CRITTERS AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS

matching mole writes—Dawn Chorus: The (Red) Wanderers: “Birds get around. They have wings after all. This diary is about dispersal and in particular dispersal gone wrong. Dispersal in animals refers to a one way move, starting in point A and ending up in point B. This kind of movement is not as appreciated, perhaps, as the annual migrations of birds that we all await anxiously every spring and fall. However dispersal is equally important as that is how birds find a home when they grow up, how bird species expand their ranges as conditions change, and the reason rare bird alerts came into existence.”

PHScott writes—The Daily Bucket: The Wildflowers may be Gone but the Seedheads are Pretty: “Sure it's almost winter and yes the wildflowers are ending their cycle but there is still much to enjoy if one stops and takes the time to look. [...] The cover photo is the only one that has color, a wonderful red. It's meant to be an eye-catcher and hopefully stand out from a list of diaries and draw folks in. All the rest are shades of brown with remnants of their previous glorious colors. That this is sunny Florida, and often with bright blue skies, enhances the dullness. Not much more to say but I'll add notes here and there. Enjoy!”

Lefty Coaster writes—190 Sea Turtles freeze to death off of Cape Cod: “One day after the release of the FOURTH NATIONAL CLIMATE ASSESSMENT the disturbing news that Sea Turtles are freezing to death off of Cape Cod should drive home the urgency of the planetary dilemma we re facing. It illustrates the stress that the shifting of ecosystems towards the poles puts on at risk species like the Sea Turtles as they struggle to adapt to rapidly shifting sea conditions. Nearly 190 sea turtles were reportedly found frozen to death off the coast of Cape Cod on Friday after frigid conditions stifled their ability to safely swim to shore. Bob Prescott, the director of the Mass Audubon wildlife, told NBC News that the migrating turtles were unable to make it to shore after they became ‘incapacitated’ by bone-chilling temperatures, a high tide and “gale force winds’.”

billofrights writes—The Owl of Minerva Only Takes Flight at Dusk: "The Insect Apocalypse is Here": “I’ve always been haunted by that saying attributed to Hegel, that human enlightenment descends very late over our troubles, and over our insights to remedy the situation. That’s the thought that comes to mind today after reading Brooke Jarvis’ NY Times Magazine article, “The Insect Apocalypse is Here,” — here at www.nytimes.com/… If you’re asking why that should worry us, the subtitle of the article, which I didn’t have room for in the headlines of this posting, is part of the answer: “What does it mean for the rest of life on Earth?” A lot, is the answer. Big Trouble ahead. As I read, I jotted down some of the words and concepts that flesh out that meaning, and none of them are good: extinction; extirpation; defaunation...deforestation...biological annihilation... Anthropocene...E.O. Wilson — The Eremocine: The Age of Loneliness…tropic cascade...”

Buffie showing iridescence.

OceanDiver writes—The Daily Bucket - buoyant beauteous buffie: “November 27, 2018. Salish Sea, Pacific Northwest. Buffies are abundant in my local bays now. What’s not so common is sunshine, here in the soggy Northwest. A buffie in sunlight is even more spectacular than usual, the drakes especially. Without direct sunlight, buffies are in black and white. Here’s a guy paddling perkily along as they do. When he turns to catch the sun, his iridescence really dazzles. Only his head plumage is colorful though, his back feathers are a glossy deep black. But it gets even better…wowza! The colors.… Behold the beauteous buffie — That iridescence is structural color not pigment, which is why it varies.”

Angmar writes—The Daily Bucket: Autumn Images: Photo Diary.

6412093 writes—The Daily Bucket--Pilgrim at Stoller's Creek: “Salmon Woman and I took advantage of a break in the NW Oregon rains. We walked a couple of miles on the Rock Creek Greenway, in unincorporated Washington County. Stoller Creek is one of the upstream tributaries on this walk. Massive power lines run overhead, and natural gas lines run underground and nearby, because this is a utility corridor. It is a linear park, similar to parks that occupy old railroad tracks rights of way. The local Parks District has exploited these areas to create habitat. Some areas are less than a hundred yards wide, with houses on both sides. At other points, woody debris check dams create noisy waterfalls. In the lower reaches, the basin widens to hundreds of yards of boggy meadows and open waters, with ducks and herons about.”

The tarp can be drawn closed if more privacy is needed.

6412093 writes—The Daily Bucket--In My Room: “My hideout is behind the white tarp, to the right of the light blue tool shed with the open door. Soon after dawn, the little brown birds come whirring in my yard. [...] It’s a quiet hidden place, my outdoor room. Watching the critters and birds, looking at my burl table, and other Humboldt County treasures, helps the day go by and eases the troubled mind. I remember a Brian Wilson song: ‘There’s a world where I can go and tell my secrets to, in my room, in my room’.”

Dan Bacher writes—Record Numbers of Salmon Return to Mokelumne River: “For the third year in a row, the Mokelumne River is seeing a record return of fall-run Chinook salmon. I went to the Mokelumne River Fish Hatchery yesterday, a cold, windy and rainy day, to photograph the CDFW staff spawning salmon. [...] The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) forecast this year’s fall run to be one of the highest on record with 14,800 Chinook salmon and 376 steelhead returning to the Mokelumne River to date. With a few weeks left in the season, the final totals will be available in January 2019.”

Dartagnan writes—Trump approves harmful seismic testing for coastal oil, ignoring threat to whales and dolphins: “Trump’s destructive policies regarding energy development and the environment go well beyond transforming the Environmental Protection Agency into a vehicle to that exists now solely to defend corporate polluters. Selling off our public lands to private mining companies, eliminating air pollution standards and permitting coal companies to dump toxic ash into our streams are all policies that reflect its wholesale, all-encompassing disregard for concerns about human health. But humans, unfortunately, are not the only victims of this studied malevolence towards our natural environment. The Trump administration is taking a major step toward allowing a first-in-a-generation seismic search for oil and gas under Atlantic waters, despite protests that the geological tests involve loud air gun blasts that will harm whales, dolphins and other animals. The National Marine Fisheries Service is set to issue “incidental harassment authorizations” allowing seismic surveys proposed by five companies that permits them to disturb marine mammals that are otherwise protected by federal law, according to three people familiar with the activity who asked not to be named before a formal announcement.”

CLIMATE CHAOS

Mark Sumner writes—Donald Trump is turning up the heat on climate change, because he wants it to happen: ”It’s amazing just how devoted Donald Trump is to recreating the past. He’s not just utterly fixated on industries that were hot when he was thirty—coal, steel, and automobiles—he’s so resistant to allowing any new knowledge into the world that he instinctively fights against anything learned after he passed out of junior pretending-to-be-in-the-army school. Trump’s response to the overwhelming success and opportunity presented by renewable energy is to do everything possible to back coal. Facing a transition in transportation, Trump is increasing drilling for oil, reducing the standards for both mileage and emissions for gas vehicles, and planning to end tax incentives for electric vehicles. And, of course, when confronted with the idea that living like the 1960s never ended is driving the world’s climate back to ranges not seen during the entire span of the human species, Trump’s reaction is simply to make things worse in every way. He’s not a climate change denier, he’s a climate change promoter. As in he wants more. Quicker.”

Joan McCarter writes—Trump on his government's climate report: 'I don't believe it': “Despite the fact that it was released on perhaps the deadest news day of the entire year the major climate report, the Fourth National Climate Assessment Vol. II produced by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, has made headlines. So has the reaction of the orange ignoramus.

x BREAKING: Trump on dire warning issued by his administration on economic effects of climate change: 'I don't believe it' Ã¢ÂÂ The Associated Press (@AP) November 26, 2018

That’s just a shorter expression of what we got from a raft of Republican senators on the talk-show circuit Sunday. Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA), Ben Sasse (R-NE) and Mike Lee (R-UT) all went on TV and all admitted that something was going on with the climate, but ‘the three Republicans expressed doubt about and resistance to potential federal efforts to combat what climate scientists have characterized as a fast-moving threat to humanity’.”

Icarus Diving writes—Are you paying attention? “I have four grandchildren, the oldest being 12. Staying on our current trajectory (even for just a decade or two longer), it's likely they will never get to experience having grandchildren of their own (or at least I hope not because their lives, there in the late 21st century, will be beyond hellish). I cannot contemplate that fact for very long without being completely overwhelmed with sorrow. But here's something even sadder. One week from right now (from when you read this sentence) you will not have done one damn thing different that matters and my grandchildren’s generation is going to hate you for it. Or maybe you will? Go ahead, mark it on your calendar and let’s see if you’re really paying attention or not.”

Rmuse writes—Trump’s rejection of science will kill Americans and the economy​: “It is almost certain that warning Trump that his crusade against the environment will decimate the economy is a last ditch effort to get his, and Republican’s, attention about the clear and present danger of Trump’s do nothing climate policy; they routinely ignore research showing that Trump’s deregulation campaign will kill tens-of-thousands of Americans annually. Like they did last year, the White House attempted to ‘ bury’ the current report by releasing it late ‘Black Friday” afternoon of the Thanksgiving Day holiday weekend. This year’s version of the ‘congressionally-mandated’ National Climate Assessment (NCA), a 1,600-page tome, was compiled by 13 federal agencies and hundreds of the country’s top scientists. In a blatant contradiction of Trump’s and Republicans’assertion to the contrary, the United States federal government warned that Trump’s ‘do-nothing climate policy will end up costing Americans more than a half-trillion dollars per year in increased sickness and death, coastal property damages, loss of worker productivity, and other damages’.”

AKALib writes—Abbreviated Climate Pundit Round-up: The National Climate Assessment Edition: “Diary Reactions to the 4th US National Climate Assessment, intentionally released on Black Friday has a summary of the report and links to reporting on the subject by major media outlets. Here is a selection of comments by various experts and pundits on the subject. National Geographic—In clear, unwavering terms, the new report states that without ‘substantial and sustained reductions’ in greenhouse gas emissions, climate change will hurt people, economies, and resources across the U.S. But the report also highlights how its worst impacts can be avoided, by adapting to our warmer world and by working to lessen future changes in Earth's climate.”

AKALib writes—Climate Change explained by trump's Gut "Thinking": “As we are all aware, trump had one of his “stream of consciousness” rambling fact-free interviews with Washington Post journalists Philip Rucker and Josh Dawsey on Monday. It touched upon a host of topics including climate change and the economy. Rucker later summarized the interview as ‘Trump’s rules of engagement: Boasting, spinning and running out the clock’. We think the following statement is a better explanation of trump-think—I have a gut, and my gut tells me more sometimes than anybody else’s brain can ever tell me. Come to think out it, this is pretty much the go-to line for most conservatives — who needs brains when you have guts? GWB used that line too. The entire conservative philosophy comes from the stinking innards of the bloated microbe-infested gut. Factoid: They do have larger guts than brains.”

ursulafaw writes—Direst Climate Change Report Yet Released By Feds On Black Friday -- What's Up With That? “The ostrich sticks its head in the sand for a good reason, to dig a hole to hide eggs. Climate deniers have no such reason, they just cower and cover their eyes saying, ‘it’s a plot against poor people, who can’t afford renewable energy,’ or something equally absurd, when all around them, the scientists they revile are barraging them with facts. Americans have already paid with their lives for climate change-caused tragedies, hurricanes and wildfires, to name a few, while the idDJT in the White House refuses to acknowledge the causal connection that is glaringly evident to every other world leader. It is not new information that since 1901, temperature records show the United States has warmed 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit, since 1960 mountain snowpack has shrunk significantly and arctic ice has receded. The seasons are topsy turvy.”

Meteor Blades writes—Trump's latest gibberish should spur every Democratic candidate and incumbent to be a climate hawk: “The numbskull-in-chief has his own reasons for feeding the delusion of perhaps a third of the population that scientists are faking their studies of how the climate is reacting to being overstuffed with greenhouse gases. It doesn’t really matter whether he actually believes climate change is a hoax, as he has said, or if he’s just pretending to do so to maintain the backing of fossil fuel-related industries as well as the folks who applaud loudest at each of the man’s atrocious tangles of lies and ignorance. Such people will never accept what’s in the climate reports no matter how much data is provided to back them up. Activists should stop wasting precious time trying to convince them otherwise. We have others to persuade. After all, anyone who can listen to the wacked-out gobbledy-gook in the Post excerpt below and still buy what this crooked pitchman is selling simply isn’t reachable.”

Meteor Blades writes—Open thread for night owls. Report: Native people may face disproportionate climate-change impacts: “The report says: ‘Many Indigenous peoples have lived in particular areas for hundreds if not thousands of years, and their cultures, spiritual practices, and economies have evolved to be adaptive ... Indigenous knowledge systems differ from those of non-Indigenous peoples who colonized and settled the United States, and they engender distinct knowledge about climate change impacts and strategies for adaptation. Indigenous knowledges, accumulated over generations through direct contact with the environment, broadly refer to Indigenous peoples' systems of observing, monitoring, researching, recording, communicating, and learning and their social adaptive capacity to adjust to or prepare for changes. One of these knowledge systems that is often referred to in the context of climate change is traditional ecological knowledge, which primarily focuses on the relationships between humans, plants, animals, natural phenomena, and the landscape’.”

Meteor Blades writes—Open thread for night owls: Paris accord's greenhouse gas emission pledges need to be tripled: “The world is not yet living up to its undertaking to tackle global warming, and it will have to make tripled climate cuts − at least − if it is to do so, a report says. The emissions gap − the difference between the global emissions of greenhouse gases scientists expect in 2030 and the level they need to be at to honour the world’s promises to cut them − is the largest ever. The 2018 Emissions Gap Report is published by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). While it is still possible to keep global warming below 2°C, its authors say, the world’s current pace of action to cut emissions must triple for that to happen.”

Meteor Blades writes—Dear Big Effing Media: Will you ever get a clue on climate science deniers? “Is there any possibility, any at all, that you will ever stop giving newspaper ink and broadcast minutes to the ignoramuses, liars, and greedheads who continue to contend that climate change is bad science or an outright hoax concocted by scientists getting rich off grant money? Look, it makes sense for you to interview people who have a difference of opinion about how the climate crisis should be dealt with. For instance, whether nuclear power should be part of any transformation to 100 percent clean energy is an issue that divides scientists and environmental activists. As are the details of a Green New Deal or Green Marshall Plan. These and a host of other matters regarding our desperately needed energy transformation deserve to be explored and debated in detail. And you can be sure there are more than two sides to that exploration and debate. But for you to ask the usual suspects for the zillionth time to poison the public sphere with their latest version of climate science denial is not “bringing balance” to the story, but rather destructive journalistic malpractice.”

Walter Einenkel writes—The world's highest glaciers on top of Mount Everest are melting because of climate change: “The overall temperature of our planet has been rising for some time now. It’s the basis for the scientific environmental term “global warming.” In recent years, there has been a push to re-brand global warming as “climate change.” The need to do this has been the result of how effective idiotic statements like this are on putting doubt into the public sphere of discussion.

x Brutal and Extended Cold Blast could shatter ALL RECORDS - Whatever happened to Global Warming? Ã¢ÂÂ Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 22, 2018

Kunda Dixit has a photo essay about Mount Everest, in the Nepali Times that details the changes to the Everest landscape over the last decades. Inside Climate News reports that the photographs detail dramatic evidence of global warming’s deleterious affects on the enormous, high altitude glaciers.”

Walter Einenkel writes—Author of U.S. Climate Assessment drops epic Twitter thread: 'I'm here to set the record straight': “Climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe worked on the U.S. National Climate Assessment released last week. In fact, the atmospheric scientist is one of the authors of this most recent iteration of the report. The news it contains seems to have surprised only complete idiots, and, as a result, more idiots have come forward to try to promote their fake-science ideas about climate change. Hayhoe, who is a professor in the department of political science and director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University, is sick and tired of watching Trump say stupid things such as that he has an “instinct for” science, and other Republicans, with their bought-and-paid-for misinformation teams, rush around speaking into microphones. Today she went on Twitter, having decided it was time to break down some facts, in the hope of debunking the truly deplorable fake news coming out of conservative circles.”

Walter Einenkel writes—Patagonia calls out Trump, says it will put tax-cut money toward climate-change grassroots activism: “Our ballooning Republican-created economic deficit is soon to become the big conservative talking point on why we cannot robustly fund things like public education, affordable health care, and food assistance programs, amongst other social programs. It will be the most basic of Republican hypocrisies, as they themselves, in cutting away government revenues by reducing taxes for the wealthiest in our country, have created the deficit. In the face of this, outdoor retail company Patagonia has announced that it will buck the trend set by other big businesses. Instead of pocketing its benefits from the Republican tax scam, it will be putting that money to good use—for everybody. CEO Rose Marcario published this letter on her LinkedIn account. We have always paid our fair share of federal and state taxes. Being a responsible company means paying your taxes in proportion to your success and supporting your state and federal governments, which in turn contribute to the health and well-being of civil society. Taxes fund our important public services, our first responders and our democratic institutions. Taxes protect the most vulnerable in our society, our public lands and other life-giving resources. In spite of this, the Trump administration initiated a corporate tax cut, threatening these services at the expense of our planet. We recognize that our planet is in peril. We are committing all $10 million to groups committed to protecting air, land and water and finding solutions to the climate crisis. We have always funded grassroots activism, and this $10 million will be on top of our ongoing 1% for the Planet giving.”

Pakalolo writes—Sorry folks,15-20' of sea level rise with storm surge that never recedes within the margin of error: “I personally am not planning to tell people that I know what [amount of warming determines if] ice shelves will or won’t break off, leaving cliffs that will or won’t crumble rapidly, so, for now, I have to leave large, rapid changes within my error bars, and I believe I have a duty to tell people this.” Richard Alley in an email to Jeff Goodell. It’s all about the water. In this case, water in it’s frozen form, at the southern pole in Antarctica. If you don’t follow Jeff Goodell, who is an environmental writer for Rolling Stone, you should. He even wrote a book on sea level rise which is the topic of this diary. In a piece titled What’s Another Way to Say ‘We’re F-cked’, Goodell highlights the work of top climate scientist, Richard Alley. Alley is not your typical brilliant climate scientist, he takes it a step further with skill sets that his contemporaries take seriously.”

Lefty Coaster writes—Sarah Huckabee says the Government's Climate Report is "Not based on Facts": “Reading from her script Sarah intoned: ‘We have to look at the fact that this report is based on the most extreme modeling scenario, which contradicts long established trends. Modeling the climate is an extremely complicated science that is never exact. The biggest thing we can do is focus on how to make sure we have the cleanest air or the cleanest water. And the President certainly is blah blah blah...’ Then responding to a follow up question with the same talking points Sarah added: ‘It’s not based on facts. It’s not… It’s not data driven. We’d like to see something more data driven.’ The The Fourth National Climate Assessment is an exhaustive a 1656-page overview, with extensive documentation, and it includes input from over 300 experts spanning 13 government agencies. The Fourth National Climate Assessment is a factual tour de force.”

Lefty Coaster writes—At conclusion of the G-20 Meeting Mr Trump stood ALONE in not reaffirming the Paris Climate Accord: “Yet again Mr Trump has disgraced the United States in the eyes of the rest of the world. Leaders of the Group of 20 have agreed to fix the world trading system — but only 19 of them agreed to support the Paris accord on fighting climate change. Applause rose up in the hall Saturday as the leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, signed off on a final statement at the end of a two-day summit. The statement acknowledges flaws in the world trading system and calls for reforming the World Trade Organization. It doesn't mention protectionism however, because negotiators said the U.S. had resisted that. The statement says 19 of the members reiterated their commitment to the Paris climate accord but the U.S. reiterates its decision to withdraw.”

Lefty Coaster writes—Krugman exposes the whole GOP's turn to the Dark Side of Climate Denialism as “depraved" Lefty Coaster: “In practice, you can’t be a modern Republican in good standing unless you deny the reality of global warming, assert that it has natural causes or insist that nothing can be done about it without destroying the economy. You also have to either accept or acquiesce in wild claims that the overwhelming evidence for climate change is a hoax, that it has been fabricated by a vast global conspiracy of scientists. Why would anyone go along with such things? Money is still the main answer: Almost all prominent climate deniers are on the fossil-fuel take. However, ideology is also a factor: If you take environmental issues seriously, you are led to the need for government regulation of some kind, so rigid free-market ideologues don’t want to believe that environmental concerns are real (although apparently forcing consumers to subsidize coal is fine). Finally, I have the impression that there’s an element of tough-guy posturing involved — real men don’t use renewable energy, or something.”

Aldous J Pennyfarthing writes—At G20, the whole world agrees on climate action — except for Tweetle Dumb*ss: “​​​​​​​Between the lines: The Trump administration's position on the Paris Agreement is well known, and a similar clause was included in the communique from last year's G20 summit in Hamburg. But a senior White House official told reporters that the Paris climate section was one of the last issues to be settled "because the countries who typically might agree couldn't agree with each other." Countries like Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Russia might be starting to second-guess their commitment to a multilateral approach to climate change, the official said. Oh, great, so now we’re encouraging bad behavior among other nations, too. We’re like the one asshole condo owner who won’t pay his condo fees because he doesn’t think the pipes need to be snaked.”

gmoke writes—Green New Deal, Extinction Rebellion Demands, & My Approach to Climate Change: “Here are Representative Ocasio-Cortez' proposed goals for a Select Committee on a Green New Deal (https://ocasio2018.com/green-new-deal) as part of the resuscitated House Committee on Climate Change: ‘The Plan for a Green New Deal (and the draft legislation) shall be developed in order to achieve the following goals, in each case in no longer than 10 years from the start of execution of the Plan: 100% of national power generation from renewable sources; building a national, energy-efficient, ‘smart’ grid; upgrading every residential and industrial building for state-of-the-art energy efficiency, comfort and safety; decarbonizing the manufacturing, agricultural and other industries; decarbonizing, repairing and improving transportation and other infrastructure;

funding massive investment in the drawdown and capture of greenhouse gases; making ‘green’ technology, industry, expertise, products and services a major export of the United States, with the aim of becoming the undisputed international leader in helping other countries transition to completely carbon neutral economies and bringing about a global Green New Deal’.”

Angmar writes—Extinction Rebellion, protest, and: "Game-Changing Promise of a Green New Deal": “It begins with the galloping momentum calling on the Democratic Party to use its majority in the House to create the Select Committee for a Green New Deal, a plan advanced by Ocasio-Cortez and now backed by more than 14 representatives. The draft text calls for the committee, which would be fully funded and empowered to draft legislation, to spend the next year consulting with a range of experts — from scientists to local lawmakers to labor unions to business leaders — to map out a “detailed national, industrial, economic mobilization plan” capable of making the U.S. economy “carbon neutral” while promoting “economic and environmental justice and equality.” By January 2020, the plan would be released, and two months later would come draft legislation designed to turn it into a reality. That early 2020 deadline is important — it means that the contours of the Green New Deal would be complete by the next U.S. election cycle, and any politician wanting to be taken seriously as a progressive champion would need to adopt it as the centerpiece of their platform. If that happened, and the party running on a sweeping Green New Deal retook the White House and the Senate in November 2020, then there would actually be time left on the climate clock to meet the harsh targets laid out in the recent IPCC report, which told us that we have a mere 12 years to cut fossil fuel emissions by a head-spinning 45 percent.”

ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Trump Climate Report Disproves Trump Climate Administration- But Also AOC? “The Trump administration tried to pull a fast one on us last week by releasing a major, legally-mandated climate report on Black Friday when everyone would be too hungover on turkey and busy shopping to pay attention. For this science-denying administration, this tactic makes sense. But instead of a quiet release with little notice, the report was on the front page of major newspapers across the country, was given a regular segments on CNN Friday, covered by network news broadcasts, and made it into Fox News and the WSJ . What’s more, because the Trump administration hurried up the release, their own allies seemed unprepared. Heartland sent out a half-hearted release on Saturday , with three pitiful quotes blaming the Deep State for the report’s full-scale demolition of the facade of denial.”

ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Zinke’s Wildfire Op-Ed Accidentally Admits Climate Link, Focuses on Management Anyway: “All together, climate change is warming temperatures, making droughts more frequent and severe, and making forests more vulnerable to insect infestations. These are the first three factors Zinke listed, yet he suggests no solutions to address them nor explains their connection to climate change. Instead, he focuses on fire management. But this conclusion contradicts what the Trump administration's own report says--that the area that burned between 1916 and 2003 was “more closely related” to climate change factors than it was to forest management factors. Not that Zinke and Trump will accept the report’s conclusions. That just makes it harder to take their fire concern seriously, since they’re so intent on adding more fossil fuel emissions to the flames.”

ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Why Can’t TV News Cover Climate Without Deniers Misleading its Audience? “But Fox News is hardly the only broadcast news organization that’s fundamentally failed to hold climate deniers like Scott Pruitt accountable to a basic level of honest. Because while the Trump administration’s attempt to bury the NCA report on Black Friday backfired so badly that there were multiple stories about how badly it backfired , and it appeared on the front page of at least 140 newspapers across the country, it also broke into TV news. Unfortunately, that may not have been much of a win. While print media seems aware that climate deniers are largely just liars for hire, TV news appears fine with letting them mislead audiences. ( Including the President .) All five of the major agenda-setting Sunday shows--NBC’s Meet the Press, CNN’s State of the Union, ABC’s This Week, CBS’s Face the Nation, and even Chris Wallace’s Fox News Sunday-- covered climate change last Sunday. And while this was the first time all five covered climate change this year, which should have been cause for celebration, most gave the mic to deniers, which left audiences scratching their head.”

ClimateDenierRoundup writes—WSJ Opinion Page Thinks Hundreds Of Billions Of Dollars of Climate Damages Are “Affordable”: “To those who have already suffered from climate impacts, like the Native Americans displaced by sea level rise in Louisiana and permafrost melt in Alaska, or those who lost their homes in wildfires or lives in heat waves, the Wall Street Journal’s opinion page has a message: you’re expendable. That’s the gist of a pair of pieces responding to the NCA this week. In a piece published on Monday , Steve Koonin argues that the report says ‘the overall economic impact of human-caused climate change is expected to be quite small.’ To reiterate, this is the report that says many coastal communities will likely flood daily regardless of emission reductions, and that the entire $3.6 trillion dollar coastal real estate market is on the line. [...] Holman Jenkins Jr. follows Koonin’s lead, and on Tuesday put a finer point on his misplaced priorities of profits over people. In reference to the report’s $510 billion in potential losses by 2090, representing thousands of dead Americans, Jenkins quips that ‘paying this bill would be a nuisance, not Armageddon’.”

OCEANS, WATER, DROUGHT

Dan Bacher writes—Council staff says WaterFix inconsistent with Delta Plan; Council chair urges DWR to withdraw: “On November 8, the Delta Stewardship Council staff released a draft report finding that the California WaterFix is not consistent with the Delta Plan after considering the appeals filed by an array of organizations, Tribes and governments to the ‘certification of consistency’ filed by the California Department of Water Resources. The release of the staff report was then followed by a Council workshop in Sacramento on November 15 during which Council Chair Randy Fiorini and Council Member Frank Damrell suggested that DWR withdraw their controversial document. This is a major victory against the Delta Tunnels project that Governor Jerry Brown is trying to put in place as much as possible before he leaves office in January and Governor-Elect Gavin Newsom takes the helm. The project would divert Sacramento River water from the North Delta through two giant tunnels to the South Delta to facilitate the export of Northern California water to corporate agribusiness on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California water agencies.”

Dan Bacher writes—Governor Brown makes appointments to Regional Water Quality Boards: “Governor Jerry Brown today announced the following appointments to regional water quality boards around the state, including the Central Coast, Central Valley, Colorado River Basin, Lahontan, North Coast, San Francisco Bay, Santa Ana, San Diego and Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Boards.”

Dan Bacher writes—Breaking: Jerry Brown Backs Deal to Increase Pumping Delta Water to Big Ag: “In a move that drew harsh criticism from fishing and environmental groups, California Governor Jerry Brown today announced that he supports the controversial Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act) provisions proposed today by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein. ‘I support the 7-year extension of the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act, including important provisions that House Majority Leader McCarthy and Senator Feinstein have proposed that enable California water users to participate in voluntary agreements and help improve river flows to restore fish populations,’ said Brown in a statement. Fish and Delta advocates say Brown has apparently traded state support for the federal ‘salmon-killing WIIN Act’ for Trump administration support for his widely-opposed Delta Tunnels. Kevin McCarthy is one of the strongest Congressional supporters of President Donald Trump. According to the Washington Post, Kevin McCarthy ‘relishes’ his role as ‘Trump’s fixer, friend and candy man’.”

WILDERNESS, NATIONAL FORESTS AND PARKS & OTHER PUBLIC LANDS

Meteor Blades writes—With so much cheap government leasing, oil speculators grab millions of acres of 'idle' public land: “The Trump regime’s focus on U.S. ‘energy dominance’ has included a huge amount of leasing of public lands for oil and gas drilling—that is, land owned in common by American taxpayers. Since 2016, in fact, the amount of public land made available for drilling has increased six-fold. With so much land available for lease, the auction price has been driven way down. Bids of less than $2 an acre are not unusual. In Montana, for instance, the average lease bid has fallen 80 percent since Barack Obama was president. The low prices have spurred speculators to gobble up big swaths of land throughout the West. Eric Lipton and Hiroko Tabuchi at The New York Times cite the example of London-based oil and gas executive Robert B. Price. He used the Department of Interior’s policy of letting companies designate specifically which land they would like to develop and then holding an auction on it. Few other bidders typically show up. This factor worked out pretty swell for Price.”

BYPRODUCTS, TRASH, TOXIC & RADIOACTIVE WASTE

Idontknowwhy writes—Illinois Coal ash problem may make Flint's lead problem look small: “Illinois’ groundwater has been severely harmed by coal ash pollution, and the water remains at risk. If coal ash remains in contact with groundwater and timely cleanups are not completed, contamination will continue to endanger sources of drinking water as well as nearby lakes and rivers. This pollution disproportionately impacts low income communities. The widespread nature of the pollution threatens to harm the quality of life for all Illinoisans who value clean water and healthy rivers and lakes. So concludes a Environmental Integrity Project, Earthjustice, Prairie Rivers Network, and the Sierra Club report. The report is so dire I’m at a loss to express how it makes me feel so I’ll just add the summary, let you look at it for yourselves. That this issue isn’t making major headlines and initiating calls for action is beyond me.”

ENERGY

Karen Feridun writes—Will Senate Energy Committee Confirm Climate Denier to FERC Four Days after Grim Climate Assessment? “Trump’s plan to bury the government’s grim climate assessment by releasing it on Black Friday may have failed, but his plan to place a climate denier on the five-member panel at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission appears likely to succeed. Tomorrow, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee will vote on Bernard McNamee’s confirmation. He currently serves as head of the policy office at the Department of Energy, a position he took in May after a four-month stint at the right-wing Texas Public Policy Foundation. I wrote about TPPF’s connection to the Koch Brothers and ALEC in a post published just before McNamee’s confirmation hearing. Last week, Utility Dive published a piece that included a two-minute excerpt of a video of McNamee’s February speech on Life:Powered, the TPPF initiative he directed. Here’s the full video.”

kernals writes—How The Energy Crisis Ended: “The doomsayers who claim we’re at risk of running out of oil ignore the fact that we have virtually unlimited reserves that can be tapped if the price goes high enough. One of them was Alaska. Drilling in the Arctic circle is risky and expensive, but with prices high, it was now profitable, particularly after the Alaska pipeline opened in 1977. In the 60s, large oil resources were found under the North Sea between Britain and Scandanavia. With the energy crisis, both countries got to work on drilling and Scotland, in particular, soon had an oil boom. But perhaps the biggest impact came from our good friends in the Soviet Union. During the 70s, they greatly expanded their production and overtook the United States to become the world’s largest oil producer. For the Russians, exporting oil to the West served as a lucrative source of foreign currency and as a way to further Detente. Even the communists could not pass up this type of business deal.”

Nuclear

Fossil Fuels

Aldous J Pennyfarthing writes—Trump twice tried to convince Iraq's PM to hand over the country's oil: “The same guy who reportedly asked a nuclear weapons expert why we aren’t using our nukes to blow up other countries has also frequently wondered aloud why we didn’t steal Iraq’s oil after we invaded the country in 2003. The answer — because we’re not 9th century Viking marauders, you dumb fuck — should be obvious to anyone who’s ever cracked open a history text. But Li’l Donny is the kind of kid who tries to do book reports without ever having read the book. (Which probably makes for an awkward moment or two whenever he’s asked about The Art of the Deal.) Also, we went into Iraq to get rid of their nonexistent WMDs, not pillage the country. Pay attention to your daily intelligence briefings, you blotchy baboon taint. So it’s both alarming and, well, not unexpected to discover that Trump has kept up with his quixotic quest to steal the natural resources of the countries we’re, at least in theory, trying to help.”

Lefty Coaster writes—Drilling for Oil & Gas in public lands & waters contributes 1/4 of all US GHG emissions: “Included in the Black Friday news dump was a report on drilling on public lands producing one quarter of all US Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. That’s a huge proportion! No wonder the ultra-corrupt Trump Administration wanted to bury this report. [...] Drilling on public lands contributes nearly a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., according to a new Trump administration report. The first-of-its-kind U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) report, released late Friday, found that emissions from fossil fuels produced on federal lands and offshore areas represent an average of 24 percent of all national emissions of carbon, a major contributor to air pollution and climate change. Wyoming was the top contributor of greenhouse gas emissions. Federal lands within the state contributed 57 percent of the climate change contributing emissions across all states and offshore areas combined.”

annieli writes—More dumbfrackery... Trump thanks himself for oil prices: “

x So great that oil prices are falling (thank you President T). Add that, which is like a big Tax Cut, to our other good Economic news. Inflation down (are you listening Fed)! Ã¢ÂÂ Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 25, 2018

Another sugar high from Mar-a-Lago chocolate cake, Trump’s spent too much time being schmoozed by his fellow club members. The reality comes from the CBC among others who show that in reality unleaded gas prices have been rising since the beginning of the Trump regime. More Bigly Lies from 45*.”

Inland Jim writes—West Coast Crabbers Sue Fossil Fuelers: “Commercial crabbers in Oregon and California are suing 30 fossil fuel companies, claiming they are to blame for climate change, which has hurt their industry.”

rachaelgirard writes—Does Natural Gas Trump the Safety of Humans? “Natural Gas is just one of many non-renewable natural resources that we exploit from the Earth for our own benefit. There are many problems that arise from the natural gas pipelines, from the industries that extract it, to the government that regulates it. From beginning to end the natural gas pipeline industry is an overall danger to humans and the environment because of the fracking process, the natural gas pipeline installations, and a government who prioritizes the economy over safety. The entire process begins with the removal of the natural gas from the ground. The extraction process requires clearing the land and drilling and fracking deep into the Earth where gas-filled shale deposits lie.”

Renewables, Efficiency & Conservation

Progressive2016 writes—Biofuels were supposed to slow climate change, but caused deforestation which made it much worse: “Talk about unintended consequences! In 2007, the US started mandating biofuels with at least partly environmentally friendly intentions, but it led to increases in palm oil prices, which motivated companies to burn Indonesia’s forests and the peatlands they sit on in order to grow more palm oil, which spewed far more carbon into the air than the biofuels saved. The New York Times Magazine has a sobering story about this: The supposed carbon gains of plant-based fuels have to be offset, Searchinger argued in subsequent papers, by one of three things: reducing food consumption, increasing yields from existing cropland or — most likely — creating entirely new cropland, probably in the countries with the largest ‘underutilized’ forests.”

Leslie Salzillo writes—Developing countries forge ahead of wealthy nations in clean energy, and Trump can't grasp why: “Developing countries often lag behind wealthier nations on many levels—for obvious reasons. But now, it’s their time to shine, and tell the rich what investing in clean energy looks like—and where it can lead. For the first time ever, developing countries have invested more into clean energy than fossil fuels. Over half of new power in developing countries is wind and solar power. GoodNewsNetwork.org reports: According to the report, BNEF’s annual Climatescope survey, developing nations even added more clean energy capacity than richer countries that previously cautioned them to avoid pursuing alternative energy technologies because they were too expensive. ‘This marks a remarkable turnabout from a decade ago when the world’s wealthiest countries accounted for the bulk of renewable investment and deployment activity,’ reads the report. ‘Developing nations at the time were viewed as holding enormous promise only; wind, solar, geothermal and other clean technologies were regarded as too expensive for mass deployment’.”