[GWSG] Extinction rate; lg. herbivores in danger; Tesla's batteries; solar desal; action urged, opposed; Bushnell resched.

[Tilley, Al]

1.  A metastudy of extinction risks finds that on average 16% of species will disappear at 4C of warming, with regional variations.  The rate will rise with the temperature.  http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/apr/30/one-in-six-of-worlds-species-faces-extinction-due-to-climate-change-study



2.  About 60% of large herbivores are faced with extinction.  Hunting and habitat loss are the primary drivers.  http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/05/04/horribly-bleak-study-sees-empty-landscape-as-large-herbivores-vanish-at-startling-rate/?tid=hp_mm



3.  Tesla has announced the Powerwall, a home battery storage system which will cost installers $3000-3500 for the 7 and 10 kWh sizes (exclusive of inverters).  The company also intends to offer the Powerpack, a modular 100 kWh battery which can be stacked for utility and microgrid uses.  Southern California Edison, Amazon, and Target are piloting these batteries.    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-01/tesla-s-musk-unveils-batteries-for-home-businesses-utilities  Bloomberg supplies reasons to suppose that the new batteries will be a success.  http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/12-reasons-teslas-new-batteries-are-poised-to-bring-in-billions/ar-BBj19RC?ocid=AARDHP  Elon Musk does a good job of introducing the batteries in this 18 minute video.  The presentation was powered by solar-charged batteries.  http://climatecrocks.com/2015/05/01/teslas-power-wall-is-the-imac-of-the-renewable-energy-age/



4.  MIT and India's Jain Irrigation Systems have developed a solar desalination technology for use in rural coastal drought areas.  http://ecowatch.com/2015/05/01/mit-solar-desalination-drought/?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=e9f28d74a1-Top_News_5_1_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-e9f28d74a1-85965093



5.  In the most thorough study of global energy infrastructure to date, the International Energy Agency warns that we must cease developing new fossil fuel energy production or risk catastrophic warming.  A growing number of countries are publicly advocating postponing an emissions agreement to 2020-the UK, Russia, and Japan among them.    http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/nov/09/fossil-fuel-infrastructure-climate-change  The US has been identified as working behind the scenes to prevent hard emissions targets in UN agreements.  http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2007/may/05/climatechange.climatechangeenvironment



6.  Local event: the talk "Unconventional Solutions to Climate Change" by Thomas Bushnell, Chief Scientist, Langley Research Center, has been rescheduled for 11:30-1:30 Friday, May 29, at the UNF Center.  Sponsored by the US Green Building Council-North Florida.  http://www.usgbcnf.org/event-1817632
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