New report on climate change released today

[TSwizzle]

Within a few years winter snowfall will become a very rare and exciting event. Children just aren’t going to know what snow is

LONDONERS enjoyed snowy weather over the weekend and now as the widespread snow and ice thaws, many are wondering if more snow is anticipated in the coming days? Despite a respite from the severe weather, more disruptive wintry conditions are forecast to hit the UK this week. Up to four inches of snow is possible in areas above 400m according to forecasters.

Epic Fail

 

[bilby]

Within a few years winter snowfall will become a very rare and exciting event. Children just aren’t going to know what snow is

LONDONERS enjoyed snowy weather over the weekend and now as the widespread snow and ice thaws, many are wondering if more snow is anticipated in the coming days? Despite a respite from the severe weather, more disruptive wintry conditions are forecast to hit the UK this week. Up to four inches of snow is possible in areas above 400m according to forecasters.

Epic Fail

You do understand that this snow in London is only newsworthy because it's become very unusual, right?

You might even describe it as "rare and exciting".

 

[lpetrich]

Biden to impose moratorium on new federal oil and gas leases on Wednesday - The Washington Post - "The planned moratorium would pause oil and gas auctions as officials review the nation’s leasing system"

It may be temporary, but it's a start.

Biden to place environmental justice at center of sweeping climate plan - The Washington Post - "The president plans far-reaching actions to cut carbon emissions, aid polluted communities and shift the nation away from fossil fuels. The administration will treat climate change ‘as the emergency that it is,’ one top adviser says."

As part of an unprecedented push to cut the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions and create new jobs as the United States shifts toward cleaner energy, Biden will direct agencies across the federal government to invest in low-income and minority communities that have traditionally borne the brunt of pollution, White House officials said.

Biden will sign an executive order establishing a White House interagency council on environmental justice, create an office of health and climate equity at the Health and Human Services Department, and form a separate environmental justice office at the Justice Department. The order also directs the government to spend 40 percent of its sustainability investments on disadvantaged communities.

Seems like
Resolution for a Green New Deal | Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
noting
H.Res.109 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal. | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

 

[scombrid]

Epic Fail

You do understand that this snow in London is only newsworthy because it's become very unusual, right?

You might even describe it as "rare and exciting".

Where I live it used to go below 27F at least once every 3-5 years. We are considered USDA Zone 9B based on that. You don't grow coconuts and papayas in zone 9B. I have a lot of tropical fruit in our landscape. It hasn't been below 27F where I live since 1996. We haven't even had a freeze since 2011. So while we may still have a freeze. The new rarity of the event will indeed make it very news worthy. In the mean time I installed a straight-cool air conditioner in our house. That is something that was previously recommended only for houses in coastal South Florida. Since I did that in 2014 we have had >150% of normal cooling degree days and <60% of normal heating degree days in every year. So the straight cool non-reversible compressor was the right choice.

 

[blastula]

Yes, the latitudes where the temp more frequently drops below freezing is moving northward, but there is also more moisture in the air so where it does go below freezing there can be more precipitation and snowfall than in past.

 

[lpetrich]

Biden announces new climate change agenda - The Washington Post

Like the Green New Deal, the 2019 congressional resolution that called on the federal government to shift the United States toward clean energy, the new administration’s plan starts with jobs. President Biden proposes to make a large public investment in clean energy and help create 10 million new jobs, including for displaced workers in fossil-fuel-intensive industries. Rather than focusing on the long-term risks of climate change, a strategy favored by earlier climate advocates like Al Gore and his “Inconvenient Truth,” the Biden administration is talking more about the economic and social justice opportunities of climate action.

The executive order itself:
Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad | The White House

Geoff Bennett on Twitter: "It’s striking how much of Biden’s climate executive actions reflect major elements of the Green New Deal — tackling climate change while addressing economic/racial injustice — without actually *being the Green New Deal. Some political sleight of hand." / Twitter

Then AOC herself:
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "It’s almost as if we helped shape the platform " / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

Kara Voght on Twitter: "During the Biden-Sanders task force, @AOC + @sunrisemvmt founder @VarshPrakash sold @JohnKerry on a "climate corps" to put young people to work—a swing at a Green New Deal.

The creation of a Civilian Climate Corps is among the EOs @POTUS announced today: (links)" / Twitter

From back in July: Biden’s Campaign Teamed Up With Bernie to Write a Progressive Platform. Will Joe Actually Run on It? – Mother Jones - “Obviously it’s a values document, but it’s one he may just ignore.”


NBC News on Twitter: "Biden's expected executive actions on climate change:
• Conserve 30% of all federal land and water by 2030
• Suspend new leases for natural gas/oil development on federal lands/waters
• Create commission focused on environmental justice/green jobs (link)" / Twitter


President Biden to Sign Executive Order, Pausing Oil and Gas Leasing - The New York Times - "The array of executive orders elevate climate change at every level of the federal government"

 

[lpetrich]

Ilhan Omar on Twitter: "You get what you organize for " / Twitter
noting
Sunrise Movement on Twitter: "Movements elected @JoeBiden. Now, it's time to make sure our demands happen. This first week of executive orders are a heartening start.

But we're not stopping there.
Join our mass call to find out how you can fight for the Decade of the Green New Deal: (links)" / Twitter

Sunrise Movement on Twitter: "Representation alone is not enough. We also need the political will to fight for a better future.

Warnock's victory - while historic for being the first Black Senator from Georgia - is critical because Senate control puts survival checks on the table." / Twitter

Sunrise Movement on Twitter: "Deb Haaland's appointment as Interior Secretary is important not just for who she is, but for what she could do, and the executive orders coming out of the Biden administration are hopefully just a taste. (link)" / Twitter

Sunrise Movement on Twitter: "Having government representatives who respond to movement pressure allows our fight to be meaningful.

We were never going to get climate action from Trump's administration or Mitch McConnell's Senate, but now there's a fight to be had on both fronts.

This is just the beginning." / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib on Twitter: "ICYMI: I joined @KatyOnMSNBC to talk @POTUS' new executive orders on #climatechange and the #GreenNewDeal. We're off to a great start but we must be bold and urgent in the fight to prioritize folks' public health and ensure our children have a future. (video link)" / Twitter

AOC: I’m ‘extraordinarily encouraged’ by Biden’s climate executive actions - talking about such things as making all gov't vehicles electric.

I remember Bill Clinton and Barack Obama sounding good at first, and then wimping out. I'm sure that plenty of activists will be trying to keep that from happening.

 

[lpetrich]

Sunrise Movement on Twitter: "Today @JoeBiden announced that he is committing ..." / Twitter

Today @JoeBiden announced that he is committing to a historic society-wide mobilization to stop the climate crisis, create millions of good jobs, and roll back centuries of systemic environmental racism.

Many of the things we have been fighting for became a reality including:

Establishment of White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy and National Climate Task Force

Creation of a Civilian Climate Corps modeled after the New Deal’s Civilian Conservation Corps to put people to work in government jobs tackling the climate crisis

Commitment to a whole-of-government approach to Environmental Justice, including delivering 40% of climate investments to frontline communities

Creation of Interagency working group to ensure economic development and a just transition for fossil fuel communities

Direction to Secretary of Agriculture to work alongside farmers and ranchers to support sustainable agriculture and create new sources of jobs and wealth in rural America

Stop all new fossil fuel leasing on federal lands and waters and put all existing activity under review

Work with farmers to ensure federal programs move towards climate-smart regenerative agriculture that reduces emissions and creates wealth and jobs for rural America

Spur green job creation in construction, manufacturing, engineering & the skilled-trades

Seeing this type of action from the Biden administration is great but also just the beginning of what we need to fully address and stop the climate crisis.

Our movement isn't going anywhere @joebiden and we will continue to organize and build power for a Green New Deal.

Learn what it'll take tomorrow night:

Kicking Off the Decade of the Green New Deal - Sunrise Movement

Trump is out, and Biden is in! Democrats control the House and the Senate! The stage is set: In the next few months, we have our best chance to start making the Green New Deal a reality. Join us and Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib to celebrate and envision what the path forward could look like: What we need to see Biden and Congress do in these first 100 days, and the role our movement needs to play in making that happen.

Rashida Tlaib?

 

[lpetrich]

We are getting close to the second anniversary of AOC's release of her Green New Deal: 2019 Feb 7. Here is the bill's summary:
H.Res.109 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal. | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

This resolution calls for the creation of a Green New Deal with the goals of

• achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions;
• establishing millions of high-wage jobs and ensuring economic security for all;
• investing in infrastructure and industry;
• securing clean air and water, climate and community resiliency, healthy food, access to nature, and a sustainable environment for all; and
• promoting justice and equality.

The resolution calls for accomplishment of these goals through a 10-year national mobilization effort. The resolution also enumerates the goals and projects of the mobilization effort, including

• building smart power grids (i.e., power grids that enable customers to reduce their power use during peak demand periods);
• upgrading all existing buildings and constructing new buildings to achieve maximum energy and water efficiency;
• removing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation and agricultural sectors;
• cleaning up existing hazardous waste and abandoned sites;
• ensuring businesspersons are free from unfair competition; and
• providing higher education, high-quality health care, and affordable, safe, and adequate housing to all.

 

[Swammerdami]

... One of the more unscientific claims is that the "climate has changed before, and this current warming is just more of that". The most obvious problem with this explanation is that past variation in climate is extremely slow compared to what we're observing now....

Some climate excursions in the distant past were rather rapid, but this fact favors alarmism, not denialism. If minor causes effected huge temperature change in the distant past, that just increases the plausibility that the huge present-day heat forcings will raise temperatures enough to impact human society severely.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What a nasty move.
... "The rule, finished just a week before the president-elect takes office, would block future limits on greenhouse gases from industrial sources aside from power plants."

Is it not easy for Biden to quickly reverse this rule?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

... London-snow-forecast-will-it-snow-in-London-snow-maps-charts-EVG ...

You do understand that this snow in London is only newsworthy because it's become very unusual, right?

You might even describe it as "rare and exciting".

It's always amusing to read "thoughts" on climate change from the QAnon/Limbaugh crowd. Even the simplest science is beyond their ken. Their Pavlovian response is to ignore reports that 2020 set world-wide temperature records, find a mention of snow anywhere in the world, and add some emoticons!

It would be amusing ... except that these sheeples are allowed to vote.

 

[TSwizzle]

It is now mid-February, and already I have sown 11 species of vegetable. I know, though the seed packets tell me otherwise, that they will flourish. Everything in this country - daffodils, primroses, almond trees, bumblebees, nesting birds - is a month ahead of schedule. And it feels wonderful. Winter is no longer the great grey longing of my childhood. The freezes this country suffered in 1982 and 1963 are, unless the Gulf Stream stops, unlikely to recur.

Teh Gruaniad

Forecasters have issued an amber "danger to life" warning with snow finally set to hit London and southern England today after days of chaos in the rest of the country. The Met Office said snow could hit the capital as early as 2pm today, and last at least seven hours. The news comes as forecasters revealed the UK has seen its coldest temperature in six years, at a freezing -14.4C. The icy temperature was recorded in Braemar this morning.

London Standard

Hilarious.

A classic. Monbiot is such a horses ass.

 

[ZiprHead]

Teh Gruaniad



London Standard

Hilarious.

A classic. Monbiot is such a horses ass.

There's someone in your post that's a horses ass but I don't think it Monbiat.

 

[southernhybrid]

Even GM gets it!

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/28/business/gm-zero-emission-vehicles.html

The days of the internal combustion engine are numbered.

General Motors said Thursday that it would phase out petroleum-powered cars and trucks and sell only vehicles that have zero tailpipe emissions by 2035, a seismic shift by one of the world’s largest automakers that makes billions of dollars today from gas-guzzling pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles.

The announcement is likely to put pressure on automakers around the world to make similar commitments. It could also embolden President Biden and other elected officials to push for even more aggressive policies to fight climate change. Leaders could point to G.M.’s decision as evidence that even big businesses have decided that it is time for the world to begin to transition away from fossil fuels that have powered the global economy for more than a century.

Maybe there is hope when large corporations are beginning to understand that it's in their best interests to support climate change initiatives.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib on Twitter: "ICYMI: I joined @KatyOnMSNBC to talk @POTUS' new executive orders on #climatechange and the #GreenNewDeal. We're off to a great start but we must be bold and urgent in the fight to prioritize folks' public health and ensure our children have a future. (video link)" / Twitter

AOC: I’m ‘extraordinarily encouraged’ by Biden’s climate executive actions - talking about such things as making all gov't vehicles electric.

I remember Bill Clinton and Barack Obama sounding good at first, and then wimping out. I'm sure that plenty of activists will be trying to keep that from happening.

I recommend AOC come up with an actual plan. The Green New Deal was more of a plan than Trump released for health care, but that is a low bar. AOC, if she wants to move it forward, needs an actual plan, not just an outline.

 

[southernhybrid]

Executive orders are a start, but it's Congress that needs to move and pass legislation in regards to climate change or the next Republican president can simply negate Biden's executive orders. People like AOC need to stop blaming presidents for not getting things done. They are the ones who have the power to pass bills into law. The president only has the power to sign or veto what they pass, but I would hope she and her peers already know that. I wish AOC would stop tweeting and criticizing her fellow Democrats and instead find a way to get enough support to pass some progressive legislation.

Getting something through the Senate is going to be very difficult. I'm more impressed by what some of the largest corporations are planning right now in regards to climate change, then I am with the worthless tweets coming from the more progressive members of Congress.

 

[Elixir]

I wish AOC would stop tweeting and criticizing her fellow Democrats and instead find a way to get enough support to pass some progressive legislation.

I'm getting more and more disappointed. AOC gets increasingly articulate about what's wrong with Republicans, but IMO that's rather low-hanging fruit. She has her "squad" and seems uninterested in broadening that pup tent unless others want to conform to its rigid sides. Coalition building doesn't seem to be her forté, nor does it seem to interest her.

It's looking like a near-certainty that only work-arounds like reconciliation and modifying flilibuster rules are going to get anything done, unless Biden has some kind of secret Republican whisperer to get a few of them to cross over on legislation.

 

[ZiprHead]

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib on Twitter: "ICYMI: I joined @KatyOnMSNBC to talk @POTUS' new executive orders on #climatechange and the #GreenNewDeal. We're off to a great start but we must be bold and urgent in the fight to prioritize folks' public health and ensure our children have a future. (video link)" / Twitter

AOC: I’m ‘extraordinarily encouraged’ by Biden’s climate executive actions - talking about such things as making all gov't vehicles electric.

I remember Bill Clinton and Barack Obama sounding good at first, and then wimping out. I'm sure that plenty of activists will be trying to keep that from happening.

I recommend AOC come up with an actual plan. The Green New Deal was more of a plan than Trump released for health care, but that is a low bar. AOC, if she wants to move it forward, needs an actual plan, not just an outline.

I agree but I think a task force needs to be set up of industry experts to come up with this plan.

 

[lpetrich]

Anthony Adragna on Twitter: "New: @repblumenauer; @AOC and @BernieSanders introduce a bill requiring the president declare a national emergency for climate change. (links)" / Twitter

Blumenauer, Ocasio-Cortez, and Sanders Introduce Legislation to Mandate National Climate Emergency Declaration | Congressman Earl Blumenauer

The National Climate Emergency Act directs the president of the United States to declare a national climate emergency and mobilize every resource at the country’s disposal to halt, reverse, mitigate, and prepare for the consequences of this climate crisis.

The bill itself: untitled - BLUMEN_011_xml.pdf
Not yet at congress.gov however.

Basically an implementation of AOC's Green New Deal.