[GWSG] CA slr database; Klein on climate; Hahoe in poly sci; living shorelines; new transition plan; the German example

[Tilley, Al]

1.  California is moving toward a database of all sea level rise planning in the state.  Currently, as in Florida and all other states, planning is going on in relative isolation and the state has no systematic way to track and coordinate activity.  Republicans voted against the measure on the grounds that less than an inch of sea level rise is likely this century but failed to block the legislation.  (The current rate is about an inch a decade and headed up.  The CA Republican Party wins the Cap and Bells for foolish sea level rise projections, though the competition is stiff.)  http://www.climatecentral.org/news/california-gets-serious-about-rising-seas-18010

2.  Naomi Klein measures the hypothesis that capitalism can pull us back from the climate disaster it has created as she considers the actions of Richard Branson, Bill Gates, and Michael Bloomberg, billionaires who have declared their willingness to take on the problem.  Hypothesis disconfirmed, at least for climate activism among the very wealthy.  Klein tells the story of her own growing involvement with climate issues and how they became part of her struggles to have a child.  She has a new book out, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate; I am waiting for the Kindle release.  The article is a sample of the book.    http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/sep/13/greenwashing-sticky-business-naomi-klein

3.  Atmospheric scientist Katherine Hayhoe explains to Bill Moyers why she has moved from the natural sciences to the political science department at Texas Tech.  (She continues to direct the Climate Science Center.)  http://climatecrocks.com/2014/09/13/dr-katharine-hayhoe-interviewed-by-bill-moyers/  A brief bio of Hayhoe:  http://katharinehayhoe.com/?page_id=5

4.  Living shorelines use native grasses, oyster beds, and other natural features to manage modest sea level rise.  The features trap sand and keep pace with the rise, while providing a habitat for marine life to survive the changing environment.  Along the southern US East Coast the Corps of Engineers and state authorities are quietly making it easier to create such shorelines as an alternative to bulkheads, which generally increase the damage of sea level rise and are more expensive.  “It’s either do this or lose our property altogether,” said a Pensacola property owner.  http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060005636

5.   The forthcoming Green Growth: A Program for Controlling Climate Change and Expanding Job Opportunities from the U of MA and the Center for American Progress proposes a kick start for a transition to renewable energy which combines 30% efficiency savings and support for new renewable energy sources.  The cost would be 40% less than the government invested in the oil and gas industry last year.  The plan would create 2.7 million green jobs, lowering unemployment by 1.5%.  It would also reduce our fossil fuel emissions by 40%.    http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/12/clean-energy-economy-2-7-million-green-jobs-40-less-emissions/?utm_source=Cleantechnica+News&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=94e1134af7-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_term=0_b9b83ee7eb-94e1134af7-331994013

6.  Germany is now running on 30% renewable energy and has become a model for other nations, as well as a test case for how to integrate utilities into the new energy economy.  Energiewende is so popular that the country is experiencing demonstrations against any attempt by the government to slow down the transformation.    http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/science/earth/sun-and-wind-alter-german-landscape-leaving-utilities-behind.html?emc=edit_th_20140914&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=43628374&_r=0
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