American Loon #2192: Bob Rucho

Deranged crackpot William D. Rubinstein must, despite being born in the US, be counted as British, which is unfortunate since he is absolutely hilarious. Robert Anthony Rucho, on the other hand, is as American as Chinese fortune cookies. Rucho is a member of the North Carolina General...

Read the full lunacy: #2192: Bob Rucho Encyclopedia of American Loons

2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #41

A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook page during the past week. 

Editor's Pick

Record Amazon fires stun scientists; sign of sick, degraded forests

If climate change continues to worsen unchecked, and forest degradation continues unabated, then unstoppable Amazon mega-fires could be seen in this century; such fires would greatly increase the release of carbon into the atmosphere worsening climate change. Photo courtesy of IBAMA 

• With the fire season still on-going, Brazil has seen 208,278 fires this year, putting 2017 on track to beat 2004’s record 270,295 fires. While drought (likely exacerbated by climate change) worsens the fires, experts say that nearly every blaze this year is human-caused.
• The highest concentration of fires in the Amazon biome in September was in the São Félix do Xingu and Altamira regions. Fires in Pará state in September numbered 24,949, an astonishing six-fold increase compared with 3,944 recorded in the same month last year.
• The Amazon areas seeing the most wildfires have also seen rapid change and development in recent years, with high levels of deforestation, and especially forest degradation, as loggers, cattle ranchers, agribusiness and dam builders move in.
• Scientists warn of a dangerous synergy: forest degradation has turned the Amazon from carbon sink to carbon source; while globally, humanity’s carbon emissions are worsening drought and fires. Brazil’s rapid Amazon development deepens the problem. Researchers warn that mega-fires could be coming, unless trends are reversed. 

Record Amazon fires stun scientists; sign of sick, degraded forests by Sue Branford & Maurício Torres, Mongabay, Oct 11, 2017

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Links posted on Facebook

Sun Oct 8, 2017

• Back-to-Back Hurricanes Take Heavy Toll on the Caribbean by António Guterres, Inter Press Service (IPS), Oct 4, 2017
• Buffeted but not sunk: Paris resilience plan tackles inequity and climate change by Megan Rowling, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Oct 8, 2017
• From cloud nine to climate change, here’s why you should always look up by Amy Ellis Nutt, Health & Science, Washington Post, Oct 7, 2017
• Our Changing Climate Mind-Set, Opinion by Robert Jay Lifton, Sunday Review, New York Times, Oct 7, 2017
• Hurricane Nate Weakens to Tropical Storm After Landfall by Chas Danner, Daily Intelligencer, New York Magazine, Oct 8, 2017
• Friendly policies keep US oil and coal afloat far more than we thought by David Roberts, Energy & Environment, Vox, Oct 7, 2017
• Walruses face 'death sentence' as Trump administration fails to list them as endangered by Oliver Milman, Guardian, Oct 4, 2017
• Elon Musk says he can rebuild Puerto Rico's power grid with solar, BBC News, Oct 6, 2017

Mon Oct 9, 2017

• Australia's energy trainwreck: How we ended up with the world's highest power bills, Perry Williams, Sydney Morning Herald, Oct 6, 2017
• NSW bids to skirt court's coal mine ruling by weakening laws protecting Sydney's water by Peter Hannam, Sydney Morning Herald, Oct 9, 2017
• Tokyo Is Preparing for Floods ‘Beyond Anything We’ve Seen’ by Hiroko Taubuci, New York Times, Oct 6, 2017
• Germany’s Shift to Green Power Stalls, Despite Huge Investments by Stanley Reed, New York Times, Oct 7, 2017
• E.P.A. Announces Repeal of Major Obama-Era Carbon Emissions Rule by Lisa Friedman & Brad Plumer, Climate, New York Times, Oct 9, 2017
• Trump’s plan to bail out failing fossil fuels with taxpayer subsidies is perverse by Dana Nuccitelli, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Oct 9, 2017
• Mega-battery plant to come online in Sheffield by Adam Vaughn, Guardian, Oct 9, 2017
• Hyperthermals: What can they tell us about modern global warming? by Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief, Oct 9, 2017

Tue Oct 10, 2017

• Chief Scientist Alan Finkel makes last ditch plea for clean energy target by James Massola & Cole Latimer, Sydney Morning Herald, Oct 9, 2017
• Growing acidification of the Chesapeake Bay threatens crabs, oysters, other life by Scott Dance, Baltimore Sun, Oct 5, 2017
• Science, religion aren't in opposition when it comes to climate change, Opinion by Chris Werle, Hattiesburg American, Oct 8, 2017
• At least 11 dead as fires rage in Northern California by Madison Park & Ralph Ellis, CNN, Oct 10, 2017
• How 4 a.m. chats persuaded Miami’s Republican mayor to care about sea-level rise by David Smiley, Miami Herald, Oct 6, 2017
• Warming Oceans May Make ‘Nemo’ Harder to Find by Craig Welch, National Geographic, Oct 10, 2017
• E.P.A. Says It Will Write a New Carbon Rule, but No One Can Say When by Lisa Friedman, Climate, New York Times, Oct 10, 2017
• Are Electric Vehicles Pushing Oil Demand Over a Cliff? by Erica Gies, InsideClimate News, Oct 10, 2017

Wed Oct 11, 2017

• IMF tells rich nations that greater urgency needed on climate change by Gareth Hutchens, Guardian, Oct 10, 2017
• Tony Abbott's climate change claims just don't stack up by Andrew P Street, ABC News, Oct 10. 2017
• How will climate change hurt our ocean species? Scientists investigate by Jami Morton, New Zealand Herald, Oct 8, 2017
• How California's firestorm spread so mind-bogglingly fast: From 'Diablo' winds to climate trends by Andrew Freedman, Mashable, Oct 10, 2017
• New EPA document reveals sharply lower estimate of the cost of climate change by Chris Mooney, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Oct 11, 2017
• Coal War Games: How Pruitt and Perry are Working the System to Save Dirty Energy by John H Cushman Jr, InsideClimate News, Oct 10, 2017
• Coal Boss Takes Climate Change Denial to the Extreme by Marianne Lavelle, InsideClimate News, Oct 11, 2017
• Despite Trump, American companies are still investing in renewable energy by John Abraham, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Oct 11, 2017

Thu Oct 12, 2017

• What Dead Birds Tell Us about Climate Change by Chelsea Harvey, Climate Wire/Scientific American, Oct 11, 2017
• A Giant, Mysterious Hole Has Opened Up in Antarctica by Kate Lunau, Motherboard, Oct 10. 2017
• Worrying new research finds that the ocean is cutting through a key Antarctic ice shelf by Chris Mooney, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Oct 11, 2017
• Evacuations widened as Northern California wildfires spread to 170,000 acres with at least 23 dead by Louis Sahagun, Paige St. John, Panzar & Joel Rubin, Los Angeles Times, Oct 12, 2017
• Interpreting the Paris Agreement’s 1.5C temperature limit, Guest Post by Joeri Rogelj & Carl-Friedrich Schleussner, Carbon Brief, Oct 10, 2017
• October 2017 ENSO update: Still watching for La Niña by Emily Becker, NOAA's Climate.gov. Oct 12, 2017
• Weather-company chief is Trump's pick to lead climate agency by Jeff Tollefson, Nature, Oct 12, 2017
• Conflicts of Interest? NOAA’s Nominees AccuWeather CEO Barry Myers, and Dr. Neil Jacobs of Panasonic by Andrew Rosenberg, Union of Concerned Scientists, Oct 12, 2017

Fri Oct 13, 2017

• The climate-change fire alarm from Northern California, Opinion by Editorial Board, Los Angeles, Times, Oct 12, 2017
• Hurricane Irma, global warming and the bomb: comparing energy giants by Barry Saxifrage, National Observer, Oct 11, 2017
• How Deep Ocean Wind Turbines Could Power the World by Bob Berwyn, InsideClimate News, Oct 12, 2017
• UK releases plan to ‘lead the world’ on growth with carbon cuts by Megan Darby, Climate Home, Oct 12, 2017
• AP-NORC Poll: Americans blame wild weather on global warming by Seth Borensein & Emily Swanson, AP, Oct 12, 2017
• Trump taps climate skeptic for top White House environmental post by Brady Dennis & Chris Mooney, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Oct 13, 2017
• Scientists See Climate Change in California's Wildfires by Debra Kahn & Anne C. Mulkern, E&E News/Scientific American, Oct 12, 2017
• Record Amazon fires stun scientists; sign of sick, degraded forests by Sue Branford & Maurício Torres, Mongabay, Oct 11, 2017

Sat Oct 14, 2017

• Penguin disaster as only two chicks survive from colony of 40,000 by Michael Slezak, Guardian,Oct 13, 2017
• UK climate change plan branded a 'blueprint for under-achievement' by Lizzy Buchan, The Independent, Oct 13, 2017
• SkS Analogy 10 - Bathtubs and Budgets by Evan & jg, Skeptical Science, Oct 12, 2017
• Not True that Hunger Doesn’t Discriminate — It Does by Baher Kamal, Inter Press Service (IPS), Oct 13, 2017
• New research, October 2-8, 2017 by Ari Jokimäki, Skeptical Science, Sep 6, 2017
• GAO to probe whether Trump administration is protecting agencies’ scientific integrity by Juliet Eilperin, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Oct 11, 2017

from Skeptical Science via IFTTT

2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #40

A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook page during the past week. 

Editor's Pick

International concern as US moves to end clean power plan 
 

US and Chinese presidents Barack Obama and Xi Jinping found common ground on climate change after the US announced the clean power plan (Pic: White House/Flickr) 

News that the Trump administration will move to repeal and replace the clean power plan (CPP) – a major initiative to cut emissions from the US electricity sector – has been met with concern overseas.

On Wednesday, the Reuters news agency reported on a document leaked from the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) outlining a plan to scrap the Obama-era measure.

It also called for input on a replacement policy that would reduce carbon emissions in fossil fuel power plants. Industry is reportedly lobbying for a weaker rule.

The policy underpinned the US commitment to the Paris Agreement, which Donald Trump says he wants to leave. It would also have had a real impact on the amount of carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere. By 2030, the clean power plan would have reduced power plant emissions in the world’s second biggest polluter by 32% below 2005 levels. 

International concern as US moves to end clean power plan by Karl Mathiesen, Climate Home,. Oct 4, 2017

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Links posted on Facebook

Sun Oct 1, 2017

• Kashmir: Global Warming by Jalal Ud Din Baba, Kashmir Life, Sep 30, 2017
• Costs of Climate Change: Early Estimate for Hurricanes, Fires Reaches $300 Billion by Sabrina Shnkman, InsideClimate News, Sep 28, 2017
• Trump administration swaps 'climate change' for 'resilience' by Miranda Green, CNN, Sep 30, 2017
• Death by 1,000 Cuts: Why the Forest Carbon Sink Is Disappearing by Georgina Gustin, InsideClimate News, Sep 28, 2017
• Trump Push to Cut U.S. Aid Prompts EU Geopolitical-Risk Warning by Nikos Chrysoloras & Jonathan Stearns, Bloomberg News, Oct 1, 2017
• Ice Loss and the Polar Vortex: How a Warming Arctic Fuels Cold Snaps by Bob Berwyn, InsideClimate News, Sep 28, 2017
• Puerto Rico could become a public health catastrophe, Opinion by Tomás R. Guilarte, Miami Herald, Oct 1, 2017
• After 350 Million Piñons Die, Scientists Fear For This Forest’s Future by Jim O'Donnell, Ensia, Sep 26, 2017

Mon Oct 2, 2017

• Language matters more than ever when the conversation turns to climate change by Stephen Hunt, CBC News, Sep 30, 2017
• Majority of Americans now say climate change makes hurricanes more intense by Emily Guskin & Brady Dennis, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Sep 28, 2017
• World can meet growing food demands and limit warming to 1.5C, study says by Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief, Oct 2, 2017
• Poorly insulated homes may cost £1bn extra in energy bills by Adam Vaughan, Guardian, Oct 2, 2017
• Stark Evidence: A Warmer World Is Sparking More and Bigger Wildfires by Nicola Jones, Yale Environment 360, Oct 2, 2017
• Why the 97% climate consensus is important by Dana Nuccitelli, John Cook, Sander van der Linden, Tony Leiserowitz & Ed Maibach, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Oct 2, 2017
• Forget the Paris agreement. The real solution to climate change is in the U.S. tax code. by Tim McDonnell, Wonkblog, Washington Post, Oct 2, 2017
• Rise of Distorted News Puts Climate Scientists on Their Guard by Gabriel Popkin, Eos Magazine, Oct 2, 2017

Tue Oct 3, 2017

• In a Warming World, Keeping the Planes Running by Mike Ives, New York Times, Sep 30, 2017
• Earth May Be Close to 'Threshold of Catastrophe' by Tia Ghose, Live Science, Oct 2, 2017
• Catholic church to make record divestment from fossil fuels by Arthur Neslen, Guardian, Oct 3, 2017
• The Most Powerful Evidence Climate Scientists Have of Global Warming by Sabrina Shankman & Paul Horn, InsideClimate News, Oct 3, 2017
• European countries spend billions a year on fossil fuel subsidies, survey shows by Fiona Harvey, Guardian, Sep 28, 2017
• Dirty Energy Dominance: Dependent on Denial – How the U.S. Fossil Fuel Industry Depends on Subsidies and Climate Denial by Janet Redman, Oil Change International, Oct 3, 2017
• High Oil Subsidies Ensure Profit for Nearly Half New U.S. Investments, Study Shows by Neela Banarjee, InsideClimate News, Oct 3, 2017

Wed Oct 4, 2017

• It's not just Puerto Rico: 6 other Caribbean island nations are in crisis after the hurricanes by Julia Belluz, Science Health, Vox, Oct 3, 2017
• Volcanic Eruptions Can Cool the Planet, But They Won't Save Us From Climate Change by Meghan Bartels, Newsweek, Oct 2, 2017
• Most Americans Want Climate Change Policies by Adam Aton, ClimateWire/Scientific American, Oct 3, 2017
• European Parliament: Say No to Fossil Fuel Lobbying at International Climate Talks by Mat Hope, DeSmog UK, Oct 4, 2017
• IEA: Renewable electricity set to grow 40% globally by 2022 by Jocelyn Timperley, Carbon Brief, Oct 4, 2017
• Three Years for Eternity: A Prayer for Climate Action and the Common Good by Don João Mamede Filho, Common Dreams, Oct 4, 2017
• Global climate impacts of a potential volcanic eruption of Mount Agung, Guest post by Flavio Lehner & John Fasullo, Skeptical Science, Oct 4. 2017
• Ex-FEMA Director: Rebuilding Puerto Rico Requires Acknowledging Climate Change by Rebecca Leber, Mother Jones, Oct 3, 2017

Thu Oct 5, 2017

• A lack of action on climate change is putting people's lives at risk, Opinion by Mark Monaghan, Guardian, Oct 3, 2017
• Why people around the world fear climate change more than Americans do by Gregory J Carbone, The Conversation US, Oct 3, 2017 
• Scientists mapping Greenland have produced some surprising – and worrying – results by Chris Mooney, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Oct 4, 2017
• If you can't stand the heat, get out of the climate change debate, Comment by Judith Ireland, Sydney Morning Herald, Oct 5, 2017
• Trump Takes a First Step Toward Scrapping Obama’s Global Warming Policy by Lisa Friedman, New York Times, Oct 4, 2017
• One of the oldest climate change experiments has led to a troubling conclusion by Chris Mooney, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Oct 5, 2017
• Vast animal-feed crops to satisfy our meat needs are destroying planet by Rebecca Smithers, Guardian, Oct 5, 2017
• Soil holds potential to slow global warming, Stanford researchers find by Rob Jordan, Stanford News, Oct 5, 2017

Fri Oct 6, 2017

• Science Says: Era of monster hurricanes roiling the Atlantic by Seth Borenstein, AP, Oct 5, 2017
• People of faith have duty to fight climate crisis: Indigenous Bishop, Opinion by Mark McDonald, National Observer, Oct 4, 2017
• Amazon forest fires pushing climate change ‘beyond human control’  by Fabiano Maisonnave, Climate Home, Oct 5, 2017
• Analysis: How well have climate models projected global warming? by Zeke Hausfather, Carbon Brief, Oct 5, 2017
• New research, September 25 - October 1, 2017 by Ari Jokimäki, Skeptical Scince, Sep 6, 2017
• Climate change in the Caribbean – learning lessons from Irma and Maria by Michael Taylor, Guardian, Oct 6, 2017
• Hurricane Warnings for U.S. Gulf Coast Ahead of Strengthening Nate by Jeff Masters, Category 6, Weather Underground, Oct 6, 2017
• Major Tar Sands Oil Pipeline Cancelled, Dealing Blow to Canada’s Export Hopes by Nicholas Kusnetz, InsideClimate News, Oct 5, 2017

Sat Oct 7, 2017

• Greenland’s Coasts Are Growing as Seas Rise by Chelsea Harvey, ClimateWire/Scientific American, Oct 5, 2017
• U.N. chief hopes storms will sway climate skeptics like Trump by Michelle Nichols, Reuters, Oct 4, 2017
• Solar Energy Boom Sets New Records, Shattering Expectations by Georgina Gustin, InsideClimate News, Oct 6, 2017
• We looked at 1,154 climate science results and found no evidence of ‘publication bias by Johan Hollander, The Converstion UK, Oct 5, 2017
• International concern as US moves to end clean power plan by Karl Mathiesen, Climate Home,. Oct 4, 2017
• Humans experimenting with climate's 'playing nice', Video by Peter Sinclair, Yale Climate Connections, Oct 3, 2017

from Skeptical Science via IFTTT

Come the revolution...

It's not that we aren't deeply sceptical of politicians and their claims, especially when they attract the anti-health cranks and frauds that prey on the vulnerable. It's just that there's so much of this far-right hate speech and pseudo-religious extremism (the two frequently going hand-in-hand) that the fight against quackery was in dangerous of being swamped.

Therefore I have set up a separate blog for fighting the frauds, the morally corrupt, the vicious brutal morons and anything else that crawls its hate-filled way into our lives.

This new blog is here: Come the Revolution, the Moderate Centre Will Rise!

Happy reading.

You don’t want no change

In my line of work, you have to be able to survive different levels and incarnations of bureaucracies. People at the top will come and go at the whim of the electorate, or the whims of those who fund elections. But people like us, people at the bottom, will always be around. We will always […]
Read more at: You don’t want no change by Reuben