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IN TODAY’S RADIO REPORT: EPA Chief peddles fraudulent, disproven claims on climate change; Disinformation works, poll finds — Americans really confused about climate science; Elon Musk offers bet to upgrade South Australia’s electric grid for renewables; PLUS: From extreme warmth to extreme snow — extreme weather swings wallop the Northeast… All that and more in today’s Green News Report!
Green News Report
with Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen
3/14/2017
‘Green News Report’ – March 14, 2017 | With Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen... · · · · · ‘Green News Report’ – March 14, 2017 | With Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen...
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IN ‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (see links below): Dilemma: Past and Future of Science in Society; Scientists are conspicuously missing from Trump’s government; The world’s oceans are storing up staggering amounts of heat – and it’s even more than we thought; Dakota Access oil pipeline doesn’t faze big rail shippers; California to fight if EPA eases emissions rule; Before the EPA, Wyoming’s environment suffered. But could the state have cleaned things up on its own?; Ohio’s EPA director talks changes in the Trump era… PLUS: This Man Hiked the Entire Route of the Keystone XL Pipeline. Here is what he found… and much, MUCH more! …
STORIES DISCUSSED ON TODAY’S ‘GREEN NEWS REPORT’…
- Extreme warmth to extreme snow: Northeast walloped by extreme swings in weather:
- Nor’easter Brings Freezing Rain, Whipping Winds and Travel Woes (NBC News):
The major storm comes a week after the region saw temperatures climb into the 60s
- Winter Storm Update Page for New York State (NY.gov)
- Overnight Cold May Kill DC’s Cherry Blossoms (NBC Washington DC)
- Scientists are tying more and more extreme events to a changing climate (Washington Post)
- No, big snowstorms like this aren’t normal (Grist)
- How Normal Is a March Snowstorm? (Slate):
Winter Storm Stella is coming. Can we blame climate change?…Better to say that certain situations exacerbated by climate change make certain weather events more likely.
- February 2017: 2nd hottest February on record for U.S.:
- U.S. had 2nd warmest February and 6th warmest winter on record (NOAA):
Unseasonable warmth spanned 39 states; Western drought improved
- U.S. Heat, February 2017: Warm U.S. Februaries becoming much more common (Climate Central)
- February 2017: Second warmest on record in the U.S. (USA Today)
- The numbers are in on this freakishly warm February (CBS News):
A freakishly balmy February broke more than 11,700 local daily records for warmth in the United States, but it didn’t quite beat 1954 for the warmest February on record, climate scientists said.
- AMS rebukes EPA’s Pruitt for peddling disproven claims on climate change:
- VIDEO: EPA Chief Scott Pruitt Peddles Disproven Claims on Climate Change (CNBC):
I think that measuring with precision human activity on the climate is something very challenging to do and theres tremendous disagreement about the degree of impact, so no, I would not agree that its a primary contributor to the global warming that we see…And we need to debate it more…
- Scientists Call Out Pruitt’s False View of Climate Change (Inside Climate News):
Countering the new EPA head’s contention that carbon dioxide does not drive global warming, scientists’ letter says, ‘Human beings are changing the Earth’s climate.’
- VIDEO: Al Roker Debunks EPA Head Scott Pruitt’s Stunning Denial On Human-Caused Climate Change (Media Matters):
Roker: “No Credible Science Or Scientist” Would Support Pruitt’s Assertion CO2 Is Not A Primary Contributor To Global Warming
- VIDEO: Al Gore says EPA head Pruitt’s carbon dioxide claims are ‘obviously false’ (PBS NewsHour)
- Disinformation works: Poll finds Americans confused about climate change:
- Americans are confused on climate, but support cutting carbon pollution (Guardian UK):
There’s broad support for climate policies in every state and county, but Americans view global warming as a distant problem…The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication published the findings of its 2016 survey on American public opinion about climate change. The results are interesting ““ in some ways confusing ““ and yet they reveal surprisingly broad support for action to address climate change. The Yale team created a tool with which the results can be broken down by state, congressional district, or county to drill down into the geographic differences in Americans’ climate beliefs.
- Yale Climate Opinion Maps – U.S. 2016 (Yale Program on Climate Change Communication)
- Survey Finds Americans Are Confused About Climate Change But Support Climate Policy (IFLS)
- Elon Musk’s bet to build batteries to solve South Australia’s power problems:
- Tesla boss Elon Musk pledges to fix SA’s electricity woes in 100 days ‘or free’ (ABC Australia)
- Why Elon Musk’s Tesla power fix for SA might happen (but probably won’t) (ABC Australia)
- PM Malcolm Turnbull talks with Tesla founder Elon Musk about South Australia’s energy crisis (The Australian):
Malcolm Turnbull has thanked Tesla founder Elon Musk for a “great in depth discussion about energy storage” as the US multi-billionaire continues his ambitious talks to help solve South Australia’s energy crisis.
- Elon Musk makes bold bet to end Australia power crisis; Billionaire to install electricity storage plant for free if it takes longer than 100 days (FT):
Australia is the latest country to consider battery storage as a solution to the challenge of providing reliable power supplies as grids become more dependent on renewable energy and phase out more polluting – but more stable – coal and gas. South Australia will on Tuesday announce its new energy policy, prioritising battery storage technology and providing subsidies to help roll it out. Tom Koutsantonis, the state’s treasurer, said on Monday it would make South Australia “ground zero” for battery storage.
‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (Stuff we didn’t have time for in today’s audio report)…
- Dilemma: Past and Future of Science in Society (Weather Underground):
If we carry forward with the conservative, past-looking point of view of restoring trust in science and scientific institutions by trying to recapture what we have done in the past, we will make science irrelevant to decisions anytime that science is in conflict with the wants, beliefs, and emotions of those in power.
- Scientists are conspicuously missing from Trump’s government (Washington Post):
Recently, the president told Fox News that he may not fill many political posts in his government. “A lot of those jobs, I don’t want to appoint, because they’re unnecessary to have,” Trump said. Meanwhile, staff members at the Council on Environmental Quality were directed to move out of their historic headquarters near the White House last month.
- The world’s oceans are storing up staggering amounts of heat – and it’s even more than we thought (Washington Post):
The results suggest that the ocean has been sucking up more heat than previous research has indicated. In fact, according to Trenberth, the new estimates help explain observations of global sea-level rise that scientists have had difficulty accounting for until now.
- This Man Hiked the Entire Route of the Keystone XL Pipeline. (National Geographic):
From Canada to Texas, Ken Ilgunas encountered environmental devastation, climate-change denial, and the kindness of strangers.
- Dakota Access oil pipeline doesn’t faze big rail shippers (AP):
The two biggest railroads shipping oil from North Dakota don’t seem particularly concerned that the Dakota Access pipeline may be about to come online, as oil makes up only a small percentage of their business in the state.
- California to fight if EPA eases emissions rule (SF Chronicle):
The Trump administration is expected to start rolling back tough limits on carbon pollution from cars and trucks this week, and may be considering a plan to revoke California’s authority to set its own pollution standards for vehicles, a linchpin of the state’s effort to battle climate change.
- Before the EPA, Wyoming’s environment suffered. But could the state have cleaned things up on its own? (Tribune Media):
Modern federal and state environmental laws were largely established in the early 1970s, and while violations persisted, the government suddenly had the tools to respond. “I’m quite sure that without an EPA we would not have consistent standards,” said New York Law School professor David Schoenbrod. “Different people in different places have different ideas about the environment.”
- Russia postpones scrapping oil export duties to 2022-2025 (Reuters):
Oil and gas companies have voiced their support for the tax reform, saying taxing their profits rather than exports and exploration would spur production as it better reflects exploration costs and risks.
- Ohio’s EPA director talks changes in the Trump era (Columbus Dispatch):
I see us as the implementer with boots on the ground. We’re doing inspections, we’re writing the permits: that’s the appropriate role for us. The role, in my view, for the federal EPA is basically for us to prove that we have a program that is sufficient and acceptable and then (for the EPA) to provide us adequate funding for the work we need to do. And then, as I say, check our work. … What I don’t think is the appropriate role for the federal EPA is to be duplicative of the work that we do, or frankly, needing to oversee every piece of work that we do.
- Dolphin Populations Hit by BP Oil Spill Will Take 40 Years to Recover, Report Finds (Oceana)
- Climate Deniers, You’re Climate Deniers–Deal with It (Scientific American):
The Freuds wrote the playbook, and you’re following it to the letter.
- No country on Earth is taking the 2 degree climate target seriously (Vox):
If we mean what we say, no more new fossil fuels, anywhere.
FOR MORE on Climate Science and Climate Change, go to our Green News Report: Essential Background Page
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