[GWSG] CA getting dryer; 15% hotter by 2100; US report; bitcoin bloat; community solar help; mayors pledge to Paris

[Tilley, Al]

1. As Arctic sea ice declines, high-pressure ridges will form and steer wet air away from California, leading to a 10-15% decline in precipitation and increasing drought. http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-climate-california-20171205-htmlstory.html



2. Climate models informed by observation do the best job of accounting for current warming, and those tend to be anticipate about 15% more severe warning this century. The difference is partly in how models account for cloud cover. An implication is that our emissions targets need to be 15% more ambitious.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/12/06/the-most-accurate-climate-change-models-predict-the-most-alarming-consequences-study-claims/?utm_term=.0f125a2dbea5



3. A report from the US Global Change Research Program shows persistent and accelerating warming. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2017/dec/06/us-government-report-finds-steady-and-persistent-global-warming



4. The amount of energy used for bitcoin transactions is becoming so large it could undermine the energy transition. "By July 2019, the bitcoin network will require more electricity than the entire United States currently uses. By February 2020, it will use as much electricity as the entire world does today." Obviously, such growth is unsustainable. http://grist.org/article/bitcoin-could-cost-us-our-clean-energy-future/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=daily


Bitcoin processing now uses more energy than Ireland, and it has gone up 30% in the last month. Other cryptocurrencies, such as Ethereum, are also energy pigs. No quick fix for the problem is in sight. https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/bitcoin-uses-more-energy-than-ireland?utm_source=Daily&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=GTMDaily#gs.wM0SiYs



5. Shine, designed by the Rocky Mountain Institute, is a community solar power planning group which will represent buyers to utilities and help them design programs. Current pilots are in New York and New Mexico, where costs are comparable to new utility-scale installations. https://www.rmi.org/our-work/electricity/shine-community-scale-solar/



6. More than 50 mayors, including 36 from the US, signed the Chicago Climate Charter, pledging to carry out the Paris agreement on climate. https://cleantechnica.com/2017/12/07/50-mayors-sign-chicago-climate-charter-north-american-climate-summit/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IM-cleantechnica+%28CleanTechnica%29 ?

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