[GWSG] CO2 up; seas rising; politicians blinking; Rowley Shoals thriving; fossilized banks; EVs contributing

[Tilley, Al]

1. NOAA calculates that the global average atmospheric CO2 is the highest in over 3 million years, 50% over pre-industrial levels. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/carbon-dioxide-levels-highest-they-ve-been-in-over-3-million-years-noaa/ar-BB1fpE4z?ocid=msedgdhp

2. Ocean explorer John Englander has written Moving to Higher Ground: Rising Sea Level and the Path Forward for the engineers, architects, financiers, policymakers, and city planners who will be managing our inevitable redesign of coastal cities and partial relocation of coastal populations. “Sea level in the last century has risen about 20 centimeters. And that’s happened gradually enough that we didn’t really notice it. But it’s accelerating. In fact, it’s been almost doubling every decade for the past 30 years. So we’re just in a new reality.” https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/sea-level-rise-is-unstoppable-cities-can-adapt-but-they-need-to-think-bigger/ar-BB1flOAe

3. Neither Democrats nor Republicans, generally, are facing the need for managed retreat from rising waters. In fact, most of both parties are in active denial. https://grist.org/climate/retreat-from-coastlines-politicians-dont-want-to-talk-about-it/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=daily

4. The Rowley Shoals reef off Australia has been protected from fishing and is thriving while other reef systems are in decline. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/07/rowley-shoals-thriving-australian-reef-shows-whats-possible-when-ecosystems-are-untouched-by-humans

5. Fossil fuel corporations have deeply embedded power structures in the financial system. 77% of the board members of seven major US banks have current or past fossil fuel connections. Line 3, a pipe line under construction to carry tar sands oil in Minnesota, is a test case for banks which claim to support climate action but finance filthy projects.  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/06/banks-climate-change-line-3-pipeline-conflict-interest

6. Do electric vehicle drivers, who escape paying gas taxes, need to pay a special fee to support highway construction? This article argues that they already contribute heavily to the society. https://cleantechnica.com/2021/04/07/stupid-new-talking-point-against-evs-you-need-to-pay-for-the-roads-that-we-dont-pay-for-part-2/

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