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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #100 on: December 07, 2015, 06:07:02 PM »
Global CO2 Emissions Decline in 2015 After Soaring for a Decade, Study Says
Quote
The volume of carbon dioxide belched into the atmosphere from human activity this year is on track to decline slightly from last year's emissions, according to a new analysis published in the journal Nature Climate Change on Monday. The anticipated decrease in CO2 emissions comes even as the world economy is growing, suggesting a turning point in clean energy development—and a long-hoped-for "decoupling" of economic growth and increased carbon emissions.

A flattening of emissions in 2014 and this year's expected decrease contrast with the rapid growth of emissions over the past decade. It is, however, far from the zero or near zero emissions required to halt global warming. Some say the trend in declining emissions is only temporary, but others counter that the finding offers a rare glimmer of hope in the fight against climate change.

"I think we could be seeing a new trajectory of CO2 emissions," said Stanford University's Robert Jackson, the paper's lead author. "I hope it's the start of a long and challenging downward trend."
http://insideclimatenews.org/news/07122015/global-carbon-emissions-rising-decades-decline-2015-study-climate-change-paris


University of East Anglia
Quote
The research reveals that emissions could decline by 0.6 per cent this year. While declines in emissions have previously occurred during periods of economic crisis, this would be the first decline during a period of strong global economic growth.

Prof Corinne Le Quéré, Director of the Tyndall Centre at UEA who led the data analysis, said: “These figures are certainly not typical of the growth trajectory seen since 2000 – where the annual growth in emissions was between 2 and 3 per cent.

“What we are now seeing is that emissions appear to have stalled, and they could even decline slightly in 2015.

“But it is important to remember that our projection for 2015 is an estimate and there will always be a range of uncertainty. In this case, the 2015 projection ranges from a global decline in emissions of up to 1.6 per cent – or at the other end of the spectrum, a small rise of 0.5 per cent.”
http://globalcarbonbudget2015.org/documents/Carbon_Budget_Press_Release.pdf
« Last Edit: December 07, 2015, 06:12:06 PM by Sigmetnow »
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #101 on: December 08, 2015, 05:01:09 PM »
If they were a single country, the Under 2 MOU cities and states would represent the largest economy in the world.

Every New Car Emission-Free By 2050? 'ZEV Alliance' Plans To Make It So
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1101284_every-new-car-emission-free-by-2050-zev-alliance-plans-to-make-it-so
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #102 on: December 09, 2015, 02:49:04 AM »
The world's CO2 emissions dipped in 2015. But don't celebrate just yet.
http://www.vox.com/2015/12/8/9873372/emissions-drop-2015
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Chuck Yokota

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #103 on: December 09, 2015, 03:05:28 PM »
Today on US public radio, the Diane Rehm show will have a discussion of the melting of the Earth's ice sheets. There may not be much discussed that followers of this forum don't already know, but it will indicate the status of the public discourse in this country. I don't know if this belongs here, but I didn't see any better thread to post it on.

http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2015-12-09/environmental-outlook-the-earths-melting-ice-sheets

Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #104 on: December 09, 2015, 05:01:54 PM »
TIME chooses German Chancellor Angela Merkel as their Person of the Year.
http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2015-angela-merkel-choice/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #105 on: December 10, 2015, 07:20:39 PM »
Why Have So Few Utilities Joined The White House’s Climate Change Pledge?
Quote
Last week, the White House circulated the newest additions to the act, showing myriad industries jumping on board and pledging detailed commitments. Online retail giant Amazon, car manufacturer BMW of North America, healthcare provider Kaiser Permanente, and 70 others promised to reduced emissions and water usage, become more energy efficient, and more.

Although these pledges are submitted by the companies and are designed to their business practices, larger players like Duke Energy, Next Era Energy, and Dominion Resources — to name the three larger firms — are still abstaining from the voluntary pledge. The American Business Act on Climate pledge is partly designed to send a message of support as leaders in Paris negotiate a climate agreement that can set the world to avert the most dramatic effects of man-made climate change.

“They are taking a more wait and see attitude,” said Charles Ebinger, senior energy security and climate initiative fellow at the Brookings Institution, referring to the nation’s top utility companies. Many utilities are reluctant to join the act, Ebinger said, because the effort was unveiled right when some officials and companies are fighting Obama’s Clean Power Plan, which calls for reductions in carbon emissions from the electricity sector by 32 percent over 2005 levels by 2030.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/12/09/3729789/top-utilities-ignore-obama-climate-pledge/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #106 on: December 14, 2015, 09:38:30 PM »
- India halts registration of diesel-powered cars in capital
- Australia lifted a ban on government investment in wind power

Asia Nations Act Against Pollution After Climate Change Deal
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-12-13/asian-nations-take-steps-on-pollution-after-climate-change-deal
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #107 on: December 15, 2015, 02:42:27 AM »
The Paris agreement signals that deniers have lost the climate war
Quote
While the Paris talks were ongoing, a group of fossil fuel-funded climate contrarians held their own sparsely-attended movie event and “counter-conference.” Their ringleader Marc Morano complained of the COP21 conference, “They haven’t been too friendly to sceptics this year.”

Indeed, those who deny the scientific evidence were ignored; instead, scientific arguments in favor of an even more stringent target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial temperatures won the day.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2015/dec/14/the-paris-agreement-signals-that-deniers-have-lost-the-climate-wars
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sidd

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #108 on: December 15, 2015, 06:08:58 AM »
The denialist evolution [1] proceeds as expected. Now that the world disagrees on the first three points,  previous form points to a smooth pivot to furious screaming about the last two. Reminders that those points, if valid, would entirely be their fault, will as usual draw invective. 

1)  Taxonomy differs, but a rough version might go

i) it's not happening
ii) it's not us
iii) it's not bad
iv) it's too hard
v) it's too late

Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #109 on: December 16, 2015, 05:41:39 PM »
San Diego California Adopts Ambitious Plan To Battle Climate Change
The city is aiming to use 100 percent renewable energy by 2035.
Quote
San Diego's city council unanimously voted Tuesday to adopt a plan to power the city entirely with renewable energy by 2035, joining cities like San Francisco, Paris and Vancouver, Canada, in setting ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions over the next several decades.

Spearheaded by Republican Mayor Kevin Faulconer, who took office last year, San Diego's Climate Action Plan puts the city on track to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2035. The city is the largest in the U.S. to adopt a 100 percent renewable energy plan. The blueprint also goes beyond California's statewide goal of 50 percent clean energy in the next 15 years.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/san-diego-clean-energy_56704045e4b011b83a6c9eef
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #110 on: December 17, 2015, 12:40:40 AM »
U.S. Congress strikes deal to extend wind, solar tax credits and lift oil export ban
http://www.utilitydive.com/news/congress-strikes-deal-to-extend-wind-solar-tax-credits-and-lift-oil-export/410947/

Backgrounder:
After four decades, the U.S. might lift its ban on oil exports. Here’s what you need to know.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/09/16/after-four-decades-the-u-s-might-lift-its-ban-on-oil-exports-heres-what-you-need-to-know/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #111 on: December 17, 2015, 07:42:07 PM »
12 steps to climate sobriety

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The fossil fuel industry's public relations teams would like us all to believe that we are powerless to control our energy habits. Now is our big opportunity to prove that we are not slaves. Step one is to banish the doubts (and doubters) of human-caused climate change to the dustbin of history. The Paris accord has done just that.
Quote
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) has developed a famously successful 12-step pathway to help people beat their addictions to alcohol. Modern society's addiction to fossil fuels is disastrous on a global scale, disrupting the family of nations and visiting calamity on individuals and communities, in a macrocosm of the problems caused by alcoholism. So presented below is a 12-step pathway to climate sobriety, adapted from the blueprint invented by AA (while honoring our Constitution, which requires separation of church and state) to put us all on a path to a more fruitful and sustainable human future:

1. Recognize that burning fossil fuels has altered our global climate by radically increasing the concentration of carbon dioxide and methane in the air, that deforestation is crippling the planet's natural ability to absorb this extra carbon and that animal agriculture (especially ruminants like cattle that belch climactically potent methane) plays a significant role in accelerating the aboveground carbon cycle.

2. Recognize that there is a higher authority that can help solve these problems and help restore us to sanity, and it's called "science."

3. Make a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of the planet, without which there is no survival for our interdependent web of life, humans included.

4. Make a searching inventory of our own energy uses to increase our own efficiency and reduce our energy footprint as individuals, corporations, governments and nations.

5. Admit to the world that throughout our development as a nation, these United States have, more than any other nation, contributed to the changing global climate through our conspicuous consumption of fossil fuels and have profited from this problematic behavior through the enrichment of a privileged few exploiting mineral resources, both here in the United States and around the world.
.
.
.
http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/energy-environment/263551-12-steps-to-climate-sobriety
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wili

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #112 on: December 18, 2015, 05:27:52 AM »
Cute.

But one of my adolescent students developed that analogy more masterfully about ten years ago. Perhaps, though, more will heed this one than his.
"A force de chercher de bonnes raisons, on en trouve; on les dit; et après on y tient, non pas tant parce qu'elles sont bonnes que pour ne pas se démentir." Choderlos de Laclos "You struggle to come up with some valid reasons, then cling to them, not because they're good, but just to not back down."

Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #113 on: December 20, 2015, 01:59:33 PM »
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #114 on: December 22, 2015, 03:51:35 AM »
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #115 on: December 26, 2015, 07:09:06 PM »
EPA sees exciting future for utilities as Clean Power Plan takes effect
Quote
This week, the Clean Power Plan passed a significant milestone when it took effect as US law.

It kicks off what will be an “exciting” decade for the utility sector, says Janet McCabe, acting assistant administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the senior official with responsibility for the plan’s implementation.
...
"As or more important, the utility industry has been talking about how doable this is and how they want the certainty, they appreciate the signals this rule sends for where the market is already going. It allows them to focus, constructively and positively on investing in the ageing power infrastructure that we have in our country.

They see it as an opportunity, and it’s for that reason if for no other that I think that we’re all confident that this programme will move forward because it’s pushing along the activities that the businesses are already involved in and it’s so consistent with the way corporate thinking is going. Let’s build new infrastructure, let’s invest in an ageing fleet, let’s look at innovative technologies that are becoming more and more cost competitive."
http://www.carbonbrief.org/epa-sees-exciting-future-for-utilities-as-clean-power-plan-takes-effect
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #116 on: December 27, 2015, 08:21:17 PM »
York's Fight Against Flooding As Barrier Raised
The Environment Agency raises the flood barrier after water creeps in, threatening electrical systems and water pumps.

Quote
Thousands of homes are being evacuated in York, after the flood barrier protecting the city was lifted last night.

The Environment Agency said water had entered the Foss Barrier's building, putting pumps in danger of failing due to electrical problems.

If the barrier became stuck in the 'down' position, it would not have been able to discharge water into the River Ouse.

So the agency made the decision to lift it, warning residents in the city centre to move valuables to upper floors and prepare to leave their homes.
...

The Foss barrier was built in a £3.34m project which started in 1987.
http://news.sky.com/story/1612796/yorks-fight-against-flooding-as-barrier-raised
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #117 on: December 28, 2015, 02:38:57 AM »
UK budget cuts could lead to flooding damage worth £3bn
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Cuts to government spending on UK flood defences will cost £3billion in damage that could have been avoided, putting houses and businesses at risk across the country.

The government’s independent Committee on Climate Change says that, even based on modest assumptions, limited spending over recent years will lead to future flood damage that will cost the same amount to repair as the disastrous flooding that hit the UK in the summer of 2007.
http://www.climatechangenews.com/2014/01/21/uk-budget-cuts-could-lead-to-flooding-damage-worth-3bn/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #118 on: December 28, 2015, 04:52:56 AM »
Why 2015 may be remembered as a transformative year for how we get energy
Quote
The United States is on track to shut down a record amount of coal-fired power plants in 2015. At the same time, it has installed a record amount of new solar energy capacity.

The past year, in other words, hints at a historic transition for the U.S. energy sector. From dramatic price plunges for oil and natural gas to the significant emergence of industrial batteries for energy storage, 2015 was on a momentous course even before the world came together in Paris to agree on steps to reduce global warming.

While it’s not always a simple story, the overall tenor of these changes is clear — Americans are moving into a world that will get less of its energy from fossil fuels, that will embrace clean or low emission sources of electricity and that will write this into policy.

The change didn’t begin in 2015 — and won’t happen overnight. Nor is it really marked by any single development – but rather, by a whole range of them....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/12/24/why-2015-may-be-remembered-as-a-transformative-year-for-how-we-get-energy/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #119 on: December 28, 2015, 07:10:40 PM »
Florida’s case of climate denial: A tale of two governors

- Under Charlie Crist, state with most at stake was briefly a leader on issue
- Under Rick Scott, even the words ‘climate change’ have been avoided
- With no state leadership, cities and counties forced to plan for themselves

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/article51778500.html
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GeoffBeacon

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #120 on: December 29, 2015, 02:51:44 PM »
El Nino and climate change to blame for extreme weather in five continents: scientists

I think the BBC may have taken this to mean "El Nino to blame for extreme weather in five continents: scientists" i.e. not climate change.

Yesterday morning the BBC World Service Newsday 6.06 GMT had a piece “Weather Wreaks Havoc in US and Britain”. Oddly the presenter says its 8.15 GMT at 8.30 into the recording then continues:

Quote
Now there's a number of extreme weather stories  from right around the world some scientists are talking of the effect of the climate phenomenon  known as El Nino where heated water unusually heated water in the pacific ocean ends up causing extreme weather patterns around the globe...

In the southern United States more than 40 people are known to have died to the severe weather..

...parts of Latin America are seeing tremendous droughts and parts are seeing the worst flooding seen in 50 years.More than 150,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes...In the UK

...highest river levels ever recorded in parts of Yorkshire...


No mention of climate change.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #121 on: December 30, 2015, 01:44:34 AM »
Quote
“Extreme weather will increase with global warming and thus climate adaptation measures, like flood defences, need to constantly be updated. What may appear to be sufficient to withstand a 1 in 100-year event can become quickly out of date as the incidence of extreme weather ramps up and becomes more unpredictable,” said Gail Whiteman, the chair of the Pentland centre for sustainability at Lancaster University.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/27/uk-floods-and-extreme-global-weather-linked-to-el-nino-and-climate-change
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #122 on: December 30, 2015, 09:24:05 PM »
Floods unleash unprecedented criticism
Quote
Until now, engineers have looked back at past records of rainfall and flooding to do their calculations.

The barriers in Carlisle, for example, were constructed with this in mind, but with an additional half-metre (1ft 8in) added on top to allow for the effects of climate change - because warmer air is known to be able to hold more moisture which means that rainfall could become more intense as temperatures rise.

Yet, when it struck, the deluge there was another half-metre above even the extra half-metre added to the defences. So difficult decisions lie ahead about the scale of protection that will be needed.
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35196046
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AbruptSLR

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #123 on: December 30, 2015, 09:36:39 PM »
Floods unleash unprecedented criticism
Quote
Until now, engineers have looked back at past records of rainfall and flooding to do their calculations.

The barriers in Carlisle, for example, were constructed with this in mind, but with an additional half-metre (1ft 8in) added on top to allow for the effects of climate change - because warmer air is known to be able to hold more moisture which means that rainfall could become more intense as temperatures rise.

Yet, when it struck, the deluge there was another half-metre above even the extra half-metre added to the defences. So difficult decisions lie ahead about the scale of protection that will be needed.
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35196046

Wishful thinking about the rate and size of coming impacts of climate change not only encourages people to continue with BAU emissions, but also will cause unnecessary economic losses; which means that there will be less money available to convert to a net-zero emissions economy in the future.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #124 on: January 01, 2016, 12:03:34 AM »
Insurers face bumper payouts as Britain braces for more floods
Quote
LONDON, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Insurers are facing some of the costliest British floods on record as large parts of northern England, already inundated, brace for more heavy rain.

Accountants estimate that insurers are currently facing a bill of up to 1.5 billion pounds ($2.22 billion) after towns, cities and countryside were deluged in recent days in the worst floods in Britain since 2007. However the damage looks set to rise with a storm forecast for Tuesday evening and Wednesday.
http://www.trust.org/item/20151229153704-wa05h/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #125 on: January 01, 2016, 03:13:17 PM »
"Dow closes worst year since 2008"
So, another 7-year market cycle, then?  ;)   Frankly, this dip is not as bad as I feared it might be.  Fossil fuel stocks were crushed, of course.
Quote
U.S. markets finished 2015 mostly in the red: The Dow was down 2.2%. The S&P 500 ended the year down 0.7%. It was the worst year for those two indexes since markets collapsed in 2008.
...
Energy stocks got crushed the worst. The biggest losers were Chesapeake Energy (CHK), CONSOL Energy (CNX) and Southwestern Energy (SWN). Each fell about 75%.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/12/31/investing/stocks-market-end-of-2015/index.html


But professional analysts are starting to admit that newer technologies are now a better choice than old energy.  And they see positive notes in Europe, giving reason for a better outlook for 2016.
Quote
Namely, the firming of economies in the Eurozone and elsewhere should keep markets chugging forward into 2016. Its embrace of a Quantitative Easing program, which proved a sage move by the U.S. Fed a couple years back, has helped backstop market sentiment in the recently beleaguered region. This suggests the most precarious possible scenarios may now be in the rear view for Europe, which is certainly welcome news for most multinational corporations here at home.
...
Of course, we’d rather see full-time employment increase, as well as a re-trained workforce ready to take on the challenges of a future global economy. Like it or not, we are in a “macro-flux” period of switching out dated industries and efforts (which are tried and true) for forward-looking ones (unproven and risky). That said, looking toward renewable energy solutions seems to be the smarter bet than sticking with industries like coal mining.

http://www.zacks.com/stock/news/202598/will-markets-rebound-in-2016
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #126 on: January 01, 2016, 05:16:42 PM »
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #127 on: January 01, 2016, 05:28:29 PM »
Article contains links to petitions urging further legal inquiry.

2015: The Year We Found Out #ExxonKnew
http://insideclimatenews.org/news/23122015/2015-exxon-mobil-climate-change-science-research-exxonknew-investigation-petition
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #128 on: January 06, 2016, 01:18:34 PM »
Joe Romm tallies up the progress made since the 2010 climate bill failed in the U.S. Senate in 2010.

The Environmental Movement Awakens
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/01/05/3735724/environmental-movement-awakens/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #129 on: January 09, 2016, 07:35:23 PM »
When it comes to climate change, payback isn’t enough
Quote
But moving forward, it does make sense that those who produce greenhouse gases should be required to pay for the harm in proportion to the magnitude of their activity. This is different from saying that people should be punished for their behavior from the past. It’s also worth keeping in mind that the highest per-capita emitters are not Americans but the citizens of Montenegro, Equatorial Guinea and Belize.
...
Rich countries should give more aid to poor countries, but the aid should be given to all poor countries — not just those that are hurt most by climate change. For that matter, rich countries should give more money to their own poor citizens. Redistribution of wealth from rich to poor is morally desirable, but it should be pursued broadly — not as compensation for historical wrongs.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/in-theory/wp/2016/01/08/when-it-comes-to-climate-change-payback-isnt-enough/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #130 on: January 15, 2016, 12:55:27 AM »
Can Warning Labels Help Stop Climate Change?
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Popularized in the 2006 bestselling book, Nudge, behavioral scientists and economists are systematically and quantitatively studying what makes nudges affective. Because they can be so influential, governments are nudging people to do all sorts of things: vote, save up for retirement, use less water, pay their taxes on time, exercise and now, reduce their gasoline use.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/earth/can-warning-labels-help-stop-climate-change/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #131 on: January 15, 2016, 02:41:23 AM »
The year ahead: U.S. Grid to net 45 GW additional capacity in 2016
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If all goes according to plan, 2016 will see a net 45 GW added to the U.S. electric grid. As of Dec. 28, 2015, almost 10 GW of operating capacity was scheduled to retire in 2016, while units with an expected online year of 2016 totaled approximately 55 GW. Additionally, nearly 7 GW of capacity is scheduled to undergo fuel conversions.
https://www.snl.com/web/client?auth=inherit#news/article?id=35008291&KeyProductLinkType=0&cdid=A-35008291-11064
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #132 on: January 15, 2016, 03:07:57 AM »
New York:  “Governor Cuomo has enshrined himself as an international climate leader with today’s commitment to phase out all coal in the state by 2020.”
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New York is moving aggressively to a future powered by renewable energy, with an army of clean energy workers trained to install tens of thousands of solar panels and hundreds of wind turbines in the next few years. At the same time, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced in his annual State of the State speech on Wednesday, the state will phase out its dirtiest power plants.
http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2016/01/8588007/cuomo-lays-out-aggressive-energy-goals-key-details-pending
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Laurent

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #133 on: January 15, 2016, 11:32:14 AM »
They (US) have clearly some work to do...
Co émissions on the east cost.

Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #134 on: January 15, 2016, 08:42:52 PM »
They (US) have clearly some work to do...
Co émissions on the east cost.
Near the Baltimore-Washington-Philadelphia-New York "megalopolis"? -- could have told you CO is bad there, without a graphic.  (But a great daily source for that info; thanks.)

Still, China is, comparatively, horrifying.
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Laurent

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #135 on: January 15, 2016, 09:11:43 PM »
That's because they produce for USA, Europe, China and the rest of the world...

Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #136 on: January 15, 2016, 10:14:36 PM »
That's because they produce for USA, Europe, China and the rest of the world...

Quite so.  But less and less nowdays, as China's manufacturing sector shrinks.... 

The next question becomes: How much manufacturing will other countries take up in China's place, versus, instead, actually decreasing the amount of stuff we manufacture?  Via limited, manufacturing-on-demand with 3D printers, etc. -- and, for those with a lot of stuff, simply making-do with less stuff.

And now you've made me go re-watch the old George Carlin routine about "Stuff." ;D
(Caution: language.)
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Laurent

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #137 on: January 15, 2016, 10:41:58 PM »
That story is more in line with reality : http://storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-stuff/

Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #138 on: January 19, 2016, 03:27:05 PM »
Congress Actually Dealt with Climate Change in the 2016 Budget Bill. Really.
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President Obama's plan to safeguard the nation from increasing flood risk due to climate change was quietly green-lighted by Congress last month in the 2016 omnibus budget bill.

It marks one of the only actions Congress took on global warming in all of 2015, and it came as a surprise considering the longstanding opposition from Republicans. And it is a critical one, several policy experts said. It will impact billions of dollars of federally funded construction projects across the country, from highways and bridges to hospitals and housing complexes, at a time when flooding in the U.S. is getting worse every year because of climate change.

"The policy illustrates the awareness that we should not build things that are vulnerable to flooding now or in the future," said Rob Moore, a policy analyst and director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's Water and Climate Team. "That may not seem like a revolutionary idea, but unfortunately it is. We have a long history of building things that easily get soggy."
http://insideclimatenews.org/news/11012016/congress-climate-change-omnibus-budget-bill-flood-standard-obama
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #139 on: January 20, 2016, 04:18:01 PM »
Pentagon Ordered to Address ‘Climate Change’
All U.S. military branches required to ‘address the impacts of climate change’
http://freebeacon.com/national-security/pentagon-ordered-to-address-climate-change/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #140 on: January 21, 2016, 09:14:09 PM »
The state of Rhode Island acts on climate, by increasing clean energy and decreasing consumption.

Quote
In December, Gov. Gina Raimondo signed the Lead by Example in Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy Executive Order, tasking state agencies with reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions at their facilities. It also requires government to procure 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2025 and to achieve a 10 percent reduction in energy consumption by 2019.
http://m.providencejournal.com/article/20160120/OPINION/160129976
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AbruptSLR

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #141 on: January 22, 2016, 04:11:50 PM »
The shakers and movers at Davos have accepted that the Arctic is warming faster than ever experienced in recorded history and they are laying the groundwork to split-up this new $1 Trillion dollar pie:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-21/the-world-has-discovered-a-1-trillion-ocean
“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.”
― Leon C. Megginson

Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #142 on: January 22, 2016, 04:45:12 PM »
The shakers and movers at Davos have accepted that the Arctic is warming faster than ever experienced in recorded history and they are laying the groundwork to split-up this new $1 Trillion dollar pie:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-21/the-world-has-discovered-a-1-trillion-ocean

From the article:
Quote
The Arctic Investment Protocol, developed by a 22-member WEF “global agenda council,” puts forward sustainability principles similar to initiatives developed for mature economies in recent years. The focus is long-term: tap the expertise of indigenous communities and treat them as commercial partners, protect ecosystems (even as rising temperatures change them before our eyes), and prevent corruption while encouraging international collaboration. The Arctic nations include Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the U.S.,  so there is a lot of collaboration to be had.

Given history, it's easy to think the solution could go horribly wrong.  But just maybe it could go right, and serve as a model for the future for other locations.  (Even if the best solution would be for more humans to not be there at all.)
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #143 on: January 24, 2016, 02:55:31 PM »
Climate Holism vs. Climate Reductionism
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A holistic view of climate change starts by understanding its relationship to a complex of disorders that increasingly plagues the global ecosystem, including soil degradation, desertification, the decline of life in the oceans, species extinctions, deforestation, and water and air pollution. All proceed, in one way or another, from human population growth, economic expansion, and the ever-increasing use of fossil fuels. Once humans began burning coal, oil, and natural gas, these concentrated, then-abundant sources of energy supercharged the economic processes by which other natural resources are extracted and turned to waste. Further, as agriculture was industrialized and sanitation improved, population grew, thus increasing the scale of the problem. Climate change was just one of the predictable results. Therefore even if we deal with global warming through technical strategies that reduce carbon emissions, much of the rest of this complex of problems will continue to worsen until we deal with its systemic causes, or until it overwhelms the biosphere and human civilization.
http://www.postcarbon.org/climate-holism-vs-climate-reductionism/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #144 on: January 26, 2016, 08:01:54 PM »
U.S. presidential race: 
South Florida mayors press Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush on climate change
Quote
Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush have given little priority to climate change on the Republican presidential campaign trail, and a group of South Florida mayors have had enough.

Fifteen mayors from cities in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties wrote the two Miami candidates a letter asking them to meet with local leaders to "discuss the risks facing Florida communities due to climate change and help us chart a path forward to protect our state and the entire United States."

"As mayors representing municipalities across Florida, we call on you to acknowledge the reality and urgency of climate change and to address the upcoming crisis it presents our communities," both letters begin. "Our cities and towns are already coping with the impacts of climate change today. We will need leadership and concrete solutions from our next president."
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2016/01/south-florida-mayors-press-marco-rubio-jeb-bush-on-climate-change.html
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #145 on: January 26, 2016, 08:30:57 PM »
New Report Issues Dire Carbon Warning: Keep It in the Ground—or Else
Report examines carbon risk of fossil fuel deposits that could push world past agreed-upon 2°C climate threshold—and efforts to keep them untapped
Quote
At this point, continuing to burn fossil fuels is truly lethal," Boeve said. "The effort by fossil fuel companies to dig up and burn coal, oil and gas despite the consequences is the biggest threat our planet faces. All around the world people are now mobilizing to keep fossil fuels in the ground."
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/01/25/new-report-issues-dire-carbon-warning-keep-it-ground-or-else
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #146 on: January 27, 2016, 08:22:16 PM »
Argentina Locust Plague: Armageddon, End of Days Or Climate Change Disaster?
http://www.ibtimes.com/argentina-locust-plague-armageddon-end-days-or-climate-change-disaster-2280092
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #147 on: January 30, 2016, 02:30:59 PM »
Rocket Launches First Part of Europe's Space-Based 'Data Highway'
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Europe launched the first part of a new space "data highway" on Friday night that will pave the way for faster monitoring of natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods.

The EDRS-A node is the first building block of the European Data Relay Satellite (EDRS), a "big data highway" costing nearly 500 million euros ($545 million) that will harness new laser-based communications technology.

The EDRS will considerably improve transmission of large amounts of data, such as pictures and radar images, from satellites in orbit to Earth as they will no longer have to wait for a ground station on Earth to come into view.
http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/rocket-launches-first-part-europe-s-space-based-data-highway-n507436
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #148 on: February 08, 2016, 08:22:10 PM »
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Sigmetnow

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Re: What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action
« Reply #149 on: February 08, 2016, 08:48:52 PM »
The Pentagon Just Issued Marching Orders on Climate Change
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A bit over a year after identifying climate change as a "significant challenge" for the US military, the US Department of Defense has given its top officials orders for handling the hazards posed by a warming world.

The boring-but-important 12-page document issued in January tells the armed service chiefs and top civilian officials to identify how climate change will affect their missions, figure out how to manage any risks it poses, and factor those into their planning. It gives specific tasks to various Defense Department offices and regional commands, from determining how higher sea levels or longer droughts affect US bases to what new gear might be needed to work in a thawing Arctic.

"Although this looks very bureaucratic in nature, I would actually give the department full credit for it," said David Titley, a retired rear admiral who served as the Navy's top oceanographer. "I think this is one of the more significant steps they've done, because they've linked that high-level strategy down to a daily to-do list."
https://news.vice.com/article/the-pentagon-just-issued-marching-orders-on-climate-change
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