The Environment Thread

[Mark F]

25 inches of rain in 7 hours. Fort Lauderdale, where State employees are not allowed to use the phrase "climate change" 

 

drone video

https://twitter.com/douglasthron777/status/1646421226296836097?s=20

carry on.

Edited April 13, 2023 by Mark F

[FrostyWinnipeg]

https://saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/there-s-been-too-many-snafus-by-the-city-of-saskatoon-residents-frustrated-with-green-cart-rollout-1.6357523

[Mark F]

I guess everything is fine.  

"On Saturday morning, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greenelaunched into a creative explanation for how climate works, providing a graph on fossil fuels in an effort to prove her points.

"If you believe that today's 'climate change' is caused by too much carbon, you have been fooled," Greene wrote on Twitter. "We live on a spinning planet that rotates around a much bigger sun along with other planets and heavenly bodies rotating around the sun that all create gravitational pull on one another while our galaxy rotates and travels through the universe. Considering all of that, yes our climate will change, and it's totally normal!"

all based on her extensive research, and work in the field.

 

I read she also supports Texeira.

 

Edited April 16, 2023 by Mark F

[JCon]

Truly the stupidest people vote right. 

[blue_gold_84]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/nearly-6-million-litres-of-water-from-oilsands-sediment-pond-released-into-athabasca-river-1.6814338

Quote

Suncor is reporting the release of six million litres of water from a pond on its Fort Hills oilsands mine north of Fort McMurray, Alta., that exceeded guidelines for sediment.

In a note to area First Nations, the Alberta Energy Regulator says the water is from a pond used to settle suspended solids in surface water collected from parts of the site that haven't been mined.

A copy of the note has been shared with CBC News. It says a concentration of 116 milligrams per litre was released — 66 over the approved limit.

Once the sediments settle, the water is emptied into a creek that drains into the Athabasca River.

The regulator, which was told of the problem Sunday, says the level of solids in the water is more than twice the allowed limit.

Suncor says it has stopped outflow from the pond and is studying the cause of the problem and how it affected water quality.

Spokespeople for the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and Mikisew Cree First Nation say the bands were notified of the release Monday.

Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said Tuesday afternoon he did not yet have details on the release but that he had asked Environment Canada officials to look into it.

[JCon]

10 minutes ago, blue_gold_84 said:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/nearly-6-million-litres-of-water-from-oilsands-sediment-pond-released-into-athabasca-river-1.6814338

I wish they would do more drilling! That's the problem, you see. 

[Tracker]

Apparently the oil derived from the tar sands cannot be easily sold  and when it is sold, it is below the price of production. Hard to tell when the investors (including China) will tire of subsidizing production and shutter it until it is economical to run the operations again.

[Wideleft]

From the comments section on a WaPo editorial criticizing Biden's EV adoption rules:

Beautiful!

Q: I'm thinking of replacing my electric car with a fossil fuel car and have some questions:

1. I have heard that petrol cars cannot refuel at home while you sleep. How often do you have to refill elsewhere? Will there be a solution for re-fueling at home?

2. Which parts will I need to service and how often? The salesman mentioned oil in the engine and timing belts that need replacing and a box with gears in it. What is this? How much will this service oil change cost and how often - and what happens to the old oil.

3. In a petrol or diesel car, do I get fuel back when I slow down or drive downhill?

4. The car I test drove seemed to have a delay from the time I pressed the accelerator pedal until it began to accelerate. Is that normal in petrol cars?

5. Is it true that petrol is flammable? The petrol and diesel is so dangerous, that you can only buy the fuel at a special filling station, and not anywhere (hotels/ Car parks/Home Work)?

6. I understand that the main ingredient in petrol is oil. Is it true that the extraction and refining of oil causes environmental problems as well as conflicts and major wars that over the last 100 years have cost millions of lives? Is there a solution?

7. I have also been told that you have to transport oil all over the world to turn into petrol or diesel, and these ships have in the past damaged the environment by leaking the oil. Is that true?

8. I have been told that these internal combustion engines make a noise when you start them - so early starts can wake people up, and driving a lot of internal combustion engine cars in towns makes towns noisy?

9. Is it true people can steal the fuel from your tank?

10. What is the drop in range in cold weather? I've been told a car that does 45mpg can drop to 37 mpg in winter. Just curious on that one.

11. These petrol type cars generally stop on the brakes alone - so the brakes wear out faster - how long will they last compared to my current car which lasts over 500.000 kilometers

[blue_gold_84]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/fed-government-emissions-reduction-efforts-report-1.6816404

Quote

The federal government isn't measuring what policies are working in its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, according to a report released Thursday morning from the commissioner of the environment and sustainable development.

The commissioner's spring reports also took Ottawa to task for falling behind on its pledge to plant two billion trees by 2031 and for failing to adequately protect species at risk of extinction.

Commissioner Jerry V. DeMarco said in his audit that Environment and Climate Change Canada's failure to assess  policies could lead to problems in Canada's efforts to fight climate change.

"Without comprehensive impact information, the federal government does not know whether it is using the right tools to sufficiently reduce emissions to meet its target," DeMarco said in a news release.

Watch conclowns suddenly start to care about the environment now.

[blue_gold_84]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/cumulative-logjam-n-w-t-carbon-1.6823234

Quote

You might not think of the Arctic as a place with a lot of trees, but a recent study says the Mackenzie River Delta in the N.W.T. is home to the world's biggest known cumulative logjam — and it stores a huge amount of carbon. 

With the help of satellite imagery, Sendrowski and her team studied 13,000 square kilometres of the Mackenzie River Delta, which lies above the Arctic Circle. 

They found more than 400,000 caches of wood. Added up, this cumulative logjam would span a 51 square kilometre area. That's roughly a third the size of Yellowknife. 

Sendrowski calculated all that wood stores 3.4 million tons of carbon — which she said was equivalent to a year's worth of emissions from 2.5 million cars.

 

[Mark F]

Temperatures in the world’s oceans have broken fresh records, testing new highs for more than a month in an “unprecedented” run that has led to scientists stating the Earth has reached “uncharted territory” in the climate crisis.

The rapid acceleration of ocean temperatures in the last month is an anomaly that scientists have yet to explain. Prof Mike Meredith of the British Antarctic Survey said: “This has got scientists scratching their heads. The fact that it is warming as much as it has been is a real surprise, and very concerning. It could be a short-lived extreme high, or it could be the start of something much more serious.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/26/accelerating-ocean-warming-earth-temperatures-climate-crisis

wild ride ahead.

Edited April 27, 2023 by Mark F

[blue_gold_84]

[Mark F]

Stanley Black & Decker, the world’s largest tool company, just launched the largest privately funded onsite solar farm in Kentucky.

Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK) worked with Castillo Engineering and renewable energy company RPG Energy Group to bring the 4.3-megawatt (MW) solar farm online. The solar farm sits on nearly 15 acres next to its 280,000-square-foot production factory in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

The solar project is producing enough clean energy to power Stanley Black & Decker’s Kentucky factory with 100% clean energy – and also provide excess energy back to the state.

The company says the project is going to deliver an annual energy savings of $400,000.

Stanley Black & Decker has set a goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030.

https://electrek.co/2023/05/01/the-worlds-largest-tool-company-debuts-kentuckys-largest-private-onsite-solar-farm/

big business noticing:  renewable is cheaper than fossil.  period.

much of renewable investment in usa is in states led by anti renewable republicans. probably weak labour  protection laws, low wages.

edit...

fifteen acres. not much land at all. 

 

Edited May 3, 2023 by Mark F

[blue_gold_84]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/alberta-wildfires-map-1.6838361

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/hay-river-kfn-wildifre-ongoing-updates-1.6843811

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/buffalo-narrows-wildfire-evacuation-1.6843299

https://cwfis.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/interactive-map

And it's only the middle of May.

[blue_gold_84]

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65602293

Quote

Our overheating world is likely to break a key temperature limit for the first time over the next few years, scientists predict.

Researchers say there's now a 66% chance we will pass the 1.5C global warming threshold between now and 2027.

The chances are rising due to emissions from human activities and a change in weather patterns expected this summer.

If the world passes the limit, scientists stress the breach, while worrying, will likely be temporary.

Hitting the threshold would mean the world is 1.5C warmer than it was during the second half of the 19th Century, before fossil fuel emissions from industrialisation really began to ramp up.

And breaking the limit even for just one year is a worrying sign that warming is accelerating and not slowing down.

The 1.5C figure has become a symbol of global climate change negotiations. Countries agreed to "pursue efforts" to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C under the 2015 Paris agreement.

Going over 1.5C every year for a decade or two would see far greater impacts of warming, such as longer heatwaves, more intense storms and wildfires.

[Mark F]

yikes.

 

An impressive set of numbers for an electric-car

The hypercar from the Croatian carmaker headquartered in Sveta Nedelja has managed to secure the title for most performance records broken in a single day- 23 independently verified speed records. "It effortlessly smashed existing benchmarks, running again and again under full throttle conditions without a single reliability issue or any significant loss of performance," said a blog post by Rimac. 

The most impressive records set by Nevera are 0-60mph (96.7 km/h) sprint in 1.74 seconds and 0-248 mph (400 km/h) in 21.32 seconds.

All the acceleration records were set using a standard one-foot rollout and road tires (Michelin Cup 2 R) on a non-prepped asphalt track. In addition to the firm's internal measuring equipment, firms like Dewesoft and RaceLogic also independently verified the records. 

👀  wow.      https://interestingengineering.com/transportation/rimac-nevera-breaks-23-records

fastest bike... killacycle

" a bike so legendary it can only be seen in widescreen, the KillaCycle is the fastest electric bike on the planet. If you cannot wait a full second to get to 60 mph, this bike is the only one worth riding. The KillaCycle uses 500 hp from A123 Systems batteries and two DC motors weighing 82 pounds each to accelerate from 0-60 in 0.97 seconds. KillaCycle Racing owner and lead designer Bill Dube has been competing against himself to set new world record speeds with his electric bikes since 1999."

comeon albertans, you want these. 

 

Edited May 19, 2023 by Mark F

[blue_gold_84]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/wildfires-climate-change-carbon-88-1.6852178

Quote

As fires blaze in Alberta, Saskatchewan and B.C., new research has drawn a direct and measurable link between carbon emissions traced back to the world's major fossil fuel producers and the increase in extreme wildfires across western Canada and the United States.

The peer-reviewed study, published last week in the journal Environmental Research Letters, found that 37 per cent of the total burned forest area in Western Canada and the United States between 1986-2021 can be traced back to 88 major fossil fuel producers and cement manufacturers.

"What we found is that the emissions from these companies have dramatically increased wildfire activity," said Carly Phillips, co-author on the study and a researcher at the Science Hub for Climate Litigation at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

The findings build on previous studies that have quantified the contribution of those same 88 companies to the increase in global temperatures, and others that have shown how a climate-driven "vapour pressure deficit" (VPD) — a measure of the atmosphere's drying power — has contributed to the increased area of forest burned in Western Canada and the U.S. 

 

Jatan Buch, a research scientist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, said in an email the research provides "strong evidence" of the impact of emissions traced back to specific fossil fuel companies.

Buch, who was not involved in the study, added that while research shows VPD is a leading driver in how far a wildfire spreads, other factors are also at play, including the precipitation and snowpack conditions early in the season, and the practices of prescribed burning and fire suppression.

[Mark F]

new york times

this affects everyone. the insurance costs are spread around. your insurance bill has, and will go up, to pay for climate chaos.

.

May 31, 2023Updated 10:31 a.m. ET

 

"The climate crisis is becoming a financial crisis.

This month, the largest homeowner insurance company in California, State Farm, announced that it would stop selling coverage to homeowners. That’s not just in wildfire zones, but everywhere in the state.

Insurance companies, tired of losing money, are raising rates, restricting coverage or pulling out of some areas altogether — making it more expensive for people to live in their homes.

“Risk has a price,” said Roy Wright, the former official in charge of insurance at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and now head of the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, a research group. “We’re just now seeing it.”

In parts of eastern Kentucky ravaged by storms last summer, the price of flood insurance is set to quadruple. In Louisiana, the top insurance official says the market is in crisis, and is offering millions of dollars in subsidies to try to draw insurers to the state.

And in much of Florida, homeowners are increasingly struggling to buy storm coverage. Most big insurers have pulled out of the state already, sending homeowners to smaller private companies that are straining to stay in business — a possible glimpse into California’s future if more big insurers leave."

 

I wonder when climate deniers will wake up.

probably never.

 

Edited May 31, 2023 by Mark F

[blue_gold_84]

Locally: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/silica-sand-mining-manitoba-proposal-1.6846998

Quote

An Alberta mining company wants to drill thousands of wells in southeastern Manitoba to remove millions of tonnes of sand in an aquifer that serves as the source of drinking water for tens of thousands of people.

Calgary-based Sio Silica is seeking provincial environmental approval to drill up to 7,200 wells to the east and southeast of Winnipeg over 24 years and extract up to 33 million tonnes of ultra-pure silica sand from about 50 metres below the surface.

The mining company says its proposal will inject billions of dollars into the Manitoba economy by tapping into a Canadian supply of a highly sought after raw material required for the production of solar panels, new batteries and semiconductors. 

Hundreds of residents of southeastern Manitoba, however, fear the potential contamination of their drinking water by a mining process that's never been tried on this scale anywhere on Earth.

In documents filed with the Clean Environment Commission (CEC), Manitoba's environmental regulator, Sio Silica intends to drill about 300 wells a year in Manitoba.

(Brent) Bullen (Sio Silica's chief operating officer) calls the process "sustainable mining" and insists it will have no noticeable effect on the environment, unlike surface mining for lower-grade silica, which can leave scars behind on the surface and beaches bereft of sand.

Experts in geology, hydrology and water chemistry hired by the CEC are less enthused.

 

In reports prepared for the commission, they raise concerns about changes to water quality that may result from thousands of new wells that would puncture a relatively impermeable layer of shale, a crumbly sedimentary rock, on the way down into the sandstone aquifer.

Those additional wells, they say, will cause water from the Winnipeg Sandstone Aquifer to mingle with water above the shale, where the Red River Carbonate Aquifer has a different water chemistry.

Some Manitobans who draw their drinking water from the same aquifers are even more skeptical of Sio Silica's plans.

...several hundred Manitobans who registered opposition to Sio Silica's proposal during Clean Environment Commission hearings that took place in Anola, Beausejour and Steinbach in February and March.

[Wideleft]

12 minutes ago, blue_gold_84 said:

Locally: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/silica-sand-mining-manitoba-proposal-1.6846998

When conservatives suddenly become environmentalists....

I'm actually torn on this one.  The product is a huge part of the green economy and will be a boon to Manitoba economically.  

But, Sio Silica has to prove they can do this without damaging the water supply, because that's a problem that cannot be fixed once the impact is made.

I've always been against fracking for the same reason.

45 minutes ago, Mark F said:

new york times

this affects everyone. the insurance costs are spread around. your insurance bill has, and will go up, to pay for climate chaos.

.

May 31, 2023Updated 10:31 a.m. ET

 

"The climate crisis is becoming a financial crisis.

This month, the largest homeowner insurance company in California, State Farm, announced that it would stop selling coverage to homeowners. That’s not just in wildfire zones, but everywhere in the state.

Insurance companies, tired of losing money, are raising rates, restricting coverage or pulling out of some areas altogether — making it more expensive for people to live in their homes.

“Risk has a price,” said Roy Wright, the former official in charge of insurance at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and now head of the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, a research group. “We’re just now seeing it.”

In parts of eastern Kentucky ravaged by storms last summer, the price of flood insurance is set to quadruple. In Louisiana, the top insurance official says the market is in crisis, and is offering millions of dollars in subsidies to try to draw insurers to the state.

And in much of Florida, homeowners are increasingly struggling to buy storm coverage. Most big insurers have pulled out of the state already, sending homeowners to smaller private companies that are straining to stay in business — a possible glimpse into California’s future if more big insurers leave."

 

I wonder when climate deniers will wake up.

probably never.

 

It used to be that the insurance companies would just screw disaster survivors over.  Now, it's so bad, they don't even want to risk it.

 

[Mark F]

re sand mining.
 

no test to demonstrate safety, should be an easy no.

it is wild , peaceful, , and beautiful around vivian. 

 

Edited May 31, 2023 by Mark F

[WildPath]

7 hours ago, blue_gold_84 said:

Locally: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/silica-sand-mining-manitoba-proposal-1.6846998

I typed up a long response to this before actually reading the article and the article basically took all my points. I've been following this pretty closely and there's been some shortcuts taken along the way. I know the province has basically announced it is open season for mining, but something this potentially damaging should have all the due diligence before taking any action and that hasn't been done. Beyond the potential damage to a beautiful environment, there is the potential for damage to livelihoods and the economy as many people count on the aquifer producing plentiful amounts of clean water.

Sio has also recently been announced as a sponsor for the Bombers. 

[HardCoreBlue]

On 2023-04-16 at 12:42 PM, Mark F said:

I guess everything is fine.  

"On Saturday morning, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greenelaunched into a creative explanation for how climate works, providing a graph on fossil fuels in an effort to prove her points.

"If you believe that today's 'climate change' is caused by too much carbon, you have been fooled," Greene wrote on Twitter. "We live on a spinning planet that rotates around a much bigger sun along with other planets and heavenly bodies rotating around the sun that all create gravitational pull on one another while our galaxy rotates and travels through the universe. Considering all of that, yes our climate will change, and it's totally normal!"

all based on her extensive research, and work in the field.

 

I read she also supports Texeira.

 

Holy F.

Thanks social media for giving dumb a platform.

[WildPath]

Too late now to save Arctic summer ice, climate scientists find | Climate crisis | The Guardian

We're starting to see our actions cemented in, yet we happily pronounce "Net Zero by 2050" like it actually means something.

[Fatty Liver]

NEW YORK – Flights heading towards New York’s LaGuardia Airport were temporarily suspended by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Wednesday due to decreased visibility caused by smoke originating from wildfires in Canada.