California wildfire rages toward scenic coastal communities & David Attenborough offers stark warning

11.12.17

News

California wildfire rages toward scenic coastal communities

Coverage of California’s wildfires continued this morning as the flames moved towards the towns of Montecito and Carpinteria. The fire destroyed nearly 800 structures scorched another 56,000 acres on Sunday, making it the fifth largest such blaze in recorded state history. However, California governor Jerry Brown warned that such blazes could be “the new normal” because of climate change as he surveyed the devastation in Ventura on Saturday, the Los Angeles Timesreports. “This could be something that happens every year or every few years,” he said. “We’re about to have a firefighting Christmas.” Of the 10 largest fires in California history, all but three occurred within the last 15 years, Buzzfeed reports. The Daily Mail US writes that Brown has once again criticised Donald Trump’s stance on climate change. Speaking in an upcoming 60 Minutes interview, Brown, 79, said: “I don’t think President Trump has a fear of the Lord, the fear of the wrath of God, which leads one to more humility.” He added: “This is such a reckless disregard for the truth and for the existential consequences that can be unleashed.” Vox also has the story.

Blue Planet 2: David Attenborough offers stark warning against climate change and pollution during finale

The Independent

Sir David Attenborough issued a stark warning about the effects of climate change on the world’s oceans in the final episode of Blue Planet 2. On Sunday evening, Sir David said that human-caused climate change, plastic pollution and overfishing could be causing irrevocable damage to marine life. “It is now clear our actions are having a significant impact on the world’s oceans,” he said. “[They] are under threat now as never before in human history. Many people believe the oceans have reached a crisis point.” He added: “Surely we have a responsibility to care for our blue planet. The future of humanity, and indeed all life on Earth, now depends on us.” The Times reports that Sir David also warned of how melting ice could one day flood cities across the world, including London and Miami. In his column in The Times, climate sceptic Matt Ridley called Sir David’s warning over climate change “misleading”. Mail Online also covers Blue Planet 2’s finale.

EIB accused of marring EU climate goals with €1.5bn gas pipeline loan

The Guardian

The bank of the EU has come under fire for its move towards approving a €1.5bn (£1.3bn) loan for a gas pipeline from Azerbaijan to western Europe. Campaigners said the European Investment Bank, which is expected to award a loan to the transadriatic pipeline (TAP) on Tuesday, was directly opposing the EU’s climate change commitments. The bank has been privately urged to approve the loan by EU climate and energy chiefs so that construction can begin with adequate fundings. However, campaigners said that approving the loan on the second anniversary of the Paris climate deal being agreed would be an affront to Europe’s efforts to curb carbon emissions. “The EU, which considers itself a climate action champion, simply cannot afford its financial arm, the EIB, supporting any component of the southern gas corridor,” said Xavier Sol, the director of Counter Balance, an alliance of European NGOs.

Meat tax ‘inevitable’ to beat climate and health crises, says report

The Guardian

A “sin tax” on meat to reduce its serious impacts on climate and human health could be “inevitable”, a new report finds. A new analysis from investor network Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return (Fairr) Initiative, which manages more than $4tn of assets, finds that a tobacco-like tax could be crucial in cutting meat consumption. The meat industry is currently responsible for around 16% of global greenhouse gas emissions and cutting consumption could be key to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Theresa May’s £100 energy price cap saving is uncosted

The Times

The government has not costed its proposed energy price cap, despite Theresa May’s claim that it would cut bills by up to £100 a year, it was revealed in the Times. The plan to set a maximum price for gas and electricity would apply to about 11m households that are on expensive standard tariffs. An official impact assessment published today reveals that the government has not analysed how much the policy is likely to save households, or how much it will cost suppliers, amid warnings that some businesses could go bust. The cap could affect the role out of smart meters, the Guardian reports.

Introducing DeSmog UK’s Climate Disinformation Database

DeSmogUK

DeSmog UK has launched a “Climate Disinformation Database”, which it describes as “a quick and easy tool for the public, policymakers, researchers, and journalists to check who they’re dealing with on climate science and policy”. The database currently has 70 entries, which are split into four categories: government players, the fossil fuel industry, climate sceptics and think tanks, and the behind-the-scenes donors.

Comment

Will wildfires finally change Rupert Murdoch’s climate stance?

Richard Schiffman, New Scientist

“A wildfire has ripped through one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in the US, damaging Rupert Murdoch’s $28.8 million vineyard estate in the Santa Monica mountains at the edge of Los Angeles,” writes environmental journalist Richard Schiffman in the New Scientist. “The media-mogul’s palatial house was saved, thanks to firefighters who spent the afternoon and night battling the conflagration. Others weren’t so lucky.” In a comment piece, Schiffman points to the irony that Murdoch’s “vineyard was saved from wildfire destruction, but the world may yet burn thanks to his climate views”. In The Guardian, writer Steven W Thrasher, a southern California native, says: “As I hear about site after site from my childhood simply disappearing into scorched earth, I am realizing that climate change is not only erasing the present, it is also destroying the physical touchstones to my own past.”

Saudi Aramco plans for a life after oil

Anjli Raval & Andrew Ward, Financial Times

As part of Saudi Arabia’s plans to end its reliance on oil, state oil firm Saudi Aramco is investing heavily in petrochemicals write Anjil Raval and Andrew Ward in a Financial Times “big read” on the firm’s share offer. This move has contradictions, they write: “Even as the young heir to the country’s throne looks beyond fossil fuels for future growth, Riyadh’s $2tn valuation will only be achieved if Saudi Aramco can show that its vast oil reserves — the same resource it is trying to diversify away from — are still worth investing in.” The kingdom is trying to “maximise remaining value from its vast fossil fuel resources to finance the transition,” they add, noting that the firm continues to invest heavily in new oil and gas exploration.

Science

Climate warming is associated with smaller body size and shorter lifespans in moose near their southern range limit

Global Change Biology

Climate change could be causing moose to shrink, new research finds. Scientists studied the skulls of moose from the last 40 years and found that skull size has decreased by 19% for males and 13% for females. This drop in size was linked to an increase in winter temperatures over the past four decades, the researchers find. The research team also found that moose with smaller skulls tended to live shorter lives.

News