Arguments
2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #34
Posted on 25 August 2018 by John Hartz
Editor's Pick
A World On Fire
To see the image on Worldview: https://go.nasa.gov/2BRck1Z
The world is on fire. Or so it appears in this image from NASA's Worldview. The red points overlaid on the image designate those areas that by using thermal bands detect actively burning fires. Africa seems to have the most concentrated fires. This could be due to the fact that these are most likely agricultural fires. The location, widespread nature, and number of fires suggest that these fires were deliberately set to manage land. Farmers often use fire to return nutrients to the soil and to clear the ground of unwanted plants. While fire helps enhance crops and grasses for pasture, the fires also produce smoke that degrades air quality.
Elsewhere the fires, such as in North America are wildfires for the most part. In South America, specifically Chile has had horrendous numbers of wildfires this year. A study conducted by Montana State University found that: "Besides low humidity, high winds and extreme temperatures—some of the same factors contributing to fires raging across the United States—central Chile is experiencing a mega drought and large portions of its diverse native forests have been converted to more flammable tree plantations, the researchers said." More on this study can be found here: https://phys.org/news/2018-08-massive-south-central-chile.html#jCp
However, in Brazil the fires are both wildfires and man-made fires set to clear crop fields of detritus from the last growing season. Fires are also commonly used during Brazil’s dry period to deforest land and clear it for raising cattle or other agricultural or extraction purposes. The problem with these fires is that they grow out of control quickly due to climate issues. Hot, dry conditions coupled with wind drive fires far from their original intended burn area. According to the Global Fire Watch site (between 8/15 and 8/22) shows: 30,964 fire alerts.
Australia is also where you tend to find large bushfires in its more remote areas. Hotter, drier summers in Australia will mean longer fire seasons – and urban sprawl into bushland is putting more people at risk for when those fires break out. For large areas in the north and west, bushfire season has been brought forward a whole two months to August – well into winter, which officially began 1 June. According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (Bom), the January to July period 2018 was the warmest in NSW since 1910. As the climate continues to change and areas become hotter and drier, more and more extreme bushfires will break out across the entire Australian continent.
NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS)Worldview application provides the capability to interactively browse over 700 global, full-resolution satellite imagery layers and then download the underlying data. Many of the available imagery layers are updated within three hours of observation, essentially showing the entire Earth as it looks "right now. This satellite image was collected on August 22, 2018. Actively burning fires, detected by thermal bands, are shown as red points. Image Courtesy: NASA Worldview, Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS). Caption: Lynn Jenner with information from Global Fire Watch, Australian Bureau of Meteorology, and Phys.org
To see the image on Worldview: https://go.nasa.gov/2BRck1Z
World On Fire by Lynn Jenner, Goddard Space Flight Center, nasa.gov, Aug 23, 2018
Links posted on Facebook
Sun Aug 19, 2018
- Democratic National Committee Backtracks On Its Ban Of Fossil Fuel Donations by Alexander C Kaufman, HuffPost, Aug 10, 2018
- B.C. wildfires 2018: Smoke leaves majority of province under special weather statementc by Rhianna Schmunk, CBC News, Aug 18, 2018
- New Trump power plant plan would release hundreds of millions of tons of CO2 into the air by Juliet Eilperin, Health & Science, Washington Post, Aug 18, 2018
- US says conserving oil is no longer an economic imperative by Ellen Knickmeyer, AP News, Aug 19, 2018
- The Energy 202: When's a good time to talk climate change? Trump officials say: Not during a natural disaster by Dino Gandoni, PowerPost, Washington Post, Aug 15, 2018
- Are the heatwaves caused by climate change? by Rasmus Benestad, Real Climate, Aug 9, 2018
- It’s the end of the Earth as we know it. Read all about it!, Opinion by Lucy Siegle, Comment is Free, Guardian, Aug 19, 2018
- Climate Has a Role in Wildfires? No. Wait, Yes. by Henry Fountain, New York Times, Aug 17, 2018
Mon Aug 20, 2018
- Melting Permafrost Below Arctic Lakes Is Even More Dangerous to the Climate, NASA Warns by Meghan Bartels, Science & Astronomy, Space.com, Aug 18, 2018
- Malcolm Turnbull removes all climate change targets from energy policy in fresh bid to save leadership by David Crowe, Sydney Morning Herald, Aug 20, 2018
- Trump Administration Hit With 7 Major Environmental Setbacks In Court In Past Week by Alexander C Kaufman. HuffPost, Aug 19, 2018
- Global warming can make extreme weather worse. Now scientists can say by how much. by James Rainey, NBC News, Aug 19, 2018
- Wildfire Smoke Is Smothering the Us—Even Where You Don't Expect It by Megan Moltini, Science, Wired, Aug 14, 2018
- With climate change, there will never be a 'new normal', Opinion by Jill Mitchler, Appleton Post Crescent, Aug 19, 2018
- Surge in coal use scuttling climate change efforts by Pratch Rujivanarom, The Nation, Aug 20, 2018
- As Trump Dismantles Clean Air Rules, an Industry Lawyer Delivers for Ex-Clients by Eric Lipton, US, New York Times, Aug 19, 2018
Tue Aug 21, 2018
- Worst Monsoon Flooding In A Century Kills 350, Displaces 800,000 In India’s Kerala State, AP/CBC News, The Energy Mix, Aug 20, 2018
- Exclusive: Some Arctic Ground No Longer Freezing—Even in Winter by Craig Welch, National Geographic, Aug 20, 2018
- Nearly 600 Fires Rage Across B.C. As Alberta Researcher Points To Climate Connection by Gaye Taylor, The Energy Mix, Aug 20, 2018
- Trump administration proposes rule to relax carbon limits on power plants by Juliet Eilperin, Health & Science, Washington Post, Aug 21, 2018
- Trump administration's rewrite of Clean Power Plan will be a boon to the coal industry by Evan Halper, Politics, Los Angeles Times, Aug 20, 2018
- Arctic’s strongest sea ice breaks up for first time on record by Jonathan Watts, Environment, Guardian, Aug 21, 2018
- Florida can’t afford for its leaders to keep ignoring climate change, Opinion by Howard Goodman, Palm Beach Post, Aug 20, 2018
- Hurricane Watches Are Up as Ferocious Lane Draws Closer to Hawaii by Bob Henson, Category 6, Weather Underground, Aug 21, 2018
Wed Aug 22, 2018
- Wildfires Choke Washington State's Air, Delaying Flights and Trash Collection by Olivia Rosane, EcoWatch, Aug 21, 2018
- July 2018: Earth's 4th Warmest July on Record by Jeff Masters, Category 6, Weather Underground, Aug 20, 2018
- 5 Ways Trump's Clean Power Rollback Strips Away Health, Climate Protections by John H Cushman Jr, InsideClimate News. Aug 21, 2018
- Extreme rainfall and human interventions devastate Kerala by MM Paniyil, India Climate Dialogue, Aug 22, 2018
- Summer weather is getting 'stuck' due to Arctic warming by Jonathan Watt, Environment, Guardian, Aug 20, 2018
- How Energy Companies and Allies Are Turning the Law Against Protesters by Nicholas Kusnetz, InsideClimate News, Aug 22, 2018
- Hawaii is facing a rare threat: a Category 4 hurricane by Brian Resnick, Energy & Environment, Vox, Aug 22, 2018
- Danish farmers' drought losses deepen, more bankruptcies seen by Emil Gjerding Nielson, Reuters, Aug 22, 2018
Thu Aug 23, 2018
- Planting a mix of tree species ‘could double’ forest carbon storage by Daisy Dunne, The Carbon Brief, Aug 22, 2018
- NASA Launching Advanced Laser To Measure Earth’s Changing Ice, Uttarkhand News Network (UNN), Aug 23, 2018
- Crop damage mounts for EU farmers after torrid summer by Gus Trompiz, Reuter, Aug 22, 2018
- Carbon impact of ancient Maya farming may still be felt by Kiona N Smith, Ars Technica, Aug 22, 2018
- Trump’s False Claims About Coal, the Environment and West Virginia by Linda Qiu & John Schwartz, Fact Check of the Day, New York Times, Aug 21. 2018
- The Consumer Connection: A Consumer-Centric Approach to Delivering Home Energy Services by Laurie Guevara-Stone, Rocky Mountain Institute, Aug 22, 2018
- The lost summer’: the emotional and spiritual toll of the smoke apocalypse by Sharon J Riley, The Narwhal, Aug 21, 2018
Fri Aug 24, 2018
- Climate change means an Arctic shipping route has opened up for the first time by Kate Buck, MetroUK, Aug 23, 2018
- Miami Expert On How Climate Change Accelerates Gentrification: "It's A Double Whammy" by Alejandra Martinez, WRLN (Miami), Aug 23, 2018
- Climate Change Has Already Hit Home Prices, Led by Jersey Shore by Christopher Flavelle, Climate Changed, Bloomberg News, Aug 23, 2018
- As Climate Scientists Speak Out, Sexist Attacks Are on the Rise by Scott Waldman & Niina Heikkinen, E&E News/Scientific American, Aug 22, 2018
- Hurricane Lane lumbers closer to Oahu, while ‘catastrophic flooding’ hits Hawaii’s Big Island by Jason Samenow, Capital Weather Gang, Washington Post, Aug 24, 2018
- U.S. Wind Power Is ‘Going All Out’ with Bigger Tech, Falling Prices, Reports Show by Dan Gearino, InsideClimate News, Aug 23, 2018
- World On Fire by Lynn Jenner, Goddard Space Flight Center, nasa.gov, Aug 23, 2018
- Why is Texas’ Leading GOP Think Tank Suddenly All-In on an Anti-Wind Crusade? by Christopher Hooks, Texas Observer, Aug 23, 2018
Sat Aug 25, 2018
- Guest post: India’s emissions will double at most by 2030, Guests Post by Navroz K Dubash & Ankit Bhardwa, Carbon Brief, Aug 22, 2018
- Report Outlines Climate Change Risks Faced by Insurance Sector by Don Jergler, Insurance Journal, Aug 23, 2018
- Research Shows That A Low-Carbon Future Will Be A Renewable Future by Michael Barnard, Clean Technia, Aug 24, 2018
- The 6 things you most need to know about Trump’s new climate plan by David Roberts, Energy & Environment, Vox, Aug 24, 2018
- Climate change is interfering with internal clocks of birds, and humans should take heed by Larry Pynn, The Province (Ontario), Aug 23, 2018
- Climate change is melting the French Alps, say mountaineers by Simon Birch, Environment, Guardian, Aug 24, 2018
- In Black and White: How Climate Change Is Affecting Iran by Ako Salemi & Claire Potte, Pulitzer Center, Aug 23, 2018
- Great Barrier Reef headed for ‘massive death’ by Rebecca Wright & Ivan Watson, (Video by Tom Booth & Stuart Ireland) CNN, Aug, 2018
A couple of your facebook articles have a message when connected together. The Democrats back down on refusing to accept campaign donations from the fossil fuel industry is indeed unfortunate. Perhaps they could learn a bitter lesson from Malcolm Turnball, who has abandoned climate change targets. Despite this compromise to try to please right wing factions, he has still lost the job of prime minister.
This is what happens when politicians are weak, and give away their core positions. They get no respect for this. It looks to me like the Democrats are also trying to please everyone, and will end up pleasing nobody.
Aus is such a disappointment. If there is one country in the world that could rapidly and completely become carbon neutral it is Australia. Their resources of wind and solar are unmatched anywhere in the world. There is one ring that controls them all and if we don't get this one sorted, none of the rest will bear fruit. We must get vested interest money out of politics. "Who Pays the Piper Calls the Tune" was never as true as in politics. As long as the coal industry and others are financing the politicians, why we surprised that they do their bidding.
Just to note for some geographical accuracy that NSW is NOT in northern or western Australia. It is in south eastern Australia. Fire patterns are changing differently across different parts of Australia as one might expect in a continent that streches from the tropics to cold temperate environments. And despite our Federal Government (once again in unbelievable termoil and still dominated by climate change deniers), individuals, some State governments and commercial interests are very rapidly building billions of dollars worth of renewable power generators including solar, wind, solar thermal, many linked to battery storage or pumped water systems.