[GWSG] Offshore drilling restricted; 2016 heat records; Hansen interview; global grid; solar vs. wind vs. fossils; Babcock Ranch

[Tilley, Al]

?1.  In conjunction with a similar move by Canada, President Obama has banned offshore drilling from Virginia north and for most of the Arctic, using a law which will be more difficult to reverse than an executive order.  The president observed that it was time "to move decisively away from fossil fuels."  http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-obama-offshore-drilling-20161220-story.html



2.  Globally, 2016 is the hottest on record.  10% of US record stations recorded record highs, and the country had its second hottest year.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2016/12/23/this-one-gif-is-global-warming-in-the-u-s-in-2016/?utm_term=.c7850c74db11



3.  In an interview with Rolling Stone, James Hansen looks at our general situation, including the Trump presidency, and continues to recommend a carbon fee and dividend as the only effective control on emissions.  http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/will-we-miss-our-last-chance-to-survive-climate-change-w456917



4.  China has proposed a national grid by 2020 and a global power grid to be operating by 2050, carrying 80% renewable energy.  Ed Brock sends the item.  http://www.nextbigfuture.com/2016/03/china-proposes-50-trillion-global-uhv.html



5.  In 58 emerging-market economies, new solar plants are cheaper to build than wind, and both produce power at half the cost of coal.  (In the developed world, with its capital stupidly sunk into natural gas, the cost picture is more muddled.)  http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2016/12/world-energy-hits-a-turning-point-solar-that-s-cheaper-than-wind.html?cmpid=enl_REW_SOLARENERGYNEWS_2016-12-24&email_address=atilley@unf.edu&eid=291059574&bid=1621541



6.  Babcock Ranch, near Fort Myers, FL, opens next year as a sustainable community, solar powered and designed for both responsible and pleasant living on 18,000 acres.  It does still represent a loss of potential habitat for wildlife.  With coastal areas threatened by inundation, Florida faces a challenge in combining relocation of people into the state's interior with preservation of wildlife habitat.  https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/25/solar-powered-town-babcock-ranch-environmentalist-panther  ?

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