What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action

[Sigmetnow]

What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action

News about Climate Change Acceptance, or related activity, doesn't always seem to fit well under the other threads.  Taking a tip from the Arctic Sea Ice section , now here's a place for it.


Climate Change Is Getting Its Own Museum

So what exactly is at the core of this mission? A museum based in New York City that chronicles the global and local impacts of climate change, the possible solutions and the connections that exist between every visitor to the museum and the world around them.

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/climate-change-museum-19341

[Sigmetnow]

Millions To Be Spent To Protect Sewage Plants From Effects Of Climate Change

Many sewer plants are gravity-fed operations that, by necessity, are in low-lying areas vulnerable to flooding. Protecting plants can involve building berms, providing alternative electrical sources and changing the location of key control units and pumping stations.

http://www.courant.com/politics/hc-state-storm-surge-protections-20150816-story.html

[Tor Bejnar]

Fox News' inner struggle with climate misinformation

Fox News anchor Shepard Smith has been one of the few voices on the network willing to accept the scientific reality of human-caused climate change.

I wouldn't have believed it!

[Neven]

I was also surprised when reading the article on The Guardian.

[Sigmetnow]

1,000 Activists Join Together to Say No to Big Coal

In a huge moment for the international fight against dirty energy more than 1,000 people joined together this weekend in Rhineland, Germany to stop some of the world’s biggest coal-diggers in their tracks—RWE.

http://ecowatch.com/2015/08/17/say-no-to-big-coal/

[Sigmetnow]

@350: Muslim leaders from 20 countries convene in Istanbul to draft Climate Declaration http://t.co/jvOEqEaOEA #Muslims4Climate

https://twitter.com/350/status/633220234342739968

We call on the people of all nations and their leaders to –

Aim to phase out greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible in order to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere;
Commit themselves to 100 % renewable energy and/or a zero emissions strategy as early as possible, to mitigate the environmental impact of their activities;
Invest in decentralized renewable energy, which is the best way to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development;
Realize that to chase after unlimited economic growth in a planet that is finite and already overloaded is not viable. Growth must be pursued wisely and in moderation; placing a priority on increasing the resilience of all, and especially the most vulnerable, to the climate change impacts already underway and expected to continue for many years to come.
Set in motion a fresh model of wellbeing, based on an alternative to the current financial model which depletes resources, degrades the environment, and deepens inequality.
Prioritise adaptation efforts with appropriate support to the vulnerable countries with the least capacity to adapt. And to vulnerable groups, including indigenous peoples, women and children.

http://islamicclimatedeclaration.org/islamic-declaration-on-global-climate-change/

[Sigmetnow]

?

@PalmerBrian: Danish power plant will spew a ring of steam to mark each ton of CO2 emitted. @Slate http://t.co/YUor6BRrvj http://t.co/OpnAnvBdTQ

The Attached Ski Slope Isn’t Even the Coolest Part of Denmark’s Newest Power Plant
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_eye/2015/08/18/big_bjarke_ingels_waste_to_energy_power_plant_includes_a_ski_slope_and_will.html

[Sigmetnow]

@insideclimate: 24hrs after approval, more than 225k people have signed a petition asking #Obama to reconsider Arctic drilling http://t.co/LEXkcU138a …

https://twitter.com/insideclimate/status/633695427318124544 

President Obama - Don't Risk an Arctic Oil Disaster That Could Kill Polar Bears and Whales

We don't have much time. Please take a moment right now to urge President Obama to reverse his administration's decision to green-light Shell's reckless drilling.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/111/042/276/

[Sigmetnow]

Here’s How The U.S. Government Plans To Cut Emissions From Landfills

The Environmental Protection Agency announced plans Friday that aim to reduce landfill emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases by nearly a third, in an attempt to more tightly regulate a sector that accounts for nearly a fifth of total U.S. methane emissions.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/08/17/3692230/epa-methane-emissions-landfill-plan/

[Sigmetnow]

Joe Romm finds reason for optimism.

9 Years Of Climate Progress And 3 Big Reasons To Celebrate

We have a long way to go to preserve a livable climate, a long way to go to make sure all of our great coastal cities — including New Orleans itself — don’t suffer the same devastation Katrina brought. But we have finally seen some genuine climate progress — especially compared to our previous “no strategy” strategy of keeping our foot on the accelerator as we headed toward the cliff of catastrophic warming while wishing for some miraculous technological deus ex machina to save us.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/08/24/3693831/katrina-climate-progress/

[Sigmetnow]

Too late: Pacific Island leaders warn climate change fallout leaves island nations struggling ahead of Paris talks
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-23/pacific-leaders-repeat-climate-warnings/6717878

[Sigmetnow]

Drawing a line in the sand: The movement victory at Ende Gelände opens up the road of disobedience for Paris

This changes everything

In that brief day everything changed for the European climate justice movement.  Thousands experienced a collective power rarely felt within the competitive obedient individualism of capitalism. I have never seen so many people jump so far out of their comfort zones and take direct action for the first time. Never have I been part of such disciplined determined disobedience, whose tone seemed so perfectly balanced. It was neither the hard core, macho – ‘I’m more radical than thou’ approach, nor was it the paternalistic judgmental trap of polite pacifism.  Ende Gelände merged direct action, which is about disruption and gaining direct results (stopping the mine) with civil disobedience which is often simply about performing an “illegal” act for the purpose of appealing to authority. In so doing it feels a new form of tactics and culture of action could re-emerged. As the civil rights movements knew so well, it’s not by convincing people, just shifting consciousness, that society changes, it is by forcing corporations to lose money.  In their case it was the segregated bus companies, shops and restaurants. In ours it is the fossil fuel companies and the network of finance that supports them.  Ende Gelände must have cost the state and RWE a lot that day.

https://labofii.wordpress.com/2015/08/23/drawing-a-line-in-the-sand-the-movement-victory-at-ende-gelande-opens-up-the-road-of-disobedience-for-paris/

[Sigmetnow]

Climate Change: A Warning From Islam
By Bill McKibben

The real effect of documents like these, though, is less immediate policy shifts than a change in the emotional climate. Most of us identify with one or several groups—Islam or Christendom, our alma mater or our union. As these begin to emphasize an issue, it becomes easier to make it part of our mental furniture. (This is also why it matters when celebrities engage with political issues.) It’s not necessarily that we take what the pope says as Gospel, or decide that because our university sold its fossil fuel stocks we will do likewise; it’s that these things normalize action, moving it from the category of “something that activists want” to “something obvious.” That’s the phase we’re reaching right now in the climate fight.

http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2015/aug/24/climate-change-warning-islam/

[Sigmetnow]

For Pope Francis’s Washington D.C. visit, environmental rally of up to 200K planned

Several environmental groups are planning a major climate rally that will draw hundreds of thousands to the National Mall on Sept. 24, the day Pope Francis speaks to Congress and is expected to address the public afterwards.

The permit for the gathering — which will make the moral case for reducing greenhouse gas emissions linked to global warming — is for 200,000 people. The Moral Action on Climate Network, along with the Earth Day Network, League of Conservation Voters, Sierra Club and other groups, have timed the rally on the Mall  the same day of the pope’s speech.  House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has said the pope “has expressed an interest” in making an appearance on the Capitol’s West Front.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/08/25/for-pope-franciss-d-c-visit-environmental-rally-of-up-to-200k-planned/

[Sigmetnow]

Run for your lives, climate campaigners are sophisticated and can tie their own shoelaces
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/planet-oz/2015/aug/28/run-for-your-lives-climate-campaigners-are-sophisticated-and-can-tie-their-own-shoe-laces

[Sigmetnow]

Brooklyn Startup Tackles Global Health with a Cleaner Stove
A new company, BioLite, aims to reduce indoor pollution for the more than 3 billion people in the developing world who cook over a dirty open fire.
http://insideclimatenews.org/news/25082015/brooklyn-startup-tackles-global-health-cleaner-cooking-stove-emissions-biolite

[Sigmetnow]

Carbon Emissions From U.S. Power Plants Hit 27-Year Low

U.S. power plants emitted less carbon dioxide — 128 million metric tons — in April than at any point in since April 1988, according to new U.S. Energy Information Administration data.

That continues a long-term trend of declining electric power sector carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. that began after they peaked at about 250 million metric tons in the summer of 2007. April is the month each year when power plants emit the least carbon dioxide because heating and cooling demand is very low in the early spring.
...
April’s low emissions numbers happened because, for the first time in history, electricity production from natural gas surpassed electricity produced from coal, which produces greater than 70 percent more carbon emissions than natural gas when it is burned. That happened only for one month, but as more coal-fired power plants are retired because of environmental regulations and low natural gas prices, the EIA expects more and more electricity to be produced from natural gas. Electricity production from natural gas has tripled since April 1988.
...
Each passing month increases the probability that natural gas will once again surpass coal as the nation’s dominant fuel for electricity production, especially as more coal-fired power plants are retired, he said.

Alternative energy sources were also factors in the downward trend of carbon emissions this year, according to the EIA. Nuclear power generation was 3 percent greater during the first four months of this year over the previous year and renewable power production increased 2 percent during that time over the first four months of 2014.

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/power-plant-emissions-hit-low-19389

[Sigmetnow]

The vast majority of global citizens - almost 80 per cent - feel very concerned about the impacts of climate change, whilst two out of three citizens think that climate action is an opportunity to improve their quality of life.

Largest Ever Citizen Consultation on Climate Change
#WWViews Report Summarized
http://newsroom.unfccc.int/unfccc-newsroom/largest-ever-citizen-consultation-on-climate/

[Sigmetnow]

Why Big Corporations Like Gap And eBay Are Mobilizing for climate change action

This week, California legislators received a pair of letters signed by dozens of corporations in support of two bills that would require the state to further reduce its greenhouse gas emissions through 2050. In both letters, the firms say tackling climate change is "one of America’s greatest economic opportunities of the 21st century."
...
SB 350 calls for a 50 percent reduction in petroleum use, and a 50 percent increase in energy efficiency in existing buildings, as well as 50 percent of utility power to come from renewable energy by 2030. SB 32 would require the state to further slash greenhouse gas emissions -- to 80 percent below 1990 levels -- through 2050.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/california-corporations-are-on-board-with-climate-change-policy_55dde804e4b08cd3359e2704

[Sigmetnow]

General Mills Takes Climate Change Seriously Because You Can’t Make Wheaties Without Wheat

On Monday, General Mills — the sixth-largest food company in the world — announced plans to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 28 percent by 2025.

The announcement comes at a time when a growing number of major food companies are pledging to take more steps to encourage sustainability throughout their businesses. But General Mills’ plan is slightly unique, because it seeks to reduce carbon emissions throughout the company’s entire supply chain, from farm to landfill — a first for major food companies.
...
Within its own operations, General Mills announced it would invest more than $100 million towards clean energy and energy efficiency, in its manufacturing plants and throughout its transportation system. General Mills will also work to reduce emissions within its operations by using less cardboard and plastic in its packaging. The company has been working to curb its own greenhouse gas emissions since 2005, and has managed to decrease levels over the past decade by 13 percent.

But it also acknowledged that much of the greenhouse gas emissions related to its supply chain comes from places outside of its factories — from the farms where its raw materials are sourced. In 2013, General Mills committed to sourcing its 10 priority ingredients from sustainable sources by 2020. Under its new climate plan, the company promised to source products from an additional 250,000 acres of organic production by 2020.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/08/31/3696953/general-mills-climate-emissions-reduction-plan/

[Sigmetnow]

Obama says urgent and immediate action needed to fight climate change

"Any so-called leader who does not take this issue seriously, or treats it like a joke, is not fit to lead," he continued. "It will not be easy. There are hard questions to answer ... but if we unite our highest aspirations, if we make our best efforts to protect this planet for future generations, we can solve this problem."

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2015/08/31/Obama-says-urgent-and-immediate-action-needed-to-fight-climate-change/3111441046953/

[Sigmetnow]

Underwater sculptures emerge from Thames in climate change protest
Jason deCaires Taylor’s four horsemen of the apocalypse, close to Houses of Parliament, are political comment on impact of fossil fuels

While the bodies of the figures and horses are moulded from real life, each of the horses’ heads has been replaced by the “horse head” of an oilwell pump – a political comment on the impact of fossil fuels on our planet.

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/sep/02/underwater-sculptures-thames-london

[Sigmetnow]

The Environmental Defense Fund has a ten-point plan for "turning the corner" on climate change:
https://www.edf.org/card/we-can-reduce-climate-pollution

[Sigmetnow]

"The New Climate Economy"

Press release: Low-carbon cities are a US$17 trillion opportunity worldwide

Washington/London, September 8, 2015: New research from the New Climate Economy finds that investing in public and low emission transport, building efficiency, and waste management in cities could generate savings with a current value of US$17 trillion by 2050. These low-carbon investments could also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3.7 Gt CO2e per year by 2030, more than the current annual emissions of India.

With complementary national policies such as support for low-carbon innovation, reduced fossil fuel subsidies, and carbon pricing, the savings could be as high as US$22 trillion.

“The steps that cities take to shrink their carbon footprints also reduce their energy costs, improve public health, and help them attract new residents and businesses,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change. “This report can help accelerate the progress cities are making in all of these areas, by highlighting smart policies and encouraging cooperation through efforts like the Compact of Mayors.”

The report recommends that cities commit to low-carbon urban development strategies by 2020. It also recommends cities commit to the Compact of Mayors, a global coalition of mayors and city officials pledging to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions, enhance resilience to climate change, and track their progress transparently. More than 130 cities – representing more than 220 million people – have already committed to the Compact of Mayors and will be setting ambitious emissions reduction targets and reporting publicly.

http://newclimateeconomy.net/content/press-release-low-carbon-cities-are-us17-trillion-opportunity-worldwide

[Sigmetnow]

Court refuses to block Obama's Clean Power Plan

A federal appeals court declined requests Wednesday to block the Obama administration’s landmark climate rule for power plants.

In a short, two-paragraph order filed just after 5 p.m., the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that West Virginia, more than a dozen other states and a coal-mining company do not qualify for a judicial stay that would stop the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from implementing the regulation until the litigation is complete.

http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/253143-court-refuses-to-block-obama-climate-rule

[Sigmetnow]

World Council of Churches at International Divestment Conference:
“The logic of divestment couldn’t be simpler: if it’s wrong to wreck the climate, it’s wrong to profit from that wreckage.”

With just two months before the crucial United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 21), an International Divestment Conference was held in Paris, on 1 September, where Rev. Henrik Grape represented the World Council of Churches (WCC) as a key speaker.

“The logic of divestment couldn’t be simpler: if it’s wrong to wreck the climate, it’s wrong to profit from that wreckage,” said Grape.

The conference focused on the growing movement to withdraw investments from fossil fuels that create emissions causing climate change, and to invest in sustainable energy.

http://www.oikoumene.org/en/press-centre/news/wcc-at-international-divestment-conference-in-paris

[Sigmetnow]

Alberta Environment Minister Shannon Phillips wants to close some coal plants early.  But the company running the plants says higher electricity prices will result, and demands compensation.
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/touch/story.html?id=11350937

[Buddy]

“The logic of divestment couldn’t be simpler: if it’s wrong to wreck the climate, it’s wrong to profit from that wreckage.”

It's pretty tough to say it more clearly and effectively as they did...

[Sigmetnow]

“The logic of divestment couldn’t be simpler: if it’s wrong to wreck the climate, it’s wrong to profit from that wreckage.”

It's pretty tough to say it more clearly and effectively as they did...

That was the first time I'd seen that quote, but now I find Bill McKibben used it in November 2013 -- if not before.  This link from the (formerly his) 350.org website has it:
http://gofossilfree.org/do-the-math-fossil-fuel-investments-add-up-to-climate-chaos/

[Sigmetnow]

University of California Springs Divestment Surprise
One of the nation’s largest university systems announced it has shed some of its fossil fuel investment from its endowment and pension funds -- $200 million in coal and oil sands holdings.

The University of California—one of the largest university systems in the world—is made up of 10 campuses and 238,000 students. The school's investment portfolio is made up of five funds totaling about $98 billion. School officials say all direct holdings in coal and oil sands have been sold from these funds, but the school's indirect holdings may still be tied up in such companies.

http://insideclimatenews.org/news/10092015/university-california-springs-divestment-surprise-fossil-fuels-coal

[Sigmetnow]

To Paris... and beyond.

Nearly 2,000 people attended an evening event in Brooklyn, New York on Thursday night (with thousands more joining online) in order to hear 350.org explain the strategy and thinking behind the next phase of the group's ongoing international climate campaign, including a series of actions leading up to the UN climate summit in Paris later this year — as well as a bold vision that goes well beyond.

McKibben: "...use mass action and divestment to keep turning off dirty energy, and turn on cheap, clean renewable power all over the world."

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/09/11/offon-climate-leaders-present-next-bold-phase-global-action

[Sigmetnow]

Shell leaves climate project it helped set up amid Arctic drilling row
Campaign against Shell’s drilling off coast of Alaska leads to company’s exit from Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leader Group
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/sep/10/shell-leaves-climate-project-it-helped-found-amid-arctic-drilling-row

[Sigmetnow]

The rise, fall and future of the cleantech industry
http://www.carbonbrief.org/blog/2015/09/the-rise-fall-future-of-cleantech-industry/

[Sigmetnow]

2015: This is the year humans finally got serious about saving themselves from themselves.

Those who have consigned the world to its doom should reconsider. The technological and political underpinnings are at last in place to actually consummate the first global pact to limit greenhouse-gas emissions. The world is suddenly responding to the climate emergency with — by the standards of its previous behavior — astonishing speed. The game is not over. And the good guys are starting to win.

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/09/sunniest-climate-change-story-ever-read.html#

[Sigmetnow]

About that article in #33 above...:

Jon Chait wrote an optimistic take on climate change. Is it justified?

Jonathan Chait has a big cover story on climate change in New York Magazine: "This Is the Year Humans Finally Got Serious About Saving Themselves From Themselves." As the title indicates, it is an optimistic take on the state of the climate fight.

Several people have asked what I think of it.  ....
...
Everything in the realm of political possibility today is woefully inadequate to the challenge of climate change. From that perspective, it's all a bunch of craven, corporatist, sheeple-distracting nonsense, unworthy of praise and a far cry from grounds for optimism. They refuse to grade on a curve.

But if you cast that big net over the entire political process, you miss a lot of important nuances and distinctions. You might be right on climate change but you will not be a particularly effective or insightful participant in the political process, where everything is measured against the status quo, not the ideal.

Others prefer to assess sociopolitical progress in the context of a particular historical trajectory, a particular set of institutions, and a particular political economy. From that perspective, any progress that breaks free of the extraordinary weight of status quo bias is a win —it is, explicitly, grading on a curve.

Which interpretive community you choose largely reduces to temperament and tribal affiliation. Both are correct in their own way. Chait's piece measures progress against the baseline status quo, and I will mostly assess his premises from that perspective.
...
Overall optimism verdict: 7

Based on the complex mathematical modeling underlying my plausibility scale (please see appendices for more), and assessed from the standpoint of present-day political economy, Chait's piece receives an overall optimism plausibility score of 7, which is pretty dang high. It's certainly a hell of a lot higher than would have been possible even a few years ago.

http://www.vox.com/2015/9/13/9313727/chait-climate-optimism

[Sigmetnow]

Largest Cities In The U.S. And China Set New Climate Targets

Cities, states, and provinces from the world’s biggest superpowers — and by far the world’s biggest carbon emitters — just pledged to reduce their carbon emissions at a summit in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The pledges vary widely by locality. California officials reiterated pledges to reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels and generate a third of the state’s electricity from renewable resources by 2020. Phoenix pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent over a 2005 baseline and create the largest municipal fleet of alternative fuel vehicles in the country. Carmel, Indiana, will add 30 new roundabouts, which decrease car emissions and electricity for traffic lights. That city will also reduce its overall emissions by 40 percent by 2040. Other participating places include Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Seattle, Portland, Houston, Salt Lake City, Lancaster (California), New York, Oakland, Des Moines, Miami Dade County, Phoenix, and San Francisco.

The 11 Chinese cities participating in the pledges, the “Alliance of Peaking Pioneer Cities,” will all peak their emissions by 2030, in line with national targets. Some, such as Beijing, Zhenjiang, and Guangzhou, will reach that goal a full decade earlier — by 2020.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/09/15/3701569/chinese-us-cities-announce-targets/

[Sigmetnow]

Trade unions and climate experts say ‘no jobs on a dead planet’

Sharan Burrow, General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation said:

"Without a just transition to a zero carbon future, there will be no jobs on a dead planet. Workers and their unions are ready to take a seat at the table with industry, with government. To tackle climate change we need everyone to ensure our countries and our economies have a sustainable future."

By calling for action, working people are joining others from all walks of life, including  faith communities, businesses and investors, who are pushing governments to leave fossil fuels behind and make a sustainable move to a fully renewable energy powered economy

http://tcktcktck.org/2015/09/trade-unions-and-climate-experts-say-no-jobs-on-a-dead-planet/

[Sigmetnow]

Canada.

The Leap Manifesto: A Call for Caring for the Earth and One Another
'This our sacred duty to those this country harmed in the past, to those suffering needlessly in the present and to all who have a right to a bright and safe future.'
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/09/15/leap-manifesto-call-caring-earth-and-one-another

[Sigmetnow]

From London, an interview with Craig Bennett, new chief executive of Friends of the Earth.
http://www.carbonbrief.org/blog/2015/09/the-carbon-brief-interview-craig-bennett/

[Sigmetnow]

Which Cities In the World Are Closest to Nixing Fossil Fuels?
Across the globe, cities are tackling climate change by shifting away from fossil fuels. Yet a survey shows they’re now at very different stages.
 http://news.nationalgeographic.com/energy/2015/09/150917-which-cities-are-closest-to-nixing-fossil-fuels/

[Sigmetnow]

Republicans!

These House Republicans Are Joining The Pope And Calling For Climate Action

Ten Republican representatives have reportedly signed on to a call for action on climate change, a move that’s a dramatic departure from their caucus, but broadly in line with the views of the American public.

Rep. Chris Gibson (R-NY) will sponsor the resolution, which is expected to be released Thursday, ahead of Pope Francis’ Congressional speech next week. The pope is expected to specifically address climate change while in Washington.
...
Gibson has said the resolution will have three key elements: recognizing that human activity contributes to global warming, acknowledging future impacts, and committing to address greenhouse gas emissions in “economically viable ways,” ClimateWire reported.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/09/16/3702014/republicans-thaw-on-climate-change/

[Sigmetnow]

This article has the full text of the Republican resolution, and an analysis of stronger statements that did not make the final draft.
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/09/17/as-presidential-debaters-dodge-climate-10-house-republicans-resolve-to-pursue-environmental-stewardship/

[Sigmetnow]

There’s Now A Way To Find Out How Much Of Your Retirement Is Invested In Fossil Fuels
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/09/17/3702007/fossil-free-funds-tool/

[Sigmetnow]

President Obama Urged to End Fossil Fuel Leases on Public Land
More than 400 organizations have joined together, calling for the president to marry his statements about protecting the climate with policy.
http://insideclimatenews.org/news/14092015/president-obama-urged-end-fossil-fuel-leases-public-land-environment-climate

[Sigmetnow]

@ClimateGroup: TODAY @ClimateWeekNYC begins! There are 100+ events across NYC & online. Join us: http://t.co/rzdnN6OdZu #CWNYC http://t.co/6I0nPN3w4A

https://twitter.com/climategroup/status/645915420352868352

http://www.climateweeknyc.org/events/

[Sigmetnow]

Famous faces supporting climate change action.

The Important Message Behind All The Green Ribbons At The Emmys
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/09/21/3703671/emmys-green-ribbons-climate-change/

[Sigmetnow]

Interesting counterpoint to the often-quoted belief that, "One person can't do anything about global warming."

Climate journalism bums people out. Here’s how to change that.

Everyone who complains about how those of us who write about climate are total Debbie Downers? This study is just for you.
...
All in all, the researchers found that attitudes around climate change resembled those found in a similar survey done in the United States by the American Geophysical Union more than 15 years ago. Pessimism was the research subjects’ default setting. They saw climate change as the result of thorny psychological forces deep within the human psyche: materialism! greed! laziness!

But underneath that pessimism was a yearning to believe that the problem could actually be solved — and that yearning was most likely to be activated by stories of individual people or small groups trying to improve the world. Or, as the study puts it: “Reluctant cynicism is at its most fragile when faced with news about civic engagement and political action.”

http://grist.org/politics/climate-journalism-bums-people-out-heres-how-to-change-that/

[Sigmetnow]

New "Angry Birds" game teaches about climate change and solutions.

Earth Day Network and Rovio Entertainment have released Angry Birds Champions for Earth, a week-long global tournament that challenges players to learn about the climate crisis and what they can do to solve it. The game is available for download in five languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and Korean.

The tournament features special messages from global celebrities: Don Cheadle and Ian Somerhalder, Goodwill Ambassadors for the UN Environment Programme (UNEP); comedian Danny DeVito; Matt Damon; Indian superstars Anil and Sonam Kapoor; and members of Korean pop sensation VIXX.

During the game, these popular Champions invite Angry Birds players to compete against them on the leaderboard, share facts about climate change and encourage fans to take action.

http://www.unep.org/newscentre/Default.aspx?DocumentID=26844&ArticleID=35441&l=en#sthash.vvTIqSC1.dpuf

[Sigmetnow]

On Wednesday, nine Fortune 500 companies announced plans to switch to sourcing 100% renewable energy, joining a growing group of corporations recognizing the risks of climate change.
Thirty-six companies have joined RE100 since it was launched at Climate Week NYC in 2014, including H&M, IKEA, Nestlé, Swiss Re, UBS and Unilever.
http://ecowatch.com/2015/09/23/fortune-500-renewable-energy/

[Sigmetnow]

Pope Francis and the case for climate change optimism

“Even if all the Paris talks do is simply eliminate the risk of the all-too-thinkable worst-case scenario, it would constitute a monumental achievement in the history of human civilization, like the development of modern medicine.”
...
So what’s the climate’s real safe zone? Nobody can say for sure. That’s why the experiment humans are running is so unsettling — and why what happens after Paris will wind up being so important.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/09/23/pope-francis-and-the-case-for-optimism-about-climate-change/