Renewable Friday: When the Ice was Gone

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Friday July 18, 2025 · 4:21 AM PDT

2025/07/18 · 04:21

Projection of what Greenland's ice cap will look like by 2300. — NASA projection of Greenland ice sheet in 2300; half a million years ago there may have been much less ice than that

In the 1960s the first complete ice core from Greenland was drilled, right down to the rocky soil thousands of feet below. Astoundingly, that soil contained remnants of plants, showing that 400,000 years ago, much of Greenland was bare of ice, at only 300 ppm CO₂ in the atmosphere, much lower than today.

We are going to take a peek into the recent book When the Ice is Gone: What a Greenland Ice Core Reveals about Earth’s Tumultuous History and Perilous Future, by Paul Bierman, who was there to sift through the dirt and rock and plant debris when that Greenland ice core was first examined.

That means that if we foul up our world completely, it could happen again. That would raise ocean levels by 6 ft. in a few hundred years. Melting Antarctica would add 24 ft. more.

Well, we aren’t going to do that. We are at or very near Peak Carbon, and well beyond Peak Carbon per Capita. We have a clear path to Net Zero and beyond, all the way to restoring the historical heat balance of the Earth from before the Industrial Revolution, and then going just a bit cooler to get all the way back to our earlier average temperature. That will not, of itself, restore everything. The Earth will take a long time to mostly heal up. But it will do, particularly when we get past Peak Humanity.

Researchers extract an ice core on an Ice Memory Foundation expedition to the Colle del Lys glacier in the Alps, October 2023 — Here is another ice core being drilled in the Alps

Greenland has a ring of mountains surrounding a region that bottoms out on ocean.

🇬🇱 Greenland without its ice sheets.

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— Civixplorer (@civixplorer.bsky.social) June 28, 2025 at 10:16 PM

Angmar

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Thursday July 17, 2025 · 11:04 AM PDT

2025/07/17 · 11:04

AP

Good Trouble’ protests against Trump’s deportations and health care cuts held nationwide

By — Corey Williams, Associated Press

By — Christine Fernando, Associated Press

Politics Jul 17, 2025 5:46 PM EDT

CHICAGO (AP) — Protests and events against President Donald Trump's controversial policies that include mass deportations and cuts to Medicaid and other safety nets for poor people have started Thursday at more than 1,600 locations around the country.

Mokurai

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Monday July 14, 2025 · 11:52 PM PDT

2025/07/14 · 23:52

kempower-s-series-fast-chargers-at-shell-station-in-norway-1280x720-1-600x338.jpeg — In certain states, parking in new apartment complexes now has to be ready for this

Transitioning between technologies is often a grade-A pain, as when there were no gas stations, and gasoline or kerosene was only available at hardware stores. Now it is EV charging along the roads and in older housing, where new Right-to-Charge laws are needed. So we have reached yet another tipping point, thus:

The Conversation: Right-to-charge laws bring the promise of EVs to apartments, condos and rentals

More than 3.6 million electric cars are driving around the U.S., but if you live in an apartment, finding an available charger isn’t always easy. Grocery stores and shopping centers might have a few, but charging takes time and the spaces may be taken or inconvenient.

Meijer in Champaign IL has lots of chargers. Maybe the Meijer in Urbana will get some. How is it where you live?

Several states and cities, aiming to expand EV use, are now trying to lift that barrier to ownership with “right to charge” laws.

Illinois’ governor signed the latest right-to-charge law in June 2023, requiring that all parking spots at new homes and multiunit dwellings be wired so they’re ready for EV chargers to be installed. Colorado, Florida, New York and other states have passed similar laws in recent years.

But having wiring in place for charging is only the first step to expanding EV use. Apartment building managers, condo associations and residents are now trying to figure out how to make charging efficient, affordable and available to everyone who needs it when they need it.

OK, but what about existing apartments and so on? I’ll have to take this up with the Urbana Sustainability Council. There are companies all over the country ready and willing to do the planning, permitting, and installation work. My wife and I moved into an apartment complex with no chargers last year, so we want to convince the owners to get ready for competition from new complexes that are springing up all over our area. Right now, they are willing to assign us a parking space and let us pay to install a 240 volt outlet or an EV charger. It might be worth it financially with the savings on fuel and maintenance, but I expect that we will get a better deal soon enough. This is going to become another point of competition among housing managements.

Plug In America: Right-To-Charge Policies

Angmar

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Sunday July 13, 2025 · 1:59 PM PDT

2025/07/13 · 13:59

no image description available — New York NY: June 9th 2025: ICE protests happening in New York City after mass arrests by ICE agents around the City Credit: Katie Godowski / MediaPunch /IPX DK images library

Anti-Donald Trump Protests Planned Nationwide for July 17: What to Know

Published Jul 09, 2025 at 6:00 AM EDT

Newsweek.com

The "Good Trouble Lives On" protests will take place on the anniversary of the death of John Lewis, the Democratic congressman and civil rights icon.

Newsweek has contacted the organizers for comment via email.

The protests are the latest round of nationwide demonstrations against the Trump administration since he returned to office in January, organized by the 50501 Movement (50 protests, 50 states, one movement) and other groups.

Millions of people took to the streets for "No Kings" protests on June 14, targeting a military parade in Washington marking the Army's 250th anniversary that coincided with Trump's 79th birthday. Over the Fourth of July weekend, "Free America" events were held across the country in protest of Trump's policies. Newsweek.com

UNITED STATES - APRIL 5: Thousands of protesters gather for the Hands Off rally around the Washington Monument in Washington on Saturday, April 5, 2025. Hands Off organized a nationwide mobilizationof protests against the Trump administration. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)
Uploaded by: Erika Chavez (DK Official Image

July 17 showdown: Massive anti-Trump protests to mark John Lewis’ legacy - place, time and how to participate

www.msn.com/...

https://goodtroubleliveson.org

USA protests map at bottom

www.google.com/...

What to know about "Good Trouble Lives On" protests

map

www.axios.com/...

Mobilize

www.google.com/...

League of Women Voters

https://my.lwv.org

Good Trouble Lives On: National Day of Action on July 17, 2025 - MyLO |

3 hours ago — Good Trouble Lives On is a national day of nonviolent action to respond to the attacks posed on our civil and human rights by the...

Facebook

www.google.com/...

50501 — 50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement

50 protests. 50 states. 1 movement. · July 4th: Free America Weekend of Community Events · July 17th: Good Trouble Lives On National Day of Action

50501 — 50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement
https://www.fiftyfifty.one/

www.google.com/...

Map

https://goodtroubleliveson.org

www.google.com/...

06-no-kings-bellingham-2025061 dk images library

(Thanks for reading Climate Brief)

READ:

Earth Matters with Meteor Blades

dailykos.com

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Climate Brief World Population Day:Can Population Decline help with Climate Change?

Angmar

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday July 11, 2025 · 2:02 PM PDT

2025/07/11 · 14:02

WORLD POPULATION DAY 2025

World Population Day is an annual event, observed on July 11 every year, which seeks to raise awareness of global population issues.

🌎

CURRENT WORLD POPULATION

8.062 billion

Have we vastly underestimated the total number of people on Earth?

google

NPR:

Over the past century, the world's human population has exploded from around 2 billion to 8 billion. Meanwhile, the average fertility rate has gradually declined. And if that trend continues as it has, we may soon see a crash in the population rate

npr.org/

Maps

Fertility Rates

in North and South America

In roughly 60 years,world population could plummet to size not seen for centuries

theatlantic

Mokurai

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday July 11, 2025 · 4:01 AM PDT

2025/07/11 · 04:01

Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization Hardcover – August 19, 2025 by Bill McKibben “From the acclaimed environmentalist, a call to harness the power of the sun and rewrite our scientific, economic, and political future.”

Among all the big bad things happening on our planet, there's one Big Good Thing, the sudden, startling rise of solar energy.
It changes the power dynamic, in every sense of the word 'power.'
www.newyorker.com/news/annals-...

[image or embed]
— Bill McKibben (@billmckibben.bsky.social) July 9, 2025 at 8:36 AM

Not just solar, of course.

Our climate, and our democracy, are melting down. But Bill McKibben, one of the first to sound the alarm about the climate crisis, insists the moment is also full of possibility. Energy from the sun and wind is suddenly the cheapest power on the planet and growing faster than any energy source in history―if we can keep accelerating the pace, we have a chance.

Here Comes the Sun tells the story of the sudden spike in power from the sun and wind―and the desperate fight of the fossil fuel industry and their politicians to hold this new power at bay. From the everyday citizens who installed solar panels equal to a third of Pakistan’s electric grid in a year to the world’s sixth-largest economy―California―nearly halving its use of natural gas in the last two years, Bill McKibben traces the arrival of plentiful, inexpensive solar energy. And he shows how solar power is more than just a path out of the climate crisis: it is a chance to reorder the world on saner and more humane grounds. You can’t hoard solar energy or hold it in reserves―it’s available to all.

Angmar

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday July 09, 2025 · 1:04 PM PDT

2025/07/09 · 13:04

This image provided by Maxar Technologies, shows wildfires in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories Canada on Aug. 15, 2023. (Satellite image ©2023 Maxar Technologies via AP) — Dk images library/image provided by Maxar Technologies, shows wildfires in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories Canada on Aug. 15, 2023. (Satellite image ©2023 Maxar Technologies via AP

"More than 60 scientists issue Dire warning that the Earth is careening toward catastrophe: 'Things are all moving in the wrong direction"

FILE - A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire as it burns a structure in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope,File) dk images library

Three years left to limit warming to 1.5C, leading scientists warn

NPR: Countries agreed to try to hold global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Is that still possible?NPR

BBC

The Earth could be doomed to breach the symbolic 1.5C warming limit in as little as three years at current levels of carbon dioxide emissions.

That's the stark warning from more than 60 of the world's leading climate scientists in the most up-to-date assessment of the state of global warming.

www.bbc.com/...

Our planet is speeding toward a dangerous temperature milestone, and dozens of climate scientists warn we could surpass it before the end of this decade.

What's happening?

A group of more than 60 leading scientists warns that if the Earth continues its current levels of pollution and carbon pollution, average global temperatures in the next three years will likely surpass 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit over preindustrial levels, the BBC reported.

That threshold is one agreed to by nearly 200 countries as part of the Paris Agreement as a level that the planet's temperature needs to stay below. If temperatures consistently surpass that number, the United Nations warns, the planet could see severe consequences.

www.yahoo.com/...

Record carbon emissions mean that the planet's carbon budget could be exceeded in as little as three years, according to a new report.

Record greenhouse gas emissions could exhaust Earth's "carbon budget" in as little as three years, dooming the planet to breach the symbolic threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.6 degrees Fahrenheit) warming.

Global warming of 2 C (3.6 F) is considered an important threshold — warming beyond this greatly increases the likelihood of devastating and irreversible climate breakdown that include extreme heatwaves, droughts and the melting of the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets.

Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, nearly 200 countries pledged to limit global temperature rises to ideally 1.5 C and safely below 2 C.

Yet, according to a new assessment by more than 60 of the world's leading climate scientists, this target is quickly moving out of reach — only 143 billion tons (130 billion metric tons) of carbon dioxide remains before we have likely exceeded the Paris Agreement target, and humanity is already releasing over 46 billion tons (42 billion metric tons) each year. The researchers published their findings June 19 in the journal Earth System Science Data.

Warnings that the Earth is careening beyond the 1.5 C limit, and the dire consequences that would follow from such a breach, are not new. In 2020, the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimated Earth's remaining climate budget to be around 550 billion tons (500 billion metric tons). www.livescience.com/...

Guardian UK

Melting glaciers and ice caps could unleash wave of volcanic eruptions, study says. The melting of glaciers and ice caps by the climate crisis could unleash a barrage of explosive volcanic eruptions, a study suggests. The loss of ice releases the pressure on underground magma chambers and makes eruptions more likely.2 days ago

Melting glaciers and ice caps could unleash wave of volcanic eruptions .

eruptions around the globe, study finds

The Conversation
‘Completely unexpected’: Antarctic sea ice may be in terminal decline due to rising Southern Ocean salinity www.google.com/...

2 days ago — Glacial melt could increase volcanic activity in North America, New Zealand and Russia, spewing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere

www.google.com/…

CNN
Global sea levels are rising faster and faster. It spells catastrophe for coastal towns and cities www.google.com/…

Texas Flood Disaster Could be Far Worse than What's Being Reported dailykos.com/…

“We Can’t Stop It Anymore”: Climate Scientists Confirm Critical Warming Threshold Will Be Breached Within Just Three Years- 3 days ago

www.google.com/…

Earth Matters: It's been a rotten week for the environment thanks to wholly expected Trump moves Meteor Blades

Earth Matters with Meteor Blades

dailykos.com

🌎

(Thanks for reading Climate Brief)

Renewable Tuesday: Learn to Say Petawatt and Exawatt

Mokurai

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday July 08, 2025 · 4:01 AM PDT

2025/07/08 · 04:01

China is going to produce more than a petawatt-hour per year from wind. Let me see…kilo, mega, giga, tera, peta…Oh, yes, then comes exa! 10¹⁸! And on the other end of the scale, we have passed peak carbon per capita, and should be at Peak Global Carbon this year. Maybe. Especially if we can get past Trump’s stupid Executive Orders and the Big Ugly Bill. At least Trump is trying to promote geothermal energy, and the courts are letting us have wind turbine projects.

Wind Power In China #WindPower www.reuters.com/world/china/...

[image or embed]
— OnePlanet11 (@oneplanet11.bsky.social) July 5, 2025 at 8:53 PM

IEA: CO2 Emissions

Energy sector carbon emissions reached a new record in 2024.

Total energy-related CO₂emissions increased by 0.8% in 2024, hitting an all-time high of 37.8 Gt CO₂1. This rise contributed to record atmospheric CO₂ concentra-tions of 422.5 ppm in 2024, around 3 ppm higher than 2023 and 50% higher than pre-industrial levels. In 2024, CO₂emissions from fuel combustion grew by around 1% or 357 Mt CO₂, whileemissions from industrial processes declined by 2.3% or 62 Mt CO₂. Emissions growth was lower than global GDP growth (+3.2%), restoring the decades-long trend of decoupling emissions growth from economic growth, which had been disrupted in 2021.

So there we are. We have to cut emissions growth by more than that 0.8% this year. Tough, but apparently not impossible. Certainly coal continues to go away, EVs continue in robust growth, as do heat pumps, and so on. We need a lot of storage in areas like the UK where they spill excess wind power.

As ever, watch this space.

Rise above the swamp

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday July 06, 2025 · 5:36 PM PDT

2025/07/06 · 17:36

In 2022 my daughter sent me a challenge - to knit a Warming Stripes scarf or wall hanging showing how the temperature deviated from the mean every year from 1895 to 2022.

Colors coded to represent a specific deviation from the mean ranged from cool colors, blue and gray (-0.01 degrees) to warmer colors, dark red (+4.3 degrees). Since I live in Upstate NY, my color chart followed the temperature deviations for that area. Ms. RATS also sent a kit to her sister who lives in PA and ordered one for herself in Oregon, assuming that each would yield a different result, and she was right!

I finished my project recently, hence this diary. My daughters are still working on theirs, or perhaps have put them aside for now due to work and family obligations. I have a picture of our projects at the beginning when we put our work next to each other to compare.

Comparison of two scarves from New York (above) and Oregon.

Top - NY

Bottom - OR

Definitely Oregon was much cooler than New York in 1895. How that compares to today, we’re waiting to see.

As I worked along, I became less impressed with the concept as the colors seemed pretty consistent. But then the last 50 to 70 years showed the dramatic effects of global warming. On the right side of my scarf in the title photo, the wide yellow stripe represents the 1950s. From there to 2022, the change from MEH to WOW! is obvious as the reds become darker and more frequent.

I learned a new stitch on this project called “linen stitch.” It took some practice, but I soon got the rhythm of holding the yarn on the right side of the work on both the knit row and the pearl row. I liked the way the stitch made the piece look more like woven fabric. Below is a close-up. It was a fun project and a great way to demonstrate one of the actual effects of climate change - a warming world.

Renewable Friday: The Big Ugly Bill Will be Signed Today

Mokurai

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday July 04, 2025 · 4:01 AM PDT

2025/07/04 · 04:01

The Donald Trump Big Ugly Bill was passed yesterday, and will be signed today in a public ceremony. It contains hundreds of evil provisions, including many to try to kill all kinds of science and technology, and in particular renewable energy and electric cars. Weirdly, it supports geothermal energy.

The U.S. public does not want these science cuts and yet here we are. 🧪🌊🔌💡 yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/07/trum...

[image or embed]
— Joseph D. Ortiz (@earthsciinfo.bsky.social) July 3, 2025 at 10:32 PM

This is just The Onion, but it hits very close to home.

Congress Passes Blank Bill For Trump To Write Whatever Law He Wants

[image or embed]
— The Onion (@theonion.com) July 3, 2025 at 1:58 PM

Angmar

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday July 03, 2025 · 12:07 PM PDT

2025/07/03 · 12:07

Protestors hold signs while listening to speakers during during a 50501 Protest on the south steps of the West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston, W.Va., Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, during what was billed as a nationwide series of protests against President Donald Trump, Project 2025, DEI rollbacks and other recent administration initiatives. (Chris Dorst/Charleston Gazette-Mail via AP)

July 4th anti-Trump protests: Full list of cities, march routes, maps, and road closures to know

Thousands of people are expected to take to the streets this Independence Day, but not to celebrate. People in the U.S. are holding rallies, parades, and vigils under the name "Free America." Women's March is the main group behind the events, which are meant to fight against US President Donald Trump's policies and power abuse"..google

‘Free America’ anti-Trump protests planned on Fourth of July weekend- The Hill

.google

The Women’s March is organizing protests across the country on the Fourth of July in a push to “Free America” from President Trump and his billionaire allies.

The group has listed some 150 gatherings in the District of Columbia, New York, Maryland, Wisconsin, Illinois, Florida, Massachusetts and dozens of other states:

action.womensmarch.com

Mokurai

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday July 01, 2025 · 4:01 AM PDT

2025/07/01 · 04:01

The new campus includes a 144-bed hospital and an ambulatory care center (ACC). The hospital and ACC are connected at the lower level to create an integrated inpatient and outpatient interventional services platform, consolidating staff, operations and support space. One level above, an entry level plaza serves as a focal point of the campus, accommodating healing gardens, respite, dining and gathering areas with views to the natural preserve. A new all-electric central plant supports the hospital and ACC, a national first in carbon reduction.

So no toxic natgas for heating or cooking, no diesel uninterruptible power. You can see the solar panels on the parking garage roof, but not the battery backup power system or the air source heat pumps.

Country's first all-electric hospital opens in California

Hospitals contribute up to 8% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions... but they sure as heck don't have to! Congrats to @ucirvine.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZaW...

[image or embed]
— Jane van Dis (@janevandis.bsky.social) June 29, 2025 at 6:32 PM

Country's first all-electric hospital opens in California

YouTube Video

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Renewable Friday: When the Ice was Gone

Climate Brief:Tens of thousands at Good Trouble Protests with more than 1,500 sites UPDATED

Renewable Tuesday: Right-to-Charge Laws

Climate Brief:Protests Planned Nationwide for July 17 (links)

Climate Brief World Population Day:Can Population Decline help with Climate Change?

Renewable Friday: New McKibben Book

Climate Brief:Scientists issue New Dire Warning- "The Earth is careening toward Catastrophe"

Renewable Tuesday: Learn to Say Petawatt and Exawatt

Knitted Warming Stripes

Renewable Friday: The Big Ugly Bill Will be Signed Today

Climate Brief: 4th of July US protests Scheduled lists updated

Renewable Tuesday: How About an Electric Hospital?!