[MCN] A fairly broad sampling of climate and related trends both reassuring and scary

Sun May 2 10:56:19 EDT 2021

Economists: A US carbon tax would be progressive  <https://news.google.com/articles/CBMiZWh0dHBzOi8vdGhlaGlsbC5jb20vb3Bpbmlvbi9lbmVyZ3ktZW52aXJvbm1lbnQvNTUwNjkxLWVjb25vbWlzdHMtYS11cy1jYXJib24tdGF4LXdvdWxkLWJlLXByb2dyZXNzaXZl0gFpaHR0cHM6Ly90aGVoaWxsLmNvbS9vcGluaW9uL2VuZXJneS1lbnZpcm9ubWVudC81NTA2OTEtZWNvbm9taXN0cy1hLXVzLWNhcmJvbi10YXgtd291bGQtYmUtcHJvZ3Jlc3NpdmU_YW1w?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen>
Our own research finds that a carbon tax is inherently progressive, narrowing the income gap between rich and poor households.
The Hill

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A simple chart : Greenhouse-gas emissions are set to rise fast in 2021

https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/04/20/greenhouse-gas-emissions-are-set-to-rise-fast-in-2021 <https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/04/20/greenhouse-gas-emissions-are-set-to-rise-fast-in-2021>

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Warren Buffett doesn't want to disclose his companies' climate risks <https://news.google.com/articles/CBMiY2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmVuZXJneWFuZHBvbGljeS5vcmcvd2FycmVuLWJ1ZmZldHQtZG9lc250LXdhbnQtdG8tZGlzY2xvc2UtaGlzLWNvbXBhbmllcy1jbGltYXRlLXJpc2tzL9IBAA?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen>
Berkshire Hathaway directors oppose disclosing the company's climate risks, even as its subsidiaries remain heavily invested in fossil fuels.
Energy and Policy Institute
7 days ago

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Utah's drought leads to decrease in 2021 deer hunt permits <https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://www.standard.net/news/state/utah-s-drought-leads-to-decrease-in-2021-deer-hunt-permits/article_c66105ec-cc3a-59e6-92eb-96f7006329c5.html&ct=ga&cd=CAEYCSoTMTQwMzcxMzUyNjY5NDkwODU4MTIaZWMxMjU3OTU5ZWQ4MTFiYTpjb206ZW46VVM&usg=AFQjCNGaxJRVCBo9KWlQC_QCMR2pnMjaPQ>
Standard-Examiner
“In Utah, we have the longest range-trend study in the Western U.S., and we've seen that having suitable habitat is crucial for maintaining or growing ...

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Prolonged exposure to extreme heat and humidity increases risk of acute kidney injury <https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-04-prolonged-exposure-extreme-humidity-acute.html&ct=ga&cd=CAEYAioTNjc4MDI2ODQ3NzA0Njk2MTAwMDIaYWJkMGVmMWVmZTRkNWE4NTpjb206ZW46VVM&usg=AFQjCNFcfKZUKon1nHe_BbSW4CPKUNHZYg>
Medical Xpress
Exposure to extreme heat (95 degrees Fahrenheit and above) and humidity for eight hours raises the core body temperature and causes dehydration, ...

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Canada's main opposition party switches climate change policy, backs carbon pricing <https://news.google.com/articles/CBMigQFodHRwczovL3d3dy5yZXV0ZXJzLmNvbS93b3JsZC9hbWVyaWNhcy9jYW5hZGFzLW1haW4tb3Bwb3NpdGlvbi1wYXJ0eS1jaGFuZ2VzLWNsaW1hdGUtY2hhbmdlLXRhY2stYmFja3MtY2FyYm9uLXByaWNpbmctMjAyMS0wNC0xNS_SAQA?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen>
Canada's opposition Conservative Party on Thursday dropped its resistance to carbon pricing and adopted the fee on emissions and fuels as part of its own ...
Reuters

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News Release 30-Apr-2021 <https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/uou-wst043021.php>
Wildfire smoke trends worsening for Western US <https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/uou-wst043021.php>

New research from the University of Utah ties the worsening trend of extreme poor air quality events in Western regions to wildfire activity, with growing trends of smoke impacting air quality clear into September. <https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/uou-wst043021.php>
JOURNAL <https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/uou-wst043021.php>
Environmental Research Letters <https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/uou-wst043021.php>
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/uou-wst043021.php <https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/uou-wst043021.php>

OPEN ACCESS pdf
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/abf966/pdf <https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/abf966/pdf>

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British carbon tax leads to 93% drop in coal-fired electricity <https://news.google.com/articles/CAIiEEnRJBbFgTX-a-EqTjhHDyAqGAgEKg8IACoHCAowpbDpAzCm_hww3uXGBg?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen>
A tax on carbon dioxide emissions in Great Britain, introduced in 2013, has led to the proportion of electricity generated from coal falling from 40% to 3%  ...
Phys.org <https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMKWw6QMwpv4c?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen>
5 hours ago

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White House Launches Drought Relief Working Group to Address Urgency of Western Water Crisis

Interagency effort will coordinate resources across the federal government to bring immediate relief to irrigators, Tribes, and western communities

WASHINGTON, April 21, 2021 – The Biden-Harris administration today announced the formation of an Interagency Working Group to address worsening drought conditions in the West and support farmers, Tribes, and communities impacted by ongoing water shortages. The Working Group will be co-chaired by the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture to build upon existing resources to help coordinate across the federal government, working in partnership with state, local, and Tribal governments to address the needs of communities suffering from drought-related impacts. The White House released a readout from today’s National Climate Task Force Meeting <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001EzXBJYPVlYDeKpdCPpY-n-2on9X6H0A650llIpMj1TBH7-LahIramqvKJNrtTKXL8ERJcgXP7NPHZ5EEGl8FLCDFcXikMI0yKtWB8erUI0LeHPHZ3Axh2OgUQ9m7V65-4gZgoggDsrsX2GHaJf1YundSAOdCxZc_Xj-VDtUnl2rlLoV05Gb3ib99XAmKOeYJ_CovYC1-Lf8DRK545GO0zLsBp1rkWE3Yu5AzsUBPr5d9eOlC9zjgcjByKceLo_fOhoHQRoVeF1Z6iDj6oAojxTcJqR38o_tn1YlrGDNemgs=&c=CEIBfh6zOwyu9RCxGm8hc6WJtQs6fs6nmmTyGBdNWz3nf7pwiko8yg==&ch=KDTE7V9_KIFWIooykLcDtqFUMxqJd-n8VxmU8_XEcDZGuEPe75Hxog==> announcing the new Working Group.

“Water is a sacred resource. This Interagency Working Group will deliver a much-needed proactive approach to providing drought assistance to U.S. communities, including efforts to build long-term resiliency to water shortages,” said Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. “We are committed to using every resource available to our bureaus to ensure that Tribes, irrigators and the adjoining communities receive adequate assistance and support.”

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Bloomberg Green Newsletter April 30, 2021
Carbon taxes cut emissions, not jobs

1st 2 paragraphs : It’s easy to poke fun at some economists’ apparent obsession with carbon taxes as the sole climate policy tool. Some appear to revel in making the case that we should tax carbon and only tax carbon. Meanwhile, it’s clear that carbon taxes alone <https://link.mail.bloombergbusiness.com/click/23698812.23807/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmxvb21iZXJnLmNvbS9uZXdzL2FydGljbGVzLzIwMjAtMDItMDYvY2FyYm9uLXRheGVzLWFsb25lLWFyZW4tdC1nb29kLWNsaW1hdGUtcG9saWN5LWdlcm5vdC13YWduZXI_Y21waWQ9QkJEMDQzMDIxX0dSRUVOREFJTFkmdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fc291cmNlPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX3Rlcm09MjEwNDMwJnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1ncmVlbmRhaWx5/58ffbaf7dd4c29967b8b4646Be0f91974> aren’t enough, because more must be done than “just” price the negative emissions externality, and because of politics. Taxing something bad might be objectively good, but “tax” still appears to be a four-letter word in Washington, D.C.

But among all of these arguments, it would be too easy to overlook a simple fact: carbon taxes, done right, work. They cut CO₂ emissions. More surprising still, they might even boost the economy at the same time.

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Historic’ German ruling says climate goals not tough enough <https://news.google.com/articles/CAIiEP64Tjq9C8dtnApJF1pxNt0qFggEKg4IACoGCAowl6p7MN-zCTDlkko?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen>
Germany's supreme constitutional court has ruled that the government's climate protection measures are insufficient to protect future generations, after a ...
The Guardian <https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBggKMJeqezDfswk?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen>
2 hours ago

German High Court Hands Youth a Victory in Climate Change Fight <https://news.google.com/articles/CAIiEKzgB7v94YJBM6qjdWK6LcEqFwgEKg8IACoHCAowjuuKAzCWrzwwt4QY?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen>
BERLIN — Germany's highest court ordered the government to expand a 2019 law aimed at bringing the country's carbon emissions down to nearly zero by ...
The New York Times <https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMI7rigMwlq88?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen>
55 minutes ago

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Published on Friday, April 23, 2021 byCommon Dreams <https://www.commondreams.org/>
Study Reveals Rapid Melting of Glaciers Has Shifted Earth's Axis
byKenny Stancil, staff writer <https://www.commondreams.org/author/kenny-stancil-staff-writer>

 In a study  <https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2020GL092114>published last month in the peer-reviewed journal Geophysical Research Letters, Deng and her co-authors found that changes in terrestrial water storage—particularly the accelerated loss of water stored on land due to melting glaciers—redistributed enough of the world's mass to drive "the rapid polar drift toward the east after the 1990s.”

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NGOs walk out on EU green finance group over forestry, bioenergy rules <https://news.google.com/articles/CBMif2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmV1cmFjdGl2LmNvbS9zZWN0aW9uL2VuZXJneS1lbnZpcm9ubWVudC9uZXdzL25nb3Mtd2Fsay1vdXQtb24tZXUtZ3JlZW4tZmluYW5jZS1ncm91cC1vdmVyLWZvcmVzdHJ5LWJpb2VuZXJneS1ydWxlcy_SAQA?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen>
The WWF and several other NGOs have decided to suspend their participation in the European Commission's Sustainable Finance Platform in protest against ...
EURACTIV
10 hours ago

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Inside Higher Education  April 26, 2021

Universities Must Do More to Address the Climate Emergency
In the face of unprecedented crises, we should be collaborating more with the youth movement to bring about significant and lasting systemic change, Santa Ono and Grace Nosek urge.

Santa Ono is president and vice chancellor of the University of British Columbia and leadership lead of the University Climate Change Coalition. Grace Nosek <https://www.gracenosek.com/> is founder and inaugural student director of the UBC Climate Hub.

https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2021/04/26/universities-should-work-more-youth-movement-combat-climate-change-opinion <https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2021/04/26/universities-should-work-more-youth-movement-combat-climate-change-opinion>

2nd paragraph : At the University of British Columbia, a groundswell of student climate activism in recent years prompted us to join organizations around the world in declaring a global climate emergency and committing to full divestment of investments from the fossil fuel industry. As part of the declaration, a task force of students, together with faculty and staff members, consulted widely with our university community and released a report this winter with a bold vision for our climate emergency response. The recommendations in the report build on UBC’s recognized leadership on sustainability and climate action. The Times Higher Education <https://www.timeshighereducation.com/impactrankings#!/page/0/length/25/sort_by/rank/sort_order/asc/cols/undefined.> University Impact Rankings recently recognized our work in this area, with UBC consistently ranking among the top universities for taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

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Excerpt from Toronto Star : Jacinda Ardern just keeps getting it right. Since being elected as New Zealand’s prime minister almost four years ago, ….. she dares to challenge old truths.

Ardern is probably the first head of a developed country to question the prevailing working assumption among economists and policy-makers that one of the top priorities of governments is to promote economic growth. When she introduced her first “well-being budget” in 2019, its goal was to maximize the sense of well-being of the country’s citizens, not its economic activity.

“Economic growth accompanied by worsening social outcomes is not success. It is failure,” Ardern said.

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2021/05/01/ottawa-could-use-a-leader-like-new-zealands-jacinda-ardern.html <https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2021/05/01/ottawa-could-use-a-leader-like-new-zealands-jacinda-ardern.html>

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France's Macron says without carbon price there can be no energy transition <https://news.google.com/articles/CAIiEFXAcmleWRvXtL-fchqciZYqFggEKg0IACoGCAowt6AMMLAmMLT5lwM?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen>
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday the world needs to factor the environment into the costs of investment and trade and that without that ...

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The Financial Times    April 28, 2021

France vows to change its ‘way of life’ in climate struggle
Environment minister Barbara Pompili says technology is not enough to curb global warming

By Victor Mallet <https://www.ft.com/victor-mallet> and David Keohane <https://www.ft.com/david-keohane> in Paris

Excerpts : Countries that signed the 2015 Paris climate accord must do more than cut carbon dioxide emissions and develop new technologies to combat global warming — and accept the need to change their way of life, France’s environment minister has said. 

France under President Emmanuel Macron has bitter experience of the political costs of trying to persuade citizens to lead more climate-friendly lives — the nationwide gilets jaunes anti-government demonstrations that shook his presidency began in 2018 as a motorists’ protest against rising fuel prices because of a carbon tax.  
“We’ve had social problems,” said Pompili, “but with this law that we are voting on now we are showing that you can continue to reform your economy and transform the country from an ecological point of view while still maintaining essential support for those affected and keeping our social system.”  

She added: “We learn from our mistakes . . . With the law we are walking a fine line, making big changes while keeping it economically and socially acceptable.”

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"No one wanted to pay attention to the implications of a world four degrees warmer… It's too horrendous to think about.  And no one talked about it. 

"Then a few scientists said let's have a conference and actually talk about it. They held this conference in Oxford and I went along. 

"As the conference started, there was a kind of suppressed emotional intensity, except in the coffee breaks. It was then that I would buttonhole a couple of scientists and say: 'Well, you know we're speculating about this. But what do you really think is the situation?' 

“And one of them just looked at me and said: 'We're f--ked.'" — Clive Hamilton 

Paul Kennedy. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Thursday September 07, 2017
http://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/are-we-f-ked-decoding-the-resistance-to-climate-change-1.4277614

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"No one wanted to pay attention to the implications of a world four degrees warmer… It's too horrendous to think about.  And no one talked about it. 

"Then a few scientists said let's have a conference and actually talk about it. They held this conference in Oxford and I went along. 

"As the conference started, there was a kind of suppressed emotional intensity, except in the coffee breaks. It was then that I would buttonhole a couple of scientists and say: 'Well, you know we're speculating about this. But what do you really think is the situation?' And one of them just looked at me and said: 'We're f--ked.'" — Clive Hamilton 

Paul Kennedy. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Thursday September 07, 2017
http://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/are-we-f-ked-decoding-the-resistance-to-climate-change-1.4277614

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