News Roundup
‘Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell, Maui County Mayor Alan Arakawa, Kaua’i County Mayor Bernard P. Carvalho Jr., and Hawaii County Managing Director Wil Okabe, in the place of Mayor Harry Kim, set the target today. By signing the proclamations, the leaders have pledged to transform Hawaii’s public and private ground transportation to 100 percent renewable fuel sources by 2045.’
Source: Hawaii Pledges 100% Renewable Ground Transportation by 2045 | Fleet News Daily
‘In a nutshell, the youth are suing to establish new environmental protections on the basis of intergenerational equity. Their lead lawyer, Julia Olsen, called the lawsuit “this generation’s Brown v. Board of Education.‒
Source: Trump’s lawyers tried (and probably failed) to throw out the kids’ climate lawsuit. | Grist
‘Former president Barack Obama expressed regret at the lack of American leadership in the global push to fight climate change while in Paris on Saturday.’
Source: Obama Is Sad That Trump Has Abandoned U.S. Climate Change Efforts
‘Interactions between rifts in continental plates and the pressure underground from gas and magma build-up can be altered from changes above the ground—including melting glaciers.’
‘…Due to a rapid increase in global temperatures over the past few decades, the decrease in glacier coverage also causes a decrease in pressure on the Earth’s surface.’
Source: Iceland’s Frozen Volcanoes Are Waking Up—And Climate Change May be to Blame
‘…Higgins, 65, a retired technology worker for the state of Oregon, said before the trial he wanted to present a “necessity defense” and argue that his act of civil disobedience was necessary because climate change is an emergency that cannot be ignored.’
Source: Climate activist convicted after pipeline protest in Montana
‘German Chancellor Angela Merkel says every country needs to pitch in to keep global temperatures from rising.’
Source: The Latest: Merkel calls for all to fight climate change – ABC News
‘The opening of the conference (COP23, 6- 17 November) takes place against this year’s background of destructive hurricanes, fires, floods, droughts, melting ice and impacts on agriculture which threaten food security.’
COP23, like others, began with some inspirational messaging in the form of a music video,
‘…And Bonn schools are on board, including the school children who sang along with artist Bernadette La Hengst in the COP23 song “I’m an Islandâ€, a contribution to the conference by Theater Bonn Save the World Festival led by Nicola Bramkamp with the help of Germany’s Development Ministry.’
Source: COP23 Kicks Off with Strong Calls to Hold to Paris Agreement Path
‘…The sheer number of deniers now occupying top positions across the government makes clear that climate denial, whether explicit or implicit, is a job requirement in the Trump administration—and one that’s valued more highly than having the knowledge and experience required for the position.’
Source: The Trump Administration Is Teeming With Climate-Change Deniers – Mother Jones
‘…Heat waves are striking more people, disease-carrying mosquitoes are spreading and weather disasters are becoming more common, the authors note in the report published Monday by the British medical journal the Lancet. Climate change is a “threat multiplier,” they write, and its blows hit hardest in the most vulnerable communities, where people are suffering from poverty, water scarcity, inadequate housing or other crises.’
‘A new generation of see-through solar cell technology could soon be used to harvest the massive energy potential of building and car windows, cell phones as well as other objects with a transparent surface.’
Source: Transparent Solar Panels Could Harvest Energy From Windows and Eventually Replace Fossil Fuels