See Walter Einenkel's post on why these creatures are rapidly dying.
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 22,750 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.
Climate Action Hub: "Humanity's Last Chance Saloon"—by
boatsie: "As the Bonn Climate Talks launched today, France's foreign minister Laurent Fabius urged that any climate agreement agreed to in Paris this December must be worded in a manner which does not require consent of the United States Congress. 'We must find a formula which is valuable for everybody and valuable for the US without going to the Congress,' said Fabius. ' ... we know the politics in the US. Whether we like it or not, if it comes to the Congress, they will refuse.' (The Guardian, Climate deal must avoid US Congress approval, French minister says) Referring to the 2015 climate negotiations as our 'Last Chance Saloon,' both scientists and environmentalists are stressing the urgency of rapidly enforcing of 'steep emission cuts' to keep global temperatures from rising beyond 2 degrees C. (Ecology, Last Chance Saloon) One of the major impediments to the success of climate negotiations throughout the years remains the failure of developed nations to back up their pledges with cash to assist the developing world and those nations most vulnerable to climate change."
Obama’s Dizzying Spin on the Environment and Trade—by
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy: "The Obama Administration claims that the new round of secret trade deals will be the greenest ever. Its latest attempt to sell that story was released earlier this week in a slick new report titled 'Standing Up For The Environment: Trade For A Greener World.' As with most of the spin coming from the U.S. Trade Representative these days—there’s a lot of 'trust us' bluster in the report, marketed with unattributed numbers and fancy graphics. But, perhaps most notably, it ignores the largest environmental issue of our times—climate change – and the numerous concerns raised by environmental groups about how these trade deals will damage the climate, not protect it. While the report touts new provisions on wildlife protection, animal trafficking and illegal logging, we’ll have to take the Administration’s word for it. The environmental chapters for the Trans Pacific Partnership (with 11 Pacific Rim countries) and the Trans Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (with Europe) are still secret documents. But there are good reasons for concern. A leaked version of the TPP environmental chapter posted on WikiLeaks last year was ripped open by U.S. green groups for not being 'fully enforceable.'"
More linked excerpts from green diaries are below the splash of orange .
Climate Chaos
The Great Melt-Out: Summer Comes Early to Heather Meadows—by
James Wells: "We live near the snowiest place on the planet. That's not just a saying - by measure, Heather Meadows, near the Mount Baker ski area in Washington, gets more snow than any other weather station anywhere. Typically we get 800'+ inches of snow. Just not this winter just past. In the image above, you see a popular backcountry ski run that is usually in through at least the middle of July. In late May, it was already discontinuous. In the basin in the bottom right is an area that I thought was a permanent snowfield all year around, every year. It's a completely melted boulder field as of the end of May. On a typical June or early July day, we start skiing up from the parking lot at Heather Meadows while the road up to Artist Point is still covered in 10 to 20 feet of snow. On May 31 of this year, I started up at Artist Point (already cleared, 2 months early) and walked a mile to the first continuous snow."
5th worst heat wave killing thousands India's Earth Sciences Minister: "it is Climate Change"—by Lefty Coaster: "Usually this is the time of year when the monsoon rains move north from the Indian Ocean bringing relief from sizzling summer temperatures with steamy downpours on the subcontinent. But this year's monsoon rains are late ... again. [...] Earth Sciences Minister Harsh Vardhan has blamed climate change for a heatwave that has killed 2,500 people and for deficient monsoon rains, after the government said on Tuesday the country was headed for its first drought in six years. 'Let us not fool ourselves that there is no connection between the unusual number of deaths from the ongoing heat wave and the certainty of another failed monsoon,' Harsh Vardhan said. 'It's not just an unusually hot summer, it is climate change,' he said."
A funeral without a corpse - U.N. climate deal in Paris may be graveyard for 2C goal—by Pakalolo: "'Two degrees is a focal point for the climate debate but it doesn't seem to be a focal point for political action.' Oliver Geden, of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. [...] The U.N.'s Paris climate conference scheduled for later this year, in the hopes of holding temperatures to 2 C (3.6 F), appears to have become a failure due to political reasons. Scientists and climate negotiators since 1992, have argued that 2 C is the limit for the world to prevent worsening degradation to the earth. Ever worsening storms, sea level rise and droughts will become even more commonplace then they are now. But six months before world leaders convene in Paris, prospects are fading for a deal that would keep average temperatures below the ceiling. Greenhouse gas emissions have reached record highs in recent years. Greenhouse emissions continue to grow and the climate does not care whether we are able to politically change course or not. Death and destruction, unlike anything humanity has experienced before, will continue to devastate the biosphere."
Overheating Earth staggers into last chance saloon—by VL Baker: "The inhabitants of overheating Earth are starting to realize that they only have one last chance to stop the rising heat from their planet from overwhelming life on Earth as they know it. So they are staggering into their last chance saloon in Bonn this week and again in Paris in December to see if it's at all possible to come to a global agreement which after over 20 years of contentious negotiations might just possibly be coming together. When they finally do arrive they find a table of card sharks representing the largest oil and gas companies on the planet already set up and offering what seems to be a sleight of hand: A suggestion that they consider instituting a global price on carbon."
Stupidity of US congress now an impediment to global climate treaty—by VL Baker: "The anti-science zealots in the majority in the US Congress are not only an international embarrassment they are an impediment to the ratification of a global treaty on climate change. As global climate talks get underway in Bonn there is much discussion of how to handle the obstructionists in the US congress. [...] BONN, Germany (AP)—The global climate agreement being negotiated this year must be worded in such a way that it doesn't require approval by the U.S. Congress, the French foreign minister said Monday. Laurent Fabius told African delegates at U.N. climate talks in Bonn that 'we know the politics in the U.S. Whether we like it or not, if it comes to the Congress, they will refuse.'"
Pope Francis wants to lead global effort to fight climate change, will lay out moral justification—by Jen Hayden: "Science and religion don't always mix, but Pope Francis is expected to lay the groundwork for a massive campaign to fight climate change: With that complicated history looming, Pope Francis, once a chemist, will soon issue an authoritative church document laying out the moral justification for fighting global warming, especially for the world’s poorest billions. Veerabhadran Ramanathan, a Scripps Institution of Oceanography climate scientist, briefed the pope on climate change. He said scientists felt they were failing in getting the world to understand the moral hazard that man-made warming presents. Now, he said, scientists who don’t often turn to religion are looking forward to the pope’s statement."
Rick Santorum to Pope: Shut Up.—by Canid Micturate : "Since Pope Francis came out last month telling Catholics that God will judge those who do not preserve the environemnt , it was a matter of time before the backlash from Republican aspirants became pointed and strident. 'The Church has gotten it wrong a few times on science, and I think we’re probably better off leaving science to the scientists ...... When we get involved with political and controversial scientific theories, then I think the church is probably not as forceful and credible.'"
Monckton's model is useless, surprising no one.—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "Back in January, a troop of deniers led by Monckton (and including Willie "$1m in dirty money" Soon) published a paper in a Chinese journal that made the claim that climate models overestimate warming. In this paper, Monckton's group came up with their own "simplified" model, saying it performed better than the models used by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The claim was soundly mocked, then described as 'complete trash' and 'a failure of their own skepticism.' Even so, the deniers did manage to get their paper published in a peer-reviewed journal, so it seems only fair that we should wait and read a peer-reviewed rebuttal to Monckton's paper before we actually throw it in the trash. Well, ready your shredders (or make sure there's room in your computer's recycling bin). This new rebuttal does, in fact, demonstrate Monckton's work is as bad as the early reviews suggested. To get into the details, see a post at the Guardian by one of the co-authors, or this guest post at Real Sceptic or this blog post of Greg Laden's, where he describes the "irreducibly simple model" as 'irreducibly useless.' To put it briefly: Monckton's model has a 350% bias that doesn't even match recorded temperature observations. Through comparison with temperatures of the past, the rebuttal proves just how badly the model performs when compared to the same IPCC models it purported to trash. Monckton's model ignores the role of the oceans, where 90% of heat added to the climate system gets stored; it pretends the Earth heats and cools instantly; and it relies on semantics instead of mathematics or physics."
A few maps show Americans' views on climate change confused. But they like renewable energy—by Meteor Blades: "David Roberts at Vox has taken a look at a study and accompanying maps about Americans' views on climate change and related subjects included in a study by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication. The study was published in the peer-reviewed Nature Climate Change in April. You can see the interactive versions of the maps here. The researchers undertook their task because 'existing polls provide, at best, a limited view of the distribution and variation of opinions at the local scales relevant for many decision makers.' Polling nationally doesn't include enough people in each state, much less each congressional district or county to get a good representation. And polling all of these jurisdictions would cost too much."
The map shows Americans are strong backers of renewable energy.
Book Review: Dire Predictions 2nd Edition—by
DarkSyde: "We gave two opposable primate digits way up to our last review of Dire Predictions by Michael Mann and Lee Kump. Today I'm pleased to announce our first positive review of a second edition of any book. Because this is one you will want as a reference guide or a last minute stocking stuffing for that budding scientist in your life. The authors stuck with the useful organizational format of sections, allowing readers to easily access portions of the book quickly. Very handy when arguing with the usual RWNJ climate change denier or for whipping out a high school or college undergrad book report. But the book has been updated with new data, an earlier issue has been improved, and several excellent new illustrations added to the artwork since the first edition.One of the most enjoyable for me, and critical to Michael Mann's research such as the Hockey Stick diagram, is the sections on proxies. Dive below the Great Orange fold to see why this is important to understanding climate from the vantage point of historical and deep time."
Dire Predictions About Climate Change—by gregladen: "Dire Predictions: Understanding Global Warming by Michael Mann and Lee Kump is everyperson’s guide to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report. The IPCC issues a periodic set of reports on the state of global climate change, and has been doing so for almost two decades. It is a massive undertaking and few have the time or training to read though and absorb it, yet it is very important that every citizen understands the reports’ implications. Why? Because human caused climate change has emerged as the number one existential issue of the day, and individuals, corporations, and governments must act to implement sensible and workable changes in behavior and policy or there will be dire consequences. [...] Question: Since you finished working on the second edition, are there any new research findings you wish you could somehow add to the book? Or, any changes in what is emphasized? Indeed. As you know, Stefan Rahmstorf, I and others recently published an article in Nature Climate Change demonstrating that the AMOC (North Atlantic ocean circulation, the so-called 'conveyor belt') may be weakening even faster than the IPCC models indicate. Yet, we have downplayed that topic (though it is mentioned in a brand new spread on 'Tipping Points') because the consensus has leaned toward this being one of the less likely tipping points to occur in the decades ahead. This is a reminder that science is often fast-moving, and in this case, had we waited a year to publish the 2nd edition of DP, we might have chosen to actually give the AMOC collapse issue even more attention!"
Do you find the tone of this piece puzzling?—by SninkyPoo: "It's the Seattle Times seeming to do their bit to sound the klaxon about climate change... sort of. Very odd tone, I thought. A bit rueful, but mostly a giant virtual shrug of the shoulders. Nothin' we can do about it. Let's have a bit of a collective rumination on the shortened skiing season, and move along. No call to action. No suggestion that the 'new normal' referred to might be bad in any way. Not a peep about what any individual might or might not be able to do to spur political action. Just a heavy sigh. 'Cause hey! What can ya' do? Thinking about it, let me change my assessment from 'puzzling' to 'horrifying.' This is precisely the kind of story we do not need—and it's the kind of attitude we don't need going into Paris 2015. But I fear I am beginning to feel the mood shift from one of anticipation at the work that will be done, to one of.... eh. Meh. Nothing's gonna happen. What can ya' do?"
A call for scientific activism—by don mikulecky: "We are living in a very dangerous time. The voices we hear every day are those of insane people. Yes I mean insane! They populate our government and are in control.Scientists by their nature are careful people. Of course there may be a few exceptions, but on the whole as Michael Mann points out here. Climate Scientists are the Real Skeptics. Mann: Too often we allow the forces of anti-science, the forces of denialism, or contrarianism, to somehow frame their position as one of skepticism. But denying mainstream, well-established science based on arguments that don’t stand up scrutiny, that’s not skepticism. That’s pseudo-skepticism. Real scientists embrace skepticism because that’s what moves science forward. [...] But there is more than one aspect to being careful. One can do harm by inactivity as well. "
A Different Look At Climate Change—by ChloeMS: "For the moment, let’s agree that the changes in climate, that scientists are expounding on, is normal, as many a conservative asserts. That over the eons, climate naturally ebbs and tides. Then the question is not if humans are a cause. The question is not if humans are the cause. The questions should be: How much more drastic can the climate change before the human race can not continue living the lifestyle they are currently accustomed to? and, Is it even possible today to change the course of climate change such that the human race is not threaten with extinction? In this debate, the question moves from the validity of anthropogenic climate change to what needs to be done to continue the human species! The former seeks blame, the latter survival."
Climate Science Takes a Shelling—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "The Guardian broke a story about Shell's influence on London's Science Museum this weekend, exposing 315 pages of emails in which Shell's PR team sought to downplay pollution and introduce doubt into the climate science section of the museum. While the museum pushed back by saying they maintained editorial control, Jeff Nesbit explains that Shell got exactly what it wanted. Nesbit, the executive director of Climate Nexus, notes in his US News & World Report column that Shell succeeded in getting the focus put on what we don't know, instead of what we do. Shell also pressed the museum to focus on population and urbanization, instead of 'pollution and environmental damage,' which is 'a key public relations theme' of energy companies, as Nesbit points out. Nesbit highlights the parallels between Shell's influence in focusing on what's not understood about climate change and the tobacco industry's strategy of repeatedly saying we need more science about the link between smoking and cancer."
'Fatally flawed' cooling claims—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "There is a new study out in Nature that's gotten some attention. According to the coverage, the study proves that not only will global warming stop, but the next decade is going to actually get cooler. Sound wrong? Well, it is. Sou at "Hot Whopper" has a lengthy post that dives into the issue and debunks a Bob Tisdale post at WUWT. The Nature paper looks at the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, a medium-term trend in Atlantic Ocean temperatures, and comes to the conclusion that we can expect 0.5°C of cooling in the coming decades, at least according to the press release. It's all rather complicated, but the controversy comes down to the fact that the paper uses linear detrending to come to its conclusion. As Sou details, there are a number of papers in the scientific literature explaining why that is not a proper way to separate natural variability from external forces (like pollution). But if you are overwhelmed by Sou's post and the conversation around this study, you're in luck, because Michael Mann didn't mince words in his tweet about it. Mann points to studies from 2014 and 2015 that found the use of linear detrending of sea surface temperatures to define the AMO to be 'fatally flawed.'"
Critters & the Great Outdoors
The Daily Bucket—an otter daily bucket—by OceanDiver: "May 26, 2015. Salish Sea, PNW. Kayaking back to shore, the River Otter surfaced 20 feet away, busy with a fish, didn't see me. Kayaks are pretty quiet and the visibility in the bay is nil right now (with a plankton bloom). That long flat greenish fish is a Gunnel, one of their three favorite species of fish, and one they can eat while swimming. Otters love crabs too, and shells pile up in popular dining spots where they have to eat them on shore (big fish like flounder eaten on shore leave no remains)."
Over one third of saiga antelopes population have died over the past couple of weeks—by
Walter Einenkel: "Over 120,000 saiga antelope have been confirmed dead in Central Kazakhstan. This is over one third of the total world population of saiga antelope. What is exactly causing this disaster is unclear:
CMS Executive Secretary, Bradnee Chambers said 'Authorities in Kazakhstan are responding quickly to this disaster and are working hard to solve the mystery behind this mass saiga die-off. I am pleased that the international expert mission we were able to send, at very short notice, is now contributing to these efforts.' According to information received from the members of the CMS expert mission, it is becoming clear that two secondary opportunistic pathogens, specifically Pasteurella and Clostridia, are contributing to the rapid and wide-spread die-off. However, the hunt for the fundamental drivers of the mass mortality continues since these bacteria are only lethal to an animal if its immune system is already weakened."
Bees are getting dusted—by nicteis: "The May 21 Nature carried a special section on bees (behind a paywall), and the heart of it was a detailed evaluation on the state of the science on the role of the insecticides known as neonicotinoids, or neonics for short. What I've been reading for some time in my scattered science sources is that the science is suggestive but inconclusive. This article got down to the nitty gritty, explaining exactly why it's inconclusive so far, why the nature of the problem makes it very difficult to design a decisive experiment. But it also pointed out one specific arena in which we have both the smoking gun, and a straightforward way (short of the politically difficult goal of banning the chemicals outright) of greatly reducing honeybee mortality, a step our neighbor to the North has already taken. A simple upgrade to the machinery used to plant maize is all it takes."
EPA proposes new rule banning pesticides while bees feed—by Walter Einenkel: "Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed new temporary restrictions on the use of pesticides while bee swarms are feeding, which typically happens when things come into bloom. Growers routinely contract with honey bee keepers to bring in bees to pollinate their crops that require insect pollination. Bees are typically present during the period the crops are in bloom. Application of pesticides during this period can significantly affect the health of bees. These restrictions are expected to reduce the likelihood of high levels of pesticide exposure and mortality for bees providing pollination services. Moreover, EPA believes these additional measures to protect bees providing pollination services will protect other pollinators as well. The EPA also points out that these restrictions do not replace the chemical specific restrictions already on some pesticides (as bee protections)."
The Daily Bucket - more Turneffe atoll birds—by
OceanDiver: "
April 2015. Turneffe atoll, Belize. Cattle Egrets foraged in the short vegetation by the lagoon most days. Before the resort was put in, this caye was mostly edged with mangroves growing right into the water, and short trees like the native Buttonwood and Sea Grape in the higher dryer areas. Coconut palms and grasses now dominate the grounds that aren't sandy beach. The grassy patch between my bungalow and the lagoon is popular for egrets, grackles and iguanas. [...] Ospreys live here all year round, unlike my own local birds who are just now arriving for the summer. We were on the atoll for several days before I started hearing them calling. Last year I saw a pair frequently, circling, perched in the coconut palms, and fishing in the windward-side lagoon, so I was wondering where the resident pair had gone. Once the ospreys showed up this year, I saw them every day—one or two at a time, calling calling calling. Sometimes alighting in a palm, watching keenly."
Dawn Chorus: Open Thread—by JupiterSurf: "Latest photo of one the juvenile hawks from the nest at the end of the street I live on. I think my neighbors think I have gone over the edge, as I am down there 2x a day to observe them. One neighbor told my husband he thinks, the baby hawks think I am their mama, as they stop crying when I show up ... Ha! They fledged a week ago, and now its a game of 'Where are the fledged hawks' they are going more now to other trees in the area..But I can be pretty sure around 10 am and 5 pm they are calling for a parent for something to eat in the nest tree...but the nest is pretty much been destroyed, I don't if its because the two babies are so much bigger or if one of the thunderstorms has wrecked havoc on it. ... I observed one parent with snake last night for dinner, and Friday night it was lizard."
A You Tube Video On Hunter Recruitment and Access—by ban nock: "Below is a talk given by Steve Rinella of Meateater at the North American Deer Summit mostly on hunter recruitment and land access. He starts out with some PETA death threats, which are kind of humorous and goes on to describe what it's like living amongst a large number of non hunters.Steve married his publicist if I'm remembering right. Moved to Brooklyn for eight years, wife worked in Manhattan. One point he gets across is that for many where he lived that came over for dinner parties etc. they weren't anti rural or anti hunting so much as simply unaware. They'd no idea that you can't just go out in the woods and start blasting away. He compares it to rural people not understanding the significance of a subway system or snow removal. I was reminded of many of the comments I've gotten here. An enjoyable half hour listening to an articulate speaker talk about issues important to hunters. One amazing factoid.... 99.3% of Californians don't hunt, those are some percentages I can only dream for here in CO. Steve's brother would like us all to die of old age for good reason."
The Endangered Endangered Species Act; A Call to Action—by cany: "In America, the majestic Bald Eagle is probably the first species which comes to mind when discussing the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This huge and powerful raptor graces our flag poles, our money and is represented as our country's government seal. The eagle's plight was a long time in the making and took 40 years under ESA listing (1966 to 2007) to recover. Prior to being listed as an endangered species (ES), this magnificent raptor was protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 and later under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act in 1940. [...] The eagle's decline was not natural. Hunted (as were most predatory species), taken for the millinary industry, victim of habitat destruction and urbanization and awash in pesticide, the species was in decline BECAUSE of human activity. It took five acts of law (and the banning of DDT) and 107 years to protect the eagle, stop the population decline and yield a stable eagle population. Keep that in mind as we proceed."
The Daily Bucket--of Irises—by 6412093: "I was very anxious about my pretty purple water irises this year. The leaves looked yellow and dying, with no budding flowers. I'd already had bad luck with the yellow flag irises I'd transplanted from the wild a couple of years ago. They grow wild in every muddy ditch, but I'd managed to kill them in my backyard pond. I'd Bucketed last year on May 2nd, lamenting the lack of iris blooms, but they showed a week or two later. This time, I feared I'd neglected them too long; not splitting them or adding fertilizer. But then came a sunny day, and ...So they teased me again, and surprised me again, pleasantly. And now I am afraid to do anything to upset their production."
Energy
Coal, Oil, Gas & Nuclear
Obama and Oil—by Michael Brune: "President Obama must wonder whether someone is trying to tell him something. On March 31, 2010, he announced an expansion of offshore oil and gas exploration, putting his faith in 'new technologies that reduce the impact of oil exploration.' Just 20 days later, the Deepwater Horizon blowout became the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history. Then, last month, with the ink scarcely dry on his administration's initial approval of Shell's plans to drill in the Arctic, more than 100,000 gallons of crude oil fouled the California coastline off Refugio State Beach, raising memories of the disastrous 1969 Santa Barbara spill that helped drive the first Earth Day a year later. There's no good place for an oil spill, but the Santa Barbara Channel is an especially bad one. Before the Spanish came, the Chumash people had their own name for Refugio Beach: Qasil (which means 'beautiful'). The surf is often mild and palm trees dot the beach. One friend tells me he remembers body surfing there in the late afternoon while dolphins hung silhouetted in the approaching waves. The nearby Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary teems with whales, dolphins, sea lions, some 60 species of seabirds, and more than 500 species of fish. Horrible though the Refugio spill is, at least someone is attempting to clean it up. The Coast Guard was on the scene within hours. But the waters where Shell Oil plans to drill in the Arctic also teem with sea life like whales, seals, walruses, and polar bears. Yet the nearest Coast Guard station with equipment for responding to a spill is more than 1,000 miles away."
This is not good—by VL Baker: "There are no words. Obama opens thousands more acres of public land to coal mining. This is your land. It has been put in trust for protection so that there will (always?) be a pristine environment for all generations to escape to when we need to replenish our connection to nature. There seems to be a cognitive dissonance in this administrations approach to climate change. What about the Earth is burning up due to fossil fuels do they not understand? It's a simple concept: When you realize that the burning of fossil fuels is responsible for making our planet unlivable for our species, you stop."
US oil production hits modern record even as active drilling rigs fall for a record 25th week—by rjsigmund: "it was looking like it was going to be a rather slow and uninteresting week in the oil patch until midday Thursday, when the EIA released their weekly Petroleum Status Report (62 pp pdf) and updated all the data sets therein...what we thought was an ongoing gradual decline in US oil production in the face of a 60% drop in oil rigs is no more, as the past week saw US oil production jump by 3.2% to 9,566,000 barrels per day, the largest weekly spike in our oil production in 19 months, 13.3% higher than the 8,472,000 barrels per day oil output we saw in the same week last year, and setting a new modern era high for US oil production as it was the greatest weekly output in records going back to 1983..."
Renewables & Conservation
Solar farms are the future of energy—by MEdude: "There has been a lot of debate over the last decade over what types of energy production should be used to replace fossil fuels as our primary source. From my perspective, the entire conversation is utterly pedantic, and I will attempt to explain why. Math is included. The Earth presents a 127 million square kilometer profile to the sun. For those that don't know, a profile is the 2 dimensional area that is orthogonal (perpendicular in every direction) to the sun's radiation. Every meter of the profile gets approximately 1 kilowatt of sunlight. That's a rate, not a quantity, 1 kilowatt is 1 kilojoule per second, 1 kilowatt-hour is 3600 kilojoules. Now, even considering that most solar panels only convert 15% of that into electrical energy, and that only 30% of the planet is land and only 3% of that is urbanized, if we laid out solar panels covering an area equal to the urbanized area, it would generate (127,000,000 [km^2] * .03(.3) * .15 * 1000000 [m^2/km^2]) 171.45 Terawatts of power. That might not seem like much, especially when you consider that we consume over 100,000 Terawatt-hours per year (whole planet), but remember, it's a rate, Joules per second. In fact, at that rate we would produce (171.45*60*60*7.639*365) 1,720,954,406 terajoules of energy per year, or (9011412000/3600) 478042 terawatt-hours of energy. That is almost five times what we use right now. No massive desert solar farms, no environmental impact, just rooftops and parking lots. We don't need any source other than solar to power our civilization."
Fracking
2 Year Fracking Moratorium becomes law in Maryland—by Lefty Coaster: "Republican Governor Larry Hogan (a fracking supporter) took a pass on vetoing a two-year Fracking Moratorium that had passed by a veto-proof majority in the state House and a smaller margin in the State Senate, allowing the measure to become law without Hogan's signature. [...] On Friday night, his 30-day window to approve or veto the moratorium expired. Hogan said he wouldn’t veto it but wouldn’t sign it, either. That means that through October 2017, the Maryland Department of Environment will be prohibited from issuing permits to allow drillers to frack for natural gas within the state, part of which sits atop the Marcellus Shale. The bill extends what had essentially been a de facto moratorium on fracking put in place during the administration of the previous governor, Martin O’Malley (D). The law’s backers in the General Assembly, some of whom pushed for a longer, eight-year moratorium, said the the state will now have time to gather more information about fracking’s impacts."
Keystone XL & Other Fossil Fuel Transportation
Appeals Court Rules Keystone XL South Approval Was Legal, Lifting Cloud Over TransCanada—by Steve Horn: "In a 3-0 vote, the U.S. Appeals Court for the Tenth Circuit has ruled that the southern leg of TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline was permitted in a lawful manner by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Keystone XL South was approved via a controversial Army Corps Nationwide Permit 12 and an accompanying March 2012 Executive Order from President Barack Obama. The pipeline, open for business since January 2014, will now carry tar sands crude from Cushing, Oklahoma to Port Arthur, Texas without the cloud of the legal challenge hanging over its head since 2012. As previously reported [at] DeSmog, the Sierra Club and co-plaintiffs already lost their Appeals Court legal challenge to impose an injunction and stop diluted bitumen ('dilbit') from flowing through Keystone XL South back in October 2013. Now that same Court, albeit different judges, have ruled that the pipeline approval process itself was also legally acceptable."
Candidates, DC, State & Local Eco-Politics
Rick Santorum to Pope Francis: 'Leave science to the scientist'—by Jen Hayden: "Rick Santorum, who once said he would not bow to the liberal orthodoxy of climate change, did an interview yesterday with Talk Radio 1210 WPHT when he made a stunner of a statement—Pope Francis should leave science to the scientists: Seeing that it is expected by many that Pope Francis will release an encyclical on climate change, Santorum says he disagrees with what he expects to hear in it. 'The Church has gotten it wrong a few times on science, and I think we’re probably better off leaving science to the scientists and focus on what we’re really good on, which is theology and morality. When we get involved with political and controversial scientific theories, then I think the church is probably not as forceful and credible.'"
KY-Sen: CREDO Action Goes After Rand Paul's (R) Pro-Extinction Bill—by poopdogcomedy: "Republicans in Congress have a problem. They badly want to get rid of the Endangered Species Act, one of the most successful conservation laws we have for protecting endangered wildlife from going extinct. But unfortunately for them, the law works and is wildly popular with the American people. Their solution? Keep the law, but gut it beyond recognition and make it totally ineffective by adding burdensome new restrictions and allowing local politicians to overrule science whenever they feel like it. Congress is considering multiple bills right now – including one from Senator Rand Paul – that would gut the Endangered Species Act and put countless species at risk of extinction. We can’t let them get away with this cynical attempt to gut the Endangered Species Act."
Scott Walker wants to wreck the EPA. He's not the only one—by Meteor Blades: "Scott Walker, the Wisconsin governor who has said he will announce whether he is running for president after the state budget is wrapped up this month, has a plan in mind if he occupies the Oval Office: Smash the Environmental Protection Agency. [...] Although Walker has a dreadful environmental record, his stance on the EPA doesn't make him unique or original among Republicans. Newt Gingrich, another would-be presidential candidate—in 2012—announced he wanted to get rid of the EPA and replace it with an industry-kowtowing 'Environmental Solutions Agency.' And it's not just presidential wannabes who want to see the EPA eliminated or eviscerated."
Hillary & Keystone Pipeline—by aboutmri: "In Winnipeg, at a paid speech, one of 6 earning her $1.6 million when asked about the Keystone Pipeline;'You won't get me to talk about Keystone because I have steadily made clear that I'm not going to express an opinion.' Not what we are entitled as voters to hear. Wake up progressives, this is not the horse we want to ride."
Toxic Substances are topic of Congress House Committee Markup today & Wednesday—by e2247: "Congressional fights over 62,000+ unregulated chemicals can be complicated by TPP, TTIP, & remand to each state. House Committee Markup today & Wednesday [...] There are TPA, TPP, TTIP, and now comes the fight to protect the U.S. from over 62,000 unregulated chemicals (CDC-Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, ATSDR Toxic Substances Portal) of which less than 1% have been tested for safety. Whether you are more interested in a personal value of individual and public health or you are more interested in a social value of environmental protection simple because of the distributive justice and political process it empowers, either way you have or will come to be vitally interested, personally active, in this fight. Worse yet, EWG says 80,000+ chemicals are now used in consumer products about which federal government and consumers know little to nothing. I’m an experienced chemist and chemistry teacher who believes Environmental Working Group (EWG) and so many others who work tirelessly to protect the thin covering of planet Earth that contains and sustains life. We have no idea how 62,000 -80,000 chemicals in our daily lives interact with each other, no idea of their effect on vulnerable communities (kids, elderly, currently ill) of either individual persons or groups of persons who have not yet matured or have any kind of illness, whether physical illness, mental illness or both."
Eco-Action & Eco Justice
Hundreds will rally as oil spill fouls Santa Barbara "marine protected areas"—by Dan Bacher: "As the Santa Barbara Oil Spill fouls the controversial 'marine protected areas' created under the privately-funded Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative, Californians Against Fracking announced they will march with local residents at the site of the tragic spill to call on Governor Jerry Brown to stop fracking and 'move California off dirty fossil fuels.' Following a disastrous 105,000-gallon oil spill that devastated fish and wildlife populations and closed down beaches, the group 'Stand in the Sand' will gather in De La Guerra Plaza in Santa Barbara on Sunday, May 31 at 1 p.m. to show solidarity with local residents and organizations working on the front lines in response to the spill, according to a news release from Californians Against Fracking. 'Members of Californians Against Fracking, including Santa Barbara County Organizer for Food & Water Watch Rebecca Claassen, will be there to call on Gov. Jerry Brown to issue an emergency moratorium on unconventional oil extraction methods including on- and off-shore fracking, and move the state toward 100 percent renewable energy,' according to the group. 'Carrying a 90-foot long inflatable pipeline, the group will call attention to the governor and state regulators’ failure to protect California communities from the hazards of extreme oil and gas operations.'"
Norway's "Oil Fund" divests from coal w/poll—by AdirondackForeverWild: "The carbon divestment campaign - known also as the 'Fossil Free' or 'Keep it in the ground' movement - scored a victory this week. Norway's sovereign wealth fund is going to sell off holdings in companies that get at least 30 percent of their revenue from coal. The fund had previously divested from pure coal companies. From The Guardian: Norway’s $900bn sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, should cut its exposure to the global coal industry and sell stakes in firms that focus on the sector, a key parliamentary committee said on Wednesday. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette the motivation for this move is both ethical and financial: Svein Flaatten of the governing Conservative party said 'investments in coal companies can have both a climate risk and a future financial risk.'"
Republican attacks on the EPA—by cuddytom: "A feature of the New Conservatism is a pathological anti environmentalism. This was not always so. many of the early conservationists were Republicans. Even ten years ago Sen McCain and Sen Graham were in favor of action against Global Warming. Now we have hysteria and anti environmental extremism. Why? The declaration of war by the Republican led Congress against the EPA is the perfect example of the old joke 'if the opposite of pro is con what is the opposite of progress?' Most issues in politics are not provable. they are a matter of viewpoint, of interpretation, of ideology. The necessity of changing our approach to our Earth is not one of them. most issues allow a do-over. If we err on the side of too much economic regulation, or of too much laissez faire in most areas we can undo what we have done and proceed differently in the future. Environmental devastation is not one of them."
Agriculture, Food & Gardening
Agriculture—by Desert Scientist: "Let us get one thing straight - we are absolutely dependent on agriculture and I know of no practical way, unless society collapses and we are forced to forage to survive, that we can get to some mythical elysian time when we were hunter/gatherers in some sort of Eden. It was never an Eden even when we lived like that and we have been dependent on agriculture for at least 5 thousand years and are not likely to go back. However, we can and must reform our agricultural practices, or we will not survive in the long run. All the wishful thinking in the world will not produce the fresh water needed to irrigate crops or bring back rain to areas that depend on it for their agricultural production, once climate change alters the rainfall patterns. Droughts in some areas and catastrophic floods in others have already cut agricultural production."
Small Organic Business of Minority Owner Needs Your 2 Clicks—by mettle fatigue: "Flora's Organics is the tiny one-woman organic seedling/plant/flower/veg/fruit nursery of VERY LOW INCOME kosak Mona Twocats-Romero, a Native American in the running at the WellsFargo Works Project small business $25,000 Contest. Please click on that link and then on the red rectangular button at the lower left side of her video at that page to vote for her organic business, help save bees and other natural pollinator species, and yeah, help save the planet. [...] Two clicks is all it takes to give Flora's Organics YOUR VOTE ... a vote to make a big banking industry heavy hitter help a hardworking low-income Native American woman instead of just the upper 1% for a change."
Transportation & Infrastructure
Corrosion, rust, and holes inside busy Washington D.C. bridge—by Laura Clawson: "Knowing that two lanes of a major bridge in the nation's capital had to be closed for emergency repairs is scary enough. Finding out what that damage looks like up close, and thinking about the 61,000 structurally deficient bridges in the United States, verges on being the stuff of nightmares. The National Park Service granted The Huffington Post and a few other media outlets a rare tour inside the most damaged part of the 83-year-old bridge Monday afternoon. Corrosion in the interior bascule, or drawbridge, was evident even to the untrained eye. Rust has eaten through some of the beams and support structures, leaving holes where there clearly shouldn't be any. Reporters had to wear masks and avoid any steps marked with orange to avoid falling through."
Sunday Train: In Worrying News, Non-Petroleum in Transport Hits 60-year High—by BruceMcF: "The US Energy Information Administration released a story last week which sounded like good news: Nonpetroleum Share of Transportation Energy at Highest Level Since 1954. 'Since 1954' means, since before I was born or, as hard as it is to wrap my brain around, a period spanning six decades. So, surely this is good news? Well, if you have glanced at their accompanying chart, no, not so much. A more descriptive headline would be, 'US transport continues to be addicted to petroleum as its primary energy source.' And digging into the US EIA numbers reveals that the situation is even more grave than the chart to the right would make you think. [...] The change in the chart above is a change from 4% to about 8.8% of transport energy being provided by the 'non-petroleum' sector. And here is where the optimist rushes in to say that we shouldn't focus on the level of the shares of petroleum and non-petroleum use, nor should we focus on the rate of decline in the share of petroleum use, but instead we should focus on the rate of increase in the share of non-petroleum use. After all, from 4% to 8.8% is more than double, in 14 years. If we can push 'just a little bit harder,' why, we could hope to double in a decade. And then we have 4% to 8% to 16% to 32% to 64% to 100% ... forty years to a petroleum free transport system. The chart above breaks out the "non-petroleum transport" sector, and here is where we see that most of this increase is illusory. This chart reveals what lies behind that growth since the turn of the century from about 4% to 8.8%. And what lies behind it is primarily ethanol, and secondarily an increase in natural gas pipeline transportation."
Trade & Eco-Related Foreign Policy
How the TPP is 'Trading on' so many Environmental 'Chits'—by jamess: "As kids, I imagine most of us played the boardgame Monopoly. My strategy was to get Boardwalk and Park Place -- and a monopoly on the Railroads. And then just sit back and wait for the 'Rents and Fees' to roll in. [...] I suspect the Negotiators of the top secret Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement—have such 'Park-Place' moments [...] Wikileaks describes the leaked environmental chapter as The Environment Chapter covers what the Parties propose to be their positions on: environmental issues, including climate change, biodiversity and fishing stocks; and trade and investment in ‘environmental’ goods and services. It also outlines how to resolve environmental disputes arising out of the treaty’s subsequent implementation. [...] As a Joint Analysis of Leaked Environment Chapter Consolidated Text by Sierra Club, World Wildlife Fund, and NRDC, notes 'the leaked text takes a significant step back from the May 2007 agreement.' The Times writes: As of now, the draft environmental chapter does not require the nations to follow legally binding environmental provisions or other global environmental treaties. The text notes only, for example, that pollution controls could vary depending on a country’s ‘domestic circumstances and capabilities."
Sustainability, Extinction & Population
NY Times Says 9 Billion People Is Not A Problem—by Doolittle: "The title of a recent article and accompanying video in the NY TImes has a quite ironic Title. The Unrealized Horrors of Population Growth dismisses the idea that the size of the human population could be a problem and in doing so goes on to skip over an amazing number of drastic crises facing humanity today."
Eco-Essays and Eco-Philosophy
#Black Lives Matter and The Climate Justice Movement—by joedemocrat: "At Daily Kos, I've learned we white progressives have a bad habit of thinking everyone is like us and shares our worldview. We don't grasp how economic populism intersects with race, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities, even age. The failure to understand that can cause us to believe a "rising tide lifts all boats." However, if we don't also address the way economic issues intersect with social issues, we will leave some people behind and nobody deserves to be left behind. [...] I wondered if racism might also be affecting the fight against climate change, so I looked it up and I found Naomi Klein's article. Thinly veiled notions of racial superiority have informed every aspect of the non-response to climate change so far. Racism is what has made it possible to systematically look away from the climate threat for more than two decades. It is also what has allowed the worst health impacts of digging up, processing and burning fossil fuels—from cancer clusters to asthma—to be systematically dumped on indigenous communities and on the neighborhoods where people of colour live, work and play."
"We managed to put a man on the moon. Now we need to put clean energy on Earth."—by boatsie: "As the Global Apollo Programme elevates hope and ambition with promises of delivering a carbon-free future within ten years, Systems Thinker James Greyson suggests that an 'imaginative leap' is necessary to shift the complex paradigms which have created the global climate crisis. [...] Greyson's profoundly creative suggestions mirror the sense of magic and excitement elicited by the Global Apollo program's proposal to inexpensively internationalize carbon neutral energy by 2025. 'The challenge is as big as putting a man on the moon,' says Richard Layard of the London School of Economics, one of the founders of the programme along with other prominent scientists, economists and industrialists. "It took £15 billion a year over 10 years to get a man on the moon, and we're suggesting that's the absolute minimum needed globally per year to crack this problem.' The plan, built upon the extraordinarily successful International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors, price reduction model, requires participating nations ante up 0.02 percent of their GDP beginning in 2016 to construct 'smart grids, address energy storage and fast track the shift to renewables.'"
What we have here is a failure to communicate—by SninkyPoo: "See the thing is, we 'liberals' have done a really pi$$ poor job of communicating about global anthropogenic climate change (GACC! What a hashtag!). Now that there seems to be at least 95% agreement among reputable scientists that: (a) it exists and (b) yes, it’s our fault and (c) we’ve got to DO SOMETHING – pronto – I believe it’s time to do everything in our power to begin a serious conversation with - the goal being to join forces with—those who profess to be on the 'other side of the aisle.' Only that way can we begin to work for change together. And to do that, we need to change our messaging so that it's effective with those we've come to see as the 'opposition.' Let's start by admitting that if we have the weight of science behind our argument, and haven't convinced conservatives that they need to pay attention to climate change, we've been doing it wrong. Can you think of a more 'conservative' value than preserving the weather, temperatures, ecosystems and coastline that we humans evolved in and enjoy? Can you think of a more conservative message than 'save this, our traditional way of life?' I can’t."
Oceans, Water & Drought
2010 article warned: MLPA Initiative will do nothing to stop a big oil spill—by Dan Bacher: "I wrote the following article in 2010 warning of the consequences of not protecting the ocean from oil spills, oil drilling, pollution and all human impacts other than fishing and gathering in the 'marine protected areas' created under the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative. This article warned of the consequences of allowing a Big Oil lobbyist and other corporate operatives to oversee "marine protection" in California. With a major oil spill from a ruptured pipeline devastating over 9 miles of the Santa Barbara County coast, we can see now that the very thing that grassroots environmentalists, Tribal leaders and fishermen warned about has come to pass. Ironically, four "marine protected areas" created under the helm of Catherine Reheis-Boyd, President of the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) are being fouled by the oil spill."
Brown thinks Delta 'pipes; will be more popular than "tunnels"—by Dan Bacher: "In 1982, Jerry Brown called his unpopular scheme to divert more water to corporate agribusiness and Southern California water agencies the "peripheral canal." The voters of the state overwhelmingly rejected the canal proposal in the November election. After Brown was inaugurated for his third term as Governor in 2011, he described the reincarnated 'conveyance; plan proposed under the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) as the Delta ;tunnels.' Now the Governor, in his fourth term, wants to change the name of the widely-opposed project to 'pipes.' In addressing Sacramento business leaders at the 90th Annual "Sacramento Host Breakfast" on May 28, Governor Jerry Brown said that he is now going to call the Delta tunnels, "pipes," because pipes are more popular."
Ventura County Residents Hold Interfaith Ocean Blessing on Oily Oxnard Beach—by Dan Bacher: "Dozens of residents of Oxnard and Ventura County gathered Saturday for the interfaith Blessing of the Ocean, an action uniting the voices of people representing many faiths and perspectives. They urged local and California leaders to ban fracking and extreme oil extraction and to oppose new gas fired power plants in order to protect our coastlines, ocean and communities from the harmful effects of oil and gas development."
Which 5 Democrats Just Voted to Gut Marine Conservation Laws?—by Liberty Equality Fraternity and Trees : "After returning from their Memorial Day recess, the Republican House got back to doing one of its favorite things: inflicting damage on the environment. Yesterday, this took the form of the "Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act," a bill designed to deregulate fishing and open the door to the danger of overfishing. [...] The vote was 225 to 152. 220 Republicans and 5 Democrats voted for it. 149 Democrats and 3 Republicans voted against it. Here are the 3 Republicans: Chris Gibson (NY-19); Richard Hanna (NY-22); Randy Weber (TX-14). Here are the 5 Democrats: Joe Courtney (CT-02); Bill Keating (MA-09); Stephen Lynch (MA-08); Seth Moulton (MA-06); Collin Peterson (MN-07)."
Trash, Pollution & Hazardous Waste
A very young man with a very ambitious and ingenious way of cleaning up our oceans—by Walter Einenkel: "20-year-old Boyan Slat is a young man who has come up with an idea about how we might be able to clean up our planet's ocean plastic pollution problem. That solution is The Ocean Cleanup. [...] The pollution in our earth's oceans is well documented. Slat's idea is simple: instead of us having to go out and find and collect the overwhelming amount of plastic in the ocean, we will let the ocean's natural currents to passively concentrate the plastic itself. Slat’s nonprofit, the Ocean Cleanup, says the current will flow underneath those booms, where animals will be carried through safely. The buoyant plastic is funneled above and concentrates at the water’s surface along the barriers for easy gathering and disposal. Last month, it was announced that this ocean-cleaning system—which the company says is the world’s first—will be deployed in 2016."
Forests, Wilderness & Public Lands
History of the Antiquities Act- Part 2- First monuments and Western backlash—by MorrellWI1983: "This is the second part of my diary series on the History of the Antiquities Act. Part 1 can be found at this link. After the passage of the act in June 1906, President Roosevelt did not wait very long to create his first monument- Devils Tower in Wyoming was set aside in September. It was small- under 1400 acres- and like many monuments to come it was created out of land that had been set aside first as a forest or reserve. Other monuments followed, including El Morro, Chaco Canyon and Gila Cliff Dwellings in New Mexico, Cinder Cone, Lassen Volcanic and Muir Woods in California, and Montezuma Castle, Petrified Forest, and Tonto in Arizona. Of those first 10 monuments, none were larger than 60,000 acres, and none encountered great public opposition. That was all to change on January 11, 1908."
Miscellany
Historic 260-mile Relay Run Unites Tribes for Salmon—by Dan Bacher: "Hundreds of people, including scores of school children from Native American Tribes and local communities along the Klamath and Trinity Rivers teamed up to complete a 260-mile relay up the Klamath and Trinity Rivers today. The rivers and streams along the route once provided top-notch salmon habitat and hosted the West Coast’s third largest salmon run. The 2015 Salmon Run will reach its destination at noon today and will be followed by a traditional salmon bake at 1 p.m. at the Chiloquin Community Center, in Chiloquin, Oregon. What started with school children running a relay to deliver a hand carved salmon up the Trinity River, the Klamath’s largest tributary, has grown into a decade-long Inter-Tribal tradition involving hundreds of children, their parents, and dedicated fish advocates from Yurok, Hoopa, Karuk and beginning this year the Klamath Tribes."
Climate Change is a hoax but Prayer caused Texas Floods—by xxdr zombiexx: "Says Glenn Beck: The conservative broadcaster said the devastating floods were God’s answer to Perry’s 2011 prayer proclamation to end a prolonged drought in Texas, reported Right Wing Watch. 'We started digging our way out of that drought about three years ago, but that’s definitely over,' Beck said, agreeing with co-host Stu Burguiere that climate change could not have caused both the drought and the floods. The Stupid burns so, so bright with these dweebs. I posted this partly out of fascination with climate change science denial and the ultra-primitive focus on superstitious activities to make rain."
Solutions for the Urban Heat Island Effect—by gmoke: "There were 33 proposals submitted to this Climate Colab contest solutions to the urban heat island effect in Cambridge, MA recently. I wonder if any of these would be useful in India too. The winner was proposed by Biomimicry NE and shows how to 'FIGHT urban heat island effect like a forest. Capture water, filter light, and evaporate to keep cool.' A runner-up was a variation on the classical Roman velarium, a vast canvas awning suspended above the Coliseum, adapted to produce power as well as shade with thin-film solar electric panels."
Resnicks change name of their corporation to "The Wonderful Company"—by Dan Bacher: "Beverly Hills billionaires Lynda and Stewart Resnick, two of the foremost advocates of Governor Jerry Brown's Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) to build the salmon-killing twin tunnels under the Delta, have officially changed the name of their company, 'Roll Global,' to 'The Wonderful Company.' In a press release posted on June 2, the Resnicks, known as the 'Koch Brothers of California Water' for their hijacking of environmental politics in the state to benefit corporate agribusiness, gushed about the company's "accomplishments" and goals. 'At The Wonderful Company, we are totally integrated in our approach to farming and distribution — we grow our produce, then harvest, package and deliver to a store near you,' said Stewart Resnick, co-owner and president of The Wonderful Company. 'We established this vertical structure to ensure that our quality standards are maintained at every step along the way from our orchards to your tables.'"