Climate Point: Dog days of climate change
Welcome to Climate Point, your weekly guide to climate change, energy and the environment. I'm Janet Wilson, writing to you from Palm Springs on the first official day of summer. The last bit of snow on Mt. San Gorgonio towering above the valley is disappearing fast.
Greenland and the Himalayas are also experiencing major meltdowns due to climate change. As Doyle Rice report for Paste BN, Cold War images of Himalayan peaks show glacial melt doubled in recent years compared to last century. That threatens water supplies for hundreds of millions of people downstream. “Disaster is in the making here,” said Jorg Schaefer, a Columbia climate geochemist.
And thanks to soaring temps, Greenland has already seen huge amounts of ice loss this year, with some 40% of the vast island experiencing melting in the past week. A Danish researcher snapped a photo of sled dogs trudging through sea melt rather than snow, as James Griffiths with CNN reports. Seasonal melts and freezes are normal, but the overall ice lost is growing, which could raise sea levels elsewhere, as Henry Fountain with The New York Times lays out.
Here are some other things you might want to know:
MUST READ STORIES
Paper, plastic or carbon tax? As more people realize climate change is happening, many are adopting "greener" lifestyles. But new research finds a catch: to really cut emissions, sweeping government policies are needed. Yet if people think changing a light bulb will do the trick, then they're less likely to support the big, costly measures, as Eillie Anzilotti reports in Fast Company.
The nuclear option. A sweeping Paste BN package details how shutting down nuclear plants is set to become a multi-billion dollar business. But, critics say, your tax dollars and possibly your safety could be on the line. Reporters across the Northeast explore the potential uranium-laced gold mine, and its risks.
Which cities should be saved first? After three years of brutal weather, policymakers are realizing that there likely won't be enough money to save all coastal communities from future mega-storms and rising seas. As the New York Times' Christopher Flavelle tells us, basic sea walls will cost at least $42 billion. That just scratches the surface of what will be needed. Experts say communities should think local and start taking action, not wait for federal aid.
POLITICAL CLIMATE
Up in smoke. President Trump this week kept a promise to boost the sagging coal industry, but foes say the energy plan his administration rolled out Wednesday would hike deadly lung disease and worsen climate change. Per Ledyard King with Paste BN, the Affordable Clean Energy rule could extend the lives of scores of aging coal-fired power plants whose emissions stoke global warming. It replaces President Obama's aggressive Clean Power Plan. Lawsuits are expected.
The announcement comes right as new federal data shows natural gas and renewable capacity surpassing coal for the first time ever, as Robert Rapiers reports for Forbes.
High places. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is standing by a favorable review for a giant home development, even after a retired employee told Tony Davis with the Arizona Daily Star that he was forced to change his findings that it would harm rare species. As Ian James reports for the Arizona Republic, the would-be developer called a friend in a high place, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, then the deputy secretary, to ask for help. And a former attorney for President Clinton is representing the developer.
WATER AND AIR
Bluegill special. Is it safe to eat fish from waters with blue-green algae, like Florida's famous Lake Okeechobee? Treasure Coast Newspapers Outdoors columnist Ed Killer offers a made-for-summer primer on why it's not a good idea to eat fresh fish from Florida waters. His advice applies everywhere toxic blooms are occurring.
Blowing in the wind. Summer dust storms across the Southwest are quite a spectacle. But those haboobs are bad for your health, as Andrew Nicla and Priscilla Totiyapungprasert report for the Arizona Republic. Coarse particulate sinks deep into your lungs, causing serious disease. And they're predicted to worsen with a changing climate.
AND ANOTHER THING
Toto too? Yes, canines could soon feel the effects of climate change too, as regional diseases like Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease spread, pushed by increasing insect populations as temperatures climb. Paste BN's Elizabeth Weise tells us more.
And finally, the federal agency which tracks the latest atmospheric carbon dioxide levels is two weeks behind, so here's a graphic showing the shocking high point we reached earlier this year. Scientists say to keep a livable planet, we need to cut the amount to 350 parts per million. We're at 415 ppm, the highest humans have ever known.
That's all for this week. For more climate, energy and environment news, follow me on Twitter @janetwilson66 You can sign up to get Climate Point in your inbox for free here