[GWSG] Trees compromised; rising heat, CO2 a threat; Mulkey in a forest; US splits E-W in winter; Exxon commiting fraud?

[Tilley, Al]

1.  Trees in the US and elsewhere are succumbing by the millions to diseases, insects, and fungi, and the trees' susceptibility is often attributable to climate change.  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/19/tree-death-california-hawaii-sudden-oak



2.  A 16-year Stanford experiment, along with others, show that rising CO2 will not benefit plants, and higher temperatures will threaten them.  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2016/sep/19/new-study-undercuts-favorite-climate-myth-more-co2-is-good-for-plants



3.  Ecologist Stephen Mulkey records his thoughts on revisiting a forest.  https://environmentalcentury.net/2016/09/16/approaching-the-ecological-event-horizon/



4.  The new US winter climate features especially warm and dry weather in the western half of the country and especially cold and snowy weather in the east.  https://climatecrocks.com/2016/09/19/weather-whiplash-extreme-winters-on-the-increase/



5.  We shall certainly need to remove and sequester carbon from the air to achieve a stable 1.5C of warming, and probably to achieve 2C.  We need to begin that project even as we move as quickly as possible to zero emissions.  We have several options, and among the most attractive is forestry and soil management, though we should also begin preparing for more industrial projects.  It will certainly cost much more to remove emissions than to prevent them.  The Archer Daniels Midland Decatur project to produce ethanol and sequester the carbon is a good example of losing sight of the goal (sequestering carbon) in pursuit of profits.  Driven by natural gas, it releases much more carbon than it sequesters, and uses much of that supposedly sequestered carbon to force more oil from the ground, so that it may be used and release yet more carbon.   https://climatecrocks.com/2016/09/19/are-negative-emissions-the-only-path-to-2-degrees/



5.  The Securities and Exchange Commission is apparently investigating Exxon for fraudulently misstating its assets.  Current low oil prices and the limited usage of in-ground stocks in light of climate action should be reflected in reports to shareholders.   https://thinkprogress.org/sec-exxonknew-4bd7b1f68500#.u961geub9  ?

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