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ARB Newsclips for December 14, 2015.  

This is a service of the California Air Resources Board’s Office
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individual websites to view some of the following news articles.

AIR POLLUTION

China's efforts on climate deal partly due to its pollution.
China's push for a global climate pact was due in part to its own
increasingly pressing need to solve serious environmental
problems, observers said Sunday. China, the world's biggest
source of climate-changing gases, was blamed for obstructing the
last high-level climate talks in Copenhagen in 2009.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CLIMATE_COUNTDOWN_CHINAS_ROLE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Beijing's new favorite gadget reads pollution levels. For Beijing
residents obsessed with air pollution, the stocking stuffer of
the season is a smog-detecting gadget called the Laser Egg. The
device is the size of a large orange and can be used at home, in
the car or anywhere air pollution is a concern — which in Beijing
these days is basically everywhere. It joins a booming market for
devices that measure indoor air quality…
http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-china-pollution-egg-20151214-story.html


UK pushing for limits on air pollution to be relaxed, documents
reveal. In papers seen by the Guardian, government calls for
carmakers to be allowed to far exceed the nitrogen oxides limit
until 2021. The UK is pushing for a weakening of air pollution
limits and a delay to their introduction in response to lobbying
from the motor industry, documents reveal.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/13/uk-pushing-for-limits-air-pollution-relaxed-documents-reveal


Parties stake out positions on how to allocate emissions
allowances. For state air regulators, the big question for 2016
is whether to choose rate- or mass-based compliance plans to
satisfy U.S. EPA's Clean Power Plan. For the states that decide
simpler mass-based plans to cap power plant CO2 emissions are the
way to go, an even thornier issue awaits. It involves how to
allocate emissions allowances.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/12/14/stories/1060029415 

CLIMATE CHANGE

Record heat sets the tone for year's searing headlines. When a
devastating heat wave hit India this year, it killed more than
2,500 people and melted the pavement of New Delhi's streets. In
California, where an ordinary year sees mountain snow pile
six-feet-deep or more - supplying much drinking water - surveyors
had nothing to measure in some spots but bare grass.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_YE_THE_HOTTEST_YEAR?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Climate Deal Is Signal to Industry: The Era of Carbon Reduction
Is Here. With the ink barely dry on a landmark climate accord,
nations now face an even more daunting challenge: how to get
their industries to go along. If nothing else, analysts and
experts say, the accord is a signal to businesses and investors
that the era of carbon reduction has arrived.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/14/business/climate-accord-draws-mixed-reaction-from-business-leaders.html

Obama's fragile climate legacy. More than his other achievements,
the international climate agreement relies on the good will of
Congress and the next president to keep it in place. Barack Obama
wants to be remembered as the president who saved the world from
climate change. But the 195-nation accord aimed at curbing global
warming may be the most fragile of his presidential achievements
so far.
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/12/climate-change-obama-paris-216716#ixzz3uK9tH3UW


Auto Industry CEOs Unite In Rare Vow To Tackle Climate Change.
It’s not easy to get the world’s major automakers to agree on
anything. But even before last weekend’s landmark climate change
agreement by world leaders in Paris, 13 auto industry chief
executives from the U.S., Europe and Asia had pledged to
accelerate the development of cleaner vehicles to reduce harmful
greenhouse gas emissions.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/joannmuller/2015/12/14/auto-industry-ceos-unite-in-rare-vow-to-tackle-climate-change/


West Coast Mayors Form EV Consortium, Pledge Carbon Reductions.
As world leaders met this past week in Paris to discuss carbon
reductions on a global scale, mayors of four large West Coast
cities—Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland—met in
Portland for a two-day summit and united to reduce carbon
emissions on a regional level.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1101389_west-coast-mayors-form-ev-consortium-pledge-carbon-reductions

UN CLIMATE TALKS

Businesses get climate certainty they wanted; now for action.
With the new global climate deal, businesses around the world got
the long-term certainty that they had been clamoring for - now
they need to back up the shift to a greener world with cold hard
cash. Many business leaders have praised the climate deal reached
Saturday in Paris, saying it will help them steer their
companies…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_CLIMATE_COUNTDOWN_BUSINESS_IMPACT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Winners and losers in the Paris climate pact. The climate deal
adopted in suburban Paris was the culmination of four years of
negotiations on how to get nearly all countries to jointly reduce
the greenhouse gas emissions that scientists say are warming the
planet. The talks were difficult and sometimes teetered on the
brink of collapse.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CLIMATE_COUNTDOWN_WINNERS_AND_LOSERS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
 

Now comes the tough part: The world's carbon diet starts. The
world is about to go on a carbon diet. It won't be easy - or
cheap. Nearly 200 nations across the world on Saturday approved a
first-of-its-kind universal agreement to wean Earth off fossil
fuels and slow global warming, patting themselves on the back for
showing such resolve. On Sunday morning, like for many first day
dieters, the reality sets in.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CLIMATE_COUNTDOWN_CARBON_DIET?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Historic pact to slow global warming is celebrated in Paris.
Nearly 200 nations adopted the first global pact to fight climate
change on Saturday, calling on the world to collectively cut and
then eliminate greenhouse gas pollution but imposing no sanctions
on countries that don't.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CLIMATE_COUNTDOWN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


UN wants world leaders to sign climate deal on April 22.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is inviting world leaders to the
United Nations on April 22 - Earth Day - to sign the landmark
agreement to tackle climate change that was reached in Paris. Ban
told reporters Monday he wants leaders of the nearly 200
countries that approved the deal on Saturday to come to U.N.
headquarters…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/UN_UNITED_NATIONS_CLIMATE_AGREEMENT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


How the world learned its lesson and got a climate deal. It was
an agreement born from a fear of failure, delivered by the
smoothness of French diplomacy. Six years earlier, countries had
bitterly walked away from global climate talks in Copenhagen
without a deal. The decision to reassemble in Paris to try again
at getting almost 200 countries to sign a pact on cutting carbon
emissions was a gamble…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-climatechange-summit-ticktock-idUSKBN0TW0PR20151214


Climate Agreement’s Success Hinges on Countries Making Painful
Decisions.
Supporters hope the deal will unleash an avalanche of investment
in renewable energy, new technologies. The landmark climate
agreement that more than 190 countries struck over the weekend
ushers in a broad, new international effort to wind down the
fossil-fuel era.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/climate-agreements-success-hinges-on-countries-making-painful-decisions-1450055578


Countries just adopted a historic climate change accord. Here’s
what happens next. The word “historic,” already being used to
describe the just-accepted Paris climate agreement, is more than
warranted. The world will now have a new and comprehensive regime
in place to shape how its diverse nations go about the urgent
task of reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/12/12/countries-just-adopted-a-historic-climate-change-accord-heres-what-happens-next/


Leaders Move to Convert Paris Climate Pledges Into Action. Before
the applause had even settled in the suburban convention center
where the Paris Agreement was adopted by consensus on Saturday
night, world leaders warned that momentum from the historic
accord must not be allowed to dissipate.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/14/world/europe/leaders-move-to-convert-paris-climate-pledges-into-action.html?_r=0

Nations strike historic deal on climate change. Delegates from
195 countries approved on Saturday a historic climate accord that
seeks to slow the rise of greenhouse gasses blamed for putting
Earth on a dangerous warming path. Called the Paris Agreement,
the document is the result of five sets of grueling negotiations
this year.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/nations-strike-historic-deal-on-climate-change/ar-BBnttvP


4 Pieces You Should Read About The Global Climate Deal. A day
after representatives from 196 countries signed an agreement that
aims to curb climate change, it's time to start assessing its
import. Yesterday, Camila broke down the basics.
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/12/13/459580031/4-pieces-you-should-read-about-the-global-climate-deal

Global Aviation Emissions Deal Expected Next Year. A deal on
limiting carbon dioxide emissions from aviation will likely be
reached next year, no matter the outcome of climate change talks
in Paris, a senior official from the International Air Transport
Association (IATA) said.
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/aviation-emissions-deal-expected-next-year-19796


Paris climate deal: the trouble with targetism. The headline
targets of the Paris Agreement on climate change invite hypocrisy
from policymakers. The 21st UN climate summit (COP21) found a
happy ending on December 12, when delegates from 195 countries
adopted a set of decisions and the so-called “Paris Agreement”.
As usual in diplomatic negotiations, the final document contains
very vague language on many crucial aspects.
http://www.theguardian.com/science/political-science/2015/dec/14/the-trouble-with-targetism


Paris climate change deal too weak to help poor, critics warn.
COP21 agreement excludes poor and fails to put humanity’s
interests above short-term goals, say environmentalists and
financial experts. Leaders from around the world have hailed the
agreement struck in Paris on climate change, but some analysts
and environmentalists are less sure about its impact.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/14/paris-climate-change-deal-cop21-oxfam-actionaid


Climate change and the continual demand for economic growth. The
agreement reached at the COP21 Paris climate change talks is
certainly a great improvement on anything that has gone before
(One paragraph at a time: how the deal was done to save the
planet, 14 December). Whether it is enough to save the planet (to
be more precise, save the human race from catastrophe; the planet
will look after itself) is questionable.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/14/climate-change-and-the-continual-demand-for-economic-growth


United States praises 'most ambitious' climate change agreement. 
Although the worldwide agreement reached in Paris on Saturday
still leaves the world perilously vulnerable to global warming
and rising seas, Obama has significantly advanced the global
climate agenda and has established a mechanism that would enable
countries to exploit new technology to cut greenhouse-gas
emissions and…
http://thevillagessuntimes.com/2015/12/14/united-states-praises-most-ambitious-climate-change/http://thevillagessuntimes.com/2015/12/14/united-states-praises-most-ambitious-climate-change/


How the world solved the 'shall' crisis and reached a new climate
accord. Before America would join its first-ever global climate
change accord, before the gavel would fall and the cheers and the
tears and applause, before top U.S. negotiator Todd Stern would
dance the night away with his staff at a Paris nightclub, there
was a word to be fixed. Buried on the 36th line of the 21st page
of the agreement was the word "shall."
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/12/14/stories/1060029452 

DROUGHT

Drought bill 'slight' likely to push negotiations to 2016.
Infighting among California's congressional delegation has likely
put off a legislative attempt to deal with the state's historic
drought for another year. After an apparent attempt to circumvent
the state's senators in inserting drought language into the
omnibus spending bill… http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060029443 

FUELS

Company plans gravel island to extract Arctic offshore oil. 
Arctic offshore drilling by Royal Dutch Shell PLC drew protests
on two continents this year, but a more modest proposal for
extracting petroleum where polar bears roam has moved forward
with much less attention. While Shell proposed exploratory wells
in the Chukchi Sea about 80 miles off Alaska's northwest coast, a
Texas oil company wants to build a gravel island as a platform
for five or more extraction wells…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ARCTIC_OFFSHORE_DRILLING_BEAUFORT_SEA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Between Cheap Gas And Carbon Caps, Oil Sands Face Uncertain Fate.
Canada has the world's third-largest oil reserve, and it's worth
hundreds of billions of dollars. Nearly all of that crude is
contained in Alberta's oil sands. Getting the oil from
underground and into your car requires an extraordinary mining
effort that has significant effects on the environment and is
expensive.
http://www.npr.org/2015/12/14/459336339/between-cheap-gas-and-carbon-caps-oil-sands-face-uncertain-fate

Duke team sees opportunities for studying how fracking affects
society. Rooted in the science of Duke University professor Avner
Vengosh, a team of 11 faculty members and students are in the
midst of a yearlong effort to understand the effects of
unconventional shale development on rural communities. The
project is part of Duke's Bass Connections program, which asks
students to address real-world problems across five themes…
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/12/14/stories/1060029330 

VEHICLES

What's Driving The Electric Car Trend In China? Increased
electric car sales are good for a country with a big pollution
problem. Until recently only a few clean cars were on the road.
The sales are also a bright spot for China's economy.
http://www.npr.org/2015/12/14/459637364/what-s-driving-the-electric-car-trend-in-china?ft=nprml&f=459637364


GREEN ENERGY

PG&E ups exit fees, hurting 'clean energy' alternatives.
California's clean energy programs may take a major hit if a
utility's new rate-hike rule gets through the state Public
Utilities Commission.  Pacific Gas and Electric Co. filed early
last month to increase exit fees up to double for many customers
starting to buy energy from programs like CleanPowerSF, Marin
Clean Energy and Sonoma Clean Power.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/12/14/stories/1060029410 
	
European company to build first-ever offshore wind farm in the
Great Lakes. A Norwegian firm with extensive experience building
wind farms in Europe will construct the first U.S. offshore wind
farm on the Great Lakes, supplying up to 18 megawatts of
electricity from turbines sited on Lake Erie near Cleveland. The
wind farm, to be known as the Icebreaker project, is projected to
cost $120 million and will be a critical test of wind power's
viability on the Great Lakes…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/12/14/stories/1060029451 

OPINIONS

Punchlines: China’s smog days beat snow days. China issued its
first “red alert” for air pollution in Beijing last week. The
high concentrations of smog are health hazards, especially for
people with heart disease or asthma. Officials urged schools to
close to keep children away from the unhealthy air. Yes, kids in
Beijing get smog days.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/12/14/china-smog-larry-wilmore-trevor-noah-seth-meyers-punchlines/77284736/


The Paris Climate Agreement Changes Everything. World leaders
agree to take meaningful steps to slow the impacts of climate
change. The last time the world came together to cut a climate
deal was in Copenhagen in 2009, and it was a diplomatic train
wreck, ending in melodrama, bitterness and recrimination.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-paris-climate-agreement-changes-everything-20151214#ixzz3uK1wOLpv


After Paris, push to expand climate regulations could grow. It
was two months before the Paris climate talks when White House
officials met with an unusual collection of businesses to talk
about their efforts to cut carbon emissions. These weren't
obvious visitors. They represented the industrial sector, one of
the largest-emitting components of the economy, and one that
isn't governed by carbon rules.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/12/14/stories/1060029426 

BLOGS

Why the climate change deal works. After years of painstaking
negotiations, the climate change deal struck by leaders of 195
countries on Saturday was a diplomatic success. It represents a
welcome shot in the arm for attempts to tackle global warming
and, crucially, establishes a new set of guidelines for lowering
greenhouse gas emissions.
http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2015/12/14/why-the-climate-change-deal-works/


What Energy Analysts Are Saying About the Paris Climate
Agreement. Nearly 200 nations reached a landmark climate
agreement over the weekend intended to limit global emissions. A
number of countries have committed to reducing their fossil-fuel
use in the coming decades and investing more in renewable and
low-carbon energy.
http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2015/12/14/what-energy-analysts-are-saying-about-the-paris-climate-agreement/


Paris Means Climate Change Science Is Here to Stay. Now that the
dust has settled, what does the future hold for climate change?
The historic Paris climate agreement is concluded. Every country
in the world is now in the climate fight, to one degree or
another. In its wake are three obvious and important markers for
those who’ve paid attention… actions on climate change…
http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/at-the-edge/articles/2015-12-14/paris-climate-accords-what-do-they-really-mean


COP21 Paris Agreement -- Tickles Car Industry. Representatives of
195 nations came to Paris to attend the UN COP 21 summit to
'tackle' the climate change crisis faced by the citizens of the
world due to a suicidal model of development and unsustainable
industrialization. The nations attending were represented by
Heads of State, Presidents, Prime Ministers, Vice-presidents…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/-fernando-moralesde-la-cruz/cop21-in-paris-more-than-_b_8793114.html

Conservationists Look to 'Blue Carbon' to Help Ease Global
Warming. When subsistence fishermen on the island of Chira
couldn't find clams in Costa Rica's lush Gulf of Nicoya, they dug
deep into the mangrove forests where the small shellfish liked to
hide.  Women on the island soon realized the fishermen were
actually hacking away at their own livelihoods, says Emily
Pidgeon of Conservation International…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-bentley2/conversationists-look-to_b_8803596.html


Failure to address global warming will cost many lives. CLIMATE
change kills. In 2005 the World Health Organisation estimated
that climate change caused by human activity claims more than
150,000 lives annually. More recently, the Climate Vulnerability
Monitor placed the death toll at around 400,000. Using the Value
of Statistical Life proposed by the US Environmental Protection
Agency, this represents a cost of more than $3 trillion.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2015/12/climate-change?cid1=cust/noenew/n/n/n/20151214n/owned/n/n/nwl/n/n/NA/email




California is in a drought emergency.
Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.