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ARB Newsclips for December 8, 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.

CAP AND TRADE

Carbon market would cover half of nation's emissions at launch.
China's nationwide carbon market will regulate nearly half of the
country's emissions and cover up to 10,000 firms when it's
launched in 2017, according to an official yesterday speaking on
the sidelines of the climate talks in Paris. The nation's carbon
market would become the world's biggest…
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/12/08/stories/1060029152 

AIR POLLUTION

L.A. city attorney sues SoCal Gas over gas leak affecting Porter
Ranch. Los Angeles leaders announced Monday that the city
attorney is suing Southern California Gas Co. over how it handled
a natural gas leak that has sent sickening fumes into Porter
Ranch and caused hundreds of families to leave their homes. “This
is an unprecedented environmental disaster for the city of Los
Angeles…
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-gas-leak-porter-ranch-lawsuit-20151207-story.html


Study sees possible dip in world carbon dioxide emissions. Global
carbon dioxide emissions may be dropping ever so slightly this
year, spurred by a dramatic plunge in Chinese pollution,
according to a surprising new study released Monday. The
unexpected dip could either be a temporary blip or true… 
http://www.fresnobee.com/latest-news/article48472345.html#storylink=cpy


CLIMATE CHANGE

California billionaire Tom Steyer has rare access and a big
megaphone on climate change. Sitting under a soaring ornamental
ceiling in a museum near the Seine, Gov. Jerry Brown gave thanks
for the political backdrop that has enabled California's tougher
environmental rules. “If it weren’t for sympathetic legislators,
and powerful constituencies, then California wouldn’t be where it
is today,” he said during a Monday event.
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-me-pol-ca-climate-tom-steyer-20151208-story.html

http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article48612905.html


Betting against global warming is a sure way to lose money. Even
climate contrarians don’t bet against global warming, probably
because they know it’s a bet they would lose. In 2008, a paper
was published in the journal Nature predicting that global
surface temperatures would cool slightly in the years 2005–2015
as compared to 1994–2004. The authors of that paper thought that
during that time, the cool phase of natural ocean cycles would be
enough to more than offset warming from the increased greenhouse
effect, before human-caused global warming caught up again
thereafter.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2015/dec/08/betting-against-global-warming-is-a-sure-way-to-lose-money


UN CLIMATE TALKS

U.S. Republicans Pushed by CEOs in Paris to Shift Climate Stance.
 As the leaders of 195 countries gather in Paris to hammer out a
global climate deal, much of the attention is on the U.S. --
where business leaders and scientists say they’re trying to
persuade Republicans to accept emissions curbs. A key question
among those attending the two-week summit is whether the U.S.
will keep to the ambitious pledges…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-12-08/u-s-republicans-pushed-by-ceos-in-paris-to-shift-climate-stance


European utilities want carbon price as main climate change tool.
French power generator Engie and a group of European utilities
called on Tuesday for carbon pricing rather than targets for
increasing renewable energy use to be the main tool for fighting
climate change. The group, which includes Germany's E.ON, Italy's
Enel and Spain's Iberdrola, wants the European Commission to
strengthen its emissions trading…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-climatechange-summit-utilities-idUSKBN0TR12L20151208#a4R4AzCL97BTqWj0.99


Once a Fixture, Climate Sceptics Say They Are Being Stifled in
Paris. To be a climate change sceptic in Paris this week means
facing heavy odds. Arrayed against them are thousands of
environmentalists, scientists and even big business leaders, who
have come to U.N.-sponsored climate talks to pledge their
commitment to cutting the manmade emissions that an overwhelming
majority of scientists say are warming the planet.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2015/12/08/world/europe/08reuters-climatechange-summit-skeptics.html?_r=0


The Latest: Wealthy Nations Urged to Increase Climate Aid. The
latest news related to the U.N. climate conference in Paris,
which runs through Dec. 11. All times local: 4:35 p.m. Major
developing countries taking part in climate talks outside Paris
are calling on wealthy nations to increase their financial
support to help poor countries to cope with global warming.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/12/08/world/europe/ap-climate-countdown-the-latest.html


Back in U.S., divisions and indifference on climate change.
Negotiators are hammering out a climate change deal in Paris, but
the U.S. political landscape remains deeply divided about the
issue, and the wider American public is indifferent. That is the
analysis put forward by Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow in the
governance studies program at the Brookings Institute.
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-climate-change-talks-updates-day-6-htmlstory.html


In new California climate initiative, bill will target key
pollutants Chris Megerian. California would target certain
harmful emissions under new legislation being introduced by state
Sen. Ricardo Lara in an effort to boost public health while
battling global warming. Known as short-lived climate pollutants,
the emissions include diesel exhaust and methane from
agriculture.
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-me-ln-california-senator-lara-pollution-bill-climate-change20151208-story.html

 
Lots of MOUs in Paris, but cap-and-trade expansion ‘moving
slowly’ for California.  In his effort to rally local and state
governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Gov. Jerry Brown
has appeared repeatedly in Paris with like-minded politicians
from around the world. His message is not only outward-looking;
Brown is also trying to make an impression back home.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article48497645.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Brown touts 'coercive power of government' to attack climate
change. Gov. Jerry Brown has been doing more than just touting
California’s environmental policies here – he’s been making an
explicit case for the power of government. It’s rare for a
politician to tout the benefits of regulations, which are often
dismissed as nothing more than red tape for slowing down
businesses.
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-me-pol-sac-climate-brown-government-20151207-story.html


China and the world turn to California for climate change
expertise.  China’s top negotiator at the United Nations summit
on climate change practically gushed as he described his
country’s relationship with California. During a speech Monday,
Xie Zhenhua described Gov. Jerry Brown as an “old friend” whose
administration has provided green wisdom from across the Pacific.
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-me-pol-sac-climate-california-china-20151207-story.html


How Cities and States Took the Spotlight in Paris Climate Talks
Justin Worland.
Jerry Brown may not be a world leader, but he’s the talk of the
town in Paris at what organizers hope will be the most
significant international gathering ever on climate change. The
governor of California is here to spend a week touting his
efforts on the issue at the state level…
http://time.com/4140172/paris-cities-states-climate-change/

Breathing Space: Why China's Population Worries About Air
Pollution But Ignores Climate Change Talks In Paris. As Chinese
officials take part in the climate change negotiations in Paris,
the issue could hardly seem more urgent back home. After several
days of choking smog-blanketed Northern China last week --
particularly the capital of Beijing, where the concentration of
dangerous fine-particle…
http://www.ibtimes.com/breathing-space-why-chinas-population-worries-about-air-pollution-ignores-climate-2216055

Britain can’t preach on climate change while it dismantles its
green economy. The Green MP Caroline Lucas is right to have
called this a “spectacular display of cognitive dissonance”. Not
surprisingly, the world is beginning to notice. “On eve of Paris
climate summit, Britain pulls plug on renewables”, read a recent
headline in the Washington Post. The job of government on climate
change is to ensure attractive…
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/dec/08/britain-climate-change-green-economy-david-cameron-paris

 
US west coast leads the way on climate agenda. Governor Jerry
Brown of California has been one of the most colourful figures in
US politics for at least 40 years. He trained as a Jesuit priest,
but became a lawyer instead. He dated the singer Linda Ronstadt
and successfully sued Standard Oil, Gulf Oil and Mobil Oil.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/cop21-us-west-coast-leads-the-way-on-climate-agenda-1.2457874


Developing World Spurning Key U.S. Climate Demand. The Obama
Administration wants an agreement to emerge from meetings in
Paris that redefines the nature of global cooperation in the
fight against climate change, but the developing world’s most
influential diplomats are strongly resisting a key negotiating
demand. Since governments struck their first climate pact in 1992
they have been divided into two groups: rich and poor…
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/developing-world-spurning-key-us-climate-demand-19780


China accused of blocking progress at Paris climate talks. As
Beijing declared its first “red alert” for heavy smog this week,
closing schools and curbing car use, Chinese negotiators at UN
talks in Paris are being accused of trying to weaken the new
global climate accord due to be finalised by Friday. “It is very
frustrating,” said one negotiator from a developed country after
a meeting…
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/15be0e10-9dca-11e5-b45d-4812f209f861.html#slide0


Exxon Mobil Corp. is touting its support for a climate tax to
stop the Earth's average temperature from rising. The oil company
says it supports the U.N. climate negotiations in Paris, and its
executives said yesterday that if nations do not take action
together, the Earth will warm by 2.5 degrees Celsius in the next
hundred years. But Exxon says limits need to be achieved
efficiently to prevent economic harm to companies.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/12/08/stories/1060029159 

FUELS

Sierra Club challenges San Diego power plant. The Sierra Club
yesterday filed a lawsuit challenging California's approval of a
large natural gas plant north of San Diego. The California Public
Utilities Commission, or PUC, approved San Diego Gas & Electric's
bid for a natural gas plant to compensate for lost electricity
following the unexpected shuttering of the San Onofre Nuclear
Generating Station.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/12/08/stories/1060029167 

VEHICLES

Plug-in Electric Car Sales in Canada, November 2015: Autumn Reign
For Volt. The second-generation Chevy Volt followed up its 203
October sales with 178 units in November, likely leading the
Canadian plug-in electric vehicle pack. Though it will end
December with slightly lower year-over-year volumes, the positive
early reception suggests the 2016 Volts…
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1101270_plug-in-electric-car-sales-in-canada-november-2015-autumn-reign-for-volt


More Than 500 Nissan Electric Cars In Taxi Service Now. On any
given city street, only a portion of the vehicles are private
passenger cars. Taxis make up a large part of the traffic in
cities, and in the same way it's proved popular with individual
owners, the Nissan Leaf electric car appears to have the favor of
cabbies.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1101296_more-than-500-nissan-electric-cars-in-taxi-service-now


GREEN ENERGY

UPDATE 2-Norway oil fund to target green energy, infrastructure
if allowed. Norway's $850 billion sovereign wealth fund, the
world's largest, would invest in renewable energy, transport and
grids if it were allowed to put money into unlisted
infrastructure projects, the fund's CEO told Reuters on Tuesday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/climatechange-summit-norway-idUSL8N13X2L920151208#tL1y5DGWx0B52mWo.99


OPINIONS

Once again, California leads the way.  At the Paris Climate
Change Conference, the world’s nations are pledging their first
real steps toward addressing catastrophic climate change. Yet in
this country, Republicans in Congress are already vowing to block
President Obama’s program, while their presidential candidates
scorn scientists’ alarm. Even if Democrats hold the White House
in 2016…
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/once-again-california-leads-the-way/2015/12/08/3bdc8cf4-9d0a-11e5-8728-1af6af208198_story.html


The Assault on Climate Science. WITH world leaders gathered in
Paris to address climate change, most of the planet seems to have
awakened to the reality that the Earth is warming and that we’re
responsible. But not Lamar Smith, the Texas Republican who is
chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.
He has long disputed the overwhelming scientific evidence that
carbon dioxide emission…
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/08/opinion/the-assault-on-climate-science.html?ref=opinion


Climate change and El Niño: East Africa is already suffering. To
the editor: It is heartening to see so many California business
leaders and state officials, with strong support from Gov. Jerry
Brown, attending the United Nations climate change summit in
Paris. Your coverage of climate change has made readers aware of
the potential positive and negative impacts of El Niño on
California.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-1208-tuesday-climate-change-africa-20151208-story.html


Letter: Global climate change an important local issue, too. We
at Chico350.org were overjoyed to see coverage of Chico’s global
climate march in the E-R. Over 250 people showed up asking our
world leaders at the U.N. climate summit in Paris to pledge to
keep fossil fuels in the ground and to meaningfully finance a
worldwide transition to renewable energy.
http://www.chicoer.com/opinion/20151207/letter-global-climate-change-an-important-local-issue-too


Whether Up Is Down or Down Is Up , There’s Never a Need to Reduce
Emissions at The Wall Street Journal Editorial Page. For a few
years now, President Obama has had this crazy idea in his head
that he could work together with China to reduce greenhouse-gas
emissions. But The Wall Street Journal editorial page understood
all along that this preposterous scheme could never work. “Mr.
Obama's logic seems to be that the U.S. should first set a moral
example by imposing costs that reduce our prosperity,” mocked a
Journal editorial a year and a half ago.
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/12/never-a-need-to-reduce-emissions-at-wsj.html

BLOGS

What a climate deal means for oil markets. Over the next two
weeks countries from around the world are convening in Paris to
develop a global plan to address climate change. A successful
deal in Paris could have significant impacts for energy and
equity markets. In many ways, the heavy lifting for Paris has
already occurred. Learning from failed past attempts to impose
global rules, governments have developed a more flexible bottom
up approach.
http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2015/12/07/what-a-climate-deal-means-for-oil-markets/


UN Climate Summit's Scattered Approach Points Up Importance of
California and Jerry Brown. There is some very good news and some
very bad news about the current United Nations Climate Summit in
Paris. The good news is two-fold: First, that it is even
happening at all in the wake of last month's shocking Friday the
13th jihadist terror attacks on the City of Light…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-bradley/un-climate-summits-scatte_b_8745540.html


Global energy negotiations require straight talk. As the United
States engages in the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Paris,
activists here at home have ramped up pressure to repeal
so-called "subsidies" for the oil and gas industry. A recent Oil
Change International study proclaims that the United States
provides more than $20 billion in national subsidies to the
fossil fuels industry.
http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/energy-environment/262404-global-energy-negotiations-require-straight-talk


The Vicious Circle of Climate Change and Water Scarcity. Water is
the basis for human life. Without water, there is no life. Water
in the right quality, at the right place, at the right time and
in the right amount is becoming one of the main global challenges
and issues for society at large - and it is worsened by climate
change. These days, the eyes of the world is on Paris and the
COP21-negotiations.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mads-nipper/the-vicious-circle-of-cli_b_8746862.html


Arnold Schwarzenegger Doesn't Care If You Agree With Him On
Climate Change. Arnold Schwarzenegger is using his muscle to
tackle the growing threat of climate change, and he doesn't "give
a damn" whether you agree with him. In an impassioned letter
posted to his Facebook page on Monday, the former California
governor told his followers that he doesn't care if they believe
the climate…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/arnold-schwarzenegger-climate-change-facebook_56666ce0e4b072e9d1c76571


China Acts to Control Shipping Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gas
Emissions. The shipping industry is not only a major contributor
to the air pollution choking many port cities, but also, as
explained in a front page article in today's New York Times, one
of the fastest growing sources of transport greenhouse gas
emissions. Shipping is currently responsible for almost 3 percent
of global CO2 emissions and over 2 percent of global black carbon
emissions…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barbara-a-finamore/china-acts-to-control-shi_b_8750516.html




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