News: Archive for September, 2018
‘…Unfortunately, many of us have been unable to alter the climate avoidance habits we’ve fallen into. We have developed what Charles Duhigg calls a habit loop. For climate change it goes something like this: Climate change>It’s too big>I can’t do anything about it>I’m not going to talk/think about it. By avoiding the topic, we avoid the anxiety. ‘
Source:Â How Can We Avoid Climate Avoidance? | Scientific American
‘Global – This weekend people are joining over 820 actions in 91 countries under the banner of Rise for Climate to demonstrate the urgency of the climate crisis. Communities around the world will shine a spotlight on the increasing impacts they are experiencing and demand local action to keep fossil fuels in the ground. There will be hundreds of creative events and actions that challenge fossil fuels and call for a swift and just transition to 100% renewable energy for all.’
‘Tens of thousands of people will take to the streets in the city of San Francisco in the largest climate march the West Coast has ever seen that will also include the largest ever street mural.’
Source: riseforclimate.org
‘…While fossil fuel divestment is an important part of the fight against climate chaos, it can also lead to better returns for investors: an analysis conducted by MSCI between 2010 and 2017 found those investors who discarded holdings in fossil fuel companies would have outperformed those who remained invested in coal, oil, and gas over the same period. A separate study by the Aperio Group in 2016 found that over rolling 10-year periods, carbon-free portfolios outperformed their benchmarks 68% of the time. ‘
Source:Â The Retirement Investments for a Sustainable Economy (RISE) Act | Jeff Merkley
‘…Many wealthy countries have effectively “outsourced†a big chunk of their carbon pollution overseas, by importing more steel, cement and other goods from factories in China and other places, rather than producing it domestically.’
‘Europe’s fourth-biggest greenhouse gas polluter has given a boost to offshore wind power plans in the Baltic Sea. After its pro-coal rhetoric tarnished the Polish government’s good name, Warsaw is looking to green up.’
‘A dam collapsed in Myanmar’s central Bago region Wednesday following heavy monsoon rains, displacing tens of thousands and killing at least four, as AFP reported that ministry officials confirmed Friday.’
Source:Â 63,000 Flee Deadly Myanmar Dam Collapse | ecowatch.com
‘Sea surface temperatures in the vast Gulf of Maine hit a near-record high of 68.93 degrees Fahrenheit on Aug. 8, part of what scientists called a month-long “marine heat wave†in the normally chilly waters that are home to everything from lobsters to whales.’
Source: An ocean ‘heat wave’ just drove temperatures off Maine to near-record highs | The Washington Post
‘Mexico’s president-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he will end the use of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, once he enters office on Dec. 1.’
Source:Â Newly Elected President of Mexico to Ban Fracking | ecowatch.com
‘…In the 151-page ruling, the court denied Chevron’s claim of violation of constitutional rights. Chevron will now have to pay $9.5 billion for the repair and remediation of social and environmental damage that – according to audits and expert reports – were a result of oil company operations in the Amazonian provinces of SucumbÃos and Orellana.’
Source:Â Chevron must pay for environmental damage in Ecuador, court rules | Mongabay.com
‘PORT ARTHUR, Texas — As the nation plans new defenses against the more powerful storms and higher tides expected from climate change, one project stands out: an ambitious proposal to build a nearly 60-mile “spine” of concrete seawalls, earthen barriers, floating gates and steel levees on the Texas Gulf Coast.’