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ARB Newsclips for May 31, 2016. 

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

Bleaching kills third of coral in Great Barrier Reef's north.
Mass bleaching has killed more than a third of the coral in the
northern and central parts of Australia's Great Barrier Reef,
though corals to the south have escaped with little damage,
scientists said on Monday. Researchers who conducted months of
aerial and underwater surveys of the 2,300-kilometer (1,400-mile)
reef off Australia's east coast found that around 35 percent of
the coral…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_AUSTRALIA_DYING_CORAL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Antarctic seas defy global warming thanks to chill from the deep.
A persistent chill in the ocean off Antarctica that defies the
global warming blamed for melting Arctic ice at the other end of
the planet is caused by cold waters welling up from the depths
after hundreds of years, scientists said on Monday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-climatechange-antarctica-idUSKCN0YL1IS?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29
 
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2016/0530/Could-old-cold-water-rising-in-Antarctic-seas-solve-climate-change-mystery
  
http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/40993/20160531/antarctica-defies-global-warming-melting-arctic-discover.htm


Canada must do more to mitigate climate disasters: watchdog. The
Canadian government needs to do more to mitigate climate
disasters such as floods and wildfires, a top green watchdog said
on Tuesday as the Alberta town of Fort McMurray struggled to
recover from a huge inferno. Environment Commissioner Julie
Gelfand said Ottawa should share more data with provincial
policy-makers about long-term severe weather…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-canada-wildfire-prevention-idUSKCN0YM20U
 

Statue of Liberty at risk of being destroyed by global warming,
according to UN. The Statue of Liberty welcomes your tired, your
poor, your huddled masses, but keep your global warming. Lady
Liberty is at risk of becoming a wretched refuse tempest-tossed
by rising sea levels as climate change continues to reach
alarming rates, the United Nations revealed in a report on
Thursday.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/statue-liberty-risk-destroyed-global-warming-article-1.2654077


Mars also undergoing climate change as ice age retreats, study
shows. The Earth isn’t the only planet grappling with climate
change: Newly published evidence suggests Mars is experiencing
warming as it emerges from an ice age. The red planet, which
moved closer to the Earth on Monday than at any time since 2005,
has seen a retreat from a glacial period that would have covered
large areas…
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/may/31/mars-also-undergoing-climate-change-ice-age-retrea/
 

Climate change strategy sessions move from Paris to San
Francisco. Last year, global efforts on climate change focused on
Paris, where representatives from 195 countries hammered out a
landmark agreement to limit warming. This week, the diplomatic
scrum shifts to San Francisco. Energy ministers from the world’s
largest economies — including the United States, China, India,
Japan, Germany and Saudi Arabia…
http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Climate-change-action-moves-from-Paris-to-San-7949706.php


Bill Introduced To Eliminate New York’s Greenhouse Gases By 2050.
As reported by UtilityDIVE, a dozen New York lawmakers have
introduced a bill aimed at codifying Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s climate
change goals, including a 100% reduction in anthropogenic
greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2050. “This is,
quite simply, one of the strongest, smartest…
http://cleantechnica.com/2016/05/30/bill-introduced-eliminate-new-yorks-greenhouse-gases-2050/


China set to blitz 2020 climate goal as emissions flatline. Ahead
of the release of China’s five-year energy strategy, Greenpeace
analysts say real world carbon intensity cuts are ahead of
target. China expects coal use to fall and greenhouse gas
emissions to flatline through 2016, according to analysis of the
government’s energy strategy by Greenpeace.
http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/05/31/china-set-to-blitz-2020-climate-goal-as-emissions-flatline/?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=82a863e25f-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-82a863e25f-327747457


Food, Beverage Execs to GOP: Climate Change Is Hurting Our Supply
Chain. Climate-change related weather events have disrupted
Kellogg’s supply chain in recent years. As an example, rice — a
key ingredient in Kellogg’s Rice Krispies — sourced for food
production in Europe, from Egypt, took a huge hit from severe
droughts in 2008 before Egypt eventually closed its boarders to
export.
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2016/05/31/food-beverage-execs-to-gop-climate-change-is-hurting-our-supply-chains/#ixzz4AFpw8qkv
 

Republican governor in Md. proves unpredictable on climate
policy. Maryland's Republican governor Friday gave his state's
climate policy supporters a case of whiplash, vetoing renewable
portfolio standard legislation two months after he signed into
law one of the most ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets in
the nation.
http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060038053 

DROUGHT

Drought hasn’t lifted, but California’s water restrictions just
did. They told Vince Calcagno to cut his water use by more than a
third last year as the desert summer loomed with its 112-degree
highs. He stood near the swimming pool in his pretty back yard
off a Palm Springs golf course and wondered, “How am I going to
make this work?” 
It worked as badly as he envisioned.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/drought-hasnt-lifted-but-californias-water-restrictions-just-did/2016/05/28/bb555dec-22bd-11e6-8690-f14ca9de2972_story.html


Good news: Trees and other foliage have regrown, despite drought.
Over the past year, scientists have studied California’s trees
from the air, the ground and even using X-ray technology. Each
time, they have arrived at some version of a similar dreary
conclusion: The state’s ongoing drought is wreaking havoc on
forests, killing millions more trees at each check.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-drought-trees-20160530-snap-story.html


Fight over California drought heats up in Congress. Efforts in
Congress are heating up to bring some relief to California’s
historic drought, just as the dry summer season is starting. The
Golden State is in its fifth year facing exceptional drought
conditions.
And while its congressional delegation is eager to find ways to
better save water…
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/281581-fight-over-california-drought-heats-up-in-congress
 

FUELS

Danger Below? New Properties Hide Abandoned Oil And Gas Wells. In
2007, Rick Kinder was working for a contractor, building a house
in southern Colorado. The workers had just finished putting in
all the doors, windows and sealing the house. Kinder and a
colleague were working in the crawlspace, hanging insulation.
http://www.capradio.org/news/npr/story?storyid=474100388 

USDA Announces More Than $8 Million in Payments to Support the
Production of Advanced Biofuel.  Agriculture Secretary Tom
Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
is investing $8.8 million to boost the production of advanced
biofuels and sustain jobs at renewable energy facilities in 39
states.
http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/national-news/9440-usda-announces-more-than-8-million-in-payments-to-support-the-production-of-advanced-biofuel.html


G7 nations pledge to end fossil fuel subsidies by 2025. Leaders
of the UK, US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the EU
urge all countries to join them in eliminating support for coal,
oil and gas in a decade. The G7 nations have for the first time
set a deadline for the ending most fossil fuel subsidies, saying
government support for coal, oil and gas should end by 2025.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/may/27/g7-nations-pledge-to-end-fossil-fuel-subsidies-by-2025?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=82a863e25f-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-82a863e25f-327747457


Study Results Provide New Insights into Arctic Ocean Methane.
Methane gas released from the Arctic seabed during the summer
months leads to an increased methane concentration in the ocean.
But surprisingly, very little of the climate gas rising up
through the sea reaches the atmosphere.
http://www.azocleantech.com/news.aspx?newsID=23367 

VEHICLES

Vallejo considers plan for electric car plant at ex-shipyard.
City leaders will consider and vote on an exclusive negotiating
agreement with Faraday Future for a 150-acre electric car plant
on a former Vallejo shipyard. The vote on the project on the
north end of Mare Island is expected Tuesday night. The plant is
expected create hundreds of jobs and to pump hundreds of millions
of dollars into Vallejo.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Vallejo-considers-plan-for-electric-car-plant-at-7954526.php


Particulate filters for Mercedes diesels to come to gasoline
vehicles too. Virtually all carmakers use particulate filters in
their diesel cars to meet the most stringent emissions standards.
These filters trap particulate matter left over from the
combustion process that can be harmful if inhaled by humans.
Gasoline-powered cars generally produce lower levels of
particulate-matter emissions than their diesel counterparts…
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1104207_particulate-filters-for-mercedes-diesels-to-come-to-gasoline-vehicles-too


2017 Ford Fusion Energi electric range rises to 22 miles. The
all-electric range of every type of plug-in car has risen since
their introduction in 2011, and will continue to increase with
further boosts in battery energy density. This means that not
only electric cars will get longer ranges, but so will plug-in
hybrids. The latest maker to join the parade of increased
electric-range…
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1104199_2017-ford-fusion-energi-electric-range-rises-to-22-miles


Battery Lifetime: How Long Can Electric Vehicle Batteries Last?
Electric vehicle have become a common sight on streets today, and
many people have started to enjoy the quiet comfort, getting used
to charging at night and silently doing errands. Electric
vehicles are new enough to wonder, how long will they last? This
is not a simple question, because it depends on chemistries,
sizes, operating conditions….
http://cleantechnica.com/2016/05/31/battery-lifetime-long-can-electric-vehicle-batteries-last/


Peugeot L500 R Hybrid PHEV racing concept. Peugeot has designed a
new gasoline-electric plug-in hybrid racing concept: the L500 R
Hybrid. Developed by Peugeot Sport teams, the 500-bhp plug-in
hybrid powertrain features two electric motors (one front and one
rear) plus a 270 hp gasoline engine, yielding peak torque of 730
N·m (538 lb-ft).
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2016/05/20160530-peugeot.html 

55% Of Northeasterners Interested In Electric Vehicles. A new
survey from the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Consumers
Union (the policy and advocacy arm of Consumer Reports) has
revealed that 55% of Northeastern drivers in the US possess an
interest in electric vehicles, and that 35% are likely to
consider purchasing or leasing one as their next vehicle.
http://cleantechnica.com/2016/05/31/55-northeasterners-interested-electric-vehicles/


Tesla Rival Faraday Wants to Build Electric Cars in Vallejo. The
electric car startup is expanding before it’s even selling
anything. On Tuesday night, city council members in the northern
California city of Vallejo will meet to decide if electric car
startup Faraday Future will be able to build a factory there to
assemble cars and communicate with customers.
http://fortune.com/2016/05/31/faraday-electric-car-vallejo/ 

VW RECALL

Scandal-hit Volkswagen makes profit despite scandal. German
automaker Volkswagen saw its net profit fall 19 percent in the
first three months of the year - but showed it can still make
money even as it grapples with a costly scandal over cars rigged
to cheat on diesel emissions tests. The company called it a
"respectable" result considering the tough conditions and said it
had the financial resources to weather the scandal.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_GERMANY_EARNS_VOLKSWAGEN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.reuters.com/article/volkswagen-results-idUSFWN18S01H 
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2016/05/31/volkswagen-first-quarter-earnings/85181746/

http://fortune.com/2016/05/31/volkswagen-profit-increase/ 
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/foreign/2016/05/31/volkswagen-profit-scandal/85183938/
http://bakersfieldnow.com/news/auto-matters/scandal-hit-volkswagen-makes-profit-despite-scandal


GREEN ENERGY

EUROPE POWER-Spot rises on less wind supply, curve a touch lower.
European spot electricity prices rose on Monday, on a combination
of lower wind power output in Germany and more demand in both
Germany and France as temperatures eased.
 "Demand is higher than anticipated, wind is down…
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL8N18R1SL 

Clean Energy to Take Bigger Share of Electricity Market by 2030.
Renewable energy will account for 40 percent of electricity
output capacity by 2030, almost double today’s market share,
according to the International Renewable Energy Agency. The
expansion will be due to lower technology costs…
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O7XCK56S972801-1QKHMU8RBFO1IN1OEULC4G501F


Norway's Scatec Solar aims to almost quadruple solar power output
by 2020. Norwegian energy firm Scatec Solar aims to almost
quadruple its solar power output in the next four years helped by
demand rise in emerging markets, the company said on Tuesday.
Scatec, which builds and operates solar power plants…
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL8N18R2EK 

Clean-energy jobs surpass oil drilling for first time in U.S. The
number of U.S. jobs in solar energy overtook those in oil and
natural gas extraction for the first time last year, helping
drive a global surge in employment in the clean-energy business
as fossil-fuel companies faltered.  Employment in the U.S. solar
business grew 12 times faster than overall job creation…
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_29958195/clean-energy-jobs-surpass-oil-drilling-first-time

Green-energy gathering aims to build on Paris plan. Six months
after the Paris climate talks, government officials from around
the world will gather in San Francisco this week to try to build
more momentum for the development of cleaner energy technologies.
The 7th Clean Energy Ministerial will include representatives of
the U.S.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/2016/05/29/green-energy-gathering-aims-build-paris-plan/85039004/


Investment In Energy Storage Vital For Renewable Energy Success. 
A new report has concluded that investment in energy storage
technology is vital for the success of renewable energy and its
full integration into the energy sector. According to a new study
published by researchers from the University of East Anglia
(UAE), government subsidies should be used so as to encourage…
http://cleantechnica.com/2016/05/31/investment-energy-storage-vital-renewable-energy-success/


OPINIONS

California’s Cap-and-Trade Bubble. The carbon-credit market
sputters, as it also has in Europe. When carbon cap and trade
flopped in Europe, liberals blamed design flaws and hailed
California’s embryonic program as a better regulatory model. But
cap and tax is struggling in the Golden State too. A mere 2% of
the carbon emissions credits that the California Air Resources
Board (CARB) put up for auction in May were sold. The quarterly
auction raised only $10 million of the $500 million that CARB
projected.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/californias-cap-and-trade-bubble-1464643546

http://www.newsy-today.com/californias-cap-and-trade-bubble-wall-street-journal/


Why our brains may not be equipped to handle climate change. To
the editor: The question, “Why aren’t we talking about climate
change?” was addressed by environmental activist George Marshall
in his book, “Don’t Even Think About It.” He says we not only
don’t talk about climate change, we don’t even want to think
about it. Whether we believe or not, we’ve erected a “meta
silence” around the issue.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-climate-change-election-20160530-snap-story.html


Truckers Should Engage Regulators on California Sustainable
Freight Program. For many decades, car companies complained
almost every time new safety and air quality regulations came up.
 They said that they couldn’t do it because the technology wasn’t
ready or would be too costly. But history shows that they almost
always have been able to comply.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/trucksdotcom/2016/05/31/truckers-should-engage-regulators-on-california-sustainable-freight-program/#340ee8cd291f


Want to help fight climate change? Start with reproductive
rights. With overpopulation a key environmental concern, safe
access to birth control, abortion, and reproductive health
services offer a simple solution. An often-ignored factor when
examining environmental issues and climate change is the powerful
role played by women.
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/may/31/climate-change-women-reproductive-rights-birth-control


BLOGS

G7 Leaders Commit to Cut Near-Term Warming by Reducing HFCs,
Other Super Pollutants.  In their May 27th declaration, the
leaders of the G7 committed for the first time to cutting
near-term warming by phasing down short-lived super pollutants
black carbon, methane, and HFCs.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/durwood-zaelke/g7-leaders-commit-to-cut_b_10184318.html


The Crucial Connection Between Climate and Health. In labs and
classrooms, we are building an understanding of the volatility of
our planet’s changing climate and anticipating its adverse
effects on human health. That knowledge is key to creating
evidence-based solutions to climate change—but it is beyond time
to…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-p-fried/the-crucial-connection-be_b_10220802.html


America’s Sickest Wetlands Are in the West, EPA Finds. Few people
will see the marshland that Beth Moseley helps spruce up during
her volunteer outings to an industrial stretch of bayfront. Its
hidden solitude from San Francisco’s hustle and bustle is one of
the reasons she often visits the restored wetland to watch birds.
http://www.bonnercountydailybee.com/article/20160531/AP/305319977




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