Today, the Earth got a little hotter, and a little more crowded.
Imagine This Looking Like Arizona: a new study suggests climate change could dramatically dry out Yellowstone Park. Source: www.tourist-destinations.net
OO By 2100, Yellowstone National Park Likely To Be Incredibly Dry - as climate change helps destroy forests and streams, says a new report.
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Photo via Shutterstock
OO Top Oil-Producing Nations, Companies Pledge To Curb Gas Flaring,
A Major Source Of CO2
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Greenhouse Warning on Earth Day 1970: NBC News
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Credit Winfried Rothermel AP
OO Crushing US Southeast Forests into Pellets for Europe's Biomass Market -
A Nightmare - both for US forests and wildlife, and climate change, fueled by the emissions of burning wood.
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Halloween Comes Early: Brain Eating Parasite, Naegleria fowleri, an electron microscope view - no joke, despite the fact it looks like a howling ghost. Climate change is helping its spread in the US. Credit Francine Marciano-Cabral, Virginia Commonwealth University
OO Climate Change Does Have Some Winners, Like Brain-Eating Parasites - dengue fever, forest-destroying beetles, ratsnakes, hordes of jellyfish, and many other attractive life forms.... Besides fossil fuel companies. Who need epidemics, when we can have death by 1,000s of small outbreaks?
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Safe Sex Saves Wildlife - besides yourself from STDs; the fewer unwanted babies in this world, the less wildlife suffers.
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Climate Change Generators. Credit: Dan Chung for the Guardian
OO Scrap Fossil Fuel Subsidies Now And
Bring In Carbon Tax, Says World Bank Chief - adding that poor countries are feeling "the boot of climate change on their neck".
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Lantern bug, Fulgora lampestris, one of many unique fascinating Borneo creatures threatened by disappearing forests. Source: www.newsbeast.gr
OO East Asia Is Polluting Air of Borneo Forests - already under siege from human resource exploiters, like lumber companies.
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What Happens in the Arctic Doesn't Stay in the Arctic: the melting of Arctic ice is increasingly linked to the slowing and increased waviness of the jet stream, which can then shuttle persistent extreme weather into the US, both cold and hot. Credit: NASA
The Arctic Is 'Unraveling' Due To Global Warming, With Global Consequences l says a new National Research Council booklet, reports Chris Mooney at the Washington Post, affecting US weather, seafood, rising sea levels (think Greenland ice), and worsening global warming itself, as white ice is replaced by heat absorbing darker sea water.
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Courtesy Nokero Solar
Solar Light Bulbs: Now 1+ Million in 120 Countries, reports Kris Frieswick at Inc. Magazine, are all due to an insight inventor Steve Katsaros had one night walking past a string of construction lights.
Steve Katsaros with customers. Nokero ("no kerosene") designs affordable solar tech solutions for off-the-grid communities worldwide; it is the only solar company to win the US PTO's Patents for Humanity Award. Source presscenter.us
Nokero Solar produces a compact light bulb with a small solar panel that charges a battery, delivering 7 hours of light; each bulb lasts 3 years, paying for itself in weeks. Combating energy poverty, worldwide - way to shine, folks!
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If Climate Change Doesn't Get Them, Pollution Will as a study shows how bears hormone systems are being disrupted by chemical pollutants. Source Wikipedia
OO Polar Bears Hit By Twin Threats Of Pollution And Climate Change - Greenland's polar bears have a thyroid problem from a range of long-lived industrial chemicals and pesticides pollutants.
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Credit, Murdo Macleod at the Guardian
OO Keep It In The Ground: Why This Is Basic Ethics - If the purpose of your existence is to make the world a better place, why would you invest billions of dollars in companies that make the greatest contribution to global climate change?
Join the viral Guardian's climate change campaign here.
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Imagine the blue as oceans: during cold phases of Pacific sea surface temperatures, global warming heat is being pushed into the oceans, so it doesn't heat the air as much. But we've just started a hot phase (far right), which will step up global heating of the atmosphere - it's going to get still hotter, faster.
OO The Pacific Ocean Enters A New Warm Phase Apparently --
The Climate Consequences May Be Dramatic - such as accelerating global heating.
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Pope Francis has zoned in on the responsibility of humanity to protect the environment - that means halting climate change. AP photo Alessandra Tarantino
OO Vatican Announces Major Summit On Climate Change
"[The conference hopes to] help build a global movement across all religions for sustainable development and climate change throughout 2015 and beyond."
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Dead Monkeys For Dinner. Demand for food, water and natural resources are driving loss of biodiversity. Credit Mattias Klum
OO Pushing Earth Beyond Its Natural Limits - In Pictures by Johan Rockström and Mattias Klum reveal the current state of nine planetary boundaries, including freshwater use, land-system change and climate change in a new book Big World Small Planet.
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If we do not grow sustainably,
Our children will die inhumanely.
OO Over-Consumption, Climate Change Threaten
Food Security, Water Supply: United Nations - but if UN studies do not acknowledge let alone mention overpopulation, these problems will not go away.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Consider having a smaller family or have kids later in life. Encourage others to do the same. Adopt or become a foster parent.
And there are many more actions you can do, right here.
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SOLAR KEEPS SAILING
OO Small-Scale Solar Installations Are Taking Back The Power Grid - as little rooftop solar systems installed on homes, churches, nonprofits, and commercial buildings around the country make quite a dent in our overall energy production.
OO How Utilities and Solar Developers Can Deploy PV as a Grid Resource
site solar in grid hot spots - so solar can offset grid peak demand; diversify projects; emphasize outreach and education.
OO Half of Americans Say Solar Is Important,
But Only 6% Say They'll Buy PV Today - c'mon, folks, we can do better!
OO US Solar Design Software Startup Lands $1 Million in Funding
OO Assuring Solar Modules Will Last for Decades, the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is co-leading an international push to assure the reliability of solar panels.
OO China: Apple Grows Its Own Solar Farms partnering with SunPower to build two solar power plants totalling 40MW of capacity, to offset its growing carbon footprint in China.
Check it out here, right now!
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GOOD CLEAN NEWS
OO Clean Energy Seeing Global 'Renaissance' says the Bloomberg New Energy Finance summit.
OO 40+ Global Companies Pledge Emission Cuts,
Call For Strong Paris Climate Deal
OO California's Top Regulator Says 100% Renewable Energy Is Possible for the State
Join the campaign to get even more TV weather broadcasters to broadcast the facts of climate change here; they are daily educators that people trust.
Source forecastthefacts.org
OO Most US TV Meteorologists Now Convinced Manmade Climate Change Is Happening - 70+% believe that climate change will influence weather in their areas over the next 50 years. Let's hope they broadcast that message every time they talk weather...
Source Dyson
OO Dyson Unveils LED Lights That Will Last 37 Years
OO Energy Efficiency Cut New England Energy Prices
by 24% in Winter 2014 - that's a good chunk of change, folks!
OO US Support For Carbon Tax Reaches Almost 70% - especially if the tax is funneled back to households, poll finds.
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OO Renewable Energy Surge Revives Europe's Power Trade as they juggle unpredictable supplies of wind and solar.
Canadian tar sand developments make the country one of the worst contributors to climate change. Credit Robert Van Waarden At Greenpeace
OO Canada:Provinces Responding To Climate Change - as finally - FINALLY - their leaders plan to discuss climate change, amid proposals to limit emissions.
OO China Can Cut Cord on Coal (Mostly) by 2050
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WHAT WORKS
Speaking Out:
OO Harvard's Heat Week Sparks Fire For Fossil Fuel Divestment - 'We need disruptive politics,' says professor as students begin sit-ins around campus.
OO Democratic Senators Outs GOP Leader Mitch McConnell Hypocrisy - McConnell exhorts governors to ignore climate rules, even as his state is addressing climate change.
OO Green Group Praises Bush On Climate Remarks - as Jeb said that the US should work cooperatively to reduce carbon emissions.
Source: UK Guardian
OO Australia Coal Seam Gas Protesters Stage
'Longest Ever' Demonstration along 2,000 km of highway; mining the gas uses and pollutes precious water supplies in drought-ridden Australia.
Prime Minister Modi is encouraging the explansion of solar power in India.
OO Prime Minister Modi: India Must Lead On Climate Change
OO Dutch Citizens Sue Their Govt Over Failure To Act On Climate Change - a matter of human rights.
OO China, Other Big Emitters Challenge Australia
Over Its Poor Climate Change Policies
Good Ideas:
What are your voting priorities - jobs, health, security? Leaders who address climate change will be improving all three.
OO Liberal Groups Aim To Register A Million Climate Voters
OO Adidas Wants To Recycle Oceanic Plastic Garbage Into Shoes And Clothing
OO Turning Oil Companies Into Climate Allies
Circular Economy. Source www.apdiltd.com
OO Circular Economy Could Bring 70% Cut In Carbon Emissions By 2030 says a new study from The Club of Rome, a global thinktank, by using and re-using, rather than using up, yielding multiple benefits. .
OO Even Big Oil Stockholders Are Concerned About Climate Change
Related Headline:
OO BP Investors Want to Know How Climate Change Will Affect Assets
OO BP Shareholders Back More Disclosure On
How BP Will Affect Climate Change Risks
Important Insights:
The Great Divide: unusually hot (red) and cold (blue) emperatures across the U.S. Credit: NOAA
OO The US East-West Weather Divide: Drivers Include
Pacific Climate Cycle, and the Arctic indicate new studies.
Credit NOAA photo library
OO Ocean Biosystem Is Very Sensitive To Climate Change Short term climate changes can cause major marine damage that requires up to 1,000 years for recovery says a new study.
OO CO2, and Ancient Earth Climates:
A Giant Ice Ball Became Liveable, Then Wiped Lifeless - 240 Billion years ago, volcanism injected lots of CO2 into the atmosphere of iceball Earth, ultimately melting it into oceans surrounding land, reconstructs one study.
Volcanism has driven major climatic changes in the past, just as humans do so now via the same mechanism: injecting massive amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere. Source youtube.com
Yet another volcanic CO2 injection , just 250 Million years ago, caused the greatest extinction of life on the planet, warming the atmosphere, acidifying oceans, and wiping out most living species, evidence shows. Does that last scenario ring any bells?
Got Tuna? Not for long, if we keep polluting its home and overfishing it. Oil can transform larvae (top) into fatally flawed babies (bottom). Credit John Incardona at NOAA
OO Oil Spills and Baby Fish Don't Mix - Anywhere -meaning any marine oil spills worldwide can devastate fishing.
OO Argentina: Climate Change Threatens Wine Production says a new report.
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WHAT DOESN'T WORK
Sources NYTimes, L, AP, R
@@ Danger on the Rails: Bomb Trains - that new oil from North Dakota is highly volatile, greatly increasing the probability of exploding trains -- as they roll through your town or those of friends and relatives - and as they already have in the U.S. recently. A compelling video.
YOU CAN ACT
To Ban the Bomb Trains by signing a petition here.
OO US Oil Spills Are On The Rise offshore and onshore.
OO Fracking Waste Puts US Public At Risk, study says.
Harvard's Carbon Footprint harms communities far beyond its borders. Wikipedia
OO Harvard's $36 Billion Endowment
May Have A 100-Million-Ton Carbon Footprint
OO U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Spiked 2% in 2013 - our air and future got a little dirtier.
OO Oil Layoffs Worldwide Hit 100,000 and Counting
Source RTCC
OO Energy Companies' Fuel Reserves Has 500% More Carbon Dioxide
Than Can Be Safely Burned, report says. So why are they wasting billions looking for more?
OO Legal Battle Begins Over Obama Bid to Curb Greenhouse Gases
OO Canada Far From Meeting Committments On Greenhouse Gas
@@ Mexico: 500,000 Left Without Drinking Water After Oil Spill
Bad Ideas:
US Prairies store carbon, harbor unique flowers, and grow important food for our domestic bees. Source prairiegardentrust.org
OO Turning Prairies Into Gas: U.S. Biofuel Production Destroys Carbon-Storing Grasslands
OO Chinese Report Blames Indian Emissions For Pollution Of Tibetan Plateau - a vast area that influences weather worldwide.
OO China Used Water to Make Energy -
Now It Will Do the Reverse and spike emissions further as thirsty cities plan to build desalination plants.
Clueless Leadership:
Even elephants can't survive on oil. Credit: Mary Ellen Harte
OO GOP Lawmakers Threaten To Throw Out All That Made Texas A Wind Power Leader
OO First 100 Days: GOP Congress Focused On
Undermining Energy, Environmental Laws
OO GOP Congress Is Pushing A Bill To Badly Weaken The EPA's Climate Rule
Source: politico.com
OO GOP Marco Rubio Doubts Manmade Global Warming,
Says 'Climate Is Always Changing.'
OO Floridians A Lot More Worried About Climate Change
Than Marco Rubio
OO Hypocrite: World Bank Fossil Fuel Financing Leapt In 2014
-- Despite Its Calls To End Subsidies
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WHY WE SHOULD ACT NOW: RISING RISKS
Daily Climate Change: Global Map of Unusual Temperatures, Apr 27, 2015
How unusual has the weather been? No one event is "caused" by climate change, but global warming, which is predicted to increase unusual, extreme weather, is having a daily effect on weather, worldwide.
Looking above at recent temperature anomalies, much of the US and the waters surrounding it are experiencing warmer than normal temperatures: the eastern Pacific warm spot continues to prevent much rain from reaching California, sending it into further drought.
Much of the areas surrounding the North Pole are experiencing much warmer than normal temperatures - not good news for our Arctic thermal shield of ice. Hotter than usual temperatures continue to dominate human habitats.
Natural Repercussions:
Source NOAA
OO 2015 Hottest Year to Date, Could Top 2014 Record
OO Record Pacific Sea-Surface Temperatures Point To
Record Warmth In 2015-2016
Social Repercussions:
OO Water Insecurity Costs Global Economy Billions A Year
California Dryin':
OO Climate Change And The California Drought - there are two supported links: climbing temperatures and a Pacific high pressure zone over unusually warm ocean water that is diverting storms away from California.
OO California Mandates 25% Urban Reduction of Water Use
Once So Numerous, Now Gone: the sardine fishery off California has collapsed due to changing climate and overfishing. Wikipedia
OO California Sardine Population Collapses, Prompting Fishing Ban
OO CA Farmers Threaten Future Water Supplies
By Depleting Free Groundwater Now - nothing regulates taking water from finite underground aquifers, which, when emptied, could be crushed by the land above, permanently depriving future inhabitants of a possible rechargeable store of water.
Is it time to stop eating CA almonds?
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KEEPING CARBON STORED: FORESTS UPDATE
Forests: the cheapest way to store carbon
OO Condition Of Tropical Forests 'Worsening', Could Become 'Critical'
CreditPeter Van Der Sleen at www.rainfor.org
OO Global Warming Is Already Clobbering The Amazon - research data show mnay trees growing faster and dying younger, recycling their carbon faster. A tipping point is coming, but no one can predict the global ramifications.
Where does your cholcolate come from? Wikipedia.
OO Peru Govt Allows Amazon Deforestation for 'Ethical' Chocolate and palm oil.
OO Illegal Deforestation Driven By EU Appetite For Beef, Palm Oil, Soy, say new reports.
OO Growing Need For Deforestation-Free Rubber
As Tire Demand Destroys Native Forests
There is, of course, much more news on the consequences and solutions to climate change. To get it, check out this annotated resource list I've compiled, "Climate Change News Resources," at Wordpress.com here. For more information on the science of climate change, its consequences and solutions you can view my annotated list of online information resources here.
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 flower I photographed one spring. 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.
