[GWSG] Warming poll; S FL water; planning for slr; dumbing CO2; 3rd way; gw on econ; fate of Mideast; emissions falling

[Tilley, Al]

1.  More Americans than ever before, including 59% of Republicans, consider that global warming is occurring, and prefer candidates who support climate action.  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-23/americans-have-never-been-so-sure-about-climate-change-even-republicans



2.   South Florida's water problems go beyond water in the streets at king tides.  Saltwater intrusion into the water supply, drought, and dissolving peat all play their part in a general picture of destabilization.  The Southeast Florida Regional Compact is projecting six to ten inches of sea level rise by 2030, and Miami Dade's sustainability office appears to no longer be planning for more than a few years ahead as they adjust to a changing picture.   http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/article41416653.html

Part One of the two-part series, linked at the beginning of the story, describes efforts to deal with rising waters.  Other coastal areas are obviously faced with their version of South Florida's water problems.  In Northeast Florida public discussion has been sporadic and planning rudimentary or abortive.



3.  Florida Sea Grant maintains a website with guidance for entities which intend to undertake serious planning for the impacts of climate disruption.  The tools will be of interest to those who suspect that their roads might be breached by flooding or their properties compromised.  How much might a city be expected to spend restoring road access to private property?  When might such a roadway be abandoned?  The suggested legislation is meant to help address such current and pressing issues.   https://www.flseagrant.org/climatechange/coastalplanning/resources/policy-tools/



4.  Elevated levels of CO2 impair human cognition.  Indoor levels are typically higher, and can be much higher, than levels outdoors.  Our recent evolution occurred at about 250 ppm; we are now at 400 ppm, and may already be feeling the effects of elevated CO2.  http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/10/26/3714853/carbon-dioxide-impair-brain/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=cptop3



5.  If you haven't yet read Tim Flannery's Atmosphere of Hope, this interview with Yale Environment 360 will give you a sample of some of the third way projects to reduce atmospheric carbon which he discusses there at more length.  http://e360.yale.edu/feature/how_third_way_technologies_can_help_win_the_climate_fight/2923/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YaleEnvironment360+%28Yale+Environment+360%29



6.  A study from Stanford and UC Berkeley finds that we have greatly underestimated the economic impact of climate disruption.  The news reinforces the need for a price on carbon.  http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2015/oct/27/global-warming-could-be-more-devastating-for-the-economy-than-we-thought



7.  Oil-producing countries in the Middle East may become uninhabitably hot by the end of the century, with heat indexes higher than ever before on earth, unless we control carbon emissions.  http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/oct/26/extreme-heatwaves-could-push-gulf-climate-beyond-human-endurance-study-shows



8.  As California transitions to renewable energy, carbon emissions have begun to drop even as the economy grows.  The same tendency can be discerned elsewhere.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/clayton-b-cornell/is-renewable-energy-start_b_8387738.html  ?

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