{"id":10012,"date":"2013-05-14T15:13:47","date_gmt":"2013-05-14T22:13:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bradblog.com\/?page_id=10012"},"modified":"2014-06-26T15:45:23","modified_gmt":"2014-06-26T22:45:23","slug":"green-news-report-essential-background-briefing","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bradblog.com\/?page_id=10012","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Green News Report&#8217; &#8211; Essential Background Briefing"},"content":{"rendered":"<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.motherjones.com\/blue-marble\/2013\/05\/video-97-climate-scientists-cant-be-wrong\"><b>VIDEO: 97 Percent of Climate Scientists Can&#8217;t Be Wrong<\/b><\/a> (Mother Jones):\n<div class=\"mediagreen\">Telling Americans that scientists don&#8217;t agree is the classic climate denial strategy. It&#8217;s been over a decade since consultant <a href=\"http:\/\/www.motherjones.com\/files\/LuntzResearch_environment.pdf\">Frank Luntz famously furnished the GOP with strategies to kill climate action<\/a> during the Bush years, recommending in a leaked memo [PDF]: <b>&#8220;you need to continue to make the lack of scientific certainty a primary issue.&#8221;<\/b> Oh, yeah, and avoid truth: <b>&#8220;A compelling story, even if factually inaccurate, can be more emotionally compelling than a dry recitation of the truth.&#8221;<\/b> It seems to have worked: Only a minority of Americans believes global warming is caused by humans: 42 percent, according to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.people-press.org\/2012\/10\/15\/more-say-there-is-solid-evidence-of-global-warming\/\">a 2012 Pew study<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<p><center><br \/>\n<iframe width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fHyFH4kxRNI\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/center><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thinkprogress.org\/climate\/2014\/06\/24\/3452323\/world-bank-climate-change-economy\/\"><b>World Bank: Fighting Climate Change Would Boost Global Economy Up To $2.6 Trillion A Year<\/b><\/a> (Climate Progress)<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thinkprogress.org\/climate\/2013\/11\/14\/2944781\/carbon-tax-cut-deficit\/\"><b>A Carbon Tax Would Cut The Deficit By $1 Trillion<\/b><\/a> (Climate Progress):\n<div class=\"mediagreen\">A carbon tax of $25 per ton of emissions would cut the deficit by $1 trillion over a decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/planet-oz\/2013\/nov\/21\/warsaw-climate-change-conference-global-warming\"><b>Warsaw&#8217;s widening climate chasm could lead to 4C warming<\/b><\/a> (Guardian UK) [<i>emphasis added<\/i>]:\n<div class=\"mediagreen\"><b>At an average global temperature rise of 4C, the hottest days experienced would be 6C to 12C hotter<\/b>, sea levels would rise by 80 cm or higher and the yields for key crops such as maize, wheat and rice would drop by as much as 40 per cent. &#8220;Those sorts of things would be absolutely devastating &#8211; they would be catastrophic&#8221; she said. &#8220;There&#8217;s a widespread view that <b>four degrees could be incompatible with organised global community<\/b> and would inevitably lead to conflict and disruption and <b>could potentially be beyond adaptation<\/b>. Ecosystems are already being threatened &#8211; at four degrees we have irreversible impacts on ecosystems.&#8221;<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thinkprogress.org\/climate\/2013\/11\/21\/2977001\/companies-responsible-thirds-greenhouse-gas-emissions\/\"><b>Ninety Companies Responsible For Two-Thirds Of Global Warming Emissions<\/b><\/a> (Climate Progress):\n<div class=\"mediagreen\">According to the research, 90 companies on the list of top emitters produced 63% of the cumulative global emissions of industrial carbon dioxide and methane between 1751 to 2010, amounting to about 914 gigatons of CO2 emissions. Aside from seven cement manufacturers, the rest of the emitters were [large] energy companies producing oil, gas, and coal.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.smartplanet.com\/blog\/take\/might-as-well-face-it-youre-addicted-to-oil\/1069\"><b>Might as well face it, you&#8217;re addicted to oil<\/b><\/a> (Smart Planet):\n<div class=\"mediagreen\"><b>America, we need to talk<\/b>.<br \/>\nHave a seat.<br \/>\nRemember when President George W. Bush told you seven years ago that you&#8217;re addicted to oil?<br \/>\nIt&#8217;s time to get serious about your problem. So here&#8217;s a little tough love.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thinkprogress.org\/climate\/2013\/08\/14\/2467371\/msnbc-chris-hayes-on-conservatives-deny-climate-problem-they-hate-solution\/\"><b>Why So Many Conservatives Deny The Climate Problem: They Hate The Solution<\/b><\/a> (Climate Progress):\n<div class=\"mediagreen\">That&#8217;s it. <b>That is the logic<\/b> behind the pervasive view on climate change on the right: <b>We don&#8217;t like the solutions to this problem, so we officially declare this not to be a problem.<\/b><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rawstory.com\/rs\/2013\/05\/08\/sen-whitehouse-destroys-colleague-who-said-god-wont-allow-climate-change\/\"><b>VIDEO: Sen. Whitehouse destroys colleague who said God won&#8217;t allow climate change<\/b><\/a> (Raw Story) [<i>emphasis added<\/i>]:\n<div class=\"mediagreen\">Whitehouse concluded that ignoring climate change was not only bad public policy, it was also <b>immoral. He said God would not grant humanity amnesty from its own folly<\/b>.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.economist.com\/news\/business\/21577097-either-governments-are-not-serious-about-climate-change-or-fossil-fuel-firms-are\"><b>Unburnable fuel: Either governments are not serious about climate change or fossil-fuel firms are overvalued<\/b><\/a> (The Economist) [<i>emphasis added<\/i>]:\n<div class=\"mediagreen\"> But <b>what if some of those [fossil fuel] reserves can never be dug up and burned<\/b>? &#8230; If governments were determined to implement their climate policies, <b>a lot of that carbon would have to be left in the ground<\/b>&#8230;<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2013\/05\/11\/science\/earth\/carbon-dioxide-level-passes-long-feared-milestone.html?pagewanted=all&#038;_r=0\"><b><em>400ppm<\/em>: Heat-Trapping Gas Passes Milestone, Raising Fears<\/b><\/a> (NY Times);\n<div class=\"mediagreen\">&#8220;It feels like the inevitable march toward disaster,&#8221; said Maureen E. Raymo, a scientist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, a unit of Columbia University.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.guardian.co.uk\/environment\/interactive\/2013\/may\/13\/newtok-alaska-climate-change-refugees\"><b>America&#8217;s first climate refugees: Newtok, Alaska is losing ground to the sea at a dangerous rate and for its residents, exile is inevitable.<\/b><\/a> (Guardian UK):\n<div class=\"mediagreen\">These villages, whose residents are nearly all native Alaskans, are already experiencing the flooding and erosion that are the signature effects of climate change in Alaska. The residents of a number of villages &#8211; including Newtok &#8211; are now actively working to leave their homes and the lands they have occupied for centuries and move to safer locations.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li><b>World on Track for Climate Disaster:<\/b><\/li>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.businessweek.com\/articles\/2012-11-01\/its-global-warming-stupid#p1\"><b>COVER STORY: It&#8217;s Global Warming, Stupid<\/b><\/a> (Businessweek):\n<div class=\"mediagreen\">If all that doesn&#8217;t impress, forget the scientists ostensibly devoted to advancing knowledge and saving lives. Listen instead to corporate insurers committed to compiling statistics for profit.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/dn22531-animals-are-already-dissolving-in-southern-ocean-acid.html?cmpid=RSS|NSNS|2012-GLOBAL|environment\"><b>Ocean Acidification: Animals are already dissolving in Southern Ocean<\/b><\/a> (New Scientist)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2012-11-global.html\"><b>Global warming targets further out of reach, UN says<\/b><\/a> (Phys.org):\n<div class=\"mediagreen\">Based on current pledges, <b>global average temperatures could rise by 3 to 5 degrees Celsius (5.4 to 9.0 degrees Fahrenheit) this century<\/b> &#8212; way above the two degrees Celsius being targeted, said a UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<li><b>Essential Climate Science Background:<\/b><\/li>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/skepticalscience.com\"><b>Skeptical Science: Get the FULL DEBUNKING of ALL Climate Science Denier Arguments<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ted.com\/talks\/james_hansen_why_i_must_speak_out_about_climate_change.html\"><b>VIDEO: James Hansen: Why I must speak out about climate change<\/b><\/a> (TED Talks):\n<div class=\"mediagreen\">Top climate scientist James Hansen tells the story of his involvement in the science of and debate over global climate change. In doing so he outlines the overwhelming evidence that change is happening and why that makes him deeply worried about the future.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/NOAAESRL#p\/a\/u\/1\/SXHDwdd7Tf8\"><b>VIDEO ANIMATION: Time history of atmospheric CO2<\/b><\/a> (NOAA Carbon Tracker YouTube channel):<\/li>\n<p><center><iframe width=\"300\" height=\"182\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SXHDwdd7Tf8\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/center><\/p>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/green.blogs.nytimes.com\/2012\/01\/25\/animation-charts-131-years-of-global-warming\/\"><b>VIDEO: Animation Charts Modern Global Warming<\/b><\/a> (NYT Green)<\/li>\n<p><center><iframe width=\"300\" height=\"182\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HZzNL898oW4\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/center><\/p>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thinkprogress.org\/climate\/2012\/06\/27\/507241\/thinking-big-nrel-study-shows-80-percent-renewables-possible-by-2050\/\"><b>Thinking Big: NREL Study Shows 80 Percent Renewables Possible By 2050<\/b><\/a> (Climate Progress)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.grist.org\/climate-change\/2011-12-05-the-brutal-logic-of-climate-change\"><b>Part 1: The brutal logic of climate change<\/b><\/a> (David Roberts, Grist) [<i>emphasis added]<\/i>:\n<div class=\"mediagreen\"><b> It&#8217;s simple: If there is to be any hope of avoiding civilization-threatening climate disruption, the U.S. and other nations must act immediately and aggressively on an unprecedented scale.<\/b> That means moving to emergency footing. War footing. &#8230;<b>It is unpleasant to talk like this. People don&#8217;t want to hear it.<\/b><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.grist.org\/climate-policy\/2011-12-08-the-brutal-logic-of-climate-change-mitigation\"><b>Part 2: The brutal logic of climate change mitigation<\/b><\/a> (David Roberts, Grist)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article.cfm?id=how-to-buy-time-to-combat-climate-change-cut-soot-methane\"><b>How to Buy Time in the Fight against Climate Change: Mobilize to Stop Soot and Methane<\/b><\/a>: A short list of relatively simple actions taken to reduce greenhouse gases other than CO2 could help put the brakes on global warming&#8211;if implemented globally (Scientific American)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.guardian.co.uk\/environment\/2011\/nov\/09\/fossil-fuel-infrastructure-climate-change?newsfeed=true\"><b>World headed for irreversible climate change in five years, IEA warns: If fossil fuel infrastructure is not rapidly changed, the world will &#8216;lose for ever&#8217; the chance to avoid dangerous climate change<\/b><\/a> (Guardian UK) [<i>emphasis added<\/i>]:\n<div class=\"mediagreen\">&#8220;<b>The door is closing<\/b>,&#8221; Fatih Birol, chief economist at the International Energy Agency, said. <b>&#8220;I am very worried<\/b> &#8211; if we don&#8217;t change direction now on how we use energy, we will end up beyond what scientists tell us is the minimum [for safety]. The door will be closed forever.&#8221;<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.realclimate.org\/index.php\/archives\/2011\/11\/the-ipcc-report-on-extreme-climate-and-weather-events\/\"><b>Concise Overview: The IPCC report on extreme climate and weather events<\/b><\/a> (Real Climate)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/tamino.wordpress.com\/2011\/12\/06\/the-real-global-warming-signal\/\"><b>The Real Global Warming Signal<\/b><\/a> (Tamino)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thinkprogress.org\/climate\/2013\/06\/04\/2097371\/think-again-blame-the-news-for-the-publics-ignorance-about-the-climate\/\"><b>Think Again: Blame The News For The Public&#8217;s Ignorance About The Climate<\/b><\/a> (Climate Progress): While there is some excellent climate reporting in the mainstream media, many&#8221;\u201dif not most&#8221;\u201dmembers of the mainstream media have been AWOL on the issue.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/e360.yale.edu\/digest\/majority_of_earths_population__faces_water_shortages_by_mid-century\/3854\/\"><b>Majority of Earth&#8217;s Population Faces Water Shortages by Mid-Century<\/b><\/a> (Yale e360) [<i>emphasis added<\/i>]:\n<div class=\"mediagreen\">At the meeting, &#8220;Water in the Anthropocene,&#8221; the scientists said that the of <b>over-pumping of underground aquifers, soaring populations, pollution, the over-use of fertilizers, and climate change are seriously threatening supplies of freshwater<\/b> around much of the globe. Continuing on the current path will mean that <b>most of Earth&#8217;s population &#8220;will be living under the handicap of severe water pressure,<\/b>&#8221; the scientists said, adding, <b>&#8220;This handicap will be self-inflicted and is, we believe, entirely avoidable.&#8221;<\/b><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/legalplanet.wordpress.com\/2013\/05\/20\/we-have-met-the-unknown-unknowns-and-they-are-us\/\"><b>We Have Met the Unknown Unknowns and They are Us<\/b><\/a> (Legal Planet):\n<div class=\"mediagreen\">There are uncertainties about climate science such as tipping points and feedback effects.  But these pale in comparison to the biggest source of uncertainties: people. Here are some of the major things we don&#8217;t know and really can&#8217;t know about future society.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/grist.org\/climate-energy\/apocalypse-now-climate-change-is-going-to-kick-our-asses\/\"><b>Warning: Even in the best-case scenario, climate change will kick our asses<\/b><\/a> (Grist)<\/li>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>VIDEO: 97 Percent of Climate Scientists Can&#8217;t Be Wrong (Mother Jones): Telling Americans that scientists don&#8217;t agree is the classic climate denial strategy. It&#8217;s been over a decade since consultant Frank Luntz famously furnished the GOP with strategies to kill climate action during the Bush years, recommending in a leaked memo [PDF]: &#8220;you need to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-10012","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bradblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10012","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bradblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bradblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bradblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bradblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10012"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bradblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10012\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bradblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bradblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcoauthors&post=10012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}