[GWSG] C roadmap; fuel cell train; 50 minutes of news; CA etc. stop leaks; XL approved; test heat shield

[Tilley, Al]

1.  The Paris Agreement provides a long term goal of decarbonization but no guide for getting there. Foolish short term goals (think Trump) as well as transformative positive change (coal use in China) frustrate planning unless we know where we should be with respect to the goal. A team of senior climate scientists publishing in Science suggest a roadmap of cutting CO2 emissions in half every decade. We are already on the path.  http://science.sciencemag.org/content/355/6331/1269  The Guardian's useful analysis of the roadmap includes Christiana Figueres' enthusiastic response.  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/mar/23/moores-law-carbon-would-defeat-global-warming



2.  The first hydrogen fuel cell train has completed trials in Germany.  http://www.climateactionprogramme.org/news/worlds_first_zero_emissions_hydrogen_train_completes_trial?utm_source=Feeds&utm_campaign=News&utm_medium=rss



3.  In 2016, coverage of climate on major US networks dropped by 66% as they broadcast a combined 50 minutes of climate news on their evening and Sunday news programs.  (That does not count uncritically reported climate denial from Republican presidential candidates and others, but does count coverage of, for example, the Paris Agreement.)  https://mediamatters.org/research/2017/03/23/how-broadcast-networks-covered-climate-change-2016/215718



4.  As current president Trump loosens requirements of the natural gas industry, California has enacted rules which will cut methane leakage by 45%.  Colorado, Ohio, and Pennsylvania are also enacting emissions controls for natural gas.  73% of the public support controls on natural gas leakage.  https://thinkprogress.org/california-just-put-serious-limits-on-methane-leaks-6392ea30289#.u8yf9ef7t



5.  Current president Trump has approved the XL pipeline to transport Canadian shale oil to Gulf refineries for export.  The pipeline still faces significant opposition.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/03/24/trump-administration-grants-approval-for-keystone-xl-pipeline/?utm_source=rss_energy-environment&utm_term=.911058dad0bb



6.  Harvard scientists are injecting an aerosol into the stratosphere to test its ability to moderate atmospheric heating.  Even the project director sees geoengineering of this kind as a "terrifying prospect,", but argues that we should make decisions based on more knowledge than we have.  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/mar/24/us-scientists-launch-worlds-biggest-solar-geoengineering-study  ?

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