[GWSG] Greens grow; UK power greening; Atlantic Beach study; St. Augustine study; grassland restoration; peaceful wind

[Tilley, Al]

1. The German Greens are now polling as the leading German political party. Everyone, including the Greens, is surprised.  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/19/opinion/greens-party-germany.html
[https://static01.nyt.com/images/2019/06/19/opinion/19bittner-social/168b4fb9dab5477fbed179754b1e86f3-facebookJumbo.jpg]<https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/19/opinion/greens-party-germany.html>
Opinion | The Greens Are Germany’s Leading Political Party. Wait, What? - The New York Times<https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/19/opinion/greens-party-germany.html>
www.nytimes.com
HAMBURG, Germany — The emergence of the Green Party as a leading force in German politics is not unlike the flowering of the Serengeti after a rainstorm: What had been mere seeds one minute ...


2. This year the UK will produce over half its power from zero-carbon sources. In the last ten years renewables have gone from less than 2% of the power to 20% and coal has dropped from almost a third to 3%. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jun/21/zero-carbon-energy-overtakes-fossil-fuels-as-the-uks-largest-electricity-source
[https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/96bcc0bf1736c85bf940d8a93c53da7692913af4/0_115_3500_2100/master/3500.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=d0508e5e019df6b7263365498261a60c]<https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jun/21/zero-carbon-energy-overtakes-fossil-fuels-as-the-uks-largest-electricity-source>
Fossil fuels produce less than half of UK electricity for first time | Business | The Guardian<https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jun/21/zero-carbon-energy-overtakes-fossil-fuels-as-the-uks-largest-electricity-source>
www.theguardian.com
A wind farm amongst existing electricity pylons on the Romney Marsh in Kent. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA Zero-carbon energy sources are poised to overtake fossil fuels as the UK’s largest ...


3. Atlantic Beach, FL, has released its consultant’s reports on its vulnerability to flooding. 2044 was the earliest date taken for representation. Analysis 2 makes it clear that by that year the city’s resources will be hopelessly compromised, though that is my conclusion and not the report’s. It simply offers projections of flooding. http://www.coab.us/875/Coastal-Vulnerability-Resiliency-and-Ada
Coastal Vulnerability, Resiliency, and Adaptation | The Atlantic Beach Official Website!<http://www.coab.us/875/Coastal-Vulnerability-Resiliency-and-Ada>
www.coab.us
Description of Coastal Vulnerability, Resiliency, and Adaptation Program

There is no reason to suppose that other coastal communities in the region are in better shape. That includes other communities on the tidal St. Johns River, such as downtown Jacksonville.

4. St. Augustine’s Coastal Vulnerability Assessment offers no better picture that Atlantic Beach’s. The two cities are the only ones in the region to have undertaken vulnerability assessments. As the former mayor of St. Augustine said in a radio interview last January, she expects that by 2030 30% of her streets will be flooded 90 days a year. Thanks to David Rogers for the links to the studies. http://www.citystaug.com/government/public_works/ResiliencySustainability/CoastalVulnerability.php
[http://cms4.revize.com/revize/staugustinefl/_assets_/images/facebook-sharing.png]<http://www.citystaug.com/government/public_works/ResiliencySustainability/CoastalVulnerability.php>
CityStAug | Coastal Vulnerability<http://www.citystaug.com/government/public_works/ResiliencySustainability/CoastalVulnerability.php>
www.citystaug.com
With a majority of the city being located in a flood plain, the City of St. Augustine is proactively identifying areas of risks as it relates to the inevitable effects of sea level rise.


5. Grasslands once covered much of the US Southeast. The Southeastern Grasslands Initiative is working to restore some of those lands and to preserve some of their biodiversity. https://e360.yale.edu/features/forgotten-landscapes-bringing-back-the-rich-grasslands-of-the-southeast
[https://e360.yale.edu/assets/site/CherokeePrairie_Arkansas_WilliamDarkPhotography_web.jpg]<https://e360.yale.edu/features/forgotten-landscapes-bringing-back-the-rich-grasslands-of-the-southeast>
Forgotten Landscapes: Bringing Back the Rich Grasslands of the Southeast - Yale E360<https://e360.yale.edu/features/forgotten-landscapes-bringing-back-the-rich-grasslands-of-the-southeast>
e360.yale.edu
Native prairie and savanna once covered vast areas of the U.S. Southeast from Maryland to Texas, but agriculture and sprawl have left only small patches remaining. Now, a new initiative, driven by scientists and local communities, is pushing to restore these imperiled grassland habitats.

The project may get some help from the climate crisis. I heard a paper some years ago warning that with 2C of heat our region will lose much of its tree cover and revert to savannah, with scrub along the coasts.

6. We would not be tempted to send anyone to war in Iran for wind energy. https://climatecrocks.com/2019/06/21/fossil-fuels-leading-to-war-once-again/
[https://climatecrock.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/war_fox.jpg]<https://climatecrocks.com/2019/06/21/fossil-fuels-leading-to-war-once-again/>
Fossil Fuels Leading to War Once Again? | Climate Denial Crock of the Week<https://climatecrocks.com/2019/06/21/fossil-fuels-leading-to-war-once-again/>
climatecrocks.com
Above, John Fabian, a farmer from Rosebush, Michigan, makes a heartfelt plea to the Isabella County Board to approve the state’s largest wind farm. As you’ll hear, his words are heartfelt, and grounded in harsh personal experience of the cost of wars for oil and energy. Are we heading down that ...


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