[GWSG] St. Augustine studies slr; FL's future; clouds reconsidered; China's peak; kids win one; 130 to sign; WB commits 28%; more wobble

[Tilley, Al]

1.  A study by the U of Florida, commissioned by the City of St. Augustine, indicates up to a foot of sea level rise by 2030, which would inundate 25% of the city.  The city will proceed to a study of the vulnerability of its infrastructure, which it hopes to complete by December, holding a series of public meetings.  http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2016-04-06/report-focuses-sea-level-rise-impacts-st-augustine#.VwY2x4-cHIV



2.  A fictional story in the Daily Kos imagines banks withdrawing investments in Florida beginning in 2018.  As the comments say, it is more likely that insurance companies than banks will initiate the major drop in property values-but the story is worth a read for its imagination of the consequences.  Recent figures on sea level rise indicate that the time schedule in the story is too relaxed.  http://m.dailykos.com/story/2015/12/20/1462300/-The-Day-the-Banks-Abandon-Florida  We need to clean up our buried gas tanks, septic systems, and brownfields before they submerge.  We should have learned well by now that things don't go away when we drop them into the ocean or squirt them into the air.  We also need to plan how to live well in the new world we are shaping.  Good for St. Augustine for making their start.


3.  A study in Science finds that climate models have overestimated the moderating effects of clouds on heating by greenhouse gasses.  Climate sensitivity to the gasses is probably higher than estimated.  https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160407221445.htm  The Guardian provides further information on the study.  http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/apr/07/clouds-climate-change-analysis-liquid-ice-global-warming



4.  China appears on track to reach peak emissions in 2020, a decade earlier than forecast, and at a significantly lower level of emissions than predicted.  http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060035151



5.  The US District Court in Oregon has denied a request by the government and several corporate associations to dismiss the suit brought by a group of young people to require effective climate action by the EPA so as to preserve the public trust of a healthy environment.  The ruling is linked in James Hansen's brief celebration.  http://csas.ei.columbia.edu/2016/04/08/historic-victory-in-court/



6.  At least 130 nations, including the US, India, the European Union, and China, are expected to sign a global warming accord at the UN on April 22.  It is the most nations ever to sign such an agreement on the opening day.  http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/04/08/countries-inking-paris-climate-treaty-to-break-34-year-un-record/



7.  The World Bank will spend 28% of its investments on efforts to cope with climate change, and all of its future spending will take climate into account.  (It still considers natural gas a responsible investment, however.)  http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/apr/07/world-bank-investments-climate-change-environment



8.  Melting ice sheets are having a marked effect on the way the earth wobbles as it spins.  The change is thought to be innocuous.  http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/apr/09/melting-ice-sheets-changing-the-way-the-earth-wobbles-on-its-axis-says-nasa  ?

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