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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 18, 2016.
Posted: 19 Oct 2016 08:41:04
ARB Newsclips for October 18, 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. CAP AND TRADE Obama team looked into economywide cap-and-trade regs. Former Obama aides discussed an economywide cap-and-trade program under Section 115 of the Clean Air Act as a "possible new course," talking with congressional staff and emailing with a top White House adviser even before the draft Clean Power Plan came out. That's according to unconfirmed hacked emails released by WikiLeaks. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/10/18/stories/1060044427 AIR POLLUTION Treasury blocked moves to charge diesel cars to enter polluted UK cities. High court hears evidence in air pollution case against the government that environment and transport department plans were overruled. The Treasury blocked other government departments from charging diesel cars to enter towns and cities blighted by air pollution, documents revealed during a high court hearing on Tuesday. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/oct/18/treasury-blocked-moves-to-charge-diesel-cars-to-enter-polluted-uk-cities CLIMATE CHANGE Earth's 16-month record heat streak ends but warming remains. Earth's 16-month sizzling streak of record high temperatures is finally over, according to one group of federal meteorologists. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said last month's 60.6 degrees (15.9 Celsius) was merely the second hottest September on record for the globe. That's ever so slightly cooler - a few hundredths of a degree - than the record set in 2015. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_NO_RECORD_HEAT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT World Bank to loan $2 billion to Bangladesh to fight climate change. The World Bank is to provide $2 billion in loans for Bangladesh to help the impoverished South Asian country become less vulnerable to climate change, the bank president said on Tuesday. Jim Yong Kim made the pledge after touring schools that double as cyclone shelters during major storms. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-bangladesh-worldbank-idUSKCN12I1JZ UN: Global agriculture needs a ‘profound transformation’ to fight climate change and protect food security. Climate change has already begun to affect the world’s food production, a new report from the United Nations warns — and unless significant action is taken, it could put millions more people at risk of hunger and poverty in the next few decades. It’s a message that’s been emphasized over and over by climate scientists… https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/10/17/un-global-agriculture-needs-a-profound-transformation-to-fight-climate-change-and-protect-food-security/?utm_campaign=2e281fefac-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Inside Climate News&utm_term=.920cb7b0051c Three Ways to Beat Champagne’s Climate-Change Problem With rising temperatures affecting the iconic French region, can science—or England—keep the good stuff flowing? Last year saw a banner growing season in Champagne, and winemakers expect a vintage to rival 1947, a 20th-century classic. Rising temperatures have reduced frost damage and produced rich fruit. Twenty years ago, harvests reliably began in September; these days, mid-August starts are not unheard of. http://www.wsj.com/articles/three-ways-to-beat-champagnes-climate-change-problem-1476799848 Space debris tracker threatened by rising seas from climate change. The U.S. Air Force is spending nearly $1 billion to build a radar installation that will help keep astronauts and satellites safe by tracking pieces of space junk as small as a baseball. That is, if global warming doesn’t get in the way. The Space Fence is being constructed on a tiny atoll in the Marshall Islands that… http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/10/18/space-debris-tracker-threatened-by-rising-seas-from-climate-change/ The global hot streak is over: September was not record warm. The globe's unprecedented hot streak is over. After 16 consecutive record warm months (from May 2015 to August 2016), September 2016 was not the warmest September on record, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced Tuesday. http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2016/10/18/september-global-warm-streak-ends/92358338/ Global warming experiment turns up the heat in Puerto Rican forest. A pioneering research project is aiming to determine how forests in the Amazon, the Congo and elsewhere in the tropics will reacting to rising temperatures. Mid-morning in the Luquillo experimental forest in north-west Puerto Rico, and the thermometer already reads 26C. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/oct/17/global-warming-experiment-turns-up-the-heat-in-puerto-rican-artificial-forest Carbon Emissions are the Lowest They Have Been Since 1991. Can That Last? Clean Power Plan or not, carbon emissions are declining and are at their lowest levels since 1991. That's according to the US Energy Information Administration, which says that it is because of a changing electricity portfolio and milder weather. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2016/10/18/carbon-emissions-are-the-lowest-they-have-been-since-1991-can-that-last/#ixzz4NSAnZjka Global warming could push millions into extreme poverty. "There is no doubt climate change affects food security," said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva. Over the last several decades, extreme poverty has been on decline across the globe. Global warming is threatening that pattern, according to a new report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2016/10/17/Global-warming-could-push-millions-into-extreme-poverty/3421476728013/ US Ignored Rising-Sea Warnings at Radar Site. The U.S. Air Force is spending nearly $1 billion to build a radar installation that will help keep astronauts and satellites safe by tracking pieces of space junk as small as a baseball. That is, if global warming doesn't get in the way. The Space Fence is being constructed on a tiny atoll in the Marshall Islands that scientists say could be regularly swamped by rising seas… http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/ap-exclusive-us-rising-sea-warnings-radar-site-42872852 Exxon asks court to throw out New York state's climate change case. Subpoena would force oil company to hand over decades of documents that would establish whether it misled investors about climate risks. Exxon Mobil Corp asked a federal court on Monday to throw out a subpoena from New York state that would force the oil company to hand over decades of documents as part of a wide-ranging inquiry into… https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/oct/18/exxon-asks-court-to-throw-out-new-york-states-climate-change-case U.S. Senate Could Block Landmark HFC Climate Treaty. The jubilation and relief that flowed from United Nations climate talks in Rwanda over the weekend may be short-lived in the U.S., where legal experts say the agreement risks being blocked by Republican senators. Weary U.N. diplomats finalized a deal Saturday to phase out the use of most HFCs… http://www.climatecentral.org/news/senate-could-block-landmark-hfc-climate-treaty-20795?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=2e281fefac-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-2e281fefac-327747457 Climate change a risk to food security, small farmers — report. Changing climate patterns could push an additional 122 million people across the world into poverty by 2030, a new international study finds. A recent report released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations looked at the effects of climate change on the global agriculture sector and warned that it was a "major and growing threat" to food security. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/10/18/stories/1060044417 DROUGHT California drought: Water conservation flagging in the desert. Water conservation efforts are flagging in parts of California as the state enters a sixth year of drought. Much of the Coachella Valley saw a sharp drop in monthly water savings for a second consecutive month in September. Customers of the Coachella Valley Water District reduced water use just 4.3 percent in September… http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2016/10/14/california-drought-water-conservation-flagging-desert/92069372/ Can Nestlé, Coca Cola help enviros fight drought? When the Station Fire swept through the San Gabriel Mountains in 2009, it opened the door to an unwelcome visitor: Arundo donax, or giant reed. The plant, which sucks up water five times faster than native vegetation, colonized stream beds that had been burned by the fire. Now, a new restoration project hopes to destroy the plant and get more water back in local mountain streams. http://www.scpr.org/news/2016/10/17/65616/can-nestle-coca-cola-help-enviros-fight-drought/ Drought drove ancient Calif. nomads to violence — study. When water and food are scarce, humans are more likely to kill. That's the finding of a new study of ancient hunter-gatherers in California that shows serious drought conditions drove otherwise peaceful groups of humans to slaughter each other. Some scientists say the research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/10/18/stories/1060044417 FUELS Environmental groups sue Norway over oil drilling. Two environmental groups sued the Norwegian government on Tuesday for allegedly violating the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Norwegian constitution by allowing oil drilling in the Barents Sea. The lawsuit filed by Nature and Youth and Greenpeace Nordic against Norway's Ministry of Petroleum and Energy asks the Oslo district… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_NORWAY_ARCTIC_DRILLING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT After Calif. leak, feds seek to curtail natural gas blowouts. Ayear after a blowout at a natural gas well near Los Angeles spewed tons of natural gas and drove thousands from their homes, a federal task force is recommending dozens of safety changes for the nation's 400 underground natural gas storage wells. A report released Tuesday recommends that operators of gas-storage facilities conduct strict risk assessments http://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/national/article108914632.html#storylink=cpy Fuel from emissions? Catalyst converts carbon dioxide to ethanol. At least in North America, ethanol is a contentious fuel. A decade ago, it was seen as a homegrown and carbon-neutral way to use less gasoline—and federal legislation mandated that increasing volumes be blended into U.S. fuel supplies. Much debate followed over using "food for fuel,"… http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1106737_fuel-from-exhaust-new-catalyst-converts-carbon-dioxide-to-ethanol VEHICLES VW Seeks Final Emissions Deal Approval Without Fix in Hand. Volkswagen AG is asking for a final sign-off on its $14.7 billion settlement with drivers as it continues to seek regulators’ approval of a fix for 482,000 pollution-spewing vehicles still on U.S. roads. Without an approved repair, VW may be left with only one option: buy back the cars with so-called defeat devices from the owners. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-18/vw-seeks-final-approval-of-emissions-deal-without-fix-in-hand California Sticking By Zero-Emissions-Vehicle Goals. With California well on its way to meeting its pollution-reduction goals, don’t expect any weakening of the state’s strict zero-emissions-vehicle policy, the chairperson of the State’s Air Resources Board says. The ZEV mandate, as it is known, isn’t going anywhere, and funding is available for the incentives that support ZEV sales, Mary Nichols says. http://wardsauto.com/industry/california-sticking-zero-emissions-vehicle-goals VW RECALL Judge to hear objections to $10B Volkswagen emissions deal. A federal judge on Tuesday was set to hear from Volkswagen owners opposed to a $10 billion settlement over the automaker's emissions cheating scandal before he determines if the deal is fair to consumers. More than two dozen people - many of them car owners unhappy with the proposed settlement - signed up to address U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_VOLKSWAGEN_EMISSIONS_SCANDAL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Missouri sues Volkswagen over diesel emissions. The state of Missouri sued. Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) on Monday, becoming the 17th U.S. state to take legal action against the German automaker over its cheating on diesel emissions. Separately, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer on Tuesday in San Francisco is set to hold a hearing on whether to grant final approval to a $10.033 billion settlement with 475,000 owners of 2.0-liter Volkswagen vehicles. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-emissions-idUSKBN12H2JE http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2016/10/18/missouri-volkswagen-diesel-emissions-lawsuit.html Volkswagen Avoids Consumer Probe in U.K. Over Emissions Scandal. The U.K.’s antitrust watchdog said it won’t pursue Volkswagen AG for admitting the use of software to cheat vehicle emissions tests, joining European regulators in being more reluctant to extract concessions from the carmaker than counterparts in the U.S. The Competition and Markets Authority won’t launch a formal probe into the Wolfsburg-based company “at this time”… http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-OF7ALR6JIJUR01-3UKS7K0RNB0L214JPGPCB6PKB6 GREEN ENERGY Conservative desert town on the cusp of emerging solar trend. Kathy Reinhart bought a new home in north Los Angeles County last year, picking it for its single-story design, new construction upgrades, and extra bedrooms for visiting children and grandchildren. She also liked the shiny solar panels on the tiled roof of the beige and brown house. Solar wasn't the home's top draw in the purchase… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/10/18/stories/1060044419 OPINIONS The Missing Climate Change Debate. For a presidential campaign notable for dark warnings of the coming apocalypse, the one thing that actually could bring about an apocalypse -- climate change -- has been conspicuously absent from the debates. A final chance to raise the issue will come Wednesday, during the campaign’s last debate. https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-10-18/climate-change-belongs-in-the-next-presidential-debate Are we trying to thrive or survive? As California recovers from the drought, it is troubling that there is a push by certain interest groups to establish permanent water conservation regulations beyond this emergency. It seems like these groups are focused more on their ideologies or political agendas than on the real impacts that such a permanent state of emergency will have on other people’s lives and livelihoods. http://www.calaverasenterprise.com/opinion/columns/guest_opinion/article_427594de-94c1-11e6-99f6-4f54cc9537b9.html BLOGS Clean Air For Liveable Cities. Almost every day, we hear news about high air pollution episodes in cities: in Milan and Rome at the end of 2015, in Stuttgart in January 2016, but also in many other cities throughout the world. These episodes raise public concern, cause health complaints and sometimes make air pollution literally visible. They remind us time and again that air pollution is a pressing issue. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christian-friis-bach/clean-air-for-liveable-ci_b_12485034.html California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.