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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 1, 2016
Posted: 01 Aug 2016 15:19:52
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 Insight - Rio's Olympic air: Dirty, deadly and no cleaner legacy from Games. Rio de Janeiro's air is dirtier and deadlier than portrayed by authorities and the Olympics' promised legacy of cleaner winds has not remotely been met, an analysis of government data and Reuters' own testing found. Brazil declared in its official bid for the Olympic Games, which open on Friday, that Rio's air quality… http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-olympics-rio-air-insight-idUKKCN10C255 Sand fire smoke, Salton Sea smell cause air quality advisories in Inland Empire. Two air quality advisories have been issued for nearby regions — one due to the Sand fire, the other to the Salton Sea. The Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District on Saturday issued a smoke advisory for Barstow, Lucerne Valley and the Victor Valley area… http://www.sbsun.com/general-news/20160730/sand-fire-smoke-salton-sea-smell-cause-air-quality-advisories-in-inland-empire Locals react to dust storm and hazardous air quality. Conditions reached hazardous levels on Saturday, after the passing of a dust storm on Friday night. Sam Atwood from SCAQMD says it's important when storms like these come through to avoid heavy exercise and stay indoors. "One thing we are concerned about is for residents who are particularly susceptible… http://www.kesq.com/news/locals-react-to-dust-storm-and-hazardous-air-quality/40960618 EPA pushes back against foes of new ozone standards. Rational and well within the bounds of what's required by the latest scientific evidence. That's the crux of U.S. EPA's legal defense of the 70 parts per billion ozone standards put in place last October as the agency parries competing lawsuits brought by business groups and environmental advocates contending that the new benchmarks are either illegally strict or unacceptably weak. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/08/01/stories/1060041035 CLIMATE CHANGE Climate Change Divide Bursts to Forefront in Presidential Campaign. During the 2012 race for president, the issue of climate change was nearly invisible. President Obama and his Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, almost never spoke about it, and it did not come up during their debates. There was far more talk of ramping up oil and gas production than cutting emissions. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/02/us/politics/climate-change-divide-bursts-to-forefront-in-presidential-campaign.html Paradox Nation: Norway, a Climate Leader Making Money on Oil. Norway wants to get rid of gasoline-fueled cars, plans to become carbon neutral by 2030 and spends billions on helping poor countries reduce their carbon footprints. Meanwhile, it's pushing ever farther into the Arctic Ocean in search of more oil and gas. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_NORWAY_PARADOX_NATION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/08/01/world/europe/ap-eu-norway-paradox-nation.html http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/paradox-nation-norway-a-climate-leader-making-money-on-oil/ World weather: 2016's early record heat gives way to heavy rains. The record-breaking heat of the first six months has turned to severe seasonal flooding across Asia in one of the strongest monsoon seasons in many years. The record-breaking worldwide heat of the first six months of 2016 has turned to abnormally severe seasonal flooding across… https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/01/world-weather-2016s-early-record-heat-gives-way-to-heavy-rains?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=d7bc9d1d7e-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-d7bc9d1d7e-327747457 Climate-conscious cocoa. Can higher-yield plants, more sustainable agricultural techniques and complementary crops safeguard the cocoa industry and its farmers? Our appetite for chocolate, particularly in the West, means that cocoa farmers are busier than ever in keeping up with demand. Which would be good news for them, but for the looming threat of climate change. https://www.theguardian.com/nestle-sustainable-cocoa/2016/aug/01/climate-conscious-cocoa A climate scientist and economist made big bucks betting on global warming. Chris Hope and James Annan took £2,000 from two GWPF advisors who were foolish enough to bet against global warming. Climate scientist James Annan and climate economist Chris Hope made a nice sum this year for a bet they made on global warming in 2008. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2016/aug/01/a-climate-scientist-and-economist-made-big-bucks-betting-on-global-warming Top of the World. Sharyn Alfonsi reports from Greenland on one of the most significant efforts to study climate change happening today. The following is a script from "Greenland," which aired on Jan. 31, 2016, and was rebroadcast on July 31, 2016. One of the most significant efforts to study changes in the climate has been taking place near the top of the world. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-greenland-climate-change-top-of-world/ UN asked Australia to cover up Great Barrier Reef lobbying. Email exchanges between Australian government and Paris-based UNESCO indicate officials colluded in scrubbing Great Barrier Reef from climate risk report. The UN asked the Australian government to cover up details of lobbying that lead to all mention of Australia being scrubbed from a major report on climate threats to world heritage sites. http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/08/01/un-asked-australia-to-cover-up-great-barrier-reef-lobbying/?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=d7bc9d1d7e-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-d7bc9d1d7e-327747457 Disappearing Icons: Re-imagining the National Parks After Climate Change. Many national parks were chosen for, and even named after, the country’s iconic natural sights, like sequoia trees, everglades and glaciers. Now, as the climate warms, many of these icons are beginning to disappear. As the National Park Service celebrates its centennial this year… http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/08/01/disappearing-icons-re-imagining-the-national-parks-after-climate-change/ Device That Uses Sunlight To Break Carbon Monoxide, Hydrogen Answer To Extreme Climate Change Effects? This breakthrough from the University of Illinois at Chicago seems to be an artificial leaf that demonstrates the process of photosynthesis wherein plants use sunlight and carbon dioxide to create fuel in the form of sugar. A team of scientists reported that they have created a device that absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere then uses sunlight… http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/44763/20160801/global-warming-device-that-uses-sunlight-to-break-carbon-monoxide-hydrogen-answer-to-extreme-climate-change-effects.htm DROUGHT Despite drought, mega water park moves ahead in East Bay. While residents are being asked to reduce water use by 10 percent in Dublin in the face of a state emergency, the city is making rapid progress on its $36 million aquatics park that is scheduled to open in less than nine months. The 31,000-square-foot aquatics center, set to be completed in February, will use about 480,000 gallons of water to fill its… http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_30189101/dublin-despite-drought-mega-water-park-moves-ahead FREIGHT & DIESEL ACTIVITIES Gov. Jerry Brown’s ‘green vision’ could spark zero-emissions future for trucks. Continuing to cement his environmental legacy, Gov. Jerry Brown released sweeping blue-sky plans to propel the state’s commercial trucks, ships and trains toward a zero-emissions future. The unprecedented effort aims to reshape how cargo is moved around the state — from produce on supermarket shelves… http://www.dailydemocrat.com/article/NI/20160801/NEWS/160809996 http://scvnews.com/2016/07/29/state-unveils-plan-to-green-up-freight-industry/ http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/08/01/stories/1060041013 French inquiry confirms widespread irregularities in diesel emissions data. 10-month investigation finds a large number of diesel cars emit much higher levels of pollution than their manufacturers claim. French investigators have found a large number of diesel cars emit much higher levels of pollution than their European manufacturers claim. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/01/french-inquiry-confirms-widespread-irregularities-in-diesel-emissions-data VEHICLES London’s Black Cabs Bet Future on 119-Year-Old Technology. London’s iconic black cabs are banking their future on a 19th century technology: the electric motor. To help solve the U.K. capital’s smog problems, London Taxi Co. is turning to methods of propulsion used by forerunners at the London Electrical Cab Co., which from 1897 ran a fleet of 80 battery-powered cars designed by Walter C. Bersey. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-29/london-s-iconic-black-cabs-bet-future-on-119-year-old-technology Need a fast charge? The nearest plug may not fit. A driver looking to quickly charge an electric vehicle can't necessarily plug into the closest fast-charging station. Many won't fit the car. While automakers have agreed on uniform plug standards for slower types of charging used at home and work, they have not done so for what's known as DC fast charging, which can fill a battery in less than 30 minutes. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/08/01/stories/1060040991 VW RECALL Exclusive: California regulator says testing to begin on Volkswagen diesel fix. Volkswagen AG and the California Air Resources Board will begin testing hardware and software that could help the German automaker avoid buying back as many as 475,000 diesel cars sold in the United States with improperly designed pollution controls, the head of the board told Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-emissions-exclusive-idUSKCN10921J Volkswagen, California will test diesel engine repair. Volkswagen has a proposal to make its 2.0-liter diesel engines compliant with U.S. emissions laws, but California regulators have to sign off on it first. Volkswagen has a proposal to make its 2.0-liter diesel engines compliant with U.S. emissions laws, but California regulators have to sign off on it first. http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/news/volkswagen-proposes-diesel-fix-ford-sees-trouble-article-1.2733940 CA tests VW diesel modifications, cheap Tesla leases, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV delay: Today's Car News. Today, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) says it will test proposed modifications for Volkswagen 2.0-liter TDI diesel cars, Tesla extends cheaper leases on its electric cars through September, and the Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid's U.S. launch is delayed again. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1105314_ca-tests-vw-diesel-modifications-cheap-tesla-leases-mitsubishi-outlander-phev-delay-todays-car-news GREEN ENERGY Trina Takes Biggest Solar Maker Private in $1.1 Billion Deal. Trina Solar Ltd., the world’s biggest solar panel maker, said it’s going private in a $1.1 billion deal that pays a premium to holders of its American depository receipts. The ADRs rose $2.50, or 30 percent, to $10.75 before trading at $10.32 in New York after the Chinese company said its board authorized a group of investors including its founding chairman to take it over. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-01/trina-solar-to-go-private-in-1-1-billion-deal-led-by-chairman Tesla and SolarCity to combine in a $2.6-billion deal; SolarCity stock drops. Elon Musk’s Tesla Motors Inc. and SolarCity Corp. have agreed to combine, putting electric vehicles, rooftop solar systems, energy storage batteries for homes and businesses, and software systems that tie everything together, all under the banner of a single company. http://www.latimes.com/business/ http://www.voanews.com/content/telsa-offers-2-6b-for-solarcity-to-speed-sustaniable-energy/3444081.html http://www.hybridcars.com/tesla-announces-2-6b-solar-city-aquisition/ How sun, salt and glass could help solve our energy needs. It looks like a set from a sci-fi epic, but this solar plant in the scorching Nevada desert has a far more practical purpose… High in the stark Nevada desert, a couple of hundred miles north-west of Las Vegas, is the shimmering circular mirage of Crescent Dunes. Ten thousand silvery glass panes, each measuring 115 square metres… https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jul/31/crescent-dunes-concentrated-solar-power Can America's first floating wind farm shake off environmental concerns? Trident Winds proposes to install 765 megawatts’ worth of giant turbines on buoyant platforms in California, which could power more than 200,000 homes. The deep waters off the coast of California could become home to the country’s largest offshore wind energy project and a test case for a technology that is still in its infancy. https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/jul/31/california-wind-farm-energy-trident N.Y. clean power plan adds teeth to Cuomo strategy. New York state's Public Service Commission is expected to give formal approval today to key parts of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's bold clean energy plan, committing the state to a rapid expansion of wind and solar power so that half its electric power will come from renewable sources and nuclear plants by 2030. http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060041006 OPINIONS Making the Transition to Renewable Energy. To the Editor: “Embrace of Renewables Has a Hidden Cost,” by Eduardo Porter (Economic Scene column, July 20), perpetuates the myth that nuclear and renewable energy are competitors. In reality, cheap natural gas is causing nuclear’s woes because fossil fuel power plants set prices in electricity markets, not wind or nuclear. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/01/opinion/making-the-transition-to-renewable-energy.html?_r=0 Can California tune up its climate strategy before it’s too late? As Philadelphia baked and wildfires roared like the apocalypse in California, Gov. Jerry Brown last week called on the nation to remember the impact this presidential election could have on climate change. “What America needs today are not deniers, but leaders. Not division, but common purpose. http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/editorials/article92727772.html#storylink=cpy When it comes to water, do not keep on trucking. The multi-year drought has become so bad in some parts of California that last year wells dried up and communities had to have their water hauled in by truck. Even with that emergency lifeline, residents of places like East Porterville in Tulare County had to carefully parcel out their supplies for cooking and cleaning. Toilets were “flushed” by dumping used dishwater into the bowl. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-water-hauling-20160729-snap-story.html 21st century approach to cutting emissions, cleaning air: Guest commentary. Over the past 70 years, air quality improvement in Southern California has been one of the greatest environmental success stories of our nation, if not the world. Yet achieving the existing federal clean air standards remains a daunting task for our region. This summer marks the 73rd anniversary of the notorious “gas attacks” in Los Angeles… http://www.dailynews.com/opinion/20160729/21st-century-approach-to-cutting-emissions-cleaning-air-guest-commentary Can California tune up its climate strategy? As Philadelphia baked and wildfires roared like the apocalypse in California, Gov. Jerry Brown last week called on the nation to remember the impact this presidential election could have on climate change. “What America needs today are not deniers, but leaders. Not division, but common purpose. http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/editorials/article92711532.html#storylink=cpy The cost of fixing climate change: Climate change not as scary as cost to stop it. The best answer to most of the claims by climate activists and their political allies is simply: so what? "Climate change is real," they say. So what? Gravity and sunrise are also real. That doesn't mean we cause them or we would be better off without them. Climate has been changing since the origin of the atmosphere billions of years ago. http://gazette.com/the-cost-of-fixing-climate-changeclimate-change-not-as-scary-as-cost-to-stop-it/article/1581670 Global Warming Blows Past Previous Records in 2016. It's been a while since I posted a chart showing the latest global temperatures, so let's do one today. This is based on NOAA data for the first half of the year. As you can see, average global temperatures have risen about 1.3°C over the past century. For years, climate denialists published charts starting in 1998 to show that warming had "paused"… http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2016/08/global-warming-blows-past-previous-records-2016 Tesla Solar On Doorstep To Domination — Tesla’s $2.6 Billion SolarCity Acquisition, & The Future. Below, I discuss the facts of the Tesla–SolarCity merger (as presented by Tesla today), my thoughts on where this marriage will lead, and the overall background from which my thoughts arose. If you aren’t keen to know a little bit more about me, definitely feel free to skip the first section (genuinely — no offense taken). http://cleantechnica.com/2016/08/01/tesla-solar-doorstep-domination-teslas-2-6-billion-solarcity-acquisition-will-lead/ WILD FIRES California crews battle Big Sur blaze for eleventh day. Crews battling a deadly wildfire that has gutted dozens of homes near California's Big Sur coast looked forward to cooler weather to help them slow the flames on Monday as the blaze raged for an 11th day, burning most heavily in rugged, inaccessible terrain. The combination of steep mountainous terrain and extremely hot… http://www.reuters.com/article/us-california-fire-idUSKCN10C2O0 Updated Toll in Big Sur Fire: 63 Square Miles Burned, 57 Homes Destroyed. The Soberanes Fire continues to chew through rugged, drought-stressed terrain along the northern Big Sur coast, exacting a rising toll in property damage. Fire managers said that as of Monday morning, the fire has burned nearly 41,000 acres… http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2016/07/29/soberanes-fire-containment-update/ California wildfires: How firefighters are coping with wild weekend. More than 5,000 firefighters continued to battle a blaze on the Central Coast this weekend, while another fire broke out in the Central Valley region. A 10-day-old wildfire continued to spread across California's Central Coast this weekend, as another blaze broke out Saturday in the Central Valley region. http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2016/0801/California-wildfires-How-firefighters-are-coping-with-wild-weekend BLOGS Burning Economic Issues Behind America’s Wildfire Problem. The West, and federal taxpayers, have a serious and growing problem as communities continue to expand in and around forested and grassy landscapes prone to fire. As Headwaters Economics has shown so vividly in fine-grained maps, there is a vast amount of developable land in vulnerable zones that… http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/08/01/burning-economic-issues-behind-americas-wildfire-problem/ California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.