Climate Change, Pollution, Clean Energy, and the Environment

[AnBr]

Mar 29, 2022 18:29:29 GMT LFC said:

Just what clean energy needs, a f***ing scam organization. CleanChoice Energy has apparently been sued in multiple states for deceptive business practices and unexplained price hikes.

They sent me something to get me to switch. Something did not seem right about their offer.

[LFC]

Youth protesters in Utah are sick of being made sick.

Fifteen-year-old Natalie R. is fed up with the poor air quality in her home state of Utah. But rather than simply complain, she and a group of other young people are taking on who they see as the enablers of this pollution: government officials who continue to green-light fossil fuel development.

Earlier this month, seven young activists filed a lawsuit against the state of Utah with the help of Our Children’s Trust, a nonprofit law firm that focuses on climate justice. Natalie R. v. State of Utah alleges that the state and its elected officials unconstitutionally favor fossil fuel companies at the expense of residents’ rights to a healthy and safe life. Andrew Welle, staff attorney at Our Children’s Trust and lead counsel for the lawsuit, said the main issue is the public health problems young people are facing in the state.

“Utah in particular has a very serious problem with fossil fuel [based] air pollution… We have the data to show that it’s particularly dangerous [for young people] because of their developing bodies and unique vulnerabilities as young people,” Welle said. “Instead of protecting their young people and transitioning off of fossil fuels, the state has really doubled down.”

In August 2021, Utah temporarily had the worst air quality in the entire world, caused by the smoke from huge wildfires in the region. According to a 2020 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 61% of Utah’s electricity is generated from coal and just 14% from renewable energy.

“These youth are, by and large, all under the age of 18. They can’t vote. They can’t go to the legislature and change their policies through the political process… They’re in a climate emergency. They need relief today,” Welle said.

[LFC]

Oof. How ugly does it have to get before California accepts the need for wholesale change including both major water conservation efforts (residential AND agricultural) and coughing up big cash for desalination.

Staggering Photos Show Lake Powell Nearly Dried Up
The lake is approaching levels one official said were previously only considered "academic" and discussed "for fun."

[goldenvalley]

Apr 1, 2022 20:26:45 GMT LFC said:

Oof. How ugly does it have to get before California accepts the need for wholesale change including both major water conservation efforts (residential AND agricultural) and coughing up big cash for desalination.

Staggering Photos Show Lake Powell Nearly Dried Up
The lake is approaching levels one official said were previously only considered "academic" and discussed "for fun."

Easier said than done.  Big Ag fights tooth and nail...as far as it's concerned the urban areas should just be cleared of people.  Desalination works for small amounts of water, but it produces some very highly concentrated brine that is bad for everyone.  What do we do with that stuff?  

[LFC]

Apr 1, 2022 20:51:59 GMT goldenvalley said:

Desalination works for small amounts of water, but it produces some very highly concentrated brine that is bad for everyone.  What do we do with that stuff?  

Dump it back in the ocean. I've never heard of it creating enough of a salinity shift to hurt much of anything though I'm open to hearing about it if that's actually true.

[andydp]

Apr 1, 2022 21:13:40 GMT LFC said:

Apr 1, 2022 20:51:59 GMT goldenvalley said:

Desalination works for small amounts of water, but it produces some very highly concentrated brine that is bad for everyone.  What do we do with that stuff?  

Dump it back in the ocean. I've never heard of it creating enough of a salinity shift to hurt much of anything though I'm open to hearing about it if that's actually true.

I’ve also read brine is a source of lithium for the EV market. If it works it would reduce dependence of foreign sources.

[goldenvalley]

Apr 1, 2022 21:39:06 GMT andydp said:

Apr 1, 2022 21:13:40 GMT LFC said:

Dump it back in the ocean. I've never heard of it creating enough of a salinity shift to hurt much of anything though I'm open to hearing about it if that's actually true.

I’ve also read brine is a source of lithium for the EV market. If it works it would reduce dependence of foreign sources.

California has 12 desalination plants and maybe one in the works.  There is concern that the high concentration of brine disrupts ocean bottoms, plants, and some species. 

[LFC]

The IPCC has come out with their recommendations to stay below a 1.5C global temperature increase. My "expert" (i.e. f***ing obvious) analysis is that we're screwed.

The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a new report on Monday to outline strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and slowing the rate of global warming.

Like its predecessors, the latest IPCC report is chock full of alarming news, and tempered by optimism that there are solutions in our grasp to save the world from the worst climate change scenarios—if we have the willpower.

“It’s now or never, if we want to limit global warming to 1.5°C,” IPCC co-chair Jim Skea said in a statement. “Without immediate and deep emissions reductions across all sectors, it will be impossible.”

The report is premised around keeping global temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. To achieve this goal, the authors came up with a model that allows greenhouse gas emissions to peak by 2025 and be cut by 43 percent by 2030. The ultimate goal is to reach net zero carbon dioxide emissions by the early 2050s to prevent a 1.5-degree Celsius increase.

So far, the world is far from on track to meeting this goal.

António Guterres, the secretary general for the UN, pointed out that current climate pledges around the world will still mean a 45 percent increase in emissions.

“The jury has reached a verdict, and it is damning,” Guterres told reporters Monday. “We are on a fast track to climate disaster,” he added, citing rising sea levels, the extinction of one million species, and worsened storms and floods as just a few of the negative effects we can expect. “This is not fiction or exaggeration, it is what science tells us will happen.”

Here’s what you need to know.

[LFC]

California had better brace for some serious water issues.

The snowpack in California is dangerously low after one of the driest winters in 128 years.

California Department of Water Resources officials set out last week to conduct the annual snowpack measurement at Phillips Station, just south of Lake Tahoe. They found only 2.5 inches of snow in the area, when average snow depth for the end of winter is about 5 feet there, the department said in a statement. Statewide, snow levels are just 38% of what they would normally be at this time of year, officials said.

“The conditions we are seeing today speak to how severe our drought remains. DWR has been planning for the reality of a third dry year since the start of the water year on October 1,” said Karla Nemeth, the DWR director.

Snow is a crucial source of water for the region, after it melts and makes its way to reservoirs in the spring. Snowpack in California’s mountains makes up 30% of the state’s water, according to the Department of Water Resources. Governor Gavin Newsom recently ordered local water suppliers to begin aggressive conservation plans.

Last month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that 60% of the continental U.S. will experience drought conditions this spring. The exceptionally dry, almost snowless winter is a symptom of what has been declared the worst drought the North American Southwest has experienced in 1,200 years. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, all of California is currently experiencing abnormally dry conditions, and 93% of the state is experiencing severe drought conditions.

[goldenvalley]

Apr 5, 2022 22:01:03 GMT LFC said:

California had better brace for some serious water issues.

The snowpack in California is dangerously low after one of the driest winters in 128 years.

California Department of Water Resources officials set out last week to conduct the annual snowpack measurement at Phillips Station, just south of Lake Tahoe. They found only 2.5 inches of snow in the area, when average snow depth for the end of winter is about 5 feet there, the department said in a statement. Statewide, snow levels are just 38% of what they would normally be at this time of year, officials said.

“The conditions we are seeing today speak to how severe our drought remains. DWR has been planning for the reality of a third dry year since the start of the water year on October 1,” said Karla Nemeth, the DWR director.

Snow is a crucial source of water for the region, after it melts and makes its way to reservoirs in the spring. Snowpack in California’s mountains makes up 30% of the state’s water, according to the Department of Water Resources. Governor Gavin Newsom recently ordered local water suppliers to begin aggressive conservation plans.

Last month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that 60% of the continental U.S. will experience drought conditions this spring. The exceptionally dry, almost snowless winter is a symptom of what has been declared the worst drought the North American Southwest has experienced in 1,200 years. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, all of California is currently experiencing abnormally dry conditions, and 93% of the state is experiencing severe drought conditions.

Yup and the governor has been busy issuing orders.  Three years ago residential users did a pretty good job of restricting water use.  My local water supplier (a governmental agency) restricted us to above ground watering to one day a week and drip systems to twice per week.  I was collecting shower water to flush toilets and water a few potted plants outdoors. I am expecting that to happen again.

[LFC]

Apr 6, 2022 1:53:23 GMT goldenvalley said:

Yup and the governor has been busy issuing orders.  Three years ago residential users did a pretty good job of restricting water use.  My local water supplier (a governmental agency) restricted us to above ground watering to one day a week and drip systems to twice per week.  I was collecting shower water to flush toilets and water a few potted plants outdoors. I am expecting that to happen again.

Have they made any real progress getting the ag sector to go to more efficient irrigation or do they want to keep spraying water all over the place during hot days when much will evaporate?

[goldenvalley]

Apr 6, 2022 13:07:19 GMT LFC said:

Apr 6, 2022 1:53:23 GMT goldenvalley said:

Yup and the governor has been busy issuing orders.  Three years ago residential users did a pretty good job of restricting water use.  My local water supplier (a governmental agency) restricted us to above ground watering to one day a week and drip systems to twice per week.  I was collecting shower water to flush toilets and water a few potted plants outdoors. I am expecting that to happen again.

Have they made any real progress getting the ag sector to go to more efficient irrigation or do they want to keep spraying water all over the place during hot days when much will evaporate?

Here's a quick summary from University of California, Davis. I think the cost of water acquisition is driving more efficient practices more than any governmental action.  Almond and other nut farming sucks up a lot of water.  The groves cannot be fallowed in dry years or the trees will die.  And the ag world complains a lot about water set aside for aquatic habitat...all that water running into the ocean.  

[LFC]

Apr 6, 2022 15:30:15 GMT goldenvalley said:

And the ag world complains a lot about water set aside for aquatic habitat...all that water running into the ocean.  

Yep, because commercial fishermen and people who make their living providing services to people who use the water for recreational purposes don't deserve to make a living. Clearly farmers should always get first dibs even after they've used up everything they've been allocated.

[pnwguy]

Apr 6, 2022 21:20:08 GMT LFC said:

Apr 6, 2022 15:30:15 GMT goldenvalley said:

And the ag world complains a lot about water set aside for aquatic habitat...all that water running into the ocean.  

Yep, because commercial fishermen and people who make their living providing services to people who use the water for recreational purposes don't deserve to make a living. Clearly farmers should always get first dibs even after they've used up everything they've been allocated.

Just like the Colorado river, when it reaches (some years) Mexico.

[LFC]

More dammed lakes are at critically low levels.

News that Arizona’s Lake Powell is slowly but surely drying up has spread far and wide. The reservoir behind the 1,320-megawatt Glen Canyon Dam and power station, Lake Powell plays an important role in providing power for some 3 million customers in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.

But this year, the reservoir has hit a historic low, due to ongoing drought conditions in the region that have been attributed, at least in part, to climate change. The dam may even stop producing power if the situation continues to worsen, and this issue is not an isolated one in the American Southwest.

The Colorado River, an important source for many dams and power plants in the region, has been wracked by drought for the past 22 years—some research even suggests that it is subject to the worst drought the area has seen in 1,200 years. Further, according to the US Drought Monitor, as of March 29, 88.75 percent of the Western US has been experiencing a moderate drought or worse. According to staff members at the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), other dams in this be-droughted part of the country are seeing similar effects—though the officials also noted that each case is different.

According to Becki Bryant, the USBR’s Upper Colorado Basin public affairs officer, there are two main factors that impact hydro production. The first is the amount of water that passes through a dam’s generators. The second is the depth of the body of water that feeds the dams. Deeper bodies of water have more force behind the water rushing through and spinning the turbines of a generator.

Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon Dam make up an extreme case in the US. The dam’s minimum power pool (MPP)—the point at which hydropower can no longer be produced at the dam—is around 1,064 meters. Currently, it is sitting at 1,075 meters. Projections suggest that there is a 23 to 27 percent chance of hitting the MPP each year from 2023 to 2026, according to Bryant. Other parts of the Colorado River Basin, which is home to a few other dams, are being impacted by the drought as well. The 22-year drought has decreased the amount of energy produced in the area by 13.1 percent compared to the average annual energy production in the 12 years preceding it (from 1988 to 1999). “It is difficult to predict actual impacts beyond 2023, but this trend is anticipated to continue,” Bryant said.

I read recently that coal generation just barely surpassed green energy again last year even though both solar and wind projects are pushing forward. One of the reasons is that hydroelectric is way down. In fact the reduction in hydro power was virtually the same amount as the big increase in solar.

[LFC]

What was that about tipping points?

For the second year running, US scientists observed record increases in the atmospheric concentration of the potent greenhouse gas methane, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said Thursday.

Methane, the second biggest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide, is generated by the production, transport and use of fossil fuels, but also from the decay of organic matter in wetlands, and as a byproduct of ruminant digestion in agriculture.

At last year's COP26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, participants agreed to a Global Methane Pledge to reduce methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030 -- but notable emitters including China, Russia, Iran and India have not signed on.

"Our data show that global emissions continue to move in the wrong direction at a rapid pace," said NOAA administrator Rick Spinrad in a statement.

The more warming the more methane in cold areas where it was previously sequestered.

[LFC]

A red state poisoning poor black people for profit in this day and age? I'm shocked! Shocked I say! Welcome to the Republican "FREEDUMB!" low regulation paradise.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is investigating two Louisiana agencies for alleged discrimination against predominantly Black communities in a part of the Bayou State known as “Cancer Alley.”

The EPA is probing two complaints regarding chemical plant permits and air pollution in St. James Parish and St. John the Baptist Parish. One complaint alleges neglect from the Louisiana State Department of Health in response to reports of polluted air. The other accuses the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Health Department of racial bias in decisions to grant permits for at least three different plants: a proposed Greenfield Exports grain terminal, a planned Formosa Plastics Sunshine plant, and the existing Denka Performance Elastomers plant.

“We have been dismissed time and again,” said Mary Hampton of Concerned Citizens of St. John in an Earthjustice press release earlier this year. “It is unacceptable that we’ve been ignored for so long, and so now we’re asking the EPA to step in to protect our civil rights, including to have equal protection from environmental harm, and to ensure that our right to breathe clean air is finally enforced.”

Both the DEQ and the Department of Health have claimed that the complaints are being taken seriously but that their permitting process is unbiased. Parish residents and environmental justice organizations, however, claim that the departments have not done enough to inform locals about the health risk of the existing plants in their area. Parish residents also worry about how much worse their health outcomes may become once the new plants are up and running.

St. John and St. James Parish has been a hotbed of environmental problems for years. Local industries have polluted the area so badly as to earn the nickname Cancer Alley. It’s a stretch of land that goes from Baton Rouge and New Orleans along the Mississippi River that is home to more than 100 chemical plants and oil refineries. Residents in the corridor are diagnosed with cancer at rates nearly 50 times the national average, according to the EPA. During his 2021 Journey for Justice tour, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan met with community members of the St. Johns Parish and St. James Parish.

[LFC]

Maybe the pro-pollution party already knows this and is trying to create more supporters.

A growing body of evidence over the last few years has demonstrated that air pollution is a significant risk factor for developing dementia in old age. It shouldn’t be much of a shock. “When sensitive people breathe in polluted air from outdoors, very small particles can penetrate the lungs and get into the circulation system,” Jiu-Chiuan Chen, a neuroscientist at the University of Southern California, told The Daily Beast. “These ‘toxic’ responses can make the blood-brain barrier leaky and cause damage to the brain.” It’s not all that different from how other risk factors like smoking can negatively impact human health, leaving it more vulnerable to degenerative conditions like dementia.

The big question scientists have had in the last few years was whether the impact of air pollution on dementia risk was permanent—or whether this was something that could be reversed. New findings published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences bring good news: Improved air quality over several years is associated with a reduced risk of dementia in elderly women.

The findings bolster suspicions that external pollutants can contribute to accelerated aging in the brain (which is effectively what dementia is). But more critically, they also show that this aging can be slowed down if exposure to those pollutants decreases.

[LFC]

We reap what we sow.

The 2020 hurricane season was one of the most extreme on record. Between May and November, there were 30 named storms (the most ever recorded), and 14 of those reached hurricane level (the second-most ever). Cumulatively, all these storms caused hundreds of deaths and more than an estimated $40 billion of damage. Now, we can officially say climate change made them worse, according to a study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.

Warmer ocean temperatures caused an average of 5% more total rainfall across all named storms in 2020 than would’ve happened without human-caused climate change, the research found. And that rain came down at a 10% faster rate. For hurricanes, the strongest of the named storms, those percentages were even higher: 8% and 11% respectively, according to the paper.

Those percentages might seem small, but they add up, explained Kevin Reed, an extreme weather researcher at Stony Brook University in New York and lead author of the new study. “When you take that 10% into context over the entire spatial scale of the storm, that can actually lead to flooding much larger than 10%,” he said by phone. All the water that falls over a landscape flows to the lowest-lying places first, compounding small differences in total precipitation into big differences in flood severity.

[pnwguy]

Anybody watching the Frontline series?

The Power of Big Oil (Part One: Denial)

[LFC]

Joe Manchin, the most corrupt Democrat in the Senate, is bashing subsidies for EVs but hasn't made a peep about continuing fossil subsidies (other than maybe to protect them).

Senator Joe Manchin called federal tax credits for electric vehicles "ludicrous" in a Senate hearing on Thursday. The West Virginia politician, who continues to make millions from the coal industry, has been a regular critic of subsidies for EVs, which have played a key role in the Democratic Party's plan to decarbonize the transport sector.

Since 2009, the US has used federal tax credits as a way to offset the higher price of EVs thanks to their battery packs.

Currently, the credit is for any plug-in vehicle (both battery EVs and plug-in hybrid EVs) with at least 5 kWh of battery capacity and ranges from $2,917 to $7,500, depending on the exact kWh total. But it's a credit, not a rebate, so to receive the full $7,500, an EV buyer has to have at least $7,500 in tax liability that year. The tax credit also sunsets once a car manufacturer has sold 200,000 plug-in vehicles, although, so far, only Tesla and General Motors have crossed that threshold.

Perhaps recognizing the rapidly diminishing opportunity to ameliorate the worst effects of climate change, House Democrats put together an expanded incentive package, which would increase the tax credit to as much as $12,500 based on a number of factors, including whether the EV was made by a unionized workforce.

But the Democratic Party has a razor-thin majority in the Senate, and passing more tax credits would be impossible without Manchin's vote.

Despite his claims to want to address climate change, this is not the first time Manchin has made clear his opposition to policies that would actually help. In November 2021, he called the EV incentives "wrong" and "not American." And in March 2022, he said he was "very reluctant to go down the path of electric vehicles" and lambasted the idea of the government spending money on infrastructure.

And here is where he's quiet:

The United States provides a number of tax subsidies to the fossil fuel industry as a means of encouraging domestic energy production. These include both direct subsidies to corporations, as well as other tax benefits to the fossil fuel industry. Conservative estimates put U.S. direct subsidies to the fossil fuel industry at roughly $20 billion per year; with 20 percent currently allocated to coal and 80 percent to natural gas and crude oil. European Union subsidies are estimated to total 55 billion euros annually.

Historically, subsidies granted to the fossil fuel industry were designed to lower the cost of fossil fuel production and incentivize new domestic energy sources. Today, U.S. taxpayer dollars continue to fund many fossil fuel subsidies that are outdated, but remain embedded within the tax code. At a time when renewable energy technology is increasingly cost-competitive with fossil power generation, and a coordinated strategy must be developed to mitigate climate change, the broader utility of fossil fuel subsidies is being questioned.

[pnwguy]

Apr 20, 2022 15:40:02 GMT pnwguy said:

Anybody watching the Frontline series?

The Power of Big Oil (Part One: Denial)

(Part 2)

[LFC]

They seem to be willing to do anything but actually solve the real problem. It's always just enough for now.

On Tuesday, the federal government announced that it will take unprecedented steps to maintain water levels in Lake Powell and stave off an electricity supply catastrophe for the Southwest.

The Bureau of Reclamation will release an extra 500,000 acre-feet of water into Lake Powell from the upstream Flaming Gorge Reservoir. Another 480,000 acre-feet of water in Lake Powell that would have otherwise been sent downstream to Lake Mead will be held back. In total, the water added to Lake Powell will be enough to fill more than 483,000 Olympic-size swimming pools.

The actions come amid ongoing, record drought (exacerbated by climate change) in the U.S. Southwest. The water levels in both Lake Powell and Lake Mead are the lowest since the reservoirs along the Colorado River were first filled.

On top of providing drinking water for millions of people reliant on the Colorado River Basin system, Lake Powell also provides electricity for about 5.8 million households and businesses across the western U.S.. That power comes from Glen Canyon Dam’s hydroelectric production.

[jackd]

What should they do?

[LFC]

May 4, 2022 19:25:18 GMT jackd said:

What should they do?

Other than the long-term issue of controlling greenhouse gases they need to force conservation measures at every level. That includes the farms as well as the residents. The days of using scarce (and growing scarcer) surface and ground water like it just falls from the sky (which it doesn't, especially now) need to be ended. Bye-bye lawns. Bye-bye open air spray irrigation in deserts and other dry, hot areas. And time to start coughing up for desalination.