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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 20, 2015.
Posted: 20 Aug 2015 15:29:27
ARB Newsclips for August 20, 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 Report: cap-and-trade funds overestimated. California lawmakers have proposed spending billions more in cap-and-trade money than is likely to be available, according to a report compiled by an advocacy organization critical of the climate program. Under the state's system for curbing greenhouse gases, businesses must buy emissions credits. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/trade-334662-ocprint-cap-money.html AIR POLLUTION Beijing pollution awaits runners at worlds, just like ’08. The drifting smoke from forest fires sometimes makes it difficult for marathoner Heather Lieberg to take a deep breath during her afternoon training runs in the hills of Montana. Even on days when the local advisory lists the air quality as “unhealthy for sensitive groups,” Lieberg is out there chugging away through the hazy and hot conditions. https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/beijing-pollution-awaits-runners-at-worlds-just-like-08/2015/08/20/452d4f68-4702-11e5-9f53-d1e3ddfd0cda_story.html http://www.usnews.com/news/sports/articles/2015/08/20/beijing-pollution-awaits-runners-at-worlds-just-like-08 CLIMATE CHANGE Global Climate Deal Under Threat. More countries need to submit emission-reduction targets, EU climate chief warns. A planned global deal to keep average temperatures from rising more than two degrees Celsius to contain climate change is under threat unless more countries submit emission-reduction targets and technical negotiations are substantially accelerated, the European Union’s energy and climate commissioner warned Thursday. http://www.wsj.com/articles/global-climate-deal-under-threat-1440071864?mod=fox_australian Climate Boss Says EU Can Only Back a Strong Paris Deal. The European Union will support a U.N. deal to cap global warming only if the agreement is legally binding and includes regular reviews to ensure words translate into deeds, Europe's climate boss said on Thursday. With just 10 days scheduled for formal negotiations before landmark talks begin in Paris on Nov. 30, preparations are painfully slow. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/08/20/uk-eu-climatechange-idUKKCN0QP1J920150820 http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2015/08/20/world/asia/20reuters-eu-climatechange.html To Ease Climate Change, U.S. Should End Drilling on Federal Land: Study. Up to 450 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases would be kept out of the atmosphere if the U.S. government stopped leasing federal lands to fossil fuel companies, according to a study released on Wednesday. The government currently allows energy companies to lease federal lands for drilling, and environmental groups… http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2015/08/20/us/20reuters-usa-climatechange-carbon.html Obama to Visit New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina Anniversary. President Obama will travel to New Orleans next week for the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, one of the costliest disasters in United States history. Mr. Obama will use the Aug. 27 anniversary to promote his administration’s efforts to restore the economy and infrastructure of the region, which include building barriers to protect against a recurrence of the disaster… http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/20/us/president-obama-hurricane-katrina-new-orleans.html Feeling the Heat: Earth in July Was Hottest Month on Record. Federal officials say July was Earth's hottest month on record, smashing old marks. July's average temperature was 61.86 degrees Fahrenheit, beating the previous global mark set in 1998 and 2010 by about one-seventh of a degree. That's a large margin for weather records. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/08/20/science/ap-us-sci-hottest-month.html EU Urges G20 Countries to Make Climate Goals Public. The European Union is urging major emerging industrialized powers to make public their emissions targets ahead of a key climate conference in December. Top EU climate official Miguel Arias Canete called Thursday on Argentina, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Turkey to submit goals to the United Nations. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/08/20/world/europe/ap-eu-europe-climate.html One of the world’s fastest melting glaciers may have just lost its biggest chunk of ice on record. While examining satellite images of Greenland’s massive Jakobshavn glacier over the weekend, members of the Arctic Sea Ice Forum noticed something odd: Between August 14 and August 16, it appeared as though a huge chunk of ice — which some guessed might be the largest ever observed — broke away from the glacier’s face. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/08/19/one-of-the-worlds-fastest-melting-glaciers-may-have-just-lost-its-biggest-chunk-of-ice-ever/ Global warming worsened the California drought, scientists say. California’s drought was spawned by natural weather variations that have bedeviled the West throughout recorded history. But a new study released Thursday says human-caused global warming is worsening the natural phenomenon. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/08/20/scientists-say-global-warming-has-made-californias-drought-25-percent-worse/ Why lawmaker says climate-change bill is actually good for business. Over the last 15 years, Fran Pavley has stood at the forefront of the most progressive and controversial energy policies in the state of California. She is the author of Assembly Bill 32, which established the state’s cap-and-trade program. The Agoura Hills state Senator, a Democrat who served in the Assembly until 2006… http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2015/08/19/why-lawmaker-says-climate-change-bill-is-actually.html In climate change era, new idea for conservation takes shape. Conservation has long been about protecting communities of plants and animals where they are. But climate change is leading to a nascent form of conservation that embraces change and instead seeks to provide a thriving stage on which it can happen. http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2015/0820/In-climate-change-era-new-idea-for-conservation-takes-shape Climate stance of Australian politicians 'disturbing' – US Geological Survey chief. Chief scientist Virginia Burkett says: ‘I thought it was just a US problem but it’s not, apparently, it’s a global problem’. A senior US government official has decried a “disturbing” rejection of climate science by Australian politicians. Virginia Burkett, chief scientist for climate and land-use change at the US Geological Survey… http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/aug/20/climate-stance-of-australian-politicians-disturbing-us-geological-survey-chief?utm_source=Daily%20Carbon%20Briefing&utm_campaign=32f421ed6c-cb_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_876aab4fd7-32f421ed6c-303452465 Climate change and the California drought cause farmers to experience record early harvests. Will these changes impact grape, almond and major California crops? On July 24, winemaker Abe Schoener began picking his first pinot grigio grapes. It was the earliest start of harvest in Schoener's grape-growing career. Other Sacramento and California farmers also have experienced record early harvests… https://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/climate-change-the-california/content?oid=18026315 Reduced carbon emission estimates from fossil fuel combustion and cement production in China. Nearly three-quarters of the growth in global carbon emissions from the burning of fossil fuels and cement production between 2010 and 2012 occurred in China1, 2. Yet estimates of Chinese emissions remain subject to large uncertainty; inventories of China’s total fossil fuel carbon emissions in 2008 differ by 0.3 gigatonnes of carbon… http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v524/n7565/full/nature14677.html Montana reviews proposal for climate change ballot initiative. A retired clergyman and a one-time political candidate have teamed up in an effort to put global warming mitigation to a statewide vote in 2016. John Soderberg, former minister of the Bozeman United Methodist Church, submitted on Wednesday a ballot initiative to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released from electricity generators in Montana. http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/montana-reviews-proposal-for-climate-change-ballot-initiative/article_3831ef7c-f769-588c-859c-8449b44c0fd5.html DROUGHT California land quickly sinking in drought costs farmers. Land in Central California's agricultural region is sinking so quickly because of the state's historic drought that it is forcing farmers to spend millions of dollars upgrading irrigation canals and putting roads, bridges and other infrastructure at risk. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CALIFORNIA_DROUGHT_SINKING_LAND?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/08/20/us/ap-us-california-drought-sinking-land.html Wildfires Wreak Havoc in Drought-Choked Western States. Wildfires rampaged across the drought-choked West on Thursday as authorities scrambled for resources to beat back the flames. The blazes took a deadly turn in Washington state, where three firefighters were killed and four more injured. Here's a look at large wildfires burning in several Western states… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_WESTERN_WILDFIRES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/08/20/us/ap-us-western-wildfires.html Study Sees Dying Wildlife, Bigger Fires if Drought Lasts. The carcasses of salmon, trout and more than a dozen other newly extinct native species lie in dry streambeds around California. Exhausted firefighters in the Sierra Nevada battle some of the biggest wildfires they've ever seen. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CALIFORNIA_DROUGHT_CRISES_TO_COME_1ST_LD_WRITETHRU?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/08/20/us/ap-us-california-drought-crises-to-come-1st-ld-writethru.html http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060023693 Climate Change Intensifies California Drought, Scientists Say. Global warming caused by human emissions has most likely intensified the drought in California by roughly 15 to 20 percent, scientists said Thursday, warning that future dry spells in the state are almost certain to be worse than this one as the world continues to heat up. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/21/science/climate-change-intensifies-california-drought-scientists-say.html California: Pumping of Water Speeds Sinking of Land. Vast areas of California’s Central Valley are sinking faster than in the past as huge amounts of groundwater are pumped during the drought, NASA said in research released Wednesday. In some places, the ground is sinking nearly two inches each month, putting surface infrastructure at growing risk of damage. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/20/us/california-pumping-of-water-speeds-sinking-of-land.html?mabReward=CTM&moduleDetail=recommendations-1&action=click&contentCollection=U.S.®ion=Footer&module=WhatsNext&version=WhatsNext&contentID=WhatsNext&src=recg&pgtype=article Another 2 or 3 years of drought? Report looks at what it might mean. Should the current drought extend for another two or three years, most California cities and much of the state's agriculture would be able to manage, but the toll on small rural communities dependent on well-water and on wetlands and wildlife could be extensive. That was the assessment of a new study… http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-what-if-drought-continues-20150819-story.html California drought: Climate change plays a role, study says. But how big? A growing number of scientists have made the claim that climate change is at least partly responsible for California's crippling drought. Now researchers have estimated the extent to which humans are to blame: between 8% and 27%. In other words, without heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions causing temperatures to rise… http://www.latimes.com/science/la-sci-climate-change-drought-20150820-story.html http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/08/20/stories/1060023693 The Climate Change ‘Bully’ in California’s Drought. There’s a drought in California. Perhaps you’ve heard a few things about it. Like the fact that it’s cost the state $2.7 billion in losses, helped burn up roughly 118,000 acres of forest this year to date and inspired Los Angeles to release a 96 million-strong armada of shade balls into reservoirs (though it was apparently a PR stunt). http://www.climatecentral.org/news/climate-change-bully-california-drought-19354 How Much Of California’s Drought Was Caused By Climate Change? Scientists Now Have The Answer. Over the last few years, as California’s historic, four-year drought has intensified, scientists have found clues linking the extreme weather event to human-caused climate change. Now, a new study is the first to estimate just how much climate change contributed to the drought. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/08/20/3692972/quantifying-climate-change-in-californias-drought/ FUELS Oil price falls on surprise climb in US crude supplies. The price of oil fell to its lowest closing price in almost six and a half years Wednesday on new data showing that U.S. crude inventories rose at a time of year when they are typically in decline. Shares of the world's biggest oil companies were battered after the report, with Exxon Mobil, BP, Marathon Oil, Chevron and ConocoPhillips all sliding to multiyear lows. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OIL_COMPANIES_STOCKS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Cheap Oil’s Making It Tough for Ethanol to Pay the Bills. Cheap crude oil may make it hard for ethanol companies to pay their bills on time. The lowest oil prices in six years are hitting biofuel producers two ways: They’re making ethanol less attractive as a blend for gasoline, and emboldening the arguments of petroleum backers who say the U.S. law mandating consumption of the fuel alternative is obsolete… http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-NTCHBT6JIJUQ01-03AJPBFIRRI15CSUG7645KQ02D GREEN ENERGY UK may use EU small print to swerve impact of green cuts. Britain is thinking of using an EU loophole to dodge the impact of its own subsidy cuts on renewable energy and escape fines for missing 2020 European renewable targets. Under EU rules Britain could use the loophole, termed statistical transfer, which would see it pay other, greener, EU countries overshooting their targets, to make up the difference. http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL5N10V2AS20150820 EU Debate on Green Energy Targets Pitches UK Against Germany. Britain and Germany will line up on opposite sides of a European Union green energy debate starting next month on how to meet agreed renewable energy targets for the next decade. The 28 member states agreed climate and energy goals last October, but to make it easier to get a deal, the decision went only as far as a framework. http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2015/08/19/world/europe/19reuters-eu-energy-targets.html State offers new incentives for home heating. New incentives are available from the state for residential and industrial wood heating systems, according to a media release from NYSERDA. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority recently announced increased levels of support through Renewable Heat NY for high-efficiency, low-emission wood heating systems to improve the return-on-investment for homeowners and businesses. http://www.thedailystar.com/news/local_news/state-offers-new-incentives-for-home-heating/article_14b9e9b1-c947-56b5-b415-41ce48fed8b4.html New cell taps captured CO2 for a range of clean energy uses. A simple electrochemical cell could turn carbon dioxide from the air into materials used in many clean energy applications, researchers have found. At scale, the setup could produce carbon nanofibers in a way that actually reduces greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/08/20/stories/1060023692 MISCELLANEOUS For Latinos, Environment Seems Just As Important As Immigration. An increasing amount of research suggests the environment — an issue that has long been seen within the purview of progressive, white liberals — is now increasingly important to Latinos. A new poll conducted by Latino Decisions (a polling firm focusing on Hispanics in America) on behalf of two environmental nonprofit groups… http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/08/19/432774289/for-latinos-environment-seems-just-as-important-as-immigration OPINIONS The World’s Hot Spot. Here’s my bet about the future of Sunni, Shiite, Arab, Turkish, Kurdish and Israeli relations: If they don’t end their long-running conflicts, Mother Nature is going to destroy them all long before they destroy one another. Let me point out a few news items you may have missed while debating the Iran nuclear deal. On July 31, USA Today reported that in Bandar Mahshahr, Iran, a city adjacent to the Persian Gulf… http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/19/opinion/thomas-friedman-the-worlds-hot-spot.html?ribbon-ad-idx=4&src=me&module=Ribbon&version=origin®ion=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Most%20Emailed&pgtype=article&_r=0 GOP presidential wannabes have no clue about drought. California’s severe drought has proven to be an opportunity to rethink the state’s complex water policies and improve its resilience. Unfortunately, it also is proving to be an opportunity to make political points. In the past few days, several Republican candidates for president have weighed in, essentially blaming the drought on Democrats… http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article31547585.html#storylink=cpy Another View: Big Oil is gouging Californians. The math is so simple, anyone should be able to grasp it: Triple the gasoline prices + Triple oil refiner profits = Golden State Gouging. Instead, Dan Walters ignores facts and misuses gas pricing data to wrongly blame environmental standards for unprecedented pain at the pump that is the result of historic oil industry profiteering (“Steyer’s flunking logic test,” Aug. 12). http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article31551845.html#storylink=cpy Obama's Clean Power Plan is bad news for California. The White House recently released its Clean Power Plan, which aims to reduce the nation’s carbon dioxide emissions by 32 percent by 2030. Almost immediately, California Gov. Jerry Brown praised the plan, claimed it should be the model for international agreements and touted California’s own statewide plans. But California’s carbon control program should be a warning… http://www.ocregister.com/articles/power-678408-california-plan.html BLOGS On a Climate Roll: EPA Starts to Tackle Methane, Following Historic Carbon Pollution Standards. Earlier this month, the U.S. EPA took the historic step of setting the first-ever standards for carbon dioxide pollution from power plants, our nation's largest source of climate pollution. This week, the agency took another step forward by starting the process of addressing the second-largest industrial source of climate pollution: rampant methane pollution from the oil and gas industry. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/mgeertsma/on_a_climate_roll_epa_starts_t.html California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.