Today, the Earth got a little hotter, and a little more crowded.
Modern Art? No, It's a Rainforest map created from aerial laser scans produced by the Carnegie Airborne Observatory, an important new forest conservation tool. Courtesy of CAO
That frilly blue ribbon shows the history of the changing riverbed of the Tambopata River, Peru. This technique can help boost conservation http://news.mongabay.com/2015/0504-cao3-forest-monitoring-platform-launch.html of threatened Borneo forests.
Forests: the cheapest way to store carbon
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And Now, a Bit 'O Brit Humor ....
the British comedian, David Mitchell:
@@ David Mitchell's Soapbox: Climate Change
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/video/2010/jul/08/david-mitchells-soap-box-climate-change
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Yes, it IS logical -- and possible. Have you looked into it yet?
OO People Are Personally Divesting Of Coal, Oil And Gas - via bank accounts and pensions. See how they're doing it.
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Source World News
OO India: The Heat And Deaths Rise -A Glimpse Of Earth's Future? The poor, the old, and the young are dying first.
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Protests Pay Off - Maryland is adopting a fracking moratorium. New York has already done so. Who's next? Credit Matt Bush
OO Free Of Fanfare, Maryland Adopts Fracking Moratorium
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@@@ Climate Change in Pictures: @@@
How Las Vegas Sucks the West Dry - the Hoover Dam loses nearly 300 billion gallons of Colorado River water yearly to power the city and beyond. Credit Propublica.org
@@ Drying West: Water and Energy Collide - as two big dams, the Glen Canyon and the Hoover, lose over 450 Billion gallons of water to evaporation yearly, worsening water shortages already present from climate-change-enhanced drought - a fascinating interactive tour of the drying Colorado River, a 1,500 mile long, 7-state plumbing system for the US west.
>>>>> Question of the Day:
Which is more important to Americans - water, or hydro-power?
(Hint: Solar power could replace hydro).
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Get the Picture? Hidden Creek Glacier, Alaska, in 1916 and 2004. Alaska heats two times faster than the average US state; global warming occurs fastest at the poles. Credit Denali National Park
@@ Alaska Photo Project Captures
Climate Change In 1,000 Wows - as photos decades apart paint dramatic changes.
@@ NASA: Stark Before-And-After Images
Reveal Rapidly Changing World - as we develop it for energy, and climate change kicks in.
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OO American Moose Dying In Droves As Climate Warming
Fuels Disease, Pests
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OO Wal-Mart Makes Big Renewable Push With Utilities - rolling back state and utility resistance to corporate purchases of renewable energy.
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OO Holy Crop: Federal Dollars Are Financing Cotton
-- And The Water Crisis In The West which may no longer be able to afford to grow cotton.
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If we do not grow sustainably,
Our children will die inhumanely.
OO World Health Organization Expands Birth Control Options - on its recommended list to polcyimakers: a big step towards humane population management. Yes!
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Get involved in helping bring down unintended pregnancies in your community:
unintended people add to the economic strain on your community.
And there are many more actions you can do, right here.
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SOLAR KEEPS RISING
OO Creative Solar Finance Grows the Pool of PV Investors and Customers
OO DOE Announces $32 Million to Boost Solar Workforce Training
OO Nearly $9 Million Raised for Hybrid Electric Buildings
"Combine a dozen buildings into a fleet and you have the utility equivalent of a peaker plant."
A solar farm near Canberra, Australia. Credit Matt Bedford
OO Solar the Most Popular Energy Source in Australia - says a new poll, with 80+% supporting it over nuclear or coal, a big Australian export.
OO Australia: Solar Company Brings Light To Slums Of India
OO Solar-Plus-Storage Is About To Take Off in Africa - one company is already committed to supplying 100,000 homes in Ghana with affordable packages that collect solar energy and store it for later use. Solar power is already widespread in African rural communities.
Check it out here, right now!
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GOOD CLEAN NEWS
OO Electric Car Makes Share Technology To Boost Innovation, Sales - Tesla, BMW, and now Ford. When was the last time you heard of companies sharing tech secrets?
OO Renewable Energy Share of U.S. Energy Consumption Highest Since 1930s
OO "The U.S. Energy Storage Market Is On Pace
For A Record-Breaking Year"
News From the Coal Front:
OO Inside the War on Coal - it's not Obama's or even Washington DC's war; Michael Bloomberg, red-state businesses, and a lot of Midwestern lawyers are changing American energy with a guerrilla war.
OO Coal Facing Worst Year Yet in 2015 as the U.S. keeps using less, and using more cheap natural gas, renewables, and energy efficiency.
What A "Coal-Free" Sky Looks Like - one of my favorite friends: Gothic Mountain, CO.
OO Replacing Coal With Clean Energy:
Utility Ex Coal Plant Now a Storage Battery Facility - as Duke Energy moves towards clean energy. Batteries can feed power to the grid far faster than a coal plan; they also store clean renewable energy.
OO Coal Use Would Drop Sharply,Quickly
Under Proposed Clean Power Fed Plan
Norway already has successfully promoted widespread use of electric cars.
OO Norway's $900 Billion Sovereign Fund Told To Reduce Coal Assets
OO Norway Fund Could Trigger Wave Of Large Fossil Fuel Divestments, say experts.
OO Dozens Of Canada's Tar Sands Projects On Hold As Prices Fall analysis shows.
Source www.naftaplaces.com
OO US, Mexico, Canada To Collaborate On Climate Adaptation - upgrading power grids, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and more are on the agenda.
OO German CO2 Emissions Down 4+% in 2014 - at this rate, they'll be down to zero emissions before 2040. Hey, what about the USA? Are we going to let the Germans beat us in the most important race of the century?
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WHAT WORKS
Speaking Out:
OO Apple, Google and Facebook Oppose a Freeze on Renewable Energy Targets
in North Carolina. Internet giants urge politicians to avoid creating "new risk and uncertainty."
OO United Nations Head Calls For Global Climate Change Action
Not On My Ranch says Bill Gow about a proposed gas pipeline. Source Jeff Brady, NPR
OO Oregon Rancher Refuses To Allow Natural Gas Pipeline On His Property
Good Ideas:
OO Companies Urged To Set Emissions Targets
Based On Scientists Recommendations - a group of nongovernmental organizations wants to recruit 100 companies to set greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets that match up with the cuts scientists say are necessary to avert the worst impacts of climate change.
OO Overcoming the Landlord-Tenant Split That Hinders Energy Efficiency - a new report finds that green leases could deliver $3 billion in annual savings.
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WHAT DOESN'T WORK
Fossil Fuel Follies
The New ExxonMobil Icon - as indicated by the CEO's recent talk to shareholders.
OO ExxonMobil CEO Mocks Renewable Energy,
Downplays Climate Change to Shareholders - saying that his firm hadn't invested in renewable energy because "[w]e choose not to lose money on purpose."
CEO Rex Tillerson probably didn't tell them that analyses show that fossil fuel-free portfolios perform better than ones with fossil fuels - or that oil could become a stranded asset, meaning bigtime losses for investors.
Hey, why spoil their day?
OO Oil Company Bosses' Bonuses Linked To $1 Trillion Spending On Extracting Fossil Fuels - imagine if that money had been spent on clean renewable energy -- or providing family planning access to women worldwide who want it.
OO Canada: Pipeline Would Threaten Province's Drinking Water says a new report.
A Wyoming coal mine. Source Motherboard.vice.com
OO Massive Cheap US Coal Leases Could
Erase Obama's Progress on Climate Change - the authorized sale will allow for a trully massive stock of pure carbon to be mined, for cheap.
OO False Promise Of 'Carbon Capture' Exposed - as much more expensive than wind and solar, says a Greenpeace report. It is a perverse fossil fuel subsidy that will only boost them, and delay transition to a renewable energy system.
Clueless Leadership:
OO Shell Boss Endorses Warnings About Fossil Fuels, Climate Change -
But Plans to Drill For Oil in Arctic Anyway - after a long soul search on this decision, stupidity prevailed: another person lost to the bozone layer.
OO GOP Pledges To 'Rein In' Obama On EPA Rules, Global Warming - increasing risks to the economy, national security, and the American way of life. What's not to hate?
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WHY WE SHOULD ACT NOW: RISING RISKS
Daily Climate Change: Global Map of Unusual Temperatures, June 7, 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. Alaska is breaking heat records.
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:
Bigger and Badder Hurricanes are predicted under continuing climate change.
OO Experts Tie Hurricane Changes To Climate Change - they generally agree that:
- there will be more extreme hurricanes
- hurricanes will produce more rain
- storm surge will rival wind damage
- hurricanes will peak in intensity farther north -- hurricanes worldwide are peaking closer to the poles.
Winter storm Sandy might just be the beginning, New York!
OO Scientists Warn To Expect More Weather Extremes
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Social Repercussions:
Source www.meriter.com
OO Hay Fever Misery To Increase With Global Warming - as ragweed, a notorious source of sometimes severely allergic pollen, spreads.
Source GreenTechMedia
OO Nearly Half of Western US Power Plants Vulnerable to Climate Change - the desert Southwest will be the hardest hit.
It's not just California -- Utah and other western farms are suffering, too.
OO Drought Scourges Utah Farms, Too
OO Texas State Climatologist: Floods Are Best Evidence Yet of Climate Change - which is taking a toll on Texas, said John Nielsen-Gammon.
OO Texas Deluge Delays Cotton Planting,
Crop Insurance Deadline Looms
A Zimbabwe woman wonders where her family will get enough corn. Source cajnewsafrica.com
OO Zimbabwe Goes Hungry As Drought Hammers Southern Africa
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 beautiful flower, Melaleuca thymifolia (literally, Thyme leafed myrtle) I photographed in the fall. 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.
