The Environment Thread

[Mark F]

 very good summary of Biden's climate legislation, passed a few days ago. Hard core climate activists are celebrating this bill.

 

 

"The era of passive, hands-off government is over. The laws embrace an approach to governing the economy that scholars call “industrial policy,” a catch-all name for a wide array of tools and tactics that all assume the government can help new domestic industries get started, grow, and reach massive scale. If “this country used to make things,” as the saying goes, and if it wants to make things again, then the government needs to help it. And if the country believes that certain industries bestow a strategic advantage, then it needs to protect them against foreign interference.

The approach is at the core of how the IRA seeks to resolve climate change. "

 

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2022/08/climate-law-manchin-industrial-policy/671183/

Edited August 23, 2022 by Mark F

[Tracker]

Sunken Nazi WWII Warships Resurface In Danube River As Drought Worsens

More than 20 German warships that sank in the Danube River during World War II have resurfaced as record heatwaves in Europe reduced the essential waterway to one of its lowest levels in modern history, Reuters reported.

The warships were previously known to authorities but remained largely underwater for decades. They are now exposed near Prahovo, Serbia, in the Danube, which is Europe’s second-largest river and spans from southwestern Germany to eastern Romania, according to CBS News.
Formerly crewed by the Nazis’ Black Sea fleet, the German vessels were scuttled by Soviet ships while retreating in 1944.

Some of the vessels still have visible turrets and command bridges with ruptured masts and damaged hulls, while most are largely covered by sand banks. Most urgently, many of them still hold ammunition and explosives, which pose a danger to shipping industries and fishermen.

The resurfacing of the warships serves as a glaring reminder of rising temperatures around the globe. Water levels of the Danube River near Budapest, for instance, recently plummeted 5 feet in three weeks, according to the Associated Press.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ww2-warships-resurface-in-danube-river_n_63049d00e4b052615d748f09

[blue_gold_84]

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2334921-heatwave-in-china-is-the-most-severe-ever-recorded-in-the-world/

Quote

Low rainfall and record-breaking heat across much of China are having widespread impacts on people, industry and farming. River and reservoir levels have fallen, factories have shut because of electricity shortages and huge areas of crops have been damaged. The situation could have worldwide repercussions, causing further disruption to supply chains and exacerbating the global food crisis.

People in large parts of China have been experiencing two months of extreme heat. Hundreds of places have reported temperatures of more than 40°C (104°F), and many records have been broken. Subway stations have set up rest areas where people can recover from the heat.

On 18 August, the temperature in Chongqing in Sichuan province reached 45°C (113°F), the highest ever recorded in China outside the desert-dominated region of Xinjiang. On 20 August, the temperature in the city didn’t fall below 34.9°C (94.8°F), the highest minimum temperature ever recorded in China in August. The maximum temperature was 43.7°C (110.7°F).

It is the longest and hottest heatwave in China since national records began in 1961. According to weather historian Maximiliano Herrera, who monitors extreme temperatures around the world, it is the most severe heatwave recorded anywhere.

“This combines the most extreme intensity with the most extreme length with an incredibly huge area all at the same time,” he says. “There is nothing in world climatic history which is even minimally comparable to what is happening in China.”

Together with the extreme heat, low rainfall in parts of China has led to rivers falling to low levels, with 66 drying up completely. In parts of the Yangtze, water levels are the lowest since records began in 1865. In a few places, local water supplies have run out and drinking water has had to be trucked in. On 19 August, China announced a national drought alert for the first time in nine years.

Hydroelectricity generation has fallen because of the low water levels. Sichuan has been especially affected because it normally gets 80 per cent of its electricity from hydropower. Thousands of factories in the province have had to cease operations because of electricity shortages amid high demand for air conditioning. Offices and shopping malls were also told to reduce lighting and air conditioning to save power.

In Sichuan alone, 47,000 hectares of crops are reported to have been lost and another 433,000 hectares damaged. The agriculture ministry has said it will try to increase rainfall by seeding clouds. It remains scientifically unclear whether cloud seeding makes a significant difference.

China is far from the only place affected by drought. Europe is having what may be its worst drought in 500 years. There is also a drought in the Horn of Africa, and across much of the US and Mexico.

Lower crop yields in these regions could worsen the global food crisis. Global food prices hit record levels even before Russia invaded Ukraine, and though they have fallen since March, they remain higher than in previous years. However, China has built up large grain reserves in recent years, so it can make up for some shortfall.

According to a 2021 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, droughts have been increasing as a result of global warming and will become more frequent and severe as the planet continues to warm.

The idea of events like this getting worse in the near future is pretty depressing to ponder.

[Mark F]

6 hours ago, blue_gold_84 said:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2334921-heatwave-in-china-is-the-most-severe-ever-recorded-in-the-world/

The idea of events like this getting worse in the near future is pretty depressing to ponder.

yup, worse than that? that is dystopia. 

imagine this... 

"The Band-Aids keep getting bigger, and the time we’ve bought with them keeps shrinking, because we still use much more water than the Colorado River can reliably produce.

We’ve hit a crossroads: If we don’t do a lot more to shrink this imbalance in 2023, the lakes are done."

imagine the strife anger and violence when that happens. yet stiill irrigating desert to grow hay.

Americans will certainly be looking for someone to blame, and it wont be right wing, stupid, so called, skeptics. Oil co will do what they always do, close up shop. walk away. 

sad to look at the history of this, right back to when Jimmy Carter put solar panels on the whitehouse roof, and ronald reagan, took them down.

If they had started what they are doing now even ten years ago, the worst would have been averted. all so somebody could own a five hundred foot yacht.

 

anyway change is  coming, if you live Alberta sell your house now.

"Zero emissions, nearly silent ferry

The all-electric, battery-powered Ampere does not emit greenhouse gases or particulates, and its noise emissions are substantially lower than diesel-powered ferries. 

The vessel is over 80 metres long, and has a capacity of up to 120 cars, eight lorries and 350 passengers, and a maximum speed of 14 knots. Its batteries are recharged overnight in port using power from existing grid infrastructure.l"

53 orders for more.

https://electrek.co/2018/02/03/all-electric-ferry-cuts-emission-cost/

Edited August 24, 2022 by Mark F

[Mark F]

As the climate crisis grows, and the so-called positive feedbacks become stronger, governments, communities, and individuals will all be increasingly forced to deal with multiple problems. Wildfires, droughts, water shortages, severe storms, heat waves, floods, sea level rise, biological losses, the spread of diseases, and other consequences will be among the first-order effects. They will lead to crop failures and famines, other economic losses and disruptions, climate refugees and mass emigrations, political destabilization, resource and other conflicts within and between countries, and costly efforts at adaptation and, most likely, geo-engineering. 

As governments and societies struggle to cope with the ensuing situation, the stage will be set for political and other recriminations, scapegoating, anti-immigration hysteria, cross-border and other conflicts, the proliferation of failed and failing states, and political responses that are anti-democratic and authoritarian. Such responses may be brought on by ruthless opportunism but may just as likely result from widespread demand from a public that is fearful, feeling victimized, or betrayed. Meanwhile, governments will likely act to protect their major economic actors and elites, further dividing societies, as well as turning increasingly to their militaries for solutions.

Equally telling will be the psychological burdens and mental problems: the loss of homes, communities, and livelihoods; the millions of “excess deaths” caused by climate change; the destruction of much-loved natural and recreational resources including species, forests, and coastlines; the civil strife and social conflicts spawned by climate change’s effects; the pall of grief, dread, failure, and powerlessness—the list could go on. 

It is painful to consider, but scenarios like this are both more likely and more near-term than many imagine.

https://thenextsystem.org/learn/stories/can-transformative-change-come-america

[Mark F]

good news and a chuckle.

 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz signed a five-year hydrogen accord on Tuesday in Newfoundland and Labrador, a remote province on Canada’s east coast with abundant wind power potential.

lol. if Newfoundland is remote, we all are.  New Yorkers .

https://www.yahoo.com/news/germany-taps-boundless-fuel-potential-204344705.html

Edited August 25, 2022 by Mark F

[Wideleft]

 

 

[Tracker]

2 hours ago, Wideleft said:

 

 

Apparently the drought and accompanying high temperatures in southwest China are so severe that hydroelectric power has been greatly affected to the point where industrial plants have been forced to close, laying off thousands of workers and curtailing production.

[the watcher]

15 hours ago, Tracker said:

Apparently the drought and accompanying high temperatures in southwest China are so severe that hydroelectric power has been greatly affected to the point where industrial plants have been forced to close, laying off thousands of workers and curtailing production.

I'm hoping that as China ,the world's largest producer of CO2 , gets smacked by climate change they may take the lead in changing to fight it. Perhaps threats to their domination of the world's industries may do it. Their leadership certainly has the power if they have the will.

All this horrendous weather news and yet : 

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/24/uk-and-us-banks-among-biggest-backers-of-russian-carbon-bombs-data-shows

 

[Mark F]

1 hour ago, the watcher said:

I'm hoping that as China ,the world's largest producer of CO2

yes, but they are spewing co2

making things which are bought in Canada. 

shipping stuff around the world to save money on labour costs,  slack environmental laws. 

but yes,  they can do whatever they want since its a dictatorship. But who knows what they'll do.

thanks, after I read your post, I looked up corruption in china....https://carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=19628

also chinese plan re water, solar https://www.yahoo.com/news/megaprojects-china-1-trillion-infrastructure-210016068.html

who knows. 

 

 

Edited August 26, 2022 by Mark F

[Mark F]

1 hour ago, the watcher said:

All this horrendous weather news and yet : 

and some states passing laws making it illegal to divest from oil. and illegal to build wind farms.

thirty years of oilco lies and bribes.

Edited August 26, 2022 by Mark F

[the watcher]

1 hour ago, Mark F said:

yes, but they are spewing co2

making things which are bought in Canada. 

shipping stuff around the world to save money on labour costs,  slack environmental laws. 

but yes,  they can do whatever they want since its a dictatorship. But who knows what they'll do.

thanks, after I read your post, I looked up corruption in china....https://carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=19628

also chinese plan re water, solar https://www.yahoo.com/news/megaprojects-china-1-trillion-infrastructure-210016068.html

who knows. 

 

 

Absolutely , alot of the CO2 emissions in China and India are created producing products for  the rest of the world. The sooner we as individuals wake up to the fact that we as individuals are the problem the better. 

Everything we do, everything we eat, everywhere we go has a cost. We ,particularly in the West like to do alot, eat alot and go to alot of places. I don't think 7 billion of our species is sustainable unfortunatly. 

[Mark F]

2 hours ago, the watcher said:

don't think 7 billion of our species is sustainable unfortunatly. 

agree.

we act as though we are not subject to laws  of nature.

 

[the watcher]

Mark F said  " we act as though we are not subject to laws  of nature "

I'll be stealing that quote at some point. I like it.

[Mark F]

1 hour ago, the watcher said:

Mark F said  " we act as though we are not subject to laws  of nature "

I'll be stealing that quote at some point. I like it.

if you dont already know about it...
 

study done in the seventies called "the limits to growth"

"If the present growth trends in world population, industrialization, pollution, food production, and resource depletion continue unchanged, the limits to growth on this planet will be reached sometime within the next one hundred years.[b] The most probable result will be a rather sudden and uncontrollable decline in both population and industrial capacity.

It is possible to alter these growth trends and to establish a condition of ecological and economic stability that is sustainable far into the future. The state of global equilibrium could be designed so that the basic material needs of each person on earth are satisfied and each person has an equal opportunity to realize his individual human potential.

If the world's people decide to strive for this second outcome rather than the first, the sooner they begin working to attain it, the greater will be their chances of success.

— Limits to Growth, Introduction

The introduction goes on to say:

These conclusions are so far-reaching and raise so many questions for further study that we are quite frankly overwhelmed by the enormity of the job that must be done. We hope that this book will serve to interest other people, in many fields of study and in many countries of the world, to raise the space and time horizons of their concerns and to join us in understanding and preparing for a period of great transition-the transition from growth to global equilibrium."

wiki.

according to wiki the study has been shown to be accurate in followups.

wiki entry is thorough. it shows where the scorn and derision unleashed at the time of the original publication came from.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Limits_to_Growth

and I dont know if climate change was part of the projections.

I have not read it, I think that it is over my head, but if interested

free download:

https://www.clubofrome.org/publication/the-limits-to-growth/

 

Edited August 26, 2022 by Mark F

[Wideleft]

A melting glacier, an imperiled city and one farmer’s fight for climate justice

A Peruvian farmer is suing one of Europe’s biggest emitters. The case could set a precedent for holding polluters accountable for harm to the planet.

 

Story by Sarah Kaplan

Photos by Angela Ponce for the Washington Post

Videos by Kevin Ylan Zacarias Zumaeta

Aug. 28 at 9:00 a.m.

 

"THE CORDILLERA BLANCA, Peru — Once, this was where Saúl Luciano Lliuya came to find peace. The mountain’s pristine beauty ensured his livelihood as a guide; its steady stream of fresh water sustained his family farm. The everlasting ice that gleamed from its rugged crest spoke of a world in balance.

But on this May morning, Luciano Lliuya surveyed Nevado Palcaraju with his eyes narrowed, his forehead creased. The glacier was almost gone, transformed by rising temperatures from solid ice into a large, unstable lagoon. At any moment, an avalanche or rockslide could cause the turquoise meltwater to surge over its banks, hurtle down the mountainside and deluge the city of Huaraz, where he and some 120,000 others lived."

(gift article https://wapo.st/3KzwNYQ )

Potentially huge implications from this case and others like it.

 

[blue_gold_84]

https://theconversation.com/whats-going-on-with-the-greenland-ice-sheet-its-losing-ice-faster-than-forecast-and-now-irreversibly-committed-to-at-least-10-inches-of-sea-level-rise-185590

Quote

...Greenland’s ice sheet is now so out of balance with prevailing Arctic climate that it no longer can sustain its current size. It is irreversibly committed to retreat by at least 59,000 square kilometers (22,780 square miles), an area considerably larger than Denmark, Greenland’s protectorate state.

Even if all the greenhouse gas emissions driving global warming ceased today, we find that Greenland’s ice loss under current temperatures will raise global sea level by at least 10.8 inches (27.4 centimeters). That’s more than current models forecast, and it’s a highly conservative estimate. If every year were like 2012, when Greenland experienced a heat wave, that irreversible commitment to sea level rise would triple. That’s an ominous portent given that these are climate conditions we have already seen, not a hypothetical future scenario.

Our study takes a completely new approach – it is based on observations and glaciological theory rather than sophisticated numerical models. The current generation of coupled climate and ice sheet models used to forecast future sea level rise fail to capture the emerging processes that we see amplifying Greenland’s ice loss.

[Mark F]

climate change takes another big bite from skepticville's fat ass.

property insurance companies are leaving Florida.

the right wingers there will soon be demanding socialist/communist style government funded real estate insurance.

and rule is:   government assistance is never socialist when it helps ME. just when it helps YOU.

also locked in sea level rise is Minimum   10 inches 27 mm.

could go up to 80  mm vicinity.. locked in.

our species.

also

"Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) just signed into law SB 1128/HB 919, “Preemption Over Restriction of Utility Services,” which was pushed through the legislature. It prevents local governments from deciding which energy path they want to take. In other words, Florida towns and cities are now unable to switch to 100% clean energy because they can’t ban fossil fuels."

go ahead and drown morons.

 

 

Edited August 30, 2022 by Mark F

[Tracker]

21 hours ago, Mark F said:

climate change takes another big bite from skepticville's fat ass.

property insurance companies are leaving Florida.

the right wingers there will soon be demanding socialist/communist style government funded real estate insurance.

and rule is:   government assistance is never socialist when it helps ME. just when it helps YOU.

also locked in sea level rise is Minimum   10 inches 27 mm.

could go up to 80  mm vicinity.. locked in.

our species.

also

"Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) just signed into law SB 1128/HB 919, “Preemption Over Restriction of Utility Services,” which was pushed through the legislature. It prevents local governments from deciding which energy path they want to take. In other words, Florida towns and cities are now unable to switch to 100% clean energy because they can’t ban fossil fuels."

go ahead and drown morons.

 

 

DeSantis is trying to out-Trump Trump.

[Tracker]

Death Valley National Park in California scorched a world record for high temperatures on Thursday.

The park’s Furnace Creek thermometer hit 127 degrees this week, marking a world record for the hottest temperature ever recorded in September, CBS News reported.

Visitors flocked to the park on Thursday to experience the record-breaking heat, which came less than a month after 1,000 people were stranded in Death Valley due to flash flooding.

The rainfall, the park’s second-highest single-day total since 1936, reportedly buried some 60 vehicles in debris and mud, and washed away boulders and trees in the park.

[the watcher]

On 2022-08-31 at 8:33 AM, Tracker said:

DeSantis is trying to out-Trump Trump.

If DeSantis can scoop up the Trump/ Mega crowd I think he is worse. Trump is a megalomaniac who really only cares  about one thing. Trump. It's all he believes in.A grown-up petulant child still trying to prove he is the most important person in the world. DeSantis on the other hand actually  believes in all that crap that he spews out on a regular basis. His idealology could turn the US into the Christian version of the Islamic State. He's a scary potential candidate for the POTUS .

[Mark F]

+ 49.... san francisco bay. 

 

[FrostyWinnipeg]

https://gizmodo.com/hawaii-phasing-out-coal-renewables-1849348490

[Mark F]

Fiona:  https://weather.gc.ca/hurricane/statements_e.html

"a. Wind.

Most regions will experience hurricane force winds. These severe winds will begin impacting the region late Friday and will continue on Saturday. Similar cyclones of this nature have produced structural damage to buildings. Construction sites may be particularly vulnerable. Wind impacts will be enhanced by foliage on the trees, potentially causing prolonged and widespread utility outages.

Hurricane and tropical storm warnings are now in effect for most areas.

b. Rainfall.

Rainfall will be significant, especially north and west of Fiona's track, where heavy rain could lead to flooding. The highest rainfall amounts are likely for eastern Nova Scotia, southwestern Newfoundland, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence region. Forecast guidance is suggesting widespread amounts of 100 to 200 mm, but closer to the path of Fiona, more than 200 mm is likely. Some districts have received large quantities of rain recently, and excessive runoff may exacerbate the flooding potential. Road washouts are also possible.

Rainfall warnings are now in effect from the Atlantic Storm Prediction Centre for most of Nova Scotia, PEI, and southeastern New Brunswick.

c. Surge/Waves.

There will be rough and pounding surf, especially for parts of Nova Scotia, the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Newfoundland. Large waves will reach the eastern shore of Nova Scotia from the south tonight and build to more than 10 metres. These waves will reach southern Newfoundland by Saturday morning and could be up to or possibly exceeding 12 metres. Some of the waves over eastern portions of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Cabot Strait could be higher than 12 metres. The western Gulf will see waves from the north up to 8 metres in places, which will probably cause significant erosion for north facing beaches of Prince Edward Island. Iles-de-la-Madeleine will also see some coastal erosion from waves."

"Fiona’s greatest mark in meteorological history may be its central pressure, which is predicted by multiple operational models to be as low as 925-930 millibars at landfall. This reading would smash the all-time sea-level pressure record for Canada of 940.2 millibars, set in St. Anthony, Newfoundland and Labrador, on January 21, 1977. "

eye on the storm.

Edited September 23, 2022 by Mark F

[JCon]

I've seen models that suggest 15 waves, which would likely arrive at the peak of the tide. This is going to be devastating and cost millions (billions?) to fix.

 

But, we can't afford carbon pricing. Or any measures that might prevent O&G from being hugely profitable.