Climate Change / Global Warming Discussion

[DragonWatch]

http://www.thelancet.com/commissions/pollution-and-health
For decades, pollution and its harmful effects on people’s health, the environment, and the planet have been neglected both by Governments and the international development agenda. Yet, pollution is the largest environmental cause of disease and death in the world today, responsible for an estimated 9 million premature deaths.

The Lancet Commission on pollution and health addresses the full health and economic costs of air, water, and soil pollution. Through analyses of existing and emerging data, the Commission reveals pollution’s severe and underreported contribution to the Global Burden of Disease. It uncovers the economic costs of pollution to low-income and middle-income countries. The Commission will inform key decision makers around the world about the burden that pollution places on health and economic development, and about available cost-effective pollution control solutions and strategies.

Global pollution kills 9m a year and threatens 'survival of human societies'

Global pollution kills 9m a year and threatens 'survival of human societies'

My wife just completed a course on climate change as a part of her Landscape Architect license professional development. One of the guest lecturers she quoted, says that plastic is in everything we eat, drink and breath.

From my once a month world saving coffee buddies; one of the guys said, “he heard that caught salmon are showing large quantities of medical drugs.” I got a laugh telling them all we need to do is catch salmon based on their high quantities of a particular medical drug and eat that one for what ails us Okay, maybe I needed another cup of decaf.

Thanks, another good article to read.

 

[DragonWatch]

Interesting

‘Let us do our job’: Anger erupts over EPA’s apparent muzzling of scientists

 

[SageBrush]

Interesting

‘Let us do our job’: Anger erupts over EPA’s apparent muzzling of scientists

This harkens back to the li'l Bush era when Evangelists were put into positions overseeing scientific missions and they espoused an ideology that science should be tailored to political whims

Ah well. It's all in the pursuit of making American "great" again, so it's OK, right ?

 

[mspohr]

Congressional Auditor Urges Action to Address Climate Change

NY Times has a story about a new GAO report which predicts rising costs from climate change.
Politicians should realize that this will cost a lot of money.

 

[Jeff N]

Congressional Auditor Urges Action to Address Climate Change

NY Times has a story about a new GAO report which predicts rising costs from climate change.
Politicians should realize that this will cost a lot of money.

This pretty much sums it up — the Trump administration believes climate change change is a serious risk to short-term profits and have already formulated and begun carrying out their response.

As The Donald says, We've ended the war on beautiful, clean coal."

Robert N. Stavins, an economist at Harvard University, said he doubted the study would convince either Republicans in Congress or the White House to act.

“The G.A.O. study is conservative, it’s not alarmist, it’s realistic and balanced and they go out of their way to point out all of the uncertainties involved,” Mr. Stavins said. “I don’t see any likelihood it’s going to be taken seriously.”

 

[SmartElectric]

Politicians should realize that this will cost a lot of money

votes ....eventually.

Fixed that for you.

 

[mspohr]

votes ....eventually.

Fixed that for you.

Unfortunately, politicians exist on donations (bribes) and the fossil fuel industry gives the most. If disaster costs increase, they'll just cut expenses for poor people (social support, health, education, etc).

 

[ggies07]

Unfortunately, politicians exist on donations (bribes) and the fossil fuel industry gives the most. If disaster costs increase, they'll just cut expenses for poor people (social support, health, education, etc).

Which is going to be an interesting event to watch over the next decade as the demand for oil flattens and the industry starts going down hill, all the while Tesla gains more ground. We'll see how well those donations do then.....

 

[SmartElectric]

going to be an interesting event to watch over the next decade as the demand for oil flattens and the industry starts going down hill

Made me think of a cornered animal ...

 

[mspohr]

New data gives hope for meeting the Paris climate targets

New data gives hope for meeting the Paris climate targets | Dana Nuccitelli

Looks like progress. China is 15 years ahead of target and California is making progress.

 

[mspohr]

Looks like fossil fuel companies are corrupting the Paris agreement
Fossil fuel companies undermining Paris agreement negotiations – report

Fossil fuel companies undermining Paris agreement negotiations – report

 

[ggies07]

Looks like fossil fuel companies are corrupting the Paris agreement
Fossil fuel companies undermining Paris agreement negotiations – report

Fossil fuel companies undermining Paris agreement negotiations – report

Thanks for the article.

Seems to me that Tesla has the best solutions and already started implementing them (battery storage project), not the fossil fuel companies....

Australia’s delegation has argued that “there is no clear understanding of what a conflict of interest is and it means different things to different people” and that fossil fuel companies were “the providers of the biggest and best solutions”.

 

[mspohr]

Thanks for the article.

Seems to me that Tesla has the best solutions and already started implementing them (battery storage project), not the fossil fuel companies....

There is some hope in the private sector. I read an article yesterday about a UK billionaire who purchased steel companies in Australia and plans on making them run completely on renewables using a combination of solar and battery storage.
Gupta revs up green steel plan with Australian renewables investment push
Whyalla steelworks to be powered by $700m solar, battery and pumped hydro project

 

[mspohr]

Stanford professor files $10 million lawsuit against scientific journal over clean energy claims

Academic dispute goes to court. A Stanford professor who modeled how the US could switch to 100% renewables is suing critics for libel.

 

[Skotty]

Stanford professor files $10 million lawsuit against scientific journal over clean energy claims

Academic dispute goes to court. A Stanford professor who modeled how the US could switch to 100% renewables is suing critics for libel.

Based only on the article description of the dispute, I'd say truth lies somewhere in between the two sides. I think 100% renewables is indeed possible and desirable, but it WILL require stationary battery storage, and a lot of it, and it will take a long time to get there, so other power sources will be a part of the mix for a long time to come.

 

[ggr]

I was at a Socially Responsible Investing conference today, and there was a great lunch time talk from a representative from the Union of Concerned Scientists, I think it was Brenda Ekwurzel. But there are slides from the talk on line: The rise in global atmospheric CO2, surface temperature, and sea level from emissions traced to major carbon producers .

 

[JRP3]

The UN Admits That The Paris Climate Deal Was A Fraud

The UN Admits That The Paris Climate Deal Was A Fraud

 

[mspohr]

The UN Admits That The Paris Climate Deal Was A Fraud

I think that most people understood that the Paris agreement was "weak tea" but was a landmark in getting everyone to agree that there was a problem and that something should be done.
This article seems to conclude that we are doomed so there is no point in doing anything. More denier nonsense.

Here's a more realistic take on the same report
From Miami to Shanghai: 3C of warming will leave world cities below sea level

From Miami to Shanghai: 3C of warming will leave world cities below sea level

 

[Skotty]

The UN Admits That The Paris Climate Deal Was A Fraud

Libel.

 

[mspohr]

Libel.

Fraud or libel?
Is climate change not real and happening?
Do we need to do something about it?
Did the Paris agreement do something about it?