Les Grady was out of town this week. Thanks to CAAV member Bishop Dansby, who compiled this week’s Roundup.
Politics and Economics of Climate Change
On-air meteorologists owe it to their viewers to discuss climate change, says The Washington Post’s weather editor Jason Samenow. He quoted Raleigh, North Carolina meteorologist Greg Fishel, who said that even though broadcast meteorologists “have the least education [on climate change], we have [the] most responsibility to educate ourselves so we can educate the public in the right way.”
At a Citizens Climate Lobby reception to honor members of Congress for leadership on climate change, two Republicans and two Democrats issued a plea to their colleagues to depoliticize the climate issue and come together to forge solutions. “We need to get beyond this Hatfields versus McCoys brand of politics,” said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), after accepting the Climate Leadership Award from Citizens’ Climate Lobby.
More than 1,400 U.S. cities, states, and businesses have joined a growing coalition that vows to stay committed to the Paris Climate Accord. The groups, which include several Fortune 500 businesses, signed a statement called “We Are Still In” shortly after President Trump’s announcement that his administration plans to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement.
Macron responds to Trump: ‘Make our planet great again’.
Yale Program on Climate Change Communication has, inter alia, a very interesting set of maps.
Exxon Mobil lends its support to a carbon tax proposal.
Climate Change Science
On current trends, the Arctic will be ice-free in summer by 2040.
Beyond organic: How regenerative farming can save us from global catastrophe. “Regenerative agriculture provides answers to the soil crisis, the food crisis, the health crisis, the climate crisis and the crisis of democracy.”
Eventually, we will need to not only reduce carbon emissions but also remove carbon from the atmosphere. Swiss firm Climeworks has built the world’s first commercial plant to suck CO2 directly from the air.
The evidence for the onset of climate change is compelling. But who and where is it hitting the hardest?
Energy
An Arizona utility signs a game-changing deal cutting solar power prices in half. Tucson Electric Power will buy new solar power at under 3 cents per kWh, a “historically low price.”
In Virginia, the Carilion New River Valley Medical Center just finalized plans to install solar panels on its property. About 4,300 solar panels are now on site in one of the largest projects of its kind in Virginia. Land on which the solar system will be located doubles as sheep grazing land.
Nevada reverses the earlier harsh elimination of net metering. Governor Brian Sandoval signed a handful of new solar and energy related bills today in Carson City to help the state pivot away from the anti-consumer, anti-solar net metering regulation that forced SolarCity out of the state in late 2015.
Can the U.S. grid work with 100% renewables? There’s a Scientific Fight Brewing.
Climate Action Alliance of the Valley 