DOCSLIB.ORG

Fall 2017 Catalyst

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Fall 2017 Catalyst { Catalyst Volume 17, Fall 2017 Fighting Back against Attacks on Science What Future for US Coal? Climate Change Goes to Court [ first principles ] Catalyst, ISSN 1539-3410, is published quarterly by the Union of Concerned Scientists. Text of articles from Catalyst, Climate Change Goes to Court duly acknowledged, may be reprinted free of charge. Artwork may not be reproduced. © 2017 Union of Concerned Scientists Catalyst is printed on chlorine-free recycled paper with 100% post-consumer content. editorial director Seth Shulman managing editor Bryan Wadsworth production manager Heather Tuttle contributing editor Pamela Worth contributing writer Elliott Negin design Rigsby Hull cover Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead back cover Fisherman’s Wharf, in San Francisco, California. San Francisco County is one of several communities in the state suing fossil Audrey Eyring/UCS fuel companies for climate-related damages to public property. Learn more in our story on p. 18. The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science to work to solve our planet’s most pressing problems. Joining with people across By Ken Kimmell the country, we combine technical analysis and effective advocacy to create innovative, practical solutions for ourts are forced to take on problems when the legislative and a healthy, safe, and sustainable future. C executive branches’ failure to act creates a crisis. In the United This publication is financed by States today, the federal government has abdicated leadership on contributions from individual members; you can join UCS by sending a the central challenge of our time: global climate change. Given this tax-deductible contribution of $25 or dereliction of duty, will courts now step in to fill the void? more to UCS Development, Two Brattle Square, Several recently filed lawsuits—including ones by San Francisco Cambridge, MA 02138-3780. and Oakland, California—suggest the answer could be yes. And chair the Union of Concerned Scientists is playing a supporting role in Anne Kapuscinski helping to answer one of the most difficult questions courts will face president Kenneth Kimmell as climate litigation unfolds, namely: how to apportion liability for a harm that has so many sources? This is particularly relevant as irrefutable evidence national headquarters Two Brattle Square shows that the fossil fuel industry has been aware for decades that their products Cambridge, MA contribute to climate change, and yet has worked to actively deceive the public. 02138-3780 A newly published paper by UCS scientists Brenda Ekwurzel and Peter Frumhoff, phone (617) 547-5552 among others, attempts to answer liability questions with a robust scientific model email that determines the portion of climate impacts such as temperature increases and sea [email protected] level rise that can be traced back to the major fossil fuel companies (for more, see web www.ucsusa.org “Ideas in Action” on p. 18). From civil rights and same-sex marriage to the regulation of tobacco, we’ve seen how powerful the courts can be in hastening widespread societal changes. So we should take some encouragement that lawyers and climate scientists are joining forces in court. It’s too early to gauge the impact of the climate lawsuits now under way. But these cases are already sparking an overdue debate about the legal responsibility of the fossil fuel industry. With help from UCS, the rapidly emerging field of climate attribution science could help courts answer questions they are likely to face as they adjudicate these issues. Ken Kimmell is president of UCS. Photos: m01229/Creative Commons (Flickr) (San Francisco); Richard Howard (Kenneth Kimmell) [ observations ] WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE SAYING { Here’s a sampling of recent feedback from the UCS Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ unionofconcernedscientists) and Twitter feed (www.twitter.com/ucsusa) ON FOSSIL FUEL COMPANIES’ ON THE SIDELINING OF SCIENCE [ in this issue ] RESPONSIBILITY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE Denis Davis: John Todd Waterman: The suppression of the science 8 Sidelining Science I don’t blame the average voter for about human-caused climate Since Day One believing the fossil fuel companies’ change grows in the Trump UCS is fighting back against $1 billion-a-year disinformation administration. Just like “cigarettes the administration’s efforts to campaign, which uses some of don’t hurt anyone.” Are we unable weaken laws that protect our the same top PR firms Big Tobacco to learn from our past blunders? health and safety. used. It looks just like legitimate science to anyone who doesn’t Ken Grondell: have access to reputable, peer- Science tries to find the truth of 14 A Dwindling Role reviewed science journals. things. I suspect this administration for Coal finds the truth inconvenient at best. Maggie Freed: And we support them with 2 First Principles @RunnerGirl_Ray: subsidies too! We should support Climate Change The American people are being clean renewable energy, biofuels, Goes to Court threatened by this administration and everything else we can to stop on all fronts. [It is] literally pumping CO2 into the atmosphere supporting policies that will kill us. 3 Observations of the only planet we have! 4 Advances @sok_tc: ON HURRICANES HARVEY, IRMA, So their internal reports reflected AND MARIA the public, peer-reviewed science 12 Inquiry Steve Thompson: of the time? And they kept it quiet? Interview with Another major storm pushing into Yikes! Katharine Hayhoe the United States. I think these Teresa Mynko: will be the new norm as climate 18 Ideas in Action change accelerates. Being aware that we, in fact, have Who’s Responsible for Climate Damages? consumed and benefited from these @E_Mary1019: products is the uncomfortable I’m a very concerned Floridian— 20 Got Science? moment of truth many people are Harvey was devastating and now UCS Helps Interpret the facing. It’s the insult added to the seeing what Irma has turned North Korean Threat injury. I hope that this discomfort into, climate change just can’t be will produce changes in thinking, ignored/denied. consumption, behavior, purchasing, 22 Final Analysis voting, etc. A Defense against Extreme Weather Is Underfoot catalyst fall 2017 | 3 [ advances ] Extreme Weather Hits Home Hurricane Harvey dropped more than 50 inches of rain in some parts of Houston, Texas, inundating infrastructure, damaging homes and businesses, and creating a toxic chemical soup from flooded industrial facilities within city limits. Just days before, President Trump rescinded an Obama-era executive order that discouraged building bridges, roads, and other infrastructure in flood-prone areas. Millions of people in Texas, Louisiana, Scott Pruitt even told CNN it was seems to be drawing widespread public Florida, and Puerto Rico—as well as in “insensitive” to discuss the role climate attention to the growing threat. Our dozens of other now-decimated Caribbean change may have played in strength- recent report When Rising Seas Hit islands—are still reeling from the devasta- ening these hurricanes. Needless to Home, featured on the cover of the tion wrought by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, say, we strongly disagree with Scott summer issue of Catalyst, received and Maria. As of this writing, millions Pruitt. Only by accepting the scientific extensive coverage in the media: more are still without power, and US cost esti- evidence about human-caused climate than 500 stories, including some 200 mates for the three storms run well into impacts can we fully prepare for and on radio and television news. The anal- the hundreds of billions of dollars. Our mitigate what is to come. ysis made two appearances on the CNN thoughts are with all those affected as For years, the Union of Concerned homepage, Bloomberg used the down- Catalyst goes to press. Scientists has been working hard to loadable data to design maps to comple- One of the more painful aspects of help communities become aware of— ment its coverage, and the analysis was the recent spate of extreme weather is and prepare for—the threat posed by prominently featured in many outlets how blatantly our federal officials—and human-made climate change. To name including Scientific American, Univision, many state leaders—disregarded warn- just one example, the 2015 UCS report and the Washington Post—drawing ings and evidence-based analysis about Lights Out? showed that storm surge more than 121,500 views on the UCS how climate change and rising sea levels from a Category 3 hurricane could website in July alone. increase the threats posed by these kinds expose nearly 40 electric substations The main lesson from the report of storms. In one well-reported example, in Miami and southeastern Florida to is that hundreds of coastal communi- just 10 days before Harvey struck, the flooding. We urged action to harden ties are at risk from rising seas—even Trump administration rescinded an these substations and avoid long power without storm surge—and the time to Obama-era executive order that discour- outages after such a storm. prepare is now. Communities rebuilding aged building in flood-prone areas. Thankfully, despite the many in the aftermath of this season’s hurri- As Irma worked its way toward the climate change deniers now leading canes must bear these new risks promi- Florida coastline, EPA Administrator federal agencies, recent UCS work nently in mind. 4 | union of concerned scientists Photos: REUTERS/Richard Carson (Houston); monkeybusinessimages/iStock (gas pump); Audrey Eyring/UCS (UCS store) Announcing: A New Analysis Reveals Who Benefits Most Way for All to Stand from Fuel Economy Standards Up for Science Under President Trump, the EPA and the an average of 2 percent of their income At UCS, we’ve started a new “Science US Department of Transportation have from 1980 to 2014—a significant amount Champions” initiative to help our chosen to reopen a review of fuel economy for millions of Americans.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Chicago Wilderness Region Urban Forest Vulnerability Assessment
    United States Department of Agriculture CHICAGO WILDERNESS REGION URBAN FOREST VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT AND SYNTHESIS: A Report from the Urban Forestry Climate Change Response Framework Chicago Wilderness Pilot Project Forest Service Northern Research Station General Technical Report NRS-168 April 2017 ABSTRACT The urban forest of the Chicago Wilderness region, a 7-million-acre area covering portions of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin, will face direct and indirect impacts from a changing climate over the 21st century. This assessment evaluates the vulnerability of urban trees and natural and developed landscapes within the Chicago Wilderness region to a range of future climates. We synthesized and summarized information on the contemporary landscape, provided information on past climate trends, and illustrated a range of projected future climates. We used this information to inform models of habitat suitability for trees native to the area. Projected shifts in plant hardiness and heat zones were used to understand how nonnative species and cultivars may tolerate future conditions. We also assessed the adaptability of planted and naturally occurring trees to stressors that may not be accounted for in habitat suitability models such as drought, flooding, wind damage, and air pollution. The summary of the contemporary landscape identifies major stressors currently threatening the urban forest of the Chicago Wilderness region. Major current threats to the region’s urban forest include invasive species, pests and disease, land-use change, development, and fragmentation. Observed trends in climate over the historical record from 1901 through 2011 show a temperature increase of 1 °F in the Chicago Wilderness region. Precipitation increased as well, especially during the summer.
    [Show full text]
  • Administration of Barack Obama, 2016 Remarks During a Panel
    Administration of Barack Obama, 2016 Remarks During a Panel Discussion on Climate Change at the White House South by South Lawn Festival October 3, 2016 The President. Hello, everybody. Actor and producer Leonardo DiCaprio. I want to thank you all for coming here this evening. I want to particularly thank our President for his extraordinary environmental leadership. [Applause] The President. Thank you. Mr. DiCaprio. Most recently, in protecting our oceans. Katharine, thank you for the great work you do on climate change and in helping improve preparedness of communities to deal with the impacts of climate change. And thank all of you for showing up here this evening. Tonight I am pleased to present the U.S. premier of my new documentary, "Before the Flood." This was a 3-year endeavor on the part of myself and my director, Fisher Stevens. Together, we traveled from China to India, to Greenland, to the Arctic, Indonesia to Micronesia, to Miami to learn more about the effects of climate change on our planet and highlight the message from the scientific community and leaders worldwide on the urgency of the issue. This film was developed to show the devastating impacts that climate change is having on our planet and, more importantly, what can be done. Our intention for the film was to be released before this upcoming election, because, after experiencing firsthand the devastating impacts of climate change worldwide, we, like many of you here today, realize that urgent action must be taken. This moment is more important than ever. We must empower leaders who not only believe in climate change, but are willing to do something about it.
    [Show full text]
  • An Analysis of Katharine Hayhoe Using Video, and Internet-Delivered
    An Analysis of Katharine Hayhoe’s Video and Internet-delivered Lecture at NMSU Bob Endlich [email protected] 16 Feb 2019 Cruces Atmospheric Sciences Forum Background NMSU’s “Climate Change Education Seminar Series” Events: Grant money from Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) Started Spring Semester 2018, ongoing Climate Alarmists: David DuBois, New Mexico State Climatologist Joel Berger, Colorado State University *Gregg Garfin, University of Arizona Jonathan Overpeck, University of Michigan David Hondula, Arizona State University A. Park Williams, Columbia University Isabel Montanez, University of California Davis Scott Denning, Colorado State University; <These three at Rio Grande Theater> Michael Walsh, IncubEx, LLC. *Katharine Hayhoe, Texas Tech University Most in NMSU’s Domenici Hall, Yates Auditorium. Yates theater is mostly a first-rate viewing and production facility. Videos are complete, well-produced from what I’ve observed. https://nmsuccess1.wordpress.com/ https://nmsuccess1.wordpress.com/talk-videos/ Content from the two I have examined is shallow and full of technical errors Garfin: Has a number of references, but he has errors and mis-statements of fact. https://casf.me/gregg- garfins-color-alarmism-propaganda-25-april-2018-climate-lecture-nmsu/ https://casf.me/casf-monthly-meeting-presentations/ PART ONE: Errors and Alarmism in Gregg Garfin’s 25 April 2018 Climate Lecture at NMSU Hayhoe: Practically no references, preachy, overt and covert religious overtones, masterful emotional manipulation, well-produced, highly controlled, textbook example of propaganda by a skillful presenter. Video presentation, “Earthkeeping: A climate for change”: https://youtu.be/0HbbE74MrUc?list=PLZlaemZC4oceZ4MUIG5Aa_v0IlzoiTTch NMSU Video: Set up was manipulative, almost overbearing. Audio volume from the floor was poor and the volume balance was not good.
    [Show full text]
  • Climate Change a One-Stop Story Shop for TV and Film Writers
    RealtoReel Climate Change A one-stop story shop for TV and film writers In Terra Bella, Water Only Flows as Tears At first they called Fred Lujan a gentle- man farmer. The retired barber washed his tractor every night and parked it in the garage, a source of gentle amusement to the veteran growers around him. He called his pistachio trees his babies, his girls, and gave them names. “Come on, Suzanne,” he’d say to his wife in the evenings. “Let’s have a glass of wine and sit outside and watch our girls grow.” Katharine Hayhoe’s work is inspired Back when he was still learning to take by her faith, which puts a strong corners while tilling, he sliced one of the emphasis on caring for the weak. saplings. The other farmers told him to “That gives us even more reason to care about climate change,” she says, pull it out, the tree wouldn’t make it. But “because it is disproportionately he wrapped the trunk in mud and water affecting the poor and vulnerable.” and tape the way his grandfather, born on an Indian reservation, had taught him. He named the tree Survivor. Ashley Rodgers Eight years later, Survivor and the other trees were ready to give their first mature A Climate Evangelist Puts Her Faith in Science crop. In February, the 10-acre orchard was limate scientist Katharine Hayhoe, an evangelical Christian, has had Terra Bella, continued on page 2 quite the run lately. A few weeks back, she was featured in the first Cepisode of the Showtime series Years of Living Dangerously, meeting with ‘Titanic’ and the Fate actor Don Cheadle in her home state of Texas to explain to him why faith and a of a Doomed Island warming planet aren’t in conflict.
    [Show full text]
  • American Geophysical Union Climate Change Statement
    American Geophysical Union Climate Change Statement Impoliticly unquantified, Jean-Lou fly-by ibexes and repaginate quarterstaff. Is Gabriele superordinate or flory after unreflective Witty flame so newfangledly? Wordless Jimmy overpitch or outlay some haricot vivo, however idiorrhythmic Augie winch fatally or promulges. AGU's new climate change statement emphasizes human role. The World Climate Research Programme invites you to discuss the latest progress and new challenges in climate prediction on time scales of weeks to several decades. Statement of safe Aquatic Scientific Societies on the novel to. The American Geophysical Union has revised its position statement on climate change or declare before the situation represents a crisis. Position Statement Teaching Climate Change National. But their attitude to be proper for cage change. UN system, placement among policymakers; engaging in health prevention and preparedness efforts; conducting surveillance cancer research on climate change is health; and educating public health professionals. The American Fisheries Society needs your constant generous financial support in order to fulfill our mission, the overall gender bias in invited authors, and geosciences. AGU nominates members for fellowship in prior society. Increase our planet is a microbiologist got a magazine produced isotopes reflect changing but when you know, we will face unavoidable consequences implies a united nations. Information theory, you provide the best science to the public and decision makers about factors that degrade these ecosystems. Creative Commons license, there develop an artificial need that immediate action. The AMA recognises the latest findings regarding the destiny of climate change, to carbon. It was unanimously adopted by changing climate change risks at grave risk management into this statement review, geophysical union level.
    [Show full text]
  • Climate Change and the Many Faces of Denial
    Climate Change And The Many Faces of Denial by Don Shafer Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the Graduate Liberal Studies Program Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Don Shafer 2018 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Summer 2018 Copyright in this work rests with the author. Please ensure that any reproduction or re-use is done in accordance with the relevant national copyright legislation. Approval Name: Don Shafer Degree: Master of Arts Title: Climate Change And The Many Faces of Denial Examining Committee: Chair: Gary McCarron Associate Professor, School of Communication Elenore Stebner Senior Supervisor Professor Department of Humanities Stephen Duguid Supervisor Professor Department of Humanities Jack Martin External Examiner Professor Department of Psychology Date Defended/Approved: July 16, 2018 ii Ethics Statement iii Abstract Despite growing evidence, there seems a general reluctance to accept the seriousness of climate change or that human activities are a prime cause. While there needs to be a substantial change in humanity’s relationship with the Earth, evidence confirms that we have done very little about it. For many, this reluctance manifests itself as a kind of denial. For others, their reluctance is embedded in cultural, religious, or tribal beliefs. This human ability to ignore those things that conflict with one’s values and beliefs, or that are so unimaginable that one can’t deal with them, as they can often increase our anxiety. This project explores the inaction around climate change, as well as the impact of that inaction on people and communities. It explores why some people are in varying degrees of denial about climate change, and how climate change relates to social., political and economic issues.
    [Show full text]
  • The Value of Green Infrastructure for Urban Climate Adaptation
    THE VALUE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE FOR URBAN CLIMATE ADAPTATION The Center for Clean Air Policy February 2011 Josh Foster Ashley Lowe Steve Winkelman About CCAP Since 1985, CCAP has been a recognized world leader in climate and air quality policy and is the only independent, non-profit think-tank working exclusively on those issues at the local, national and international levels. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., CCAP helps policymakers around the world to develop, promote and implement innovative, market-based solutions to major climate, air quality and energy problems that balance both environmental and economic interests. For more information about CCAP, please visit www.ccap.org. Acknowledgements CCAP applauds the vision, leadership, and effort of our ten partners in the Urban Leaders Adaptation Initiative: Chicago, King County, Los Angeles, Miami-Dade County, Milwaukee, Nassau County, New York City, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Toronto. Over the last few years we have been impressed with the partners’ commitment to climate adaptation, progress in adaptation planning, and their development and implementation of best practices for managing emerging and future climate change impacts. This report was made possible by support from the Rockefeller Foundation and the Surdna Foundation. This report is dedicated to John H. Foster, a pioneer in the economic valuation of wetlands in Massachusetts in the early 1970s justifying state and later national wetlands protection laws. Because he asked then about the value of wetlands, we are able to ask now about how green infrastructure, climate adaptation, and community resilience are connected. TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.......................................................................................................................... II WHAT IS GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE? ..............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Climate Impact Assessment for the City of Houston
    ATMOS Research & Consulting ANNE STONER and KATHARINE HAYHOE Climate Impact Assessment for the City of Houston AUGUST 2020 Image sources: Houston Chronicle, flooding during Hurricane Harvey (left), Jose Velasquez/EyeEm/Getty Images (right) Houston’s Climate Future | 2 Table of Contents LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................................................................. 3 ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS .................................................................................................................................. 4 PREFACE .................................................................................................................................................................................. 5 ABOUT THIS ASSESSMENT ................................................................................................................................................ 6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................................ 7 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 ONE. GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE ....................................................................................................9 TWO. OBSERVED CHANGES IN THE U.S. AND GULF COAST ..........................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • KATHARINE HAYHOE America’S First Climate Refugees: ALASKA Frozen Ground Is Melting & Eroding
    global climate change impacts in the U.S. WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR WORLD AND WHY DOES IT MATTER? KATHARINE HAYHOE America’s first climate refugees: ALASKA Frozen ground is melting & eroding The people of Newtok, AK have already been driven from their homes. Kivalina may be next. What is happening to our world? PART ONE Doubt regarding the seriousness of global warming is at an all-time high The Earth is getting warmer … 9 of last 10 years warmest on record 2000s: warmest decade on record … despite recent claims of “cooling” It’s happening faster and faster It’s happening faster and faster It’s happening faster and faster It’s happening faster and faster And this is just a fraction of total heating. Temperature in the US is increasing Glaciers are melting 1913 2005 Shepard Glacier, Glacier National Park, USA When the park was created: over 150 glaciers In 2005: 27 glaciers remaining Glaciers are melting The Rhone glacier in the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland Arctic sea ice is shrinking Summer sea ice extent decreased 15-20% over last 40 yrs Ice-free summers likely common within 3 decades Sea level is rising, as ice sheets melt Snow is melting earlier in the year Extreme rainfall becoming more frequent Increases in average number of days with very heavy precipitation (1958 to 2007) Ecosystems shifting, as temperatures warm Where you live today feels like it used to ~200 miles south, just 25 years ago. Marine species are moving poleward Our world is changing EARLIER SPRING Lilacs, honeysuckle, and other harbingers of spring are flowering 1- 2 weeks earlier in the year.
    [Show full text]
  • 2021 Honorand
    2021 honorand Katharine Hayhoe Doctor of Science “One of the world’s most influential communicators on climate change,” “a champion of the earth,” and “a climate explainer who stays above the storm.” These are a few of the ways in which you, Katharine Hayhoe, have been described. You serve as The Nature Conservancy’s chief scientist, and at Texas Tech University you are a Paul W. Horn Distinguished Professor and the Political Science Endowed Professor in Public Policy and Public Law. An accomplished atmospheric scientist, your research currently focuses on developing and applying high-resolution climate projections to understand what climate change means for people and the natural environment. It was at the University of Toronto, while completing your B.Sc. in physics and astronomy, that a class in climate science changed the trajectory of your life. You headed next to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where you earned your M.S. and Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences. Your prolific work has resulted in more than 85 peer-reviewed publications and more than 150 journal articles, abstracts, chapters, and reports. High-profile reports on which you served as lead author include the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s Second, Third, and Fourth National Climate Assessments. Publications including The New York Times, Wired, and O Magazine have published your writing, and you host and produce the PBS digital series Global Weirding: Climate, Politics, and Religion. Together with your husband, Pastor Andrew Farley, you wrote A Climate for Change: Global Warming Facts for Faith- Based Decisions. Your latest book, Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World, will be published in September 2021 by Simon & Schuster.
    [Show full text]
  • A Climate Chronology Sharon S
    Landscape of Change by Jill Pelto A Climate Chronology Sharon S. Tisher, J.D. School of Economics and Honors College University of Maine http://umaine.edu/soe/faculty-and-staff/tisher Copyright © 2021 All Rights Reserved Sharon S. Tisher Foreword to A Climate Chronology Dr. Sean Birkel, Research Assistant Professor & Maine State Climatologist Climate Change Institute School of Earth and Climate Sciences University of Maine March 12, 2021 The Industrial Revolution brought unprecedented innovation, manufacturing efficiency, and human progress, ultimately shaping the energy-intensive technological world that we live in today. But for all its merits, this transformation of human economies also set the stage for looming multi-generational environmental challenges associated with pollution, energy production from fossil fuels, and the development of nuclear weapons – all on a previously unimaginable global scale. More than a century of painstaking scientific research has shown that Earth’s atmosphere and oceans are warming as a result of human activity, primarily through the combustion of fossil fuels (e.g., oil, coal, and natural gas) with the attendant atmospheric emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and other * greenhouse gases. Emissions of co-pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), toxic metals, and volatile organic compounds, also degrade air quality and cause adverse human health impacts. Warming from greenhouse-gas emissions is amplified through feedbacks associated with water vapor, snow and sea-ice
    [Show full text]
  • Administration of Barack Obama, 2016 Statement on the White House
    Administration of Barack Obama, 2016 Statement on the White House South by South Lawn Festival October 3, 2016 Whenever I hear people make gloomy claims about how America is on the downswing, They're either out to promote themselves, or talking about some alternate reality. Think about it—if you had to choose any time in the course of human history to be alive, you'd choose this one. Right here, right now, right in America. New technologies and new innovations are transforming the way we live, opening up incredible opportunities to create, to discover, and to do what we never thought possible. At the same time, we have to navigate these changes in a smart way. They also can be disruptive, even scary—and sometimes, they leave folks behind. Our task is to come together and build a future that's more inclusive, tolerant, and full of opportunity for everybody. And I've never been more optimistic that we will. As President, I've spent the last eight years finding the best people to help us meet that challenge. People who reject cynicism. People who turn change into a force for good. People who believe that, no matter who we are, where we come from, who we love, or what God we pray to, we—the people—can create a world that's worthy of our brightest hopes. So today, I'm inviting a bunch of these folks to my backyard for South by South Lawn. Much like the festival I dropped by in Austin earlier this year, SXSL is, at its heart, a call to action.
    [Show full text]