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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for December 2, 2016.

Posted: 02 Dec 2016 15:20:19
ARB Newsclips for December 2, 2016. 

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

Energy minister backs cap-and-trade despite auditor general’s
concerns. Ontario's energy minister expressed confidence in the
coming cap-and-trade program Thursday, despite concerns it will
cost billions while achieving minimal greenhouse gas reductions.
"I'm very optimistic that it's going to do what it needs to do,
which is to reduce greenhouse gases…
http://www.therecord.com/news-story/6997343-energy-minister-backs-cap-and-trade-despite-auditor-general-s-concerns/


AIR POLLUTION

Air pollution becomes Israel-Palestinian wedge issue. For years,
residents of central Israel have been complaining about air
pollution from Palestinian factories in the nearby West Bank. Now
that authorities have finally cracked down, shutting a group of
the worst offending charcoal plants in one notorious town,
Palestinians complain that hundreds were thrown out of work by
their military occupiers.
http://www.bigstory.ap.org/article/4055bc623a174acca5b3c079e0d8138b/air-pollution-becomes-israel-palestinian-wedge-issue


Health officials order Paramount metal plants to stop emissions
or suspend operations. In a rare intervention, county health
officials Thursday ordered two Paramount metal-processing plants
to stop emissions of hexavalent chromium or shut down operations
contributing to high levels of the cancer-causing air pollutant.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health directed
Aerocraft Heat Treating Co. and Anaplex Corp.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-paramount-health-directives-20161201-story.html


Shell ties in bonuses to reinforced emissions strategy. Royal
Dutch Shell plans to link part of its executive bonuses to
greenhouse gas emissions and conduct more active screening of
future investments to further efforts to reduce the energy
group's carbon footprint, its CEO told Reuters. The new
initiative by the Anglo-Dutch group comes in response to mounting
pressure from investors to adapt to an expected flattening in
oil…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-shell-emissions-idUSKBN13Q4OA 

CLIMATE CHANGE

Scientists have long feared this ‘feedback’ to the climate
system. Now they say its happening. At a time when a huge pulse
of uncertainty has been injected into the global project to stop
the planet’s warming, scientists have just raised the stakes even
further.
In a massive new study published Wednesday in the influential
journal Nature, no less than 50 authors from around the world
document a so-called climate system…
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/11/30/the-ground-beneath-our-feet-is-poised-to-make-global-warming-much-worse-scientists-find/?utm_term=.21ba8634b75b


Trump could face the ‘biggest trial of the century’ — over
climate change.  A few weeks ago, a federal judge in Oregon made
headlines when she ruled that a groundbreaking climate lawsuit
will proceed to trial. And some experts say its outcome could
rewrite the future of climate policy in the United States. The
case, brought by 21 youths aged 9 to 20, claims that the federal
government isn’t doing enough to address the problem of climate
change to protect their planet’s future…
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/12/01/trump-could-face-the-biggest-trial-of-the-century-over-climate-change/?utm_term=.8434884c2178


Great Barrier Reef Threatened by Climate Change, Chemicals and
Sediment. Climate change and the flow of farm chemicals and
coastal sediment into the waters that wash over one of
Australia’s most significant nature areas, the Great Barrier
Reef, pose the biggest threats to its survival, according to a
government report to Unesco released early Friday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/01/world/australia/great-barrier-reef-coral-bleaching.html?_r=0


82 major cities are meeting this week to talk about how to limit
the worst effects of climate change. Bangkok and Miami could be
underwater in a matter of decades if sea levels keep rising. Cape
Town could see severe food shortages because of drought. In
Mexico City, which gets so smoggy in the spring that parents keep
their children indoors, hotter temperatures could make the
pollution even worse. Global warming poses an existential threat
to many of the world’s cities. 
http://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la-fg-mexico-garcetti-20161130-story.html


Is climate change causing more extreme tornado outbreaks? Climate
models predict that conditions just right for tornado outbreaks
should be increasing with rising temperatures, but do the data
agree? As global temperatures warm, climate scientists expect to
see more tornadoes reaching their long, swirling bodies down to
Earth. But the data isn't exactly cooperating in a
straightforward manner.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2016/1202/Is-climate-change-causing-more-extreme-tornado-outbreaks


Quitting UN climate change body could be Trump's quickest exit
from Paris deal. Lawyer on president-elect’s transition team says
leaving UNFCCC is ‘most practical way’ way to quit agreement, a
process that normally takes four years. The US should completely
quit the United Nations forum to tackle climate change in order
to quickly exit the Paris climate agreement, according to a
conservative lawyer who is part of Donald Trump’s transition
team.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/dec/02/trump-break-from-paris-climate-deal-unfccc-exit


Researchers still don't know if warming causes tornadoes. It's
still an open question whether climate change is causing an
outbreak in the number of tornadoes. The number of tornadoes
during outbreaks, which can last up to three days, has steadily
risen for the last 60 years. Previous studies have found that
climate change is exacerbating the outbreaks and making them more
intense.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/12/02/stories/1060046532 

Energy shift set, but U.S. influence at risk — McCarthy. U.S. EPA
Administrator Gina McCarthy argued today that the Donald Trump
administration won't be able to stop a shift to cleaner energy,
but she cautioned the United States could miss out on
opportunities to lead global climate change efforts. "I'm not
suggesting there isn't concern, but what I know about the energy
market right now is that the vast majority of investments are
going into clean energy…
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/12/02/stories/1060046586 

Military experts warn warming could cause another refugee crisis.
Leading military figures are concerned that shifting weather
patterns might spark a massive refugee crisis in the coming
decades. Pointing to displacement and conflict that have already
been attributed in part to climate change — including Europe's
ongoing migration crisis…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/12/02/stories/1060046524 

Mayors worldwide to act on climate, whatever Trump does. Leaders
from 90 world "megacities" meeting in Mexico City this week are
sending a message that they plan to act on climate change —
whatever national leaders do. The sixth C40 Mayors Summit is
occurring one year after the landmark conference in Paris, at
which nearly 200 countries agreed to take steps to limit warming
to well below 2 degrees…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/12/02/stories/1060046549

DROUGHT

Enthusiasm for Calif. drought package drying up. California House
Republicans are losing hope that they will get language passed to
increase water pumping to farmers and cities by the end of the
year as part of the comprehensive energy bill, and one lawmaker
is looking for a chance to tag the language onto another vehicle.
The Senate and the House appear to be in the final stages of
negotiating the energy bill…
http://www.eenews.net/eedaily/stories/1060046538/search?keyword=california


FUELS

Death of Castro could free Cuba to produce biofuels. The death of
Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro, a fierce critic of biofuels
like ethanol, has raised hopes among industry experts that some
of Cuba's vast tracts of fallow land may soon be used to ease its
dependence on fuel imports. Castro branded the use of food crops
to produce ethanol "a sinister idea" that would result in
millions more humans dying of "thirst and starvation."
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-cuba-castro-ethanol-idUSKBN13Q5O6


Advanced Biofuels Targets Unlikely to be Met. Biofuels blending
targets are spelled out in legislation and enforced by EPA
standards, as is well known. However, current policies face
significant pressures for change, the Government Accountability
Office says and describes “several factors” that are combining to
make it unlikely that there will be enough advanced biofuels
produced in the US to meet the rising mandates in current law.
http://kticradio.com/agricultural/advanced-biofuels-targets-unlikely-to-be-met/


VEHICLES

Volkswagen Truck & Bus to invest 420 mln euros in Brazil.
Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) said its truck and bus unit would
invest 420 million euros ($446.5 million) in Brazil over the next
five years to offer new products, modernize its plan in Resende
and develop connectivity services. "I am confident that the
Brazilian economy has bottomed out and will recover again in the
next few years,"…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-brazil-idUSKBN13Q583


W RECALL

VW finance arm's profit up on higher demand for diesel cars.
Volkswagen's (VOWG_p.DE) financing arm expects to post record
earnings in 2016, it said on Friday, thanks to increased demand
for diesel cars, a sign that the company's emissions-cheating
scandal has not deterred customers. Operating profit at
Volkswagen (VW) Financial Services may exceed 2 billion euros
($2.1 billion) for the first time…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-financing-idUSKBN13R144?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews


VW's penance for cheating takes shape with California wish list.
California’s regulator that played a key role in busting
Volkswagen AG for cheating on emissions tests laid out a detailed
list of options for how the automaker will have to spend $800
million toward advancing cars that don’t pollute the air.
Volkswagen’s choices for the investments it’s required to make
over the next 10 years include installing electric car chargers…
http://www.autonews.com/article/20161202/OEM11/161209971/vws-penance-for-cheating-takes-shape-with-california-wish-list


California Outlines How It Wants To Spend Volkswagen’s $800
Million Diesel Emissions Settlement. California’s Air Resources
Board has presented a list of options on how Volkswagen can spend
$800 million as part of the recovery from its diesel emissions
cheating scandal. The wish list came via a presentation on its
website Thursday showing how the automaker can spend the $800
million share out of a total $14.7 billion settlement with the
U.S. government and California.
http://www.hybridcars.com/california-outlines-how-it-wants-to-spend-volkswagens-800-million-diesel-emissions-settlement/


GREEN ENERGY

Europe’s green energy policy is a disaster for the environment.
The European Union’s proposals for revising its renewable energy
policies are greenwashing and don’t solve the serious flaws, say
environmental groups. The EU gets 65 per cent of its renewable
energy from biofuels – mainly wood – but it is failing to ensure
this bioenergy comes from sustainable sources, and results in
less emissions than burning fossil fuels.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2114993-europes-green-energy-policy-is-a-disaster-for-the-environment/


MISCELLANEOUS

Southern California air board appoints executive, declines to
reconsider beach bonfire rules. Southern California’s air quality
board formally appointed former industry consultant Wayne Nastri
as executive officer Friday in a vote of confidence in the
powerful agency’s new leadership. Nastri was hired as interim
head of the South Coast Air Quality Management District eight
months ago after Republicans seeking a more business-friendly
approach gained a majority of seats on its board and fired his
predecessor.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-air-board-executive-20161202-story.html


ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Climate refugees or migrants? Either way, there are more. As
European governments struggle to respond to the large-scale
influx of migrants into their countries, one subsection of
refugees remains neglected: those displaced by climate change.
Experts believe that the combination of drought, rising sea
levels, extreme weather events and food shortage could increase
the number of climate refugees in coming years.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/12/02/stories/1060046529 

OPINION

Is Florida’s climate change model — denial at the Capitol,
frantic action at the beach — in store for the U.S. under Trump?
When Floridians narrowly voted for Donald Trump on Nov. 8, they
might as well have elected to drown themselves. Rising seas and
accelerating storms are inundating this low-lying state, but a
majority of its citizens still chose a presidential candidate who
calls climate change a hoax.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-helvarg-florida-climate-change-denial-and-action-20161202-story.html


Trump is a threat to the Paris agreement. Can states like
California defend it? There’s no point hiding from it – Donald
Trump’s election should give us all concern for our future and
the future of our children. The chances of successfully
mitigating climate change and holding global temperature
increases to below a manageable 1.5 degree rise has nosedived.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/nov/21/trump-threat-paris-agreement-california-climate-change


BLOGS

A Glimmer of Good News for the Climate: EPA Affirms Fuel
Efficiency Standards. On Wednesday, the EPA proposed maintaining
its global warming emissions standards for passenger vehicles out
to 2025. These standards were finalized in 2012 to protect public
health, reduce global warming emissions and fossil fuel use, and
save consumers money at the pump.
http://blog.ucsusa.org/dave-cooke/epa-vehicle-standards 

EPA says emissions too high at four Texas power plants. The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency  has notified the state of  Texas
that it needs to take action to reduce pollution in six counties.
where coal-fired power plants are located and sulfur dioxide
emissions exceed federal recommendation. Sulfur dioxide is a
product of burning coal and other fossil fuels used to make
electricity. 
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2016/12/01/epa-says-emissions-too-high-at-four-texas-power-plants/




California is in a drought emergency.
Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.

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