Piñon pine on a rocky ridge. See foresterbob's diary
here
To help attract more people to environmental diaries at Daily Kos, the Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue) appears twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, except during holiday periods when it appears on Saturdays only.
The most recent Saturday Spotlight can be seen here. More than
20,460 environmentally oriented diaries have been rescued for inclusion in this collection since 2006. Inclusion of a diary in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it.
[This is the final once-a-week holiday Green Spotlight. Wednesday, we'll be back to the twice-a-week schedule. Happy New Year!]
Centerra Gold is mining and deliberately melting Davidov glacier-Flow dynamic change possible—by
Pakalolo: "Centerra Gold Mining is a Toronto based excavation company that focuses on gold extraction primarily in Central Asia and other emerging third world markets. According to the company's web page, Centerra has two producing gold mines, 100% interest in the Kumtor mine in the Kyrgyz Republic and 100% interest in the Boroo mine in Mongolia. The company is also salivating over potential properties in Russia, China, Mongolia and Turkey. Environmental Resources Management (ERM), is an environmental study contractor with ties to Koch Industries and other massive oil and mining Corporations. As you may recall, the State Department released a heavily criticized 2,000-page draft report downplaying the environmental risks of the northern portion of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, this report was prepared by ERM. According to
Mother Jones, those redactions were meant to keep ties between the report authors and Transanada a secret from the public. […] The desmogblog notes that the Kumtor Gold Mine, owned by Centerra Gold/Cameco Corporation, was provided a stamp of approval from ERM Group in October 2012. Similar to the TransCanada arrangement with the State Department on Keystone XL, Centerra served as the funder of the report evaluating its own project."
Kitchen Table Kibitzing: 2015 Is THE Year To #ActForClimate—by
boatsie: "All indicators point to 2015 as the long awaited (and, hopefully, not too long overdue) tipping point when massive civil engagement, coupled with private sector, NGO and political action coalesce around the urgency to take action and move rapidly towards a zero energy future to combat global climate change. Earlier this week, Pope Francis expressed his growing concerns about alarming changes in the climate in Vatican City (and, in fact, all over the world) and announced his desire for 'direct influence' with the 2015 UN Climate Conference in Paris this December. […] As mainstream American media has failed in its responsibility to inform (and, in all too many cases, has flagrantly misinformed ) the public about the impending climate chaos, the environmental community here at Daily Kos has relentlessly championed the message that global warming, green energy solutions, systems change and sustainable development are without doubt the most important issue of the 21st century. If we don't get this right, and quickly, nothing else matters. Groups like Climate Change SOS, Climate Hawks, DK Greenroots, and the new Climate Action Hub have attracted experts in the fields of climatology, meteorology, climate activism, and clean energy."
People's Climate March
Can Illinois Learn From New York's Victory Against Fracking?—by
Willinois: "Illinois environmentalists are cheering the spectacular success of the movement to ban fracking in New York. The victory is justifiably spurring reflection on how it was done. What happened in New York that Illinois environmentalists can learn from? Environmental and public health groups made an unambiguous, united push for a ban or moratorium, not regulation. They kept constant, aggressive grassroots pressure on Governor Cuomo and other politicians, especially during election season. State government conducted a thorough study on potential public health impacts before fracking began. They took the fight to small towns and potentially impacted rural areas, not just New York City. As Mark Ruffalo wrote, 'The fact that we didn't let the big greens come in and make back room deals was also important to note.' They engaged in acts of nonviolent civil disobedience, including over 90 arrests near Seneca Lake since October. Essentially, New York fractivists took the opposite approach of most big green groups active in the Illinois statehouse."
2014—Amazing photos from the Backyard Science Group—by
Mark Sumner: "Each day members of the Backyard Science group post fantastic diaries detailing their experiences with the natural world, from events that truly happened in their own back yard to places they've visited in the wonderful wilderness areas that remain across the globe. Almost all of these diaries are accompanied by utterly fantastic images. Like the writing, many of the images come from informed amateurs, but that doesn't stop many from being achingly beautiful, awesomely inspiring, or head-scratchingly intriguing. In fact, I was half tempted to call this diary 'eat your heart out, National Geographic.' Some of the images included below were not posted in the diaries themselves, but in the comments. Comment threads in the backyard science diaries are often rich in 'here's what I saw today' responses, and contain a steady stream of photographic wonders. So here's a brief compilation—just a touch of the full richness that was posted. Be warned: this is the very definition of photo overload, as I think I've actually touched the maximum allowed number of images. I had to trim things back to get the diary to save."
Sandhill Cranes by Dr. Arcadia
You can find more rescued green diaries below the orange garden layout.
Climate Chaos
Could Pope Francis save the world on climate change?—by Molly Weasley: "In 2015, the pope has a full agenda to talk about climate change. In March, he will issue a lengthy message on the subject to the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, including the 75 million Catholics who live in the United States. In September, he will address the subject at the United Nations General Assembly. To top it all off, he is planning to call a summit of the world’s main religions, all to figure out how the world can save itself from heating the planet beyond livable sustainability. After a visit to the Philippines, where he will meet with victims still reeling from Hurricane Haiyan in November 2013, Francis will publish an encyclical on climate change and ecology, according to an article in The Guardian. The encyclical 'will be sent to the world’s 5,000 Catholic bishops and 400,000 priests, who will distribute it to parishioners,' the story reports. The choice of the Philippines isn’t accidental. The effects of the typhoon no doubt were worsened by how environmental factors have affected the islands of the Philippines and how they have altered how people live there."
A Koch hack tells the Pope to 'back off' on climate change—by devtob: "Pope Francis will be issuing a rare encyclical on the environment and climate change next year, and it's pretty clear that his message will not be 'Drill, baby, drill.' According to the Guardian story, Francis will urge 'all Catholics to take action on moral and scientific grounds.' Along the lines of what he said in October: The monopolising of lands, deforestation, the appropriation of water, inadequate agro-toxics are some of the evils that tear man from the land of his birth. Climate change, the loss of biodiversity and deforestation are already showing their devastating effects in the great cataclysms we witness. Unlike in other matters through the many centuries, the Catholic Church has essentially accepted the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change. But some Catholics, especially in Fox 'News'-deluded America, will have none of that, at least according to one of the hundreds of Koch-funded conservatives on offer to journalists to give the polluters' point of view."
Is climate change a spiritual issue?—by don mikulecky: "That is the question asked as introduction to this article: Pope Francis Expected to Instruct One Billion Catholics to Act on Climate Change. […] I am glad he is doing this, but I also have problems with it. Read on below to find out why. In my book with Jim Coffman we write about the role of Judeo-Christian religion in the complex world view that Western people have evolved. We use the writing of Native American author Vine Deloria, Jr.; God Is Red. […] Deloria writes about the way religion shapes the human attitude toward nature. He points out that the creation myth in the Bible used by the Judeo-Christian religions is the root cause of this attitude. The story of the fall is a very potent myth in that it is the way both humans in particular and nature in general become tainted due to human sin. The separation from and attempted domination over nature are the result. I doubt that the Pope shares these views. Therefore it will be hard for him to correct the problem his religion has helped create. 'm sure he will give reasons for his views but they are not going to undo thousands of years of teaching and the world view that has evolved."
Pope Francis prepares to issue Vatican teachings on Climate Change to 1.2 Billion Catholics—by Lefty Coaster: "Pope Francis wants the Church's 1.2 billion Catholics worldwide to take action to reduce the impacts of human caused Global Warming. Pope Francis is set to make history by issuing the first-ever comprehensive Vatican teachings on climate change, which will urge 1.2 billion Catholics worldwide to take action. The document will be sent to the world’s 5,000 Catholic bishops and 400,000 priests who will distribute it to their parishioners. Given the sheer number of people who identify as Catholics worldwide, the pope’s clarion call to tackle climate change could reach far more people than even the largest environmental groups. 'The document will take a position in favor of the scientific consensus that climate change is real ... and link the deforestation and destruction of the natural environment to the particular economic model of which Pope Francis has been a critic,' says our guest, Austen Ivereigh, author of a new biography called 'The Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope.' The pope also plans to address the United Nations General Assembly and convene a summit of the world’s main religions in hopes of bolstering next year’s crucial U.N. climate meeting in Paris. Pope Francis may issue this encyclical when he visits Tacloban City, where flooding during last year's Super Typhoon killed thousands of residents. I witnessed some of the areas devastated by the Super Typhoon when I was in the Philippines a year ago."
Time to choose: Which of these future worlds do we want for our Grandchildren?—by Lefty Coaster: "Irreversible But Not Unstoppable: The Ghost Of Climate Change Yet To Come. Joe Romm [writes]: Unlike Scrooge, we don’t get a spirit to show us what the future holds if we don’t change our ways. That’s what we have science for. In recent years, observations have the key projections climate scientists have been making for decades. But some of the most important impacts have been occurring much faster than scientists expected, including sea level rise. Recently, we’ve had many of the world’s leading scientists and scientific bodies warning us of what is to come. Yes, it seems unlikely that we will adopt the aggressive but near-zero-net-cost policies needed to stabilize at 450 ppm atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, and then quickly come back to 350 ppm, thanks in large part to the deniers, along with their political pals and media enablers."
The reindeer sing -- of Arctic warming, climate change, risk—by
versusplus:
Waiting to Hear from the Global Warning Denialists this Week—by Village Vet: "Well, barely into the winter season, and the temperatures around here are going to drop off the bottom of the charts. I am expecting the global warming denialists to come out in force over the next couple days. The National Weather Service gives us this heart-warming forecast for the Nebraska Panhandle for the next couple days: […] Tuesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around -18. Wind chill values as low as -35. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming west southwest in the evening. (emphasis mine). Of course, western Nebraska is not the entire land surface of the Earth. The unusual plunge in temperature is expected in a world where climate change accelerates; try telling that to those who only see the breath freezing before their faces, however."
Critters & the Great Outdoors
An Ancient Forest—by
Brahman Colorado: "Johnnie and I moved away to an ancient forest in Southern Colorado. We live in the Piñon/Juniper woodlands of Southeast Colorado in a house on a hill overlooking the Spanish peaks. At 7000 feet in elevation, we receive 10-15 inches of moisture a year and tree species are drought and cold resistant as are the plants and animals. Tree densities have increased, and junipers and pinon pines have expanded upslope into the ponderosa pine, spruce, and fir forests of the Sangre de Christo mountains and downslope into grass and shrub communities of the eastern plains of Colorado. Our county is 1,000,000+ acres where 6500 people live. (Rhode Island is 750,000 acres for reference) We live 14 miles from town on 5 acres in the country on winding county roads that rise up to the awesome majesty of the Rocky Mountains. Sometimes I stop on the road and marvel at the arroyos and sweeping scenic wonder in quiet solitude from the truck. Home. How it thrills me. Quiet and peaceful, it's everything I've dreamed of. However we do have lot's of noisy neighbors. The Piñon Jay is a regular visitor to our birdfeeder in the winter. Years of drought has yielded a poor piñon nut crop."
The Daily bucket-New bird feeder—by LIcenter: "Better late than never I always say. I think I have mentioned in the last two buckets of my not so love of the Starling. I put my new feeders up only to find the next day, I was inundated with, what I like to call a 'flying rat' BUT! After taking a few pics of them, I might have softened a little. They really are a very pretty bird! (Can't believe I just said that) Anyway, they also helped to bring in Ma and Pa woody woodpecker, so it's all good."
Study: Killing wolves for eating livestock increases the number that get eaten the following year—by
Meteor Blades: "A study by Rob Wielgus, director of Washington State University’s Large Carnivore Conservation Lab, and Kaylie A. Peebles has concluded that lethal removal of wolves caught or suspected of killing livestock may actually increase how many sheep and cattle wolves may eat the following year. That's counter-intuitive, as Wielgus readily concedes, but, he told Sarah Jane Keller at High Country News in early December: “I analyzed it like 50 times, with different statisticians and layers and layers of peer review because the results are kind of astounding. […]
People have long assumed that fewer wolves lead to fewer depredations on sheep or cattle. And wildlife managers often say that lethal removal can be a salve for vitriol toward wolves, by providing a short-term solution for the harmed livestock producers, and by showing that states are actively managing the animals. It’s part of the reason some states allow wolf hunting, and why Washington, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming all lethally remove wolves that harm livestock. In 2013 the later three states killed 202 wolves for control purposes, or 8 percent of the population in all four states. But when Wielgus and his coauthor looked at 25 years of data on lethal wolf control and livestock depredations from Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana they found that killing one wolf increases the odds of sheep depredation by 4 percent the following year. For cattle, it increased the odds by 5 to 6 percent."
Dawn Chorus: Scout Guide—by
lineatus: "I'm heading out early today to do some scouting for our Christmas Count area, San Francisco's Lake Merced. […] It was nice, but count week doesn't start until Saturday so this was all about getting myself situated. I'm out again today to check things out and this time will at least go toward the official tally. Good—maybe I'll see the Tropical Kingbird who has been hanging out. (missed him Friday!). One of these things is not like the others, but in the world of waterfowl, that seems to be OK."
It's Only 10 Below—by
johnnygunn: "That's Fahrenheit—not Celsius—which is a chunk colder, but really not all that bad. Especially when the sun is out and the sky is blue. I guess you would just call it another average winter day in Wyoming. So I decided to get in a little, short loop at the base of the Bighorn Mountains on public lands - state lands in this case - but wonderful public lands, nonetheless. I don't have to worry about wet, sticky snow today. But for some unexplained reason, I can't see a thing through my glasses. […] The creek is almost completely frozen, but because it rushes downhill, there are still a few open spots for wildlife to find water. I love ice. I love all the intricate patterns that it makes. And the deer have been out today. Deer trails everywhere. But not another human track. Happy New Year!cFrom Wyoming."
The Daily Bucket - on the horizon—by OceanDiver: "Sometimes I'm focusing on a particular animal or plant when I'm exploring nature. Sometimes I notice the background too, like the edge of a farm in the Skagit Valley where the migratory swans are foraging some farmer's dormant winter field. And sometimes I'm just looking off to the horizon. We can all do that wherever we are. […] Often the horizon is dwellings and power poles. Still there is nature here too. […] At sunset the horizon becomes a wandering line marking the limit of our terrestrial world. I don't mind knowing how small I am in comparison. The horizon brings perspective, as well as dramatic beauty."
The Daily Bucket: Hit The Brakes!—by
6412093: "You know that part in the monster movies where the hero is driving fast in the city, and turns a corner, and all of a sudden there it is, the monster right in front of him, like Godzilla crashing through a building? That's how I felt at milepost 62.4 the other day. There It Was, right next to my highway lane. Dang It Is Big! And this issue of the Daily Bucket even has a picture of it. The gears of the 240Z screamed pocketa-pocketa as I downshifted into 3rd, pulled onto Highway 26's shoulder, and fishtailed to a stop. […] It's as big as a 32-gallon trash can, and bristling with sticks. Who would build such a big nest, and why there? I'd seen a heron near there gigging frogs a year or two before. But this area is covered with commercial and industrial developments, with the highway right there (providing roadkill?) and power lines nearby. Intel paved over dozens of nearby acres of wetlands over the last few decades to erect their multi-bilion dollar fab plants."
2014 Backyard Science Yardbird Race Final Tally—by bwren: "Welcome to the 2014 Daily Kos Backyard Science Yardbird Race! This finaltally for 2014 and is the official place to post your sightings, ask for help, and brag some if you wish. All of the fine print can be found way below under the pile of squiggly orange bird poop. Here's what the race is all about: The Daily Kos Backyard Science Yardbird Race is a birding competition where, over the course of one year, participants strive to identify the most bird species—by sight and/or by sound—from the confines of their yards. There are a number of categories, so people who live in urban centers don't have to compete against others who have a lot of open space or waterfront views. Please let us know if you'd like to participate but find yourself not fitting into an established category—we'll work out one for you!"
Steelhead Numbers Alarmingly Low at Nimbus Fish Hatchery—by Dan Bacher: "The upper section of the American River that has been closed to fishing since October 31 will reopen to steelhead fishing on January 1, 2015, but the outlook for the fishing is not promising, based on a very low fish count to date at the Nimbus Fish Hatchery. This stretch of river is from the U.S. Geological Survey gauging station cable crossing about 300 yards down-stream from the Nimbus Hatchery fish rack site to the SMUD power line crossing at the southwest boundary of Ancil Hoffman Park. Only 10 adult steelhead were reported at the Nimbus Fish Hatchery as of today, December 29, an alarmingly low number for this time of year. By contrast, the hatchery had trapped 335 adults to date last year, according to Gary Novak, hatchery manager. Normally there are hundreds and sometimes thousands of steelhead showing at the facility at this time of year."
The steelhead opener when the fish didn't show—by Dan Bacher: "January 1, 2015 was a sunny, cold and clear day on the American River below the Nimbus Fish Hatchery. It was the traditional beginning of the steelhead season in the upper section of the river that winds through a 22-mile urban parkway, the jewel of the Sacramento Metropolitan Area. There was just one thing missing—the fish. By the time I arrived on the riverbank in the late morning, most anglers had apparently already left the river and only two dozen anglers were left. I walked along the river and talked to some of the fly and spin fishing enthusiasts who were casting their flies, lures and baits into the American at this popular fishing spot. I did not talk to a single angler who caught a steelhead or even hooked a fish. The only fish that I saw on the riffles were spawned out Chinook salmon."
Discover Idaho’s Wildflowers with New App—by The Book Bear: "'The earth laughs in flowers.'—Ralph Waldo Emerson. If you enjoy our planet's colorful adornments, you'll love this resource. A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows in the wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. The University of Idaho’s Stillinger Herbarium, the University of Washington’s Herbarium at the Burke Museum and Idaho State University’s Ray J. Davis Herbarium have partnered with High Country Apps to create the 'Idaho Wildflowers' app, now available for iOS, Android and Kindle devices, according to a UI press release. […] The app includes profiles of more than 800 Idaho wildflower species, including close-up photographs and scientifically detailed, up-to-date descriptions of the species’ characteristics and known distributions."
The Daily Bucket: "Quit Bothering Me!"—by Lenny Flank: "Bald Eagles aren't particularly rare here in Tampa Bay, but I don't often see them in town. A couple days ago during an afternoon walk I happened to spot one Bald Eagle perched atop an apartment building minding his own business, when he was heckled by first one crow and then another. Poor guy never had any peace. He didn't fly off, but just did his best to ignore them."
Energy
“Arrgggh!!!!” Oil Maggotry's neocolonial earworm arrives just in time for 2016—by annieli: "The next US war could be another Oil war brought on by resource market instability. Given the lead time for financial markets, a GOP Congress could bring the nation into another 2007-2008 crisis just in time for the 2016 elections. America's energy industry is battling OPEC with a ferocity not seen since the 1980s. So far, it's not backing down. [T]he recent boom in shale oil and ultra-cheap credit has left many oil producers up to their eyeballs in debt. In a highly complex world, where junk bonds are owned by banks, investors, and even pension funds, a series of bond defaults could have a powerful domino effect that might impact not just the United States, but also global credit markets. In just the last three months, oil prices have fallen by 40% to their lowest levels since the financial panic of 2008-2009. Citigroup estimates this might provide the global economy with the equivalent of more than $1.1 trillion in stimulus."
Deep Decarbonization report: high-renewable path costs 4x more than high-nuclear alternative—by Keith Pickering: "A new analysis by the Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project finds that our non-fossil energy future is economically feasible, but has widely varying costs, depending in part on the chosen technology mix. […] The Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project (DDPP) has some big names on its masthead. It was conceived by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, a UN organization, along with the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI). The idea was to create national working groups, each of which was tasked to determine how individual nations might deeply decarbonize their respective economies—the goal being 80% non-fossil by the year 2050. The working group for the US was led by energy consulting firm Energy & Environmental Economics (E3), the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and they voluntarily submitted their work to outside peer-review. In other words, these guys are no slouches. […] The report considered four possible pathways to a decarbonized future: a mixed-technology case, a high-renewables case, a high-nuclear case, and a high-CCS (carbon capture and storage) case. All four pathways will get us to 80% reduction in greenhouse emissions by 2050, but they way they get there, and the costs and investments required, vary widely. […] The bottom line is that in the high-renewable pathway, we would need to build 2550 GW of new capacity; in high-CCS, we would need 700 GW of new capacity; but in the high-nuclear, we would need only 400 GW of new capacity, in each case to fully decarbonize the grid and reach 80% total greenhouse reductions by 2050."
Citizen Scientist Megan Ives of Sandspit Haida
Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada, collecting
the November InFORM sample near Tlell.
Observing the Arrival of the Fukushima Contamination Plume in North American Coastal Waters—by
MarineChemist: "The purpose of this diary is to report on the most recent results of the InFORM network project which is monitoring the impact of the Fukushima Dai-ichi meltdowns on the health of the marine environment and public in Canada. This diary is the most recent contribution to an ongoing series dedicated to presenting information gained through the application of the scientific method to assess the impact of the disaster on marine and human health. A short report on the most recent findings can be found at the InFORM project website. What we found so far: The absence of any detectable 134-Cs (an unambiguous fingerprint isotope of Fukushima contamination) in the seawater samples indicates that as of Nov. 24, 2014, these locations (Bella Bella, Port Hardy, Sandspit, Tofino and Vancouver) on the British Columbia coast have not be affected by ocean currents carrying Fukushima contamination."
Emissions Control
Why are 60 Progressive House Democrats Trying to Reverse 40 Years of Clean Air Act Progress?—by LakeSuperior: "Though it may seem obscure, the hydrogen sulfide (H2S) emission limitation in permit condition II.N.3 for the Rumford Mill would be dramatically affected by legislation promoted by well-organized advocacy lobbying groups in DC and around the United States. The legislation advanced by these groups would precipitously eliminate federal enforceability for the hydrogen sulfide emission limitation in permit condition II.N.3 at the Rumford mill by amending the Clean Air Act. […] A 2013 permit set limits of 0.38 lbs per hour for hydrogen sulfide emissions from each of 4 sludge dryers the facility plans. However, the bill advocated in Congress will nullify federal enforceability for these sludge dryer H2S emission limitations. Such a move prevents EPA or citizen attorney generals under the Clean Air Act from the community from ever enforcing any such requirements in federal court if the proposed legislation passes and the facility has excessive H2S emissions. Here is a list of the largest vent stack dischargers of hydrogen sulfide emissions in the United States for 2013. That industries started reporting hydrogen sulfide in EPA's toxic release inventory (TRI) in 2012 is something for which you can thank President Obama who lifted a 'temporary' stay on such reporting from the Clinton years. The proposal in congress would remove federal enforceability for all of the hydrogen sulfide emission limitations contained in the North Carolina Title V operating permit for PCS Phosphate Co. Inc in Aurora, North Carolina—one of the top five largest sources of hydrogen sulfide emissions in the entire United States with over 1.2 million pounds of H2S emissions for 2013."
North Korea could end life as we know it—by weave: "North Korea has the capability to deliver on its threats to carry out a nuclear electromagnetic pulse attack on the United States, it has been claimed. Dr Peter Vincent Pry, executive director of the Task Force on National and Homeland Security, has reportedly seen a long-suppressed government report that concludes North Korea is capable of using an Unha-3 rocket to carry out an attack on the U.S. The threat from EMP is not just right wing paranoia. It is real and has existed since the early days of the cold war. Prior to December 2012, the only nations capable of an EMP attack were NATO members, Russia, China and India. It was unlikely that any of those countries would try it. However, the North Korean leadership is nuts, and now they have a both a nuclear bomb and a missile capable of putting it in orbit over the US. Whether it’s a hack that brings down the power grid for an extended period or an EMP attack, the result is the same."
The Threat from CME, EMP or Hackers on the Power Grid—by weave: "This weekend I wrote this diary pointing out that North Korea has the ability to end life as we know it. The reaction I got from the Daily Kos community surprised me. Instant denial, 'tin foil hat,' etc. Yet there is clear scientific evidence on the effects of EMP on the power grid and it is also a scientific fact that all you need to cause an EMP is a nuclear bomb and a rocket that can put it in orbit about 250-300 miles over the earth. No one here denies that global warming is real, based on scientific evidence, yet this subject got instantly brushed off as a 'tin foil hat' subject even tho I linked to no 'tin foil hat' sites. The reaction of Daily Kos users is akin to the climate change deniers. I never expected such hypocrisy here and I really didn’t expect the knee-jerk reactions, willfully brushing off scientific research and total ignorance of the subject."
Renewables, Efficiency & Conservation
Auction of offshore land could mean wind will generate power for half of Massachusetts residences—by Meteor Blades: "Next month, Jan. 29 to be exact, the U.S. Department of Interior plans to auction more than 742,000 acres off Massachusetts for the development of commercial wind energy. The auction is for the Massachusetts Wind Energy Area, which starts at 12 nautical miles off the coast and extends 33 nautical miles southward. West to east, it extends some 47 nautical miles. It is the largest competitive lease sale for offshore wind so far. Part of the Obama administration's Climate Action Plan, the sale will triple the amount of land available for wind-energy projects. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a division of the Department of Energy, says full development of the area could support 4-5 gigawatts of commercial wind energy."
Plummeting Solar + Batteries = Going Off-Grid—by jamess: "Consumers to pull plug on power companies as solar batteries improve. FED-UP households have warned the Newman Government [Australia] they are prepared to abandon the energy grid to escape big bills as the prospect of producing their own power becomes a reality. Solar industry representatives estimate the cost of battery storage units, which enable households to generate and store solar power to use day or night, will plummet in five to 10 years. Solar Energy Industries Association spokesman Geoff Bragg said this would lead many people to go 'off the grid,' a trend he said government and industry had underestimated. […] You can expect to see the cost of storing electricity via lithium-ion battery cell systems fall drastically by the year 2030, according to the relatively well known figure Winfried Hoffmann. Hoffman—best known for his rather accurate projection of the solar module pricing curve of recent times—predicts quite bluntly that battery storage costs will fall considerably faster that most experts are currently projecting. […] Hoffman is expecting lithium-ion batteries (for EVs+electronics) to 'break the sound-barrier' of $100 per kWh capacity at right around the same time as batteries with a cumulative capacity of 1 tWh are installed."
Reducing heating and cooling costs—by kos: "Reality is, this stuff can be addictive. Once you go down the path of efficiency upgrades, you end up wanting to squeeze out new savings. For example, one of my luxuries in life was scalding hot 20-minute showers. Now it wasn't my first efficiency upgrade, but once I calculated the cost of those showers? Woah. Screw that! They're now six minutes long. They could be shorter, sure, but that's still less than 20 minutes. So here's my advice to you as you try and convince others to lower their carbon footprint: don't try to guilt them into changing their behavior, or berate them for it, or be angry about it. None of that will actually change anything. Instead, make it worth their while to live a more efficient lifestyle. Appeal to their pocketbook and make it easy for them to conserve, and that'll go much further. And never forget the old adage about glass houses. Your efficiency record isn't perfect. For example, don't look down on someone for, say, using a dryer if you, say, still eat meat (an environmental nightmare of an industry). Be happy for the good choices that people do make."
Cutting the cord—by Kos: "Greetings! Today I'm going to take a bit of a detour, and focus less on how to directly save energy, and how you can indirectly do so while saving a crapton of money. In short, I'm going to talk about cutting the cord, or ditching your satellite/cable TV provider. Yeah yeah, I already hear some of you chiming in. You don't own a TV! It rots your brain! Blah blah blah. Fact is, TV is awesome, from the top dramas to the stuff the kids watch. I mean, Adventure Time and Regular Show beat the shit out of the Space Ghost and Thundar the Barbarian crap I watched as a kid in the '80s. Not to mention the glory of sports in full HD splendor. Yup, I love my TV. This is truly a golden age of television. (Unless you're watching the Kardashians or Jersey Shore. If so, then yup, your brain is rotting.) So if you don't have a TV, good for you! You are everything that is wholesome and virtuous in life. For the rest of us degenerates, let's talk about the downside of our addiction: the inherent energy inefficiency of modern cable and satellite boxes, as well as all that money we spend on product that we can find for much cheaper. So head on below the fold as I talk about how we are finally at a point we can cut the cord."
Renewable energy for the home—by Kos: "So what did this all cost me? I did what was called a pre-paid lease, in that it's a 20-year rental of the panels, but I paid the cost all up front. (Some solar providers have zero-down leases as well.) Total, that 3.9 kW array cost me a shade under $12,000, which also includes an output guarantee, a new inverter when the current one goes bad (they last about eight years), free replacement if any panels go bad, and they have to haul everything away at the end of the lease. I can alternatively choose to negotiate an outright purchase at that 20-year mark, and while no one knows what terms might look like, it's kind of irrelevant to me. In 20 years, the efficiencies of the latest and greatest technologies should be so much higher than what I have now that I'll inevitably want to upgrade. Since I got the panels (13 months ago), they've produced 5993 kWh of energy. At my $0.19 average rate, that's $1,139 in savings. That puts my break-even point on the investment at 10 years, but that assumes no future increase in electricity prices, which we know is impossible. That probably gets me in the nine-year range which is what most solar providers cite as the pay-back time. My current household power usage is around 14.6 kWh per day. I project I can get that down over the next several years to a svelte 7 kWh per day."
Fracking
Will the collapse in oil prices diminish fracking activism?—by danps: "The perception that shale extraction might be getting (or already is) not profitable shouldn't tempt those opposed to it to let up. The dramatic fall in oil prices of late comes across as a pleasant surprise at first blush. Anyone who drives has presumably noticed the lower prices at the pump, and I don't expect to hear much complaining about it. There's also a certain Schadenfreude in seeing speculators lose their shirts. That happy news is somewhat leavened (for me, anyway) by an exasperated sense of 'what did you expect?' towards places like North Dakota that have bet heavily on the industry. When you let drillers come in, create wild and uninhabitable boom towns, foul the environment and drag their feet on remediation, put people at a wide variety of risks, chew up the infrastructure, and so on—when you let all that happen during the good times, how do you expect it to be when it all goes south? Oil and gas extraction is not just cyclical, but notoriously prone to wild booms and busts. Whatever the dubious merits of giving the industry a free hand when extraction is profitable, doing so creates a positively bleak picture down the line—and degrades liberal democracy from the very beginning."
Inaugural Message to Gov. Tom Wolf: Stop Fracking Pennsylvania!—by ruby red shoes: "Pass it on, spread the word, put it on your calendar, BE THERE. And please sign the petition. Join Pennsylvanians Against Fracking as we tell Governor Tom Wolf to make a halt on fracking his #1 priority. A fresh start for Pennsylvania means No New Fracking! Tom Wolf will be inaugurated as the next Governor of Pennsylvania on January 20th at the Capitol in Harrisburg. Pennsylvanians Against Fracking is headed to the inauguration to make sure Wolf hears us loud and clear, and we are going to need your help to do so."
California releases fracking regulations six months before studies are complete—by Dan Bacher: "Governor Jerry Brown continued to live up to his reputation as "Big Oil Brown" with his administration's release of the finalized text of the state's regulations for fracking and well stimulation on Tuesday, December 30. Although Senate Bill 4, passed in September 2013, requires California's Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) to complete an environmental impact report and approve an independent scientific study, 'neither one of those documents were ready in time to inform the final rules,' according to a news release from CAFrack Facts."
A Frack Attack that has the Public's Back—by jamess: "Here's the bellwether of Public Opinion, taking its toll on free-for-all Frackers … Fracking Ban in New York Paves the Way for Other States: The decision in New York will have a ripple effect across the country and act to strengthen efforts against fracking nationwide. The story of how tens of thousands of fractivists fought and won in New York with their blood, sweat and tears is awe-inspiring and demonstrates that we should fight for what we want—not just the best that can be negotiated in a backroom deal or what others say is politically feasible. Instead we should work to change the political reality in order to win real improvements in people’s lives and protect our fragile planet for future generations."
Keystone XL & Other Fossil Fuel Transportation
Republicans’ First New Year’s Resolution! Reinforce the Party brand as Anti-Environmentalist—by windsong01 : "As promised by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell the first item up for the incoming congress will be moving legislation on the Keystone XL pipeline. In Spite of market trends that are rendering the Keystone XL less profitable by the day and howls coming from the environmental sector, the Newly elected Koch Owned Congress appears determine to push through keystone legislation. […] 'Many of the refineries that will be processing the tar sand are in Foreign Trade Zones where oil may be exported to international buyers without paying U.S. taxes. And that is exactly what Valero, one of the largest potential buyers of Keystone XL's oil, has told its investors it will do. The idea that Keystone XL will improve U.S. oil supply is a documented scam being played on the American people by Big Oil and the newly elected republicans they placed in Washington DC.'"
Agriculture, Food & Gardening
Belching Bovines—by Robocop : "It boggles the mind that anyone would celebrate their own demise, and yet there exists a now more powerful group of people who are doing just that. 'This is a major victory for farmers and ranchers who consistently tell many of us that they are concerned about the potential of the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers’ overreach into [their] operations,' said Idaho Republican Representative Mike Simpson. He’s referring, of course, to one of the riders in the new budget bill that requires the EPA to withdraw a new rule that defines how the Clean Water Act applies to certain agricultural conservation practices and halts the Corps from regulating farm ponds and irrigation ditches under the Clean Water Act. In addition, industrial farmers and ranchers will not be required to report greenhouse gas emissions from their 'manure management systems.'"
Biochar Redeux (Part1?)—by ARKTraveler: "At the end of May GDBot wrote a diary: Biochar. It was a short but good introduction to something that we all could be doing about climate change – of which I think there is not enough discussion on this website. Unfortunately the comments got sidetracked over one user’s claims that making biochar was tantamount to making charcoal (a dirty CO2 emitting process) of which making biochar is not. GDBot commented that perhaps someone could write a more in-depth diary. This is an attempt at providing that. I’ve struggled with how to present biochar for it is only one answer to a more complex issue. The science behind what we all could be doing to combat climate change includes many environmental issues such as how we grow our food, how we deplete soil and water resources, how the carbon cycle has become corrupted, how we dump rather than recycle our waste, how we use energy and perhaps most importantly how population levels come to impact everything we might try."
The Evening Blues - 1-1-15—by Joe Shikspack: "I started off the new year right with a trip to Longwood Gardens."
Saturday Morning Garden Blogging Vol. 10.45—by
Frankenoid: "Our weirdly variable weather here in Denver, which started with a sudden, brutal freeze in early November, has continued. We started December with warm temperatures—on December 12 I was in shirtsleeves and the high was 66°. Christmas brought with it Christmassy weather: a blast of arctic cold and snow. Thank gawd for the snow protecting the perennials when the low went to a record-breaking -19° on the 30th. The sky cleared and we warmed up a bit yesterday … but we are forecast to get another blast of snow today. The whipsawing fall temperatures have left me with the unfamiliar, dappled shadows in the front yard. Many trees had their leaves frozen in place by the sudden, deep cold of early November. And, despite bouts of wind since that November freeze…"
New Kids on the Farm: The goats wish you a Happy New Year!, no ifs, ands, or butts ...—by InAntalya:
Is this the new year or the old one?
Eco-Justice & Eco-Activism
Overpass Light Brigade: 2014 in Pictures—by noise of rain : "2014 proved to be another busy year for OLB. There was no shortage of issues to engage, with the ongoing consolidation of power into the hands of the few. We completed well over 50 different actions throughout the year, averaging more than one per week. It was our pleasure to work with a wide array of different groups and movements that helped to organize each of these actions. Collaborations with both new and established grassroots efforts help make OLB a powerful megaphone, as witnessed by our solid presence within the social media landscape. Our Facebook site continues to have a lot of traffic and reach, and we frequently create original content for both Daily Kos and Occupy Riverwest blogs, where this diary is cross-posted. We’ve developed a strong Twitter following, and our Flickr account that hosts all OLB images saw its total views soar past 5 million, illustrating the powerful reach and continued potential of the medium."
Trade & Eco-Related Foreign Policy
Let's stop the disaster that is the TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership)!—by VL Baker: "There have been lots of great posts on the TPP. I wrote about it here and here and bobswern has been writing some excellent, informative posts on the subject. But now it's time to take some action to prevent the secretive fast tracking of the treaty that could doom forever our work to make this a safe planet for our species. Let's join Senator Bernie Sanders (love ya, man!) in formally sending our voices to protest this global corporate mega grab of resources, people and power. […] Signing a petition is just the beginning. First priority is to slow the decision process, that tactic has been quite successful in slowing (and probably stopping) the building of the Keystone XL pipeline. We may then have to take to the streets; but this treaty, as written, must be stopped!"
Sustainability & Extinction
Consumers can understand externalities and do something about it—by Earth Accounting: "In an ideal market economy, all externalities would be included in the price of a product. But accounting for the costs of externalities is not trivial. If you have any doubts download this UC Berkeley lecture PowerPoint. To achieve a sustainable economy externalities have to be accounted for somehow. Current approaches involve internalizing externalities, sustainability accounting and taxes on externalities (such as the Carbon Tax). All these approaches are 'top down' to be carried by corporations and/or governments. Is there a bottom up approach? We believe so. Consumers are ready to make sustainability a major factor in their decisions as indicated by the latest studies."
A new road to sustainability and you can help—by Shockwave: "Today I'm involved with a new big idea startup. I have been working on it for 4 years. It is called Earth Accounting. The idea is to empower consumers by giving them easy, complete and 100% transparent access to product sustainability information by simply scanning a barcode with a smartphone (or entering a product name on a computer). We believe that consumers need to be part of the dynamic to achieve a sustainable economy. […] We have posted several diaries about the overall framework: • Consumers can understand externalities and do something about it. • We consumers can do it! • Corporate, Community and Consumer Sustainability. • Something new on the Spaceship Earth instrument panel. • A new road to a sustainable Earth. • Environmental awareness and ethical consumerism. • Leanwashing and Consumer Choice. • Consumer empowerment for ethical consumerism and sustainability."
Eco-Essays and Eco-Philosophy
Gideon the Destroyer to Head the Environment and Public Works Committee in 2015—by ruby red shoes: "One of my all time favorite maxims is Gibson's law: For every PhD there is an equal and opposite PhD. But, as with all things, there is a Biblical version of this maxim. Let's call it Gideon's law: For every Biblical maxim, there is an equal and opposite Biblical maxim. This is especially true given the many rewrites of the Bible over the centuries. If an uncontested truth resides in the pages of a version of the Bible, a Gideon will come along to demand an inversion. That is what Gideon did best; he made demands. When God chose Gideon to free the people of Israel and condemn their worship of idols, Gideon didn't buy it. He demanded divine proof that God meant business—and never settling for a single statement, he demaded not one but three miracles; do this, do that, now do the opposite, if you please. God obliged, which to Gideon meant God's thumbs up to destroy and cause much gnashing of teeth."
Mindfully Meandering Through The Woods in Word Pictures—by LinSea: "Some of you know of my love for the Santa Cruz mountains of California and that, having come to visit a friend here for 5 days last month, my stay is being extended for possibly now up to 5 weeks. Unfit for much walking in some visits over the past couple of years, this time I am lighter and in less pain, so I’ve been carefully indulging my desire to walk about as I did in times past. […] I give a wave up the hill to the place I first lived with the Mr. & Mrs. and continue down past the neighbors who erected a Yurt near their house where many festive and musical events were held and who have vowed, like many here, to somehow always find other ways to get needed monies than by resorting to selling the redwoods upon the land. Spotting something black at the base of a nearby aged stump even without my glasses, I notice a plethora of very long-stemmed mushrooms, once a deep brown/red but now thoroughly blackened and all bending over in layers onto the ground. A subtle movement catches my eye and I see a small newt having successfully crossed the road is now traversing the goosepen of the stump. Ho, young’un, I whisper. Find what you seek and grow large."
Mountain Dreams—by Bill Palto: "Recently, I retired (I thought), and moved to the mountains. Then I got an offer I couldn't refuse and went to work for another high-tech firm, this time from home. The town I'm in is too small for a TV station, and bears, elk, and deer come into my back yard. I lock my doors at night; not because of people, but because of bears."
Mountain Dreams -- Climate Change—by billpalto: "Here on the mountain, climate change is real. Over the last year or so, almost every pine tree and fir tree on my land died. At 8,000 feet, I used to have an 80 foot Douglas Fir, it died. So did the 50 foot Douglas Fir. So did 20 pine trees, ranging up to 40 feet in height. First it was the drought; then with the trees already weakened, pine bark beetles and mistletoe (not the fun kind, the killer kind) killed off the pines. Based on what I have left, it is as if the land dropped about 1,000 feet. It's now pinon pines and alligator junipers, which are common at 6,000-7,000 feet. Nowadays, 8,000 feet is what 7,000 feet used to be. I cut down at least 20 of the trees, and they make good firewood. But the change has come, and the trees are dead. Climate change is real, here on the mountain."
Oceans, Water & Drought
Governor Christie has final say on bill that will privatize water without public oversight—by Walter Einenkel: "Al Jazeera America is reporting: A bill that would allow New Jersey municipalities to sell their public water utilities to private, for-profit corporations without putting the measure to voters is awaiting Gov. Chris Christie’s signature. Until now, any municipality in New Jersey that sought to sell off its water system to a private bidder had to hold a public vote. But a bill passed with bipartisan support by the state’s Senate last week would allow municipalities with aging and deteriorating water systems to put their systems up for sale without holding a referendum. NJ voters have approved the sale of water systems to private developers in about 45% of the state–making New Jersey one of the more receptive states in the union to privatization. It seems a bit strange that there would be a need to cut the citizens out of the decision making process."
Hoopa Valley Tribe welcomes decision recognizing Humboldt's right to Trinity water—by Dan Bacher: "The U.S. Interior Department on Friday released its internal legal opinion that outlines Humboldt County’s right to 50,000 acre feet water from the Trinity River to protect salmon runs on the lower Klamath River during dry years. The Interior Solicitor’s opinion analyzes and clarifies the authority Humboldt County bargained for in the 1955 legislation that led to the damming and diversion of the Trinity River as part of the Central Valley Project (CVP). The Hoopa Valley Tribe and Congressman Jared Huffman issued statements welcoming the decision. 'The Hoopa Valley Tribe in particular has lobbied lawmakers to honor the agreement, which was written into the Trinity River Division Act and reaffirmed by contract in 1959,' according to the Tribe. 'In exchange for this concession, Central Valley farmers got Trinity water included in the Central Valley Project. Yet despite repeated demands and a massive fish kill in the Klamath (of which the Trinity is the largest tributary) back in 2002, the state has never released those 50,000 acres. Today County employees that have worked on water planning expressed a debt of gratitude to the Hoopa Valley Tribe for footing the bill and lobbying for the decision.'"
Restore the Delta Looks Ahead for 2015—by Dan Bacher: "I get lots of emails and facebook posts this time of year asking for donations. Most of them I ignore or delete, especially when they come from big corporate 'environmental' NGOs that receive millions from the Walton Family Foundation, Resources Legacy Fund Foundation and other big, corporate-funded foundations. Many of these groups support privatization of the public trust, the water bond, the peripheral tunnels, the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative and other corrupt, environmentally-destructive processes. In contrast, Restore the Delta has done outstanding work against the peripheral tunnels and in defense of salmon and the largest estuary on the West Coast of the Americas. Here's their year-end appeal […]"
Forests, Wilderness & Public Lands
The Daily Bucket - Big Bend National Park, Photo Diary #4—by foresterbob: "Near the center of Big Bend National Park, the Chisos Mountains soar above the surrounding desert terrain. Plants and animals that would have a difficult time surviving in the lower elevations find a home in the cooler air, and in rugged terrain that receives less direct sunlight. In this part of the park, trees become a more prominent feature of the landscape. Piñon pines, junipers, and oaks line the road. Chisos Basin has 60 campsites open to the public. During the hot months, this location at 5,400 feet is more comfortable than Cottonwood or Rio Grande Village, both of which are at lower elevations along the river. If camping is a bit too close to nature for your tastes, 72 rooms are available at Chisos Mountains Lodge. Book your rooms in advance, because the lodge is often full. Other accommodations include a visitor center, store, and restaurant. Having camped the night before, I was ready for a meal that I didn't have to fix."
The Daily Bucket - GPS in Forestry—by
foresterbob: "I have mentioned in passing that I regularly use GPS in the woods. Today, without going into information overload, I will show some examples of what I do. There are two basic uses for GPS in the work that I do: navigating to a given location, and storing location coordinates to create maps. I’m fond of saying that I get paid to walk in the woods. Of course, nobody will pay me unless I give them something useful. My job is to collect specific information about the trees in a given area. Sometimes I also collect information about the land itself; usually that involves determining how many acres of trees are out there. Most of my current clients already have good maps of their land base. They give me an electronic file that contains the location of each plot that I am to take for them. A 'plot' is a physical location on the ground where I gather information about tree species, diameters, heights, and anything else the property owner wants to know. That data is extrapolated to the entire area to provide an estimate of tree volumes, and thus the value, in much the same way that polling gives an estimate of election results."
Expanding the National Parks System- #25 Missouri—by MorrellWI1983: "This is the twenty-fifth diary in my expanding the national Parks System. Previous Diaries are located at the bottom of the diary Last time I was in Mississippi, this week I'm in Missouri, the Show Me State. Missouri currently has 5.0% of its land federally protected, good for 28th in the country, slightly behind Louisiana and slightly ahead of Georgia. Missouri currently has 1 national monument, one national forest, 10 wildlife refuges and 5 historic sites and other NPS units. I will be proposing adding more monuments to Missouri's tally."
Mountain Dreams -- Public lands—by billpalto: "Here in the Western mountains, the public owns a lot of land. Between BLM land, and Forest Service land, large swaths of the states are publicly owned. The Republicans want to change that. There's a big move to auction off public lands for pennies to private ownership. Romney said he didn't understand why the public owned so much land, and he would auction off large tracts. The other move is to try to have the States take over Federal land. It's another form of nullification. The fundamental problem is that the Republicans don't believe in the American government. They don't believe in an American society that owns land and makes it available to everyone. In the most primitive sense, they don't believe in Christianity. Jesus said: 'You are your brother's keeper.' To which the Republicans replied: 'No we're not.'"