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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for April 22, 2013.
Posted: 22 Apr 2013 11:55:53
ARB Newsclips for April 22, 2013. This is a service of the California Air Resources Board’s Office of Communications. You may need to sign in or register with individual websites to view some of the following news articles. CAP AND TRADE Cap-and-trade programs in California and Quebec to merge. The California Air Resources Board has linked its cap-and-trade program for cutting greenhouse gas emissions and curbing climate change with one in Quebec. California's air quality officials soon may be adding a new phrase to their bureaucratic vocabulary: "le rechauffement climatique." That's French for global warming. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-capitol-business-beat-20130422,0,1672943.story http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/20/5357250/california-quebec-carbon-link.html#storylink=misearch http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-04-19/california-adopts-regulation-to-link-carbon-markets-with-quebec http://www.platts.com/RSSFeedDetailedNews/RSSFeed/ElectricPower/21969801 Why the U.S. Is Cutting Carbon Faster Than Europe. This week, European Parliament put a dagger in the Continent’s carbon cap-and-trade system. Rather than choosing to reduce the number of emission credits in the system to better reflect the economic slowdown, Parliament voted to keep carbon cheap—real cheap. As a result, the price of carbon in recent days traded for as little as €3 ($3.92) per metric ton, compared with €25 in 2008. Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-04-19/why-the-u-dot-s-dot-is-cutting-carbon-faster-than-europe http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/22/business/energy-environment/europes-carbon-market-is-sputtering-as-prices-dive.html?pagewanted=all AIR POLLUTION District says Yolo County's air quality is getting better. The Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District says a report released Wednesday shows the efforts made by it and similar agencies statewide are resulting in cleaner air. The report, titled "California's Progress Toward Clean Air," is released annually by the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association, a statewide consortium of air quality regulators including Yolo-Solano. Posted. http://www.dailydemocrat.com/news/ci_23068778/district-says-yolo-countys-air-quality-is-getting San Diego’s environmental checkup shows good health. Most of the progress comes from cleaning up pollution on the road and at the gas pump, said Bill Brick, senior meteorologist for the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District. Future efforts to further boost air quality will take aim at diesel exhaust from heavy trucks, buses and tugboats, he said. Bonnie Holmes-Zen, senior director of policy and advocacy for the American Lung Association, said San Diegans still need to drive less and drive cleaner. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/apr/21/tp-san-diegos-environmental-checkup-shows-good/ CLIMATE CHANGE Supreme Court asked to hear EPA greenhouse gas challenge. Top industry groups and a dozen states have asked the Supreme Court to review a lower court decision upholding the Obama administration's plan to limit greenhouse gas emissions generated by power plants and vehicles. The parties, which had until Friday to submit petitions to the high court, are challenging a 2012 decision by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld rules issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/20/us-usa-court-greenhousegas-idUSBRE93J01720130420 Long-term global cooling ended in 19th century: study. A global long-term cooling trend ended late in the 19th century and was followed decades later by the warmest temperatures in nearly 1,400 years, a sweeping study of temperature change showed. The study, by a consortium of 78 authors in 24 countries, said its 2,000 years of data made it harder to discount the impact on higher temperatures of increased greenhouse gases due to human activity. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/22/us-usa-environment-cooling-idUSBRE93L0SV20130422 Climate change toll felt on businesses, wildlife. Ryan Richardson knows all too well how global climate change can affect local lives. Richardson is vice president of operations at Hobart's County Line Orchard, which lost its entire crop of apples last season due to extreme weather. That reduced revenue and delayed expansion plans. "Whether you call it global warming or climate change, the intense weather really does have an impact," Richardson told The Times in Munster (http://bit.ly/13LBIOH). Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Climate-change-toll-felt-on-businesses-wildlife-4453156.php#ixzz2RCx4NN9X Winemaking would suffer under climate change, study reveals. Grape growing in the Temecula Valley Wine Country and other prime wine-producing regions of California would wither by mid-century if greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated and farmers don’t make significant adjustments to their crops, say the authors of a new climate change study. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20130420-temecula-winemaking-would-suffer-under-climate-change-study-finds.ece Clarity on climate change causes. ‘‘Humanity is sitting on a time bomb. If the vast majority of the world’s scientists are right, we have just 10 years to avert a major catastrophe that could send our entire planet’s climate system into a tail-spin of epic destruction . . .” This quote, spoken by Al Gore in his movie, “An Inconvenient Truth,” embodies the fear that is driving the modern environmental movement. Producers and consumers search endlessly for “green” items, such as reusable bags, energy efficient cars, and sustainable foods, all in the hope of protecting the planet from the harmful byproducts of civilization. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130421/LIFESTYLE/130429951/0/SEARCH Leaders mull direction, significance of state's energy and climate policies. Hailing California as the nation's pace-setter in climate and energy policy, state experts are looking around to see who else is following. At a conference on "California's Energy Future," a top energy policy thought leader cautioned that state officials should think about what they are trying to achieve with their landmark greenhouse gas regulations and trading program. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/22/8 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY The more we warm, the faster climate zones will shift. Plants, animals and agricultural systems have adapted to thrive in certain climates, be they arid or wet, tropical or temperate. At the globe warms, those climates will shift, potentially disrupting ecosystems and agriculture. A study published yesterday in the journal Nature Climate Change shows for the first time that the shift will happen faster the more the globe warms. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/22/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Canada's emissions decline, despite spike from oil sands. Canada's greenhouse gas emissions have declined since 2000, even as emissions from production in its oil sands region increased 120 percent over the same time frame, according to a new report submitted by the country to the United Nations. The national greenhouse gas inventory offers a snapshot of the country's profile at a time of intense attention to TransCanada Corp.'s proposed Keystone XL pipeline and its potential climate impact. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/22/7 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Swipes at fossil fuel industry could destabilize markets. Entrenched links between the fossil fuels industry and global financiers could destabilize markets as governments enact tougher laws to fight climate change, a British think tank warned in a study released late last week. Climate experts at London-based Carbon Tracker have determined that coal, oil and gas companies' carbon assets may be left "stranded" by technological advances or more exacting regulations. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/print/2013/04/22/5 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Improving automobile fuel efficiency - with plastics. While most Americans know that drastically improving automobile fuel efficiency will reduce gasoline consumption and tailpipe emissions, it may be less clear how today’s cars and trucks are evolving to make that happen. The U.S. government recently announced stringent new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards: the nation’s cars and light trucks must average a whopping 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Improving-automobile-fuel-efficiency-with-4452868.php#ixzz2RD47Uw5T Alaska gambles with major oil tax cut. Call it Alaska's great gamble. The state will forgo billions of dollars in tax revenue in hopes of reversing sour economic fortunes. Alaska, whose economy runs almost solely on oil, has fallen from its perch as the nation's oil king at a time when energy production is surging across the Lower 48 states, fueling budget surpluses in North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas. This new boom puts the U.S. on track to become the world's largest oil producer and a net exporter of natural gas by 2020. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/22/5360916/alaska-gambles-with-major-oil.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy No good will come from Keystone pipeline. President Obama is facing a critical opportunity to take the country beyond its century-and-a-half reliance on oil. Earth Day on Monday, and this weekend's third anniversary of the BP Gulf of Mexico disaster, offer stark reminders of the stakes and mistakes inherent in crude. To paraphrase Charles Dickens, the president made the best of decisions last summer when he dramatically improved mileage-and-emissions standards for U.S. cars and light trucks. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/19/v-print/5355232/no-good-will-come-from-keystone.html California is new fracking battleground. The home of the Hollywood liberals is the nation’s newest battleground on fracking. California is the latest state to embark on a fierce debate over whether and how to regulate the oil- and gas-extraction technique known as hydraulic fracturing — a controversy already roiling politics in rural Pennsylvania and inspiring an endless soap opera in New York State. But California could provide an even bigger stage for the drama: Posted. http://www.politico.com/story/2013/04/california-energy-fracking-battleground-90397.html#ixzz2RCpoOyrW VEHICLES RPT-Paris scheme showcases tycoon's battery car gamble. A fleet of little silver cars in Paris is showcasing France's gamble on electric vehicle technology in a project that backers say is even helping to narrow the capital's social divide. Modelled on the "Velib" bike-sharing programme, "Autolib" has won 70,000 clients since its launch in late 2011. Drivers pick up one of the electric cars at a recharging bay, make their journey and leave it at another for other Parisians to use. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/22/france-paris-autos-idUSL5N0D631H20130422 UPDATE 1-Chinese car makers turn to hybrids, hope for Beijing backing. China is warming to gasoline-electric hybrid cars as it tackles an addiction to fossil fuels, and local car makers are finally heeding the call and entering a niche 'green' market dominated by Japanese rivals such as Toyota Motor Corp. Some automakers like state-owned SAIC Motor Corp and Brilliance Auto are developing the fuel-saving technology pioneered by Toyota on its Prius model two decades ago…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/20/autoshow-china-hybrids-idUSL3N0D700Z20130420 Motorcycle mpg: 10 very fuel-efficient bikes. Gaso prices are high at the pump and rising higher, and prospective motorcycle buyers -- especially first-time buyers -- often cite fuel efficiency as their No. 1 reason for wanting to swap four wheels for two. It's always a good swap, as far as mileage goes. Even the thirstiest gas-guzzling motorcycles get more miles per gallon than the most economical cars. Honda's road racing CBR100RR gets a reported 41 mpg, for example, while a big beast like BMW's R1200GS gets close to 50 mpg. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-mo-autos-motorcycle-mpg-fuel-efficient-20130422,0,2334938.story 6 electric taxis are hitting the NYC streets. Six electric taxis are hitting New York City's streets. The environmentally efficient vehicle is called the LEAF. Nissan is donating the taxis as part of a year-long pilot program. The city plans to make one-third of its taxi fleet electric by the year 2020. The fleet has 13,237 medallion taxicabs. The Taxi and Limousine Commission says electric taxis could reduce gas emissions by nearly 90,000 tons annually. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/6-electric-taxis-are-hitting-the-NYC-streets-4452890.php#ixzz2RD3YL2d9 HIGH-SPEED RAIL High-speed rail training grant boosts Valley's job hopes. Fresno leaders said Friday that a $1.5 million grant to train people for jobs building the first stage of California's high-speed rail line has the potential to "transform lives" of local residents. The grant, funded by the state Workforce Investment Act, will underwrite skills training by the Fresno Regional Workforce Investment Board for at least 325 people. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/04/19/3266061/rail-training-grant-boosts-valleys.html http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=9073314 GREEN ENERGY Wind energy continues to grow on the list of greentech choices. Chances are you’ve heard that we’re using a lot of energy every day and need to, you know, slow our roll. We’ve done an excellent job figuring out how to use fossil fuels, but what about our other natural resources? Wind, some say, is our next best thing. An infographic created by QuinStreet street below shows that in the last 62 years alone, our energy consumption has increased by 46 percent. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/wind-energy-continues-to-grow-on-the-list-of-greentech-choices/2013/04/22/cbbe08a4-aaad-11e2-9493-2ff3bf26c4b4_story.html Electric-Taxi Experiment Asks if City’s Cabbies Can Spare the Time to Plug In. The taxis are not entirely yellow. Their drivers are allowed to refuse certain fares. Even the smell is different, with no oil-rich odor greeting riders at the door. Months before the city’s Taxi of Tomorrow is scheduled to reach the road, officials have already turned their attention to the type of vehicle that might replace it. This week, the city will introduce six fully electric taxis into the fleet as part of a pilot program intended primarily to answer a single question: Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/22/nyregion/electric-taxi-experiment-to-begin-in-new-york.html China's Clean Energy Investment Puts America to Shame. In the U.S., when the topic of clean energy comes up, we like to debate concepts like climate change or global warming, turning it into a political debate more than a strategic one. Subsidies to industries such as wind or solar, no matter how small, take criticism from politicians and the media while the government continues to subsidizes oil, gas, coal, and nuclear production to the tune of billions of dollars each year. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/fool/article/China-s-Clean-Energy-Investment-Puts-America-to-4450241.php#ixzz2RD0uLo1X Energy measures save Green Bay schools $10 million. The Green Bay School District said it has saved millions of dollars over the past decade by conserving energy in its buildings. District officials said using energy-efficient light bulbs, turning off or dimming lights, maintaining heating and cooling systems in good condition and avoiding heavy energy use during peak times saved them about $10 million. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Energy-measures-save-Green-Bay-schools-10-million-4453293.php#ixzz2RD1fJYw9 A Good Investment in the Utility Sector. Duke Energy is an energy company owning nuclear, natural gas, coal-fired and hydroelectric generation. Headquartered in Charlotte, Duke operates in the United States providing nearly 20000 megawatts of owned electric capacity to over 2 million customers. It is a Fortune 250 company having a diverse fuel mix. Although utility companies are unlikely to experience substantial capital appreciation, this one is a worthwhile investment. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/fool/article/A-Good-Investment-in-the-Utility-Sector-4442111.php#ixzz2RD3G0WrD Solar power shopping? Here are some tips. With solar panel prices plunging and generous tax credits and incentives still available, now may be as good a time as any to go solar. But shopping for a solar power system can be a tough task. Consumers face a bewildering array of options. There are thousands of different solar panel models from dozens of manufacturers. In regions like the Bay Area, consumers can choose from among hundreds of different panel installers. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_23078458/solar-power-shopping-here-are-some-tips#ixzz2RD9Lpndp MISCELLANEOUS Tens of thousands of Angelenos hop on their bikes for CicLAvia. Tens of thousands of Angelenos abandoned their cars Sunday and hopped on their bikes, strapped on their rollerblades or pulled on their walking shoes and took to the streets to rediscover their city as part of the sixth CicLavia. Starting near City Hall, the cyclists, skateboarders, dog-walkers, runners and pedestrians slowly began making their way along the 15-mile, car-free route that will take them from downtown to Venice Beach. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-ciclavia-thousand-of-angelenos-hop-on-bikes20130421,0,7804221.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lanowblog+%28L.A.+Now%29 Rash of catalytic converter thefts in Las Cruces. Thieves in Las Cruces apparently are setting their sights on catalytic converters. Several automobile muffler shops in the southern New Mexico city report seeing a rash of vehicles brought in because of thefts of the emission control devices. Bob Mocerino says vehicle owners who are victims of converter thefts typically walk into his muffler shop describing how their vehicle is "really loud right now." Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Rash-of-catalytic-converter-thefts-in-Las-Cruces-4453017.php#ixzz2RD2lZ6dQ Unhealthy mercury levels persist in fish. Despite efforts by the state to curb mercury in the air and water, unhealthy levels of the element in most fish persist, resulting in restrictions on local fish consumption. “Mercury is a really big issue,” said Gary Rose, director of engineering and enforcement at the Bureau of Air Management the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. “It’s local. It’s national. It’s international.” Exposure to mercury, through the air or by eating mercury-laden fish, is toxic to humans. Posted. http://www.norwalkcitizenonline.com/news/article/Unhealthy-mercury-levels-persist-in-fish-4453140.php#ixzz2RD2MuWIU OPINIONS The End of the EU's Cap-and-Trade Affair. This could turn out to be very good news for the world's climate. For some time, a divorce has been on the horizon. For years these sweethearts have soaked up the limelight on the international stage, but the sordid reality has sunk in. On Tuesday, a vote in the European Parliament confirmed that the love affair between the European Union and its climate policy may be well and truly over. This could turn out to be very good news for the world's climate. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323735604578436283452099120.html?KEYWORDS=climate+change BY SUBSCRIPTION Cap and Trade Collapses. Even the European Parliament rejects carbon price-fixing. One of the great policy bubbles of our times has been cap and trade for carbon emissions, and on Tuesday it may have popped for good. The European Parliament refused to save the EU's failing program, which is the true-believer equivalent of the pope renouncing celibacy. The Parliament in Strasbourg voted 334-315 (with 63 abstentions) against propping up the price of carbon credits in the EU Emissions Trading System. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324030704578426520736614486.html?KEYWORDS=emissions BY SUBSCRIPTION Life After Oil and Gas. This mantra, repeated on TV ads and in political debates, is punctuated with a tinge of inevitability and regret. But, increasingly, scientific research and the experience of other countries should prompt us to ask: To what extent will we really “need” fossil fuel in the years to come? To what extent is it a choice? As renewable energy gets cheaper and machines and buildings become more energy efficient…Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/24/sunday-review/life-after-oil-and-gas.html?ref=earth McManus: A tax everyone can love. Once we get used to the idea, taxing carbon makes sense. The chairmen of Congress' primary tax committees, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.), have launched a bipartisan effort to reform our messy, inefficient federal tax law. They've agreed to look for ways to lower tax rates on both individuals and corporations and at the same time "close loopholes." But Baucus and Camp are going to run into a big problem: One taxpayer's "loophole" is another's sacred birthright. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-mcmanus-column-the-case-for-a-carbon-tax-20130421,0,1014305,print.column Dan Morain: State pushes 'green chemistry' What's a chemical company to do? Buckle up. Once again, California is heading off on its own, this time decreeing that manufacturers of consumer products find alternatives to ingredients that are linked to cancer, are reproductive toxins or otherwise despoil the planet. "Chemicals are not going away, but they need to change," said Department of Toxic Substances Control director Debbie Rafael, who is overseeing California's "green chemistry" program. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/21/5356942/state-pushes-green-chemistry.html McClintock doesn't represent local environment issues well. Re "McClintock hardly matches Muir in pantheon of Yosemite protectors" (Forum, April 14): The late Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill once said that "all politics is local." My representative Tom McClintock has turned this once basic truism and a fundamental cornerstone of our Constitution on its head. On environmental issues, the Congressman has opposed the San Joaquin River restoration, opposed the Klamath River restoration and opposed improving levee improvements in the Sacramento Valley. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/21/v-print/5340854/congressman-mcclintock.html Viewpoints: Should plastic bags be banned in California? No Growing up in the shadow of the '60s, a remarkable event occurred in my otherwise unremarkable hometown of Modesto – a little group called Ecology Action created the nation's first-ever curbside recycling program. National coverage in Look magazine stoked town pride. The year was 1971, and I was 11 years old. I remember the excitement helping mom drag recyclables to the curb and watching primitive trucks pull into the cul-de-sac to haul everything away. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/21/v-print/5356968/should-plastic-bags-be-banned.html Home, turbulent home. Unfortunately: Earth Day 2013 finds the world with new warnings of a dramatically changing climate. FORTUNATELY: There are positive signs, too, if we follow them. It was 43 years ago today, on the first Earth Day in 1970, that a government scientist delivered this ominous warning: "Pollution and over-pollution unless checked could so warm the earth in 200 years as to create a greenhouse effect melting the arctic ice cap and flooding vast areas of the world," said Jay Murray Mitchell, a climatologist with what is today known as the National Weather Service. Posted. http://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/Home-turbulent-home-4451584.php#ixzz2RD02fY74 10 Companies Pioneering Green Energy Usage. There aren't many people who will suggest that Kohl's Department Stores is a subversive threat to our existence as we know it. Lucky for you, dear reader, I am one of them. As our elected officials and fossil fuel lobbyists engage in never-ending battles to ensure we maintain our energy status quo, many corporations are quietly making big investments to brighten our energy future. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/fool/article/10-Companies-Pioneering-Green-Energy-Usage-4451205.php#ixzz2RD4afJAM Editorial: Lawsuit could bring changes. Our view: If successful, the lawsuit against the California Air Resources Board could force a different attitude on state agencies. Less than a month ago, staff from the California Air Resources Board sat in the Chico City Council chambers, invited by Assemblyman Dan Logue, to talk about the state's diesel regulations. Posted. http://www.chicoer.com/opinion/ci_23073612/editorial-lawsuit-could-bring-changes Idling vehicles raise risks, get you nowhere. Recent reports show that people exposed to higher levels of air pollution have an increased risk of low birth weight, stroke, heart attack, respiratory infections, lung cancer, cognitive deterioration and decreased life expectancy. These health risks exist even at pollution levels that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency currently considers to be safe. Since moving vehicles generate approximately 12 percent of all air pollutants…Posted. http://www.ctpost.com/opinion/article/Idling-vehicles-raise-risks-get-you-nowhere-4448327.php#ixzz2RDKw1tsm BLOGS Poll Suggests Energy Independence Trumps Environmental Concerns. U.S. and Canadian policymakers in favor of TransCanada Corp. TRP.T -0.18%’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline got a bit more ammunition for their cause Monday. A new poll of American and Canadian residents suggests a majority in both countries–74% of Americans, 68% of Canadians–either support or “somewhat” support the controversial pipeline, which has been the target of intense opposition by environmentalist groups and key Democratic lawmakers. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/canadarealtime/2013/04/22/poll-suggests-energy-independence-trumps-environmental-concerns/?KEYWORDS=emissions Europe’s cap-and-trade program is in trouble. Can it be fixed? The European Union has long prided itself on taking the lead in tackling climate change. But, this week, the continent’s flagship program — a cap-and-trade program for carbon-dioxide emissions — ran into serious trouble after a big reform effort failed. So can it be fixed? Let’s start with some background. The E.U.’s Emissions Trading Scheme works by setting an overall cap on carbon emissions for about half of Europe’s industries. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/04/20/europes-cap-and-trade-program-is-in-trouble-can-it-be-fixed/ An Earth Day Debate: Is There a ‘Carbon Bubble’? On Monday many people are celebrating Earth Day by admiring the beauty of our planet and by calling attention to the environmental dangers it faces. While the focus is on the planet, economists are warning that carbon emissions could cause grave damage to something else green and dear. The value of carbon-based investments — many traded publicly — could implode once governments start seriously curbing emissions, bursting what some have dubbed “the carbon bubble.” Posted. http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/22/an-earth-day-debate-is-there-a-carbon-bubble/ Reducing Black Carbon and Other Short-Lived Climate Pollutants Could Reduce Sea Level Rise by a Third. Recently we learned that nearly 3.5 million people are killed each year by indoor air pollution, much of it caused by black carbon soot. It's a health problem for sure, and it's a climate change problem, both of significant size—despite the general lack of media attention focused on either aspect. Posted. http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/sea-level-rise-can-be-cut-by-one-third-if-we-reduce-black-carbon-other-short-lived-climate-pollutants Earth Day Is a Reminder to Move Forward on Combating Climate Change. One of the best ways to celebrate Earth Day is to continue working to combat climate change and protect our planet for future generations. With 2012 being the hottest year on record in the continental United States and climate change fueling deadly and costly floods, droughts, wildfires, and Superstorm Sandy, it's clear that the time to act is now. President Obama has the chance to do just that while building on his environmental legacy. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gene-karpinski/earth-day-a-reminder_b_3132555.html?view=print&comm_ref=false