Grizzly at lunchtime. See RonK's diary
here.
Many environmentally related posts appearing at Daily Kos each week don't attract the attention they deserve. To help get more eyeballs, Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue) normally appears twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
The most recent Saturday Spotlight can be seen here. More than
20,500 environmentally oriented diaries have been rescued for inclusion in this weekly collection since 2006. Inclusion of a diary in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it.
Nucleon: Ford's Plans for a Nuclear-Powered Car—by
Lenny Flank: "In the 1950s, the United States fell in love with the atom. The atomic bomb became the backbone of the US military, which drew up plans for everything from a nuclear hand grenade to a nuclear-powered jet bomber. The 'Atoms For Peace' project proposed using atomic explosions to excavate canals and reservoirs, and producing commercial electricity with nuclear fission reactors. And the Ford Motor Company unveiled its design for an atomic-powered automobile called the 'Nucleon'. […] In 1958, Jim Powers, a first-year designer at the Ford Company's Advanced Studio, decided to run with that concept, and produced a number of sketches illustrating what a nuclear-powered automobile might look like. Dubbed the 'Nucleon,' it looked like a futuristic spaceship on wheels. Alex Tremulis, the senior Ford designer who had previously helped produce the Tucker automobile, liked Powers' sketches, and asked him to make a concept model. Powers first produced a three-eighths scale clay model, then replicated it in fiberglass."
You can find more rescued green diaries below the orange garden layout.
Plummeting Oil Prices: Windfall Corporate Profits—by
dana anderssen: "NY Senator Chuck Schumer—perhaps second only to John McCain for never meeting a microphone he didn't like—recently, and correctly, ripped into the airline industry for not sharing with their customers any of the windfall they're experiencing resulting from plummeting oil prices (and in typical Schumer style, no discernible follow-up, once the cameras stopped rolling). Corporations that truck or ship anything—everything from heavy equipment to consumer products—must all be quietly reaping unanticipated windfalls resulting from the drop in oil prices that is expected to last the forseeable future (aka until Big Oil concocts its way out of the downward price spiral)."
What Santa does after Christmas—by
citisven: "You'd think after sledding for thousands of miles to drop presents through chimneys across the world, Santa would be kicking it in his igloo penthouse, chilling in a massage chair with a bottle of Bourbon. But no, the job is far from done. Trading in his glamorous red garb for a yellow safety vest, Mr. Claus was found this morning doing overtime at the San Francisco transfer station, helping to dispose of hundreds of Christmas trees piled up 40 feet high and 50 yards across. Last year, San Franciscans discarded 523 tons of Christmas trees, and that's just the ones their awesome resource managers at Recology collected. This year, Santa and his helpers are looking to blow that number through the canopy."
Climate Chaos
West Virginia's School Board votes to dumb down standards for teaching Climate Science to students—by Lefty Coaster: "The School Board that sets the state of West Virginia's teaching standards for all public schools in the state has altered the science curriculum to give climate denialism an equal standing with the peer reviewed scientific consensus on Global Warming as it makes changes to teach the topic to all state students for the first time. At the request of a West Virginia Board of Education member who said he doesn’t believe human-influenced climate change is a 'foregone conclusion,' new state science standards on the topic were altered before the state school board adopted them. School officials said the changes are meant to encourage more student debate on the idea that humans’ greenhouse gas emissions are causing a global rise in temperatures—a theory that an overwhelming majority of scientists accepts. Earlier this month, the state school board adopted the new education requirements, based on the national Next Generation Science Standards blueprint, with the plan to instruct teachers how to teach them by the 2016-17 school year."
The REAL Carbon Tax—by Wintermute: "As gasoline prices have plummeted, the economy has taken off. Coincidence? AAA has stated that the drop in gasoline prices will save consumers $75B in 2015. This is an ideal issue to frame in terms of tax and energy policy. When you look at the effects of an oil price drop, it is like a huge tax cut targeted at working families, because of the high share of their income that goes to transportation. And, given the high marginal propensity to consume of working families, that means that tax cut goes right into additional consumption of OTHER things besides gasoline, such as good, clothing, durable goods, etc. So, in terms of tax policy, we can frame the profiteering of the oil industry, driven by OPEC, as the 'real' Carbon Tax on the economy, which you pay to filthy rich sheiks who export terrorism and ruthless corporations that pollute our land and water through fracking."
Cost-Effective Solutions to the Climate Crisis Await Action—by Ellen Moyer: "A 2014 report by the Global Commission on Economy and Climate (GCEC) concludes that “countries at all levels of income now have the opportunity to build lasting economic growth at the same time as reducing the immense risks of climate change.” The report states that the necessary fixes may be effectively free. When the ancillary benefits of greener policies are taken into account, the fixes may wind up saving us money. The report points out that the longer we delay taking action, the more it will cost us to address the climate problem. Opportunities for addressing greenhouse gases lie within our reach. The potential environmental benefits of these opportunities are linked to other benefits, such as an improved economic climate, better human health, and remediation of other environmental problems. Green technology keeps improving. However, our policies are stuck and work against wider implementation of green technology."
West Virginia Science Standards Gain "Creditability"—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "A December 28 story in the West Virginia Gazette has gotten considerable traction, with a follow-up story on January 4 featuring quotes from national groups and a number of reaction pieces from the left and right. The gist of the story is this: a member of the West Virginia Board of Education, Wade Linger, requested that changes be made to the state's science standards. More specifically, Linger sought to adjust the portion on climate change, insisting that the Department of Education change the standards so that students must analyze 'climate models to assess their creditability [sic].' He also sought to insert language about 'natural forces such as Milankovitch cycles.' Ultimately, the changes are minor and will be covered/rebutted easily by teachers and students. But the kicker was Linger's explanation for the changes: 'West Virginia coal in particular has been taking on unfair negativity from certain groups.' So in order to protect coal's image, students in West Virginia will need to cover two standard denier memes, while also figuring out if climate model credibility is the same as 'creditability.'"
Why 2015 will become so important for our future—by Mattias: "Firstly, the third world conference on Disaster Risk Reduction will be held in Sendai, Japan. It may not be a process which has received much attention, but it is for sure important. Disasters happen around the world, throughout the year. Millions of people are affected, many die, and many are forced to leave their homes, turning families into refugees. Disasters challenge the possibilities for long term development and growth, and with a changing climate, the risks related to disasters continue to increase. A key element in the debate about disasters is the possibility to cope with their effects. With good preparations, and solid measures to build resilience, the effects on livelihoods, of harsh disasters will be limited, while poor and vulnerable communities may be affected by even small storms and floods. Secondly, in July, the third international conference on financing for development will be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Action is needed to face all of the challenges mentioned in the beginning of this post. However, action is not possible without the necessary means for implementation. Finance is needed, and rich countries have a responsibility to mobilize funding. Thirdly, in September, the UN General Assembly will have a special session to adopt a global development framework for the world. This meeting is expected to result in a number of Global 'Sustainable Development Goals' (SDGs), which should guide development in both rich and poor countries in the coming years. Finally, the year ends with a climate summit in Paris, COP21. This meeting is expected to deliver a global climate change agreement, which will help us to adapt to the effects of climate change, and to reduce emissions to ensure that the global temperature won’t increase above critical levels."
Critters & the Great Outdoors
The Daily Bucket - seven winter oystercatchers (plus 2)—by OceanDiver: "A cold winter's north wind directed me out to a SE-facing bay nearby for my afternoon walk a few days ago. I could see waves crashing onto a small island in the distance, the wind-driven surface swells coming up the Strait hitting it full force. In the bay here it was quieter, and I was hoping to see birds, who often take refuge in sheltered spots like this in winter storms. Keening calls caught my attention. In seconds, a flock of Black Oystercatchers circled in, landing on the beach below me. Oystercatchers are as quick and busy and industrious as all shorebirds are, but most of the year they are loners or pairs, vigorously defending their stretch of shoreline. In winter most flock up, flitting from one rocky patch to another, always along the edge of the sea. As 'obligate intertidal' creatures their only food source is between high and low tide, a very narrow habitat. This group of seven is a typical size in the Salish Sea. Up north in Alaska and British Columbia where most of them live, winter flocks of hundreds are common. That I'd like to see!"
The Daily Bucket: Salmon Come Home—by
RonK: "In order to return home salmon often have to jump, thus their name which comes from the Latin salmo, which in turn comes from salire, meaning 'to leap'. The six species of west coast Salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp) are migratory fish that may travel thousands of miles from their native streams or rivers and across the Pacific Ocean to Alaskan waters and along the Aleutian archipelago. Most travel for at least two years (pinks) and others for four to five years, feeding and growing in the northern Pacific. Historically, Chinook salmon for example (aka King, Spring, or Tyee [when greater than 30 lbs.]), were found to grow up to a hundred pounds and more from feeding in the icy waters of the north pacific ocean, rich in nutritious food fish and plankton. When they reach sexual maturity their “return home” genes are triggered hormonally to tell them that it is time to begin their final journey to their natal stream to spawn the next generation that will begin the venerable cycle again. […] Eons before human ancestors came down from the trees of Africa, these fish were coming home. The salmon family (Salmonidae) cycle of life has been around for many millions of years. Speciation into the current 6 Pacific salmonid species (Oncorhynchus) including the Steelhead Trout) and their separation from Atlantic salmon (Salmo) occurred by the early Miocene, between 15 and 20 million years ago. The fact that they have adapted to many changing environments over this enormous time span, allows one to hope they can adapt to the current and coming climate changes."
Dawn Chorus: Swan Song—by lineatus: "Though it's been obvious to me for a while that I couldn't sustain this, I also couldn't bear to give it up. I like the people here; it's a great way to kick off a week. Unfortunately, it's also a demanding end to most weeks. When I started Dawn Chorus in 2007, I had a lot of time for writing. My job situation has since changed for the worse, then changed for the better earlier this year. But the changes have left me with less free time - less free time for writing, and less free time for birding (i.e., something to write about). When Dawn Chorus started, it was a bit of an outlier here at DKos. There were occasional diaries about birds, but no regular predictable outlet for avian interests. I looked to Frankenoid's Garden Blog and Mark Hall's Marine Life series as inspirations. […] I will continue to write bird diaries when possible, and will probably post them in this same Sunday morning time slot. I'm hoping to do something monthly at least."
A Deer Hunt That Went Right—by ban nock: "All I did was look up, and I saw the doe looking down. It was up the hill standing sideways between some trees looking down at me with that slightly inquisitive look. So I went down on one knee and tried to line up on the thing. That’s the idea right? Hunt deer, shoot a deer? […] I’d caught my breath with all my fumbling so pulling off my mitten with my teeth I put the thing in my sights, my finger inside the guard and the second the crosshairs lined up on the sweet spot the gun went off. […] When I got to about where I thought the deer had been standing I got to wishing I’d taken a more careful look. It was quite a ways. So I went a little further. Sure enough there was a tiny bit of red, a fleck really, not a drop but something that looked like it had entered the snow with some velocity. But no deer. This is fairly open country mind you, one can see a few hundred feet in most directions. Very widely spaced thin aspen. […] I walked back to where I’d seen that splatter of blood in the snow. Sure enough, there it was, one fleck of red, and all the deer tracks. I couldn’t make believe it wasn’t there. The deer were still there, not looking at me really but further down the slope, and that gave me an idea. I walked down a little and a rock caught my eye, except all rocks were covered with the light snow, and there it was, a doe deader than all get out. I approached from the nose and put muzzle to eyeball looking for blink, no use catching a hoof from a dead deer. Three or four years old, not a giant but not a fawn either. I put my pack down took out my cleaning kit and my tag, signing and scratching in all the right places, then I called my wife and told her I’d be very late. It was a fine shot, double lung, no damage to heart or liver meat. I shoot those big copper bullets that go very fast, same bullet for all animals, keeps me from having to learn new things."
Neat new tool for birdwatching—by malapert: "My wife and I are long-time wildlife- and bird-watchers, both backyard and out in nature. We are also wildlife rehabilitators, caring for orphaned and injured birds and small mammals. Some of those birds and animals are soft-released in our back yard. Keeping track of them is important. Christmas was coming, and I was thinking about a new pair of binoculars for the Missus--and for me to borrow. I started researching what would fit into our very limited (way short of Steiner) budget, and came across the Pentax PTX62216 8.5 X 21 mm Papilio Binoculars. Who or what is Papilio? No idea. I was intrigued because these touted something called the 'CLOSE' system; technology that gave them the ability to be used on objects as close as one and a half feet away. Yes, you read that right. You can focus in on something eighteen inches away. The reviews were positive. The price was within range, currently around $109 at Amazon. I took a chance and sprang for 'em. We love these binoculars, and they work as advertised. You can focus on something as close as arm's length, using them as a sort of 'distant microscope'."
Palin Blows a Gasket at PETA—by GrafZeppelin127: "Just saw this at the New York Daily News. Apparently Mrs. Palin has taken to Facebook to, umm, respond to the criticism by PETA regarding the pictures she posted of her son Trig using a dog as a step-stool. Dear PETA, Chill. At least Trig didn’t eat the dog. Hey, by the way, remember your “Woman of the Year”, Ellen DeGeneres? Did you get all wee-wee’d up when she posted this sweet picture? [link] Hypocritical, much?' And this:The former Alaska governor [asked if PETA] went 'crazy when your heroic Man-of-Your-Lifetime, Barack Obama, revealed he actually enjoyed eating dead dog meat?' For the record, Obama never said he enjoyed eating the dog meat. Good lord. What is wrong with this woman?"
Energy
Low gas prices are starting to creep me out—by DarkSyde: "Gas is at 1.74/gal down the street reportedly below a buck sixty nearby. That's a huge, huge drop in a really short period of time. I've skimmed back on commodity reports and there's nothing beyond the usual bear-bull financial entertainment fluff predicting it, not until the move started. Here's an anecdotal sign I picked up during my years as a portfolio manager: when ordinary people suddenly feel they're experts, that's a bad sign. I'm talking about people who are definitely not pros or even slightly knowledgeable, worse than ignorant, openly dangerous. I'm talking your uncle Bob Dunning-Kruger that I meet at a party, and instead of asking me after he finds out what I did he proceeds to lecture me with a superior nod-nod wink-wink air of contempt exactly what the market is going to do. Lately, when I mention my admittedly vague concerns over oil prices, people are quick to shut me down and reassure me with no shred of analytical reasoning whatsoever that this is a 100% positive thing that can't possibly hurt anyone .... It may not be rigorously scientific, but that worries me, and folks I'm talking from experience, lots and lots of experience, on this one."
Fracking
Inaugural Message to Gov. Tom Wolf: Stop Fracking Pennsylvania!—by ruby red shoes: "Pass it on, spread the word, put it on your calendar, BE THERE. And please sign the petition. Join Pennsylvanians Against Fracking as we tell Governor Tom Wolf to make a halt on fracking his #1 priority. A fresh start for Pennsylvania means No New Fracking! Tom Wolf will be inaugurated as the next Governor of Pennsylvania on January 20th at the Capitol in Harrisburg. Pennsylvanians Against Fracking is headed to the inauguration to make sure Wolf hears us loud and clear, and we are going to need your help to do so."
Did My Piece on Coal Baron Murray v. Fracker McClendon Suit Lead To Sealing of Court Documents?—by Steve Horn: "On December 12, Magistrate Judge Mark R. Abel issued an order for the U.S.District Court for the Southern District of Ohio to place five sets of court records under seal for the ongoing case pitting coal baron Robert E. Murray against Aubrey McClendon, one of the godfathers of the hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) boom. DeSmogBlog published parts of two sets of the five sets of documents ordered under seal by Abel in an October 2014 article about the Murray v. McClendon case. The documents we published revealed a lease for McClendon’s new venture—American Energy Partners—for the first time. Bob Murray, owner of American Energy Corporation Century Mine in Ohio, sued Aubrey McClendon for allegedly infringing upon his company’s copyright in August 2013. He claimed McClendon commandeered the 'American Energy' brand. Both sides have now gone back-and-forth over discovery related issues for months. The dispute has shaken loose many newsworthy documents revealing much about McClendon’s new company in particular."
Keystone XL & Other Fossil Fuel Transportation
Democrats to fight back on XL Pipeline—by Just Bob: "How about some export restrictions? Some clean energy? A buy American provision? Fuel Fix has the story. Senate Democrats are vowing to counter Republicans’ campaign for Keystone XL by trying to attach buy-American requirements, clean energy proposals and export restrictions to legislation authorizing the pipeline."
Letter to Senator Joe Donnelly (D-IN) on Keystone XL—by Certifiable Genius: "I send a lot of comments to elected officials. One thing that somewhat concerns me is I spend time and energy writing them, and only one person, probably a low-level staffer will ever read them. So I'm going to start posting them here, in the hopes that someone will find them interesting or inspiring, or have some insight about improving them. This one is to Senator Joe Donnelly, in frustration over his wrongheaded support for Keystone XL. I am very disappointed by your positions on environmental and energy policy. You should already know that approving Keystone XL will do nothing to increase American energy security. It will not create American jobs. What it will do is spill very toxic oil into American rivers and create more harmful emissions."
President Obama Will Veto Keystone XL Pipeline Bill—by ericlewis0: "Breaking from The Washington Post: President Obama would veto a bill that would allow for the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, the White House said Tuesday."
The Obama administration is NOT saying that it will veto the Keystone XL—by Meteor Blades: "There is confusion about the Obama administration's stance on legislation being proposed—and sure to pass—in Congress to force approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. Some people have taken a briefing statement by White House press secretary Josh Earnest that President Obama would veto that legislation to mean a rejection of the pipeline. That's mistaken. As I have noted on more than one occasion, many encouraging comments by Obama dating back to his climate speech in June 2013 indicate that he may very well reject a permit to build the pipeline. The process by which approval or rejection is decided is delegated under the 2004 Executive Order 13337, which is an updated version of the 1968 Executive Order 11423. Those orders delegate authority for approving international pipelines (tunnels, drawbridges and conveyor belts) with the State Department. Ultimately, of course, that authority is the president's."
Republican-dominated Congress gears up for another vote on Keystone XL. They'll call it a jobs bill—by Meteor Blades: "There's little doubt this latest bill will pass. Republicans picked up nine Senate seats in November, giving them a total of 54. Desperate for whatever votes she could attract in the Louisiana Senate run-off, Democrat Mary Landrieu failed late last year to get the 60 votes needed to approve changing the approval process for international boundary-crossing pipelines. But she did get 13 other Democrats to go along with the measure. While five of them, including her, lost their seats, that still leaves eight Democratic votes for approving Keystone XL in the Senate. The House doesn't need any Democratic votes, although it will certainly get a few, as it has for past Keystone XL bills."
White House Threatens Veto On Keystone XL—by KantV420: "Obama seems to have picked up some of his old pep though, I can only hope continues to fight the insanity on the right. He will certainly have his share of difficulties with Republicans now in control of both houses of congress and Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe, one of the Right's biggest climate deniers, set to take over the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. I do believe that if Obama continues to fight Republicans on Climate Change and defends his policies to the public, History will show his legacy on the Environment a lasting one."
Warren: If Republicans wanted bipartisanship in 2015, Keystone XL bill was a lousy place to start—by Meteor Blades: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren isn't against bipartisanship. But she isn't keen on the bogus kind that Republicans are interested in. Which is subtitled: our-way-or-the-highway. As progressives have seen to their delight, the senator isn't, like too many of her Democratic colleagues, shy in expressing her views about GOP hypocrisy. This makes her third committee assignment—to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources—all the more delicious. We got a taste of what the committee is in for Tuesday when Warren challenged Republicans over their latest in a string of bills seeking to force President Obama to approve the permit for building the northern leg of the much-disputed Keystone XL pipeline. The Obama administration has said that if that bill reaches the president's desk, his advisers will recommend a veto."
Eco-Action & Eco-Justice
Massey Energy's Don Blankenship "symbolized lethal greed"—by Lefty Coaster: "Massey Energy president Don Blankenship has become Dirty Energy's poster boy for insatiable greed and disregard for public safety and health. Disgraced coal baron Blankenship of Massey Energy symbolized lethal greed: In a four-count indictment, federal prosecutors cite multiple instances when Blankenship, 64, scolded mine management for slowing production to address safety issues or violations cited by inspectors from the Mine Safety and Health Administration. Blankenship's longtime critics recognize the pattern. 'If he felt he could make more money by breaching a contract or (violating safety and environmental standards), it was automatic. He did it,' Pittsburgh attorney David Fawcett said. The indictment stemming from the 2010 Upper Big Branch explosion accuses Blankenship of conspiring to violate MSHA regulations, impeding safety inspectors, lying to the Securities and Exchange Commission and securities fraud."
Agriculture, Food & Gardening
Is Monsanto a bigger threat than global warming?—by don mikulecky: "The question is muddied with all sorts of misunderstanding. There is a mindless argument that lumps concerns about GMOs with climate denial and lack of belief in evolution. Nothing could be further from the truth. Many of the concerns about GMOs are real and based on good science. Among the most naive arguments is that we have genetically modified organisms for centuries by breeding. This is true. And it is different than manipulating DNA in the lab. GMOs are the latest threat Monsanto and its ilk have brought forth through science. Science has been misused often and in this oligarchy we should not be surprised. Read on below and I'll try to clarify some of this."
Genetically Modified Organisms in Food and Pharmaceuticals—by Lynne Vogel: "The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), a unit of the USDA, is responsible for ensuring that experimental, genetically-altered, organisms do not escape their test sites and that they are destroyed post examination. According to the Inspector General's '05 audit, APHIS's oversight over the past several decades has been perfunctory. Prior to 2006 the government had approved over 10,000 applications for more than 49,000 field sites of GM plants. The OIG found that: weaknesses in APHIS’ regulations and internal management controls increase the risk that regulated GM organisms will inadvertently enter the environment before the agency considers them sufficiently harmless to merit unregulated status. The agency considers certain GM crops to pose a high risk, such as plants engineered to produce pharmaceutical and industrial compounds, or plants engineered with human genes."
Save Our Species Rally for GMO Labelling—by Dan Bacher: "Rising concerns from the scientific and medical community about the hazards of Genetically Modified Foods (GMOs) have prompted a call to action. Thousands of health and consumer advocates, and statewide organizations will rally together on the south steps of the State Capitol at 11th & N Streets, Sacramento, on Monday, January 5 beginning at 9:30 a.m. On this first day of the 2015 California legislative session and Governor Brown’s inauguration, demonstrators will demand that lawmakers take action to protect the public interest by passing a bill to label GMO foods. The SOS: Save Our Species rally is sponsored by the California State Grange and Label GMOs in response to a growing body of evidence that GMO foods are unsafe for human consumption."
Playing games with our food again? or still?—by don mikulecky: "The simple sugar fructose has become quite an item in nutrition. Back in the 1980s when I collaborated with a biochemist to make computer models of metabolic pathways we used to chuckle about the myths then about the virtues of fructose as sweetener. We also were the first in our medical school to introduce nutrition into our lectures in the gastrointestinal (GI) series. He did the biochem and I did the physiology. We chuckled because the myth that fructose was a healthier sweetener than ordinary sugar was not quite as true as health food buffs would like to believe. The trick is that there is a pathway that sends the fructose into synthesis of triglyceride in the liver and that's not so great. Much time has passed and the issue is only more of a problem today. The widespread use of high fructose corn syrup has generated a lot of controversy. Now steps have been taken to solve the potential problems. They renamed the stuff!"
Drone flies over pig farm—by Walter Einenkel: "Filmmaker Mark Devries has been secretly videotaping pig "farms" for the past few years, using a drone. The results are horrifying. You're looking at a lake of toxic feces and urine the size of four football fields. That's because thousands upon thousands of pigs are inside these buildings. Their waste falls through slats in a concrete floor ad sloshed directly into this giant open air cess pool. Pretty terrifying. But terrifying can get worse—somehow. The video goes into how these farms get rid of this waste. They get rid of it by "spraying." Pumping it into a fine mist, into the sky. This can travel into neighboring areas. It's horrendous. But don't worry, those areas are poor and frequently inhabited by people of color so there's nothing to see here."
Climate disruption and agriculture—by don mikulecky: "After my last two diaries I get the impression that the tight link between climate disruption (climate change) and agriculture is not clearly understood by many. Let's look at this more closely. Climate change and agriculture are interrelated processes, both of which take place on a global scale. Climate change affects agriculture in a number of ways, including through changes in average temperatures, rainfall, and climate extremes (e.g., heat waves); changes in pests and diseases; changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide and ground-level ozone concentrations; changes in the nutritional quality of some foods; and changes in sea level. Climate change is already affecting agriculture, with effects unevenly distributed across the world. Future climate change will likely negatively affect crop production in low latitude countries, while effects in northern latitudes may be positive or negative.Climate change will probably increase the risk of food insecurity for some vulnerable groups, such as the poor."
DC, State & Local Eco-Politics
Scott Walker: Clean water for Israel, polluted water for America—by DownstateDemocrat: "Wisconsin Governor and likely candidate for the Republican presidential nomination Scott Walker's hypocrisy has gone international, as Walker will likely visit Israel sometime within the next couple of years to promote clean water technology in Israel and...of course...his presidential ambitions: Gov. Scott Walker said he might visit Israel to promote Milwaukee's clean water technology, a trip that would coincide with his likely run for president. Walker is one of several governors mulling over a presidential run who could be looking to burnish their foreign policy credentials. Walker said if he visits Israel, it would be to promote Wisconsin. He said there are only a handful of clean water technology hubs in the world, and that Milwaukee and Israel are among them. While Scott Walker wants to promote clean water technology in Israel and waste Wisconsinites' taxpayer money on an international trip in order to do so, he wants to pollute Lake Superior and other bodies of water in Northern Wisconsin by allowing Gogebic Taconite (GTac), which Walker illegally solicited $700,000 from in order to pay a right-wing political front group so that they could campaign for him and his Republican cronies, to build an open-pit iron ore mine in the Penokee Hills of Northern Wisconsin."
Transportation & Infrastructure
The first high speed train in the U.S. breaks ground this week—by Jen Hayden: "One of the most ambitious projects in the U.S. breaks ground tomorrow in Fresno, CA: Traveling faster than a Ferrari at 220 miles per hour, the bullet train will slash in half the six-hour drive from northern to southern California. The multibillion-dollar project is due to run bullet trains from the Los Angeles basin to the San Francisco Bay area in the 2020s. The project is expected to bring new jobs and new union membership to the Golden State: The California High-Speed Rail Authority has already negotiated a comprehensive 'construction careers' program with the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, one that guarantees access to apprenticeship programs for disadvantaged and unemployed workers, prioritizing those from the state's poorest areas, including Fresno and the Central Valley. The program was modeled after one developed by L.A.'s Metro in 2011 that has put thousands of disadvantaged people into union apprenticeship programs. Those who finish are prepared for permanent careers as electricians, pipe fitters or sheet-metal workers. The high-speed rail construction careers program will similarly train thousands of Californians and then put them to work designing and constructing the rail line."
Eco-Essays and Eco-Philosophy
Too many Regulations?—by john s mill: "I have the typical American belief - I don’t trust anyone whether person, company or government agency so there needs to be checks and balances. Unfortunately, human beings and institutions are fallible and some are just plain evil. To prevent bad things happening, we need to be vigilant with regulations. Many thanks to dsteffen who has written extensively on Regulations. […] There are probably numerous examples of the lack of regulations which resulted in bad things happening. Here are two (2): Elk River chemical spill in West Virginia […] Martin County coal slurry spill 2000 in Kentucky."
Oceans, Water & Drought
Bill Gates drinks water generated from human waste—by Jen Hayden: "This week, Bill Gates showed off one of the projects from the Gates Foundation—the Janicki Omniprocessor—which disposes of human waste, creating safe drinking water and electricity in the process. It's rather genius: Why would anyone want to turn waste into drinking water and electricity? Because a shocking number of people, at least 2 billion, use latrines that aren’t properly drained. Others simply defecate out in the open. The waste contaminates drinking water for millions of people, with horrific consequences: Diseases caused by poor sanitation kill some 700,000 children every year, and they prevent many more from fully developing mentally and physically."
Coral bleaching and the arrival of morbillivirus are ravaging the marine life of the Florida Keys.—by Pakalolo: "'The most extensive living coral reef in the United States is adjacent to the island chain of the Florida Keys. The Florida Reef Tract which extends from Soldier Key, located in Biscayne Bay, to the Tortugas Banks possesses coral formations very similar to those found in the Bahamas and Caribbean Sea. The Florida Reef Tract is nearly 150 miles long and about 4 miles wide extending to the edge of the Florida Straits. It is the third largest barrier reef ecosystem in the world. All but the northern-most extent of the reef tract lies within the boundaries of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The 2,800 square nautical mile Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS), designated in 1992, surrounds the entire archipelago of the Florida Keys and includes the productive waters of Florida Bay, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.' So describes NOAA's Coral Reef Information System on the shallow reef formations off the coasts of South Florida. […] An outbreak of coral bleaching—the loss of corals’ food-producing algae—in the Pacific and the Caribbean occurred this past summer, most likely tied to a brewing El Niño. The reefs of the Florida Keys observed their worst bleaching impacts since 1997-1999, when a major El Niño was quickly followed by a major La Niña. The surprising intensity of bleaching across multiple ocean basins in 2014 has scientists wondering what to expect in 2015, when El Niño is forecasted to finally develop."
December Update – Finally a Wet Month in California—by liberaldad2: "A few weeks ago, I reported that the first two weeks of December had been exceedingly wet in Southern California. In Los Angeles, 2 days in December had already been the wettest in history for those dates. Although 2 weeks of rain cannot break our severe drought, I stated that it was a pretty good start. So how did the rest of the month go? Pretty well, it turns out. The rain continued. In Los Angeles, we had measurable rainfall on 6 days in December. It was beautiful. We are up to 4.89 inches for the season (since July 1), most of which fell in December. We are well ahead of our normal rain for this date (4.10 inches). But water in Southern California is imported, so rain in LA is not a good indicator of the health of our water system."
2015: The Year of Ocean Acidification Denial?—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "With deniers perhaps aware that claims of a 'pause' in global warming look even more unrealistic given 2014's record heat, the final weeks of 2014 saw the emergence of a new fake controversy: ocean acidification. While this particular attack is far too weak to have any staying power (we hope) it may represent a new angle of denier misinformation. The claim—which was originally published on CFACT's blog, then picked up by WUWT, discussed at Breitbart and parroted at The American Thinker—is that NOAA is ignoring over 100 years of ocean pH data and is instead focusing on model results and a recent trend as evidence for ocean acidification. Like most denier non-troversies, this one relies on audience ignorance and bias, and crumbles when held up against even the most basic information. As explained at QuantPaleo, the old measurements that NOAA doesn't use are unreliable for a number of reasons. One of the reasons pointed out is that the old data only measure to 0.1 pH units, which is much too large to pick up on annual trends. For context, the IPCC findsthat ocean surface water pH has fallen by 0.1 since the beginning of the industrial revolution, with annual trends between –0.0014 and –0.0024 pH."
Tunnel critics urge Brown to inaugurate a new water solution—by Dan Bacher: "In his inaugural address January 5 at the State Capitol in Sacramento, Governor Jerry Brown made two references to California water as he discussed an array of issues. These included repaying the state's debt, funding education, promoting renewable energy and efficiency, addressing climate change, expanding health care, and dealing with changes in the criminal justice system. The Governor didn't specifically mention the peripheral tunnels proposed under the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) during his speech, but he did tout the water bond and California Water Action Plan as "solutions" to California's water problems. 'We also have the people to thank for Propositions 1 and 2, which save water and money and prepare us for an uncertain future,' he stated. 'These are measures that nearly every Democrat and Republican voted to put on the ballot and nearly 70 percent of voters ultimately approved. And I’m proud to report that as a result, by the end of the year, we will be investing in long overdue water projects and saving $2.8 billion in the state’s new constitutionally protected Rainy Day Fund.'"
Trash, Pollution & Hazardous Waste
Nuclear Plant Leaked Oil Into Lake Michigan For Two Months—by MiAtheistGal: "An oil leak at the Donald C. Cook Nuclear Plant near Bridgman, MI has occurred, according to nuclear plant officials. An oil cooling system on the turbine system leaked the oil into Lake Michigan for about two months, officials at the plant estimated. The hot oil from the turbine is cooled using the waters of Lake Michigan, which sounds like a wonderful idea, doesn’t it? Wait, estimated? There was a leak endangering one of Michigan’s most important natural resources and no one knew about it for over two months? The leak was reported to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, as well as state and local authorities, on Dec. 20, according to the Detroit Free Press."
Forests, Wilderness & Public Lands
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore-A Photodiary—by Ooooh: "Years ago when I was much younger my family spent quite a bit of time in and around Frankfort, Michigan. For all those years I remember always looking north along the shoreline to a point where a dune comes down nearly to the water and wondering what was beyond the point. This day I finally walked up the beach to see; here is the photo looking back toward the pier to prove I did it. If you're wondering what lie beyond the point it was more beach and up the shore another point just like this one. I stopped coming to this part of Northern Michigan in the late 1980s, because it can be very crowded and in places, over developed. Lodging is also more expensive here than other places in Northern Michigan. It is also very beautiful here, I think you could put a camera in the hands of a chimpanzee and get beautiful photos. It's that beautiful. Tomorrow we'll head into Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. I had not been back to this area since the national park was created, and I was interested to see how things had changed."
Mining
Theodore Roosevelt's North Dakota ranch to be mined for gravel—by Pakalolo: "The US Forest Service announced yesterday that it has issued a permit to mine gravel very near former President Theodore Roosevelt's North Dakota Ranch. The Guardian reported: The agency said it found no significant impact with the project, located 25 miles north of Medora. Acting district ranger Karen Dunlap told the Associated Press she signed the decision on Tuesday, and a permit will be issued once a bond amount is determined. The proposed 25-acre mine site is about a mile from Roosevelt’s historic ranch cabin. Roger Lothspeich, of Miles City, Montana, and his fiancee, Peggy Braunberger, have spent more than six years proving they own the right to remove gravel and other surface minerals at the 5,200-acre ranch. […] Lothspeich signed an agreement with the Forest Service more than two years ago to work out an exchange for other federal land or mineral rights at a different location. But he said the government was too slow in responding, and he decided to mine gravel at the site instead to take advantage of the growing need for roads and other projects in North Dakota’s booming oil patch."
Miscellany
Damn those nasty Regulations ... Again—by windsong01 : "From the State that brought you the most expensive mid-term state election in United States History, North Carolina so the Rightwingnuts could have their way with us by Deregulating America, I present my case for responsible regulation for the good of all, to the Kossack court for your consideration. I mentioned in a earlier comment here, where I presented exhibit A. In my case that some regulation is necessary to assure the safety and freedom of all Americans. Hidden in part of the compromise deal to get the Cromnibus bill passed were cuts to the EPA by more than $60 million and prohibiting the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers from regulating farm ponds and irrigation ditches—the navigable waters regulations Just why, pray tell, do we need this dumb little regulation for farm ponds and irrigation ditches?"