Climate Change News part.1
Zoologists say dead whale full of plastic bags
Feb 5, 2017
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norwegian zoologists have found about 30 plastic bags and other plastic waste in the stomach of a beaked whale that had beached on a southwestern Norway coast. The visibly sick, 2-ton goose-beaked whale was euthanized, Terje Lislevand of Bergen University said Friday."The (whale's) stomach was full of plastic," Lislevand said, adding that its intestine "had no food, only some remnants of a squid's head in addition to a thin fat layer." Lislevand says the non-biodegradable waste was "probably the reason" why the male whale repeatedly beached last Saturday in shallow waters off Sotra, an island west of Bergen, 200 kilometers (125 miles) northwest of the capital of Oslo. It size — about 6 meters (20 feet) — showed the whale was an adult. The U.N. estimates that 8 million tons of plastic trash are dumped into the world's oceans each year, he said.
www.yakimaherald.com/news/world_news/zoologists-say-dead-whale-full-of-plastic-bags/article
www.yakimaherald.com/news/world_news/zoologists-say-dead-whale-full-of-plastic-bags/article
PLASTIC NOW POLLUTES EVERY CORNER OF EARTH
January 25
January 25
“The unprecedented plastic waste tide plaguing our oceans and shores, can become as limited as our chosen relationship with plastics, which involves a dramatic behavioral change on our part…”
Captions and Photo: © SAF — Coastal Care
Excerpts;
Humans have made enough plastic since the second world war to coat the Earth entirely in clingfilm, an international study has revealed. This ability to plaster the planet in plastic is alarming, say scientists – for it confirms that human activities are now having a pernicious impact on our world…
Read Full Article, Guardian UK
Here’s How Much Plastic Ends Up In the World’s Oceans,The Time (02-13-2015)
Every year, 8 million metric tons of plastic end up in our oceans, it’s equivalent to five grocery bags filled with plastic for every foot of coastline…
More plastic than fish in the sea by 2050, Guardian UK (01-19-2016)
One refuse truck’s-worth of plastic is dumped into the sea every minute, and the situation is getting worse.
The Ocean Is Contaminated by Trillions More Pieces of Plastic Than Thought, IOP Science (12-08-2015)
Biodegradable Plastics Are Not the Answer to Reducing Marine Litter, UN News Center (11-23-2015)
To clean up ocean plastics, increase focus on coasts, Science Daily (01-19-2016)
Plastic Pollution, Coastal Care
http://coastalcare.org/2016/01/plastic-now-pollutes-every-corner-of-earth
Captions and Photo: © SAF — Coastal Care
Excerpts;
Humans have made enough plastic since the second world war to coat the Earth entirely in clingfilm, an international study has revealed. This ability to plaster the planet in plastic is alarming, say scientists – for it confirms that human activities are now having a pernicious impact on our world…
Read Full Article, Guardian UK
Here’s How Much Plastic Ends Up In the World’s Oceans,The Time (02-13-2015)
Every year, 8 million metric tons of plastic end up in our oceans, it’s equivalent to five grocery bags filled with plastic for every foot of coastline…
More plastic than fish in the sea by 2050, Guardian UK (01-19-2016)
One refuse truck’s-worth of plastic is dumped into the sea every minute, and the situation is getting worse.
The Ocean Is Contaminated by Trillions More Pieces of Plastic Than Thought, IOP Science (12-08-2015)
Biodegradable Plastics Are Not the Answer to Reducing Marine Litter, UN News Center (11-23-2015)
To clean up ocean plastics, increase focus on coasts, Science Daily (01-19-2016)
Plastic Pollution, Coastal Care
http://coastalcare.org/2016/01/plastic-now-pollutes-every-corner-of-earth
Time to act on water scarcity
Published on 20 Jan 2017 from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Millions of family farmers in developing countries already suffer from lack of access to freshwater. © FAO
FAO Director-General calls for better water management and improved access for small farmers 20 January 2017, Berlin- Growing water scarcity is now one of the leading challenges for sustainable development, and that challenge is poised to intensify as the world's population continues to swell and climate change intensifies, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva warned today. Competition for water will intensify as humanity's numbers exceed 9 billion people around 2050 — already, millions of family farmers in developing countries suffer from lack of access to freshwater, while conflicts over water resources already surpass those tied to land disputes in some regions, he noted in remarks made at the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (19-21 January) in Berlin. Additionally, climate change is already altering hydrological regimes everywhere, Graziano da Silva said, citing estimates that around one billion people in dry regions may face increasing water scarcity in the near future. These are regions with a high concentration of extreme poverty and hunger.
Agriculture is both a major cause and casualty of water scarcity. Farming accounts for around 70 percent of fresh water withdrawals in the world today, and also contributes to water pollution due to pesticides and chemicals. To tackle these challenges, the international community created a standalone sustainable development goal (SDG) on water and wove better management of this key natural resource throughout the entire architecture of the SDGs, Graziano da Silva said. Improved water matter is particularly important to the SDGs related to extreme poverty, hunger and malnutrition, and climate change, he added. "Agriculture and food systems bring all of these global goals together and provide opportunities for a transformational change," he said. The FAO Director-General urged listeners to rise to the food security challenges posed by water scarcity on two fronts: first, promoting ways to both use less water and use it more efficiently, and secondly, by taking steps to secure access to water — especially for poor family farmers. Doing so will not prevent a drought from occurring, he said, but it can help in preventing droughts from resulting in famine and socioeconomic disruption.
Graziano da Silva also said that cutting back on food waste has an important role to play in using water more wisely.
Each year, one-third of the food we produce is either lost or wasted — that translates into a volume of agriculture water wasted equal to around three times the volume of Lake Geneva, he said.
A global framework for action
At the last UN Climate Change Conference FAO launched a global framework for coping with water scarcity in agriculture to support such efforts, Graziano da Silva added. The framework seeks to support the development and implementation of policies and programmes for the sustainable use of water in agriculture and encourage cooperation among different stakeholders, including civil society, the private sector, financing institutions and development organizations. "It is time to act. Improved management of natural resources translates into better livelihoods now and in the future," the FAO Director-General urged.
About the GFFA
The Global Forum for Food and Agriculture, organized by the German Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture (BMEL) takes place every year, bringing together high-level decision makers, technical experts, researchers and farmers to discuss pressing issues affecting agriculture worldwide. The Forum's theme this year is "Agriculture and Water - Key to Feeding the World." An organizing partner of the event, FAO is taking the lead on a number of events at the Forum.
Water and your food, by the numbers
FAO projects that irrigated food production will increase by more than 50 percent by 2050, but the amount of water withdrawn by agriculture can increase by only 10 percent, provided that irrigation practices are improved and yields increase. The world contains an estimated 1 400 million cubic km of water. But only 0.003% of this amount, about 45 000 cubic km, are "fresh water resources" that can be used for drinking, hygiene, agriculture and industry. Not all of this water is accessible because part of it flows into remote rivers during seasonal floods. It takes between one and three tonnes of water to grow one kg of cereal. A kilogram of beef takes up to 15 tonnes of water to produce. FAO estimates that between 2,000 and 5 000 litres of water are needed to produce a person's daily food.
Contact
George Kourous
FAO Media Relations (Rome)
(+39) 06 570 53168
[email protected]
FAO Media Relations Office
(+39) 06 570 53625
[email protected]
http://reliefweb.int/report/world/time-act-water-scarcity
FAO Director-General calls for better water management and improved access for small farmers 20 January 2017, Berlin- Growing water scarcity is now one of the leading challenges for sustainable development, and that challenge is poised to intensify as the world's population continues to swell and climate change intensifies, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva warned today. Competition for water will intensify as humanity's numbers exceed 9 billion people around 2050 — already, millions of family farmers in developing countries suffer from lack of access to freshwater, while conflicts over water resources already surpass those tied to land disputes in some regions, he noted in remarks made at the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (19-21 January) in Berlin. Additionally, climate change is already altering hydrological regimes everywhere, Graziano da Silva said, citing estimates that around one billion people in dry regions may face increasing water scarcity in the near future. These are regions with a high concentration of extreme poverty and hunger.
Agriculture is both a major cause and casualty of water scarcity. Farming accounts for around 70 percent of fresh water withdrawals in the world today, and also contributes to water pollution due to pesticides and chemicals. To tackle these challenges, the international community created a standalone sustainable development goal (SDG) on water and wove better management of this key natural resource throughout the entire architecture of the SDGs, Graziano da Silva said. Improved water matter is particularly important to the SDGs related to extreme poverty, hunger and malnutrition, and climate change, he added. "Agriculture and food systems bring all of these global goals together and provide opportunities for a transformational change," he said. The FAO Director-General urged listeners to rise to the food security challenges posed by water scarcity on two fronts: first, promoting ways to both use less water and use it more efficiently, and secondly, by taking steps to secure access to water — especially for poor family farmers. Doing so will not prevent a drought from occurring, he said, but it can help in preventing droughts from resulting in famine and socioeconomic disruption.
Graziano da Silva also said that cutting back on food waste has an important role to play in using water more wisely.
Each year, one-third of the food we produce is either lost or wasted — that translates into a volume of agriculture water wasted equal to around three times the volume of Lake Geneva, he said.
A global framework for action
At the last UN Climate Change Conference FAO launched a global framework for coping with water scarcity in agriculture to support such efforts, Graziano da Silva added. The framework seeks to support the development and implementation of policies and programmes for the sustainable use of water in agriculture and encourage cooperation among different stakeholders, including civil society, the private sector, financing institutions and development organizations. "It is time to act. Improved management of natural resources translates into better livelihoods now and in the future," the FAO Director-General urged.
About the GFFA
The Global Forum for Food and Agriculture, organized by the German Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture (BMEL) takes place every year, bringing together high-level decision makers, technical experts, researchers and farmers to discuss pressing issues affecting agriculture worldwide. The Forum's theme this year is "Agriculture and Water - Key to Feeding the World." An organizing partner of the event, FAO is taking the lead on a number of events at the Forum.
Water and your food, by the numbers
FAO projects that irrigated food production will increase by more than 50 percent by 2050, but the amount of water withdrawn by agriculture can increase by only 10 percent, provided that irrigation practices are improved and yields increase. The world contains an estimated 1 400 million cubic km of water. But only 0.003% of this amount, about 45 000 cubic km, are "fresh water resources" that can be used for drinking, hygiene, agriculture and industry. Not all of this water is accessible because part of it flows into remote rivers during seasonal floods. It takes between one and three tonnes of water to grow one kg of cereal. A kilogram of beef takes up to 15 tonnes of water to produce. FAO estimates that between 2,000 and 5 000 litres of water are needed to produce a person's daily food.
Contact
George Kourous
FAO Media Relations (Rome)
(+39) 06 570 53168
[email protected]
FAO Media Relations Office
(+39) 06 570 53625
[email protected]
http://reliefweb.int/report/world/time-act-water-scarcity
|
|
Europe freeze brings deaths, power outages and closures
January 09, 2017
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Heavy snow and frigid temperatures have gripped large parts of Europe, leading to dozens of deaths, freezing rivers, the grounding of planes and traffic accidents:
ALBANIA
Frigid weather has caused at least four deaths in the last three days In Albania. Snow stopped falling on Monday, but freezing temperatures continue to engulf the whole country.A 52-year old Albanian man on Monday died in the town of Golem,
80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Tirana. On Sunday, a 53-year old street beggar was found dead in the city of Sarande south of the capital Tirana. A day earlier, another 38-year old homeless person was found dead in the port city of Durres west of the capital. A 62 year old man died after sliding from a roof where he was trying to remove ice. Scores of villages mainly in the north and northeast have been isolated and power and water cuts have been introduced, including the capital. The health and education ministry decided to keep classes suspended for students.
BULGARIA
The situation in northeastern Bulgaria remains critical with heavy snow drifts on the roads, freezing temperatures and power outages that have affected some 2,000 households. Emergency teams trying to clear the roads to remote villages were hindered by strong winds. Authorities issued a Yellow Code alert for low temperatures across Bulgaria on Monday.
The cold spell was expected to continue until the end of the week. Schools across the country remained closed on Monday.
CROATIA
Freezing temperatures and strong winds have created havoc along Croatia's Adriatic coast, which isn't used to such cold winters. Even the sea froze in shallow bays, trapping fishermen's boats to the amazement of locals who haven't seen anything like this in decades. The temperatures in Croatia's tourist centers of Dubrovnik and Split dropped to -7 C (19 F) and strong winds blew off ancient pine and olive trees on the coast. Ferries and planes were grounded, and traffic over bridges banned. Water pipes, which are dug just below the surface as is the case in warm climates, have frozen, leaving thousands without running water as authorities tried to figure out ways to cope.
THE CZECH REPUBLIC
According to Czech public radio on Monday, six people are believed to have died of exposure during the latest cold snap, including in the capital, Prague. Meteorologists forecast freezing temperatures to continue in the coming days.
GREECE
Swathes of Greece have been covered by snow, including several islands, some of which have seen more than a meter (more than three feet) of snow. Temperatures in some parts of northern Greece have plunged to as low as -18 C (0 F). A state of emergency was declared in the municipality of Kymi on the island of Evia, Greece's second largest island after Crete, where the snow in some areas reached two meters (6.5 feet), leading to cuts to electricity and water supplies. The small eastern Aegean island of Oinousses reported severe problems from the heavy snowfall, with the local mayor telling Greek media the island had been without landline telephone connections for four days. On the island of Lesbos, drivers needed snow chains to drive just outside the main port town of Mytilene, while heavy snowfall also hit Chios and parts of the southern island of Crete, from where some flights to Athens were cancelled. Chios and Lesbos are home to thousands of refugees, many living in precarious conditions in severely overcrowded camps. Many are still living in tents despite the severe weather. Rights groups have slammed the conditions and called on the Greek government to act quickly to reduce overcrowding.
ITALY
Schools were closed in a handful of southern Italy cities not accustomed to such heavy snowfall. Individual schools also closed in Rome and Bologna because heaters weren't working, news reports said. The sub-freezing temperatures have been blamed for the deaths of at least eight people and have disrupted road, rail, air and ferry travel.
KOSOVO
In Kosovo, snow continued to blanket the whole country and left many areas without power. Police blamed the weather for the death Monday of an ethnic Albanian man whose body was found on a forest road. Though all national roads were open, police advised careful driving and low speeds. Rural roads are either blocked or hard to drive. Power has been cut in many areas around the country.
POLAND
The government says 10 people died in the cold Sunday as Poland has been gripped by low temperatures. The deaths bring to 65 the number of weather-related fatalities since Nov. 1, when temperatures started falling to freezing, especially at night.
The spokeswoman for the Government Center for Security, Anna Adamkiewicz, said Monday that the latest deaths occurred across the country, either outdoors or in unheated summer cottages and abandoned houses. The victims were nine men between the ages of 32 and 69, and a 52-year-old woman.
ROMANIA
Bucharest Mayor Gabriela Firea said inmates from two prisons would be put to work clearing snow alongside anti-riot police in the Romanian capital. The inmates working on snow removal are doing so voluntarily, Firea said. She said the initiative would help clean up the capital's ice-clogged streets, which are only partially cleared. Romania's Energy Minister Toma Petcu said neighboring Bulgaria had urgently asked for extra electricity, but the request was declined since the cold weather has stretched Romania's power grid. Petcu said natural gas consumption in Romania could reach an all-time high Monday due to the frigid temperatures.
RUSSIA
In Moscow, two people have died and 190 people with hypothermia have sought medical help in the Russian capital between New Year's Eve and Jan. 8, the last day of the holiday period in Russia, according to Russian news agencies quoting emergency medical official Sergei Gumenyuk. The Russian Meteorological Service said the Orthodox Christmas Eve on Jan. 6 was the coldest in Moscow since 1987 when temperatures plunged below -31 C (-24 F). Moscow schools, however, opened on Monday after the holiday recess. In Russia's Urals, schools remained closed in the Tyumen, Khanty-Mansiysky, Sverdlovsk and Yamalo-Nenets regions where temperatures of -35 C (-31 F) were recorded.
SERBIA
Serbian authorities have declared emergency measures in 11 municipalities in central and southern parts of the country as fresh snow and extremely low temperatures have blocked roads and cut off villages. Despite-28 C (-18 F), residents in remote villages on the rough Golija mountain have refused offers from authorities to evacuate their homes during the deep freeze because they won't abandon their animals. The mostly elderly villagers said they'd rather freeze than abandon their sheep, goats, cows and chickens. "We have wood and food for the animals," says Dragomir, one elderly resident. "We'll wait."
SWITZERLAND
Police in the southern Swiss region of Valais say a Russian couple were killed and their two children aged 11 and 15 were gravely injured over the weekend after the vehicle they were travelling in tumbled about 225 meters (740 feet) along a snow-covered Alpine road. Officials said the driver had been trying to park on the roadside, and snowy conditions appeared to have led to the deadly plunge into a pile of rocks. The two children were taken to a local hospital before being flown by helicopter to another in the capital, Bern. They were expected to survive, officials said.
TURKEY
Turkish Airlines on Monday canceled 277 domestic and international flights to and from Istanbul's two airports due to heavy snow. Schools around Istanbul also were closed and the Istanbul governor's office said civil servants in the city would be able to leave work at 3:30 p.m. local time. Istanbul schools will stay closed on Tuesday as snow continues to buffet the city, halting ferries on the Bosporus Strait that provide transportation for many commuters in the city straddling the narrow gap between Asia and Europe. Television news showed cars slithering along slippery roads and students who had been given the day off staging snowball fights and tobogganing in parks blanketed in deep snow. At a local coffee shop, stray cats trying to escape the cold snap lined up under heaters warming an outdoor terrace used by smokers.
AP reporters throughout Europe contributed to this story.
www.mail.com/int/scitech/news/4883914-europe-freeze-brings-deaths-power-outages-closures
ALBANIA
Frigid weather has caused at least four deaths in the last three days In Albania. Snow stopped falling on Monday, but freezing temperatures continue to engulf the whole country.A 52-year old Albanian man on Monday died in the town of Golem,
80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Tirana. On Sunday, a 53-year old street beggar was found dead in the city of Sarande south of the capital Tirana. A day earlier, another 38-year old homeless person was found dead in the port city of Durres west of the capital. A 62 year old man died after sliding from a roof where he was trying to remove ice. Scores of villages mainly in the north and northeast have been isolated and power and water cuts have been introduced, including the capital. The health and education ministry decided to keep classes suspended for students.
BULGARIA
The situation in northeastern Bulgaria remains critical with heavy snow drifts on the roads, freezing temperatures and power outages that have affected some 2,000 households. Emergency teams trying to clear the roads to remote villages were hindered by strong winds. Authorities issued a Yellow Code alert for low temperatures across Bulgaria on Monday.
The cold spell was expected to continue until the end of the week. Schools across the country remained closed on Monday.
CROATIA
Freezing temperatures and strong winds have created havoc along Croatia's Adriatic coast, which isn't used to such cold winters. Even the sea froze in shallow bays, trapping fishermen's boats to the amazement of locals who haven't seen anything like this in decades. The temperatures in Croatia's tourist centers of Dubrovnik and Split dropped to -7 C (19 F) and strong winds blew off ancient pine and olive trees on the coast. Ferries and planes were grounded, and traffic over bridges banned. Water pipes, which are dug just below the surface as is the case in warm climates, have frozen, leaving thousands without running water as authorities tried to figure out ways to cope.
THE CZECH REPUBLIC
According to Czech public radio on Monday, six people are believed to have died of exposure during the latest cold snap, including in the capital, Prague. Meteorologists forecast freezing temperatures to continue in the coming days.
GREECE
Swathes of Greece have been covered by snow, including several islands, some of which have seen more than a meter (more than three feet) of snow. Temperatures in some parts of northern Greece have plunged to as low as -18 C (0 F). A state of emergency was declared in the municipality of Kymi on the island of Evia, Greece's second largest island after Crete, where the snow in some areas reached two meters (6.5 feet), leading to cuts to electricity and water supplies. The small eastern Aegean island of Oinousses reported severe problems from the heavy snowfall, with the local mayor telling Greek media the island had been without landline telephone connections for four days. On the island of Lesbos, drivers needed snow chains to drive just outside the main port town of Mytilene, while heavy snowfall also hit Chios and parts of the southern island of Crete, from where some flights to Athens were cancelled. Chios and Lesbos are home to thousands of refugees, many living in precarious conditions in severely overcrowded camps. Many are still living in tents despite the severe weather. Rights groups have slammed the conditions and called on the Greek government to act quickly to reduce overcrowding.
ITALY
Schools were closed in a handful of southern Italy cities not accustomed to such heavy snowfall. Individual schools also closed in Rome and Bologna because heaters weren't working, news reports said. The sub-freezing temperatures have been blamed for the deaths of at least eight people and have disrupted road, rail, air and ferry travel.
KOSOVO
In Kosovo, snow continued to blanket the whole country and left many areas without power. Police blamed the weather for the death Monday of an ethnic Albanian man whose body was found on a forest road. Though all national roads were open, police advised careful driving and low speeds. Rural roads are either blocked or hard to drive. Power has been cut in many areas around the country.
POLAND
The government says 10 people died in the cold Sunday as Poland has been gripped by low temperatures. The deaths bring to 65 the number of weather-related fatalities since Nov. 1, when temperatures started falling to freezing, especially at night.
The spokeswoman for the Government Center for Security, Anna Adamkiewicz, said Monday that the latest deaths occurred across the country, either outdoors or in unheated summer cottages and abandoned houses. The victims were nine men between the ages of 32 and 69, and a 52-year-old woman.
ROMANIA
Bucharest Mayor Gabriela Firea said inmates from two prisons would be put to work clearing snow alongside anti-riot police in the Romanian capital. The inmates working on snow removal are doing so voluntarily, Firea said. She said the initiative would help clean up the capital's ice-clogged streets, which are only partially cleared. Romania's Energy Minister Toma Petcu said neighboring Bulgaria had urgently asked for extra electricity, but the request was declined since the cold weather has stretched Romania's power grid. Petcu said natural gas consumption in Romania could reach an all-time high Monday due to the frigid temperatures.
RUSSIA
In Moscow, two people have died and 190 people with hypothermia have sought medical help in the Russian capital between New Year's Eve and Jan. 8, the last day of the holiday period in Russia, according to Russian news agencies quoting emergency medical official Sergei Gumenyuk. The Russian Meteorological Service said the Orthodox Christmas Eve on Jan. 6 was the coldest in Moscow since 1987 when temperatures plunged below -31 C (-24 F). Moscow schools, however, opened on Monday after the holiday recess. In Russia's Urals, schools remained closed in the Tyumen, Khanty-Mansiysky, Sverdlovsk and Yamalo-Nenets regions where temperatures of -35 C (-31 F) were recorded.
SERBIA
Serbian authorities have declared emergency measures in 11 municipalities in central and southern parts of the country as fresh snow and extremely low temperatures have blocked roads and cut off villages. Despite-28 C (-18 F), residents in remote villages on the rough Golija mountain have refused offers from authorities to evacuate their homes during the deep freeze because they won't abandon their animals. The mostly elderly villagers said they'd rather freeze than abandon their sheep, goats, cows and chickens. "We have wood and food for the animals," says Dragomir, one elderly resident. "We'll wait."
SWITZERLAND
Police in the southern Swiss region of Valais say a Russian couple were killed and their two children aged 11 and 15 were gravely injured over the weekend after the vehicle they were travelling in tumbled about 225 meters (740 feet) along a snow-covered Alpine road. Officials said the driver had been trying to park on the roadside, and snowy conditions appeared to have led to the deadly plunge into a pile of rocks. The two children were taken to a local hospital before being flown by helicopter to another in the capital, Bern. They were expected to survive, officials said.
TURKEY
Turkish Airlines on Monday canceled 277 domestic and international flights to and from Istanbul's two airports due to heavy snow. Schools around Istanbul also were closed and the Istanbul governor's office said civil servants in the city would be able to leave work at 3:30 p.m. local time. Istanbul schools will stay closed on Tuesday as snow continues to buffet the city, halting ferries on the Bosporus Strait that provide transportation for many commuters in the city straddling the narrow gap between Asia and Europe. Television news showed cars slithering along slippery roads and students who had been given the day off staging snowball fights and tobogganing in parks blanketed in deep snow. At a local coffee shop, stray cats trying to escape the cold snap lined up under heaters warming an outdoor terrace used by smokers.
AP reporters throughout Europe contributed to this story.
www.mail.com/int/scitech/news/4883914-europe-freeze-brings-deaths-power-outages-closures
Parisians grapple with worst winter pollution in a decade
December 08, 2016
Parisians grapple with worst winter pollution in a decade
December 08, 2016
PARIS (AP) — Under deceptively blue skies, the marvels of Paris beckoned. But art dealer Sophie Vigourous wore a face mask to appreciate them because of the pollution. The 38-year-old has lung cancer, putting her in the groups most at risk from the toxic, throat-tickling broth of tiny particles — far smaller than the width of a human hair — blanketing France's capital and other cities. It has prompted vehicle bans and other extraordinary but only moderately effective anti-pollution measures.
.When viewed from the 210-meter (690-feet) tall Montparnasse Tower, Paris' tallest skyscraper, the city's worst episode of winter pollution in a decade was clearly visible, a brown haze punctured by the Eiffel Tower. But from street level, the fog of lung-penetrating pollutants was less obvious, making the danger more insidious than the gritty, almost chewy, smog of notoriously unhealthy cities like Beijing. Out on their morning jog, a group of heavy-breathing fire officers in shorts and T-shirts sucked in lungfuls, either oblivious or uncaring. Likewise, the jogger who bounded up the Champs-Elysees, a smug smile on her face.
Vigourous, however, knew better: hence the paper face mask. "A nice day like this makes you want to go out for a walk and get some fresh air," she said. "You can't really feel it, the pollution." But by the end of the day, "it stings," she noted.
Large red stains showing the pollution cloud have covered daily maps produced by Airparif since last week, broken up by a two-day window of cleaner air last weekend. The monitoring agency says a high-pressure weather system and a low-altitude blanket of warmer air over the city are acting like a saucepan lid, forcing Paris to breathe its own trapped emissions.
"An anti-cyclone with very little wind that prevents the dispersion of pollutants," Airparif spokeswoman Amelie Fritz explained. The problematic pollutant this time is particulate matter — "very fine dust," mostly from vehicle emissions and wood-burning heating, Fritz said. Able to penetrate the lungs and bloodstream, the tiny PM10 particles can cause heart disease, lung cancer, asthma and acute respiratory infections, according to the World Health Organization. The response from Paris authorities involves both carrot and stick. To encourage car users to switch to public transport, the Metro, suburban trains and buses have been free since Tuesday, at a cost, Paris region authorities say, of about 4 million euros ($4.3 million) per day. Paris' Velib bicycle-sharing service and Autolib electric cars are offering special deals.
On the punitive side, the Paris police chief has reduced speed limits, banned outdoor and indoor fires and even required homeowners to restrict their heating to no more than 18 C (64 F). The headline measure, an alternating ban on cars, depending on whether they have odd or even-numbered plates, has been extended into Friday. Drivers face fines of between 22 ($23) and 75 euros ($80) for ignoring the rule. A similar scheme will be implemented Friday in the city of Lyon, as pollution hits various regions, including the Rhone valley. But the Paris ban doesn't apply to small trucks, trucks delivering food and other essentials, to cars carrying at least three people and to certain professions. Undertakers and journalists, for example, aren't affected. The boulevards still hum with vehicles. "We've noticed that the measures haven't been followed that much," said Fritz at Airparif. "We've noticed only 5 to 10 percent less traffic." Among those who abided by the rule on Thursday were Marion Le Mouroux, her mother and sister. Leaving their diesel-burning Renault at home, they rode together to work in an Autolib. The electric cars weren't affected by the ban. "It's worrying for our future," Marion Le Mouroux said after connecting the vehicle for a recharge. "If we are generating this much pollution, what's going to become of us."
www.mail.com/int/scitech/news/4816988-parisians-grapple-with-worst-winter-pollution
.When viewed from the 210-meter (690-feet) tall Montparnasse Tower, Paris' tallest skyscraper, the city's worst episode of winter pollution in a decade was clearly visible, a brown haze punctured by the Eiffel Tower. But from street level, the fog of lung-penetrating pollutants was less obvious, making the danger more insidious than the gritty, almost chewy, smog of notoriously unhealthy cities like Beijing. Out on their morning jog, a group of heavy-breathing fire officers in shorts and T-shirts sucked in lungfuls, either oblivious or uncaring. Likewise, the jogger who bounded up the Champs-Elysees, a smug smile on her face.
Vigourous, however, knew better: hence the paper face mask. "A nice day like this makes you want to go out for a walk and get some fresh air," she said. "You can't really feel it, the pollution." But by the end of the day, "it stings," she noted.
Large red stains showing the pollution cloud have covered daily maps produced by Airparif since last week, broken up by a two-day window of cleaner air last weekend. The monitoring agency says a high-pressure weather system and a low-altitude blanket of warmer air over the city are acting like a saucepan lid, forcing Paris to breathe its own trapped emissions.
"An anti-cyclone with very little wind that prevents the dispersion of pollutants," Airparif spokeswoman Amelie Fritz explained. The problematic pollutant this time is particulate matter — "very fine dust," mostly from vehicle emissions and wood-burning heating, Fritz said. Able to penetrate the lungs and bloodstream, the tiny PM10 particles can cause heart disease, lung cancer, asthma and acute respiratory infections, according to the World Health Organization. The response from Paris authorities involves both carrot and stick. To encourage car users to switch to public transport, the Metro, suburban trains and buses have been free since Tuesday, at a cost, Paris region authorities say, of about 4 million euros ($4.3 million) per day. Paris' Velib bicycle-sharing service and Autolib electric cars are offering special deals.
On the punitive side, the Paris police chief has reduced speed limits, banned outdoor and indoor fires and even required homeowners to restrict their heating to no more than 18 C (64 F). The headline measure, an alternating ban on cars, depending on whether they have odd or even-numbered plates, has been extended into Friday. Drivers face fines of between 22 ($23) and 75 euros ($80) for ignoring the rule. A similar scheme will be implemented Friday in the city of Lyon, as pollution hits various regions, including the Rhone valley. But the Paris ban doesn't apply to small trucks, trucks delivering food and other essentials, to cars carrying at least three people and to certain professions. Undertakers and journalists, for example, aren't affected. The boulevards still hum with vehicles. "We've noticed that the measures haven't been followed that much," said Fritz at Airparif. "We've noticed only 5 to 10 percent less traffic." Among those who abided by the rule on Thursday were Marion Le Mouroux, her mother and sister. Leaving their diesel-burning Renault at home, they rode together to work in an Autolib. The electric cars weren't affected by the ban. "It's worrying for our future," Marion Le Mouroux said after connecting the vehicle for a recharge. "If we are generating this much pollution, what's going to become of us."
www.mail.com/int/scitech/news/4816988-parisians-grapple-with-worst-winter-pollution
Four major cities move to ban diesel vehicles by 2025
2 December 2016 By Matt McGrath Environment correspondent
2 December 2016 By Matt McGrath Environment correspondent
The leaders of four major global cities say they will stop the use of all diesel-powered cars and trucks by the middle of the next decade. The mayors of Paris, Mexico City, Madrid and Athens say they are implementing the ban to improve air quality.
They say they will give incentives for alternative vehicle use and promote walking and cycling. The commitments were made in Mexico at a biennial meeting of city leaders. The use of diesel in transport has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years, as concerns about its impact on air quality have grown. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that around three million deaths every year are linked to exposure to outdoor air pollution.
Europe pollution 'kills 467,000 a year'
Diesel cars: What's all the fuss about?
London air quality alerts announced
Diesel engines contribute to the problem in two key ways - through the production of particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Very fine soot PM can penetrate the lungs and can contribute to cardiovascular illness and death.
Nitrogen oxides can help form ground level ozone and this can exacerbate breathing difficulties, even for people without a history of respiratory problems. As the evidence has mounted, environmental groups have used the courts to try and enforce clear air standards and regulations. In the UK, campaigners have recently had success in forcing the government to act more quickly. Now, mayors from a number of major cities with well known air quality problems have decided to use their authority to clamp down on the use of diesel. In the UK, campaigners are calling for London's mayor to commit to phase out diesel vehicles from London by 2025. Sadiq Khan has proposed an expansion to the planned Ultra-Low Emission Zone in central London. ClientEarth lawyer Alan Andrews said: "In the UK, London's mayor is considering bolder action than his predecessor, proposing an expansion to the planned Ultra-Low Emission Zone. This is welcome but we want him to go further and faster. "And it's not just London that has this problem, we need a national network of clean air zones so that the problem is not simply pushed elsewhere."
Analysis By Roger Harrabin, BBC environment analyst
The diesel ban is hugely significant. Carmakers will look at this decision and know it's just a matter of time before other city mayors follow suit. The history of vehicle manufacture shows that firms that do not keep up with environmental mprovements will fail in a global market. The biggest shapers of automobile design are not carmakers, but rulemakers. There is already a rush to improve electric and hydrogen cars and hybrids. That will now become a stampede. There is an ironic twist to this. Governments originally promoted diesel vehicles because they produce fewer of the CO2 emissions that are increasing climate change. But manufacturers misled governments about their ability to clean up the local pollution effects, so now diesel vehicles are being banned to clean up local air. In their place will come electric and hydrogen vehicles, which are perfect for climate policy, if the power comes from renewables. Strange world.
Follow Roger on Twitter @rharrabin
At the C40 meeting of urban leaders in Mexico, the four mayors declared that they would ban all diesel vehicles by 2025 and "commit to doing everything in their power to incentivise the use of electric, hydrogen and hybrid vehicles". "It is no secret that in Mexico City, we grapple with the twin problems of air pollution and traffic," said the city's mayor, Miguel Ángel Mancera. "By expanding alternative transportation options like our Bus Rapid Transport and subway systems, while also investing in cycling infrastructure, we are working to ease congestion in our roadways and our lungs." Paris has already taken a series of steps to cut the impact of diesel cars and trucks. Vehicles registered before 1997 have already been banned from entering the city, with restrictions increasing each year until 2020. Once every month, the Champs-Élysées is closed to traffic, while very recently a 3km (1.8m) section of the right bank of the Seine river that was once a two-lane motorway, has been pedestrianised. "Our city is implementing a bold plan - we will progressively ban the most polluting vehicles from the roads, helping Paris citizens with concrete accompanying measures," said Anne Hidalgo, the city's mayor.
"Our ambition is clear and we have started to roll it out: we want to ban diesel from our city, following the model of Tokyo, which has already done the same." Many of the measures being proposed to cut air pollution have a knock-on benefit of curbing the emissions that exacerbate global warming as well."The quality of the air that we breathe in our cities is directly linked to tackling climate change," said the mayor of Madrid, Manuela Carmena. "As we reduce the greenhouse gas emissions generated in our cities, our air will become cleaner and our children, our grandparents and our neighbours will be healthier." Many of the plans outlined by the mayors meeting in Mexico are already having a positive impact. In Barcelona, extra journeys by publicly available bicycles have reduced the CO2 emissions by over 9,000 tonnes - the equivalent of more than 21 million miles driven by an average vehicle.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-38170794
They say they will give incentives for alternative vehicle use and promote walking and cycling. The commitments were made in Mexico at a biennial meeting of city leaders. The use of diesel in transport has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years, as concerns about its impact on air quality have grown. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that around three million deaths every year are linked to exposure to outdoor air pollution.
Europe pollution 'kills 467,000 a year'
Diesel cars: What's all the fuss about?
London air quality alerts announced
Diesel engines contribute to the problem in two key ways - through the production of particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Very fine soot PM can penetrate the lungs and can contribute to cardiovascular illness and death.
Nitrogen oxides can help form ground level ozone and this can exacerbate breathing difficulties, even for people without a history of respiratory problems. As the evidence has mounted, environmental groups have used the courts to try and enforce clear air standards and regulations. In the UK, campaigners have recently had success in forcing the government to act more quickly. Now, mayors from a number of major cities with well known air quality problems have decided to use their authority to clamp down on the use of diesel. In the UK, campaigners are calling for London's mayor to commit to phase out diesel vehicles from London by 2025. Sadiq Khan has proposed an expansion to the planned Ultra-Low Emission Zone in central London. ClientEarth lawyer Alan Andrews said: "In the UK, London's mayor is considering bolder action than his predecessor, proposing an expansion to the planned Ultra-Low Emission Zone. This is welcome but we want him to go further and faster. "And it's not just London that has this problem, we need a national network of clean air zones so that the problem is not simply pushed elsewhere."
Analysis By Roger Harrabin, BBC environment analyst
The diesel ban is hugely significant. Carmakers will look at this decision and know it's just a matter of time before other city mayors follow suit. The history of vehicle manufacture shows that firms that do not keep up with environmental mprovements will fail in a global market. The biggest shapers of automobile design are not carmakers, but rulemakers. There is already a rush to improve electric and hydrogen cars and hybrids. That will now become a stampede. There is an ironic twist to this. Governments originally promoted diesel vehicles because they produce fewer of the CO2 emissions that are increasing climate change. But manufacturers misled governments about their ability to clean up the local pollution effects, so now diesel vehicles are being banned to clean up local air. In their place will come electric and hydrogen vehicles, which are perfect for climate policy, if the power comes from renewables. Strange world.
Follow Roger on Twitter @rharrabin
At the C40 meeting of urban leaders in Mexico, the four mayors declared that they would ban all diesel vehicles by 2025 and "commit to doing everything in their power to incentivise the use of electric, hydrogen and hybrid vehicles". "It is no secret that in Mexico City, we grapple with the twin problems of air pollution and traffic," said the city's mayor, Miguel Ángel Mancera. "By expanding alternative transportation options like our Bus Rapid Transport and subway systems, while also investing in cycling infrastructure, we are working to ease congestion in our roadways and our lungs." Paris has already taken a series of steps to cut the impact of diesel cars and trucks. Vehicles registered before 1997 have already been banned from entering the city, with restrictions increasing each year until 2020. Once every month, the Champs-Élysées is closed to traffic, while very recently a 3km (1.8m) section of the right bank of the Seine river that was once a two-lane motorway, has been pedestrianised. "Our city is implementing a bold plan - we will progressively ban the most polluting vehicles from the roads, helping Paris citizens with concrete accompanying measures," said Anne Hidalgo, the city's mayor.
"Our ambition is clear and we have started to roll it out: we want to ban diesel from our city, following the model of Tokyo, which has already done the same." Many of the measures being proposed to cut air pollution have a knock-on benefit of curbing the emissions that exacerbate global warming as well."The quality of the air that we breathe in our cities is directly linked to tackling climate change," said the mayor of Madrid, Manuela Carmena. "As we reduce the greenhouse gas emissions generated in our cities, our air will become cleaner and our children, our grandparents and our neighbours will be healthier." Many of the plans outlined by the mayors meeting in Mexico are already having a positive impact. In Barcelona, extra journeys by publicly available bicycles have reduced the CO2 emissions by over 9,000 tonnes - the equivalent of more than 21 million miles driven by an average vehicle.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-38170794
COP22: Key outcomes agreed at the UN climate talks in Marrakech
19 November 2016 9:30 By SOPHIE YEO
19 November 2016 9:30 By SOPHIE YEO
When negotiators from almost 200 countries arrived in Marrakech two weeks ago for the latest annual climate change conference, COP22, it was being touted as an opportunity to showcase progress and start the important process of turning the UN’s Paris Agreement into a detailed blueprint for action. Monday went ahead as planned. Tuesday took place in the shadow of the US election, silverlined with the expectation that Hillary Clinton would secure a convincing victory. After all, it was only a few weeks since the Washington Post, among others, had pondered the prospect of a Clinton landslide.
By Wednesday, Donald Trump was the president-elect and the biggest question hanging over COP22 was whether he would pull the US out of the Paris Agreement. Could the deal could survive such a blow? Nonetheless, stoical negotiators pushed on with their work, even as an existential, yet unconfirmed threat loomed. The refrain of the conference soon became that the Paris Agreement, sealed last year, was bigger than any one country, or any particular head of state.
The next four years will prove whether this is true. Three-year processThe Paris Agreement was a complete document that set out the overarching goals and framework for international climate action. But setting out the details is a longer process, which the countries participating in COP22 have decided should be completed by 2018, with a review of progress in 2017.
This timeline means that few of the loose ends left by the Paris Agreement were completely tied up in Marrakech. Instead, the process was one of defining the issues at stake and outlining what kind of documents and workshops will be needed to make sense of them by the 2018 deadline. “This COP is the first stop after Paris and it needs to cover and take up the issues to make Paris work and be implemented, so that is what it’s doing,” Stephen Cornelius, chief advisor on climate change at WWF-UK, told Carbon Brief just before the talks concluded. The official outcomes of the COP were a collection of diverse documents. But some of the more substantial questions and discussions were captured in a series of “informal notes”.
“Much remains to be done,” said one of the formal documents from the session, adding that countries would work “diligently and expeditiously” to complete their workload as soon as possible.
Notable outcomes
Finance
Despite this, there were a few notable outcomes. Finance is always controversial and, once again, it was this topic that went down to the wire — although, in the end, with little progress. In effect, they agreed to continue discussing it. Countries were urged to continue scaling up their financial contributions towards the pre-agreed “$100bn a year by 2020” goal, and to achieve a greater balance between adaptation and mitigation. Some countries had hoped for stronger wording on this, since adaptation has long trailed mitigation, to the detriment of the most vulnerable countries.
Adaptation Fund
There was also some last-minute wrangling over the Adaptation Fund, a body which exists to serve the Kyoto Protocol (the deal struck in 1997 committing developed nations to emissions cuts up to 2020), and which many argued should be moved over to the Paris Agreement, in order to ensure it remains a political priority in the future. These discussions fell flat, with countries merely agreeing to discuss the issue and hand in their views by 31 March 2017.
Facilitative Dialogue
The organisation of the “2018 facilitative dialogue” also proved to be controversial. Countries agreed in Paris that they would convene in 2018 to take stock of how climate action was going so far — a discussion that is intended to inform the next round of national pledges, known as nationally determined contributions, or NDCs. This was the text they agreed in Paris last year:
In Marrakech, it was decided that the presidents of COP22 and the forthcoming COP23 would consult with countries on the organisation of this dialogue and report back on their findings in a year’s time. Article 4 of the Paris Agreement deals with both the long-term “net-zero emissions in the second half of the century” goal, as well as the need for NDCs to provide “clarity and transparency”. A key theme of COP22 was debating how best to create a fair “rulebook” that all countries could share and have confidence in when assessing each other’s climate pledges. The technicalities of the rulebook – baselines, methodologies, etc – will likely be a continuing discussion into 2018.
Orphan issues
Negotiators also battled, without resolution, with the “orphans issues” of the Paris Agreement. These were tasks for which no one was assigned responsibility. They include important issues, such as common timeframes for future climate pledges, and a new goal for climate finance.
Loss and damage
Countries also approved a five-year workplan on “loss and damage”, which will start in 2017 and will see countries start to formally address topics such as slow-onset impacts of climate change, non-economic losses (for example, culture and identity) and migration. In other words, dealing with climate impacts that are beyond adaptation.
Future negotiations
The talks will continue long after Marrakech. That much is certain. Unusually, though, one of the key questions this year was where. The location of the forthcoming COPs are usually decided several years in advance, but UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa expressed concern early on in the negotiations that no country had offered to host the next set of talks.
By tradition, they rotate around a set cycle of regions, with a country offering to host the talks from within each region.
Fiji eventually stepped up to the task offering to be the next president, although the negotiations themselves will – due to a lack of capacity in the Pacific island state – take place in Bonn, Germany, where the UNFCCC is headquartered. Poland has expressed interest in hosting the 2018 conference, with the 2019 conference due to take place in Latin America or the Caribbean. One of the formal outcome documents of the conference set out a number of other key dates on the road to these major annual gatherings. These mainly involve deadlines for submissions of information and opinions on key questions.
For instance, within the first five months of 2017, countries have to submit their views on the adaptation communications that they agreed to submit as part of the Paris Agreement, what features should be included as part of future NDCs, and how future climate action should be transparent. This document also calls for a number of workshops to take place, covering topics such as adaptation and transparency. These will inform the discussions as countries continue to carve a cohesive process out of the Paris Agreement, where every country knows exactly what it has to do and, crucially, can be held accountable to it. Notable other achievementsThe Marrakech “implementation” COP – as it was nicknamed, in advance – was, perhaps, more notable for the action that took place outside of the negotiations, with politicians, countries and organisations using it as an opportunity to announce new initiatives, strategy and finance. The Marrakech Action Proclamation, issued by heads of state and government gathered at the COP, was widely seen as a reaffirmation of global commitment to the Paris Agreement, despite Trump’s election victory. “We welcome the Paris Agreement…and we affirm our commitment to its full implementation,” it says.
A new fund to encourage transparency efforts was established and given a $50m injection of cash from countries including Australia, Canada and Germany. In Paris, countries were asked to set out their long-term decarbonisation strategies, setting out their plans to 2050. The US delivered its roadmap to an 80% reduction in its emissions by mid-century, although the gesture appeared more of an academic exercise than a statement of intent, considering Donald Trump’s pledge to scrap the Obama’s Clean Power Plan and revive the coal industry. Nonetheless, they were accompanied in setting forth their strategies by Germany, Mexico and Canada, while the 2050 Pathways Platform was launched to help other places and organisations to formulate long-term plans. So far, 22 countries, including the UK, 15 cities and 196 businesses have committed to do this.
Meanwhile, 47 of the world’s poorest countries, which have grouped together as the Climate Vulnerable Forum, committed to generating 100% of their energy from renewable sources as soon as possible. They also pledged to update their nationally determined contributions before 2020 and to prepare long-term strategies.
www.carbonbrief.org/cop22-key-outcomes-agreed-at-un-climate-talks-in-marrakech
By Wednesday, Donald Trump was the president-elect and the biggest question hanging over COP22 was whether he would pull the US out of the Paris Agreement. Could the deal could survive such a blow? Nonetheless, stoical negotiators pushed on with their work, even as an existential, yet unconfirmed threat loomed. The refrain of the conference soon became that the Paris Agreement, sealed last year, was bigger than any one country, or any particular head of state.
The next four years will prove whether this is true. Three-year processThe Paris Agreement was a complete document that set out the overarching goals and framework for international climate action. But setting out the details is a longer process, which the countries participating in COP22 have decided should be completed by 2018, with a review of progress in 2017.
This timeline means that few of the loose ends left by the Paris Agreement were completely tied up in Marrakech. Instead, the process was one of defining the issues at stake and outlining what kind of documents and workshops will be needed to make sense of them by the 2018 deadline. “This COP is the first stop after Paris and it needs to cover and take up the issues to make Paris work and be implemented, so that is what it’s doing,” Stephen Cornelius, chief advisor on climate change at WWF-UK, told Carbon Brief just before the talks concluded. The official outcomes of the COP were a collection of diverse documents. But some of the more substantial questions and discussions were captured in a series of “informal notes”.
“Much remains to be done,” said one of the formal documents from the session, adding that countries would work “diligently and expeditiously” to complete their workload as soon as possible.
Notable outcomes
Finance
Despite this, there were a few notable outcomes. Finance is always controversial and, once again, it was this topic that went down to the wire — although, in the end, with little progress. In effect, they agreed to continue discussing it. Countries were urged to continue scaling up their financial contributions towards the pre-agreed “$100bn a year by 2020” goal, and to achieve a greater balance between adaptation and mitigation. Some countries had hoped for stronger wording on this, since adaptation has long trailed mitigation, to the detriment of the most vulnerable countries.
Adaptation Fund
There was also some last-minute wrangling over the Adaptation Fund, a body which exists to serve the Kyoto Protocol (the deal struck in 1997 committing developed nations to emissions cuts up to 2020), and which many argued should be moved over to the Paris Agreement, in order to ensure it remains a political priority in the future. These discussions fell flat, with countries merely agreeing to discuss the issue and hand in their views by 31 March 2017.
Facilitative Dialogue
The organisation of the “2018 facilitative dialogue” also proved to be controversial. Countries agreed in Paris that they would convene in 2018 to take stock of how climate action was going so far — a discussion that is intended to inform the next round of national pledges, known as nationally determined contributions, or NDCs. This was the text they agreed in Paris last year:
In Marrakech, it was decided that the presidents of COP22 and the forthcoming COP23 would consult with countries on the organisation of this dialogue and report back on their findings in a year’s time. Article 4 of the Paris Agreement deals with both the long-term “net-zero emissions in the second half of the century” goal, as well as the need for NDCs to provide “clarity and transparency”. A key theme of COP22 was debating how best to create a fair “rulebook” that all countries could share and have confidence in when assessing each other’s climate pledges. The technicalities of the rulebook – baselines, methodologies, etc – will likely be a continuing discussion into 2018.
Orphan issues
Negotiators also battled, without resolution, with the “orphans issues” of the Paris Agreement. These were tasks for which no one was assigned responsibility. They include important issues, such as common timeframes for future climate pledges, and a new goal for climate finance.
Loss and damage
Countries also approved a five-year workplan on “loss and damage”, which will start in 2017 and will see countries start to formally address topics such as slow-onset impacts of climate change, non-economic losses (for example, culture and identity) and migration. In other words, dealing with climate impacts that are beyond adaptation.
Future negotiations
The talks will continue long after Marrakech. That much is certain. Unusually, though, one of the key questions this year was where. The location of the forthcoming COPs are usually decided several years in advance, but UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa expressed concern early on in the negotiations that no country had offered to host the next set of talks.
By tradition, they rotate around a set cycle of regions, with a country offering to host the talks from within each region.
Fiji eventually stepped up to the task offering to be the next president, although the negotiations themselves will – due to a lack of capacity in the Pacific island state – take place in Bonn, Germany, where the UNFCCC is headquartered. Poland has expressed interest in hosting the 2018 conference, with the 2019 conference due to take place in Latin America or the Caribbean. One of the formal outcome documents of the conference set out a number of other key dates on the road to these major annual gatherings. These mainly involve deadlines for submissions of information and opinions on key questions.
For instance, within the first five months of 2017, countries have to submit their views on the adaptation communications that they agreed to submit as part of the Paris Agreement, what features should be included as part of future NDCs, and how future climate action should be transparent. This document also calls for a number of workshops to take place, covering topics such as adaptation and transparency. These will inform the discussions as countries continue to carve a cohesive process out of the Paris Agreement, where every country knows exactly what it has to do and, crucially, can be held accountable to it. Notable other achievementsThe Marrakech “implementation” COP – as it was nicknamed, in advance – was, perhaps, more notable for the action that took place outside of the negotiations, with politicians, countries and organisations using it as an opportunity to announce new initiatives, strategy and finance. The Marrakech Action Proclamation, issued by heads of state and government gathered at the COP, was widely seen as a reaffirmation of global commitment to the Paris Agreement, despite Trump’s election victory. “We welcome the Paris Agreement…and we affirm our commitment to its full implementation,” it says.
A new fund to encourage transparency efforts was established and given a $50m injection of cash from countries including Australia, Canada and Germany. In Paris, countries were asked to set out their long-term decarbonisation strategies, setting out their plans to 2050. The US delivered its roadmap to an 80% reduction in its emissions by mid-century, although the gesture appeared more of an academic exercise than a statement of intent, considering Donald Trump’s pledge to scrap the Obama’s Clean Power Plan and revive the coal industry. Nonetheless, they were accompanied in setting forth their strategies by Germany, Mexico and Canada, while the 2050 Pathways Platform was launched to help other places and organisations to formulate long-term plans. So far, 22 countries, including the UK, 15 cities and 196 businesses have committed to do this.
Meanwhile, 47 of the world’s poorest countries, which have grouped together as the Climate Vulnerable Forum, committed to generating 100% of their energy from renewable sources as soon as possible. They also pledged to update their nationally determined contributions before 2020 and to prepare long-term strategies.
www.carbonbrief.org/cop22-key-outcomes-agreed-at-un-climate-talks-in-marrakech
Solar Panels In The UK Surpass Coal-Powered Electricity
Nov 16, 2016
Nov 16, 2016
According to research from Carbon Brief, electricity coming from solar panels in the UK surpassed the amount that came from coal-power. The solar panels across the UK generated about 7,000 gigawatt hours of electricity between April and September, while coal produced about 6,300 gigawatt hours. “When I started my company 15 years ago, you could fit the whole UK renewable energy industry into a small room, and now nearly 25% of the UK’s power comes from renewables. As clean technology advances, Britain is bidding fair-well to coal. The transition to a 100% renewable future is within Britain’s grasp.”
This is a great step forward and another sign of the times we are living in. It is becoming cheaper to use solar every year that passes. In fact, according to the Renewable Energy Institute, the cost of solar energy will be cheaper than fossil fuel energy by 2025, with it decreasing every year until that point. In another sign of the continuing trend towards clean and renewable energy, it has been reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration that U.S. oil companies last year lost $67 billion, at a time when oil prices took a major dive. On the opposite end of that spectrum, Elon Musk’s Tesla company made $22 million in the first quarter of this year. Again, we see the trend moving towards clean energy. Throughout the eastern hemisphere of the world, there is another large sign that renewable energy is here to stay and is advancing quickly.
In September of this year, leaders from China, Russia, Japan and South Korea met to sign an agreement to begin building what is known as the Asian Super-Grid. The grid is set to become the world’s largest collaboration of sustainable, renewable and clean energy, which will provide energy to the four countries involved, as well as throughout Southern Africa, Europe and Southeast Asia.
http://themindunleashed.com/2016/11/solar-panels-uk-surpass-coal-powered-electricity
This is a great step forward and another sign of the times we are living in. It is becoming cheaper to use solar every year that passes. In fact, according to the Renewable Energy Institute, the cost of solar energy will be cheaper than fossil fuel energy by 2025, with it decreasing every year until that point. In another sign of the continuing trend towards clean and renewable energy, it has been reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration that U.S. oil companies last year lost $67 billion, at a time when oil prices took a major dive. On the opposite end of that spectrum, Elon Musk’s Tesla company made $22 million in the first quarter of this year. Again, we see the trend moving towards clean energy. Throughout the eastern hemisphere of the world, there is another large sign that renewable energy is here to stay and is advancing quickly.
In September of this year, leaders from China, Russia, Japan and South Korea met to sign an agreement to begin building what is known as the Asian Super-Grid. The grid is set to become the world’s largest collaboration of sustainable, renewable and clean energy, which will provide energy to the four countries involved, as well as throughout Southern Africa, Europe and Southeast Asia.
http://themindunleashed.com/2016/11/solar-panels-uk-surpass-coal-powered-electricity
Why Corporate Media Won’t Tell You What’s Being Done to the Amazon
Sep 30, 2016
Sep 30, 2016
Some 90% of the world’s media is controlled by a mere six corporations. The business model of this industry is dependent on advertising revenue, which means that the content they produce must serve well the bottom lines of advertisers, or more significantly, content cannot be of detriment to the profits of corporate advertisers. This is the reason why so much of the most important news in our times goes un-noticed and under-reported on, most notably environmental news, for if our attention was sufficiently directed to these issues then we would certainly change our attitudes, priorities and behaviors, potentially harming the income streams of the biggest environmental destroyers on the planet, and the biggest advertisers.
Of particular note is the destruction being done to the Amazon, the ‘lungs of the earth’ as it is known by those who understand the value of life and the need to protect the world’s ecosystems from corporate greed.
While indigenous people continue to rally around in support of Amazonian conservation, consumerism in ‘first-world’ parts of the world continues to demand resources that are increasingly being harvested from the most bio-diverse regions of the planet. After failed conservation efforts, the Ecuadorian government has given up and as of September 2016 the state owned oil company Petroamazonas began drilling for oil in the most pristine and biodiverse region of the entire Amazon, the Yasuní. As reported by Amazon Watch:
Commercial oil production has begun at Tiputini C, the first of a slated 200-plus wells inside the ITT fields (Ishpingo, Tambococha,Tiputini) underneath Ecuador’s Yasuni National Park. The remote UNESCO Biosphere Reserve that borders Peru has some of the highest species of birds, mammals, amphibians, insects, and trees ever recorded. In just one hectare it has more tree species than there are in all of the United States and Canada combined, an area that is one billion times that size. Scientists believe that Yasuní’s unique concentration of biodiversity and hotspot of endemic species are due to a climate that allowed species to survive the Ice Age. The park is also home to the Tagaeri-Taromenane, two indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation. Drilling and planned expansion into the park is a virtual death sentence for them, surrounding the nomadic peoples with oil extraction on all sides. Today, Ecuador is expected to announce production of the first of an initial 3,000 barrels per day, a number that is expected grow to some 300,000 by 2022.
Corporate Advertisers Directing Public Consciousness
Sadly, from the perspective of economy, it makes sense that news like this goes untouched by corporate media because many of the top global advertisers are from industries that sell us products derived from materials extracted or produced in the rainforest. According to Business Insider, three of the top ten U.S. advertisers are automobile manufacturers (General Motors, Ford Motor Company and Fiat-Chrysler), representing an industry completely dominated by big oil. Furthermore, two of the companies on this list, including the number one global advertiser Proctor & Gamble, sell consumer products which are heavily reliant on petroleum by-products as well as on palm oil, one of the chief products harvested in the in the world’s rainforests. When you look at top global advertisers beyond the U.S. economy, the list expands to include many more consumer product conglomerates, such as Unilever, L’Oréal, Coca-Cola,Nestlé, Toyota, Volkswagen, MARS and McDonald’s. In short, these are the corporations that are paying for the vast majority of the world’s media content and it would be a sincere conflict of their interests to tell the truth about how vital the Amazon is and how rapidly it is being destroyed.
Final Thoughts
The Amazon is perhaps the world’s greatest natural resource in terms of extractable materials, land, and it’s extraordinary biological and cultural diversity. Yet, as the wheels of the matrix keep grinding forth, the Amazon is being increasingly turned under for profit, while most people hardly notice.
http://themindunleashed.com/2016/09/why-corporate-media-wont-tell-you-whats-being-done-to-the-amazon
Of particular note is the destruction being done to the Amazon, the ‘lungs of the earth’ as it is known by those who understand the value of life and the need to protect the world’s ecosystems from corporate greed.
While indigenous people continue to rally around in support of Amazonian conservation, consumerism in ‘first-world’ parts of the world continues to demand resources that are increasingly being harvested from the most bio-diverse regions of the planet. After failed conservation efforts, the Ecuadorian government has given up and as of September 2016 the state owned oil company Petroamazonas began drilling for oil in the most pristine and biodiverse region of the entire Amazon, the Yasuní. As reported by Amazon Watch:
Commercial oil production has begun at Tiputini C, the first of a slated 200-plus wells inside the ITT fields (Ishpingo, Tambococha,Tiputini) underneath Ecuador’s Yasuni National Park. The remote UNESCO Biosphere Reserve that borders Peru has some of the highest species of birds, mammals, amphibians, insects, and trees ever recorded. In just one hectare it has more tree species than there are in all of the United States and Canada combined, an area that is one billion times that size. Scientists believe that Yasuní’s unique concentration of biodiversity and hotspot of endemic species are due to a climate that allowed species to survive the Ice Age. The park is also home to the Tagaeri-Taromenane, two indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation. Drilling and planned expansion into the park is a virtual death sentence for them, surrounding the nomadic peoples with oil extraction on all sides. Today, Ecuador is expected to announce production of the first of an initial 3,000 barrels per day, a number that is expected grow to some 300,000 by 2022.
Corporate Advertisers Directing Public Consciousness
Sadly, from the perspective of economy, it makes sense that news like this goes untouched by corporate media because many of the top global advertisers are from industries that sell us products derived from materials extracted or produced in the rainforest. According to Business Insider, three of the top ten U.S. advertisers are automobile manufacturers (General Motors, Ford Motor Company and Fiat-Chrysler), representing an industry completely dominated by big oil. Furthermore, two of the companies on this list, including the number one global advertiser Proctor & Gamble, sell consumer products which are heavily reliant on petroleum by-products as well as on palm oil, one of the chief products harvested in the in the world’s rainforests. When you look at top global advertisers beyond the U.S. economy, the list expands to include many more consumer product conglomerates, such as Unilever, L’Oréal, Coca-Cola,Nestlé, Toyota, Volkswagen, MARS and McDonald’s. In short, these are the corporations that are paying for the vast majority of the world’s media content and it would be a sincere conflict of their interests to tell the truth about how vital the Amazon is and how rapidly it is being destroyed.
Final Thoughts
The Amazon is perhaps the world’s greatest natural resource in terms of extractable materials, land, and it’s extraordinary biological and cultural diversity. Yet, as the wheels of the matrix keep grinding forth, the Amazon is being increasingly turned under for profit, while most people hardly notice.
http://themindunleashed.com/2016/09/why-corporate-media-wont-tell-you-whats-being-done-to-the-amazon
|
|
This Pioneering Grandma is Building These Tiny Sustainable Homes Out of Hemp
Sep 27, 2016
Hemp is the only plant that can feed you, house you, clothe you and heal you.
The DEA considers hemp to be a dangerous substance and it’s still classified as a schedule I drug, alongside heroin and ecstasy, even though the plant contains almost no THC and has no psychoactive effects. Many believe this classification is the result of the oil industry’s grip on the legislative process in America, because hemp is one of the most viable alternatives to plastics, fuel and other building materials, in fact, it used to be an important domestically produced crop, and it even contains extraordinary health benefits. “Hemp is the only plant that can feed you, house you, clothe you and heal you.” [Source]
The Tiny House Movement is GrowingAs a response to unbridled consumerism and desire for infinite growth inherent in our economy, some are finding that satisfaction in life is not dependent on having and maintaining the ‘American Dream.’ Tiny houses are becoming widely popular, especially so for those not interested in participating in the debt economy which is driven by banks who’ve used the mortgage industry as a means of looting the nation. “The tiny house movement is one of the latest innovations in personal freedom from an overly consumeristic and a debt-driven society.” ~Isaac Davis
Unity – Tiny Hemp HousingIn Bellingham, Washington, a local grandmother, Pamela Bosch, is making news for combining the philosophy of tiny home living with the growing innovation in building materials and practices made out of hemp. In what she considers a pioneering experiment in sustainable living, Pamela’s organization Highland Hemp House is using hemp imported from Europe to make model energy and resource efficient homes.
The planet we live on is a rapidly changing environment that demands that human beings become more conscious of our living arrangements. Smaller spaces that require less energy are part of the emerging response to inefficient buildings, as are eco-villages with shared resources. Net Zero houses that produce the energy they will consume and permaculture designs that are mindful of the synergies of systems that support life in place. So, as the Hemp House was envisioned, the role of the single family home in the setting of a small urban environment was contemplated. Can this ever ubiquitous bastion of American life transition to a future that supports a more integrated humanity? How should our contemporary castles of middle-America hold the spaces or be the places where we learn to thrive in balance with our living environment? How can our living spaces support our adaptation to a less consumptive way of living that is also of higher quality? [Source]
Pam was recently featured on Seattle’s K5 News showing off the tiny home she is building by herself, proving that anyone can do it, so long as they have the desire to be a part of our sustainable future. “We need to be building this way,” Bosch said. “We should have as many buildings as we can that are built out of a renewable resource that sequesters carbon, that is healthy and if it were legal would be very affordable. It’s an agricultural waste product we’re using.” Hemp can be used for soil remediation, biofuels, plastic composites, organic body care and health foods, but until it’s regulated, farmers in Washington would need permission from the DEA. [Source]
Final Thoughts
Environmentally friendly, healthy, affordable, yet illegal, hemp offers great promise, yet the U.S. Federal government is prohibiting innovation by continuing the ridiculously un-warranted and unfair ban on hemp. Legalize hemp, now.
Prohibition against hemp is finally cracking, however, and some states are allowing farmers to cultivate the precious crop, and as technology and innovation move forward together, many ingenious people are finding excellent new uses for this cash crop, including the making of building materials. “Alternative economies, open source governance, local food production, non-polluting energy generation, holistic health maintenance, to name a few of the many movements, are adaptive responses to the challenges of bringing human nature into alignment with Nature in balance.” [Source]
http://themindunleashed.com/2016/09/this-pioneering-grandma-is-building-these-tiny-sustainable-homes-out-of-hemp
The DEA considers hemp to be a dangerous substance and it’s still classified as a schedule I drug, alongside heroin and ecstasy, even though the plant contains almost no THC and has no psychoactive effects. Many believe this classification is the result of the oil industry’s grip on the legislative process in America, because hemp is one of the most viable alternatives to plastics, fuel and other building materials, in fact, it used to be an important domestically produced crop, and it even contains extraordinary health benefits. “Hemp is the only plant that can feed you, house you, clothe you and heal you.” [Source]
The Tiny House Movement is GrowingAs a response to unbridled consumerism and desire for infinite growth inherent in our economy, some are finding that satisfaction in life is not dependent on having and maintaining the ‘American Dream.’ Tiny houses are becoming widely popular, especially so for those not interested in participating in the debt economy which is driven by banks who’ve used the mortgage industry as a means of looting the nation. “The tiny house movement is one of the latest innovations in personal freedom from an overly consumeristic and a debt-driven society.” ~Isaac Davis
Unity – Tiny Hemp HousingIn Bellingham, Washington, a local grandmother, Pamela Bosch, is making news for combining the philosophy of tiny home living with the growing innovation in building materials and practices made out of hemp. In what she considers a pioneering experiment in sustainable living, Pamela’s organization Highland Hemp House is using hemp imported from Europe to make model energy and resource efficient homes.
The planet we live on is a rapidly changing environment that demands that human beings become more conscious of our living arrangements. Smaller spaces that require less energy are part of the emerging response to inefficient buildings, as are eco-villages with shared resources. Net Zero houses that produce the energy they will consume and permaculture designs that are mindful of the synergies of systems that support life in place. So, as the Hemp House was envisioned, the role of the single family home in the setting of a small urban environment was contemplated. Can this ever ubiquitous bastion of American life transition to a future that supports a more integrated humanity? How should our contemporary castles of middle-America hold the spaces or be the places where we learn to thrive in balance with our living environment? How can our living spaces support our adaptation to a less consumptive way of living that is also of higher quality? [Source]
Pam was recently featured on Seattle’s K5 News showing off the tiny home she is building by herself, proving that anyone can do it, so long as they have the desire to be a part of our sustainable future. “We need to be building this way,” Bosch said. “We should have as many buildings as we can that are built out of a renewable resource that sequesters carbon, that is healthy and if it were legal would be very affordable. It’s an agricultural waste product we’re using.” Hemp can be used for soil remediation, biofuels, plastic composites, organic body care and health foods, but until it’s regulated, farmers in Washington would need permission from the DEA. [Source]
Final Thoughts
Environmentally friendly, healthy, affordable, yet illegal, hemp offers great promise, yet the U.S. Federal government is prohibiting innovation by continuing the ridiculously un-warranted and unfair ban on hemp. Legalize hemp, now.
Prohibition against hemp is finally cracking, however, and some states are allowing farmers to cultivate the precious crop, and as technology and innovation move forward together, many ingenious people are finding excellent new uses for this cash crop, including the making of building materials. “Alternative economies, open source governance, local food production, non-polluting energy generation, holistic health maintenance, to name a few of the many movements, are adaptive responses to the challenges of bringing human nature into alignment with Nature in balance.” [Source]
http://themindunleashed.com/2016/09/this-pioneering-grandma-is-building-these-tiny-sustainable-homes-out-of-hemp
2030 Agenda: New report looks at water and sanitation interlinkages
29.08.2016
Monday, 29th of August, World Water Week, Stockholm, Sweden - The 2030 Agenda and its 17 goals cuts right across the three pillars of the United Nations: Peace and Security; Human Rights and Justice; and Sustainable Development. Recognising that we can no longer function in silos, bridging becomes essential to creating the future we want. At the 2016 edition of World Water Week in Stockholm, UN-Water launched a new brief that looks at addressing the interlinkages between Goal 6 on water and sanitation and the other 16 goals.
With a human rights-based approach supporting the aims, understanding the linkages enables countries to implement the Goals and targets effectively by harnessing synergies between them while managing any potential conflicts. Examples of synergies include increasing access to water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) [6.1, 6.2] in homes, healthcare facilities, schools and workplaces, complemented by wastewater treatment
[6.3], as a way to reduce risk of water-borne disease [3.1–3.3, 3.9] and malnutrition [2.2]; support education [4.1–4.5] and a productive workforce [8.5, 8.8]; and address poverty [1.1, 1.2, 1.4], gender inequality [5.1, 5.2, 5.4, 5.5] and other inequality [10.1–10.3].
Download the report here
http://www.unwater.org/news-events/news-details/en/c/430639/
With a human rights-based approach supporting the aims, understanding the linkages enables countries to implement the Goals and targets effectively by harnessing synergies between them while managing any potential conflicts. Examples of synergies include increasing access to water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) [6.1, 6.2] in homes, healthcare facilities, schools and workplaces, complemented by wastewater treatment
[6.3], as a way to reduce risk of water-borne disease [3.1–3.3, 3.9] and malnutrition [2.2]; support education [4.1–4.5] and a productive workforce [8.5, 8.8]; and address poverty [1.1, 1.2, 1.4], gender inequality [5.1, 5.2, 5.4, 5.5] and other inequality [10.1–10.3].
Download the report here
http://www.unwater.org/news-events/news-details/en/c/430639/
Disasters like Louisiana floods will worsen as planet warms, scientists warn
Tuesday 16 August 2016 11.00 BST Oliver Milman
Tuesday 16 August 2016 11.00 BST Oliver Milman
The historic and devastating floods in Louisiana are the latest in a series of heavy deluges that some climate scientists warn will become even more common as the world continues to warm. On Tuesday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) is set to classify the Louisiana disaster as the eighth flood considered to be a once-in-every-500-years event to have taken place in the US in little over 12 months. Since May of last year, dozens of people have been killed and thousands of homes have been swamped with water in extreme events in Oklahoma, Texas, South Carolina, West Virginia and Maryland. Noaa considers these floods extreme because, based on historical rainfall records, they should be expected to occur only once every 500 years. The Louisiana flooding has been so exceptional that some places in the state experienced storm conditions considered once-every-1,000-year events. Close to 2ft of rain fell over a 48-hour period in parts of southern Louisiana, causing residents to scramble to safety from flooded homes and cars.
At least six people have died, with another 20,000 people having to be rescued. Even Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards had to evacuate after his governor’s mansion in Baton Rouge was swamped with chest-high water. A federal state of emergency has been declared, with 12,000 people crowding into shelters. The National Weather Service balloon released in New Orleans on Friday showed near-record levels of atmospheric moisture, prompting the service to state: “We are in record territory.” Climate scientists have warned that the build-up of moisture in the atmosphere, driven by warming temperatures, is likely to cause a greater number of floods in the future. “We have been on an upward trend in terms of heavy rainfall events over the past two decades, which is likely related to the amount of water vapor going up in the atmosphere,” said Dr Kenneth Kunkel, of the Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites.
“There’s a very tight loop – as surface temperatures of the oceans warm up, the immediate response is more water vapor in the atmosphere. We’re in a system inherently capable of producing more floods.” The number of heavy rainfall events in the US has risen well above the long-term average since the 1990s, with large regional variances. While the north-east, midwest and upper great plains have experienced a 30% increase in heavy rainfall episodes – considered once-in-every-five year downpours – parts of the west, particularly California, have been parched by drought. Warmer air, influenced by heat-trapping gases released by human activity, can contain more water vapor than cooler air. With the extra heat helping nourish storms, scientists expect global warming to help produce more intense downpours. We either pay now or pay later. If we build resiliency into infrastructure, we can protect life and property Dr Kenneth Kunkel “Assuming we don’t change our ways, warming is a virtual certainty and increased water vapor is virtual certainty,” Kunkel said. “That means increases in heavy rainfall is virtual certainty.” While scientists are loathe to attribute any single event to changes in the climate, they state that warming temperatures are helping tip the scales towards altered precipitation. Some, however, bristle at the belief that because floods and storms have always occurred, they should not be linked to climate change.
Dr Kevin Trenberth, senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, said the major floods seen in the US had a “clear human component in them. I have seen only a few reports and none mention climate change at all. It is pathetic.”
AdvertisementThere are plenty of influences on rainfall levels, including natural variation and topography. One of the biggest variables will be how much warmer the world will become – Trenberth said each 1C increase in temperature can add 7% more moisture in the atmosphere. But plotting exact projections between warming and the magnitude of downpours is something scientists are still working on. “Changes in the global water cycle in response to the warming over the 21st century will not be uniform,” states the latest IPCC assessment. “The contrast in precipitation between wet and dry regions and between wet and dry seasons will increase, although there may be regional exceptions.” With the US suffering more weather-related disasters than any other country, an increase in rainfall, storm and hurricane intensity is something that could start demanding more attention from lawmakers. “It’s prudent to consider that if you’re building something with a 100-year lifetime, it’s virtually certain that it will experience an increase in extreme rainfall,” Kunkel said. “We either pay now or pay later. If we build resiliency into infrastructure, we can protect life and property.”
www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/16/louisiana-flooding-natural-disaster-weather-climate-change
At least six people have died, with another 20,000 people having to be rescued. Even Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards had to evacuate after his governor’s mansion in Baton Rouge was swamped with chest-high water. A federal state of emergency has been declared, with 12,000 people crowding into shelters. The National Weather Service balloon released in New Orleans on Friday showed near-record levels of atmospheric moisture, prompting the service to state: “We are in record territory.” Climate scientists have warned that the build-up of moisture in the atmosphere, driven by warming temperatures, is likely to cause a greater number of floods in the future. “We have been on an upward trend in terms of heavy rainfall events over the past two decades, which is likely related to the amount of water vapor going up in the atmosphere,” said Dr Kenneth Kunkel, of the Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites.
“There’s a very tight loop – as surface temperatures of the oceans warm up, the immediate response is more water vapor in the atmosphere. We’re in a system inherently capable of producing more floods.” The number of heavy rainfall events in the US has risen well above the long-term average since the 1990s, with large regional variances. While the north-east, midwest and upper great plains have experienced a 30% increase in heavy rainfall episodes – considered once-in-every-five year downpours – parts of the west, particularly California, have been parched by drought. Warmer air, influenced by heat-trapping gases released by human activity, can contain more water vapor than cooler air. With the extra heat helping nourish storms, scientists expect global warming to help produce more intense downpours. We either pay now or pay later. If we build resiliency into infrastructure, we can protect life and property Dr Kenneth Kunkel “Assuming we don’t change our ways, warming is a virtual certainty and increased water vapor is virtual certainty,” Kunkel said. “That means increases in heavy rainfall is virtual certainty.” While scientists are loathe to attribute any single event to changes in the climate, they state that warming temperatures are helping tip the scales towards altered precipitation. Some, however, bristle at the belief that because floods and storms have always occurred, they should not be linked to climate change.
Dr Kevin Trenberth, senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, said the major floods seen in the US had a “clear human component in them. I have seen only a few reports and none mention climate change at all. It is pathetic.”
AdvertisementThere are plenty of influences on rainfall levels, including natural variation and topography. One of the biggest variables will be how much warmer the world will become – Trenberth said each 1C increase in temperature can add 7% more moisture in the atmosphere. But plotting exact projections between warming and the magnitude of downpours is something scientists are still working on. “Changes in the global water cycle in response to the warming over the 21st century will not be uniform,” states the latest IPCC assessment. “The contrast in precipitation between wet and dry regions and between wet and dry seasons will increase, although there may be regional exceptions.” With the US suffering more weather-related disasters than any other country, an increase in rainfall, storm and hurricane intensity is something that could start demanding more attention from lawmakers. “It’s prudent to consider that if you’re building something with a 100-year lifetime, it’s virtually certain that it will experience an increase in extreme rainfall,” Kunkel said. “We either pay now or pay later. If we build resiliency into infrastructure, we can protect life and property.”
www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/16/louisiana-flooding-natural-disaster-weather-climate-change