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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 21, 2016
Posted: 21 Sep 2016 14:51:37
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 Pollution Is Linked to a Diabetes Marker. Exposure to air pollution, a new study finds, may increase glucose intolerance, a precursor of diabetes. German researchers found the effect particularly strong in people who are already considered prediabetic because of abnormally high blood sugar levels. The study, in Diabetes, used data on 2,944 people in and around Augsburg, Germany, tracking their glucose levels and other metabolic measures along with levels of air pollutants — particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide — where they lived. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/21/well/live/air-pollution-is-linked-to-a-diabetes-marker.html Bike emission norms to cut air pollution. The Union government's decision to enforce particulate matter emission standards and on-board diagnostic system for bikes and three-wheelers for the first time might improve the air quality in the city choked with over 22 lakh two-wheelers. Union ministry of road transport and highways has notified implementation of the Bharat Stage VI (BSVI) emissions standards for all vehicles nationwide in 2020. Along with modifying emission norms for four-wheelers, the government will enforce particulate matter emissions standards and on-board diagnostic systems for two- and three-wheelers. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Bike-emission-norms-to-cut-air-pollution/articleshow/54436113.cms California wildfire updates: Canyon fire at Air Force base jumps to 12,000 acres but is 45% contained. A wildfire burning on the south side of Vandenberg Air Force Base near Lompoc has more than doubled in size since the weekend and now covers 10,542 acres, Air Force officials said Tuesday. The Canyon fire was 18% contained, and 633 firefighters from federal, state and local fire agencies were battling the blaze. http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-updates-wildfire-season-very-active-fire-at-vandenberg-air-1474406696-htmlstory.html Vallejo Fire Department says stay inside after strong odor reported in city The Emergency Operation Center has been partially activated due to an unknown odor with the majority of reports coming from South Vallejo, according to a news release by the City of Vallejo on Tuesday night. http://www.timesheraldonline.com/general-news/20160920/vallejo-fire-department-says-stay-inside-after-strong-odor-reported-in-city http://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Shelter-in-place-order-lifted-in-Vallejo-but-9236502.php?t=11f2dd9f68&cmpid=twitter-premium CAP AND TRADE AM Alert: California adjusts formula for assisting ‘disadvantaged’ areas. As climate change once again took center stage at the Capitol this year, much of the legislative push involved making “disadvantaged communities” a bigger part of California’s greenhouse gas and pollution reduction efforts. In addition to requiring that regulators prioritize the impact on poor areas when setting new climate policies, a long-awaited deal to spend money raised by the cap-and-trade program hinged on directing more of those dollars to the neediest parts of the state. http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article103073777.html China cap-and-trade market gives carbon pricing opponents 'nowhere to hide': UN As Canada's provincial, territorial and federal leaders grapple over carbon pricing policy, China is moving ahead with a cap-and-trade market that some believe could transform the dynamics of the international climate change battle. http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/china-cap-and-trade-market-1.3771733 http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/chinese-premier-li-keqiang-to-arrive-in-ottawa-1.3081411 CLIMATE CHANGE UNESCO aims to make moral case for combating climate change in global declaration UNESCO today announced it will write a global declaration of ethical principles on climate change in the hope it will inspire governments, businesses and individuals to cut their carbon footprint. http://www.unesco.org/new/en/member-states/single-view/news/unesco_aims_to_make_moral_case_for_combating_climate_change/#.V-LYh02V-jY Climate Change Planning: Can Boston Learn From Europe? President Obama has established the first national marine monument off the coast of New England, calling the conservation efforts of his administration a key step in making the oceans more resilient to climate change. http://news.wgbh.org/2016/09/20/politics-government/climate-change-planning-can-boston-learn-europe SEC Probes Exxon Over Accounting for Climate Change The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating how Exxon Mobil Corp. values its assets in a world of increasing climate-change regulations, a probe that could have far-reaching consequences for the oil and gas industry. http://www.wsj.com/articles/sec-investigating-exxon-on-valuing-of-assets-accounting-practices-1474393593 PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT Paris Climate Change Agreement Passes Key Threshold. Thirty-one countries formally joined the Paris climate change pact Wednesday, bringing the total number of countries ratifying the treaty to 60 and raising hopes that it will enter into effect by the end of the year. The number is higher than the 55-country threshold needed for the treaty to enter into force. But because together those countries account for 48 percent of total global emissions - short of the 55 percent threshold - the agreement must wait for more nations to join. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/UN_UNITED_NATIONS_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT UN Says 30 More Countries to Ratify Climate Deal. Thirty more countries are expected to formally join the Paris Agreement on climate change this week, greatly improving the pact's chances of coming into force just a year after it was negotiated in the French capital, the United Nations said Tuesday. More than 170 world leaders have signed the deal, but it won't take effect until 55 countries accounting for at least 55 percent of global emissions have ratified or accepted it through their domestic procedures. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_UNITED_NATIONS_CLIMATE_DEAL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Related Articles http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/paris-climate-change-agreement-passes-key-threshold-42248228 http://www.ecowatch.com/joined-paris-climate-agreement-2011335413.html http://www.sfchronicle.com/news/us/article/Paris-Climate-Change-agreement-passes-key-9236578.php http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/21/13002132/paris-climate-accord-united-nations-greenhouse-gases-donald-trump 375 top scientists warn of 'real, serious, immediate' climate threat Yesterday, 375 of the world’s top scientists, including 30 Nobel Prize winners, published an open letter regarding climate change. In the letter, the scientists report that the evidence is clear: humans are causing climate change. We are now observing climate change and its affect across the globe. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2016/sep/21/375-top-scientists-warn-of-real-serious-immediate-climate-threat Related articles: http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/21/politics/scientists-open-letter-trump-climate-change/ http://www.ecowatch.com/stephen-hawking-climate-change-2011284874.html http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/stephen-hawking-donald-trump-national-academy-of-scientists-letter/ http://time.com/4502561/donald-trump-stephen-hawking-climate-change/ http://www.timesheraldonline.com/article/NH/20160920/SPORTS/160929974 VOLKSWAGEN Volkswagen Shareholders Seek $9.2 Billion Over Diesel Scandal. A German court has been flooded with new lawsuits against Volkswagenfrom investors who say they lost billions as the value of the carmaker’s shares plunged after its diesel emissions scandal. The surge could add to the company’s financial woes as it deals with the fallout from the revelation a year ago that it had cheated on emission tests. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/22/business/international/volkswagen-vw-investors-lawsuit-germany.html?_r=0 http://www.wsj.com/articles/volkswagen-faces-9-billion-in-damages-claims-in-germany-1474450333 DIESEL California, Cummins to Develop Natural Gas Heavy-Duty Engine The California Energy Commission (CEC) approved a $1 million grant to develop a 12-liter natural gas engine for heavy-duty vehicles that produces near-zero nitrogen oxide tailpipe emissions, the commission has announced. http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/story/2016/09/calif-grants-1m-toward-alt-fuel-heavy-duty-engines.aspx New protest: Truckers and a cloud of smoke The New York Times reported recently on a growing phenomenon: pollution as a political statement. “Coal-rollers” are diesel pickup truck drivers who remove emissions controls from their engines to belch heavy black smoke. http://www.journalgazette.net/opinion/editorials/New-protest--Truckers-and-a-cloud-of-smoke-15361086 FUELS California Today: Clearing the Air, Without Fossil Fuels. Los Angeles, cloaked in some of the nation’s dirtiest air, thinks it’s time to make a clean break. Backed by the mayor, the City Council last week ordered the municipal power utility to enlist a group of experts to chart a course toward eliminating fossil fuels from its slate of energy sources. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/20/us/california-today-air-pollution-fossil-fuels.html GREEN ENERGY Green energy initiative explored. Governments overseeing Ventura County and the 10 cities are studying a program that could bring local control to energy purchasing and pricing, officials said Tuesday. Sue Hughes, a manager with the county, said the jurisdictions are looking at starting a Community Choice Energy program, a new but tested model for providing electricity. Across the state, the programs offer a higher share of electricity from renewable sources than has historically been available but with rates on par with commercial utilities, she said. http://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2016/09/20/green-energy-initiative-explored/90759008/ Apple commits to run off 100% renewable energy. Apple announced that it has committed to running all of its data centers and corporate offices on renewable energy, joining a group of other corporations committed to the same clean energy goal. Apple said it has joined RE100, a global initiative by influential businesses committed to using 100% renewable electricity. To date, RE100 has amassed membership from 77 corporations. http://www.computerworld.com/article/3122461/sustainable-it/apple-commits-to-run-off-100-renewable-energy.html VEHICLES In Backing Autonomous Cars, U.S. Tells Automakers to Figure It Out The Obama administration’s approach to hands-free driving is remarkably hands-off. In one of the country’s most heavily regulated industries, the new federal guidelines that are meant to speed the development of self-driving cars give automakers wide latitude. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/21/business/in-backing-autonomous-cars-us-tells-automakers-to-figure-it-out.html?hpw&rref=automobiles&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region®ion=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well MISCELLANEOUS Your TV may use more energy than you think, group charges An environmental group on Wednesday accused three major TV manufacturers of misleading consumers and regulators about how much energy high-definition screens devour, alleging that the televisions were designed to perform more efficiently during government testing than in ordinary use. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TEC_TELEVISIONS_ENERGY_HOGS_CAOL-?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-09-21-13-52-27 OPINIONS Voices: Tough love is needed on climate change Launching into coverage of climate change right now is like tuning into a football game that’s half over and your team is on its way to losing. The only question is by how much. http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2016/09/20/climate-change-united-nations-voices/90746340/ BLOGS China’s New Role in Climate Action Raises Hope for Change. Strong, sustainable growth is high on the agenda for the G20, which met earlier this month in Hangzhou, China. The gathering of 20 of the world’s most important economies offered a unique opportunity for these countries to send a powerful message of unity in climate action to the world, building upon last year’s Paris Climate Agreement. Indeed, with China and the United States having formally committed to the Paris Agreement, the moment marked an important turning point in the global climate conversation and - importantly - reinforced China’s new role in that dialogue. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zhao-changwen/chinas-new-role-in-climat_b_12108216.html This Simple Graph Reveals Some Very Good News About Air Pollution. At last, some good news about the environment. A recent analysis of core samples taken from Greenland’s ice sheet shows that levels of a common form of air pollution have dropped almost to preindustrial levels. “We can see that the acid pollution in the atmosphere from industry has fallen dramatically since manmade acid pollution took off in the 1930s and peaked in the 1960s and 70s,” Dr. Helle Astrid Kjaer, a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Ice and Climate at the University of Copenhagen’s Niels Bohr Institute, said in a written statement. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/this-simple-graph-reveals-some-very-good-news-about-air-pollution_us_57e155b8e4b04a1497b6c0af California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.