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Newslinks - Rochester, NY area
Today's environmental news for our area. (A model of what could and should be in every community's news.)
"I am convinced that ecology cannot be kept secret. Environmental openness is an inalienable human right. Any attempt to conceal any information about harmful impact on people and the environment is a crime against humanity." --Alexandr Nikitin, Russian environmentalist.
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Environmental NewsLinks for the Rochester, NY area
Posted Today - Friday, April 21, 2017
Connections: Sierra Club President Aaron Mair The Rochester Regional Group is bringing the first African-American president of the Sierra Club to Rochester for its annual Environmental Forum. Aaron Mair is committed to not just environmental activism, but social justice as it relates to our environment. We discuss his mission and his work. Our guests: Aaron Mair, president of the Sierra Club Cornelia Kelly, organizer for Mothers Out Front in Rochester Peter Debes, secretary for the Rochester Regional Group of the Sierra Club (April 20, 2017) Connections
The EPA wants to know what you think about scrapping air-pollution and radiation rules The US has a lot of rules about which kinds of gases, particles, and forms of radiation can get pumped into the atmosphere. Many of those regulations were written by the Environmental Protection Agency, under the authority Congress granted it through the Clean Air Act. President Donald Trump and many other conservatives see these rules as overly burdensome and believe the country should have fewer of them. Trump's EPA chief, Scott Pruitt, vocally endorses that position, too. (April 19, 2017) Business Insider [more on Environmental Health in our area]
Trillions of Plastic Bits, Swept Up by Current, Are Littering Arctic Waters The world's oceans are littered with trillions of pieces of plastic — bottles, bags, toys, fishing nets and more, mostly in tiny particles — and now this seaborne junk is making its way into the Arctic. In a study published Wednesday in Science Advances, a group of researchers from the University of Cádiz in Spain and several other institutions show that a major ocean current is carrying bits of plastic, mainly from the North Atlantic, to the Greenland and Barents seas, and leaving them there — in surface waters, in sea ice and possibly on the ocean floor. Because climate change is already shrinking the Arctic sea ice cover, more human activity in this still-isolated part of the world is increasingly likely as navigation becomes easier. As a result, plastic pollution, which has grown significantly around the world since 1980, could spread more widely in the Arctic in decades to come, the researchers say. (April 19, 2017) New York Times [more on Recycling and Water Quality and Climate Change in our area]
POLITICS Portman: Wetlands sites 'working' Senator pledges support for $300M Great Lakes restoration effort U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R., Ohio) pledged his continued support Tuesday for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's $300 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, as well as the agency in general and other agencies vital to Lake Erie programs and monitoring its algal blooms. Mr. Portman began his visit to the area with a stop at the man-made wetland developed by the University of Toledo and others west of Maumee Bay State Park's entrance. THE BLADE Enlarge | Buy This Image The wetland's planning dates back to the early 1990s, when a local task force was trying to identify sources of bacteria at the state park beaches. (April 19, 2017) The Blade [more on Great Lakes and Water Quality in our area]
Our Climate Future Is Actually Our Climate Present How do we live with the fact that the world weknew is going and, in some cases, already gone? The future we've been warned about is beginning to saturate the present. We tend to imagine climate change as a destroyer. But it also traffics in disruption, disarray: increasingly frequent and more powerful storms and droughts; heightened flooding; expanded ranges of pests turning forests into fuel for wildfires; stretches of inhospitable heat. So many facets of our existence — agriculture, transportation, cities and the architecture they spawned — were designed to suit specific environments. Now they are being slowly transplanted into different, more volatile ones, without ever actually moving. (April 19, 2017) New York Times [more on Climate Change in our area]
Rising seas could push some U.S. migration to areas far from coast: study Rising sea levels caused by climate change may drive U.S. coastal residents to areas far from the seaboard, not just to adjacent inland regions, according to a study published online in the journal Nature Climate Change. Even landlocked states such as Arizona and Wyoming could see significant increases in population because of coastal migration by 2100, and may be unprepared to handle the surge, said the analysis from a University of Georgia researcher. "We typically think about sea-level rise as being a coastal challenge or a coastal issue," Mathew Hauer, author of the study and head of the Applied Demography program at the University of Georgia, said in an interview on Tuesday. "But if people have to move, they go somewhere." (April 18, 2017) Reuters [more on Climate Change in our area]
News Highlight:
After the People's Climate March, a Rochester manifesto
Photo: The People's Climate March September 21, 2014 .After the People's Climate March, a Rochester manifesto The public has delivered a clear mandate on Climate Change. The People's Climate March (PCM), which drew 400,000 concerned souls, demanded that their governmental leaders act on the most pressing crisis of our age. However milquetoast the UN Summit in NY turns out to be (the summit the PCM tried to kick start), the march will change everything. The media, despite their intentional use of the word 'activists' to dismiss most of the world's peoples as only a special interest group, will have to change too. Never again. Never again will it be fashionable to deny or dismiss what most people know to be true: that our present way of living is causing our planet to warm up far quicker than most plants, animals and we can adapt to. Never again will our leaders be able to speak as if Climate Change is not occurring. Never again will public pressure cease to compel businesses and governments to respond to the climate crisis with actions that actually bring down greenhouse gases. Promises will be held to a strict standard of compliance—regardless of weak-kneed leaders. The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, whose "objective is to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate, from all the nations of the world"1 must not fail. more...
(Above scripts from Dynamic Drive)
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Posted earlier this month
These article are in order they were posted with the most recent at the top.
Is It O.K. to Tinker With the Environment to Fight Climate Change? Scientists are investigating whether releasing tons of particulates into the atmosphere might be good for the planet. Not everyone thinks this is a good idea. For the past few years, the Harvard professor David Keith has been sketching this vision: Ten Gulfstream jets, outfitted with special engines that allow them to fly safely around the stratosphere at an altitude of 70,000 feet, take off from a runway near the Equator. Their cargo includes thousands of pounds of a chemical compound — liquid sulfur, let's suppose — that can be sprayed as a gas from the aircraft. It is not a one-time event; the flights take place throughout the year, dispersing a load that amounts to 25,000 tons. If things go right, the gas converts to an aerosol of particles that remain aloft and scatter sunlight for two years. The payoff? A slowing of the earth's warming — for as long as the Gulfstream flights continue. Keith argues that such a project, usually known as solar geoengineering, is technologically feasible and — with a back-of-the-envelope cost of under $1 billion annually — ought to be fairly cheap from a cost-benefit perspective, considering the economic damages potentially forestalled: It might do good for a world unable to cut carbon-dioxide emissions enough to prevent further temperature increases later this century. (April 18, 2017) New York Times [more on Climate Change in our area]
Lake Ontario property owners prepare for rising lake levels People in the Thousand Islands are watching the high spring waters of the St. Lawrence River. Upstream, residents are trying to protect their shoreline property from potential flooding as water levels continue to rise on Lake Ontario. Residents along the lake shore are preparing for flooding. (April 18, 2017) North Country Public Radio [more on Great Lakes, Water Quality, and Climate Change in our area]
Sodus Point Flooding: Good for Environment, Bad for Business In the Lakeside Village of Sodus Point, the spring rains have raised the water level of Lake Ontario to a point of concern. Residents are stacking sandbags in preparation for a possible flood. "Worst case scenario, we will have to shut down the village, and evacuate the people," said Mayor Chris Tertinek. "We flooded five times in a period of over 100 years; the low was 3 times below their limit in a hundred years. With the new plan, we're going to flood 17 times in 100 years." (April 17, 2017) Spectrum News Rochester [more on Great Lakes and Water Quality and Climate Change in our area]
Republicans set their sights on the EPA's science The federal agency that regulates our environment may soon have less data to work with. Federal regulatory changes can be about as interesting to ponder as drying paint. Of course, federal regulations also are the reason that drying paint is lead-free in this country. Now, the way that the U.S. makes many federal environmental regulations may be changing. In March, the House passed two bills aimed at defanging the Environmental Protection Agency, largely along party lines. The first, House Bill 1430 – named the HONEST Act – would challenge the EPA's access to scientific data. The second, House Bill 1431 – named the EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act of 2017 – would replace scientists and public health experts on its advisory panel with industry members and politicians. Both bills are now in the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Previous versions passed the House in 2014 and 2015, but stalled in the Senate, with former President Barack Obama threatening to veto. It's unlikely President Donald Trump would do the same. (April 14, 2017) High Country News [more on Environmental Health in our area]
DEC Encourages Homeowners to Practice Sustainable Lawn Care to Protect State Waterbodies DEC launches "Look for the Zero" campaign to urge homeowners to purchase phosphorus-free lawn fertilizer To protect water quality this spring, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today is urging New Yorkers to practice sustainable lawn care by going phosphorus free, using native plants and grasses, and reducing fertilizer use. DEC has launched the "Look for the Zero" campaign to encourage New Yorkers to purchase phosphorus-free lawn fertilizer, as more than 100 water bodies in New York State cannot be used or enjoyed as a result of too much phosphorus. "The actions New Yorkers take in their backyards can have a big impact on the environment. By choosing sustainable lawn care, homeowners are helping protect water quality and public health," said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. "Excess phosphorous is causing problems in many New York waterbodies, making them unusable for swimming, fishing, or as a source of drinking water. I urge residents to 'look for the zero' and buy phosphorous-free fertilizer this spring. By eliminating phosphorus and reducing pesticide use on lawns, New Yorkers can play an important role in addressing water quality impairments across the state." New York's nutrient runoff law prohibits the use of phosphorus lawn fertilizers unless a new lawn is being established or a soil test shows that the lawn does not have enough phosphorus. (April 17, 2017) NYS Department of Environmental Conservation [More on Water Quality in our area]
Climate Change Reroutes a Yukon River in a Geological Instant In the blink of a geological eye, climate change has helped reverse the flow of water melting from a glacier in Canada's Yukon, a hijacking that scientists call "river piracy." This engaging term refers to one river capturing and diverting the flow of another. It occurred last spring at the Kaskawulsh Glacier, one of Canada's largest, with a suddenness that startled scientists. A process that would ordinarily take thousands of years — or more — happened in just a few months in 2016. Much of the meltwater from the glacier normally flows to the north into the Bering Sea via the Slims and Yukon Rivers. A rapidly retreating and thinning glacier — accelerated by global warming — caused the water to redirect to the south, and into the Pacific Ocean. (April 17, 2017) New York Times [more on Climate Change in our area]
Scientists: Get Used to Wildfires in a Warming World Communities across the Western U.S. and Canada may have to adapt to living with the ever-increasing threat of catastrophic wildfires as global warming heats up and dries out forests across the West, according to a University of Colorado study published Monday. Residents living in neighborhoods adjacent to forests — known as "wildland-urban interface" zones — will have to accept that many wildfires may have to be allowed to burn and that building new homes in fire-prone forests should be discouraged, the study says. (April 17, 2017) Climate Central [more on Climate Change in our area]
BP Struggles to Control Damaged Well in Alaskan Arctic The British oil giant BP worked through the weekend to control a damaged oil well on Alaska's remote North Slope that had started spewing natural gas vapors on Friday morning, the company and Alaska officials said. There have been no injuries or reports of damage to wildlife, but crews trying to secure the well have failed amid frigid winds gusting to 38 miles an hour. (April 16, 2017) New York Times [more on Energy in our area]
Scott Pruitt calls for an 'exit' from the Paris accord, sharpening the Trump White House's climate rift President Trump's top environment official called for an "exit" from the historic Paris agreement Thursday, the first time such a high-ranking administration official has so explicitly disavowed the agreement endorsed by nearly 200 countries to fight climate change. Speaking with "Fox & Friends," Pruitt commented, "Paris is something that we need to really look at closely. It's something we need to exit in my opinion." "It's a bad deal for America," Pruitt continued. "It was an America second, third, or fourth kind of approach. China and India had no obligations under the agreement until 2030. We front-loaded all of our costs." Pruitt's claim about China and India having "no obligations" until 2030 is incorrect — while these countries do indeed have 2030 targets, they are already acting now to reduce their emissions by investing in renewable energy and other initiatives. (April 14, 2017) The Washington Post [more on Climate Change in our area]
EARTH DAY IN THE AGE OF TRUMP Next week, millions of Americans will celebrate Earth Day, even though, three months into Donald Trump's Presidency, there sure isn't much to celebrate. A White House characterized by flaming incompetence has nevertheless managed to do one thing effectively: it has trashed years' worth of work to protect the planet. As David Horsey put it recently, in the Los Angeles Times, "Donald Trump's foreign policy and legislative agenda may be a confused mess," but "his administration's attack on the environment is operating with the focus and zeal of the Spanish Inquisition." The list of steps that the Trump Administration has already taken to make America polluted again is so long that fully cataloguing them in this space would be impossible. Here's a sample: (April 12, 2017) The New Yorker [more on Climate Change in our area]
NY officials ask for help preventing wildfires New York officials are asking residents to help prevent wildfires now that spring is here. State environmental and homeland security officials are holding a news conference Monday at the Albany Pine Bush Preserve to talk about what the public can do to help prevent seasonal wildfires. (April 17, 2017) WXXI News [more on Plants in our area]
Suzuki wants journalists to forget the Dow Jones, report on climate every day David Suzuki cuts straight to the chase. The state of Canada's climate action is "disgusting," he says, and the federal government should be ashamed. "Canada should hang its head," he told National Observer in an interview. "(Trudeau) has given no indication that he was serious about the promise made at Paris." It's a typically frank assessment by the 81-year-old star environmentalist, scientist and broadcaster. In 2015, he famously called Justin Trudeau a "twerp" during a phone call about the Liberal climate change platform, after Trudeau reportedly indicated that his comments were "sanctimonious crap." As Trudeau's Liberals today cling to widely-criticized Harper-era climate change targets and continue to approve new oilsands pipelines, Suzuki says countries like Sweden, Morocco and Costa Rica are blazing ahead in climate leadership. Even India and China, two of the world's biggest emitters of heat-trapping carbon pollution, are leaders in wind and solar investment — statistics that put Canada to shame, he says. (April 13, 2017) National Observer [more on Climate Change in our area]
Death and Life of the Great Lakes The five mighty Great Lakes, separated from the ocean for millennia, hold twenty percent of the world's surface freshwater. Dreams of trade spurred construction of the St Lawrence Seaway, opening the lakes to intercontinental shipping but transforming their ecosystems, thanks to unintended biological hitch-hikers such as Quagga and Zebra mussels. Environmental journalist Dan Egan's new book, "The Death and Life of the Great Lakes", details the changes, and he discussed the impact on the Great Lakes with host Steve Curwood. (April 14, 2017) Living on Earth [more on Great Lakes, Water Quality, and Invasive Species in our area]
March Was Second Hottest on Record Globally The exceptional global heat of the past few years continued last month, with March ranking as the second hottest on record for the planet. It followed the second hottest February and third hottest January, showing just how much Earth has warmed from the continued buildup of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. March was 2.02°F (1.12°C) warmer than the 1951-1980 average, according to NASA data released Friday. It ranks behind only March 2016, which was 2.29°F (1.27°C) above that same average. NASA's global temperature records extend back 137 years. (April 14, 2017) Climate Central [more on Climate Change in our area]
How many pesticides have you eaten today? A new report finds that about half the food consumed in Europe contains pesticide residues. The EU's food safety authority says there is no danger. Environmentalists aren't convinced. Traces of pesticides are contained in almost half of the food Europeans eat, according to an annual report issued this week by the European Union's food safety watchdog. Researchers found pesticides in 46.7 percent of the samples. While this may sound like a lot, only 2.8 percent exceeded maximum residue levels permitted under EU law. The rest, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) stressed, is completely safe. The figures, based on about 85,000 food samples, are for the year 2015. (April 13, 2017) Deutsche Welle [more on Pesticides and Environmental Health in our area]
World must hit zero carbon emissions 'well before 2040', scientists warn New research suggests it will be an 'enormous challenge' to prevent global warming getting out of hand Humans must reduce net greenhouse gases emissions to zero "well before 2040" in order to ensure global warming does not go above 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, scientists have warned after carrying out a study using a sophisticated new computer model. The analysis suggests that efforts to prevent temperatures rising to potentially dangerous levels may have to rely heavily on "negative emissions" technology that is still in its infancy. Commenting on the study, Professor Richard Betts, head of climate impacts at the UK's Met Office Hadley Centre, said the "important" research spelled out the "enormous challenge" ahead. (April 14, 2017) Independent [more on Climate Change in our area]
Climate Change Projections Are Based on Hard Scientific Data It is extremely difficult to battle climate change when those in charge are resistant to the science that points to its future danger. Climate scientist's projections are not just based on guesses made to support an agenda, they are derived from hard data run through complex models on supercomputers, giving us the most accurate information possible. (April 7, 2017) Futurism [more on Climate Change in our area]
Pipe Great Lakes water to Southwest? Not so fast Talk of a fictional pipeline that could carry Great Lakes water to the Southwest caused a recent uproar from folks around the lakes. But the NASA scientist who mentioned the idea says Phoenix and other desert cities aren't coming for the Great Lakes' water any time soon. "Such models, that can realistically transport water from a natural system via aqueducts, canals, pipelines, etc., to another managed or natural system, really don't exist," said hydrologist and water scientist Jay Famiglietti. (April 14, 2017) WXXI News [more on Great Lakes and Water Quality in our area]
NY's water systems to get $2.5B boost The state budget includes $2.5 billion over five years to improve New York's clean-water infrastructure. The Clean Water Infrastructure Act, passed as part of the 2017-18 state budget, allocates the $2.5 billion toward assisting local governments with addressing water emergencies, paying for infrastructure construction projects and investigating and mitigating contaminants in drinking water. "Cities in central New York like a lot of older cities in the state have been suffering with water pipes breaking literally, and it's not sexy but it's important and it's expensive," Cuomo said Wednesday in Syracuse. "So we have $2.5 billion to help cities rebuild their water infrastructure." (April 14, 2017) Rochester Democrat and Chronicle [more on Water Quality in our area]
Hydrilla threatens to overtake Finger Lakes Fast-spreading aquatic plant growing in Cayuga Lake can choke off waterways and make boating and fishing nearly impossible Hydrilla, a weed that grows like crazy and can eventually choke waterways and kill recreation, is now found throughout 27 acres in Cayuga Lake. If left to spread, the plant — which can grow 6 to 8 inches per day — could eventually overtake not just Cayuga but other Finger Lakes, including Canandaigua. "If hydrilla takes root it will grow at record speed, leaving millions in economic damage to Cayuga Lake in its wake," said U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer Wednesday in a press conference at Cayuga Lake State Park in Seneca Falls where he called for federal funding to fight hydrilla. "Seneca County and the Finger Lakes region generates millions in economic activity, in large part due to the tourists, boaters, and fisherman who visit these true treasures every year. A single aquatic plant could put all of that at risk," Schumer continued. (April 13, 2017) Daily Messenger [more on Finger Lakes and Water Quality and Invasive Species in our area]
National security states disregard nuclear and climate science consensus When the unthinkable happened over Hiroshima August 6, 1945, Albert Einstein was shocked and saddened that his urgings against using atomic bombs in wartime had failed to prevent Harry Truman from dropping them. The Federation of American Scientists argued for civilian control, but instead, the US and USSR settled into the deterrence mode known as Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD), without civilian control or assurance that one of them wouldn't cheat. In the early 1960s the Soviets stored nuclear warheads in Cuba. The Joint Chiefs of Staff tried to convince President John Kennedy to initiate a first strike on Cuba or the USSR. Kennedy had favored nuclear disarmament while still a senator and, as president, had not changed his views. He had also, according to documents declassified April 21, 2016 and published by the National Security Archive, met with Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion to discuss more comprehensive inspections of Israel's Dimona facility's plutonium separator reactors. Its design was suspected of having weapon capability. Ben-Gurion had earlier been influenced by the pro-nuclear physicist Edward Teller. (April 2017) SIFTING & WINNOWING by Audrey Newcomb
Environmental Film Fest – Shorts Made by Locals Hosting Free Earth Week Screenings ROCHESTER, NY, Friday, April 14, 2017— This year, the Fast Forward Film Festival, will be hitting the road with a series called "Fast Forward On The Road" – with free public screenings/viewings of the 2017 selected locally made environmental shorts. The Fast Forward Film Festival is a local environmental short film festival highlighting locally made films by Rochester filmmakers. After a sold-out premiere weekend on March 31 & April, festival organizers are bringing the festival to the greater Rochester community with free events throughout Earth Week. Four free screening events will take place across five days in some of Rochester's most popular hot-spots. The screenings will include a 90-minute program, highlighting the 17 official selections from this year's Festival. All 17 official selections are compelling and engaging short films about the environment, made by both first-time and established filmmakers (adults and children alike) who reside in Rochester. The full schedule for the Earth Week Series is as follows: (April 14, 2017) Fast Forward Film Festival
Adopt-a-Beach Program Springs into Action for 2017 Beach Season Beach cleanup season begins around the Great Lakes; Volunteers removed over 40,000 lbs of trash in 2016 As spring finally begins to appear around the Great Lakes, volunteers are heading out to beaches for a spring cleaning. The Alliance for the Great Lakes' Adopt-a-Beach program mobilizes thousands of volunteers who give back to their local beaches each year. April, especially Earth Day, marks the unofficial beginning of the beach season around the Great Lakes as many groups hold their first Adopt-a-Beach events of the year. Last year, 15,181 Adopt-a-Beach volunteers picked up 40,211 pounds of debris as part of 1,388 cleanups around the region. In addition to cleaning up beaches, volunteers collect valuable data. The data is shared with beach managers and scientists. The results: cleaner beaches and data on pollution sources that can be used to develop solutions to pollution problems. (April 13, 2017) Alliance for the Great Lakes [more on Great Lakes and Water Quality in our area]
Early Heat Wave Bakes India, Sign of What's to Come Temperatures across northern India, including the capital New Delhi, are set to soar well above 100°F (37.8°C) through the weekend and into next week thanks to a pre-monsoon heat wave that has set in somewhat earlier than normal. Such heat waves are expected to become both more common and more intense as the world warms from the continued buildup of heat-trapping greenhouse gases, in India and elsewhere, posing a threat to public health. Studies have suggested that India will be a particular hotspot for populations stressed by the combination of extreme heat and humidity. (April 13, 2017) Climate Central [more on Climate Change and Environmental Health in our area]
Two billion people drinking polluted water worldwide: WHO Dramatic improvements are needed in ensuring access to clean water and sanitation worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday, warning that nearly two billion people currently use fecal-contaminated water. Hundreds of thousands of people die each year because they are forced to drink contaminated water, the WHO said, urging large investments to help provide universal access to safe drinking water. (April 13, 2017) Press TV [more on Water Quality in our area]
Respect the elderly: Saving cities' oldest trees Old growth forests are increasingly rare in US cities—protecting these health-boosting relics from bulldozers, invasives and apathy is no easy feat. Jeff Stant was nervous. He passed easily through the undergrowth and spring pools of an unlikely old growth forest standing five miles from downtown Indianapolis, but he was looking out for contractors working for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. "I'm waiting for some people to show up and tell us to leave," said Stant, executive director of the Indiana Forest Alliance. Over the background noise of chickadees, crunching leaves, humming traffic and a leaf blower clearing the shoulder along 42nd Street, Stant spent that morning in early March extolling the virtues of the Crown Hill North Woods — a 15-acre pre-settlement relict of the flatwood swamp forest that once covered much of the state. His organization spent the past year working to spare the woods from a VA plan to clear part of the land for a National Cemetery. "You can count the number of forests you have like this basically on two hands in the northern two-thirds of this state," Stant said. (April 13, 2017) Environmental Health News [more on Plants in our area]
Nelson, near Trump's Palm Beach resort, calls for end to attacks on climate science Three years after he held a field hearing in Miami Beach to draw attention to a region at ground zero for climate change, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson convened a second hearing in West Palm Beach on Monday with a new target: the Trump administration's attack on climate science. Held just across the Intracoastal Waterway from Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump's vulnerable island retreat, the hearing highlighted worsening conditions — and the need to free science from politics. "There are people trying to muzzle scientists. I've seen it in Washington. I've seen it here in the state of Florida," said Nelson, a Democrat and the state's former insurance commissioner. (April 10, 2017) Miami Herald [more on Climate Change in our area]
Coalition calls on Congress to reject Trump's proposed Great Lakes budget cuts The Trump Administration has proposed massive cuts to Great Lakes restoration projects in its 2018 fiscal year budget plan, and Congress should say no. That's what Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, a coalition of over 145 Great Lakes environmental, conservation, and outdoor recreation organizations, is urging in letters sent yesterday to the leadership of the U.S. House and Senate Appropriation Committees. (April 11, 2017) Michigan Radio [more on Water Quality and Great Lakes in our area]
Scott Pruitt Faces Anger From Right Over E.P.A. Finding He Won't Fight When President Trump chose the Oklahoma attorney general, Scott Pruitt, to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, his mission was clear: Carry out Mr. Trump's campaign vows to radically reduce the size and scope of the agency and take apart President Barack Obama's ambitious climate change policies. In his first weeks on the job, Mr. Pruitt drew glowing praise from foes of Mr. Obama's agenda against global warming, as he moved to roll back its centerpiece, known as the Clean Power Plan, and expressed agreement with those who said the E.P.A. should be eliminated. His actions and statements have galvanized protests from environmentalists and others on the left. But now a growing chorus of critics on the other end of the political spectrum say Mr. Pruitt has not gone far enough. In particular, they are angry that he has refused to challenge a landmark agency determination known as the endangerment finding, which provides the legal basis for Mr. Obama's Clean Power Plan and other global warming policies. (April 12, 2017) New York Times [more on Climate Change in our area]
Each degree of warming thaws India-sized area of permafrost – study Frozen tundra may be more sensitive to rising temperatures than previously thought, releasing methane and worsening global warming Permafrost, the layer of permanently frozen ground that lies just beneath the Earth's surface in the polar regions, has been found to be more sensitive to the effects of global warming than climatology had recognised. In a study published in Nature Climate Change journal, scientists say they expect the warming to thaw about 20% more permafrost than previously thought, potentially releasing significant amounts of greenhouse gases into the Earth's atmosphere. (April 4, 2017) Climate Home [more on Climate Change in our area]
The March for Science is Getting Organized In a little over two weeks, scientists and science advocates are planning to flood the streets of 480 cities around the globe. They'll stand up for science, but March for Science organizers want to make sure they don't go back to sitting down after that. On Monday, the organizers revealed they plan to keep organizing for science after the April 22 march as they attempt to kickstart a new social movement. "The march isn't going to change anything unless we keep it going after April 22," Caroline Weinberg, one of the March for Science organizers, said. "After April 22, we're transitioning from organizing marches to a global organization focused on science education, outreach and advocacy." (April 10, 2017) Climate Central [more on Climate Change in our area]
Four emerging countries are pushing the US to stop being 'unclear' about climate change China, Brazil, India and South Africa have urged industrialized countries to honor financial commitments made in Paris in 2015 to help developing countries fight against global climate change, they said in a statement on Tuesday. Following a meeting in Beijing, climate change ministers from the "BASIC" bloc of four major emerging economies called on rich countries "to honor their commitments and increase climate finance towards the $100 billion goal", and said more clarity was needed to "track and account for" those pledges. (April 12, 2017) Business Insider [more on Climate Change in our area]
This Interactive Chart Explains World's Top 10 Emitters, and How They've Changed A lot has happened since countries met in Paris in 2015 and agreed on an accord to combat climate change. So far, more than 140 countries have ratified or otherwise joined the Paris Agreement, representing more than 80 percent of global emissions. Several major economies, including Canada, Germany and Mexico, have also developed long-term plans to decarbonize their economies. As countries implement their targets and policies and develop more detailed pathways to reduce their emissions, it's important to fully understand our global emissions picture and how it has changed over time. WRI recently updated its CAIT Climate Data Explorer on the world's top greenhouse gas-emitting countries with the latest global data available (2013). Here's an interactive chart to explore it by country and by economic sector, showing how the top emitters have changed in recent years. (April 11, 2017) World Resources Institute [more on Climate Change in our area]
Great Barrier Reef at 'terminal stage': scientists despair at latest coral bleaching data 'Last year was bad enough, this is a disaster,' says one expert as Australia Research Council finds fresh damage across 8,000km Back-to-back severe bleaching events have affected two-thirds of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, new aerial surveys have found. The findings have caused alarm among scientists, who say the proximity of the 2016 and 2017 bleaching events is unprecedented for the reef, and will give damaged coral little chance to recover. (April 9, 2017) The Guardian [more on Climate Change in our area]
Students come together to fight climate change Rochester, N.Y. - Middle and high school students put their heads together Sunday at the Rochester Museum & Science Center to brainstorm ideas on how to fight climate change. It all happened at the Climate Summit, which was held by the Rochester Youth Climate Leaders. (April 9, 2017) WHAM Rochester [more on Climate Change in our area]
There was nothing normal About America's Freakish Winter Weather A tornado in Massachusetts, wildfires in the Great Plains, and record snow in the Sierra Nevada. It's been a weird winter. It's not your imagination. The weather has been weird. So weird, in fact, it's had an almost biblical feel: a February tornado in Massachusetts; record wildfires across the Great Plains and beyond; more snow than ever in the Sierra Nevada; and temperatures whiplashing from balmy to frigid, killing crops and coaxing flowers out of their winter slumber. While some of the swings may result from chance, scientists agree climate change is adding to weather mayhem and that the world will have to brace for worse. President Donald Trump is also seeking to roll back measures to fight global warming, saying the regulations kill jobs. "The bottom line: It's not just in our minds that the weather is changing," said David Titley, a meteorology professor at Pennsylvania State University. "It is changing, and changing rapidly in ways we understand and ways we are just beginning to examine." (April 10, 2017) Bloomberg [more on Climate Change in our area]
Global Warming Could Thaw Far More Permafrost Than Expected, Study Says Research says more than 40 percent of the frozen tundra could un-freeze if global temperatures continue to rise, scientists find. More than 40 percent of the world's permafrost—landscape covered in frozen soil—is at risk of thawing even if the world succeeds in limiting global warming to the international goal of 2 degrees Celsius, according to a new study. Currently, permafrost covers about nearly 5.8 million square miles, and scientists found as much as 2.5 million square miles of that could thaw—about twice the area of Alaska, California and Texas combined—in a 2 degree Celsius scenario. Thawing would be more limited if warming can be held to 1.5 degrees Celsius, but could still affect 1.8 million square miles. The new research was published Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change. (April 10, 2017) Inside Climate News [more on Climate Change in our area]
Trump Clears Way for Possible Mojave Desert Water Pumping Reversing an Obama-era policy, the Trump administration is clearing a path for a private company to pump water from beneath the Mojave Desert and sell it in Southern California. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management previously ruled that Cadiz Inc. couldn't use an existing federal railroad right of way to build a 43-mile pipeline to carry water from its private Mojave wells to the Colorado River Aqueduct. The decision would have forced Cadiz to go through the long and costly process of completing environmental studies for the pipeline. (April 6, 2017) KQED News [more on Water Quality in our area]
DEC Statement Regarding Water Quality Certificates for the Proposed Northern Access Pipeline "After an in-depth review of the proposed Northern Access Pipeline project and following three public hearings and the consideration of over 5,700 comments, DEC has denied the permit due to the project's failure to avoid adverse impacts to wetlands, streams, and fish and other wildlife habitat. We are confident that this decision supports our state's strict water quality standards that all New Yorkers depend on." Letter to National Fuel Gas Supply Corporation and Empire Pipeline, Inc. (PDF, 750 KB) (April 10, 2017) New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Trump moves to open Atlantic coast to oil drilling for first time in more than 30 years The White House is taking steps that could open up new areas of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans to offshore oil and gas drilling, according to multiple individuals briefed on the proposal. The White House is considering an executive order instructing the Interior Department to reverse President Barack Obama's withdrawal of hundreds of millions of offshore acres from future drilling in December. The executive order — which could come out in the next few weeks — represents President Trump's latest attempt to promote domestic energy exploration by rolling back restrictions put in place by previous administrations, though it would take considerable time for Interior to carry out aspects of the proposed directive. (April 7, 2017) The Washington Post
Genesee River Project - Investigation Report Available DEC has issued a report on investigation of the lower Genesee River. The investigation assessed the effects of historic releases from Kodak's operations at the Eastman Business Park (EBP) located in Rochester, New York. The investigation identified EBP-related contamination of certain river sediments, wetland/floodplain soils, and biota (fish/mussels) that has the potential to adversely affect ecological receptors at some locations. The investigation also identified the potential for human exposures to EBP-related contaminated wetland/floodplain soils and biota (fish/mussels). The primary EBP-related contaminant of concern is silver. While the potential for adverse risk to ecological and human receptors appears to be relatively low and localized, DEC will undertake a Corrective Measures Study (CMS) to further evaluate these exposure pathways, and to identify and evaluate possible cleanup options that could be taken to reduce exposures. (March 2017) New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (More on the Genesee River and Brownfields in our area]
What's at Stake in Trump's Proposed E.P.A. Cuts What is at stake as Congress considers the E.P.A. budget? Far more than climate change. The Trump administration's proposed cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency budget are deep and wide-ranging. It seeks to shrink spending by 31 percent, to $5.7 billion from $8.1 billion, and to eliminate a quarter of the agency's 15,000 jobs. The cuts are so deep that even Republican lawmakers are expected to push back. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the chairwoman of the Interior and Environment Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee, pointedly reminded Mr. Trump last month that his budget request was just "the first step in a long process." Here are some proposed cuts that are likely to face resistance when the budget reaches Congress. (April 10, 2017) New York Times [more on Environmental Health in our area]
Local scientists, supporters plan to March for Science on Earth Day Adding to growing momentum for the upcoming national "March for Science," a Rochester contingent is planning a series of science-related events and activities for Earth Day. The Rochester "March for Science" on April 22 will kick off with a 9:30 a.m. rally at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park in Manhattan Square Park, to be followed by a march to the first-ever Rochester Science Expo, which begins at noon at the Hyatt Regency Rochester, 125 E. Main Street. Organizers announced their event on Monday at Rochester City Hall. Amanda Preske, who holds a PhD in Chemistry from University of Rochester is the founder of Circuit Breaker Labs in Rochester and an organizer of the March for Science. She said one aim of the event is to help show the tight links between science and everyday life. Her company, which has three employees, makes jewelry from recycled electronics. (April 10, 2017) Rochester Democrat and Chronicle [more on Climate Change in our area]
DEC: Oak wilt zone established in Canandaigua The measure is instituted to keep the tree-killing disease isolated to the Ketchum Road area; more testing and sampling will begin in June. Calling it the first line of defense against the spread of the invasive deadly oak wilt disease, state Department of Environmental Conservation officials have established a protective zone in Canandaigua as well as other counties downstate. DEC spokeswoman Lori Severino said the protective zones are established around areas where the disease has been detected so all of these areas have been confirmed with an infected tree or trees. DEC officials earlier this year announced the zone would be established in an area around Ketchum Road. The removal of any living, dead, standing, cut or fallen oak trees from a protective zone is prohibited. This includes branches, logs, stumps, roots, green oak lumber and firewood of any species, unless it has been chipped to less than 1 inch in two dimensions. (March 28, 2017) Daily Messenger [more on Plants in our area]
New York Adopts Science-Based Sea Level Rise Projections New York State's Department of Environmental Conservation announced Monday that the state has adopted official sea-level rise projections to help state agencies and coastal communities plan for the impacts of climate change, becoming one of the first states in the nation to formalize sea level rise projections. The DEC first proposed the projection regulations in October of 2015. The projections are based on peer-reviewed research conducted by scientists at Columbia University, Cornell University, and Hunter College as part of the New York State ClimAID study, which included consideration of possible rapid melt of land-based ice in Antarctica and Greenland. (February 7, 2017) East End Beacon [more on Climate Change in our area]
Antarctic Ice Reveals Earth's Accelerating Plant Growth For decades, scientists have been trying to figure out what all the carbon dioxide we've been putting into the atmosphere has been doing to plants. It turns out that the best place to find an answer is where no plants can survive: the icy wastes of Antarctica. As ice forms in Antarctica, it traps air bubbles. For thousands of years, they have preserved samples of the atmosphere. The levels of one chemical in that mix reveal the global growth of plants at any point in that history. "It's the whole Earth — it's every plant," said J. Elliott Campbell of the University of California, Merced. Analyzing the ice, Dr. Campbell and his colleagues have discovered that in the past century, plants have been growing at a rate far faster than at any other time in the past 54,000 years. Writing in the journal Nature, they report that plants are converting 31 percent more carbon dioxide into organic matter than they were before the Industrial Revolution. (April 5, 2017) New York Times [more on Plants and Climate Change in our area]
The Single Shining Hope to Stop Climate Change | Science is under attack at the very moment when we need it most. President Donald Trump's March 28 executive order went much further than simply throwing a lifeline to fossil fuels, as industry-funded congressional climate change–deniers have done in the past. It intentionally blinded the federal government to the impacts of climate change by abolishing an interagency group that measured the cost of carbon to public health and the environment. Now, the government won't have a coordinated way to account for damages from climate change when assessing the costs and benefits of a particular policy. With that in mind, Trump should read the landmark "2020" report now published by Mission 2020, a group of experts convened by the former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The report establishes a timeline for how we can ensure a safe and stable climate. We don't have much time — 2020 is a clear turning point. (April 8, 2017) Time [more on Climate Change in our area]
Plastic bags wreak havoc at recycling plant I learned a new word on a recent visit to the Monroe County Recycling Center: wishcycling. It refers to the behavior of people who really, really want certain items to be recycled — lawnmower blades, old fake Christmas tree parts, plastic bags — so they toss them into the curbside recycling bin. Don't do this. Last year, 2,569 tons of inappropriate stuff ended up at the Monroe County Recycling Center, about 5 percent of the total take-in. This rate is pretty good compared with other municipalities. Waste Management, the company that operates Monroe County's curbside recycling program, has a national average of 16 percent. (April 7, 2017) Rochester Democrat and Chronicle [more on Recycling in our area]
Climate change is literally turning the Arctic ocean inside out There's something special — and very counterintuitive — about the Arctic Ocean. Unlike in the Atlantic or Pacific, where the water gets colder as it gets deeper, the Arctic is upside-down. The water gets warmer as it gets deeper. The reason is that warm, salty Atlantic-originating water that flows into the Arctic from the south is more dense, and so it nestles beneath a colder, fresher surface layer that is often capped by floating sea ice. This state of "stratification" makes the Arctic Ocean unique, and it means that waters don't simply grow colder as you travel farther north — they also become inverted. But in a paper in Science released Thursday, a team of Arctic scientists say this fundamental trait is now changing across a major part of the Arctic, in conjunction with a changing climate. (April 6, 2017) The Washington Post [more on Climate Change in our area]
Michigan's Tart Cherry Orchards Struggle To Cope With Erratic Spring Weather The Montmorency tart cherry is pretty much the only sour cherry grown in the U.S. And cherry growers in Michigan know the tree really well. It was brought here from France a couple hundred years ago. "This is older than most people think of as heirloom varieties and it's our main variety to this day," says Jim Nugent, a cherry grower in northern Michigan. The tree is "very cold hardy" in the dead of winter, he says, and grows well in the state. But it is susceptible to damage from spring frost, making it very sensitive to the extreme weather shifts made more likely by climate change. And that made tart cherry growers nervous. (April 7, 2017) NPR [more on Climate Change in our area]
Climate change, other concerns fuel scientists' in-your-face activism Will Americans start seeing more lab coats at political rallies like the upcoming March for Science in the nation's capital, San Diego and hundreds of other locations? While many scientists have shied away from explicitly political actions in recent decades, the community throughout history has spoken publicly on a wide variety of social, technological and ideological issues. (April 6, 2017) The San Diego Union-Tribune (more on Climate Change in our area]
Mexico City, Parched and Sinking, Faces a Water Crisis Climate change is threatening to push a crowded capital toward a breaking point. On bad days, you can smell the stench from a mile away, drifting over a nowhere sprawl of highways and office parks. When the Grand Canal was completed, at the end of the 1800s, it was Mexico City's Brooklyn Bridge, a major feat of engineering and a symbol of civic pride: 29 miles long, with the ability to move tens of thousands of gallons of wastewater per second. It promised to solve the flooding and sewage problems that had plagued the city for centuries. Only it didn't, pretty much from the start. The canal was based on gravity. And Mexico City, a mile and a half above sea level, was sinking, collapsing in on itself. It still is, faster and faster, and the canal is just one victim of what has become a vicious cycle. Always short of water, Mexico City keeps drilling deeper for more, weakening the ancient clay lake beds on which the Aztecs first built much of the city, causing it to crumble even further. (February 17, 2017) New York Times [more on Climate Change in our area]
Rising Waters Threaten China's Rising Cities In the Pearl River Delta, breakneck development is colliding with the effects of climate change. The rains brought torrents, pouring into basements and malls, the water swiftly rising a foot and a half. The city of Dongguan, a manufacturing center here in the world's most dynamic industrial region, was hit especially hard by the downpour in May 2014. More than 100 factories and shops were inundated. Water climbed knee-high in 20 minutes, wiping out inventory for dozens of businesses. Next door in Guangzhou, an ancient, mammoth port city of 13 million, helicopters and a fleet of 80 boats had to be sent to rescue trapped residents. Tens of thousands lost their homes, and 53 square miles of nearby farmland were ruined. The cost of repairs topped $100 million. (April 7, 2017) New York Times [more on Climate Change in our area]
World Leaders Watch in Silence as Trump Cuts Climate Efforts Nations mute criticism as U.S. cuts enviromental efforts Germany, others plan to jointly push Trump at G7, G20 summits As President Donald Trump tries to rip U.S. climate change efforts out by the roots, world leaders are watching in silence. Presidents and prime ministers around the globe have raised few, if any, public objections to Trump's sweeping orders to gut environmental regulations. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said nothing about climate last month during her appearance with the U.S. president. And the issue is unlikely to come up in detail this week when he meets with Chinese president Xi Jinping. The muted international reaction underscores the cautious line nations are treading with a president threatening to upend worldwide efforts to stop global warming. Rather than publicly confront him, leaders are largely keeping criticism of Trump's climate stance behind closed doors, avoiding a showdown that might prompt him to double down on support for fossil fuels. (April 6, 2017) Bloomberg [more on Energy and Climate Change in our area]
Analysis: Just four years left of the 1.5C carbon budget Four years of current emissions would be enough to blow what's left of the carbon budget for a good chance of keeping global temperature rise to 1.5C. That's the conclusion of analysis by Carbon Brief, which brings the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) carbon budgets up to date to include global CO2 emissions in 2016. Our infographic above shows how quickly the budgets for 1.5C, 2C and 3C will be used up if emissions continue at the current rate. For 1.5C, this could be a soon as four years' time. (April 5, 2017) Carbon Brief [more on Climate Change in our area]
Carbon Footprint of Canada's Oil Sands Is Larger Than Thought New climate change evidence from recent government studies could affect the coming legal fight over President Trump's revived permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. The Donald Trump administration approved the Keystone XL pipelineknowing the tar sands crude oil it would deliver from Canada is even more polluting than the Obama administration thought when it turned the project down in 2015. Recent government studies of a different tar sands pipeline found that the project's greenhouse gas emissions "may be five to 20 percent higher than previously indicated," the State Department noted on March 23 in its decision approving the Keystone XL permit. Because both projects would carry tar sands crude, that suggests a similar understatement of emissions in the detailed but dated environmental review of the Keystone XL, which the Trump administration does not want to revisit. The final environmental assessment of the TransCanada project was published in January 2014. (April 4, 2017) Inside Climate News [more on Energy and Climate Change in our area]
America's farmers face uncertain future New research indicates that climate change will wreak havoc on farmers in America as they struggle to adapt to the rapid increase in heat. Spare a thought for the farmers of America: climate change is going to make their lives more difficult. Growing seasons will be extended, as spring arrives ever earlier and winter's onset is delayed. But that also throws one of farming's great specifics into new uncertainty. What matters most immediately to farmers is not just the overall pattern of rain and sunlight; it is the number of days on which they can successfully and fruitfully work the soil. And this, say agricultural researchers, is crucial. (April 5, 2017) Climate News Network [more on Food and Plants and Climate Change in our area]
Trump's EPA moves to dismantle programs that protect kids from lead paint Environmental Protection Agency officials are proposing to eliminate two programs focused on limiting children's exposure to lead-based paint, which is known to cause damage to developing brains and nervous systems. The proposed cuts, outlined in a 64-page budget memo revealed by The Washington Post on Friday, would roll back programs aimed at reducing lead risks by $16.61 million and more than 70 employees, in line with a broader project by the Trump administration to devolve responsibility for environmental and health protection to state and local governments. Old housing stock is the biggest risk for lead exposure — and the EPA estimates that 38 million U.S. homes contain lead-based paint. (April 5, 2017) The Washington Post {more on Lead Poisoning in our area]
U.S. Senate Democrats to Trump: Don't cut NOAA Sea Grant program Democratic senators from 15 U.S. coastal states are urging President Donald Trump not to stop funding the National Sea Grant program. In a March 31 letter to the White House, 23 senators ask Trump to reconsider eliminating funding for the network of 33 university-based programs that conduct research on beach safety, harbor management, fisheries, aquaculture and coastal economic development using state and tribal matching funds. (April 6, 2017) MLive [more on Great Lakes and Water Quality in our area]
The Climate Could Hit a State Unseen in 50 Million Years No, the headline is not a typo. Current carbon dioxide levels are unprecedented in human history and are on track to climb to even more ominous heights in just a few decades. If carbon emissions continue on their current trajectory, new findings show that by mid-century, the atmosphere could reach a state unseen in 50 million years. Back then, temperatures were up to 18°F (10°C) warmer, ice was almost nowhere to be seen and oceans were dramatically higher than they are now. The implications of the research, published on Tuesday in Nature Communications, are some of the starkest reminders yet that humanity faces a major choice to curtail carbon pollution or risk pushing the climate outside the bounds that have allowed civilization to thrive. (April 4, 2017) Climate Central [more on Climate Change in our area]
These stunning timelapse photos may just convince you about climate change Melting glaciers, from Greenland to Antarctica, have become symbols of global warming — and monitoring their retreat is one major way scientists are keeping tabs on the progress of climate change. Now, scientists are trying to bring the issue a little closer to home by using time-lapse photos to show the effects of climate change are already occurring. A paper published last week by the Geological Society of America presents dramatic before-and-after photographs of glaciers around the world over the last decade. Most of the photos were taken by photographer James Balog as part of a project called the Extreme Ice Survey, which began documenting changing glaciers around the world in 2007. The project was featured in the 2012 documentary "Chasing Ice." (April 3, 2017) The Washington Post [more on Climate Change in our area]
Dinolfo Kicks-Off "Refresh Recycling" Campaign Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo joined partners in the public and private sectors to kick off the "Refresh Recycling" campaign. The campaign, aimed at refreshing the conventional wisdom on recycling, is part of a County-led effort to reach an aggressive landfill diversion rate of 60% by 2025. The diversion rate for the County is currently 38%. "Technology and our ability to recycle have improved dramatically over the years, providing both environmental and economic benefits" said Dinolfo. "In addition to upholding our responsibility to environmental stewardship, we know that recycling in Monroe County currently sustains almost 700 jobs. By working together, we can make great strides in our recycling efforts and provide sustained, tangible benefits for Monroe County families." Studies have shown that for every 1,000 tons of recycled materials, 2 jobs are created. An estimated 320,000 tons of materials were recycled in Monroe County in 2016. Recycling and reuse can also create almost 30 times more jobs than landfills and incinerators. (April 5, 2017) MonroeCounty.gov [more on Recycling in our area]
Finding common ground: for Earth Day, bridging our national divide We are a country and a world at odds with itself. This has always been the case to some degree, but productive debate seems practically impossible right now. Every question becomes a fight; every disagreement becomes a war. Pick an issue, and people on either side of it feel that they're under attack. This is the backdrop for Earth Day 2017. Traditionally, Americans come together on April 22 to recognize the incalculable value of the environment. But this year, will there be much to commemorate? If people can't even talk to each other, how can they agree on ways to make this planet a better place? The situation isn't as hopeless as it sounds, though: there's still some pretty solid ground underneath major environmental issues, even though it may not feel like it. Climate change is about as divisive as an issue can be, and the White House won't be making any positive changes. President Donald Trump thinks climate change is bunk, and his 2018 budget proposal yanks funding from every major federal climate program. Leaders of the Senate and House Republican majorities also dismiss the issue entirely, along with efforts at addressing it. August 5, 2017) Rochester City Newspaper [more on Climate Change in our area]
Marches promote science, climate action Rochester is steeped in science. George Eastman's film business was basically chemistry. The cutting-edge medical and tech research happening at the University of Rochester Medical Center uses just about every branch of science, from biology to theoretical physics. Photonics, a high-potential industry for the Rochester region, is a branch of science. And that just scratches the surface. The April 22 Rochester March for Science (rocmarchforscience.org) is partly intended to recognize what the sciences have done for Rochester. But as the local satellite event to the national March for Science, the idea is emphasize the importance of government funding for the sciences and to denounce President Trump's proposed cuts to federal science programs. Trump's 2018 budget rips funding from National Institutes of Health research budgets, from federal weather forecasting services, from Environmental Protection Agency research, and more. In other words, it threatens important programs that fight disease, protect the environment, and advance technology. The cuts could hurt local initiatives and jobs, says Stephanie Gallant, a teacher and chair of the Rochester March for Science organizing committee. (August 5, 2017) Rochester City Newspaper [more on Climate Change in our area]
Protecting the Earth is a moral issue So many awful things are happening in Washington right now that it's hard to single out one particular area of atrocity. But at the moment, in this month, Washington's attack on the environment stands out. Pull back from the Paris climate agreement? Loosen environmental regulations? Give a thumbs-up to polluting the air and spoiling the water and destroying the lands we've designated as special, protected spaces? How could we? What on earth are we thinking? This isn't an issue of Republicans versus Democrats, Tea Partiers versus liberals. The people unleashing practices that will pollute the air and water – endangering public health in the process – aren't following the principles of a political party. Nor are they adhering to sound business practices. They're simply greedy, looking out for their own interests (August 5, 2017) Rochester City Newspaper [more on Climate Change in our area]
Certainties: Death, taxes and erosion More than 80 years ago, a family bought a large piece of land in rural Wayne County. The parcel's northern boundary was a high bluff overlooking Lake Ontario. They built a small stone cottage set well back from the bluff's edge. A buffer of trees was left in place between the cottage and the lake. It was, and is, a lovely spot. But today, the bluff has migrated 120 feet to the south. The trees are gone, and erosion has eaten away so much of the shoreline that the cottage had to be torn down years ago before the land below it disappeared. Fully 10 percent of the property has crumbled away and fallen into Lake Ontario. And Susan Gateley, a member of that family, can live with that. (A[ro; 4, 2017) Rochester Democrat and Chronicle [more on Great Lakes and Water Quality in our area]
Exploring the death, and life, of the Great Lakes The Great Lakes are a marvel — an unrivaled natural resource and a stunning landscape that defines the surrounding states. But in the middle of the 20th century, they were in trouble. Pollution strangled the beaches, and rivers feeding the lakes were so filled with chemicals they literally caught on fire. Then came the Clean Water Act of 1972. "In 1972, suddenly industries and cities were being held accountable for what they were putting in our water bodies," reporter Dan Egan told MPR News host Tom Weber. "The improvement was vast and dramatic — and in many ways people thought the problem had largely been solved." Not so fast. (March 13, 2017) MPR News [more on Water Quality, Invasive Species, Great Lakes in our region. ]
Ballast water can harbor invasive viruses, study says Ballast water entering the Great Lakes may contain viruses dangerous to wildlife and humans, according to a recent study published by the American Chemical Society. The water used to stabilize vessels may be transporting viruses from ocean water or foreign lakes to the Great Lakes, according to Yiseul Kim, a postdoctoral microbiology researcher at Michigan State University who co-authored the study with Tiong Gim Aw, Tracy K. Teal and Joan B. Rose. (April 4, 2017) Great Lakes Echo [more on Water Quality, Invasive Species, Great Lakes in our region. ]
Plastic bag bans spark debate in Great Lakes region On a tiny beach at Erie Basin Marina in Buffalo, N.Y., Nate Drag scans the sand and driftwood. He's part of the Alliance for the Great Lakes, and he helps organize beach clean ups. "The closer you look, you can start seeing the plastic popping out," he says. Last year, Drag says, hundreds of volunteers picked up thousands of pounds of trash. And lots of plastic bags. "There you go," he said. "There's a garbage bag, and then there's a shopping bag." The alliance is one of many organizations advocating for reduced use of plastic bags. Around the Great Lakes, many environmentalists are concerned about the impact of plastics on wildlife. (April 4, 2017) WRVO Public Media [more on Recycling in our area]
At Trump's EPA, going to work can be an act of defiance As California's top energy regulator, Michael Picker has an absurdly busy job. So it was a little surprising to find him recently near a Washington, D.C., metro stop, randomly handing out help-wanted fliers in the middle of a workday. But with morale plummeting at the Environmental Protection Agency since President Trump took office, Picker saw in that patch of sidewalk near its headquarters an opportunity — and perhaps a publicity stunt — to lure top-shelf talent that never before would have considered bolting from the agency. The dim outlook at the EPA is weighing heavily on its 15,000 scientists, engineers, investigators and other employees, many of whom perceive their life's work to be under assault from within. The Trump administration is moving as quickly as it can to diminish the place, with plans to cripple the EPA science office, stop the agency's climate change work, cut its Superfund program in half and outright eliminate 50 programs, down to the voluntary Energy Star stickers that help consumers locate efficient appliances. (April 4, 2017) Los Angeles Times [more on Environmental Health in our area]
Connections: Climate change policy, and a busy month of events In several billion years, the sun will run out of hydrogen at its core, and that will be game over for humans. So why are we so hung up on climate change? Well, in the event that you think it's worth protecting the planet for several billion more years, there are some things going on. Start with the recent policy changes and reversals from the Trump administration, from coal to clean energy to Paris. There are also a number of events going on this month. Our panel discusses state and federal policy, recent developments, and the upcoming march, among other things. In studio: Mark Dunlea, president and chair of the Green Education and Legal Fund Ben Frevert, member of the Rochester People's Climate Coalition leadership team and its Community Choice Aggregation project Linda Isaacson-Fedele, member of the Rochester People's Climate Coalition leadership team and the Sierra Club Rochester Regional Group (April 3, 2017) Connection WXXI [more on Climate Change in our area]
Public Transit in Rochester: Still Miles from Where it Needs to Be When I lived in D.C., I walked everywhere. To work, to get groceries, even downtown. Since I've moved back to Rochester, I've been car-bound, despite working just eight minutes from my house and living mere streets from the Public Market. This is for a number of reasons but mainly because getting around any other way is exceedingly slow and cumbersome. There's no question that transportation in the city of Rochester is severely lacking, negatively impacting residents' ability to find and/or commute to work, get to high-quality grocery stores, and more. For a city where everything is 15 minutes away, residents without a car often feel isolated and face an inability to travel easily, conveniently and cheaply. "We take transportation for granted here," said Ravi Mangla of ROCitizen. "You can drive from one end of the city to the other in, what, 15 minutes? About 25 percent of people don't have access to the car. That's upwards of a quarter of people, families. That's your access to grocery stores, job, green spaces, everything."(March 31, 2017) Open Mic [more on Transportation in our area]
DEC Invites Public Comment on Proposal to Update Habitat Management Activities Comments Accepted on New Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement through May 1, 2017 The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today that a draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to update its Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) on Habitat Management Activities for DEC's Division of Fish and Wildlife is now available for public review and comment. The draft SEIS describes and evaluates habitat management techniques implemented on nearly 234,000 acres of state land, designated primarily as Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) and managed for wildlife production and wildlife-dependent recreation. Comments will be accepted through May 1, 2017. DEC recognized the need to update the state's 1979 PEIS to reflect current practices. DEC uses a variety of methods to manage habitat for wildlife, including controlling undesirable vegetation, maintaining impoundments for waterfowl and wading bird production, planting trees, mowing and removing brush to maintain grasslands, and cutting trees to create openings in the forest. (April 3, 2017) Department of Environmental Conservation [more on Wildlife in our area]
New York, other states take on Trump over energy efficiency A coalition of U.S. states has mounted a broad legal challenge against what it called the Trump administration's illegal suspension of rules to improve the energy efficiency of ceiling fans, portable air conditioners and other products. The challenge, also joined by environmental groups, came after the U.S. Department of Energy last month delayed standards proposed under the Obama administration to reduce air pollution and operating costs associated with the products. Ten Democratic attorneys general, plus New York City and a Pennsylvania regulator, on Monday notified Energy Secretary Rick Perry of their plan to sue in 60 days for stalling proposed standards for air compressors, commercial boilers, portable air conditioners, power supplies, and walk-in coolers and freezers. The same group, excluding Maryland, on Friday petitioned the federal appeals court in New York to force the administration to implement ceiling fan efficiency standards that were to have taken effect two weeks ago, but have been delayed to Sept. 30. (April 3, 2017) Reuters [more on Energy in our area]
Environmental groups sue Trump administration for approving Keystone pipeline Several environmental groups filed lawsuits against the Trump administration on Thursday to challenge its decision to approve construction of TransCanada Corp's controversial Keystone XL crude oil pipeline. In two separate filings to a federal court in Montana, environmental groups argued that the U.S. State Department, which granted the permit needed for the pipeline to cross the Canadian border, relied on an "outdated and incomplete environmental impact statement" when making its decision earlier this month. By approving the pipeline without public input and an up-to-date environmental assessment, the administration violated the National Environmental Policy Act, groups including the Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club and the Northern Plains Resource Council said in their legal filing. (March 30, 2017) Reuters [more on Energy in our area]
Thinning Arctic Sea Ice Prompts Algae Bloom Study Climate change is stirring life in the Arctic Ocean as thinning sea ice lets in more sunlight, allowing microscopic algae to bloom in the inhospitable region around the North Pole, scientists said. The micro-algae may now be able to grow under the ice across almost 30 percent of the Arctic Ocean at the peak of the brief summer in July, up from about 5 percent 30 years ago, they wrote. Blooms may become even more widespread. "Recent climate change may have markedly altered the ecology of the Arctic Ocean," wrote scientists in the United States and Britain led by Christopher Horvat of Harvard University. The first massive under-ice bloom of algae was seen in 2011 in the Chukchi Sea north of the Bering Strait separating Alaska and Russia, a region until then thought too dark for photosynthesis. (April 2, 201) Climate Central [more on Climate Change in our area]
Rochester People's Climate Coalition kicks off Earth Month The Rochester People's Climate Coalition is kicking off their Earth Month with a forum Monday evening. It's titled the New York State of Climate Action and will include guest speakers Mark Dunlea from the Green Education and Legal Fund and Elizabeth Broad from the New Yorkers for Clean Power Campaign. Susan Hughes-Smith is a member of the Rochester People's Climate Coalition and says New York still has a number of issues they could work on when it comes to energy initiatives. (April 3, 2017) [more on Climate Change and Energy in our area)
Groups make last-ditch effort to stop state nuke plant bailout Midnight Friday is not just the deadline for the state budget to be finished. It's also the date for an $8 billion bailout of some upstate nuclear power plants to begin, and more than 80 local government leaders are making a last-ditch effort to stop a plan that they say will cost electric utility ratepayers billions of dollars. In the summer of 2016, Gov. Andrew Cuomo's Public Service Commission announced a deal to provide nearly $8 billion to help Exelon, which owns two upstate nuclear power plants, buy a third one and keep them all running for another 12 years. (March 31, 2017) WXXI News [more on Energy in our area]
Trump Order Targets Local Efforts to Adapt to Warming As President Trump moved this week to halt federal efforts to slow climate change, his executive order on energy and climate also directed agencies to retreat from efforts to help cities and counties adapt to the effects of warming temperatures. Tuesday's executive order rescinded directives issued by President Obama in 2013 and 2015, which sought to better protect Americans from floods, wildfires, heat waves and other disasters that are being amplified by greenhouse gas pollution. The order followed a budget proposal by the White House to eliminate federal spending on a wide range of programs that partner with local governments, scientists and industry to help Americans cope with everything from rising temperatures to rising seas. (March 31, 2017) Climate Central [more on Climate Change in our area]
Soil microbes hold key to climate puzzle Scientific studies cast new light on the complex role soil microbes play in affecting ecosystems, atmospheric carbon levels and the climate. LONDON, 28 March, 2017 − Climate scientists puzzled by the traffic of carbon between soil and air may have to think more deeply about the role played by soil microbes − the planet's smallest inhabitants. One research team has just found that soil microbes could actually lighten the colour of arid land soils, to reflect more light and bounce more radiation energy back into space. Another has identified an unexpected source of atmospheric carbon: 17% of the soil carbon that gets into the atmosphere from a floodplain has its origins among micro-organisms at depths of more than two metres. And a third group has identified soil bacteria that could help plants survive drought, and enhance crop yields in drylands such as Arizona, Israel and the Nile Valley. (March 28, 2017) Climate News Network [more on Plants and Food in our area]
Carbon law could make Paris promise a reality Leading scientists say a carbon law requiring CO2 emissions to be halved every decade could drastically cut global warming – and is feasible. LONDON, 1 April, 2017 – By 2020, fossil fuels will no longer be subsidised by the taxpayer, anywhere in the world. And by then, carbon dioxide emissions worldwide will have started to fall. By 2030, coal will no longer be mined or burned. The construction industry will be carbon neutral. So will some of the world's great cities, lit up by renewable energy, the traffic powered by hydrogen, or by carbon neutral biofuels. And by 2040, crude oil will no longer be an energy source. Europe will be the first continent with zero carbon emissions, and by 2050, the entire global economy will be carbon neutral: those who do still rely on fossil fuel combustion will also by then have found ways to remove the carbon dioxide they have released. That's the ambition. In the current political climate it may seem improbable. But scientists within a number of great organisations think it can be done, and explain how it can be done in the journal Science. (April 1, 2017) Climate News Network [more on Energy and Climate Change in our area]
The Great Lakes plan folks love to hate For 15 long years, the international group that oversees water levels in Lake Ontario argued about the need to change the rules. The old lake-level plan was designed to keep the water from getting too high or too low if at all possible. But experts argued that plan had inadvertently altered tens of thousands of acres of wetlands along the shoreline by creating an artificial stability in water levels that favored cattails and disfavored other wetlands growth, experts have said, ruining diversity and harming wildlife. So a new more environmentally sensitive approach, dubbed Plan 2014, was crafted and eventually adopted. The governments of the United States and Canada signed off on it late last year, and it went into effect in January. (March 31, 2017) Rochester Democrat and Chronicle [more on Great Lakes in our area]
E.P.A. Chief, Rejecting Agency's Science, Chooses Not to Ban Insecticide WASHINGTON — Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, moved late on Wednesday to reject the scientific conclusion of the agency's own chemical safety experts who under the Obama administration recommended that one of the nation's most widely used insecticides be permanently banned at farms nationwide because of the harm it potentially causes children and farm workers. The ruling by Mr. Pruitt, in one of his first formal actions as the nation's top environmental official, rejected a petition filed a decade ago by two environmental groups that had asked that the agency ban all uses of chlorpyrifos. The chemical was banned in 2000 for use in most household settings, but still today is used at about 40,000 farms on about 50 different types of crops, ranging from almonds to apples. (March 29, 201) New York Times [more on Pesticides in our area]
A Major Step Forward in the Flint Water Crisis The residents of this Michigan city will finally have access to a basic right: safe drinking water. But the fight isn't over. For once, I am excited to report that there is good news on the Flint water crisis front. The pipes at the heart of the disaster are going to be replaced. For the first time in the three years since this Michigan city's water was turned to poison, Flint's citizens have a guarantee that the resources are in place to replace its estimated 18,000 lead pipes. And for the first time, they know when the pipes will be gone. Let's be clear, Flint is not fixed. But things are going to get better. (March 28, 2017) Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) [more on Lead Poisoning in our area]
In Setback for Exxon, Texas Judge Kicks Climate Change Case to New York The oil company loses its home court advantage before a sympathetic judge who has voiced skepticism over the climate fraud investigations by state attorneys general. A federal judge handling ExxonMobil's dispute with the attorneys general of New York and Massachusetts has transferred the case about climate change from his court in Texas to one in New York. The decision marks a setback for the Dallas-based oil giant, which until recently had enjoyed a home court advantage before the bench of U.S. District Court Judge Ed Kinkeade. Kinkeade has voiced sympathy with Exxon and skepticism over the attorneys general investigations into whether the company's climate record amounted to fraud. (March 30, 2017) Inside Climate News [more on Energy and Climate Change in our area]
These scientists want to create 'red teams' to challenge climate research. Congress is listening Prominent scientists operating outside the scientific consensus on climate change urged Congress on Wednesday to fund "red teams" to investigate "natural" causes of global warming and challenge the findings of the United Nations' climate science panel. The suggestion for a counter-investigative science force — or red team approach — was presented in prepared testimony by scientists known for questioning the influence of human activity on global warming. It comes at a time when President Trump and other members of the administration have expressed doubt about the accepted science of climate change, and are considering drastic cuts to federal funding for scientific research. (March 29, 2017) The Washington Post [more on Climate Change in our area]
Revel in the details: John Kastner's consumer hell Rochester-based illustrator John Kastner's work is rooted in a deep concern with the environment. He's become known for the social criticism he injects into his chaotic cartoon realms in gouache on matte board. His newest work, "Filthy Animal's Plasticrap," incorporates plastic trash he's picked up on walks to and from work. And leading up to the People's Climate March and Earth Day, he's looking for a permanent home for the piece. Many of Kastner's chaotic illustrations are reminiscent of the hellish right panel of Hieronymus Bosch's "The Garden of Earthly Delights" — a scene of the world after it's gone to shit. (March 29, 2017) Rochester City Newspaper [more on Recycling in our area]
Connections: Reshaping Rochester explores how to build healthy communities How and where we build housing, streets, and stores can have major effects the health of our communities. That's the focus of the next Reshaping Rochester event, which explores how to create equitable and healthy neighborhoods. We discuss the rising popularity of Health Impact Assessments (HIAs), which analyze how public health can be impacted by proposed plans and policies. In San Francisco, for instance, developers building an affordable housing complex near an area with high traffic pollution changed their plans to construct windows on the traffic side of the building after seeing data from an HIA. The new plans led to windows facing a courtyard, with less noise and pollution, and more views of green space. The solutions proposed by HIAs are pushing developers to think about construction and health in new ways. There are even a few HIAs in Rochester, including one exploring the city's waterfront. We discuss all of this and more with our guests: Maria Furgiuele, interim executive director of the Community Design Center of Rochester Dr. Katrina Korfmacher, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center Rebecca Morley, director of the Health Impact Project at The Pew Charitable Trusts in Washington, D.C. (March 29, 2017 Connections [more on Environmental Health in our area]
Trump has launched a blitzkrieg in the wars on science and Earth's climate Trump's anti-science budget, anti-climate executive orders, and general disdain for scientific expertise come at a bad time Today, Donald Trump signed an executive order taking aim at America's climate policies. On the heels of a report finding that the world needs to halve its carbon pollution every decade to avoid dangerous climate change, Trump's order would instead increase America's carbon pollution, to the exclusive benefit of the fossil fuel industry. Trump's anti-climate executive orders One part of the executive order tells the EPA to review and revise (weaken) its Clean Power Plan and methane regulations. However, revising these regulations isn't so simple. It requires proceeding through the same years-long rulemaking process the EPA used to create the rules in the first place. This involves considering the scientific evidence, crafting draft rules, responding to millions of public comments, and defending the new plan in court. Environmental attorneys are confident "this is another deal President Trump won't be able to close." (March 28, 2017) The Guardian [more on Climate Change in our area]
President Trump Risks the Planet That didn't take long. Only 10 weeks into his presidency, and at great risk to future generations, Donald Trump has ordered the demolition of most of President Barack Obama's policies to combat climate change by reducing emissions from fossil fuels. The assault began with Mr. Trump's pledge in Detroit to roll back fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks, continued with a stingy budget plan that would end funding for climate-related scientific programs and reached an unhappy apex Tuesday with an executive order that, among things, would rescind the centerpiece of Mr. Obama's clean power strategy, a rule that would shut down hundreds of old coal-fired power plants and freeze the construction of new ones. None of this was unexpected from a man who has described climate change as a hoax invented by the Chinese to destroy American industry and who has surrounded himself with cabinet officers and assistants who know or care little about the issue of global warming and its consequences — and who, in many cases, owe their political success to the largess of the oil, gas and coal companies. (March 28, 2017) New York Times [more on Climate Change in our area]
New York, California, vow to fill climate-change void left by Pres. Trump The governors of California and New York said Tuesday that they will push ahead with their aggressive climate change policies despite President Donald Trump's executive order that seeks to boost the coal industry. Democratic Governors Jerry Brown of California and Andrew Cuomo of New York said in a joint statement that they will help fill the void left by Trump's decision to unravel former President Barack Obama's plan to curb global warming. "With or without Washington, we will work with our partners throughout the world to aggressively fight climate change and protect our future," the governors wrote. (March 29, 2017) WXXI News [more on Climate Change in our area]
Trump scraps Obama climate plan, undermining international trust The US is becoming a "rogue state" as it backslides on hard-fought global pact, say international observers After weeks of speculation, US president Donald Trump has signed an executive order to dismantle the policies that made an international climate pact possible. Flanked by invited coal miners and introduced by four members of his cabinet, Trump promised "the start of a new era in American energy" that would "put miners back to work". (March 28, 2017) Climate Home [more on Climate Change in our area]
Trump's Executive Order is Out of Step With Americans President Trump is expected to start the rollback of a wide swath of Obama-era climate regulations when he signs a new executive order on Tuesday. On the chopping block are the Clean Power Plan, methane and coal regulations, and accounting for the social cost of climate change in federal projects. Tuesday's executive order is part of what Trump has described as an "America First" energy policy that favors fossil fuels over renewables and aims to cut back on regulating carbon pollution. These moves run counter to what the vast majority of Americans would prefer when it comes to climate change. (March 28, 2017) Climate Central [more on Climate Change in our area]
Drought and War Heighten Threat of Not Just 1 Famine, but 4 BAIDOA, Somalia — First the trees dried up and cracked apart. Then the goats keeled over. Then the water in the village well began to disappear, turning cloudy, then red, then slime-green, but the villagers kept drinking it. That was all they had. Now on a hot, flat, stony plateau outside Baidoa, thousands of people pack into destitute camps, many clutching their stomachs, some defecating in the open, others already dead from a cholera epidemic. "Even if you can get food, there is no water," said one mother, Sangabo Moalin, who held her head with a left hand as thin as a leaf and spoke of her body "burning." (March 27, 2017) New York Times [more on Climate Change in our area]
Trump moves to gut Obama's climate legacy With his latest executive order, President Trump has begun undoing Obama's plan to counter global warming. But climate experts believe the move away from fossil fuels will continue regardless - leaving the US behind. US President Donald Trump signed his latest executive order on Tuesday, aiming to undo a 2015 plan proposed by former President Barack Obama to limit greenhouse gas emissions at coal-fired power plants. The so-called "Energy Independence" order targets Obama's Clean Power Plan, which was intended to require states to collectively cut their carbon emissions by 32 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. The move is intended to give a boost to the struggling drilling and mining industries and create jobs, one of Trump's key campaign promises. (March 28, 2017) Deutsche Welle [more on Climate Change and Energy in our area]
Climate Change Denialists in Charge As President Trump prepares to unveil an executive order to dismantle President Barack Obama's climate change policies, Washington's policy-making posts are filling with officials who have a record of openly denying the established science of human-caused climate change. Climate denial starts at the top: President Trump Mr. Trump, the ultimate decider, has demonstrated a cavalier approach to the peer-reviewed atmospheric data that makes up the core of climate science. He has called Mr. Obama's climate change regulations "stupid." But in other forums, he has denied making some of those statements and shifted his position. (March 27, 2017) New York Times [more on Climate Change in our area]
DEC Seeks Volunteers to Monitor Streams and Rivers 'WAVE' Project Connects New Yorkers with Health of Rivers and Streams and Hands-on Training WAVE Volunteer Training Starts in May at Multiple Locations The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today that DEC is actively recruiting volunteers for the 2017 summer sampling season to conduct water quality assessments in nearby streams and rivers as part of the Water Assessments by Volunteer Evaluators (WAVE) project. "DEC encourages New Yorkers to participate in the WAVE program and get involved in screening-and better understanding-the health of local rivers and streams," said Commissioner Basil Seggos. "Clean water is essential for healthy and prosperous communities. WAVE monitoring helps DEC identify New York's waterbodies in need and encourages local residents to better understand the health of nearby waterways." (March 24, 2017) Department of Environmental Conservation [more on Water Quality in our area]
Trump Takes Aim At A Centerpiece Of Obama's Environmental Legacy President Trump will sign sweeping executive orders Tuesday that take aim at a number of his predecessor's climate policies. The wide-ranging orders and accompanying memorandums will seek to undo the centerpiece of former President Obama's environmental legacy and national efforts to address climate change. It could also jeopardize America's current role in international efforts to confront climate change. A senior White House official says the goal is to make the U.S. energy independent and to get the Environmental Protection Agency back to its core mission of maintaining clean air and water. In a symbolic gesture, the president is expected to sign the documents at EPA headquarters. (March 28, 2017) WXXI News [more on Climate Change in our area]
Home in Honeoye Falls named most efficient house built in 2016 across the US Home improvement season is just starting to ramp up and one home in Honeoye falls is showcasing the ultimate improvement in home efficiency. This "passive home" built last year received the highest rating in all of North America for it's energy savings out of more than 200,000 homes. Matt Bowers is the owner and also a certified passive house designer that saw a great opportunity for his own home. Construction started in August 2015 and the house was completed in July 2016. Heating costs run anywhere from $10-20 during peak times of the year. (March 23, 2017) RochesterFirst.com [more on Energy in our area]
Climate change is altering global air currents – increasing droughts, heatwaves and floods Massive loops in the Arctic jetstream that have a major impact on our weather show a 'clear fingerprint of human activity' One of the scientists who demonstrated conclusively that global warming was an unnatural event with the famous "hockey stick" graph is now warning that giant jetstreams which circle the planet are being altered by climate change. Professor Michael Mann said extreme weather events – such as the "unprecedented" drought in California last year, the flooding in Pakistan in 2010 and the heatwave in Europe in 2003 – were happening more often than they should do, even taking the warming climate into account. This, he said, meant there had to be an additional factor. Jetstreams are influenced by the difference in temperatures between the Arctic and the equator. (March 27, 2017) Independent [more on Climate Change in our area]
US scientists launch world's biggest solar geoengineering study Research programme will send aerosol injections into the earth's upper atmosphere to study the risks and benefits of a future solar tech-fix for climate change US scientists are set to send aerosol injections 20km up into the earth's stratosphere in the world's biggest solar geoengineering programme to date, to study the potential of a future tech-fix for global warming. The $20m (£16m) Harvard University project will launch within weeks and aims to establish whether the technology can safely simulate the atmospheric cooling effects of a volcanic eruption, if a last ditch bid to halt climate change is one day needed. Scientists hope to complete two small-scale dispersals of first water and then calcium carbonate particles by 2022. Future tests could involve seeding the sky with aluminium oxide – or even diamonds. (March 24, 2017) The Guardian [more on Climate Change in our area]
How Corruption Fuels Climate Change Anti-corruption campaigners achieved a number of crucial victories in 2016, not least by ensuring accountability for one of Big Oil's most crooked deals: the acquisition of Nigerian offshore oil block OPL 245 in 2011 by Royal Dutch Shell and Eni, Italy's largest corporation. Last December, Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission indicted some of the Nigerians involved, and Italian prosecutors then concluded their own investigation, bringing the executives and the companies responsible for the deal closer to standing trial. (March 22, 2017) Project Syndicate [more on Climate Change in our area]
Veterinary College's new tests detect tick-borne diseases Lyme borreliosis is the most common and widely known tick-borne disease, but Borrelia burgdorferi is only one of more than a dozen bacterial, viral and parasitic agents transmitted by ticks to animals and humans. Laura Goodman, senior research associate at the College of Veterinary Medicine's New York State Animal Health Diagnostic Center, has developed a new process using nanoscale technology that can detect multiple pathogens at once. She is now adapting this method to test different types of ticks for a large number of disease agents. A long-term goal of her research is to detect and discover newly emerging pathogens. (March 22, 2017) Cornell Chronicle [more on Lyme disease in our area]
Trump cuts and the EPA: Making America less healthy again | Opinion The most drastic cut in President Donald Trump's recently released budget outline is to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the agency tasked by law with setting and enforcing national standards to limit water, air, and land pollution; conducting scientific research to protect our health and the environment; and assisting state and local governments in reducing pollution. Even as the tasks assigned to it by Congress have multiplied over the years, the EPA's budget has been cut sharply in the past two decades. From a high point of 18,110 employees in 1999, the agency's work force responsible for enforcing the nation's environmental laws now numbers fewer than 15,000 people. Despite this, the Trump budget proposes the elimination of 3,200 more employees in 2018 and to cut the agency's overall budget by 31 percent. (March 22, 2017) SunSentinal [more on Environmental Health in our area]
Legislature Shows Support For Great Lakes Program Chautauqua County legislators are taking a stance against President Donald Trump's plans to slash funding for a program that's helped improve Lake Erie and the Great Lakes system as a whole. During Wednesday's meeting, the legislature unanimously supported a motion opposing any funding cuts to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative under the Environmental Protection Agency. The program initiated in 2010 and tackles some of the largest threats posed to the Great Lakes system, whether it be algal blooms, invasive species or pollution issues. Trump's plan details states and local entities taking over responsibility to fund local environmental efforts to allow the EPA "to focus on its highest national priorities." The program, which receives around $300 million annually, has aided around 3,000 projects among states that line the Great Lakes. (March 24, 2017) The Post-Journal [more on Great Lakes, Water Quality, Invasive Species, in our area]
Drought, Weather Fuel Record Oklahoma Wildfires Wildfires fueled by gusting winds, hot, dry weather, and desiccated plant life have burned nearly 900,000 acres of Oklahoma so far this year, a record, as well as parts of Kansas and Texas. The blazes have destroyed dozens of buildings and killed seven people as well as hundreds of cattle. Late winter and early spring are typically the peak wildfire season for the region, as dry, windy weather arrives before the spring green-up of crops and other plants. But this season has been particularly active because of drought conditions that have creeped up during the winter, driven by record warm temperatures and a lack of precipitation. Climate change is expected to impact many of the factors, such as precipitation, that can contribute to wildfires. But exactly how it might affect future wildfire risks in the central and southern Plains is an open question, and one that has seen relatively little attention to date. (March 24, 2017) Climate Central [more on Climate Change in our area]
Humans cause up to 70% of sea ice loss Research into natural causes of summer loss of Arctic sea ice reveals human responsibility for drastic changes to the region's ecology. Scientists have calculated that at least 30% and perhaps one half of the decline in Arctic summer sea ice could be attributed to natural causes – changes of ocean and atmospheric circulation that happen according to some long-term cycle. And that means humans can be held responsible for at least 50% and up to 70% of a pattern of decline that could devastate Arctic ecology, and accelerate climate change in the temperate and tropical zones. The new research does not mean that global warming or the retreat of the glaciers is a natural phenomenon. In fact, it clears up a long-standing uncertainty: just how much global warming − driven by prodigal human combustion of fossil fuels − is changing the rhythms of life in one zone of the planet. Sea ice decline in the Arctic has been dramatic and sustained over the last five decades, but it has been an uneven decline. The burden of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has increased over those decades, and so have average atmospheric global temperatures.(March 17, 2017) Climate News Network [more on Climate Change in our area]
Trump State Department to Approve Keystone XL Pipeline Permit by Monday Nearly a decade after it first applied for a presidential permit, TransCanada is getting the green light from the Trump administration for its $8 billion Keystone XL pipeline. POLITICO reported that the U.S. State Department's undersecretary for political affairs, Tom Shannon, will approve by Monday the cross-border permit needed for the project to proceed. Sec. of State Rex Tillerson, former ExxonMobil CEO, recused himself from the Keystone decision since Exxon stands to profit from the pipeline. The Keystone XL was blocked by President Obama two years ago because the pipeline would "not serve the national interests" of the United States. (March 23, 2017) EcoWatch [more on Energy and Climate Change in our area]
White House: Trump isn't considering a carbon tax The Trump administration isn't considering advocating for a tax on carbon dioxide emissions, a White House official said Wednesday. The official sought to clarify the administration's position after White House press secretary Sean Spicer seemed to be unclear on the matter at a Tuesday press briefing. "I think there's a robust debate going on with respect to comprehensive tax reform," Spicer said in response to a reporter's question on whether a carbon tax is under consideration by President Trump. (March 22, 2017) The Hill [more on Climate Change in our area]
Local governments voice solutions on toxic algae threat Lake Erie is the heart of Northern Ohio communities, and with warm weather approaching, the need to protect the waterway becomes a necessity, Elyria Fifth Ward Councilman Marcus Madison said. The Ohio Environmental Council's Director of Clean Water Adam Rissien, Madison and Lorain Mayor Chase Ritenauer gathered together on World Water Day, March 22, at the Lorain Port Authority, 319 Black River Lane, to discuss solutions on toxic algae. (3/22/2017) The Morning Journal News [more on Great Lakes and Water Quality in our area]
Without Naming Trump, UN Acknowledges Retreat on Climate Secretary-general says businesses will take up the task Trump is pushing to dismantle federal environmental programs The United Nations is acknowledging that some countries may be retreating in the effort to fight climate change, recognizing an emerging fissure in the landmark Paris Agreement as U.S. President Donald Trump moves forward with plans to gut environmental programs. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who assumed leadership of the international body this year, told delegates at UN headquarters in New York that he remained optimistic that any withdrawal by national leaders will be offset by businesses and local governments that have pledged to continue cutting emissions. (March 23, 2017) Bloomberg [more on Climate Change in our area]
Gulf of Mexico waters are freakishly warm, which could mean explosive springtime storms Water temperatures at the surface of the Gulf of Mexico and near South Florida are on fire. They spurred a historically warm winter from Houston to Miami and could fuel intense thunderstorms in the spring from the South to the Plains. In the Gulf, the average sea surface temperature never fell below 73 degrees over the winter for the first time on record, reported Eric Berger of Ars Technica. Galveston, Tex., has tied or broken an astonishing 33 record highs since Nov. 1, while neighboring Houston had its warmest winter on record. Both cities have witnessed precious few days with below-normal temperatures since late fall. (March 22, 2017) The Washington Post [more on Climate Change in our area]
Global warming is increasing rainfall rates A new study looks at the complex relationship between global warming and increased precipitation The world is warming because humans are emitting heat-trapping greenhouse gases. We know this for certain; the science on this question is settled. Humans emit greenhouse gases, those gases should warm the planet, and we know the planet is warming. All of those statements are settled science. Okay so what? Well, we would like to know what the implications are. Should we do something about it or not? How should we respond? How fast will changes occur? What are the costs of action compared to inaction? These are all areas of active research. (March 22, 2017) The Guardian [more on Climate Change in our area]
The State Dept. Rewrote Its Climate Change Page Within a day of Rex Tillerson's swearing in as secretary of state, the State Department's climate change website began to change. The changes signal a shift away from leading international climate actions that the Obama administration pursued and a pivot toward a more passive role. The Environmental Data Governance Initiative tracked the changes to the Office of Global Change web page and shared them with Climate Central. They are the first changes to the State Department site documented by EDGI after Tillerson took over on Feb. 1, according to Toly Rinberg, a researcher at EDGI who caught the change. (March 23, 2017) Climate Central [more on Climate Change in our area]
Arctic ice falls to record winter low after polar 'heatwaves' Extent of ice over North pole has fallen to a new wintertime low, for the third year in a row, as climate change drives freakish weather The extent of Arctic ice has fallen to a new wintertime low, as climate change drives freakishly high temperatures in the polar regions. The ice cap grows during the winter months and usually reaches its maximum in early March. But the 2017 maximum was 14.4m sq km, lower than any year in the 38-year satellite record, according to researchers at the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre (NSIDC) and Nasa. "I have been looking at Arctic weather patterns for 35 years and have never seen anything close to what we've experienced these past two winters," said NSIDC's director, Mark Serreze. 2017 is the third year in a row the Arctic's winter ice has set a new low. (March 22, 2017) The Guardian [more on Climate Change in our area]
More Extreme Weather Coming After Record 2016 Heat, WMO Says Rate of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere isn't easing February was record-breaking month for temperatures in U.S. Unusually warm weather in the Arctic is helping shift weather patterns this year from North America to the Middle East, after global warming shattered records in 2016, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Rising ocean temperatures that are melting polar ice sheets, killing marine life and flooding coastal communities may have increased more than previously reported last year, the WMO said in a report Tuesday. Average sea-surface temperatures hit their highest levels ever last year, and overall temperatures over sea and land were 1.1 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial period. At least three times this winter, the Arctic has experienced the polar equivalent of a heat wave with Atlantic storms driving warm, moist air. (March 20, 2017) Bloomberg [more on Climate Change in our area]
How Trump's Deep EPA Budget Cuts Would Impact NY President Trump's proposed 31 percent budget cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency will have "disastrous impacts" across New York State, NY Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman predicted today. At a press conference held on the banks of the Gowanus Canal, Schneiderman outlined the negative environmental impact that slashing the EPA's budget would have on the city's Superfund sites—like Newtown Creek, the former Wolff-Alport Chemical Company in Ridgewood, and of course, the Gowanus Canal—in addition to Superfund sites across the state. Trump's proposed budget cuts would include a 43 percent reduction in Superfund site cleanup funding, which Schneiderman says will likely slow down cleanup and make it more difficult to add new polluted areas to the list. Schneiderman also noted that the budget will no longer provide adequate funding to maintain the state's drinking water and wastewater treatment infrastructure, meaning New York's clean drinking water supply could be compromised across the board. According to the Attorney General's data, about 95 percent of New Yorkers drink water from the public supply. (March 21, 2017) Gothanist [more on Water Quality and Brownfields and Environmental Health and Invasive Species in our area]
The White House calls climate change research a 'waste.' Actually, it's required by law The day that President Trump's climate science-slashing budget landed last week, his government held a public meeting here to prepare the nation's Southeast region for rising seas, wildfires, extreme downpours and other impacts of climate change. Despite White House budget director Mick Mulvaney's assertion Friday that studying climate change is a "waste of your money," federal scientists are required, by a 1990 law, to do just that — and are carrying on for now, even under the cloud of budgetary uncertainty created by the Trump administration. It's no easy task. Trump's "skinny" budget proposes to slash many climate-related programs at agencies like NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration but often doesn't go into specifics — raising doubts about the implications for climate science programs across 13 government agencies and the production of an exhaustive report about the impact of climate change in the U.S. that is required by law. (March 21, 2017) The Washington Post [more on Climate Change in our area]
Here's Why the Environmental Protection Agency Was Created The Cuyahoga River burst into flames, while the Potomac stunk from the hundreds of millions of gallons of waste added to its waters every single day. As the Environmental Protection Agency becomes the subject of focus for major cuts under President Trump's proposed budget — and as the U.N. marks World Water Day on Wednesday — it's worth looking back at the moment in time when the EPA was first created, and why Richard Nixon saw a need for the agency to exist. Dirty water was only one ingredient. At the close of the 1960s, the United States could not escape the fact of, as TIME put it in 1968, "the relentless degradations of a once virgin continent." The evidence was right in front of citizens' faces. Pollution had gotten bad enough to be undeniable, and science had become advanced enough to make the reasons why clear. In 1963, smog had killed 400 New Yorkers, and Lake Erie's oxygen content had become so depleted that the center of the lake sustained precious little life. An oil spill off the California coast in 1969 coated 400 square miles with slime and killed hundreds of birds. Scientists announced that auto exhaust was at high enough levels in some places that it could cause birth defects. The city of St. Louis smelled, as one resident put it, "like an old-fashioned drugstore on fire." (March 22, 2017) Time [more on Environmental Health in our area]
Climate denier in White House prompts a 'March for Science' on Earth Day The power of climate change deniers in Congress -- plus a president who once called global warming "a hoax" -- has galvanized Earth Day on its 47th anniversary. Its main event this year, on April 22, will be a March for Science in Washington, D.C., and around the world. Its goal being "to save science from this assault," in the words of Denis Hayes, president of the Seattle-based Bullitt Foundation. "The concept of white coats marching is intriguing," said Hayes, who as a Stanford law student helped organize the first Earth Day in 1970. The assault on science is now and real. The Trump administration is talking of a 19-20 percent cut in the National Institutes of Health, the nation's bulwark against disease. The NIH usually approves grants on a multi-year basis. "If the cuts go through, they will be able to make no grants at all in 2018," Hayes said. (March 22, 2017) Seattle PI [more on Climate Change in our area]
Judge orders Exxon to hand over documents related to climate change A judge said on Wednesday that Exxon Mobil must turn over documents to a New York prosecutor probing whether the company lied to the public and investors about the threat of climate change. Among the documents the company must produce: Emails company executives allegedly sent using pseudonyms. Earlier this month, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman accused former CEO Rex Tillerson -- now U.S. secretary of state -- of discussing environmental issues under the email name "Wayne Tracker." According to Schneiderman, "Wayne Tracker" sent emails from at least 2008 through 2015 to discuss "important matters," including climate change. Wayne is Tillerson's middle name. A spokesperson for Schneiderman says the ruling comes 16 months after the office first issued a subpoena in the investigation. (March 23, 2017) CNN Money
These Cities Are Pulling Billions From the Banks That Support the Dakota Access Pipeline From Seattle to San Francisco, Albuquerque to Raleigh, cities are joining the fight to defund the controversial pipeline. Last September, as water protectors faced down militarized police in North Dakota's rural riverlands, activists in Seattle set out to withdraw municipal money from banks backing the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). Above all, they sought to cut their city's ties to Wells Fargo, the Wall Street leviathan that has generously financed and serviced the pipeline's parent companies. (March 20, 2017) The Nation [more on Climate Change and Energy in our area]
A.G. Schneiderman Highlights Devastating Impacts Of President Trump's Environmental Budget Cuts – Which Threaten To Delay And Obstruct NY Environmental Projects Massive EPA Budget Cuts Would Potentially Impact Environmental Cleanup Projects All Across New York Schneiderman: If The Trump Administration Can't Meet Its Legal Obligation To Ensure A Clean, Safe, And Healthy Environment, I Won't Hesitate To Act To Protect New Yorkers Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today highlighted the disastrous impacts President Trump's proposed budget cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could have across New York State. Standing along the Gowanus Canal, which is a designated federal Superfund site, Attorney General Schneiderman highlighted how the significant loss of EPA funding and reduction in the agency's staffing levels would potentially slow, halt, or even reverse environmental protection throughout the state. Under President Trump's proposed budget "blueprint" released last Thursday, the EPA would face some of the steepest cuts, as funding for the agency would be reduced by 31 percent or $2.6 billion – bringing the EPA's budget to $5.7 billion, its lowest level in 40 years when adjusted for inflation, and eliminating more than 50 programs and 3,200 jobs. (March 21, 2017) NYS A.G. Schneiderman [More on Environmental Health in our area]
Cyclists want to connect parks The rugged trails of Tryon Park and Irondequoit Bay Park West make them popular with hikers, trail runners, and mountain bikers – the latter in particular, since these are the only parks in Monroe County's system where off-road cycling is allowed. The two parks are close together, too, which means cyclists and runners often go back and forth between them. But they lack any sort of formal connection, leaving users to improvise their route. And that frequently means crossing the busy, four-lane section of Empire Boulevard along Tryon. It's not the safest scenario, says Genesee Regional Off-Road Cyclists (GROC) President Jeff Wright. (March 22, 2017) Rochester City Newspaper [more on Parks in our area]
International Joint Commission's Buffalo Public Meeting on the Great Lakes At this point, we are all aware of the importance of the Great Lakes. In the past, we did take them for granted, dumping in anything that we wanted. Today, thankfully, it's a different story. These fresh water lakes are the key to the future, and must be protected by all means. On Tuesday March 28 WNED | WBFO will host the International Joint Commission's Buffalo Public Meeting on the Great Lakes (part of a series of IJC public meetings). The binational treaty organization is looking to collect and record public comments that will help to show the community's support to protect and restore the the Great Lakes, by Canada and the United States. (March 21, 2017) Buffalo Rising [more on Great Lakes in our area]
Environmental groups stand with Schneiderman to fight proposed EPA budget cuts Local environmental groups Friday stood behind New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's concerns about the impacts of President Donald Trump's proposed budget cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency. The Trump administration's preliminary 2018 budget proposal includes a 31 percent cut to the EPA, which would bring the agency's budget from $8.2 billion to $5.7 billion. The proposal would also result in the elimination of 3,200 jobs from the agency's workforce. The budget outline was officially unveiled March 16 and comes after initial drafts reported a 25 percent cut to the EPA's funding and a 20 percent cut to the agency's workforce. Schneiderman wrote a letter to Mick Mulvaney, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, and Scott Pruitt, administrator of the EPA, voicing his concerns about the local impact of the cuts, according to a press release March 9. (March 18, 2017) Register-Star [more on Environmental Health in our area]
Climate Change is on Pace to Kill an Ice Age Remnant Humans are in the process of changing the planet in a way that hasn't happened in 2.6 million years. For eons, the Laurentide Ice Sheet has been a fixture of North America. At its peak, it covered the majority of Canada and sent icy tendrils down across the Midwest and Northeast, covering Chicago, New York and Toronto in a mile or more of ice. It helped carved mountains as it advanced, and it filled the Great Lakes as it receded at the end of the last Ice Age. About 2,000 years ago, the ice sheet remnants reached equilibrium on Baffin Island, Canada's largest island, now dubbed the Barnes Ice Cap. But that equilibrium has been disrupted by human-driven climate change. A new study shows that the last vestige of the once-mighty ice sheet faces near certain death, even if the world rapidly curtails its carbon pollution. The results indicate the Arctic has entered a state nearly unheard of since the Pliocene, an epoch when the Arctic was largely free of ice. (March 21, 2017) Climate Central [more on Climate Change in our area]
State of the Warming Climate in 2016: 'Truly Uncharted Territory' World Meteorological Organization reveals extent of global warming's impacts last year, including epic Arctic melting, drought and extreme weather. Arctic ice melted to new lows in 2016, temperatures soared to scorching highs and extreme weather rocked all parts of the planet. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released its annual State of Global Climate report on Tuesday, noting a year of broken records and extreme weather events—climate change trends that are continuing into 2017. "This report confirms that the year 2016 was the warmest on record—a remarkable 1.1 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial period," said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. That temperature rise marks a 0.06 degrees Celsius increase over the record set in 2015. The Paris climate agreement commits the world's nations to holding the atmospheric temperature increase to below 2 degrees Celsius, to try to stave off potentially catastrophic global warming.(March 21, 2017) Inside Climate News [more on Climate Change in our area]
NYS Exposed: State weighing a 5-cent plastic bag fee for stores When you buy something at a store, if you can't carry the item yourself, you usually put it in either a paper bag, a re-usable cloth bags or go the easy route and fill up a plastic bag or two. But what if each flimsy little bag cost you an extra five cents? Statewide, we use about 23 billion a year. If that upsets you, you typically bring your own reusable bags like Sue Gyore. "Because if you look around at the sides of the roads," says Gyore, "you see all the plastic that's floating around that doesn't get cleaned up." (March 20, 2017) WHEC Rochester [more on Recycling in our area]
How Americans Think About Climate Change Americans overwhelmingly believe that global warming is happening, and that carbon emissions should be scaled back. But fewer are sure that the changes will harm them personally. New data released by Yale researchers gives the most detailed view yet of public opinion on global warming. Americans want to restrict carbon emissions from coal power plants. The White House and Congress may do the opposite. (March 21, 2017) New York Times [more on Climate Change in our area]
Tensions rising as Chinese no longer willing to hold their breath on pollution problems Cracking down on dissent has been a hallmark of Chinese public life. But a population once ignorant of the toxic cost of pollution is speaking out against a government intent on growing the economy. The war on pollution has increased tensions across China, Nathan VanderKlippe reports. In the village dubbed the birthplace of Beijing's smog, anger is rising into a sky that seems permanently darkened by pollution. At least three times over the past two years, local residents in Songting have gathered to protest at the gates of the steelworks that surround the place generations have called home. People here once farmed rice, peanuts and corn until, in the years before the Beijing Olympics, their fields were transformed into an industrial forest of pipes, stacks and production lines, after iron and steel companies moved away from the capital to leave behind cleaner air for the Games. Two-hundred kilometres east of Beijing, they erected a metallic forest of emissions towers that belch exhaust and soot. During one severe episode in February, the air grew so thick that residents could no longer see across their narrow streets and workers got lost on the way home. Now the villagers are fed up. One of the recent steel-mill protests lasted more than a week. "Every day, more than 30 people gathered there," said ZhaoXiuying, 54, who lives in an old village home that backs out onto a vista of metalworks. (March 19, 2017) Globe and Mail
Burying Their Cattle, Ranchers Call Wildfires 'Our Hurricane Katrina' Weeks without snow or rain and late-winter temperatures scraping 80 degrees are threatening to create even more blazes in Western states grappling with the growing fire danger posed by climate change. Hundreds of homes were evacuated this weekend because of a wildfire that erupted in the dry hills near Boulder, Colo. By Monday, the fire was about 80 percent contained. The Kansas fires — the largest in state history — burned more than 400,000 acres here in Clark County alone. Ten days later, Mr. Gardiner was still burying cows on his family's ranch. One by one, an orange loader scooped them off the bare sandy soil and trundled them to a pit being dug by a backhoe. (March 20, 2017) New York Times [more on Climate Change in our area]
Trump Can't Stop Cars From Getting More Energy-Efficient Economics (and performance) are driving efficiency gains, as much as the EPA. Sweden, you can keep your silly turbos. Japan, spare us with the toddler-size kei cars. Donald Trump wants to make America better in a nostalgic way, and to many, that means big cars with brutish engines burning dinosaur-era goo. Trump has promised to scrap efficiency rules that required automakers to produce vehicles with an average efficiency of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. At the moment, that looks like 17 million Toyota Priuses (Prii?). In a meeting with auto executives this week, the president said he may slice environmental standards in about a year, providing carmakers deliver "big numbers in terms of jobs." The EPA now has until April 2018 to decide whether the 2025 milestone is feasible. (March 16, 2017) Bloomberg [more on Transportation in our area]
CO2 emissions stay same for third year in row – despite global economy growing International Energy Agency report puts halt in emissions from energy down to growth in renewable power Carbon dioxide emissions from energy have not increased for three years in a row even as the global economy grew, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said. Global emissions from the energy sector were 32.1bn tonnes in 2016, the same as the previous two years, while the economy grew 3.1%, the organisation said. The IEA put the halt in growth down to growing renewable power generation, switches from coal to natural gas and improvements in energy efficiency but said it is too soon to say that global emissions have peaked. The biggest drop was seen in the US, where carbon dioxide emissions fell 3%, while the economy grew 1.6%, following a surge in shale gas supplies and more renewable power that displaced coal. US emissions are at their lowest level since 1992, while the economy has grown 80% since that time. (March 17, 2017) The Guardian [more on Climate Change and Energy in our area]
Rate of Ocean Warming Has Nearly Doubled Over Two Decades, Study Says The world's oceans have warmed at twice the rate of previous decades and the extra heat has reached deeper waters, finds data stretching back to 1960. The rate of ocean warming has nearly doubled since 1992 compared with the previous three decades. And the warming has reached deeper waters, scientists reported Friday. The findings are important because the world's oceans provide one of the best records of the excess energy trapped on Earth by increased greenhouse gases, largely from the burning of fossil fuels. As the seas heat up from climate change, the water expands and rises, causing coastal flooding and, in Antarctica, ice shelves to disintegrate. (March 11, 2017) Inside Climate News [more on Climate Change in our area]
Trump's Defense Secretary Cites Climate Change as National Security Challenge James Mattis' unpublished testimony before a Senate panel recognizes a threat others in the administration reject or minimize. Our story on March 13 concerning Secretary of Defense James Mattis' views on the relationship between climate change and national security was based on excerpts from unpublished written exchanges between Mattis and several Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee following his Jan. 12 confirmation hearing. ProPublica has now obtained more comprehensive sets of these "Questions for the Record" and his answers. While the exchanges mainly focus on climate change, fossil fuel and renewable energy and related security issues, which was the initial reporting focus, they include discussions of Mattis' views on issues ranging from Iran's nuclear weapons program to ISIS, Guantanamo and LGBT issues in the military. The merged documents are posted on DocumentCloud. Explore and let us know what excites, irks or confuses you, and share this package with others. Post comments or get in touch via email@example.com. (March 14, 2017) ProPublica [more on Climate Change in our area]
Climate Change Has 'Permanently' Changed the Great Barrier Reef Scientists speculate that the era of never-ending global coral bleaching may have already arrived, decades early. It's a tough time to be a coral reef on planet Earth. And, at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, there's new evidence that climate change may have already pushed the world's most productive ecosystems into a new normal — prompting a rapid and radical re-think in conservation strategies. "Even the most pristine, remote places can be devastated if it gets hot enough, and that's what happened in the northern Great Barrier Reef," says Terry Hughes, the director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University. A global bleaching event — a frequently fatal condition triggered when warmer than normal ocean temperatures cause corals to expel their tiny, symbiotic algae — is entering its third year. Scientists are urgently working with conservationists to figure out what is happening and what it all means for the future. (March 16, 2017) Pacific Standard [more on Climate Change in our area]
Great Lakes funding cuts are absurd, irresponsible, lawmakers say Proposed budget would eliminate federal program to clean up and maintain the Great Lakes Environmental advocates and congressional Democrats vowed to fight President Donald Trump's plan to slash environmental spending as part of his proposed 2017 budget — including the elimination of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which since 2010 has provided more than $2.2 billion for improving and protecting the lakes. "President Trump's budget is even worse than we thought for the Great Lakes," U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said. "It completely eliminates funding for protection." (March 16, 2017) Detroit Free Press [more on Great Lakes and Water Quality in our area]
Permafrost collapse The climate-driven collapse of Canada's Arctic permafrost is much more widespread than previously thought, according to new research that presents a dire picture of the changing northern landscape. The study maps an unprecedented area of permafrost that is poised to thaw, threatening local communities and infrastructure, and may speed up global warming. From Siberia to Canada, giant craters and canyons are opening in the Arctic permafrost, the result of climate change in the north. Now for the first time, scientists have mapped the permafrost thaw across a huge swath of the Canadian north — a 1.27 million square kilometre region from the Yukon to Nunavut. "The intensity of the changes that we're starting to see haven't been seen for thousands of years," the paper's lead author Steve Kokelj told VICE News over the phone from Inuvik in the Northwest Territories. "It's the first time that disturbance over this large of a landmass has been mapped, and that a scientific rationale was provided for why the hotspots are where they are." (March 3, 2017) Vice News [more on Climate Change in our area]
Climate veterans say Trump budget undermines global cooperation China and India experts say cuts challenge progress on emissions, while an architect of the Paris climate deal criticises the US for not being "truthful" to its commitments Donald Trump's first budget proposal as US president has confirmed the climate community's worst fears. Swingeing cuts to climate programmes and research at home and abroad will undermine international efforts to protect people from dangerous global warming, veterans of UN talks told Climate Home. Laurence Tubiana, one of the architects of the historic Paris climate deal, described the US U-turn as "shocking". (March 17, 2017) Climate Home [more on Climate Change in our area]
Uncertainty Abounds Around Climate Science Funding The much-anticipated release Thursday morning of President Trump's budget outline offered big headlines — a $1.1 trillion spending plan with massive cuts to the EPA, the State Department and other agencies to help pay for increased spending on the military and border security — but it offered scant specifics on what might happen to funding for climate science research across key government agencies. The proposed budgets for NASA and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration had mostly vague mentions of reduced funding for certain satellite programs and research grants. There was no mention at all of the budget for the National Science Foundation, another major research funder. The budget blueprint leaves the climate science community in much the same limbo it has been in since the election, with concerns that major reductions in climate funding are in store, particularly given the rhetoric of Trump and his administration officials. (March 17, 2017) Climate Central [more on Climate Change in our area]
These Climate Programs Would Be Axed Under Trump's Budget President Trump's first budget proposal includes cutting EPA funding by a third, ending international climate work, squelching research. President Donald Trump's first budget plan treats climate change as the hoax he once called it, slashing funding for federal action, international cooperation and research on global warming as part of $54 billion in budget cuts. No agency would be harder hit than the Environmental Protection Agency. The budget blueprint released Thursday is only the first step in the process. Congress will weigh in and oppose the loss of popular programs and the plan's failure to address the deficit. To pass cuts to discretionary programs like those at EPA would require some Democratic support to reach 60 votes in the Senate, which is unlikely. But the White House is likely to find significant support among Republicans, particularly for cutting the EPA, which under President Obama spent four years developing the signature effort on climate change, the Clean Power Plan. Under Trump's plan, the EPA budget would be slashed by a third and lose 3,200 of its 15,000 employees. (March 16, 2017) Inside Climate News [more on Climate Change in our area]
Scientists Bristle at Trump Budget's Cuts to Research Before he became president, Donald J. Trump called climate change a hoax, questioned the safety of vaccines and mocked renewable energy as a plaything of "tree-huggers." So perhaps it is no surprise that Mr. Trump's first budget took direct aim at basic scientific and medical research. Still, the extent of the cuts in the proposed budget unveiled early Thursday shocked scientists, researchers and program administrators. The reductions include $5.8 billion, or 18 percent, from the National Institutes of Health, which fund thousands of researchers working on cancer and other diseases, and $900 million, or a little less than 20 percent, from the Department of Energy's Office of Science, which funds the national laboratories, considered among the crown jewels of basic research in the world. (March 16, 2017) March 16, 2017) New York Times [more on Climate Change in our area]
Trump budget cuts Great Lakes restoration, Sea Grant programs The Trump Administration's proposed budget is out – and it eliminates the $300 million in annual funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), which finances environmental projects all over the region. The budget also zeroes out the $250 million allotted to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) grants, including 33 Sea Grant programs nationwide. Based at universities, Sea Grant programs focus on educating the public, outreach and research. The budget says the programs are a "lower priority than core functions maintained in the Budget such as surveys, charting, and fisheries management." (March 16, 2017) WXXI News [more on Great Lakes and Water Quality and Environmental Education in our area]
Businesses urge Trump to rethink climate bonfire More than 1,000 companies are backing an ad campaign warning that an anticipated rollback of green regulations will harm the US economy1 As Donald Trump prepares to make his first major rollback of Barack Obama's climate policies, corporations employing more than 1.85 million people are warning such moves put "American prosperity at risk". More than two dozen Fortune 500 companies joined roughly 1,000 others in signing a letter addressed to Trump, Congress and "global leaders". Together they have a revenue of more than US$1.2 trillion, according to sustainable investor network Ceres.1 The letter said a low carbon economy could be "cost-effective" if policies supported energy efficiency and the transition of the energy system. (March 15, 2017) Climate Home [more on Climate Change in our area]
The House Republicans Calling for Climate Action in the Trump Era A group of GOP lawmakers have signed a resolution warning that "the consequences of a changing climate have the potential to adversely impact all Americans." Will it translate to legislative action? At a time when President Donald Trump is working to dismantle former President Barack Obama's environmental legacy, more than a dozen House Republicans are calling for action to confront the threat of a changing climate. Seventeen Republican lawmakers, including Elise Stefanik of New York, Carlos Curbelo of Florida, Mark Sanford of South Carolina, Mia Love of Utah, Don Bacon of Nebraska, and Ryan Costello of Pennsylvania, introduced a resolution on Wednesday that urges the House of Representatives to "address the causes and effects" of climate change, according to a press release sent out by Costello's office. (March 15, 2017) The Atlantic [more on Climate Change in our area]
CSX freight train derailment cleanup continues today NEWBURGH - The cleanup at the site of the CSX train derailment continues Wednesday. Two CSX train crew members were treated Tuesday night for minor injuries at St. Lukes Cornwall Hospital after a freight train carrying toxic materials derailed in the City of Newburgh Tuesday, said State Police spokesman Steven Nevel. A preliminary investigation revealed that the 77-car train struck a "telescopic boom whip" that was crossing the tracks, Nevel said. Three locomotives and 14 cars derailed. (March 7, 2017) Poughkeepsie Journal [more on Dangerous Crude Oil Trains in our area]
Budget Proposal Would Hamper Climate Efforts Abroad The Trump administration's budget proposal would hamper efforts abroad to slow global warming, especially by poor and fast-developing countries, compounding the hazards of America's retreat from efforts to ease its own climate impacts. A 54-page proposal released Thursday would end payments to global climate initiatives, such as a United Nations fund that helps poor countries deploy clean energy and adapt to climate change. It would also sharply reduce funding for the World Bank and other development programs. Meanwhile, the budget proposal and executive orders by Trump would increase the amount of climate pollution released by Americans for years to come, largely by eliminating regulations and spending designed to help the U.S. meet obligations under the Paris climate treaty. (March 16, 2017) Climate Central [more on Climate Change in our area]
Map Shows How Climate Change Will Affect Health Across US Climate change is poised to affect the health of Americans in every part of the country, a new report says. The report, published today (March 15), comes from a new group made up of 11 medical organizations, including allergists, pediatricians, infectious-disease doctors, OB/GYNs and gerontologists. "Doctors in every part of our country see that climate change is making Americans sicker," Dr. Mona Sarfaty, the director of the new group, called the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, said in a statement. [5 Ways Climate Change Will Affect Your Health] (March 15, 2017) LIve Science [more on Climate Change and Environmental Health in our area]
Climate change is making us sick, top U.S. doctors say From increases in deadly diseases to choking air pollution and onslaughts of violent weather, man-made climate change is making Americans sicker, according to a report released Wednesday by 11 of the nation's top medical societies. The report was prepared by the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, a new group that represents more than 400,000 doctors, who make up more than half of all U.S. physicians. "Doctors in every part of our country see that climate change is making Americans sicker," said Mona Sarfaty, the director of the new consortium and a professor at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. (March 15, 2017) USA Today [more on Climate Change and Environmental Health in our area]
Exploring the death, and life, of the Great Lakes The Great Lakes are a marvel — an unrivaled natural resource and a stunning landscape that defines the surrounding states. But in the middle of the 20th century, they were in trouble. Pollution strangled the beaches, and rivers feeding the lakes were so filled with chemicals they literally caught on fire. Then came the Clean Water Act of 1972. "In 1972, suddenly industries and cities were being held accountable for what they were putting in our water bodies," reporter Dan Egan told MPR News host Tom Weber. "The improvement was vast and dramatic — and in many ways people thought the problem had largely been solved." Not so fast. As Egan explains in his new book, "The Death and Life of the Great Lakes," the Clean Water Act took steps in battling industrial pollution. But it failed to deal with biological pollution, which today is causing damage at an alarming speed (March 13, 2017) MPR News [more on Great Lakes and Water Quality in our area]
Trump to Drop Climate Change From Environmental Reviews, Source Says Directive to reverse Obama-era mandate for agency actions Clean Power Plan, methane rules and coal halt also addressed President Donald Trump is set to sign a sweeping directive to dramatically shrink the role climate change plays in decisions across the government, ranging from appliance standards to pipeline approvals, according to a person familiar with the administration's plan. The order, which could be signed this week, goes far beyond a targeted assault on Obama-era measures blocking coal leasing and throttling greenhouse gas emissions from power plants that has been discussed for weeks. Some of the changes could happen immediately; others could take years to implement. It aims to reverse President Barack Obama's broad approach for addressing climate change. One Obama-era policy instructed government agencies to factor climate change into formal environmental reviews, such as that for the Keystone XL pipeline. Trump's order also will compel a reconsideration of the government's use of a metric known as the "social cost of carbon" that reflects the potential economic damage from climate change. It was used by the Obama administration to justify a suite of regulations. (March 14, 2017) Bloomberg [more on Climate Change in our area]
Chief Environmental Justice Official at EPA Resigns, With Plea to Pruitt to Protect Vulnerable Communities Mustafa Ali quits after 24 years, as new administrator prepares deep cuts in programs affecting the poor and minorities. The head of the environmental justice program at the Environmental Protection Agency has stepped down, departing the government with a lengthy letter to Scott Pruitt, the EPA's new administrator, urging him not to kill the agency's programs. Mustafa Ali, a senior adviser and assistant associate administrator at the agency, worked to alleviate the impact of air, water and industrial pollution on poverty-stricken towns and neighborhoods during nearly a quarter century with the EPA. He helped found the environmental justice office, then the environmental equity office, in 1992, during the presidency of President George H.W. Bush. Ali leaves the EPA as Pruitt, who took office Feb. 17, prepares to implement deep cuts in the agency's budget and staff. A Trump administration proposal would cut the EPA's $8 billion budget by $2 billion and reduce its roster of 15,000 employees by 20 percent. An internal memo obtained by multiple news outlets on March 1 called for a complete dismantling of the office of environmental justice and elimination of a number of grant programs that address low-income and minority communities. A story in the Oregonian reported that funding for the office would decrease 78 percent, from $6.7 million to $1.5 million. (March 9, 2017) Inside Climate News [more on Environmental Health in our area]
Amazon jungle faces death spiral of drought and deforestation, warn scientists 'More droughts can lead to less forest, leading to more droughts and so on' Much of the Amazon is facing a death spiral of deforestation and drought over the next century, according to a new study. Projected reductions in rainfall would not lead to "complete Amazon dieback" but "large parts" of the vast region were "certainly at risk", one of the researchers said. The water cycle of the Amazon has been described as "one of nature's great wonders", but the forest has been under pressure from the timber industry, agriculture and the effects of climate change. The new study examined what would happen if the dry seasons intensify. They found there was a feedback loop in which droughts led to fewer trees, which reduced the level of rainfall. The Amazon rainforest is so large that it has an important impact on the world's climate. It has been said that deforestation there could cause more rain in the UK. (March 14, 2017) Independent [more on Climate Change in our area]
DEC Expected to Release Report About the Investigation of the Genesee River in March 2017 Genesee RiverWatch News DEC Expected to Release Report About the Investigation of the Genesee River in March 2017 This link opens a fact sheet that provides an update about the investigation of contamination related to the Genesee River, within New York's State Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Corrective Action Program: here DEC expects to release a report about the investigation in March 2017. Please see the fact sheet for details. (from Genesee River Watch)
NYSERDA wants your feedback on NYStretch-Energy Code! The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has created NYStretch-Energy — a voluntarily implemented stretch energy code to reduce the impact of buildings on the environment — and they are seeking your feedback. Your insight is greatly appreciated. Simply: Access the document. Submit comments through the website link before March 24, 2017. NYSERDA will take all comments into consideration before finalizing NYStretch-Energy. For background on the effort, visit here. The NYSERDA team also gave a webinar on NYStretch on October 13, 2016 as part of the Climate Smart Communities webinar series. The recording and slides are available at here. . Please forward this email to anyone you feel may have insightful comments—builders, architects, engineers, planners, elected officials, code enforcement officials, and developers are ideal. Thank you, in advance, for helping New York State provide NYStretch-Energy as an environmentally responsible local community option. (March 13, 2017) The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC
Proposed Great Lakes Initiative cuts could harm local ecology, economy GLRI money is used toward fishery research, remediation Since its inception in 2010, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has pumped millions into projects that address issues concerning Lake Ontario, the Niagara River and myriad local tributaries. That money has been used to study and monitor sport-fish and the lake food-chain, reduce pollution, prevent algae blooms, support environmental remediation efforts (including the cleanup of Eighteen Mile Creek) and keep invasive species at bay. Nearly all of those projects would not continue under a Trump Administration proposal to slash GLRI funding from $300 million down to just $10 million, as part of his proposed $2 billion cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency. Environmental and conservation experts warn that such a drastic cut could have serious effects on Great Lakes basin ecology, fisheries, water quality and local economies. (March 13, 2017) Lockport Union-Sun Journal [more on Great Lakes in our area]
The climate change lawsuit the Trump administration is desperate to stop going to trial Young people aged between nine and 20 claim the federal government has promoted fossil fuel production, worsening climate change and therefore violating their constitutional right to life, liberty and property A groundbreaking climate lawsuit, brought against the federal government by 21 children, has been hailed by environmentalists as a bold new strategy to press for climate action in the United States. But the Trump administration, which has pledged to undo Barack Obama's climate regulations, is doing its best to make sure the case doesn't get far. (March 10, 2017) Independent [more on Climate Change in our area]
As cities from Sydney to Oslo set more ambitious targets to cut climate change than national plans, is conflict ahead? Cities test limits of power vs governments over climate change * More than half of the world's population in urban areas * From Oslo to Sydney, city ties with government strained * In America, city of Austin fears Trump plans will hinder goals Cities from Oslo to Sydney are setting goals to curb climate change that exceed national targets, causing tensions with central governments about who controls policy over green energy and transport and construction. More than 2,500 cities have issued plans to cut carbon emissions to the United Nations since late 2014, setting an example to almost 200 nations that reached a Paris Agreement in December 2015 to fight global warming. Although there are no officially collated statistics available, many city targets are more ambitious than those set by governments under the Paris accord, which imposes no obligations on cities, regions or companies to define goals. (March 13, 2017) Reuters [more on Climate Change in our area]
Carbon Dioxide Is Rising at Record Rates The main driver of climate change is carbon dioxide. So the fact that it is rising at rates unseen in the instrumental record — and likely much longer than that — is cause for alarm. Yet here we are. For the second year in a row, carbon dioxide concentrations as measured at Mauna Loa Observatory rose at a record-fast clip, according to new data released by the Environmental System Research Laboratory (ESRL). The annual growth of 3 parts per million in 2016 is the slightest shade below the jump in 2015 of 3.03 ppm. Both years mark the first time carbon dioxide has risen more than 3 ppm in a single year in ESRL's 59 years of monitoring. An exceptionally strong El Niño helped kick the numbers up a bit, but ever-increasing carbon pollution is the main driver behind the uptick. The annual growth rate has increased since record keeping began in 1960 from just under 1 ppm in the 1960s to more than 2.4 ppm through the first half of the 2010s. The past two years have set a record for the fastest annual growth rate on record. (March 10, 2017) Climate Central [more on Climate Change in our area]
Behind the Quiet State-by-State Fight Over Electric Vehicles When Georgia repealed its generous $5,000 tax credit on electric vehicles in July 2015, and instead slapped a $200 registration fee on electric cars, sales quickly tumbled. In the month before the repeal, nearly 1,300 electric vehicles were sold in the state. By August, those sales had all but evaporated — to just 97 cars. It was a hint of what would come. Today, the economic incentives that have helped electric vehicles gain a toehold in America are under attack, state by state. In some states, there is a move to repeal tax credits for battery-powered vehicles or to let them expire. And in at least nine states, including liberal-leaning ones like Illinois and conservative-leaning ones like Indiana, lawmakers have introduced bills that would levy new fees on those who own electric cars. The state actions could put the business of electric vehicles, already rocky, on even more precarious footing. That is particularly true as gas prices stay low, and as the Trump administration appears set to give the nascent market much less of a hand. (March 11, 2017) New York Times [more on Transportation and Climate Change in our area]
Earth's oceans are warming 13% faster than thought, and accelerating Our new study improves estimates of the rate of ocean warming - a critical component of climate change New research has convincingly quantified how much the Earth has warmed over the past 56 years. Human activities utilize fossil fuels for many beneficial purposes but have an undesirable side effect of adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere at ever-increasing rates. That increase - of over 40%, with most since 1980 - traps heat in the Earth's system, warming the entire planet. But how fast is the Earth warming and how much will it warm in the future? Those are the critical questions we need to answer if we are going to make smart decisions on how to handle this issue. (March 10, 2017) The Guardian [more on Climate Change in our area]
Mass Bleaching Is Hitting the Great Barrier Reef Again After suffering through the most severe bleaching event ever recorded last year, the Great Barrier Reef is once again being savaged by a marine heat wave. After just one day of aerial surveys, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, which oversees the region, has already confirmed that warm waters are causing another mass bleaching. Climate change is compounding the reef's woes as warming waters put corals in a precarious position to survive. (March 10, 2017) Climate Central [more on Climate Change in our area]
Grim State of the Environment report warns climate change impacts could be irreversible The impact of climate change on the Australian environment and its ecosystems is increasing and some aspects may be irreversible, the latest State of the Environment report has warned. The condition of the environment was "poor" and "deteriorating" in some areas, despite improvements in the marine environment and the Murray-Darling Basin, according to the report. (March 7, 2017) Sydney Morning Herald [more on Climate Change in our area]
Prince Charles' Ladybird book is a climate communications masterpiece With strong sales and positive coverage in the rightwing press, the prince's children's book has found a way to speak across the divided politics of climate change A recent Ladybird book on climate change achieved something few books on climate change do: it got read (or at least bought) by large numbers of people. Shooting straight to the top of the Sunday Times bestseller list upon release last month, Climate Change: A Ladybird Expert Book's appeal had much to do with the profile and status of one of its authors: HRH Prince of Wales. (March 10, 2010) Climate Home [more on Climate Change in our area]
E.P.A. Chief Doubts Consensus View of Climate Change Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, said on Thursday that carbon dioxide was not a primary contributor to global warming, a statement at odds with the established scientific consensus on climate change. Asked his views on the role of carbon dioxide, the heat-trapping gas produced by burning fossil fuels, in increasing global warming, Mr. Pruitt said on CNBC's "Squawk Box" that "I think that measuring with precision human activity on the climate is something very challenging to do and there's tremendous disagreement about the degree of impact, so, no, I would not agree that it's a primary contributor to the global warming that we see." "But we don't know that yet," he added. "We need to continue the debate and continue the review and the analysis." (March 9, 2017) New York Times [more on Climate Change in our area]
Climate-Friendly Energy Star Program Could be Cut Energy Star, the program that certifies toasters, air conditioners, computers and buildings for energy efficiency, could be killed by the Trump administration as part of its effort to shrink federal spending. The administration wants the program to be "zeroed out" in the 2018 Environmental Protection Agency budget, according to news reports and a memo that the EPA provided to the National Association of Clean Air Agencies last week. The EPA declined to comment. (March 9, 2017) Climate Central [more on Climate Change and Energy in our area]
Forests key to mitigating climate change Drought and unsustainable practices are placing forests at risk, yet they are crucial to the reduction of the greenhouse gas emissions that fuel global warming. Researchers have reminded the world's governments that forests will play a vital role in mitigating the effects of climate change – provided policies are robustly pursued and reported with transparency. But even as European researchers set out the conditions for achieving this, other studies suggest that any pledges may be difficult to keep. A team from the UK, the European Commission, Italy and the Netherlands report in the Nature Climate Change journal that land management plans submitted by nations that pledged in Paris in 2015 to contain global warming to 2°C or less could contribute 25% of the total promised reductions in the greenhouse gas emissions that fuel global warming. (March 9, 2017) Climate News Network [more on Plants and Climate Change in our area]
Group asks city to lead clean-energy 'buyers club' Hydropower, wind, solar, and other renewables are providing more and more of New York's energy, a trend that government officials and environmental advocates want to continue. But for that to happen, the companies building new wind and solar farms need New York residents, businesses, and governments to buy their carbon-free power. Governments and business can do so relatively simply, since they consume lots of power, regularly seek out supply contracts, and can negotiate a good price. Residents and small businesses, however, have a tougher time sourcing renewable power, which they often pay a premium for. "Right now with a lot of these supply contracts, you have to pay extra to get green energy," says Sue Hughes-Smith, who's on the Rochester People's Climate Coalition's leadership team. "That doesn't make any sense. If we want to achieve a renewable energy supply, that needs to be the cheap option." (March 8, 2017) Rochester City Newspaper [more on Energy in our area]
Basu: Economics of climate change will affect world poverty In a warming environment, visible climate change meets the "invisible hand" of economics, according to economist Kaushik Basu. "You can feel it. Two years ago … I visited Beijing and Delhi back-to-back," said Basu, Cornell's C. Marks Professor of International Studies and professor of economics. "You look up at the sky in both places and you realize that this is a problem that has been left for far too long – and now you have to work in a hurry. … You don't have to read about it anymore. You need to look up and you are aware that something needs to be done." (March 8, 2017) Cornell Chronicle [more on Food and Climate Change and Environmental Health in our area]
Opposition efforts underway in response to proposed Great Lakes funding cuts An Erie County Legislator and local advocates for Great Lakes cleanup say the Trump Administration's proposed cuts to such efforts would prove harmful not only to the water and wildlife in it but also the local economy. The Trump Administration's ideas include a proposed 97-percent reduction in funding to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, cutting dollars from the current $300 million over the next five years down to $10 million in that same time span. (March 8, 2017) WBFO Buffalo's NPR News Station [more on Great Lakes and Water Quality in our area]
The word 'Science' disappears from Environmental Protection Agency office's mission statement The government will instead focus on work that is 'economically and technologically achievable' An office of the Environmental Protection Agency has had all reference to science removed from its mission statement. The EPA once proudly told visitors that a large part of its work was scientific research to help improve the climate and the environment ADVERTISEMENT . But those references have since been removed and replaced with a reference to things that are "economically and technologically achievable". Campaigners have said that the change is likely hugely significant, in line with other attempts to remove scientific and climate change work from the US government. It is just one of a range of changes and statements from officials that seem to signal a significant change in the way the government works (March 8, 2017) Independent [more on Environmental Health in our area]
Spring Came Early. Scientists Say Climate Change Is a Culprit. After a mild winter across much of the United States, February brought abnormally high temperatures, especially east of the Rockies. Spring weather arrived more than three weeks earlier than usual in some places, and new research released Wednesday shows a strong link to climate change. By the 2017 calendar, the first day of spring is March 20. But spring leaves arrived in mid-January in some parts of the South, and spread northward like a wave. The map above plots the date of "first leaf," a temperature-based calculation of when vegetation that has been dormant starts to show signs of life. This year, with the exception of a few small areas, the wave has arrived much earlier than the 30-year average. (March 8, 2017) New York Times [more on Climate Change in our area]
Most people don't know climate change is entirely human-made How much of the warming over the past century do you think is caused by human actions, as opposed to natural processes? If you think natural processes have played a big part, you are far from alone. Less than half of people in the UK (43 per cent), Germany (49 per cent) and Norway (just 34 per cent) think climate change is mainly or entirely due to human activities, according to a public opinion survey. In France, a slim majority (55 per cent) holds this view. (March 8, 2017) New Scientist [more on Climate Change in our area]
February's Warmth, Brought to You by Climate Change A bonanza of heat records fell throughout February in almost all quarters of the U.S. and research released on Wednesday shows that this pervasive spring-like warmth was made possible by climate change. The rise in planetary heat made the freakishly warm February at least three times more likely than it was around 120 years ago, according to the analysis by scientists working on the World Weather Attribution team. While it was a month to remember, by mid-century that type of heat could occur every three years unless carbon pollution is curtailed. (March 8, 2017) Climate Central [more on Climate Change in our area]
Report: Trump's budget eliminates Sea Grant The Trump administration appears ready to gut parts of the federal budget aimed at protecting waterways, conducting research and educating the public on environmental issues — including entirely eliminating funding for the Sea Grant program across the U.S. The Sea Grant cut was unveiled Saturday by a Washington Post story that quotes an unnamed source who provided an Office of Management and Budget document. If accurate, the elimination of Sea Grant's $76 million annual budget would be part of huge cuts in funding for research and outreach arms of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a division of the U.S. Commerce Department. The cuts target programs that deal with conservation, restoration, climate change and other environmental issues, especially research and public education. (March 6, 2017) Duluth News Tribune [more on Environmental Health and Environmental Education in our area]
Top Trump Advisers Are Split on Paris Agreement on Climate Change The White House is fiercely divided over President Trump's campaign promise to "cancel" the Paris agreement, the 2015 accord that binds nearly every country to curb global warming, with more moderate voices maintaining that he should stick with the agreement despite his campaign pledge. Stephen K. Bannon, Mr. Trump's senior adviser, is pressing the president to officially pull the United States from the landmark accord, according to energy and government officials with knowledge of the debate. But, they say, he is clashing with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and the president's daughter Ivanka Trump, who fear the move could have broad and damaging diplomatic ramifications. March 2, 2017) New York Times [more on Climate Change in our area]
EU says to beef up climate diplomacy to save Paris agreement EU foreign ministers on Monday said the bloc would strengthen diplomacy to promote the fight against climate change in the face of a possible U.S. exit from the Paris agreement. U.S. President Donald Trump campaigned on promises to reverse the climate-change initiatives of his predecessor and withdraw from a Paris climate deal backed by 194 countries in late 2015 to curb global warming by cutting greenhouse gases. (March 6, 2017) Reuters [more on Climate Change in our area]
Carbon Dioxide Could Reach 410 PPM This Month A never-ending stream of carbon pollution ensures that each year the world continues to break records for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This year will be no different. Like a rite of spring, carbon dioxide is poised to cruise pass the previous mark set last year and reach heights unseen in human history. In the coming weeks, carbon dioxide will start to breach the 410 parts per million threshold on a daily basis at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii. The monthly average for May could come close to topping 410 ppm, too, according to the U.K. Met Office's inaugural carbon dioxide forecast, released last week. (March 6, 2017) Climate Central [more on Climate Change in our area]
Sustainable capstone project monitors RMSC exhibit An RIT senior capstone project at the Rochester Museum & Science Center has given a team of environmental science students a crash course in green infrastructure and sustainable design. RIT students are contributing to a five-year project to monitor the museum's Regional Green Infrastructure Showcase. The installation reduces storm-water runoff and improves water quality. A museum exhibit, designed and developed by RIT students, illustrates the rain water saved by the installation in terms of bathtubs full of water. The capstone project, now in its second year, is overseen by the Water Education Collaborative, a not-for-profit organization that operates under the auspices of the Rochester Museum & Science Center. Christy Tyler, associate professor of environmental science in the Thomas H. Gosnell College of Life Sciences, is a member of the collaborative and the capstone adviser. (February 6, 2017) RIT University News
Warmer winter could mean trouble for grapes along Lake Erie A 2007 study by the Lake Erie Concord Grape Belt Heritage Association calculated that the region's grapes support more than 1,900 jobs and contribute more than $340 million to the regional economy. It is not a coincidence that most of the grapes produced in Pennsylvania are grown within a few miles of Lake Erie's shore. In the fall, winds coming off a warm lake tend to extend the growing season and delay frost for a few extra days — long enough, hopefully, to allow the crop to ripen. In the spring, cool winds off the lake typically prevent grape vines and fruit trees from breaking into bud too soon. Because it stays colder longer, they aren't vulnerable to an unexpected frost. At least that's how the region's fruit growers hope things work. But nearing the final weeks of an unusually warm weather in which Lake Erie never froze, many of them are wondering if they can count on the lake to manipulate the weather in their favor. (March 6, 2017) GoErie [more on Food and Plants and Climate Change in our area]
Trump plan for 40% cut could cause EPA science office 'to implode,' official warns In 2015, when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, D.C., unveiled a controversial regulation aimed at improving protection for wetlands and small streams, officials pointed to a 400-page technical tome assembled by agency researchers as the rule's scientific foundation and justification. But that document carried little sway this week as President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at gutting the rule. Now, the White House wants to dramatically slash the budget of the EPA science office that produced that report, employs some 1700 researchers and others, and runs essentially all of the agency's other major scientific activities. (March 3, 2017) Science [more on Environmental Health in our area]
Budget cuts at NOAA threaten climate-monitoring satellite program A White House memo suggests a 22-percent budget cut. But it hasn't happened yet. Why the Congressional budget-making process could offer hope for climate monitoring. Later this year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration plans to launch the JPSS-1 satellite. Completing a polar orbit 14 times each day, it will give NOAA an unprecedented amount of infrared and atmospheric data – information that's necessary to keep weather forecasts, agricultural outlooks, and disaster plans accurate as Earth's climate warms. These benefits won't come cheap. NOAA has budgeted $800 million for JPSS – an abbreviation for Joint Polar Satellite System – this year alone, and projects a nine-digit price tag for the mission each year through the mid-2020s. But will NOAA be able to afford this satellite? A White House budget memo obtained by the Washington Post on Friday reveals that the Trump Administration aims to cut NOAA's budget by 17 percent next fiscal year. That's in line with an 18 percent cut to the US Commerce Department, which administers NOAA. But the agency's satellite data division would lose 22 percent of its funding, or $513 million. (March 4, 2017) Christian Science Monitor [more on Climate Change in our area]
More electric vehicle charging stations coming to NY Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a new electric vehicle campaign that includes the installation of charging stations, incentives for employers to encourage employees to drive electric vehicles and extensive public education and outreach. Cuomo says the increased use of electric vehicles will help the state reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030. The campaign, which supports the Governor's Charge NY initiative, will be overseen by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. (March 6, 2017) WHEC [more on Energy and Transportation in our area]
Decision-makers skip N.Y. nuclear bailout hearing A state-approved bailout of three upstate nuclear power plants was the focus of a legislative hearing Monday, but New York's top energy officials declined to attend. The state Assembly held a hearing Monday on the state's "zero-emissions credit" plan, which kicks in on April 1 and will require ratepayers across the state to pay several billion dollars over 12 years to keep open the three aging plants, including the R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant near Rochester. The hearing, however, was absent the key decision-makers in Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration who were behind the initiative. (March 6, 2017) Rochester Democrat and Chronicle [more on Energy in our area]
Why Pruitt's 'Cooperative Federalism' Spells Trouble for Clean Water Protection A majority of Americans value strong federal protections for clean air and water, which provide both environmental and economic benefits. But they should be very worried that the basic human expectations of healthy air and safe water will quickly turn cloudy if the new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator's pledge to regulate through "cooperative federalism" becomes a reality. Cooperative federalism, at its most benign, is about allowing each state to tailor its own approach to enforcing environmental rules. At its worst, it's about the federal government turning a blind eye to states that shirk the nation's environmental laws or that simply don't have the coffers to pay for monitoring and enforcement. (March 6, 2017) EcoWatch [more on Water Quality in our area]
Forbidding Forecast For Lyme Disease In The Northeast Since the early '90s, reported cases of Lyme disease have tripled, to about 30,000 cases each year. The CDC thinks the actual number is 10 times higher. "We think the true burden of Lyme disease in the U.S. is about 300,000 cases," Kugeler says. "Lyme disease is quite a big public health problem." The reasons for this Lyme explosion are many, Ostfeld says. Climate change is part of it. The surge in deer — which feed ticks and spread them around — has also been a factor. (March 6, 2017) North Country Public Radio [more on Lyme disease in our area]
Solar power makes rapid advances across New York ENERGY: Projects since 2011 account for nearly 744 megawatts. Rooftop and commercial solar projects getting state support are mushrooming in New York, with the Cuomo administration pushing hard to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and get to an energy diet of 50 percent renewables by 2030. State officials report that state-supported solar energy projects increased in 2016 to 795 percent more than the number that was in the pipeline just five years earlier. "The residential market for solar is thriving in New York state," said David Sandbank, director of the NY-SUN, an arm of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. (March 6, 2017) Niagara Gazette [more on Solar Power in our area]
'Huge task' to tackle plastic waste in Pacific waters A grass-roots environmental organisation in the Cook Islands is warning there is a "huge task" ahead to tackle plastic waste in Pacific waters. That comes after an announcement by the United Nations' environmental agency that it has declared war on plastic, saying that more than eight-million tonnes of plastic ends up in the ocean each year. The UN is urging governments to ban or tax single-use plastic bags and legislate to reduce the use of other disposable plastic. Technical director of Te Ipukarea Society, Kelvin Passfield, said he hoped that the Cook Islands and other Pacific nations joined the UN's campaign as that will put more pressure on the countries producing the plastic. (March 6, 2017) Radio New Zealand [more on Recycling and Water Quality in our area]
Exposure to pollution kills millions of children, WHO reports find Exposure to polluted environments is associated with more than one in four deaths among children younger than 5, according to two World Health Organization reports published Monday. Worldwide, 1.7 million children's deaths are attributable to environmental hazards, such as exposure to contaminated water, indoor and outdoor pollution, and other unsanitary conditions, the reports found. Weaker immune systems make children's health more vulnerable to harmful effects of polluted environments, the report says. (March 5, 2017) The Washington Post [more on Environmental Health in our area]
Great Lakes restoration would be gutted in early White House plan With reports swirling that President Donald Trump intends sharp cutbacks at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Free Press has learned that a drastic reduction may be under consideration for Great Lakes restoration efforts, which in the past have received bipartisan support. The National Association of Clean Air Agencies confirmed for the Free Press late Thursday that an initial proposal from the White House Office of Management and Budget calls for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to be cut from $300 million a year to about $10 million. (March 2, 2017) Detroit Free Press {more on Climate Change, Water Quality, Wetlands, and Great Lakes in our area]
New York to launch electric vehicle rebate New York State will soon launch a rebate designed to make electric vehicles more price competitive with traditional cars. Officials said Friday they'll launch the initiative by April 1. The rebate of up to $2,000 will be available for zero-emission and plug-in electric hybrid vehicles. The incentive is part of efforts to reduce automotive carbon emissions, the state's largest climate change contributor. (March 1, 2017) WXXI News [more on Transportation in our area]
Climate change made NSW's hottest summer 50 times more likely Researchers find strong climate signal behind the heatwaves and record average temperatures that beset Australia's eastern states this summer Sleepless nights and bushfire days; the hottest summer on record in the Australian state of New South Wales was made 50 times more likely due to climate change, researchers have found. Repeated heatwaves broke maximum temperature records, culminating in the epic days of 11-12 February that pushed the mercury beyond 45C in many parts of the state. Devastating fires consumed whole villages and wildlife perished from exposure to the heat. Analysis of the events by a team from World Weather Attribution and the University of New South Wales found the record average heat could "be linked directly to climate change". (March 2, 2017) Climate Home [more on Climate Change in our area]
Water and soil muddy carbon budget thinking New research on soil, ponds and lakes means a rethink is needed on how to help tackle climate change by balancing the carbon budget. Climate scientists, struggling with the enduring problem of the carbon budget, may have to think again as a result of new research findings. One experiment, in the UK, has shown that the ponds, lakes and standing water that cover 4% of the Earth that isn't glaciated could release perhaps twice as much greenhouse gas as they warm this century. And a second study, in the US, has demonstrated that climate scientists have seriously over-estimated the soil's capacity to absorb carbon. It may be able to soak up only about half as much as they thought. (March 4, 2017) Climate News Network [more on Climate Change in our area]
Trump Aims To 'Eliminate' Clean Water Rule The Trump administration is moving to roll back an environmental rule intended to define which small bodies of water are subject to federal authority under the Clean Water Act. President Trump signed documents Tuesday directing the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to review the Obama administration's "Waters of the United States" rule. In doing so, Trump said he is "paving the way for the elimination" of the rule. He asked for the reviewers to assess its consistency with "promoting economic growth" and "minimizing regulatory uncertainty," among other factors. (February 28, 2017) NPR [more on Environmental Health in our area]
Trump Says He Loves Clean Air and Water. So Why Is He Gutting the EPA? The dirty details of the president's environmental policies. Even President Donald Trump likes clean water and air. During his speech to Congress Tuesday night, Trump certainly didn't dwell on the matter: His pledge to "promote clean air and water" was lumped in a sentence with commitments to work with both parties, push for paid family leave, and "invest in women's health." But it was still there. No matter who you ask—Republicans or Democrats—everyone likes to breathe air and drink water that won't kill them. Air and water poll so well, in fact, that Republicans will almost never come out and say that their policies might actually make them dirtier. Trump used similar lines about clean air and water throughout the campaign, saying things like, "We are going to work very, very hard on clean air and clean water." The subject also appears near the bottom of the energy section of the White House website. But earlier Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order that directed the Environmental Protection Agency to limit the scope of what counts as a regulated body of water under the Clean Water Act. More executive orders are on their way, and career staff are waiting to hear how many of their jobs may be cut. (March 1, 2017) Mother Jones [more on Environmental Health in our area]
Antarctica hits record high temperature at balmy 63.5°F An Argentine research base near the northern tip of the Antarctic peninsula has set a heat record at a balmy 63.5° Fahrenheit (17.5 degrees Celsius), the U.N. weather agency said on Wednesday. The Experanza base set the high on March 24, 2015, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said after reviewing data around Antarctica to set benchmarks to help track future global warming and natural variations. "Verification of maximum and minimum temperatures help us to build up a picture of the weather and climate in one of Earth's final frontiers," said Michael Sparrow, a polar expert with the WMO co-sponsored World Climate Research Programme. (March 1, 2017) Reuters [more on Climate Change in our area]
Sydney's Swelter Has a Climate Change Link, Scientists Say Southeastern Australia has suffered through a series of brutal heat waves over the past two months, with temperatures reaching a scorching 113 degrees Fahrenheit in some parts of the state of New South Wales. "It was nothing short of awful," said Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, of the Climate Change Research Center at the University of New South Wales, in Sydney. "In Australia, we're used to a little bit of heat. But this was at another level." So Dr. Perkins-Kirkpatrick, who studies climate extremes, did what comes naturally: She looked to see whether there was a link between the heat and human-driven climate change. (March 2, 2017) New York Times [more on Climate Change in our area]
Former EPA scientists to Trump: 'Evidence does not change when the administration changes' The Trump administration's proposal to cut the Environmental Protection Agency is looking dramatic indeed. The plans call for laying off thousands of staff, eliminating entire programs and making deep cuts to the agency's research office, the Office of Research and Development (ORD), according to recent reportingby The Washington Post. That's not to say all of this will happen — or that any of it will. Congress makes the final decisions on funding the government. But it's a stunning proposal to researchers familiar with the workings of the EPA. (March 2, 2017) The Washington Post [more on Environmental Health in our area]
The Vast Majority of the U.S. Had a Crazy Warm Winter Meteorological winter is officially over, but it felt like it ended long before its Feb. 28 expiration date. Much of the U.S. basked in relentless warm weather throughout February, turning the clock forward to spring. That follows December and January, which were both markedly warmer than normal for the majority of the country. While scientists crunch the numbers to figure out how warm the nation as a whole was this winter, early results show just how pervasive mild weather was. (March 2, 2017) Climate Central [more on Climate Change in our area]
A.G. Schneiderman Responds To Lamar Smith: We Will Not Comply With Your Unprecedented And Unlawful Subpoena In Letter To House Science Committee Chairman Smith, NYOAG Makes Clear: Subpoena Oversteps Boundaries Of Federalism, Separation Of Powers, Committee Jurisdiction – And Seeks To Distract, Delay, And Disrupt Multiple State And Federal Investigations Into Whether Exxon Committed Fraud Today, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman responded to a subpoena issued by the Chair of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Republican Texas Congressman Lamar Smith. In the letter to Smith, the New York Office of the Attorney General (NYOAG) makes clear that the subpoena oversteps the boundaries of federalism, separation of powers, and the Committee's own jurisdiction – seeking to distract from, delay, and disrupt multiple state and federal investigations into whether ExxonMobil committed fraud. Read the Attorney General's full response here. (March 1, 2017) A.G. Schneiderman
Keep it in the ground: Shell's 1991 film warning of climate change danger uncovered Public information film unseen for years shows Shell had clear grasp of global warming 26 years ago but has not acted accordingly since, say critics More than a quarter of a century ago, oil giant Shell made an extraordinary public film about the dangers of global warming, called Climate of Concern, which has just been rediscovered. The film, says one leading climate scientist, is one of the best he has ever seen: the science is sharp, the predictions uncannily accurate and the suggested solutions smart. The film even had an urgent message: "Action now is seen as the only safe insurance." Yet Shell has spent the 26 years since investing many billions in highly polluting tar sands and helping to lobby against climate action. As Bill McKibben told me: "Imagine if Shell had taken their own advice and we'd spent the last quarter century in all-out pursuit of renewables, energy efficiency, and conservation. We wouldn't have solved the problem of global warming, but we'd be well on the way. Shell made a big difference in the world – a difference for the worse." (March 1, 2017) The Guardian [more on Climate Change and Energy in our area]
Quebec government concerned by presence of Asian carp in St. Lawrence River Wildlife Ministry 'very worried' about harmful fish, which destroys ecosystems where it lives Quebec's Wildlife Ministry says it is "very worried" about the presence of Asian carp, a harmful species of fish, in some Quebec waterways. The Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks confirms that the fish, which is destructive to the ecosystems in which it settles, has arrived in the St. Lawrence River. Julie Grignon, who speaks for the ministry, told Radio-Canada that the grass carp has been found in the St. Lawrence and its nearby waterways. One was caught near Contrecoeur, Que., on the South Shore. The grass carp is one of four types of Asian carp. (February 28, 2017) CBC News [more on Invasive Species in our area]
White House orders Asian carp plan delay The Trump administration has ordered a hold on the release of a tentative plan to stop Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes by strengthening a choke point in the Chicago waterway system, according to the Detroit Free Press. The White House wants to review the plan for stopping Asian silver and bighead carp at the Brandon Road Lock & Dam, which the U.S. Army Corps had been scheduled to release in draft form on Feb. 28, the newspaper reported. The release is on indefinite hold for now, confirmed Allen Marshall, public affairs officer for the Army Corps Rock Island District. (March 1, 2017) MLive Michigan [more on Invasive Species and Great Lakes in our area]