The spotlight is a weekly, categorized compilation of links and excerpts from environmentally related posts at Daily Kos. Any posts included in the collection do not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of them. Because of the interconnectedness of the subject matter, some of these posts can be placed in more than one category.
CLIMATE EMERGENCY & EXTREME WEATHER
Hampton Roads Climate Cowards: Responsible Climate-Forward Planning from Local Leaders by shespeakspolitics. If there's one region in the Commonwealth of Virginia that epitomizes the climate crisis, it's Hampton Roads. You can practically watch the effects of sea level rise unfold with each hard rain – suddenly, major thoroughfares morph into vehicular swimming pools, each car vying for the title of "most flooded." The response from local government? It's a wild balancing act between feigned concern and outright dismissal of climate change's impact on the Seven Cities. But here's the kicker: while the floodwaters rise, usable land dwindles, and economic prosperity teeters on the brink, these cities continue to alienate low-income communities. Let's talk about some of the outrageous decisions made by Hampton Roads' city governments. Take Chesapeake, for instance. They stumbled upon a whopping $575 million surplus – yes, you read that right. Instead of empowering communities with infrastructure improvements and job opportunities, they quietly stashed the cash in the city's coffers, redirecting funds to well-off neighborhoods adept at navigating bureaucratic mazes. Why not educate the public on accessing these resources? Oh, that's right – high-information presentations for low-information populations are a no-go. Cue the eye roll.
A tsunami of green grinding at a glacial pace across the Great Plains aggravates the climate crisis by Pakalolo. Trees are essential for removing carbon and storing it in the ground in roots and wood. The most crucial factor for carbon storage is the remaining intact forests. Due to palm oil, soy, and agriculture, tropical forests are at critical risk of deforestation. The vast expanse of boreal forests is also vital; they are threatened by changing climates, insect infestation, drought, and now wildfire and permafrost thaw. Planting more trees seems logical to make up for losses of forest cover that we can take to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere. New England is a good example where forests were clear-cut for agriculture but have been rewilding for many decades. In some places, introducing trees does not help with carbon drawdown; the opposite occurs. One of those areas is the Arctic tundra, where warming temperatures attract more woody plants. The consequence is the loss of albedo. Albedo in a cryosphere (ice- and snow-covered region), along with sea-ice and ice caps, reflect solar heat into space, keeping the cryosphere cold. When the ice and snow are absent, darkness on the earth and oceans absorb more heat. Arctic amplification is the best-known feedback loop of the phenomenon. Additionally, the woody plant roots migrating from Taiaga to the tundra can break up the permafrost, warming the soil, thawing the permafrost, and releasing CO2 and methane into the atmosphere. A similar problem is now occurring in the great plains of North America, where native and invasive trees and other woody plants are migrating.
DeSantis signs new bill removing climate change from Florida law as State endures record heat by Pakalolo. Ron Desantis and the GQP just banned the climate impacts from the State (s/). This is psychopathic Republican governance on full display and a big FU to the world, where breaking climate news reported that April was the moistest on record. More moisture in the atmosphere means more frequent day and night steamy wet bulb temperatures in the Sunshine State, not to mention wetter storms, which are the most fierce weapons of tropical cyclonic activity. Just days after Trump, in a quid pro quo, offered the fossil fuel industry the elimination of protections for the environment in exchange for a one billion dollar bribe, and a Florida Atlantic University poll that found 90% of Floridians believed climate change is real and where 68% want the State to do more to fight it: Ron Desantis signed a bill removing climate change, rules and policies from all Florida Law. In reality, Florida is being punished by extreme heat that will then envelope Texas and onward to the Southwest in the coming days. This heat will scorch the state and test the electrical grid, strengthened by solar and wind technology.
Houston reels from severe thunderstorms that rode the ridge from the Central American heat dome by Pakalolo. Four people died overnight as severe storms rode the ridge of a heat dome that has been plaguing Central America and Mexico for weeks. It is the same heat that the lower Florida Keys and Miami endured a few days ago and was expected to hit Texas as it expanded north and west. High winds were generated and caused damage to Downtown Houston. The winds blew out the windows of skyscrapers, a few buildings collapsed, and transmission towers toppled, leaving over one million people without power. The wind storm was comparable to a Category One or a low-end Category Two hurricane. At this point, whether straight-line winds (derecho formed) or tornados caused the damage is unknown. The NWS warned of heavy flooding as the area has been deluged with rainfall for weeks. The wind storm likely caused the most damage to the Houston metro area.
Earth Matters: 2023 hottest summer since 246; red-state AGs sue over EPA power plant rule by Meteor Blades. Using tree rings to extend their scrutiny back many centuries before reliable temperature gauges were available, scientists at the University of Cambridge and Johannes Gutenberg University in Germany have found that 2023 was the hottest summer the northern hemisphere has seen since 246 CE, when Marcus Julius Philippus was Roman emperor. Last summer’s temperatures were also 3.96° Celsius (7.1° Fahrenheit) warmer than the average from the years 1 through 1890, the scientists concluded in a study published Tuesday in Nature. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service, and the U.K.’s Met Office, among other climate agencies, have all previously declared 2023 to be the hottest year on record globally. And today, the World Meteorological Organization also reported that last month was the warmest April on record and the 11th consecutive month of record global temperatures. It noted too that northern hemisphere snow cover was the lowest on record for April and sea surface temperatures have been at a record high for the past 13 months.
Study: Losses to global economy from climate crisis could be six times worst than earlier calculated by Meteor Blades. A new, not-yet-peer-reviewed study from the National Bureau of Economic Research—the folks who designate the beginnings and endings of U.S. recessions—asserts that economic losses from temperature rise due to global warming will be far, far worse than previously calculated. Consequently, they calculate that the social cost of carbon, an estimate of the harm caused by releasing more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, is nearly 10 times the U.S. standard. Just a 1°C (1.8°F) rise of temperatures from pre-industrial times causes a 12% decrease in global gross domestic product, the researchers estimate. But we’re already well past that rise, and the vast majority of surveyed climate scientists believe we’re headed for 2.5°C (4.5°F). Some of them anticipate that the rise by the end of the 21st Century will be 3°C (5.4°F). This will mean “precipitous declines in output, capital and consumption that exceed 50% by 2100,” according to the study, which calls it “comparable to the economic damage caused by fighting a war domestically and permanently.”
Trump's billion dollar big oil shakedown by Sabrina Haake. In further proof that the party of Trump is funded by an unbridled oligarchy, Trump recently offered to sell the environment to Big Oil execs for a cool billion. The real story is that no one is surprised. Trump’s lowly $1 billion price tag: At a shockingly under-reported event in April, the presumptive Republican nominee invited fossil fuel representatives to dine with him at Mar-a-Lago where he served up a foul tasting entrée of quid pro quo. More than 20 oil executives from Chevron, Exxon, Occidental Petroleum and other fossil fuel concerns attended. Over a steak dinner, Trump offered attendees $110 billion in tax breaks and a reversal of Biden’s environmental protections, if they agreed to donate a billion dollars to his campaign to pay his legal bills put him back in the White House. In exchange for the cool billion, Trump pledged to let the planet burn baby burn by scrapping President Biden’s policies on electric vehicles and wind energy and other initiatives opposed by the fossil fuel industry, including legal barriers to drilling and rules designed to cut car pollution.
Climate Crisis -- What Will You Do About Medical Care? by birches. Climate chaos is here. So I’m posting questions or topics, one per week, about something every one of us is likely to face. Let’s see if we can work together to figure out ways to survive.
Week 1’s question was Do You Stay or Do You Go?
Week 2: What Is Your Timeline?
Week 3: What Skill Do You Need To Learn?
Week 4: How Will You Deal With Flooding?
Week 5: What About Potable Water?
Week 6: Got Energy?
Week 7 : What Are Your Preparations For A Food Emergency?
Week 8: Do You Have Enough Nutrients?
Week 9: What Are Your Plans For Fire?
This week the question is What will you do about medical care?
Caribbean Matters: Flooding worsens amid predictions of severe hurricane season by Denise Oliver-Velez. A scary time of year is approaching as the Atlantic hurricane season is usually predicted to take place from June 1 through Nov. 30, and National Hurricane Preparedness Week took place last week here in the U.S. from May 5 to 11. I have frequently criticized our media for paying too little attention to Caribbean weather events. News organizations tend to focus on storms that may wind up hitting Florida or the Gulf Coast, ignoring mitigation efforts and the impact on island nations that sit on the front lines. Though most of us remember Hurricanes Maria, Irma, and Katrina, I rarely hear mention of these catastrophic Caribbean events: Hurricane Gordon (which hit in 1994 and resulted in 1,152 deaths); Hurricane David (hit in 1979 and caused 2,068 deaths); and Hurricane Jeanne (hit in 2004 and resulted in 3,037 deaths). Major Caribbean weather monitoring sources are predicting serious storms this year, and flooding already happening in island nations has been overlooked in reports of massive flooding in other areas of the globe.
CRITTERS & THE GREAT OUTDOORS
The Daily Bucket - coral reef drama: playful dolphin, cranky loggerhead, pushy sharks by OceanDiver. It’s not uncommon to see dolphins from a dive boat, or even sometimes to hear them talking underwater. But this was the first time I’ve ever been underwater with one, and I’ve been diving for almost 30 years. On this dive, our group of six and the divemaster were hanging out at fifteen feet for our required three-minute safety stop (precautionary decompression, to allow the body to gradually expel dissolved nitrogen from the blood and tissues without forming bubbles, which can cause “the bends”, a serious condition). All of a sudden a Bottlenose dolphin zoomed into our group, streaking past us all, circling round and round, occasionally swerving up to catch a quick breath at the surface. It had absolutely no practical reason to visit us so I have to assume we were just play toys for it. In general marine creatures are not fond of air bubbles but the small streams of them we were exhaling I guess were not too offensive. My own camera had a dead battery by the end of that dive but another diver in our group got some footage, which was an impressive feat considering how fast the dolphin was swimming by. Also, when we look upward it’s into the light, much as on land there’s glare. But the videographer did a nice job following the path of the dolphin. I’m in the blue fins near the start of the video with Mr O in the black fins and double tank strap, nearby me.
Dawn Chorus: California Condors, 40 years on by giddy thing. For the long drive home to Montana, Mr. giddy and I chose a route that took us by Navajo Bridge in remote Coconino County, AZ. Navajo Bridge spans the Colorado River and the dramatic gorge of Marble Canyon, bordering the Navajo Nation and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. A few miles west lie the Vermillion Cliffs, the site of the initial 1996 reintroduction of captive, parent-reared California Condors to Arizona, establishing a second non-captive condor population (to southern California’s first). Our trip to Navajo Bridge was a pilgrimage of sorts, to actually see these remarkable, improbable birds in real life and pay respects to the visionaries that saved the California Condor from extinction. The last time I set eyes on a wild California Condor was 1982. I was an undergrad at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and tagged along with an ornithology grad student that summer to help photo-document condors from an observation site overlooking the southern San Joaquin Valley foothills, an important condor foraging area. At this date, condors were spiraling towards extinction, with only 22 individuals surviving in the wild. It was a forlorn yet strangely exhilarating duty to record the feather details, age-status, and behaviors of a species on the brink of extinction. I remember leaving the dry, dusty overlook each day with a solemn, heavy heart. By 1982, the US Fish & Wildlife Service-led California Condor Recovery Program was ramping up its recovery efforts for “one of the world’s rarest and most imperiled vertebrate species.” The accomplishments of the recovery program’s scientists and partners are astounding and probably represent the largest Endangered Species Act (ESA) recovery effort undertaken by our government.
The Daily Bucket. Sierra Valley Preserve. Part one of three. Four new species (of eight total) by funningforrest. It’s been two years since I’ve had an opportunity to go birding out in Sierra Valley, and this trip happened rather serendipitously. I was conjuring plans to get out there by putting my bicycle on the rural bus on a weekday afternoon and taking a motel in Portola for the night, which is close by on the western side of Sierra Valley and then bicycling around early in the following morning, but the mileage on the bicycle was daunting and I finally decided against the idea. Then an opportunity arose to join the folks who manage the Sierra Valley Preserve, the Feather River Land Trust (I’m a donor to the organization), for a workday in the area but that got rained out (it was to have been on May 4). So I whined about it in a Daily Bucket, here, and our magnificent compatriot 2n10 (John Hackney) piped up that he’d been wanting to visit Sierra Valley and would even come all the way to Quincy to pick me up and include me.
The Daily Bucket. Sierra Valley Preserve. Part two of three. Two more new species (of eight total) by funningforrest. There is a driving distance between the two Preserve entrances, and today’s diary concerns the sights along that drive. That drive allowed me to gain my best-ever shots of a Yellow-headed Blackbird, which I first captured in the camera back in 2022.
The Daily Bucket. Sierra Valley Preserve. Part 3 of 3. Last two new species (of eight total) by funningforrest. Today’s diary covers the Sierra Valley Preserve west side entrance, which is primarily a botanical walking tour. I snapped photos of the several interpretive signs that are along the well-maintained trails in this spot. I admit, botany is not my pursuit. I’m not the one to confer with on matters of plant identification or lore. Which is one reason I love signs out in my nature areas like the one above. Now I will know, at least for the time I’m out on that specific location, the names and characteristics of some of the flora. I’m the wiser for that. The trails and interpretive signs and tag signs identifying the various plants are really well maintained on this portion of the preserve. To first visit the east side, with all its marvelous wetland and mountain meadow and bird diversity and then this dry Sagebrush Scrub on the west side is to fully take in and appreciate this marvelous locale. I’d go back in a heartbeat.
Backyard Bird Race April reports and Daily Bucket Open Thread by 2n10. There are no “rules” for the Bird Race beyond what you set for yourself. Some ideas for information that you might share here as part of the conversation, any combinations of:
- A total list or count of birds you have seen: monthly, year to date, life
- New birds you have seen, since the last tally
- Interesting behavior you have seen
- Any patterns or changes in patterns
- General location in the country
- Type of habitat
- Bird ID sites or articles you have found helpful, general or bird family specific
- Equipment you use, how you use it, why you got it, where you got it, how to maintain and care for it
- Photo processing tips and storage/display sites
If you move or travel during the year, it would be very interesting to compare the backyard birds you see in different settings!
Daily Bucket, Friday Sequence - April's last and May's first Bugs by CaptBLI. The edges of the ponds at the University of Mississippi Field Research Station are teaming with micro dramas that make major impacts on the ecosystem there. Dragonfly nymphs pierce a pond’s surface and drag their bulk skyward. Encapsulated legs fight gravity (one slow grasp at a time) to seek release from the bondage. Freedom and flight are rewards of that struggle. A wing flutter away (on another pond reed) danger lurks. All the nymphs take the chance of a deadly encounter [...] More nymphs make adulthood than become a meal. The air was full of a few species active in late Spring and early Summer months.
ENERGY, TRANSPORTATION
Top Comments: Driving an Electric Mustang by gizmo59. Last weekend, Hubby and I took a trip to Portland, Oregon, where we rented an electric Mustang to get around. Hubby, who regularly drives a Tesla Model 3 (bought before it was clear that Elmo had completely lost his mind), and he was hoping to rent one while on our trip. At the car rental desk, we were told that all the Teslas were spoken for, but an electric Mustang was available. As I want to eventually replace my Honda Fit with an electric model of some sort, but not a Tesla (as long as Elmo has anything to do with the company), I was curious to be able to compare the experience of driving a non-Tesla electric car in order to compare the experience. As far as driving the car goes, it passes with flying colors. Naturally, it took a little time to get used to where all the knobs and switches are (since there is no standard, or even a habit, for where to put them yet), but that was pretty minor. The one big problem with the electric Mustang was its charging network.
Great News for Clean Power and Storage by Justin Mikulka. When people find out what I do for work, it’s not unusual for them to ask, “Are we doomed?” My usual response is, “We would be, if not for the amazing developments in renewable energy.” We know the people willing to destroy the planet for personal gain are still at it. The recently released documents acquired by Congress confirmed once again that the oil and gas industry is lying about pretty much everything and they know it. We now know that not only are the oil companies buying up all the politicians, they did the same with most of the major universities and were even working directly with major non-profits that were supposed to be helping to stop climate change. Imagine if we didn’t have alternatives to their products that were economically competitive? It would be like we could see the comet headed towards us and now it was just about waiting for it to hit. But we do have the tools. And it’s a great story.
5/14 Renewable Tuesday: The Former 0% Club by Mokurai. I promised last week to take a deeper look at the 0%ers, countries with no wind or solar installations—until now. Here they are, taking baby steps or massive strides, but none can ignore the future any more. Next week: Peak Carbon is Here! Which Country Uses the Least Alternative Energy?Countries like the United Arab Emirates, Benin, Bahrain, Botswana, Kuwait, Libya, Mongolia, Oman, Qatar, Turkmenistan, Trinidad and Tobago, the Republic of Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Brunei Darussalam, and Singapore are listed by the Data World Bank as countries with virtually 0% of their energy being sourced from alternative and nuclear means. [...] The Former 0%ers: UAE Energy Diversification. The UAE is implementing groundbreaking renewable energy and energy efficiency programs. With a clear understanding about the impacts of climate change, the UAE is pursuing alternative means for producing the power needed to fuel its economy. The UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative – the first of any country in the Middle East – aligns with the goals of the Paris Agreement and with the UAE’s development vision to create new knowledge along with green industries, skills and jobs. The UAE has taken aggressive action to diversify the UAE energy mix and economy.
Earth Matters: Warren pushes Build Green Act; Figueres vows optimism; U.S. solar to grow 37% in '24 by Meteor Blades. Nobody should be under the illusion that the unfolding crisis can be resolved simply by switching how we power ourselves and get around. But it’s a key element of dealing with it. Building the infrastructure to get off oil and other fossil fuels has to move a lot faster than it has been. And as fast as even California has been adding renewable energy plus storage, this needs to be tripled by 2030. Even more so elsewhere in this country and in others. The costs arising from challenges in agriculture—from water to weather, from soil to migrating bugs—are going to make even 10 times that $500 billion in the Build Green Act look like peanuts. (Peanut farmers face serious problems from climate change, by the way.) Then there is the profound societal disruption from an increasingly hostile environment, a byproduct very much of our own doing, which will generate perhaps the most immense costs as well. The Build Green Act addresses just one impact of our energy use. But every effort to permanently reduce demand for carbon-spewing fuels is worth doing. Democrats should embrace that credo even if climate isn’t foremost on most Americans’ minds. It rarely is, but it soon will be. We shouldn’t always have to ponder climate change through the lens of partisan politics. With the stakes so high, we all ought to be pulling in the same direction. But history and the present teach us that if we have to depend on Republican participation to take serious climate action, then we truly are doomed.
President Biden Is Slashing Pollution from Coal! Boosting Biden Day 94 by GoodNewsRoundup. I don’t need to convince you that there is no bigger issue or challenge than saving the planet for future generations. You know who else I don’t need to convince? President Biden. Biden has made amazing changes to the way that we protect the planet, and I’ve outlined many of them in this series. Today I focus on a huge one — reducing pollution from coal-burning power plants. Biden directed the EPA to address this imperative need, and they’re doing it!
AGRICULTURE, FOOD, GARDENING
Saturday Morning Garden Blogging Vol 20:20 a riot of Rhododendrons by robctwo. It’s full rhode season in the Willamette Valley. Some of the earlier ones have wilted, some of the later ones are just peaking.
WATER & INFRASTRUCTURE
Coalition files protest against salmon-killing Delta Tunnel water diversion application by Dan Bacher. As salmon populations move closer and closer to extinction and the Delta Smelt has become functionally extinct in the wild, a diverse coalition of California tribes, nonprofits, environmental organizations, and commercial fishing groups filed a protest with the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), calling for the denial of the Delta Conveyance Project (DCP) Change in Point of Diversion (CPOD) Petition. The coalition filing the protest against the Delta Tunnel includes the Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians, Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, Winnemem Wintu Tribe, Little Manila Rising, Restore the Delta, California Indian Environmental Alliance, Golden State Salmon Association, Institute for Fisheries’ Resources, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations and San Francisco Baykeeper. “We protest the Petition based on the public interest, environmental considerations, the public trust, and other issues, including that the Proposed Project is contrary to law,” the protest states.
California In-River Salmon Sport Fisheries Closed for Second Year Due to Dramatic Declines by Dan Bacher. On May 14, the California Fish and Game Commission unanimously adopted emergency regulations for Chinook salmon fishing closures in the Central Valley and Klamath River Basins due to dramatic population declines. The regulations are expected to take effect no later than July 1, 2024, following approval by the state Office of Administrative Law. “The in-river closures align with the recommended closure of both commercial and recreational ocean salmon fisheries off the California coast by the Pacific Fishery Management Council due to continued low abundance,” according to the CDFW. “Federal fisheries managers have since enacted a full closure of ocean salmon seasons in California. California’s ocean salmon sport fishing seasons and regulations automatically conform to federal regulations unless the Commission acts otherwise.”
DWR Analysis Claims 'Benefits' of Delta Tunnel Will Outweigh Costs; Critics Strongly Disagree by Dan Bacher. The Department of Water Resources (DWR) today released a controversial benefit-cost analysis for the Delta Conveyance Project, AKA Delta Tunnel, that claims the embattled project would create billions of dollars in benefits for California communities. The Delta Conveyance Project (DCP) will cost a total of $20.1 billion for a single tunnel, according to the analysis. “For every $1 spent, $2.20 in benefits would be generated,” DWR said. DWR cited “reliable water supplies, climate change adaptation, earthquake preparedness and improved water quality” among the “benefits.” “The Delta Conveyance Project passes the benefit-cost test readily, with benefits that are more than double the cost,” said Dr. David Sunding, Emeritus Professor, UC Berkeley, who led the benefit-cost analysis, in a statement.
MISCELLANY & AGGREGATIONS
Next time your brother-in-law claims Biden hasn't achieved anything, whip out this analysis from E2 by Meteor Blades. Unfortunately, although Biden has worked hard to convince voters that the economy is strong and that he deserves credit for presiding over solid economic gains—and that reelecting him as opposed to the guy who wants to dismantle everything and run the U.S. by ukase—polls show that most Americans still are, at best, hazy on one of Biden’s signature achievements, the Inflation Reduction Act. We can blame this on the mainstream media, which has done a miserable job of pointing to the game-changing impacts that are already taking place as IRA funding is invested in specific projects across the nation. However, since we’re not going to remake or replace the media between now and November, it’s up to us to do their work, one brother-in-law, one cousin, one neighbor, one housemate or workmate at a time. A terrific resource for the persuasion task is provided by the non-partisan Environmental Entrepreneurs at E2, founded in 2000, and partnered with the Natural Resources Defense Council, one of the nation’s Big Green environmental advocates. E2’s 10,000 members operate in nine regional chapters across the nation to promote environmental and economic policies.
Overnight News Digest Science Saturday - Dimorphos, Space Junk, Bamboo glass, Roanoke by Rise above the swamp. This 50,000-year-old block of ice reveals the true state of CO2 levels now: Despite an ever-growing body of evidence indicating we're now living beneath unprecedented levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases, a lack of thorough historical knowledge has hindered our ability to put present-day CO2 emissions into a concrete, long-term context. So what if we're able to use the planet's own record-keeping to fill in those important blanks? This is the bold approach taken in a new study from Oregon State University (OSU) and University of St Andrews scientists, who, working with the US National Science Foundation, have unlocked a 50,000-year timeline of atmospheric carbon dioxide – thanks to tiny bubbles trapped in Antarctic ice, frozen in time miles below the Earth's surface. “Studying the past teaches us how today is different," said Kathleen Wendt, an assistant professor at OSU and the study’s lead author. "The rate of CO2 change today really is unprecedented."