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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 15, 2015

Posted: 15 Sep 2015 12:27:56
ARB Newsclips for September 15, 2015. 

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.

AIR POLLUTION

Malaysia to begin cloud-seeding as schools shut due to haze.
Heavy haze forced Malaysian authorities to shut schools Tuesday
in three states and two key cities as aircraft prepared to begin
cloud-seeding operations to induce rain to help clear the air.
Indonesia intensified efforts to extinguish the forest fires that
cause the haze, which blanketed parts of the archipelago and
neighboring countries.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_MALAYSIA_HAZE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Beijing to impose fee on emitters to curb pollution: Xinhua.
Manufacturers of furniture, petrochemicals, automobiles and
electronics in Beijing will start paying fees in October for
emitting volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a source of air
pollution, the Xinhua state news agency said on Tuesday.
Pollution has triggered increasing unease in China, where smog
blankets many major cities…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/15/us-china-pollution-idUSKCN0RF1IR20150915


Air Pollution Can Send You to An Early Grave, Study Says. Toxic
chemicals from the air could send you to an early grave.
Breathing in tiny particles of toxic chemicals from the air could
lead to an increased risk of premature death, a large new study
suggests. "Our data add to a growing body of evidence that
particulate matter is really harmful to health…
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2015/09/15/air-pollution-exposure-may-boost-risk-of-early-death


Pollution Kills — Even With Stricter Air Standards, Study Finds. 
Air pollution kills people — even with new, stricter standards on
emissions, according to a study released Tuesday. The survey of
more than 500,000 Americans shows that as air pollution levels
rise in the areas where they live, rates of death rise. The
researchers have even shown that as levels of certain pollutants
in the air go up, rates of death go up…
http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/pollution-kills-even-stricter-air-standards-study-finds-n427726


Cargill Agrees to Settle Clean Air Act Violations.  Cargill has
reached an administrative civil settlement with the EPA over
alleged violations of the Clean Air Act at its Vitamin E
manufacturing facility in Eddyville, Iowa. Cargill’s Eddyville
facility uses the hazardous air pollutants methanol, methyl
tertiary butyl ether, and formaldehyde to produce Vitamin E and
similar compounds from soybean byproducts.
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2015/09/14/cargill-agrees-to-settle-clean-air-act-violations/#ixzz3lpoyD9cX


Researchers cement link between airborne particulates and
mortality. Even minuscule amounts of tiny airborne particles can
lead to an increase in deaths from heart disease, researchers
have found. Health officials have long associated breathing in
particles that are 2.5 microns across or less with increased
cardiovascular distress.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/09/15/stories/1060024685 

CLIMATE CHANGE

Chinese cities pledge early carbon emissions peak under deal with
U.S. Leaders of 11 Chinese cities and provinces are to announce
that their carbon emissions will start to fall earlier than
China's national target of 2030 at a U.S.-China meeting on
Tuesday, a move meant to build momentum for a global climate
change accord in December.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/15/us-usa-climatechange-china-idUSKCN0RF18820150915

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/16/us/us-and-chinese-climate-change-negotiators-to-meet-in-los-angeles.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&_r=2

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-obama-china-climate-20150915-story.html

http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/09/15/stories/1060024682 
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/sep/15/us-and-chinese-cities-reveal-stronger-pledges-to-cut-emissions


Green Dreams Stymied as Turnbull Backs Abbott Climate Policy. 
Anyone hoping that Australia will do more to fight climate change
after Malcolm Turnbull ousted Tony Abbott to become prime
minister may be disappointed. After beating Abbott in a
late-night ballot of Liberal Party lawmakers, Turnbull described
the nation’s current climate policy as “a very, very good piece
of work.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-15/greener-australia-dreams-stymied-as-turnbull-backs-abbott-policy


California Lawmakers Just Gutted Brown's Climate Bills. So What?
Jerry Brown’s dreams of cutting California’s gasoline use in half
and imposing a stricter limit on greenhouse-gas emissions may
have died on the legislative floor last week. But they live on
elsewhere. There are plenty of ways for the four-term governor to
achieve his goals with an end-run around the legislature.
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-09-14/california-lawmakers-just-gutted-brown-s-climate-bills-so-what-


U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern Travels to Los
Angeles. U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern will
travel September 15 – 16 to Los Angeles, California to represent
the U.S. Department of State at the U.S.-China Climate Leaders
Summit. Announced last November by President Obama and President
Xi Jinping during the historic U.S.-China Joint Announcement on
Climate Change…
http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/national-news/5273-u-s-special-envoy-for-climate-change-todd-stern-travels-to-los-angeles.html


A very strong El Niño is increasing the likelihood of a wet
winter during California's record drought. The latest
observations are clear: A monster El Niño is currently brewing in
the Pacific Ocean. The latest satellite observations and computer
models from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) point to a sea surface warming…
http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/california-news/5260-a-very-strong-el-nino-is-increasing-the-likelihood-of-a-wet-winter-during-california-s-record-drought.html


How to beat the climate crisis? Start with carrots. To speed up
progress in tackling climate change, policymakers need to build
political support by investing in clean-energy industries rather
than first penalizing polluters, according to a new policy paper
by UC Berkeley researchers. In the paper, published today in the
journal Science, a multidisciplinary team of environmental…
http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/california-news/5257-how-to-beat-the-climate-crisis-start-with-carrots.html


Nuclear Capacity Set to Grow by 45 Percent by 2035. Global
nuclear power generation capacity could increase by more than 45
percent in the next 20 years but the pace of growth will still
fall short of what is needed to curb climate change, an industry
organization report showed this week.
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/nuclear-capacity-set-to-grow-by-45-percent-by-2035-19437


City Cuts Eliminate as Much Global Warming Pollution as Japan
Produces. Leaders of Los Angeles, Beijing and more than two dozen
other Chinese and American municipalities will announce sweeping
climate change commitments today as they prepare for a landmark
U.N. deal in December. The promises of 11 Chinese cities to peak
greenhouse gas emissions…
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/city-cuts-eliminate-as-much-global-warming-pollution-as-japan-produces/


GOP moderates to push to fight climate change.  A group of
moderate Republicans is working on a resolution calling for
action to fight climate change. The effort, led by Rep. Chris
Gibson (R-N.Y.) seeks to get at least some in the GOP on the
record as agreeing with Democrats and the vast majority of
scientists that the climate is changing and that human activity
is to blame.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/253681-house-republicans-to-push-to-fight-climate-change


Hotter times are coming: Effect of El Niño or renewed warming? 
Researchers predict rapid warming over the next couple years,
matching record-breaking recent months. The global warming
“pause” may be over, and things are heating up. Record high
temperatures are likely to continue and warming rates are
increasing…
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2015/0915/Hotter-times-are-coming-Effect-of-El-Nino-or-renewed-warming


Emaciated polar bear pictures raise global warming concerns.
Photographs of underweight polar bears have gone viral on social
media and raised concerns about the effects of climate change.
Photographs of emaciated polar bears have gone viral on social
media, and raised concerns over the effects of global warming.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/environment/globalwarming/11865256/Emaciated-polar-bear-pictures-raise-global-warming-concerns.html

http://news.discovery.com/animals/endangered-species/photo-of-sickly-polar-bear-signals-tragedy-ahead-in-arctic-150915.htm


Land degradation exacerbated by warming costing the world
trillions – report. Researchers have just calculated the economic
cost of land degradation worldwide, and the figures are
astronomical, reaching 10 to 17 percent of the world's total
gross domestic product. According to a report released today by
the Economics of Land Degradation Initiative, an
interdisciplinary partnership of experts…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/09/15/stories/1060024679 


DROUGHT

California voters increasingly squeezed by drought. As one of
California’s most severe droughts on record continues to worsen,
more than one in three state voters say the drought has had a
major impact on them and the lives of their families, according
to results from the latest USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts
and Sciences/Los Angeles Times Poll.
http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/california-news/5262-california-voters-increasingly-squeezed-by-drought.html


CA drought: Desert falling behind on water conservation. All six
Coachella Valley water agencies failed to meet their
state-mandated conservation targets in August, and it will be
increasingly difficult for them to make up lost ground in the
coming months. Myoma Dunes Mutual Water Company led the way by
cutting water use 30 percent, six percentage points shy of its
goal.
http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2015/09/11/coachella-valley-falling-behind--water-conservation/72104142/


FUELS

EU extends import duties on U.S. biodiesel to 2020. The European
Union is extending anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties imposed
on U.S. biodiesel imports for a further five years, until
September 2020, maintaining its defense against trade in the
renewable fuel source. The bloc set the duties in 2009 on a
number of U.S. producers of biodiesel, including Archer Daniels
Midland Co and Cargill Inc., effectively bringing to a halt $1
billion in annual trade.
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL5N11L0PQ20150915
  

VEHICLES

Toyota launches hydrogen-fueled sedan. Toyota is taking the next
step in its quest for carbon-free travel with the launch of the
Mirai hydrogen-fueled sedan. The Japanese brand that pioneered
the hybrid gas-electric powertrain sees hydrogen cars as the
end-game, following plug-in hybrids and full-electric vehicles.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FRANKFURT_AUTO_SHOW_TOYOTA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


VW unveils battery-powered Porsche in Frankfurt. The world's
biggest carmakers have made a fresh show of commitment to
electric vehicles, with Volkswagen unveiling a battery-powered
Porsche capable of travelling 500km on a single charge and
refuelling to almost full in 15 minutes. VW, the world's
second-biggest carmaker by sales…
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/15/vw-unveils-battery-powered-porsche-in-frankfurt.html


GREEN ENERGY

Will solar energy shine on poor communities? A billion-dollar
effort to bring more rooftop solar to multi-family housing
projects in poor communities is among a raft of clean-energy
remedies approved late last week by California lawmakers, and now
awaiting the governor's signature.
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/sep/14/solar-shine-poor-renters/


Santa Rosa to partner with Tesla in 'microgrid' project at
wastewater plant.  Santa Rosa is taking part in an innovative
energy efficiency project that aims to improve the resiliency of
the state’s power grid in part by parking a massive Tesla battery
pack outside its Llano Road wastewater treatment plant. The
project, which is funded by a $5 million grant from the
California Energy Commission…
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4456463-181/santa-rosa-to-partner-with

MISCELLANEOUS

Scientists see how the brain makes environmental decisions.
Natural resources are under increasing threat from both human
development and climate change, and environmental economists have
struggled to understand how the public assigns value to remaining
pristine wilderness areas. In a recent study, environmental
scientists and psychologists teamed up to explore how people make
environmental decisions.
http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/latest-news/5261-scientists-see-how-the-brain-makes-environmental-decisions.html


OPINIONS

Plug-in electric vehicles are setting the pace. This month marks
a new milestone. With global sales set to reach 1 million
vehicles this month, zero emission vehicles are becoming the new
normal. In particular, plug-in electric vehicles, or PEVs – with
their cost effectiveness, competitive performance and increasing
convenience – are lining up at dealerships and traffic signals
around the world.
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article35254344.html#storylink=cpy


There's a Simpler Way to Fight Climate Change, California. Say
this for California's landmark bill to reduce carbon emissions:
It doesn't lack for ambition. At the same time, it shows the
pitfalls of relying too much on regulators instead of the market.
The original bill would have set in law three extraordinary
targets for 2030: Get half the state's power from renewable
sources...
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-09-14/there-s-a-simpler-way-to-fight-climate-change-california
 

How the Golden State got so green. Brown may be the new green in
California during the drought, but a UC Berkeley authority on the
politics of health, safety and environmental regulation says the
state is, and historically has been, unabashedly green.
http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/california-news/5258-how-the-golden-state-got-so-green.html


BLOGS

Snowpack In Sierra Nevada At 500-Year Low. An "ominous sign of
the severity of this drought," researchers said. California's
record multiyear drought is severe, but new research suggests
that, historically, it may be even worse than previously
thought.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/snowpack-sierra-nevada-california_55f70110e4b042295e370bec


Obama's Alaska Global Warming Story Backfires. President Obama
attempted to gin up concern about global warming during his
recent high-profile trip to Alaska, but he inadvertently called
attention to major flaws in alarmist global warming theory. If
Obama wants to use Alaska as a poster child in the global warming
debate, skeptics will be all too happy to oblige. 
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamestaylor/2015/09/15/alaska-is-the-front-line-in-global-warming-debate/

California passes one weakened climate bill, wholly fails to pass
a second. Late Friday night, the California state legislature
passed a new climate bill, and while it will lead to some
progress, overall its passage should ring as a disappointment to
environmentalists. The Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act,
or Senate Bill 350 — an ostensibly “landmark” piece of
legislation — will beef up the state’s renewable…
http://grist.org/climate-energy/california-passes-one-weakened-climate-bill-wholly-fails-to-pass-a-second/


Alabama Students Will Finally Be Required To Learn About Climate
Change And Evolution. "We still have to teach what the science
is." Students in Alabama will be required to learn about climate
change and evolution for the first time next year, after
officials announced an overhaul of the state's science education
standards.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/alabama-schools-climate-change-evolution_55f6e154e4b042295e36d3f2


3 Big Challenges Facing Electric Cars. The electric car is a long
way from mainstream, despite the popularity of the idea. Electric
vehicles, or EVs, have fully entered the public consciousness, in
large part because of the success and publicity generated by
Tesla Motors’ (TSLA -0.38%)  Model S. However, investors should
remember that the company’s sales are still measured in the tens
of thousands per year…
http://time.com/money/4033934/electric-car-challenges/?xid=homepage
 

Rebuttal: The case for EPA’s proposed methane regulations is just
common sense. On the Congress blog last week, Katie Brown argued
against the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed new rules
to reduce the 7 million tons of methane emissions released by the
oil and gas industry each year. Those companies could easily be
rallying around solutions to a problem they’ve already agreed is
manageable.
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-environment/253422-rebuttal-the-case-for-epas-proposed-methane


Solar Power Today and its Potential for the Future. Solar power,
once called the energy of the future, is actually the energy of
today. This week in Anaheim California, Solar Power International
(SPI), the largest solar power trade show in North America, will
host 15,000 attendees with over 600 exhibitors to talk about
solar energy. One indication of how the Obama administration
views solar power is that Vice President Biden…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-d-rosenstein/solar-power-today-and-its_b_8134790.html


Appropriations Showdown on Climate Change. Earlier this year, in
promoting its fiscal year 2016 budget resolution, the Republican
majority on the House Budget Committee pronounced, “It is
fundamentally unfair to our kids and grandkids for today’s
policymakers to be so undisciplined and to ignore difficult
decisions.
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/news/2015/09/15/121062/appropriations-showdown-on-climate-change/


5 things you should know about Australia's new PM Malcolm
Turnbull. He’s been a successful businessman who defended a
British spy. Australia has just seen yet another leadership
change, with challenger Malcolm Turnbull toppling incumbent Tony
Abbott to become the country’s 29th prime minister. Turnbull
defeated Abbott 54-44 in a leadership ballot for the Liberal
Party…
http://fortune.com/2015/09/14/malcolm-turnbull-australia-prime-minister/


Carbon to replace milk as the new quota in farming. Carbon will
become the new quota in Irish farming, according to Trinity
College economist Professor Alan Matthews. Matthews was
addressing over 400 farming and food industry leaders at the
Agricultural Science Association (ASA) conference in Kilkenny
recently. Professor Matthews said following the ending of the
31-year milk quota system…
http://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/carbon-to-replace-milk-as-the-new-quota-in-farming/


To Stop Climate Change, We Must Grow Movements of Moral Force.
Today, from Syria to California, climate change is costing us
lives and livelihood. The headlines are new, but our knowledge of
the problem is not. The Nixon administration was warned about
climate change in 1969, and fossil fuel companies and the U.S.
Congress were aware of it in the 1980s.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/benjamin-franta/to-stop-climate-change-we_b_8134792.html


The next 2 years are going to be even hotter because of continued
global warming. Man-made global warming is set to produce
exceptionally high average temperatures this year and next,
boosted by natural weather phenomena such as El Nino, Britain's
top climate and weather body said in a report Monday. "It looks
very likely that globally 2014, 2015 and 2016 will all be amongst
the very warmest years ever recorded…
http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-global-warming-to-pick-up-in-2015-2016-experts-2015-9


Plano couple among consumers in class action suit against Lumber
Liquidators over formaldehyde. A representative complaint has
been filed in federal court on behalf of several classes of
consumers in five state, including Texas, alleging that Toano,
Virginia-based Lumber Liquidators (NYSE: LL) fraudulently sold
composite flooring that contained excessive and unlawful levels
of formaldehyde.
http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/blog/morning_call/2015/09/plano-couple-among-consumers-in-class-action-suit.html




California is in a drought emergency.
Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.

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