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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 26, 2016
Posted: 26 Sep 2016 13:52:30
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 Paris tackles air pollution with second car-free day. Paris banned cars from large swaths of the French capital on Sunday as part of Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s wider efforts to fight air pollution. But critics say her policies are only shifting the problem elsewhere. Around half of Paris was off limits to cars during a seven-hour period for the capital’s second “Day without cars” (Journée sans voitures), with exceptions made for public buses, taxis and emergency vehicles. http://www.france24.com/en/20160925-paris-day-without-cars-mayor-hidalgo-air-pollution-environment-france Air pollution takes its toll on productivity even for those with desk jobs. Each month, the NBER Digest summarizes several recent NBER working papers. These papers have not been peer-reviewed, but are circulated by their authors for comment and discussion. With the NBER’s blessing, Making Sen$e is pleased to feature these summaries regularly on our page. The following summary was written by the NBER and doesn’t necessarily reflect the views of Making Sen$e. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/making-sense/air-pollution-takes-takes-toll-productivity-even-desk-jobs/ Soberanes smoke illustrates one piece of valley's air pollution puzzle. You couldn’t have asked for a better real-life, real-time example of how much Northern California’s pollution affects the valley than we got last Monday from the Soberanes Fire burning near Monterey. Smoke from that fire has been affecting our air quality from the time it started in July. But on Monday, a strong low pressure system shoved the Soberanes smoke over the coastal range so aggressively that the smoke streamed southeast and filled our valley to the brim. http://www.bakersfield.com/columnists/lois-henry-soberanes-smoke-illustrates-one-piece-of-valley-s/article_bdc98c5a-26e2-50e1-9143-25707c181bb3.html CLIMATE CHANGE Study: Earth’s Roughly Warmest in About 100,000 Years. A new study paints a picture of an Earth that is warmer than it has been in about 120,000 years, and is locked into eventually hitting its hottest mark in more than 2 million years. As part of her doctoral dissertation at Stanford University, Carolyn Snyder , now a climate policy official at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, created a continuous 2 million year temperature record, much longer than a previous 22,000 year record. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_HISTORIC_TEMPERATURES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT A New Debate Over Pricing the Risks of Climate Change. Some companies, including Exxon Mobil, say the economics of climate change are too hard to predict for them to give investors hard numbers about the business impact of global warming. Federal regulators may disagree and are considering requiring Exxon to do just that for the value of its oil reserves. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/27/business/energy-environment/a-new-debate-over-pricing-the-risks-of-climate-change.html U.S. Likely to Fall Short of International Climate Change Commitments, Study Says. The U.S. will likely fall short of its international commitments to fight climate change, even if the country implements a slew of proposed regulations, according to a new study. The U.S. committed to reducing greenhouse gas emission by 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025 in advance of last year’s landmark talks on climate change. The Paris Agreement that resulted from those talks commits the U.S. to working toward and reporting on those goals, but the country will not face any direct penalties if it fails to meet them. http://time.com/4505906/climate-change-paris-agreement-united-states/ Related stories: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_GLOBAL_WARMING_GOALS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/26/13035506/us-climate-change-policies-paris-accords-plan-fossil-fuels Australians Demand Tougher Action to Combat Climate Change. Support in Australia for action on climate change is at its highest in almost a decade, according to a new report. The survey, compiled by an independent research organization, shows the majority of respondents believe Australia should be a world-leader in solutions to tackle the effects of rising temperatures. The Climate of the Nation report is Australia’s longest running survey of public views on climate change. It was compiled by the Climate Institute, an independent research body. http://www.voanews.com/a/australians-demanding-tougher-action-to-combat-climate-change/3525104.html Would you fly less to tackle climate change? 2 in 3 Brits would. Six out of 10 Britons not already doing so would be willing to fly less in the next year to tackle climate change, according to a new poll for environmental charity WWF. The poll also found that 67 percent of travellers would be happy to pay in order to offset the environmental impact of their return flight in Europe. The WWF said that cutting out one return flight to Europe is roughly equivalent to driving 1,500 miles less in terms of carbon savings. http://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/26/would-you-fly-less-to-tackle-climate-change-2-in-3-brits-would.html DIESEL EMISSIONS How to Reduce Diesel-Engine Emissions at Ports. US ports can reduce emissions from diesel-powered ships, trucks and other port equipment through a variety of strategies and clean technologies, according to an EPA report. National Port Strategy Assessment: Reducing Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gases at US Ports examines current and future emission trends from diesel engines in port areas, and explores the emissions reduction potential of strategies like replacing and repowering older, dirtier vehicles and engines and deploying zero emissions technologies. https://www.environmentalleader.com/2016/09/26/how-to-reduce-diesel-engine-emissions-at-ports/ PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT India to ratify Paris Agreement on climate change. India's prime minister said Sunday that his country will ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change early next month. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his government will ratify the agreement Oct. 2, coinciding with the birth anniversary of India's independence leader Mohandas Gandhi, who believed in a minimum carbon footprint. Modi made the announcement at a meeting of his Bharatiya Janata Party's leaders in the southern Indian town of Kozhikode. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_INDIA_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Related stories: http://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/article104070756.html ENERGY California Eyes Unusual Power Source: Its Gridlocked Road. All those cars on California's famously gridlocked highways could be doing more than just using energy - they could be producing it. The California Energy Commission is investing $2 million to study whether piezoelectric crystals can be used to produce electricity from the mechanical energy created by vehicles driving on roads. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ENERGY_FROM_ROADS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Going Green: Microsoft Pledges to Run on 50% Renewable Energy by 2018. Big tech companies like Microsoft are up to all sorts of impressive research in the fields of artificial intelligence, medicine, and robotics. But to power all that, you need, well, power. Sometimes our environment really pays for this innovation. To solve this problem, Microsoft is going green. The company just announced new targets for its renewable energy use, pledging to run 50% on green energy by 2018. Early in the next decade, Microsoft hopes to be at 60%, then continue increasing each subsequent year. It is looking at a mix of solar, wind, and hydropower for its needs. http://futurism.com/going-green-microsoft-pledges-to-run-on-50-renewable-energy-by-2018/ Goldman’s ReNew Seeks $300 Million for Green Energy. ReNew Power Ventures Pvt. wants to raise a part of the $300 million required for expansion of its green-energy projects before top shareholder, Goldman Sachs Group Inc., helps bring the company public next financial year. ReNew Power will try to raise $100 to $150 million by March, Chairman Sumant Sinha said in an interview, adding that the balance would be raised through an initial public offering. The company, with almost 1 gigawatt of solar and wind power in operation, wants to double capacity by the end of the financial year in March and has another gigawatt under construction. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-09-25/goldman-s-renew-seeks-300-million-more-before-indian-green-ipo VEHICLES How will I charge my electric vehicle? And where? And how much will it cost? With the impending late-2016 arrival of the Chevrolet Bolt EV and the expected late-2017 arrival of the Tesla Model 3, affordable long-range battery electric vehicles are an option for increasing numbers of American drivers. But most prospective owners are confused about how they’ll charge their electric vehicles, and where, and how long it will take, and how much range they’ll get between charges and how much the electricity is going to cost them. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-agenda-ev-charging-20160920-snap-story.html Are Most Electric Vehicle Owners Converting To Tesla? This weekend, I was able to attend two different National Drive Electric Week events here in Florida. I’ve been attending these events for years and they’re always a lot of fun. It gives me an opportunity to check out new electric vehicles and meet other electric vehicle (EV) owners. This year, I had an epiphany — nearly every EV owner I met had pre-ordered a Tesla Model 3. And, many other non-Tesla EV owners had just purchased a new, inventory, or CPO Tesla Model S. It appeared, in this ultra-small sample size, as if Tesla was converting other EV owners to their brand in a really, reallybig way. http://cleantechnica.com/2016/09/24/finding-religion-electric-vehicle-owners-converting-tesla/ City permits curbside electric vehicle charging as part of pilot program. For several months after they bought their electric car, Bernhard Haux and Amy Hale could not charge it at their Berkeley home. With no garage or driveway to install a standard charger in, the couple was one of the first to be granted a permit by the city to install a curbside charging station. The permit is part of a pilot program to allow up to 25 Berkeley households to install curbside stations by the end of 2017. http://www.dailycal.org/2016/09/25/city-permits-curbside-electric-vehicle-charging-part-pilot-program/ EVs Will Reduce US Gasoline Demand by 300,000 Barrels per Day by 2035. According to a report released earlier this year by Wood Mackenzie, Tesla’s Model 3 will spur widespread adoption of electric vehicles, which will in turn reduce U.S. gasoline demand by 300,000 barrels per day by 2035. The report, Tesla Model 3: Does It Signal an Electric Car Revolution?, is bullish on the Model 3. The authors point to the current success of Tesla’s Model S and the huge number of preorders for next year’s Model 3 as early indicators of its future mainstream adoption. http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/Wood-Mackenzie-EVs-Will-Reduce-US-Gasoline-Demand-by-300000-Barrels-Per-D The electric cars available today, how much they cost, and how far they go — in one chart. So you want an electric car. You’re not alone — surveys show that consumer interest in EVs is steadily rising. People are slowly becoming convinced that EVs are real, not some distant techno-future. But consumers are also confused. There’s a lot of hype and misinformation floating around about EVs. http://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2016/9/23/13018294/electric-cars-price-range-one-chart MISCELLANEOUS President Obama Will Meet with Leonardo DiCaprio to Talk Climate Change at White House. Leonardo DiCaprio is heading to the White House. The Oscar winner is set to meet with President Barack Obama next week to discuss climate change, the White House announced Sunday. The conversation, which will also be joined by climate scientist Dr. Katharine Hayhoe and center on "the importance of protecting the one planet we've got for future generations," will be part of the inaugural South by South Lawn: A White House Festival of Ideas, Art, and Action. The Oct. 3 discussion will be followed by a screening of DiCaprio's new climate documentary Before the Flood. http://www.people.com/article/president-obama-leonardo-dicaprio-climate-change-talk-south-by-south-lawn OPINIONS Why Obama Is Right on Clean Energy. Last year, President Obama took aim at the nation’s largest source of carbon dioxide pollution, announcing a plan that would reduce these climate-changing emissions from the country’s power plants by one-third by 2030, from 2005 levels. It is an ambitious proposal to rein in a pollutant that has escaped regulation. But the president was absolutely right in taking this action. As he pointed out, these plants emit more carbon dioxide than our cars, planes and homes combined, and it is this greenhouse gas that is the principal culprit behind the alarming warming of our planet. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/26/opinion/why-obama-is-right-on-clean-energy.html BLOGS Biofuels And Jet Travel. The sight of thousands of environmental advocates jetting to Paris or Rio for the latest climate conference has often been discussed when analysts assess the environmental footprints of these gatherings. Though I find these calculation exercises a little ridiculous, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from jet travel is a serious issue. While we can imagine an electric vehicle powered by renewable energy, air travel technology seems very dependent on fossil fuels — and the global economy remains highly dependent on air travel. Even though we can provide information and interact via phone, web and video, there is no substitute for humans sitting together and breaking bread. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-cohen/biofuels-and-jet-travel_b_12193014.html California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.