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ARB Newsclips for October 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.

AIR POLLUTION

Smog chokes Delhi as pollution hits hazardous levels. Residents
of New Delhi woke up to a blanket of smog on Monday as air
quality deteriorated sharply overnight in India's capital,
triggering warnings that even healthy people were at risk of
respiratory problems. New Delhi ranks among the world's most
polluted cities, with air quality usually worsening at this time
of year…
http://in.reuters.com/article/religion-diwali-india-pollution-delhi-idINKBN12V1OM

http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-air-quality-new-delhi-pictures-20161031-photogallery.html


Climate Change Is Already Forcing Americans to Move. Loraine
Helber runs the public housing authority in Punta Gorda, Florida,
a city of 18,000 just north of Fort Myers at the mouth of the
Peace River. In March, she hopes to celebrate a milestone: the
opening of new apartments for the elderly, replacing about 80
units destroyed by the hurricane.
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-10-31/climate-change-is-already-forcing-americans-to-move


1 in 7 children globally lives with ‘toxic’ air, study finds. 
About 300 million children — roughly 1 in 7 worldwide — live in
areas with “toxic” levels of air pollution, according to new
research from the United Nations Children’s Fund. The findings
offer the latest reminder that some of the planet’s most
vulnerable inhabitants face the worst environmental health
threats.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/10/31/one-in-seven-children-globally-lives-with-toxic-air-study-finds/?utm_term=.17d099d0a493
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/31/world/asia/unicef-children-toxic-air.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=1

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/10/31/unicef-says-2-billion-children-breathe-toxic-air.html

 http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2016/1031/UNICEF-report-88-percent-of-world-s-children-breathe-toxic-air


White House targets financial disclosure of climate risk. A White
House climate official is scheduled to speak Monday about a new
plan to disclose the financial risk associated with climate
change, following work with a Group of 20 task force. Ali Zaidi,
associate director for natural resources, energy and science at
the Office of Management and Budget, is scheduled to speak at the
Atlantic Council…
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/white-house-targets-financial-disclosure-of-climate-risk/article/2605915


Growth of city trees can cut air pollution, says report. A study
by US-based The Nature Conservancy (TNC) reported than the
average reduction of particulate matter near a tree was between
7% and 24%. Particulate matter (PM) is microscopic particles that
become trapped in the lungs of people breathing polluted air. PM
pollution could claim an estimated 6.2 million lives each year by
2050, the study suggests.
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37813709 

CLIMATE CHANGE

Commonwealth drives strategies to put climate change into
reverse. Highways lined with wind turbines among designs on show
as Commonwealth aims to be a pathfinder that can ‘say sorry for
screwing up’ on climate. Cities that mimic forests, bricks made
from converted carbon dioxide and highways lined with wind
turbines powered by traffic.
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/oct/31/commonwealth-drives-strategies-to-put-climate-change-into-reverse


Researchers find greenhouse gases played role in record-low 2015
snowpacks.
UCLA and Oregon State University scientists say results of new
study are cause for concern. For perennially drought-stricken
California, a new study from professors at UCLA and Oregon State
University shows cause for alarm surrounding the record-low
snowpack levels of 2015.
http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/researchers-find-greenhouse-gases-played-role-in-record-low-2015-snowpacks


How climate change could worsen a centuries-old water dispute. A
centuries-old water war in India could be on the precipice of
getting worse — and it's all because of climate change. The
dispute concerns the sharing of the Kaveri, a 475-mile-long river
that is a critical source of water for the country's southern
states.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/10/31/stories/1060045011 

As other sectors act, shipping starts to think about a plan. A
U.N. shipping body has launched a plan to reduce the sector's
global warming impact in 2023. The International Maritime
Organization agreed Friday in London to come up with an initial
strategy by 2018 to curb greenhouse gas emissions from
international shipping. 
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/10/31/stories/1060045032 

DROUGHT

The drought eased up, and these Californians turned on the
spigot. The San Juan Water District showed the rest of California
how to save water when the state needed the savings most. The
supplier for eastern Sacramento and southern Placer counties cut
consumption 41% from 2013 levels during the summer of 2015 — the
height of a years-long drought.  District residents let their
acre-sized properties fade; livestock went thirsty, vineyards
decayed.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-water-conservation-backslide-20161018-snap-htmlstory.html


California drought: Is October rain making a difference? As
California enters the sixth year of its historic drought,
something unusual is happening: It’s raining.  And raining.
Rainfall is expected across much of the Bay Area again Sunday,
with another storm coming Halloween night. Marin, Sonoma and
other North Bay counties should get the biggest soaking.
http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/10/29/california-drought-is-october-rain-making-a-difference/


In California Drought, a $350 Million Experiment on Tastes. 
Drought-ridden California poured more than $350 million over the
last two years into an experiment in social engineering — trying
to turn residents' tastes away from water-slurping lawns. For
Southern California's giant Metropolitan Water District, the
hundreds of millions of dollars spent paying property owners to
remove their lawns represented the agency's biggest single
conservation program ever.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/california-drought-350-million-experiment-tastes-43193906


A solution to California's drought? California’s aquifers,
underground areas where water collects, may have up to three
times the amount of useable groundwater as previously estimated.
California’s aquifers, underground areas where water collects,
may have up to three times the amount of useable groundwater as
previously estimated.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/The-Bite/2016/1031/A-solution-to-California-s-drought


DIESEL ACTIVITIES

Oakland Port slashes dirty diesel pollution in long campaign.
Margaret Gordon used to clean the windows and blinds of her West
Oakland home once a week a decade ago to remove the black, gritty
soot from diesel air pollution that drifted in from trucks and
ships at the nearby Port of Oakland. Now she cleans them less
often after government and business invested well in excess of
$100 million in ships, trucks…
http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/10/28/oakland-port-slashes-dirty-diesel-pollution-in-long-campaign/


VEHICLES

Quebec approves new law to boost sales of zero emission vehicles.
Quebec lawmakers on Wednesday approved new zero emission vehicle
legislation that obliges automakers selling cars in the Canadian
province to offer their customers a minimum number of hybrid,
rechargeable and electric models. Quebec, the first Canadian
province to pass such legislation, joins 10 U.S. states including
California that have…
http://www.reuters.com/article/canada-autos-quebec-idUSL1N1CW1TZ


Musk’s Sale of Clean-Air Credits May Have Marked Peak for Market.
After Tesla Motors Inc. sold $139 million of zero-emission
credits in the third quarter, Elon Musk complained that they
should be worth more -- if only California’s regulations were
tougher. Instead, they may soon be worth less. The staff of the
California Air Resources Board is planning to propose as early as
this week that the state’s emissions targets…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-31/musk-s-sale-of-clean-air-credits-may-have-marked-peak-for-market


Warming to lithium-ion, Toyota charges up its battery options.
Engineers at Toyota Motor Corp say they have tamed volatile
lithium-ion battery technology, and can now safely pack more
power at no significant extra cost, giving the Japanese automaker
the option to enter the growing all-electric car market. While
rivals including Tesla Motors and Nissan Motor Co began adopting
lithium-ion battery technology…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-toyota-batteries-idUSKBN12U0ZH
 
Zero-Emission Vehicles Protect Public Health, Save Lives.  A
report released today underscores the high stakes to our health,
environment, and pocketbooks if we fail to move aggressively to
put many more zero-emission vehicles on the road to replace
polluting gasoline-powered cars and trucks. The report, Clean Air
Future, from the American Lung Association finds that the public
bears a high cost—from respiratory illnesses…
https://www.nrdc.org/experts/simon-mui/zero-emission-vehicles-protect-public-health-save-lives

California tweaks electric car rebates: Will it work? In an
effort to boost the sale of low-emissions vehicles, California is
again tweaking its rebate program for buyers of all-electric,
plug-in hybrid and fuel-cell cars. Starting Tuesday, high-income
earners will be excluded from getting the rebates while
prospective buyers from lower-income households will get more
money under the state’s Clean Vehicle Rebate Project.
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/sd-fi-rebates-changed-20161025-story.html


Sector growth represents 'mixed bag' for Calif. utilities. The
continued growth of electric vehicles in California represents a
"double-edged sword" for the power industry there, Moody's
Investors Service said in a report released today. Under
best-case scenarios, electric vehicles could account for up to 5
percent of all electricity consumption in California by 2030,
assuming the state meets its zero-emissions vehicle goals.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060045051/search?keyword=california


GREEN ENERGY

No One Saw Tesla’s Solar Roof Coming. Elon Musk just showed us
the grand unification of Tesla: Fast cars, big batteries, and a
stunning solar rooftop. On Friday evening as the sun descended
over the old Hollywood set of “Desperate Housewives,” Elon Musk
took to a stage and fired up his presentation about climate
change. It was a strange scene, with hundreds of people crowded
into the middle of a subtly artificial suburban neighborhood.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-31/no-one-saw-tesla-s-solar-roof-coming

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-elon-musk-solar-20161028-story.html?platform=hootsuite


Green Tariff Options In United States Are Increasing. A new
report from the World Resources Institute has highlighted the
increasing rise of “green tariffs” in the United States —
large-scale renewable energy purchase programs available to
residential and industrial customers alike. Simply put, “green
tariffs” allow residential and industrial consumers the
opportunity to interact directly with renewable energy sources…
https://cleantechnica.com/2016/10/31/green-tariff-options-united-states-increasing/

Berkeley Lab Suggests We’re Underestimating Potential &
Uncertainty Of Wind Energy Cost Reductions.  A new report by
researchers from Berkeley Lab has raised the possibility that we
are underestimating the potential for and uncertainty of wind
energy cost reductions. There has been a lot of coverage lately
of the dramatic cost reductions for wind energy over the last few
years…
https://cleantechnica.com/2016/10/31/berkeley-lab-suggests-underestimating-potential-uncertainty-wind-energy-cost-reductions/


City approves first-of-its-kind zero-net-energy rule for homes.
Santa Monica, Calif., has approved a mandate requiring that all
new single-family homes qualify as "zero net energy" and consume
only as much energy as they produce. The rule is the first of its
kind in the state. Santa Monica said it believes it is the first
in the world to enact such a requirement.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/10/31/stories/1060045031 

MISCELLANEOUS

Fisher Stevens on 'Before the Flood' and its original title.
Leonardo DiCaprio's new climate change documentary, "Before the
Flood," premiered on the National Geographic Channel last night.
Directed by Fisher Stevens — who won an Oscar for his 2009
documentary "The Cove," about dolphin hunting in Japan — the
90-minute film takes viewers around the world to places already
affected by climate change…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/10/31/stories/1060045022

OPINIONS

We Don’t Need a ‘War’ on Climate Change, We Need a Revolution.
This year is on track to become the hottest ever recorded, and a
growing number of environmentalists are using a particular type
of language in response. Some are calling for a huge
“mobilization” to “combat” climate change. In an article in the
New Republic in August, Bill McKibben, the unofficial
spokesperson of the climate movement in the United States…
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/31/opinion/we-dont-need-a-war-on-climate-change-we-need-a-revolution.html?_r=0


New emissions targets make cap and trade the best low-cost,
market-based approach. This is a critical time for California’s
climate policies. Recently, Gov. Jerry Brown achieved his hope of
extending California’s action beyond 2020, the termination date
of Assembly Bill 32. Whereas AB 32 called for reducing the
state’s greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 202. 
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article110900142.html#storylink=cpy


Californians must recommit to water conservation. Recent news
items raise concerns about California’s ongoing struggle to deal
with the punishing drought. The Desert Sun’s Ian James reported
this month that Coachella Valley water agencies have logged a
huge drop in conservation compared to the great efforts seen
during 2015 and the first half of this year. Coachella Valley
Water District customers used just 4.3 percent less water in
September…
http://www.desertsun.com/story/opinion/editorials/2016/10/29/our-voice-californians-water-conservation/92903778/


California has new carbon reduction goal, but details of impacts
still fluid. A few weeks ago, Gov. Jerry Brown and his
predecessor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, jointly celebrated the 10th
anniversary of Assembly Bill 32, the legislation that launched
California’s war on greenhouse gases. “This is a big idea, and it
takes a big mind to get around it,” Brown said – a not-so-subtle
dig at those who question California’s crusade. 
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/dan-walters/article111504647.html


Don’t disadvantage the Bay Area’s poor communities. A
less-noticed element of this year’s battle in Sacramento over the
extension of California’s climate change policies was the program
to distribute at least 25 percent of cap-and-trade auction
revenue to disadvantaged communities struggling with pollution
around the state. Then a new draft formula was released to change
the way the state determines…
http://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/Don-t-disadvantage-the-Bay-Area-s-poor-10421109.php


BLOGS

Obama Administration Outlines Path For Climate Change Resiliency.
In the last decade, extreme weather and wildfires cost the
federal government $357 billion. Whether you believe it or not,
climate change is here. Communities around the United States,
from Miami to Shishmaref, Alaska, are beginning to feel ―
and prepare for ― its fury. And while cutting carbon
emissions is the obvious solution, preparing for rising seas…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/climate-resiliency-report-obama-us_us_5813a021e4b0390e69d01562


Busting the Climate Change Myth. What’s one of the most insidious
myths we’ve bought into, when it comes to climate change? It has
nothing to do with the science: it’s the simple idea that we have
to be a certain type of person to care about climate change. If
I’m a liberal, if I bike to work and call myself a “tree-hugger,”
then of course I care about climate change.
http://blog.ucsusa.org/katharine-hayhoe/busting-the-climate-change-myth


The Cheeseburger of the Forest: Evidence of Global Warming. For
the climate change deniers, how about giving them a children’s
book on the subject? Maybe then, they’ll understand. Sneed B.
Collard III’s latest book, Hopping Ahead of Climate Change:
Snowshoe Hares, Science and Survival tells the story of the
unfortunate predicament of the snowshoe hare in the forests of
Montana.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vicki-cobb/the-cheeseburger-of-the-f_b_12732914.html




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