[GWSG] Biggest solar; reef in trouble; HFC treaty; beyond storms; new PHI certs; pinning flooding on us

[Tilley, Al]

1.  The world's largest solar power plant will be a concentrating 1500-2000 mw array in Nevada which will supply power continuously by storing molten salt to power turbines when the sun is insufficient.  SolarReserve's Sandstone project will be as powerful as a nuclear reactor.  The $5 billion project will begin in two or three years; the much smaller but technically similar Crescent Dunes project is already in operation in Nevada.      http://www.ecowatch.com/worlds-largest-solar-project-nevada-2041546638.html



2.  The world's largest living system is Australia's Great Barrier Reef.  Climate change has killed a quarter of its coral this year.  To save even part of it will require not only climate action but water pollution controls.   https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jun/07/the-great-barrier-reef-a-catastrophe-laid-bare



3.  A worldwide agreement to cap and reduce hydrofluorocarbons will begin in the US and other developed nations in 2019 and spread to developing nations in 2024.  HFCs last year emitted the equivalent in warming potential of 300 coal plants and could become much worse as countries such as India adopt air conditioning.  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/oct/15/climate-change-environmentalists-hail-deal-to-limit-use-of-hydrofluorocarbons  HFCs have thousands of times the warming potential of CO2.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming_potential  The NY Times supplies a detailed account of this significant agreement.  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/15/world/africa/kigali-deal-hfc-air-conditioners.html?emc=edit_tnt_20161015&nlid=43628374&tntemail0=y&_r=0  The US may need to get senate ratification of the treaty, which could still go into effect without US support.  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/oct/18/us-senate-could-block-landmark-hfc-climate-treaty-legal-experts-warn



4.  Climate change will probably lead to an increase in the number of strong hurricanes.  It may also be implicated in earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes.  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/16/climate-change-triggers-earthquakes-tsunamis-volcanoes



5.  The Passivhaus Institut has revised its standards for certifying the degree to which a building uses renewable energy, introducing two new levels and taking account of the changing energy base, city by city.  A building with little solar access can still achieve top certification by using an offsite renewable energy source (say, their local utility, should they be so fortunate).  The certification changes reflect a change from the days when the only way to achieve zero emissions status was to produce your own energy.  http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/guest-blogs/our-all-renewable-energy-future



6.  We are now experiencing king tides, and many coastal areas are wading the streets.  Climate Central supplies an interactive map which tells you for selected sites how many days of flooding are due to natural causes and how many to us.  Mayport, FL, for example, has experienced 14 days of naturally caused flooding since 1955, and 73 days of human-caused.  The graph also indicates how rapidly that is rising.  Overall, 76% of cumulative coastal US flooding 2005-14 is due to human causes.  http://www.climatecentral.org/news/climate-change-increases-sunny-day-floods-20784  ?

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