The House Energy and Commerce Committee plans to devote its first hearing to climate change. More: https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/423771-house-energy-panel-to-dedicate-first-hearing-to-climate-change
DEMOCRATS INCREASINGLY EAGER FOR CONGRESS TO TACKLE CLIMATE
In a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, 15 percent of Democrats said climate change should be the new Congress’ top priority, statistically tied for second with the economy and gun control, behind only health care. More info: https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2018/12/congress-to-confront-climate-change-health-care-nexus/
Climate change LINKED TO SPECIFIC EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS
There were 15 extreme weather events in 2017 that were made more likely by human-caused climate change, according to in-depth studies published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.
Health Risks due to Climate Change
Tropical diseases like dengue fever have been making their way into the US in areas that it previously never occurred. One of the biggest health risks is heat stress, which can lead to kidney and cardiovascular disease. In 2017 157 million more people were exposed to extreme heat than in 2000. More info: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/28/climate/climate-change-health.html
Public lands drilling produces 25% of US emissions.
Drilling inside our national forests and other public lands contributes nearly a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., according to a first-of-its-kind U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) report. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-energy-202/2018/11/27/the-energy-202-the-other-climate-report-the-trump-administration-published-on-black-friday/5bfc3aea1b326b60d128002d/?utm_term=.6e27a937cd9f
Alaska's coastline is eroding at a faster pace
A new satellite-based study of the retreating permafrost coastline at Drew Point in Alaska shows that from 1955 to 1979, the rate of loss was only about 23 feet per year. From 2007 through 2016, it was about 56 feet per year.
More info and one-minute video: https://www.washingtonpost.com/energy-environment/2018/11/14/watch-warming-ocean-devour-alaskas-coast-this-striking-time-lapse-video/?utm_term=.20fa6f8e2b42
Many new governors want to tackle climate change
At least 10 victorious candidates for governor campaigned on moving their states away from burning fossil fuels and toward relying on renewable forms of energy for electricity. More info: https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/11/7/18071770/midterm-election-results-governor-climate-change
Washington State Ballot Initiative
This upcoming midterm election Washington state is voting on a ballot initiative which would charge a fee on carbon. This fee would begin at $15 dollars per ton starting in 2020 and would rise $2 per year until 2035. Washington is the 5th largest refining state in the country and opposition is strong from oil companies. The opposition campaign is led by BP, Phillips 66, and Andeavor raising a total of over $20 million. The current proposal doesn’t detail how the money raised from the fee on carbon would be spent. For more on this story: https://www.axios.com/washington-state-progressive-climate-policy-8b860a93-5995-4cdd-823e-8e3d9211c12d.html
Oregon Court Case
Lawyers for the government are calling on the Supreme Court once again to stop a youth-led lawsuit that claims the federal government is ignoring the impact of climate change, according to Reuters. The Supreme Court already rejected the first application by the federal government to put the brakes on the suit back in July. The trial in the case is scheduled to begin on Oct. 29 in Oregon.
How Much Hotter Is Your Hometown Than When You Were Born?
The New York Times can tell you: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/08/30/climate/how-much-hotter-is-your-hometown.html?em_pos=large&emc=edit_clim_20180831&nl=climate-fwd&nlid=66704053it_clim_20180831&ref=img&te=1