- Hannah Devlin, writing in The Guardian, addresses eight myths about climate change that need to be exploded, some from people who deny human-caused climate change and some from people who are concerned about it.
- Will framing climate change as a moral issue change the transition to a carbon-free economy? David Roberts at Vox argues that it will.
- Commitments made by world governments to reduce carbon emissions are inadequate to keep global warming below 2C.
- In the final video of the Post Carbon Institute’s four-part video series, Richard Heinberg discusses what a more resilient society would look like.
- Ivy Main has a new blog post, this one about Governor McAuliffe’s veto of coal subsidy bills. She also has a post about AG Herring’s ruling that municipalities may ban fracking.
- The nature of Arctic sea ice is changing, which will bring about changes in its vulnerability to melting as well as the absorption of solar energy in the Arctic.
- Gayathri Vaidyanathan of E&E Publishing has a moving and riveting account of the fate of two explorers surveying ice thickness in “The Last Ice” region of the Arctic.
- The drought in California should be a wake-up call for everyone that our food production system is deeply flawed. Natasha Geiling reports on how our dependence on California for so much of our food came about and what would be required for us to grow more food closer to home.
- Climate scientist James Hansen has an interesting 13 minute interview on Australian radio about why allowing a temperature rise of 2C is a recipe for disaster. Just click on “Listen now”.
- The route of the Keystone XL pipeline in South Dakota must be recertified and that has led Native Americans to vow to fight it.
- If you have been frustrated by TV weather forecasters and their reluctance to address climate change, relief may be on the way.
- The MIT Energy Initiative has issued a new report entitled “The Future of Solar Energy.” It concludes that solar energy has great potential, provided there is increased emphasis on developing lower-cost technologies and more effective deployment policy. The executive summary can be found here.
- The co-creators of the 2013 composition “A Song of Our Warming Planet” are back with a new composition entitled “Planetary Bands, Warming Worlds.”
- Bank of America has announced that it will continue to reduce credit for financing of coal extraction projects.
- Earthjustice, on behalf of Chesapeake Climate Action Network, the Patuxent Riverkeeper, and the Maryland Sierra Club, has filed suit to rescind federal approval of the Cove Point natural gas export terminal proposed by Dominion.
These news items have been compiled by Les Grady, member and former chair of the CAAV steering committee. He is a licensed professional engineer (retired) who taught environmental engineering at Purdue and Clemson Universities and engaged in private practice with CH2M Hill, the world’s largest environmental engineering consulting firm. Since his retirement in 2003 he has devoted much of his time to the study of climate science and the question of global warming and makes himself available to speak to groups about this subject. More here.
Climate Action Alliance of the Valley 