Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue) appears twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, except during holiday periods. More than 26,160 environmentally oriented stories have been rescued to appear in this series since 2006.Here is the [month and date] Green Spotlight. The next edition will appear January 4, 2017. Inclusion of a story in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it.
OUTSTANDING GREEN STORIES
Besame writes—Daily Bucket: wildlife detectives develop computer model to understand population mysteries: “Barred owls native to forests east of the Great Plains have been moving west for the last 150 years. They used riparian habitat along major rivers to extend their range to Montana and from Montana moved north into Canada, southwest into Washington (1965), Idaho, Oregon, and finally arrived in California (1976). Barred owl bullies compete with the Pacific Northwest’s native northern spotted owls and add to population declines. Spotted owls are having a rough time as the invaders move in and wildlife ecologists are unsure about how to handle this. A new model developed at Michigan State University that used existing data can help determine management of this owl conflict. The model also is useful for other invasive or at-risk animal populations. As I’ve described before, models can misjudge real world interactions, but through use they are refined and become more accurate. We need fast cheap ways of understanding interactions between invasive and native species and at-risk populations as problems are arising rapidly and need attention sooner than intensive research can provide guidelines.”
CRITTERS AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS
6412093 writes—The Daily Bucket: Pretty Plants Triumph: “Tomorrow, the Axe Man comes, to cut down and prune and spray several trees. One of the Blue Spruces [...] is too ill. They will also cut down a poorly sited Mountain (false) Ash and Mugo Pine. He will spray the Bart Pear and the small grafted apple tree. Here are the ‘before’ pictures. [...] This Blue Spruce is ‘declining’ and needed expensive spraying. I liked it because it had a split trunk shape, which provided Feng Shui benefits. But it dropped tons of needles on the ornamental garden beneath it. It will be cut down. [...] We will be losing several trees. But we will be opening up spaces for new pretty plants underneath where the trees once grew, including new, smaller trees [...]”
pollwatcher writes—The Cheetah Is Headed For Extinction: “In an overpopulated world that leads to Global Warming and mass extinctions, the Cheetah is trouble of being added to the long list of species that have been crowded out of the right to coexist with humanity. A sad story this morning about the trouble the Cheetah faces. The report estimates that there are just 7,100 of the world's fastest mammals now left in the wild. Cheetahs are in trouble because they range far beyond protected areas and are coming increasingly into conflict with humans. […] In Zimbabwe, the cheetah population has fallen from around 1,200 to just 170 animals in 16 years, with the main cause being major changes in land tenure. […] Another of the big concerns about cheetahs has been the illegal trafficking of cubs, fuelled by demand from the Gulf states, as reported by the BBC earlier this year. The young cats can fetch up to $10,000 on the black market.”
matching mole writes—Dawn Chorus: A Different Kind of Bird Count: “Most of you are probably familiar with the idea of a Christmas bird count in which birders go out on a specific day in late December or early January and try and count all the birds they can find in their assigned area. I have participated in CBCs a couple of times. This diary is about counting birds at Chistmas but in a different context. Most of you are probably familiar with the christmas carol, the Twelve Days of Christmas in which the singer’s ‘true love’ gives the singer an increasing number of gifts per day. On 6 of the 12 days (1-4, 6, and 7) the gifts are birds. If you are a conscientious lover of animals you know you shouldn’t give pets as gifts so what gives? Why all the bird gifts? And why all the counting?”
owktree writes—Daily Bucket: C is For...”Merry Christmas from Daily Bucket and the Backyard Science group. This is the third in the Alphabet Bucket series. Today’s Bucket is brought to you by the letter ‘C’.”
fll7612 writes—The Daily Bucket: A Christmas day walk by the Hudson: “Yesterday my younger son and I went for a three hour hike at Hudson Crossing Park. It was an inspired choice and except for the odd person walking their dog and two cross country skiers we had the trail to ourselves. [...] Lock 5 of the new Champlain Canal was built between 1908 and 1911 and lifts boats 18 feet.” [...] We had originally planned to go to Vischer Ferry Nature Preserve, but I was worried about ice as everything around here is frozen and despite a night of rain on the 24th, there is still a lot of snow on the ground. I figured the Hudson river might offer a better chance of seeing some birds, so we decided to check out Hudson Crossing Park in Schuylerville. NY.”
roberb7 writes—Sea Shepherd society protecting endangered marine species in the Sea of Cortez: “The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ships M/Y Farley Mowat and M/Y Sam Simon are in the Sea of Cortez (a.k.a. the Gulf of California) for Operation Milagro III. The purpose of Operation Milagro III is to protect two endangered species, the totoaba fish and the vaquita porpoise. As the name implies, this is the third season that the Sea Shepherd society has been in the Sea of Cortez. The threat to totoabas is poaching. The demand comes from China, where their swim bladders are considered to have medicinal value. Mexican organized crime organizations have stepped up to meeting this demand, by using illegal gillnets to catch them. These gillnets are deadly to the vaquitas, who are unable to see them in the murky water of the Sea of Cortez. Their population has been estimated to be 60.”
CLIMATE CHAOS
poopdogcomedy writes—PA-Sen: Bob Casey, Jr. (D) Puts The Pressure On Trump To Protect The Paris Climate Accord: “Received this e-mail today from U.S. Senator Bob Casey, Jr. (D. PA): Here in Pennsylvania, we have to be serious about the grave threats of climate change. With 2016 on track to be the hottest year on record, the effects of climate change are glaring in our state: Extreme weather patterns are threatening Pennsylvania's farmlands, and poor air quality is taking its toll on our children’s health. That’s why we cannot let President-elect Trump withdraw our commitment to the historic Paris climate accord: The Paris climate accord is the foundation of a coordinated global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that directly affect our quality of life here in Pennsylvania. To protect the promise of clean air and water for our children, we have a responsibility to see this commitment through.”
JBlake writes—WV Democrat handed out sunscreen in January to protect legislators from global warming: “In January of 2016 a Democrat from the southern coalfields handed out sunscreen on the floor of the state legislature during a snowstorm in January. Delegate Rupie Phillips held up his tube of sunscreen with glee as he warned House colleagues of the dangers of ‘global warming, or climate change, or whatever it is today.’ Clearly proud of his cleverness, Delegate Phillips smirked as he addressed the floor: I worry about you. We got global warming going on. It’s not cold out there, that’s in your mind. As you travel home this weekend I want to make sure that your protected from global warming, or climate change, or whatever it is today. I personally call it mother nature. In other news, world hunger has been solved because I just ate lunch.
hsterndude writes—Is Global Warming, Fact Or Fiction? ”One of the most shocking facts that I ran across was the fact that Glacier National Park in Montana only has 25 of the glaciers left from the 150 glaciers that were there in 1910. This is quite possibly the most alarming piece of evidence that I came across during my research. When Leonardo Dicaprio finally won an Oscar, he took this opportunity to speak about this horrible problem we are dealing with. It is very important that we take the necessary steps to fight back against global warming or we will be in some serious environmental trouble over the next century.”
WILDERNESS, NATIONAL FORESTS AND PARKS & OTHER PUBLIC LANDS
Meteor Blades writes—Thanks, Obama, for all those new national monuments: “Conservationist President Theodore Roosevelt first used the act in 1906 to designate Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming, and in 1908 the Grand Canyon, which Congress later redesignated as the Grand Canyon National Park, and 16 other sites. Since then, other presidents have used the authority granted them under the Antiquities Act to protect unique natural and historic features throughout America. Roosevelt and President Bill Clinton held the previous records for most monuments established, but Obama now leads in that department, having established 25 new ones and enlarged three others. Critics, as shown by this screed of a propagandist from the Heartland Institute, have a big problem with Obama’s extensive use of what they call a dictatorial law. This complaint is especially strong among that peculiar brand of people who think federal land should be turned over to the states—a move that would almost certainly result in sales to private parties and the ensuing destruction. They accuse Obama of ignoring the wishes of locals in making his national monument choices, an abuse of power, they claim.”
ENERGY
Fossil Fuels
pendylion writes—Duke Power Gets Permit to Build Another Coal Ash Dump on Dan River: “My family currently lives on ancestral land in Eden, NC. It was a number of acres owned by my great great grandfather, Lewis Harrison. It was obtained from his mother, Mariah. Upon me and my family returning from the Thanksgiving holiday, we had received a permit for building a coal ash dump not too far from my backyard in a place by along Dan River called Sharpe Farm.
Since the coal ash spill in February 2014, Duke Energy has pledged to remove the coal ash but intends to create another dump in Eden, NC. Sharpe Farm was purchased by Duke Power long before they received the permit to build, some 3-4 years prior. A year ago we had been passing paper petitions to stop the dump, as this is an older community. Things went quiet for a year but clearly our former Governor McCrory, also a former Duke Power employee, pushed the permit before he finally conceded from office in a recent "bloodless coup". He has a detailed history of catering to Duke Power, which was many of the reasons why he was voted out of the office.”
Partisan Hack writes—The New Big Short: Was the 2016 Election a Cover for Big Oil's Impending Collapse? “Great data collected by Bloomberg News reveals how the poor financial condition of major oil companies is quite possibly one of the biggest contributors to them funding, aiding and abetting the lie-about-everything-at-all-costs victory of Donald Trump and the Republicans in the 2016 election. Let’s think back to the 2000 election for a second (yes, I know, an uncomfortable memory, but bear with me). George W. Bush won for any number of good or bad reasons, but thinking of our friends the Koch brothers and other robber-baron oil magnates, one of the reasons that he won was Big Oil’s doldrums. Crude oil prices had hovered at about $40/barrel for most of Clinton’s years in office, fueling the Clinton ‘Goldilocks economy’ boom at the expense of oil company profits. As far as our oil barons were concerned, that wasn’t anything like their idea of fun.”
Heavy Mettle writes—Coal Miners Stand to Lose Black Lung Coverage if ACA Is Repealed: “Coal miners have had much attention paid to them during this most recent campaign for president thanks to Trump (laughably) promising to bring back mining jobs and the credulous all too eager to believe. They recently lost a retirement benefit thanks to a GOP vote in the Senate and now, if Trump’s repeal of ACA goes through they can lose another benefit that was to have paid a black lung benefit. While this is sad it is hard not to feel a glimmer of schadenfreude for these people who vote against their own interests especially since so many of them cast votes to ‘show’ the liberal elites they so deeply resent, as though someone else is to blame for their falling behind in today's world There has to be a better way. Democrats must learn to fight this fight. It is ridiculous to have people in Kentucky vote 80/20 for someone who will take away their benefits. They are already saying ‘if I had only known.’ There has to be a way. If President-elect Donald Trump fulfills his promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act, coal miners may lose disability benefits related to black lung.”
Emissions Controls & Carbon Pricing
DarkSyde writes—Trends to watch in 2017: industrial emissions: “See that chart up there? See the black line in it? If you compare it to average global temperatures, you’ll see a remarkable similarity. But the resemblances don’t end there, with just those two images. Not by a long shot. ‘It’s not just CO2, other emissions have been increasing apace,’ explained DR David Grinspoon, exobiologist and author of Earth in Human Hands. “And the combined effects of methane, nitrous oxide and other gases like chlorofluorocarbons make the situation worse. Whatever you choose to measure, be it global population or the damming of rivers, or even the relentless spread of McDonalds, the pattern is similar: a gradual, accelerating influence until about 1950. Then everything starts shooting up."
Renewables, Efficiency & Conservation
Meteor Blades writes—As solar installations hit record high in 3rd quarter, two senators call for 100% renewables by 2050: “As of last month, there were some 1.1 million residential rooftop solar power systems keeping the televisions, refrigerators, computers, stoves, and lights on throughout the United States. In California, the solar leader, about 600,000 homes have installed such systems. And here, as well as elsewhere in the nation, the speed with which new systems are being put into operation is remarkable. Although utility-scale solar systems—solar farms—generate the larger portion of electricity we get from the sun, about 30 percent now comes from these rooftop systems. Last quarter alone, the industry installed 4.1 gigawatts of solar electricity systems, the best quarter ever. Of that about 2 gigawatts were rooftop systems, what is called “distributed solar.” By the end of this year, the nation will have about 43 gigawatts of solar capacity installed, about 4 percent of total U.S. electricity-generating capacity from all sources. A gigawatt of solar capacity can power between 164,000 and 180,000 homes and reduce carbon emissions by 41.7 million metric tons annually.”
xaxnar writes—Two Energy Stories Worth a Look: “Coal is not coming back. Not because of government policies, not because of some evil plot by environmentalists — but because the economics are just not there. Alternative carbon-free energy systems are reaching the point where they are simply more cost-effective. Regardless of all the environmental concerns — the money alone is enough to justify them now. And that was before OPEC started trying to ramp oil prices again. While it may revive the fracking industry, alternative energy sources will get a boost as well. Solar energy is going big. An energy farm growing in Morocco may someday help power Europe. BBC — Future has the story. [...] Success breeds success. As projects like this succeed, others will follow. Meanwhile, Geothermal power is getting extreme in Iceland. Again BBC — Future has the story. (It’s a good site to bookmark to keep up with things.) An attempt to drill a deep well to tap the Earth’s heat ran into a snag — they drilled into a pool of magma. But, they learned a few things.”
Pipelines & Other Oil and Gas Transport
rogerray writes—The Dakota Access Pipeline Protest IS NOT OVER! ”I have been trying to deliver a truck load of cold weather gear from our church in Springfield, Missouri, to the Sioux for the past two days. The white out conditions from blowing snow in the Christmas blizzard has made travel nearly impossible. High winds have overturned teepees and tents at the camps and knocked out electricity and water to the Sioux Reservation. I and my traveling companion, Dan Goodwin, have taken shelter in a fishing lodge in Webster, SD, after covering only a hundred miles in driving slowly through the blizzard today. Of course, going to the camp in winter is not the most practical way to support the camps. The biggest need on a daily basis for the water protectors is food and firewood.”
Dan Bacher writes—Best Thing Sacramento City Council Did In 2016: Pass Standing Rock Resolution: “On December 6, the Sacramento City Council voted 5 to 2 to approve a resolution backing the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline. The City Council joins Davis, Los Angeles, Oakland, Seattle and many other cities across the nation in opposing the environmentally destructive project. In my opinion, it was the best thing that the Sacramento Council did in 2016. Before the meeting, Tina Marie, a mother of two boys who had just returned from a trip to Standing Rock, told me, ‘I have never witnessed racism, sexism and violence by the state like I witnessed while at Standing Rock. It was ... like walking back into the 1960s. Law enforcement was brutalizing unarmed, peaceful people for protecting their land, legally theirs under an 1851 treaty with the U.S. government.’”
MISCELLANY
Dan Bacher writes—ELC report highlights threats to human rights and nature's rights in Bay Area and worldwide: “The Earth Law Center has just released a new report on overlapping human and nature’s rights violations, called "2016 Update: Fighting For Our Shared Future.” The report includes case studies on the Chevron refinery in Richmond and the destruction of the San Francisco Bay-Delta, the largest estuary on the West Coast of the Americas. The report is available at: bit.ly/... On April 30, 2016, the Earth Law Center convened a panel of judges in Antioch, California to consider the question: “What would the San Francisco Bay-Delta Ecosystem say?” when examining a case brought before them in the first-ever Bay Area Rights of Nature Tribunal. The event was based on an international rights of nature tribunal held in Paris during the Paris Climate Talks last December.”
Meteor Blades writes—Pew poll: 59% of Americans say eco-rules worth the costs. Better policies could boost that number: “The Pew Research Center in early December surveyed 1,502 Americans on a wide range of issues, one being their views on the worth of environmental rules. In the wake of the election of Donald Trump, who promises to be a severely disastrous president for the environment, 59 percent of respondents told pollsters that stricter laws and regulations are worth their cost against only 34 percent who said these rules cost too many jobs and hurt the economy. As you would expect, there were sharp partisan differences. Additionally, younger people and more highly educated people lined up on the side of the costs being worth it. The older or less educated, the more likely a respondent was to say the costs are too high. Kristen Bialik reports: Nearly eight-in-ten Democrats and Democratic leaners (78%), including large majorities of both liberal (82%) and conservative and moderate Democrats (74%), say environmental laws are worth the cost.Among Republicans, however, there are striking ideological differences. Overall, 58% of Republicans say stricter environmental regulations cost too many jobs and hurt the economy, while 35% say they are worth the cost. But by a roughly two-to-one margin (65% vs. 29%) conservative Republicans and leaners are more likely to say stricter environmental laws and regulations cost too many jobs and hurt the economy rather than that they are worth the cost. Moderate and liberal Republicans are more divided on this issue: 46% think environmental regulations cost too many jobs and hurt the economy, 47% say they are worth the cost.”