AUGUST 28, 2021
This month climate news overwhelmed by extreme weather globally, coming to terms with IPCC 6th Assessment, Biden’s $3.5 trillion Build Back Better budget reconciliation package and much more.
Belle and the Climate Team
Links to Articles
Extreme Weather: Wildfires, Drought, Hurricanes
Marin wildfire agency: Thousands of homes lack safety buffer
Despite historic wildfire risk, too many Marin residents are still failing to create defensible space around their homes by clearing away combustible materials, Marin County fire officials said.
As California burns, some ecologists say it’s time to rethink forest management
Wildfire smoke from the West’s massive blazes stretches all the way to the East Coast
By Hannah Gard and Monica Garrett, CNN
Greenland and Global Update from Jason Box
Greenland’s vast ice sheet is undergoing a surge in melting, with the amount of ice vanishing in a single day this week enough to cover the whole of Florida in two inches of water, researchers have found.
These Maps Tell the Story of Two Americas: One Parched, One Soaked
By Aatish Bhatia and Nadja Popovich, Aug. 24, 2021
It Rained at the Summit of Greenland. That’s Never Happened Before
The showers are another troubling sign of a changing Arctic, which is warming faster than any other region on Earth.
‘The Worst Thing I Can Ever Remember’: How Drought Is Crushing Ranchers
North Dakotans can’t grow enough feed for their cattle, so they’re selling off the animals before they starve.
Carbon Reduction Technologies
Dangerous Thinking: Carbon Capture Technology Won't Solve Our Emissions Problems
Pennsylvania and other places want to push forward on carbon removal plans, but there's little evidence for their impact.
For Many, Hydrogen Is the Fuel of the Future. New Research Raises Doubts
Industry has been promoting hydrogen as a reliable, next-generation fuel to power cars, heat homes and generate electricity. It may, in fact, be worse for the climate than previously thought. The main stumbling block: Most hydrogen used today is extracted from natural gas in a process that requires a lot of energy and emits vast amounts of carbon dioxide. Producing natural gas also releases methane, a particularly potent greenhouse gas.
A fire inspector cited the thermal management system in one of the Tesla Model S sedans as one of two possible causes of the blaze, which showed what can happen when one electric car ignites another in a garage.
Congressional Hydrogen Climate Briefing
link to a folder that contains a recording of the briefing, slides used for presentations, as well as handouts to provide more details about the concerns raised in the briefing: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bYuUUK-7y1h4NPCGMgZHTbwRyzuXc4PP?usp=sharing
The IPCC Sixth Assessment
IPCC AR6 Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis
Full report
The thirteen chapters of the Working Group I report provide an assessment of the current evidence on the physical science of climate change, knowledge evaluation gained from observations, reanalyses, paleoclimate archives and climate model simulations, as well as physical, chemical and biological climate processes. (1300 pages?)
Human activity is changing the climate in unprecedented and sometimes irreversible ways, says a major UN scientific report (attached).
The report "is a code red for humanity", says the UN chief, António Guterres.
Finding the Will to Stave Off a Darker Future The IPCC Sixth Assessment is a call to break the mental boundaries holding us back
Danger of irreversibility. This is the big message from Monday’s new IPCC report. We’re reaching irreversible tipping points that will lead to drastic changes with devastating effects.
Christiana Figueros
The world is on the brink of ‘catastrophe,’ leader of next UN climate talks warns
By Amy Woodyatt and Jennifer Hauser, CNN, August 8, 2021
This Is the World Being Left to Us by Adults
By Greta Thunberg, Adriana Calderón, Farzana Faruk Jhumu and Eric Njuguna
Climate Change Impacts
A Carbon Calculation: How Many Deaths Do Emissions Cause?
A new study looks at “the mortality cost of carbon”: lives lost or gained as emissions change over time.
Climate Crisis Catches Power Companies Unprepared
Utilities are fighting to keep the lights on amid extreme wildfires, heat and flooding fueled by global warming.
Politics, Legislation, Regs
Biden’s Climate Plans Are Stunted After Dejected Experts Fled Trump
Hundreds of scientists and policy experts left the government during the Trump administration. The jobs remain unfilled six months into President Biden’s term.
Biden, Needing a Win, Enters a Sprint for His Economic Agenda
Democrats are racing the clock after party leaders in the House struck a deal this week to advance the two-track approach that Mr. Biden hopes will deliver a $4 trillion overhaul of the federal government’s role in the economy. That agreement sets up a potentially perilous vote on one part of the agenda by Sept. 27: a bipartisan deal on roads, …
California Wildfires, Legislation, Climate Change
Dixie Fire isn’t just destroying towns. California’s water and power supply is under threat
By Jonathan Kusel, August 25, 2021
Marin Voice: Districts must work together as ‘One Marin Water’ to survive coming droughts
By Jerry Meral
We seem to have entered a new, unknown and very dangerous era of drought and heat induced by climate change. This is a deadly combination when it comes to water use and supply.
Editorial: To prevent catastrophic Marin wildfires, all must make defensible space
Heed the words of Marin County Fire Chief Jason Weber:
“What we’re finding with these fires is that homes with good defensible space around them are surviving and homes without that defensible space are being lost in these fires.”
He’s said it before.
New fires light up Sierra as crews try to stop Caldor from reaching Lake Tahoe basin
The blaze grew by 3,000 acres overnight despite an influx of hundreds of additional firefighters and “all the firefighting aircraft we need.”
Lawmakers Question California Cap and Trade Policies, Citing ProPublica Report
California legislators asked the state Air Resources Board to review its forest offsets program after an investigation by ProPublica and MIT Technology Review found that up to 39 million carbon credits aren’t achieving real climate benefits.
Canal Alliance issues Statement of Support for H.R. 2307:
The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (attached)
EVENTS
Thursday, September 9, 4:00 - 5:30 pm
Environmental Forum of Marin “2021 - Biodiversity: The Essential Survival Strategy for the Climate Crisis”
More info here.
Sunday, September 12, 11 am-3 pm
EV and Classic Car Show, Corte Madera Village Shopping Center. More info here.
Tuesday, September 14, 6:00 pm
Buses and Trains share the same track
View the 'preferred alternative' for San Rafael's new Transit Center, smartly putting buses & trains on one block for easy transfers and an active civic space. Upcoming digital public meetings start September 14.
Resilient Neighborhoods: Be Part of the Climate Solution (see attachment)
Wednesday Series starts September 15, 4-6 pm
Thursday Series starts September 23, 6:30-8:30 pm
More info here.
Wednesday, September 22, 6:00 - 7:30 pm
Sustainability Webinar Series: Home Energy Audits
Drawdown Marin
Learn from local government program implementors and professional energy raters on the benefits of knowing your home’s “miles per gallon” and how an energy audit can help you plan for future energy and comfort home improvements. More info here.
Monday, September 27, 6:00 - 7:30 pm
Climate Justice: A Discussion (a green change event)
Please join moderators Sarah Turner and Kevin Morrison to explore the intersectional nature of the climate and racial justice.
REGISTER NOW ON THIS EVENT PAGE!