[GWSG] CH4 to CO2; SLR survey; ambivalence on earthworms; Ice on Fire; 9 hour workweek; REDD a shuck; MD 50% by 2030; 21 GW for China

[Tilley, Al]

1. Methane is 84 times as strong a greenhouse gas as carbon dioxide over a period of a few decades after its release. Converting CH4 to CO2 using zeolites would be an effective, if expensive, way to curb the damage done by natural gas and other methane sources even if the new CO2 were just released to the atmosphere. https://www.technologyreview.com/s/613556/turning-one-greenhouse-gas-into-another-could-combat-climate-change/
[https://cdn.technologyreview.com/i/images/image-from-ios-1-1.jpg?cx=0&cy=0&cw=2544&ch=1431&sw1200]<https://www.technologyreview.com/s/613556/turning-one-greenhouse-gas-into-another-could-combat-climate-change/>
Turning one greenhouse gas into another could combat climate change - MIT Technology Review<https://www.technologyreview.com/s/613556/turning-one-greenhouse-gas-into-another-could-combat-climate-change/>
www.technologyreview.com
While carbon dioxide is the notorious villain of climate change, methane is actually a much more potent greenhouse gas. The world doesn’t pump out nearly as much of it and its warming effect ...


2. A survey of expert opinion indicates that we should at least double our current IPCC estimates of sea level rise for 2100 with over two meters “plausible.” https://phys.org/news/2019-05-expert-judgement-effect-ice-sheets.html
[https://3c1703fe8d.site.internapcdn.net/newman/gfx/news/hires/2013/ice.jpg]<https://phys.org/news/2019-05-expert-judgement-effect-ice-sheets.html>
Expert judgement provides better understanding of the effect of melting ice sheets - phys.org<https://phys.org/news/2019-05-expert-judgement-effect-ice-sheets.html>
phys.org
Melting ice sheets in Greenland and the Antarctic, and subsequent sea level rise (SLR) this will cause, is widely recognised as posing a significant threat to coastal communities and ecosystems.


3. As the north heats, earthworms are appearing. That is good news for the northern soil, but probably bad news for the climate, as earthworms release carbon to the atmosphere by their digestion of leaf litter—though they also increase soil fertility, promoting vegetation growth and carbon capture. The type of worm and their effect on soil cover adds complexity to the general impact of earthworms on the climate. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/20/science/earthworms-soil-climate.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_190521
[https://static01.nyt.com/images/2019/05/21/science/20SCI-EARTHWORM1/20SCI-EARTHWORM1-facebookJumbo.jpg]<https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/20/science/earthworms-soil-climate.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_190521>
‘Earthworm Dilemma’ Has Climate Scientists Racing to Keep Up - The New York Times<https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/20/science/earthworms-soil-climate.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_190521>
www.nytimes.com
The boreal is special. In warmer climates, the floor of a typical forest is a mix of mineral soil and organic soil. In a boreal forest, those components are distinct, with a thick layer of rotting ...


4. Leonardo DiCaprio’s documentary Ice on Fire, premiering on HBO June 11, centers on the initiatives to mitigate climate heating by converting to renewable energy and drawing down carbon for sequestration. Kelp permaculture and biochar are featured. https://www.yahoo.com/news/climate-change-reversed-dicaprios-ice-fire-claims-075525808.html
[https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/2IlqwjIUzftoag.zG6X8MQ--~B/aD02ODI7dz0xMDI0O3NtPTE7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/afp.com/bad37b8f50c1812720a4313e9165c8a2645fcc5c.jpg]<https://www.yahoo.com/news/climate-change-reversed-dicaprios-ice-fire-claims-075525808.html>
Climate change can be reversed, DiCaprio's 'Ice on Fire' claims<https://www.yahoo.com/news/climate-change-reversed-dicaprios-ice-fire-claims-075525808.html>
www.yahoo.com
Cannes (France) (AFP) - "We don't need advanced technology, Mother Nature has seaweeds and shellfish which sequester five times more carbon than land-based plants," said Bren Smith, winching a ...


5. A study of the UK, Sweden, and Germany recommends that the work week be shortened to nine hours to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/may/22/working-fewer-hours-could-help-tackle-climate-crisis-study
[https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a38c68c9f506ffdf26feb1cd67808593cfe84ee4/0_92_3901_2342/master/3901.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&s=b12d79db93c73f6d10390f1670296016]<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/may/22/working-fewer-hours-could-help-tackle-climate-crisis-study>
Much shorter working weeks needed to tackle climate crisis – study | Environment | The Guardian<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/may/22/working-fewer-hours-could-help-tackle-climate-crisis-study>
www.theguardian.com
People across Europe will need to work drastically fewer hours to avoid disastrous climate heating unless there is a radical decarbonising of the economy, according to a study.. The research, from ...


6. Allowing corporations to emit carbon by offsetting through funding forests planted or protected elsewhere—Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD)—has been largely an empty shuck. https://features.propublica.org/brazil-carbon-offsets/inconvenient-truth-carbon-credits-dont-work-deforestation-redd-acre-cambodia/
[https://assets.propublica.org/images/externals/20190522-brazil-carbon-1200x630.jpg]<https://features.propublica.org/brazil-carbon-offsets/inconvenient-truth-carbon-credits-dont-work-deforestation-redd-acre-cambodia/>
An (Even More) Inconvenient Truth<https://features.propublica.org/brazil-carbon-offsets/inconvenient-truth-carbon-credits-dont-work-deforestation-redd-acre-cambodia/>
features.propublica.org
RIO BRANCO, Brazil — The state of Acre, on the western edge of Brazil, is so remote, there’s a national joke that it doesn’t exist. But for geochemist Foster Brown, it’s the center of the universe, a place that could help save the world. “This is an example of hope,” he said, as we stood behind his office at the Federal University of Acre, a tropical campus carved into the Amazon ...


7. Maryland is becoming the eighth state to set of goal of 50% or more renewable energy by 2030. The governor, who supports a goal of 100% by 2040, allowed the bill to become law without his signature. He has reservations about the bill because it contains controversial provisions for supporting waste incinerators and paper mills. https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/environment/bs-md-renewable-energy-law-20190522-story.html
[https://www.trbimg.com/img-5ce6bbc8/turbine/bs-md-renewable-energy-law-20190522]<https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/environment/bs-md-renewable-energy-law-20190522-story.html>
Maryland bill mandating 50% renewable energy by 2030 to become law, but without Gov. Larry Hogan's signature - Baltimore Sun<https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/environment/bs-md-renewable-energy-law-20190522-story.html>
www.baltimoresun.com
Half of Maryland’s energy will come from renewable sources by 2030 under a bill that is set to become law Friday — without Gov. Larry Hogan's signature. The General Assembly passed the measure ...


8. China has approved the construction of 21 gigawatts of solar and wind power, with priority given to unsubsidized projects. The country’s goal is completely unsubsidized solar power by 2021. https://cleantechnica.com/2019/05/23/china-approves-21-gigawatts-of-grid-parity-wind-solar-projects/?utm_source=CleanTechnica+News&utm_campaign=1b55db7fb9-Daily+Email+CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b9b83ee7eb-1b55db7fb9-331994013
[https://cleantechnica.com/files/2019/04/Panda-China-Solar-6.png]<https://cleantechnica.com/2019/05/23/china-approves-21-gigawatts-of-grid-parity-wind-solar-projects/?utm_source=CleanTechnica+News&utm_campaign=1b55db7fb9-Daily+Email+CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b9b83ee7eb-1b55db7fb9-331994013>
China Approves 21 Gigawatts Of Grid-Parity Wind & Solar Projects | CleanTechnica<https://cleantechnica.com/2019/05/23/china-approves-21-gigawatts-of-grid-parity-wind-solar-projects/?utm_source=CleanTechnica+News&utm_campaign=1b55db7fb9-Daily+Email+CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b9b83ee7eb-1b55db7fb9-331994013>
cleantechnica.com
China's Government approved the first of its long-awaited grid-parity renewable energy projects for 2019 this week, which include 4.5 gigawatts (GW) of wind and nearly 15 GW of solar


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