This is the 543rd edition of the Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue) usually appears twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Here is the January 31 Green Spotlight. More than 28,360 environmentally oriented stories have been rescued to appear in this series since 2006. Inclusion of a story in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it.
OUTSTANDING GREEN STORIES
R Holloway writes—The coming--or not--"mini ice age" as a Fermi Problem: “In his excellent book Physics of Societal Issues: Calculations on National Security, Environment, and Energy physicist David Hafemeister says that he wants to teach his students to think like the great Italian-American physicist Enrico Fermi. That sounds like a worthy goal, but why Fermi in particular? The answer to that question has two parts. First, the main premise of Hafemeister’s book is that societal issues should whenever possible be quantified before attempting to formulate possible solutions. Second, a corollary to that premise is that the best way to start the quantification process is to frame the issue as a Fermi problem. But what exactly is a Fermi problem? Here is the answer according to Wikipedia: In physics or engineering education, a Fermi problem, Fermi quiz, Fermi question, Fermi estimate, or order estimation is an estimation problem designed to teach dimensional analysis or approximation, and such a problem is usually a back-of-the-envelope calculation. The estimation technique is named after physicist Enrico Fermi as he was known for his ability to make good approximate calculations with little or no actual data. Fermi problems typically involve making justified guesses about quantities and their variance or lower and upper bounds. In this diary, the societal issue that will be framed as a Fermi problem is the periodically and recently reported prediction that Earth is headed for a mini ice age in a decade or so, due to an unusually large reduction in the Sun’s energy output around that time.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Now Leaving: Climate of Past 11,000 Years: “In honor of Groundhog Day, we present a post about something that seems to happen every year: new research showing warming is unnatural and extreme. A new study in Nature, covered in an Ars Technica story published Wednesday by Scott Johnson, once again confirms that humanity is warming the climate to a degree likely not reached in at least the past 11,000 years. The study, which uses pollen records from a variety of species from North America and Europe as a proxy for past temperatures, also shows that in the absence of human activity, natural cycles would be pushing temperatures down, not up. Because this paper builds on the works of Mann and Marcott in determining just how unusual the current warming trend is compared to the natural cycles of the past, it will likely be a target for deniers. But odds are denier criticisms will be just as well-developed as their integrity. Though there will likely be more attacks as others catch wind of the study, a brief post at WUWT gives a hint at the creative and specific criticisms deniers are sure to level against the study.”
CRITTERS AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS
owktree writes—Daily Bucket: Solmonath (mud month): “An Old English name for the month we currently call February. So, what do we find regarding mud? [...] Something of importance in the history of geology and earth sciences since things like these indicate that the same processes were in action in the past. So observing preserved signs of the processes and viewing the environments producing the same signs currently give indications of what the environment might have been like in a given location in the past.”
Walter Einenkel writes—A new study says climate change has put polar bears closer to starvation than previously believed: “”Polar bears, as with all bears, are incredibly large animals. They burn up thousands of calories a day. In order to keep themselves alive they must eat high calorie meals like seals. A new study published in Science and reported on by National Geographic shows that polar bears must take in 60 percent more calories than researchers had previously believed. This is a terrible realization because climate change, and particularly its affects on diminishing sea ice means that these animals are in even more dire straits than we already believed them to be. Because of melting sea ice, it is likely that more polar bears will soon starve, warns a new study that discovered the large carnivores need to eat 60 percent more than anyone had realized. Turns out they are high-energy beasts, burning through 12,325 calories a day—despite sitting around most of the time, according to a unique metabolic analysis of wild bears published Thursday in Science. ‘Our study reveals polar bears’ utter dependence on seals,’ said lead author Anthony Pagano, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).”
Besame writes—Daily Bucket: Scientists' Amazon reviews describe odd uses for everyday items: “Where to find the best whale snot collecting tool? Or a device to buzz spider webs that simulates different prey? Need to standardize cow poop volume for attracting dung beetles? Amazon has it covered. Scientists rock social media once again with creative zest. They are posting reviews of research equipment ordered from Amazon. But it isn’t official gear, it’s innovative repurposing of everyday items commonly used for more mundane tasks. Here are some examples to fill in for today’s Bucket. In the comments, be sure to add your backyard observations and read the latest episode of Skimpy the Squirrel’s antics that I’ll add after I wake up — much later.”
OceanDiver writes—The Daily Bucket - waves and birds at the ocean: “Every winter we go out to the open ocean for most of a week. Even though we live on the Salish Sea with the same fluid sloshing around, the Pacific Ocean has quite a different character where waves slam onto the shore after rolling uninterrupted across thousands of miles of fetch. I NEVER get tired of watching the waves…. mesmerizing. The ocean buoys my spirit, refreshes and rejuvenates….it’s my happy place. This year we had particular fun watching how the birds were responding to waves. Birds like the waves — that turbulence stirs up food particles and washes them onto shore. The greater the water activity, the more there is to eat…. if you know how to handle the waves. Join me in watching birds and waves at three different beaches along the shoreline of the Olympic Peninsula.”
CLIMATE CHAOS
Pakalolo writes—By 2022, we may start seeing individual years exceed 1.5°C warming: “The Paris Agreement that attempts to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius was a surprise political victory for poor and island countries threatened by the effects of climate change. The target was considered unlikely at the time by many, because the global economy simply cannot be weaned off fossil fuels quickly enough. Many of the predictions was that the threshold would be passed sometime in the 2040’s. Today the Meteorological Office of the United Kingdom found the 1.5 limit will be breached within 5 years albeit temporarily. A new forecast published by scientists at the Met Office indicates the annual global average temperature is likely to exceed 1 °C and could reach 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels during the next five years (2018-2022). There is also a small (around 10%) chance that at least one year in the period could exceed 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels (1850–1900), although it is not anticipated that it will happen this year. It is the first time that such high values have been highlighted within these forecasts years exceed 1.5c warming.”
durrati writes—American Meteorology Society Sends Snarky Letter to drumpf Offering Help... (Poll added): “The American Meteorology Society responds to drumpfs interview with Piers Morgan in which he displayed his vast ignorance on the subject of climate change; and the letter is a master work of snarkiness. The Weather Channel: “Meteorologists called out President Donald Trump Tuesday after he made incorrect remarks about climate change during an interview earlier this week with a British journalist. On Sunday, Trump spoke with ITV's Piers Morgan during the World Economic Forum in Davos and demonstrated a misunderstanding of weather, global warming and climate change. ‘There is a cooling, and there’s a heating,’ Trump said when Morgan asked if he believed in climate change. ‘I mean, look, it used to not be climate change, it used to be global warming. That wasn’t working too well because it was getting too cold all over the place.’Keith L. Seitter, executive director of the American Meteorological Society wasted little time in correcting the president's comments in a letter sent to the White House addressed to Trump.”
Mark Sumner writes—Donald Trump found plenty of time to clap for himself, not a moment to mention climate change: “Donald Trump’s State of the Union address was mostly notable for the casual racism, call for a government purge, and for making Americans grateful they haven’t had to undergo an amputation with no anesthetic while eating dirt. But what it didn’t include was a single word about the most important issue facing this or any other nation. President Donald Trump didn’t mention climate change or global warming in his State of the Union address on Tuesday night. This is, on one hand, the most predictable thing in the world. Throughout his political career, Trump has rarely seemed interested in understanding the science of Earth’s climate. Last week, he misspoke about the climate again, claiming “it was getting too cold all over the place.” He has canceled policies that prepare national parks for climate change and adapt U.S. naval bases to rising sea levels. Repealing President Barack Obama’s extensive climate legacy has unified the Trump administration like little else. Ignoring climate change in the SOTU follows Trump’s interview earlier in the week in which he not only showed his ignorance about the term ‘climate change,’ but stated that the ice caps were hitting “records,” which is true—but not in the way Trump intended.”
OCEANS, WATER, DROUGHT
Pakalolo writes—We are not being told the whole story about Cape Town. A literal shit-storm has begun over water: “Cape Town, South Africa has implemented new emergency water restrictions today as the sprawling metropolis of 4 million prepares for the day their water taps run dry. Day Zero is the dreaded day when the water runs out and it has now been moved forward once again to April 12th as conditions continue to deteriorate. The new restrictions require residents to curb their water consumption to 13 gallons a day. CNN reports that only a month ago, “level 6 restrictions had placed residents on a daily allowance of 23 gallons, illustrating the severity of the looming catastrophe. For contrast, Americans use 80-100 gallons per person per day. CNN further notes that there is now rising turmoil over bottled water which is becoming scarce in stores in a city that is slowly beginning to panic. [...] Too many media outlets are reporting on the water crisis in S. Africa, but they are not making the connection to climate change impacts, and their connection to humanitarian disasters.”
Expatgirl writes—We Do Know The Whole Story About Cape Town's Water Crisis. It Is About Politics More Than Drought: ”With Day Zero — the day the Cape Metropolitan Area in South Africa runs out of water — looming, we see a crisis that could have been prevented taking hold and a warning for how the GOP targeting blue states for hardship could play out here in America. The Cape Town water crisis does not come as a shock to the city. Every decade or so a big drought hits. What makes this one different is that the drought has lasted for three years and the cumulative effects are disastrous. Cape Town did not sit on its laurels ignoring the building situation. It did all it could to prepare...but then it ran into the brick wall of the national government.”
WILDERNESS, NATIONAL FORESTS AND PARKS & OTHER PUBLIC LANDS
Pakalolo writes—'Outrageous' Gold Rush-Style Grab of Public Lands Begins Today: “Under the cover of chaos and distraction, the Trump Administration begins to destroy and contaminate our National Monuments in Utah today. This is an assault not only on the land and water, but also on indigenous people’s rights along with their sacred sites. Despite protests from conservationists, local tribe leaders, Democratic lawmakers and even the United Nations' expert on Indigenous rights, at 6 a.m. on Friday the Trump administration will allow citizens and companies to start staking claims on sections of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah so the new stakeholders can conduct hard rock mining on the formerly protected lands. [...] In spite of widespread opposition, the Trump administration's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plans to move forward with allowing stakeholders to claim plots of land on Friday, and has determined the process will be governed by the General Mining Law of 1872, which covers mining for metals such as copper, gold, silver and uranium (but not coal and petroleum).”
idlemoments writes—Kamp Kos Photo Diary: Rocky Mountain National Park: ”The National Park Services reports 4.5 million people visited Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) in 2017, making it the fourth-most visited park in the United States. That’s more visitors per year than Yellowstone, Glacier, Zion or Olympic national parks. The park’s 415 square miles of beautiful mountains, lakes, waterfalls and wildlife, along with its relatively short drive from metro Denver no doubt contribute to its popularity. Three national forests and one national wilderness area are adjacent to the park. There are an abundance of accessible trails for all abilities. There are five campgrounds within RMNP, three have reserveable sites, the rest are first-come, first served. None of the sites in the park have electricity. There are several private and public county campgrounds in and near Estes Park which is on the edge of the park. Camping is also available at nearby national forests.”
Ojibwa writes—Public Lands: Nye Beach (Photo Diary): “Nye Beach is a historic district in Newport, Oregon. The beach was a part of the Siletz or Coast Indian Reservation until 1865 when non-Indian homesteaders, such as John Nye, began settling in the area.”
BYPRODUCTS, TRASH, TOXIC & RADIOACTIVE WASTE
Meteor Blades writes—WA health dept. sends 'letter of concern' regarding radiation levels at grossly tainted Hanford Site: “State health officials in Washington have expressed a long list of concerns in a five-page letter to the U.S. Department of Energy regarding high readings of radioactivity at the decommissioned Hanford Site, a massively contaminated area half the size of Rhode Island that has been on the U.S. Superfund list for 30 years and is now the location of the world’s largest environmental clean-up. That work has been suspended since December because of air sample readings of americium and plutonium five to ten times allowable levels under federal standards for year-long exposure. The top concern is that while the Health Department figured that the contamination situation was going to improve in 2017, the trend has been opposite.”
Laura Clawson writes—Trump budget would eliminate agency investigating major chemical accidents: “The Chemical Safety Board investigates major chemical industrial accidents like BP’s Deepwater Horizon and issues safety recommendations to avoid such accidents in the future. Donald Trump wants the Chemical Safety Board gone. Trump’s proposed 2019 budget will end funding for the agency beyond what it would take to shut it down. The objection: ‘While CSB has done some outstanding work on its investigations, more often than not, its overlap with other agency investigative authorities has generated unhelpful friction’ the White House said in its previous budget proposal. ‘In recent years, CSB’s recommendations have also been focused on the need for greater regulation of industry, which has frustrated both regulators and industry.’ Let’s take it as given that it’s the “focused on the need for greater regulation of industry” part that’s the real problem here. So they don’t want dedicated experts like mechanical and chemical engineers looking into what happened in cases like the recent Oklahoma gas well explosion that killed five people, because the conclusion might be that we need more regulations.”
ENERGY
Fossil Fuels
Dan Bacher writes—Big Oil's top 3 spenders spent $17.6 million in lobbying 'hush money' in 2017: “Every January 31 is a big day in documenting the play-to-pay politics that dominate politics in California, supposedly the nation’s “green leader.” That’s the day when all lobbyists and employers of lobbyists must file their financial reports from the previous year with the State of California. The results are now in — and spending on influencing government officials in California amounted to a total of $339 million. The eclipses the previous record of $314.7 million set in 2015, according to documents from the California Secretary of State’s Office. Big Oil dominated three out of the four top spots of expenditures by all lobbying organizations. Outspending all of their competition, Chevron placed first with $8.2 million and the Western States Petroleum Association, the trade association for the oil industry in the states of California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Arizona, spent $6.2 million. Tesoro Refining and Marketing Company finished fourth with $3.2 million. You can find the information on spending by employers of lobbyists here: cal-access.sos.ca.gov/...”
Renewables, Efficiency & Conservation
committed writes—trump/gop to gut renewable energy programs: “President Trump’s administration is reportedly seeking a 72 percent cut to the budget of Department of Energy programs related to energy efficiency and renewable energy. Draft budget documents obtained by The Washington Post show the Trump administration will ask for $575.5 million in spending for the Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The office’s current spending level is set at $2.04 billion for the fiscal year.”
Meteor Blades writes—Trump claims he has ended the 'war on energy,' but that doesn't include his war on renewable sources: “At a time when the climate crisis facing us is at least as bad as World War II, we should be mobilizing as the nation did then. We retooled and expanded our industrial capacity to beat the Axis. Nobody said, oh, we can’t afford to defeat the Axis powers, we can’t make the innovations to confront their war machines. Despite the odds, No Can Do was not an expression from politicians or the public. Nor should it be now. What we really needed right when Reagan was hacking away at the Department of Energy’s budget was an industrial plan focused on spurring innovations in solar, wind, geothermal, and efficiency, as well as generating millions of green jobs. Instead we squandered decades. We still need an industrial plan focused on a foundation of green energy and economic justice. Obviously, we won’t get one from the current regime. But, to make it happen once Trump and his minions are ousted, there are many Democratic politicians who need to be persuaded to stop their hemming and hawing and foot-dragging.”
REGULATIONS & PROTECTIONS
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Kathleen Hartnett White in Hot Water as Carper Holds EPA Nominees Until She Withdraws: “”EPA Admin Scott Pruitt and ranking Dem Tom Carper had a private chat following the fireworks at Tuesday’s Senate hearing, according to a Politico Pro story. Carper reportedly told Pruitt that he would be blocking two of Pruitt’s nominees until Kathleen Hartnett White withdraws from consideration as head of the Council on Environmental Quality. One of Pruitt’s now-stalled nominees is Holly Greaves as Chief Financial Officer, which is remarkable only in that she doesn’t seem to be directly connected with the fossil fuel industry, like so many other nominees. One of these industry shills happens to be Andrew Wheeler, the other now-blocked nominee who Pruitt wants a his Deputy Administrator. Given that Wheeler lobbied for coal, he and fossil-fuel-friendly Pruitt are two peas in a pod. (And since Wheeler also thought Trump is a bully, clearly he and Pruitt will get along.) Hopefully, Pruitt’s desire to have a fellow fossil fuel lover at his right hand means he’ll push Trump to rescind Hartnett White’s nomination. Or, with the writing on the wall, hopefully Hartnett White will get the hint and resign.
AGRICULTURE, FOOD & GARDENING
Missys Brother writes—Saturday Morning Garden Blog V 14.5: off we went to Jacob's Pillow and other discoveries: “Well, you may be asking what does this have to do with gardening? I am going to show you parts of their grounds, enough that I hope to motivate some of you to attend this exciting venue. Our trip was motivated one Saturday last August here on SMGB by gchaucer2 who mentioned that she was going to Tanglewood, summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. I hadn’t been to Tanglewood in a few years and mentioned that I had never been to Jacob’s Pillow. Well, this motivated me and I checked out JP’s website that day and purchased tickets. So I hope you enjoy this day trip with us and it’s one of the few times without a car full of dogs. There is no easy way to get to Jacob’s Pillow as it’s in the middle of nowhere without any Massachusetts Turnpike exits in its vicinity. To my surprise, Waze showed a back roads route that would take us only 70 minutes from our house. So off we went.”