What's New List Serve Post Display

CARB NEWSCLIPS FOR April 25, 2017. 
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.

CARB BUSINESS

May 8, 2017: Public Workshop to discuss ARB's Carbon Capture and
Sequestration (CCS) Program.

At this workshop, ARB staff will present an overview of
activities taken by the CCS program in 2016, and an initial
concept of a Quantification Methodology (QM) and Permanence
Protocol for CCS.
https://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/ccs/meetings/meetings.htm    

The Air Resources Board (ARB or Board) will conduct a public
meeting at the time and place noted below to consider Truck Field
Enforcement Activities and New Screening Technology for High
Emitting Vehicles.

DATE:  	April 27, 2017
TIME:  	9:00 a.m.
LOCATION: 	California Environmental Protection Agency
          		Air Resources Board
         		Byron Sher Auditorium, 2nd Floor
          		1001 I Street
          		Sacramento, California 95814

WEBCAST: http://www.cal-span.org/                  

Air Resources Board staff have posted a white paper on the health
benefits of physical activity and air pollution exposure while
walking and bicycling for transportation.  
Download the White Paper:
https://www.arb.ca.gov/research/vprp/physical_activity_and_health_final_161216.pdf
                 

For more information, including the White Paper and other
resources, visit our Built Environment webpage:
https://www.arb.ca.gov/research/vprp/vprp.htm                 

A fact sheet summarizing this document can be found here:
https://www.arb.ca.gov/html/fact_sheets/physical_activity_fact_sheet.pdf


CAP AND TRADE

Cap and trade faces protests from the left. California's climate
policy architects are beginning to reckon with the demands of
social justice groups that fundamentally disagree with the
state's approach. Organizations that advocate for poor
communities across California have long argued that emissions
trading does not reduce pollution or even guarantee emissions
reductions…
https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060053522/search?keyword=california


California lawmakers push to link public health efforts to
climate programs. California’s fight against climate change would
be overhauled under legislation advanced by an Assembly committee
on Monday. The legislation, a revised version of a measure
introduced earlier this year, would link the state’s efforts
against greenhouse gases, which contribute to global warming…
http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-ca-essential-politics-updates-1493070437-htmlstory.html

California’s climate-change program would fight air pollution
under proposal. As the Legislature weighs the future of cap and
trade, California’s groundbreaking program to cut greenhouse gas
emissions that expires in 2020, it is considering key changes
pushed by environmentalists and fought by Big Oil…
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/article/NE/20170424/NEWS/170429833


AIR POLLUTION 

Tories 'on very dodgy ground' over delay of air pollution plan,
say experts. Constitutional experts say government is on ‘very
dodgy ground’ claiming election purdah forces it to postpone
publishing pollution strategy. The government’s attempt to delay
publishing its air pollution strategy because of the election is
“dishonest” and leaves ministers on “very dodgy ground”,
according to constitutional experts.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/apr/25/government-delay-air-pollution-plan-due-to-election-dishonest


Online tool to track air pollution in Texas debuts. Air pollution
happens every day in Houston. Sometimes, that pollution is well
within permit limits, considered safe by state environmental
regulators, and sometimes, it's not. So how do Houston residents
who care about air quality tell the difference? Several
environmental groups have recently debuted a handy new tool that…
http://www.chron.com/local/planet-texas/article/Texas-environmental-groups-debut-online-tool-to-11097258.php


Court cancels arguments over EPA's plant startup rule. A federal
appellate court, acting in response to a Trump administration
request, has canceled oral arguments in a legal fight over U.S.
EPA regulations intended to reduce air pollution releases from
industrial plant startups, shutdowns and malfunctions. In an
order issued late yesterday, a three-judge panel of the U.S.
Court of Appeals.
https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2017/04/25/stories/1060053555 

CLIMATE CHANGE

Record-challenging heat possible for climate march in Washington
on Saturday. On the second-to-last-day of what’s destined to be
Washington’s warmest April on record, tens of thousands of
marchers will congregate on the Mall to call for climate action.
And, perhaps as a symbolic point of exclamation, the mercury is
predicted to soar to near-record levels.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2017/04/25/record-challenging-heat-possible-for-peoples-climate-march-in-washington-saturday/?utm_term=.09056661a8d7
 

Millions of Colombians at Risk to Climate Change-Minister.
Climate change has put nearly 12 million Colombians at risk from
natural disasters like flooding and landslides, which could kill
hundreds and cause serious infrastructure damage, the environment
minister said on Tuesday. Recent heavy rains have endangered
residents in dozens of towns and cities, especially in
neighbourhoods of makeshift construction…
https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2017/04/25/world/americas/25reuters-colombia-environment.html?_r=0

Ventura moves on climate change plan. Shrinking Ventura’s carbon
footprint, examining ways to prepare and adapt to changes in
weather patterns and how to pay for such strategies could be part
of a new climate change action plan. First, city staff will look
at how much it would cost to put a plan like that together. The
Ventura City Council on Monday night voted unanimously to take
the first step in the process.
http://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/communities/ventura/2017/04/25/ventura-moves-climate-change-plan/100872872/


Pruitt won't kill EPA 'endangerment' finding on climate change.
The current EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt, does not accept the
scientific consensus on human contribution to climate change,
though he has given some contradictory statements on that matter.
His views correspond closely to those of his boss, President
Donald Trump, who notoriously compared the science to bovine
excrement…
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1110101_pruitt-wont-kill-epa-endangerment-finding-on-climate-change


At least global warming may get Americans off the couch more.
Global warming’s milder winters will likely nudge Americans off
the couch more in the future, a rare, small benefit of climate
change, a new study finds. With less chilly winters, Americans
will be more likely to get outdoors, increasing their physical
activity by as much as 2.5 percent by the end of the century…
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/at-least-global-warming-may-get-americans-off-the-couch/article_c8466f95-6852-50c8-8b7b-e0f643b0be43.html


Climate Change Altering the Arctic Faster Than Expected. Evidence
continues to mount that climate change has pushed the Arctic into
a new state. Skyrocketing temperatures are altering the essence
of the region, melting ice on land and sea, driving more intense
wildfires, altering ocean circulation and dissolving permafrost.
A new report chronicles all these changes and warns that even…
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/rapid-climate-change-arctic-21389


Consumers see AI as solution to climate change, cybersecurity:
survey. American consumers believe that artificial intelligence
(AI) will provide solutions to complex societal problems such as
climate change, according to a new survey.  Sixty-three percent
of U.S. consumers believe AI will help solve complex problems,
and 59 percent say…
http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/330412-consumers-see-artificial-intelligence-as-solution-to-climate-change

Today's Arctic is a 'profoundly different place'. The Arctic is
experiencing a profound shift into a new state as it loses ice
and breaks high temperature records, a clear sign that some of
the worst effects of climate change are already happening. And as
the region warms and ice melts, a new survey shows that sea
levels may rise an additional foot on top of previous efforts…
https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/04/25/stories/1060053501


Study finds climate link to large share of extreme events. When
extreme weather strikes, people want to know: Was it climate
change? Now they have some answers.
A new Stanford University study found that climate change
increased the probability of the hottest days happening for more
than 80 percent of the world where there's recorded data. For
drought, it was about half.
https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/04/25/stories/1060053521


Agency asks for comments, gets an earful on climate. Green groups
yesterday swamped U.S. EPA phone lines urging the agency to keep
climate and pollution protections on the books. The comments were
solicited as part of a three-hour call-in session hosted by EPA's
Office of Air and Radiation aimed at airing public views about
whether the agency should reform or review regulations.
https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/04/25/stories/1060053519


Fortune 500 companies forging ahead on climate policies. The
Trump administration's efforts to eliminate eight years of
climate change policies have not deterred the private sector from
forging ahead with greenhouse gas emission reductions, according
to a new study of America's wealthiest companies.
https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/04/25/stories/1060053502


DROUGHT

Emergency water restrictions will extend beyond end of California
drought. Former White House chief of staff and current Chicago
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s most quotable words are frequently cited as
the apogee of cynicism, but they simply point to reality in the
political system: “You never let a serious crisis go to waste.
And what I mean by that it’s an opportunity to do things you
think you could not do before.”
http://calwatchdog.com/2017/04/25/emergency-water-restrictions-will-extend-beyond-end-california-drought/


GREEN ENERGY

China to boost non-fossil fuel use to 20 percent by 2030: state
planner. China aims for non-fossil fuels to account for about 20
percent of total energy consumption by 2030, increasing to more
than half of demand by 2050, its state planner said on Tuesday,
as Beijing continues its years-long shift away from coal power.
In a policy document, the National Development and Reform
Commission (NDRC)...
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-energy-idUSKBN17R0QK 

ACWA Power Will Bid to Build Saudi Arabian Solar Energy Project.
ACWA Power International will bid to build a solar energy project
in Saudi Arabia, part of the kingdom’s $50 billion push to temper
domestic oil use. Riyadh-based ACWA received a request for
proposals last week from Saudi Arabia’s energy ministry to
develop the 300-megawatt solar project in Sakaka, Rajit Nanda,
ACWA’s chief investment officer…
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-25/acwa-power-will-bid-to-build-saudi-arabian-solar-energy-project


Home to World's Biggest Wind-Turbine Maker to End All Subsidies.
After more than four decades of relying on subsidies, Denmark’s
renewable energy industry is ready to survive on its own much
sooner than anyone expected. The Danish energy minister, Lars
Christian Lilleholt, says that “in just a few years,” renewable
energy providers won’t need state support anymore.
https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-04-24/surprising-profits-and-how-an-energy-trail-was-blazed-in-denmark


Today’s Energy Jobs Are in Solar, Not Coal. President Trump has
promised to revive the coal industry and double down on fossil
fuels, creating “so many energy jobs,” but he has not focused on
the increasingly important role of renewable power in America’s
energy economy. Last year, the solar industry employed many more
Americans than coal, while wind power topped 100,000 jobs.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/04/25/climate/todays-energy-jobs-are-in-solar-not-coal.html


ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Two Latinos Win Prestigious Prize as ‘Grassroots Environmental
Heroes’ Two Latinos, one from East Los Angeles, California and
one from Guatemala are the recipients of a prestigious prize
honoring "grassroots environmental heroes."  mark! Lopez, 32, has
been leading efforts against lead contamination in East Los
Angeles, while Rodrigo Tot, of the indigenous tribe the Q'eqchi…
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/two-latinos-win-prestigious-prize-grassroots-environmental-heroes-n750441

http://www.ktvu.com/news/250534290-story 
http://la.streetsblog.org/2017/04/24/mark-lopez-named-winner-of-the-green-nobel-the-goldman-environmental-prize/

http://grist.org/article/environmental-justice-starts-with-everyday-folks-who-feel-like-enough-is-enough/?utm_campaign=weekly-static&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=EDIT%20Weekly


OPINIONS

Did 'people power' save a trove of EPA data from a shutdown by
Trump? The notice over the weekend shocked scientific and
technical researchers on environmental issues: The Environmental
Protection Agency’s 5-year-old open data website, a trove of data
on air, water and ground pollution and the sources of toxic
chemical releases, was about to be shut down. One day later,
following an uproar on social media, the EPA seemed to backpedal.
http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-epa-opendata-20170424-story.html


VW drives past disadvantaged Valley communities to the land of
the fat cats. Volkswagen, one of the single-largest criminal
polluters in U.S. history, is once more trying to weasel out of
its responsibility to make good for damaging the lungs of
low-income residents who were forced to breathe unlawful exhausts
spewing from their modified diesel engines.
http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/readers-opinion/article146454914.html#storylink=cpy


The itsy bitsy spider explosion coming to Southern California.
Earlier this month, California Governor Jerry Brown declared the
drought officially over. We've all seen the before and after
pictures ... Winter rains have replenished fallow fields They've
made our hillsides more verdant, giving rise to bunches of
wildflowers ...But with the extra green comes extra critters to
munch on it. And the things that like to munch on those critters.
That's right, spiders.
http://www.scpr.org/programs/take-two/2017/04/24/56366/the-itsy-bitsy-spider-explosion-coming-to-southern/


Editorial: Time running out for drought relief. It appears right
now the state will cut off all funding it has been providing for
months now to assist families who have been hurt by the prolonged
drought, which obviously has ended, but the suffering for many
has not ended. Tulare County officials said last week the state
has indicated it is cutting off its Disaster Assistance…
http://www.recorderonline.com/opinion/editorial-time-running-out-for-drought-relief/article_efe19344-2958-11e7-b423-03460335a9e1.html


Accepting climate change first step to protecting Florida land |
Opinion. In the administration in Washington, D.C., it was
announced that the Energy Department may no longer use the term
"climate change." The governor of Florida has kept the state's
Department of Environmental Resources from using the term
"climate change." So how do we plan for the eventual risks of sea
level rise?
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/opinion/commentary/fl-viewpoint-south-florida-climate-change-20170425-story.html


BLOGS

Arctic Ice Melt Could Cost The World Trillions Of Dollars By
2100. But President Trump still might abandon the Paris climate
accord. Climate change, driven by greenhouse gas emissions, is
causing the Arctic to warm “faster than any other region on
Earth,” according to a new international assessment. The thaw
there is expected to have “major consequences for ecosystems and
society,”…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/arctic-ice-melt-report-2017_us_58fe1cabe4b018a9ce5d44c0?ncid=edlinkushpmg00000314&yptr=yahoo

Ontario’s Government Makes Climate Change Challenge.  Recently
the Government of Ontario issued the following Challenge to local
and international companies to develop the next generation of
transformative clean technologies to help fight climate change:
“Transformative technologies drive change… whether evolutionary,
revolutionary or disruptive.
http://tsss.ca/2017/04/ontarios-government-makes-climate-change-challenge/


That ridiculous heatwave really was caused by climate change. Or
at least there’s a greater that 80 percent chance that it was. If
you have ever been reprimanded by some insufferable pedant (maybe
me) for blaming the record-breaking heat on climate change,
prepare to receive some validation. A new study in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that you
were likely right.
http://grist.org/briefly/that-ridiculous-heat-wave-really-was-caused-by-climate-change/


New research clarifies how climate change influences severe
weather. Floods, droughts, heatwaves and other incidents of nasty
weather are on the rise. Each time one of these incidents
happens, journalists want to know if climate change is to blame —
and some scientists have been quick to say “yes.”
http://www.scienceandtechnologyresearchnews.com/new-research-clarifies-climate-change-influences-severe-weather/


To understand climate change, look at it from a mussel's
perspective. The phrase “climate change” triggers images of a
huge, global phenomenon. Rising seas. Drought. Ocean
acidification. But it's actually experienced on a much smaller
scale, by individual plants, animals and people. And most of the
world’s organisms experience it much differently than humans do.
“As humans, we have this really biased view of the world.
https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-04-25/understand-climate-change-look-it-mussels-perspective


UCR Project to Install Solar Microgrid for San Bernardino
County’s Chemehuevi Indian Tribe. Researchers at the University
of California, Riverside’s Bourns College of Engineering,
together with a team of industry partners, have begun work to
install a power system that integrates solar panels, battery
storage, advanced data analytics, and smart energy management
controls on the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe reservation near Lake
Havasu, CA. https://ucrtoday.ucr.edu/46571