The Environment Thread

[the watcher]

On 2022-05-30 at 2:33 PM, Mark F said:

what is going on is truly staggering.

my 30 year old nephew And his wife just flew from regina to vancouver, simply to go to a concert.

B.C. Government is promoting fracked gas, and lng.

I'll one up you. Pre pandemic my niece from Vancouver flew to Ireland to go to a U2 concert. The same  niece that just did  " no mow May " to save the environment. It's a funny world.

[Mark H.]

2 hours ago, the watcher said:

I'll one up you. Pre pandemic my niece from Vancouver flew to Ireland to go to a U2 concert. The same  niece that just did  " no mow May " to save the environment. It's a funny world.

It's easier to do candle light vigils once a year. 

[WildPath]

15 hours ago, Mark H. said:

They like music.

Some people fly to attend sporting events, some for music, some to visit family or to spend time outdoors

I guess I just classify all recreational travel the same - it has become part of the fabric of western society 

Those that can afford it are not going to let it go easily

Everyone is counting on some pie in the sky government policy to combat climate change - but we're for the most part not even making minor changes as individuals

 

That's true. There is personal accountability, but governments also have a responsibility to enact regulations that shape what individuals can do and the benefits/consequences they receive from their actions. For example, a carbon tax rewards those who choose to live a less carbon-intensive lifestyle. Subsidies for oil & gas encourage development and use of fossil fuels by lowering extraction costs and consumer costs. Government policy consistently alters how individuals act within a society and therefore have considerable power to enact change. There should be tremendous pressure on governments to do something about climate change, just as there is pressure on them to prevent violent crime or maintain infrastructure. Governments, as a group, have been failing humanity in this regard.

[Mark H.]

5 hours ago, WildPath said:

For example, a carbon tax rewards those who choose to live a less carbon-intensive lifestyle. Subsidies for oil & gas encourage development and use of fossil fuels by lowering extraction costs and consumer costs.

Hydro carbons are so much a part of the fabric of our society. Not everyone has a choice about what kind of lifestyle they live. Example: low income earners are bearing the brunt of the suffering - caused by the high gas prices. 

[Fatty Liver]

On 2022-05-30 at 4:00 PM, Mark F said:

"The price of recovering what was lost is nearing $9-billion, according to an analysis by The Globe and Mail, and potentially could be much higher. The outlays will challenge the existing cost-sharing arrangements between different levels of government for disasters of this magnitude. They also underscore how Canada’s mechanisms for financing disaster relief reward inertia.

Extreme weather battered B.C. in 2021. A deadly heat wave arrived in June, followed by one of the province’s worst wildfire seasons on record. When record-breaking rains arrived in November, the fire-scarred landscape couldn’t absorb the moisture. The result was significant flooding and landslides from Vancouver Island to the Alberta border.

Railways, hydro lines, pipelines, dikes, bridges and key highways were damaged, resulting in billions of dollars in economic losses. There was a point in mid-November when not a single rail or road route was open between Vancouver and the B.C. Interior – isolating Canada’s biggest port for more than a week, and interrupting national supply chains.

Globe and mail

I took the Coquihalla last weekend, and it's amazing how quickly they've repaired the roads and bridges on that route in such a short amount of time.  There was plenty of lane reductions and slowdowns but no actual stops or delays.  What surprised me was the amount of activity the Trans-Canada pipeline expansion project is adding to the existing chaos. You would think they could delay this project until the infrastructure is fully repaired, but they seem to be working in about 50 different locations along the way, with hundreds of vehicles, and a workforce of thousands going at it 24/7 working in the dark with spotlights.  Wonder why the rush?

[Mark F]

34 minutes ago, Fatty Liver said:

Wonder why the rush?

Urgent need for 

New yachts , 12th home, New jet. 

stuff like that.

Some people think the end is nigh for bitumen. So......Need to extract the last few billion, then hand the whole mess over to we the people, and sidle away.

 

"CNN — 

Sales of non-plug-in internal combustion-powered vehicles peaked in 2017, according to a report by industry analysts at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, and have been in “permanent decline” since then as sales of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles increase. 

Sales of plug-in vehicles are also expected to triple their current levels by 2025, according to the report.

“Most importantly, the market is shifting from being driven primarily by policy, to one where organic consumer demand is the most important factor,” lead authors Colin McKerracher and Aleksandra O’Donovan wrote in the BloombergNEF report.

In 2025, the global auto industry will sell 20.6 million plug-in vehicles, according the report, compared to 6.6 million this year. "

Edited June 2, 2022 by Mark F

[FrostyWinnipeg]

https://cleantechnica.com/2022/05/31/a-north-carolina-legislator-thinks-free-ev-charging-should-be-discouraged-banned/

[Tracker]

1 hour ago, FrostyWinnipeg said:

https://cleantechnica.com/2022/05/31/a-north-carolina-legislator-thinks-free-ev-charging-should-be-discouraged-banned/

No doubt he would prefer everyone went back to Conestogas.

[FrostyWinnipeg]

 Microplastics have been found in fresh snowfall in Antarctica for the first time. https://nbcnews.to/3NS0mFu

[blue_gold_84]

Not necessarily climate change related but environment-related and pretty significant: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/microplastics-air-whitehorse-yukon-june-2022-1.6487183

Quote

A team of researchers at Yukon University have been monitoring the amount of microplastics being deposited from the atmosphere into the air around Whitehorse over the past two years.

To do this, they built metal containers, similar to fly traps, and filled them with ultra-purified water. When tiny particles fall out of the atmosphere and into the container, they get trapped in the water. 

The microplastic collectors, which conform to international standards of dust fallout collection, were placed in four locations around Whitehorse and swapped out monthly to get continuous data. 

Researchers then filtered the water using a micrometer fiberglass filter. After counting the microplastics visually under a microscope, they were able to estimate the quantity of microplastics being deposited in different areas of the city.

This study makes Whitehorse one of the only cities in the world to measure microplastic deposition. The study is currently undergoing the peer review process.

"But everywhere humans have looked, we have found microplastics. Tops of mountains, bottoms of the ocean, in our rivers, in our guts, in our cells, in everything, basically."

[Fatty Liver]

1 hour ago, blue_gold_84 said:

Not necessarily climate change related but environment-related and pretty significant: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/microplastics-air-whitehorse-yukon-june-2022-1.6487183

A lot of airborne microplastics are generated from synthetic tire wear on roads, so this contributes significantly to air pollution in urban environments that everyone breathes in.  Another gift the petroleum industry has left us with.

[Mark F]

CNN)Texans are cranking on the air conditioning this week amid an unusually early heat wave, setting new records for electricity demand in the state, which surpassed 75 gigawatts on Sunday and smashed the 2019 record. Texas grid operator ERCOT projects it could approach that peak again on Tuesday.

But unlike previous extreme weather events in Texas which led to deadly blackouts, the grid is holding up remarkably well this week. Several experts told CNN that it's owed in large part to strong performances from wind and solar, which generated 27 gigawatts of electricity during Sunday's peak demand -- close to 40% of the total needed.

Not only have renewables helped keep the power on during a scorching and early heatwave, they have also helped keep costs low. Prices for natural gas and coal are high amid a worldwide energy crunch, but renewables -- powered by the wind and sun -- have no fuel cost.

"Because the price of wind and sunlight hasn't doubled in the past year like other resources, they are acting as a hedge against high fuel prices," said Joshua Rhodes, an energy researcher at UT Austin.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/14/us/texas-energy-record-solar-wind-climate/index.html

Repeat after me:

"renewables have no fuel cost"

State/old industry entanglement is now the main reason not going full bore into renewable energy.

 

Edited June 14, 2022 by Mark F
Edit

[the watcher]

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jun/15/new-data-reveals-extraordinary-global-heating-in-the-arctic

[Mark F]

"Moment of reckoning"

 

 

"What has been a slow-motion train wreck for 20 years is accelerating, and the moment of reckoning is near,” John Entsminger, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, told the Senate hearing. “We are 150 feet from 25 million Americans losing access to the Colorado River, and the rate of decline is accelerating.”

The West has been suffering through an acute drought since 2020, part of a megadrought that began in 2000.

The last 20 years have been the driest two decades in the last 1,200 years.

This year is so far the driest on record in California. Scientists attribute these conditions to climate change, which causes more water evaporation due to warmer temperatures."

 

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/moment-of-reckoning-federal-official-warns-of-colorado-river-water-supply-cuts-171955277.html

 

going to be a lot of these "moments" over the next period.

Edited June 16, 2022 by Mark F

[Tracker]

Thousands Of Cattle Killed By Brutal Heat, Humidity In Kansas

BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — Thousands of cattle in feedlots in southwestern Kansas have died of heat stress due to soaring temperatures, high humidity and little wind in recent days, industry officials said.

The final toll remains unclear, but as of Thursday at least 2,000 heat-related deaths had been reported to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the state agency that assists in disposing of carcasses. Agency spokesman Matt Lara said he expects that number to rise as more feedlots report losses from this week’s heat wave.
The cattle deaths have sparked unsubstantiated reports on social media and elsewhere that something besides the weather is at play, but Kansas agriculture officials said there’s no indication of any other cause.

“This was a true weather event — it was isolated to a specific region in southwestern Kansas,” said A.J. Tarpoff, a cattle veterinarian with Kansas State University. “Yes, temperatures rose, but the more important reason why it was injurious was that we had a huge spike in humidity ... and at the same time wind speeds actually dropped substantially, which is rare for western Kansas.”

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/heat-wave-kills-cattle-kansas_n_62ab9da8e4b0cdccbe5b416c?utm_source=spotim&utm_medium=spotim_recirculation&spot_im_redirect_source=pitc

[WildPath]

11 hours ago, Tracker said:

Thousands Of Cattle Killed By Brutal Heat, Humidity In Kansas

BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — Thousands of cattle in feedlots in southwestern Kansas have died of heat stress due to soaring temperatures, high humidity and little wind in recent days, industry officials said.

The final toll remains unclear, but as of Thursday at least 2,000 heat-related deaths had been reported to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the state agency that assists in disposing of carcasses. Agency spokesman Matt Lara said he expects that number to rise as more feedlots report losses from this week’s heat wave.
The cattle deaths have sparked unsubstantiated reports on social media and elsewhere that something besides the weather is at play, but Kansas agriculture officials said there’s no indication of any other cause.

“This was a true weather event — it was isolated to a specific region in southwestern Kansas,” said A.J. Tarpoff, a cattle veterinarian with Kansas State University. “Yes, temperatures rose, but the more important reason why it was injurious was that we had a huge spike in humidity ... and at the same time wind speeds actually dropped substantially, which is rare for western Kansas.”

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/heat-wave-kills-cattle-kansas_n_62ab9da8e4b0cdccbe5b416c?utm_source=spotim&utm_medium=spotim_recirculation&spot_im_redirect_source=pitc

I've heard they are preparing for this happening more often by editing the DNA of cattle to make them more tolerant of extreme temperatures. - Gene editing cattle to cope with climate change - Alliance for Science (cornell.edu)

I've also read about how cattle put on 50% more weight and are ready for the market sooner when incorporated into a style of agriculture that introduces trees (silvopasture, etc) - including trees that can have their own beneficial yields like nuts for example. This would also have an obvious benefit to having a reduced carbon intensity, more biodiversity and greater erosion. - Silvopasture (aftaweb.org)

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure which of these two solutions will be more widely practiced.

[Mark H.]

2 hours ago, WildPath said:

I've heard they are preparing for this happening more often by editing the DNA of cattle to make them more tolerant of extreme temperatures. - Gene editing cattle to cope with climate change - Alliance for Science (cornell.edu)

I've also read about how cattle put on 50% more weight and are ready for the market sooner when incorporated into a style of agriculture that introduces trees (silvopasture, etc) - including trees that can have their own beneficial yields like nuts for example. This would also have an obvious benefit to having a reduced carbon intensity, more biodiversity and greater erosion. - Silvopasture (aftaweb.org)

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure which of these two solutions will be more widely practiced.

That's interesting.  We raise cattle (grass fed with a daily grain supplement) for our own use

Our pasture is located partially in a poplar forest, but after 20 years the cattle have destroyed about half of the poplars

What happens is - the cows like to rub themselves on the trees, and they eat all the lower leaves. Eventually, they rub off enough bark & decomposition sets in.

It seemed like a good idea when we first built a pasture there...maybe a different species of tree is needed? I don't know.

[Fatty Liver]

19 hours ago, Mark F said:

"Moment of reckoning"

 

 

"What has been a slow-motion train wreck for 20 years is accelerating, and the moment of reckoning is near,” John Entsminger, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, told the Senate hearing. “We are 150 feet from 25 million Americans losing access to the Colorado River, and the rate of decline is accelerating.”

The West has been suffering through an acute drought since 2020, part of a megadrought that began in 2000.

The last 20 years have been the driest two decades in the last 1,200 years.

This year is so far the driest on record in California. Scientists attribute these conditions to climate change, which causes more water evaporation due to warmer temperatures."

 

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/moment-of-reckoning-federal-official-warns-of-colorado-river-water-supply-cuts-171955277.html

 

going to be a lot of these "moments" over the next period.

Who'd of thunk, 60 million people living in a desert region would eventually become unsustainable.  I doubt the US will consider depopulating the region or reducing their water consumption, instead they will focus on piping more water in, it's the American way.  It's only a matter of time before they are banging on our door to meet their needs.

[Tracker]

5 minutes ago, Fatty Liver said:

Who'd of thunk, 60 million people living in a desert region would eventually become unsustainable.  I doubt the US will consider depopulating the region or reducing their water consumption, instead they will focus on piping more water in, it's the American way.  It's only a matter of time before they are banging on our door to meet their needs.

They have already tried it.

[Mark F]

35 minutes ago, Fatty Liver said:

Who'd of thunk, 60 million people living in a desert region would eventually become unsustainable.

80 % used for agriculture, including growing alfalfa, for export, and cotton. cotton and rice in a desert. 

I have driven through there.

It is bizarre.... spray irrigating tens of thousands of sq miles of absolute desert.  

so you see a beautiful looking field of alfalfa, and right beside it, sagebrush cactus, sand. 

I doubt theres much nutrition in alfalfa grown in sand, but it looks good.

Edited June 17, 2022 by Mark F

[Mark H.]

55 minutes ago, Mark F said:

80 % used for agriculture, including growing alfalfa, for export, and cotton. cotton and rice in a desert. 

I have driven through there.

It is bizarre.... spray irrigating tens of thousands of sq miles of absolute desert.  

so you see a beautiful looking field of alfalfa, and right beside it, sagebrush cactus, sand. 

I doubt theres much nutrition in alfalfa grown in sand, but it looks good.

There would not be a lot of benefit to feeding low quality alfalfa.  You'd have to include supplements, depending on the protein level. 

[Fatty Liver]

1 hour ago, Mark F said:

80 % used for agriculture, including growing alfalfa, for export, and cotton. cotton and rice in a desert. 

I have driven through there.

It is bizarre.... spray irrigating tens of thousands of sq miles of absolute desert.  

so you see a beautiful looking field of alfalfa, and right beside it, sagebrush cactus, sand. 

I doubt theres much nutrition in alfalfa grown in sand, but it looks good.

Same goes for California, nothing natural about greenery and fruit growing there year round.  If they want to continue as  they are, they'd better figure out how to make use of ocean water to sustain their crops.

[WildPath]

5 hours ago, Mark H. said:

That's interesting.  We raise cattle (grass fed with a daily grain supplement) for our own use

Our pasture is located partially in a poplar forest, but after 20 years the cattle have destroyed about half of the poplars

What happens is - the cows like to rub themselves on the trees, and they eat all the lower leaves. Eventually, they rub off enough bark & decomposition sets in.

It seemed like a good idea when we first built a pasture there...maybe a different species of tree is needed? I don't know.

My family also had the same experience with trees in a pasture - trees would eventually be destroyed by cows rubbing. Cows would also usually stay in the same place since that is where the shade was. I haven't done any cattle myself, but I'm guessing it would ideally be done with rotational grazing. Trees would be given time to establish/recover rather than continual exposure to the animals.

I would also imagine poplar as not a preferred species. Poplars aren't all that useful for many things, even as fuel wood. Great for quick establishment, but the bark slips easily and would be likely to peel with rubbing. Perhaps something with really strong bark like oak or elm would last longer? Or better yet, a tree that could produce food for either humans or for cattle to naturally graze?

[Mark H.]

1 hour ago, WildPath said:

My family also had the same experience with trees in a pasture - trees would eventually be destroyed by cows rubbing. Cows would also usually stay in the same place since that is where the shade was. I haven't done any cattle myself, but I'm guessing it would ideally be done with rotational grazing. Trees would be given time to establish/recover rather than continual exposure to the animals.

I would also imagine poplar as not a preferred species. Poplars aren't all that useful for many things, even as fuel wood. Great for quick establishment, but the bark slips easily and would be likely to peel with rubbing. Perhaps something with really strong bark like oak or elm would last longer? Or better yet, a tree that could produce food for either humans or for cattle to naturally graze?

Yes, those could be some good ideas.

But You're wrong about poplar not being good fuel. If you cut it green, split it immediately and let it season for 6 months to a year, it makes good firewood. I've used plenty of it in my fire pit, and I have regular customers who use it as stove wood, esp. in fall and late winter / early spring. 

[WildPath]

3 hours ago, Mark H. said:

Yes, those could be some good ideas.

But You're wrong about poplar not being good fuel. If you cut it green, split it immediately and let it season for 6 months to a year, it makes good firewood. I've used plenty of it in my fire pit, and I have regular customers who use it as stove wood, esp. in fall and late winter / early spring. 

Should have clarified, I mean more in terms of BTU output. No problem with using it for supplemental/occasional fire in the shoulder months and it grows fast if that's what you have.