you read the article and also hear a 5.1-minute audio broadcast on WFPL at 89.3 on July 25. Referring to the recent extreme flooding in West Virginia, the report says,</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“The<a href="http://www.weather.gov/media/rnk/June23_brief_summary_for_web.pdf"><span style="color: #0e23a3; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">National Weather Service</span></a> described the West Virginia disaster as a 1000-year event, a term meteorologists use to describe the rare probability of such extreme rains. Many scientists who study the climate, however, warn that our warming atmosphere is increasing the likelihood and severity of flooding disasters. Further, a review of emergency planning shows that while risk of extreme rainfall is on the rise in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia, the states are not doing enough to prepare for the rising waters.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Climate scientists like Michael Mann at Penn State University point out that as the atmosphere warms it is able to carry more moisture, leading to more intense rainfall and flooding.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, reported that last month was the<a href="http://www.noaa.gov/june-was-record-warm-contiguous-us"><span style="color: #0e23a3; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">warmest June</span></a> for the U.S since temperature record-keeping began more than a century ago, and 2016 is on track to become<a href="http://www.climatecentral.org/news/99-percent-chance-2016-hottest-year-20359"><span style="color: #0e23a3; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">the globe’s warmest year</span></a> ever recorded. Mann explained that our atmosphere is like a sponge, and the warmer it is the more water it can hold.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“<a href="http://nca2014.globalchange.gov/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">A report by NOAA</span></a> and some sixty other scientific agencies shows that intense<a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/more-floods-for-west-virginia-graphic/?WT.mc_id=SA_TW_ENGYSUS_NEWS"><span style="color: #0e23a3; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">rainstorms have increased</span></a> significantly in many parts of the country over the past half-century. In West Virginia and parts of the northeastern U.S., the proportion of precipitation that comes down in the heaviest storms went up by 71 percent. In Kentucky and Ohio, those heavy storms are up by about a third over the same time period.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“The nonprofit Climate Central, which offers scientific research and information on climate change, produced a report last November called <a href="http://statesatrisk.org/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">States at Risk: America’s Preparedness Report Card</span></a>. The report rated states on how well each is preparing for predicted increases in risks, including flooding.” </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px;">The Report Card gives letter grades to states for how well prepared they are to deal with the increasing risk of flooding. Kentucky gets a grade of F, West Virginia gets a D+ and Ohio gets a D.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE:</b> If you go to the Report Card link you will find an interactive map of the U.S. Moving your cursor over a state of interest will show its letter grade for climate preparedness. California, New York and Massachusetts, which have some of the country’s lowest per capita carbon emissions, all get A. My state, Delaware, gets a B+.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On July 22 the <b><i>Climate Reality Project</i></b> posted an article titled, <a href="https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/thanks-obama-five-ways-us-leading-world-climate-change?utm_source=email-newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=General"><span style="color: #0259ce; letter-spacing: 0px;">Thanks Obama! Five Ways the U.S is Leading the World on Climate Change</span></a>. The five ways are:</span></div>
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<li style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b></b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> The Clean Power Plan</span></li>
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<li style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b></b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> A Moratorium (Temporary Freeze) on Leasing Public Lands for Coal Mining</span></li>
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<li style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b></b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Reducing Methane Emissions</span></li>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On July 25 the Sightline Institute published a 26-page report by Kristin Eberhard titled, <a href="http://www.sightline.org/2016/07/25/prioritizing-climate-justice-in-oregon/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">What is the Best Way to Ensure Climate Justice in Oregon?</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In the Executive Summary of the full report Eberhard writes,</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="color: #535153; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Sightline believes any climate policy must be effective, efficient, and fair. <b><i>One </i></b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>important way to promote climate justice is to make polluters pay when they pollute and dedicate a portion of polluters-pay revenue to projects that both reduce pollution and benefit disadvantaged people. (emphasis added) </i></b>California pioneered such a policy by implementing a science-based cap on climate pollution, investing cap-and-trade auction revenue in projects that reduce climate pollution, and ensuring that a portion of these projects directly benefit disadvantaged people. The Golden State dedicates 25 percent of climate auction revenue to pollution reduction projects that are geographically located in or that </span><span style="color: #535153; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">benefit the </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">25 percent of census tracts (each census tract is an area with around </span><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">4,000 residents</span><span style="color: #7ecaba; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">)</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> with the highest cumulative concentrations of environmental and social disadvantages, as measured by a 19-indicator environmental justice screen. Projects include improving transit, building affordable housing near transit, planting trees, and subsidizing electric vehicles.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“In 2016, Oregon advocates and legislators proposed a bill that would have followeda similar approach to climate equity. However, Oregon faces two major barriers:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">1. Oregon’s constitution likely requires all revenue from the transportation</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">sector—almost all the available auction revenue from a possible future</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">climate cap-and-trade program—be deposited in the Highway Trust Fund and spent exclusively on roads. The Oregon Supreme Court’s interpretation of the state constitution prohibits Oregon from investing transportation sector money in transit, affordable housing, trees, electric vehicles, or most other projects that could benefit disadvantaged people while cutting pollution. Not only is Oregon cut off from these beneficial projects, but most Highway Trust Fund money is spent on highways. More and better highways can induce more driving, creating more pollution, and further disadvantaging nearby communities.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">2. Directing money to the 25 percent of census tracts with the most pollution, people of color, and poverty will not benefit most people of color or low-income households in Oregon. The top 25 percent of census tracts</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">identified by these three indicators include 402,572 people of color and</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">534,409 low-income people, while the other 75 percent of tracts include</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">470,174 people of color and 880,469 low-income people. Following</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">California’s lead and sending money to the most impacted census tracts may not be the most effective way to benefit low-income households and people of color in Oregon.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On Aug. 12 <b><i>BloombergView</i></b> posted an article by Cass Sunsetin titled, <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-08-12/a-court-ruling-that-could-save-the-planet"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">A Court Ruling that Could Save the Planet</span></a>. He wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #535153; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A federal court this week <a href="http://media.ca7.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/rssExec.pl?Submit=Display&Path=Y2016/D08-08/C:14-2159:J:Ripple:aut:T:fnOp:N:1807496:S:0"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">upheld</span></a> the approach that the government uses to calculate the social cost of carbon when it issues regulations -- and<b><i> not just the cost imposed on Americans, but on people worldwide</i></b> <b><i>(emphasis added).</i></b> It’s technical stuff, but also one of the most important climate change rulings ever.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The social cost of carbon is meant to capture the economic damage of a ton of carbon emissions. The assumptions that go into the analysis, and the resulting number, matter a lot, because they play a key role in the cost-benefit analysis for countless regulations -- not only the Obama Administration’s <a href="https://www.epa.gov/cleanpowerplan/clean-power-plan-existing-power-plants"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Clean Power Plan</span></a>, but also fuel economy rules for automobiles and trucks and energy efficiency rules for appliances, including refrigerators, microwave ovens, clothes washers, small motors, and clothes driers. The cost-benefit analysis can in turn help agencies to determine the level of stringency for such regulations, and indeed whether to go forward at all.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“First established by the Barack Obama administration in 2010, the central value for the social cost of carbon, last updated in 2015, is now $36. That figure is set within a range <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/inforeg/scc-tsd-final-july-2015.pdf"><span style="color: #0e23a3; letter-spacing: 0px;">f</span><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">rom $11 to $105</span></a>, meant to acknowledge scientific and economic uncertainty. (Disclosure: As administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, I was involved in the process.) The $36 figure has international resonance; many nations are paying attention to it. It also plays a large role in discussions about the size of any possible carbon tax.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“For climate change in particular, the court’s ruling is massively important. It upholds a foundation of countless regulations designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Unless the Supreme Court intervenes (which is unlikely), that foundation is now secure. In the U.S. and elsewhere, the social cost of carbon is likely to play a defining role in the coming years.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE:</b> When discussing the social cost of carbon, Sunstein is talking about the marginal cost to human society of the release of an additional ton of carbon dioxide (CO2 or its equivalent if another greenhouse gas, e.g., N2O, is involved), in dollars per ton. Note the wide range ($11 to $105 per ton) given by the federal government, to include the uncertainties in the various estimates involved in determining the social cost. One of the big unknowns is the importance of positive feedbacks that amplify the damage. Prices on carbon are being set by governments around the world. A summary of the current status can be found on the <a href="http://priceoncarbon.org/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Price on Carbon</span></a> website developed by Linda Swift of the Berkeley, Albany Emeryville (CA) League of Women Voters. Sweden has the highest national carbon tax of <a href="http://www.worldbank.org/content/dam/Worldbank/document/SDN/background-note_carbon-tax.pdf"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">$168 per metric tonne</span></a> of CO2.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333340; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On August 15 the <b><i>World Resources Institute</i></b> posted an article by Andrew Light and Helen Mountford titled, <a href="http://www.wri.org/blog/2016/08/will-g20-spur-post-paris-climate-action-3-signs-look?utm_campaign=wridigest&utm_source=wridigest-2016-08-16&utm_medium=email&utm_content=title"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Will the G20 Spur Post-Paris Climate Action? 3 Signs to Look For.</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> The authors point out that the G20 meeting in September in Hangzhou, China, brings together the leaders of the world’s largest economies for the first time since the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. They wrote, </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;">“</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;">G20 Leaders Summits traditionally focus on economic growth and financial stability, but since more than 190 countries collectively agreed to greatly enhance mitigation of the causes and impacts of climate change, the need to tackle a changing climate and foster clean energy has become a clear economic and business reality.”</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Collectively, G20 countries represent roughly <a href="http://tinyurl.com/zgn4347"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">80 percent of global GDP</span></a> and roughly <a href="http://tinyurl.com/j89qlny"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">80 percent of greenhouse gas emissions</span></a>. That means that if they hit their emissions reduction targets, these 20 countries can bend the global emissions curve downward, meeting their responsibility to their citizens, as well as to the smaller economies that are most vulnerable to climate change.” </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px;">The three things the authors suggest that we look for are:</span></div>
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<li style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 30px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A commitment to phase out fossil fuel subsidies no later than 2025</span></li>
<li style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 30px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A push for green finance</span></li>
<li style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 30px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Affirmation that the Paris Agreement is the way forward</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px;">About fossil fuel subsidies they wrote: </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“Leaders should acknowledge that fossil fuel subsidies and tax breaks cost an estimated <a href="http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/resources/energysubsidies/fossilfuelsubsidydatabase/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">$550 billion per year</span></a> globally and encourage inefficient investments in further fossil fuel exploration and production, discouraging energy innovation and efficiency. They also come at huge cost to the subsidizing governments -- <b><i>often more than is spent domestically on health or on education</i></b>...” <b><i>(emphasis added)</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE:</b> Subsidizing fossil fuels made sense 150 years ago, when the Industrial Revolution was really getting underway and we stopped lighting our homes with whale oil, and eventually replaced horse-drawn carriages with automobiles. Now, because of the dangerous risks of climate change, it amounts to shooting ourselves in the foot.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issues an annual report on the development of wind energy. The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) announced the release of DOE’s <a href="https://emp.lbl.gov/publications/2015-wind-technologies-market-report?utm_source=newsletter27&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Constant%20Contact"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">2015 Wind Technologies Market Report</span></a> on August 17 this year. The main authors of the report are Ryan Wiser and Mark Bolinger. Here are some of the highlights of the LBNL summary:</span></div>
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<li style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Wind power was the largest source of new U.S. electric supply in 2015, and now provides about 5% of the national total generation - providing more than 10% of the total in twelve states and more than 20% in three.</span></li>
<li style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Going to larger, higher capacity turbines with longer blades is improving performance. Capacity factors (the percentage of maximum possible power actually achieved on average in practice) averaged 26% for projects built from 1998-2003, 31% for those built from 2004-2011, and 41% in 2015 for projects built in 2014.</span></li>
<li style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Falling costs of wind projects are pushing down project costs; wind projects installed in 2015 cost an average of $1690/kW, down $640/kW from 2009 and 2010. </span></li>
<li style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">National average energy costs in Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) have dropped from <b><i>7 ¢/kWh in 2009 to 2 ¢/kWh</i></b> in 2015. </span></li>
<li style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">U.S. wind sector employment reached 88.000 full-time workers in 2015, and a significant fraction of the turbine components are manufactured in the U.S.</span></li>
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The following items are from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), Carol Werner, Executive Director. Past issues of its newsletter are posted on its website under "publications"<br />
at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102515421764&e=001VqmyLSnT7fkl-_mocGBcn8yb2ys8eiE4dr3Tnveazy1K0B1fU1CponAdxiy_W78b49PK6NHsR0pHlqO7KOWi-3m5yW4bNEJiyJt1G95YoNt46CLY1L4uGjNKLSPL84kX2r7jAaxw1oVR18YElOXvV8_lo1bRsASi9tPNMTm7-ZU="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">http://www.eesi.org/publications/Newsletters/CCNews/ccnews.htm</span></a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">EESI’s newsletter is intended for all interested parties, particularly the policymaker community. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On July 19, the Obama Administration launched an initiative to expand access to solar panels for low- and middle-income households. The initiative, Clean Energy Savings for All, aims to produce one gigawatt of solar electricity by 2020 through solar installations in low- and moderate-income communities, which would involve an estimated 250,000 homes. The program will be coordinated by six federal agencies. Program participants would not be responsible for paying for the solar upgrades if their home is sold or foreclosed. Additionally, the Department of Energy will be launching a new Solar Training Network to help create solar jobs in low- and moderate-income areas. California Governor Jerry Brown commented that the initiative is, "another important government effort to accelerate the movement to renewable energy and efficient housing so we're not wasting water, we're not wasting gas and electricity, and we're using the sun as much as we can."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gZdyxfwlJng4RK_5tqGjGBNi6WVlFAnY-SFfSL5gnzHICpNSToLqwaEa4bBpBcX9WEmwxTjLiceoEUkjBFa5kJCH2bmGVXyw9eqFiN8zzEZYXTuiWv5Qwz9axugFVtb-aHDmtAxlmeE88Cw0ct7LevUCV6itL5jZzcLZrNvUKa2iFoAA9t4wvC5_yIpjTpuj7cXP-bhoSsAwrxyPkqSuJ3cL-R6wsA1ktgM5f8n0HsqN0WqJoOZrzPa5GXcSgVMUt4fVabAfE0pjsNyJALcBdH-WcF35o83oBUqRSsL3j7k=&c=o3RQcTX0r7NiHurYXqgNRp7cjo0iFaLz6wWs3dKAmnIliuYikixuWQ==&ch=8bm93nSblV-95zUcSBvnUEzKwzy45dya_RC5lRJ7XG9AQGEJWZI_oQ==">Associated Press</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gZdyxfwlJng4RK_5tqGjGBNi6WVlFAnY-SFfSL5gnzHICpNSToLqwaEa4bBpBcX90HQp6J4tBI66vQsko3Xtk_ukq9if2n9HgjgAbts-GQT2_7Af_J2h93R8y7WurZtWH6ZJLQjD13x8puLneqJtutj-w99YRKfWYSrt8iaA_AuyEPYY9ha2I8ibZBzxla2XnA94FcMjmHAn-GIAQWkLcEs1t5Zl9Rw4WqnjaQ_5EzF_iz3xtshGFYY_Wk_SLUDczwGezBbcy_JLItDZM-Q5CNeleagIBdyPLP5wyZ7Su-TiSbpW-xbtHQ==&c=o3RQcTX0r7NiHurYXqgNRp7cjo0iFaLz6wWs3dKAmnIliuYikixuWQ==&ch=8bm93nSblV-95zUcSBvnUEzKwzy45dya_RC5lRJ7XG9AQGEJWZI_oQ=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The White House</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_1.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://DEA30A9F-142C-4D86-9081-C5A3A204EBD9/pastedGraphic_1.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>White House Announces New Electric Vehicle Charging Station Loan Guarantees</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On July 21, the White House announced that it was partnering with the Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Transportation (DOT), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Airforce and the Army to release a number of actions to promote electric vehicles (EVs) and charging infrastructure. To support this work, the White House is releasing up to $4.5 billion in loan guarantees for commercial-scale EV charging stations. In addition, almost 50 vehicle manufacturers, electric utilities, EV charging companies, states and other organizations signed onto the White House's "Guiding Principles to Promote Electric Vehicles and Charging Infrastructure," a commitment to increase EV charging stations.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gZdyxfwlJng4RK_5tqGjGBNi6WVlFAnY-SFfSL5gnzHICpNSToLqwaEa4bBpBcX9RBzGml0mcchglQEz2FsnqSossJt3-jHTiRcI3_dnFFAmNXH4xzWrNZw-O3ojhzx80OSe2XvycZz5VE1qPnnq6fdZ58OytGmnUHRD-bjW_83JzVbXQExld3ZbssTLN6HazRKA1ITUUwLPY4Ei2SKtN_eYWtNgN6yPQReNZHkXO5BdsmyocYOtn2GQlGvPdYyp43HZ0FpK7Wo2NpE2dvaz_TODh9DRS0JChR3ekn367CzeEvQx0yybmH_fwgnqd4BQ8rsnV8_pyrbtWJkfLoS8f_Led-uJ0fG0BREZtAFyz1Ao-Qw66E4uSYbm6RN-onkIZRKcZUQG_mb-ohzP7u8sIJsNysXHgzuv2jAOzcnNsTz7tBcbUV90fKJGL1irBuXHlHDEgH_mB0ZbvvkewVQNKpaEBOBA3aq4&c=o3RQcTX0r7NiHurYXqgNRp7cjo0iFaLz6wWs3dKAmnIliuYikixuWQ==&ch=8bm93nSblV-95zUcSBvnUEzKwzy45dya_RC5lRJ7XG9AQGEJWZI_oQ==">Reuters</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gZdyxfwlJng4RK_5tqGjGBNi6WVlFAnY-SFfSL5gnzHICpNSToLqwaEa4bBpBcX9-y9o4mTSs5zwV33ZFR8dLfxVxcLueGdjstRmc29fdaqmGA8eZMayTdF4tgLg3rolxJ-BYVLbBBAwLKSwuuaKpip11tA-uYtqKUTXL0BkgBslZsF2mokrAEFMYhqBMiBhV0T39heDwJmW2J3kcp5tbLB5kpsVtbEY2efd1PEjYghkmLSMO4fBRJ0rP9f8rfjuhYq48aIb0RY1XbJRGEBgRnowVjR3mCD8JHW5sdtyob4WstTPJMAI1X3lnonKKCef&c=o3RQcTX0r7NiHurYXqgNRp7cjo0iFaLz6wWs3dKAmnIliuYikixuWQ==&ch=8bm93nSblV-95zUcSBvnUEzKwzy45dya_RC5lRJ7XG9AQGEJWZI_oQ=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The White House</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On July 15-23, world climate leaders met in Vienna, Austria, to consider a draft amendment to the Montreal Protocol to phase out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The Montreal Protocol phased out chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), a class of chemicals commonly used as refrigerants, due to their damage of the ozone layer. However, in place of ozone-damaging CFCs companies began using HFCS, which are powerful greenhouse gases that despite their short lifespan can heat the atmosphere up to 1,300 times more than carbon dioxide over a hundred-year period. Veerabhadran Ramanathan, a climate scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, said banning HFCs may prevent a global average temperature increase "as high as half to one degree [Celsius] by the end of the century." The delegates will probably officially approve the amendment at a meeting in Kigali, Rwanda in October.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gZdyxfwlJng4RK_5tqGjGBNi6WVlFAnY-SFfSL5gnzHICpNSToLqwaEa4bBpBcX9wm_Ks2bF-1JSZfdv4y155YKtQToLMjJDHvx4QUnUHE_-W_wF4Xlhuvh0ZdbAgfGz7OhnjWbgjEhrcpm5Ca70gvn2cEPNd_PjIrjnyK9C_im71GTRZgC_pEqF07xV7mY_NGW0WrtDT4Yy4i-IZccfEV7QhfQh_CwSNCidZQDqeglgCAvlI38TDpx7MZLuCFXOudFCZ8POayx1tEQZ_yWwv4Juk8dkXNLtXATgDi6HER8YZ1-6VtVERRwyZsrDItdIiSFCteRuiMUHZkFYrTAa5jd3ITokBAd8HcamE0yJ52OJiY8vpJC5WDnc5WoDsk0D3d8g2cR0w8LZj8_lEKBrPg==&c=o3RQcTX0r7NiHurYXqgNRp7cjo0iFaLz6wWs3dKAmnIliuYikixuWQ==&ch=8bm93nSblV-95zUcSBvnUEzKwzy45dya_RC5lRJ7XG9AQGEJWZI_oQ==">The Washington Post</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gZdyxfwlJng4RK_5tqGjGBNi6WVlFAnY-SFfSL5gnzHICpNSToLqwaEa4bBpBcX9RAWN-LpSbhj0Mg-WVTCrO0jpPSkQPNdTc0LQE3trkkLEwxdtDDZD9SboDgkNU7EP5bOmppx1uJ08irlHf9wZk00Y9ejE4IgWMAqq6ZVPbP6swfGYoz3UKJ4mD8KRi6ZrzNBlVjlGgEGOmbgsh1kgoTTqymmIXpFBMZnxo8euZuNPFA1vZYwDKdYOVwumjZrCYB_1d57GW34=&c=o3RQcTX0r7NiHurYXqgNRp7cjo0iFaLz6wWs3dKAmnIliuYikixuWQ==&ch=8bm93nSblV-95zUcSBvnUEzKwzy45dya_RC5lRJ7XG9AQGEJWZI_oQ=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">United Nations</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On July 18, the Republican Party formally adopted its platform, which states, "Climate change is far from this nation's most pressing national security issue. This is the triumph of extremism over common sense, and Congress must stop it." The platform supports leaving the Paris Agreement on climate change, dismantling the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and turning it into a commission, overturning a Supreme Court ruling that the EPA must regulate greenhouse gases, stopping regulations on carbon emissions from the power sector (the Clean Power Plan), and calls for opening up federal waters and lands to greater oil, coal and gas extraction. The platform says that the United States should use "all forms of energy that are marketable in a free economy without subsidies," which it says includes nuclear power, natural gas, hydropower, oil, and coal.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gZdyxfwlJng4RK_5tqGjGBNi6WVlFAnY-SFfSL5gnzHICpNSToLqwaEa4bBpBcX9U9OyP84j1S5Qx5nvjobVuCWXaBXL0rMPHaNu8Hi9OHf-ZgaPiwXfKBSi_sPTYnEJQ9Kwzsd5oBKKsRUHupFRUoPGhqoZKPq1pzH8i520Ptk5Bh9u_haMSuGd8RqvWfQ92RkLw216bZVDXfzaLMx2-gCg5d-KdHddJAgFnONzNmMz0oYUYfV20W7ra_PkRXPihANOXQNEFMzQ5VwD0V0Ug5roAbJA1-S6b1cpq4YsC1oQNID4FVLMwnuCQCRGb1RTHii6h39iSssy7mS3KqPUVSAl9SbkcnTIu8vxWECjcC3iTAB_9QrioCowmb_Aq6VA&c=o3RQcTX0r7NiHurYXqgNRp7cjo0iFaLz6wWs3dKAmnIliuYikixuWQ==&ch=8bm93nSblV-95zUcSBvnUEzKwzy45dya_RC5lRJ7XG9AQGEJWZI_oQ==">The Washington Post</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gZdyxfwlJng4RK_5tqGjGBNi6WVlFAnY-SFfSL5gnzHICpNSToLqwaEa4bBpBcX9qOopuDHcG68q1zOvQ3Rz9x3_mrd4wmdKcnCNUIX3DtMWEVzFTai8Wa_TzBBGjs_aT3yppfZmHQxHTjLQk-OC5xqba6w7QvHD8uqRb_WKDJ-hPFctM4WyEiWxmMMObAUNVvUz61XgtmfvT1TEYwM3kt0xMT6bobPo79jB1fyNC1BspS1ydOLMB9CqsZIa4yyJbXz7rrL2wmrZuwuJ49gi6HhVRz0xWeK7&c=o3RQcTX0r7NiHurYXqgNRp7cjo0iFaLz6wWs3dKAmnIliuYikixuWQ==&ch=8bm93nSblV-95zUcSBvnUEzKwzy45dya_RC5lRJ7XG9AQGEJWZI_oQ=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Republican Platform</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Report Finds that Hotter Temperatures Make It Hard to Work in Some Places</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On July 18, the International Institute for Global Health of the United Nations University published a report highlighting how higher temperatures related to climate change could shrink global economic output by over $2 trillion by 2030. According to the report, extreme temperature in up to 43 countries will shorten laborers' workdays due to unsafe working conditions. Tord Kjellstrom, a director at the Health and Environmental International Trust, commented that, "With heat stress, you cannot keep up the same intensity of work, and we'll see reduced speed of work and more rest in labor-intensive industries." The report also says certain regions could experience decreases in heat-related productivity in many jobs by over 40 percent by 2050, if climate change continues unabated.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gZdyxfwlJng4RK_5tqGjGBNi6WVlFAnY-SFfSL5gnzHICpNSToLqwaEa4bBpBcX9wFSeCfoKVH4UVh_QSb9brxxMDb4XConYkfwoDdy0QIdtw8UNd-Ly3AetAzv-diwo3Nds7TfCPjk7wIEIcK9pIRPhDFX8lx4v5H-871V3yt8Z4ERn0DdcwV1jskVldRY6NSWeXgtujE-jUCqOM3TRE9zGnmtOyiqIFYTi3fYrbYQBhaOLLNt2hNvguzfn4sGrGRJjeK5k4m3yTys8HFlzHVtjjxA1bLNrtvWIszuWWvI=&c=o3RQcTX0r7NiHurYXqgNRp7cjo0iFaLz6wWs3dKAmnIliuYikixuWQ==&ch=8bm93nSblV-95zUcSBvnUEzKwzy45dya_RC5lRJ7XG9AQGEJWZI_oQ==">Bloomberg</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gZdyxfwlJng4RK_5tqGjGBNi6WVlFAnY-SFfSL5gnzHICpNSToLqwaEa4bBpBcX9mMjG9TxltPU7TzAbjIduZiBWG023CMFTMnJHPT2tSrWg4H0hSPdI00QRY-lPg3YOjG2SucmFoUMWCsewNyFNHWU-ki290cU7GHyu78oN-poSXYwxZeAtLOJO-wkCBzuQ3KQTo9CFHBj_8ikS9NpXsZWlTwRbsXVZTBoNjsfMXKHIuZBqp_hxm1wVprC7u9ytKWsCpjP6MvljHCyBpx_rec1M_qW0G6m1QnQkOP0YQr-aq595cdFYgWnCyNxuTqz8&c=o3RQcTX0r7NiHurYXqgNRp7cjo0iFaLz6wWs3dKAmnIliuYikixuWQ==&ch=8bm93nSblV-95zUcSBvnUEzKwzy45dya_RC5lRJ7XG9AQGEJWZI_oQ=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Independent</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gZdyxfwlJng4RK_5tqGjGBNi6WVlFAnY-SFfSL5gnzHICpNSToLqwaEa4bBpBcX9twOMlQlbxeidl4Zx0ht9TETBdUaasjrf3OG_5wzQTEMYOETB-kLbBeswj5I02zME5U_bd9editc7SJrkHdTcN0FKLRmBTIQe5uRuJ_wwTHgz02V2fOIBaM2FGZUO16p6w7mw3W_6zSjWzSttVO0VfX5FEtE2MEoBrSYTw4Ik0J4=&c=o3RQcTX0r7NiHurYXqgNRp7cjo0iFaLz6wWs3dKAmnIliuYikixuWQ==&ch=8bm93nSblV-95zUcSBvnUEzKwzy45dya_RC5lRJ7XG9AQGEJWZI_oQ=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">United Nations University Report</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On July 21, the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said 2016 is on track to have the hottest average temperature globally of any year on record, with the first half of the year 2.4 degrees F above the 19th Century average. The WMO found that June this year was the 14th consecutive month that was record-hot, and noted that carbon dioxide's atmospheric concentrations have passed the milestone of 400 parts per million. WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas commented, "Another month, another record. And another. And another."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gZdyxfwlJng4RK_5tqGjGBNi6WVlFAnY-SFfSL5gnzHICpNSToLqwaEa4bBpBcX9ieHXeixohRD9HAEdy0y1uxCP-rchdg4wWAQ6b1HHL0x3_ErhXPoSR7lY1janPUtRa2gp-RfUd4eOPR_OKM5rZ7QcI1_Cg3iciUlZ1ne_Jx50Y6XiGs592yWTJ2pe94c4oarnVoR2jBrUX4djdsBk_Q==&c=o3RQcTX0r7NiHurYXqgNRp7cjo0iFaLz6wWs3dKAmnIliuYikixuWQ==&ch=8bm93nSblV-95zUcSBvnUEzKwzy45dya_RC5lRJ7XG9AQGEJWZI_oQ==">Phys.org</a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_4.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://DEA30A9F-142C-4D86-9081-C5A3A204EBD9/pastedGraphic_4.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>New NOAA Tool Lets Communities Map Their Climate Futures</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On July 27, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released a new Climate Explorer program online to expand American communities' access to the organization's historical climate data and climate change predictions. In coordination with the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit, the Climate Explorer provides easy-to-read reports with maps, data tables and graphs showing the potential impact of climate change on counties across the contiguous United States. Herring, a communication and education program manager at NOAA's Climate Program office, commented, "Projections of how much and how fast [climate] change is happening is crucial to help communities prepare and become resilient."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001rWHLAHW5tRI-q0xG7Fc4aKQ9W_Yr-bCaQlQUS7ZQphI9kGcr6HTxKCkJx76Wwj5pMMDk_8eZAHa8dd0kyWcYsrT6IEqh6xfi8gzoEBgA-ao_xkaxvA3rR3i_LU2PMnQPFkS3SJuRvxsOLuC5BGP2QeW56wcEtJ6xauwPKYlwM2DnysOfxNo937y0CBkWR44I2QPCMLxAJAQ8WxwLkdlkd7ONLYj2j57wHyEQd-ndiaNvGO57ZL1hxWBhHCEi0V0BJRLKYu4Xlcc-f-_oRv8Zlgk8pHY86Do1C44RmclW1RXKOW5ALDETJz_tmQW9fuKICYM8YjsE6vqq4I8_slogvtEffkXjKhSXedMHYVCXt3VF-lMmRy1nqQ==&c=-6TsuNPM3PjBnZUNZeaGdDimYREhs08uS0QoaO5NyBm1PYX5ARqdSQ==&ch=LkjaW-AN9WPMOSkBpIq0Cre03APGMm5kDNje4Xls30cwVkwW3xl8qg==">NOAA Press Release</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001rWHLAHW5tRI-q0xG7Fc4aKQ9W_Yr-bCaQlQUS7ZQphI9kGcr6HTxKCkJx76Wwj5ptkKbanfxFKAuZxgrc5ChIVGnLxDi6z33Xmn9_JKcrqaEgLWgZmZnYDgwq9qFVlRv99iHDttdfrZUtYgolO6b_pjTt6_ohhYjoQlUrq3K4SbH8KPT8avaDTpfayBFHC_ohaRO2hou-xRyM64gx0MKqHNVy4pIzc12-0Z4Pmfhp6zwUV6sWP5ceyzl52KXsAAP&c=-6TsuNPM3PjBnZUNZeaGdDimYREhs08uS0QoaO5NyBm1PYX5ARqdSQ==&ch=LkjaW-AN9WPMOSkBpIq0Cre03APGMm5kDNje4Xls30cwVkwW3xl8qg=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Gizmodo</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Scientists Urge President Obama to End Coal Leasing on Public Lands</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On July 27, a group of more than 65 scientists wrote a letter to the Department of Interior (DOI), advocating an end to coal leasing and extraction on public lands, which account for 41 percent of national coal production. The letter argues that in order for the United States to meet international climate commitments, coal production needs to be quickly phased out. The scientists reference a study that says approximately 95 percent of U.S. coal has to stay in the ground to "preserve a reasonable probability" of keeping warming below the goal of two degrees. Drew Shindell, a climate scientist from Duke who was one of the letter's authors, said an end to federal coal mining should be, "part of a broader effort to stop burning coal at all in order to save the American people from the disastrous damages that it causes."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001rWHLAHW5tRI-q0xG7Fc4aKQ9W_Yr-bCaQlQUS7ZQphI9kGcr6HTxKCkJx76Wwj5pjmKbibhoxWSWCAGxq_0G4xFxjPnRj2T1i1Wk2c7nUAQ39QlN-j-EGeq31fDVpZSPCVGVsba4mjGv3d-DHZ-MIxnuDKSdz4Ma5jpsxRB1v6S2gSpsCWIHNJSr4618BcALsFNLhAfXHfhUMPyAcZ7CtmcDoNRj3wgSokCYuuCIqIg-YRnONTt8xVUzovhvQMqO6iNtPnWx-3b6DeziWbVZAv7IIK6i5iF5HUlrtO-a0mSNo3tjzIVBWVnjvgn1BhCm_MLoZBTDdnZv5NJn4AyGXcFmLYPhQtqO&c=-6TsuNPM3PjBnZUNZeaGdDimYREhs08uS0QoaO5NyBm1PYX5ARqdSQ==&ch=LkjaW-AN9WPMOSkBpIq0Cre03APGMm5kDNje4Xls30cwVkwW3xl8qg==">Center for Biological Diversity</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001rWHLAHW5tRI-q0xG7Fc4aKQ9W_Yr-bCaQlQUS7ZQphI9kGcr6HTxKCkJx76Wwj5paHTDH4Yse3NUDGyPb995etNfLe8556OuzNTBBTcHb5f96OZdNM-D7pf4B3V6-eCqbfb95Y2OfTONUg8rEU-_OMcUayWXxRazmq4vG1gtt3h19m8tBs4ki1BxmRHGTSe-KH6n-0IpNmo1vnF1jjF3p-zIYeXIrjvnKWO0Fucs6ntIRlVz2_G-akETi87jupIx&c=-6TsuNPM3PjBnZUNZeaGdDimYREhs08uS0QoaO5NyBm1PYX5ARqdSQ==&ch=LkjaW-AN9WPMOSkBpIq0Cre03APGMm5kDNje4Xls30cwVkwW3xl8qg=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Climate Central</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On July 28,<i> The Hill </i>reported that a coalition of environmental groups has submitted 250,000 comments to the Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in support of ending coal leasing on public lands, before the comment period on BLM's coal leasing program ended July 29. Sierra Club alone says it delivered over 130,000 comments. The groups also sent a letter to President Obama describing the benefits of permanently halting coal leasing, including preventing 212 billion metric tons of carbon from being released. Michael Saul at the Center for Biological Diversity commented, "The science is clear that there's no reasonable path to avoiding the worst effects of climate change without the phaseout of coal mining and combustion."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001rWHLAHW5tRI-q0xG7Fc4aKQ9W_Yr-bCaQlQUS7ZQphI9kGcr6HTxKCkJx76Wwj5p-VBImRrZnIBWc0aixNPcrmmhYzAG1oOiopp-l-WluMEtf3YYSWn735Qdpkxc8n5foJHLTTvd3xXmFAQ4vc5hNUBOhFLK0K5VpCnuDYeOtqBIxdA1QJEZP9PTJxloDBH0L2VUujLf5unIfWIhnpkNCBcDokHki6xpjniULsbZ8j5GtcXruLsfoIzu39HIGXTS2WOG0lNB7Xr1K7FRiQCmPw==&c=-6TsuNPM3PjBnZUNZeaGdDimYREhs08uS0QoaO5NyBm1PYX5ARqdSQ==&ch=LkjaW-AN9WPMOSkBpIq0Cre03APGMm5kDNje4Xls30cwVkwW3xl8qg==">The Hill</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001rWHLAHW5tRI-q0xG7Fc4aKQ9W_Yr-bCaQlQUS7ZQphI9kGcr6HTxKCkJx76Wwj5pw0A3XSAHUMTqNNpIChYINAq8kjopJMcPaTbiZ8E5zZONpApgfabWT77oRGwp1o4V-pywcuyoN7hKfFZWjkosMQubbsBOHpZQod7ME1-qj6v1etbEhM6Ih2N3BPQTES_S8TdSvm_xZR9Pi4pfxPamhh6Z2NP8TsoIbHckm3QYN5KZ23R37Zjc5yI1xFSCqdIL-QDD9zj0FclcK2V_bPNFqg==&c=-6TsuNPM3PjBnZUNZeaGdDimYREhs08uS0QoaO5NyBm1PYX5ARqdSQ==&ch=LkjaW-AN9WPMOSkBpIq0Cre03APGMm5kDNje4Xls30cwVkwW3xl8qg=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Morning Consult</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001rWHLAHW5tRI-q0xG7Fc4aKQ9W_Yr-bCaQlQUS7ZQphI9kGcr6HTxKCkJx76Wwj5pe5mqMzakWWT9v4KLyBN577mBG5QjqLjaE5lN856Mhw4QYoGbkXguaJCZkki6-cvr6gIsZ3LJHP0cMnLi43tNimaypLEZRSnFu6h90DmzPruv_3XsXlfplH4vvfuP_pLTLJegtLNtPNK0vzcoX6sVhhxNuwHAHEYdZ7E1Q6fZnuFsX0SKsRd9ktrNskO8by5E5tVCavtXy0UI4LSO_YQEzJqUk6jB0CMe4xX6g91-pbi0Ujz65eQckA==&c=-6TsuNPM3PjBnZUNZeaGdDimYREhs08uS0QoaO5NyBm1PYX5ARqdSQ==&ch=LkjaW-AN9WPMOSkBpIq0Cre03APGMm5kDNje4Xls30cwVkwW3xl8qg=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Press Release</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_5.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://DEA30A9F-142C-4D86-9081-C5A3A204EBD9/pastedGraphic_5.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Climate Change Threatens Coastal Military Bases in United States</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On July 27, the Union of Concerned Scientists published a report projecting how severe coastal flooding triggered by climate change will threaten the daily operations of U.S. coastal military bases. Through a study of 18 East and Gulf coastal military installations, the report concluded that increasingly extreme high tides and hurricane storm surges will place a majority of these bases "at risk of losing [consistent access to] land where vital infrastructure, training and testing grounds for thousands of its personnel currently exist" by as soon as 2050. The report further predicts that eight of the studied coastal military bases will be vulnerable to permanent land losses of 25 to 50 percent from rising sea levels by 2100.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001rWHLAHW5tRI-q0xG7Fc4aKQ9W_Yr-bCaQlQUS7ZQphI9kGcr6HTxKCkJx76Wwj5pEMI2gx7G8-m7kQuFzgnnmTwP0LwuHnaZdf8ueV3cchLd8H9tCSaLMylcXyB1q24McvDZwooYgDQPRW44U8wBa-1HtfsTZVc0ZoBiTKZDNcIAa90gtJNgJ4ykUYCSJynW_RU0hB2cfXegmI6iwFTAyoPLVC4C9pJN2i7QNl9eQ6UszZxNbThVAQ==&c=-6TsuNPM3PjBnZUNZeaGdDimYREhs08uS0QoaO5NyBm1PYX5ARqdSQ==&ch=LkjaW-AN9WPMOSkBpIq0Cre03APGMm5kDNje4Xls30cwVkwW3xl8qg==">Reuters</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001rWHLAHW5tRI-q0xG7Fc4aKQ9W_Yr-bCaQlQUS7ZQphI9kGcr6HTxKCkJx76Wwj5peKV1SjMLEJFx7gnb3TrqYxyOyNq9TnzNdxVJNcQHF-P_8tkD1-gPRGX0rEe_ZWoT-mXGUry90yuAynSTuNAOX0JUSEO8lg3JbKeedo7sSInYprDa4YprVtcRhFM08I0WWIxnUU2I6SQtbw0Yz_WzU6856Bks_Fmn0ZpQIjC8QNPXe8DboKxfWC900ws_FqSuLUAJ5ehGSGCIoFh1aqPsdw==&c=-6TsuNPM3PjBnZUNZeaGdDimYREhs08uS0QoaO5NyBm1PYX5ARqdSQ==&ch=LkjaW-AN9WPMOSkBpIq0Cre03APGMm5kDNje4Xls30cwVkwW3xl8qg=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Union of Concerned Scientists Report</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>New Research Shows Links Between Climate Change and Violence</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On July 25, a new study was published linking climate-related natural disasters and the risk of armed conflict. Researchers found that this link was especially strong in countries with ethnic divides, where 23 percent of armed conflicts were linked to climate change, compared with nine percent of armed conflicts everywhere. One of the study authors, John Schellnhuber, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, said that when climate-related natural disasters happen in places pre-fractured by ethnic divisions, the result is "explosive," likely because one group begins to scapegoat another due to location or income. The study concludes that central Asia and north and central Africa are "exceptionally vulnerable" to this kind of climate change-driven conflict in the future.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001rWHLAHW5tRI-q0xG7Fc4aKQ9W_Yr-bCaQlQUS7ZQphI9kGcr6HTxKCkJx76Wwj5pfG9-BH5DzJOsYSLxBMFrv7zmwIUnMqWE__LAsNJ9SYpmgAdrjLmBVurRwEii1d1JjtIr6xvwTgHDXudP_N39YdYYHmcE8zp9Rb5SLTLlz67_o9oB998Ay6WW_Tf5DM_lnnm6qQga7EG1scFNQ5LVCRFxQE1DAodPpsS_Gl1JynYUhCTcs9vq1ojt4YRyGgjonwPIAdQHAruABiEbDSOuWniepB5pEBfG-a-b4yvZlNHUx7CNufah1A==&c=-6TsuNPM3PjBnZUNZeaGdDimYREhs08uS0QoaO5NyBm1PYX5ARqdSQ==&ch=LkjaW-AN9WPMOSkBpIq0Cre03APGMm5kDNje4Xls30cwVkwW3xl8qg==">The Guardian</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001rWHLAHW5tRI-q0xG7Fc4aKQ9W_Yr-bCaQlQUS7ZQphI9kGcr6HTxKCkJx76Wwj5pQ2-LdC82ESCceleU-dYH-GNHC8cMzjEIb_yRwSlNXANcpMGqrLxt_z6c1KCgItFnGjdMHFt5QyxqGWVj6Jo8rvux2rbGgNW4qjY7nviHnTzgxcwKu7PrYPGxCNYwRKXKcCuXb8fdxLu1mRJwyX7S6yANB8qzOgyl&c=-6TsuNPM3PjBnZUNZeaGdDimYREhs08uS0QoaO5NyBm1PYX5ARqdSQ==&ch=LkjaW-AN9WPMOSkBpIq0Cre03APGMm5kDNje4Xls30cwVkwW3xl8qg=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE: </b>There was a severe drought in Syria that lasted for about four uears before crop failures and job losses led to civil unrest and then to civil war. Sectarian divisions, where a majority felt that they were unfairly treated, also contributed to the war.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On July 27, a new study was published indicating that ocean acidification from climate change has affected the reproductive habits of wild fish. Ocean acidification occurs when carbon dioxide (CO2), a potent greenhouse gas, dissolves into the ocean and reacts with seawater to form carbonic acid. The study analyzed the habits of Mediterranean ocellated wrasse at sites with high carbon dioxide input from volcanic vents as compared to those 100 miles away at a site with normal CO2 levels, and found the high CO2 area fish mated less frequently. Marco Milazzo, a researcher from University of Palermo, said, "For the first time in the wild, we showed fish species with complex reproductive behaviors to be affected by high carbon dioxide levels expected by this century's end."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001rWHLAHW5tRI-q0xG7Fc4aKQ9W_Yr-bCaQlQUS7ZQphI9kGcr6HTxKCkJx76Wwj5p-484zDL8wKKe0OIEJIlGPIig6a1t7bv-K36HA7cFgM3YcKOqU1bp7KMOr9cxj2qvR-KplTv23ldmAc6b_JzeRN18zyQZ2p3tkgoKkcSGKHCWr3ncTGA7OgLtGwAAv0_fZvoixsgsVkuST_1kiIeH2f5E2ZgiaWaJTeC0DybA_9Y=&c=-6TsuNPM3PjBnZUNZeaGdDimYREhs08uS0QoaO5NyBm1PYX5ARqdSQ==&ch=LkjaW-AN9WPMOSkBpIq0Cre03APGMm5kDNje4Xls30cwVkwW3xl8qg==">The Royal Society Publishing</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001rWHLAHW5tRI-q0xG7Fc4aKQ9W_Yr-bCaQlQUS7ZQphI9kGcr6HTxKCkJx76Wwj5pR4_YqO1-iyI205-0W65VWSK17s6F-o2K4kO4GxU-S8oMx7hk4slSA2Oi7Ls8DUFtpDhKTelIYrt9ytovxB0pl_lxFPXEPPjBnBmffEcWT8ybLlfG2dq5Cyn7TC8b2x2HYMgvO1Nfpn5jy5909IsLfuTl7aVgl19kHRbqH6v3V5D23YMD4WRMxg==&c=-6TsuNPM3PjBnZUNZeaGdDimYREhs08uS0QoaO5NyBm1PYX5ARqdSQ==&ch=LkjaW-AN9WPMOSkBpIq0Cre03APGMm5kDNje4Xls30cwVkwW3xl8qg=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Climate Central</span></a> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>New York State Pledges 50 Percent Renewables by 2030</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On August 1, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the approved Clean Energy Standard, which mandates that renewable energy sources make up 50 percent of the state's electricity by 2030. The state estimates that the "50 by 30" mandate will raise average energy bills by less than two dollars per month. The Clean Energy Standard also supports maintaining New York's nuclear power plants through subsidies. The controversial Indian Point plants will be excluded for now, as their operations currently benefit from higher utility rates downstate. New York Chairman of Energy and Finance, Richard Kauffman, said that the standard, "affirms New York's position as a leader in combatting climate change."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001UDg6kDmhbRCGFWVDidyxscPcEQbWWqmrE_52Onseo8aRvrOYOmp4l_VgLXZXlMuhlTggbWHAt2T2Z4DddGALk2r9q54cOvkg6wDZdcxRlux_k7XCPdO423DrXTNiEdUxZ100kDO7vtBh8R7BN4-mGg96Gq37f-BscsUaoRU7R3CVxn6WtHPrzA20PWnB8U5eHwA0SSjOKkRjrCF6ZJagqLhUeQZOpscxGsH0_BlD1Ds=&c=jVYvJr3NWJUuzAJHF1KIrxZTHDXXDPaxArMBsh1HHdqbrrDzVTfLXg==&ch=Y0hwC6O18hxEI75rOiNJ71qM4Ks_lnaJbPEdMMKVpAsHqGKccb-j3g==">Reuters</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001UDg6kDmhbRCGFWVDidyxscPcEQbWWqmrE_52Onseo8aRvrOYOmp4l_VgLXZXlMuhMmXDBwcRWHigrbYL6wND06uEXqHW9juJgLppBv8sR7IGCaJ1_8iO4jo29QdBBDkaQYHAauzWAURw36nE1g4sMsc3m8MQMAYQzqi-xvxSNWRk9ApEDtNTUznoKtLl4z6Fc9MTo4YrqaQOOKqjfiFhuOk-xjHdqo-tB2h0pz-eMePlEyQHnU5OW4yODYsvYPM8Uk_du_w4xS5vLb8XX8WBE1aEg17_rKrLEDGjoyMNCHFwDNzcLNOImw==&c=jVYvJr3NWJUuzAJHF1KIrxZTHDXXDPaxArMBsh1HHdqbrrDzVTfLXg==&ch=Y0hwC6O18hxEI75rOiNJ71qM4Ks_lnaJbPEdMMKVpAsHqGKccb-j3g=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Press Release</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Firms Ask Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Governors to Increase Cuts in Carbon Emissions</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On August 2, over 90 businesses and institutional investors organized by the Ceres BICEP group (Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy) urged the nine Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states participating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) to increase their governments' yearly carbon reduction goals to five percent by 2020. In two separate letters sent to the states' governors, the signatories called for an expansion of the region's existing cap and trade program. Concerning the promise of the initiative, the coalition of investors wrote that they "see the value of clean energy policies in helping companies and investors grow profits, save money, and mitigate the risks posed by climate change." The RGGI cap and trade program has nearly halved greenhouse gas emissions from the region's power plants over the past decade.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001UDg6kDmhbRCGFWVDidyxscPcEQbWWqmrE_52Onseo8aRvrOYOmp4l_VgLXZXlMuhLE5lLrgAJy2FFo2AZ_KACy_B1qFHe17w7C_Twm_dYoz2TiTtRuwzPNPVvbrdZzl-jRr1Tr5BV3NcQwMDxcjaZYQqG_-L1nbSC0VX8_Oy6RDZ1Y7RctBT5_r8wASl4KToxttkQg4XQEhHEB8uigSO2z0WnEQ41kNkpJTRPpi04SVOCizN_P6JmjBAfCHDij8dNrPf2a_PCCQ=&c=jVYvJr3NWJUuzAJHF1KIrxZTHDXXDPaxArMBsh1HHdqbrrDzVTfLXg==&ch=Y0hwC6O18hxEI75rOiNJ71qM4Ks_lnaJbPEdMMKVpAsHqGKccb-j3g==">Environmental Leader</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001UDg6kDmhbRCGFWVDidyxscPcEQbWWqmrE_52Onseo8aRvrOYOmp4l_VgLXZXlMuhIaJz_u-jZXzBw7fszeEFFP3gtLSyZglVnIsCscaxeJTN9Yy6CodAWY2yUgDINCzepww5HFPsgIrdaRrIFEbvTMYl5-ROy3evy_G0-63GKcVTYjJuqc-QsTUPoTUz-bL5d0FPipfyPzfS5g--t9yYeEQyTCojYnAcyNB6dUFR5CY=&c=jVYvJr3NWJUuzAJHF1KIrxZTHDXXDPaxArMBsh1HHdqbrrDzVTfLXg==&ch=Y0hwC6O18hxEI75rOiNJ71qM4Ks_lnaJbPEdMMKVpAsHqGKccb-j3g=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">ClimateWire</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001UDg6kDmhbRCGFWVDidyxscPcEQbWWqmrE_52Onseo8aRvrOYOmp4l_VgLXZXlMuhWVPt7Hslz30VV7a3SDW3GPRcimJmrPm7qETtupAkznfyfRS6XMmIruDMNaETmIzHMMMgzHdXCY7r8kdMREI850_3SixPM0JDA2bj4uhSJ9B6Bjo3bGRVq8fbIJtvUav51bYm_Iz_NIv9Gzq7qMEpSh2hJMPqXw1mJNgEJYszyrg=&c=jVYvJr3NWJUuzAJHF1KIrxZTHDXXDPaxArMBsh1HHdqbrrDzVTfLXg==&ch=Y0hwC6O18hxEI75rOiNJ71qM4Ks_lnaJbPEdMMKVpAsHqGKccb-j3g=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Business Letter</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001UDg6kDmhbRCGFWVDidyxscPcEQbWWqmrE_52Onseo8aRvrOYOmp4l_VgLXZXlMuh6AWcvwXiSJ-HebByUV1ajpqD6ec3ttqoo6oTOYE9UV_zfUe5sDnKrxRzVMUQ0_9aRWYscp-2zsWzLu2MFlpWKR4I1YNrOUeiK896pCSvOxJ3ZYUft9xq383XgzsOfeUwgESSFzBPnfJp5l-fW9T5J6NLq-ox3_HXFnHFjQKhHgQ=&c=jVYvJr3NWJUuzAJHF1KIrxZTHDXXDPaxArMBsh1HHdqbrrDzVTfLXg==&ch=Y0hwC6O18hxEI75rOiNJ71qM4Ks_lnaJbPEdMMKVpAsHqGKccb-j3g=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Investor Letter</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Ellicott City, MD Hit with Thousand-Year Flooding</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On July 30, flash flooding at levels expected once a millennium submerged Ellicott City, Maryland. Up to eight inches of rain fell in just three hours, killing two people and damaging close to 200 buildings. First responders estimate at least 120 people were rescued. Maryland State Senator James Rosapepe drew connections between the intensity of the flooding and climate change. Rosapepe pointed to the oft-ignored threats to upland communities, saying that the flood, "reminds us that climate change is about more than polar bears and the rising sea level in the Chesapeake Bay." While climate change cannot be linked definitively to any one event, it does increase the likelihood of natural disasters like the flooding in Ellicott City.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001UDg6kDmhbRCGFWVDidyxscPcEQbWWqmrE_52Onseo8aRvrOYOmp4l_VgLXZXlMuhzFlNdC5f5DwxJLffta1PCtcs0NzqVSg5Aj7h7h5xdoRCaMPglP4ma_OMvJYc23C1uMiCGgfpBlzjCSY5Iw6bK5KXLaR_Z-hksr0kszg7cByg_kXdj2LCYe93OyBnPKjD16qwN7UYyub1jVyHNwRvVdDyckkmGNt5uZuQgL3nDmx8fznqB-adUpIw2PegqU_rjbUkBpdzZ0M9M4KluvkU1wMCoTMTj5W-I3AlETGxLHstZay5BOaZH8e43h37csKfI_mE-M_hBej140gl4g5Rug==&c=jVYvJr3NWJUuzAJHF1KIrxZTHDXXDPaxArMBsh1HHdqbrrDzVTfLXg==&ch=Y0hwC6O18hxEI75rOiNJ71qM4Ks_lnaJbPEdMMKVpAsHqGKccb-j3g==">The Baltimore Sun</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001UDg6kDmhbRCGFWVDidyxscPcEQbWWqmrE_52Onseo8aRvrOYOmp4l_VgLXZXlMuhedgFhcSeJuCnnWisgwlcaTnqWdxqGwTZEdHPfct69IKd2xptgxZI_IFckDUmuzNmdce4mMcp8HuETLJbRmyulUiwLmSg3mCyyaDAKGXwbBLW72ir6Y6UtRK7ow3Tylphp-S-odhY4IOdlnjF8JDzI2RMwApCHIe3TLMUN9yZXKOs6UsB2SYVFNejRGV4qAwn2_CkFa52FnUlwuVPwgw2cK0E_jpOGQqZRBAfI91jCOkPkfMQXsKsAOiAf0rOMaWFVEGWGBzwJQiy6VLscAgHkQ==&c=jVYvJr3NWJUuzAJHF1KIrxZTHDXXDPaxArMBsh1HHdqbrrDzVTfLXg==&ch=Y0hwC6O18hxEI75rOiNJ71qM4Ks_lnaJbPEdMMKVpAsHqGKccb-j3g=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The Washington Post</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Federal Court Upholds Department of Energy's Social Cost of Carbon</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On August 8, the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals denied the commercial refrigeration industry's legal petition to repeal energy efficiency regulations instituted by the Department of Energy in 2014. Through a cost-benefit analysis, the Department of Energy quantified the social cost of carbon to be $36 per metric ton emitted, a value which the agency then used to defend the need for regulations combating climate change. Concerning the impact of the ruling, Denise Grab, a senior attorney at the Institute for Policy Integrity, stated that "other federal agencies will likely be more confident in using the social cost of carbon going forward." The court's decision marks the first successful legal defense of the legitimacy of the Obama administration's social cost of carbon, which opponents have called poorly calculated and under-informed.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KOua5h3kT3uk3odh6r49804vIhgenBB58Ggh01k_wrqOlqx6G7oWDPRSU_E-jkknWv6YY6KcfgrDqjh7aPXby2cKn3FF_yAwoa3Hs08CTQD2eTn-LVNAoEx6aovZw599SzRS3WZO8LAl0p5i1gWqqXJj6NIiK_OezCvJMFpl09ZG1nwNdkrqbubnx4W7EOswUwK3MjsWtIr7tep_oO6DlYtJCELsTTpwGsiCUTttZxyCFKh-6aae5G4ffuidC8Y69rZnCjIiH01D90dlEc3qrA==&c=Bhx8CTEJxTEqUdlzjIN7q7B5zfnsk9iWgrBD_81tL1euIp1pYU94OQ==&ch=aQ7wNzOi0xgfy9AO3KYMXJCP5SCLNN1afwpNV6IdA-LGbAjRl45Jrw==">The Hill</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">,<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KOua5h3kT3uk3odh6r49804vIhgenBB58Ggh01k_wrqOlqx6G7oWDPRSU_E-jkknFK-XAfoRP0KIHOvQTOxtmW1VQGueAAI5Honthf6ljo188DIx81HiiOGFW_iIXTF6LcDITY4BPikmT2CcknkRSp_9C-ItAgrwHEcg73nq9NJp0a7-4vNHQPeSjI711paHSdsvyGA0Pfs=&c=Bhx8CTEJxTEqUdlzjIN7q7B5zfnsk9iWgrBD_81tL1euIp1pYU94OQ==&ch=aQ7wNzOi0xgfy9AO3KYMXJCP5SCLNN1afwpNV6IdA-LGbAjRl45Jrw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> Greenwire</span></a>,<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KOua5h3kT3uk3odh6r49804vIhgenBB58Ggh01k_wrqOlqx6G7oWDPRSU_E-jkkngjP2psArrJWlbr3guNQ1gFFJVeAsnr1-5NOx2c7A1Swo7UxhEiwhC1A_FTzZqcYp5BvXlD94OPVltnQSG7jIS6RR8TlK7KQIYRITvmZNtQCqwToqoEvs8vuUiRuaX17DreDyNB8xyJoe2nU0dICaPjELy1HtrMBKXrTIwpzLpRc=&c=Bhx8CTEJxTEqUdlzjIN7q7B5zfnsk9iWgrBD_81tL1euIp1pYU94OQ==&ch=aQ7wNzOi0xgfy9AO3KYMXJCP5SCLNN1afwpNV6IdA-LGbAjRl45Jrw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> Court Decision Text</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_7.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://DEA30A9F-142C-4D86-9081-C5A3A204EBD9/pastedGraphic_7.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Olympics Broadcast Climate Message to 3.3 Billion Viewers</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The August 5 Opening Ceremony of the Rio Olympics emphasized the serious threat of global climate change. In a video broadcast to over three billion viewers worldwide, narrators described the threat of sea level rise on coastal urban areas and of deforestation on forests' capacity to absorb excess atmospheric carbon. Fernando Meirelles, director of the acclaimed film City of God and one of the creative directors behind the opening ceremony, stated that "the world is threatened because of global warming. We are calling for action." In addition to playing the climate-themed video, Opening Ceremony organizers had every athlete plant a tree seedling in Maracanã Stadium, which will then be transplanted to the Athletes' Forest in the Deodoro neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro following the Games.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KOua5h3kT3uk3odh6r49804vIhgenBB58Ggh01k_wrqOlqx6G7oWDPRSU_E-jkknIhIa900KWkaKKbI6as16tdftuNRyjSCIkICbySoG8m7t9hgiIETgu4wmmMLMHn-4Y31G5JSJj8uustI9r4h8tpwFuLDdcOUAlpnVLPhP0D2OUb6_-rMmz_yJJ70KpUU2kn4S3Rb9UXVNkbt88BI_JkpnfPvHiZoDLzVKoE9nIaO2QAcS-LC5sXZym6XzFkiiYER7wlGsR5XWtjPiammsfg==&c=Bhx8CTEJxTEqUdlzjIN7q7B5zfnsk9iWgrBD_81tL1euIp1pYU94OQ==&ch=aQ7wNzOi0xgfy9AO3KYMXJCP5SCLNN1afwpNV6IdA-LGbAjRl45Jrw==">Scientific American</a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_8.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://DEA30A9F-142C-4D86-9081-C5A3A204EBD9/pastedGraphic_8.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Exxon Urges Judge to Block AG Investigation into its Climate Activities</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On August 9, the coalition of state attorneys general investigating Exxon Mobil Corp.'s alleged misrepresentation of climate change risks requested that the company's attempt to block the case be rejected in U.S. district court. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, currently backed by New York and a dozen other states, filed a subpoena in April, leading Exxon to file suit. Exxon is accused of lying to the public and its investors by knowingly withholding data on the climate risks associated with man-made emissions. Opponents suggest the states' investigation is politically motivated and threatens First Amendment rights to question climate science. The attorneys general argue Exxon's suit should be tossed, as it would obstruct the states' right to investigate unlawful corporate actions. The case is part of an ongoing effort by states to hold oil and gas companies accountable for downplaying the impacts of their products on climate change, in violation of state consumer protection and securities fraud laws.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KOua5h3kT3uk3odh6r49804vIhgenBB58Ggh01k_wrqOlqx6G7oWDPRSU_E-jkknPoJPRZToTjxyTZumHqiTYrUCDLlCH9msBGFDs33gEqsRHQwIp0oJtxzeqb4tU57YUskVYA_sK-YAcm0LGhHBNJz8yVnwJqF0phJU2A3U5akvuXhB6L3Pc5Ggsnhp5F5Tq3Xby-aYwenLDL3dAibW1Ve_RQJ_HSSlnW43bYXLC5QWDmlEgxCkx9VysOU-aYVX14fImHYcnHyGxTPuCEsq_wFsQ_QaMNKi&c=Bhx8CTEJxTEqUdlzjIN7q7B5zfnsk9iWgrBD_81tL1euIp1pYU94OQ==&ch=aQ7wNzOi0xgfy9AO3KYMXJCP5SCLNN1afwpNV6IdA-LGbAjRl45Jrw==">Bloomberg</a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On August 6, <i>The Guardian</i> reported that many climatologists have expressed great doubt in the world's ability to keep global warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). Recent data show monthly averages for global temperatures have already regularly exceeded 1 C during the past year, leading many scientists to predict that the international community will not be able to achieve decarbonisation before exceeding the 1.5 C threshold. Professor Chris Field of Stanford University commented that "the 1.5 C goal now looks impossible or at the very least, a very, very difficult task," adding "there is an upper limit to the rate at which we can move to a carbon-free future." Some scientists insist that carbon must be actively removed from the atmosphere in order to keep global warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KOua5h3kT3uk3odh6r49804vIhgenBB58Ggh01k_wrqOlqx6G7oWDPRSU_E-jkknsLV3YBStFbvLYvnrpHjwHtg1WBdb8UUaWuQ72V_xEEFyVN_7yUQvZkJ76hQ-fxwlYpYoHA-c3woAMmuHoGIx4e0INCOolFKt9SbQRGaOkvTlcdHkYv_6veVsVMthA-f8mbZnYbnX5DDGl2BN0jV22_AXtSZRcR4ghhOWOYaCvtXYxah-00KjaaR6_3T5EMbOJD-NonwIkhhqu_UhPBo4mQ==&c=Bhx8CTEJxTEqUdlzjIN7q7B5zfnsk9iWgrBD_81tL1euIp1pYU94OQ==&ch=aQ7wNzOi0xgfy9AO3KYMXJCP5SCLNN1afwpNV6IdA-LGbAjRl45Jrw==">The Guardian<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On August 8,<i> The New York Times</i> reported on the increased risk of wildfires facing peat bogs due to climate change. Peat bogs, normally covered in damp moss, are drying out because of increased temperatures, leaving them vulnerable to deeper, more intense burning. This is particularly impactful because peat is a massive carbon stock, containing thousands of years' worth of carbon. Making up roughly three percent of the Earth's land surface, global peat bogs store almost as much carbon as is found in the entire atmosphere.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KOua5h3kT3uk3odh6r49804vIhgenBB58Ggh01k_wrqOlqx6G7oWDPRSU_E-jkknN17tzRAGubpTAx77j-7_kwG3OhZGfidz80KuvGGhlnfd6V1GPFcpVhSiAqRn_mb8Me86FfGzS51dyn4yViYZUjfmpSXQ5d3x5EiVqh0AMnRGrB8eJ_5wVYIb8Ora-Ybw475LtW03lKw_Sn16pm3q85-EiYnVOw5zY0_NYELOVLEqHeiJ-AjtDuFrJt_nmfyNlSWpGj1QbeA=&c=Bhx8CTEJxTEqUdlzjIN7q7B5zfnsk9iWgrBD_81tL1euIp1pYU94OQ==&ch=aQ7wNzOi0xgfy9AO3KYMXJCP5SCLNN1afwpNV6IdA-LGbAjRl45Jrw==">The New York Times<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A scorching Middle East heat wave has left countries like Iran and the United Arab Emirates facing a heat index of 140 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat wave is expected to continue this week, and such extreme weather events are projected to become more common in future years across the Persian Gulf. The record-breaking temperatures have exacerbated existing crises in the region related to water scarcity and armed conflict. Iraqi economist Bassem Antoine estimates his country's GDP has taken a 10 to 20 percent hit because of the heat, which has limited working hours and destroyed crops. Iraqi engineer Aymen Karim, whose family avoids the outdoors before seven at night, summed up the feeling of his countrymen, stating, "We're prisoners."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KOua5h3kT3uk3odh6r49804vIhgenBB58Ggh01k_wrqOlqx6G7oWDPRSU_E-jkknEKKU1qaNJlyBCo_iDy37GO5iadZ5Pajr9KFgWSS1kmjeX9cl3yIhSRZ_hqNdqrF1o9jENcN-py2sGcxveDFTwCLWMIyvGc134tFHK3l5qORk-o33JCzG1S5xmJL1WtM-QIjBA0gP1YzIQ3asLBhQcPe8ahMmU8oVlHSmSRXbvOq_MSbEnz0SwM4qqV9DCqcQGu-dITLeON_nXwrapFug0m0jxc4uzzloSS5WNVKlwcuhxLn9HpSLkxqnaaDF_jU6lq_s3JhgPzIEJ9igj5zayceemlz3bn_r_yfFNu0-mUrDK3XPgY71uMBU1Zn_E8Pcpvv2pq6gGD_4oDaYIncEUw==&c=Bhx8CTEJxTEqUdlzjIN7q7B5zfnsk9iWgrBD_81tL1euIp1pYU94OQ==&ch=aQ7wNzOi0xgfy9AO3KYMXJCP5SCLNN1afwpNV6IdA-LGbAjRl45Jrw==">The Washington Post<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Warming Waters More Hospitable to Cholera-Causing Bacteria </b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On August 8, scientists published a report in the <i>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences </i>concerning the worrying impact of climate change-related ocean warming on the prevalence of disease-causing <i>Vibrio </i>bacteria. The primary cause of gastrointestinal illnesses like cholera, <i>Vibrio </i>populations were found to increase as ocean surface temperatures increased. Researchers wrote that "such increases are associated with an unprecedented occurrence of environe Atlantic coast of the United States in recent years." While modern water treatment facilities should protect developed nations from uncontrolled <i>Vibrio </i>outbreaks, the researchers warned that less developed nations are at serious risk of widespread infection due to poor water purification practices and greater occurrence of extreme floods and typhoons.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KOua5h3kT3uk3odh6r49804vIhgenBB58Ggh01k_wrqOlqx6G7oWDPRSU_E-jkknKmFpovj_SM2fheyIMOCzLMg6Xmz2v3Awl_g0F-927zKdNfx4e4ZxBLOAolOKeqXieIkxiRE9P1ytqNRouV_A4oJIvwTO4T2T98Fg7tgsSxCBfHt93QEiHptiGB5p-MMmNkjncZiEhiTkBI3vqv_fEC0Ws3SHg5tf31XX9C-cPmQ=&c=Bhx8CTEJxTEqUdlzjIN7q7B5zfnsk9iWgrBD_81tL1euIp1pYU94OQ==&ch=aQ7wNzOi0xgfy9AO3KYMXJCP5SCLNN1afwpNV6IdA-LGbAjRl45Jrw==">ClimateWire</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">,<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KOua5h3kT3uk3odh6r49804vIhgenBB58Ggh01k_wrqOlqx6G7oWDPRSU_E-jkknU_lH1uALsPRgF3ml-GpmAZ2hBEnriWzkrXtFnSw_l-IVjl1XDYQcpnM-W45ur-_0OKBh7tx_4Bz7yEEG5OZQf_iToeQweZEKy1EJrtrZnbXwS_HtyKgX9IS8anArMEWxtx2dESmiyNtz2I3l02ouwVyGnsZL9zZxv9SGhEAGAIKk2rQESymMZV5aIaT4nw8zCvFtRZ6_sOmZUOkHmq8B-fn5DCGzSb54&c=Bhx8CTEJxTEqUdlzjIN7q7B5zfnsk9iWgrBD_81tL1euIp1pYU94OQ==&ch=aQ7wNzOi0xgfy9AO3KYMXJCP5SCLNN1afwpNV6IdA-LGbAjRl45Jrw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> Scientific American</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">If you want to stop receiving it, just send a message to climate_change_news-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. If you come across some really interesting information, please send it along and I may include it in the next issue. Recent issues are available at: <a href="http://tolmanccnews.blogspot.com/"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">http://tolmanccnews.blogspot.com</span></a></span></div>
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Chad Tolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198303455148896174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441974095206886318.post-92096526970769204462016-07-21T14:37:00.002-07:002016-07-21T14:37:40.285-07:00CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS FOR JULY 2016<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>CC NEWS FOR JULY 2016</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">First posted on<b> <i>YouTube</i> </b>by Greenpeace on June 20, pianist Ludovico Einaudo plays a short piece (~ 3 min) called<b> </b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DLnhdnSUVs"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Elegy for the Arctic</span></a>. It’s both beautiful and tragic.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The<b> <i>NY TIme</i>s </b>on<b> </b>June 27 posted an article by the Editorial Board titled, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/27/opinion/good-news-from-diablo-canyon.html?_r=0"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Good News From Diablo Canyon</span></a>. Diablo Canyon has two nuclear reactors that started producing power in 1985 but whose operating permits expire in 2024 and 2025. Their owner, Pacific Gas and Electric announced that the facility will be closed when the permits expire and that the electricity they generate- nearly 10% of California’s in-state generation - will be replaced will be replaced with lower cost electricity using improved energy efficiency and wind and solar renewable energy sources. There are a number of reasons for this decision in addition to the cost savings. The facility is surrounded by earthquake faults and it </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;">“</span><span style="color: #333233; font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;">kills enormous quantities of marine life with a cooling system that depends on huge intakes and discharges of seawater.” </span><span style="color: #333233; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Also California</span><span style="color: #333233; font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;"> “last year passed a law requiring state-regulated utilities to get half their electricity from renewable sources by 2030.”</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE:</b> California is a leader in addressing climate change and has one of the lowest percapit CO2 emissions in the country. It puts a price on CO2 emissions through a cap-and-trade system that covers electricity generation, transportation fuels, and industries. The system now includes the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario. California can be a model for the rest of us.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>Climate Home</i></b> posted an article by Megan Darby on June 29 titled, <a href="http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/06/29/scientists-window-for-avoiding-1-5c-global-warming-closed/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Window for avoiding 1.5C global warming ‘closed’</span></a>. She wrote that a study in <b><i>Nature</i></b> by the </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Vienna-based International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis found that the projected global temperature increase from the national climate pledges at the Paris Conference last December are likely to result in temperatures of 2.6 to 3.1C above preindustrial levels - in spite of the fact that countries especially vulnerable to sea level rise, like Bangladesh and low-lying island nations,worked hard to get an agreement that would limit the temperature increase to 1.5C. Joeri Rogelj, the lead author of the study, told Climate Home,</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;">“The grain of hope for these most vulnerable nations is that the Paris Agreement provides a regular forum where ambition can be increased.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333233; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px;">On June 29 <b><i>Politico</i></b> posted an article by Eric Wolff titled, <a href="http://www.politico.com/tipsheets/morning-energy/2016/06/api-exploring-new-climate-strategy-215078"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">API exploring new climate strategy</span></a>. The article announced that the American Petroleum Institute (API) is forming a Climate Change Task Force to review climate change policy and messaging in view of President Obama’s determination to deal with climate change as part of his legacy and the demand of a number of environmental organizations to “keep it in the ground.” It says, </span><span style="color: #333233; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The task force may be API's attempt to head off internal divisions among its members over climate change policy, especially when it comes to a carbon tax. The oil lobby wants to avoid the schism that formed when refiners and producers divided during last year's crude export debate. As for climate change policy, API President Jack Gerard told reporters last year that there are "different views within our industry as to how that should be addressed." The task force could also give API the chance to form a united front in responding to allegations that ExxonMobil hid the risks of climate change from the public for decades.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 29 the Center for American Progress posted an article by Greg Dotson and Ben Bovarnick titled, <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/report/2016/06/29/140638/carbon-pricing-in-a-fiscal-context/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Carbon Pricing in a Fiscal Context</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The authors point out that, contrary to some claims that a price on carbon dioxide emissions would seriously damage the U.S. economy, the money raised by pricing CO2 emissions at $25/ton would be only 3% of the current federal budget. They wrote, </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;">“</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;">Top economic advisers to Democratic and Republican presidents have expressed their support for putting a price on carbon dioxide emissions, describing this as an effective and efficient approach for both reducing pollution and encouraging the adoption of cleaner sources of energy.” </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In describing carbon pricing they write,</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“Pollution from carbon dioxide results in significant costs to society through the damage caused by climate change, particularly in terms of the harm to public health, agriculture, regional security, economies, livelihoods, and ecosystems. To price carbon means to implement a policy tool that helps transfer those costs from society to the carbon polluter, which, in turn, drives emissions reductions.” </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px;">They go on to write,</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“… as governments develop and adopt carbon pricing policies, they are finding acceptable approaches that internalize the costs of pollution. In fact, carbon pollution is already priced in a significant portion of the world without yielding dramatic harm to national economies. In total, about 40 national jurisdictions and over 20 cities, states, and regions on five continents—representing almost one-quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions—have placed a price on carbon. In 2014, 25 percent of the U.S. population lived in a jurisdiction where carbon pollution is currently priced and where nearly 30 percent of the country’s economic activity took place. The price on carbon in California is the highest of any state in the country at almost $13 per ton of carbon dioxide equivalent, and yet the California economy is projected to grow at a faster pace than the rest of the United States over the next two years.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The <b><i>NY Times</i></b> for July 3 had an article with text by Mike Ives and photos by Josh Haner titled, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/03/world/asia/climate-change-kiribati.html"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">A Remote Pacific Nation, Threatened by Rising Seas</span></a>. Haner wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">One clear bright day last winter, a tidal surge swept over an ocean embankment here in the remote, low-lying island country of Kiribati, smashing through the doors and windows of Betio Hospital and spewing sand and debris across its maternity ward.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Beero Hosea, 37, a handyman, cut the power and helped carry frightened mothers through the rubble and water to a nearby school.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“If the next one is combined with a storm and stronger winds, that’s the end of us,” he said. “It’s going to cover this whole island.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For years, scientists have been predicting that much of Kiribati may become uninhabitable within decades because of an onslaught of environmental problems linked to <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/globalwarming/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">climate change</span></a>. And for just as long, many here have paid little heed. But while scientists are reluctant to attribute any specific weather or tidal event to rising sea levels, the tidal surge last winter, known as a king tide, was a chilling wake-up call.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Pacific island nations are among the world’s most physically and economically vulnerable to climate change and extreme weather events like floods, earthquakes and tropical cyclones, the World Bank said in <a href="http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/01/18530985/acting-climate-change-disaster-risk-pacific"><span style="color: #0e23a3; letter-spacing: 0px;">a </span><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">2013 report</span></a>. While world powers have summit meetings to negotiate treaties on how to reduce and mitigate carbon emissions, residents of tiny Kiribati, a former British colony with 110,000 people, are debating how to respond before it is too late.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333233; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE:</b> Most coas</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">ts have two high tides and two low tides each day, with the greatest difference between high and low (spring tides) when the earth, moon and sun are in alignment (with full and new moons). The moon’s gravitation is the larger effect, but the sun is still significant. The king tides are larger than normal spring tides that occur once a year (now in December), when the earth’s elliptical orbit takes it closest to the sun. Winds blowing onshore can increase the expected astronomical high tides by an amount known as the storm surge, which can be significant. The Battery tide gauge at the southern tip of Manhattan showed a storm surge of 9 feet during Hurricane Sandy</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><i>The Motley Fool</i></b> posted an article by Travis Holum on July 4 titled, <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/07/04/a-trillion-dollar-renewable-energy-market-just-ope.aspx"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: -0.3px;">A Trillion Dollar Renewable Energy Market Might Have Just Opened Up in North America</span><span style="color: #0964f6; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">.</span></a> Holum wrote,</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> “Leaders of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico agreed this week to increase their renewable energy consumption in an effort to get half of North America's energy from renewable sources by 2025. It's a lofty goal, despite assertions that 37% of the region's energy already comes from renewables. But it highlights just how much of a coordinated effort the countries are taking. And it may open a trillion dollar energy market for renewable energy companies“</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">One of the important aspects of greater development of renewable energy in North America is building significantly more cross-border transmission capability. For example, solar poser from Mexico could supply large population centers in southern California.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE</b>: An added benefit of dispersed renewable energy sources is that the variability of the electrical supply across a larger grid area is reduced. It is less likely that skies will be cloudy across a larger area at the same time. The large vehicle fleets available in large cities can also provide important energy storage at times when power supply is greater than grid demand - if many of the vehicles are rechargeable electric or hybrid.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">John Schwartz posted an article in the <b><i>NY TImes</i></b> on July 11 titled, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/12/science/climate-change-movement.html?_r=0"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Another Inconvenient Truth: It’s Hard to Agree How to Fight Climate Change.</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In it he described some of the disagreements on tactics that have arisen in in the growing environmental movement addressing climate change. Some of the major issues are: the roles of nuclear power and natural gas, and how to deal with fossil fuel companies. All basically agree that humanity should be improving energy efficiency and making the transition away from carbon-based fossil fuels to renewable energy sources as soon as possible. Mr. Schwartz wrote, </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="color: #333233; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The movement to combat climate change is building an even bigger tent as more nations, businesses, religious groups and even conservatives have committed to dealing with the threat of rising seas and changing weather. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The number of <a href="http://www.republicen.org/about"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Republicans speaking out</span></a> in favor of climate action is growing, with the emergence of climate-oriented conservative groups like <a href="http://www.rstreet.org/policy-study/climate-change-its-time-for-a-conservative-alternative/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">R Street</span></a> and the efforts of <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/30/us/politics/jay-faison-republicans-elections-climate-change.html"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Jay Faison, a philanthropist who has pledged millions</span></a> of dollars to support candidates willing to buck the party’s orthodoxy on climate change.” </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Ultimately, Mr. Gore said in a recent telephone interview, economics may accomplish much of what governments have so far failed to do. Plunging costs of renewable energy make it more competitive than ever with fossil fuels. Similarly, the former vice president said, the biggest obstacle for nuclear power could be the expense of building new reactors.</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“I don’t have a theological opposition to nuclear power,” he said. “It’s simply not cost competitive.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Mr. Gore said that tensions among climate change activists follow the traditions of the civil rights movement, abolition, women’s suffrage and gay and lesbian rights. “In all such movements, there have been schisms, and minor splits as well,” he added. “It’s just a natural feature of the human condition.””</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>The Guardian</i></b> posted an artielc on July 11 by by Suzanne Golderberg and Oliver Milman titled, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/11/hillary-clinton-clinton-climate-change-democratic-platform?utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=KIITG_Kosovo_200716&utm_term=182501&subid=15004957&CMP=ema-60"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Hillary Clinton could run on strongest climate change platform ever.</span></a> The authors wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/hillary-clinton"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Hillary Clinton</span></a></span><span style="color: #333233; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> could campaign much more aggressively against climate change than any US presidential candidate before her, under a draft platform adopted by Democratic party leaders. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The leaders committed the presumptive Democratic nominee to a carbon tax, a climate test for future pipelines and tighter rules on fracking – all stronger positions than those held by Clinton herself at the start of the race.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“The Clinton camp said, after the platform was adopted, that she <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/3dc3fd563c8949069daec89768a765e1/sanders-stalls-effort-oppose-trade-deal-platform"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">does not</span><span style="color: #0e23a3; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">support a carbon tax</span></a> and the draft still needs to be ratified at the Democratic national convention in Philadelphia this month.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">But the draft platform reflects the influence of Bernie Sanders and other liberals on the 2016 race, and the recognition by Clinton of the need to win over those supporters in swing states such as Colorado, Florida and Virginia where there is strong concern about climate change.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“The bold stance could also help Clinton define Donald Trump as a climate denier who is out of touch with reality.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The draft platform calls for putting a price on carbon, making approval of pipelines contingent on a climate test, stronger regulation of fracking – especially concerning water – and giving priority to renewable energy over natural gas power plants.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>EcoWatch</i></b> posted an article on July 14 by Katie Pohlman titled, <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/salt-lake-city-makes-historic-commitment-to-100-percent-renewables-by--1921872817.html"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Salt Lake City Makes Historic Commitment to 100% Renewables by 2032.</span></a> The Commitment includes 50% of the electricity for municipal operations from renewables by 2020, and 100% for all community electricity from renewables by 2032, a 50% reduction in all community carbon emissions by 2030 and an 80% reduction by 2040. includes Katie wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“Mayor Jackie Biskupski and city council members signed a joint resolution Tuesday creating the <a href="http://www.slcgreen.com/#!climatepositive/f0wbl"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Climate Positive 2040</span></a> commitment. The resolution acknowledges the scientific consensus that <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">climate change</span></a> is occurring and is driven by the burning of fossil fuels. City officials also stated in the resolution that changes in water systems and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/search/?q=extreme+weather"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">extreme-weather</span></a> events are affecting Salt Lake City now and will be exacerbated in the future …”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>“</b>"This is the most ambitious step ever taken by Salt Lake City to address the threat of climate change," Biskupski said in a <a href="http://www.slcmayor.com/pressreleases/2016/7/13/salt-lake-city-commits-to-landmark-clean-energy-and-climate-change-resolution"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">press release</span></a>. "This commitment places the city among leading communities worldwide that acknowledge our responsibility to rapidly reduce emissions and forge a new path forward that protects our economies, societies and overall human well-being."”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE:</b> This development is particularly sweet for me because I was born in Salt Lake City and went through high school there. It shows what city leaders can do when they decide to act.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The <b><i>NY TImes</i></b> posted an article on July 19 by Coral Davenport titled, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/20/us/obama-clean-power-plan.html?_r=0"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Fighting Obama’s Climate Plan, but Quietly Preparing to Comply.</span></a></span><span style="color: #4d4d4d; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> She wrote, </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4d4d4d; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Matt Mead, the governor of Wyoming, <a href="https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=69&t=2"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">the nation’s leading coal-producing state</span></a>, fiercely opposes <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/barack_obama/index.html?inline=nyt-per"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">President Obama</span></a>’s <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/globalwarming/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">climate change</span></a> regulations, which could shutter hundreds of coal plants and deeply wound his state, one of 27 that are suing to block the plan.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Nevertheless, Mr. Mead, a Republican, has ordered his top environmental officials to prepare to comply with the president’s effort, known as the Clean Power Plan — to prepare for a future in which Mr. Obama’s climate change rules prevail and the country’s coal market is nearly frozen. Wyoming is one of at least 20 states that are moving forward with efforts to comply with the rules or to analyze alternative plans. Several of these states are also suing to stop the rules, according to experts who track state climate change policy.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“Obviously we’re suing and going to fight,” Mr. Mead, a former United States attorney for Wyoming, said in an interview in his office here. “But from my court experience, I know you have to prepare not to win.””</span><span style="color: #4d4d4d; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4d4d4d; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Governors like Mr. Mead and state-level environment officials are making a political calculation: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/03/us/politics/hillary-clintons-ambitious-climate-change-plan-avoids-carbon-tax.html"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">If Hillary Clinton is elected president</span></a> and appoints a new Supreme Court justice, Mr. Obama’s climate plan will probably survive.”</span></div>
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The following items are from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), Carol Werner, Executive Director. Past issues of its newsletter are posted on its website under "publications"<br />
at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102515421764&e=001VqmyLSnT7fkl-_mocGBcn8yb2ys8eiE4dr3Tnveazy1K0B1fU1CponAdxiy_W78b49PK6NHsR0pHlqO7KOWi-3m5yW4bNEJiyJt1G95YoNt46CLY1L4uGjNKLSPL84kX2r7jAaxw1oVR18YElOXvV8_lo1bRsASi9tPNMTm7-ZU="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">http://www.eesi.org/publications/Newsletters/CCNews/ccnews.htm</span></a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">EESI’s newsletter is intended for all interested parties, particularly the policymaker community. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 20, President Obama discussed the negative impacts of climate change on the American landscape during a speech in Yosemite National Park, stating, "Climate change is no longer just a threat - it's already a reality." President Obama stated, "In Yosemite, meadows are drying up, bird ranges are shifting farther northward, [and] alpine mammals like pikas are being forced further upslope to escape higher temperatures. Yosemite's largest glacier, once a mile wide, is now almost gone." During his visit to the park with the First </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; letter-spacing: 0px;">Family</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, President Obama also highlighted his Administration's addition of an unprecedented 265 million more acres of U.S. wilderness lands to the national park system.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ALKJ90QaN9KJo5_JPSwckI7nXILSaI2qWnxOAfcjSVazNbwlAGJpDL8IWzJwm9fGksyz67DvZkrK3YBciZlw8iFDnn71CmvM3FchexLwQJHCJqQ8rqVbA5GR0U2e7998voNmUvYCWQPi_1fTxTjrBkA4RWiV3dFlQgI0FNV6kAIsDSyJ73XyWM0JvRo33AGMukkEnG0rIKy35PCHAhICjSn_umbY6XeHWSa4IkF2nA7dhFSLRL3_20Yt3qztb8RQJZpEO3jleZOGTMae1ooWeIdHuYNi0VIL&c=DGqDGIb1-b86MJpXo-0FZ-0eUX7Zgxwn_XCgY8citOmgrkdF1OeaFg==&ch=22e0Jy0dreRlk81pprecUUn3HNFvvFk5oCPi4e35yzfWrS-PP5-tpw==">Voice of America</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ALKJ90QaN9KJo5_JPSwckI7nXILSaI2qWnxOAfcjSVazNbwlAGJpDL8IWzJwm9fGQ4D5EXLtunXK-JZ_jgtep9BGlmFIPQmrrvQxF0_VlVqyYCTRtKO4F5wj83yVeOEhj7ZBpftKGDz8DhPRZ_b4zwekUkJi7T6lY_VUVTnVUT5DC8xmSmnjVs0UtGAFF0RplJR403TO4xL0nDtH3mPWhQ==&c=DGqDGIb1-b86MJpXo-0FZ-0eUX7Zgxwn_XCgY8citOmgrkdF1OeaFg==&ch=22e0Jy0dreRlk81pprecUUn3HNFvvFk5oCPi4e35yzfWrS-PP5-tpw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">BBC</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ALKJ90QaN9KJo5_JPSwckI7nXILSaI2qWnxOAfcjSVazNbwlAGJpDL8IWzJwm9fGywKrITxYF7jL3K7CBcO226GxstIcv84I6ZqOq_QYg27lFCWVMPtDwumQRu66--P6XzH5DmplJO8a7abmS8ZtF4L0HPHZdhv64Wqovx7gvTS7CWSN0hUXNnHotmJmMv-TPh7ReEeUUfRu38saWyg11PeOaue9Wg-dcsTAiOKuUNGwthNee3uk1okw5qR4LIQ8&c=DGqDGIb1-b86MJpXo-0FZ-0eUX7Zgxwn_XCgY8citOmgrkdF1OeaFg==&ch=22e0Jy0dreRlk81pprecUUn3HNFvvFk5oCPi4e35yzfWrS-PP5-tpw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Los Angeles Times</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ALKJ90QaN9KJo5_JPSwckI7nXILSaI2qWnxOAfcjSVazNbwlAGJpDL8IWzJwm9fGj-oxk21kShKVf6z42Nz9EMeSgAE_mpAG8zvt-wOsjoM7Z-Na-2MisyyNTUJoP4ybRaCPOzPWxEgDR4vsgPczGBCZZtCZjNXJJ8lFBU7kRw32D-3wj9sdXEiedx7SgZP7OaWwru95Ng-_Nzy60Kjk5Ae-XwnL3uuNKuhkQMRDjcQlb7h1QSCXk43-nbM-KcVIBbj-ZBt42M0=&c=DGqDGIb1-b86MJpXo-0FZ-0eUX7Zgxwn_XCgY8citOmgrkdF1OeaFg==&ch=22e0Jy0dreRlk81pprecUUn3HNFvvFk5oCPi4e35yzfWrS-PP5-tpw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Speech</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_1.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://749EAA63-D9B3-4D5B-85EC-476A211C873D/pastedGraphic_1.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Secretary of State Kerry Witnesses Effects of Climate Change on Visit to Arctic</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 17, Secretary of State John Kerry visited the Jakobshavn glacier in Greenland on a Danish naval vessel, as part of an Arctic tour to observe the impact of climate change on the region. Sec. Kerry commented that Jakobshavn was "the most active ice flow in the Northern Hemisphere," with about 86 million metric tons of ice melting into the ocean daily. "There is no mistaking that we are contributing to climate change . . . There is profound change throughout the Arctic region," Kerry stated. Sec. Kerry's focus on the Arctic comes as the United States heads the Arctic Council in 2016. Kerry also visited Copenhagen and the Norwegian Arctic on the trip.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ALKJ90QaN9KJo5_JPSwckI7nXILSaI2qWnxOAfcjSVazNbwlAGJpDL8IWzJwm9fGALdttUI97Jmz3kwt3Rp39sHGbUinYjTlb_uDSFx5VDbnO4yU-wAVOPy00bQj7EdYsLi7Pd6Nas7aPeRUUKlAb4pyQQ7d0xyOXvVG-6BZdAYbCvyx8zDKci5YNJhYTXmlROqiQ1BGbmKwYnS50Z7li_8a8y2ylACfFZXrBRPmRAR3U8mrfsMQCd71gn51RhS2cFpZUXdDq2A-PsErXwDavkcqlkZZUt-h-s4I2hKTUkaV-5lHfrwPzE1iEsOiiND7aiz3i8htQQX85dprlnV6OP6vkQVvFTcC5V8BqiLOkfs=&c=DGqDGIb1-b86MJpXo-0FZ-0eUX7Zgxwn_XCgY8citOmgrkdF1OeaFg==&ch=22e0Jy0dreRlk81pprecUUn3HNFvvFk5oCPi4e35yzfWrS-PP5-tpw==">The Washington Post</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ALKJ90QaN9KJo5_JPSwckI7nXILSaI2qWnxOAfcjSVazNbwlAGJpDL8IWzJwm9fG98s2nv4ogT5hCV7B3qOd_PgZdMRhGNUSgxE8i6hoO9tGC6oHl-Yn9cD-oF-lQsEe8lQzXBHPJ4TDHecE2yCShKwvnnF0A1e95XgrahdCQgwOhPtsUGyDnb0UXcJf8i7eMOtMrfDExQR9LbrO89igaIYt8HGuyVusLHqf9RyzI0l6Isy43XRDt3CykJwQ1R7h6WlCPN6xdZBR65s_qbs8AvD3V1g9xaZaqwHfU8qiJjQYPwSErlO4bvkDw6F19x4FYVOT7CQouqVOw7fAa9OzMJIGOhc3NoW_tclbAHzAD6UAc3bSbBoSOBLfciujsQ4MufympZouZ-xIqcfWwXywXkE2R1vkb8OVCGSKl0w_25Pw5bHYuW_1GA==&c=DGqDGIb1-b86MJpXo-0FZ-0eUX7Zgxwn_XCgY8citOmgrkdF1OeaFg==&ch=22e0Jy0dreRlk81pprecUUn3HNFvvFk5oCPi4e35yzfWrS-PP5-tpw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Reuters</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ALKJ90QaN9KJo5_JPSwckI7nXILSaI2qWnxOAfcjSVazNbwlAGJpDL8IWzJwm9fGzRbzuvyew70T6rEsuTCyQNiML62kWD0B2OWcmnpdoW02JCX7CCAnIlfBQDriUk78eXVnmBCzaVmEA3I5kqPKl3q56ntMTAoBe-7G5qwQzILY6-cEHselzf1bUoXOrvIyqDAqxlt7SfRI9NbvH40GmDSLCpt7_D3Yy59eSYdgAyT8KHKX8bddOeplCyZK-ubXnfwgkMChIYZ25-tqm8qIF3rjU0EtwitivRMaOh0vSHQ=&c=DGqDGIb1-b86MJpXo-0FZ-0eUX7Zgxwn_XCgY8citOmgrkdF1OeaFg==&ch=22e0Jy0dreRlk81pprecUUn3HNFvvFk5oCPi4e35yzfWrS-PP5-tpw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Associated Press</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_2.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://749EAA63-D9B3-4D5B-85EC-476A211C873D/pastedGraphic_2.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>White House Releases Report Calling for Coal Leasing Reform</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 22, Jason Furman, chairman of the White House Council on Economic Advisers, announced a new report by the White House and four outside experts which calls for reform to the federal coal leasing program, during a Resources for the Future event in Washington, DC. The report calls for a 300 percent increase from current levels of the royalties companies pay to extract coal on public lands, in order to increase compensation to taxpayers and protect the climate. Companies today often pay much less than the statutory requirement of 12.5 percent in royalties to the government. This change would cut 319 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, and reduce coal production on public lands by around 50 percent.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ALKJ90QaN9KJo5_JPSwckI7nXILSaI2qWnxOAfcjSVazNbwlAGJpDL8IWzJwm9fGe--98mG8RWhokhbioc1hPRsovHV9a6hy9VWwXwJnFcVDXbLWwH3jgq_UUThFVynXw8itXM9RqvVy55DRuQHEcWvWRccSNgKhX4EwWq3v0kW0xROEca7eVzzxYAXZF-7J5IUygAZXodLmVAz3i0qillOGyw5uJASXbKLdRZwmuwz5jjppXaz7kD6R345ZFyhqkmCoZI7oJ5ra3UMnMB8RfsWmcILHT00GAcPbM-2HnJDaa2QzByvgr9FjxLbmfM1NTvuYTGYMh-Zs07jPh6tdxg==&c=DGqDGIb1-b86MJpXo-0FZ-0eUX7Zgxwn_XCgY8citOmgrkdF1OeaFg==&ch=22e0Jy0dreRlk81pprecUUn3HNFvvFk5oCPi4e35yzfWrS-PP5-tpw==">ClimateChangeNews</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ALKJ90QaN9KJo5_JPSwckI7nXILSaI2qWnxOAfcjSVazNbwlAGJpDL8IWzJwm9fGENh-SBY7n6JXljhMKmqVECD1PDb67pz2iJPyMQL47v2DsvCuMF4Zb1AMz6Wi8ahtH8472IzuZXrojNcid7t911hRscl32DuDXM-h4yKRmbTCI_CdeELQ644gmTz_01j0qfuCUalE7VEhQPy0apG7sBOZKtCQ2-3e7_2c8WCtQoSiyi3jnKn8OUAzZ5pjT3835tNlIQm98dk=&c=DGqDGIb1-b86MJpXo-0FZ-0eUX7Zgxwn_XCgY8citOmgrkdF1OeaFg==&ch=22e0Jy0dreRlk81pprecUUn3HNFvvFk5oCPi4e35yzfWrS-PP5-tpw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Report</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_3.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://749EAA63-D9B3-4D5B-85EC-476A211C873D/pastedGraphic_3.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>EPA Releases Draft Urban Resilience Report</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 21, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a draft report titled "Evaluating Urban Resilience to Climate Change: A Multi-Sector Approach." The report, from EPA's Air, Climate, and Energy (ACE) program, provides tools and guidelines for state and local planners that intend to make their cities more resilient to climate change. The report addresses ways to build resilience in multiple sectors, including water, energy, transportation, health, economic, land use, environmental, and telecommunications. The draft supplies case studies from Washington, D.C. and Worcester, MA as examples of how the tools, methods and actions would work. The EPA will be accepting public comments on the draft for 30 days.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ALKJ90QaN9KJo5_JPSwckI7nXILSaI2qWnxOAfcjSVazNbwlAGJpDL8IWzJwm9fGD_kHDBRhDqcGZMzEVFFKYzWWoAg_F-NvFVG_dQKeD8m1T2h5FZQ_MxxJqYzthjeMJAazarpXmkQcMk6aLJ_zGAnh7oMLs87rzK8SbrnZ7b5r90UzmMcaJPT5T457Jiqk-WkmO2HJmBMIa9158DIyL42TPwqXSnrbkpSjeLlg6MM=&c=DGqDGIb1-b86MJpXo-0FZ-0eUX7Zgxwn_XCgY8citOmgrkdF1OeaFg==&ch=22e0Jy0dreRlk81pprecUUn3HNFvvFk5oCPi4e35yzfWrS-PP5-tpw==">Environmental Protection Agency</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ALKJ90QaN9KJo5_JPSwckI7nXILSaI2qWnxOAfcjSVazNbwlAGJpDL8IWzJwm9fG_JvuJx1_wxkVCzx52XVzcDMK34DRO02eu7GzCrByfOgBaKKqxQRYTQDisHWUwvb_XWt7SULaFYUnb6aB6jBwbjhgWkf7diAn9E_p5X1Tw93doyu-yjPSYl686GPxLxUUrK70LFfFjvv27NfedCCK_rylnImFx5fInBP0_lqyvoqU2d3VymG3Isqbx8T4ywgOGB8eWSAXmd0mXMxzSPsnG2XlWLmAAgAFg2qMjRXaJgCR-T3EhcJVJW3RPxwIOBatq0Qm6WHdzl4=&c=DGqDGIb1-b86MJpXo-0FZ-0eUX7Zgxwn_XCgY8citOmgrkdF1OeaFg==&ch=22e0Jy0dreRlk81pprecUUn3HNFvvFk5oCPi4e35yzfWrS-PP5-tpw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Federal Register</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_4.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://749EAA63-D9B3-4D5B-85EC-476A211C873D/pastedGraphic_4.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Cities Across the World Form a New Compact on Climate</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 22, over 7,100 cities in 119 countries created a group called the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy. This alliance, formed out of the Covenant of Mayors and the Compact of Mayors, is now the largest coalition on climate in the world, according to its co-chairs Marcos Sefcovic (European Commission vice-president) and Michael Bloomberg (former mayor of New York City). Bloomberg pointed to the importance of cities in meeting the Paris Climate Agreement commitments, and Sefcovic said, "When mayors share a vision of a low-carbon future and roll up their sleeves, things get done." The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) reports that cities produce 75 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and consume 70 percent of the world's energy.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ALKJ90QaN9KJo5_JPSwckI7nXILSaI2qWnxOAfcjSVazNbwlAGJpDL8IWzJwm9fGgM35ORA_aU8Bt38jWrIXtZ57LjFUsvBsX0EipDru2Wy_GelpAchdqaZcX_lMkKkwh6pot1zj978U7pGr6KoVQoOW2vOSrDEuRhQmWURnxia9_BJMmJVzd38HzlbaCRFNE1XmAOgpravp1q-5pSXZrvu831hMezkEeorbv5Lc38npdHMu4kY6bw==&c=DGqDGIb1-b86MJpXo-0FZ-0eUX7Zgxwn_XCgY8citOmgrkdF1OeaFg==&ch=22e0Jy0dreRlk81pprecUUn3HNFvvFk5oCPi4e35yzfWrS-PP5-tpw==">Reuters</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ALKJ90QaN9KJo5_JPSwckI7nXILSaI2qWnxOAfcjSVazNbwlAGJpDL8IWzJwm9fG9Kz-cuO3TiJZcukYz9Q82hWZ7m0nCthWZuyGzEvgqPQDZaJnSP0Cd60pkGHj6_i97UUL7n5dVuYdVDkXmZAEOCrlgI0WtRQxFJ1WggiCpCj_RuiprrHxEQiUhSnrig0ucAPVkscpBSVpGfuINpliTrBA-cehO5mKwkrhIySP7GUWukerPCreNIAFTOqxM4LDO1EKyTXvbNOv36zrKy0rFuJqvLfaWysl7bQVYRSGNuxMV82UosDI_mqQOwW29ihUAVD2zLI1FzYd6TZij_XBTqsgWTJwAXeW7xi-HINjljQ=&c=DGqDGIb1-b86MJpXo-0FZ-0eUX7Zgxwn_XCgY8citOmgrkdF1OeaFg==&ch=22e0Jy0dreRlk81pprecUUn3HNFvvFk5oCPi4e35yzfWrS-PP5-tpw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The Guardian</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_5.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://749EAA63-D9B3-4D5B-85EC-476A211C873D/pastedGraphic_5.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Report: European Union Exceeds 2020 Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Targets</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 21, the European Environment Agency (EEA) reported that the European Union has surpassed its greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goal of 20 percent by 2020, with overall GHG emissions diminishing by almost 25 percent (or 1383 million metric tons) between 1990 and 2014. The report attributes the unexpected decrease to a decline in coal use, increased reliance on renewable energy, and warmer winters. EEA chief Hans Bruyninckx commented, "To accelerate the transition towards a low-carbon society, we need to further boost our investments in technology and innovation aimed at reducing our dependence on fossil fuels." However, the report also states that greenhouse gas emissions from transportation (i.e., automotive, aviation, and shipping) and the air conditioning and refrigeration industries have increased, and represent a challenge to future emissions reductions.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ALKJ90QaN9KJo5_JPSwckI7nXILSaI2qWnxOAfcjSVazNbwlAGJpDL8IWzJwm9fGjVi_y6Y1VZk4c6I1O_vfjWDDNTfzvguDoHbzo7UD3L9Ev-6jO98nxgJT3tbQwMPvq_Y3cy2NQhbH_frUAXGHEhLy8mShnPhZlwmOFrW71v0sDlQw1NHTnA-kRkcZnOynOmlGdCf0ovnhNo3Qj8ypinobNlwc2NnMGSnWxTqsJeN_e3cOrdCZu2gBsgrH96FNq_1HKgiI9WWzaJp8y8J8OQ==&c=DGqDGIb1-b86MJpXo-0FZ-0eUX7Zgxwn_XCgY8citOmgrkdF1OeaFg==&ch=22e0Jy0dreRlk81pprecUUn3HNFvvFk5oCPi4e35yzfWrS-PP5-tpw==">Climate Change News</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ALKJ90QaN9KJo5_JPSwckI7nXILSaI2qWnxOAfcjSVazNbwlAGJpDL8IWzJwm9fGbUTKl-eEGnZsndDUyJTaTULmYQvzRv9YekIx3yzhRwG4oOY9lN3PuR9ekALcM8XOkS9EzldqcLoDC8s4ADXg_CLg2lA9Fpr8zLSaCocmVmKiamgxxBPAjUT-68u-lgUGYlghGReaalLXbi7O-IiWNA==&c=DGqDGIb1-b86MJpXo-0FZ-0eUX7Zgxwn_XCgY8citOmgrkdF1OeaFg==&ch=22e0Jy0dreRlk81pprecUUn3HNFvvFk5oCPi4e35yzfWrS-PP5-tpw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">BBC</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ALKJ90QaN9KJo5_JPSwckI7nXILSaI2qWnxOAfcjSVazNbwlAGJpDL8IWzJwm9fGIesUms_XWDyFTFOBr_cEFf_QdaVL1NqhXKfP84rlojcXMlvbdY_OxVspH_NwOpEj8rOx_KJ3cy0oIEygVgAadwSlfGcZD2YkAvbjwI9PPhRBkNYmuQcOgXr05nL3x8qqeKOMANj8AhFdyRlYrMLBZ-MJbML0sfm6-s5hjO3GiyabyKGGCN-fVh66Q-QPfoSzz9eEe4dqpxqh-mH0DEnhnTx0TP_00Kho&c=DGqDGIb1-b86MJpXo-0FZ-0eUX7Zgxwn_XCgY8citOmgrkdF1OeaFg==&ch=22e0Jy0dreRlk81pprecUUn3HNFvvFk5oCPi4e35yzfWrS-PP5-tpw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The Guardian</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ALKJ90QaN9KJo5_JPSwckI7nXILSaI2qWnxOAfcjSVazNbwlAGJpDL8IWzJwm9fGKTD1iQFNDL7qUjSulnaP9uNqDrXqPvCemFt2gcai409UxcAgHSnTTIXGAbU2eW4hv2zJQzuF7hGlUNtwzoN-Er9S8oIGND-MmdD7o6GNqEldKA0U-NhFx2vjM3UrQwKdOxsPGb6lHjNdlgW2oqoYxSDdddN5qb992Jlxmk2UDd4=&c=DGqDGIb1-b86MJpXo-0FZ-0eUX7Zgxwn_XCgY8citOmgrkdF1OeaFg==&ch=22e0Jy0dreRlk81pprecUUn3HNFvvFk5oCPi4e35yzfWrS-PP5-tpw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">European Environment Agency</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_6.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://749EAA63-D9B3-4D5B-85EC-476A211C873D/pastedGraphic_6.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Warmer Temperatures Begin to Melt Permafrost Under Arctic Lakes</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 16, <i>Geophysical Research Letters</i> published a study concerning the impact of rising temperatures on the permafrost below many Arctic lakes. Scientists discovered that declines in the thickness of lake ice and increased snowfall over the last 30 years, due to climate change, have allowed the permafrost lakebeds of shallow lakes to warm and melt. Lakebed permafrost is melting about 70 years earlier than is expected for terrestrial permafrost. Study co-author Vladimir Romanovsky, of the UAF Geophysical Institute, commented, "With further thawing of sub-lake permafrost there is a good chance that the ground will subside, increasing the lake depth and accelerating further permafrost thawing." Researchers also expressed concern over the carbon currently stored within the Arctic permafrost, which could be released into the atmosphere if soil temperatures continue to increase.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ALKJ90QaN9KJo5_JPSwckI7nXILSaI2qWnxOAfcjSVazNbwlAGJpDL8IWzJwm9fGqWKWvnhBCP5gGx7Z_kMr64TeZW1Ad0doKs4c83yn_fzON13fj4lAEQTj1ZhWkxHU45LqX3221FUQQD8YkwOpcyIfDeLeSstCeaw6MSY5T3GlE1LXyMW0BiMHqmBj1j6JhXIJCmivdsryc3sVHVwlLyQfhDhGEQml32dlY2Yi_LsrzB50bxj8sohd6VhxsEQ4v2dRDSikZ4brWMuvFs4PMibfbeEiYbxPD-kbYEV8RRuAgk63fWDgeQ==&c=DGqDGIb1-b86MJpXo-0FZ-0eUX7Zgxwn_XCgY8citOmgrkdF1OeaFg==&ch=22e0Jy0dreRlk81pprecUUn3HNFvvFk5oCPi4e35yzfWrS-PP5-tpw==">Geophysical Research Letters</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ALKJ90QaN9KJo5_JPSwckI7nXILSaI2qWnxOAfcjSVazNbwlAGJpDL8IWzJwm9fGrhhAiY3-n_Vx_R0kxkT9tUEPhGdbw3PK8NfbShFDkXl4_lwCWA0uSRV2fG1_9mM2eEmz1ytfspdsURx8jRB0BTRk8Y1h6dy3DNcB0b3Sv81fMc06TKqMScB3FWKo-t_ExfvEElzMt1I29IhRU2CNoHooySouSVoLuvym8f5hf2gzuJNoY5bHBCDx9TddCd7J9lFaaxngQ1tMB7sgTwFBDbuL1veRTsWWIFY-SVhK49dOnoOvJkJkotJPDY10lFX_3ECnM2bOUhM=&c=DGqDGIb1-b86MJpXo-0FZ-0eUX7Zgxwn_XCgY8citOmgrkdF1OeaFg==&ch=22e0Jy0dreRlk81pprecUUn3HNFvvFk5oCPi4e35yzfWrS-PP5-tpw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Nature World News</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ALKJ90QaN9KJo5_JPSwckI7nXILSaI2qWnxOAfcjSVazNbwlAGJpDL8IWzJwm9fGWuj5Lqou10BWjwwdwOt0mpoaEYmsSX72nFIEwF9k12GqI6O5C9DieBnRLqlxNDa68wbXEHg7Fy_-DRMwido8i5cLgylBzi_HV4sOLkDL619KmBR7NdP2v7_l9UlVIM6_NH1SOW9cZJC4LOXIuSVjknnb7DacaRfL0fFzsQam34fzZrMr3OyS2Vwzn-avDVponpryJhg5nZv_mUvgKpCf1g==&c=DGqDGIb1-b86MJpXo-0FZ-0eUX7Zgxwn_XCgY8citOmgrkdF1OeaFg==&ch=22e0Jy0dreRlk81pprecUUn3HNFvvFk5oCPi4e35yzfWrS-PP5-tpw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Alaska Dispatch News</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 20, the Center for American Progress (CAP) released a report examining onshore U.S. oil and gas companies' 2014 emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, using emission estimates that companies self-reported to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). CAP found that ConocoPhillips released the most methane in 2014, followed by ExxonMobil, Chesapeake Energy, EOG Resources, and BP America. ConocoPhillips told <i>Fortune </i>that it has cut nine billion cubic feet of methane emissions in the last five years; however, CAP found that in 2014 the company emitted at least 33 percent more methane than Exxon, the second largest emitter. Report author Alison Cassady at CAP commented that "without mandatory limits on methane pollution," the oil and gas industry will continue to release millions of metric tons of methane.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ALKJ90QaN9KJo5_JPSwckI7nXILSaI2qWnxOAfcjSVazNbwlAGJpDL8IWzJwm9fGzvRUt9x85p4NvTx-5RBjlGgHJDN1sT7F2Qg2xIALRgoNqf4rFl4hcO1vXonDEko3u0nX-FnQGNoUmodfGkjzJ85gWb4F98owcpzJFx3Euo3q2w4cfFF9PMniNBcfd3u_osGzrjNDs9M9VfhCuS9v8BlKO3keTEoNLZunv-BDYTRm3oN_M9tDVA==&c=DGqDGIb1-b86MJpXo-0FZ-0eUX7Zgxwn_XCgY8citOmgrkdF1OeaFg==&ch=22e0Jy0dreRlk81pprecUUn3HNFvvFk5oCPi4e35yzfWrS-PP5-tpw==">Fortune</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ALKJ90QaN9KJo5_JPSwckI7nXILSaI2qWnxOAfcjSVazNbwlAGJpDL8IWzJwm9fGbNfj8oChBDE5KuwVdPP_rB8KH2J3YLT1mVZ0Q3kdf0TpKMwPfHYd_yTdOAuuRoLKj3wshEzixXGe-NDVv07e-yUTJaiqS-E8LG7BX-Yx2occ9nP86KbrfD_AQqZFWazAX58Q6BwPOI_QcplLutc6wvpZ1NHsHBJgObvZp7Kc6GNk8NEWwzVm7q5ysDjroiPn0OQw9V5gGcM6AdzNhdBC9Y_3b0oxousQtX9hMcCHhJAEJddzD9fA1R7bkI_GVcXmOGq5jn-Gq7tCC0iWoTFgm5OHTOmqhZL8v9PkRAYBqHW8KGP6wNnCCzm-8w1U42--xxMwk-2JKwxHg57HsCndng==&c=DGqDGIb1-b86MJpXo-0FZ-0eUX7Zgxwn_XCgY8citOmgrkdF1OeaFg==&ch=22e0Jy0dreRlk81pprecUUn3HNFvvFk5oCPi4e35yzfWrS-PP5-tpw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Center for American Progress</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE:</b> While the atmospheric concentration of methane (<a href="https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/science/indicators/ghg/ghg-concentrations.html"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">about 1800 ppb</span></a> or 1.8 ppm) is much lower than the concentration of carbon dioxide (now just over 400 ppm), it is a very powerful greenhouse gas and contributes significantly to global warming, so its leaking should be avoided. Through most of the last 800,000 years before the Industrial Revolution, its concentration was <a href="https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/science/indicators/ghg/ghg-concentrations.html"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">about 0.5+/-0.2 ppm</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 29, President Obama, Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada, and President Pena Nieto of Mexico announced the formation of the North American Climate, Clean Energy and Environment Partnership at the North American Leaders' Summit in Ottawa. The initiative set a new goal to source at least 50 percent of North America's electricity from renewable energy sources by 2025. The partnership also seeks to align fuel economy standards for the heavy transportation sector and eliminate inefficient fossil fuel subsidies by 2025, among other initiatives. Jason Furman and Brian Deese of the Council of Economic Advisers wrote, "These efforts will . . . help all three countries meet their commitments under the Paris agreement . . . and support hundreds of thousands of jobs."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001COeUxNddMIMk0fDhc9aLDVJ1yO7rJJP_G4qxGr6U74z-NL7WTbSf0qzQW1zegTY_wAbaTJSZMgX29My_D2KewH0yetiyEL1P7jQlXt6jP7Sslm19luVFB5BIIPz171grHz42E7fyZi5dGK1smrNiGvpMhu0SnByK14GNr1WrSJAN-W54M63e5gZ8QHdAHgJXJutZwnX8BsjqwqrOjJHNpAupJmkYsbZSFRfS52eVsBjFlsKfsGIliPo6fVQplYwurK6Qbh5ql5jSccZ7Jk4X5VSQmB7KisUOzolEd8VLvdhSS6WS1mEPOQ==&c=f1PM6NGAxM3hztUrIn6Q2DpRhW9ju0SIl9Dq_0Z5ueGTlrmnDVnPZA==&ch=8HOgHaZvsNld7GQcSjeW_ksML4A4KsfiJDO7aIrw2JWwCEcFO1ldMw==">Bloomberg Politics</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001COeUxNddMIMk0fDhc9aLDVJ1yO7rJJP_G4qxGr6U74z-NL7WTbSf0qzQW1zegTY_YsngVn8myp_agfc7Ipy3YmaBr23Ri59yagj5x0QwijOymPOByIT7d9Fms9r32trRSBoHg1NC1CjuvMYluHEyoWMrTvbb96l90zvwsh3osvE8Mu4XntmqRAD9g82zFcb2M410JAFdRUFoMVYaA-iYbo7zqfoBr0NGPXz36U9sRkRnvzx_pmL8npusiYxPfMCZgZt8sb0Z9DpSAkm5M-fTekXyOr_FBL3tVcN7RsCCMR0=&c=f1PM6NGAxM3hztUrIn6Q2DpRhW9ju0SIl9Dq_0Z5ueGTlrmnDVnPZA==&ch=8HOgHaZvsNld7GQcSjeW_ksML4A4KsfiJDO7aIrw2JWwCEcFO1ldMw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Council of Economic Advisors Commentary</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001COeUxNddMIMk0fDhc9aLDVJ1yO7rJJP_G4qxGr6U74z-NL7WTbSf0qzQW1zegTY_hl2s_FsOvmjkBpSMqbUYox26NDt2YzMzAz9IBqrVsUcfM_a4UMqR3VTm9wj2q1JLsvIvwDpLVsNsC7j0D-5ullD_9kwSyBtUOkTfkycWpc3gVVkOUdVPNKOMiMtcsev09WPFW0PJLVtF0ZgfgiHvKNeDgOV5sZC_VISNyDQooIlW6FANflKRdxJB_PDgjFIgyWkex-I_K14QviVxkFHW42UNfOUBYhtFQOA23NkOIrUa63zmy4lYejFNnxuEBzBD&c=f1PM6NGAxM3hztUrIn6Q2DpRhW9ju0SIl9Dq_0Z5ueGTlrmnDVnPZA==&ch=8HOgHaZvsNld7GQcSjeW_ksML4A4KsfiJDO7aIrw2JWwCEcFO1ldMw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">White House Announcement of Partnership</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 30, the Department of the Interior published the final version of its new regulatory framework for collecting royalties from fossil fuel extraction projects on public lands. The revised system will assess owed royalties based on the first sale from the original extractor to an independent buyer. The changes were prompted by allegations that fossil fuel companies were selling fuels to their own subsidiaries or an affiliated company in order to artificially lower the products' market value and, in turn, their federal royalty payments. Interior Secretary Jewell commented that the new rules were "urgently needed to better align our regulatory framework with a 21st century energy marketplace . . . [and ensure] that the American taxpayer receives every dollar due for the production of these domestic energy resources."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001COeUxNddMIMk0fDhc9aLDVJ1yO7rJJP_G4qxGr6U74z-NL7WTbSf0qzQW1zegTY_QEfBysQw4PEHqJsCn81-prT5ovfKgP7gS6a6ElXxqt553KpYzfIGPR_At4vIuoY7Ufq7Bnhc_uEyrZQHjquL-CrqDuEw1FPaSGejibKGOJarzdBfMYoeYf3bY7k0GyzGHUZ7DFcH3XTjAR4LR8UwjobGHyLUWifalVarvaJhmiNkM3cEXzuc7CQijrnP7uWcTaQVKOnbt-UviSJ43yquxeRGDTcngmATpputcr7C6bU=&c=f1PM6NGAxM3hztUrIn6Q2DpRhW9ju0SIl9Dq_0Z5ueGTlrmnDVnPZA==&ch=8HOgHaZvsNld7GQcSjeW_ksML4A4KsfiJDO7aIrw2JWwCEcFO1ldMw==">Department of the Interior Press Release</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001COeUxNddMIMk0fDhc9aLDVJ1yO7rJJP_G4qxGr6U74z-NL7WTbSf0qzQW1zegTY_wIZSkC4upxf3pZz-3gByveyTjqulYoWO3jMwkw3KP6VYZntpvyvcMNomtA23ZPxOu_qEd-zP6bA5jqW3hob7kx2XzIddz0diHWevQq686NduhOvEGKtFd8-6j_GTJKz9SKPo2QrN7-qrLJaC5k-GAz7lVqzwLyqjdKdKlrWa0hs7-qORAleFdgpjAASBlusbOEvDyZuArRvVGg4pxTdRo_Vy2soQpbNz&c=f1PM6NGAxM3hztUrIn6Q2DpRhW9ju0SIl9Dq_0Z5ueGTlrmnDVnPZA==&ch=8HOgHaZvsNld7GQcSjeW_ksML4A4KsfiJDO7aIrw2JWwCEcFO1ldMw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The Hill</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001COeUxNddMIMk0fDhc9aLDVJ1yO7rJJP_G4qxGr6U74z-NL7WTbSf0qzQW1zegTY_wtEz-eKI3yGzAmHh4roq-LSjwy6ATMllPb68OhLqGIjPxsZlSttJvNLef1ZhgNkeK2XiqR3e8-b0aWU8FXRgfuEDENfvoGDVt6m2FNK5028GaN0I09-7T19XN21iVY_mvaMY_EbL4LaYeQZ0PsALUfIQXdzb6WMfplTUSGpwF5NRHEwzw5CC1g==&c=f1PM6NGAxM3hztUrIn6Q2DpRhW9ju0SIl9Dq_0Z5ueGTlrmnDVnPZA==&ch=8HOgHaZvsNld7GQcSjeW_ksML4A4KsfiJDO7aIrw2JWwCEcFO1ldMw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Reuters</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 29, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed an amendment on a voice vote to remove language from a State Department and Foreign Operations funding bill which blocked U.S. funding for the United Nations Green Climate Fund (GCF); the amendment also sets up $500 million in funding for the GCF for 2017. The day prior, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs had passed the funding bill with language blocking the United State from funding the GCF. The new amendment, offered by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), passed despite opposition from some Republicans. President Obama has promised $3 billion in funding to the GCF, which funds climate adaptation projects, and has so far paid $500 million.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001COeUxNddMIMk0fDhc9aLDVJ1yO7rJJP_G4qxGr6U74z-NL7WTbSf0qzQW1zegTY_WoKe0QV23q6V3x-BVRZz0g4n2eTSIMcGYBG-Hf3tAQ7hRKVbUjNDXs7YO-Ak0f3co2S6pL1ekoHn0bTY_Cj8Eo27ORihrdiaKGX36LpUYWuje_a6wJ0_xAKDs9q5tink2vjNb2jmPs_XdPK6XPtW1XfHVISmASRISDCRccDO7nmq-DcWUEOKSbA5uxLxHIEPfunCH1i9HKRrKq_jLy5ZclhfaqC2KUTI&c=f1PM6NGAxM3hztUrIn6Q2DpRhW9ju0SIl9Dq_0Z5ueGTlrmnDVnPZA==&ch=8HOgHaZvsNld7GQcSjeW_ksML4A4KsfiJDO7aIrw2JWwCEcFO1ldMw==">The Hill</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001COeUxNddMIMk0fDhc9aLDVJ1yO7rJJP_G4qxGr6U74z-NL7WTbSf0qzQW1zegTY_JBDL5kiupNfUHKWzgl-N4sTdKC7hJ66zfHFklRmVQausvJBAT7obHzm9gnGA9Dkj9bYY1cpiOVF1FykhqDFM60pDxHkAKkFm0VPyjHjsolLb0QigJxFcVDC_mBa5EQS--onD7jXdt_il0JSr0v0oDA==&c=f1PM6NGAxM3hztUrIn6Q2DpRhW9ju0SIl9Dq_0Z5ueGTlrmnDVnPZA==&ch=8HOgHaZvsNld7GQcSjeW_ksML4A4KsfiJDO7aIrw2JWwCEcFO1ldMw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Bloomberg BNA</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001COeUxNddMIMk0fDhc9aLDVJ1yO7rJJP_G4qxGr6U74z-NL7WTbSf0qzQW1zegTY_HZrUFkhCzsT5V_g3hZFut3eSHNPcy-eI0EWtekS7onbz_vAGskPHw6XumxLte_iV--ZNxGtC1yitXxroOWv6p12jx-DIoryBFQLAV51YZIuljNUvkcRDHWnFq4lWGZz5rhRwA7slGx5Fq6ABL5-R5LINNR1mjJvNWZjOswLEJywxPvWl8Vfdliea3C9K6acgIi8gqw06ZfKpaMBY9BgFWOniM9E56b1W&c=f1PM6NGAxM3hztUrIn6Q2DpRhW9ju0SIl9Dq_0Z5ueGTlrmnDVnPZA==&ch=8HOgHaZvsNld7GQcSjeW_ksML4A4KsfiJDO7aIrw2JWwCEcFO1ldMw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The Hill</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_10.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://749EAA63-D9B3-4D5B-85EC-476A211C873D/pastedGraphic_10.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>District of Columbia Approves Bill for 50 Percent Renewable Energy Mandate</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 28, the District of Columbia Council unanimously voted to enact a renewable energy target of 50 percent by 2032, an increase from the existing standard of 20 percent by 2020. The new bill also introduces a "Solar for All" program to implement solar power and energy efficiency in 100,000 low-income households, cutting their electric bills 50 percent by 2032. The bill also supports solar and wind generation by providing incentives for 1,500 new megawatts. Mayor Muriel Bowser is expected to sign the bill into law, as she has previously supported a 50 percent renewable energy target, although she has not explicitly stated her support for this bill.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001COeUxNddMIMk0fDhc9aLDVJ1yO7rJJP_G4qxGr6U74z-NL7WTbSf0qzQW1zegTY_VaPQDSJ9nnr2WImk8CowP_CTssgEXBHRMUkrviuj0Xcy57JZydWrcAU_fbQWL0ptlI-j7ohffWgbYYj09Imx3mkV4vhs83o0IAC8qWh5KYooxVVjsQ5nNfsfOieKxnb2uu35xzH_hOGrBJugMrkeE9XCAXNYii7SsmNQDg0qEIeJnT6c5NKFg-EvAqKnCDjUTI1VZgAl1fdnZq73AFxAslKTMN44W_PnQuS88ydv79A=&c=f1PM6NGAxM3hztUrIn6Q2DpRhW9ju0SIl9Dq_0Z5ueGTlrmnDVnPZA==&ch=8HOgHaZvsNld7GQcSjeW_ksML4A4KsfiJDO7aIrw2JWwCEcFO1ldMw==">Utility Dive</a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_11.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://749EAA63-D9B3-4D5B-85EC-476A211C873D/pastedGraphic_11.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>DNC Platform Committee Unanimously Pushes for Probe into Fossil Fuel Companies</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 25, the Democratic National Convention's Platform Drafting Committee released the final draft of its official 2016 platform, in which it unanimously called for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate fossil fuel companies which may have intentionally misled the American people and investors about the scientific certainty of climate change. The final draft of the DNC platform states, "All corporations owe it to their shareholders to fully analyze and disclose risks they face including climate risks. Those who fail to do so should be held accountable." While the final draft did not name any specific fossil fuel company, ExxonMobil has recently been the target of investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and by a coalition of 17 state attorneys general. The full 187-member DNC Platform Committee will meet for final approval of the platform on July 8-9.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001COeUxNddMIMk0fDhc9aLDVJ1yO7rJJP_G4qxGr6U74z-NL7WTbSf0qzQW1zegTY_xSI7a_a79rnSTv0XNTf5dw2_RHYtvgPRH7nOpwEgbzXMxu-Ncz0OMXrpB7ixmDkShETTTn6ps__Ou8vZPHYTT4tFYvgVa-3-wChFZHYLuubdWUCwhbUbAGO9X7bNdqGQn5cqMPyeFJ73eliknp8w8FpN_fxVjZ5RlT9YvhhdmVDE_52fWcXf1HfRSSL9sxX9&c=f1PM6NGAxM3hztUrIn6Q2DpRhW9ju0SIl9Dq_0Z5ueGTlrmnDVnPZA==&ch=8HOgHaZvsNld7GQcSjeW_ksML4A4KsfiJDO7aIrw2JWwCEcFO1ldMw==">DNC Party Platform Press Release</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001COeUxNddMIMk0fDhc9aLDVJ1yO7rJJP_G4qxGr6U74z-NL7WTbSf0qzQW1zegTY_6cngz4lMgAQju17CLT8INhywrhYDQ00IHcPDA7Qp8q1QkwKKSEaHl1na2Orp8x922p7TUgeMe8tK86r2Iv9gpyCtQ6ICKiMGuvHgk5Fvf1EbgliCkkomDvx8RyHclZQOqIShwi8A7trYe8Gw5VBtWqAsmc3hLG_0WOSa9fUa-982Ov02Q6aUZgn18bxRx17Y1-v73TV8KXCeTHFPCeFAMqNA7u_L0l03nNEF126va6uaVBwVAlSXK3-py_ztpD3TlCtlcxBNj0nAHLysZKXmuZKy3djNVg9-7sKJNmymTDopvoZpqT2zJLkwS2NZf1hA&c=f1PM6NGAxM3hztUrIn6Q2DpRhW9ju0SIl9Dq_0Z5ueGTlrmnDVnPZA==&ch=8HOgHaZvsNld7GQcSjeW_ksML4A4KsfiJDO7aIrw2JWwCEcFO1ldMw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">InsideClimate News (June 26, 2016)</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001COeUxNddMIMk0fDhc9aLDVJ1yO7rJJP_G4qxGr6U74z-NL7WTbSf0qzQW1zegTY_DbiA_ECkMgLkdV6JkV-nKeVw18SJTo4nLt3DhO-BK2FNSVsiq6EhjwnHyYkuTo9NeYkKteljkEbWKfuis1KniMUTcWmvHxQztkYFlyZRV5fsDx4crdYZTXGnhldNasv4L_eVLVN972SxWuEmK1mRdRQ7u3EzhT18Y-3-SEmOP8UiZoVSGJw4e5kVoBvUq2IRLhy7rJvQw7XBNCpjNrtvFfx9qvq7IFD_Ia5KANv9hmi9LcWJWo6A4Q==&c=f1PM6NGAxM3hztUrIn6Q2DpRhW9ju0SIl9Dq_0Z5ueGTlrmnDVnPZA==&ch=8HOgHaZvsNld7GQcSjeW_ksML4A4KsfiJDO7aIrw2JWwCEcFO1ldMw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">InsideClimate News (March 30, 2016)</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001COeUxNddMIMk0fDhc9aLDVJ1yO7rJJP_G4qxGr6U74z-NL7WTbSf0iWaF16mxtV2dlv8QjtW_3hJnZd_-5_YYvzOUhEVgnrZTrfqDLyk-OXodPeqwollrOg2FbbgJdOV1CDeMlwBAcxgeDWBguDdmfS2q11Mh0DMqUlznuTpnLuChBfXYzJZBjSq-1U6FKSEtuku4yl4DCc6yk33rWbV8MfEaRxHHqjDwBlgxRlzSLAXWTvdaxmAf0NnxvhWXzdGGLPfTEh3LiDQ4GoaJmcKRqoFSSiS27B4qVggkW7B1JfUqtKVqOPmrZt6jvfz6RUk&c=f1PM6NGAxM3hztUrIn6Q2DpRhW9ju0SIl9Dq_0Z5ueGTlrmnDVnPZA==&ch=8HOgHaZvsNld7GQcSjeW_ksML4A4KsfiJDO7aIrw2JWwCEcFO1ldMw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">InsideClimate News (March 2, 2016)</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_12.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://749EAA63-D9B3-4D5B-85EC-476A211C873D/pastedGraphic_12.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>31 Scientific Organizations Write Joint Letter to Congress Urging Climate Action</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 28, a coalition of 31 U.S. scientific organizations sent a letter urging Congress to proactively address climate change, reminding legislators that there is a "consensus scientific view" that climate change is happening. The letter emphasized the strong science underpinning the current understanding of anthropogenic climate change and asked Congress to act to "substantially" reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and work to help the country adapt to climate changes already occurring. The coalition offered the assistance of the scientific community as Congress considers its options for action on climate.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001COeUxNddMIMk0fDhc9aLDVJ1yO7rJJP_G4qxGr6U74z-NL7WTbSf0qzQW1zegTY_LLbgAmXF_2Qgpyb6hqN6Izl2xxWL21bcSA57wF0OSFjdCNW_CT7CYHhdjQjrtVivvXNBU68kiWRqX2ISTMhZbu9jvJKJnoR63PWcZmCabzDOwq3P3Cwszrb7UfWv4h0C3gfsrmi2kDL_Eby2S68_dzpeFcaHpiwPgjKFuF2ATmAOkSjXtVXvwwe_DrRCH2nnBwi5-PPBe40ZXBZr74p2ArvW_XSIasEEW8E3300Tc-xwuamjpgHl-0thTmP39Gizmac3nT6JjdCofJ26xUKdNA==&c=f1PM6NGAxM3hztUrIn6Q2DpRhW9ju0SIl9Dq_0Z5ueGTlrmnDVnPZA==&ch=8HOgHaZvsNld7GQcSjeW_ksML4A4KsfiJDO7aIrw2JWwCEcFO1ldMw==">InsideClimate News</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001COeUxNddMIMk0fDhc9aLDVJ1yO7rJJP_G4qxGr6U74z-NL7WTbSf0qzQW1zegTY_fQoWFTdH8SB6LujgFP2WSXC4IYZc_2XCWGE1GjDJkMQdms94RQBDo7rtrUElKb7hAP09zsquQHN-LtYiT9GjYnWsGtZ9Ongl68fuo6T_8JzaC52YrcqHDA57dJwIGhH7qPwByvX0d1rr_uDhJSgLJfnfWNtNleRv-KPM0IAb9HA2Dzkp9e_M2TbsaE1JQAWsYGFeDNeUxxxH23wM3Bxx0o-FRtEQNClUTZWpkU_SXJHy14ZnOVN37Ig5YL4ppE9P2yGccVd-IiZFt6WolAtjag34qBMHD5pw&c=f1PM6NGAxM3hztUrIn6Q2DpRhW9ju0SIl9Dq_0Z5ueGTlrmnDVnPZA==&ch=8HOgHaZvsNld7GQcSjeW_ksML4A4KsfiJDO7aIrw2JWwCEcFO1ldMw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The Washington Post</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001COeUxNddMIMk0fDhc9aLDVJ1yO7rJJP_G4qxGr6U74z-NL7WTbSf0qzQW1zegTY_W3aRVKNy5CLRz5YRAw0xUUpgm2kbVwe55KGN3W8eK9l-_VLrRYhMCyn3WE5uo9wlL5h3Eh7blZFeKCmvD5npp7i26G-4QkKbI4vR990E828NDUHDK5EwwD6mPLWBnj5SVcv6v8cF75v9-938JkPy5RV4wun6MjGjbFIaF2NEW6-7R326dK63tR-b9ANZyyqR&c=f1PM6NGAxM3hztUrIn6Q2DpRhW9ju0SIl9Dq_0Z5ueGTlrmnDVnPZA==&ch=8HOgHaZvsNld7GQcSjeW_ksML4A4KsfiJDO7aIrw2JWwCEcFO1ldMw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Scientific Coalition Joint Letter to Congress</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 27, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released a report attributing 6.5 million deaths every year to air pollution, stating that the number of deaths is likely to rise "significantly" in the future. <b><i>The study found that energy production and use were the biggest contributors to global air pollution.</i></b> <b><i> (emphasis added</i></b>) IEA executive director Fatih Birol commented, "We need to revise our approach to energy development so that communities are not forced to sacrifice clean air in return for economic growth." The report recommends that governments set ambitious long-term targets for cutting air pollution, implement pollution standards in their energy sectors, and put effective enforcement and monitoring strategies in place.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001COeUxNddMIMk0fDhc9aLDVJ1yO7rJJP_G4qxGr6U74z-NL7WTbSf0qzQW1zegTY_cuKFqeCBTn4_w71RWzX332SZnsSzylU9jm9SOsBCqCiSaQzjMSVduDq932gps14GcF0cVjLPMmZuKfXC5wFYOc86Cyu_e8aQ8yRG-OeLKTeWUQPYxKsdQoLKWejSDLKoXDOQFBQhG5e8GPGde3n-QA==&c=f1PM6NGAxM3hztUrIn6Q2DpRhW9ju0SIl9Dq_0Z5ueGTlrmnDVnPZA==&ch=8HOgHaZvsNld7GQcSjeW_ksML4A4KsfiJDO7aIrw2JWwCEcFO1ldMw==">Time</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001COeUxNddMIMk0fDhc9aLDVJ1yO7rJJP_G4qxGr6U74z-NL7WTbSf0qzQW1zegTY_3tLOUr3NspP8rVifZeaLWBaKWyrLvTzHSKxHp1V2do6ZQQTp99SXAkg49BJqtKq8R_phFlSZ7q-KvGYA8PEUgGgyWMiG8aTYU-0uaGFcKg9gBSjYQWBnOazDxch6_csT8hxY1tvG96fqmQrHTtBin8OzRwksHc7t82sk8mCZXWFhIAlqgDhIOKPLZKNyIq2HhYQFfSytXOhz3uBksQLeMSkDPd1zq_a7eLdKNSS5cNWzx_mv_8wXdgwqX5iez5iI9X62vl0SFM3J4oLN9O9L5CNwxlRCm3uoGMoambOlVhC2H_LC3umpdaSwhGMMoN5S&c=f1PM6NGAxM3hztUrIn6Q2DpRhW9ju0SIl9Dq_0Z5ueGTlrmnDVnPZA==&ch=8HOgHaZvsNld7GQcSjeW_ksML4A4KsfiJDO7aIrw2JWwCEcFO1ldMw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The New York Times</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001COeUxNddMIMk0fDhc9aLDVJ1yO7rJJP_G4qxGr6U74z-NL7WTbSf0qzQW1zegTY_5HMkmWOkAwIx4zH-BD7gAmClbUeCpmPQikVq-TUlChuuzF6d4-dUp2HTG14htGqugQEDw3UcqlRpt4I4sRahrqCcqlmylZ6DnDcgGUWIh3Yinxiwq3t8aT02vsszL9xKvQpFVfcaVaeKK8HdXaLEKqKSZFe-G0Shi61QO58BYHY1STqxDM7j1-yiVaxs0XY7iZMnOKmw2cUQVScgujvHdA==&c=f1PM6NGAxM3hztUrIn6Q2DpRhW9ju0SIl9Dq_0Z5ueGTlrmnDVnPZA==&ch=8HOgHaZvsNld7GQcSjeW_ksML4A4KsfiJDO7aIrw2JWwCEcFO1ldMw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Report</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE: </b>There is a term, the “social cost of carbon,” used by the EPA and others to designate the economic damage to society of each addition ton of CO2 added to the atmosphere; this figure is used to justify regulations that reduce the damage to society done by emissions. The number can also be used to put a price on carbon emissions that is commensurate with the damage they cause. It is necessarily somewhat subjective. How does one estimate the value of the millions of lives lost every year from the production and use of fossil fuels?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_14.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://749EAA63-D9B3-4D5B-85EC-476A211C873D/pastedGraphic_14.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Miami-Dade County Considers Asking Developers to Pay for Effects of Sea Level Rise</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On July 6, four Miami-Dade County commissioners presented an unprecedented plan to collect "impact fees" from developers in order to finance local climate mitigation and adaptation projects. The commissioners say the initiative would help provide the funds required to properly prepare the county for the negative effects of sea level rise. Georgetown University law professor J. Peter Byrne co-authored a paper on these fees earlier this year, stating that they are "sensible, well-adapted [tools] that a local government can use," and "if [the program] discourages the developers from building . . . they can try to build it in a manner or location in which there's less climate harm." The four commissioners asked Miami Mayor Carlos Jimenez to draft a report looking at the utility of their proposal and whether it would be appropriate.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Q9cZ2dOhc_HfbIsCBSMUZiUWeja3CvBZaDb7bGQ-LfternAC5hJjldHF7egLS2jFHjshg9Kv1_3QHNLyNMXFxjgdpP2TIyWwaifPXxboOifDUrjrAerS51J4-biNxangsQ_2vGjZdWuuI9rIxG68tqtK_qDIMdZFo54XxZN9Y_ZLx6DIrUGfzkCNQCuZL71AQG_zs59YN9rZS58K8kO2O7kbbIgYj_-urH9hXjxf_l6xs1zC5-cEQVYGw6Q_bVpOTyZl-Q6o6x3tYmabuJ4rIGY_V4lJ_QJI&c=w5IB-3JyoUiVNdntI_QeQhwhrN7QqQBoRR7aM4_oTgGyYx6io-46Tg==&ch=3Z6jfmS_EMQMXDCVBrFgJ5uLu_QvGEAoj-eIzbWfO6cNx7lqErcc6w==">Miami New Times</a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Former United Nations Climate Chief Formally Begins Bid to Become Next United Nations Leader</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On July 7, Christina Figueres, the former executive secretary of the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), was formally nominated to serve as the next secretary-general of the United Nations by President Luis Guillermo Solis of Costa Rica, her native country. Figueres completed her term leading the UNFCCC on July 1, 2016, and can claim significant credit for the organization's successful production of an international deal on climate in Paris last year. Eleven people have already been nominated for the position. A UN led by Figueres would have a stronger focus on climate change. The first "straw poll" of permanent UN members to decide the new secretary-general will take place July 21.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Q9cZ2dOhc_HfbIsCBSMUZiUWeja3CvBZaDb7bGQ-LfternAC5hJjldHF7egLS2jFG8Ksep1BvBuA4Lkoa-tHm1YQN4Tspqvb75OK26qslsEoDc0feuoo25QjDkLGmh9BCSK4KRpQql7Dv_d3zgkG1skPPT6l-8p3bwjbZ9Q86nX2RtmB22CdXsgMprrGzspQy-_EVQ1fgUY=&c=w5IB-3JyoUiVNdntI_QeQhwhrN7QqQBoRR7aM4_oTgGyYx6io-46Tg==&ch=3Z6jfmS_EMQMXDCVBrFgJ5uLu_QvGEAoj-eIzbWfO6cNx7lqErcc6w==">E&E News</a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Q9cZ2dOhc_HfbIsCBSMUZiUWeja3CvBZaDb7bGQ-LfternAC5hJjldHF7egLS2jFJ4Okd20hBFECuyAEH1g3DDU-YChgny4laaKJz5F-nJ_5d8Dugb70OMT2el4Js59PJvdYGismUQC8RuIWm4-ycPmqnjFaskYKKLZAceWRBxM65ixQGMkzlFlKtRbrTyB4hYekzK7YPTOr7kTE761P1IJu5tgqazdZYwtWlIGKpQvznvBw-t3LHzUrgMVNbWoXugAjOEJoqFuMue3BfFLXOefWWiX6TBVNgIcRhasWU0icTbSBEj_Ndw==&c=w5IB-3JyoUiVNdntI_QeQhwhrN7QqQBoRR7aM4_oTgGyYx6io-46Tg==&ch=3Z6jfmS_EMQMXDCVBrFgJ5uLu_QvGEAoj-eIzbWfO6cNx7lqErcc6w=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The Guardian</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Q9cZ2dOhc_HfbIsCBSMUZiUWeja3CvBZaDb7bGQ-LfternAC5hJjldHF7egLS2jFnvVmDpS5u9qFiTlaHDMNs51Xhs5mQZqP8ftXfzTxJoCztUyl6Z3QOCQ7jFtl2tH2DmMqRjD5s0aNPOwLe6qGDvaCOJ_NLlPNZQ2kMZNfTDS691U7W0_vFMNLnWWTkndadIH32-c4uUgoL4OY-_evp_soVDMDGDUOHOCkIUrysYY=&c=w5IB-3JyoUiVNdntI_QeQhwhrN7QqQBoRR7aM4_oTgGyYx6io-46Tg==&ch=3Z6jfmS_EMQMXDCVBrFgJ5uLu_QvGEAoj-eIzbWfO6cNx7lqErcc6w=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Financial Times</span></a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_15.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://749EAA63-D9B3-4D5B-85EC-476A211C873D/pastedGraphic_15.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Massive Canadian Wildfire Declared "Under Control," Two Months After It Began</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On July 5, Alberta officials declared the Fort McMurray wildfire, which began on May 1, "under control." The fire caused the evacuation of 80,000 people, and is likely to be the costliest wildfire in Canadian history, said Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre representative Mark Mousseau. The Fort McMurray fire burned 2,300 square miles, the same size as Delaware, but is not the largest in Canadian history. However, the proximity to the city means that the damage was more expensive-2,400 buildings were destroyed, approximately 10 percent of the city, which may be a new record. The Alberta Agriculture and Forestry department said the wildfire may burn in more remote areas for another year.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Q9cZ2dOhc_HfbIsCBSMUZiUWeja3CvBZaDb7bGQ-LfternAC5hJjldHF7egLS2jFeap_wkb0-4kcxjQO9Nkjqi2sfKIujtnqCQ8eu0sLxgWqKkbilgMQEo0LPODPbkfCj1fsk3OwWjJc7EmGrwcIyaLVL6UVL8EEZIn5LmM3Xv1mvpfGsdurRDmFL0SdPp3ng9G_lv55nPdvNmtfKC-W2VhKOQij7B7mJhIwwqnH6DTOWNUE0dW-gWaHrQriwMupyDK6lAgFHzjDlkz4k4Z7kZ6nfnmVKPM86jF26HMcPwM=&c=w5IB-3JyoUiVNdntI_QeQhwhrN7QqQBoRR7aM4_oTgGyYx6io-46Tg==&ch=3Z6jfmS_EMQMXDCVBrFgJ5uLu_QvGEAoj-eIzbWfO6cNx7lqErcc6w==">USA Today</a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">,<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Q9cZ2dOhc_HfbIsCBSMUZiUWeja3CvBZaDb7bGQ-LfternAC5hJjldHF7egLS2jFxe0t6qapuSq9Ww3f38KW_wESM4HY73xu-VZn2fijhDxOGb_lmoDHNtpoVMyBh4tzMv9lhGSFRr5yEYwQIXqJO3C3AGvv8BGJvuA5NywmZVSrYqJJ5GBrK8k3oV4xzyWlS1hmGniBQPHwY51mBn92OWVedVdpzxmdrZxd50ZbDOGvVWJVSVRl8g==&c=w5IB-3JyoUiVNdntI_QeQhwhrN7QqQBoRR7aM4_oTgGyYx6io-46Tg==&ch=3Z6jfmS_EMQMXDCVBrFgJ5uLu_QvGEAoj-eIzbWfO6cNx7lqErcc6w=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> Huffington Post Canada</span></a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_16.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://749EAA63-D9B3-4D5B-85EC-476A211C873D/pastedGraphic_16.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NextGen Climate Announces It Has Hit Midpoint in College Campus Outreach Drive</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On July 5, the climate politics group NextGen Climate announced it has organized voter outreach groups on 100 college campuses, halfway to its stated target of establishing teams on 200 campuses in swing states before the November election. The campus outreach is part of a $25 million campaign to get young people out to vote for candidates who care about climate change, funded primarily by NextGen Climate founder, billionaire Tom Steyer. The teams are being placed at both large and small schools, in places such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa, Nevada and New Hampshire. Steyer said at the launch of the campaign in April, "When young people . . . use the fact that they are the biggest cohort in this election cycle, incredible things can happen."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Q9cZ2dOhc_HfbIsCBSMUZiUWeja3CvBZaDb7bGQ-LfternAC5hJjldHF7egLS2jF608NK-E5iOi3qKbWMJuOV_4-y-_C5G8stW8c3S1tX0mnVXtD1C6eqMnuvDqkUqhlTs2A2VbEj7P7LW5AfRsjpvPY-CNpS1OOZlkvtPc-BDOJ_A0nf90vqgdA1hPMafU-4S1tZqMDFh79CwDkiowGOQZtB0BI3pd_DXGyQBCj8PxYkGdC5tU8BJJmn4m1s9AfgljkqC7tYbS-IlMMUgtb2-N5le36MejN&c=w5IB-3JyoUiVNdntI_QeQhwhrN7QqQBoRR7aM4_oTgGyYx6io-46Tg==&ch=3Z6jfmS_EMQMXDCVBrFgJ5uLu_QvGEAoj-eIzbWfO6cNx7lqErcc6w==">The Hill</a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_17.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://749EAA63-D9B3-4D5B-85EC-476A211C873D/pastedGraphic_17.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>June Declared Hottest on Record for Contiguous United States</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On July 7, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared that June was the hottest June on record for the contiguous United States, with an average temperature of 71.78 degrees F, 3.3 degrees F above the 20th century average. According to NOAA, the "Lower 48" has had an average temperature 3.2 degrees F above the 20th century average so far in 2016. Climatologist Jake Crouch at NOAA told <i>ClimateCentral</i> that the "record-breaking heat wave in the Southwest during June played an important role in boosting the contiguous U.S. average temperature to record territory." NOAA has not yet released its global analysis for June.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Q9cZ2dOhc_HfbIsCBSMUZiUWeja3CvBZaDb7bGQ-LfternAC5hJjldHF7egLS2jFJCJSKFCABOyRuQHykiDO-btvqNMjDnc2CRXfo3GFBh5gJo3EQ7JqmRASXO3jOILPz4AAsoEQOt2xk2_ViaABFeeBZvR_GrYfGJx7D8TFRjD1Gf_5MZqWv_dITqcF0oe-QSGyQkElDStH0kHAqeiil8brgJ3EkM0J1EKa20rPLtAHtY0KO-of8Q==&c=w5IB-3JyoUiVNdntI_QeQhwhrN7QqQBoRR7aM4_oTgGyYx6io-46Tg==&ch=3Z6jfmS_EMQMXDCVBrFgJ5uLu_QvGEAoj-eIzbWfO6cNx7lqErcc6w==">ClimateCentral</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Q9cZ2dOhc_HfbIsCBSMUZiUWeja3CvBZaDb7bGQ-LfternAC5hJjldHF7egLS2jFI-pTl7eMgj9ju6jJKkptVekkjkV8Pz0GALqg-zjwLIC9-PfjhqABEF6xdnX5Usgj67Eu2Xl-uVB0XK-BnU3YAcWpBy2SYna3HdoP6NMIt4EIOGZQIPaPrUUoefntoi4ACZLVZn1nzwE=&c=w5IB-3JyoUiVNdntI_QeQhwhrN7QqQBoRR7aM4_oTgGyYx6io-46Tg==&ch=3Z6jfmS_EMQMXDCVBrFgJ5uLu_QvGEAoj-eIzbWfO6cNx7lqErcc6w=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">NOAA</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_18.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://749EAA63-D9B3-4D5B-85EC-476A211C873D/pastedGraphic_18.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Arctic Sea Ice Sets Record for New Low Extent in June</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On July 6, the National Snow & Ice Data Center (NSIDC) declared that the average extent of Arctic sea ice in June hit a new record low, with an average of 4.09 million square miles. The new record is 100,000 square miles less than the previous record from 2010, and 525,000 square miles (about twice the size of Texas) less than the 1981 to 2010 average. NSIDC noted that every month in 2016 except March has set a new record low for average ice extent in the Arctic.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Q9cZ2dOhc_HfbIsCBSMUZiUWeja3CvBZaDb7bGQ-LfternAC5hJjldHF7egLS2jFIYZeQ9JRT2r5FVNlZ-lOLMUYez6_1ArtoZQmXnGVJV9RysQzsdK50hFadZEEU0iZzlDowdcbIjSu56krup87mKuBcdj11775KR_g7jq6mIy-muP3NdCXvay2bwcTn71UTem4Tt3j4t3mWsDZS0WGiy4bToKiklPwRpNQwwUR2SoFvVAaMGXhN6B-GdrHCYYfWxFjQEoyRUroKClCj6H99g==&c=w5IB-3JyoUiVNdntI_QeQhwhrN7QqQBoRR7aM4_oTgGyYx6io-46Tg==&ch=3Z6jfmS_EMQMXDCVBrFgJ5uLu_QvGEAoj-eIzbWfO6cNx7lqErcc6w==">The Guardian</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Q9cZ2dOhc_HfbIsCBSMUZiUWeja3CvBZaDb7bGQ-LfternAC5hJjldHF7egLS2jFDXlwfEnQ3RAMeoOpundx9tuuMZOG8yDHjj1dPIbR-gd2PWG1Vu9TDKMdkq29bWPihFYLy4oaQBy-OzgV7RWFVuskxTXkcE8fCta4nYVu-FbxaxFHXQXgQ867xUTzI6L1&c=w5IB-3JyoUiVNdntI_QeQhwhrN7QqQBoRR7aM4_oTgGyYx6io-46Tg==&ch=3Z6jfmS_EMQMXDCVBrFgJ5uLu_QvGEAoj-eIzbWfO6cNx7lqErcc6w=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">NSIDC</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Senators Introduce Resolution Decrying Climate Denial</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The week of July 11, 19 Democratic senators gave five and a half hours of speeches condemning the fossil fuel industry's "web of denial" on climate change and climate science. Led by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), the coalition identified over 32 think tanks and special interest groups that have been "either co-opted or created by the fossil fuel industry in order to propagate climate [change] denial while obscuring the true hand of the . . . industry in their efforts." In addition to the speeches, eight Senators (seven Democrats and one Independent - Sen. Bernie Sanders) introduced a resolution decrying industry-backed efforts to mislead the public on the negative impacts of lead, tobacco and climate change. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) and 14 colleagues introduced the same resolution in the House.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m6jLcmKzB94OOGL1g_da6J5rpZ3pG77eiVi9ZYg59L8iVhe-QfBNJcjCDnFI7OqWY1L7tXhLA7lrM6z_-Eb12WJqwj4BhDQjG-mCD7i0r1sczNRo8HY7hfOc72n6Bgc6NFpJWC0qfuPONja-IJWLP4Mh5EmxbcD3xeaoGCaa0inVrsY85sJv6wfKwcg7OLQsfgAeE37RSjxvOcUX-ATMIJ6xtokMNUhZt4vzZr3qadqWw1FHclPFV5VjvlfHw543TWZgDkN6UIeuoLlZV3-Zi2al_pc3H1bc0Tj5qwA7Rck=&c=2CfWE8g5g8AITpDqaAm7zaJDib3xQSad57r7HUuPszv9A8xmh_r9fQ==&ch=sgmYZo0n2RagJ-3-3BCZCzVDX3K8Tg9QB5VS-D650uVody8i6Umouw==">Press Release</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m6jLcmKzB94OOGL1g_da6J5rpZ3pG77eiVi9ZYg59L8iVhe-QfBNJcjCDnFI7OqWiDWiin-zSNcNRJ_DZRUlWSqws19-tQT5N9c7DldPtKU053NIVhD9zX4_8vlYScf4f181IER5XbzfPD50iToidk5JWyhdrokleDLkKOH5ZKCd3iUCuCxXOAJRl_SzUlSdktXTXisxi6gqTOBaFFSpoMUp7uVcztyGGgKshyQCeu9TcyVOH0He5szSCq2Z54-WrSgzcDKUDL1TW0l24VxZZegPvPWDFOAHNz5ejbJzLNvP7Q33hQ1UWLkSfavej3ZC1C_Y9c-2ps4w6gS-TAaIjRAcVtxjPOZ7xpJrsWJqWjA=&c=2CfWE8g5g8AITpDqaAm7zaJDib3xQSad57r7HUuPszv9A8xmh_r9fQ==&ch=sgmYZo0n2RagJ-3-3BCZCzVDX3K8Tg9QB5VS-D650uVody8i6Umouw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The Guardian</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m6jLcmKzB94OOGL1g_da6J5rpZ3pG77eiVi9ZYg59L8iVhe-QfBNJcjCDnFI7OqWqOfoKlNnfpw-ygab8UoAXWPao0B-ShEmAQMBdcI1oSbqhtYj1i1nnrHzfGKQwtpT3Qht76lNIcVfjLzykOiMn_M0SUiZYOZ7B-pqmbwQGSD-XPyVaMYcmXt0u7oh8HV9hDRUmkCyg1yTN4H8BB5LyOt75JOcP4kOS88MNO3-Dt2ruB3vdVaAsyZLiQzEH23yzRFTtqmN43hzxcqmTKTZ9w==&c=2CfWE8g5g8AITpDqaAm7zaJDib3xQSad57r7HUuPszv9A8xmh_r9fQ==&ch=sgmYZo0n2RagJ-3-3BCZCzVDX3K8Tg9QB5VS-D650uVody8i6Umouw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> The Huffington Post</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m6jLcmKzB94OOGL1g_da6J5rpZ3pG77eiVi9ZYg59L8iVhe-QfBNJcjCDnFI7OqWUiCj6Iq5w14fF2ifKxfWdhToFEwcdnsDL_wNO66F2huQGg32yPAtsHruqZqS0SdLqOMqN5YlOkKaIsSsOCPtBazEaMZfFtK1dWyi2BhDTFgWK6qLTUwte0DLjQ8mn5p07aDE53dpDpMrpHVafU9iHo1wkPNFyiKW_5eCVJIvokQ=&c=2CfWE8g5g8AITpDqaAm7zaJDib3xQSad57r7HUuPszv9A8xmh_r9fQ==&ch=sgmYZo0n2RagJ-3-3BCZCzVDX3K8Tg9QB5VS-D650uVody8i6Umouw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> Public Citizen</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>New Poll Shows Increase in Number of Americans Alarmed by Climate Change</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On July 12, researchers from George Mason and Yale University published a study that illustrated an overall increase in climate change concern among American adults. The survey of 1,204 American adults found that the number of respondents "alarmed" about climate change rose five percent during 2015, to 17 percent of respondents. An additional 28 percent are "concerned" about climate change. Edward Maibach of George Mason University's Center for Climate Change Communication commented, "the size of [those] alarmed [by climate change] are on the rise and will remain on the rise." The study also discovered that over 80 percent of the people "alarmed" about climate change identified climate change, clean energy, and environmental protection as their three most important voting issues.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m6jLcmKzB94OOGL1g_da6J5rpZ3pG77eiVi9ZYg59L8iVhe-QfBNJcjCDnFI7OqWRsdc0FEDwfiVKyL8l4EPeNJb5vmtSnQRNCB7FGTl0QsM7agqbfW-jQJis5r9cYebzk4z23bOtaxwoT_dCc30aTFzL5cyUtu3CVKm6ODplBLk5g_DH_-PIuzyj8F_j1sEqVD0veveFK2m_34oPmECs2ooUw-Ib7V6rfP1i-a5XY77Wb3VX6I3iVRF0YormWGgaI_mXRCAA4s=&c=2CfWE8g5g8AITpDqaAm7zaJDib3xQSad57r7HUuPszv9A8xmh_r9fQ==&ch=sgmYZo0n2RagJ-3-3BCZCzVDX3K8Tg9QB5VS-D650uVody8i6Umouw==">InsideClimate News</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m6jLcmKzB94OOGL1g_da6J5rpZ3pG77eiVi9ZYg59L8iVhe-QfBNJcjCDnFI7OqWMJM7nAIhqkGYsy_zw9VDbyfDhoB6RQyHBQL7uVmvDlniFL9qQNdJoyyziLng5VlzsI3n5C5FNlVJ_WX6qmzr9StwZlLco2t_MX4ZHBPodYfDhyoiTeE3AcGMdOvlFxXfwKQsv_2_mDW--V2j8MzkbZml7EVL1DWqK0LUvkmewIeYA4tOf7XhO8xx9Ub6_XQn6VI3KbC636yXSPddeRNfmlfFMoiEg5j-xYN9eR_9gNc=&c=2CfWE8g5g8AITpDqaAm7zaJDib3xQSad57r7HUuPszv9A8xmh_r9fQ==&ch=sgmYZo0n2RagJ-3-3BCZCzVDX3K8Tg9QB5VS-D650uVody8i6Umouw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The New York Times</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m6jLcmKzB94OOGL1g_da6J5rpZ3pG77eiVi9ZYg59L8iVhe-QfBNJcjCDnFI7OqWZ8YzqA68RRWEjWp2cgriTLFJsV8-zSGU9P6acC1M7NxK_5Y96cnk3S0Ycmoi1Dgqd-58vwZVIM5Oh32BV4CP7W1a_V92pWJQkqOD5eKF3xBEqvTX8sZ2SctHbCza2DcvYFAQEr_uIVdXYzVfOsYWPVuOxwYs2plknzYX5Ui7sxRHRIh8zeS_tg==&c=2CfWE8g5g8AITpDqaAm7zaJDib3xQSad57r7HUuPszv9A8xmh_r9fQ==&ch=sgmYZo0n2RagJ-3-3BCZCzVDX3K8Tg9QB5VS-D650uVody8i6Umouw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Poll</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_19.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://749EAA63-D9B3-4D5B-85EC-476A211C873D/pastedGraphic_19.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Many in the United States Want More Climate Change Discussion in Presidential Election</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 11, the<i> Guardian</i> released additional results from an online survey (not a randomized poll) in which one in five respondents expressed concern over the lack of climate change discourse in the current presidential race. Of respondents who are concerned about climate change, the <i>Guardian</i> found that the number one cited cause of concern was food and water shortages, followed by sea level rise. One of the respondents, Linda Hayden, commented, "The fact that no one is really talking about climate change, to me, is indicative of just how lost we are. Our house is on fire and we are arguing about who is more angry!" The survey received responses from 1,385 <i>Guardian</i> readers from all 50 states.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m6jLcmKzB94OOGL1g_da6J5rpZ3pG77eiVi9ZYg59L8iVhe-QfBNJcjCDnFI7OqWMdQqyuEymwNRzuMsm0ApcWFkSWcE-zYnaFmTMAkr0SF2eYC_7TO49vF_4qWGqw6iRwWWEMFg1Pjs33wHxHzSGDrNkiVWBeMunsc-6bxsFkT_ekfoInZJ9ojMtn1ZCpQlBIgBSWizWHqGCM2y7RrC5sZruFRik1lO07FHNPDvcdWgUiAlvB6mOCJ4ratZksKMYb3bXSiBORSFMmYZbvSA6w==&c=2CfWE8g5g8AITpDqaAm7zaJDib3xQSad57r7HUuPszv9A8xmh_r9fQ==&ch=sgmYZo0n2RagJ-3-3BCZCzVDX3K8Tg9QB5VS-D650uVody8i6Umouw==">The Guardian</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m6jLcmKzB94OOGL1g_da6J5rpZ3pG77eiVi9ZYg59L8iVhe-QfBNJcjCDnFI7OqWNi2M4wS3X_AmN4HnIulBiw4rvr2J87BVidXx8ikmLFJtb_6r2aIU4VyLlLxP88r1484qvlHI_FQBEobXFucmamq0yf_vEM7GyeoNQFCbVyZ8sFDJv5alGrg8oeAU56qtUMyCLScaXvzmXRWfHqpNzO0wDSGHZ3qU7L8vbmbYLSHrgevqxxbdonkv1x7STYVmUpDcWAN-hxrYU0JeSyncxvgrBZmVE7rTk9h99ynyc-EvujzyChut-GpK_iwWUogj&c=2CfWE8g5g8AITpDqaAm7zaJDib3xQSad57r7HUuPszv9A8xmh_r9fQ==&ch=sgmYZo0n2RagJ-3-3BCZCzVDX3K8Tg9QB5VS-D650uVody8i6Umouw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The Guardian</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Scientist Links Mass Die-Off of Mangroves in Australia to Climate Change</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On July 11, mangrove expert Dr. Norm Duke of James Cook University told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that about 10,000 hectares of mangroves have recently died along 700 kilometers of Queensland and Northern Territory coastline in Australia, in what he refers to as a "world-first in terms of the scale." Dr. Duke said the massive die-off was probably linked to climate change, which has contributed to unusually low precipitation rates and higher temperatures across the region. "What is so unusual now is its extent, and that it occurred across the whole southern gulf in a single month," said Dr. Duke. The mangrove die-off took place over the same time period as the widespread coral bleaching event in the Great Barrier Reef.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m6jLcmKzB94OOGL1g_da6J5rpZ3pG77eiVi9ZYg59L8iVhe-QfBNJcjCDnFI7OqWTMcnkfHT0xIcRSYGlzY4WA3qtYrqF9dn5smALjwrkOQCOSp85zfL90l8ZrHPUVdZIiMYj1ayxLHAYGpM3mlvehETdaf2zfLDhIveXBcjNRZY-FXF9Fm_qgJPYTFwM9nCYl99vykUHVCX8hOM1-O9ElHdNqrO8g285bUMdXS7hvi1778hpvt67Ivud1f1DkGdyC--OQ9jko9-M60iRSFkPodX7cZ6YTCZ&c=2CfWE8g5g8AITpDqaAm7zaJDib3xQSad57r7HUuPszv9A8xmh_r9fQ==&ch=sgmYZo0n2RagJ-3-3BCZCzVDX3K8Tg9QB5VS-D650uVody8i6Umouw==">Sky News</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m6jLcmKzB94OOGL1g_da6J5rpZ3pG77eiVi9ZYg59L8iVhe-QfBNJcjCDnFI7OqWQnO3DbawH7pmUbCm7vj-_r39LMrR4No8bxkGN49T7HcFw067VlUzLn_msa8LFXxBySOkBMOK9xv2yb2CvMdm5bzyieAcU28l3jdzzsWWDzgDjBHKyKt-jTWlvH7ILG-KS-hMjgRg18iUa7_LBdFuTKMu4hSDFiGTjVQifbZtUbRmKkqmmd10GpSWHR4n6Rh45eit9cQsjFY=&c=2CfWE8g5g8AITpDqaAm7zaJDib3xQSad57r7HUuPszv9A8xmh_r9fQ==&ch=sgmYZo0n2RagJ-3-3BCZCzVDX3K8Tg9QB5VS-D650uVody8i6Umouw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Australian Broadcasting Corporation</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">If you want to stop receiving it, just send a message to climate_change_news-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. If you come across some really interesting information, please send it along and I may include it in the next issue. Recent issues are available at: <a href="http://tolmanccnews.blogspot.com/"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">http://tolmanccnews.blogspot.com</span></a></span></div>
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Thanks,<br />
Chad A. Tolman</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">ctolman141@gmail.com<br />
New Castle County Congregations of Delaware Interfaith Power and Light</span></div>
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Chad Tolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198303455148896174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441974095206886318.post-46068214704613873022016-06-21T14:32:00.001-07:002016-06-21T14:32:20.901-07:00CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS FOR JUNE 2016<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>CC NEWS FOR JUNE 2016</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The <b><i>NY TImes</i></b> posted an article by Diane Cardwell on May 31 titled, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/01/business/energy-environment/nuclear-plants-despite-safety-concerns-gain-support-as-clean-energy-sources.html?_r=0"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Nuclear Plants, Despite Safety Concerns, Gain Support as Clean Energy Sources.</span></a><b> </b>Since new nuclear plants haven’t been built in the U.S. for decades, many assumed that the technology was on its way out - especially with the safety concerns generated by the nuclear meltdowns at Cherbonyl and Fukushima. However, increasing awareness of the dangers of climate change the and Paris climate agreement to reduce carbon emissions have caused some, including environmentalists, to rethink the future of nuclear power. Here are some of the pros and cons of extending the life of nuclear plants or building new ones.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Pro</b></span></div>
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<li style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Nuclear fission is still the largest source of carbon-free electricity generation in the U.S. - currently accounting for about 60% of the <b><i>carbon-free</i></b> power. (The next largest is hydroelectric at 18%.)</span></li>
<li style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">There may be reactor designs that are safer than those used at Cherbonyl and Fukushima.</span></li>
<li style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Continuing nuclear power at least for a while - may be needed if the increase in earth’s surface temperature is to be kept below 2 degrees C.</span></li>
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<li style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Nuclear power is very expensive - especially in the face of cheap natural gas from fracking. Nuclear also gets a huge federal subsidy by not having to buy insurance against catastrophes on the open marked; that insurance is provided by us - the tax payers.</span></li>
<li style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The problem of long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel has still not been solved. That problem is made more challenging because many nuclear plants are located near sea level in order to have plentiful cooling water, and they may be inundated as sea levels rise.</span></li>
<li style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Spent nuclear fuel from the current technology (fission of U235) produces plutonium, which can be extracted from the spent fuel and used to make nuclear bombs. (One was dropped on Nagasaki near the end of WWII.)</span></li>
<li style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Nuclear reactors and spent fuel could be targets of terrorist attacks - using conventional explosives to spread radioactivity - a so-called dirty bomb.</span></li>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 2 <b><i>CarbonBrief</i></b> posted an article by Sophie Yeo titled, <a href="http://www.carbonbrief.org/iea-there-are-now-more-than-one-million-electric-cars-on-the-worlds-roads?utm_source=Daily+Carbon+Briefing&utm_campaign=47c522edd3-cb_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_876aab4fd7-47c522edd3-303467725"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">IEA: There are now more than one million electric cars on the world’s roads</span></a>. She wrote,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The rapid growth of the industry means that it is now the only technology sector on track to meet the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) 2C scenario.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This is the conclusion of the IEA’s <a href="http://www.iea.org/etp/"><span style="color: #0e23a3; letter-spacing: 0px;">Energy Technology Perspectives 2016</span></a> report, which it released on Wednesday. This is the latest edition of their annual progress review of the technologies that will determine the rate of global emissions, including renewables, nuclear, CCS and coal.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE: </b>CCS is the acronym for Carbon Capture and Storage.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 7 <b><i>The</i></b> <b><i>Washington Post</i></b> published an article by Angela Fritz titled, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2016/06/07/atmospheric-carbon-dioxide-just-reached-a-huge-record-high/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Atmospheric carbon dioxide just reached a huge record high</span></a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">. She reported that the atmospheric concentration of CO2 in May reached a new record high of 407.7 ppm. This was an increase of 3.76 ppm over the concentration in May of last year - the largest year over year increase since instrumental measurements by David Keeling began nearly 60 years ago. She wrote, </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;">“</span><span style="color: #101010; font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; text-shadow: rgb(0, 0, 0) 0px 1px 0px;">One thing is for certain — we are in an unprecedented era. “Carbon dioxide levels are increasing faster than they have in hundreds of thousands of years,” <a href="http://www.noaa.gov/record-annual-increase-carbon-dioxide-observed-mauna-loa-2015"><span style="color: #388af6; letter-spacing: 0px; text-shadow: rgb(0, 0, 0) 0px 1px 0px;">said Pieter Tans</span></a>, lead scientist of NOAA’s Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network. “It’s explosive compared to natural processes.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-shadow: 0.0px 1.0px 0.0px #000000;">The last time our planet saw such a sustained increase in carbon dioxide was between 17,000 and 11,000 years ago, <a href="http://www.noaa.gov/record-annual-increase-carbon-dioxide-observed-mauna-loa-2015"><span style="color: #388af6; letter-spacing: 0px; text-shadow: rgb(0, 0, 0) 0px 1px 0px;">NOAA says</span></a>, when levels increased by just 80 ppm. Tans says today’s rate of increase is 200 times faster than that.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 11 the <b><i>NY Times</i></b> posted an article by Jeff Sommer titled, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/12/your-money/gas-is-going-up-but-maybe-not-enough.html?_r=0"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Gas Is Going Up, but Maybe Not Enough</span></a>. He pointed out that though gas prices going into the Memorial Day weekend are the lowest they have been for the past 11 years, they are going up - by 17 cents per gallon during the past month, according to the AAA. He writes, </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;">“</span><span style="color: #333233; font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;">What’s more, the latest numbers suggest that many car buyers understand that gas has been getting more expensive. Americans on average have begun to shift back to more fuel-efficient vehicles, the University of Michigan <a href="http://www.umich.edu/~umtriswt/EDI_sales-weighted-mpg.html"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">reported</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">That’s good news. And it’s an opportune time to consider whether we should take steps that would keep prices moving in the right direction: upward.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The markets are likely to do that job for a while. While they have given up some ground lately, oil prices have almost doubled since February, so we can expect that gas at the pump, which typically trails wholesale oil prices, will continue to climb in the short term. No one knows, of course, where oil or gas prices will be a year or two from now.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">But another measure to raise prices and affect consumer behavior has long been favored by a <a href="http://www.igmchicago.org/igm-economic-experts-panel/poll-results?SurveyID=SV_9Rezb430SESUA4Y&version=meter+at+0&module=meter-Links&pgtype=article&contentId=&mediaId=&referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fgregmankiw.blogspot.com%2F2015%2F09%2Fthe-path-to-carbon-tax.html&priority=true&action=click&contentCollection=meter-links-click"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">broad consensus</span></a> of economists. That is a national tax on carbon or, more narrowly, a booster tax on oil or gasoline — all of which have been opposed by Congress. On Friday, the House of Representatives voted, largely along party lines, against both a carbon tax and a tax on oil.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Nonetheless, a broad carbon tax or a narrower gasoline tax surcharge would generate revenue that could go toward neglected infrastructure, like bridges, tunnels, trains and subways, or toward improvement of renewable energy sources, reducing dependence on fossil fuels directly. But it could also be used to offset cuts in other taxes, as proposed in <a href="http://www.carbontax.org/states/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Washington State</span></a>. Either method could make gasoline, and other forms of carbon, expensive enough to make people think twice before burning it.</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0px;">”</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Higher fuel prices tend to make vehicles like <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/e/electric_vehicles/index.html?&inline=nyt-classifier"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">electric cars</span></a>, hybrids and smaller, gas-sipping internal combustion engine vehicles more appealing. In a separate <a href="http://www.umich.edu/~umtriswt/PDF/UMTRI-2016-7.pdf"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">study</span></a>, Mr. Sivak and Brandon Schoettle, a project manager at the institute, calculated that a major improvement in the fuel efficiency of the nation’s light vehicles, including old and new vehicles, to 56 miles per gallon from 21.4 miles per gallon today, would, by itself, reduce total fuel emissions in the United States 10 percent. </span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Big as that change would be, it would not be enough to meet the goals of last December’s Paris agreement on <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/globalwarming/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">climate change</span></a>, which would <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/world/europe/climate-change-accord-paris.html?version=meter+at+0&module=meter-Links&pgtype=article&contentId=&mediaId=&referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Finteractive%2F2016%2F02%2F10%2Fus%2Fwhat-supreme-court-decision-to-halt-climate-regulation-means.html%3Fversion%3Dmeter%2Bat%2B0%26module%3Dmeter-Links%26pgtype%3Darticle%26contentId%3D%26mediaId%3D%26referrer%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F%26priority%3Dtrue%26action%3Dclick%26contentCollection%3Dmeter-link"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">commit nearly every country</span></a> in the world to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Consider that President Obama has pledged that the United States will <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/11/us/politics/carbon-emissions-paris-climate-accord.html?version=meter+at+0&module=meter-Links&pgtype=Multimedia&contentId=&mediaId=&referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2016%2F02%2F11%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Fcarbon-emissions-paris-climate-accord.html&priority=true&action=click&contentCollection=meter-links-click"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">cut total emissions 26 to 28 percent by 2025</span></a>. Emissions from many sources, particularly those from coal-fired power plants, would need to be reduced, though the Supreme Court put some of those regulations into a state of limbo with a decision in <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/10/us/politics/supreme-court-blocks-obama-epa-coal-emissions-regulations.html?version=meter+at+0&module=meter-Links&pgtype=Multimedia&contentId=&mediaId=&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&priority=true&action=click&contentCollection=meter-links-click"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">February</span></a>. Further legal challenges are underway.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In the meantime, gasoline prices are inching higher. Adding a modest gasoline tax of, say, 25 cents a gallon — or a more ambitious carbon tax — would magnify and consolidate that upward trend.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Given opposition in Congress, it is unrealistic to imagine that either kind of national tax will be enacted right now. Bernie Sanders was the lone major presidential candidate in the race in June to have called for a carbon tax, according to an assessment by <a href="http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/may/29/bernie-s/bernie-sanders-says-only-he-supports-carbon-tax-an/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">PolitiFact</span></a>. Yet such a tax, or a variation favored by President Obama known as “<a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/subjects/g/greenhouse_gas_emissions/cap_and_trade/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">cap and trade</span></a>,” makes <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/24/us/politics/carbon-pricingbecomes-a-cause-for-the-world-bank-and-imf.html"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">eminent sense</span></a>, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund have concluded.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">One problem with such taxes — aside from the glaring fact that taxes are generally unpopular — is that they tend to be regressive. A gasoline tax, for example, burdens low-wage people who must drive to work, but tax credits aimed at low-income car commuters could offset this.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Taxes and prices affect behavior in fairly predictable ways. Without taxes, the benefits of higher prices can be expected to flow mainly to energy companies and their investors, and Wall Street will certainly calculate those effects. But we all have broader interests, and it may be that the best thing we can do for ourselves and the environment is impose a tax.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE</b>: The author suggested adding a modest gasoline tax of 25 cents/gallon. That corresponds to a carbon tax of about $25 per ton of CO2, since burning a gallon of gas produces about 20 lbs. of CO2.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 19 the U.S. League of Women Voters (LWVUS) at its biennial national conference passed nearly unanimously the following three resolutions related to climate change:</span></div>
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<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Therefore be it resolved, the LWVUS consider signing onto an Amicus Brief with the 21 youth plaintiffs from Our Children’s Trust.</span></li>
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<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Therefore be it resolved, LWVUS support the United States ratification of the UN COP 21 Paris Agreement.</span></li>
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<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Therefore be it resolved, that the LWVUS continue working for full implementation of the EPA Clean Power Plan, especially at the state level, as a first step, and should call on the White House to implement an updated science-based Climate Action Plan that stabilizes global warming by bringing CO2 levels down to no more than 350 ppm by 2100.</span></li>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTES:</b> <a href="http://csas.ei.columbia.edu/our-work/our-childrens-trust/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Our Children’s Trust</span></a> is a legal effort on the part of young people to sue the federal government “for violating their constitutional rights to life, liberty and property, and their right to essential public trust resources by permitting, encouraging, and otherwise enabling continued exploitation, production and combustion of fossil fuels.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.cop21paris.org/about/cop21">COP 21</a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> is the 21st Conference of the Parties, meeting in Paris in 2015, following the 1st meeting at Rio de Janiero in 1992, which adopted the UN Framework on Climate Change. The Framework </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">aimed to stabilize atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to avoid “dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system,” but involved no commitments or time tables. The Paris agreement included both.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The EPA <a href="https://www.epa.gov/cleanpowerplan/clean-power-plan-existing-power-plants"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Clean Power Plan</span></a> aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from U.S. power plants - the major source of U.S. carbon emissions - and is the keystone of President Obama’s plan to meet the U.S. obligation to reduce emissions 26-28% under the Paris agreement.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The president’s <a href="https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43120.pdf"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Climate Action Plan</span></a>, announced in 2013, includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but does not specify a final target concentration. James Hansen et al., in a seminal 2008 paper titled, <a href="http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/2008/TargetCO2_20080407.pdf"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">Target Atmospheric CO2: Where Should Humanity Aim?</span></a>, wrote, “</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">If humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted, paleoclimate evidence and ongoing climate change suggest that CO2 will need to be reduced from its current 385 ppm to at most 350 ppm.” The CO2 concentration is now over 400 ppm and is increasing every year. Hansen et al. think that atmospheric CO2 concentration must be 350 ppm or less in order to keep the global average temperature from increasing more than 2 degrees C.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">During the discussion of Resolution 3) a question was raised about the cost of removing CO2 from the air in order to remove what humans are currently adding (<a href="http://edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/news_docs/jrc-2015-trends-in-global-co2-emissions-2015-report-98184.pdf"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">about 36 billion metric tons in 2014</span></a>), and reduce the concentration back to 350 ppm. After the convention I searched for information on the available technologies and costs for removing CO2 (now over 400 ppm or 0.04%) from air. I found a 2013 paper in the <b><i>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</i></b> by Klaus Lackner et al. titled, <a href="http://energy.columbia.edu/files/2013/07/PNAS-paper-on-CO2-air-capture.pdf"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">The urgency of the development of CO2 capture from ambient air</span></a>, which describes technologies and gives a range of costs from $100 to $1000 per ton of CO2. These numbers can be compared with current prices on CO2 emissions which range from <a href="http://priceoncarbon.org/pricing-mechanisms/right-price/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">$1/ton in Mexico to $168/ton in Sweden</span></a>.</span></div>
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The following items are from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), Carol Werner, Executive Director. Past issues of its newsletter are posted on its website under "publications"<br />
at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102515421764&e=001VqmyLSnT7fkl-_mocGBcn8yb2ys8eiE4dr3Tnveazy1K0B1fU1CponAdxiy_W78b49PK6NHsR0pHlqO7KOWi-3m5yW4bNEJiyJt1G95YoNt46CLY1L4uGjNKLSPL84kX2r7jAaxw1oVR18YElOXvV8_lo1bRsASi9tPNMTm7-ZU="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">http://www.eesi.org/publications/Newsletters/CCNews/ccnews.htm</span></a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">EESI’s newsletter is intended for all interested parties, particularly the policymaker community. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B7F426D9-3798-4F78-9FC5-CDB2AAC08F50/pastedGraphic.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Clean Power Plan Will Be Heard by Full District Court, Not Just Panel</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On May 16, the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit announced that challenges to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Power Plan regulation on carbon emissions from existing power plants will be heard by the full court, not a three-judge panel as previously scheduled. The Court made the decision on its own initiative <i>(sua sponte</i>), without any party to the case requesting the action. While not unprecedented, the decision is highly unusual, and the exact reasons behind it are unclear - although the decision is likely due to the importance of the case. This decision will push back the case's hearing from its originally scheduled date of June 2 to September.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017G6FRD_iC2J8beqYH8B_a7lHc581h9iZ-npJhZ5t1jYajDOo5KTjTojL_lM8dDegerZNoj1FTz-SGXwlZwaGSkQluGq5vTP5L0e30F4QW5GEoPRB0fRaVLXOfO1jdXepJVJvEgmfZuEOXpEhMc7tcPFDFqM1Q5VVFI8v5s2kXxDyFmECgFLq4sKC6inol1VU8Cem37SZpJgDsFgfxPXDw91wRkE_gUnO_SfkGc8ub9Ok18T8fEbIm3N61dh02wmLZkJgWSbAkP-SeyWzUeHfVtVFTYyLnSiySx6V-HCSIOcRuJCUWa46gI7HQYb4LQlz&c=vjLM8jgEraFbrDG0K93ko7JIEPjIxam-uIolsClT1prZ6Hg7ZaQfjw==&ch=oQ94HpTHPKNohQejvShF5OCPaM8T0_TeJDC3nbLsvA8s5dDmlosdjw==">The Washington Post</a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Clean Power Plan Would Cut Coal Power Generation to 21 Percent Share by 2030</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On May 17, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) released an early report of its Annual Energy Outlook for 2016, finding that the future U.S. energy emissions will depend on whether the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Power Plan regulation on carbon emissions from existing power plants moves forward. With the Clean Power Plan in place, emissions from the electricity sector will fall to 28 percent below 2005 levels in 2022. Without the Plan, emissions would likely be seven percent higher in 2022, and 25 percent higher from 2030 on. EIA also projected that the Plan will cut coal's share of U.S. electricity generation to 21 percent by 2030 and 18 percent by 2040, from its 2015 level of 33 percent.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017G6FRD_iC2J8beqYH8B_a7lHc581h9iZ-npJhZ5t1jYajDOo5KTjTojL_lM8dDegckO_gn5q1mL51MsqaQ3Mz4RSyUetQUmPn0S2o4bHnav-z5dWdnCcON_1yJQsp5rlpkOhCWYWkp7ozHSG-zbrsMGKDwOnKBgGD7SviCc8omnj1NfcBilXcVMtRJX4HxCjrJkyGwtTOCAwHJ89jQoqQxKqCe4VMDkvS8i_CYk8FiDtYnBN-YkLZQ==&c=vjLM8jgEraFbrDG0K93ko7JIEPjIxam-uIolsClT1prZ6Hg7ZaQfjw==&ch=oQ94HpTHPKNohQejvShF5OCPaM8T0_TeJDC3nbLsvA8s5dDmlosdjw==">PowerMag</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017G6FRD_iC2J8beqYH8B_a7lHc581h9iZ-npJhZ5t1jYajDOo5KTjTojL_lM8dDegdugNLscPiVeiqbnBddH7sMDmMI5Z1tcuMurksfyKOGWiMq7xbr07TccZjk1uis593xOt-cYHmC7NR1eziXKOfrYI8HbwUJSKIherqelF59YOQfhdedvyzgjbB2TMnHtREwIXssdyvdEkvJ9dzx6K7Dwgwq3c5cdEf5RSENaY3KOlUBV_eH4GY2izrdFh0NMhbN9StrzFx5alJGbRJUSl9w==&c=vjLM8jgEraFbrDG0K93ko7JIEPjIxam-uIolsClT1prZ6Hg7ZaQfjw==&ch=oQ94HpTHPKNohQejvShF5OCPaM8T0_TeJDC3nbLsvA8s5dDmlosdjw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">WorldNuclearNews</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017G6FRD_iC2J8beqYH8B_a7lHc581h9iZ-npJhZ5t1jYajDOo5KTjTvSvw4V6lX82Nvp94agLzhXbDQmdtMz1ACGPDc6n21EEnLYZm-8x269Qt5MC4IsgWkXOkTLjQh71XSb7uV3n79OrTtrTi151URXTMwEtfQ6i5EnyAjE0bUSyxaTG2knQYjyoD2UAIB4QWQdl3rGqq9TERgocWnt5yA==&c=vjLM8jgEraFbrDG0K93ko7JIEPjIxam-uIolsClT1prZ6Hg7ZaQfjw==&ch=oQ94HpTHPKNohQejvShF5OCPaM8T0_TeJDC3nbLsvA8s5dDmlosdjw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">EIA</span></a> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On May 13, President Obama agreed with leaders from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland to set higher environmental and climate standards on commercial activity, including oil and gas drilling, in the Arctic. A senior official in the Administration, speaking anonymously, commented, "It is quite significant that you now have seven out of eight Arctic nations, representing more than half the Arctic's territorial waters, basically conditioning future economic activity on world-class environmental standards and international climate goals." The new restrictions have not yet been outlined. In March the President came to a similar agreement with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to address the need for better climate change tests in the Arctic.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017G6FRD_iC2J8beqYH8B_a7lHc581h9iZ-npJhZ5t1jYajDOo5KTjTojL_lM8dDeg-9CKh4xz_Ukj8o4R8GOTEnBoDrjZgpUrLCU8x_QTcBAj9rukqg-hT9JzyQJpTg1lpMmXj-KtJ53TlvfWgEopSTMGh67L_w5nW1iXWwxxNU50UWMWKPFyCoaQrkHiCignsAUHLkyB9-gFjEKlImA9UIFkFNUkaSMKGjzzwfxjiELG1H1PExI7eBgX9d1iE6C0nVvBlQA7m__k0cCKgfM1SzMPM4TYTdtxCyJxnrJTzP_OlgyY3qSHoGPd6HNLszSi16svdnbKj4WnDzoYGwgat74FL19KXWPRq0FbMmekfFg=&c=vjLM8jgEraFbrDG0K93ko7JIEPjIxam-uIolsClT1prZ6Hg7ZaQfjw==&ch=oQ94HpTHPKNohQejvShF5OCPaM8T0_TeJDC3nbLsvA8s5dDmlosdjw==">Washington Post</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017G6FRD_iC2J8beqYH8B_a7lHc581h9iZ-npJhZ5t1jYajDOo5KTjTojL_lM8dDeg-j6mKkKaouulJRqeKd8b7H3j_Z7mZ0rVR8KR4NI1NngpPfB3K-cXxQnB8YkIkM2GFgqFaFf9SHT2XzoR4JVrSOk0wTAwxlYXcUN139YoJQ_yFdUFjKdw-EeEM30BiyJaouOQW25S-WkAlOBr3-H263rIZKYZxbOJFeQ6qtqaUb6yiaA0OcDlqQbwzCiW6S0b6aCcbt6Sujp8qc6luWN1DVapnEFTKTt648dNF2CLsiY=&c=vjLM8jgEraFbrDG0K93ko7JIEPjIxam-uIolsClT1prZ6Hg7ZaQfjw==&ch=oQ94HpTHPKNohQejvShF5OCPaM8T0_TeJDC3nbLsvA8s5dDmlosdjw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Hill</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>G7 Calls for Swift and Coordinated Response to Climate Change</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On May 16, following the Group of 7 (G7) Environment Ministers' meeting, the G7 released a statement announcing their countries would submit respective long-term strategies for cutting greenhouse gas emissions before the 2020 deadline stipulated under the Paris Agreement. The communique, issued after the two-day meeting in Toyama, Japan, also encouraged use of the Joint Crediting Mechanism, a trading scheme for greenhouse emission reduction credits. The ministers noted their support for a 2016 amendment to the Montreal Protocol to phase down the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are potent greenhouse gasses used in refrigerant products. The G7 ministers noted that "taking the lead in communicating these strategies will send strong signals to the private sector and other countries for the necessary transition towards a low-carbon society."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017G6FRD_iC2J8beqYH8B_a7lHc581h9iZ-npJhZ5t1jYajDOo5KTjTojL_lM8dDegR3TGndaWYehLCKUyHbPJS_6YyJJEVDRnHGrRBuLqwXT2ZG-M_59DF5kKV5BBt0vMbyHkIYEyO5AIGyYgGpl4yK-j-UiUkuhiRx40amuzFuzup-yD1TzjcMh84MRK8VhGwGIc7kpiwotuBgUHDNwfIQ==&c=vjLM8jgEraFbrDG0K93ko7JIEPjIxam-uIolsClT1prZ6Hg7ZaQfjw==&ch=oQ94HpTHPKNohQejvShF5OCPaM8T0_TeJDC3nbLsvA8s5dDmlosdjw==">G7 Communique</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017G6FRD_iC2J8beqYH8B_a7lHc581h9iZ-npJhZ5t1jYajDOo5KTjTojL_lM8dDegm3RiKe8sJgq-byz9QTq7w63sfi8l_VN5HdH1tgiEEt0K4KvSDANpLDYrqAYTnEX6qwWg-mdOJg-PdqwUz3cQDLbpvE2ZFGZ1udmmdAgz8wNI88LLxDF9HBz3u2a8YccErtUsxiHYPpp1Litu6e8qgg==&c=vjLM8jgEraFbrDG0K93ko7JIEPjIxam-uIolsClT1prZ6Hg7ZaQfjw==&ch=oQ94HpTHPKNohQejvShF5OCPaM8T0_TeJDC3nbLsvA8s5dDmlosdjw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Japan News</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017G6FRD_iC2J8beqYH8B_a7lHc581h9iZ-npJhZ5t1jYajDOo5KTjTojL_lM8dDeg31n3py3tF5EYer6OxtZiB9lul_S5KOjbcgTsekRPkMCsYG1GLyO-aPl4B5Y2p_m4TMDrcZlJHa8sN73CoT_a3EBx-v2t2NYFuwsnZzzr2gQZHx5CFDCLbdBHT9zVTgQPzYEIojR1_VyUQz0QMydvRmNr-IxN3A2afTS8eToUXJ0vg79NVHqg7p8ZzX1QUoZUOV0NPW3h5TLke9p7zuTx0dAJXA6XXejTZGB6q9a401E=&c=vjLM8jgEraFbrDG0K93ko7JIEPjIxam-uIolsClT1prZ6Hg7ZaQfjw==&ch=oQ94HpTHPKNohQejvShF5OCPaM8T0_TeJDC3nbLsvA8s5dDmlosdjw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Bloomberg</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017G6FRD_iC2J8beqYH8B_a7lHc581h9iZ-npJhZ5t1jYajDOo5KTjTojL_lM8dDeg7vl224lVQjyYFBNK2Ww2xQKhXRr_EP6fph6QdCZLecLNUPsvWoSCSet_oVQhnSdyVu1q7-jhLhIu5uLrP8JGUTvyP5GKQYF02MhpOQIpYirWZEzMtEfl3-pSSawsJ-qv&c=vjLM8jgEraFbrDG0K93ko7JIEPjIxam-uIolsClT1prZ6Hg7ZaQfjw==&ch=oQ94HpTHPKNohQejvShF5OCPaM8T0_TeJDC3nbLsvA8s5dDmlosdjw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">IGSD's Primer on HFC's</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On May 19, Ontario announced it has finalized a new cap-and-trade plan, which will come into effect July 1, 2016, with the first auction planned for March 2017. Ontario plans to link its program with Quebec and California. The plan is set by the Climate Change Mitigation and Low-Carbon Economy Act, passed just the day prior on May 18. All the money raised from the plan - approximately $1.8-1.9 billion annually - will be placed in a newly created Greenhouse Gas Reduction Account, which will invest in green projects. The province estimates the plan will cost the average household an extra $13 a month -- $5 for home heating, and $8 for gasoline. Manitoba is also joining the Quebec/California cap-and-trade plan, but is limiting its own plan to 20 large polluters.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017G6FRD_iC2J8beqYH8B_a7lHc581h9iZ-npJhZ5t1jYajDOo5KTjTojL_lM8dDeg3YrAf8Dz0SfrjxmzFXKi3VWAe4CGWoJQNNN5sa6yw0FosDCCXgu7jQgflbMfdhRaMuPcLraVwavvLayxzcPfDpGYVHLIPtO_XpsdwzBNvYhp1NpdHqMbi57kXTY2g-Yf-ZpCAOxiP1gY96K8M9GIOD47gMcpU2xaRRD44y2iUeXmntGvTXhR8sSAJCA-gks-aTlSUwTOMcMMQJRCOgRD4g==&c=vjLM8jgEraFbrDG0K93ko7JIEPjIxam-uIolsClT1prZ6Hg7ZaQfjw==&ch=oQ94HpTHPKNohQejvShF5OCPaM8T0_TeJDC3nbLsvA8s5dDmlosdjw==">680News</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017G6FRD_iC2J8beqYH8B_a7lHc581h9iZ-npJhZ5t1jYajDOo5KTjTojL_lM8dDegenTM4_vSFqJ8w9e1mPNpMFWUZcJuBEkVjE2zS8B11VF0tyKgR2a45vfDMuAFd0JTmb5eUj8fhM1rBMYj8CV4yrWEnT5lcpNAsEiXVeOCGZraccunRGKDBhlI6XtJ-732HyujGgV_1YR-dZ3dYzL6ui_VQi3JHOokBfY8FlZ_z8-cdYyinzjlp8BPvcmsn0WYbypv5LajG10=&c=vjLM8jgEraFbrDG0K93ko7JIEPjIxam-uIolsClT1prZ6Hg7ZaQfjw==&ch=oQ94HpTHPKNohQejvShF5OCPaM8T0_TeJDC3nbLsvA8s5dDmlosdjw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Press Release</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017G6FRD_iC2J8beqYH8B_a7lHc581h9iZ-npJhZ5t1jYajDOo5KTjTojL_lM8dDegPSyrWUmWNrPYbBMMR2KRp5HE6urmLndXzkUzmDHTeGouCfD6Wowpws22uib8dghxAWsJVL9sNaJ3eM0eIUryegbMnwYTWvVJAoI5s7Yd8uxZa_XdYBqhoFf2lH_Iiwg14iHFy59M33RreJsPIas4MwMh3_e7z_2iXabjiaR5XdVfLPzfrZESJK8ZivEynOLix4o7HGASkd-3k7MomiXftw==&c=vjLM8jgEraFbrDG0K93ko7JIEPjIxam-uIolsClT1prZ6Hg7ZaQfjw==&ch=oQ94HpTHPKNohQejvShF5OCPaM8T0_TeJDC3nbLsvA8s5dDmlosdjw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Press Release</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_3.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B7F426D9-3798-4F78-9FC5-CDB2AAC08F50/pastedGraphic_3.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>World Bank Says 1.3 Billion People and $158 Trillion at Risk from Climate Change</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On May 16, the World Bank released a report that says climate change-related disasters, population growth, and urbanization will put 1.3 billion people and $158 trillion in assets at risk by 2050. John Roome, senior director for climate change at the World Bank, says "We are woefully unprepared for the climate and disaster risks that are rapidly changing our world." The report advises the cities and coastal regions most at risk from the storms, floods and droughts increasingly amplified by climate change to work to minimize the anticipated damage through better land-use policies and resilient building design. According to Roome, "Without changing decision-making today, we'll only increase the disaster risk for the future. But if we make the right decisions now, we'll be able to avoid a large number of these risks."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017G6FRD_iC2J8beqYH8B_a7lHc581h9iZ-npJhZ5t1jYajDOo5KTjTojL_lM8dDegUfNZjbtR-aP7jdfbHDlVtwdjbqmbCyxqr8nFlQ3xOkMBSmuBfrpyAYt1ZGT2pgF03hMWxciO-AwJLWFZ_tHlR34LMqA1OzuNIUEITtrELiXWEy4-fR8TuRA3awjY9-4jo3jDUi0ybEk2uevsidAEHip8kkdhq_M9gUxM52qp6xu3ktl4P79qfd_3ueKsmP9gR3eC6Rc3_8_Wm0XpKm2jAjtaa_g2p0zd25cw71NHE7x2GywcuaiTwA==&c=vjLM8jgEraFbrDG0K93ko7JIEPjIxam-uIolsClT1prZ6Hg7ZaQfjw==&ch=oQ94HpTHPKNohQejvShF5OCPaM8T0_TeJDC3nbLsvA8s5dDmlosdjw==">Guardian</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017G6FRD_iC2J8beqYH8B_a7lHc581h9iZ-npJhZ5t1jYajDOo5KTjTojL_lM8dDegVdKK6XjQJDpm2NESBmJResP4Mih7TDw2m-_1Su-WsJAQC6OTJRVlhhQmxG6WUwcW8NSQQx3IXrS5KAwby9kx32A50DPC5KhJu4ESueQaG0gnJF9HfFdhDDdzF3_g2_FOk_3wvLOZqAvd5DYUXdLGzVUf1dRqMLqYcMQZMa4VLtvXXR23qZraPVj5GuZngXxxAwHscHSjviV6Nzz5oe33jw==&c=vjLM8jgEraFbrDG0K93ko7JIEPjIxam-uIolsClT1prZ6Hg7ZaQfjw==&ch=oQ94HpTHPKNohQejvShF5OCPaM8T0_TeJDC3nbLsvA8s5dDmlosdjw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Huffington Post</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Massachusetts Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Climate Action</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On May 17, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in favor of the Conservation Law Foundation, Mass Energy Consumers Alliance and four teenagers in their case against the state for not meeting the carbon reduction goals set by the Massachusetts 2008 Global Warming Solutions Act. The Global Warming Solutions Act calls for an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gases from 1990 levels by 2050. The court found that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) had not implemented regulations sufficient to meet the reductions timeline intended by the legislation. The ruling by Justice Robert Cordy states that the Department of Environmental Protection must adopt regulations that reduce greenhouse gas emissions annually, in line with the aims of the Global Warming Solutions Act.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017G6FRD_iC2J8beqYH8B_a7lHc581h9iZ-npJhZ5t1jYajDOo5KTjTojL_lM8dDegvqfxTerj1utYn4PF-uXzMv0-V2FSxVzzTQBNe3NQF_ZdIsbA6KlsukrDN1CdKOdvSlslgkAWd5Dhr3hCA4kM_D6Ml7BULZIDw1-4llN3bgsi00SWQxK9yZ4ryW3NeeYrzqZ85GQGCh-aLwLx8_c_dJXu1G9ozAkegsNHIiq7a1nEjax1S__e545unQu5lZfV8Ew2dzgUVD8=&c=vjLM8jgEraFbrDG0K93ko7JIEPjIxam-uIolsClT1prZ6Hg7ZaQfjw==&ch=oQ94HpTHPKNohQejvShF5OCPaM8T0_TeJDC3nbLsvA8s5dDmlosdjw==">Mass Live</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017G6FRD_iC2J8beqYH8B_a7lHc581h9iZ-npJhZ5t1jYajDOo5KTjTojL_lM8dDegqKJkvJ43rxQ_KNT85dtx1Ih7lvzlVvJuJcBQrjPbdJHaV6_kRI9UQkM-I6PFQ5MEEpvklMGwysx6l2nlNZQb7CsmbrEThj6YchoiwH7gQyuy84ZOMzGoVu2OoHubOAbAQ1rDxjZky7ReKWprR4zjwjUmy_XUAs6_cx65JUY9TJBZe6Yuy2vhbDK8eS37M_OgFW0eSReSBb27qE73Llf5XA==&c=vjLM8jgEraFbrDG0K93ko7JIEPjIxam-uIolsClT1prZ6Hg7ZaQfjw==&ch=oQ94HpTHPKNohQejvShF5OCPaM8T0_TeJDC3nbLsvA8s5dDmlosdjw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">ABC News</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017G6FRD_iC2J8beqYH8B_a7lHc581h9iZ-npJhZ5t1jYajDOo5KTjTojL_lM8dDeg8717sJFB1kbRCnxb1JUd29XEidNiogzzC2nYugzeVIOO94fkUzsrILu5HgJF-tt4g31HPdhWc5K31xO5i1qdotTZlZRDsoV4o0BcatHjf4N1RcDxYc3mvetGUSF44aC3VRqBmG6xJeiJvFCtlRFuBw8pZ-kini3BWwjkWKA7GPTfXiUIJN2fLTFbkoQ7ZRLO2IqD4eV7PrURCCr5hS4vAo_so728OupKSXDzAM10Kuzl6KjOS2AJiA==&c=vjLM8jgEraFbrDG0K93ko7JIEPjIxam-uIolsClT1prZ6Hg7ZaQfjw==&ch=oQ94HpTHPKNohQejvShF5OCPaM8T0_TeJDC3nbLsvA8s5dDmlosdjw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Boston Herald</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_4.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B7F426D9-3798-4F78-9FC5-CDB2AAC08F50/pastedGraphic_4.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>April Is Hottest on Record, by Wide Margin</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On May 15, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released data confirming that last month's global temperatures surpassed the hottest April on record by the largest margin ever recorded, making it very likely 2016 will become the warmest year on record. Record global temperatures over the past seven months have been partially attributed to a large El Nino weather pattern in the Pacific Ocean, although climate change is also contributing. Andy Pitman, director of ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science at the University of New South Wales in Australia, commented, "The interesting thing is the scale at which we're breaking records. It's clearly all heading in the wrong direction." April was the seventh consecutive month with land and sea temperatures at least 1 degree Celsius higher than average levels from between 1951-1980.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017G6FRD_iC2J8beqYH8B_a7lHc581h9iZ-npJhZ5t1jYajDOo5KTjTojL_lM8dDegMU3upbCBOmHPt1IGaqY3j5nEsL4Na_TvaavUZHY-0EvHB3sFMoN2u-RbMQR6Y7tU3bofIKUJnlwo5WFh7_yH5v5_kb4VWLb1aMaOx0uiMTX8uMXHu-T47miDsy4BZbnqG-myExCnbfSPrKq0-v6GPNOCvALxxfoIvUTcmbKk8en0u7pqYWimEROwS0u5hrvo2s5YoHDS3tB76ymN6w1jjuqz7vHm4Hs4jjBhvF6jB-M=&c=vjLM8jgEraFbrDG0K93ko7JIEPjIxam-uIolsClT1prZ6Hg7ZaQfjw==&ch=oQ94HpTHPKNohQejvShF5OCPaM8T0_TeJDC3nbLsvA8s5dDmlosdjw==">Guardian</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0017G6FRD_iC2J8beqYH8B_a7lHc581h9iZ-npJhZ5t1jYajDOo5KTjTojL_lM8dDego6M6glQlLtuj_EEZ5gcGda2XySYquFCT9UZseJ6LFG-ALTizDkjnp4Mxv85Pk29bxSxD09P_lFuZ6hA93BZZKPkacjD3kLrLjpJik-ueBUN7IkzjP5JCoqazES3SfA2VsWbfI6Qx05WhRbPU5SxndejJSLKZLtQdAKN-dzkbiAbi4-wUjQbTiw==&c=vjLM8jgEraFbrDG0K93ko7JIEPjIxam-uIolsClT1prZ6Hg7ZaQfjw==&ch=oQ94HpTHPKNohQejvShF5OCPaM8T0_TeJDC3nbLsvA8s5dDmlosdjw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">CNN</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_5.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B7F426D9-3798-4F78-9FC5-CDB2AAC08F50/pastedGraphic_5.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>United States Remains World's Top Oil and Natural Gas Producer</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On May 23, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) released new data revealing that the United States continues to be the world's largest producer of natural gas and petroleum, despite its greenhouse gas reduction targets and leadership in the Paris Climate Agreement. U.S. natural gas production surpassed other countries' production in 2011, while its petroleum hydrocarbon production took the top spot in 2013. Jonathan Koomey, a research fellow at Stanford University, commented, "The U.S. can lead the world in both climate action and crude oil production, but not for long. To preserve a stable climate we need to phase out fossil fuel consumption as fast as possible, starting as soon as possible."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001jmYIpkJPTY17DUnUPpjy0f5RYurOHTnxOQBAMNxQZW7XkQF4aKiaCorALFo7MDqG-qvhY3bt4PAZNhsQiSx5JRimdyjfTfeZgNF3lbph95aSQIc3COJqTNIKPp4nBTgyjx39cx1jIYr2RzwzVoY_90ogedIZF31Ic9OupusVBjWwo6S6LB29sG4_8eJKLn8q82ELn170XZhMpfAluMpGld-NuF8yYMHsUw29K_a6pQssvMMyZziX-3Oj_y6L8d2T&c=zHA2bkBtwanBhFKWWxMqx7N6sGKCF3of7NX293kw1PGi1j4itqsB0w==&ch=bPdmcOgxEDhZrN_FhzAI2ihxKeIjBXatuGPaztoTGecD7Dm9G4cqrw==">Climate Central</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">,<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001jmYIpkJPTY17DUnUPpjy0f5RYurOHTnxOQBAMNxQZW7XkQF4aKiaCorALFo7MDqGSEiZlE51r04pC4EN5bYMraPUWYOsSg0utzkPeOe0ko9RlnsUKLcWDWMP5Ulq2exQyNkclKVxDxYW9u5PGQurH5qhJIEoP5whXEMWYamgK1FdS73TnFStU6dAuNAqPFn7G1koJs2XKS4N2IAIXV96H63S8JRX8BHs&c=zHA2bkBtwanBhFKWWxMqx7N6sGKCF3of7NX293kw1PGi1j4itqsB0w==&ch=bPdmcOgxEDhZrN_FhzAI2ihxKeIjBXatuGPaztoTGecD7Dm9G4cqrw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> EIA</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_6.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B7F426D9-3798-4F78-9FC5-CDB2AAC08F50/pastedGraphic_6.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Rockefeller 100 Resilient Cities Program Announces 37 New Members</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On May 25, the Rockefeller Foundation's 100 Resilient Cities program announced 37 new members, bringing the global initiative's membership to 100 cities. The program aims to help cities become more resilient to physical, social, and economic challenges by providing resources to help them plan for natural disasters and lessen the day-to-day stresses on their resources. Judith Rodin, president of the Rockefeller Foundation, said "incorporating resilience planning and principles not only prepares cities for disasters and long-term threats, it also improves everyday living standards for all members of an urban community." The program said that it has received applications from more than 1,000 cities seeking to join the network. Michael Berkowitz, the president of the 100 Resilient Cities program, says, "We're using our 100 member cities as a first step - but ultimately we need to get all cities to understand that their differences are not that different."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001jmYIpkJPTY17DUnUPpjy0f5RYurOHTnxOQBAMNxQZW7XkQF4aKiaCorALFo7MDqG-07GBiy3mejtgBaALx1R3IZ4YHaG5AUv-7HhdD3lEGNyqKuZlAIHoL2Au-JIBwBdvaLnu-hKlNjRxfZ8zzAxBl5eVgo-sRwPA5xmio1maZIuemPySOvBuMKAAVw6oNcLi9s_f9dvsz7OUar2NIZCv6bwinhWGlqouBQSn8es3okbds6F-8rthapxCR6yhu3BspJ47hWgq5egdcEQcoyl298YOeTgI8NIbC4CPb6jqZxPvTekyA_FYT_Qa7CF9CBY_SadldOV1yGaopFl7H0r4gNDP2osb-5w&c=zHA2bkBtwanBhFKWWxMqx7N6sGKCF3of7NX293kw1PGi1j4itqsB0w==&ch=bPdmcOgxEDhZrN_FhzAI2ihxKeIjBXatuGPaztoTGecD7Dm9G4cqrw==">Guardian</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001jmYIpkJPTY17DUnUPpjy0f5RYurOHTnxOQBAMNxQZW7XkQF4aKiaCorALFo7MDqGdDgOF_EyL60IeZl71Jl67Nf0Mt6GTtIF4kDZzGE1s4Vyc36R4hmDdvvXhw6b1Fh3HMvMqyM052bY6JNYTBclLu0aCaPKS7h14NGBDb1rDzL5tI6Z0keEzAKDuqnnX0ekk3hb8mQATgrm1Yntvugho8h3WYtKl5IOodVpVrRyb74=&c=zHA2bkBtwanBhFKWWxMqx7N6sGKCF3of7NX293kw1PGi1j4itqsB0w==&ch=bPdmcOgxEDhZrN_FhzAI2ihxKeIjBXatuGPaztoTGecD7Dm9G4cqrw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Announcement</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_7.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B7F426D9-3798-4F78-9FC5-CDB2AAC08F50/pastedGraphic_7.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>ExxonMobil Shareholders Vote Down Climate Change Resolutions</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On May 25, ExxonMobil shareholders denied 10 proposals that would have helped the company participate in efforts to combat climate change. Investors voted down proposals that would have required ExxonMobil to publicly support the Paris Climate Agreement, produce annual reports on global warming's impact on its business, and select a climate change expert to sit on its board. ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson informed shareholders that despite $7 billion in investments in clean energy technology by the company, the breakthroughs required to make these technologies cost competitive with fossil fuels have not yet arrived. He explained, "Until we have those, just saying 'turn the taps off' is not acceptable to humanity." Shareholders did approve a resolution that will allow minority shareholders to nominate outside experts for a board seat, creating the possibility for a climate expert to join company management.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001jmYIpkJPTY17DUnUPpjy0f5RYurOHTnxOQBAMNxQZW7XkQF4aKiaCorALFo7MDqGb3uwRgzRVTA8qCBLuGJQjPyQ7hADa01jmFxTlPY4d-32ohuPkL8BeYKLeN2KIXYIttXqOSdNMnK4SKONTnQ5VnKhF18XeWUzqwFh8_w_osCa-GUy0ixN5J6xYmJyAha7Fk97GGVNUUley_N3_TLQC_OOEE8e6t-nSQZQAyo_SLmlb5zkg6TQNK3q1j_sc-BiaPma_1ctT7wOJseHFkjkHg==&c=zHA2bkBtwanBhFKWWxMqx7N6sGKCF3of7NX293kw1PGi1j4itqsB0w==&ch=bPdmcOgxEDhZrN_FhzAI2ihxKeIjBXatuGPaztoTGecD7Dm9G4cqrw==">The Hill</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">,<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001jmYIpkJPTY17DUnUPpjy0f5RYurOHTnxOQBAMNxQZW7XkQF4aKiaCorALFo7MDqGdIlodnYz9_7Yc0_F45i9F4jToorbAufIdNyACVblDuq0rfLFCgpogNuaSys__luLXeV7LFqOkb4lvkMw2hcodlmXMtOR0ZnM8K9NiLKctxHHbTUtbX_culANcg3s_kD90SAMuxZvHcfCmLEwKujxx99BrGPJyt0cxZ3gkypoeVrujjoGTj70hwXyMT-PpZlfD2JcM3C5snEsyrlACQ_Vmg==&c=zHA2bkBtwanBhFKWWxMqx7N6sGKCF3of7NX293kw1PGi1j4itqsB0w==&ch=bPdmcOgxEDhZrN_FhzAI2ihxKeIjBXatuGPaztoTGecD7Dm9G4cqrw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> Guardian</span></a>,<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001jmYIpkJPTY17DUnUPpjy0f5RYurOHTnxOQBAMNxQZW7XkQF4aKiaCorALFo7MDqGjcVKT-pqT5c_nOyb3DrZrCgN39JwDd2pzSrBRp0wg9FVBZEzc4lOgG6iihOgJf1S_2DALL0VHMUpMkZ0JL6XhV6VwMtrwmiu-99AwK9T_XC4-zGtw8578_iFghD6NPOv32aD9Cf7twKChBwF_BvaHIeKnChskI96bvyy7_Qq6bo=&c=zHA2bkBtwanBhFKWWxMqx7N6sGKCF3of7NX293kw1PGi1j4itqsB0w==&ch=bPdmcOgxEDhZrN_FhzAI2ihxKeIjBXatuGPaztoTGecD7Dm9G4cqrw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> Reuters</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_8.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B7F426D9-3798-4F78-9FC5-CDB2AAC08F50/pastedGraphic_8.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Oil and Gas Company Total Aims for Low-Carbon Business Future</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On May 24, Total S.A., one of the largest oil companies in the world, announced that it would now make investments based on a 2 degrees Celsius cap on warming, using a carbon pricing mechanism of $30 to $40 per ton. According to Total CEO Patrick Pouyanne, "COP21 was definitely a watershed... There will be a 'before' and 'after' COP21." Total's $130 billion portfolio will shift to include 20 percent renewables such as solar and biofuels by 2035, with 60 percent of holdings shifting to gas. Total will also reduce its footprint in more expensive oil plays, such as the Arctic and oil sands.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001jmYIpkJPTY17DUnUPpjy0f5RYurOHTnxOQBAMNxQZW7XkQF4aKiaCorALFo7MDqGjyUx1CsxuPgbInC6sijalnbhxyxYdgmC-1jv8748AKCQRAaBAhtF1ypOYJtSB-GMnIN7VPQVn-ATg-yZgjuQ0Mc93bhhtKu3JJq_dzDUwrSL5bd2yMo1cYgVxub7e1VZb4A4nwcFIDHGiXF5CeS38EUpn2HyESoioKJHpVVvDU6ux1oN9nDmkGwRzq2KtLMVETEeY5o6OEAHg1AJTsZZNQ==&c=zHA2bkBtwanBhFKWWxMqx7N6sGKCF3of7NX293kw1PGi1j4itqsB0w==&ch=bPdmcOgxEDhZrN_FhzAI2ihxKeIjBXatuGPaztoTGecD7Dm9G4cqrw==">Climate Home</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001jmYIpkJPTY17DUnUPpjy0f5RYurOHTnxOQBAMNxQZW7XkQF4aKiaCorALFo7MDqGrhIJjFrsjr1zn5Df7iS0yx5GirXOgzJ6jwMjS2DJXdNcRSg5PwwYmg_jBkcUQtKZgpOv0skVODcFHeqHpn4sKqC4jeiqlufqi5EMm0aZd6iWec2fqHYt0opULaaufu0LObXNxVQhjBU4lKNyUcJC1Tp44eu0AJCONA3VsobGoY7E1jmFvaNsHAYD7HrJZrN5gnwUbDUH7ZxOe-HlBjJePsVXSgw6MyrC&c=zHA2bkBtwanBhFKWWxMqx7N6sGKCF3of7NX293kw1PGi1j4itqsB0w==&ch=bPdmcOgxEDhZrN_FhzAI2ihxKeIjBXatuGPaztoTGecD7Dm9G4cqrw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Total</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_9.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B7F426D9-3798-4F78-9FC5-CDB2AAC08F50/pastedGraphic_9.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Report Says Fossil Fuel Investments Risky for Insurers</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On May 24, the non-profit group Ceres released a report, <i>Assets or Liabilities? Fossil Fuel Investments of Leading U.S. Insurers</i>, examining the risks of U.S. insurance companies, which have a combined total of half a trillion dollars invested in fossil fuels. Ceres reports that investing in fossil fuels could become increasingly risky; credit downgrades have hit 70 percent of publicly traded oil and gas companies in the past two years and global efforts to deal with climate change may further deaccelerate investments in fossil energy. The report finds that major insurance companies have between 4 to 10 percent of assets invested in fossil energy. According to Cynthia McHale, Director of Insurance Programs at Ceres, insurers "cannot afford to overlook this [risk]."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001jmYIpkJPTY17DUnUPpjy0f5RYurOHTnxOQBAMNxQZW7XkQF4aKiaCorALFo7MDqGfsLAbxv1y_x9TBwo1S2ZyOoesBQSgnc5P9bPhOotGgrQiUvEQshcjDLRzZSMRv4zulndFY5lznxYmMiibnQUsm07qH2BSeJYh_h4r8rAqLLvGtB1Vw7a8gENorN5BR2YaPpgnP-0y1N7WfK1sE05_kj1WI3ea7Guju_uaahh5mMY1uGfSzMQplW5qP9m6YC-51DvnKxZgogSGl8ckNi9EEYdYUrjVeToWJ4dqjHbI8oGQNx_F4QNVSu1BKKWnEpfX3oZws8_G7s=&c=zHA2bkBtwanBhFKWWxMqx7N6sGKCF3of7NX293kw1PGi1j4itqsB0w==&ch=bPdmcOgxEDhZrN_FhzAI2ihxKeIjBXatuGPaztoTGecD7Dm9G4cqrw==">InsideClimate News</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001jmYIpkJPTY17DUnUPpjy0f5RYurOHTnxOQBAMNxQZW7XkQF4aKiaCorALFo7MDqGCvqrWM3wUaZXL9yXtvTT2TIKZ1QhSIOsX2xissoAyK-ldt-l0bnzFd2824Fq3pnfkl0HnrF44wqIZw7ako0f_dg-Kr_J0BYWIYj_eSGIHOEj0ignvyh1z_G4VoVk9J8BN22u4GD-j7jS9YfE_TOioNjASLxn0U6y5Fh6hZH8MpGNXWARLt_nyIbzCShp9QgUehM_9vUtNh5sWHirUVon51HyA3dHOh-EDwTsvnXx4XA=&c=zHA2bkBtwanBhFKWWxMqx7N6sGKCF3of7NX293kw1PGi1j4itqsB0w==&ch=bPdmcOgxEDhZrN_FhzAI2ihxKeIjBXatuGPaztoTGecD7Dm9G4cqrw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Ceres</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On May 24, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), a U.S. service union organization with two million members, adopted a measure to prioritize climate change and environmental justice in both state and federal elections this year. SEIU International President Mary Kay Henry commented on the policy change, "SEIU members live and work in some of the most polluted zip codes in America and are part of communities that are most impacted by climate change. We know first-hand that our fights for economic, racial and immigrant justice are inextricably linked to the fight for environmental justice." The news comes on the heels of a dispute between labor unions and the AFL-CIO, with some member organizations calling for the AFL-CIO to cut ties with Tom Steyer, who has invested millions in making climate change a priority in the 2016 elections.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001jmYIpkJPTY17DUnUPpjy0f5RYurOHTnxOQBAMNxQZW7XkQF4aKiaCorALFo7MDqGoTSBz9KjNifhTqYA6mt8Z2JhhmSuKDOca2gTO1qdGlieri0t1CnZ0ewoG9yN0dbY79bZg0EZDTLpoyfsD-nzr-L224h4Q74nONdKO8BTtW-OX_UO7IHeL-P7aCWwJp3NOwjW61eWDHfNaEYA8L1s0aK2v8jvMVFFac79YAslfarDP98QidF3_uWDl_GbbMgOJSXg2v9sC11N7vu8nkp3iA==&c=zHA2bkBtwanBhFKWWxMqx7N6sGKCF3of7NX293kw1PGi1j4itqsB0w==&ch=bPdmcOgxEDhZrN_FhzAI2ihxKeIjBXatuGPaztoTGecD7Dm9G4cqrw==">The Guardian </a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_11.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B7F426D9-3798-4F78-9FC5-CDB2AAC08F50/pastedGraphic_11.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Coral Located in Deeper Waters May Be More Resistant to Bleaching</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On May 24, the United Nations (U.N.) released a report urging more extensive research into the resiliency of deeper reef structures. Scientists hope coral species located in deeper waters (40-150 meters deep) will be less impacted by mass bleaching events. A spike in global ocean temperatures over the past year, the result of climate change and a record El Niño, has led to bleaching events that have affected 93 percent of the Great Barrier Reef. According to the University of Sydney's Elaine Baker, one of 35 authors of the U.N. report, "More research needs to be done to firmly establish the role of mesospheric coral ecosystems (MCEs) in preserving our reefs; they aren't a silver bullet but they might be able to resist the most immediate impacts of climate change."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In related news, on May 26 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) released a report, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001jmYIpkJPTY17DUnUPpjy0f5RYurOHTnxOQBAMNxQZW7XkQF4aKiaCorALFo7MDqGra2VpyvYqU5QA2J3Cs_et8FE0yX7lkCKKfta2svGUhAD_BUks9D_3ZUtuB6yuq-cEO67aRB9Fzl5Q2JQ7OAIG-a-YEOYmL8WRxxqzxW0pjFfGBSuofmH-a-LfcZGTlRbnRcv59GnI9Q=&c=zHA2bkBtwanBhFKWWxMqx7N6sGKCF3of7NX293kw1PGi1j4itqsB0w==&ch=bPdmcOgxEDhZrN_FhzAI2ihxKeIjBXatuGPaztoTGecD7Dm9G4cqrw=="><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>World Heritage and Tourism in a Changing Climate.</i></span></a> The report names 31 World Heritage sites at particular risk due to climate change. According to <i>The Guardian</i>, the Australian Department of Environment objected to the inclusion of the Great Barrier Reef in a draft of the report, forcing that section to be removed from the final report. An Australian government spokesman explained, "Recent experience in Australia had shown that negative commentary about the status of world heritage properties impacted on tourism."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001jmYIpkJPTY17DUnUPpjy0f5RYurOHTnxOQBAMNxQZW7XkQF4aKiaCorALFo7MDqGDeRyUBKT8FcnFbk3gt7mPeunyC1HZc4VBTtWg5NsrBTBjy-4H1UGx9lkN0tWxcRs6pBmwZiRqMNV6bXk9tPeL8tUxN0amsHIAWICtfNf56PU5zSBRKIyOG402jpQAAUCa37t75AOEXnwQGciKQrQZnzLUvhrCghkoXY-ildkb9Ni3f56raISUpFCxxsNAUL5eX2M5dgfKFlm6DYhMFoRgBaDewntMXSxQIFX5yHfPnACAn0-17XdxgwhPiw_L207zwbK7X5BShNght1QRrYCeA==&c=zHA2bkBtwanBhFKWWxMqx7N6sGKCF3of7NX293kw1PGi1j4itqsB0w==&ch=bPdmcOgxEDhZrN_FhzAI2ihxKeIjBXatuGPaztoTGecD7Dm9G4cqrw==">Sydney Morning Herald,</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001jmYIpkJPTY17DUnUPpjy0f5RYurOHTnxOQBAMNxQZW7XkQF4aKiaCorALFo7MDqGSomJ0LiZlt5wWonZbJumVfJasDP97qbqsckeyZ8Tue31CdsiTOskfpTNI36HIK1VPhpEwBzmCWY3n94_7wuxtpQFLrtA8vlCB2SXKsSJuaZmJFJQLPomE84vVcMWmq5wSWTXJMYcS3olrYfKDiCmYdfZoUTlBFumkw4jMyF7_2xLnhUGCeaPHZ8kgVEVNxKynyrOlqq8DRXiNUIPujO4dWOozuTKoaGTQrLH2zplTA18s7rFIoABFHeUtcwPWDuq&c=zHA2bkBtwanBhFKWWxMqx7N6sGKCF3of7NX293kw1PGi1j4itqsB0w==&ch=bPdmcOgxEDhZrN_FhzAI2ihxKeIjBXatuGPaztoTGecD7Dm9G4cqrw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Guardian</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001jmYIpkJPTY17DUnUPpjy0f5RYurOHTnxOQBAMNxQZW7XkQF4aKiaCorALFo7MDqGJeuctmg5ZcjgnalksgUb1SGRmfLJlpwAoupvoZ9NItPYFimLbNVQfcaesZOQ4M6Fiq6H3b9lBFAsotBRmYKWaB1wjXDXoMfBgze_02MlGrkmtp-MELMjmVP__IsLJ3gxWivOKJdeTCkkDMa-rIZRMl2idDu8AR0ybzGNVqeV2XRdTAyeLFi3TVs7tTfxfAbXVTE5f2dXtDE=&c=zHA2bkBtwanBhFKWWxMqx7N6sGKCF3of7NX293kw1PGi1j4itqsB0w==&ch=bPdmcOgxEDhZrN_FhzAI2ihxKeIjBXatuGPaztoTGecD7Dm9G4cqrw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">U.N. Coral Report</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001jmYIpkJPTY17DUnUPpjy0f5RYurOHTnxOQBAMNxQZW7XkQF4aKiaCorALFo7MDqGra2VpyvYqU5QA2J3Cs_et8FE0yX7lkCKKfta2svGUhAD_BUks9D_3ZUtuB6yuq-cEO67aRB9Fzl5Q2JQ7OAIG-a-YEOYmL8WRxxqzxW0pjFfGBSuofmH-a-LfcZGTlRbnRcv59GnI9Q=&c=zHA2bkBtwanBhFKWWxMqx7N6sGKCF3of7NX293kw1PGi1j4itqsB0w==&ch=bPdmcOgxEDhZrN_FhzAI2ihxKeIjBXatuGPaztoTGecD7Dm9G4cqrw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">UNESCO Report</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On May 23, <i>Nature Climate Change </i>published a study which models the climatic impact of emitting five trillion metric tons of carbon - the amount contained in a conservative estimate of Earth's fossil fuel reserves. Led by researchers from the University of Victoria in Canada, the study was designed to model a true worst-case scenario. The authors found that releasing this amount of carbon in the atmosphere would raise average global surface temperatures by 8 degrees Celsius (14.4 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2300. The impact would be more pronounced in the Arctic, where average temperatures would rise by 17 degrees Celsius (30.6 degrees F). The most severe projection from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assumes only two trillion metric tons of carbon released by 2100, raising global temperatures by 2.6-4.8 degrees Celsius. "The fixation on what happens by the year 2100 is unhealthy and ignores the large risks that become apparent when thinking on longer time scales and with a more complete treatment of real physical and biological processes," said Matthew Huber, an Earth scientist unaffiliated with the study.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001jmYIpkJPTY17DUnUPpjy0f5RYurOHTnxOQBAMNxQZW7XkQF4aKiaCorALFo7MDqGIrJCrNy3xkPu1PP6Wn_fhcqBJpe_RIH_dlDT5irwInhD-vSV2T75ZFaAAFfjBy00u4rBcfYNPR7U5d4T-YarKOPu2U8XphLLPjOz3whLxRrPo4GThkVGNQvDuV34M3WW9aPjptLRHMQi9U6JT0rm77FdMRJmHICmJ8ckoetQZwADB3qt2eDGG-WjAFTxQV8Mt_YwMothaY42KAVAguU44yeilnCJAiBFyS5dDcCyS-4=&c=zHA2bkBtwanBhFKWWxMqx7N6sGKCF3of7NX293kw1PGi1j4itqsB0w==&ch=bPdmcOgxEDhZrN_FhzAI2ihxKeIjBXatuGPaztoTGecD7Dm9G4cqrw==">Guardian</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001jmYIpkJPTY17DUnUPpjy0f5RYurOHTnxOQBAMNxQZW7XkQF4aKiaCorALFo7MDqG785b3QdyXhN_v9KK-D13jvaAIltARPEC3vnGiIEWdOz7KNdC1tRp_80HaUbQb27czR4iozqYjSfix1ZqOeO40YdVQH5sUKysW0RFNf9SR4TvCJOLZmMiTl2lb0F3_LpK_reVq-90jw8AS7vNNXoB9OCen4k59WvcStf3HRxsWYpMn-clYsVf4pXmOHplUces5YfrT74ZYHA=&c=zHA2bkBtwanBhFKWWxMqx7N6sGKCF3of7NX293kw1PGi1j4itqsB0w==&ch=bPdmcOgxEDhZrN_FhzAI2ihxKeIjBXatuGPaztoTGecD7Dm9G4cqrw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">National Geographic</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001jmYIpkJPTY17DUnUPpjy0f5RYurOHTnxOQBAMNxQZW7XkQF4aKiaCorALFo7MDqG6lWl-FTflDlzL11jTcuxl1g1fDUQ15Eooi5Tncc7yTTbMp55WkPovJrz4WuGLB3gPLLmOXn0FcWExKWFmQjRyqS0gYp6m7Kqjzy72S1M1iByZdugHSqiOWY6PJitVKJJNUBKp5QArNWhhGbZLpgbHw2HSBeHpD1voRiBcwYVbIApMQots0XLY89sCiHRFHsr&c=zHA2bkBtwanBhFKWWxMqx7N6sGKCF3of7NX293kw1PGi1j4itqsB0w==&ch=bPdmcOgxEDhZrN_FhzAI2ihxKeIjBXatuGPaztoTGecD7Dm9G4cqrw=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Study</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE:</b> There is no doubt in my mind that increasing earth’s global average surface temperature by 8 degrees C would be an unmitigated disaster. Burning all of the world’s fossil fuels is a prescription for mass suicide on a global scale. To see what changes are likely to occur - based on be best available science, as the earth’s temperature is increased in 1-degree steps up to 6 degrees C - I recommend the book <b>Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet</b>, by Mark Lynas, published by the <b><i>National Geographic Society</i></b> in 2008.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 2, during the Clean Energy Ministerial in San Francisco, the United States and 20 other countries announced they were going to double public funding for research and development in clean energy from $15 billion to $30 billion annually by 2021 to support a "transition to a clean energy future," according to Dan Utech, deputy assistant to the president for energy and environment. The pledge expands on last year's Mission Innovation announcement by adding the European Union, 10 subnational governments, and close to 60 companies and organizations, and increasing the funding target from the original baseline of $10 billion annually.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001M1mZvhsUdRg0eJPwDms-ZQmZUvokRxJ1M_z_2GKo4Bz7mVrJvifedWBalOAMaTkBAMlSsHjpiL5myCI_iYEYf0SuqX9ikz-an15agCtm1X9JcvmEhPrUqUzDmy-EtIFbSge2R8oKdYwTF1nbGiU4B9lg6rzGVxghZxHSLUZxZo4ELTEAE6s0ApSMYx8aUQBjcyrQRsPWE16WkxePX-Y2UU6wU8IawqWGEBlpMXbrCOiU6hj-TPUQXuIkpNAF4llUTA6_51mi7iuTvG8YlcQ7_XHAjydCiddul18BMwLa2IdaOgNUm8ZsRA==&c=SKqyC5ULi6uGH8IObWR3j18MxWP_LIkNbkJC8kGmrJGO0zjC_ag2YQ==&ch=5wSY4ZjHsXX5e-bCCtbzQrc6pV4g8LGLiEEuVC8rxnoh3vtwzf91tg=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">USA Today</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001M1mZvhsUdRg0eJPwDms-ZQmZUvokRxJ1M_z_2GKo4Bz7mVrJvifedWBalOAMaTkBM2HKj61HKbfKZAkbx-FKPiq83P0A3uAPeMU2NcwIwWIShRVCKYBKgGIxUJlMRZBa2cGtwnfR84rkaZ4t3KKQO7RBjOQCkZ2X5dunQzFuS_uJIdcPMN0S2USQ2FJQc8wT3g4YWE3DC7AhF1npzHPNCLHxZppLoHfxGs-2C0B9xQTXkVqZ5YfI3GAyqtkoAPSH-NpUx5it2DpCx6y6Mq3L9jGQI_Zl5zSQFxELlOYqKhT01sFBobi0II-3HzEckLDY&c=SKqyC5ULi6uGH8IObWR3j18MxWP_LIkNbkJC8kGmrJGO0zjC_ag2YQ==&ch=5wSY4ZjHsXX5e-bCCtbzQrc6pV4g8LGLiEEuVC8rxnoh3vtwzf91tg=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Press Release</span></a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 2, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a non-partisan agency of the federal government, released a report warning policymakers about the risks and implications for the federal government that climate change poses. The report focuses on the probable "significant" increase in hurricane damage in the next few decades, due to human-caused climate change, finding that the growth in hurricane damage will outpace the U.S. ability to pay for it - despite CBO expectations that U.S. GDP will be four times as large in 2075 as it is now. CBO recommends strategies for mitigating the risks climate change poses, including a "coordinated effort to significantly reduce global emissions," as well as international action to reduce emissions.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001M1mZvhsUdRg0eJPwDms-ZQmZUvokRxJ1M_z_2GKo4Bz7mVrJvifedWBalOAMaTkBhUurtdYzOjVrsbrtB8grBxJc8wfYoVMIKTzOnkCqi6d2KATSzyeMyxAP-R_dvnzqt5OheSRHyKw7xL2KwUFXCa66iVRGcFwnTWO6ZtB0tN72-aia7_5ZxEN0M1M19Ek8NbD8CrakQOzh3sk036fd8fTwk1sL6JbLrbN-mk_kAL_2IL1lMd7ypA==&c=SKqyC5ULi6uGH8IObWR3j18MxWP_LIkNbkJC8kGmrJGO0zjC_ag2YQ==&ch=5wSY4ZjHsXX5e-bCCtbzQrc6pV4g8LGLiEEuVC8rxnoh3vtwzf91tg==">Politico</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001M1mZvhsUdRg0eJPwDms-ZQmZUvokRxJ1M_z_2GKo4Bz7mVrJvifedWBalOAMaTkBvXVX_c4JA4zxl2ytw2r-zDc8rWH7eR5ZDz8Ha8oEtDLNDhc_H07ptlEqUfX0MvLkYGVj5VbWcT7Xpx1hK65MeluL-BCIoVG9v8AR2g_RgCzKW-P5efEVlKGidTpKfIuYdB6LiQOeeDjg2rZa2bHTNiK0m3nL5AeXqR3F8NZY_EG-8IPMuAjqM2PCvx5rssrSK8-Xc6qnUjsFPWarsZbOrJFn6yvOFDeX&c=SKqyC5ULi6uGH8IObWR3j18MxWP_LIkNbkJC8kGmrJGO0zjC_ag2YQ==&ch=5wSY4ZjHsXX5e-bCCtbzQrc6pV4g8LGLiEEuVC8rxnoh3vtwzf91tg=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Report</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_14.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B7F426D9-3798-4F78-9FC5-CDB2AAC08F50/pastedGraphic_14.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>EPA Publishes Methane Regulation in Federal Register</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 3, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its methane regulations in the Federal Register for new, reconstructed and modified sources in the oil and natural gas sector. Once rules are officially published, Congress has 60 days in which it can use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to pass a joint resolution of disapproval, and opponents may file suit. The regulation will come into force on August 2, 2016. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, warming the atmosphere 84 times more than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In related news on June 2, the American Lung Association (ALA) published a new poll showing that 60 percent of Americans support regulations on methane from new and modified sources in the oil and gas sector. Support for the rule is strong in all parts of the United States, as well as among both men and women.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001M1mZvhsUdRg0eJPwDms-ZQmZUvokRxJ1M_z_2GKo4Bz7mVrJvifedWBalOAMaTkBjC2zqvnHZ5dCVqohbxRCRrSXamIeTL9_aMBoqrzuVTvZ5F_a0SVe4a91qtZ8gJDp-eeFVpEExsRYIdjtJ2P9_eLLQszMjr12aiICanNez5x9QQ8rxWu-fJd_VveUvh5HMCIyzD08w6k_sTHW0aK8ypXStMizkZIvGgS7xKW8ZYd15ievP8tcjQwivoVETRsdf-22Xiizhg_uzM42kicMu-3skHNyLggebKOSaNzXWeXmdq6ggCi6cV0j6EQYjklHMrVh3MbYkU_Zw5KoodBDbB5smY48uwZJ&c=SKqyC5ULi6uGH8IObWR3j18MxWP_LIkNbkJC8kGmrJGO0zjC_ag2YQ==&ch=5wSY4ZjHsXX5e-bCCtbzQrc6pV4g8LGLiEEuVC8rxnoh3vtwzf91tg==">Federal Register</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001M1mZvhsUdRg0eJPwDms-ZQmZUvokRxJ1M_z_2GKo4Bz7mVrJvifedWBalOAMaTkBZqDbg6nIdkGIfC2g_uyTmFDHUrAHKJuUnImWZLP8gTq6VVwMT5uIy_6hKTMAsw3Whbt5_k8vOZDE9-uQIhKg4VB-bqG7aPv6EVEWxeALTdvIQkvMNZ5xUW6Rnb293QQM5ifbFMyZ4fssWjrLi5wyecvGI2pSdwd2w9EXNmiGxMlLrH6JSwdt1K7b5-7MmwlB8CNDGIp5nURI5TqgjWUjG7CZdD0nYUJg0ELbhHLoxsSST1uNTxPssAPiTm3A2zR0eqOgsVRmUrw=&c=SKqyC5ULi6uGH8IObWR3j18MxWP_LIkNbkJC8kGmrJGO0zjC_ag2YQ==&ch=5wSY4ZjHsXX5e-bCCtbzQrc6pV4g8LGLiEEuVC8rxnoh3vtwzf91tg=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">ALA Press Release</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_15.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B7F426D9-3798-4F78-9FC5-CDB2AAC08F50/pastedGraphic_15.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Washington, Oregon, California and British Columbia Sign Climate Pact</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 2, Washington, California, Oregon, British Columbia and five major West Coast cities all signed onto the Pacific North America Climate Leadership Agreement, which calls for the respective governments to work to cut greenhouse gas emissions and increase clean energy and energy efficiency, among other measures. Other key elements of the agreement include expanding the use of zero-emission vehicles; developing a West Coast electric vehicle charging network; increasing distributed renewable energy; and increasing composting. The agreement, which seeks to fulfill goals set in the Paris Climate Agreement, was signed at the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM7) held in San Francisco.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001M1mZvhsUdRg0eJPwDms-ZQmZUvokRxJ1M_z_2GKo4Bz7mVrJvifedWBalOAMaTkBI6BrFzKl3nqdk_06I9K0h-qmB7V7Hexf67mj9NBrh6jqXhuFAhz5uc-zQ3bqQy9IxXJfCcvLaVgNlRXkTn8hQ28foWKs6eFU7SA80OVkdqgatxyXyEvLOi8RZklM_vxTSNG9GMSVDp92GbOcSDlDiy02LCc3Ge0euWLbotQcgvn1nMztfMF_vLJncz12KvL_HsE-CDx3ioti8DmfF9C6YXP_fRel2YaWBQfWPx737jg=&c=SKqyC5ULi6uGH8IObWR3j18MxWP_LIkNbkJC8kGmrJGO0zjC_ag2YQ==&ch=5wSY4ZjHsXX5e-bCCtbzQrc6pV4g8LGLiEEuVC8rxnoh3vtwzf91tg==">CBCNews</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001M1mZvhsUdRg0eJPwDms-ZQmZUvokRxJ1M_z_2GKo4Bz7mVrJvifedWBalOAMaTkB77_EZLC0CrzbhIHBvOpywMhTfDVnbKBJW9gCIn8guVXBH4CYZuQeeOexAp9nMAmW9O5RHXHXgMPgc237ddiIBtItfYAaNqQJ9wrTyyGk4Ph8L9S0KnVbiMn0FYcvTSBnmOVrwkNxluQ0UqLUakHAhw==&c=SKqyC5ULi6uGH8IObWR3j18MxWP_LIkNbkJC8kGmrJGO0zjC_ag2YQ==&ch=5wSY4ZjHsXX5e-bCCtbzQrc6pV4g8LGLiEEuVC8rxnoh3vtwzf91tg=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">NewsRelease</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_16.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B7F426D9-3798-4F78-9FC5-CDB2AAC08F50/pastedGraphic_16.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Washington Releases Plan to Cut Emissions from Large Polluters</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 1, Washington State's Department of Ecology released an updated proposed rule to require about 70 of the state's largest industrial emitters of greenhouse gases to gradually cut emissions, at an average level of 1.7 percent annually. The companies can comply by sponsoring projects to cut emissions; purchasing emission reduction units from approved markets; or directly reducing emissions. The plan covers seven kinds of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane. The rule, planned to come into effect in January, will initially apply to 20 facilities and will expand to 70 over time.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001M1mZvhsUdRg0eJPwDms-ZQmZUvokRxJ1M_z_2GKo4Bz7mVrJvifedWBalOAMaTkBz5Ns65tzzo8zFPpcqYcLQHkpLBp2IRMahdzNZYqp5T4XtqQ2j3T4QLifGPm30KCtyW87xFQ9Sn8GX04XEqpu0LWkDMlnGsq6lV74mLfjCw87-aOZR4HQdAZEUgrWV59GddRbzHVSVo-xa9NIsKHP3Y71dn1ElQbRtSdOWd_nH5D9-HTpANzxDWaDxQ7x0AgvGqfDIFPYROUTGloXCVTXwnZtg-4s4-xcyNjge30XUoONxEsGli564g==&c=SKqyC5ULi6uGH8IObWR3j18MxWP_LIkNbkJC8kGmrJGO0zjC_ag2YQ==&ch=5wSY4ZjHsXX5e-bCCtbzQrc6pV4g8LGLiEEuVC8rxnoh3vtwzf91tg==">SeattleTimes</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001M1mZvhsUdRg0eJPwDms-ZQmZUvokRxJ1M_z_2GKo4Bz7mVrJvifedWBalOAMaTkB4ZNhM-qNCBv4NAlp0bsekF1xoVN2X71QpGQhgFhGeL7SitE8ZDLMSmyevUnQr1qxVSq_IwUq65D9Zzyh0CT6RO9Y4aU6uYfJjXRx-6EKh_mQ-G64ppSdXUbAyd2cqd7J_xJfoomUMx-De-B1V03WWxJqZVYUmfySo_G8bEgJqkpd40HDg1eYdRRjc1mCb2oKb2x70HzVI04tO4FTg8pUb46nv3ajAgg_ZGGvZGNePwnCNkxBrHHuug==&c=SKqyC5ULi6uGH8IObWR3j18MxWP_LIkNbkJC8kGmrJGO0zjC_ag2YQ==&ch=5wSY4ZjHsXX5e-bCCtbzQrc6pV4g8LGLiEEuVC8rxnoh3vtwzf91tg=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">King5</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001M1mZvhsUdRg0eJPwDms-ZQmZUvokRxJ1M_z_2GKo4Bz7mVrJvifedWBalOAMaTkBGTfy9t-UZJmqPN8Ioxu7uM5tb6Brfq5laX2tHIGFXYtaonxmfGHVdyal55Y92LgFGaMsoTMA_4QFmVKksVBMqfCBg-5TFNmuDgqmr3_wOPiICmiNSG2zjtzy5gv0bQ2R4TVhJbVzZtA=&c=SKqyC5ULi6uGH8IObWR3j18MxWP_LIkNbkJC8kGmrJGO0zjC_ag2YQ==&ch=5wSY4ZjHsXX5e-bCCtbzQrc6pV4g8LGLiEEuVC8rxnoh3vtwzf91tg=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Press Release</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_17.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B7F426D9-3798-4F78-9FC5-CDB2AAC08F50/pastedGraphic_17.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>G7 Pledges to End Fossil Fuel Subsidies by 2025</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On May 27, the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the European Union (a non-enumerated member) set a deadline to end fossil fuel subsidies by 2025. It is the first such deadline to be agreed to by the G7 nations. Fossil fuel subsidies have already been decreasing in most G7 nations, due in part to falling commodity prices, although the United Kingdom recently increased subsidies for oil projects and Japan has been funding new coal projects. Research fellow Shelagh Whitley at the Overseas Development Institute called the G7 deadline historic but also warns, "We already see [some in] the G7 going in the wrong direction since Paris. Just because they are saying this [about fossil fuel subsidies], it's not a <i>fait accompli</i>."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001M1mZvhsUdRg0eJPwDms-ZQmZUvokRxJ1M_z_2GKo4Bz7mVrJvifedWBalOAMaTkBuYrRxyFTXFVUq1jZ8GXRKEfTrDpcKY0e-8VtG2IZWPv_Cm_mnjVcJ7xy-lNz_HOIjaW7l0H5G51ABdOqP7JMIx0XOGBKQSrGH4IqHshcPS1qVTQ3paJvsgx8upZO6Le_40IJZ82h6pti-4LDrwHWHa4ppqi53Zg5D35faW3k44Mj--ifmj4xauRuKYcGH_4PDocfF3El7f_ASvNQJKCMfi5GZjjXN7kfVmPh4IApd17rUptO4NsNIj2UyqAQ1GLXLTepgdb2k-eUvaSUPt6z463AjzHGL6C0vQrgdGyuMOuDXSQcwrXR2eNyY6LVguiDZJkklpIAOuk9l05QohV682Yx2rnEi9X656w_vfdfs46QBKHV3ezXO2TDoy8V_OoPcbuTHe7zfWZ5JCZcKdlidWCQ8l7zTHCxqhntrcsdX84BmzcgColY4V69_-4b5rJy&c=SKqyC5ULi6uGH8IObWR3j18MxWP_LIkNbkJC8kGmrJGO0zjC_ag2YQ==&ch=5wSY4ZjHsXX5e-bCCtbzQrc6pV4g8LGLiEEuVC8rxnoh3vtwzf91tg==">Guardian</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001M1mZvhsUdRg0eJPwDms-ZQmZUvokRxJ1M_z_2GKo4Bz7mVrJvifedWBalOAMaTkBjWHR-bFfcFR4u44spQbyihZ60K4nJfUU3p86GN9Ef2gdoeU8FfiTFQ6IT3MIZl6_EBPDudiobFppQ0BGTd9u4bVdPiP4zkMbwtUrS2cetdMOU7iy-0xO7ug7JGwXy4K9JyXqlxtrCkI=&c=SKqyC5ULi6uGH8IObWR3j18MxWP_LIkNbkJC8kGmrJGO0zjC_ag2YQ==&ch=5wSY4ZjHsXX5e-bCCtbzQrc6pV4g8LGLiEEuVC8rxnoh3vtwzf91tg=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Declaration</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE:</b> It’s good news that major countries have agreed to end fossil fuel subsidies. Providing financial incentives to develop and burn fossil fuels is like shooting yourself in the foot. According to the <a href="http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/resources/energysubsidies/"><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">International Energy Agency</span></a>, the value of fossil fuel subsidies worldwide was $493 billion in 2014 - over four times the subsidies for renewable energy sources. Is this dumb, or what?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_18.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B7F426D9-3798-4F78-9FC5-CDB2AAC08F50/pastedGraphic_18.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Analysis Shows China's Emissions to Hold Steady During 2016</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On May 31, an analysis of China's energy strategy by Greenpeace concluded that the country's coal use would fall and greenhouse gas emissions would hold steady in 2016. Greenpeace Analyst Lauri Myllyvirta says that by 2020 China's carbon emissions and coal use could be 10 percent below the targets the government set in 2014, putting the world's leading carbon emitter ahead of schedule. China also surpassed its target for solar and wind energy installed capacity by 40 gigawatts in 2015, putting them on track to reach their 2020 target more than two years in advance. According to Myllyvirta, "All of this means that China's coal use and CO2 emissions are going to keep falling much sooner and faster than anyone expected."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001M1mZvhsUdRg0eJPwDms-ZQmZUvokRxJ1M_z_2GKo4Bz7mVrJvifedWBalOAMaTkB9aUuZ0wWetaYokK1uZaEwFFWVOrPEq7YpNQbTNXRxKCyqG8LyTdkH1-8FH5YX5bN27tjLLJFbg5JEidCMrMidYxbQB-SKapmu6hohc46sVKk09TL4L9HffHUlUT67cZBEWpTVHWFOlx_FhTxp2rar6QLNPl37h4jAkMgLKkYigl8K35B42STyQc2ozCiFwJk-zXM3EOcsiprJ5EtQbLcd7rOZFUHMbev&c=SKqyC5ULi6uGH8IObWR3j18MxWP_LIkNbkJC8kGmrJGO0zjC_ag2YQ==&ch=5wSY4ZjHsXX5e-bCCtbzQrc6pV4g8LGLiEEuVC8rxnoh3vtwzf91tg==">Greenpeace</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001M1mZvhsUdRg0eJPwDms-ZQmZUvokRxJ1M_z_2GKo4Bz7mVrJvifedWBalOAMaTkBEsyE6biEyuRqoJ3hMIhMN1ZZc4HodAfolEs_nZJf1P3LnrTejaw0nRn8bK4uNcrTphm7p_mbvWgMcgPA4GGf2wxroWZIMQQMTr57aKtyinZxd1ofA79SHESNeJX-uCQvkvJrHkQOcU7x1Lc9lDkmgNg3-RcOup_HshmQku_s8P0_bL-1AliirmYkYx5giT1oDMDX6ltxZhfjqLP9e26Zt98Na2jSxeTr&c=SKqyC5ULi6uGH8IObWR3j18MxWP_LIkNbkJC8kGmrJGO0zjC_ag2YQ==&ch=5wSY4ZjHsXX5e-bCCtbzQrc6pV4g8LGLiEEuVC8rxnoh3vtwzf91tg=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">CCN</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_19.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B7F426D9-3798-4F78-9FC5-CDB2AAC08F50/pastedGraphic_19.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>United States and India Agree on Paris Climate Agreement Push</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 7, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi met with President Obama and made new commitments on climate change. Modi pledged to ratify the Paris Climate Agreement this year, and Obama reaffirmed the intent of the United States to join the Agreement as soon as possible. Modi and Obama also agreed to work together on controlling hydrofluorocarbons (a group of chemicals used as refrigerants that are potent greenhouse gases), low-emissions development strategies, and tackling airline emissions through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">After meeting with Obama, Modi went to Congress on June 8 to discuss the partnership between India and the United States on climate change. Modi told Congress that "the protection of environment and caring for the planet is central to [Indians'] shared vision of a just world."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00191jBiZRhSmxniTOKvJ0urrV-h4YQMmAW6D4EBXDYAEdyHwGCxSenmHg8Pi2srZQWuGbgIRMH27Cspi4B_c4HXNxeDj1BqTsK7e9GJeuNWrv9fknZ1_TnxlHoYsjqsnT-_brmhp-3x11js-9Ah4c55ISZkB840u_tuXu9mue-k7QuwbubtZOl1FR5op0qFiXYHuWMnQ_klIWsUjoVw7y1YIGMzGmv9Z1nOKdZGWa7Mdl5Rn6g_4l0XDjjKV8Im3GiNVFCZSL9ST-p8S_d5GT4rmRQ5RbzlZNjwDAF73sE4knwO6vb5J9A6ukQri3DRoJs&c=H8nDvsmb3jEMfMuPDeEX4IIrT35jlXXIXWPqs2ehlIQSRKW8-UWeVA==&ch=cVSCwq5X3gJ1nXHS8A3Ztzi19CIctrshIQvsYt3tgD62EWsZPTXLBA==">Joint Statement</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00191jBiZRhSmxniTOKvJ0urrV-h4YQMmAW6D4EBXDYAEdyHwGCxSenmHg8Pi2srZQWxiSYqLqfxgde1MPBC67urO7vJPma_Z71e7KmhvKKAOX7EVC5Si2Yi7YtyOuPg2emN89k6b2YIWyd2pyn-JRWLxZ0wEYwkX7R8-QY0INOYU0-oly0xC0WWhNuahUFmSzMPV5LJXC9hlaj-RLcusHfZNQg6h5vdipP4tCXQmqeMHV_xdsHQmMocywwMV6MPuQ7-9MJOavkz2UDqfcHGLi3nLcrs3ohcDZE9ICPRFGhZrDtmWuZrevhpoBx1y2cxHHu3L_lypW7KNQ=&c=H8nDvsmb3jEMfMuPDeEX4IIrT35jlXXIXWPqs2ehlIQSRKW8-UWeVA==&ch=cVSCwq5X3gJ1nXHS8A3Ztzi19CIctrshIQvsYt3tgD62EWsZPTXLBA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">USA Today</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00191jBiZRhSmxniTOKvJ0urrV-h4YQMmAW6D4EBXDYAEdyHwGCxSenmHg8Pi2srZQWALVlwELxQcISh0_HCI9DNPzDC3it1841RwAbqRUXQbXFxzRfGPGgqkkLVUMv0oFJQVDmQ-GrCrmislIuFVXC8Q7KEAV9qa2oVLFRt8VnIRXVwjfsRkupJyAGc9IrDeUT83k4s4wIKVOZtJZQksaJ2IdZOxMhT6WoW4sIesaXbPSPw45o3b_c1NofEH7QDTPK1DJVAtSVl9hfjcGXIIpP2U2I564qppnhCVr-_nxYZR0=&c=H8nDvsmb3jEMfMuPDeEX4IIrT35jlXXIXWPqs2ehlIQSRKW8-UWeVA==&ch=cVSCwq5X3gJ1nXHS8A3Ztzi19CIctrshIQvsYt3tgD62EWsZPTXLBA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The Hill</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00191jBiZRhSmxniTOKvJ0urrV-h4YQMmAW6D4EBXDYAEdyHwGCxSenmHg8Pi2srZQW3zBBUWiUr3uKtaTQLjwAWx8vURD25XFy8zI1vVoDW9lJBV0eQrQXf6yChdPADpMzu7KiCNY9RiKvvahMk2-lmbBBYC05qR9qRmseLrm5eIsFUKHiU2rN56e_IDm1HKhHg7LBRS9q2MT3u-g1GOL35Uai1vffAWxuOjbk6M5I6EqVp6dvtylD95MsMr88ANCR&c=H8nDvsmb3jEMfMuPDeEX4IIrT35jlXXIXWPqs2ehlIQSRKW8-UWeVA==&ch=cVSCwq5X3gJ1nXHS8A3Ztzi19CIctrshIQvsYt3tgD62EWsZPTXLBA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Politico</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00191jBiZRhSmxniTOKvJ0urrV-h4YQMmAW6D4EBXDYAEdyHwGCxSenmHg8Pi2srZQWyG6zstJi1U9Sx68fkF7vb-s7By1kYevY5pBQyGV74t27V1pdVtf9dbRLiOuTTDXPE2iAhl30U5od09M1ARLP6-uckbGopHiKdNuMZ-7jI8OT_JU6oA0YsdHfcN74D5l1lhx2_7KIMOVO4G56-c-i6fsX8IYvaUkPFwKoXI18A9DiO9nwklBgG3W8XuEFXTjJ&c=H8nDvsmb3jEMfMuPDeEX4IIrT35jlXXIXWPqs2ehlIQSRKW8-UWeVA==&ch=cVSCwq5X3gJ1nXHS8A3Ztzi19CIctrshIQvsYt3tgD62EWsZPTXLBA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">IGSD Press Release</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_20.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B7F426D9-3798-4F78-9FC5-CDB2AAC08F50/pastedGraphic_20.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>United States and China Make Further Cooperative Commitments on Climate</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 6-7, the eighth China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue took place in Beijing, China, and the United States and China renewed their commitment to cooperate on climate change and implement the Paris Climate Agreement. Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Treasury Jack Lew met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Chinese Vice-Premier Liu Yandong to reaffirm their intention to bring the Paris Agreement into force as quickly as possible, phasedown hydrofluorocarbons (a class of chemicals used as refrigerants that are highly potent greenhouse gases), and support the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to put in place a global market-based mechanism to address airline emissions. Next year's China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue will take place in Boston, which Sec. Kerry stated was "in the eye of the climate change storm."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00191jBiZRhSmxniTOKvJ0urrV-h4YQMmAW6D4EBXDYAEdyHwGCxSenmHg8Pi2srZQWhifvvJ7kfwdNJQd3AZ1lfgslNfWKe3yYZ5VWGNQ_hU0EayK8jC0ObVBY6Lb7cF_L_D_DKz6Ofe8yDGjuNDU6t1bjTKOuGa5uYIPSofDhEE6AXTRAg1Ug59rEEksMAqtrZIjytSFageI9Brv6jNzTnTvWZVRv-Sxr&c=H8nDvsmb3jEMfMuPDeEX4IIrT35jlXXIXWPqs2ehlIQSRKW8-UWeVA==&ch=cVSCwq5X3gJ1nXHS8A3Ztzi19CIctrshIQvsYt3tgD62EWsZPTXLBA==">Secretary's Remarks</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00191jBiZRhSmxniTOKvJ0urrV-h4YQMmAW6D4EBXDYAEdyHwGCxSenmHg8Pi2srZQWdah59NdeS2KsSca_EPHeLgWsBiLNeXjlVqw1a58DNWIVaKVcxmGHXjjV9wh8zL8U_fQ_jez0k5TeuNrxEkLpvOdFs5rlWjlszNJ7XCMJEXVPFbpkQcPGyzKXiPqMcjJnRntyAQxeP1qhtFccGv3KoMhtbiFlFeC3&c=H8nDvsmb3jEMfMuPDeEX4IIrT35jlXXIXWPqs2ehlIQSRKW8-UWeVA==&ch=cVSCwq5X3gJ1nXHS8A3Ztzi19CIctrshIQvsYt3tgD62EWsZPTXLBA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Fact Sheet</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00191jBiZRhSmxniTOKvJ0urrV-h4YQMmAW6D4EBXDYAEdyHwGCxSenmHg8Pi2srZQWkiyEv2o14ZY4AN-rBT_zTTaJ03lT8gJdgF3qBwnJjUr9EU1XSa9rhy9GYMnyZBsXPzdy12XXH191Vum-Lip3TFQoB9yJWNQ1smZCx-xq28_Qb98MS0q-XS_ZrUCLyGdkAkTVP9mFydET6J7gkgfRzOfi5QDtVh2Zsknqb8Bj2RbuckGuNcE4baNHUZ-Rr1nE2buvGzutgCZP4OA1j-zBxZc4n_HruiLk0IvP6yCQEvFqn2Pqh27PoA==&c=H8nDvsmb3jEMfMuPDeEX4IIrT35jlXXIXWPqs2ehlIQSRKW8-UWeVA==&ch=cVSCwq5X3gJ1nXHS8A3Ztzi19CIctrshIQvsYt3tgD62EWsZPTXLBA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Boston Globe</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_21.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B7F426D9-3798-4F78-9FC5-CDB2AAC08F50/pastedGraphic_21.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>House Republicans Pass Resolution Condemning Carbon Tax</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 10, the House of Representatives, by a 237-163 vote, passed a nonbinding "Sense of the House" resolution (H.R.Con. 89) that a "carbon tax would be detrimental to American families and businesses, and is not in the best interest of the United States." Every Republican, and six Democrats, voted in favor of the resolution. The measure, sponsored by Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA), is supported by Americans for Prosperity and the American Energy Alliance, which both receive funding from the Koch brothers. Koch Industries' top lobbyist, Philip Ellender, supported the resolution in a letter on June 9. Republican energy lobbyist Mike McKenna commented, "When you're trying to make a particular policy toxic, you make people vote on it."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00191jBiZRhSmxniTOKvJ0urrV-h4YQMmAW6D4EBXDYAEdyHwGCxSenmHg8Pi2srZQWGVum1ZCMnRJ3T2jMnt81881OfcBGcIcaDsJaUplXxKdmU2rye7tEoCDAWrxa0ky3lH2nIqoix6P6M2mXbtl97lQC7SuOSZYHzd964ZyMJgxGDTipC0WB9vyngZCCxb-TFs_td4_iYefzR0_a1VkFP-Hvth-GQjjkw33qVFaL0F65sa0sUUu7wxDgCpLUGjH0&c=H8nDvsmb3jEMfMuPDeEX4IIrT35jlXXIXWPqs2ehlIQSRKW8-UWeVA==&ch=cVSCwq5X3gJ1nXHS8A3Ztzi19CIctrshIQvsYt3tgD62EWsZPTXLBA==">The Hill</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00191jBiZRhSmxniTOKvJ0urrV-h4YQMmAW6D4EBXDYAEdyHwGCxSenmHg8Pi2srZQW5Bfyug5A0Llqnt1ZeIzEeU_yF5w3D0JEExb4llfl6_44NCV2ahzb3q2Pzh2EXN0_jdLff9NUAU2Bs1JnyfIAEOFU36W2lbK1tMs2eLyjrD3_Urftc14-5roA6nvgw5yhH-ukl7aZzsPM8SylGVkFbuEaGScwwh8s1HlmhHDTL9UPWeyiKU2WpTF4wVh9G7qP&c=H8nDvsmb3jEMfMuPDeEX4IIrT35jlXXIXWPqs2ehlIQSRKW8-UWeVA==&ch=cVSCwq5X3gJ1nXHS8A3Ztzi19CIctrshIQvsYt3tgD62EWsZPTXLBA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Politico</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00191jBiZRhSmxniTOKvJ0urrV-h4YQMmAW6D4EBXDYAEdyHwGCxSenmHg8Pi2srZQWty_hEQw--nINxdhlMSMz9rZFI-ATe1kYYPopvKpWJ7IhDJugLfGhclWuH60jHlI8jl40LSqT4tIdZamAChAIMX3-l7rTzWob5Tay6b_YGeFBdIoTZhr1UcKqnmixlc_B2QRSv9wfRiwFFGcnGWN5108gWOnRNLV181HWq79k5XhB1KuZGGIE_w==&c=H8nDvsmb3jEMfMuPDeEX4IIrT35jlXXIXWPqs2ehlIQSRKW8-UWeVA==&ch=cVSCwq5X3gJ1nXHS8A3Ztzi19CIctrshIQvsYt3tgD62EWsZPTXLBA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The Hill</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_22.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B7F426D9-3798-4F78-9FC5-CDB2AAC08F50/pastedGraphic_22.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Study Finds Power Sector Carbon Standards Would Have $29 Billion in Health Benefits</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 7, researchers with Resources for the Future, Harvard University, and Syracuse University released a new project for the Science Policy Exchange in the journal <i>PLOS ONE </i>that found the United States would gain a net benefit of about $33 billion annually from carbon rules on power plants. The study found that the United States would gain $29 billion annually in health co-benefits and $21 billion annually in climate benefits from power plant carbon restrictions, while paying about $17 billion annually. "We found that the health benefits would outweigh the estimated costs of the carbon standard in our study for 13 out of 14 power sector regions within five years of implementation," said study lead author Jonathan Buonocore at Harvard University.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00191jBiZRhSmxniTOKvJ0urrV-h4YQMmAW6D4EBXDYAEdyHwGCxSenmHg8Pi2srZQWqQrdrguAT9SV1KJAgABImi4CyVoqN-OTsKd3sH8IK5MmOAWoPw0Difz99QGU3B6t-n2I-uJ-LfN1-kPQTpJ1b9dWB_-hBpcR_wONpoMK9Ch5JWRpnLEvMXhWFGzgKgf7Dr443Hzd9GNZw77wqpgeSww7JSek71SIkfPd_ruz5ng=&c=H8nDvsmb3jEMfMuPDeEX4IIrT35jlXXIXWPqs2ehlIQSRKW8-UWeVA==&ch=cVSCwq5X3gJ1nXHS8A3Ztzi19CIctrshIQvsYt3tgD62EWsZPTXLBA==">Phys.org</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00191jBiZRhSmxniTOKvJ0urrV-h4YQMmAW6D4EBXDYAEdyHwGCxSenmHg8Pi2srZQWnxcx8fZmW5Nw7kAI0deHg-LCUEoyj8Ch0_fMryUN91ZHaCQq97XjS2aHaqBWqFE-YneUPmsF-pBwU3QBloXtojGqpX5J1nebQqCfGZd_pNO-SjCAJoRZMudMNYx-rPmOC03FazFwNiL_WkROBHAJMd3IhDq5X9v9ht4eiueXB-BzHgX7pR0vAw==&c=H8nDvsmb3jEMfMuPDeEX4IIrT35jlXXIXWPqs2ehlIQSRKW8-UWeVA==&ch=cVSCwq5X3gJ1nXHS8A3Ztzi19CIctrshIQvsYt3tgD62EWsZPTXLBA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Study</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE:</b> It is important to know that reducing CO2 emissions by reducing the amount of fossil fuels burned not only reduces economic losses from climate change, but also provides substantial health benefits by reducing the emissions of other pollutants to the atmosphere like fine particulates that may be carcinogenic, nitrogen oxides (NOx), which contribute to ozone formation, and (in the case of coal) mercury - a known neurotoxin.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_23.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B7F426D9-3798-4F78-9FC5-CDB2AAC08F50/pastedGraphic_23.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Report Finds that Companies Which Do Not Account for Climate Impacts Risk Decline and Bankruptcy</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 6, a new report by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the ESRC Centre for Climate Change Economic and Policy at London School of Economics and Political Science, written by Dimitri Zenghelis and Lord Nicholas Stern, found that businesses which do not account for climate risks are vulnerable to economic decline or bankruptcy. The report says, "it is becoming increasingly risky for companies to pin all business strategies on the assumption that extensive decarbonisation will not happen." Stern and Zenghelis submitted the report to the Michael Bloomberg-chaired Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00191jBiZRhSmxniTOKvJ0urrV-h4YQMmAW6D4EBXDYAEdyHwGCxSenmHg8Pi2srZQWFPSSW5MwDfG9dRPy5CMNIQw-jSUpOstDFlkoebokVH7xyzT-gsMZpxV7SKfkEsOAmXLy1V1f7srPLHIqiTnfnOoNcnP3mRzqOhUK_aWHGe6XsWxgF2xawb9RrKYeYSfHrCLtVVPSbU-WejJQdI4xNg89ljQIeS0f19w1DncwVr18E-5osGEDUXnaGwnGiTp6pAGwv0q_PWUe_UPjm-4EzRqiHpDCzD9d&c=H8nDvsmb3jEMfMuPDeEX4IIrT35jlXXIXWPqs2ehlIQSRKW8-UWeVA==&ch=cVSCwq5X3gJ1nXHS8A3Ztzi19CIctrshIQvsYt3tgD62EWsZPTXLBA==">CleanTechnica</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00191jBiZRhSmxniTOKvJ0urrV-h4YQMmAW6D4EBXDYAEdyHwGCxSenmHg8Pi2srZQW4aMXMycsSp6Tn21CFyJFGsl4n0Fry1X3MPveSUs5TGpZu2zn-ibwFn-4bZ_espc1ApYIzqn35yhKQo222gTyxCC8ZnZazlGpL4vkuwct5znBscvmBOqouPil4K-rbI2q9TZNjIAhrq3YjUeZDcwUGLzjqKqFAHhevfIM3a5TqQx-9_0x2GBq-jqfDlPIy3cYlXou-xsqUH0DBKNCnIBeWM5_IivZfBRPD_CgrKicLlRXRjbHMtdbJn8BfwPUl-AkE_8bPimISZlOK8Dyo1-SGsNHiJZyeJbn2jOWQrRoZvEctSnOZcAquvPMmeukZCMHWBNlZhMC0w-N2-jZzy5oAA==&c=H8nDvsmb3jEMfMuPDeEX4IIrT35jlXXIXWPqs2ehlIQSRKW8-UWeVA==&ch=cVSCwq5X3gJ1nXHS8A3Ztzi19CIctrshIQvsYt3tgD62EWsZPTXLBA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Press Release</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_24.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B7F426D9-3798-4F78-9FC5-CDB2AAC08F50/pastedGraphic_24.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Arctic Sea Ice Levels Hit New Low</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 7, the National Snow & Ice Data Center (NSIDC) released an analysis showing that Arctic sea ice in May 2016 was at a record low amount of coverage, at 4.63 million square miles. That is 224,000 square miles less than the previous record lowest extent for May in 2004, and 537,000 square miles less than the 1981-2010 long-term average for May - equivalent to the size of three Californias. Mark Serreze, director of NSIDC, said, "We've never seen anything like this before. It's way below the previous record, very far below it." The center noted that May 2016's sea ice extent were two to four weeks more melted than 2012, the year when the lowest Arctic sea ice extent ever was measured, putting 2016 on track to break 2012's record. January, February, and April 2016 all broke records for low Arctic sea ice extent as well.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00191jBiZRhSmxniTOKvJ0urrV-h4YQMmAW6D4EBXDYAEdyHwGCxSenmHg8Pi2srZQWTCU36WiNLylERIK-re5OQXVBM_24_ocL1mqDV_f0QhA5HdNwKpJk3K9fL9o3OatJMCB-JBYFN0ZLXwppoXsNKaynItLc9pPTAFTtKtNGp5wdNm4TqQr1yPhfMSr0RzySMEdGHG8Xtm_YACJW8G31YnCxKj9Fmho1ZD2jsw_bZ1JVjD3g2hYhtB88zFoiBq2G6mrTu9DnyVFqaf8X2mKv3jLtRI_LRhe2W0niU0vnNdq603yet-w2_Mo9qf2WJ7RVXjzKxtjJKk6YyFq6Cr0OLnUPM3Ear5cXPmp4RoshsKk=&c=H8nDvsmb3jEMfMuPDeEX4IIrT35jlXXIXWPqs2ehlIQSRKW8-UWeVA==&ch=cVSCwq5X3gJ1nXHS8A3Ztzi19CIctrshIQvsYt3tgD62EWsZPTXLBA==">Washington Post</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00191jBiZRhSmxniTOKvJ0urrV-h4YQMmAW6D4EBXDYAEdyHwGCxSenmHg8Pi2srZQWeVlxZsWQ9S_GuqDOTDMFA3tZg40Wr-fst2P2TrgpGZmoNr5GHVtdRst_v0fgEiEVIjQJXXSMPwBea-EGaUGOP22b06qlLOU6hOd3dCAkz2eohM_cufPubQjnPJN7P6wovWaQXwc_1B9iopFsV8jzOvOC5BYELAom0HV7Lh44VOBPeXcnMXiDlw==&c=H8nDvsmb3jEMfMuPDeEX4IIrT35jlXXIXWPqs2ehlIQSRKW8-UWeVA==&ch=cVSCwq5X3gJ1nXHS8A3Ztzi19CIctrshIQvsYt3tgD62EWsZPTXLBA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">NSIDC</span></a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>NOTE: </b>The melting of Arctic sea ice does not raise sea levels directly, as floating ice already displaces its own weight of sea water. However, it loss leads to more rapid uptake of heat energy from sunlight, as highly reflective white sea ice is replaced by dark blue sea. It is this more rapid warming that accounts for the fact that the temperature of the Arctic is increasing twice as fast as the global average.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_25.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B7F426D9-3798-4F78-9FC5-CDB2AAC08F50/pastedGraphic_25.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Climate Change Could Prompt Large Migrations of People and Animals from the Tropics</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 9, a new study published in the journal Science stated that moderate global warming may pressure large populations of humans, animals and plants in the tropics to relocate in order to find the temperature range they are accustomed to. Study lead author Solomon Hsiang at the University of California, Berkeley, commented that "people are not really talking about the tropics," but a little bit of warming can make a large difference there. "Once it's 95 degrees, one more degree can actually be very damaging to crops, very damaging to human health," Hsiang said.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00191jBiZRhSmxniTOKvJ0urrV-h4YQMmAW6D4EBXDYAEdyHwGCxSenmHg8Pi2srZQWW1iN-yZDaJkQwn6P64Hki2k6pM5FDqvK0GcHaq40UvdgO8iDlIvQ118d8YBC7-shsA4Kxi1iJMrXmVT5UqKJDZPncbdoUGWUttfuovJfGDHfDF4gTHPbjl9n05BFoRUc9Ih5A4kXGa9kuQp4BAETXuVbV5fklORkjgUHANOgimUJgNrG7CNjaSD3cO7CL4J9CdidXWwZigVPhjQ_Or6hgDeQLJtl_4t_vbMLZx4VT_2X9sInWjNlVSTlh5Beoqv831oYmVnRLmUkIhppw1hdd8dopmY_bhDsOAZM_bTPVQpB6a16YnOXow==&c=H8nDvsmb3jEMfMuPDeEX4IIrT35jlXXIXWPqs2ehlIQSRKW8-UWeVA==&ch=cVSCwq5X3gJ1nXHS8A3Ztzi19CIctrshIQvsYt3tgD62EWsZPTXLBA==">The Washington Post</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00191jBiZRhSmxniTOKvJ0urrV-h4YQMmAW6D4EBXDYAEdyHwGCxSenmHg8Pi2srZQWXWOmfcnyLzKb93ZcAsWAgzOD3DetyuC9axJ3nhsieaS5wKtS94pshakz2xqwtwp-hUBbKt8_u8k39ZOK-PzclJe7tkBvP9BfqkCaKjWMDrGHiczrX_3qV-zkW2gKgP2aq8Ob_RPD2tY=&c=H8nDvsmb3jEMfMuPDeEX4IIrT35jlXXIXWPqs2ehlIQSRKW8-UWeVA==&ch=cVSCwq5X3gJ1nXHS8A3Ztzi19CIctrshIQvsYt3tgD62EWsZPTXLBA=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Study</span></a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_26.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B7F426D9-3798-4F78-9FC5-CDB2AAC08F50/pastedGraphic_26.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>EPA Proposes Additional Details for Clean Energy Incentive Program</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 16, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released additional aspects of the Clean Energy Incentive Program (CEIP) and invited additional public comment. The CEIP is a voluntary program available to states and tribes under the Clean Power Plan (CPP), the Administration's plan to cut power sector emissions by 32 percent. CEIP provides 'early action' credits to incentivize states and tribal governments to quickly install zero-emissions renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, as well as provide energy efficiency programs in low-income communities. Although states are not required to continue CPP compliance during the Supreme Court's stay on the plan, many states are continuing to engage in planning for the CPP. According to EPA, the CEIP proposal "will provide states [and tribes] with additional clarity, which will help them make timely decisions regarding options for plan development when the stay is lifted."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001pO98xhmLWK6dLNCjApQzRnlVd3OsgnniSryYszNwx8C1at9N_2HNUug0OmWaiNfCO81WuAhgNwnLuNaThCk0VE0riYBCH9CkAqO9yxq0mI0FnZr4R9pcJKm0W2pAHNBPdF-iIYeU0X2j2lF1GZpjmnx-zHlfy7oPGG1p6gR4RH2a-IKiWgEuolKQbTA-1muUptHyq7QuQedDkLTEM4zwWZxI8Ob7AOfeobyYIOhuyDegSxtx0cIQetV1LWBJSKg8_caS4n3YNKQ=&c=n_nulOpWTxcatcrRFCIKAuIZ2BeQ8xccMziq7kJiIIvF_9V6SrduYw==&ch=_GLBWH_m_kF2X4epm5RjklqRV3AJx5ZtZxB03QMna_TdopnXY9kGsQ==">EPA Press Release</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">,<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001pO98xhmLWK6dLNCjApQzRnlVd3OsgnniSryYszNwx8C1at9N_2HNUug0OmWaiNfCm7pitRPtQRXjrrdkuiaNgcIF98w9uqLABA626lJRc-XhUS9Wpp2zzqMhh10p-XsIcZoO2Of8cL1xZAzbH7qYcVHNeqf1aQE8nihv3L2_IHQ6ZJWossGGjy1wo4BEbnZWi_M-MgRwdjSk2-8TX1aTCh2CCBHuTU8_N9YJMWfWMMRmdYBkeadqPzgVesId09KB2U02PqZQvX4=&c=n_nulOpWTxcatcrRFCIKAuIZ2BeQ8xccMziq7kJiIIvF_9V6SrduYw==&ch=_GLBWH_m_kF2X4epm5RjklqRV3AJx5ZtZxB03QMna_TdopnXY9kGsQ=="> PowerMag</a>,</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001pO98xhmLWK6dLNCjApQzRnlVd3OsgnniSryYszNwx8C1at9N_2HNUug0OmWaiNfCXwZ_Op21DmXJSeJAk0jJ8cnkfkQPjUOqHwm92nIpEGB7H_NzvOS-vkLZRaOkn-u4RLrjcOcwChkk4mb2JUrY_hI45chS4g_mH5E2ROoPjTN1QJgYBwmeNL4ZTZZPEXxdxUPxK5SWiK0nfkOzY4x60DNQueL35a2Y0CuH_SaQnQA=&c=n_nulOpWTxcatcrRFCIKAuIZ2BeQ8xccMziq7kJiIIvF_9V6SrduYw==&ch=_GLBWH_m_kF2X4epm5RjklqRV3AJx5ZtZxB03QMna_TdopnXY9kGsQ=="> CEIP</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_27.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B7F426D9-3798-4F78-9FC5-CDB2AAC08F50/pastedGraphic_27.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>California and New York House Democrats Support State Investigations into ExxonMobil</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 9, a group of 19 House Democrats representing California sent a letter to California Attorney General Kamala Harris, expressing support for her investigation into ExxonMobil's past disclosures related to climate change. The next day, 16 House Democrats from New York sent a letter to House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX), criticizing the committee's inquiries into the 17 state attorneys general who are investigating ExxonMobil, New York and California included. The New York delegation's letter says, "Congressional interference with legitimate state law enforcement investigations is particularly alarming and inappropriate in this case." The ongoing state investigations seek to discover whether or not ExxonMobil knew about fossil fuels' accelerating effect on climate change but publicly supported initiatives that advocated otherwise. In their letter, the California Representatives said that "[the First Amendment] ... does not protect companies from defrauding the American people or improperly disclosing information to their shareholders."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001pO98xhmLWK6dLNCjApQzRnlVd3OsgnniSryYszNwx8C1at9N_2HNUoi2QRaUV36vpG5PDDLQwHHxfqKlqHGtL4W6VF4TpiczSegt9RKFvXIEw4DHi3HxRG4g8EWMaNfpwR4FbJQnzYDVh4c6oceK5y6MA2lCVpoKk5LxaJynmEj6U8V61rKVPh45hF2UqZlJmCLp8HC2rl6skSkXzTjNSYu7RtVA9tVqv5Dxl5PjdCemOHwfK7hn5-7CbW9ijdeR-Y0I6PsINmr1dDCIpAzp6EnBuRFeqovR&c=n_nulOpWTxcatcrRFCIKAuIZ2BeQ8xccMziq7kJiIIvF_9V6SrduYw==&ch=_GLBWH_m_kF2X4epm5RjklqRV3AJx5ZtZxB03QMna_TdopnXY9kGsQ==">The Hill</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001pO98xhmLWK6dLNCjApQzRnlVd3OsgnniSryYszNwx8C1at9N_2HNUoc8yFf_uLSoiAQ7-hi9ZasKp6jVHy-yLNflPqrAt9y7zb526g5foWX2TCF2gfdk6bSO8_xi6yBNw2rIlLy2sUbKk_GJ7wh4rON9DIta5qJdSAJ1YAjIDFC1-Og4jiRLRxGmRydF4gDs5yy9OnqPBPUCc1O22K69HtQbjHocEap4tjVpcVPUKh-R6h6rCDbAWA==&c=n_nulOpWTxcatcrRFCIKAuIZ2BeQ8xccMziq7kJiIIvF_9V6SrduYw==&ch=_GLBWH_m_kF2X4epm5RjklqRV3AJx5ZtZxB03QMna_TdopnXY9kGsQ=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Los Angeles Times</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001pO98xhmLWK6dLNCjApQzRnlVd3OsgnniSryYszNwx8C1at9N_2HNUug0OmWaiNfCsNv4vP6KeVJpPiPb2_7VvW_VCcMibtFrB4bI7PMNLfo3TGnWyL6UJFaMOr6vBq3ZD_6IC-bmY6PL6vKIAMlqUBhidb4cv88hxt4IgDz9QD43rEs-FP-dSVSKa-rakLh09Utuzivq8wU9SCjdfi-1NLz9lIpSSJmN0V-z9Yem3VbCGqLa3SGTnN1nWbvr2y0eHUbfawQytc2eJegHasNnAq8Rv5dgaV7DMBOben1tn5mHB9z1P6mMzg==&c=n_nulOpWTxcatcrRFCIKAuIZ2BeQ8xccMziq7kJiIIvF_9V6SrduYw==&ch=_GLBWH_m_kF2X4epm5RjklqRV3AJx5ZtZxB03QMna_TdopnXY9kGsQ=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Times Union</span></a>, <span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001pO98xhmLWK6dLNCjApQzRnlVd3OsgnniSryYszNwx8C1at9N_2HNUug0OmWaiNfC5gKMlRncv32CIbuZ3JB_EnM2pc83f4ijNmewnfJJJBSVHt2uR_Xi1RgmxJXMWoZkXsAfC9sW6c4ACe-ZXzPsZcoPAcu8hzBTj_RTHVb_bxu7F_yzlUMP8S-QMG97-Qt0et5o6lTozGxAVyndfi4GASb-iP9UKhd3whWR67YGLKQ70faYaXEtDw==&c=n_nulOpWTxcatcrRFCIKAuIZ2BeQ8xccMziq7kJiIIvF_9V6SrduYw==&ch=_GLBWH_m_kF2X4epm5RjklqRV3AJx5ZtZxB03QMna_TdopnXY9kGsQ==">Reuters</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_28.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B7F426D9-3798-4F78-9FC5-CDB2AAC08F50/pastedGraphic_28.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Bankruptcy Filings Reveal Peabody Energy's Support for Climate Skeptics</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On June 13, <i>The Guardian</i> reported that Peabody Energy, the largest coal mining corporation in the United States, has donated to dozens of interest groups and scientists that deny climate change and lobby against environmental regulation. The information, which does not include funding amounts, comes from disclosures the company was required to make after filing for bankruptcy protection in April. Nick Surgey, the director of research for the Center for Media and Democracy, commented, "The breadth of the groups with financial ties to Peabody is extraordinary. Think tanks, litigation groups, climate scientists, political organizations, dozens of organizations blocking action on climate all receiving funding from the coal industry." Peabody Energy's bankruptcy proceedings are ongoing and additional financial disclosures are still be released, potentially bringing more funding activities to light.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001pO98xhmLWK6dLNCjApQzRnlVd3OsgnniSryYszNwx8C1at9N_2HNUug0OmWaiNfCoNWdhmgKnELMB2LKDvi3SXmw-BBIqzvFW1vGpgqiH1pU0SzvllXknySHqn8gyW7_KdOrNZyGuRWODHifG0vV0BkZylIrpvVhmc06ik03z-MG8QXJYwEn-RVW_zGMl7Blbr14-TcO7X1IMSLN4wimPCLIEh6S-aMOhIHNEddTgYTUGQBaj89M2S6j91jx6ImQ8BHHlLSrSa4wqPc_iSO1icY8kjnE2FfDcxXRVCNkiyE=&c=n_nulOpWTxcatcrRFCIKAuIZ2BeQ8xccMziq7kJiIIvF_9V6SrduYw==&ch=_GLBWH_m_kF2X4epm5RjklqRV3AJx5ZtZxB03QMna_TdopnXY9kGsQ==">The Guardian, </a><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001pO98xhmLWK6dLNCjApQzRnlVd3OsgnniSryYszNwx8C1at9N_2HNUug0OmWaiNfC2zRGmr66EtQQkCSCcFhbCmCxklXTgzX-Cidr5xC567sZetKwN0dXEtYNEK076vn_itsfuE4bSpuBHic1mcotPhSqlqPs8GhrOHSYcZ9F3xFF5s-upr-FlJHVdGqTBR6F7NyHaBs52rtbZA5w_NbANGR2f80dvXZLQPJQOvTPG_vaBxReVG_oVunOw2UB9q8FIxVVe6PKf7ioNdypNLjzmw==&c=n_nulOpWTxcatcrRFCIKAuIZ2BeQ8xccMziq7kJiIIvF_9V6SrduYw==&ch=_GLBWH_m_kF2X4epm5RjklqRV3AJx5ZtZxB03QMna_TdopnXY9kGsQ==">The Hill</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">According to NASA data released on June 13, this year had the hottest May temperatures on record. The month was 1.67 degrees F warmer than the 1951-1980 baseline for the month. Every month so far in 2016 has set a heat record. David Carlson, the director of the United Nations World Climate Research Program, commented, "Exceptionally high temperatures. Ice melt rates in March and May that we don't normally see until July. Once-in-a-generation rainfall events. The super El Niño is only partly to blame. Abnormal is the new normal."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In related news, researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) discussed a study modeling global summer temperatures in coming decades. The NCAR study found an 80 percent probability that any summer between 2061 and 2080 will be warmer than the hottest currently on record, assuming carbon emissions continue unabated. Even with significant emissions cuts, the study forecasts that certain regions will not benefit from a lower heat risk, including the eastern United States and many tropical regions. The study will soon be included in a special issue of the journal <i>Climate Change</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001pO98xhmLWK6dLNCjApQzRnlVd3OsgnniSryYszNwx8C1at9N_2HNUug0OmWaiNfCszpc_4OciExRJ1baLoAy-Fle7z20UtSaW1YJFYzw_k8McnRajaDwj37GkxkGaaZIGmuLMR6foBHsOWwx9thhBEpYvIbh2ESoMhxkhck5XU9315tkkLiIPJ9-9JBkV3ofLyIKvXViG3YLwcI9vyvbvuNHFrQOEB4SIOzB1s8L3aE=&c=n_nulOpWTxcatcrRFCIKAuIZ2BeQ8xccMziq7kJiIIvF_9V6SrduYw==&ch=_GLBWH_m_kF2X4epm5RjklqRV3AJx5ZtZxB03QMna_TdopnXY9kGsQ==">Climate Central, </a><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001pO98xhmLWK6dLNCjApQzRnlVd3OsgnniSryYszNwx8C1at9N_2HNUug0OmWaiNfCZrgRZ8swr969hGgb78TZ0so3h_Ge6Nc6v4fen39KYmWvw_hKp1J405Qqc1uAewyzGwSB-amlVFybt7DiGvvEB_P4XuZ_RfZuHZGX6w2xrIZ1KWQ1rQ_QU6hglI8ly61ri_xXg-Heje6Ro8-Si7Cn8Au-cNBCQme_vl8DNWQ7lXA=&c=n_nulOpWTxcatcrRFCIKAuIZ2BeQ8xccMziq7kJiIIvF_9V6SrduYw==&ch=_GLBWH_m_kF2X4epm5RjklqRV3AJx5ZtZxB03QMna_TdopnXY9kGsQ=="><span style="color: #0964f6; letter-spacing: 0px;">ScienceDaily</span></a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001pO98xhmLWK6dLNCjApQzRnlVd3OsgnniSryYszNwx8C1at9N_2HNUug0OmWaiNfCPzu1vYlgh8jnIw1EDcrM7IyO57WwXAzlHeCDqeo707RoT4LUniPABwZtkjpBpSjSQS9f0ylCb4wxwf8IOGwzfBXGfNaBAsYsDeqwtwV2FcM4y3Hq3PcfRVjlmKH-MtmS3dtIMTs_NTJs2UeJIEVEpiOP-mwoxRKZU8FbKFEHgCggj0bo6VJEsl3jeFrIjK72GqgtveTiKY_Lu6culhMfEih3kBmtCmCm&c=n_nulOpWTxcatcrRFCIKAuIZ2BeQ8xccMziq7kJiIIvF_9V6SrduYw==&ch=_GLBWH_m_kF2X4epm5RjklqRV3AJx5ZtZxB03QMna_TdopnXY9kGsQ==">The Hill</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><img alt="pastedGraphic_30.pdf" src="webkit-fake-url://B7F426D9-3798-4F78-9FC5-CDB2AAC08F50/pastedGraphic_30.pdf" /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>El Niño Drives Unprecedented Increases in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A study published in <i>Nature Climate Change</i> on June 13 found that the recent El Niño event caused a spike in global carbon emissions, leading to a record increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations. As a result, CO2 concentrations will remain above 400 parts per million (ppm) all year, a first for the industrial era. Lead study author Richard Betts of the UK Met Office Hadley Centre adds, "Once you have passed that barrier, it takes a long time for CO2 to be removed from the atmosphere by natural processes, even if we cut emissions, we wouldn't see concentrations coming down for a long time." CO2 concentrations reached a record 407 ppm in May and are forecast to fall to 401 ppm in September, after which they will rise again. Explaining the role the recent El Niño played in the record carbon increase, Betts said that the much-warmer-than-normal Pacific Ocean "warm[ed] and drie[d] tropical ecosystems, reducing their uptake of carbon and exacerbating forest fires."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For more information see:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001pO98xhmLWK6dLNCjApQzRnlVd3OsgnniSryYszNwx8C1at9N_2HNUug0OmWaiNfCAEk5g9_rjloarZA5MeazpHGp7ObOfc2CSp1Wr-ZPr7_K_OytAhVLLLPiFpf5_YkBTHu3-bbfnczDHDt184gOAWWqbnpSmMWmPDOpFjpjUjXe0FIS6bovbYaHYiBi27dx9bU4AFWMQi7F3nQbu8_uV_aw8V_Vf4Q6Dd0QTTwgen0=&c=n_nulOpWTxcatcrRFCIKAuIZ2BeQ8xccMziq7kJiIIvF_9V6SrduYw==&ch=_GLBWH_m_kF2X4epm5RjklqRV3AJx5ZtZxB03QMna_TdopnXY9kGsQ==">ScienceDaily</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001pO98xhmLWK6dLNCjApQzRnlVd3OsgnniSryYszNwx8C1at9N_2HNUoi2QRaUV36vgrElDP-0GWnSGJ4GUtCT3cXfiHKU6RuncaYp02dfytwaOVgnMe_apjPkMj2k0okUDk7Rmo_B123a_hn-FO1STnchFrt1gn8PMlzgImisYTuR6kNLJiqpeLEZnqY1AhFGIqaVVuQgJB-JULiJazMHIlcszL65zrYOm1lHC0iVPCkUe6obf3L4_MpGVm0Y7yXjNXOjy9iSUlRC1DFBXXRWQen8QDXughBnXhqfeean6uGXJBynSRjNyBTpFCWPcu8-wZVAqietpnM=&c=n_nulOpWTxcatcrRFCIKAuIZ2BeQ8xccMziq7kJiIIvF_9V6SrduYw==&ch=_GLBWH_m_kF2X4epm5RjklqRV3AJx5ZtZxB03QMna_TdopnXY9kGsQ=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The Washington Post</span></a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001pO98xhmLWK6dLNCjApQzRnlVd3OsgnniSryYszNwx8C1at9N_2HNUug0OmWaiNfC7IOanf-7yzmo6hiVMSKXfvWyvVqeor76w0Leuu8IsG8kEZipf6lVAQppBGWOYk_U0HNBpTwSNGZ7Allxj6pWClqk4dr6kojHgcfo9PtaMPZSOrhAprrldS0D5zmm72uwfuWUuT8EXdrsDblAcbOJvw==&c=n_nulOpWTxcatcrRFCIKAuIZ2BeQ8xccMziq7kJiIIvF_9V6SrduYw==&ch=_GLBWH_m_kF2X4epm5RjklqRV3AJx5ZtZxB03QMna_TdopnXY9kGsQ=="><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">BBC</span></a></span></div>
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Chad Tolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198303455148896174noreply@blogger.com0