CARB Approves Unprecedented Climate Action Plan

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) just approved the unprecedented climate action plan that was described here in a previous article.

The next steps will require the adoption of specific rules and regulations to implement the plan, which aims to reduce fossil fuel emissions in the state to negligible levels by 2045.

Photo Credit: California Air Resources Board

So, what do you think? As I asked before, will it be successful or just a pipe dream? Ref: CARB approves unprecedented climate action plan to shift world’s 4th largest economy from fossil fuels to clean and renewable energy

More info at: Frank's Environment Space

Tired of arguing with climate change deniers? Try this instead.

Do you ever find yourself getting frustrated, tired, and angry trying to explain climate change science to deniers? Or maybe just fed up with arguing with them? Do what I do - just tell them they are wrong and refer them to this web-site (I am unaffiliated with it). it has rebuttals to every single “climate change is a hoax” argument that anyone makes.

Just refer the folks arguing with you to this site and tell them to argue with the experts:

Global Warming and Climate Change skepticism examined

Explaining climate change science & rebutting global warming misinformation Global warming is real and human-caused. It is leading to large-scale climate change. Under the guise of climate "skepticism", the public is bombarded with misinformation that casts doubt on the reality of human-caused global warming. This website gets skeptical about global warming "skepticism". Our mission is simple: debunk climate misinformation by presenting peer-reviewed science and explaining the techniques of science denial. Posted on 10 November 2022 by Doug Bostrom, Marc Kodack Catastrophic reverb Kemp et al. caused prolonged ripples with their paper Climate Endgame: Exploring catastrophic climate change scenario s . One can't help but think most of the heat is emotional, not intellectual; excited critics of the paper offer little more than "this sounds scary, don't harsh our vibe." Vague and even outlandish concerns over terminology aside, true perception of catastrophe is the province of those living the actual experience. Ask a pastoralist in South Africa or Pakistan who has just had their livelihood wiped out, with no means to rebuild: "Are you living an existential climate catastrophe?" Quite arguably the climate catastrophe train has already left the station, and abstract objections to the concept are coming from what a we might call "a place of privilege." Discussion continues via Bhowmick et al. in From Climate Endgame to Climate Long Game , with a reply from Kemp et al., Democratic climate action and studying extreme climate risks are not in tension . Other notables: ICCI has published its latest comprehensive magnum opus on Earth's ice, State of the Cryosphere 2022: Growing Losses, Global Impacts , included here in our government/NGO section. As the title page suggests and the entire work details, "We cannot negotiate with the melting point of ice." Indeed geophysics is aloof to us but we'd be foolish to reciprocate, unfair though this may be. Meanwhile, ICCI faces a Sisyphean task. Having just dusted their hands of this publication, the authors must carry straight on; our cascade of better information never ceases, as exemplified in a new and concerning paper by Khan et al. just published in PNAS: Extensive inland thinning and speed-up of Northeast Greenland Ice Stream . Tropical cyclones combine with climate change to begin sending enivronmental regimes beyond healthy tolerance, a form of compound event. Rajeev & Mishra investigate how this is unfolding as actual events as opposed to projections, in Observational evidence of increasing compound tropical cyclone-moist heat extremes in India . Busy rodent hydrologic engineers can be important allies in counteracting negative effects of warming and associated problems with surface water, and as a bonus have notable positive effects on nitrate loading. Dewey et al. explain, in Beaver dams overshadow climate extremes in controlling riparian hydrology and water quality . "Now we know better." We rushed into

https://skepticalscience.com/

California Proposes Drastic Fossil Fuel Reduction Climate Change Plan - Visionary or Naive Pipe Dream?

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) today released its 2022 Scoping Plan for Achieving Carbon Neutrality. The unprecedented plan, if enacted into law, presents the most drastic climate change proposal in the entire world. 

Photo Credit: California Air Resources Board

The major thrust of the plan is to nearly eliminate the use of fossil fuels anywhere in the state by 2045. This would assume a massive movement to electrify the transportation sector - cars, buses, trains, and trucks - which together are the largest single source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the state. It would also require the phasing out of how Californians heat their homes, elimination of certain chemicals and refrigerants, the expansion of power sources derived from wind, solar, hydrogen, and biomethane, and increased usage of Carbon Dioxide Capture and Sequestration (CCS). 

If successful, the plan would reduce total fossil fuel usage in the state by 86% and a reduction in petroleum liquids by 94%. In addition to reductions of GHGs, the proposal would also reduce total air pollutants by 71%.

CARB claims that its economic modeling for the proposal shows a net economic benefit to the state, resulting in an expansion of California's economy (currently the 5th largest economy in the world and soon to be the 4th largest) to $5.1 trillion by 2045 (from $3.2 trillion today) and an increase of at least 4 million new jobs. 

It will also save Californians $200 million in health care costs related to air pollution.

“California is drastically cutting our dependence on fossil fuels and cleaning our air – this plan is a comprehensive roadmap to achieve a pollution-free future,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. “It’s the most ambitious set of climate goals of any jurisdiction in the world, and if adopted, it’ll spur an economic transformation akin to the industrial revolution. While big polluters focus on increasing their profits at our expense, California is protecting communities, creating jobs and accelerating our transition to clean energy.”

Added CARB Chair Liane Randolph, "This plan delivers a massive reduction of climate-warming pollution, cutting it down to a fraction of what it is today. And by rapidly shifting away from all fossil fuels and then reaching carbon neutrality, the plan delivers public health benefits to everyone in California, most importantly to the communities suffering from persistent air pollution. This plan clearly and unequivocally presents challenging and ambitious goals, but we simply have no other choice but to meet them – and do it in less than a quarter century. We all have experienced firsthand the impacts of climate change, whether wildfires, drought, record-breaking heat waves and more. Failure is not an option. There is too much at stake and we need to move as fast and as far as we can to lessen the worst impacts of climate change and leave future generations a livable and healthy California.”

CARB's Board will vote on the new proposal at its December 15-16 meeting. The initial draft was reviewed by the Board in June and discussed with the Environmental Justice Advisory Committee (EJAC) in September. Changes requested by the Board, Governor Newsome, and the EJAC are included in the final proposal as well as requirements from new state laws passed by the state Legislature this year.

What do you think, is this proposal realistic given the proliferation of fossil fuel powered systems throughout the state and the world or is it a pipe dream based on a naive belief that other states and countries will do the same thing, particularly in those parts of the world whose governments are, shall we say, not as progressive as California?

Your comments are welcomed below.

Photo Credit: California Air Resources Board

Photo Credit: California Air Resources Board

Photo Credit: California Air Resources Board

Climate change protestor disrupts Men's French Open semi-final tennis match

In the middle of a tense and tight Men's French Open tennis semi-final today between Marin Cilic and Caspar Ruud, a climate change protestor ran out onto the court and attached herself to the tennis net and net post.

Although the tv broadcast crew cut away from the on court display, initial reports were that the woman had glued herself to the net post and also chained herself to the net, then sat down in silence. 

Photo Source: DerniereRenovation.fr

She was wearing a white t-shirt emblazoned with the words "We have 1028 days left." In smaller print at the bottom of the shirt was a website, derniererenovation.fr. 

Security swiftly moved onto the court to remove the woman while the players eventually returned to the locker room until it was determined safe to resume play.

Clicking on the link above reveals a French activist organization, Derniere Renovation (The Last Renovation), with a picture of the young woman on the court on the home page, apparently with her neck zip-tied to the net. The group appears to be focused on addressing climate change and fair housing opportunities in France.

The 22 yr old woman, named Alizee, was quoted as saying "We are in 2022 and it is time to face reality, the world to which politicians are sending us is a world to which Roland Garros will no longer be able to exist. Today, I entered the field because I can no longer take the risk of doing nothing in the face of the climate emergency."

According to the website, the 1028 days left refers to an ultimatum the group issued to the French government on March 28, marking the initial date that citizens entered into civil resistance against the French government to do something about climate change.

At this time, no further information is available as to what charges, if any, will be made against the protestor.

Recycle your food garbage or get fined? New California composting/recycling law to take effect in 2022

Here's something we bet that most of you haven't heard about, or, if you did, forgot all about it. A new California law that will require everyone to stop throwing their food scraps/waste into the regular garbage takes effect in 2022. 

Will Big Brother be snooping around your garbage cans to see if you improperly disposed of those inedible leftovers? 

Photo credit: CalRecycle

Senate Bill 1383, which was signed into law by then Governor Jerry Brown in 2016, will require California residents to separate their coffee grinds, food scraps, egg shells, potato peelings, and just about every other piece of organic food waste from their other garbage and either make compost out of it, take it to a recycling center, or put it in the same recycle bins for green waste that they have been using for years.

The purpose of the new law is to reduce the amount of uncontrolled methane emissions generated from landfills by decomposing organic wastes. Methane is a very potent greenhouse gas, with a warming effect several times that of CO2.

Failure to do so may result in individual daily fines beginning in January 2024 ranging from $50 to $100 for a first offense to $500 for subsequent offenses. Cities that fail to comply may face fines of up to $10,000 a day!

Additional requirements of the new law effect businesses that generate these wastes, as well as a requirement that supermarkets donate unused but edible food normally destined for the garbage dumps to food banks for the needy. 

The collected waste must be directed to anaerobic digestor facilities for conversion into biofuels and electricity or to composting facilities to make soil amendments. And the resultant compost made by those public facilities (many of which don't even exist yet!) must be used. Just where and who will be using the thousands of tons of such compost generated remains undetermined.

The new requirements will increase the waste disposal fees paid by homeowners and businesses, with estimates ranging from 1% to 20% or more.

However, because current infrastructure is not be set up to handle the increased volumes, except in a few cities and counties that have already been implementing a similar program, the law gives the affected governments until 2024 to enact local ordinances that will address the requirements.

California Environmental News (CEN) reached out to the Kern County Public Works Department for clarification and is still awaiting a response. The Department's recycling hotline was not working, according to a recorded message, and no one answered the general information telephone.  

At the moment, CEN is unsure whether food scraps must be placed in green waste bins or not. CEN recommends contacting your local government waste department to determine what, if anything, you must do and when.

For more information: SB1383 Summary

California drought to continue with the return of La Niña

La Niña returns to impact California - will this drought never end?

See the article below for more information.

The worst drought ever?

By ignoring wildfire emissions, is CARB painting too rosy a picture about statewide GHG reductions?

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) just released its greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory data report for 2019. CARB said the data shows that GHG reductions in the state are being reduced significantly more than the reductions that have been targeted by law.

However, buried within the press release and the report is information on another source of GHG whose numbers are not included in the inventory of reductions that CARB is praising.

Wildfire emissions.

Photo Credit: California Air Resources Board

CARB's latest data shows that GHG emissions statewide, exclusive of wildfires, went from 425 million metric tonnes in 2018 to 418 million metric tonnes in 2019. 

However, what CARB doesn't report is the increase in wildfire GHG emissions. Although wildfire CO2 emissions declined from 2018 to 2019 from 39.1 to 4.8 million metric tonnes CO2, in 2020 they increased to 106.7 million metric tonnes. And that latter number may be approached in 2021 as well considering the number of wildfires that have happened and are happening at this very moment throughout the state - and the normal wildfire season hasn't even officially started yet.

CA Wildfire Emissions, by Year - CARB

CARB and others have tried to dismiss concerns over wildfire CO2 emissions by referring to them as part of the natural carbon cycle. But the fact remains -  CO2 is CO2. The world and the physical climate change processes that result in the increasing temperatures of global warming do not care from where the CO2 comes. 

One can brag all one wants about reducing GHG emissions from transportation and industrial sources, but, the ship is still going to sink if you only bail out part of the water that is filling your boat.

What do you think? Please leave your comments below.