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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for June 3, 2015.
Posted: 03 Jun 2015 16:16:31
ARB Newsclips for June 3, 2015. 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 Factbox: Carbon trading schemes around the world. Europe's top oil and gas companies this week urged governments around the world to introduce a pricing system for carbon emissions.While a global carbon market remains elusive a report published by the World Bank last week showed 40 nations and over 20 cities, states and regions now have a price on CO2 emissions, covering around 12 percent of annual global greenhouse gas emissions…http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/03/us-carbontrading-factbox-idUSKBN0OJ24Q20150603 Oil majors' climate call exposes U.S.-Europe rift on carbon pricing. The failed attempt by the world's oil majors to speak on climate change action with one voice has laid bare disagreement between U.S. and European companies on putting a price on carbon. The world's top oil companies have struggled for years to form a joint front in the face of growing criticism for not taking leadership against climate change. http://www.businessinsider.com/r-oil-majors-climate-call-exposes-us-europe-rift-on-carbon-pricing-2015-6#ixzz3c1IFZx64 Carbon Prices Around the World are Consistently Too Low. Carbon pricing is spreading rapidly around the world [i]. However prices almost everywhere are far too low at the moment to price emissions efficiently. The chart below summarises carbon prices in those jurisdictions with pricing. The horizontal axis shows volumes, the vertical axis shows prices, as in a conventional commodity supply curve. http://theenergycollective.com/onclimatechangepolicy/2235281/carbon-prices-around-world-are-consistently-too-low Big Oil & Gas Embraces Carbon Pricing. Six of the world’s major oil and gas companies have called for national or regional carbon pricing. They also propose that governments and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change work on creating “clear, stable, ambitious policy frameworks that could eventually connect national systems.” These actions would reduce global uncertainty and encourage wide and cost-effective ways to reduce carbon emissions. http://cleantechnica.com/2015/06/02/big-oil-gas-embraces-carbon-pricing/ AIR POLLUTION Appeals court sides with EPA on air pollution limits. A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the Environmental Protection Agency complied with the law in deciding which areas of the country failed to meet federal limits on smog-forming pollution that can cause asthma and respiratory illness. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected challenges from states, industry and environmental groups that claimed the agency… http://bigstory.ap.org/article/6632adb542aa481d8135bf44b87a9817/appeals-court-sides-epa-air-pollution-limits OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/06/02/us/politics/ap-us-epa-smog-enforcement.html?_r=0 E.P.A. to Set New Limits on Airplane Emissions. The Obama administration is set to announce that it will require new rules to cut emissions from airplanes, expanding a quest to tackle climate change that has included a string of significant regulations on cars, trucks and power plants. The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to report as early as Friday its conclusion that greenhouse gas emissions from airplanes… http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/03/business/energy-environment/epa-to-set-new-limits-on-airplane-emissions.html http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/u-s-may-take-first-step-to-curb-airline-emissions-this-week/ China's Air Pollution Is Bad, But India's Is Far, Far Worse. Discuss countries with the worst air pollution, and China typically rises to the top of the list like smoke from a chimney. Maybe it's the high-profile coverage of Beijing's smog-choked air, or the fact that China is now the world's largest new-car market, but either way the country is a poster child for pollution. Yet China doesn't necessarily have the dirtiest air in the world. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1098567_chinas-air-pollution-is-bad-but-indias-is-far-far-worse Study finds air quality in northern Alberta better than in province’s big cities. First Nations near oilsands says full story not told. Levels of three major pollutants in the oilsands region did not increase much in the past 15 years as open pit mining expanded, says a professor in the University of Alberta’s school of public health.A study of 15 years of data beginning in 1998 shows only a “small” change in air quality… http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/edmonton/Study+finds+quality+northern+Alberta+better+than/11105181/story.html CLIMATE CHANGE Colorado coal mine appeals climate change court ruling. A Colorado coal mine at the center of a legal fight over whether coal's impact on climate change needs to be considered before it is mined wants to make sure it can keep operating while it appeals a federal court ruling. On Friday, the Colowyo Coal Co. asked the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver to overturn a ruling requiring federal regulators to redo their environmental review… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_COAL_MINES_CLIMATE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/06/02/us/ap-us-coal-mines-climate.html Rich states can't meet 2020 climate aid goal alone: researchers. An international commitment to provide $100 billion a year by 2020 to help vulnerable countries tackle climate change is unlikely to be met if only government funding from rich nations is counted towards it, researchers said. At U.N. climate negotiations, some developing countries have argued the annual $100 billion should come entirely from developed nations' treasuries… http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/06/03/us-climate-change-finance-idUKKBN0OJ0LV20150603 Exxon CEO Says Europe Should See Climate Benefits of Shale Gas. Exxon Mobil Corp. CEO Rex Tillerson said Europe should see the “tremendous environmental benefits” of producing natural gas from shale, pointing to the U.S. output boom as a model for cutting greenhouse-gas emissions. “Natural gas and shale have been instrumental in reducing CO2 emissions to levels not seen since the 1990s”… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-02/exxon-ceo-says-europe-should-see-climate-benefits-of-shale-gas Rousseff’s Washington Visit Spurring Talks on Climate Divide. When Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff visits Washington this month, the climate-change schism between developing countries like hers and the U.S. will be front and center on the agenda. The U.S. and other industrial nations say the entire world must limit emissions… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-03/rousseff-s-washington-visit-spurs-talks-on-climate-change-divide Climate Deal Badly Needs a Big Stick. Few economists are as versed in the global diplomatic effort to combat climate change as Nicholas Stern of Britain. So it was particularly distressing to hear him say, at a debate in New York a few weeks ago, that the international effort to achieve a worldwide climate agreement in Paris next December is already falling short on its most critical goal. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/03/business/energy-environment/climate-deal-badly-needs-a-big-stick.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimesscience&_r=0 EPA Climate Plan Sent to White House for Review. Obama’s controversial carbon-emission rules for power plants could be released by Labor Day. The Obama administration has teed up a busy summer on climate change, with the final review of its tentpole climate rule swinging into action. The Environmental Protection Agency sent its rules on carbon emissions for existing power plants… http://www.nationaljournal.com/energy/epa-climate-plan-sent-to-white-house-for-review-20150602 Ahead of COP21, scientists discuss implementable and available climate solutions. With pressure mounting for governments to agree in December on an ambitious plan to curb climate change, scientists are working across disciplines and perspectives to shed light on the climate solutions are currently implementable and available. “This conference is really about bringing different countries… http://www.trust.org/item/20150602193534-hdzx6/ Burning Coal Is Hot; Its Warming Is Far Hotter. Think of a holiday road trip’s effect on the climate this way: The amount of heat a car contributes to the atmosphere because of its carbon emissions may be 100,000 times greater than the actual heat given off by its engine. That’s the conclusion of a Carnegie Institution for Science study published Tuesday that shows two things: Emissions from burning a lump of coal or a gallon of gas has an effect on the climate… http://www.climatecentral.org/news/fossil-fuels-heat-climate-dramatically-19062 Private sector must pay more into $100bn global climate fund, says report. World Resources Institute advises businesses as well as governments to increase funding to enable poor countries to cut emissions and rebuild infrastructure. The global target of directing $100bn to poor countries to help them cope with climate change is likely to be missed unless private sector finance is ramped up significantly, a new analysis has found. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jun/03/private-sector-climate-change-development-fund New climate change regulations expected by end of June. Alberta's new climate change regulations will be set before the current regulations expire at the end of June, the province's new environment minister announced Tuesday. "This government will take leadership on the issue of climate change and make sure Alberta is part of crafting solutions with stakeholders…http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/new-climate-change-regulations-expected-by-end-of-june-1.3097149 US, EU fall flat on cutting forest emissions. Follow Mexico’s lead, world’s 2nd and 3rd emitter told as emissions pledge for climate pact freeze out forests, study says. The United States and European Union are shirking chances to dent greenhouse gas emissions arising from forests and agriculture, a report charged on Tuesday. http://www.rtcc.org/2015/06/02/us-eu-fall-flat-on-cutting-forest-emissions/#sthash.xbgtBjrD.dpuf Climate change could turn Texas-sized swath of Amazon rainforest into a savanna – study. Scientists worry that in addition to the threat of deforestation, climate change-driven shifts in rainfall could further compromise one of the planet's biggest carbon sinks by transforming vast swaths of South America's Amazon rainforest into savannas. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/06/03/stories/1060019564 New model shows corals may fare better in a warming world than previously thought. Researchers have tested a new climate and coral reef forecasting model assessing how corals respond to stress and found it to be both more accurate and less doomsday when it comes to predicting the future of coral reefs under climate changehttp://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/06/03/stories/1060019565 DROUGHT Californians Are Encouraged by Sharp Drop in Water Use. Californians cut their water use in April by 13.5 percent over the same month two years ago, a big improvement from March and the first indication of how the state is reacting to mandatory water cutbacks imposed by Gov. Jerry Brown to deal with the region’s ongoing drought. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/03/us/californians-are-encouraged-by-sharp-drop-in-water-use.html http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-drought-conservation-20150602-story.html#page=1 The Latest: State to Use Satellites to Eye Unplanted Fields. State water officials say they will use satellite surveillance from high above farms in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta as one way of confirming that fields have been left fallow under voluntary conservation agreements with farmers. Growers with some of the strongest water rights in the delta east of San Francisco offered to reduce their water consumption this summer by…http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/06/02/us/ap-us-california-drought-the-latest.html http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/article22934751.html http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/The-Latest-Study-says-drought-cost-to-grow-by-6302083.php Los Angeles County Orders Water Fees to Reach State Cutback Goal. Los Angeles County officials voted on Tuesday to charge water users for over-consumption in areas hit with some of California's toughest reduction mandates as the state withers from a four-year drought. http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2015/06/02/us/02reuters-usa-drought-losangeles.html California's largest lake threatened by drought, water transfer. Once-bustling marinas on shallow water in California's largest lake a few years ago are bone-dry. Carcasses of oxygen-starved tilapia lie on desolate shores. Flocks of eared grebes and shoreline birds bob up and down to feast on marine life. An air of decline and strange beauty permeates the Salton Sea: The lake is shrinking — and on the verge of getting much smaller as more water goes to coastal cities. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-salton-sea-drying-up-20150603-story.html#page=1 Study Predicts the Drought Will Cost the State $500 Million More in 2015. A new economic forecast says that the impact of California's drought will grow by $500 million in 2015 to a total of $2.7 billion. The study was released today from University of California at Davis. The study shows a predicted one third increase in the number of acres that farmers are fallowing for lack of water. The total acreage of unused land is now at 564,000 acres in the state. http://www.kgoradio.com/common/page.php?id=127482 New Growing Technique Relieves Drought Stricken Avocado Farmers. Farmers are being widely criticized during the California drought because agriculture uses the majority of the state's water. But some farmers are cutting back by employing new techniques. A recent study used half as much water to yield twice as much fruit. If an avocado was grown in the U.S. it most likely ripened in California where 90 percent of the nation’s crop originates. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/06/03/new-growing-technique-relieves-drought-stricken-avocado-farmers/ Drought Takes $2.7-Billion Toll on California Agriculture. The record-breaking drought in California—brought about by a severe lack of precipitation, especially mountain snows—has exacted a $2.7 billion toll on the state’s economy because of agricultural losses, researchers said Tuesday. During a briefing for the California Department of Food & Agriculture, scientists from the University of California, Davis, told officials that based… http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/drought-takes-2-7-billion-toll-on-california-agriculture/ VIDEO: The drought message is getting through: California, O.C. cut back water use. Californians have apparently gotten the drought message, cutting back their water use 13.5 percent in April compared with the same month in 2013. All Orange County water districts reported using less water in April, the latest numbers reported to the state Tuesday. Water conservation improved over the previous month. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/water-664086-use-percent.html Agriculture losses from drought set to jump 23% this year, but economy is coping. This year, California farmers will likely experience worse drought conditions than they did in 2014, but a preliminary report suggests the economic impacts won't be as severe as some researchers had anticipated. According to data collected by researchers at the University of California, Davis, the amount of available surface water supply will be about 33 percent less on average. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/06/03/stories/1060019566 DIESEL ACTIVITIES For truck drivers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, it's a waiting game. More than 40 percent of U.S. imports flow through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. An army of 14,000 short-haul truck drivers are tasked with hauling that cargo from the port complex to warehouses and rail yards around Southern California. But some of those truckers say, despite their critical role at the ports…http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/06/02/52126/for-truck-drivers-at-the-ports-of-los-angeles-and/ Green Groups Renew Call For Global Ship Emissions Cap, Wants Action at MEPC 69. The Clean Shipping Coalition (CSC), the Marine Conservation Society, and 10 other environmental groups Tuesday issued a press release urging European Union (EU) climate ministers to submit proposals for a global ship emissions cap at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and International Marine Organization (IMO) levels. http://shipandbunker.com/news/world/333509-green-groups-renew-call-for-global-ship-emissions-cap-wants-action-at-mepc-69 FUELS Battles over oil pipelines on 3 fronts in Minnesota. Battles over climate change and oil pipelines come to a head on three fronts in Minnesota this week. Environmental groups have high hopes for a "Tar Sands Resistance March" to the State Capitol on Saturday with the aim of keeping Canadian crude in the ground instead of piping it across the state via an expanded Alberta Clipper pipeline. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OIL_PIPELINES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Oil and gas turn their backs on coal as climate deal nears. Chemistry books say there are three fossil fuels: coal, oil and natural gas. Lately you could get the impression that coal is the only one. As a global agreement to rein in climate-warming carbon emissions draws closer, oil and gas companies are increasingly talking about coal as the problem and describing themselves as a crucial part of the solution… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_FOSSIL_FUELS_FEUD?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/06/03/world/europe/ap-eu-fossil-fuels-feud.html http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Oil-and-gas-turn-their-backs-on-coal-as-climate-6303532.php Big Oil's Plan to Become Big Gas. Oil companies that have pumped trillions of barrels of crude from the ground are now saying the future is in their other main product: natural gas, a fuel they’re promoting as the logical successor to coal. With almost 200 nations set to hammer out a binding pact on carbon emissions in December, fossil-fuel companies led by Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Total SA… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-01/big-oil-becomes-big-gas-as-climate-threat-spurs-tussle-with-coal For Green Activists, Arctic Drilling Could Be the Next Big Thing. Michael Brune is pleased that activists in kayaks are training for another "Paddle in Seattle" to confront an expected Royal Dutch Shell rig on its way to the Arctic to explore for oil. What makes the head of the Sierra Club just as happy is the effect Shell's Arctic ambitions are having on his own environmental organization. Sierra's funding drive against the resumption in… http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2015/06/03/world/europe/03reuters-usa-shell-arctic-insight.html BP Ceases Production at Australian Bulwer Island Refinery. BP has ceased production at its 102,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) Bulwer Island refinery in Brisbane and is preparing to convert the site into a jet fuel import terminal, a company spokeswoman told Reuters on Wednesday. The refinery shut its major units throughout May and has now completely ceased production, the spokeswoman added. http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2015/06/03/business/03reuters-australia-bp-refinery.html Enviros jump into fracking rule litigation -- on government's side. After two months of public speculation over how environmental groups would respond to the Obama administration's new regulations for hydraulic fracturing, a coalition of conservation groups has come out on the government's side -- seeking to defend the rule in federal court. The Wilderness Society, the Sierra Club, Earthworks, the Conservation Colorado Education Fund… http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/06/03/stories/1060019569 EPA's take on 'blend wall' a horror story for all in biofuel fight. U.S. EPA's handling of the ethanol "blend wall" in its proposed renewable fuel targets nods to both the ethanol and oil industries but does little to please either. "It reads a little bit like 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,'" said Geoff Cooper, senior vice president for the Renewable Fuels Association. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/06/03/stories/1060019596 House Dems call for quick crude volatility standards. Top energy and transportation regulators are facing mounting pressure from Congress to set crude volatility rules in the wake of recent fiery oil train derailments. Thirteen House Democrats yesterday urged Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz to expedite standards for making raw crude less explosive before shipping it across the country in mile-long trains. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/06/03/stories/1060019550 Northern European gas groups join R&D forces for a renewable-powered future. A coalition of European groups is banding together to promote research and development around forward-looking uses of natural gas, including to support renewable power systems and for transportation. The European Research Institute for Gas and Energy Innovation, or ERIG, will promote joint innovation and development work by participants of partner groups… http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/06/03/stories/1060019544 VEHICLES SMUD unveils fast-charge station for electric vehicles along I-80. SMUD is activating its second electric vehicle fast-charge station in the Sacramento region Wednesday to quell “range anxiety.” The new station, which accommodates most types of EVs, is one of the first stations in the country installed by a utility, according to SMUD. SMUD earlier opened the first fast-charge station in the region at the utility’s headquarters in the 6200 block of S Street. http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/transportation/article22991046.html#storylink=cpy Beijing Adds Another Electric-Car Incentive: Rush-Hour Access To Any Road. To get more of its residents to switch to electric cars, the Chinese capital of Beijing has not only offered incentives, but also privileges. When the city severely restricted new-car registrations to cut pollution, it gave electric cars priority for the remaining slots. Now, the government is offering electric-car drivers another notable perk. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1098561_beijing-adds-another-electric-car-incentive-rush-hour-access-to-any-road Could electric cars run on liquid fuel? A sustainable fuel for electric cars wouldn't require drivers who are used to pumping gas to alter their habits, and it would sidestep the issues of battery weight and charging times. Artificial photosynthesis could be the answer. Electric cars may have made great strides recently, but thousands of researchers are still searching for a sustainable liquid fuel. http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2015/0602/Could-electric-cars-run-on-liquid-fuel Changes to California regulation aim to promote electric vehicles. Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate is being revised in California. California is making changes to its Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate. The regulation requires automakers to produce a portion of clean vehicles alongside their regular production vehicles. The mandate has made California a very popular market for electric vehicles and has served to help the state become more environmentally friendly. http://www.hydrogenfuelnews.com/changes-to-california-regulation-aim-to-promote-electric-vehicles/8522288/ GREEN ENERGY Most States on Track to Meet Clean Power Plan 2020 Benchmarks. The majority of states, 31, have already made commitments that put them more than halfway toward meeting their 2020 benchmarks for carbon emissions reductions in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed Clean Power Plan, according to new analysis released today by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). An examination of current state policies and commitments such as carbon caps... http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/most-states-on-track-to-meet-cpp-benchmarks-0500#.VW8vyk1ASUl Renewable Energy In U.S. Heartland: How States Make It Work. In the U.S. heartland, where retail electricity costs less than the national average, states from Iowa to Utah to Nevada are investing in renewable energy to protect against fossil fuel price volatility and save customers money. Operating in these states, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy is a perfect example, recently announcing goals to double its investment in renewable energy to $30 billion. http://cleantechnica.com/2015/06/03/renewable-energy-in-u-s-heartland-how-states-make-it-work/ DoE Finds Wind Energy Will Have Largest Role in Cost-Effectively Meeting Clean Power Plan. Low-cost, zero-emission wind energy will become even more valuable as states and utilities develop plans to cost-effectively reduce carbon pollution to comply with EPA’s Clean Power Plan, according to new economic analysis from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), a nonpartisan branch of the Department of Energy (DOE). http://theenergycollective.com/michaelgoggin/2234811/doe-finds-wind-energy-will-have-largest-role-cost-effectively-meeting-clean-po Distributed Solar Helps Lower Peak Demand Electricity Prices. We’re bullish on rooftop solar, and it’s not only because residential solar can slash electricity costs, boost property values, deliver a great return on investment (ROI), and decrease air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Sure, those are all great reasons for considering going solar at home, but it turns out that rooftop solar can also deliver dividends for everyone on the grid, regardless of whether or not those other homes are solar powered. According to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), a research organization that analyzes financial and economic issues related to energy and the environment… http://cleantechnica.com/2015/06/03/distributed-solar-helps-lower-peak-demand-electricity-prices/ Feds OK three big solar projects in Nevada. Up-front planning helped speed three big new solar projects through the federal review process, the U.S. Department of Interior said this week, touting the administration’s Western Solar Plan as a model for renewable energy development on public lands. The plan mapped out solar energy development zones in areas where there was little potential for conflicts over resources. http://summitcountyvoice.com/2015/06/03/feds-ok-three-big-solar-projects-in-nevada/ Texas renewable standard survives bumpy session for enviro groups. As Texas' 2015 regular legislative session wrapped up this week, advocates for wind and solar power began to exhale. The state's renewable energy standard and a related credit program survived, as did the Competitive Renewable Energy Zone (CREZ) initiative that has helped link remote power projects to cities through about $7 billion in infrastructure spending. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/06/03/stories/1060019551 N.Y. outlines plan for replacing renewable standard, awards 7 storage grants. Precisely how the Empire State will approach distributed generation and energy storage under its "reforming the energy vision" process has begun to take shape with major announcements this and last week by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority on both fronts. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/06/03/stories/1060019548 MISCELLANEOUS OPINION Holding Your Breath in India. FOR weeks the breathing of my 8-year-old son, Bram, had become more labored, his medicinal inhaler increasingly vital. And then, one terrifying night nine months after we moved to this megacity, Bram’s inhaler stopped working and his gasping became panicked. My wife called a friend, who recommended a private hospital miles away. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/31/opinion/sunday/holding-your-breath-in-india.html?hpw&rref=opinion&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region®ion=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well&_r=0 Fear of Almonds. I can’t tell you how many times in the last month someone has come up to me and said something like, “Do you think I should stop eating almonds?” or “I really miss almond butter, but I just can’t bring myself to buy it anymore.” It’s typical: We focus on a minuscule part (almonds) of a huge problem (water use in California) and see it as the key to fixing everything: If only we stopped eating almonds, the drought would end... http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/03/opinion/mark-bittman-fear-of-almonds.html To lead on climate change, California must also lead on poverty reduction: Guest commentary. California is adding leadership in the fight against global climate change to its worldwide resume. As historic drought ravages the state, that seems like a rational and righteous priority. The centerpiece of that effort is AB 32, the 2006 state law that set the goal of reducing the state’s carbon emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. http://www.dailynews.com/opinion/20150603/to-lead-on-climate-change-california-must-also-lead-on-poverty-reduction-guest-commentary Well, Well, Well, Look Who Just Endorsed a Bold Fix For Climate Change. Oil companies are pretty much the last ally you'd think of when it comes to advancing big-picture solutions to climate change. These are the companies, after all, whose product is responsible for causing a significant amount of climate change in the first place—and pretty much every proposed fix for global warming necessarily involves burning less oil. http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2015/06/guess-who-just-came-out-support-bold-fix-climate-change BLOGS Free Solar Power in California: Thanks, Cap-and-Trade! California’s cap-and-trade program brings in money when carbon allowances are auctioned. A lot of money – about $1.49 billion in the current fiscal year alone, the state said last week. The law requires that “the state invest at least 10 percent of the auction proceeds within the most disadvantaged communities and at least 25 percent of the proceeds be invested to benefit these communities.” http://earthtechling.com/2015/06/free-solar-power-in-california-thanks-cap-and-trade/ How LA plans to be a mecca for electric cars. By 2017, the city of Angles aims to have the most electric vehicle chargers of any U.S. city, but the industry faces big challenges that will require businesses and governments to work closer together. A couple months ago I asked my landlord to install an electric vehicle charging station in our San Francisco apartment building. http://fortune.com/2015/06/03/how-la-plans-to-be-a-mecca-for-electric-cars/?xid=timehp-category Does hydropower make sense in a warming world? In the rush to decarbonize the world’s economy, there’s one simple, surprising technology that’s more important than any other: water falling down a hill. Huge dams fitted with hydroelectric power plants may seem very 20th century. Their basic technology — falling water turning a paddle wheel — hasn’t changed much in thousands of years. http://grist.org/business-technology/does-hydropower-make-sense-in-a-warming-world/ Crop adjustments may lessen climate change's economic effects, Stanford economist says. Stanford economist Dave Donaldson found that the impact of climate change might amount for just a .26 percent reduction in global gross domestic product if farmers are able to switch what types of crops they grow. Farmers like this one mowing alfalfa in the Central Valley can minimize the economic effects of climate change if they are in a position to switch to other crops as necessary… http://news.stanford.edu/news/2015/june/trade-climate-economy-060315.html Drought-Plagued Farms Will Cost California $2.7 Billion This Year, Study Predicts. The economic pain caused by California's relentless drought will cost the state's agriculture industry $2.7 billion this year, up half a billion from 2014 estimates, a study released Tuesday predicts. Less rainfall means fewer crops which translates into less money, a lot less, according to scientists at the University of California, Davis… http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/02/california-drought-cost_n_7497480.html Reducing Drilling Pollution—Wyoming Did It, No Big Deal. Will Texas? The technological advances that led to the “shale revolution” have undoubtedly had a large economic impact on the Texas economy – something state leaders and the oil and gas industry are never shy about pointing out. But the impact drilling has on air quality and public health, that’s something energy-friendly Texas has not been so quick to recognize. http://blogs.edf.org/energyexchange/2015/06/03/reducing-drilling-pollution-wyoming-did-it-no-big-deal-will-texas/ Republican Senators Push 3 Bills to Weaken Clean Air Health Protections. The U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing today on three Republican bills bent on weakening basic Clean Air Act protections and making the air less safe to breathe. Each bill takes us backwards by forcing Americans to suffer unsafe levels of ground-level ozone, or smog pollution… http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/jwalke/the_us_senate_environment_and.html Could electric buses go mainstream faster than electric cars? A lot of attention is paid to electric cars, but private passenger vehicles aren’t the only ones that could benefit from electrification. City buses log countless miles every year, in congested areas that often have the highest concentrations of air pollution caused by vehicle emissions. Predictable routes in confined areas also mean it’s easier to keep buses closer to charging stations. http://ecomento.com/2015/06/03/could-electric-buses-go-mainstream-faster-than-electric-cars/ Walmart spews a huge amount of climate pollution with its shipping, but doesn’t report any of it. At Walmart’s annual meeting on Friday, shareholders will vote on a measure that would force the company to reckon with one of the biggest — and best hidden — sources of climate pollution in its vast global operations: shipping. No company moves as much stuff across the world’s oceans as Walmart does. The climate consequences are immense. Ferrying all those cheap TVs, T-shirts, toasters, and toys from Asian factories to ports in the U.S. and elsewhere releases huge amounts of greenhouse pollutants… http://grist.org/business-technology/walmart-spews-a-huge-amount-of-climate-pollution-with-its-shipping-but-doesnt-report-any-of-it/ California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.