Climate Change This Week: Cap and Trade Comes, Delta Danger and More!

Today, the Earth got a little hotter, and a little more crowded.
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

Today, the Earth got a little hotter, and a little more crowded.

2015-08-17-1439836952-595480-colorfuljumpingspiderSilersemiglaucusSumatraCreditpotokitomyshot.blogspot.comccr290.jpg
The Colorful Jumping Spider finally has something to jump about - much of its home just got protected. Credit potokito-myshot.blogspot.com

2015-08-17-1439837000-6771303-SumatrantigeraelephantrhinocredgroundreportcomwwfIndonesiaIntlrhinofoundation.png
These rare Sumatran animals - the Sumatran tiger, elephant, and rhino - live no where else.

Forests: the cheapest way to store carbon

OO After Long Battle, Big Swath Of Sumatran Rainforest Wins Government Protection - a fast-dwindling part of its lowland rainforests.

*
*

2015-08-17-1439837039-6092910-coralreeffishoceanTDCccr290.jpg
Something our descendents may never see again, if we don't stop using fossil fuels quickly.

OO Stop Burning Fossil Fuels Now:
There Is No CO2 'Technofix'
scientists warn; CO2 can't be extracted easily from oceans, which will be damaged for centuries to come.

The atmosphere can change over mere decades, but liquids move far more slowly. Ocean surface changes take centuries, and deep ocean changes, millennia.

2015-08-17-1439837100-4361216-Oceanacidification202020602100TobiasFriedrichUniversityofHawaiiccr290.gif

Oceans will stay warm, acid... and empty as much sea life will be unable to exist. No more sea shells, or seafood for our children. Ever.

So, even if atmospheric temperatures cooled to pre-Industrial Revolution levels, oceans would remain warm and acidic for millennia, with catastrophic consequences for sea life and our source of seafood. We've got to stop emissions now.

Related Headline:

OO Ocean Acidification Will Last Long After
Carbon Clean-Up Efforts Begin

*
*

Gone, but not forgotten....

@@ Jon Stewart Plugs His Ears and Pretends 'Climate Change Doesn't Exist'

Sigh, Jon Stewart may be going away, but climate change isn't...

Related Headline:

OO Congress: How Climate Deniers Threaten National Security - the military understands the threat, but many in Congress refuse to heed their warnings.

*
*

2015-08-17-1439837212-1365795-deltasacramentoSourcewww.sacramentoriverdelta.netccr290.jpg
The Sacramento, CA delta; the sheer weight of human communities are helping sink deltas, even as rising sea levels threaten them. Source www.sacramentoriverdelta.net

OO Populous River Deltas Worldwide
Are In Major Trouble
- as the weight of ever larger human communities sink them, and the seas rise due to climate change, a new study warns. At least 48 major global river deltas, home to 340 million people, are affected.

Related Headline:

OO Sea Defenses Not Enough To Protect
Delta Cities From Rising Flood Risk
says a new study.

*
*

2014-03-14-cleanenergybulb500solutionsideabulblead972x514viaclimateprogresscctw97.jpg

OO Carbon Emissions From the US Power Sector Hit a 27-Year Low
In the US, as coal wanes, gas gains, and renewables rise.

*
*

2015-08-17-1439840986-7449450-extremeweatherbcompositedroughtheatwavestormwildfiremehccr290.png
Hallmarks of Climate Change: Extreme rainfall, wildfires, drought and heat waves have all happened just within the last few months.

OO Climate Change Nightmares Are Already Happening --
And Much Faster Than Expected
- by climate scientists. Think not? In just the past few months:

  • record heat waves killed 1000+ people in India and Pakistan
  • the northwest Olympia Forest burned for the first time ever recorded
  • London had its hottest July ever
  • *
  • an intense weather-shifting El Nino is forming
  • California had a massive wildfire, followed by extreme rains
  • Puerto Rico is in extreme drought

2015-08-17-1439837287-8341406-statueoflibertyfloodarisingSourcefullgrownministry.comccr290.jpg
Coming Sooner Than You Think...

And there's more to come - new research indicates:

  • The "safe" limit of 2oC (4oF) warming will create catastrophic sea level rise;
  • As is, sea levels could rise 10 feet by 2065 - just 50 years from now

*
*

2015-08-17-1439837322-6651099-heatwavemanwithfanTDCccr290.jpg

OO Killer Heat Grows Hotter Around The World says a study. Takeaways:

  • the highest recently recorded heat index recently recorded was 165 degrees F
  • after 6 hours exposure to a heat index of 95 F, humans die
  • if global temperatures rise beyond 12 F, much of Earth would be uninhabitable

2015-08-17-1439841715-4928486-ifallfossilfuelswereburnedamehccr290.png

*
*

2015-08-17-1439837411-728045-obamatakesactiononclimatethankyouSourceenvironmentamerica.orgccr289.png

OO Don't Like The Clean Power Plan?
Try Cap-And-Trade
- the plan offers a carbon trading system as an option for states that don't want to comply with emissions cuts.

Related Headline:

OO Obama Just Created A Carbon Cap-And-Trade Program

*
*

2015-08-17-1439837474-87610-wildfireburnsinCA2013carinfrontCreditNoahBergeratReutersccr290.jpg
Credit Noah Berger at Reuters

OO Is Anywhere On Earth Safe From Climate Change? No.

Put simply:
Climate change threatens global catastrophe.
The planet isn't just getting hotter, it's destabilizing.
Entire ecosystems are at risk.
The future of humanity is at stake.

*
*

2015-08-17-1439837511-8926318-irrigationwaterinYumaAZCreditIrfanKhanLATimesccr287.png

OO As Droughts Spread, Where Is A US National Water Plan?

*
*

2015-08-17-1439837629-4248984-cartoonGOPelephantDEMdonkey2016TDCccr290.jpg
Whoever gets elected president next year will have enormous influence over U.S. climate and energy policy.

OO The Next President Could Expand Obama's Climate Policies -- Or Dismantle Them

Related Headlines:

OO Hillary Clinton Lays Out Climate Change Plan

2015-08-17-1439837679-6108703-goppresidentialcandidatesdebateSourceheavy.comccr290.jpg
What Do All These Candidates Lack? An action plan on climate change.

OO Most GOP Candidates Steer Clear Of Climate Change
-- And What To Do About It
as the most recent debate showed.

*
*

2015-08-17-1439842005-4066949-oilpumpsmethanegasflareNorthDakotacreditAPphotoEricGayccr262.jpg
It's the Stuff You Don't See that does more damage: flaring methane breaks it down to carbon dioxide, but methane leaks from old or working wells allow this very potent green house gas to escape into the atmosphere...

OO Methane In Atmosphere Greatly Exceeds Estimates report says, due to a flaw in the standard measuring device used.

This underestimation could affect climate change predictions.

Related Headline:

OO Landmark Paper Underestimated Methane Leaks From Gas Production study says.

*
*

2015-08-17-1439837742-1552022-corncropinEuropecreditH.RaabatFlickrccr252.jpg

OO Feeding People On Our Stressed Planet Will Require A "Revolution" - "2renowned scientists, Stanford's Paul Ehrlich and UC-Berkeley's John Harte, argue that feeding the planet goes way beyond food. Revolutionary political, economic and social shifts are necessary to avoid unprecedented chaos."

(FD: I sleep with one of these guys, and although I like Paul very much, it's not him.)

*
*

2015-08-17-1439837779-2303709-fossilfuelsubsidiescartoonCreditTomToleattheWashingtonPostccr290.gif
True in 2012, and still true now... Credit Tom Toles at the Washington Post

OO G20 Countries Pay $1,000+ Per Citizen
In Fossil Fuel Subsidies
, says the International Monetary Fund; the world still pays trillions in subsidies despite pledges to phase them out.

Related Headline:

OO The Huge Hidden Costs Of Our Fossil-Fueled Economy - Oil companies may be the most profitable companies on the planet. But that's only because we let them destroy the planet for free.

*
*

2015-08-17-1439839422-5877365-deathfromflooding569SourceChinaDailyccr273.jpg

OO Heavy Monsoons Leave Trail Of Destruction Across Southern Asia - lethal floods, mudslides, 100+ deaths, and up to one million refugees.

*
*

OO How The West Was Burned:
Thousands Of Wildfires Ablaze In California Alone

OO Forest Service Alarmed About
Dramatically Rising Wildfire Costs
and having a "debilitating impact" on other forest service responsibilities.

OO US Forest Service Spending Over Half Of Budget On Fires

*
*

2015-08-17-1439839455-1951575-twomenwglacierbackgroundTDCccr290.jpg

OO Glaciers 'Have Shrunk To Lowest Levels In 120 Years' a new study shows.

Related Headline:

OO OMG... Greenland's Ice Sheets Are Melting Fast - and NASA is launching a 6-year project to understand just how fast the world's warming seas are now eroding the edges of the island's vast ice sheet.

*
*

OO Massive Toxic Algae Bloom Reaches From California To Alaska raising health concerns; scientists are studying how climate change could be contributing to it.

Related Headline:

OO Vast Toxic Algae Bloom In Warm Water From California To Alaska is denser, deeper and more widespread than previously thought, say National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration surveyors.

*
*

2015-08-17-1439839566-9400733-permafrostthawaformslakesdrunkentreesG.Hugeliustreesviaclimatecentral.png
2015-08-17-1439839622-7797016-housefallsintoseaAlaskanvillageShishmarefHousefallsintoseacoastalerosionCourtesyTonyWeylouannacctw91.jpg
Drunken Trees, Falling Houses, New Lakes are just some of the consequences of melting permafrost and eroding coastlines of Alaska's dramatically changing climate.

OO Alaska, the Climate Change Poster State,
Illustrates Need for Climate Action Now
- as permafrost and glaciers melt, dry forests burn, coastlines erode, oceans acidify, new species invade, intense heat waves occur, and health concerns and government costs increase, disrupting the state.

*
*

2015-08-17-1439839760-5382162-PacificsalmonaSourcewww.thinksalmon.comccr284.jpg

OO Warming Waters, Changing Climate Threaten West Coast Salmon

*
*

2014-07-06-populationmatters2green.png

If we do not grow sustainably,
Our children will die inhumanely.

2015-08-17-1439839795-9535747-EarthOvershootDay2015Sourcewww.earthovershootday.orgccr290.png
Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity's annual demand on nature exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year. Earth Overshoot Day (EOD) has moved from early October in 2000 to August 13th this year. Source www.earthovershootday.org

OO Earth Overshoot Day: The Debt We Can't Ignore - each year, with an ever larger population, we are using up more of Earth's nonrenewable resources, as we overshoot the planetary budget for keeping us alive and maintaining a sustainable stock of resources.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Promote the idea on social media of a global campaign to prevent unintended pregnancies.

And there are many more actions you can do, right here.

*
*
*

SOLAR KEEPS SMILING

2015-02-02-solarkeepssmilingpanelfield300x197ViaSolar.calfinder.com.jpg

OO The Solstice Initiative:
Spreading Solar to US Underserved Communities, Public

OO US Solar Power Startup Bright Raises $4 Million
to Distribute Energy in the Developing World

2015-08-17-1439839824-6414013-ultrathinsolarchargerSourcewww.fastcoexit.comccr290.jpg
Charging Forward just took on a whole new meaning... Source www.fastcoexit.com

OO Ultra-Thin Solar Charger Powers Up Your Iphone On The Go or on a windowsill as you work.

OO Wind And Solar Surge Sends EU Emissions Tumbling - European member nations of the 1997 Kyoto protocol are exceeding their targeted cuts as wind and solar power replace fossil fuels.

2015-08-17-1439839864-834835-solarpanelinstallationGermanySourceeconews.com.auccr290.jpg
The look of solar in Germany. Source econews.com.au

OO Germany Breaks Record Wind and PV Generation in July and matched nuclear output.

OO Latin America Set Solar Growth Record April to June 2015

2014-01-31-geostellargetcleanenergy.png

Check it out here, right now!

*
*
*

GOOD CLEAN NEWS

2015-08-17-1439839948-6040448-norwaySourcewww.pointsandtravel.comccr290.jpg
Norway, where water is power. Source www.pointsandtravel.com

OO Norway Could Provide 20,000MW of Energy Storage to Europe - with pumped hydro storage by 2022.

OO Wind, Geothermal Energy Will Allow New Zealand to Go Coal-Free

*
*
*

WHAT WORKS

Good Ideas:

2015-08-17-1439839981-7016516-THAWTtransversehorizontalaxiswaterturbinetidalpowerSourcekeplerenergy.co.ukccr290.jpg
It's the THAWT That Counts - more specifically, the Transverse Horizontal Axis Water Turbine, that will allow the UK to harvest tidal energy from shallow waters. Source keplerenergy.co.uk

OO New Tidal Energy System Could Help Power U.K., say developers, allowing an expansion of relatively cheap tidal power.

OO Smart Windows Just Got Cooler - with a new kind of electrochromic window glass, which changes color in response to the addition or removal of electronic charge; more versatile than the technology now on the market, it could be cheaper, too.

OO 'Yolks' and 'Shells' Dramatically Improve Rechargeable Batteries - a new type of electrode could dramatically improve cycle life, capacity and power for rechargeable batteries - a breakthrough from MIT and a Chinese team: cooperation at its best.

Insights:

OO Battery Storage Vital to Future Energy Grids says a new report, and will undergo a mega-shift as energy storage adoption is driven by demand from those generating solar and wind power.

2015-08-17-1439840017-183316-cowemissionsandhumorccr290.png
Luckily, Bud Wasn't Kissing Bessie When She Burped - far more than farts, cutting cow burps dramatically lowers their methane emissions, a relatively large source of methane from the agro-sector, no matter how hilarious it sounds. Sources 1389blog.com, www.neatorama.com

OO Diet Change Cuts Methane Emissions In Cow Burps - researchers found that a new additive included in a dairy cow's diet can cut the cow's methane emissions when it belches by almost one third.

*
*
*

WHY WE SHOULD ACT NOW: RISING RISKS

2015-08-17-1439840053-2745174-anomaltempaug172015.png

Daily Climate Change: Global Map of Unusual Temperatures, Oct 12, 2014

How unusual has the weather been? No one event is "caused" by climate change, but global warming, which is predicted to increase unusual, extreme weather, is having a daily effect on weather, worldwide.

Looking above at recent temperature anomalies, much of the US and the waters surrounding it are experiencing warmer than normal temperatures: the eastern Pacific warm spot continues to prevent much rain from reaching California, sending it into further drought.

Much of the areas surrounding the North Pole are experiencing much warmer than normal temperatures - not good news for our Arctic thermal shield of ice. Hotter than usual temperatures continue to dominate human habitats.

subtitle:

OO San Jose, CA: Downtown River Dries;
Fish And Wildlife Suffer
- setting back years of restoration efforts that had welcomed back trout, salmon, beavers and other wildlife..

2015-08-17-1439840184-1581679-forestwburncorridorBCCanadaTDCccr290.jpg

OO Canada: Climate Change Is A Growing Concern In British Columbia

OO Taiwan: Powerful Storm Hits, Millions Without Power, 6 Dead so far.

OO Puerto Rico Extends Severe Water Rationing As Drought Worsens affecting millions.

2015-08-17-1439840222-1883822-farmerfarmingNigeriaTDCccr290.jpg
Changing rainfall patterns and higher temperatures resulting from climate change will threaten food production across Nigeria as over half the farmers delay planting due to lack of rain.

OO Climate Change Threatens Food Production In Nigeria

*
*
*

There is, of course, much more news on the consequences and solutions to climate change. To get it, check out this annotated resource list I've compiled, "Climate Change News Resources," at Wordpress.com here. For more information on the science of climate change, its consequences and solutions you can view my annotated list of online information resources here.

To help you understand just what science does and does NOT do, check this out!

Every day is Earth Day, folks, as I was reminded by these wildflowers I photographed one summer. Making the U.S. a global clean energy leader will ensure a heck of a lot more jobs, and a clean, safe future. If you'd like to join the increasing numbers of people who want to TELL Congress that they will vote for clean energy candidates you can do so here. It's our way of letting Congress know there's a strong clean energy voting bloc out there. For more detailed summaries of the above and other climate change items, audio podcasts and texts are freely available.

2015-08-17-1439840253-3522092-butterflyondaisies.jpg

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot