[GWSG] Bad beef; record heat; fall NY meeting; social cost of C; 55.7% renewable; 7.3% wind; tipping point N; local forests

[Tilley, Al]

1.  Because cattle are inefficient processors of their feed, beef uses far more resources and contributes far more carbon to the atmosphere than its alternatives, including chicken and pork.  http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jul/21/giving-up-beef-reduce-carbon-footprint-more-than-cars

2.  Global heat set a new high last month, and the month before.  “We are living in the steroid era of the climate system,” said NOAA’s climate monitoring chief Derek Arndt.  http://mdjonline.com/view/full_story/25472497/article-World-breaks-monthly-heat-record-2-times-in-a-row-?instance=special_coverage_bullets_right_column

3.  The heads of state of the US and China are part of a long list of leaders expected for a September UN meeting on climate in New York to prepare for a 2015 conference in France.  Rally organizers hope to have a million marchers to support them.   http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jul/24/barack-obama-xi-jinping-ban-ki-moon-climate-summit

4.  A new court ruling would require the government to consider the social cost of carbon released from the extraction of fossil fuels on federal land when permits are requested.  http://www.climatecentral.org/news/social-cost-carbon-court-ruling-17800

5.  Renewables provided 55.7% of new energy in the US during the first half of this year.  Solar accounted for about a third of new energy.  Renewables now account for 16.3% of US capacity.    http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2014/07/renewables-provide-56-percent-of-new-us-electrical-generating-capacity-in-first-half-of-2014?cmpid=WNL-Wednesday-July23-2014

6.  Navigant Research estimates that wind will supply 7.3% of electricity globally by 2018.  http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/25828

7.  An Oregon SU study finds that 15,000 years ago the northern Pacific and Atlantic oceans became synchronized in their transfer of heat north, tipping off a period of rapid climate change.  http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-07/osu-son072314.php

8.  Deforestation shrinks markedly when forests are managed by local communities.  10-20% of greenhouse gas emissions annually result from deforestation.  http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/jul/25/forests-land-rights-deforestation-climate-change
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