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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for June 16, 2015
Posted: 16 Jun 2015 11:36:47
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. CLIMATE CHANGE White House announces $4B in private sector climate pledges The White House is announcing $4 billion in pledges from major foundations and institutional investors to pay for innovations that reduce carbon pollution. President Barack Obama is also using his executive powers to help make such investments easier.http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_UNITED_STATES_CLIMATE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT La Californie, un État pionnier sur le chemin de la COP 21 Le "Golden state" a décidé de ne pas attendre une décision de Barack Obama ou du Congrès à Washington. À six mois de la conférence onusienne sur le climat (COP 21) organisée à Paris, la Californie s'est engagée d'elle-même, aux côtés de 12 autres pouvoirs régionaux en Europe et sur le continent américain, à réduire drastiquement ses émissions de gaz à effet de serre. Un geste politique fort, qui correspond à la stratégie économique ambitieuse des entreprises californiennes. http://www.novethic.fr/empreinte-terre/climat/isr-rse/la-californie-un-etat-pionnier-sur-le-chemin-de-la-cop-21-143395.html Pope Francis Calls for Climate Action in Draft of Encyclical Pope Francis offers a broad vision of an endangered planet, partly blaming human activity and fossil fuels for climate change while calling for people of all religions to take swift action, according to a leaked draft of his much-awaited environmental encyclical that was posted online Monday by an Italian magazine. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/16/world/europe/pope-francis-environmental-encyclical.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0 http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/16/us-pope-environment-leak-idUSKBN0OV2JC20150616 http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/16/us-usa-climate-pope-poll-idUSKBN0OW1XS20150616 http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/06/16/52447/will-pope-s-much-anticipated-encyclical-be-a-clari/ Report says UN not equipped to tackle today’s challenges The United Nations and other international institutions are in urgent need of reform if they are to tackle global challenges ranging from massive violence in fragile states to runaway climate change and global economic shocks, a high-level commission said in a report released Tuesday. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/UN_UNITED_NATIONS_GLOBAL_CHALLENGES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER ASSOCIATED ARTICLES: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/report-says-un-not-equipped-to-tackle-todays-challenges/2015/06/16/93ece17a-13dd-11e5-8457-4b431bf7ed4c_story.html http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Report-says-UN-not-equipped-to-tackle-today-s-6329295.php Climate change protesters march on the Mall "This is what makes America different from all the other countries," a dad told his two children, referring to freedom of speech, as they watched a group of protesters yesterday outside the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.The protesters, 50-strong, were holding placards and chanting "Kick Koch off the board!" alternating with "Fire Willie Soon" and "Cut ties to fossil fuels." Inside the Smithsonian Castle, the board of regents was holding its annual meeting. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/06/16/stories/1060020281 Climate refugees are already finding asylum in Seattle Before his world was thrown into turmoil, Fasil Tekola lived a comfortable life in Ethiopia’s capitol city, Addis Ababa. Born into a wealthy family, his father a colonel, he was one of only a few kids who drove their own cars to school. But his family also had a strong connection to the land: They owned farmland along the Awash River, a few hours south of the city. Tekola remembers his parents planting eucalyptus trees around Addis Ababa because the trees had been cut down. http://grist.org/politics/climate-refugees-are-already-finding-asylum-in-seattle/ Investors Will Take A Hit From Climate Change, Says Mercer Report Your investment portfolio could suffer in coming years, thanks to climate change — and it’s not going to take 50 years to happen. That’s the take-home message of a recent report from Mercer, based on a collaboration with 16 large international investment groups and extensive financial forecasts. To put it even more bluntly: ignoring the reality of climate change could hit many investors hard within the next 10 years. http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewfrancis/2015/06/16/investors-will-take-a-hit-from-climate-change-says-mercer/ Virginia, Coal Country for Centuries, Now Embraces Carbon Regulations The state has been moving away from coal-fired electricity for the past decade, and the effects of climate change already has its attention. Nestled on the eastern edge of Appalachian coal country, with a 267-year history of mining its reserves, Virginia seems an unlikely candidate to become one of the country's biggest success stories in adapting to the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan. http://insideclimatenews.org/news/16062015/virginia-coal-country-centuries-now-embraces-carbon-regulations Study shows climate change’s surprising toll on early dinosaurs For years, scientists have puzzled over an odd gap in the fossil record for early dinosaurs: Even as dinosaurs spread through the most of the world 200 million years ago, some yet-unknown force kept them from colonizing the tropics. Now researchers may have found the explanation: Climate change. Exceedingly high levels of greenhouse gases appear to have rendered the Earth’s equatorial zones all but uninhabitable for the planet’s largest terrestrial beasts. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/06/15/study-shows-climate-changes-surprising-toll-on-early-dinosaurs/ AIR POLLUTION Polluted Air May Damage ‘White Matter’ In Our Brain. Long-term exposure to air pollution may lead to loss of white matter in the brain, a research has found. White matter in the brain is made of axon cells, which enable the nerves to communicate. In a new study, older women who lived in places with higher air pollution had significantly reduced white matter in the brain. http://focusnews.com/tech-gadgets/air-pollution-may-damage-white-matter-in-brain/56763/ India, China Need Cleaner Air Just to Keep Death Rate Steady Never mind lowering the rate of death from air pollution in India and China. Just keeping those rates steady will demand urgent action to clear the skies, according to a report published Tuesday. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_AIR_POLLUTION_MORTALITY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER ASSOCIATED ARTICLES: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/06/16/world/asia/ap-as-air-pollution-mortality.html http://www.sfgate.com/news/medical/article/India-China-need-cleaner-air-just-to-keep-death-6329680.php Study: The Greener a State's Legislator, the Cleaner the Air States where the congressional delegation votes greener tend to have air that's cleaner, spewing less heat-trapping gas, a new study finds.Researchers at Michigan State University studied decades of voting trends and greenhouse gas emissions state by state. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/06/15/science/ap-us-sci-green-politics.html FAA proposes state-of-art traffic control system for L.A.'s crowded skies High above the 22 million people who live and work in Southern California is some of the busiest airspace in the nation. On a typical day, more than 11,000 aircraft take to the skies, most of them over the sprawling Los Angeles Basin. There are Gulfstream jets from Van Nuys Airport, Cessna 172s from Santa Monica Airport, helicopters from Torrance Municipal and giant Boeing 747s from Los Angeles International, which handles more than 1,700 departures and arrivals daily. http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-air-traffic-control-20150616-story.html#page=1 DROUGHT Visalia cuts lawn watering to twice a week In response to a fourth year of drought, the City Council voted Monday to reduce lawn watering to twice a week, and continue with no watering in winter months.The action is expected to help California Water Service, the utility serving Visalia, reduce water consumption in its Visalia operation by 32%, compared to 2013. http://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article24568765.html#storylink=cpy VEHICLES Tesla Motors Is Fighting Automakers Who Want California To Include Plug-In Hybrids Like Chevrolet Volt, Ford Fusion Energi In State’s Emissions Mandate.For years, Tesla Motors has been able to generate revenue under California’s zero-emission-vehicle mandate, which provides tradable ZEV credits based on a complicated formula involving the percentage of electric cars a company sells in the state. But now the Palo Alto-maker of the Model S luxury electric sedan is facing increased pressure from rivals to get the state to rewrite the rules to lower the number of ZEV credits available. http://www.ibtimes.com/tesla-motors-fighting-automakers-who-want-california-include-plug-hybrids-chevrolet-1967798 Slow sales cause Honda to scrub natural gas, hybrid Civics Slow sales and falling gasoline prices have prompted Honda to stop selling gas-electric hybrid and natural gas-powered versions of its Civic compact car. The company also said that it will discontinue a plug-in rechargeable version of the midsize Accord. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_HONDA_ALTERNATIVE_FUEL_CIVICS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT FUELS EBI ketone condensation process for drop-in jet fuel or lubricant base oil from biomass; up to 80% lifecycle GHG savings Researchers at the Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI), a partnership led by the University of California (UC) Berkeley that includes Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and BP, have developed a new method for producing drop-in aviation fuel as well as automotive lubricant base oils from sugarcane biomass. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/06/20150616-ketones.html GREEN ENERGY EU set to meet green energy goal but UK, Netherlands trail The European Union is collectively on track to achieve its goal of sourcing a fifth of its energy from renewables by 2020, although Britain, the Netherlands and Luxembourg are lagging behind other states, the European Commission said on Tuesday. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/16/us-europe-renewables-targets-idUSKBN0OW15420150616 2nd-life Chevrolet Volt batteries help power new IT building GM is using five used battery packs from Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric cars to help power the new General Motors Enterprise Data Center at the Milford Proving Ground. A new solar array and two wind turbines feed the administration building’s circuit breaker panel, where the five Volt batteries work in parallel to supply power to the building, delivering net-zero energy use on an annual basis. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/06/20150616.html OPINION Cracks appear in the climate change deniers’ defenses In April 2009, as the political right was finding its voice in the tea party, South Carolina Republican Rep. Bob Inglis was making the case for a carbon tax. “I’m a conservative. I believe in accountability,” he said. “Global warming is not a matter of belief. It’s a matter of facts.” He added, “We don’t want to be a party of deniers.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/cracks-appear-in-the-climate-change-deniers-defenses/2015/06/15/8b0e42b4-137a-11e5-89f3-61410da94eb1_story.html Everyone needs to deal with the drought There is nothing like an epic drought to get Californians talking about water. Wherever you go these days, people are discussing the latest news on water restrictions and sharing advice for reducing use over the long, hot summer. The conversation is vital because it will take massive awareness and the cooperation of every Californian to achieve state-mandated reductions in water use in urban areas. http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article24485056.html#storylink=cpy MISCELLANEOUS Growing up near parks and woodland 'boosts a child's memory and thinking skills', study reveals. Growing up with green spaces around helps children's mental development, scientists have found. Children who live near parks, gardens or woodland or go to schools surrounded by greenery were found to be a year ahead in their mental development over children without green spaces near their home. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_GREEN_POLITICS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED ARTICLES: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3126418/Growing-near-parks-woodland-boosts-child-s-memory-thinking-skills-study-reveals.html http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/06/green-spaces-make-kids-smarter/395924/ Buyers beware: Vietnam coal exports grapple with El Nino year China, Japan and other Asian buyers of Vietnamese coal can expect more uncertainty in the volume of shipments this year as scorching weather linked to the El Nino phenomenon raises domestic power consumption to a record, adding pressure on regional supply of the fuel. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/16/vietnam-energy-coal-idUSL3N0Z13PM20150616 BLOGS Beware Casting Pope Francis as a Caped Climate Crusader All eyes are on the Vatican after an Italian news magazine leaked what is very likely the final text (the Italian translation) of Pope Francis’s forthcoming encyclical letter on humanity’s obligations to protect the environment, avoid dangerous climate change and overcome poverty and inequity. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/16/beware-casting-pope-francis-as-a-caped-climate-crusader/ Climate Change Deniers Hate Me. Here's Why. "Sold out... ?! No way. Cannot be true." I swore to myself. In all of its awkward history, The Heartland Institute's conferences for climate change deniers have never sold out. This year it did, and I wanted in. These events aren't something to look forward to. It's mostly angry, aged white men in suits, lying to themselves about climate change for two days straight in sterile air conditioning, safe from the evils of sun and breeze. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/connor-gibson/climate-change-deniers-ha_b_7593878.html?view=print&comm_ref=false Why “Politically Motivated” Science Is Good Science Recently, the Washington Post reported new data showing something most of us already sense: that increased polarization on Capitol Hill is due to the way the Republican Party has lurched to the right. The authors of the study use Senator John McCain to illustrate the point. McCain's political odyssey is, in some dismaying sense, close to my own heart, since it highlights the Republican turn against science. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/naomi-oreskes/the-hoax-of-climate-denial_b_7595154.html California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.