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IN TODAY’S RADIO REPORT: 2024 Presidential Election nominees are set, and the climate stakes could not be higher; Lawsuit blames broken utility pole for record Texas wildfires; Coastal U.S. cities are sinking as sea level rise accelerates, new study warns; PLUS: North Atlantic Ocean keeps breaking heat records… All that and more in today’s Green News Report!
Green News Report
with Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen
3/7/2024
‘Green News Report’ – March 7, 2024 | With Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen... | CELEBRATING 15 YEARS! · · · · · ‘Green News Report’ – March 7, 2024 | With Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen... | CELEBRATING 15 YEARS!
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IN ‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (see links below): Global hot streak continues – February, winter, world’s oceans all break high temperature records; SEC OKs rule requiring companies to disclose emissions, climate risks; World’s oceans reach record temperature, prompting fears of worst mass bleaching; Climate rules reach finish line, in weakened form, as Biden races clock; Climate impacts burning utility business models… PLUS: Big Meat is lying about sustainability. These media outlets are helping… and much, MUCH more! …
STORIES DISCUSSED ON TODAY’S ‘GREEN NEWS REPORT’…
- Lawsuit alleges downed power pole sparked larrgest wildfire in Texas history:
- Xcel Energy acknowledges role in Texas’ Smokehouse Creek wildfire (Texas Tribune)
- Downed Xcel Energy pole suspected as possible source of historic Texas wildfire (CBS News)
- New lawsuit blames fallen power pole for starting Smokehouse Creek Fire; state investigation continues (CNN)
- Wildfires have devastated the Texas cattle industry and the effects may be long-lasting (CNN)
- A massive Texas wildfire is finally dying down. Its impact could last years. (Washington Post/MSN):
Fast-moving flames devastated the heart of Texas cattle country, torching about 2,000 square miles of grasslands that feed tens of thousands of cattle…It could take years for grasses to regrow and cattle to return, he said, while costs of rebuilding fencing, barns and other ranch infrastructure, estimated to be massive, won’t be covered by insurance.
- Many homes burned in the Texas wildfires weren’t insured, creating a steep path to recovery (Texas Tribune)
- VIDEO: Beleaguered Texas residents struggle to recover from historic wildfires (PBS NewsHour)
- How a warming climate is setting the stage for fast-spreading, destructive wildfires (CNN):
This fire adds to an ever-lengthening list of rapidly spreading, destructive wildfires in the US and elsewhere. As humans continue to heat up the world with fossil fuel pollution, scientists warn these kinds of fires will only become more common.
- The Fires Sweeping Across Texas Offer a Terrifying Warning (op-ed, NY Times)
- 2024 major party nominees are set, and the climate stakes could not be higher:
- Record Heat, Rising Sea Levels: High Stakes For Climate In 2024 Elections (Yale Climate Connections):
From Biden vs. Trump to an oil well referendum in California, climate change debate is all over the ballot in federal, state and local contests…In the wake of the hottest year on record, with fossil fuel production increasing and sea levels rising, the stakes for the climate couldn’t be higher in this year’s elections.
- Exclusive: How much CO2 emissions might change under Trump (Axios):
By rolling back many of President Biden’s climate policies, a second Trump administration could lead to an estimated extra 4 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2030, compared with a second Biden term. These extra emissions could in turn doom the 1.5°C goal under the Paris Agreement, the study finds, especially with the former president reportedly preparing to undo many Biden initiatives.
- Analysis: Trump election win could add 4bn tonnes to US emissions by 2030 (Carbon Brief):
This extra 4bn tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO2e) by 2030 would cause global climate damages worth more than $900bn, based on the latest US government valuations.
- U.S. coastal cities are sinking as sea level rise accelerates:
- Disappearing cities on US coasts (Nature):
Our analysis shows that not accounting for spatially variable land subsidence within the cities may lead to inaccurate projections of expected exposure. These potential consequences show the scale of the adaptation challenge, which is not appreciated in most US coastal cities.
- Where sinking cities are pushing sea level rise into overdrive (CNN):
The impact of sinking land has been overlooked, said Leonard Ohenhen, the lead author of the study and a doctoral researcher at Virginia Tech. “When you have these two different processes laid out – land sinking on the coast and sea rising on the ocean – you’re going to have a lot more areas that will be susceptible to flooding in the future,” he told CNN.
- Coastal US cities are sinking as sea levels continue to rise, new research shows (ABC News)
- North Atlantic Ocean keeps breaking heat records:
- Record-breaking warmth in the North Atlantic signals environmental alert (EHN)
- Scientists Are Freaking Out About Ocean Temperatures (NY Times):
“It’s quite scary, partly because I’m not hearing any scientists that have a convincing explanation of why it is we’ve got such a departure,” he said. “We’re used to having a fairly good handle on things. But the impression at the moment is that things have gone further and faster than we expected. That’s an uncomfortable place as a scientist to be.”
- What record-setting ocean temps mean for sea life and 2024 hurricane season (Fox Weather)
- VIDEO: “Not a Pattern We’ve Seen Before”- Prepping for Active Hurricane Season (This Is Not Cool blog)
- The North Atlantic “has been record-breaking warm for an entire year, often by seemingly-impossible margins” (Brian McNoldy, Univ. of Miami/Twitter):
On March 5, 2023, the average sea surface temperature in the North Atlantic broke the previous record high for the date… and it hasn’t stopped since.
Here we are on March 5, 2024. It has been record-breaking warm for an entire year, often by seemingly-impossible margins.
‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (Stuff we didn’t have time for in today’s audio report)…
For a comprehensive roundup of daily environmental news you can trust, see the Society of Environmental Journalists’ Daily Headlines page
- Global hot streak continues. February, winter, world’s oceans all break high temperature marks (AP)
- SEC OKs Rule That Requires Companies To Disclose Emissions, Climate Risks (AP)
- Climate change: World’s oceans reach record temperature, prompting fears of worst mass bleaching (Sky News)
- Climate Rules Reach Finish Line, in Weakened Form, as Biden Races Clock (Inside Climate News)
- Climate Burning Utility Business Models (This Is Not Cool blog)
- Prisoners In Texas, Florida Face Biggest Risk Of Increasingly Deadly Heat (Guardian)
- Norway And Sami People End Dispute Over Europe’s Largest Onshore Wind Farm (AP)
- Big Meat Is Lying About Sustainability. These Media Outlets Are Helping. (HEATED)
- The Fossil-Fuel-Promoting Agency That Biden Seems Powerless To Stop (Politico)
- Storms Recharge California Snowpack, Easing Drought Fears (Washington Post)
- Fury After Exxon Chief Says Public To Blame For Climate Failures (Guardian)
- ‘In A Word, Horrific’: Trump’s Extreme Anti-Environment Blueprint (Guardian)
- Plug-in hybrids vs. electric cars: We did the math on which is better for you (Washington Post)
- How to electrify your life when you rent (The Verge)
- Complete Series: Farmers Under Attack for Supporting Clean Energy (Climate Crocks)
- These are the places most at risk from record-breaking heat waves as the planet warms (CNN)
- Feeling Overwhelmed About Going All-Electric at Home? Here’s How to Get Started (Inside Climate News)
- Feeling Hopeless About the Climate? Try Our 30-Day Action Plan (The Revelator)
- Climate Change Will Force a New American Migration (Pro Publica)
- Exxon’s Snake Oil: 100 years of deception (Columbia Journalism Review)
- VIDEO: A Message From the Future With Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (The Intercept)
- Project Drawdown: 100 Solutions to Reverse Global Warming (Drawdown.org)
- An Optimist’s Guide to Solving Climate Change and Saving the World (Vice)
“Global hot streak continues. February, winter, world’s oceans all break high temperature marks (AP)” – Desi’s link up-thread
Indeed; that warming goes all the way ‘to the bone’ (The Photon Current – 9).