Kid Writing Update [Uncertain Principles]

One of the things parents of multiple kids often talk about is how they don’t end up doing the same things with second children that they did with their first. For example, I carried the weekly Appa-for-scale photos on with SteelyKid for a couple of years, but didn’t last anywhere near that long with The Pip. Another thing I did with SteelyKid was to report fairly regularly here on cute stories she told me, and that kind of thing, which I’ve largely been failing to do with The Pip. the fact that I’ve fallen out of doing any kind of kid-blogging at all doesn’t really make this any better…

But the absence of cute-schoolwork stories doesn’t mean there hasn’t bee cute schoolwork from our Little Dude. He’s considerably younger compared to his classmates than SteelyKid was when she entered kindergarten (his birthday is in November, and kids need to be 5 by December 1 in order to start kindergarten), but he’s working really hard, and has come a long, long way this year. Here’s an excerpt from his April writing journal, on Earth Day:

The Pip on Earth Day.

(Transcribed literally, save for fixing a couple of letters, including the continuation on the next page:)

Earth day is a day war you taek care of the earth. You can reasikle. You can reidus. You can reyu. I like earth day. Do you?

(With spelling corrected, that’s “Earth Day is a day where you take care of the Earth. You can recycle. You can reduce. You can reuse. I like Earth Day. Do You?”)

He’s also gotten really good at reading, thanks in part to his obsessive study of Pokemon cards.

His big sister also continues to have a fertile imagination; I particularly liked the story that she wrote to go with this cute-animal coloring page (which is on the back; the photo is a composite):

Coloring page and SteelyKid’s story that accompanies it.

The story (3rd-grade spelling transcribed as is):

Once Opon a time… there was a dog and two mice. One was riding a skateboard at the playground while the other was doing the jumprope, on the same play ground. Then they went to a witch’s place, got turned into stew, and the stew got eaten by the witch’s black cat! the end! And… the cat got eaten by a dog wich got eaten by a bear wich got eaten by a wolf wich got shot by a hunter and eaten for dinner.

THE END (for real!)!

“Wow, honey, that got a little dark,” I remarked. “Oh, everybody in the class got dark like that…” she replied airily. I’m not sure what to make of that…

Anyway, there’s your cute-kid update. I’m going to try to carve out a little time for more regular kid updates, probably on weekend mornings, because it’ll probably be a good exercise mental-health-wise.

And, for those reading by RSS, here’s the “featured image” from up top, a composite of our “cautious daredevils” (a self-description from a hike we took at the Christman Sanctuary down in Duanesburg) on the climber at the middle school playground in Whitney Point, when we were at my parents’ over Easter. These are cell-phone pictures because like an idiot I forgot my good camera, but I like having the climber as a standard reference object so you can judge their relative sizes.

Cautious daredevils posing atop the climber.

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/2pxjiBg

One of the things parents of multiple kids often talk about is how they don’t end up doing the same things with second children that they did with their first. For example, I carried the weekly Appa-for-scale photos on with SteelyKid for a couple of years, but didn’t last anywhere near that long with The Pip. Another thing I did with SteelyKid was to report fairly regularly here on cute stories she told me, and that kind of thing, which I’ve largely been failing to do with The Pip. the fact that I’ve fallen out of doing any kind of kid-blogging at all doesn’t really make this any better…

But the absence of cute-schoolwork stories doesn’t mean there hasn’t bee cute schoolwork from our Little Dude. He’s considerably younger compared to his classmates than SteelyKid was when she entered kindergarten (his birthday is in November, and kids need to be 5 by December 1 in order to start kindergarten), but he’s working really hard, and has come a long, long way this year. Here’s an excerpt from his April writing journal, on Earth Day:

The Pip on Earth Day.

(Transcribed literally, save for fixing a couple of letters, including the continuation on the next page:)

Earth day is a day war you taek care of the earth. You can reasikle. You can reidus. You can reyu. I like earth day. Do you?

(With spelling corrected, that’s “Earth Day is a day where you take care of the Earth. You can recycle. You can reduce. You can reuse. I like Earth Day. Do You?”)

He’s also gotten really good at reading, thanks in part to his obsessive study of Pokemon cards.

His big sister also continues to have a fertile imagination; I particularly liked the story that she wrote to go with this cute-animal coloring page (which is on the back; the photo is a composite):

Coloring page and SteelyKid’s story that accompanies it.

The story (3rd-grade spelling transcribed as is):

Once Opon a time… there was a dog and two mice. One was riding a skateboard at the playground while the other was doing the jumprope, on the same play ground. Then they went to a witch’s place, got turned into stew, and the stew got eaten by the witch’s black cat! the end! And… the cat got eaten by a dog wich got eaten by a bear wich got eaten by a wolf wich got shot by a hunter and eaten for dinner.

THE END (for real!)!

“Wow, honey, that got a little dark,” I remarked. “Oh, everybody in the class got dark like that…” she replied airily. I’m not sure what to make of that…

Anyway, there’s your cute-kid update. I’m going to try to carve out a little time for more regular kid updates, probably on weekend mornings, because it’ll probably be a good exercise mental-health-wise.

And, for those reading by RSS, here’s the “featured image” from up top, a composite of our “cautious daredevils” (a self-description from a hike we took at the Christman Sanctuary down in Duanesburg) on the climber at the middle school playground in Whitney Point, when we were at my parents’ over Easter. These are cell-phone pictures because like an idiot I forgot my good camera, but I like having the climber as a standard reference object so you can judge their relative sizes.

Cautious daredevils posing atop the climber.

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/2pxjiBg

Find Hercules between 2 bright stars

Tonight, try locating one of the coolest constellations up there. The constellation Hercules the Kneeling Giant can be seen ascending in the east-northeast on these Northern Hemisphere spring evenings. You can find Hercules in between two brilliant stars: Arcturus and Vega, which, by the way. The chart at the top of this post shows the sky for around 10 to 11 p.m. local time, when the constellation Hercules, and the two bright stars so essential for finding it, are well up in the northeastern to eastern sky.

Arcturus is in the constellation Bootes, and Vega is in the constellation Lyra. A line between them passes through what is known as the Keystone in Hercules.

At nightfall, Vega may still be below in your horizon. If so, look for Hercules below the star Arcturus.

Enjoying EarthSky so far? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!

The constellation Hercules, with its prominent Keystone asterism marked. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

The Keystone in Hercules is a squarish figure in the center of the constellation. This sky pattern is an asterism, or noticeable pattern within a larger constellation.

The Keystone is a helpful pattern for more reasons than one. First, it’s noticeable on the sky’s dome, so can lead your eye to Hercules.

Also, the Keystone in Hercules can help you find the most fascinating telescopic object within the boundaries of this constellation. This object is a globular star cluster known to stargazers as M13 or the Great Cluster in Hercules. It’s barely visible the eye alone in the darkest of skies.

Binoculars show M13 as a nebulous star-like patch of light. And telescopes show stars both on the periphery of the cluster and toward its center.

This beautiful object is one of the galaxy’s oldest inhabitants. It’s a tightly packed spherical collection of about one million stars.

EarthSky astronomy kits are perfect for beginners. Order today from the EarthSky store

M13, aka the Great Cluster in Hercules. This object is a globular star cluster, one of our galaxy’s oldest inhabitants. More about M13: Great cluster in Hercules Photo via Bareket Observatory in Israel, via CelestronImages.

Bottom line: Use the brilliant stars Arcturus and Vega to find the constellation Hercules tonight!

Donate: Your support means the world to us

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1rdci4D

Tonight, try locating one of the coolest constellations up there. The constellation Hercules the Kneeling Giant can be seen ascending in the east-northeast on these Northern Hemisphere spring evenings. You can find Hercules in between two brilliant stars: Arcturus and Vega, which, by the way. The chart at the top of this post shows the sky for around 10 to 11 p.m. local time, when the constellation Hercules, and the two bright stars so essential for finding it, are well up in the northeastern to eastern sky.

Arcturus is in the constellation Bootes, and Vega is in the constellation Lyra. A line between them passes through what is known as the Keystone in Hercules.

At nightfall, Vega may still be below in your horizon. If so, look for Hercules below the star Arcturus.

Enjoying EarthSky so far? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!

The constellation Hercules, with its prominent Keystone asterism marked. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

The Keystone in Hercules is a squarish figure in the center of the constellation. This sky pattern is an asterism, or noticeable pattern within a larger constellation.

The Keystone is a helpful pattern for more reasons than one. First, it’s noticeable on the sky’s dome, so can lead your eye to Hercules.

Also, the Keystone in Hercules can help you find the most fascinating telescopic object within the boundaries of this constellation. This object is a globular star cluster known to stargazers as M13 or the Great Cluster in Hercules. It’s barely visible the eye alone in the darkest of skies.

Binoculars show M13 as a nebulous star-like patch of light. And telescopes show stars both on the periphery of the cluster and toward its center.

This beautiful object is one of the galaxy’s oldest inhabitants. It’s a tightly packed spherical collection of about one million stars.

EarthSky astronomy kits are perfect for beginners. Order today from the EarthSky store

M13, aka the Great Cluster in Hercules. This object is a globular star cluster, one of our galaxy’s oldest inhabitants. More about M13: Great cluster in Hercules Photo via Bareket Observatory in Israel, via CelestronImages.

Bottom line: Use the brilliant stars Arcturus and Vega to find the constellation Hercules tonight!

Donate: Your support means the world to us

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1rdci4D

NY Times hired a hippie puncher to give climate obstructionists cover

Yesterday, New York Times subscribers were treated to an email alert announcing the first opinion column from Bret Stephens, who they hired away from the Wall Street Journal. Like all Journal opinion columnists who write about climate change, Stephens has said a lot of things on the subject that could charitably be described as ignorant and wrong. Thus many Times subscribers voiced bewilderment and concern about his hiring, to which the paper’s public editor issued a rather offensive response.

Justifying the critics, here’s how the paper announced Stephens’ first opinion column in an email alert (usually reserved for important breaking news):

TOP STORIES

In his debut as a Times Op-Ed columnist, Bret Stephens says reasonable people can be skeptical about the dangers of climate change

Stephens gets his few facts wrong

In his column, Stephens pooh-poohed climate change as a “modest (0.85 degrees Celsius) warming of the Northern Hemisphere since 1880,” citing the 2014 IPCC report. However, Stephens packed three big mistakes into that single sentence. Here’s what the IPCC said (emphasis added):

The globally averaged combined land and ocean surface temperature data as calculated by a linear trend show a warming of 0.85 [0.65 to 1.06] °C over the period 1880 to 2012

The northern hemisphere warms faster than the global average because it has more land and less ocean than the southern hemisphere (water warms slowly), so this is an important mistake that underestimates the global temperature rise. On top of that, since 2012 we’ve seen the three hottest years on record (2014, 2015, and 2016), so even the 0.85°C warming figure is outdated (it’s now right around 1°C).

Stephens doesn’t understand the rapid pace or urgency of the problem

Most importantly, the global warming we’ve experience is in no way “modest.” We’re already causing a rate of warming faster than when the Earth transitions out of an ice age, and within a few decades we could be causing the fastest climate change Earth has seen in 50 million years. The last ice age transition saw about 4°C global warming over 10,000 years; humans are on pace to cause that much warming between 1900 and 2100 – a period of just 200 years, with most of that warming happening since 1975.

Of course, how much global warming we see in the coming decades depends on how much carbon pollution we dump into the atmosphere. If we take serious immediate action to cut those emissions, as the international community pledged to do under the Paris agreement, we can limit global warming to perhaps 2°C, and the climate consequences that come along with it.

But this is where Stephens’ opinions are particularly unhelpful:

Demanding abrupt and expensive changes in public policy raises fair questions about ideological intentions. Censoriously asserting one’s moral superiority and treating skeptics as imbeciles and deplorables wins few converts … Perhaps if there were less certitude about our climate future, more Americans would be interested in having a reasoned conversation about it.

In other words, the people obstructing climate policies are justified because climate “advocates” are too mean to them, and claim too much certainty about the future.

This is of course nonsense. There is uncertainty about how much global warming and climate change we’ll see in the coming decades (climate scientists are crystal clear about this), but the biggest factor contributing to that uncertainty is human behavior – how much carbon pollution we end up dumping into the atmosphere. This is apparent from looking at the IPCC global temperature projections:

Global average surface temperature projections. Illustration: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report.

In the red ‘burn lots of fossil fuels’ (RCP8.5) scenario, we’ll see a further 3.0–5.5°C warming between now and 2100. In the blue ‘take immediate serious climate action’ (RCP2.6) scenario, we’ll see a further 0.5–1.5°C global warming by 2100. Those ranges represent uncertainties in the climate modeling, but the difference between them – which is based on how much carbon pollution we release – is bigger than the uncertainty in each scenario.

Stephens needs a lesson in risk management

Smoking provides an apt analogy. Each time we smoke, we increase the odds of developing cancer a little bit more. The future outcome is uncertain – we don’t know exactly if or when the disaster of cancer will hit – but we know we’re making it more likely every time we smoke, and the smart move is to mitigate that risk by cutting down on the cigarettes as quickly as possible. With climate change, each time we add more carbon pollution to the atmosphere, we increase the odds of a climate catastrophe a little bit more. The smart move is to mitigate that risk by cutting down on our burning of fossil fuels as quickly as possible.

Stephens’ piece is akin to criticizing doctors and anti-smoking groups for being too mean to the tobacco industry, and for not focusing on the uncertainty about exactly when the chain-smoking patient will develop cancer.

So far, climate change may be humanity’s greatest-ever risk management failure. The Paris climate agreement was a major step to remedy that failure, but now the Trump administration is debating whether to withdraw from it, or simply refuse to honor America’s pledges. 

There have been bipartisan bills in Congress to implement market-based solutionsto the problem, but each has been blocked by the Republican Party at the behest of its fossil fuel donors. Democrats have even proposed small government, revenue-neutral solutions that would benefit the economy, but while some Republican elder statesmen support the policy, Republicans in Congress have refused to even vote on it.

Stephens punches the hippies

In short, on climate science and policy it’s clear where the problem lies, and it’s not with the advocates. Not only does Stephens get basic facts wrong and gloss over the tremendous risks posed by climate change, but he blames partisan policy obstruction on the people who are desperately trying every possible avenue to solve the problem. The New York Times is publishing and promoting textbook hippie punching, and its readers are rightly appalled. 

Click here to read the rest

from Skeptical Science http://ift.tt/2oWZALY

Yesterday, New York Times subscribers were treated to an email alert announcing the first opinion column from Bret Stephens, who they hired away from the Wall Street Journal. Like all Journal opinion columnists who write about climate change, Stephens has said a lot of things on the subject that could charitably be described as ignorant and wrong. Thus many Times subscribers voiced bewilderment and concern about his hiring, to which the paper’s public editor issued a rather offensive response.

Justifying the critics, here’s how the paper announced Stephens’ first opinion column in an email alert (usually reserved for important breaking news):

TOP STORIES

In his debut as a Times Op-Ed columnist, Bret Stephens says reasonable people can be skeptical about the dangers of climate change

Stephens gets his few facts wrong

In his column, Stephens pooh-poohed climate change as a “modest (0.85 degrees Celsius) warming of the Northern Hemisphere since 1880,” citing the 2014 IPCC report. However, Stephens packed three big mistakes into that single sentence. Here’s what the IPCC said (emphasis added):

The globally averaged combined land and ocean surface temperature data as calculated by a linear trend show a warming of 0.85 [0.65 to 1.06] °C over the period 1880 to 2012

The northern hemisphere warms faster than the global average because it has more land and less ocean than the southern hemisphere (water warms slowly), so this is an important mistake that underestimates the global temperature rise. On top of that, since 2012 we’ve seen the three hottest years on record (2014, 2015, and 2016), so even the 0.85°C warming figure is outdated (it’s now right around 1°C).

Stephens doesn’t understand the rapid pace or urgency of the problem

Most importantly, the global warming we’ve experience is in no way “modest.” We’re already causing a rate of warming faster than when the Earth transitions out of an ice age, and within a few decades we could be causing the fastest climate change Earth has seen in 50 million years. The last ice age transition saw about 4°C global warming over 10,000 years; humans are on pace to cause that much warming between 1900 and 2100 – a period of just 200 years, with most of that warming happening since 1975.

Of course, how much global warming we see in the coming decades depends on how much carbon pollution we dump into the atmosphere. If we take serious immediate action to cut those emissions, as the international community pledged to do under the Paris agreement, we can limit global warming to perhaps 2°C, and the climate consequences that come along with it.

But this is where Stephens’ opinions are particularly unhelpful:

Demanding abrupt and expensive changes in public policy raises fair questions about ideological intentions. Censoriously asserting one’s moral superiority and treating skeptics as imbeciles and deplorables wins few converts … Perhaps if there were less certitude about our climate future, more Americans would be interested in having a reasoned conversation about it.

In other words, the people obstructing climate policies are justified because climate “advocates” are too mean to them, and claim too much certainty about the future.

This is of course nonsense. There is uncertainty about how much global warming and climate change we’ll see in the coming decades (climate scientists are crystal clear about this), but the biggest factor contributing to that uncertainty is human behavior – how much carbon pollution we end up dumping into the atmosphere. This is apparent from looking at the IPCC global temperature projections:

Global average surface temperature projections. Illustration: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report.

In the red ‘burn lots of fossil fuels’ (RCP8.5) scenario, we’ll see a further 3.0–5.5°C warming between now and 2100. In the blue ‘take immediate serious climate action’ (RCP2.6) scenario, we’ll see a further 0.5–1.5°C global warming by 2100. Those ranges represent uncertainties in the climate modeling, but the difference between them – which is based on how much carbon pollution we release – is bigger than the uncertainty in each scenario.

Stephens needs a lesson in risk management

Smoking provides an apt analogy. Each time we smoke, we increase the odds of developing cancer a little bit more. The future outcome is uncertain – we don’t know exactly if or when the disaster of cancer will hit – but we know we’re making it more likely every time we smoke, and the smart move is to mitigate that risk by cutting down on the cigarettes as quickly as possible. With climate change, each time we add more carbon pollution to the atmosphere, we increase the odds of a climate catastrophe a little bit more. The smart move is to mitigate that risk by cutting down on our burning of fossil fuels as quickly as possible.

Stephens’ piece is akin to criticizing doctors and anti-smoking groups for being too mean to the tobacco industry, and for not focusing on the uncertainty about exactly when the chain-smoking patient will develop cancer.

So far, climate change may be humanity’s greatest-ever risk management failure. The Paris climate agreement was a major step to remedy that failure, but now the Trump administration is debating whether to withdraw from it, or simply refuse to honor America’s pledges. 

There have been bipartisan bills in Congress to implement market-based solutionsto the problem, but each has been blocked by the Republican Party at the behest of its fossil fuel donors. Democrats have even proposed small government, revenue-neutral solutions that would benefit the economy, but while some Republican elder statesmen support the policy, Republicans in Congress have refused to even vote on it.

Stephens punches the hippies

In short, on climate science and policy it’s clear where the problem lies, and it’s not with the advocates. Not only does Stephens get basic facts wrong and gloss over the tremendous risks posed by climate change, but he blames partisan policy obstruction on the people who are desperately trying every possible avenue to solve the problem. The New York Times is publishing and promoting textbook hippie punching, and its readers are rightly appalled. 

Click here to read the rest

from Skeptical Science http://ift.tt/2oWZALY

Climate March April 29: A few video tweets [Greg Laden's Blog]

The #ClimateMarch in front of Trump's DC Hotel. "Shame, shame" http://pic.twitter.com/7XACSbTJzG

— Peter Gleick (@PeterGleick) April 29, 2017

Leading the #ClimateMarch in Washington: @LeoDiCaprio, waiving a "climate change is real" sign. #Resist http://pic.twitter.com/GqfTfJJb6y

— SeriouslyUS? (@USseriously) April 29, 2017

Protectors of Justice, #BlackLivesMatter, holding it down on the frontlines. #climatemarch #ittakesroots @CJAOurPower http://pic.twitter.com/Z9ELt7Yl5t

— bryan parras (@HighTechAztec) April 29, 2017

We all march for different reasons. We also march together. #ClimateMarch https://t.co/dFBFoHatqo http://pic.twitter.com/FXSEFyLaa5

— NRDC (@NRDC) April 29, 2017

With @mayboeve before Peoples #climatemarch — on 100th day of Trump in office we are standing strongly against him. We March for justice! http://pic.twitter.com/8Y0vDWoFrA

— 350 dot org (@350) April 29, 2017

We r here at People's #ClimateMarch. Hear from @ahdum24 on why she is marching. #IndigenousWomenRise #Women4ClimateJustice http://pic.twitter.com/ZoHfXNtqM7

— WECAN, International (@WECAN_INTL) April 29, 2017

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/2oTienv

The #ClimateMarch in front of Trump's DC Hotel. "Shame, shame" http://pic.twitter.com/7XACSbTJzG

— Peter Gleick (@PeterGleick) April 29, 2017

Leading the #ClimateMarch in Washington: @LeoDiCaprio, waiving a "climate change is real" sign. #Resist http://pic.twitter.com/GqfTfJJb6y

— SeriouslyUS? (@USseriously) April 29, 2017

Protectors of Justice, #BlackLivesMatter, holding it down on the frontlines. #climatemarch #ittakesroots @CJAOurPower http://pic.twitter.com/Z9ELt7Yl5t

— bryan parras (@HighTechAztec) April 29, 2017

We all march for different reasons. We also march together. #ClimateMarch https://t.co/dFBFoHatqo http://pic.twitter.com/FXSEFyLaa5

— NRDC (@NRDC) April 29, 2017

With @mayboeve before Peoples #climatemarch — on 100th day of Trump in office we are standing strongly against him. We March for justice! http://pic.twitter.com/8Y0vDWoFrA

— 350 dot org (@350) April 29, 2017

We r here at People's #ClimateMarch. Hear from @ahdum24 on why she is marching. #IndigenousWomenRise #Women4ClimateJustice http://pic.twitter.com/ZoHfXNtqM7

— WECAN, International (@WECAN_INTL) April 29, 2017

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/2oTienv

Taking The Axe To The Environmental Movement: Resolute v. Greenpeace [Greg Laden's Blog]

A major Canadian logger appears to be using a pair of law suits to end the existence of Greenpeace and to stop or curtail pro-environmental activities by other organizations operating in North America, or perhaps, generally.

This activity is being carried out by Resolute Forest Products. This is a rapidly developing story. Aside from the usual sources of information, I had a long conversation with a representative of Greenpeace. I also refer you to this blog post.

Resolute Forest Products is one of North America’s largest converters of forest into pulp, ultimately to be used to make paper. They do other things as well. Back in 2010, Resolute Forest Products joined a group of 30 entities, including other forestry companies as well as environmental organizations such as Greenpeace. The group, called the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement, intended to reduce negative impacts on the northern boreal forests caused by companies like Resolute.

Resolute, for its part, is said to have stonewalled movement in any positive direction, and eventually, Greenpeace Canada and others dropped out of the agreement. Greenpeace Canada then produced a report, in May 2013, outlining alleged deception by Resolute about the sustainability of their products. Generally, Greenpeace has been encouraging pulp customers to select producers that log sustainably, and that appears to annoy Resolute. That started a relatively complex back and forth between Resolute and Greenpeace, and other Canadian stakeholders, including a $7 million defamation suite by resolute against Greenpeace Canada as well as two of its staff members.

To get caught up on the environmental arguments concerns at hand, see Endangered Forests in the Balance: The impact of logging reaches new heights in the Montagnes Blanches Endangered Forest.

And now this ongoing battle is heating up again.

At present, there are two new significant suits by Resolute Forest Products, one against Greenpeace Canada, the other against Greenpeace International. The latter is said to have been filed in the US because the limitations on liability are much higher; Indeed, the Canadian suit is for millions, while the US based suit is for hundreds of millions. Along with these legal actions, Resolute is, again, directly attacking individuals and not just the company.

It is generally believed by observers that Resolute intends to use this legal action to end Greenpeace. Other environmental organizations are concerned that this type of suit may end their efforts as well.

Many will consider this a SLAPP suit. This is a “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation.” A SLAPP “… is intended to censor, intimidate, and silence critics by burdening them with the cost of a legal defense until they abandon their criticism or opposition. Such lawsuits have been made illegal in many jurisdictions on the grounds that they impede freedom of speech.*”

The US based law suit uses RICO statute. RICO stands for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and was created to allow prosecutors important tools to go after previously nearly untouchable organized crime entities. Apparently, legal experts view the RICO suit against Greenpeace International to be absurd and unwinnable. That is what would make it a SLAPP. All Resolute has to do is pour a few tens of millions into the effort, and Greenpeace will have to give in. Unless, of course, judges throw the suits out early enough.

Pulp: The coal of the wood industry

Why is this happening? The most obvious reason is that Resolute is tired of having their lack of sustainable practice pointed out to them by organizations like Greenpeace. There may even be a cost to Resolute, in that customers are increasingly demanding that sustainable practices be followed by extractive industries such as logging. Indeed, I expect that one response to the Resolute legal action will be an effort to pressure book publishers to use paper made from sustainably produced pulp.

So there’s that, but there is probably more to it. Resolute is part of a rapidly declining industry: North American pulp. Resolute could scale down its overall expectations and become the sustainable pulp producer. Or, it could barrel into the future full speed ahead, using up whatever expanse of the northern forest it can lay it’s saws on before getting stopped. It seems to be doing the latter.

Over the last fifty years or so, the production of paper has gone up significantly (from tens of millions of tons in 1960 to over 350 millions of tons more recently). People will tell you that the internet killed off paper production, but that seems not quite true. Paper production does not increase each year as much as it formerly did, but it still increases.

But two other things have happened. For one, the amount of paper that is recycled has also gone up, but at a slightly slower rate than overall paper production. So, that shift from 10 to 350 million tons a year of paper, an increase of about 30 times, is actually an increase of about 10 or 15 times for the virgin pulp some paper is made out of. Related is the use of more wood waste to make pulp instead of virgin timber.

The other factor is the shift in pulp and paper production to places other than North America, so from a North American perspective, pulp looks a lot like coal: it is a dying business.

Putting all this together, and you can see that Greenpeace is really Resolute’s smaller problem. The bigger problem is a dramatic and ongoing decline in its own market.

I would have thought this would be the ideal time go go full on rogue sustainable, and be the one company that produces most of the sustainable pulp in a world where North Americans will tolerate nothing else. But apparently I do not work at Resolute, do I?

Stay tuned!

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/2oWbfLh

A major Canadian logger appears to be using a pair of law suits to end the existence of Greenpeace and to stop or curtail pro-environmental activities by other organizations operating in North America, or perhaps, generally.

This activity is being carried out by Resolute Forest Products. This is a rapidly developing story. Aside from the usual sources of information, I had a long conversation with a representative of Greenpeace. I also refer you to this blog post.

Resolute Forest Products is one of North America’s largest converters of forest into pulp, ultimately to be used to make paper. They do other things as well. Back in 2010, Resolute Forest Products joined a group of 30 entities, including other forestry companies as well as environmental organizations such as Greenpeace. The group, called the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement, intended to reduce negative impacts on the northern boreal forests caused by companies like Resolute.

Resolute, for its part, is said to have stonewalled movement in any positive direction, and eventually, Greenpeace Canada and others dropped out of the agreement. Greenpeace Canada then produced a report, in May 2013, outlining alleged deception by Resolute about the sustainability of their products. Generally, Greenpeace has been encouraging pulp customers to select producers that log sustainably, and that appears to annoy Resolute. That started a relatively complex back and forth between Resolute and Greenpeace, and other Canadian stakeholders, including a $7 million defamation suite by resolute against Greenpeace Canada as well as two of its staff members.

To get caught up on the environmental arguments concerns at hand, see Endangered Forests in the Balance: The impact of logging reaches new heights in the Montagnes Blanches Endangered Forest.

And now this ongoing battle is heating up again.

At present, there are two new significant suits by Resolute Forest Products, one against Greenpeace Canada, the other against Greenpeace International. The latter is said to have been filed in the US because the limitations on liability are much higher; Indeed, the Canadian suit is for millions, while the US based suit is for hundreds of millions. Along with these legal actions, Resolute is, again, directly attacking individuals and not just the company.

It is generally believed by observers that Resolute intends to use this legal action to end Greenpeace. Other environmental organizations are concerned that this type of suit may end their efforts as well.

Many will consider this a SLAPP suit. This is a “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation.” A SLAPP “… is intended to censor, intimidate, and silence critics by burdening them with the cost of a legal defense until they abandon their criticism or opposition. Such lawsuits have been made illegal in many jurisdictions on the grounds that they impede freedom of speech.*”

The US based law suit uses RICO statute. RICO stands for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and was created to allow prosecutors important tools to go after previously nearly untouchable organized crime entities. Apparently, legal experts view the RICO suit against Greenpeace International to be absurd and unwinnable. That is what would make it a SLAPP. All Resolute has to do is pour a few tens of millions into the effort, and Greenpeace will have to give in. Unless, of course, judges throw the suits out early enough.

Pulp: The coal of the wood industry

Why is this happening? The most obvious reason is that Resolute is tired of having their lack of sustainable practice pointed out to them by organizations like Greenpeace. There may even be a cost to Resolute, in that customers are increasingly demanding that sustainable practices be followed by extractive industries such as logging. Indeed, I expect that one response to the Resolute legal action will be an effort to pressure book publishers to use paper made from sustainably produced pulp.

So there’s that, but there is probably more to it. Resolute is part of a rapidly declining industry: North American pulp. Resolute could scale down its overall expectations and become the sustainable pulp producer. Or, it could barrel into the future full speed ahead, using up whatever expanse of the northern forest it can lay it’s saws on before getting stopped. It seems to be doing the latter.

Over the last fifty years or so, the production of paper has gone up significantly (from tens of millions of tons in 1960 to over 350 millions of tons more recently). People will tell you that the internet killed off paper production, but that seems not quite true. Paper production does not increase each year as much as it formerly did, but it still increases.

But two other things have happened. For one, the amount of paper that is recycled has also gone up, but at a slightly slower rate than overall paper production. So, that shift from 10 to 350 million tons a year of paper, an increase of about 30 times, is actually an increase of about 10 or 15 times for the virgin pulp some paper is made out of. Related is the use of more wood waste to make pulp instead of virgin timber.

The other factor is the shift in pulp and paper production to places other than North America, so from a North American perspective, pulp looks a lot like coal: it is a dying business.

Putting all this together, and you can see that Greenpeace is really Resolute’s smaller problem. The bigger problem is a dramatic and ongoing decline in its own market.

I would have thought this would be the ideal time go go full on rogue sustainable, and be the one company that produces most of the sustainable pulp in a world where North Americans will tolerate nothing else. But apparently I do not work at Resolute, do I?

Stay tuned!

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/2oWbfLh

2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #17

A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook page during the past week. Articles of signifigance as determined by the editor are highlighted in the Editor's Picks' section.

Editor's Picks

Tens of thousands marched for science. Now what?

 

Just hours after the Washington March for Science dispersed, organizers sent an email to demonstrators with the subject line, “What's next?”

“Our movement is just starting,” the message read. It went on to urge marchers to take part in a “week of action,” a set of coordinated activities that range from signing an environmental voting pledge to participating in a citizen science project. They will provide postcards for participants to send to their political leaders and a calendar of events recommended by the march's partner groups.

The march website was also overhauled Saturday night to include a new page on the organization's vision for the future. The details are not fully fleshed out (and the page still included a few typos Sunday afternoon), but organizers say they aim to build a new science advocacy network and establish programs to better engage the public with science.

“We intend to symbolically keep marching,” said national co-chair Valerie Aquino. “I would love for the March for Science to continue growing into a global movement.”

That goal will require a sea change in how scientists think about outreach. But after the success of the march, which turned out tens of thousands of demonstrators in more than 600 cities, organizers think it could happen.

Tens of thousands marched for science. Now what? by Sarah Kaplan, Speaking of Science, Washington Post, Apr 23, 2107 

---

China, India Become Climate Leaders as West Falters

Less than two years after world leaders signed off on a historic United Nations climate treaty in Paris in late 2015, and following three years of record-setting heat worldwide, climate policies are advancing in developing countries but stalling or regressing in richer ones.

In the Western hemisphere, where centuries of polluting fossil fuel use have created comfortable lifestyles, the fight against warming has faltered largely due to the rise of far-right political groups and nationalist movements. As numerous rich countries have foundered, India and China have emerged as global leaders in tackling global warming.

Nowhere is backtracking more apparent than in the U.S., where President Trump is moving swiftly to dismantle environmental protections and reverse President Obama’s push for domestic and global solutions to global warming.

The U.S. isn’t alone in its regression. European lawmakers are balking at far-reaching measures to tackle climate change. Australian climate policy is in tatters. International efforts to slow deforestation in tropical countries are failing.

China, India Become Climate Leaders as West Falters by John Upton, Climate Central, Apr 24, 2017 

---

 

 April 1970 through March 2017 temperature trend from Berkeley Earth.

With the first quarter of 2017 now past, the year is shaping up to be one of climate extremes: high temperatures, low sea ice, and coral bleaching. 

Global surface temperatures continue to increase in-line with climate model predictions, and the world has now experienced an increased global temperature of about 0.8 degrees C (1.5 degrees F) since 1970. Temperatures for the first three months of the year were actually warmer than the 2016 average, and there is a reasonable chance that 2017 for a fourth consecutive year will be the warmest on record.

Global sea ice extent is near historic lows in the Arctic and Antarctic, and Arctic sea ice volume has also been decreasing as it ages and thins, with less new ice to replace it. The Great Barrier Reef experienced an unprecedented second consecutive year of coral bleaching, the only major coral bleaching on record to have occurred other than in an El Niño year.

Worrisome first quarter of 2017 climate trends by Zeke Hausfather, Yale Climate Connections, Apr 27, 2017

---

An Ice-Free Summer in the Arctic Ocean Would Be Deadly for the Northern Hemisphere

 

Arctic sea ice near the coast of Greenland in September of 2015 at the peak of the melt season. (Photo: Bob Berwyn)

Climate scientists don’t like to get pinned down on making date-specific projections about the effects of global warming. But after months of watching Arctic sea ice languish at a record low, the big question has surfaced once again: When will we see the Arctic’s first ice-free summer?

According to University of Exeter climate researcher James Screen, the latest modeling suggests that, unless heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions stop soon, an ice-free Arctic summer will happen as soon as 2046.

“That’s our best estimate, give or take 20 years,” Screen said during an April 24th press conference at the European Geosciences Union conference in Vienna. The ice decline is clearly linked with rising global temperatures, and the chances that the Arctic will be ice-free increase dramatically when the average global temperature rises between 1.7 and 2.1 degrees Celsius, Screen said. 

Worrisome first quarter of 2017 climate trends by Zeke Hausfather, Yale Climate Connections, Apr 28, 2017 

---

The kids suing Donald Trump are marching to the White House

 

"The state of the planet is unraveling all around us because of our addiction to fossil fuels," Xiuhtezcatl Martinez said at the steps of the US Supreme Court this week. "For the last several decades, we have been neglecting the fact that this is the only planet that we have and that the main stakeholders in this issue (of climate change) are the younger generation. Not only are the youth going to be inheriting every problem that we see in the world today — after our politicians have been long gone — but our voices have been neglected from the conversation.

"Our politicians are no longer representing our voices."

So, what's a voiceless kid to do?

How about sue President Donald Trump and his administration — and then march to the White House?

The kids suing Donald Trump are marching to the White House by John Sutter, CNN, Apr 29, 2017 

---

Sun Apr 23, 2017

• There’s a Leadership Vacuum on Climate Change. Business Should Fill It by Andrew Winston, Harvard Business Review, Apr 21, 2017
• UK launches ‘world first’ research programme into negative emissions by Simon Evans, Carbon Brief, Apr 21, 2017
• March for Science: mad scientists in action by Carla Bleiker, Deutsche Welle (DW), Apr 22, 2017
• March for Science: Protesters gather worldwide to support 'evidence' by Laura Smith-Spark & Jason Hanna, CNN, Apr 22, 2017
• Defending science: How the art of rhetoric can help by Leah Ceccarelli, The Conversation US, Apr 20. 2017
• India's 2017 monsoon rains seen at average levels: weather office by Sudarshan Varadhan & Mayank Bhardwaj, Reuters, Apr 18, 2017
• How a Melting Arctic Changes Everything by Eric Roston & Blacki Migliozzi, Bloomberg News, Apr 19, 2017
• Bloomberg To World Leaders: Ignore Trump’s Ideas On Climate Change, AP/CBS New York, Apr 23, 2017

Mon Apr 24, 2017

• The effects of climate change will force millions to migrate. Here’s what this means for human security. by Kelly M. McFarland & Vanessa Lide, Monkey Cage, Washington Post, Apr 23, 2017
• The Surprising List of States Leading U.S. on Renewable Energy by Zahra Hirji, InsideClimate News, Apr 21, 2017
• 15 Climate Change Facts That You'll Know Are True If You're Not An Idiot by Erin La Rosa, BuzzFeed, Apr 22, 2017
• How The March For Science Finally Found Its Voice by Ed Young, The Atlantic, Apr 24, 2017
• Bloomberg Adds Climate Change Site To Its Financial News Empire by Alexander C. Kaufman, Huffington Post US, Apr 20, 2017
• Pictures From the March for Science, New York Times, Apr 22, 2017
• China, India Become Climate Leaders as West Falters by John Upton, Climate Central, Apr 24, 2017
• The Electric Car Revolution Now Faces Its Biggest Test by Tom Randall, Climate Changed, Bloomberg News, Apr 24, 2017
• Record-breaking climate events all over the world are being shaped by global warming, scientists find by Chelsea Harvey, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Apr 24, 2017

Tue Apr 25, 2017

• As global groundwater disappears, rice, wheat and other international crops may start to vanish by David Bersndsten, PBS News Hour, Apr 17, 2017
• Here come back-to-back science and climate marches. Organizers insist there’s no competition. by Chelsea Harvey, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Apr 21, 2017
• Tens of thousands marched for science. Now what? by Sarah Kaplan, Speaking of Science, Washington Post, Apr 23, 2107
• Extreme Arctic Melt Is Raising Sea Level Rise Threat; New Estimate Nearly Twice IPCC's by Sabrina Shankman, InsideClimate News, Apr 25, 2017
• Trump to set new executive orders on environment, energy this week by David Shepardson and Valerie Volcovici. Reuters, Apr 24, 2017
• Trump's Climate Cuts Could Result in Half-Billion Extra Tons of CO2 in the Air by Marianne Lavelle, InsideClimate News, Apr 25, 2017
• SkS Analogy 2 - Ferrari Without Gas by Evan, Skeptical Science, Apr 24, 2017
• Record-challenging heat possible for climate march in Washington on Saturday by Jason Samenow, Capital Weather Gang, Washington Post, April 25, 2017
• March against madness - denial has pushed scientists out into the streets by Dana Nuccitelli, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Apr 25, 2017

Wed Apr 26, 2017

• Cut fossil fuel use ‘dramatically’ to meet climate goals, says Shell-backed report by Simon Evans, Carbon Brief, Apr 25, 2017
• Networks Covering March For Science Provided Platform For Climate Deniers by Kevin Kalhoefer, Media Matters for America, Apr 24, 2017
• The nightmare scenario for Florida’s coastal homeowners – sea levels rising by Christopher Flavelle, Domain, Apr 21, 2017
• Did 'people power' save a trove of EPA data from a shutdown by Trump? by Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, Apr 24, 2017
• Most global investors recognise financial risk of climate change, report finds by Paul Karp, Guardian, Apr 25, 2017
• Our Climate Future Is Actually Our Climate Present by Jon Mooallem, New York Times Magazine, Apr 19, 2017
• Rising Seas Will Send Millions of Refugees to Inland Cities by Marlene Cimons, Nexus Media, Apr 24, 2017
• Scientists keep increasing their projections for how much the oceans will rise this century by Chris Mooney, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Apr 21, 2017

Thu Apr 27, 2017

• State Department Memo Boosts Case to Stay in Paris Climate Pact by Jennifer A Dlouhy & Nick Wadhams, Bloomberg News, Apr 25, 2017
• The Regulatory Accountability Act Subverts Science and Must Be Stopped by Michael Halpern, Union of Concerned Scientists, Apr 26, 2016
• I’m Elise, and I’m a Scientist Marching in the Peoples Climate March. This Is Why. by Elsie Tolbert, Blog, Union of Concened Scientists, Apr 24, 2017
• Looming 'catastrophe' in East Africa proves why world must tackle climate change, says Oxfam by Ian Johnston, Independent, Apr 27, 2017
• The Trump White House is at war with itself about climate change by Chris Mooney & Juliet Elperin, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Apr 26. 2017
• Climate models have underestimated Earth’s sensitivity to CO2 changes, study finds by Jim Shelton, Yale News, Apr 4, 2017
• Sowing Climate Doubt Among Schoolteachers, Opinion by Curt Stager, New York Times, Apr 27, 2017
• El Niño and the end of the global warming hiatus by Jim Shelton, Yale News, Apr 26, 2017

Fri Apr 28, 2017

• Germany Calls Rick Perry’s Push to Rework Paris Climate Agreement ‘Absurd’ by Joe Ryan & Brian Parkin, Bloomberg News, Apr 26, 2017
• U.S. Vulnerable to Worst of Extreme Sea Rise by John Upton, Climate Central. Apr 26, 2017
• How is this weekend’s climate march different from its predecessor? ‘Now, the task is full-on resistance.’ by Brady Dennis, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Apr 26. 2017
• Climate Scientists Cancelling Their New York Times Subscription Over Hiring of Climate Denialist Bret Stephens by Graham Readfearn, DeSmog, Apr 27, 2017
• Amazon’s fate hangs on outcome of war between opposing worldviews by Sue Branford & Maurício Torres, Mongaby, Apr 27, 2017
• We owe our planet this climate march. But we also owe it – very faint – hope, Opinion by Bill McKibben, Guardian, Apr 28, 2017
• Impacted Communities Draw 'Red Line' for Mother Earth Across US Capitol by Lauren McCauley, Common Dreams, Apr 28, 2017
• New study: global warming keeps on keeping on by John Abraham, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Apr 27, 2017

Sat Apr 29, 2017

• The Faith Community & Climate Change by John Gehring, Commonweal, Apr 27, 2017
• Suddenly, the future doesn’t seem so far away by Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick Diary of a Climate Scientist, Inside Story, Apr 28, 2017
• The kids suing Donald Trump are marching to the White House by John Sutter, CNN, Apr 29, 2017
• 5 Year Study: What Happens in the Arctic Does not Stay in the Arctic by Peter Sinclair, Climate Crock of the Week, Apr 25, 2017
• Climate March expected to draw massive crowd to D.C. in sweltering heat by Chris Mooney, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Apr 29, 2017
• An Ice-Free Summer in the Arctic Ocean Would Be Deadly for the Northern Hemisphere by Bob Berwyn, Pacific Standard, Apr 28, 2017
• Worrisome first quarter of 2017 climate trends by Zeke Hausfather, Yale Climate Connections, Apr 27, 2017

from Skeptical Science http://ift.tt/2oVYksD

A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook page during the past week. Articles of signifigance as determined by the editor are highlighted in the Editor's Picks' section.

Editor's Picks

Tens of thousands marched for science. Now what?

 

Just hours after the Washington March for Science dispersed, organizers sent an email to demonstrators with the subject line, “What's next?”

“Our movement is just starting,” the message read. It went on to urge marchers to take part in a “week of action,” a set of coordinated activities that range from signing an environmental voting pledge to participating in a citizen science project. They will provide postcards for participants to send to their political leaders and a calendar of events recommended by the march's partner groups.

The march website was also overhauled Saturday night to include a new page on the organization's vision for the future. The details are not fully fleshed out (and the page still included a few typos Sunday afternoon), but organizers say they aim to build a new science advocacy network and establish programs to better engage the public with science.

“We intend to symbolically keep marching,” said national co-chair Valerie Aquino. “I would love for the March for Science to continue growing into a global movement.”

That goal will require a sea change in how scientists think about outreach. But after the success of the march, which turned out tens of thousands of demonstrators in more than 600 cities, organizers think it could happen.

Tens of thousands marched for science. Now what? by Sarah Kaplan, Speaking of Science, Washington Post, Apr 23, 2107 

---

China, India Become Climate Leaders as West Falters

Less than two years after world leaders signed off on a historic United Nations climate treaty in Paris in late 2015, and following three years of record-setting heat worldwide, climate policies are advancing in developing countries but stalling or regressing in richer ones.

In the Western hemisphere, where centuries of polluting fossil fuel use have created comfortable lifestyles, the fight against warming has faltered largely due to the rise of far-right political groups and nationalist movements. As numerous rich countries have foundered, India and China have emerged as global leaders in tackling global warming.

Nowhere is backtracking more apparent than in the U.S., where President Trump is moving swiftly to dismantle environmental protections and reverse President Obama’s push for domestic and global solutions to global warming.

The U.S. isn’t alone in its regression. European lawmakers are balking at far-reaching measures to tackle climate change. Australian climate policy is in tatters. International efforts to slow deforestation in tropical countries are failing.

China, India Become Climate Leaders as West Falters by John Upton, Climate Central, Apr 24, 2017 

---

 

 April 1970 through March 2017 temperature trend from Berkeley Earth.

With the first quarter of 2017 now past, the year is shaping up to be one of climate extremes: high temperatures, low sea ice, and coral bleaching. 

Global surface temperatures continue to increase in-line with climate model predictions, and the world has now experienced an increased global temperature of about 0.8 degrees C (1.5 degrees F) since 1970. Temperatures for the first three months of the year were actually warmer than the 2016 average, and there is a reasonable chance that 2017 for a fourth consecutive year will be the warmest on record.

Global sea ice extent is near historic lows in the Arctic and Antarctic, and Arctic sea ice volume has also been decreasing as it ages and thins, with less new ice to replace it. The Great Barrier Reef experienced an unprecedented second consecutive year of coral bleaching, the only major coral bleaching on record to have occurred other than in an El Niño year.

Worrisome first quarter of 2017 climate trends by Zeke Hausfather, Yale Climate Connections, Apr 27, 2017

---

An Ice-Free Summer in the Arctic Ocean Would Be Deadly for the Northern Hemisphere

 

Arctic sea ice near the coast of Greenland in September of 2015 at the peak of the melt season. (Photo: Bob Berwyn)

Climate scientists don’t like to get pinned down on making date-specific projections about the effects of global warming. But after months of watching Arctic sea ice languish at a record low, the big question has surfaced once again: When will we see the Arctic’s first ice-free summer?

According to University of Exeter climate researcher James Screen, the latest modeling suggests that, unless heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions stop soon, an ice-free Arctic summer will happen as soon as 2046.

“That’s our best estimate, give or take 20 years,” Screen said during an April 24th press conference at the European Geosciences Union conference in Vienna. The ice decline is clearly linked with rising global temperatures, and the chances that the Arctic will be ice-free increase dramatically when the average global temperature rises between 1.7 and 2.1 degrees Celsius, Screen said. 

Worrisome first quarter of 2017 climate trends by Zeke Hausfather, Yale Climate Connections, Apr 28, 2017 

---

The kids suing Donald Trump are marching to the White House

 

"The state of the planet is unraveling all around us because of our addiction to fossil fuels," Xiuhtezcatl Martinez said at the steps of the US Supreme Court this week. "For the last several decades, we have been neglecting the fact that this is the only planet that we have and that the main stakeholders in this issue (of climate change) are the younger generation. Not only are the youth going to be inheriting every problem that we see in the world today — after our politicians have been long gone — but our voices have been neglected from the conversation.

"Our politicians are no longer representing our voices."

So, what's a voiceless kid to do?

How about sue President Donald Trump and his administration — and then march to the White House?

The kids suing Donald Trump are marching to the White House by John Sutter, CNN, Apr 29, 2017 

---

Sun Apr 23, 2017

• There’s a Leadership Vacuum on Climate Change. Business Should Fill It by Andrew Winston, Harvard Business Review, Apr 21, 2017
• UK launches ‘world first’ research programme into negative emissions by Simon Evans, Carbon Brief, Apr 21, 2017
• March for Science: mad scientists in action by Carla Bleiker, Deutsche Welle (DW), Apr 22, 2017
• March for Science: Protesters gather worldwide to support 'evidence' by Laura Smith-Spark & Jason Hanna, CNN, Apr 22, 2017
• Defending science: How the art of rhetoric can help by Leah Ceccarelli, The Conversation US, Apr 20. 2017
• India's 2017 monsoon rains seen at average levels: weather office by Sudarshan Varadhan & Mayank Bhardwaj, Reuters, Apr 18, 2017
• How a Melting Arctic Changes Everything by Eric Roston & Blacki Migliozzi, Bloomberg News, Apr 19, 2017
• Bloomberg To World Leaders: Ignore Trump’s Ideas On Climate Change, AP/CBS New York, Apr 23, 2017

Mon Apr 24, 2017

• The effects of climate change will force millions to migrate. Here’s what this means for human security. by Kelly M. McFarland & Vanessa Lide, Monkey Cage, Washington Post, Apr 23, 2017
• The Surprising List of States Leading U.S. on Renewable Energy by Zahra Hirji, InsideClimate News, Apr 21, 2017
• 15 Climate Change Facts That You'll Know Are True If You're Not An Idiot by Erin La Rosa, BuzzFeed, Apr 22, 2017
• How The March For Science Finally Found Its Voice by Ed Young, The Atlantic, Apr 24, 2017
• Bloomberg Adds Climate Change Site To Its Financial News Empire by Alexander C. Kaufman, Huffington Post US, Apr 20, 2017
• Pictures From the March for Science, New York Times, Apr 22, 2017
• China, India Become Climate Leaders as West Falters by John Upton, Climate Central, Apr 24, 2017
• The Electric Car Revolution Now Faces Its Biggest Test by Tom Randall, Climate Changed, Bloomberg News, Apr 24, 2017
• Record-breaking climate events all over the world are being shaped by global warming, scientists find by Chelsea Harvey, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Apr 24, 2017

Tue Apr 25, 2017

• As global groundwater disappears, rice, wheat and other international crops may start to vanish by David Bersndsten, PBS News Hour, Apr 17, 2017
• Here come back-to-back science and climate marches. Organizers insist there’s no competition. by Chelsea Harvey, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Apr 21, 2017
• Tens of thousands marched for science. Now what? by Sarah Kaplan, Speaking of Science, Washington Post, Apr 23, 2107
• Extreme Arctic Melt Is Raising Sea Level Rise Threat; New Estimate Nearly Twice IPCC's by Sabrina Shankman, InsideClimate News, Apr 25, 2017
• Trump to set new executive orders on environment, energy this week by David Shepardson and Valerie Volcovici. Reuters, Apr 24, 2017
• Trump's Climate Cuts Could Result in Half-Billion Extra Tons of CO2 in the Air by Marianne Lavelle, InsideClimate News, Apr 25, 2017
• SkS Analogy 2 - Ferrari Without Gas by Evan, Skeptical Science, Apr 24, 2017
• Record-challenging heat possible for climate march in Washington on Saturday by Jason Samenow, Capital Weather Gang, Washington Post, April 25, 2017
• March against madness - denial has pushed scientists out into the streets by Dana Nuccitelli, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Apr 25, 2017

Wed Apr 26, 2017

• Cut fossil fuel use ‘dramatically’ to meet climate goals, says Shell-backed report by Simon Evans, Carbon Brief, Apr 25, 2017
• Networks Covering March For Science Provided Platform For Climate Deniers by Kevin Kalhoefer, Media Matters for America, Apr 24, 2017
• The nightmare scenario for Florida’s coastal homeowners – sea levels rising by Christopher Flavelle, Domain, Apr 21, 2017
• Did 'people power' save a trove of EPA data from a shutdown by Trump? by Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, Apr 24, 2017
• Most global investors recognise financial risk of climate change, report finds by Paul Karp, Guardian, Apr 25, 2017
• Our Climate Future Is Actually Our Climate Present by Jon Mooallem, New York Times Magazine, Apr 19, 2017
• Rising Seas Will Send Millions of Refugees to Inland Cities by Marlene Cimons, Nexus Media, Apr 24, 2017
• Scientists keep increasing their projections for how much the oceans will rise this century by Chris Mooney, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Apr 21, 2017

Thu Apr 27, 2017

• State Department Memo Boosts Case to Stay in Paris Climate Pact by Jennifer A Dlouhy & Nick Wadhams, Bloomberg News, Apr 25, 2017
• The Regulatory Accountability Act Subverts Science and Must Be Stopped by Michael Halpern, Union of Concerned Scientists, Apr 26, 2016
• I’m Elise, and I’m a Scientist Marching in the Peoples Climate March. This Is Why. by Elsie Tolbert, Blog, Union of Concened Scientists, Apr 24, 2017
• Looming 'catastrophe' in East Africa proves why world must tackle climate change, says Oxfam by Ian Johnston, Independent, Apr 27, 2017
• The Trump White House is at war with itself about climate change by Chris Mooney & Juliet Elperin, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Apr 26. 2017
• Climate models have underestimated Earth’s sensitivity to CO2 changes, study finds by Jim Shelton, Yale News, Apr 4, 2017
• Sowing Climate Doubt Among Schoolteachers, Opinion by Curt Stager, New York Times, Apr 27, 2017
• El Niño and the end of the global warming hiatus by Jim Shelton, Yale News, Apr 26, 2017

Fri Apr 28, 2017

• Germany Calls Rick Perry’s Push to Rework Paris Climate Agreement ‘Absurd’ by Joe Ryan & Brian Parkin, Bloomberg News, Apr 26, 2017
• U.S. Vulnerable to Worst of Extreme Sea Rise by John Upton, Climate Central. Apr 26, 2017
• How is this weekend’s climate march different from its predecessor? ‘Now, the task is full-on resistance.’ by Brady Dennis, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Apr 26. 2017
• Climate Scientists Cancelling Their New York Times Subscription Over Hiring of Climate Denialist Bret Stephens by Graham Readfearn, DeSmog, Apr 27, 2017
• Amazon’s fate hangs on outcome of war between opposing worldviews by Sue Branford & Maurício Torres, Mongaby, Apr 27, 2017
• We owe our planet this climate march. But we also owe it – very faint – hope, Opinion by Bill McKibben, Guardian, Apr 28, 2017
• Impacted Communities Draw 'Red Line' for Mother Earth Across US Capitol by Lauren McCauley, Common Dreams, Apr 28, 2017
• New study: global warming keeps on keeping on by John Abraham, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Apr 27, 2017

Sat Apr 29, 2017

• The Faith Community & Climate Change by John Gehring, Commonweal, Apr 27, 2017
• Suddenly, the future doesn’t seem so far away by Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick Diary of a Climate Scientist, Inside Story, Apr 28, 2017
• The kids suing Donald Trump are marching to the White House by John Sutter, CNN, Apr 29, 2017
• 5 Year Study: What Happens in the Arctic Does not Stay in the Arctic by Peter Sinclair, Climate Crock of the Week, Apr 25, 2017
• Climate March expected to draw massive crowd to D.C. in sweltering heat by Chris Mooney, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Apr 29, 2017
• An Ice-Free Summer in the Arctic Ocean Would Be Deadly for the Northern Hemisphere by Bob Berwyn, Pacific Standard, Apr 28, 2017
• Worrisome first quarter of 2017 climate trends by Zeke Hausfather, Yale Climate Connections, Apr 27, 2017

from Skeptical Science http://ift.tt/2oVYksD

Why are major broadcast networks turning away from coverage of the climate disaster? [Greg Laden's Blog]

From MMFA:

Broadcast networks are decreasing their climate coverage at a time when the case for reporting on the issue is become more and more compelling. By ignoring this serious matter, media are failing to inform audiences about pressing impacts on human migration patterns, women, and the economy.

In 2016, media had no shortage of compelling reasons to cover climate change — from the revelation that it was the third consecutive hottest year on record to the United States’ election of a climate denier to its highest office. Yet broadcast news outlets’ coverage of climate change dropped a whopping 66 percent from 2015 to 2016, making it the third consecutive year of declining coverage.

When media turn a blind eye to climate change, they ignore an issue that will have devastating impacts and multiply existing threats across the globe. According to The New York Times, unmitigated climate change could displace between 50 million and 200 million people by 2050. But the effects of climate change are already visible. Un the U.S. last year, the federal government allocated $48 million in grants to resettle residents of Isle de Jean Charles in Louisiana, which represents “the first allocation of federal tax dollars to move an entire community struggling with the impacts of climate change.”

The rest of the story is here.

This video makes several important points, including the differential effect on women, poor, and, well, people on small islands.

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/2oW86ec

From MMFA:

Broadcast networks are decreasing their climate coverage at a time when the case for reporting on the issue is become more and more compelling. By ignoring this serious matter, media are failing to inform audiences about pressing impacts on human migration patterns, women, and the economy.

In 2016, media had no shortage of compelling reasons to cover climate change — from the revelation that it was the third consecutive hottest year on record to the United States’ election of a climate denier to its highest office. Yet broadcast news outlets’ coverage of climate change dropped a whopping 66 percent from 2015 to 2016, making it the third consecutive year of declining coverage.

When media turn a blind eye to climate change, they ignore an issue that will have devastating impacts and multiply existing threats across the globe. According to The New York Times, unmitigated climate change could displace between 50 million and 200 million people by 2050. But the effects of climate change are already visible. Un the U.S. last year, the federal government allocated $48 million in grants to resettle residents of Isle de Jean Charles in Louisiana, which represents “the first allocation of federal tax dollars to move an entire community struggling with the impacts of climate change.”

The rest of the story is here.

This video makes several important points, including the differential effect on women, poor, and, well, people on small islands.

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/2oW86ec