Arguments
2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #24
Posted on 15 June 2019 by John Hartz
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Jun 9 through Sat, June 15, 2019
Editor's Pick
Costa Rica Doubled Its Forest Cover In Just 30 Years!
Costa Rica has a long-standing commitment to the environment. The country is now one of the leading nations of sustainability, biodiversity, and other protections. The country’s first lady, urban planner Claudia Dobles, said in an interview with The New York Times that they plan to be completely fossil fuel free by 2050 and that achieving that goal would combat a “sense of negativity and chaos” in the face of global warming. “We need to start providing answers,” she said.
Which is exactly what they’ve been doing. One of their most incredible feats so far is managing to generate all the country’s power from solely renewable sources for three years consecutively! Then there’s also what they plan to do, which is absolutely incredible – they are set to be carbon-free and plastic-free by 2021. In addition, they’ve tackled the dilemma of deforestation remarkably – resulting in a doubling of tree coverage across the country in the last 30 years.
After decades of deforestation, Costa Rica has reforested to the point that half of the country’s land surface is covered with trees again. That forest cover is able to absorb a huge amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, combating climate change for us all.
Costa Rica Doubled Its Forest Cover In Just 30 Years! by Andrea D. Steffen, Environment, Intelligent Living, June 4, 2019
Links posted on Facebook
Sun June 9 2019
- India heat wave triggers clashes over water by Darko Janjevic, Deutsche Welle (DW), June 8, 2019
- Where to find big ideas for addressing climate change by SueEllen Campbell, Yale Climate Connections, June 4, 2019
- Extreme Flooding Across Midwest 'Exactly In Line' With Scientific Warnings of Climate Crisis: Experts by Julia Conley, Common Dreams, June 4, 2019
- Michael Bloomberg Promises $500 Million to Help End Coal by Lisa Friedman, Climate, New York Times, June 6, 2019
- The Democratic Party Is Trying to Downplay Climate Change. Don’t Let It., Opinion by Justin Gillis, Sunday Review, New York Times, June 7, 2019
- South Texas Heat Wave Sets June Record, Pushes Heat Index to 128 Degrees by John Erdman, The Weather Channel, June 9, 2019
- West Coast faces heat wave this week as wildfires rage by Theresa Waldrop, CNN, June 9, 2019
- In These U.S. Cities, Heat Waves Will Kill Hundreds More as Temperatures Rise by Bob Berwyn, InsideClimate News, June 5, 20df19
Mon June 10 2019
- The Three Most Important Graphs in Climate Change by Jonathan Foley, GlobalEcoGuy, Medium, June 3, 2019
- These senators are going after the biggest climate villains in Washington by David Roberts, Energy & Environment, Vox, June 7, 2019
- Quiet U.S. Fire Season May Get Active Later This Year by Bob Henson, Category 6, Weather Underground, June 7, 2019
- Maybe We’re Not Doomed After All, Opinion by John Gertner, Sunday Review, New York Times, June 7, 2019
- 'There is a Monumental Threat to Young People': Will the Plaintiffs Suing the Government Over Climate Change Ever Get a Trial? by Sharon Zhang, Environment, Pacific Standard, June 6, 2019
- UK weather latest: Met Office issues 'danger to life' warning over flooding as month's rain set to fall in six hours by Chris Baynes, The Independent (UK), June 10, 2019
- Only Trump can pack this much ignorance into a few words, Opinion by Eugene Robinson, Washington Post, June 6, 2018
- Why Won’t the Democrats Hold a Climate Change Debate? by Andy Kroll, Politics, Rolling Stone Magazine, June 10, 2019
Tue June 11 2019
- Arctic death spiral speeds up sixfold, driving coastal permafrost collapse by Joe Romm, Think Progress, June 10, 2019
- Tasmanian councils grapple with effects and price tag of climate change by Georgie Burgess, ABC News (AU), June 4, 2019
- Australia's standing in Pacific has plummeted because of our climate change failure, Opinion by Dermot O'Gorman, Comment is Free, Guardian, June 7, 2019
- How Dengue, a Deadly Mosquito-Borne Disease, Could Spread in a Warming World by Kendra Pierre-Louis & Nadja Popovich, Climate, New York Times, June 10, 2019
- As Rooftop Solar Grows, What Should the Future of Net Metering Look Like? by Dan Gearino, InsideClimate News, June 11, 2019
- Is climate change actually a 'climate crisis'? Some think so by Bryan Labby, CBC News, June 10, 2019
- Choosing chicken over beef cuts our carbon footprints a surprising amount by Stephen Leahy, Environment, National Geographic, June 10, 2019
- Atmospheric carbon levels are leaping. We can't afford more years like this by Fiona Harvey, Environment, Guardian, June 11, 2019
Wed June 12 2019
- Brazil guts environmental agencies, clears way for unchecked deforestation by Sue Branford & Thais Borges, Mongabay, June 10, 2019
- It's cheap to tackle climate change – but that isn't the reason to do it, Opinion by Richard Dennis, Comment is Free, Guardian, June 11, 2019
- The U.S. just witnessed its 12 wettest months in 125 years, and the floods keep coming by Ian Livingston, Capital Weather Gang, Washington Post, June 11, 2019
- 300,000 evacuated in India as hurricane-strength Tropical Cyclone Vayu approaches by Brandon Miller, Taylor Ward and Sugam Pokharel, CNN, June 12, 2019
- Canada’s wildfire season is off to a ferocious start by Amanda Coletta, The Americas, Washington Post, June 11, 2019
- Former EPA leaders question agency’s direction under Trump by Dino Grandoni & Brady Dennis, Climate & Environment, Washington Post, June 11, 2018
- Global warming may reduce fish and other sea life by 17% by the year 2100 by Seth Borenstein, Science, AP/Los Angeles Time, June 11, 2019
- India heatwave deaths rise to 36, poorest workers worst hit by Roli Srivastava & Anuradha Nagaraj, Thomson Reuters Foundation, June 12, 2019
Thu June 13 2019
- IEA develops pathway to ambitious 1.5C climate goal by Karl Mathiesen, Climate Home News, June 11, 2019
- More Scientists Now Think Geoengineering May Be Essential by Fred Pearce, Science, Wired, June 11, 2019
- World Entering 'New Climate Regime' of Extreme Heat Waves Caused by Human-Induced Climate Change by Pam Wright, Science, The Weather Channel, June 12, 2019
- Arctic sea ice extent just hit a record low for early June; worse may come by Gloria Dickie, Mongabay, June 12. 2019
- Cyclone Vayu spares Indian west coast a direct hit, to skirt coast by Rajendra Jadhav, Reuter, June 13, 2019
- I work in the environmental movement. I don’t care if you recycle. by Mary Annaise Heglar, The Highlight, Vox, June 4, 2019
- Climate Change Poses Major Risks to Financial Markets, Regulator Warns by Coral Davenport, Climate, New York Times, June 11, 2019
- Will climate change kill everyone — or just lots and lots of people? by Kelsey Parker, Future Perfect, Vox, Jun 13, 2019
Fri June 14 2019
- Some Compelling Reasons Not to Give Up on Solving Climate Change by Shayla Love, Environment, Vice, June 11, 2019
- The realist case for combating climate change, Opinion by Sumiko Takeuchi, Japan Times, June 13, 2019
- Despite Industry Pleas, White House Halts Progress on Fuel Economy, Opinion by John DeCicco, Yale Climate Connections, June 13, 2019
- World's biggest sovereign wealth fund to ditch fossil fuels by Jillian Ambrose, Business, Guardian, June 12, 2019
- Ask Sara: 'Which vacation spots could be permanently damaged by global warming?' by Sarah Peach, Yale Climate Connections, June 4, 2019
- Greenland lost 2 billion tons of ice yesterday, which is very unusual by Brandon Miller, CNN, June 14, 2019
- Pope Francis declares 'climate emergency' and urges action by Fiona Harvey;& Jillian Ambrose, Environment, Guardian, June 14, 2019
Sat June 15 2019
- Adani mine approval shows climate change debate reaches new level of lunacy by Ebony Bennett, The Canberra Times, June 15, 2019
- Jerry Brown’s new gig: Launching a California-China climate change institute at UC Berkeley by Sophia Bolla, Capitol Alert, Scramento Bee, June 12, 2019
- Costa Rica Doubled Its Forest Cover In Just 30 Years! by Andrea D. Steffen, Environment, Intelligent Living, June 4, 2019
- Climate Change Is All Most of Us Have Ever Known, Opinion by Nathaniel Bullard, Bloomberg News, June 14, 2019
- The World’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm Is Now In Operation by Andrea D. Steffen, Sustainability, Intelligent Living, June 4, 2019
- Theory, Hypothesis, And Law - Debunking A Climate Change Contrarian Tactic by Marshall Shepherd, Science, Forbes, June 15, 2019
The first lady in Costa Rica sounds great and is an "urban planner" which shows what is possible environmentally if someone with an environmental background is in charge. And hows the economy doing? Just fine thanks. So much for the doom mongers who fear environmentalists in politics. In the end you get a lot of pragmatism about how to juggle both the environment and economy, the world won't end by having environmentalists in politics.
But according to "renewable energy in Costa Rica" on wikipedia most of their electricity is from hydro and geothermal, and solar power is still in its infancy, so their low carbon electricity is more of a legacy issue.
An enlightening item in BBC June 21 discusses a rather effective representation of global warming thta was developed by Prof Ed Hawkins of Reading University.
The chart that defines our warming world by Jonathan Amos, Science and Environment, BBC, June 21, 2019.