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Thank You Christiana Figueres for Stronger Climate Action  

Christiana Figueres term as the Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) has just ended and we all owe her a huge thank you for the safer climate legacy she has left our children and grandchildren. I've had the pleasure of knowing her for the entire 16 years I've been working on climate change so when she took the job after Copenhagen I knew she was the best person for this difficult position. If anyone could help steer the global community to a stronger international climate agreement I knew Christiana could do it. But could the global community really get its act together and could she successfully navigate this difficult terrain? She helped eliminate any lingering doubts with the Paris Agreement.

While the Paris Agreement wouldn't have occurred without the perseverance of many NGOs, citizens, countries, cities, and companies, it would have failed miserably without Christiana's leadership. She helped rally the world to finalize an historic climate agreement that includes new climate commitments from all major countries and set in motion efforts to require deeper emissions reduction commitments from all countries over time.

Christiana Figueres moderating a panel after signing ceremony in April with NRDC's Brendan Guy.

Looking back on her tenure there are a couple of traits that she embodied which I think proved critical in getting us to this point. Here are just a few of them.

Smiling. The night the Paris Agreement was agreed by over 190 countries she attended the NGO celebration and she had her trademark smile as she entered the room. I gave her a hug and congratulated her. But she wasn't only smiling after achieving historic agreements since you could often find her with a welcoming grin. I don't know if this was her intention, but I think her smile reminded the negotiators that even in the midst of difficult negotiations they were people trying to secure a better future for their citizens. A smile has a way of setting the tone for difficult negotiations much better than a straight face or a grimace.

Smart. I interacted with Christiana when we were working on similar ideas to help shift developing country action from the project-by-project nature of the Clean Development Mechanism (e.g., individual wind projects) to sector-wide actions that would help transform entire economies, not just little islands of positive climate action in a sea of climate inaction. She was a leading advocate for this changing dynamic when she represented Costa Rica and she helped shepherd through this shift as the Paris Agreement reflects national climate action plans from all major countries.

Persistent. I saw her in the halls of the UN after she had come out of a meeting with NRDC Trustee Robert Redford who called her a "force for nature" after their meeting. That is an appropriate description for Christiana since she kept at it even when the outcome looked in doubt. At that moment a lot of the key details were uncertain as the negotiating text was a mess and important elements around how countries would strengthen their targets over time were in doubt. She had a smile on her face and seemed confident that countries would resolve these difficult issues and move "us from good success in Paris to shining success in Paris". I knew she would do everything in her power to push countries towards that shining success.

Strategic. The UNFCCC Secretariat can't by herself get 194 countries to adopt a strong climate agreement. Reflecting this dynamic Elizabeth Kolbert described Christiana's job as having "the very highest ratio of responsibility (preventing global collapse) to authority (practically none)". In order to overcome this dynamic, Christiana had to be very strategic with how she helped all the key countries get to the strongest agreement possible. She used her giant megaphone to push where she thought public statements could help and she utilized quiet diplomacy where that was a better tactic.

Forward-looking. In order to address climate change, you often have to see at least two steps ahead of the current political dynamic. So you adopt the agreement that is possible today given the current politics, but include key provisions that create the conditions for even greater action in the coming years. Christiana recognized this aspect of international climate agreements as she was a strong champion of including cities, states/provinces, and companies into the global effort. This "action-agenda" can now play a key role in driving greater action so that when countries start to reassess their targets in 2018 they are prepared to outline even deeper targets than they committed to in 2015.

As Christiana leaves her role as Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC she will be missed. She helped shepherd through the historic Paris Agreement and we all owe her a huge debt of gratitude. I suspect that she won't disappear from the international climate radar as solving this issue is too important to her. This passion to address the gravest challenge of our generation runs too deep in her bones for her to go quietly.

Thank you Christiana and keep up the fight!

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Dangerous Beauty: The Ugly Side Of Pretty Plants  
In nature, some of the most beautiful and eye-catching plants and animals are also the most dangerous. Brightly colored flowers and shrubs please the eye, but can be very dangerous to people, especially children, and domestic animals.

It is always a good idea to know and fully understand the properties and qualities of any plant one wishes to cultivate in a garden, because even plants that are considered edible may have toxic parts or be harmful unless they are processed properly before use. While some plants may be good for repelling pests, as decoration or even for medicinal or food purposes, being aware of the benefits and potential dangers of everything you choose for your garden is a key step in creating a beautiful, safe oasis for you and your family!

Choosing The Right Plants For Your Garden

When deciding what to plant in your garden, you need to consider the following points:

• Is the garden intended for ornamental, edible, medicinal or mixed-use purposes?
• 
  
• Do you have children, pets or other domestic animals that could eat or brush up against these plants, either in your household or as frequent visitors?
• 
  
• Are you fully acquainted with the proper uses and potential dangers of any plants you're planning to use in your garden?
• 
  
• Do you know what the proper first aid and emergency response is for various plants, and do you have the necessary supplies if you need them?

By considering these points before you start, you can create a garden that is safe, healthy and beautiful to look at. However, there's still more to think about. Some plants are toxic from root to leaf, while others only have poisonous leaves, berries, bulbs or stems. Even plants that are non-toxic can act as skin irritants, or cause illness if eaten too soon or without proper processing and preparation. The more you know about the plants you want in your garden, the more likely it is that you will choose plants that mesh well with your lifestyle while protecting your family.

Putting Together The Right Garden For Your Needs

An ornamental garden will usually require different care, planning and layout than a garden intended for food or medicinal herbs. Different types of gardens also present different pros and cons from a safety perspective. Foxglove, also known as digitalis, is a lovely flowering plant that has been used for centuries to treat heart conditions. However, if used improperly, foxglove can be fatal. Chrysanthemums and tulip bulbs contain skin irritants which, while not overtly dangerous, can cause moderate to severe discomfort, especially in small children and pets.

Another factor to take into account is the prevalence of animals and pests in your area. Deer and rabbits are both widely regarded as garden-killers, and people often plant repellent or poisonous plants near or surrounding ornamental and edible plants as a barrier. The problem with this approach is twofold. First, what repels or even kills one pest may not faze another. Second, this barrier approach leaves pets and young children vulnerable to potentially hazardous plants.

A better choice may be to consider plants that are naturally repellent or taste bad to pests but are harmless to people. Some examples include lavender, basil, Echinacea, honeysuckle, catnip and mint. These plants are nontoxic and safe to humans, have a fragrance most people find pleasant and work to repel pests including deer, rabbits, spiders, ants and flying insects. Even better, plants like these can actually attract beneficial insects that assist with pollination and fighting off destructive pests.

Popular But Potentially Plants

Some examples of popular ornamental plants that are also poisonous include:

• Hyacinth
• 
  
• Chrysanthemum
• 
  
• Daffodils
• 
  
• Tulips
• 
  
• Lantana
• 
  
• Larkspur
• 
  
• Ivy
• 
  
• White and Yellow Oleander
• 
  
• Calla Lily
• 
  
• Lily of the Valley

There are of course many, many toxic ornamental plants, but these ornamentals are both very common and toxic. Because of the prevalence of these plants and their popularity in ornamental gardens worldwide, it is important that horticulturists be aware of their properties. These plants are skin and eye irritant, poisonous or both, especially to small pets such as cats and dogs and preadolescent children.

What About Adults?

While children and pets are generally more vulnerable to toxic plants than adults are, passing puberty doesn't automatically mean adults are in the clear. People with certain medical conditions and allergies may actually be more susceptible to plant toxicity than the general population. This is especially true of pregnant women, people with compromised immune systems or certain cardiovascular disorders and the elderly. When planning or planting a garden, considering not only who lives in the household but who might be coming to visit can help horticulturists evaluate what plants are most appropriate for the area and environment in which you live and least likely to cause problems for two-footed and four-footed visitors of all kinds.

Plants are beautiful and beneficial for a lot of different reasons, but like just about anything else, they should be chosen wisely and with due respect for both their desirable qualities and their potential dangers alike. By selecting plants that offer the best blend of visual attractiveness, safety and pest-repellent properties, you can create a garden that's lovely to look at and safer for your family, friends and visitors alike while giving you the benefits you want and need from your hard work. Gardening really is one place where an ounce of planning and prevention is worth a pound of cure!

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

 
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Arctic wolf  

My Planet Experience posted a photo:

The Arctic wolf is endangered because of its very fine pelt which is wanted by many hunters. It needs to be saved and put under hunters restriction before it becomes extinct forever.
Industrial development also poses a threat to the wolf, as an increasing number of mines, roads and pipelines encroach on the wolf's territory, and interrupt its food supply.
However, the greatest threat to the Arctic wolf is climate change. Extreme weather variations in recent years have reduced the traditional food supply of the Arctic wolf (populations of muskox and Arctic doesn't find food and decline in numbers).

The Arctic wolf is a sub-species of the grey wolf and lives in the Arctic regions of North America and Greenland.

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Griffon Vulture  

My Planet Experience posted a photo:

The Griffon Vulture is a large raptor, inhabitant of the steep cliffs and rocky areas offering numerous cavities where it will nest.
The main cause of the rapid decline in the griffon vulture population is the consumption of poisoned baits set out by people. Wildlife conservation efforts have attempted to increase awareness of the lethal consequences of using illegally poisoned baits through education about the issue. It is very highly vulnerable to the effects of potential wind energy development and electrocution has been identified as a threat.
The flight of the Griffon Vulture is a real show of virtuosity. It soars during long moments, moving scarcely the wings, in an almost unperceivable and measured way.

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White Tiger  

My Planet Experience posted a photo:

Soha is the male White Tiger of La Flèche Zoo Park, La Flèche, France

The White Tiger, also known as the White Bengal Tiger, is a pigmentation variant and a subspecies of Tiger, found throughout the Indian subcontinent.
Over the past couple of centuries the White Tiger has become even rarer in the wild due to trophy hunting or capture for the exotic pet trade, with there having been no recorded sightings of these elusive predators for the past 50 years.
Today, the White Tiger can still be found in a handful of zoos and animal sanctuaries around the world with these large and beautiful felines often being the star attraction.

Mohan, the last recorded white tiger born in the wild, was the founding father of the white tigers. He was captured as a cub in 1951 by Maharaja of Rewa. In 1953, Mohan was bred to a normal-coloured wild tigress called Begum "royal consort", which produced orange cubs. Mohan was then bred to his daughter Radha (who carried the white gene inherited from her father) with success.
Mohan was featured in the National Geographic documentary "Great Zoos Of The World" in 1970. He died aged almost 20, and was laid to rest with Hindu rites as the palace staff observed official mourning.

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Giant Panda  

My Planet Experience posted a photo:

Yuan Zi is the male Giant Panda of Beauval Zoo Park, Saint Aignan sur Cher, France

The giant panda is perhaps the most powerful symbol in the world when it comes to species conservation.
Adored around the world, the distinctive black and white animal is a national treasure in China and has been the symbol of WWF since its formation in 1961.
Giant pandas live in a few mountain ranges in central China, in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces. They once lived in lowland areas, but farming, forest clearing, and other development now restrict giant pandas to the mountains.
While its numbers are slowly increasing, the giant panda remains one of the rarest and most endangered bears in the world. It is listed as endangered in the World Conservation Union's (IUCN's) Red List of Threatened Species. There are about 1,600 left in the wild. More than 300 pandas live in zoos and breeding centers around the world, mostly in China.

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White Lion  

My Planet Experience posted a photo:

Jabu is the White Lion of La Flèche Zoo Park, La Flèche, France

Up until 2009, when the first white lions was reintroduced to the wild, it was widely believed that the white lion could not survive in the wild. It is for this reason that a large part of the population of white lions now reside in zoos.
The white lions of the Global White Lion Protection Trust (GWLPT) have been reintroduced into their natural habitat and have been hunting and breeding successfully without human intervention for a significant amount of time.
The white lion is a rare color mutation of the Timbavati area. White lions are the same as the tawny African Lion (Panthera leo krugeri) found in some wildlife reserves in South Africa and in zoos around the world.
White lions are not albinos. Their white color is caused by a recessive trait derived from a less-severe mutation in the same gene that causes albinism, distinct from the gene responsible for white tigers. They vary from blonde to near-white. This coloration does not appear to disadvantage their survival.

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Red Panda  

My Planet Experience posted a photo:

Liao is the female red panda of Beauval Zoo Park, Saint Aignan sur Cher, France

Red pandas are listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Its population has plausibly declined by 50% over the last three generations (estimated at 18 years) and this decline is projected to continue, and probably intensify, in the next three generations.
The red panda shares the giant panda's rainy, high-altitude forest habitat, but has a wider range. Red pandas live in the cool temperate bamboo forests in Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces in China, in the Himalayas and in Myanmar.
These pandas typically grow to the size of a house cat, though their big, bushy tails add an additional 46 centimeters. The pandas use their ringed tails as wraparound blankets in the chilly mountain heights.
Red pandas are solitary except for breeding season, but in zoos most breeding pairs are housed together year-round for enrichment.

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Songbird dads vary their 'catering' duties according to circumstances  
Expecting songbird dads do not always work themselves into frenzy to provide food to their partners sitting on the nest. They take breaks on warmer days, when food is more readily available or if their partner is older and more experienced in successfully hatching eggs.  
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Play fight  

syphrix photography posted a photo:

A pair of white tigers play fighting in the water.
Taken at the Singapore Zoo.

[Facebook | 500px]

 
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African wildlife officials appalled as EU opposes a total ban on ivory trade  

European commissions' opposition to a proposed global ban will spell the beginning of a mass extinction of African elephants, warn officials from 29 African states

Wildlife officials in nearly 30 African states say they are appalled by an EU decision to oppose a comprehensive global ban on the ivory trade.

In a position paper released on 1 July, the European commission said that rather than an all-encompassing ban it would be better to encourage countries with growing elephant numbers to “sustainably manage” their populations.

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Suzanne West: Smashing Energy And Environment Together  
As I mentioned in my first blog, when I started Imaginea Energy over two years ago, it was to pioneer a new kind of energy company that values all three of Planet, People and Profit. I thought if we could show that it is possible to smash energy and environment together in a positive way, then perhaps others would follow and we could transform my industry into a force for good.

Read more: Energy, Sustainability, Smarter Ideas, Thought Leadership, Environment, Business News

 
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Earthjustice: Two Political Trainwrecks in the Making  
(Konstantin L/Shutterstock)
Written by Martin Hayden, Earthjustice Vice President, Policy & Legislation

And they're off! Last week, the House and S...

Read more: Earthjustice, Congress, Environment, Green News

 
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Efforts to breed rare spoon-billed sandpipers fail after chicks die  

Conservationists are devastated after the first two chicks born in captivity to one of the world's rarest birds die at a wildfowl centre in Gloucestershire

An attempt to breed one of the world's rarest birds in captivity has failed after the only two chicks which hatched died, conservationists said.

Efforts to breed critically endangered spoon-billed sandpipers, named after their unusual beak, from the world's only captive population seemed to have yielded results, with seven eggs laid and two chicks hatching.

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#1 Physalia Physalis  
#1 Physalia Physalis  
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Potter wasp (Eumenes  

Potter wasp (Eumenes crucifera) collected in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada, and photographed at the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics (sample ID: BIOUG13335-D09; specimen record: http://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Public_RecordView?processid=SSBRC1473-14; BIN: http://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Public_BarcodeCluster?clusteruri=BOLD:AAE0431)

 
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UK's plastic rubbish ends up in fragile Arctic ecosystems  
Plastic rubbish from the UK spends two years drifting in sea before reaching the Arctic, one of the most pristine ecosystems on the planet  
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Food from rubbish dumps is turning bears into couch potatoes  
Wild bears in Turkey are becoming slouches, forsaking forest foraging and migration for easy pickings on garbage dumps near a city  
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Rafting allowed this sea slug to conquer the world's oceans  
Unlike most other nudibranchs, which are restricted to the sea floor, Fiona pinnata travels the oceans by hitching a ride on anything that passes  
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Goeldi Marmoset Or Goeldi Monkey  

kalypsoworldphotography posted a photo:

Goeldi Marmoset Or Goeldi Monkey Sitting On A Tree Stump, Ecuador, South America

 
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Threatened species face extinction owing to ‘God clause', scientists say  

Western Australia's government is seeking the power to approve activities that could ‘take or disturb' an endangered species

Western Australia's government could have the power to approve activities that could make a threatened species extinct, under biodiversity laws now before state parliament.

The provision has been dubbed “the God clause” by scientists and conservationists, who say giving the environment minister discretion to effectively authorise the extinction of a species contradicts the very purpose of biodiversity legislation.

Related: Numbats given reprieve as WA council scraps plans for rubbish dump

Related: Global biodiversity targets won't be met by 2020, scientists say

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Climate Change This Week: Fossil Fuels Are Costing the US & World, Raising Royalties, and More!  
Today, the Earth got a little hotter, and a little more crowded.




Saving BUB, Beautiful Unique Biodiversity, as in this cool leafy gecko from Madagascar, is another reason to conserve carbon-storing forests. Credit Piotr Naskrecki

Forests: the cheapest way to store carbon




Gems of the Forest in Madagascar, such as this comet moth and panther chameleon, are increasingly disappearing as the forests disappear.

OO Madagascar, Africa: Turning Forest Into Charcoal - the island, an incredible global hotspot of biodiversity - think chameleons and lemurs just for starters - has already lost most of its forests, and many endemic species are endangered.

But burgeoning poor populations are increasingly cutting down the remains for cooking charcoal, there and elsewhere in Africa.

Are there any solar billionaires out there willing to make a difference, and save those forests?





A Brilliant Piece of Amazon Biodiversity - the Spangled Cotinga and many more wildlife suffer when the forest is degraded. Source mostbeautifullworld.blogspot.com

OO Brazil: Forest Degradation Can Be As Bad For Biodiversity As Deforestation - we are failing to address some of the most dire impacts of human activities on forests and biodiversity, researchers are warning.


When we harm forests, we harm ourselves.

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FOSSIL FUELS ARE COSTING THE US, WORLD




A Costly Business - fossil fuel industries are costing world economies due to their enormous unpaid social costs. Credit Joshua Doubek via Wikimedia Commons

OO Fossil Fuel Companies: Climate Costs Outweigh Their Profits - Takeaways:

• unpaid cost of carbon pollution = a subsidy to polluting businesses;
• 
  
• IMF says: total global subsidies to energy (mostly fossil fuels) =5.2 trillion/year
• 
  
• top 20 fossil fuel companies create more social costs than after-tax profits *

Thus, if fossil fuel companies had to pay the costs of their pollution, they would not be profitable. Social costs include economic, environmental and health damages.

*says a new Cambridge University analysis of the years 2008-2012





Where Your Dirty Air Comes From - mostly from the burning of fossil fuels. Source IEA

OO Air Pollution Seen Costing Trillions To Save Millions of Lives Yearly - and the fossil fuel industries are not paying for it; the world needs to invest trillions in cleaner energy and emissions controls, says a new International Energy Agency (IEA) report.


OO Air Pollution To Kill Millions More Without Change Of Energy Policy says the IEA:

• premature deaths from air pollution will continue to rise to 2040
• 
  
• yearly, air pollution causes about 6.5 million deaths globally;
• 
  
• it is the world's fourth-largest threat to human health;
• 
  
• particulate pollutants are mostly from unregulated, inefficient energy production and use.

The Children Are Listening

Fossil Fuels Harm Kids in 2 Ways via toxic air pollution and the harmful effects of climate change, warns a leading US health scientist.

OO Fossil Fuels' Two-Way Assault On Children's Health Must Stop says a leading health scientist in a commentary from the US National Institute of Health.




Children Are Losing against climate change.

OO The Case For A Child-Centered Energy And Climate Policy - Reducing our dependence on fossil fuels would achieve highly significant health and economic benefits for children worldwide.

To do less than we can to protect them from preventable harm is nothing short of neglect.

OO Climate Change Is Bad For Your Kidneys - Thousands of people working in the heat have been succumbing to a deadly kidney disease due to dehydration, and as the planet warms, the problem is likely to spread.


OO Extreme Oil Prices May Be Costly To The Climate especially when cheap oil encourages people to guzzle more gasoline in less fuel-efficient vehicles.


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GOOD IDEAS




Time to Make Coal Pay Source Motherboard.vice.com

OO White House: Raising Coal Royalties A Boon For Taxpayers,
And For The Climate - Public lands coal leases and royalties are undervalued, costing taxpayers money, and encourages higher emissions, a new report argues.





OO Walmart's Food Labels Can Help America's $29 Billion Food Waste Problem - it will now require its suppliers to use a new date label designed to ease safety worries and prevent food from being tossed away too early.


OO Elon Musk Wants To Build A Clean-Energy Juggernaut,
Merging Tesla And Solarcity hoping to create a single "end-to-end" clean energy company that would handle everything from solar power to batteries to electric cars.


OO 10% of China's Wind Resources
Could Fuel 25% of Its Electricity by 2030 significantly boosting the global transition to renewable energy, says a new MIT study.


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HOT NEWS



@@ Preparing for Heat Deaths in Pakistan:
Digging Graves for the Living


OO Without Emissions Cuts, Summer Heat Will Get Even Deadlier - By 2060, large swaths of the planet could be hit by unprecedented summer heat waves that would exceed all historical records, says a new study by scientists at the US National Center for Atmospheric Research.


OO 3000+ Heat Deaths Yearly Predicted As New York City Heats Up, scientists say in a new study, succumbing to heat exhaustion, dehydration and respiratory conditions as the number of extreme hot days triples by 2080.





OO As Planet Warms,
Climate Change Will Accelerate - as further warming further sensitizes climate, based on the paleoclimatic record, indicates new research.

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SPEAKING OUT




Heck No, We Won't Go as protestors blocked an oil train in Vancouver, WA recently. Credit Alex Milan Tracy

OO Protesters Arrested For Blocking Railroad In Call For Oil-By-Rail






Will We Act In Time To Prevent Total Devastation? Coral reefs worldwide are dying from warming waters, pollution, and human destruction.

OO Scientists Call On Australia Govt to Act
To Save Coral Reefs - in a letter, signed on behalf of 2,000 international coral reef researchers, to Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, urging his government to prioritise its Great Barrier Reef.


OO Economists Say Turkey's Coal Surge An 'Historic Error - and will be an expensive mistake for the country -- and the climate.



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CLIMATE CHANGE HARMING FOOD SUPPLIES




Climate Change Is Outrunning Maize Varieties - and it's not clear that new varieties will catch up. Source lensng.com

OO New Crop Varieties 'Can't Keep Up With Global Warming' - Crop yields could fall within a decade without action to speed up the introduction of new varieties, thanks to climate change, says a new study.


Related Headline:

OO Three Ways To Boost Crop Resilience To Climate Change - are offered by Prof Andy Challinor author of the above new study:

• speed up sharing of genes in agro-institutions worldwide to speed hybrid development;
• 
  
• develop new hybrids in greenhouses at 0.5C higher than it is today;
• 
  
• dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions.

What is NOT discussed: there are physiological limits to temperature adaptation in all plants, and those limits are being approached for some cereal crops in the African Sahel.


OO Current Warming Will Reduce Yields Unless
Maize Breeding And Seed Systems Adapt Immediately - Climate projections can help provide target temperatures for breeding new crop varieties, although adaptation as well as mitigation will be needed to reduce some of the ill-effects.







New Dietary Guidelines could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1 billion tonnes by 2030, and could lessen country's problems with obesity and diabetes.

OO China's Plan To Cut Meat Consumption By 50 %
Cheered By Climate Campaigners





OO Even As US Grain Growers Drain Aquifers,
They Rage Against Cutting Meat Consumption - a Bayer Corporation crop unit apologized to their farmer clients after they twittered on how a vegetarian diet could halve people's dietary carbon footprint.

Feed farmers for livestock were outraged that the corporation would promote an idea that would cut into their profits.

Do these farmers realize their livelihoods are doomed - and much of our agriculture - once they drain the aquifers for their short term profits? Apparently not.


Related Headline:

OO Why This Company Just Deleted A Tweet About Meat Eating And The Environment


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GOOD CLEAN NEWS




Brown to Green: fossil fuels to clean energy is the future.

OO The World Is Nearing Peak Fossil Fuels
(Especially The Developed World) - and not because of decreasing supplies, says a new Bloomberg analysis. Takeaways:

• Fossil fuels will peak by 2025 as clean energy becomes cheaper;
• 
  
• Solar will be the least expensive form of electricity by 2030;
• 
  
• by 2040, zero-emission forms of power will represent 60% of the global mix.

For our children's sake, let's hope this happens faster.





Michael Bloomberg Blooms Again as co-chairman of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy.

OO Cities Forge World's Largest Alliance To Curb Climate Change - Takeaways:

• named the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy;
• 
  
• represents 7100+ cities in 119 countries on 6 contients, and
• 
  
• 8 % of the world's population.

• Earth's cities consume 70% of the world's energy,
• 
  
• and produce 75 % of our climate-changing emissions.

Time to roll up your sleeves, mayors....


OO EU Smashes 2020 Emissions Target Six Years Early




OO 72% of Corporations Are Actively Procuring Clean Energy - and are far more interested in buying their own renewables than they were even one year ago.


OO Solar Could Meet 13% Of Global Power Demand By 2030 say analysts at the International Renewable Energy Agency. Falling costs are driving investments around the world, with declines of up to 59% possible for solar PV in the next ten years.


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NATURAL REPERCUSSIONS




Algae Turn Snow Pink - hence the term watermelon. The normally green critters live in snow, but when exposed to lots of sun, produce a natural "sunscreen" that turns them red, and tints snow pink. Credits L-R: Stephanie Lutz, Liane Benning, GFZ

OO Watermelon Snow: Not Edible But It Can Speed Climate Change - snow algae tints melting snow pink worldwide.

Researchers recently found that in the Arctic it can darken the snow enough to allow up to 13 % more light to be absorbed as heat, thereby speeding the melting of glaciers and ice cover, and further warming the world.

This "bio albedo effect" should be included in models of climate change, note researchers.


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BURNING UP




Cooling A Hot Fire At Night - as a daytime heat wave thwarted efforts in southern California recently.

OO Raging Wildfires In The Southwest Stretch Resources Efforts to fight wildfires in five states were complicated by a relentless heat wave and bone-dry conditions, forcing much of the toughest work to be done at night.


OO Forest Fires Can Heat Up The Whole Planet Fires so intense that they consume millions of acres of trees and scorch the soil on the forest floor have become extreme disruptors.

They are remaking the boreal forest, damaging its role as one of the world's great protectors against global warming.


CLIMATE LEADERSHIP




OO Democratic National Committee Platform
Calls For Investigating Fossil Fuel Companies for misleading the public on climate change.





OO California: Oakland Proposes Ban On Coal Handling -- potentially derailing Utah's port investment. A city-sponsored report predicts coal shipments and handling would degrade local air quality and undermine public health.


OO California's Last Nuclear Plant To Close Amid Longstanding Earthquake Concerns - it supplies 9% of the state's power, which will be replaced with clean energy options.


Related Headline:

OO California: Utility to Replace Last Nuclear Plant With 100% Carbon-Free Resources - First-of-a-kind deal will use solar, wind, storage, demand response and efficiency to replace the reactor by 2025.






Germany Just Got A Little More Beautiful - with its agreement to ban fracking. Neuschwanstein Castle. Source www.worldfortravel.com

OO Germany Agrees To Ban Fracking after years of dispute, but the law does not outlaw conventional drilling for oil and gas.


OO China Decarbonizes For Greener Growth - and doing so fast; building a clean, low carbon energy system is a priority for the upcoming five years.


OO Norway: Oslo Votes To Slash Emissions 95% By 2030 - to be accomplished, in part by the phase-out of car traffic in the city centre, prioritizing pedestrian, bicycle and public transport instead.


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CLUELESS LEADERSHIP




Credit Michael Lukovich

OO GOP Is Trying To Stop The Pentagon's Climate Plan - The Defense Department, long in the vanguard in dealing with climate change, may see its latest plan defunded.


OO Wyoming: US Federal Court Kills Fracking Rule concluding that the Bureau of Land Management has no authority over fracking.


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ELECTION YEAR:




If You Don't Vote For Climate Action, You Can Forget The Rest - in a climate-changing world of famine, drought, rising seas, giant storms and heat waves, there will be no security in jobs, health, wealth, or national safety. There will be chaos ensuing from increasing crises and disasters. Vote.

OO Global Warming Policies We Set Today Will Determine The Next 10,000 Years - of global warming, a new study shows -- and whether our civilization survives or not: history shows that harmful climate change has destroyed civilizations before.

This time, it could be worldwide. Let's keep "The Hunger Games" in the realm of fiction.

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SOCIAL REPERCUSSIONS




OO Fading US Fishermen:
Historic Industry Faces A Warming World after weathering overfishing, pollution, foreign competition and government regulation, America's fishing fleet faces a challenge it can't outrun: Climate change.

The US had 120,000 fishing vessels in 1996; today? 75,000, notes Daily Climate editor Doug Fischer.


OO Unable To Endure Rising Seas, Alaskan Villages Stuck In Limbo Villages cannot get government support to relocate in the face of climate-induced threats, but they are no longer receiving funds to repair their crumbling infrastructure.


OO West Virginia: Extreme Flooding Kills At Least 26 in the deadliest US flash flooding since 2010.





Dusting It Up may mean something different if climate change increases the frequency of droughts in Oregon. Source oregonskiguides.com

OO Oregon: How Drought Harms The Outdoor Recreation Industry - Takeaways:

• the industry supplies 100,000+ jobs and almost1 Billion in yearly revenues;
• 
  
• most outdoor recreation requires water/snow;
• 
  
• 2015 drought harmed all sectors:

1. Low snowpack limited skiing and other snow activities;
   
2. Low water levels limited boating, fishing, rafting and kayaking.
   
3. Dryness upped fire risk, restricting accesses to parks.

Although a warmer summer boosted tourism a little, future droughts are likely to significantly harm the outdoor industry.





OO Climate Change Could Be Even Worse On Boston
Than Previously Expected -and far more calamitous than previous studies have suggested, a new report commissioned by the city says.





Coming to a Shore Near You - shark attacks are up as warmer waters send more of them patrolling further north than ever before. Source news.nationalgeographic.com

OO How Climate Change Is Fueling A Rise In Shark Attacks The increase in shark attacks - 59 last year, up from 31 in 2011 - is connected to climate change, experts say.

Warmer weather means more people swim, while warmer waters means sharks expanding their range. Both add up to more shark attacks.


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FIXING CLIMATE CHANGE



@@ A Simple And Smart Way To Fix Climate Change given by Dan Miller in 2014 at a Ted talk suggests a way to profit as we tackle climate change, by finally charging those who sell and use fossil fuels - and distributing the revenues back to all of us.

The strategy is sure to speed transition to clean renewable energy. What's not to like? Check it out!

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CALIFORNIA DRYIN'



California Spring Snowpack (average) in 2010, left; record low in 2015, right. Credit NASA

OO Snowpack Unlikely To Recover From Drought Until 2019 -
And Even Then It's Not Likely* - A new study supports state hydrologists, who have been saying for months that itt will take several years to recover from the four-year water shortage.

*The study does not take into account climate change or the rising heat of global warming, however, decreasing the likelihood of the drought ending by 2019.





OO 'Catastrophic' California Wildfires Could Erupt
In 'Unprecedented' 66 Million Dead Trees - as drought, hot temperatures, and beetle infestations have created a gigantic cache of dead trees in southern CA, a tinder box just waiting to be ignited, US officials say.


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FOSSIL FUEL FOLLIES




No Fish Here - another pipeline spill in Venture sent crude oil down to the ocean. Source www.greenpeace.org

OO California: Up To 210,000 Gallons Of Oil Spilled From Pipeline into the ocean near the Southern California coast recently.

OO Fracking : 'It just ruined everything -- the whole life.' Feeling abandoned by state regulators, hundreds of rural Pennsylvanians endure contaminated well water, chemical coated lawns, and more - all of which they blame on fracking.





No Fish Here, Either - Amazonian villagers examine the oil slick fouling waters near their village. Source news.mongabay.com

OO Amazon Oil Spill Puts Peruvian Communities At Risk and has raised fears of yet more pollution of the water and fish on which indigenous villages and riverside communities depend.


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If we do not grow sustainably,
Our children will die inhumanely.




@@ How Parents Can Help Prevent Teen Pregnancy

Teen childbearing cost US taxpayers $9+ Billion in 2010
And the costs of raising a child usually ensures decades, if not a life, of poverty for its mother.
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Help prevent unintended pregnancies in your community:
publicize where women can access affordable contraception.



They can go here to find locations:




And there are many more actions you can do, right here.

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SOLAR KEEPS RISING




OO Solar Power To Grow Sixfold By 2030 As It Becomes Cheapest Resource with the cost of production falls below competing natural gas and coal-fired plants, says the International Renewable Energy Agency.


OO Cooperative Utilities Win Fight for More Local Renewables

OO PACE Is Growing Fast And Solar Loans Are Replacing Leases - property assessed clean energy (PACE) allows homeowners to acquire clean energy installations and energy efficiency upgrades upfront with no cash down, and pay off the loan on their property taxes over a few decades.





View of a Future Solar Road - letting the sun power road rest stops. Courtesy of Solar Roadways

OO Solar Road Gets Test Run as the Missouri Department of Transportation allows installation of a stretch of solar road that could generate enough energy to power a rest stop.


OO Solar Panel Recycling Will Be a $15 Billion Business in 30 Years





Source www.wmh.com.au

OO SunPower Holds World Record for Most Efficient Rooftop Solar Panel, Again -
an impressive NREL-validated 24.1 percent world record.


OO India Gets Serious About Microgrids as it pursues a solar power future.





Check it out here, right now!

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WHY WE SHOULD ACT NOW: RISING RISKS




Daily Climate Change: Global Map of Unusual Temperatures, Jul 5, 2016

How unusual has the weather been? No one event is "caused" by climate change, but global warming, which is predicted to increase unusual, extreme weather, is having a daily effect on weather, worldwide.

Looking above at recent temperature anomalies, much of the US and the waters surrounding it are experiencing warmer than normal temperatures: the eastern Pacific warm spot continues and so does the drought in California.

Much of the areas surrounding the North Pole are experiencing much warmer than normal temperatures - not good news for our Arctic thermal shield of ice. Hotter than usual temperatures continue to dominate human habitats.

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There is, of course, much more news on the consequences and solutions to climate change. To get it, check out this annotated resource list I've compiled, "Climate Change News Resources," at Wordpress.com here. For more information on the science of climate change, its consequences and solutions you can view my annotated list of online information resources here.

To help you understand just what science does and does NOT do, check this out!

Every day is Earth Day, folks, as I was reminded by these wild flowers I photographed one spring. Making the U.S. a global clean energy leader will ensure a heck of a lot more jobs, and a clean, safe future. If you'd like to join the increasing numbers of people who want to TELL Congress that they will vote for clean energy candidates you can do so here. It's our way of letting Congress know there's a strong clean energy voting bloc out there. For more detailed summaries of the above and other climate change items, audio podcasts and texts are freely available.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

 
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Trapped  
How much suffering can you stand to watch?

The raccoon is trapped in a shallow creek, her paw ensnared by the hidden steel jaws on the ground below the water. She gasps for air and tries to survive, even as the trapper slams her face with his wooden pole... and then slams again. She gasps for air as he uses that pole to force her head beneath the surface, seconds ticking away... but death does not come. She gasps for air as the trapper steps on her awkwardly, searching for the right angle to keep her submerged. With inexplicable resilience, she battles death. You can see it in her eyes: unfathomable fear and utter helplessness.

The coyote is innocently walking through a field, as he may have done hundreds of times before. He is bewildered by the searing pain on his paw. He can't move. Minute after minute, he struggles, mud starting to encase his precious fur as he falls on his side. You can see that he is starting to lose his breath. You can see that he is starting to lose his will. The trapper approaches. A swift kick in the coyote's side. Why? You can see it in his eyes: unfathomable fear and utter helplessness.

How much suffering can you stand to watch... and do nothing?

The trapping industry is barbaric and archaic, fundamentally unchanged for centuries. Steel-jaw leghold traps set out for unsuspecting furbearers on both public and private lands. Jaws slamming shut to cause agony to the trappers' prey. Conibear traps baited to attract their victims and crush their backs, stomachs, or necks. The fur industry causes shameful and unnecessary suffering to feed a business that should finally die.

And, while Born Free USA has worked for years to stop cruel trapping in the National Wildlife Refuge System, we now applaud Congressional representatives Alma Adams (D-NC) and Nita Lowey (D-NY) for introducing the Public Safety and Wildlife Protection Act (H.R. 5560), which would ban the import, export, and interstate transport of Conibear and steel-jaw leghold traps (including all modifications: padded, toothed, enclosed foothold, "dog-proof" foothold, etc.). It would also ban the purchase or acquisition of any leghold or Conibear trap that was transported illegally.

Nearly 90% of American trappers use these devices that cause such distress, misery, suffering, and death. These traps are indiscriminate, so, despite being set for a beaver or a coyote, other animals--including people's companion animals--could be caught instead.

People can be harmed, as well. One of the inspirations behind Congresswoman Adams' support for H.R. 5560 was the story of a 12-year-old boy who got his arm caught in a Conibear trap in Whitsett, North Carolina (just outside of her district). The boy suffered tissue damage and had a very bad, very long day in the emergency room, as six doctors tried to figure out how to release his arm from the trap.

Upon introduction of the bill, Congresswoman Adams stated, "The preservation of human life and wildlife is a priority that lawmakers must take seriously. We can no longer afford to disregard the ill-effects that animal cruelty has on our ecosystem and on us, as well. Steel-jaw leghold and Conibear traps are body-gripping tools that are inhumane and archaic. They also pose unnecessary risks to humans, especially young children."

In the U.S., more than four million animals are trapped every year for their fur. Shockingly, the trapping industry is growing: increasing by 20% over the past decade. It's not an important source of household income, though. It's "sport"; it's a hobby or recreation. It's also shockingly pathetic, arrogant, and barbaric. I think that warrants repeating... Trapping is shockingly pathetic, arrogant, and barbaric.

The time has come to rid the U.S. of the trapping industry. No one needs fur except the wolves, coyotes, beavers, foxes, mink, raccoons, and other animals who live in wild areas.

Today, I'm asking you to support legislation aimed at banning or restricting this industry. Don't buy real fur, and consider boycotting stores that sell it. Better yet; shop at stores that are officially fur free.

How much suffering can you help end?

Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
Adam

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Tyson's Pollution Pathways: from Factory Farms to Fouled Waters  


With the passing of July 4th, summer is officially in high gear in America. Perhaps more than any other time of year, this is when we enjoy clean water -- swimming at the beach, fishing in a creek, kayaking down a river, or sailing on a lake or bay.

Unfortunately, corporate agribusiness is imposing a heavy - and growing - toll on America's waterways. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, agriculture is the probable cause of polluting more than 145,000 miles of rivers and streams, along with over 1 million acres of lakes, bays, and more.

Last year, the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico was the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined--the largest since 2002. And now, agribusiness is even threatening our drinking water - with incidents from Toledo to Des Moines, from Wisconsin to Washington State.

How did we get to the point where companies selling us food are polluting our water?

The answer lies in the industrialization and concentration of their agribusiness operations. Factory farms produce huge volumes of manure with no place to put it. That manure is frequently over-applied to cropland, where it all too often flows into nearby rivers and streams. Moreover, pollution also runs off of vast acres of commodity crops (often grown to feed the millions of animals on factory farms). And finally, the huge slaughterhouses and other facilities to process meat and grain dump pollutants directly into our rivers and streams.

To better hold agribusiness accountable, we need to start tracking the pollution threats created by individual companies.

For example, Tyson Foods, Inc. is one of the world's largest producers of meat and poultry. Based in Springdale, Arkansas, the company has long been a dominant player in the region's high concentration of chicken production. It has additional operations in the Midwest and the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Environment America Research & Policy Center recently took a look at how Tyson's water pollution footprint stacks up against four other major agribusiness companies: Smithfield, Cargill, JBS, and Perdue. We published the results in our new report, "Corporate Agribusiness and the Fouling of America's Waterways."



Using data available from EPA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, we documented the manure load and direct dumping of toxic pollutants by each of these corporations. For both measurements, Tyson came out on top of the polluter pile - with more than 55 million tons of manure in its supply chain, and its facilities responsible for dumping 104 million pounds of toxic pollutants into waterways over a five-year period.

To put this second figure in perspective: Tyson's toxic discharges for these years were 2nd by volume, as compared to all other industries. That is, Tyson not only dumped more toxic pollution into waters than Smithfield or Perdue; Tyson dumped a greater volume of pollution into our waters than Exxon, DuPont, or Koch Industries.

Moreover, the vast majority of toxic pollutants Tyson poured from its processing plants were nitrates. Nitrates not only contribute to the dead zones plaguing our waterways but also threaten the safety of our drinking water, as they can cause "blue baby syndrome" and have recently been linked to certain types of cancer.

Tyson's pollution has had particularly severe impacts on the waters of northwest Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. When chicken manure contaminated two sources of drinking water for Tulsa, Oklahoma, Tyson and other poultry processors agreed to pay the city $7.5 million. And when the Illinois River and several tributaries became so polluted with pathogens from animal waste that they were no longer safe for swimming, the Oklahoma attorney general sued Tyson and several other chicken processors to clean it up.

Since then, Tyson has been charged with numerous violations and pollution incidents. In 2015, for example, Tyson settled a case in Missouri for releases into a municipal sewage system that ultimately resulted in killing at least 100,000 fish in Clear Creek.

Will Tyson begin to curb its massive water pollution footprint?

So far, the signs are not encouraging. While the company's environment webpage highlights efforts to address water consumption, it has no reference to water pollution. Moreover, Tyson's own 2015 sustainability report shows that the company exceeded water pollution limits on hundreds of occasions in recent years. Finally, in the past two years, Tyson has twice rejected shareholder resolutions calling on the company to reduce its water pollution.



Of course, it doesn't have to be this way. We know how to grow food without polluting our water.

Take second-generation Missouri farmer, Terry Spence. Terry raises his cattle on rotational pasture to nurture the soil and keep manure from flowing into nearby streams.

"As a farmer it is my duty to preserve our land and water resources for future generations," he said during a recent call with reporters. "And it's high time these companies look beyond their profit margins and do the same."

We couldn't agree more. It's time to protect our rivers and streams - and our drinking water - from the pollution of agribusiness giants like Tyson.

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The cruelty of cloning endangered animals | Letters  

Harvesting the eggs, sperm and tissue of endangered animals for future cloning is a good plot for a horror film, but not reality (Report, 5 July). We need to spend time and resources on saving existing animals whose natural habitats are fast disappearing, rather than trying to resurrect them. Cloning animals after they've vanished from nature is fraught with problems, such as severe birth defects, premature degenerative diseases and poor immunity. If wild animals were cloned, they would likely end up in zoos, denied the opportunity to do almost anything natural and enjoyable, just like the polar bears, elephants and other animals currently kept captive. It is inarguably urgent to save threatened species' habitats, but inflicting pain and torture is not the answer. If Dolly has taught us one thing, it's that cloning animals belongs only in sci-fi stories.
Jennifer White
London

• Join the debate email guardian.letters@theguardian.com

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