[GWSG] 94.5% renewable; NY & others' targets; CO2 down?; Hansen at Paris; Bernie's plan; proper cities; 1.5C target

[Tilley, Al]

1.  Uruguay has achieved 94.5% electricity from renewable sources with no subsidies and no increase in power prices.  They also have a more reliable power system than before.  http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/03/uruguay-makes-dramatic-shift-to-nearly-95-clean-energy



2.  New York State is codifying a target of 50% renewable electricity by 2030, equaling California's target.  Hawaii has a target of 100% renewable power by 2045 and Vermont intends to have 75% by 2032.  http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/new-york-calls-for-50-renewables-by-2030?utm_source=Daily&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=GTMDaily  South Africa has announced plans to achieve 66% renewable electricity by 2030.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/12/04/this-may-be-the-biggest-news-yet-to-come-out-of-the-paris-climate-meeting/



3.  Global CO2 emissions have slowed markedly in the past two years, and may have even declined this year, while the global economy continued to grow.  The article analyzes the source of the decline in emissions and sketches the outlook among the major emitters.  (Nature Climate Change continues its admirable policy of making selected articles publically available; reg. req'd.)  http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nclimate2892.html



4.  Jim Hansen, one of our best and most intrepid climate scientists, addresses the Paris conference in three tapes (40 minutes total).  He outlines his latest work on the pace of warming, particularly regarding melting of the polar ice sheets (we seem to be on a decadal doubling of melt, implying multimeter sea level rise in 50-60 years).  For the last fifteen minutes he fields questions.  http://climatecrocks.com/2015/12/03/james-hansen-at-paris-climate-meeting/



5.  Monday Bernie Sanders released the most ambitious climate mitigation plan among the presidential candidates.  The issue is gaining higher prominence in the election.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-climate-plan_5664f5f6e4b079b2818f09a4



6.  In How to Build a Sustainable City, Jamie Lerner sketches the transformation of urban experience implicit in the transition to a sustainable life.  (NY Times; reg. req'd.)  http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/07/opinion/how-to-build-a-sustainable-city.html?emc=edit_tnt_20151207&nlid=43628374&tntemail0=y



7.  The world's worst polluters have joined the most vulnerable at the Paris talks in support of a target of 1.5C of warming.  http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/07/paris-climate-talks-biggest-polluters-back-tougher-warming-target  ?

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.unf.edu/pipermail/gwsg/attachments/20151208/80190934/attachment.html