Losing Earth: The Decade We Almost Stopped Climate Change - The New York Times

Hope we will not lose another decade!

This narrative by Nathaniel Rich is a work of history, addressing the 10-year period from 1979 to 1989: the decisive decade when humankind first came to a broad understanding of the causes and dangers of climate change. Complementing the text is a series of aerial photographs and videos, all shot over the past year by George Steinmetz. With support from the Pulitzer Center, this two-part article is based on 18 months of reporting and well over a hundred interviews. It tracks the efforts of a small group of American scientists, activists and politicians to raise the alarm and stave off catastrophe. It will come as a revelation to many readers — an agonizing revelation — to understand how thoroughly they grasped the problem and how close they came to solving it.

Full Story: Losing Earth: The Decade We Almost Stopped Climate Change - The New York Times

Why L.A. is coating its streets with material that hides planes from spy satellites - The Washington Post

Hope that the asphalt-based coating is non-toxic. That’s the problem with technofixes…



limate change conjures up distant images of rising seas and cracking ice sheets, but in cities across the United States the effects of global warming are apparent as soon as you step outside.



It’s known as the “urban heat island effect,” and it refers to the pockets of intense heat captured by the concrete, asphalt, dark roofs and the dearth of foliage that define many American cityscapes.




Image from https://www.wkbn.com/local-news/why-do-roads-buckle-in-the-summer-heat_20180416111420615/1124909506



Why L.A. is coating its streets with material that hides planes from spy satellites - The Washington Post

Europe heatwave: All-time temperature could be broken - BBC News

So it goes...



Europe is experiencing a further heatwave this summer, with forecasters say the all-time temperature record could be broken in the coming days.




Pictures show shrunken lakes and dry riverbeds, along with people cooling off with water fountains and beach umbrellas, including the coastal town of Benidorm in Spain. REUTERS



Europe heatwave: All-time temperature could be broken - BBC News

Summary of Solutions by Overall Rank | Drawdown

The 80 most important strategies to reduce climate change - some will surprise you...







Summary of Solutions by Overall Rank

This table provides the detailed results of the Plausible Scenario, which models the growth solutions on the Drawdown list based on a reasonable, but vigorous rate from 2020-2050. Results depicted represent a comparison to a reference case that assumes 2014 levels of adoption continue in proportion to the growth in global markets.



NOTE: Energy Storage (utility-scale & distributed), Grid Flexibility, Microgrids, Net Zero Buildings, and Retrofitting were not modeled independently to avoid double counting impacts from other solutions.



Summary of Solutions by Overall Rank | Drawdown

Single-use plastic bag sales fall 86% since introduction of 5p charge | The Independent

Incentives work!



Campaigners are now calling for charges on plastic bottles and disposable coffee cups in the hope of producing a similar effect




Friends of the Earth hailed the legislation for making reusable shopping bags the ‘new norm’ ( AFP/Getty )



Single-use plastic bag sales fall 86% since introduction of 5p charge | The Independent

Environmental Health Perspectives – Estimated Effects of Future Atmospheric CO2 Concentrations on Protein Intake and the Risk of Protein Deficiency by Country and Region

Crops grown under elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations (eCO2) contain less protein. Crops particularly affected include rice and wheat, which are primary sources of dietary protein for many countries.Under eCO2, rice, wheat, barley, and potato protein contents decreased by 7.6%, 7.8%, 14.1%, and 6.4%, respectively. Consequently, 18 countries may lose >5% of their dietary protein, including India (5.3%). By 2050, assuming today’s diets and levels of income inequality, an additional 1.6% or 148.4 million of the world’s population may be placed at risk of protein deficiency because of eCO2. In India, an additional 53 million people may become at risk.


Figure 3. Risk of protein deficiency as defined by protein intake below estimated average protein requirements (EAR). Estimates of (A) current percentage of the population at risk of deficiency, (B) percent of the population newly at risk of deficiency under elevated carbon dioxide (eCO2), and (C) millions of people estimated to be newly at risk of deficiency under eCO2, based on 2050 population projections. Data were plotted using the Rworldmap package in R (version 3.2.4; R Development Core Team).

Environmental Health Perspectives – Estimated Effects of Future Atmospheric CO2 Concentrations on Protein Intake and the Risk of Protein Deficiency by Country and Region

30 Years Of Talking (And Talking And Talking) About Climate Change | On The Media | WNYC Studios

April 16, 2017: The Theewaterskloof Dam, a key source of water supply to Cape Town, South Africa, is shown at low levels. ( Halden Krog / Associated Press )

In June of 1988, NASA's James Hansen testified before the Senate about global warming and presented data linking that year's high temperatures to the greenhouse effect. That summer, Americans experienced a powerful heat wave, a devastating drought, and intense wildfires. The greenhouse effect resonated, and the idea of global warming became front page news.

That was also the year that Andrew Revkin started covering global warming, starting with a cover piece for Discover Magazine (and later for The New York Times). This summer, he spoke with Brooke about the lessons he's learned in thirty years of coverage — and what they mean for how humankind might be able to navigate a much warmer future.

Revkin's piece on thirty years of climate change reporting is in the July issue of National Geographic. He is also the co-author of Weather: An Illustrating History: From Cloud Atlases to Climate Change. He is now Strategic Adviser for Environmental and Science Journalism at the National Geographic Society.

Full Broadcast and transcript: 30 Years Of Talking (And Talking And Talking) About Climate Change | On The Media | WNYC Studios