What's New List Serve Post Display
Below is the List Serve Post you selected to display.
newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 15, 2015
Posted: 15 Sep 2015 12:27:56
ARB Newsclips for September 15, 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. AIR POLLUTION Malaysia to begin cloud-seeding as schools shut due to haze. Heavy haze forced Malaysian authorities to shut schools Tuesday in three states and two key cities as aircraft prepared to begin cloud-seeding operations to induce rain to help clear the air. Indonesia intensified efforts to extinguish the forest fires that cause the haze, which blanketed parts of the archipelago and neighboring countries. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_MALAYSIA_HAZE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Beijing to impose fee on emitters to curb pollution: Xinhua. Manufacturers of furniture, petrochemicals, automobiles and electronics in Beijing will start paying fees in October for emitting volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a source of air pollution, the Xinhua state news agency said on Tuesday. Pollution has triggered increasing unease in China, where smog blankets many major cities… http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/15/us-china-pollution-idUSKCN0RF1IR20150915 Air Pollution Can Send You to An Early Grave, Study Says. Toxic chemicals from the air could send you to an early grave. Breathing in tiny particles of toxic chemicals from the air could lead to an increased risk of premature death, a large new study suggests. "Our data add to a growing body of evidence that particulate matter is really harmful to health… http://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2015/09/15/air-pollution-exposure-may-boost-risk-of-early-death Pollution Kills — Even With Stricter Air Standards, Study Finds. Air pollution kills people — even with new, stricter standards on emissions, according to a study released Tuesday. The survey of more than 500,000 Americans shows that as air pollution levels rise in the areas where they live, rates of death rise. The researchers have even shown that as levels of certain pollutants in the air go up, rates of death go up… http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/pollution-kills-even-stricter-air-standards-study-finds-n427726 Cargill Agrees to Settle Clean Air Act Violations. Cargill has reached an administrative civil settlement with the EPA over alleged violations of the Clean Air Act at its Vitamin E manufacturing facility in Eddyville, Iowa. Cargill’s Eddyville facility uses the hazardous air pollutants methanol, methyl tertiary butyl ether, and formaldehyde to produce Vitamin E and similar compounds from soybean byproducts. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2015/09/14/cargill-agrees-to-settle-clean-air-act-violations/#ixzz3lpoyD9cX Researchers cement link between airborne particulates and mortality. Even minuscule amounts of tiny airborne particles can lead to an increase in deaths from heart disease, researchers have found. Health officials have long associated breathing in particles that are 2.5 microns across or less with increased cardiovascular distress. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/09/15/stories/1060024685 CLIMATE CHANGE Chinese cities pledge early carbon emissions peak under deal with U.S. Leaders of 11 Chinese cities and provinces are to announce that their carbon emissions will start to fall earlier than China's national target of 2030 at a U.S.-China meeting on Tuesday, a move meant to build momentum for a global climate change accord in December. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/15/us-usa-climatechange-china-idUSKCN0RF18820150915 http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/16/us/us-and-chinese-climate-change-negotiators-to-meet-in-los-angeles.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&_r=2 http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-obama-china-climate-20150915-story.html http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/09/15/stories/1060024682 http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/sep/15/us-and-chinese-cities-reveal-stronger-pledges-to-cut-emissions Green Dreams Stymied as Turnbull Backs Abbott Climate Policy. Anyone hoping that Australia will do more to fight climate change after Malcolm Turnbull ousted Tony Abbott to become prime minister may be disappointed. After beating Abbott in a late-night ballot of Liberal Party lawmakers, Turnbull described the nation’s current climate policy as “a very, very good piece of work.” http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-15/greener-australia-dreams-stymied-as-turnbull-backs-abbott-policy California Lawmakers Just Gutted Brown's Climate Bills. So What? Jerry Brown’s dreams of cutting California’s gasoline use in half and imposing a stricter limit on greenhouse-gas emissions may have died on the legislative floor last week. But they live on elsewhere. There are plenty of ways for the four-term governor to achieve his goals with an end-run around the legislature. http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-09-14/california-lawmakers-just-gutted-brown-s-climate-bills-so-what- U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern Travels to Los Angeles. U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern will travel September 15 – 16 to Los Angeles, California to represent the U.S. Department of State at the U.S.-China Climate Leaders Summit. Announced last November by President Obama and President Xi Jinping during the historic U.S.-China Joint Announcement on Climate Change… http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/national-news/5273-u-s-special-envoy-for-climate-change-todd-stern-travels-to-los-angeles.html A very strong El Niño is increasing the likelihood of a wet winter during California's record drought. The latest observations are clear: A monster El Niño is currently brewing in the Pacific Ocean. The latest satellite observations and computer models from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) point to a sea surface warming… http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/california-news/5260-a-very-strong-el-nino-is-increasing-the-likelihood-of-a-wet-winter-during-california-s-record-drought.html How to beat the climate crisis? Start with carrots. To speed up progress in tackling climate change, policymakers need to build political support by investing in clean-energy industries rather than first penalizing polluters, according to a new policy paper by UC Berkeley researchers. In the paper, published today in the journal Science, a multidisciplinary team of environmental… http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/california-news/5257-how-to-beat-the-climate-crisis-start-with-carrots.html Nuclear Capacity Set to Grow by 45 Percent by 2035. Global nuclear power generation capacity could increase by more than 45 percent in the next 20 years but the pace of growth will still fall short of what is needed to curb climate change, an industry organization report showed this week. http://www.climatecentral.org/news/nuclear-capacity-set-to-grow-by-45-percent-by-2035-19437 City Cuts Eliminate as Much Global Warming Pollution as Japan Produces. Leaders of Los Angeles, Beijing and more than two dozen other Chinese and American municipalities will announce sweeping climate change commitments today as they prepare for a landmark U.N. deal in December. The promises of 11 Chinese cities to peak greenhouse gas emissions… http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/city-cuts-eliminate-as-much-global-warming-pollution-as-japan-produces/ GOP moderates to push to fight climate change. A group of moderate Republicans is working on a resolution calling for action to fight climate change. The effort, led by Rep. Chris Gibson (R-N.Y.) seeks to get at least some in the GOP on the record as agreeing with Democrats and the vast majority of scientists that the climate is changing and that human activity is to blame. http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/253681-house-republicans-to-push-to-fight-climate-change Hotter times are coming: Effect of El Niño or renewed warming? Researchers predict rapid warming over the next couple years, matching record-breaking recent months. The global warming “pause” may be over, and things are heating up. Record high temperatures are likely to continue and warming rates are increasing… http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2015/0915/Hotter-times-are-coming-Effect-of-El-Nino-or-renewed-warming Emaciated polar bear pictures raise global warming concerns. Photographs of underweight polar bears have gone viral on social media and raised concerns about the effects of climate change. Photographs of emaciated polar bears have gone viral on social media, and raised concerns over the effects of global warming. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/environment/globalwarming/11865256/Emaciated-polar-bear-pictures-raise-global-warming-concerns.html http://news.discovery.com/animals/endangered-species/photo-of-sickly-polar-bear-signals-tragedy-ahead-in-arctic-150915.htm Land degradation exacerbated by warming costing the world trillions – report. Researchers have just calculated the economic cost of land degradation worldwide, and the figures are astronomical, reaching 10 to 17 percent of the world's total gross domestic product. According to a report released today by the Economics of Land Degradation Initiative, an interdisciplinary partnership of experts… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/09/15/stories/1060024679 DROUGHT California voters increasingly squeezed by drought. As one of California’s most severe droughts on record continues to worsen, more than one in three state voters say the drought has had a major impact on them and the lives of their families, according to results from the latest USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences/Los Angeles Times Poll. http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/california-news/5262-california-voters-increasingly-squeezed-by-drought.html CA drought: Desert falling behind on water conservation. All six Coachella Valley water agencies failed to meet their state-mandated conservation targets in August, and it will be increasingly difficult for them to make up lost ground in the coming months. Myoma Dunes Mutual Water Company led the way by cutting water use 30 percent, six percentage points shy of its goal. http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2015/09/11/coachella-valley-falling-behind--water-conservation/72104142/ FUELS EU extends import duties on U.S. biodiesel to 2020. The European Union is extending anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties imposed on U.S. biodiesel imports for a further five years, until September 2020, maintaining its defense against trade in the renewable fuel source. The bloc set the duties in 2009 on a number of U.S. producers of biodiesel, including Archer Daniels Midland Co and Cargill Inc., effectively bringing to a halt $1 billion in annual trade. http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL5N11L0PQ20150915 VEHICLES Toyota launches hydrogen-fueled sedan. Toyota is taking the next step in its quest for carbon-free travel with the launch of the Mirai hydrogen-fueled sedan. The Japanese brand that pioneered the hybrid gas-electric powertrain sees hydrogen cars as the end-game, following plug-in hybrids and full-electric vehicles. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FRANKFURT_AUTO_SHOW_TOYOTA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT VW unveils battery-powered Porsche in Frankfurt. The world's biggest carmakers have made a fresh show of commitment to electric vehicles, with Volkswagen unveiling a battery-powered Porsche capable of travelling 500km on a single charge and refuelling to almost full in 15 minutes. VW, the world's second-biggest carmaker by sales… http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/15/vw-unveils-battery-powered-porsche-in-frankfurt.html GREEN ENERGY Will solar energy shine on poor communities? A billion-dollar effort to bring more rooftop solar to multi-family housing projects in poor communities is among a raft of clean-energy remedies approved late last week by California lawmakers, and now awaiting the governor's signature. http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/sep/14/solar-shine-poor-renters/ Santa Rosa to partner with Tesla in 'microgrid' project at wastewater plant. Santa Rosa is taking part in an innovative energy efficiency project that aims to improve the resiliency of the state’s power grid in part by parking a massive Tesla battery pack outside its Llano Road wastewater treatment plant. The project, which is funded by a $5 million grant from the California Energy Commission… http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4456463-181/santa-rosa-to-partner-with MISCELLANEOUS Scientists see how the brain makes environmental decisions. Natural resources are under increasing threat from both human development and climate change, and environmental economists have struggled to understand how the public assigns value to remaining pristine wilderness areas. In a recent study, environmental scientists and psychologists teamed up to explore how people make environmental decisions. http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/latest-news/5261-scientists-see-how-the-brain-makes-environmental-decisions.html OPINIONS Plug-in electric vehicles are setting the pace. This month marks a new milestone. With global sales set to reach 1 million vehicles this month, zero emission vehicles are becoming the new normal. In particular, plug-in electric vehicles, or PEVs – with their cost effectiveness, competitive performance and increasing convenience – are lining up at dealerships and traffic signals around the world. http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article35254344.html#storylink=cpy There's a Simpler Way to Fight Climate Change, California. Say this for California's landmark bill to reduce carbon emissions: It doesn't lack for ambition. At the same time, it shows the pitfalls of relying too much on regulators instead of the market. The original bill would have set in law three extraordinary targets for 2030: Get half the state's power from renewable sources... http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-09-14/there-s-a-simpler-way-to-fight-climate-change-california How the Golden State got so green. Brown may be the new green in California during the drought, but a UC Berkeley authority on the politics of health, safety and environmental regulation says the state is, and historically has been, unabashedly green. http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/california-news/5258-how-the-golden-state-got-so-green.html BLOGS Snowpack In Sierra Nevada At 500-Year Low. An "ominous sign of the severity of this drought," researchers said. California's record multiyear drought is severe, but new research suggests that, historically, it may be even worse than previously thought. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/snowpack-sierra-nevada-california_55f70110e4b042295e370bec Obama's Alaska Global Warming Story Backfires. President Obama attempted to gin up concern about global warming during his recent high-profile trip to Alaska, but he inadvertently called attention to major flaws in alarmist global warming theory. If Obama wants to use Alaska as a poster child in the global warming debate, skeptics will be all too happy to oblige. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamestaylor/2015/09/15/alaska-is-the-front-line-in-global-warming-debate/ California passes one weakened climate bill, wholly fails to pass a second. Late Friday night, the California state legislature passed a new climate bill, and while it will lead to some progress, overall its passage should ring as a disappointment to environmentalists. The Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act, or Senate Bill 350 — an ostensibly “landmark” piece of legislation — will beef up the state’s renewable… http://grist.org/climate-energy/california-passes-one-weakened-climate-bill-wholly-fails-to-pass-a-second/ Alabama Students Will Finally Be Required To Learn About Climate Change And Evolution. "We still have to teach what the science is." Students in Alabama will be required to learn about climate change and evolution for the first time next year, after officials announced an overhaul of the state's science education standards. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/alabama-schools-climate-change-evolution_55f6e154e4b042295e36d3f2 3 Big Challenges Facing Electric Cars. The electric car is a long way from mainstream, despite the popularity of the idea. Electric vehicles, or EVs, have fully entered the public consciousness, in large part because of the success and publicity generated by Tesla Motors’ (TSLA -0.38%) Model S. However, investors should remember that the company’s sales are still measured in the tens of thousands per year… http://time.com/money/4033934/electric-car-challenges/?xid=homepage Rebuttal: The case for EPA’s proposed methane regulations is just common sense. On the Congress blog last week, Katie Brown argued against the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed new rules to reduce the 7 million tons of methane emissions released by the oil and gas industry each year. Those companies could easily be rallying around solutions to a problem they’ve already agreed is manageable. http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-environment/253422-rebuttal-the-case-for-epas-proposed-methane Solar Power Today and its Potential for the Future. Solar power, once called the energy of the future, is actually the energy of today. This week in Anaheim California, Solar Power International (SPI), the largest solar power trade show in North America, will host 15,000 attendees with over 600 exhibitors to talk about solar energy. One indication of how the Obama administration views solar power is that Vice President Biden… http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-d-rosenstein/solar-power-today-and-its_b_8134790.html Appropriations Showdown on Climate Change. Earlier this year, in promoting its fiscal year 2016 budget resolution, the Republican majority on the House Budget Committee pronounced, “It is fundamentally unfair to our kids and grandkids for today’s policymakers to be so undisciplined and to ignore difficult decisions. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/news/2015/09/15/121062/appropriations-showdown-on-climate-change/ 5 things you should know about Australia's new PM Malcolm Turnbull. He’s been a successful businessman who defended a British spy. Australia has just seen yet another leadership change, with challenger Malcolm Turnbull toppling incumbent Tony Abbott to become the country’s 29th prime minister. Turnbull defeated Abbott 54-44 in a leadership ballot for the Liberal Party… http://fortune.com/2015/09/14/malcolm-turnbull-australia-prime-minister/ Carbon to replace milk as the new quota in farming. Carbon will become the new quota in Irish farming, according to Trinity College economist Professor Alan Matthews. Matthews was addressing over 400 farming and food industry leaders at the Agricultural Science Association (ASA) conference in Kilkenny recently. Professor Matthews said following the ending of the 31-year milk quota system… http://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/carbon-to-replace-milk-as-the-new-quota-in-farming/ To Stop Climate Change, We Must Grow Movements of Moral Force. Today, from Syria to California, climate change is costing us lives and livelihood. The headlines are new, but our knowledge of the problem is not. The Nixon administration was warned about climate change in 1969, and fossil fuel companies and the U.S. Congress were aware of it in the 1980s. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/benjamin-franta/to-stop-climate-change-we_b_8134792.html The next 2 years are going to be even hotter because of continued global warming. Man-made global warming is set to produce exceptionally high average temperatures this year and next, boosted by natural weather phenomena such as El Nino, Britain's top climate and weather body said in a report Monday. "It looks very likely that globally 2014, 2015 and 2016 will all be amongst the very warmest years ever recorded… http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-global-warming-to-pick-up-in-2015-2016-experts-2015-9 Plano couple among consumers in class action suit against Lumber Liquidators over formaldehyde. A representative complaint has been filed in federal court on behalf of several classes of consumers in five state, including Texas, alleging that Toano, Virginia-based Lumber Liquidators (NYSE: LL) fraudulently sold composite flooring that contained excessive and unlawful levels of formaldehyde. http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/blog/morning_call/2015/09/plano-couple-among-consumers-in-class-action-suit.html California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.