This is the 629th edition of the Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue). Here is the January 25 edition. Inclusion of a story in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it.
OUTSTANDING GREEN STORIES
Michael Brune writes—The Ugliest, Most Dangerous Pipeline of Them All: “In 2008, the big banks crashed the economy through reckless, predatory lending. Twelve years later, they’re working to do something even worse: crash the planet. With every dollar they invest in fossil fuel companies, big banks and asset managers make the climate crisis worse. And they’ve invested a lot of dollars: In the years since the world agreed to limit warming to ‘well below’ 2 degrees Celsius at the 2015 Paris climate talks, big banks have poured $1.9 trillion into underwriting and lending to fossil fuel companies. If you stacked that money in $100 bills, it would reach almost five times higher than the orbit of the International Space Station. And not one penny of that investment is compatible with preventing catastrophic warming. That’s why the Sierra Club and its allies are launching a new campaign: Stop the Money Pipeline. We’re going after the ugliest, most dangerous pipeline of them all—the money pipeline—so we can stop all the other ones from being built.”
CRITTERS AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS
RonK writes—The Daily Bucket: MLK Jr.'s Community Service Day with Salmon Stream Restoration: “To mark the Dr. MLK Jr. Day of Service, my granddaughter Ava and I participated with 468 other local Bellingham residents as a work party at Whatcom Falls Park. The work party included volunteers of all ages, from toddlers to octogenarians. Our task for the three-hour stint was to assist in the restoration and preservation of Whatcom Creek shores and its uphill drainage area.We were assigned to the slope and adjacent area above the falls. Although salmon don’t get above the falls, the state of the embankment affects the salmon habitat in the creek below. From this falls, the creek winds several miles and meets two more falls before reaching to downtown Bellingham and Bellingham Bay. At the creek’s entrance to the bay, there is a fish hatchery which is in part the salmon’s destination, although a number escape upstream to spawn on their own between the hatchery and the large falls shown above. I described the creek and the hatchery previously.”
OceanDiver writes—Dawn Chorus: Cold Challenges for Birds: “We had a cold snap recently in the Pacific Northwest. It snowed a foot and the temp was subfreezing for a few days. This is nothing compared to many parts of the world where it’s below freezing for months at a time and snow or ice carpets the ground. But such times are tough for birds, short or long, and watching my local birds got me to thinking about how they manage. The basic problem for birds is that they are warm-blooded. They require plenty of regular fuel to keep warm and to support their fast metabolism. Birds have both physiological and behavioral strategies to deal with the challenges of cold. A good example combining those is the puffed up birds we see so often at this time of year. Layered feathers and down trap warmed air.”
OceanDiver writes—The Daily Bucket - harlequins on a calm winter day: “We had a lucky afternoon sunbreak a few days ago and as a bonus, no wind to speak of. And an even bigger pleasure, a few ducks lounging around in the corner of the bay near shore. When the weather gets stormy, the ducks generally go offshore a bit to stay out of the surf or else decamp inland to sheltered ponds. On this occasion there were two pairs of Harlequin ducks variously foraging, scuffling, grooming and just paddling around. Like most ducks, the drakes are have a brightly colored pattern while the hens are more camouflaged brownish. [...] Ducks dedicate some of their daylight hours keeping their plumage tidy. That’s not a discretionary or casual activity. Their warmth depends on it, and these waters are cold, in winter 48°F or less (9°C). Why they choose to start grooming when they do, I don’t know, but often if one starts, others will too. This video clip shows the hen harlequins balancing on drifting bull kelp to groom. There are two young mergansers nearby grooming even more assiduously.”
Besame writes—Mexico monarch population is largest in over a decade (also update on Goméz): “This year’s population count from the Mexican overwintering colonies increased 144% over last year. This winter, researchers found the butterflies occupying 14.95 acres (6.05 hectares) of pine and fir forests in the mountains of Michoacan and Mexico states. That's an increase from 6.12 acres (2.48 hectares) a year ago. They arrive in such numbers that their population is measured by how much surface area they cover. This year's is the biggest measurement since the 2006-2007 period, Rhodes said. A low of just 1.66 acres (0.67 hectares) was recorded in 2013-2014. This doesn’t indicate a trend; no reason to expect next year’s census to show increased numbers. Experts think this year’s increase resulted from optimum conditions during spring and summer. Cooler than normal temperatures north of Texas last spring kept monarchs from migrating further north too fast. When it is warmer, the butterfly population moves north into less optimal weather and doesn’t grow as well.”
CaptBLI writes—The Daily Bucket - Birds wintering in Mississippi: “I have been processing the videos and still photos of DKos member Hayseed took this last month. I’m presenting a few of his pictures from his trail cameras and hand held video recorder. He and his youngest son take a lot of day trips to Enid Lake, Mississippi where many of his best photos are gathered. The lake is near his home and it is rich with unmolested wildlife. [...] His trail cameras are mounted on his property near a small pond he has constructed. These cameras have night vision capabilities and there are lots of night time videos of raccoon and deer. He also captured a bobcat on film. I have shared one of his films before. This is one of the most interesting and fun videos of an owl hunting. The frogs (out a little early for this time of year) are easy prey for the owl.”
Pakalolo writes—Earthworms consume microplastics in the soil. That may lead to a worrying collapse of biodiversity: “Most of us are quite familiar with the problems plastic poses in the oceans, and a new study found that the microbeads and plastics are also a threat to the land, particularly agriculture. The Big Think provides a summary of the findings: ‘Dirt’ and ‘soil,’ to non-farmers at least, are often treated as an earth layer; referencing it is often in the negative, as when a parent scolds a child for ‘playing in the dirt.’ But soil is a process, living and organic, dependent on decaying and dead matter constantly being churned through (by earthworms, for example) and recycled. Soil is one of the major reasons that America has become a global power. Our fields supply an incredible amount of food for the planet. By contrast, China, with its billion-plus population to feed, struggles to produce adequate amounts of nutrition due to less fertile soil. This is, in fact, one of the undiscussed underpinnings of the current ‘trade war.' Damaged soil destroys not only ecosystems, but societies as well. When famers try to increase crop yield by introducing plastic mulches and irrigation, they're unknowingly polluting the soil with tons of microplastic particles. These particles are then ingested by earthworms (among other animals), causing them to lose weight.”
purple cones writes—Daily Bucket: Endangered Rusty Patched Bumble Bee: “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is requesting public comment on a draft plan for the recovery of the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee, which was listed under the Endangered Species Act in 2017. The draft plan proposes general management actions and criteria that indicate when the species may be considered eligible to be removed from the Federal list of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. In my opinion this plan is long on criteria and short on actual recovery strategies. Public comment will close February 24, 2020. Currently there is only one comment, which will likely be ignored because while it is true, it is a very angry comment. If after reading this, you would like to help, you can do so by providing a well-reasoned comment at the request for comment site. The rusty-patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis), is one of the 47 species of bumble bee found in North America.”
Angmar writes—Daily Bucket: Imbolc: “Imbolc or Imbolg ([ɪˈmˠɔlˠɡ]), also called (Saint) Brigid's Day (Irish: Lá Fhéile Bríde, Scottish Gaelic: Là Fhèill Brìghde, Manx: Laa'l Breeshey), is a Gaelic traditional festival marking the beginning of spring. It is held on 1 February, or about halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.[1][2] Historically, it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. It is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals—along with Beltane, Lughnasadh and Samhain[3]—and corresponds to the Welsh Gŵyl Fair y Canhwyllau. For Christians, especially in Ireland, it is the feast day of Saint Brigid. In Gaelic Ireland, Imbolc was the feis or festival marking the beginning of spring, during which great feasts were held. It is attested in some of the earliest Old Irish literature, from the 10th century onward. It was one of four Gaelic seasonal festivals: Samhain (~1 November), Imbolc (~1 February), Beltane (~1 May) and Lughnasadh (~1 August).”
CLIMATE CHAOS
Lawrence S Wittner writes—Could the Climate Crisis Be "The Good News of Damnation"? “From the United States to Russia, from India to Brazil, numerous countries have been swept up in xenophobia, triggering not only a disastrous revival of the nuclear arms race, but an inability to work together to challenge the latest existential threat to human survival: climate change. Championing their own narrow national interests―often based on little more than enhancing the profits of their fossil fuel industries―these nations have either torn loose from the limited international environmental agreements of the past or, at best, shown their unwillingness to take the more significant steps necessary to address the crisis. And a crisis it is. With the polar ice caps melting, sea levels rising, whole continents (such as Australia) in flames, agriculture collapsing, and storms of unprecedented ferocity wreaking havoc, climate catastrophe is no longer a prediction, but a reality. What can be done about it? Clearly, just as in the case of heading off nuclear annihilation, no single nation can tackle the problem on its own.”
Pakalolo writes—Waves washing over a Pacific Atoll spells catastrophe for 'premier' ballistic missile defense site: “The US was not a very lovely caretaker for the Marshallian people or their land. Between 1946 and 1958, over 46 nuclear weapons dropped on the Marshall Islands. The most massive nuclear warhead ever dropped on earth occurred on Bikini Atoll during this time. The radioactive fallout made Bikini and numerous other atolls so contaminated that they are still uninhabitable. Residents became quite ill and had no choice but to abandon their homes that their ancestors settled in 2000 BC. [...] These isolated atolls are facing a new threat that will force inhabitants of the low-lying Pacific island chains to relocate. The misery they are experiencing today is a result of the current climate crisis that has resulted in rising sea levels as the polar ice caps discharge ice and meltwater into the oceans. Not only are freshwater supplies and the water in coconuts radioactive. Now agricultural land and potable water supplies have been rendered useless as saltwater has washed over their crops, inundating the island’s ability to support life.”
LordLeif writes—Greta's Gap Year: “Teacher: So, to get continuing credit for your education, please let the class know what you did in your “gap year” – we had two students in our school take this break, so Sven, you first. Sven: well, me and a group of friends left Sweden and hitchhiked all though Northern Europe and partied in many cities even hitting the Oktoberfest in Munich for an amazing time. Went to Rome to check out museums / historical sites, came back through France for gambling at Monte Carlo and partying at topless beaches. Caught a flight to Greece to stay in cousin’s pad on the Isles and chilled there for a couple months before drifting back home and hanging out until school began again. Teacher: Interesting and sounds like a fun experience, educational in a real-world way. How about you Greta? Greta: Well, the climate change group I founded, Fridays for Future, attracted enough attention to get me invited to some global events. The hard part was getting to the Americas for a New York City United Nations event and then the Global Climate summit scheduled to be held in Santiago, Chile. I don’t fly so I was offered a ride on a racing yacht and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in August as a passenger/crew member, visited Washington, D.C., and chastised USA Congressmembers, went to New York and gave a short speech to the United Nations that went viral and also inspired pop-music & death-metal song versions.”
SusanCStrong writes—Framing #ClimateDamage for the #ClimateHoldouts: “For too long too much of our climate crisis framing has resonated only with the already convinced. That is still going on today, this very minute. Even Greta is doing it, with an important exception I’ll mention later in this piece. But before the rest of us can get more effective, we need to be a lot more clear on who all the #ClimateHoldouts are, why they are that way, how they are holding out, and what frames could possibly move them all off the rock they are stuck on, whether they know it or not. First of all, there are those who 1. believe the climate crisis is real, but fear social, familial, and professional ostracism if they even say the words ‘climate change’ or ‘human-caused climate change.’ 2. They are usually surrounded by people who have been misled into believing it’s all a hoax by their peers, religious leaders, news sources, fossil fuel industry lies, and Congressional representatives. 3. Next come people whose financial and/or professional prospects depend in the near future on the fossil fuel industry doing well financially—industry executives, institutional investors and so on. 4. [...] 5. [...] ”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Half Of GOP’s Climate Plan Is Giving Fossil Fuel Industry Money. The Other Half Ain’t Much Better: “Of the six pieces of legislation McCarthy’s office expects to be rolled out ‘over the next few months,’ one is about shifting foreign aid to address plastics in rivers, and three are essentially government handouts to the fossil fuel industry. Republicans want the government to fund research into capturing carbon and sequestration to ‘maximize the use of America’s vast fossil energy resources into the future,’ provide tax incentives to develop that technology, and invest in more natural gas pipelines. That being said, the remaining two policies seem like they have potential… if you don’t think about them too hard. One aims to make it easier for farmers to reduce emissions by helping them implement new farming techniques and incentivizing new technology. It seems unlikely Republicans are about to start helping organic and otherwise low-carbon farms, and reading between the ‘public-private partnerships’ lines, it sure sounds like this is going to be more government subsidies for large-scale industrial agriculture. The final piece of the puzzle is the ol’ standby of nuclear energy. Fossil-fuel-funded folks love to praise nuclear energy as a potential climate solution, because they know the industry’s dirty secret: ‘It's really hard to make the economics of nuclear power work’.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—GOP Admits Climate Plan Is Messaging To Appease Voters, Not Policy To Reduce Fossil Fuel Use: “On Wednesday, WIRED magazine published an essay by David Karpf on an art project called the 10,000-year clock. The piece is ‘meant to inspire its visitors to be mindful of their place in the long arc of history,’ by ticking once a year, with a century hand that moves once every 100 years, and a dual-gong strike every 1,000 years. The clock was proposed by scientist Danny Hillis, and now Jeff Bezos is spending some $42 million to build it inside a mountain he owns, behind jade doors and visible from a staircase inside a sapphire-glass dome, where one can listen to one of 3.65 million unique chimes written by Brian Eno. Well, one could experience it if they were invited to the Bezos compound, which speaks to Karpf’s main point. Though the project is nobly intentioned, Karpf writes, it’s really ‘a testament to willful blindness, as today’s tech barons whistle past the grim realities of the oncoming catastrophe that is man-made climate destabilization’.”
Meteor Blades writes—Tuesday night owls: Solving the climate crisis won't be done through coalitions with big oil and gas: “At Oil Change International, Hannah McKinnon writes—“Grand Coalitions” with Big Oil and Gas Won’t Solve the Climate Crisis: Over the course of the last year and a half, we have been pushing the International Energy Agency (IEA) to stop giving cover to the oil and gas industry and model a fossil fuel phase-out that’s fully in line with our climate goals. As the world’s foremost energy modeller, their scenarios – most notably those in the annual flagship World Energy Outlook (WEO) – shape countless political and financial energy decisions each year. In response to mounting criticism for its climate shortfalls, the IEA, lead by Dr. Fatih Birol, have clearly identified their solution to these critiques: a public relations effort that bears a striking resemblance to the spin coming from the oil and gas industry itself. This post takes a closer look at the IEA’s new spin, and why it’s a dangerous distraction from real solutions.”
Angmar writes—World:"Barcelona Declares Climate Emergency, Vows To Halve Emissions By 2030": “The city government here declared a climate emergency and vowed to spend $628 million over the next five years to dramatically slash its output of planet-heating emissions and fortify this sun-soaked Mediterranean metropolis for the warming that’s already unavoidable. Lawmakers in Spain’s second-largest city on Wednesday unveiled a sweeping policy package that includes 103 measures ranging from bans on polluting vehicles in newly demarcated ‘low-emissions zones’ to the creation of more parks to phasing out single-use plastics. The changes are projected to help halve the city’s emissions by 2030. That target is in line with what United Nations scientists say is required globally to keep warming in the relatively safe range of 1.5 degrees Celsius, roughly half a degree hotter than average temperatures today.”
ECO-ACTION & ECO JUSTICE
Aysha Qamar writes—Ugandan activist Vanessa Nakate speaks up on being cropped out of photo depicting climate activists: “ In an emotional, 10 minute-long video, climate activist Vanessa Nakate called out the Associated Press for cropping her out of a photo featuring fellow activists Greta Thunberg, Luisa Neubauer, Isabelle Axelsson, and Loukina Tille in connection with coverage of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Since the activists spoke together, Nakate was surprised to see herself, the only person of color, cropped out of the photo. She took to Twitter to reflect on the incident, which she described in the video as ‘the first time’ she ‘understood the definition’ of racism. While the AP has not personally reached out to the activist to apologize, the news agency issued a statement by executive editor Sally Buzbee Friday and has removed the photo from its website, replacing it with one including the Ugandan activist. [...] In a statement to BuzzFeed News, a spokesperson for the AP said, ‘There was no ill intent. AP routinely publishes photos as they come in and when we received additional images from the field, we updated the story. AP has published a number of images of Vanessa Nakate.”
CANDIDATES, STATE AND DC ECO-RELATED POLITICS
HuffmanForNC writes—Strawberry Fields, Solar & Clean Energy: “I recently spoke to a local strawberry farmer in North Carolina about the unseasonable temperatures we’ve experienced. As it turns out, above average temperatures and the extreme weather variations could impact their upcoming March/April crops. There is a real concern that the local farmers could lose their entire planting season and that means no fresh locally grown strawberries for anyone in our local area. Just a few years ago the average temp was a high of 47 degrees. Now, my state has upwards of a 30-degree increase depending upon the Jet-stream. We must focus on this issue now. We can no longer avoid and ignore the changes brought on by Climate Change and fossil fuel usage. This is a National Emergency. [...] If we don’t do anything, we jeopardize the lives of billions of people and we’ll see strawberry farmers go out of business, unable to grow crops from hotter days to come.”
Paul C writes—At Last! A Detailed Environmental Scorecard on the Candidates! “The Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund has conducted an in-depth review of the remaining Democratic Presidential candidates, focusing on “four key environmental issue areas: saving wildlife, protecting public lands, ensuring environmental justice and ending the climate crisis”. Their scorecard appears above. Regarding which candidates were considered: We evaluated every candidate polling above 1% in the latest national polls. We did not evaluate former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg because of his decision not to participate in any Democratic debate, build a grassroots network of supporters or compete in any of the early state caucuses or primaries. Their analysis is thorough and too long to copy here with this many candidates. So here is the relevant link to their website. Their findings are concisely presented, organized by candidate, with footnotes, so it makes for an easy but highly informative read.”
ENERGY
Fossil Fuels & Emissions Controls
Dan Bacher writes—CCST Report Reveals That $550 Million Needed to Plug Abandoned California Oil and Gas Wells! “Both the Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom administrations expanded oil and gas drilling in California, with the Brown administration approving 21,000 new or reworked well permits and Newsom’s regulators approving over 4,049 new or reworked permits as of November 4, 2019. With the mushrooming of permits for new or reworked wells comes another problem: what happens when the oil and gas in the wells runs out and they are abandoned by the oil and gas companies, becoming ‘orphan’ wells? A report by the California Council on Science & Technology addresses this problem, revealing that California taxpayers could be on the hook for more than $500 million to plug thousands of those ‘orphan’ wells drilled and abandoned by oil and gas companies.”
Dan Bacher writes—Bill to develop health and safety setbacks around oil and gas wells passes CA Assembly: “On January 27, Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi’s bill to establish 2500 foot health and safety setbacks around oil and gas wells passed by a vote of 42 to 30 through the California Assembly. The bill, AB 345, is now in the Senate. The bill has been read for the first time and has gone on to the Committee on Revenue & Taxation (RLS) for assignment. Unlike many other oil and gas producing states including Texas, Colorado and Pennsylvania, supposedly ‘green’ California has currently no health and safety zones around oil and gas drilling operations. For example, the state of Texas requires fracking operations to maintain 250 foot setbacks. This is by no means adequate for health and safety protections, but it is better than California that has zero required setbacks now. In addition, the City of Dallas mandates 1500 foot setbacks around oil and gas wells.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Leading Health Journal Divests From Fossil Fuels, Will Refuse Fossil Fuel Papers and Ads: “While deniers are busy trying to sell the lie that carbon pollution is good for the planet and the people on it, actual health experts have a decidedly different view. Yesterday, England’s National Health Service announced several new initiatives to address climate change by eliminating its fossil fuel emissions by 2050. In explaining the new campaign, NHS head Sir Simon Stevens said that ‘with almost 700 people dying potentially avoidable deaths due to air pollution every week, we are facing a health emergency as well as a climate emergency.’ Last week, the British Medical Journal took its own approach with an editorial announcing that the prestigious 180 year old institution is launching a divestment campaign aimed at getting the healthcare industry to divest itself from the fossil fuel industry (here’s a link to sign up!).”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—State-Level Climate Action Starting to Spook Nat Gas Industry: “Yesterday, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced an energy plan to get the state carbon neutral by 2050. While there is some uncertainty as to whether or not the plan would require the state to close down natural-gas fired power plants or merely offset the emissions, it’s certainly not welcome news for the gas industry, who is facing outright bans on its products in various cities. The industry is certainly feeling the heat, as evidenced by Tom DiChristopher’s reporting in SPGlobal. At a recent industry event, the American Gas Association discussed how it intends to fight back on these bans, as well as the threat posed by the Green New Deal. Apparently the industry was caught off-guard by the bans in cities in California, Massachusetts and Washington, and Gov Cuomo’s pipeline moratorium in New York, but is now in the ‘mobilization phase,’ recruiting groups to fight on their behalf at the local level.”
Renewables, Efficiency, Energy Storage & Conservation
Mokurai writes—Renewable Monday: Austrian Conservatives Go Green: “An unlikely-sounding coalition of a Conservative Party and a Green Party has come into office in Austria, and is shaking things up with bold plans to go to 100% renewable electricity by 2030, and complete carbon-neutrality by 2040. Next we can ask what they plan to do about going carbon-negative. These are not your grandfather's Conservatives, like Austrian economist F. A. Hayek in The Road to Serfdom, predicting that the British National Health would lead inevitably to Stalinism. Now why can't we have some Conservatives like this in the US? Austria to have 1 million solar roofs by 2030—Forbes. Austria’s new government has promised a 1 million photovoltaic roofing program as part of its plan to achieve climate neutrality by 2040. The country pledged to source all its electricity supply from renewable sources by 2030.”
Mokurai writes—Renewable Tuesday: What Satellites Can Tell Us about Cities: “More on Cities and Climate Change. Activities going on in cities produce three quarters of all manmade greenhouse gases. Sara's work examines the choices city governments make about climate change, water resources, and waste management, the political and economic factors that shape those choices, and how alternative strategies can gain traction in the complex realm of urban politics. What are the impacts of large urban environments on the global economy, and the local environment? Sara Hughes identifies policies and strategies cities can use to become more sustainable. She is an assistant professor in the political science department at the University of Toronto, where she teaches urban politics and policy making.”
Mokurai writes—Renewable Wednesday: Mo Green Terawatts: “The first terawatt of wind and solar came in 2018. Even before that, the world had a terawatt of hydro. So we are working on our third Green terawatt now, out of about 16 needed worldwide. Bloomberg NEF has predicted that the third will come in 2023. Fourth—How about 2027? Let’s gather some facts. Me: The First Green Terawatt Was the Hardest. Getting to 100% renewable electricity will require trillions of dollars in new, and profitable, investments. The particular numbers in analyst forecasts are all irrelevant, because costs keep falling faster than they can imagine, even with past data in front of them. Also because the main obstacles to moving faster are political, not economic or technical.”
Mokurai writes—Renewable Thursday: The Guardian! No More Oil and Gas Ads! “The Guardian has been steps ahead of any other major news organization in terms of the way it thinks about its coverage of climate change — which it actually now refers to as “climate emergency, crisis, or breakdown” — as an organization. Five years ago, it divested oil, coal, and gas companies from its investment fund, it’s vowed to achieve net zero emissions by 2030 and got certified as a B corporation, and on Wednesday it continued the trend: It announced it will no longer accept advertising from oil or gas companies in any of its properties, digital or print. [...] The Guardian will no longer accept advertising from oil and gas companies, becoming the first major global news organisation to institute an outright ban on taking money from companies that extract fossil fuels. The move, which follows efforts to reduce the company’s carbon footprint and increase reporting on the climate emergency, was announced on Wednesday and will be implemented with immediate effect. The ban will apply to any business primarily involved in extracting fossil fuels, including many of the world’s largest polluters.”
Mokurai writes—Renewable Friday: U.S. Energy Information Administration Embraces Reality, Some: “The EIA is infamous for its absurdly conservative projections for the growth of renewable energy. This year, in complete contradiction to every thing else going on in the Trump Maladministration, the EIA has begun to get with the program, and is now telling us when renewables will overtake natural gas in the US grid. They are still wrong, but far less wrong than before. Renewables Set to Overtake Natural Gas in US Power Mix, EIA Says—GreenTechMedia. Last year in its Annual Energy Outlook, the EIA put natural gas at 39 percent of the power mix in 2050 under its base-case scenario, far outpacing renewables at 31 percent. Fast forward to the 2020 Annual Energy Outlook, released Wednesday, and that prediction has been turned on its head: Renewables are now forecast to account for 38 percent of electricity in 2050 (up from 19 percent today), while natural gas will see its share drop to 36 percent (from 37 percent today). It's all nonsense, of course. We will be at more than 100% renewable electricity in 2050, with the surplus being absorbed in a variety of industrial processes such as generating hydrogen, or perhaps turning waste into graphene.”
FORESTS, NATIONAL PARKS & OTHER PUBLIC LANDS
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—New Emails Show Trump Admin Exploited Wildfires to Help Logging Industry: “Earlier this month we discussed how during Australia’s devastating fires, conservatives tried to claim that it was green party forest management policies that were to blame. That is, of course, wrong. It throws us back to 2018 in the US, when Secretary Ryan Zinke and others wrongly blamed environmentalists for California's wildfires and Trump wrongly blamed a lack of raking. Now, new emails obtained by The Guardian show that messaging around forest management in 2018 was more than just a way to pin the blame on California and deny climate change. Like most other actions taken by this administration, it also helped prop up industry profits by embracing the industry’s propaganda. According to The Guardian, a week after the Camp Fire raged through Paradise, CA, James Reilly, the US Geological Survey director, asked scientists to ‘gin up an estimate’ on how much carbon emissions the Camp and Woolsey fires had produced because it ‘would make a decent sound bite’ for Secretary Zinke to use.”
REGULATIONS & PROTECTION
xrepub writes—Support EPA Workers: “The EPA has been getting hammered by the Trump Administration. There ARE people working there that want to do their jobs. Political appointees seem to have a very different idea of what the agency should be doing—or rather NOT doing. ‘In light of the attacks by the Administration, EPA employees around the country are joining together to articulate a bold new vision for an EPA Workers’ Bill of Rights that embraces science, bolsters working conditions, and delivers a fair contract that ensures EPA workers are able to carry out the agency's mission to protect public health and tackle climate change. We employees at EPA have committed our careers to protecting human health and the environment. Our fight for a fair contract is a fight to continue our mission to protect all Americans and preserve the soul of the EPA.’ Please check out the AFGE (American Federation of Government Employees AFL-CIO) EPA employees’ petition at the link below. www.protectepa.org/…”
Meteor Blades writes—Trump's EPA reworking agreements mandating upgrades in cities now dumping raw sewage into waterways: “Polluters, extractors, power-plant owners, corporate farmers, and land developers have good reason to be happy with the Trump regime. Since arriving in office three years ago, Donald Trump has rolled back 95 environmental rules. Or tried to. Many of these remain in litigation. Just a week ago, the White House announced that it would roll back protection for half the nation’s wetlands, which will spark more lawsuits. But even if some of those rollbacks are reversed, the wreckage is obvious, from the Obama-era Clean Power Plan to elimination of a Carter-era policy protecting migratory birds. If Trump could, he’d probably erase Richard Nixon’s 50-year-old signature on the National Environmental Policy Act. Now, Christopher Flavelle at The New York Times reports that the Environmental Protection Agency is allowing cities to keep dumping raw sewage into waterways by approving delays in fixing their antiquated sewage systems, some of which date to the late 1800s. The problem is most acute for older cities in the Northeast and Midwest that use systems that combine sewage and rainwater run-off during storms. Normally, the two flow into a treatment plant. But an intense storm can swamp the system, and that means the sewage winds up tainting surface water. Climate change is already intensifying storms, and scientists tell us this is going to worsen over time.”
TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE
xaxnar writes—Interesting Rail News from Germany, England, and India. Then There's America...”A 42 MW solar park is being built in eastern Germany to help power rail lines. German rail operator Deutsche Bahn and solar project developer Enerparc have signed a contract for construction of a 42 MW solar power plant in Wasbek, in Schleswig-Holstein, eastern Germany. The solar power generated will be fed directly into Deutsche Bahn’s 16.7 Hz rail network via a converter plant in Neumünster. Enerparc told pv magazine the solar plant is expected to generate around 38 GWh of electricity per year.”
Mokurai writes—EV Tuesday: Solar-Powered Trash-Collecting Barges: “The Ocean Cleanup has developed the first scalable solution to efficiently intercept plastic in rivers before it reaches the oceans. By placing Interceptors in 1000 strategic locations in rivers around the world, we aim to halt 80% of plastic from entering the oceans in five years’ time. Our aim is to remove 90 % of floating ocean plastic, which requires global initiative. With the help and support of individuals, corporations and governments all over the world, we aim to realize the mission and work towards a future where plastic no longer pollutes our oceans.”
xaxnar writes—Autonomous Electric Cars Will Not Save The Planet All By Themselves: “I’ve been having an interesting go-around with several people who have taken the position that there’s no need to have rail transit in their community because soon everyone will have access to self-driving electric cars that show up on demand, and they’ll be smart enough to eliminate traffic congestion. (Not said directly, but what I’m reading between the lines is A) they don’t want to spend the money to invest in the rail corridor because they won’t use it, and B) they want to believe in the autonomous cars because it won’t force them to make any changes in their lifestyle. Also, at least one of them has a direct interest in this and is a true believer. And C)—they just think it’s a bad idea.) They have an existing rail line; current plans for it include restoring the line to serve for transit purposes, along with construction of a parallel trail for biking, walking, etc. This isn’t about entirely new construction— this is about capitalizing on an asset they already have.”
OCEANS, WATER, DROUGHT
Dan Bacher writes—CA Department of Water Resources Cancels Fourth Delta Tunnel Public Negotiating Meeting: “This evening I received an announcement from the Kearns and West Facilitation Team that the public meeting for contract amendments for the Governor Gavin Newsom’s Delta Tunnel scheduled for Wednesday, February 5, 2020 has been cancelled and rescheduled for Wednesday, March 4, 2020 at 10 a.m. Kerns and West is the same facilitation firm that was contracted by the state of California to run the ‘public process’ for the controversial Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative to create ‘marine protected areas’ in California. ‘Public negotiation meetings for the proposed amendments to the SWP water supply contracts are extended into March 2020 and a negotiation meeting is now scheduled for Wednesday, March 4, 2020 at 10:00 a.m, the ‘facilitation team’ wrote.”
AGRICULTURE, FOOD & GARDENING
monkeybrainpolitics writes—Saturday Morning Garden Blogging: When all hope of gardening is gone: “Today's topic is what to do when all hope of gardening is lost. Actually, it's about planning and preparing for gardening when there's snow on the ground or winter temperatures and weather just refuse to let you do much of anything outside. Sometimes winter does feel rather Dantean as another circle of cold hell opens up and hopes of spring falter beneath yet another snowfall and temperature drop. Since that happens pretty much every year in most parts of the US and Canada, this should be a topic almost everyone can identify with and contribute to. For example. The lead photo was my situation last weekend up in the Pacific Northwest near Canada. Even the greenhouse was covered in snow. That's mainly because I've been waiting (since October!) for electricians to show up and wire it so I can install an aquaponics system. They finally started wiring it just before this was published. We're in one of the fastest growing counties in the US and demand for electricians and plumbers is off the charts, so getting one that's qualified to do a small but complex job has been challenging. The aquaponics system uses fish waste (urine primarily) to fertilize plants while the plants purify the water which then returns to the fish tanks. Since the water is heated, it will in turn help heat the greenhouse when the sun is down or, as in this case, hiding behind snow clouds.”
MISCELLANY
Pretiare writes—Ode to the Earth telling us “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet!”: Response: Perpetuate Ecosynthesis: “In the face of enormous changes in our ecological niches, we will move as if trying to attune to a wild and crazy lover. Nature has its cold-hearted unnerving side, and mankind has developed means of coping with this aspect of our existence. Some of which were superstitions, and now science. It is not a system that guarantees our survival. But with the mechanism of emergence of novelty as a prime feature of Nature we have limited abilities to predict our future. Our future has grown even less predictable as the Earth has heated up far faster than our initial predictions. What pieces can we pull together to maintain some sanity and joy in being alive? We must include the acceptance of destruction of even that which we hold very dear, and with our suffering persist in pushing the edges of our survivability and the survivability of other life forms. What has kept things a bit lighter for me is realizing that microbes are the most prevalent and persistent life forms on Earth, and I am mostly microbes. Ok self-microbes, how do I keep you alive and well? ”
mettle fatigue writes—"2020 could be the year of legislative boom – or bust – for national recycling policy": “An influx of legislation in Congress aims to tackle problems facing the recycling industry amid rising public attention. The bills range widely in both their industry backers and odds of success. Fueled by international policy decisions, growing pressure on already-strained municipal budgets, and subsequent media coverage, recycling has inspired serious scrutiny and concern in recent years. While prominent members of the industry have pushed back against claims the sector has failed, many in the regulation-averse space have nonetheless called for assistance from the government. This year, they may get their wish—or regret asking to begin with. Four notable bills are migrating through Congress, with at least one more set to be introduced in coming weeks. That legislation targets the root problems facing recycling, from education to infrastructure to the supply chain. Some bills have strong industry support, while others have drawn ongoing opposition.”
TDGoddard writes—Some Good News About Banning Plastic Bags: “In a few weeks, New York will join a handful of other states to ban these single-use plastic menaces. With the plastic ban just around the corner, chatter has intensified about plastic bags, plastic pollution, and single-use disposables. Here are some excellent resources from Green That Life to help you answer these questions: • Are plastic bag bans the solution to our plastic problem? • How to pass a plastic bag ban? • Your top 7 questions about plastic bag bans And don’t forget: • Plastic straws are a problem too!”
Marissa Higgins writes—South Dakota bill to stop cities from banning plastic bags, straws, and packaging advances: “South Dakota has made recent headlines, including here at Daily Kos, because of a looming anti-trans bill that would make it a misdemeanor for physicians to provide puberty blockers and gender-affirming surgeries to transgender people under 16. Now, the state is moving forward with another upsetting bill, Senate Bill 54, but this time, it impacts the environment. Though cities and states across the nation are banning single-use plastics, some legislators in South Dakota want to essentially ban bans on plastic packages, straws, and containers in the entire state, as reported by CNN. ‘Every time I think about a plastic coffee can getting thrown in the river, it doesn't bother me at all because it sinks to the bottom and it's habitat for bait fish, it's habitat for crayfish,’ Republican state Sen. Jeff Monroe said in the hearing on Jan. 28, as reported by Dakota Radio Group.”