Climate News Roundup 7/15/2016

Our lead is a VERY lengthy article from the New York Times Magazine about Virginia’s own Tangier Island and the likely effects on the island of sea level rise (also known by too many Virginia Legislators as recurrent flooding).  Maybe TMI but you’ll get the gist of it early on.  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/10/magazine/should-the-united-states-save-tangier-island-from-oblivion.html

While many are wondering about Brexit’s effect on EU efforts to mitigate climate change, for once it seems the North American countries may be making some headway.  http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/285979-us-canada-mexico-detail-continent-wide-clean-energy-plan

Speaking of Brexit, here are a couple of articles about the UK–its climate change preparedness and its new Prime Minister’s axing of its climate department.
From The Guardian:  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jul/12/uk-poorly-prepared-for-climate-change-impacts-government-advisers-warn
From Independent:  http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change-department-killed-off-by-theresa-may-in-plain-stupid-and-deeply-worrying-move-a7137166.html

No self-respecting climate weekly roundup could leave out dire warnings about climate change’s effects on melting ice and biodiversity, so here are this week’s contributions from the Washington Post, The Guardian and Think Progress:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/07/07/snow-and-sea-ice-keep-hitting-record-lows-this-year-in-the-northern-hemisphere/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/07/13/the-extraordinary-years-have-become-the-normal-years-scientists-survey-radical-melt-in-the-arctic/

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jul/14/biodiversity-below-safe-levels-across-over-half-of-worlds-land-study

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/07/13/3797042/mangroves-die-off-climate-change-australia/

Uh oh, more dire warnings.  Here are items reporting on links between climate change and human and wildlife deaths.  Even though one is about a 2003 heat wave, the world’s warming has not lessened, and we continue to break heat records.
From Inside Climate:  https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07072016/climate-change-blame-deadliness-2003-heat-wave-new-study-paris-london
From The Guardian:  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2016/jul/11/we-just-broke-the-record-for-hottest-year-9-straight-times
From the Washington Post:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2016/07/07/june-was-record-hot-for-the-u-s-and-billion-dollar-weather-disasters-surge-to-eight/

Here’s some politicians’ takes on the economic benefits of addressing climate change:  http://www.republicen.org/alerts/indiana-mayor-makes-environment-and-conservation-a-priority
Two south Florida congressman weighed in on addressing ocean acidification (which many believe is worsening because of climate change):  http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article88981322.html

And from the other party:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/07/12/why-obamas-top-scientist-just-called-keeping-fossil-fuels-in-the-ground-unrealistic/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/senators-target-climate-change-denial_us_57856398e4b0867123dececc

http://grist.org/election-2016/sanders-final-win-climate-action-in-the-democratic-platform/

On the other hand….
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/07/12/3797378/gop-clean-coal/

http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/287372-gop-votes-down-funding-for-global-climate-fund

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/07/13/republicans-just-escalated-the-war-over-exxonmobil-and-climate-change/

Here’s an article about utilities’ planning for carbon regulation–makes one wonder about what Virginia utilities are doing in this regard.  http://www.eenews.net/interactive/clean_power_plan/column_posts/1060040032

Let’s finish with some more bad news and a ray of hope, shall we?

The weather we can look forward to:  http://www.climatecentral.org/news/sizzling-summers-20515

Climate change reality checks from Bloomberg and the Christian Science Monitor:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-11/fossil-fuel-industry-risks-losing-33-trillion-to-climate-change
http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/2016/0713/Insurers-banks-and-pension-funds-could-all-be-hurt-by-climate-change

But we’re working on getting ready for climate change, aren’t we?  Well, maybe not all of us.
http://motherboard.vice.com/read/some-cities-are-falling-behind-in-preparing-for-the-effects-of-climate-change

And what do Americans think about climate change (hint–this is the ray of hope):  http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/07/14/3797998/americans-climate-alarm-denial/

Have a good week anyway.

These news items have been compiled by Joy Loving, member of the CAAV steering committee and leader of Solarize efforts in the valley.