[GWSG] Climate roadmap; warming waters; US-China agreements; Council divests; cities face slr; denial and wealth

[Tilley, Al]

1.  A draft report submitted to the UN by 30 international organizations focusing on the leading 15 national emitters of greenhouse gasses sketches a way to keep warming below 2° C.  Columbia U’s Jeff Sachs observes “We have just about exhausted the carbon budget.  The world is unfortunately engaged in a massive gamble.” Effective emissions cuts need to be rapid and severe.  http://www.climatecentral.org/news/co2-emissions-2-degrees-target-17744?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climatecentral%2FdjOO+Climate+Central+-+Full+Feed  The Guardian supplies further information.  http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jul/08/un-roadmap-climate-change  The US would need to cut emissions back to 1901 levels by 2050.  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-09/fix-the-climate-problem-easy-cut-u-s-emissions-to-1901-levels.html

2.  Shifting wind patterns in the Antarctic are warming subsurface waters twice as rapidly as we had thought.  The warmer waters will greatly speed the destabilization of ice sheets, increasing the rate of sea level rise.  http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-07-07/giant-antarctic-ice-shelves-could-melt-faster-than-expected/5579678

3.  The US and China have signed eight agreements on climate, including one to share carbon capture and sequestration technology.  http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/08/usa-china-climatechange-idUSL2N0PJ20920140708

4.  The World Council of Churches, representing half a billion Christians, is divesting its fossil fuel holdings.  http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jul/11/world-council-of-churches-pulls-fossil-fuel-investments

5.  A summary article on Miami’s submergence provides some unusually blunt commentary on the willingness to ignore it among both politicians and citizens.  http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/11/miami-drowning-climate-change-deniers-sea-levels-rising  A growing number of major cities are conducting vulnerability studies and taking measures to deal with risks.  http://blueandgreentomorrow.com/2014/07/10/207-global-cities-say-climate-change-is-a-threat-to-local-economy/

6.  Increasing wealth among Republicans correlate with increasing climate denial; among Democrats and independents, it does not.  http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/07/climate-denial-wealth-rich-republicans
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