Climate News

Earth Science 360°

March 2016

At the ARPA-E Energy Summit/An Interview w/ Al Gore

○

As Florida Senator Marco Rubio campaigns for president, denying human activity's connection to climate change, his home state feels the impacts even as the Senator and most of Republican leadership in the State looks away: “Florida is ground zero for sea level effects in the United States, and the debate here still seems to be whether this is happening – not what to do to prepare for it,” said Jay Famiglietti, a senior water scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “Given our current rates of rise, we can expect some rather severe consequences, and I’m not sure we’re ready to deal with the consequences of what’s going on.” Read more here

February 2016

Breaking News/Feb. 14: The sudden death of US Supreme Court Judge Antonin Scalia sets up "an evenly divided bench", as commentators report on Feb. 13th on the news of the Justice's death in Texas. This change in the Court has wide-ranging consequence, including the Court's critically important vote on President Obama’s most ambitious effort to fight climate change, the Clean Power Plan. The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit now has to finish hearing the case and rule before the Supreme Court takes up the climate plan again. The Court now will be divided and visibly a "deadlocked" judiciary until a new Supreme Court justice is appointed and confirmed.

The Supreme Court's Feb. 9th Stay Order to halt implementation of the President's Clean Power Plan, a large part of the US climate plan put forward at the international climate summit in Paris in December, came on what was described as an "unprecedented" decision by the Court on a 5-4 vote. Without Scalia's vote on environmental issues, the Court's reach will be limited to block Presidential powers addressing environmental and climate issues. The balance of power has shifted. On climate and energy policy, and many upcoming important and historic cases before the Court, the future decisions of the Court are more than ever in question. The presidential campaign has much more at stake now impacting the future of the country -- and planet. The next Supreme Court justice will, no doubt, be a swing vote with real power.

Next Supreme Court Justice Will Be Crucial to US Climate Policy

Supreme Court’s Action Threatens Vital Climate Policies

The US Supreme Court order blocking President Obama’s plan to cut emissions from coal-burning power plants is an unprecedented step and one of the most environmentally harmful decisions ever made by the nation’s highest court

Consequences if the US Quits Climate Agreement

○

US Supreme Court Deals Blow to Obama’s Efforts to Regulate Coal Emissions

WASHINGTON — NYT/Feb 9, 2016 — In a major setback for President Obama’s climate change agenda, the Supreme Court on Tuesday temporarily blocked the administration’s effort to combat global warming by regulating emissions from coal-fired power plants.

A stunning development,” Jody Freeman, a Harvard law professor and former environmental legal counsel to the Obama administration, said in an email. She added that “the order certainly indicates a high degree of initial judicial skepticism from five justices on the court,” and that the ruling would raise serious questions from nations that signed on to the landmark Paris climate change pact in December."

Related Coverage of Supreme Court Climate Vote

Court Puts Climate Change Rules on Hold

Five Republican members of the Supreme Court hand down unexpected orders Tuesday, halting environmental regulations

The Supreme Court could block Obama’s climate plans — but it can’t stop clean energy

Supreme Shock: Has US court holed Paris Climate deal?

○

'Washington DC and World Around DC'

January 2016 Was the Most Abnormally Warm Month Ever Recorded, NASA Says

NASA's analysis found this was the largest monthly warm temperature anomaly in their database dating to 1880

2015: Hottest in modern times

Not new news, it's hotter -- NASA Data

It's Hot: Is It Deniable? Ask the US Congress

Man-made heat put in oceans has doubled since 1997, study finds

The Oceans: This is where 90% of global warming is going

Ocean heat study @ Nature Climate Change Journal

Hot and hotter, earth science data reports

○

Predictions: Climate change to speed up

Climate scientists say human impacts are adding up faster than reported...

Business-as-usual forces argue "not to worry", that the consensus of science is wrong...

Looking back & looking forward... what if's / NASA Asks: "Is a Sleeping Giant Stirring in the Arctic?"

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

"Watch 25 years of Arctic Sea Ice disappear"

○

Action Agenda

Via Climate Reality Project

FOLLOW THE LEADER: HOW 11 COUNTRIES ARE SHIFTING TO RENEWABLE ENERGY

SWEDEN / COSTA RICA / NICARAGUA / SCOTLAND / GERMANY / URUGUAY / DENMARK / CHINA (Wondering how the world's largest carbon emitter can also be a leader in renewable energy? It may seem counter-intuitive, but in 2014 China had the most installed wind energy capacity – by a longshot – and the second-highest installed solar PV capacity) / MOROCCO / UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (In the US, a new solar energy system was installed every two minutes and 30 seconds in 2014, earning the US fifth place on the installed solar PV capacity global rankings. America also has the second-highest installed wind energy capacity in the world (after China). Unfortunately, the energy demand in the States far outpaces the renewable capacity) / KENYA (geo-thermal)

○

Snapshot — January 2016

The sands of time shift and the hydrocarbon era begins to fade

○

2016: Reddit AMA: Science-Sea Level Rise

Update: Jason-3 in Orbit - http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/jason-3-launches-to-monitor-global-sea-level-rise

https://blogs.nasa.gov/Jason-3/

Jason-3 Mission -- Jason-3 to launch Jan 17, 2016

Earth science/measurements provide critical information about ocean circulation patterns and about both global and regional changes in sea level and the climate implications of a warming world

For over 20 years, the Jason series of satellites (and their predecessor TOPEX/Poseidon), have helped to track global sea level rise, one of the main symptoms of climate change, and other climate phenomena such as El Niño. Data from Jason-3 will be added to this record and will be vital in helping to improve climate prediction models

○

US Congress attempts to deny the security threat

Feb 3, 2016 / House Science Com't Meets Again: Focus on why we shouldn’t do anything about climate change

Looking back at 2015, Green Progress and GOP Buffoonery

Washington Post editorial, January 3, 2016

15 Ridiculous Things Far Out Media Said About Climate Change In 2015

Media Matters, End of Year wrap up

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

US House Science Com't Chair Climate/Security Disaster

Obama Vetoes GOP Attempt to Kill Climate Rules

Going Global Renewables Is the Challenge

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

The Adoption of the Paris Agreement; the final draft

Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary general, said the talks were the most complicated and difficult negotiations he had ever been involved in.

“I have been attending many difficult multilateral negotiations, but by any standard, this negotiation is most complicated, most difficult, but most important for humanity...”

Paris Climate Summit: Moments

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

"Let's Get to Work": President Obama's Climate Speech in Paris

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Visit GreenPolicy's International List of National Climate Plans

Update of INDC plans by GreenPolicy360 as of Jan 1, 2016

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Climate Action Plans

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs)

Submitted plans -- http://www4.unfccc.int/submissions/INDC/Submission%20Pages/submissions.aspx

INDC portal -- http://unfccc.int/focus/indc_portal/items/8766.php

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Quoted re: the Paris Climate Summit

Union of Concerned Scientists: "It's very important that we not lock into place the initial offers (INDCs) that countries have put on the table... We need to have, by the end of this decade, an initial review of where we are at and what more can be done to lift ambition... and countries need to be prepared to review and revise upward their initial offers."

''NY Times Editorial Board: "So far, more than 170 countries, accounting for over 90 percent of global greenhouse emissions, have submitted pledges, and more may emerge in Paris. Will these pledges be enough to ward off the worst consequences of global warming? No."

The Paris Agreement: Unresolved Questions

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

December 15, 2015

*NASA Earth Sciences 2016 Budget No Longer Cut $500 Million

Final budget bill provides $1.92 billion for Earth Science research

The final budget bill provides $1.92 billion for Earth Science research, just $20 million less than the President's original budget request. The cut is slight compared to initial GOP budget cuts proposed in the House and Senate which had slashed as much as $500 million from the President's request.

NASA administrator Charles Bolden argued before Congress this summer and fall that it was critical to increase the size of NASA's Earth Science programs.

Under the newly passed Fiscal Year 2016 NASA Budget, virtually all of the agency’s programs benefit with either full or added funding. -- http://www.universetoday.com/123937/nasa-receives-significant-budget-boost-fiscal-year-2016

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Congress Committee Cuts Earth Science research

Committee Chair Smith/R-TX After Hearing on NASA/NOAA Budget

○

U.S. Congress/Science Committee News (Not Good News)

Via Vox -- U.S. House Science Committee Talks Conspiracy and Subpoenas

Earth Science Politics

From a bully pulpit, Ted Cruz offers his take on climate change / Dec 9

Cruz 'cherry-picks' from the climate record; Texas oil Senator's debate strategy

Cruz: I learned to debate in college and I'm right

Letter to Science Committee re: integrity / Nov 24

Science Orgs respond to attacks by Science Committee

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Opposition Clips

December

Via New Republic/Dec 15 -- What Climate Agreement? GOP Candidates Ignore the International Agreement

Via NY Times/Dec 4 -- Republicans' Climate Change Denial Denial

Krugman: Future historians will almost surely say that the most important thing happening in the world during December 2015 was the climate talks in Paris. True, nothing agreed to in Paris will be enough, by itself, to solve the problem of global warming. But the talks could mark a turning point, the beginning of the kind of international action needed to avert catastrophe....

I’d urge everyone outside the climate-denial bubble to frankly acknowledge the awesome, terrifying reality. We’re looking at a [Republican] party that has turned its back on science at a time when doing so puts the very future of civilization at risk. That’s the truth, and it needs to be faced head-on.

GreenPolicy360: Time to Pressure Congress: Environmental Security Delivers National Security

Via New Yorker/Dec 4 -- Congress Moves to Sabotage the Paris Climate Summit

Via Mother Jones/Dec 4 -- Chris Christie: "Hell No," America Shouldn't Lead on Climate Change

Via CommonDreams-PR Watch/Dec 3 -- Corporate Lobby Group ALEC Works to Scuttle Global Climate Agreement

Via Bloomberg Politics/Dec 2 -- Obama's Climate Plans to Survive Republican Foes

Via Think Progress/Dec 2 -- House votes to kill clean power plan

Via Bloomberg Business/Dec 1 -- "Unearthing America's Deep Network of Climate Change Deniers":

"New study attempts the first tally of those driving the peculiarly American strain of climate change denial"

November

Via Climate Progress -- U.S. Senate Republicans Say 'No' to Paris Climate Accord

Via The Atlantic -- Republican Attempt to Derail the Paris Climate Talks

Via Politico -- "Republicans seek to strangle Paris climate pact"

Via Washington Post -- "Amid record global temperatures, Senate votes to block Obama’s Clean Power Plan"

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Important: Legal forms for Paris climate agreement

March and demonstrations in Paris will go on

2000+ Climate Events/Locations #ClimateMarch

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Paris Climate Mtgs, Opening Nov 30 - Information Hub

Climate Meetings-Schedule

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

U.S. Congress/Science Committee News (Not Good News)

Environmental Security

Syria, War, Climate Connection

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

On Point

What critics of the Keystone campaign misunderstand / Vox

Nov 6, 2015

"Win for Greens" / "No to Keystone, Yes to the Planet"

Goodbye Keystone XL: President Obama/US State Dept Reject Pipeline

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

It's Your Breathing Planet

Join In, Act, Follow, Be Out in Front

UN / Climate Plans "Synthesis Report"

○

Christiana Figueres @CFigueres

Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change

Figueres - REDDIT AMA -- Oct 28

○ ○ ○ ○

#ADP2

○ ○ ○ ○

UN Climate Action @UNFCCC

Oct. 19, 2015

Opening plenary of the latest @UN climate negotiations kicks off today in Bonn

http://bit.ly/1OObz76 #ADP2

Christiana Figueres (@CFigueres)

Opening plenary of resumed #ADP2 session starts. Last few steps toward Paris. Focus!

pic.twitter.com/A63Cyfds2N

Climate Plans/INDCs in Preparation for December UNFCCC Conference in Paris

Intended Nationally Determined Contributions

Progress Reports on Climate Action Plans (INDCs) as Submitted to the UN

#INDC / INDCs defined at Wikipedia

♦ Conference of Parties 21, UN Climate Change Conference ♦ [1] ♦ [2] ♦ [3] ♦ [4] ♦ [5]

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Pope pushes world leaders at UN to protect environment

Pope Francis called on world leaders gathered at the United Nations in New York on Sept. 25th to take firm action on the environment, blaming a "selfish and boundless thirst for power and material" for its destruction.

"We human beings are part of the environment," Francis said. "We live in communion with it, since the environment itself entails ethical limits which human activity must acknowledge and respect. ... Any harm done to the environment, therefore, is harm done to humanity."

Pope Francis again made history a day after his address to a joint session of Congress, delivering a speech before the largest-ever gathering of world leaders at the United Nations. In his address to the General Assembly, the popular "people’s pope" critiqued the current “culture of waste” and urged government leaders to do more to combat poverty and address environmental abuses. Climate change, he reiterated, could “threaten the very existence of the human species.”

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

I am OCO-2 -- reporting home Climate deniers blame global warming on nature. This NASA data begs to differ

More from OCO-2 -- https://youtu.be/8YsoVWxR9-w

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

NASA Climate News...

NASA Missions / Earth Right Now

Jason 3

Jason-3 Launches to Monitor Global Sea Level Rise

Jason-3 Launched: January 2016

GPM - Next-generation measurements of global snow and rain

OCO-2 - Measuring atmospheric carbon dioxide

OCO-2 / (TW)

ISS - Rapidscat - Monitoring ocean winds

CATS - Observing pollution, dust and smoke in the atmosphere

SMAP - Studying soil moisture

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

https://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/ --- https://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/projects-supported

The Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC) at NASA Langley Research Center responsible for processing, archiving, and distribution of NASA Earth science data

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

News Highlights --- 2015

California out in front modeling and sharing green best practices

http://www.bioneers.org/bioneers-e-book-california-climate-leadership/

○

http://www.greenpolicy360.net/w/California_out_in_front_in_a_Green_future

http://www.greenpolicy360.net/w/California_is_ahead_of_the_game_as_Obama_releases_Clean_Power_Plan

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Time for a Global Apollo Initiative

Global Apollo Program, a 10 year project to make renewable energy cheaper than fossil fuels through internationally coordinated and publicly funded research into renewable energy technology...

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Watching Game-Changing Players Like Elon Musk

TED2013 - The mind behind Tesla, SpaceX, SolarCity...

SpaceX Joins NASA Earth Science Launch Program

New Space, Earth Science

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Jason-2 and Jason-3

Update January 2016:

Jason-3 Mission -- Jason-3 -- Launched Jan 17, 2016

Ocean circulation patterns, global and regional changes in sea level, and climate implications of a warming world

○

What's up with sea level rise?

In a series of media opportunities through Aug. 28, NASA experts present up-to-date global outlook on current conditions and future projections of sea level rise

Why NASA’s worried that Greenland’s melting could speed up

@EarthVitalSigns #EarthRightNow InsideClimate News (TW)

······································································································