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| Is the Shell oil company greenwashing? |
Saturday 29 June 2019
Shell is not a green saviour. It’s a planetary death machine : The Guardian
Thursday 27 June 2019
UCSF Adds Fossil Fuels To Industry Documents Library: DESMOG
UC San Francisco's Industry Documents Library (IDL) is a unique resource. It gathers and organizes internal documents from companies that privatize profits and socialize costs, risks or damage to health or environment.
‘Climate apartheid’: Rich people to buy their way out of environmental crisis while poor suffer, warns UN: Independent
Millions forced to choose between starvation and migration under 'best-case' scenario of 1.5C of warming by 2100
Wealthy communities will be able to buy their way out of the unfolding climate crisis while the poorest will suffer most, a UN report has found.Even under the unrealistic "best-case" scenario of 1.5C of warming by 2100, many millions of people will have to choose between starvation and migration, Philip Alston, the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights warned.
And he said the fallout from our rapidly warming climate would have dire implications for human rights and democracy.
Read complete Independent article
Wednesday 26 June 2019
Climate change and sea-level rise in the Australian region
 |
| Characteristics of Australia’s future climate. Source: BoM, State of the Climate 2014, published by CSIRO and BoM. |
At a glance
- Under a high greenhouse gas concentration scenario (RCP8.5), temperatures in Australia will increase by between 2.8 and 5.1°C by 2090 compared to 1986-2005.
- Rainfall trends are more uncertain, however rainfall amounts are expected to decrease over southern Australia, accompanied by more frequent and more severe droughts.
- Global sea levels are expected to increase by 45 to 82 cm by 2090 for the high concentration scenario. These levels may be higher if a tipping point is reached which commits one or more land-based ice sheets to irreversible melting. Projected increases around Australia are very similar.
- Extreme high sea-level events will occur more frequently in future, increasing the risks of flooding and erosion in coastal areas.
- In line with global trends, seawaters around Australia are becoming more acidic, as the oceans absorb some of the CO2 released by human activities."
Go to CoastAdapt site
Related:
Sea Level Rise Can No Longer Be Stopped, What Next? - with John Englander
Climate Adaptation Isn’t Surrender. It’s Survival: WIRED
"Here’s an unpopular opinion in some circles: We are going to have to use
technology to adapt to the worst effects of climate change." ........
..... "Those who invest in climate adaptation technology
with the dream of scaling companies for massive returns will have to be
wary that they don’t worsen the social and political problems that
underlie so much of the climate conversation already: The rich spew
pollution, the poor are suffering as a result, and a fancy new tech solution might only be available to the rich polluters anyway.
But
that doesn’t mean tech can’t make a huge difference, or that adaptation
shouldn’t be done. The change is here, the need is real, and the
solutions can come from any entrepreneur, any investor, any scientists
or would-be startup CEO. It’s time for tech to get in the game. There’s
no more time to waste."
Related:
Their lands are becoming deserts but here is some hope.
Tuesday 25 June 2019
Rising sea, erosion to wreak havoc in low-lying suburbs: The Age
 |
| Flooding in Melbourne |
Other places at risk include areas around Queenscliff and Barwon Heads on the Bellarine Peninsula; the south-west Victorian towns of Port Fairy and Portland; and Tooradin, Lang Lang and Seaspray in the state's south-east.
Read the complete The Age article.
Related:
Sea Level Rise Can No Longer Be Stopped, What Next? - with John Englander
Sunday 23 June 2019
Experts Raise Alarm Over Climate Change Threat to Cultural Heritage: The Youth Times
"Climate change is a threat to our future, but also to our heritage, natural and cultural"
"Athens -
Climate change could wreak "irreversible damage" on the world's most
precious ancient monuments and other cultural sites, experts warned
Saturday as they pushed for UN protection for major global sites.
Academics
and policy makers gathered in Athens for a meeting on the threats to
world heritage called for an array of tools to predict, measure and
counter the effects of climate change.
They are campaigning to have the issue included on the agenda at the UN Summit for Climate Change in New York in September."
Related:
Sea Level Rise Can No Longer Be Stopped, What Next? - with John Englander
We’re All Responsible for Climate Change — and That’s a Good Thing: Medium
 |
| We're all responsible for climate change |
"....... That brings us to the issue of population growth.
In 2017, the American Institute of Biological Sciences published an
open letter signed by over 15,000 scientists, including Jane Goodall and
E.O. Wilson, titled “World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity: A Second
Notice.” It states, “We are jeopardizing our future by not reining in
our intense but geographically and demographically uneven material
consumption and by not perceiving continued rapid population growth
as a primary driver behind many ecological and even societal threats.”
It was the most scientists to ever co-sign a published journal article.
Saturday 22 June 2019
Climate breakdown to trigger debate over which cities to protect from rising sea levels:The Independent
 |
| New York |
"As disaster costs keep rising across the United States, a troubling new debate has become urgent: if there’s not enough money to protect every coastal community from the effects of human-caused global warming, how should we decide which ones to save first?
After three years of brutal flooding and hurricanes, there is growing consensus among policymakers and scientists that coastal areas will require significant spending to ride out future storms and rising sea levels — not in decades but now and in the very near future.
Read complete Independent article
Related:
Sea Level Rise Can No Longer Be Stopped, What Next? - with John Englander
Friday 21 June 2019
Sea Level Rise Can No Longer Be Stopped, What Next? - with John Englander
Sea level rise can no longer be stopped, so it is urgent that we commence intelligent adaptation as a high priority, argues John Englander.
The Royal Institution
May 29 2019
Subscribe for regular science videos: http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe
Canadian youth taking up the climate change fight
"When it comes to climate change, many Canadian youth are not leaving it up to politicians to solve the issue. A panel of young activists explains how they are taking up the fight themselves."
CBC NEWS June 19 2019
Old spy satellite images show just how fast ice is melting from the glaciers in the Himalayas: USA Today
"Picture 3 million Olympic-size swimming pools full of water.
That's how much ice melts from glaciers in the Himalayas each year, a new study suggests, and climate change is the primary cause.
Even
more concerning is that the ice melt has doubled in recent years:
Himalayan glaciers have been losing the equivalent of more than a foot
and half of ice each year since 2000 – which is double the amount of
melting that took place from 1975 to 2000.
“This
is the clearest picture yet of how fast Himalayan glaciers are melting
over this time interval and why,” said study lead author Joshua Maurer, a
Ph.D. candidate at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth
Observatory.
Overall, the Asian mountain range, which includes Mount Everest, has been losing ice at a rate of about 1% a year since 2000.
Thursday 20 June 2019
Clean energy found to be a 'pathway to prosperity’ for Northern Territory : The Guardian
That is the message from a report that makes the alternative case, suggesting embracing clean energy could dramatically expand the electricity, mining and mineral processing industries while reducing living costs."
Read The Guardian Story
Polls Suggest the GOP's Climate and Environment Disinformation Efforts are Beginning to Falter : TGMO
"We’ve not seen anything like that in the 10 years we’ve been conducting the study," Anthony Leiserowitz, a researcher at Yale, told the Atlantic's Robsinson Meyer.
Extreme weather events are driving concern about climate change. Depending on where you live, flooding, hurricanes, droughts, superstorms and Nor’easters are all making it hard for people to ignore climate change."
Monday 17 June 2019
Climate crisis: CO2 levels rise to highest point since evolution of humans: Independent
“We don’t know a planet like this.”
" Levels of the damaging greenhouse gas carbon dioxide have reached an alarming new milestone at the world’s oldest measuring station in Hawaii.
The Mauna Loa Observatory, which has measured the
parts per million (ppm) of CO2 in the atmosphere since 1958, took a
reading of 415.26ppm in the air on 11 May – thought to be the highest
concentration since humans evolved.
The Scripps Institution of Oceanography measures CO2 levels at Mauna Loa daily.
The observatory, on Hawaii’s largest volcano, was built to test air
quality on the remote Pacific islands because it is far from continents
and pollution, while the area lacks vegetation, which can interfere with
results.
The readings form the Keeling curve, which shows
the rapid increase in CO2 levels in the atmosphere as a result of human
activity.
The 1958 readings showed the concentration of CO2 was 313ppm in March 1958, and that had risen to 400ppm by May 2013.
Meteorologist Eric Holthouse retweeted the Mauna
Loa readings and said: “This is the first time in human history our
planet’s atmosphere has had more than 415ppm CO2.
“Not just in recorded history, not just since the
invention of agriculture 10,000 years ago. Since before modern humans
existed millions of years ago.
Sunday 16 June 2019
Pope Francis declares 'climate emergency' and urges action : The Guardian
 |
| Pope Francis call for climate action |
Pope Francis has declared a global “climate emergency”, warning of the dangers of global heating and that a failure to act urgently to reduce greenhouse gases would be “a brutal act of injustice toward the poor and future generations”.
He also endorsed the 1.5C limit on temperature rises that some countries are now aiming for, referring to warnings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of “catastrophic” effects if we crossed such a threshold. He said a “radical energy transition” would be needed to stay within that limit, and urged young people and businesses to take a leading role.
Read The Guardian article
See also:
Meet the Money Behind The Climate Denial Movement: Smithsonian
Saturday 15 June 2019
'Ice on Fire' Documentary Trailer Video
"Ice on Fire is a 2019 documentary which explores the potential extinction level event caused by arctic methane release, and the newly developed technologies that could reverse global warming by sequestering carbon out of the atmosphere.[1] The film premiered to a standing ovation at Cannes Film Festival on May 22, 2019.[2][3][4] and is slated for release on HBO on June 11, 2019.[5] [6] [7]"
Wikipedia
Produced by Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio, George DiCaprio and Mathew Schmid and directed by Leila Conners, Ice on Fire is an eye-opening documentary that focuses on many never-before-seen solutions designed to slow down our escalating environmental crisis. Ice on Fire premieres June 11 at 8 PM.
#HBO #HBODocs #IceOnFireHBO
Subscribe to the HBO YouTube Channel: https://goo.gl/wtFYd7
Climate Change and the Reinsurance Implications: Insurance Journal
 |
| Climate Crisis - Insurance Risks |
General liability claims for third-party bodily injury and property damage, directors and officers claims for a company’s failure to properly disclose climate-related or failure to align its business model with a low-carbon future and first-party loss, including business interruption.
Read all The Insurance Journal article
The Trump Administration's Ongoing Energy Insanity : The Green Market Oracle
This energy agenda can only be described as insane and a new report makes it clear that there is every reason to believe it is getting even crazier."
Read the Green Market Oracle article
Related:
10 biggest upcoming Oil & Gas developments in Australia - Fircroft.com
Thursday 13 June 2019
Meet the Money Behind The Climate Denial Movement: Smithsonian
 |
| Climate Criminals |
Nearly a billion dollars a year is flowing into the organized climate change counter-movement
The overwhelming majority of climate scientists, international governmental bodies, relevant research institutes and scientific societies are in unison in saying that climate change is real, that it's a problem, and that we should probably do something about it now, not later. And yet, for some reason, the idea persists in some peoples' minds that climate change is up for debate, or that climate change is no big deal.Actually, it's not “for some reason” that people are confused.
There's a very obvious reason. There is a very well-funded, well-orchestrated climate change-denial movement, one funded by powerful people with very deep pockets. In a new and incredibly thorough study, Drexel University sociologist Robert Brulle took a deep dive into the financial structure of the climate deniers, to see who is holding the purse strings.
Go to original Smithsonian article
See also:
Climate impact must be measured in new major developments: Greens
Wednesday 12 June 2019
Protesting Trump is Essential to the Survival of Life on the Planet : The Green Market Oracle
 |
| Global Heating Denying Trump |
Early in June, American President Donald Trump's visit to the UK was met by hundreds of thousands of protestors. In total the visit spawned more than two dozen anti-Trump protests across the UK. During his stay Trump also added more lies to the over 10,000 he has told since becoming president. Despite a protracted discussion on climate change with Prince Charles, Trump remains stubbornly resistant to the facts. During this visit the liar-and-chief used the occasion to once again deny the reality of global warming.
Towing a caravan with an electric car – can it be done? - THE DRIVEN
 |
| Towing with an electric vehicle |
Hyundai couldn’t bring themselves to fit a towbar for us so we got an off-the-shelf one from an Australian manufacturer (the ones made for the petrol model fit perfectly).
The tow bar is rated for 1.3 tonnes but we only intend to use it for trailers up to 500kg.
We have considered the safety, warranty and legal issues and feel comfortable that there are negligible risks involved. Of course we take precautions and drive carefully when we are towing as anyone should.
The car is just brilliant by the way, and is doing a wonderful job of towing whenever we need to."
Read the RenewEconomy article
Tuesday 11 June 2019
Brace for impact - climate change litigation is fast approaching : The Canberra Times
"Under the current legal regime,
company directors may only be liable if found to be in breach of their
duty of care or for failing to address a foreseeable risk. However,
guidance from case law suggests that it is difficult to establish that
the actions or omissions of a particular entity or director caused or
contributed harm to be suffered by another. With the arrival of climate
change litigation 2.0, this will all change.
 |
| Supporters US federal courthouse, climate change lawsuit |
There is a rising wave of climate change-related litigation globally which is headed for Australia ... it will sink Australia, unless drastic measures are implemented."
Read the Canberra Times article
Oil And Gas Giants Spend Millions Lobbying To Block Climate Change Policies [Infographic]: Forbes
Every
year, the world's five largest publicly owned oil and gas companies
spend approximately $200 million on lobbying designed to control, delay
or block binding climate-motivated policy. This has caused problems for
governments seeking to implement policies in the wake of the Paris
Agreement which are vital in meeting climate change targets. Companies
are generally reluctant to disclose such lobbying expenditure and late
last week, a report from InfluenceMap
used a methodology focusing on the best available records along with
intensive research of corporate messaging to gauge their level of
influence on initiatives to halt climate change.
Thursday 6 June 2019
Latest data shows steep rises in CO2 for seventh year : The Guardian
 |
| US Earth System Research Laboratory, measurements from Mauna Loa, Hawaii |
Readings from Hawaii observatory bring threshold of 450ppm closer sooner than had been anticipated.
The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by the second highest annual rise in the past six decades, according to new data.
Atmospheric concentrations of the greenhouse gas were 414.8 parts per million in May, which was 3.5ppm higher than the same time last year, according to readings from the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii, where carbon dioxide has been monitored continuously since 1958.
Scientists have warned for more than a decade that concentrations of more than 450ppm risk triggering extreme weather events and temperature rises as high as 2C, beyond which the effects of global heating are likely to become catastrophic and irreversible.
Read The Guardian article
The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by the second highest annual rise in the past six decades, according to new data.
Atmospheric concentrations of the greenhouse gas were 414.8 parts per million in May, which was 3.5ppm higher than the same time last year, according to readings from the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii, where carbon dioxide has been monitored continuously since 1958.
Scientists have warned for more than a decade that concentrations of more than 450ppm risk triggering extreme weather events and temperature rises as high as 2C, beyond which the effects of global heating are likely to become catastrophic and irreversible.
Read The Guardian article
Wednesday 5 June 2019
Updated - Top 10 Worst Anti-Science Web Sites :Skeptoid
"You've seen it on Facebook or other places a million times: Someone
makes some untrue medical or science or conspiracy claim, and to give it
the appearance of authority, attach a web link to it. And where is that
web link from? As often as not, it turns out to be a site that
specializes in terrible misinformation; and such sites are, all too
often, far more popular than sites dedicated to correcting the record or
presenting data. Pseudoscience is, unfortunately, more sensational,
compelling, and fun.
A few years ago on this show, I gave a list of the top ten websites that promoted the worst bad science, as a resource for those hoping to stand up to such web links. Times change, sites come and go, rise and ebb, and we're ready for an update. And so here are this year's winners, my picks for the worst sites on the Internet to which your friends are likely to link you, organized by their Alexa popularity rating, tweaked a bit by me for how bad their information really is. Let's begin with:
10. Heartland.org
The Heartland Institute is a free-market think tank, preparing research and reports for whatever clients want it. That's an important role in society and I respect the freedoms of every think tank no matter where they are on the political spectrum. Promoting the policies that support an ideology is a right, but denying hard science in support of that ideology is a no-no. And that's what you'll find on Heartland.org, one of the web's best funded and most comprehensive attacks on climate science. Resources like this are a very real problem for science, because they have the expertise and the means to change people's minds, but lack the ethics to change those minds for the better. This year they held their 10th annual "International Conference on Climate Change" in Washington DC, which they describe as the "the largest gathering of global warming 'skeptics' in the world," and strangely they put quotes around the word skeptics, which I would have done if they hadn't, since their process is certainly not one of skeptically interrogating the climate models. Instead, they start from their preferred conclusion, then work backwards collecting cherrypicked bits of information to build a path to get there.
For a healthy alternative to Heartland.org, try SkepticalScience.com, a site dedicated to combatting global warming misinformation. It will equip the layman with the tools needed to rebut the type of misinformation Heartland publishes."
Go to Skeptoid article
A few years ago on this show, I gave a list of the top ten websites that promoted the worst bad science, as a resource for those hoping to stand up to such web links. Times change, sites come and go, rise and ebb, and we're ready for an update. And so here are this year's winners, my picks for the worst sites on the Internet to which your friends are likely to link you, organized by their Alexa popularity rating, tweaked a bit by me for how bad their information really is. Let's begin with:
10. Heartland.org
The Heartland Institute is a free-market think tank, preparing research and reports for whatever clients want it. That's an important role in society and I respect the freedoms of every think tank no matter where they are on the political spectrum. Promoting the policies that support an ideology is a right, but denying hard science in support of that ideology is a no-no. And that's what you'll find on Heartland.org, one of the web's best funded and most comprehensive attacks on climate science. Resources like this are a very real problem for science, because they have the expertise and the means to change people's minds, but lack the ethics to change those minds for the better. This year they held their 10th annual "International Conference on Climate Change" in Washington DC, which they describe as the "the largest gathering of global warming 'skeptics' in the world," and strangely they put quotes around the word skeptics, which I would have done if they hadn't, since their process is certainly not one of skeptically interrogating the climate models. Instead, they start from their preferred conclusion, then work backwards collecting cherrypicked bits of information to build a path to get there.
For a healthy alternative to Heartland.org, try SkepticalScience.com, a site dedicated to combatting global warming misinformation. It will equip the layman with the tools needed to rebut the type of misinformation Heartland publishes."
Go to Skeptoid article
Tuesday 4 June 2019
2040 film starts June 6 in Sawtell
Spread the word. This "climate change/global heating awareness" film starts June 6 at the Majestic Cinema in Sawtell.
"Documentarian Damon Gameau (That Sugar Film)
explores what the future would look like by the year 2040 if we simply
embraced the best solutions already available to us. Structured as a
visual letter to his 4-year-old daughter, Gameau blends traditional
documentary footage with dramatised sequences to create a vision board
for his daughter and the planet."
2040
In Cinemas Now
2040
Opening 06 June 2019
Rated G (General), 92 mins
Starring Damon Gameau, Eva Lazzaro, Zoe Gameau.
Award-winning director Damon Gameau (That Sugar Film) embarks on a journey to explore what the future could look like by the year 2040 if we simply embraced the best solutions already available to us to improve our planet and shifted them rapidly into the mainstream. Structured as a visual letter to his 4-year-old daughter, Damon blends traditional documentary with dramatised sequences and high-end visual effects to create a vision board of how these solutions could regenerate the world for future generations.
Rated G (General), 92 mins
Starring Damon Gameau, Eva Lazzaro, Zoe Gameau.Award-winning director Damon Gameau (That Sugar Film) embarks on a journey to explore what the future could look like by the year 2040 if we simply embraced the best solutions already available to us to improve our planet and shifted them rapidly into the mainstream. Structured as a visual letter to his 4-year-old daughter, Damon blends traditional documentary with dramatised sequences and high-end visual effects to create a vision board of how these solutions could regenerate the world for future generations.
Monday 3 June 2019
The climate renegade What happens when someone wants to go it alone on fixing the climate? Vox
"Deep in the ocean west of British Columbia, salmon eat
fish and plankton before they head inland to spawn. Well-fed enough to
make it upriver, they swim back toward the coast and past the islands of
Haida Gwaii, where the area’s indigenous population fishes them.
That’s how it was for decades. But in the 2000s, fish populations were declining, and unemployment among the Haida was high.
Enter an eccentric San Francisco-based entrepreneur named
Russ George. He had spent much of his career bouncing between ambitious
environmental projects: cold fusion, reforestation, and, most recently
at the time, a startup called Planktos, which focused on something
called “ocean restoration.”
In 2011, George told the Haida residents of the village
of Old Massett that he could bring back the salmon. The plan? To drop a
hundred tons of iron dust in the middle of the ocean, a few hundred
nautical miles west of the islands. The method had been tried before,
but George was attempting it at a larger scale."
#geoengineering #fish #oceans #globalheating #climatechange
See also
Sea levels may rise much faster than previously predicted, swamping coastal cities such as Shanghai, study finds: CNN
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