Worldwide opinion on Climate Change

 The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication: Report dated 11.14.23

Excerpts from the report:

"...a new report, International Public Opinion on Climate Change, 2023. In partnership with Data for Good at Meta and Rare’s Center for Behavior & the Environment, we recently conducted a survey investigating public climate change knowledge, attitudes, policy preferences, and behavior among Facebook users in nearly 190 countries and territories worldwide. (Wording varied slightly across countries and territories. Countries in gray were not surveyed.) The survey was fielded from August 3 – September 3, 2023."

I was interested in one aspect of this report...the perception in different countries as to whether climate change would be personally harmful to them...

"Overall, respondents in Central and South America perceive greater personal harm from climate change than do respondents elsewhere. Respondents in wealthier areas generally do not perceive climate change as a personal risk, but rather see it as a much greater threat to future generations. This is consistent with our prior studies finding that for many people, climate change is still perceived as a problem distant in time (future generations) and space (e.g., polar bears or other countries – not me or my family)."

This is the subscription address to get the Yale Climate Change Conversation: 

<climatechange@yale.edu>

Fun to watch map, and UN to reduce plastics

  Another great historical video...

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Plastics: NPR article from Monday, 11.13.23 

"... last year the United Nations set out to write a legally binding agreement to deal with the issue. That decision by U.N. member states "will clearly take us towards a future with no plastic pollution," Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi, Japan's then-environment minister, said at the time.

This week, negotiators from around 150 countries are gathering in Kenya to start hashing out the treaty's details. Outside groups are there too, trying to influence the talks, including public health advocates, human rights activists, environmentalists and the oil and gas industry.

Oil and gas companies push recycling

Oil and gas companies have spent decades touting recycling as a solution to the plastic waste problem. Yet reporting reveals they knew that the economics of recycling don't make sense and that recycling wouldn't keep waste from piling up in landfills and the environment. Despite years of advertising campaigns and municipal efforts, less than 10% of plastic waste gets recycled globally.

The problem is that making new plastic is almost always cheaper than collecting and recycling used material. Recycling plastic also requires a lot of energy, and some plastic waste can't be recycled at all, says Bethanie Carney Almroth, a professor of ecotoxicology at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.

Yet the idea of a circular economy for plastic — using, recycling and reusing material — is central to the U.N. negotiations, in part because, for now, it's hard to imagine a world without plastic, says Winnie Lau, who leads a project at the Pew Charitable Trusts to keep plastic waste out of oceans.

But Marcos Orellana, the U.N. special rapporteur on toxics and human rights, says a circular economy is "wishful thinking" at best. "In the worst case, it's the design of a misinformation campaign intended to confuse the population," he says.

Oil producers will fight to keep their plastics business

What's clear is that oil-producing countries will fight to protect their business with the plastics industry.
Russia and China have argued that production cuts don't belong in a global plastics treaty. And Saudi Arabia said limiting the supply of plastics would "risk economic growth and stability." The countries are all participating in the negotiations.

"I am not a skeptic of business," Lau (of the Pew Charitable Trusts) says. But she says the solutions that companies are pitching to governments need scrutiny. "If you don't have the right accountability mechanism and oversight mechanism in place, they could be designed to not work at all."

The U.N.'s goal is to finish the treaty negotiations next year.

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Today's quote:

The most perfect technique is that which is not noticed at all. -Pablo Casals, cellist, conductor, and composer (1876-1973)

Climate change affects your life in 3 big ways, a new report warns

 

(Here's the link...) Climate change affects your life in 3 big ways

Morning Edition of NPR gave a summary of this 5 year report last Tuesday...

Released every five years, the National Climate Assessment is a congressionally mandated evaluation of the effects of climate change on American life. This new fifth edition paints a picture of a nation simultaneously beset by climate-driven disasters and capable of dramatically reducing emissions of planet-warming gasses in the near future.

The National Climate Assessment is extremely influential in legal and policy circles, and affects everything from court cases about who should foot the bill for wildfire damage, to local decisions about how tall to build coastal flood barriers. "It really shapes the way that people understand, and therefore act, in relation to climate change," says Michael Burger, the director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University.

Hundreds of scientists from universities, industry, and federal agencies contributed to the report. They reviewed cutting-edge research published since the last report and contextualized it in decades of foundational climate research.

Here are the three big takeaways from the Fifth National Climate Assessment. More information about the specific effects of climate change in your area can be found in the assessment's regional chapters.

Climate change makes life more expensive

Food, housing, labor – it all gets pricier as the Earth heats up, according to the National Climate Assessment.

And the hotter it gets, the more profound the economic harm, assessment warns. Twice as much planetary warming leads to more than twice as much economic harm, the assessment warns.

Climate change makes people sick and often kills them

Since the previous NCA was released five years ago, the health costs of climate change have gone from theoretical to personal for many Americans.

The most obvious risk? Extreme weather, particularly heat,..."

Climate change threatens people's special, sacred places and practices

The places, cultural practices, and traditions that anchor many communities are also in flux because of climate change.

The fixes to climate change can make Americans' lives better

The fifth assessment lays out a stark picture of the climate challenges the U.S. faces. Keeping planetary warming to "well below" 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), the goal of the international Paris Agreement, will require immediate, enormous cuts to fossil fuel emissions in the U.S and beyond.

Author's Note: On CBS national news, 11.14.23 One of the people contributing to this assessment said "We are the last generation that do anything about climate change.

And on the UN Day of Tolerance this was recorded. My friend Robertson Work gives some good insights to his approach to climate change, with compassion.

A good resource for Climate Change info

 Open Planet with videos and articles on the climate. Here.

Open Planet Lets You Download & Use 4,500 Free Videos That Document Nature & Climate Change!

As the effects of climate change become increasingly dire, we’ve grown accustomed to such grimly sobering visions.

Some look away.

Others work to heighten awareness of these clear and present environmental dangers.

And some strive to implement innovative solutions before it’s too late

Many links available on this site!

Today's quote;

The eyes of the future are looking back at us and they are praying for us to see beyond our own time. They are kneeling with hands clasped that we might act with restraint, that we might leave room for the life that is destined to come.

TERRY TEMPEST WILLIAMS

 

"Zip" bronze sculpture by Jason Johnston

The "Loss and Damage Fund" to really work

 I signed the first petition I've been interested in - in years! Here it is in a nutshell...

At last year’s COP27, world leaders recognized the urgency of climate change, pledging to establish a Loss and Damage Fund for those least responsible yet most affected by climate disasters. As COP28 approaches from November 30 to December 12, the United States at this pivotal moment, holds significant influence over the future of this fund. With the potential for the World Bank to oversee the fund, there is a risk of perpetuating existing inequities that disadvantage the Global South.

At COP28 it is imperative that the promises made are not empty ones. Communities are watching as their homes disappear into the sea, storms demolish their sacred sites, and saltwater contaminates their freshwater and crops. These are the voices we amplify — voices of Indigenous Peoples and those who shoulder our warming planet’s heaviest burdens, despite contributing the least to the crisis. 

Join us in a critical movement to influence climate policy as we appeal to Presidential Climate Envoy John Kerry. We’re campaigning for the United States to lead in establishing and operationalizing the Loss and Damage Fund, as promised in previous climate summits. This fund is essential—it’s about providing financial support and recovery resources to the countries and communities most affected by climate change, especially those who have contributed least to the global emissions causing this crisis.

We call on John Kerry to guide the U.S. in supporting a Loss and Damage Fund that is independent and equitable, ensuring that the voices and rights of grassroots communities are not just heard but are the cornerstone of its operations. This fund must represent a break from the past, moving away from donor-dominated structures to one that symbolizes unity and delivers direct, debt-free support. 

This came from the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, and the information about the petition is Here. 

My take is that the World Bank wouldn't be really looking out for those who have suffered. Remember last year at COP 27 when so many African and Asian delegates came and told of their suffering from Climate Change? This fund was designed to help them and others, and not to line the pockets of politicians.

Love my chocolate, but... (also comments about the Supreme Court "code")

 Eating chocolate isn't always healthy, as Consumer Reports shows how much lead and cambium can be found it it...dark chocolate, milk chocolate, drinks, brownies, cake mixes and more.

I wasn't thrilled to hear about dark chocolate, my favorite. But they didn't test my brand, Lindt. 

Here are some other results:

"When we tested dark chocolate bars last year, we found lead or cadmium levels above CR’s thresholds in 23 of 28 bars, or 82 percent of them. Our results this time were similar. Of the seven bars we tested, five, or 71 percent, were above our levels for lead, cadmium, or both.

I do like to make brownies though, oops!

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Below 100% of CR's levels

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Above 100% of CR's levels

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My favorite brownie mix...results:

Ghirardelli

 

Premium Brownie Mix Double Chocolate

16 servings per box

 

LEAD

 

 

108%

 

CADMIUM

 

 

37%

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The way I look at that is that it's 108 times above the allowable amount of lead for a single serving. I shall no longer bring this to pot luck functions! If it's only 8% I could live with that. I'm stewing over this.

If you understand the way it's over or under I'd like to hear how you see that working. It's really just 8% over their level, isn't it?

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Today's quote:

If you pray for rain long enough, it eventually does fall. If you pray for floodwaters to abate, they eventually do. The same happens in the absence of prayers. -Steve Allen, television host, musician, actor, comedian, and writer (1921-2000)

And just a note on current events:

Robert Reich offers this info:
Yesterday, (11.13.23) the Supreme Court announced an ethics code for the justices. But the code is utterly empty. It has no enforcement mechanism and no mechanism for the public to lodge complaints of misconduct.

It’s public relations pablum.

The court effectively admitted this, saying that “the absence of a Code … has led in recent years to the misunderstanding that the justices of this court, unlike all other jurists in this country, regard themselves as unrestricted by any ethics rules.”

Misunderstanding? I’m sorry, but the public understands quite well that the justices regard themselves as free to do whatever they wish, in terms of ethics.

The new rules don’t require any changes in how the justices conduct themselves.

The new code has no system for the public to lodge complaints or for any outside review of alleged ethical violations.

In the absence of any enforcement process, the document states that Chief Justice John Roberts has directed court staff to do a review of “best practices” based on systems already in place in the lower courts. It didn’t provide a timeline for that review or what action the court might take in response.

Ultimately, I blame Chief Justice John Roberts. The court’s chief justice is supposed to maintain public trust and confidence in the court, but Roberts has done everything possible to avoid a Code of Ethics with teeth. This latest pathetic attempt at pacifying the public will do little to reverse the sharp decline in public confidence in the nation’s highest court. 

Volo Foundation climate articles

 The Soaring Cost of Climate Change

A report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) highlights the increasing economic losses from weather, climate, and water-related extremes, which have risen from $184 billion in the 70s to nearly $1.5 trillion in the last decade. However, the actual losses are likely much higher, with an estimated 63% going unreported.

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Earth has it's hottest year on record

The past 12 months have been the hottest ever recorded, according to an analysis released Thursday from the nonprofit organization Climate Central. 

The researchers analyzed global average temperatures from November 2022 through October and found they were about 1.32 degrees Celsius — or 2.4 degrees Fahrenheit — above preindustrial averages. 

“This is the hottest temperature our planet has experienced in something like 125,000 years,” Andrew Pershing, the organization’s vice president for science, said at a news conference. 

Many scientists, including Pershing, expect next year to set new records as the influence of El Niño makes a stronger impact. 

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‘Loss and Damage’ Deal Struck To Help Countries Worst Hit by Climate Crisis

Countries have reached an agreement to establish a "loss and damage" fund to assist the world's most vulnerable communities affected by climate breakdown. The fund, which will be initially administered by the World Bank and funded by both large developing and developed countries, aims to provide grant-based financing for reconstruction, rehabilitation, and relocation after extreme weather events or slow-onset climate impacts

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HEALTH

New Delhi To Restrict Use of Vehicles To Curb Air Pollution

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SOLUTIONS

‘Sponge Cities’: An Absorbing Idea in the Face of Climate Change

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PROGRAMS

Sachamama - Huella Zero

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OTHER NEWS

Arctic Ocean Soundscapes Reveal Changes in Mammal Populations in Response to Climate Change

All these links were from this source: The Volo Foundation newsletter 

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Another very important topic...How we wasted the Pandemic by John Pavlovitz 

Here's the conclusion but I recommend reading the entire article...

Extremism has caused tribalism to become the norm.

And that’s a bit of the frustration now: we can’t figure out how to change what we’ve become, because so much of it is beyond our control or seems to be. So, what can people of faith, morality, and conscience do? How can we change something that feels so impossibly permanent?

What we can do, is to fight this schism in the close and small spaces of our individual stories and in the communities that we do have the ability to alter, in the circles of influence where our voices carry.

We can each remember the two weapons we always have in the fight against tribalism: proximity and agency. We have availability and we have who we show up as in those opportunities.

May we do all we can to make sure we haven’t wasted the losses and the lessons of this disaster.

My thoughts today

"The average American generates five pounds of trash per day, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Some of it gets recycled but most of it ends up in landfills, which can contaminate soil and water and generate harmful greenhouse gasses, contributing to environmental degradation and climate change.

Do you want to know the 5 suggestions to change your habits? 

Nope, not going to list them, since the first starts with taking an inventory of your trash. NOBODY is going to do that, are they? Just be more mindful of what you toss, and reuse and repurpose and recycle what you can!

Waste not, Want not...

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On another note (pardon the pun!)

Tracy Chapman’s 1988 folk anthem “Fast Car” was named Song of the Year at this week’s Country Music Awards, making her the first Black artist to win the award. 

It was amazing to watch a white bearded man sing this and have it make much sense. It belonged to Tracy, I think!! Of course Country Music has always had the begrudging attitude of 'lost my wife, my dog and my truck.'

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I got my flu shot Friday...the one for people over 65. Don't know what that's good for, but I figure I'm well qualified for it. My family doctor (general practitioner is another name I think) did a wellness physical. All systems go. Amazing that I haven't coughed since we've had all this dry weather (except the time I stuck my finger in a pot of moldy soil). That pot is outside now. I'm pretty sure this has confirmed my suspicions that the ac/heat unit grows mold whenever it rains, and blows it all over me in the bedroom. So, this detective woman has put a towel over it for the next 5 months of cold weather...and will use a portable floor heater, in the next room since my bedroom is so small.

Simple pleasures. Feeling my health is pretty good.  Knock on wood.

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Nova - PLANET EARTH

HARVESTING ELECTRICITY FROM SAND (2018) When it comes to generating power, shining light on silicon opens up a whole  universe of possibilities. Available to stream now... TECH + ENGINEERING THE WORLD WIDE WEB CELEBRATES ITS 30TH BIRTHDAY (2019) Without it, you wouldn't be able to watch this video. Available to stream now. TECH + ENGINEERING THE PRINTING PRESS REVOLUTIONIZED THE  SPREAD OF INFORMATION (2020) Watch how a printing press works. Available to stream now.

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How disability intersects with climate vulnerability (Sat. 11.11.23)

PBS gave a short program which highlighted that:

"... People with disabilities are up to four times more likely to die in these disasters and most don’t return to their homes, according to research and U.S. census data. 

Despite this heightened vulnerability, the perspectives and needs of this population still aren’t meaningfully included in disaster management and planning efforts..."

Evidence suggests that global efforts to combat climate change also largely overlook people with disabilities, who went unmentioned in the long-term plans drafted by more than two-thirds of countries who signed the Paris climate agreement in 2015."

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I watched the Earth Shot Prize on PBS last night, and must admit I looked on line ahead of time to see what kinds of projects were winners against whoever was just a finalist. I really wish the guys feeding a bit of seaweed to cows who would reduce the methane gas by 95% had won. Now I'll have to look back and see who beat them out.

The key message was to be optimistic. OK. Some days better than others.

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