What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for December 3, 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

China Repeats Pledge to Upgrade Coal Plants After Toxic Smog.
China, the world’s biggest carbon emitter, repeated plans to
upgrade coal power plants in the next five years in a bid to
crack down on the kinds of pollutants and heavy smog that this
week blanketed northern parts of the country, including Beijing.
The nation plans to cap average coal consumption at existing
plants at…
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-NYRW6E6JTSEC01-3Q5NNM6SQRD7TG7UM32NAQ21GQ


India to ban old trucks as cities choke on dirty air. India will
force all commercial trucks more than 15 years old off the road
from April and is reviewing how it checks vehicle emissions, a
senior transport official said, as the government tries to curb
soaring urban air pollution. The World Health Organization said
last year that India had 13 of the 20 most polluted cities on the
planet, including the worst offender, New Delhi.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/12/03/india-pollution-idINKBN0TL2SK20151203

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-34998622 

Wood-burning ban in effect today, AQMD says. A wood-burning ban
was placed on Orange County and the surrounding areas for today,
the South Coast Air Quality Management District said. Indoor and
outdoor wood burning will be prohibited through midnight due to
high air pollution expected today. The ban also applies to
manufactured fire logs, likes ones made from wax paper.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/wood-352893-ocprint-ban-burning.html


World leaders urged to cut air pollution to save lives in poor
countries. World Health Organisation tells Paris climate summit
that tackling air pollution and global warming in tandem will
reduce mortality in developing countries. World governments have
been urged to tackle air pollution in poorer countries by
greening cities, reducing traffic and adopting better diets…
http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/dec/03/air-pollution-save-lives-poor-countries-paris-climate-talks
 

CLIMATE CHANGE

Artist hauls Greenland ice to Paris as a reminder of climate
change. Residents of central Paris got a chilling reminder on
Thursday of the challenge facing negotiators at the world climate
summit on the city's outskirts: 80 tonnes of Greenland ice left
to slowly melt on the cobbles in front of the Pantheon.
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL8N13S3MO20151203


Top fashion CEOs fear rising costs from climate change. The chief
executives of seven top clothing companies, including Hennes &
Mauritz Gap and Adidas, are calling on governments to agree a
strong climate change deal, saying they fear global warming will
drive up their costs. Almost 200 nations are meeting in Paris
until Dec. 11, trying to work out a deal to limit a rise in
temperatures blamed on increasing emissions of greenhouse gases.
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL8N13S2EN20151203


El Nino is bittersweet for disappearing Kiribati as it battles
climate change.  As the tiny South Pacific nation of Kiribati
battles to save its islands from climate change-induced rising
sea levels and drought, in an ironic twist the strongest El Nino
in nearly 20 years is providing it with an economic bonanza in
tuna.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/12/03/us-climatechange-elnino-tuna-idUSKBN0TM0F320151203#KviOpRs3XeixXtPF.99
 

California’s political center shifts to France for a week.
Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins registered for the international
climate summit underway outside of Paris on Thursday and posted a
photograph on Twitter of the first person she ran into.
“Amazingly,” she wrote, it was California’s billionaire
environmentalist Tom Steyer. It shouldn’t be that big a surprise.
No one will have a hard time finding a Californian in France this
week.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article47769855.html#storylink=cpy
  
  
Developing nations shift emissions stance in climate talks. The
once black-and-white world of climate negotiations for poorer
countries has evolved into many shades of gray at talks this week
in Paris. For years, many in the developing world said richer
countries created the global warming problem with their
industrial emissions so it is up to them to clean it up — a
sticking point in past climate negotiations.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article47706495.html#storylink=cpy


Meet Jerry Brown's team of science advisors. With Jerry Brown in
charge, the governor's office can seem more like a free-wheeling,
nonstop conversation than a formal administration, and it's no
different when it comes to climate change. Brown regularly turns
to a collection of California scientists for help developing new
policies, rallying support for fighting global warming…
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-jerry-brown-scientists-20151202-htmlstory.html


Poll: Californians say climate change a very serious problem.
More than half of Californians view climate change as a very
serious problem facing the state, a higher rate than their
counterparts nationwide, and a majority support the state’s
efforts to curb emissions, according to a survey released
Wednesday.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/state-694604-climate-change.html

http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/12/03/poll-compares-climate-change-concern-in-california,-other-countries/

  
FUELS

U.S. oil groups face rising biofuels costs, see higher pump
prices. U.S. oil companies will likely pay close to $1 billion
this year to put more ethanol and renewables in gasoline and
diesel and face even higher compliance costs in 2016 after the
U.S. government set targets for alternative fuel use above
industry expectations. Higher costs could be passed on to
consumers, pushing fuel prices higher..
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/12/03/us-biofuels-compliance-idUSKBN0TM0E120151203#ZJoz1x5j7KCKW32W.99


SoCal Gas relocates hundreds of Porter Ranch residents while
trying to fix leaking well. Midco Switzer knew it was time to
leave her home in the northern San Fernando Valley when the smell
of gas began wafting in with the breeze weeks ago and her husband
complained of nausea and dizziness after his early-morning bike
rides. Then she started getting headaches, she said. So did her
son.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-adv-gas-leak-20151203-story.html


VEHICLES

Germany Joins Global Group to Encourage Zero-Emission Vehicles.
Germany, the largest auto market in Europe, joined a
multinational group that set a goal for all passenger cars in
their jurisdictions to become emissions-free by 2050. The
International Zero-Emission Vehicle Alliance, which includes 13
governmental units in Europe, the U.S. and Canada, made the
announcement Thursday at the global climate talks in Paris.
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-NYR0JS6KLVRD01-54RJJPPOVHDPB3T3NHE1SI8MID


What Comes After Lithium-Ion Batteries To Power Electric Cars,
And When? All mass-market plug-in electric cars on sale today
have one thing in common. They are powered by battery packs
composed of cells with lithium-ion chemistries. But to surpass
current limits on range and charging speed--as well as to lower
the cost and weight of battery packs--researchers are diligently
looking for ways to augment or replace lithium-ion cells with
something even better.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1101233_what-comes-after-lithium-ion-batteries-to-power-electric-cars-and-when


Japan's Ambitious Hydrogen-Vehicle Plans Stumble, With
Bureaucracy To Blame. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's
ambitious plans for hydrogen fuel-cell infrastructure are
stumbling, thanks to bureaucratic red tape. Abe is a serious
supporter of hydrogen fuel-cell cars. He's pushed through
measures to cut taxes on them, and encouraged construction of a
network of fueling stations.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1101239_japans-ambitious-hydrogen-vehicle-plans-stumble-with-bureaucracy-to-blame


How Tesla Is Powering a Better Beef Business. In Fresno,
California, one large-scale beef processing plant has just
electrified its push to be an industry leader in sustainability
through an unlikely partnership. Cargill, the plant owner,
contacted Tesla, a revolutionary electric car company based in
California, to collaborate on a unique initiative.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/cargill/2015/12/03/how-tesla-is-powering-a-better-beef-business/


VW RECALL

Volkswagen’s Software Was ‘Illegal Defeat Device,’ German
Regulator Says. German regulators said on Tuesday that the
software Volkswagen used in many of its diesel vehicles
constituted illegal cheating on emissions tests, deepening the
company’s problems. Volkswagen admitted in September that it had
installed software in 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide aimed
at cheating emissions tests…
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/02/business/international/volkswagens-software-use-was-illegal-german-regulator-rules.html?_r=0


While U.S. Car Sales Jump, VW’s Plunge. While other automakers
were reporting gains in a strong market for new vehicles in
November, Volkswagen said on Tuesday that the impact of a
widening emissions scandal caused its sales in the United States
to plunge nearly 25 percent during the month. The results suggest
that American consumers are turning their backs on the German
brand…
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/02/business/while-us-car-sales-jump-vws-plunge.html


VW Argued for Easing New E.U. Tests on Emissions. Volkswagen
successfully lobbied to remove two key parts of Europe’s
forthcoming auto emissions tests, an internal email shows,
including a provision to measure the significant pollution
released when an engine is started but hasn’t yet warmed up. The
automaker also argued against requiring special, high-speed tests
for cars designed to be driven fast.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/02/business/international/vw-argued-for-easing-new-eu-tests-on-emissions.html


Judges to decide if VW cases will be heard in Detroit. A panel of
judges is meeting Thursday in New Orleans to hear arguments about
which federal court should oversee the flurry of civil lawsuits
being filed against Volkswagen AG over its emissions-cheating
scandal. Some plaintiffs are advocating for the cases to be
transferred to Detroit, where lawyers say the court and Chief
Judge Gerald E. Rosen are experienced in complex and automobile
litigation.
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/foreign/2015/12/02/judges-decide-vw-cases-will-heard-detroit/76699440/


GREEN ENERGY

Google Buys 781 Megawatts of Wind, Solar Power in Three Nations.
Google, the world’s biggest corporate buyer of renewable energy,
is expanding its clean power portfolio with deals for 781
megawatts of solar and wind power. The Alphabet Inc. unit
completed five deals to buy the output from power plants in the
U.S., Chile and Sweden, and now has contracts for 2 gigawatts of
renewable energy worldwide…
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-NYR53K6KLVR901-3HCHNM2OF22FEALMO37LNVV6IR

MISCELLANEOUS

The 2016 Power List — And the Person of the Year Is… 49 of the
Auto Industry's Top Players, Plus Our Person of the Year. 8. The
Outsider: Mary Nichols, California Air Resources Board
Chairwoman.  2015 Rank: Not ranked. No board has as much power to
regulate tailpipe emissions as CARB, the California Air Resources
Board. Thirteen additional states have adopted CARB’s
regulations. And what’s good for CARB is good for the world, many
believe, as its unique regulating powers (beyond just cars) have
become an example for the world on fighting climate change.
Nichols is likely to become more powerful in the coming years.
http://www.motortrend.com/news/2016-power-list-and-the-person-of-the-year/#top10


OPINIONS

Editorial, Dec. 3, 2015: California’s global climate impact on
view in Paris. California, much as we sometimes like to think of
ourselves as a nation-state, is not really a country — so what
are so many of our political leaders doing by heading for the
international climate summit in Paris? Grandstanding, some would
say. And certainly there is an element of that whenever state
leaders…
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/opinion/20151202/editorial-dec-3-2015-californias-global-climate-impact-on-view-in-paris
  
BLOGS

Is It Worse to Exercise in Air Pollution Or Not to Exercise at
All? What is the greater evil for your health: Exercising in
polluted air or not exercising at all?  If you live in a polluted
city and check air quality readings as a daily ritual, you likely
recognize the conundrum. The monitors, which often color-code the
likely impact on your health — from green for good to brown for
bad...
http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2015/12/03/is-it-worse-to-exercise-in-air-pollution-or-not-to-exercise-at-all/


Energy Efficiency Makes More Out of Less. Global warming cannot
be stopped by simply developing energy production. We need new
methods to decrease energy consumption without sacrificing the
standard of living. Finland is a small European country almost
completely located North of the 60th parallel. That means we are
as far North as Alaska. For half of the year, the country is dark
and cold, and we need energy to overcome these conditions.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/teija-lahtinuuttila/energy-efficiency-makes-m_b_8655312.html




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