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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 13, 2015.
Posted: 13 Oct 2015 13:44:38
ARB Newsclips for October 13, 2015. This is a service of the California Air Resources Board’s Office of Communications. You may need to sign in or register with individual websites to view some of the following news articles. AIR POLLUTION Volkswagen Scandal Puts Spotlight on Europe’s Dirty Air. Disparity between lab tests and real-world driving is one reason European cities struggle to meet air pollution targets, environmental experts say. Alain Brakha has run a newspaper kiosk for the past 30 years outside this city’s opulent opera house, where he breathes some of the worst traffic pollution in Europe. http://www.wsj.com/articles/vw-scandal-raises-scrutiny-of-emissions-tests-and-diesel-pollution-in-europe-1444728624 Singapore's Air Quality Reaches `Unhealthy' Level With Haze. Singapore’s air quality worsened on Tuesday, reaching an "unhealthy" level as haze from Indonesian forest fires blanketed the city-state. The three-hourly pollution index was at 154 at 10 a.m. Singapore time, the National Environment Agency said, the highest level since it entered the "unhealthy" range on Monday afternoon. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-13/singapore-s-air-quality-reaches-unhealthy-level-with-haze Why USC air pollution researchers are studying air, children’s lungs in Africa. USC scientists are taking their landmark study on smog and children’s lungs on the road, part of the realization that dirty air anywhere on the planet can drift to distant lands and contribute to global climate change. http://www.sgvtribune.com/environment-and-nature/20151012/why-usc-air-pollution-researchers-are-studying-air-childrens-lungs-in-africa Ozone debate between oil industry, environmentalists propels Congress to the outer limits. Capitol Crude takes a look at the US EPA's National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone, issued October 1, which sees the air pollution limit lowered from 75 ppb to 70 ppb, drawing protests from the oil and gas industry… http://www.platts.com/podcasts-detail/crude/2015/october/capitol-crude-101215?hootpostid=8832141de9cb6f06e1bc87c9f7f15a65 CLIMATE CHANGE AP Interview: EU climate boss says G20 countries can improve pledges to cut emissions. Europe's climate chief has acknowledged for the first time that climate pledges made by national governments ahead of a major U.N. conference fall short of meeting the international goal of keeping global warming below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_EU_CLIMATE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2015/10/12/ap-interview-eu-climate-boss-says-emissions-cuts-not-enough ITF Calls for Global Rules for Ship Operators to Cut Emissions. Group says United Nations’ maritime arm should impose a carbon tax, set enforceable goals for maritime operators. The International Transport Forum called Monday for global, enforceable regulations for the maritime industry to reduce carbon emissions by half over the next 35 years and entirely by 2080. The ITF… http://www.wsj.com/articles/itf-calls-for-global-rules-for-ship-operators-to-cut-emissions-1444644247 This is how rising seas will reshape the face of the United States. In a new study, a team of scientists who specialize in studying rising seas bring the implications of their research right to the U.S.’s doorstep — calculating just how many American cities and municipalities are at risk of being flooded in the future, as well as how many may already be committed to that fate. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/10/12/this-is-how-rising-seas-will-reshape-the-face-of-the-united-states/ Climate change could triple Amazon drought, study finds. When thinking about greenhouse gas emissions, there are a few obvious sources that come to mind, such as cars or coal-burning plants. But there are also some huge natural reservoirs of carbon on Earth, known as “carbon sinks,” which could pour huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere if they were unleashed. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/10/12/climate-change-could-triple-amazon-drought-study-finds/ Bringing Republicans to the Climate Change Table. The climate has been changing forever. It will continue to change. Some scientists believe that humans have a direct impact on it. But trying to curb carbon emissions to slow the change could destroy the economy, eliminate millions of jobs, and cast Americans into poverty. This is what’s known today as the moderate Republican position on climate change… http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/14/business/economy/bringing-republicans-to-the-climate-change-table.html Climate Qualms Mean Oil Will Never Be Used Up-BP. Concerns about the climate change impact of burning the world's remaining oil resources mean the reserves will never be fully exploited, BP Chief Economist Spencer Dale said on Tuesday. That assumption means the relative price of oil will not necessarily increase over time, Dale said at an economists' conference in London on Tuesday. http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2015/10/13/business/13reuters-bp-climatechange-oil.html Global Climate Pledges Not Enough but Good Start-European Commission. National pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions, even if fully implemented, would cap global warming at 3 degrees Celsius rather than the 2 degrees targeted to avoid dangerous consequences, the European Commission said on Monday. http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2015/10/12/world/12reuters-climatechange-europe.html Study Quantifies Liana Vines’ Threat to Forests. Woody climbing vines called lianas are a known threat to tropical forests. They increase tree mortality and reduce growth, ultimately hampering a forest’s ability to store carbon in trees and battle climate change. Now a new study quantifies the rapid effect of the vines: Researchers who examined forests in the Barro Colorado Nature Monument in Panama report that after three years of growth… http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/13/science/study-quantifies-liana-vines-threat-to-forests.html Expected Polish Election Winner Urges EU Climate Deal Renegotiation. The likely winner of Poland's Oct. 25 parliamentary election called on Tuesday for a renegotiation of a climate deal agreed last year by the European Union, saying the country needed more coal-based power stations. The European Union agreed last year, after marathon negotiations, to cut greenhouse gases by 40 percent by 2030… http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2015/10/13/world/europe/13reuters-climatechange-summit-poland.html Here's why a few degrees of global warming could be catastrophic. There's no denying that our planet is getting warmer. Average surface temperatures across the globe have already risen 0.8 degrees Celsius (1.4 degrees Fahrenheit) since 1880. Meanwhile, new climate models predict that, by the end of the 21st century, they could further rise by between 2 C and 6 C (between 3.6 F and 10.8 F). http://www.businessinsider.com/climate-change-degrees-melting-ice-2015-10 Antarctic ice is melting so fast the whole continent may be at risk by 2100. New research predicts a doubling of surface melting of the ice shelves by 2050, risking their collapse by the end of the century, say scientists. Antarctic ice is melting so fast that the stability of the whole continent could be at risk by 2100, scientists have warned. Widespread collapse of Antarctic ice shelves – floating extensions of land ice projecting into the sea… http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/oct/12/antarctic-ice-melting-so-fast-whole-continent-may-be-at-risk-by-2100 Methane release from melting permafrost could trigger dangerous global warming. A policy briefing from the Woods Hole Research Center concludes that the IPCC doesn’t adequately account for a methane warming feedback. While most attention has been given to carbon dioxide, it isn’t the only greenhouse gas that scientists are worried about. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2015/oct/13/methane-release-from-melting-permafrost-could-trigger-dangerous-global-warming BP admits climate concern makes some oil unburnable. Oil major’s chief economist accepts analysis that two thirds of fossil fuels must stay in the ground to hold warming to 2C. Some of the world’s oil will not be burned as a result of climate concerns, BP’s chief economist said on Tuesday. Scientists have calculated around a third of proven oil reserves need to stay in the ground to hold global warming to 2C, the international goal. http://www.climatechangenews.com/2015/10/13/bp-admits-climate-concern-makes-some-oil-unburnable/ Something fishy: How climate change reaches deep into the ocean. Researchers examined the effects of rising global temperatures on a variety of fish. Climate change could have devastating consequences for the world’s fish. As global temperatures rise, the resulting ocean acidification and warming may hurt the diversity and population of fish species across the globe, say researchers. http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2015/1013/Something-fishy-How-climate-change-reaches-deep-into-the-ocean 25 million Americans could lose their homes to global warming: Will you? In the US, between 20 and 31 million people's homes will be submerged by rising oceans, if global average temperatures rise by 6 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a new study in PNAS. Millions of Americans could lose their homes if planet-warming emissions continue unabated through 2100… http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2015/1012/25-million-Americans-could-lose-their-homes-to-global-warming-Will-you Rising numbers of Americans believe climate science, poll shows. Level of belief has increased seven percentage points in the past six months as climate change brings weather events closer to home. Around 70% of Americans believe in the science behind global warming - the highest level of acceptance in the US since 2008 - according to a new survey. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/oct/13/rising-numbers-of-american-believe-climate-science-poll-shows PJM state officials discuss possible carbon rule coordination. Following the lead of states throughout the Midwest and other regions, counterparts in the Mid-Atlantic have been talking in recent months about ways they could work together to facilitate compliance with U.S. EPA's Clean Power Plan. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/10/13/stories/1060026205 Behind the scenes, most states are exploring the benefits of carbon trading. Swaths of states are engaged in early regional talks about how to comply with U.S. EPA's Clean Power Plan and whether to embrace carbon trading to keep costs down. These "no regrets" discussions -- mostly coordinated by nongovernmental organizations -- offer a safe space for state air and electric regulators to share ideas and analyze how various paths forward might affect their power systems and economies. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/10/13/stories/1060026225 DROUGHT Evidence Mounts for El Nino That Could Ease Calif. Drought. Evidence is mounting that the El Nino ocean-warming phenomenon in the Pacific will spawn a rainy winter in California, potentially easing the state's punishing drought but also bringing the risk of chaotic storms like those that battered the region in the late 1990s. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/10/12/us/ap-us-el-nino.html http://www.latimes.com/nation/sns-bc-us--el-nino-20151012-story.html http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/news/18608420-113/evidence-mounts-for-el-nino-that-could-ease http://www.kesq.com/news/evidence-mounts-for-el-nino-that-could-ease-calif-drought/35812878 Poll: California’s drought heavy on the mind. California’s punishing drought has taken a firm grip on the electorate’s conscience, with more than 3 in 4 voters describing the state’s water shortage as extremely serious, according to a new poll. The Field Poll, released Tuesday, follows months of mandatory water restrictions, public relations campaigns and media focus on the drought. http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/field-polls/article38900478.html#storylink=cpy California drought: New poll shows growing majority calls it 'extremely serious' After four years of relentless drought, more Californians are worried about water shortages than ever, despite El Nińo conditions in the Pacific Ocean that are boosting hopes for a wet winter. A new Field Poll released Tuesday showed that 76 percent of registered California voters now call the state's water situation… http://www.contracostatimes.com/drought/ci_28961005/california-drought-new-poll-shows-growing-majority-calls http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=29240 California drought: CVWD could increase penalty fees. If you’re still wasting water, now would be a great time to stop – maybe by deciding not to overseed your lawn. That was the takeaway from Tuesday’s meeting of the Coachella Valley Water District’s board of directors, which followed the agency’s dismal conservation performance in September. http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2015/10/13/california-drought-cvwd-increase-penalty-fees/73878116/ TEMECULA: Drought surcharge reduced by Rancho Water. Rancho Water reducing its drought surcharge. The vote wasn’t unanimous but the Rancho California Water District board recently reduced a drought surcharge that heavily penalizes customers who exceed their water budgets. The two-tier surcharge structure that was put in place this summer charged ratepayers $3.40 per hundred cubic feet of water if they were… http://www.pe.com/articles/water-783228-percent-surcharge.html DIESEL ACTIVITIES Estes Fined by EPA for Failing to Install Diesel Particulate Filters. Estes Express Lines has been fined $100,000 for failing to install particulate filters on 73 heavy-duty diesel trucks, a violation of the California Truck and Bus Regulation. Estes also will spend $290,400 on projects to educate the out-of-state trucking industry on the regulation and for replacing old wood-burning devices in the San Joaquin Valley… http://ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=39691 EPA Promises More Fines For Diesel Polluters. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency expects to levy more fines against out-of-state trucking and bus companies operating in California. It issued the first last week. Under a rule implemented in 2012 to combat its worst-in-the-nation air quality, California requires trucks and buses older than 2007 to install diesel filters. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/10/12/epa-promises-more-fines-for-diesel-polluters/ FUELS WSU researcher receives $450,000 grant to improve biofuels. A researcher at Washington State University (WSU) has received a three-year $450,000 (appr. €395,000) federal grant to develop computer models for using iron to more efficiently refine bio-oils and make better biofuels. Jean-Sabin McEwen, assistant professor in the Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering… http://biofuels-news.com/display_news/9754/wsu_researcher_receives_450000_grant_to_improve_biofuels/ VEHICLES Toyota promises better mileage and ride with Prius hybrid. Toyota Motor Corp. released details for its fourth-generation Prius on Tuesday, promising that improvements in the battery, engine, wind resistance and weight mean better mileage for the world's top-selling hybrid car. It gets up to 40 kilometers a liter under Japanese tests, which translates to more than 93 miles per gallon… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_JAPAN_TOYOTA_PRIUS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Tesla Model X buyers could get $25,000 tax break. Take heart, prospective Tesla buyers alarmed by the probable $100,000-plus price tag for the company's new Model X: You may qualify for a $25,000 tax break. Tesla has confirmed reports that the falcon-winged all-electric SUV, because of its gross vehicular weight, may qualify for a federal tax break designed for heavy equipment. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-tesla-model-x-tax-break-20151012-story.html The tax loophole that can save you big bucks off a Tesla Model X. Elon Musk and Tesla Motors, masterful at mining state and federal tax incentives, may have lucked into a tax loophole. The company's new $100,000-plus Model X electric SUV qualifies for a $25,000 federal tax deduction. That's on top of a $7,500 federal tax credit and a $2,500 California rebate given to buyers of battery-electric vehicles. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-tesla-model-x-tax-break-20151012-story.html VOLKSWAGEN Scandal-Hit VW to Change Diesel Emissions Technology. Volkswagen's flagship brand plans to change its diesel technology in Europe and North America as well as develop new hybrid and electric vehicles in response to its emissions scandal. The new steps were part of a plan to confront the company's scandal over cars that were equipped with computer software that let them evade U.S. emissions tests. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/V/VOLKSWAGEN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/10/13/world/europe/ap-volkswagen.html http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-1014-volkswagen-diesel-change-20151013-story.html VW fallout: Wolfsburg postpones planned training center. Volkswagen-backed Bundesliga club Wolfsburg has postponed the construction of a youth training center because of the German car manufacturer's emissions-rigging scandal. Wolfsburg chief executive Klaus Allofs tells news agency dpa that "I think it's understandable that we at least suspend it for now," referring to the planned 40-million euro ($45.5 million) project. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SOC_WOLFSBURG_TRAINING_CENTER?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/13/volkswagen-emissions-wolfsburg-soccer-idUSL3N12D4UD20151013?feedType=RSS&feedName=cyclicalConsumerGoodsSector German investor confidence down as VW adds to worries. A survey shows investor confidence in Germany, Europe's biggest economy, has fallen for the seventh consecutive month as concern about the fallout from the Volkswagen scandal adds to worries about weak growth in emerging economies. The Center for European Economic Research, known by its German acronym ZEW… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_GERMANY_ECONOMY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT VW diesel cars recalled in China, sales halted in Singapore. Volkswagen said Monday it is recalling 1,950 diesel vehicles in China to change engine software it has admitted cheats on emissions tests and Singapore suspended sales of the company's diesel cars. The German automaker admitted last month that 11 million of its vehicles worldwide were fitted with cheating software to beat emission tests. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_ASIA_VOLKSWAGEN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT VW looks to cutbacks and electric cars to overcome scandal. Volkswagen will cut investment plans at its biggest division by 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) a year and step up development of electric vehicles, it said on Tuesday, as it battles to cope with the fallout from its cheating of diesel emissions tests. The German company also said it would speed up cost cutting at the VW division, its largest by revenues… http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/13/us-volkswagen-emissions-investment-idUSKCN0S710020151013?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews UPDATE 2-VW crisis hits German investor mood but officials play down economic impact. German investor morale plunged in October to its lowest in a year as the emissions scandal at Volkswagen hit confidence but an industry group and minister said the crisis would not permanently damage Europe's largest economy. The monthly survey of German analysts and investors by think tank… http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL8N12D1RP20151013 Volkswagen emissions scandal headed for Hollywood. The Volkswagen AG scandal over diesel emission tests is headed for Hollywood. U.S. movie studio Paramount Picture and actor Leonardo DiCaprio's production company have acquired movie rights to a book proposal by New York Times journalist Jack Ewing about the clean diesel scandal… http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/12/us-volkswagen-emissions-movie-idUSKCN0S627020151012 Volkswagen, in Future Cars, to Adopt New System for Controlling Diesel Emissions. Volkswagen said on Tuesday that it would revamp the technology it uses for controlling diesel exhaust in future models as it struggles to overcome an emissions cheating scandal that has battered its reputation and threatened its financial stability. The company said it would switch to what it called a selective catalytic reduction system to decrease emissions… http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/14/business/international/volkswagen-diesel-emissions.html Volkswagen Says Diesel Repairs Will Vary in Europe and U.S. Volkswagen’s top executive in Britain said Monday that the car company was taking a different approach to fixing its vehicles in Europe than in the United States, raising new questions about the manufacturer’s response to its emissions testing scandal and highlighting gaps in trans-Atlantic regulations. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/13/business/international/volkswagen-says-diesel-repairs-will-vary-in-europe-and-us.html Investors Ask Automakers to Explain Emissions Lobbying. Leading European investment managers and pension funds controlling nearly $1 trillion have joined forces to call for automakers to better explain how they have lobbied public bodies on emissions standards. Nineteen investors including AXA Investment Managers, the fund arm of insurer AXA… http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2015/10/12/business/12reuters-volkswagen-emissions-funds.html German State of Lower Saxony to Keep VW Stake-State PM. Germany's state of Lower Saxony, Volkswagen's second-largest stakeholder, will keep its holding in Europe's biggest automaker, state Prime Minister Stephan Weil said. "The state has great interest in VW's success," Weil said in a speech to the Hanover-based regional parliament on Tuesday, referring to Lower Saxony's 20 percent holding in VW. http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2015/10/13/business/13reuters-volkswagen-emissions-lower-saxony.html Got a Volkswagen? The diesel emissions scandal could affect you. Volkswagen Philippines received official information from Volkswagen AG that all vehicles distributed and sold by Volkswagen Philippines are not affected by the particular software used in diesel engines. "Audi Australia is working as quickly as we can, together with our head office, to analyse the potential effect on Australian vehicles… http://nysepost.com/got-a-volkswagen-the-diesel-emissions-scandal-could-affect-17355 VW unveils new strategy after emissions fiasco. Volkswagen said Tuesday it would slash investment in its main passenger-car brand by $1.1 billion a year and make changes to its diesel-engine technology in the wake of an emissions-cheating scandal. Herbert Diess, the Wolfsburg, Germany-based carmaker's chief executive, said Volkswagen was announcing the changes as part of a strategic overhaul. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2015/10/13/vw-unveils-new-strategy-after-emissions-fiasco/73855160/ Lawsuit seeks Volkswagen buyback of emissions-cheating diesels in California. California owners of Volkswagen diesel cars caught up in the emissions-test rigging scandal might have a shot at getting the German automaker to buy back the vehicles. A Seattle law firm filed a class action lawsuit against Volkswagen in Los Angeles federal court Monday demanding an immediate buyback under California emissions laws. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-volkswagen-diesel-buyback-lawsuit-20151012-story.html VW diesel owners sue for immediate buyback of models tainted by emissions cheating scandal. California owners of Volkswagen diesel vehicles affected by the emissions cheating scandal are demanding the company buy back their cars immediately, according to a new class action lawsuit filed against the German automaker Monday in federal district court in Santa Ana. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/diesel-687253-berman-emissions.html The man who discovered the Volkswagen emissions scandal. "I'm just a simple engineer from Michigan," says John German, the man who helped discover the Volkswagen emissions scandal. Speaking to Wake Up To Money on BBC Radio 5 live, Mr. German revealed he had told VW about his findings in May 2014, but the company had failed to fix the problem. http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34519184 GREEN ENERGY Batteries to power O.C. office buildings. Orange County's largest landlord is installing battery-powered energy systems at more than a dozen office buildings as part of a state initiative to combat global warming and rebuild capacity lost when the San Onofre nuclear power plant was shut down. Irvine Co. plans to install the systems — which would use batteries purchased from Elon Musk's Tesla… http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-irvine-energy-storage-20151013-story.html MISCELLLANEOUS Study Shows Spread of Cigarettes in China. Chinese men now smoke one-third of all the world’s cigarettes, and a third of all young men in China are doomed to eventually die from the habit, scientists in China and Britain have concluded. Their study, published last week in The Lancet, estimated that two-thirds of all males in China smoked, more were still taking up the habit and more were starting as teenagers, which adds risk. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/13/health/study-shows-spread-of-cigarettes-in-china.html Can State’s Business And Environmental Interests Create A Successful And Mutually Beneficial Freight Strategy? California is often cited as having some of the toughest environmental regulations, not only in the nation but in the world. When new environmental regulations have been imposed by the state on industries and private interests, protestations have inevitably… http://www.lbbizjournal.com/#!Can-State%E2%80%99s-Business-And-Environmental-Interests-Create-A-Successful-And-Mutually-Beneficial-Freight-Strategy/c1sbz/561bdc460cf2c3576e5993a2 OPINIONS G.O.P. and Climate Change. Re “Stuff Happens” (column, Oct. 7): Thomas L. Friedman rightly criticizes the “dumb-as-we-wanna-be thinking” of most of the Republican presidential candidates on climate change. However, several of these candidates aren’t denying that climate change exists; they’re denying that America can solve the problem. Denying science is no longer a tenable position. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/13/opinion/gop-and-climate-change.html The New Conservative Argument to Ignore Climate Change Is Even Dumber Than the Old One. Over the last year, the most common conservative rationale for supporting unlimited, free dumping of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere has shifted from insisting that carbon emissions are probably harmless to insisting that international cooperation is impossible. http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/10/new-reason-to-ignore-climate-dumber-than-old-one.html Exxon is to Arctic climate change what big tobacco is to lung cancer. To the editor: My parents smoked for decades; one died of lung cancer and the other of emphysema. So it really hits home when companies like Exxon use tactics straight from the tobacco industry playbook to sow doubt about scientific realities with denials and misdirection. (“What Exxon knew about warming in the Arctic,” Oct. 11) http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-1013-exxon-arctic-20151012-story.html Dan Walters: How should state spend cap-and-trade dollars? One of the chores the Legislature left undone when it adjourned was spending billions of dollars from auctioning carbon dioxide emission credits. There's no shortage of suggestions on how to spend the "cap-and-trade" money, but state law says it's supposed to be spent on reducing carbon emissions and thus combating climate change. http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_28962624/dan-walters-how-should-state-spend-cap-and Should companies be forced to disclose carbon emissions? An industry-led Climate Disclosure Task Force to design and create a single voluntary standard of carbon disclosure would go far in addressing the problem. Ask the average investor or investment manager if they know how climate change will affect the assets in their portfolio and you’ll likely get a blank stare in return. http://www.thestar.com/business/2015/10/13/should-companies-be-forced-to-disclose-carbon-emissions.html Letter: Historical drought. I feel the major drought in California must be taken care of as soon as possible. While we are a dry state ourselves, California has been going through a major drought that has gone to historical records. There have been major fires over the past two months. I feel that we and other states could supply freshwater to California until the drought has eased up. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865638877/Historical-drought.html BLOGS California Builds Near Real-Time Analytics System to Tackle Drought’s Effects. California is building a large-scale analytics system to provide data about the state’s drought to scientists analyzing the problem and legislators looking for new ways to mitigate its effects. Recent legislation related to the drought called for state agencies to more closely monitor the use of ground water… http://blogs.wsj.com/cio/2015/10/13/california-builds-near-real-time-analytics-system-to-tackle-droughts-effects/ How to Manage Fire to Cut Pollution and Slow Climate Change. Here’s a “Your Dot” contribution on the many benefits of managing fires in forests, savannah and peatlands — including slowing global warming, protecting threatened ecosystems and reducing noxious palls of haze. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/10/13/how-to-manage-fire-to-cut-pollution-and-slow-climate-change/?partner=rss&_r=0 Will the U.S. follow China’s cap-and-trade deal? China has made a commitment to start a national cap and trade program in 2017 to limit and price greenhouse gas emissions. President Xi Jinping announced the country’s initiative during a visit to the U.S. in September. China is the world’s largest polluter, and contributes to 30 percent of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions, but the U.S. is not far behind. http://blogs.mprnews.org/todays-question/2015/10/will-the-u-s-follow-chinas-cap-and-trade-deal/ California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.