Most GOPs and Dems Agree: Push Clean Energy And Tax Carbon says a new poll, reports Ryan Koronowski at Climate Progress. From 60 to 66 percent of GOPs (about 80 percent of Dems) favored clean energy rebates and more clean energy research funding, and 60 percent of GOPs (about 80 percent of Dems) wanted to end fossil fuel subsidies. Independents favored these policies more than GOPs. Now if only Congress would agree to represent us...
First US County Bans Fracking to Save Its Water, reports Rebecca Leber at Climate Progress. The county relies on wells for its scarce water. One commissioner notes that fracking, which requires water, is not regulated enough to ensure a safe public water supply.
Earth Likely to Warm 4-10oF by 2100, says a newly published scientific study, reports Jeremy Hance at Mongabay. Uncertainty in how the greenhouse gas effect will interact with aerosols and the carbon cycle results in the wide projection, but waiting to clear up that uncertainty would be disastrous, one author noted. Previous studies have made similar projections.
Credit Tom Toles at the Washington Post
Quote of the Week:
"What good is it to save the planet if humanity suffers?"
OO Rex Tillerson, CEO ExxonMobil, at a shareholders meeting, May 19, 2013, as reported May 20, Toronto Globe and Mail.
Shareholders voted down by 3 to 1 a proposal to have the company establish greenhouse gas emission targets. Somebody should let him know that humanity lives on that planet.... amazing how greed can warp a person's grip on reality....
Minnesota Creates Solar Standard and Incentives, reports Adam James at Climate Progress. The new law requires that 1.5% of the state's electricity come from solar sources by 2020, and compensates rooftop solar producers for any extra solar power produced. Way to go, Minnesota!
Indonesia Approves Conserving A Borneo Rainforest for Carbon Credits, reports Mongabay. In return for reducing deforestation and degradation, both of which result in carbon emissions, Indonesia, with high deforestation rates, will be able to gain carbon credits to offset its carbon emissions.
Saving Borneo Rainforest Saves Orangutans, like this sweet hunk; ever held hands with an orangutan, looked into his eyes? I have -- they're so human.... Credit Rhett Butler at Mongabay
☼☼☼ On the Bright Side ☼☼☼
OO Amazon Tribe Conserves Its Rainforest for Carbon Credits
OO Australia Is On Course To Beat Its Own Target Of 20 Percent Renewable Energy By 2020.
OO Researchers Focus on Fungi to Cheaply Replace Plastic Insulation, Packaging
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OO Ex Iowa Lawmaker Ed Fallon Organizing A 1,000-Person Climate March across the country next year, spanning 8 months and thousands of miles.
OO Tesla Motors Creating an Electric Car Recharging Route from NY to LA
OO US Installed 33 Megawatts Solar Capacity in April Alone.
Solar Arrays in a Cattle Feedlot, Credit Business Wire via Climate Progress
OO Mexico Building Latin America's Biggest Solar Power Plant (30 Megawatts) in Baja.
OO New Jersey to Increase Spending on Solar Energy by nearly half a billion dollars, meaning almost a hundred more megawatts of new capacity.
OO Google Invests $12 million in a South African Solar Farm.
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OO Illinois House Oks Bill To Regulate Hydraulic Fracturing.
OO Obama Campaign Group Targets Climate Change.
OO British Columbia Opposes Planned Oil Sands Pipeline. Do the words "Keystone pipeline" mean anything to you? Apparently they do not to 50% of US voters....
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***** US Climate Change News *****
OO US Experiencing Dramatic Shifts Among Various Forms Of Extreme Weather accounting for two-thirds of the world's $170 billion in natural disaster costs in 2012 alone.
OO A Wildfire Near Los Angeles Expanded last week; a local fire inspector noted, "Heat is going to be our big enemy."
Credit Forecast the Facts
OO NPR Airs Story On Melting Glaciers Without Explaining Why They Are Melting alas, neither did the original report...
OO Shell Admits Why Coast Guard Had To Rescue Its Arctic Drilling Rig: Failed Tax Avoidance Scheme Your taxpayer dollars at work, folks....
OO US Tax Code Unfairly Favors Fossil Fuels Over Clean Energy
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OO Climate Change Threatens 82 Percent Of CA Native Fish With Extinction.
OO Survey: Many Americans Don't Know What Fracking Is.
OO Another Water-Short Year In The Southwest Is Occurring, with the region's major river basins, the Colorado and the Rio Grande, still experiencing drought.
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<<<< Climate Change Round the World >>>>
OO India: Intense Heat Wave Brings Sunstroke Deaths, Electric Grid Meltdown, Spoiled Food
OO UN Recommends Big Companies Report Environmental Impacts As Well As Profits
OO Switzerland: Glaciers Melt, Increasing Landslides in Alps, since glaciers provided structural support as well.
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OO Population Growth Spurs Energy Poverty Worldwide.
OO Mt. Everest Glaciers Retreated Uphill 580 Feet Over 50 Years
OO Autsch! Fracking Threatens The German Beer Industry.
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Iceberg off Monument Island credit Mary Ellen Harte
(((((((( Seeking the Science ))))))))
OO Arctic Sea Ice Melt Disrupts US Weather Patterns.
OO Drought Will Magnify Water Scarcity Issues
OO Increased Carbon Dioxide Creates More Pollen, Worsens Allergies, Asthma - Report
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☼☼☼Acting Like You Care: The XL Keystone pipeline will make possible far more climate change, but President Obama might okay it anyway. Credo, 350.org and others are asking people to stand up and be counted as nonviolent resisters or help in other ways. I did. If you ever wanted to do something big for your future, now's your chance - here. 
@@@ Climate Change in the Media @@@
Via Climate Nexus
OO @@ WEEKLY CLIMATE CHANGE VIDEO SERIES!! @@ Entitled "In Case You Missed It" via the good folks at Climate Nexus on Vimeo - select headlines delivered in less than 90 seconds with good graphics. Cool watching -- spread the word!!
OO CBS News Ties Extreme Weather To Manmade Climate Change on Face the Nation, May 26. Climate Central's Chief Climatologist Heidi Cullen made clear we must act now to reduce carbon pollution because "the longer you wait to fix it the tougher it gets to fix, so the sooner we start the better off we are."
OO Need some laughs? Check out this zinger ad, a take-off of an AT&T series, by Moms Clean Air Force and Environmental Defense Fund, thanking senators who opposed clean air legislation ... Why? Because fossil fuels cause most air pollution, and those industries fuel senatorial campaigns....
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OO US Coal Not Declining - much as we wish it would. Check out this must-see video!
OO The Jet Stream: How Arctic Warming Is Driving More Extreme US Weather if you haven't seen this yet, it's fantastic. See how the Arctic affects US weather...
OO How Do You Install A Rooftop Solar Array? Check out this one minute time-lapse video
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To help you understand just what science does and does NOT do, check this out!
Every day is Earth Day, folks, as I was reminded by this skunk portrait Jen Joynt so generously shared with me. Making the U.S. a global clean energy leader will ensure a heck of a lot more jobs, and a clean, safe future. If you'd like to join the increasing numbers of people who want to TELL Congress that they will vote for clean energy candidates you can do so here. It's our way of letting Congress know there's a strong clean energy voting bloc out there. For more detailed summaries of the above and other climate change items, audio podcasts and texts are freely available.
Remind you of anybody you know? See you next week...