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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for May 24, 2016.
Posted: 24 May 2016 14:08:32
ARB Newsclips for May 24, 2016. 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 Air and water problems are worsening on a global scale, U.N. says. In a sweeping synthesis of global data, the United Nations Environment Programme has intensively catalogued environmental assaults across the six different major regions of the globe. And it finds that, overall, damage to the planet is happening more rapidly than before, through slights ranging from air pollution… https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/05/23/the-pace-of-environmental-damage-is-intensifying-across-the-globe-u-n-agency-says/ CLIMATE CHANGE Farewell El Nino, It’s La Nina’s Turn to Cause Trouble Now. El Nino has ended. The tropical Pacific Ocean is in a neutral state and outlooks suggest little chance of indicators returning to El Nino levels, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said on its website on Tuesday. That means mid-May marks the end of the event that reduced Indian rainfall, parched farmland in Asia and curbed cocoa production in parts of Africa. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-24/farewell-el-nino-it-s-la-nina-s-turn-to-cause-trouble-now?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=b7d568d579-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-b7d568d579-327747457 Investors want oil giants to come clean about risks. Exxon Mobil Corp ( XOM 0.08% ) and Chevron Corp ( CVX 0.78% ) will face their toughest-ever push by shareholders concerned about a warming world at annual meetings on Wednesday, as the Paris accord to tackle climate change ratchets up investor pressure on two of the world’s largest oil companies. The tension is most acute at Exxon, which has denied accusations from environmentalists… http://fortune.com/2016/05/24/exxonmobil-chevron-shareholder-meetings-climate/ World could warm by massive 10C if all fossil fuels are burned. Arctic would warm by as much as 20C by 2300 with disastrous impacts if action is not taken on climate change, warns new study. The planet would warm by searing 10C if all fossil fuels are burned, according to a new study, leaving some regions uninhabitable and wreaking profound damage on human health, food supplies and the global economy. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/may/23/world-could-warm-by-massive-10c-if-all-fossil-fuels-are-burned?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=b7d568d579-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-b7d568d579-327747457 Total rules out Arctic oil drilling, citing 2C goal. French oil major to cut back on expensive tar sands development and avoid the Arctic, raising the bar for industry action on climate change. Total is slashing expensive oil ventures in line with international efforts to hold global warming below 2C. The French oil major is reducing its exposure to tar sands and avoiding the Arctic ice pack. http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/05/24/total-rules-out-arctic-oil-drilling-citing-2c-goal/?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=b7d568d579-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-b7d568d579-327747457 Some areas to be 'uninhabitable' if carbon budget busts. Global temperatures could rise by 11.5 to 17 degrees Fahrenheit by 2300 if we release all 5,000 gigatons of carbon stored in Earth as fossil fuels, according to a new study. The study, published yesterday in Nature Climate Change, expands on the concept of the carbon budget -- the amount of carbon dioxide that can be released… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/05/24/stories/1060037732 DROUGHT India braces for more heat after temperatures break records. India was bracing on Monday for another bout of extreme heat after temperatures smashed records in some parts of the country, while weather officials warned against more frequent heat waves. Temperatures in parts of the western region breached 50 Celsius (122°F) last week, causing a spike in cases of people suffering dehydration… http://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-heatwave-idUSKCN0YE1CF San Diegans cut back on water consumption. Customers in San Diego County cut back on water consumption by 23 percent in April, compared to the same month three years ago, marking the largest monthly reduction since September, the San Diego County Water Authority reported Monday. The state-mandated target for the county as a whole is to reduce consumption by 13 percent compared… http://www.cbs8.com/story/32045624/san-diegans-cut-back-on-water-consumption Largest U.S. Water Reservoir Shrinks to Record Low Amid Major Drought. A 'bathtub ring' surrounds Lake Mead near Hoover Dam, which impounds the Colorado River at the Arizona-Nevada border, on March 30, 2016. The white ring shows the effects of a drought which has caused the level of the lake to drop to an historic low. The lake is currently at 37% of capacity. http://time.com/4344983/lake-mead-water-reservoir-drought/ FUELS Alameda County fracking ban moves forward. Alameda County took a big step toward becoming the first in the Bay Area to ban fracking as a safeguard to prevent pollution of local ground water supplies. In a 6-0 vote that took two years to reach, the Alameda County Planning Commission on Monday agreed to recommend the Board of Supervisors adopt an ordinance banning fracking and other high intensity oil recovery practices. http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_29930605/alameda-county-planners-endorse-plan-ban-oil-fracking Cow Power at California dairy. The 700 cows on Cace Van Steyn’s dairy farm in Elk Grove excrete about 98,000 pounds of manure and urine every day. All that waste produces methane. The dairy is now using a flush system to collect that manure from most of the stalls and carry it to a covered lagoon where an anaerobic digester converts the gas into enough electricity to power 125 homes. http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/california-news/9376-cow-power-at-california-dairy.html U.S. Leads Globe in Oil Production for Third Year. The U.S. led the world last year in producing both oil and gas, federal government estimates published Monday show, even as the country committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. was the globe’s leading producer of crude oil for the third year in a row in 2015. http://www.climatecentral.org/news/us-leads-globe-oil-production-for-third-year-20368?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=b7d568d579-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-b7d568d579-327747457 VEHICLES Utilities Want To Plug In More Electric Drivers. What region leads the nation in electric car sales? Here’s a hint, one of the city mayors drives a plug-in hybrid and Tesla Motors is located there. Well, that was kind of a big hint. Yes, the number one market for electric vehicle adoption is the San Francisco Bay Area (S.F. Mayor Ed Lee drives a Chevy Volt). http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/05/23/utilities-want-to-plug-in-more-electric-drivers/ Mercedes-Benz electric cars: more details of 4 models for 2020 emerge. All three German luxury car makers now have plans to launch battery-electric vehicles before 2020 to counter the unlikely success of California's Tesla Motors. Whether their electric cars are sedans, SUVs, or both, they will likely be sized and priced to compete with the Tesla Model S and Model X now in production. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1104105_mercedes-benz-electric-cars-more-details-of-4-models-for-2020-emerge Electric-car energy density to approach gasoline by 2045: report. The lithium-ion battery packs that power modern electric cars are far less energy-dense than the liquid hydrocarbon fuels that power internal-combustion cars. They can't hold nearly as much energy in a given volume or weight, a disadvantage that shows in the relatively short ranges of many electric cars… http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1104121_electric-car-energy-density-to-approach-gasoline-by-2045-report HIGH-SPEED RAIL Horse owners in the San Fernando Valley feel trod on by bullet train. Dale Gibson grimly shook his head, his white cowboy hat blocking out the bright afternoon sun. “How about this mess,” he said, walking through his Sunland ranch in the shadow of the San Gabriel Mountains. Gibson, a rodeo cowboy and stuntman who has performed in more than five dozen films… http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-bullet-horses-20160523-snap-story.html GREEN ENERGY Crystal balls, hard truths confront bankrupt energy companies. It's a tough time to be in the fossil fuels business. Three of the four largest U.S. coal companies are bankrupt. More than 70 small oil and gas producers have folded since 2014, when oil prices began to collapse, and bigger drillers such as SandRidge Energy Inc. have started to join them (EnergyWire, May 17). http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2016/05/24/stories/1060037735 Why China is having so many problems ramping up wind power. China holds the record as the world’s top wind installer, accounting for about a third of the total global installed wind capacity. The United States trails in second place, accounting for just more than 17 percent. But despite its higher total capacity… https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/05/23/how-china-is-blowing-its-chance-to-lead-the-world-in-wind-energy/ Guess where solar is hot. To generate a lot of energy from rooftop solar panels, you need two things – a lot of sunshine and a lot of roof space. Orange County, it turns out, has both, making it one of the most solar-ready regions in the country, according to a report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/solar-379740-ocprint-energy-electricity.html Massachusetts bill would encourage hydropower, offshore wind. Canadian hydropower and offshore wind projects would become more prominent pieces of the state's overall energy landscape under a long-awaited bill House lawmakers unveiled Monday. Members of a legislative committee that oversees energy issues… http://www.fresnobee.com/news/business/article79299032.html#storylink=cpy New natural gas projects spark debate. Appellate court to rule on challenge to proposed electricity plant in Carlsbad. A new wave of natural gas power plants planned for Southern California has stoked a high-stakes debate about how best to keep the lights on throughout the region. While green groups believe renewable energy has… http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/may/23/new-natural-gas-projects-spark-debate/ MISCELLANEOUS Quemetco soil testing set to begin at end of the month. Quemetco in the City of Industry recycles 600 tons of lead from batteries each day. After a series of delays, lead battery recycler Quemetco will begin testing soil around its plant in the City of Industry at the end of the month, according to a schedule submitted to the state’s Department of Toxic Substances Control. http://www.scpr.org/news/2016/05/23/60860/quemetco-soil-testing-set-to-begin-at-end-of-the-m/ Fake towns show real ones how to cut emissions. Imagine Beltania as a former industrial town with few freeways and Westlandia as a growing city with sprawling suburbs. Both of the invented towns can cut transportation emissions in different ways. The scenarios come from a new report by the Frontier Group, set to be unveiled today, that seeks to show how to get to zero-carbon transportation. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/05/24/stories/1060037755 BLOGS How Solar Energy Is Changing the World Using New Technologies. One of the recent technology trends making waves on the globe right now is the significant use of solar energy systems to generate clean, non-polluting electricity and to also curb other issues that directly affect the environment. Due to different global warming concerns that are depleting the Earth’s resources, innovators have found a way to harness the sun’s energy towards creating sustainable solutions that they hope would eventually replace conventional sources of energy. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laiza-king-/how-solar-energy-is-chang_b_10071270.html California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.