[GWSG] Climate & weather; body count; drouth & flood in Africa; heat in India & Pakistan; Youth vs Gov; coal planned

[Tilley, Al]

1. TV meteorologists have been reticent about the climate crisis, but that is changing. Some find that when they talk about climate, ratings go up. Others find the topic still “taboo and even dangerous.” https://climatecrocks.com/2022/04/24/new-video-tv-meteorologists-grapple-with-climate-change-and-extremes/

2. Fish, chickens, and all, the average American consumes, in whole or in part, 174 animals a year—not counting the bycatch, the fish used to feed farmed fish, and lives lost to the habitats destroyed by dragnets and other practices (a side of things not covered in the piece). Besides, eating your beans is a most effective form of climate activism. “Just eating a plant-rich diet will reduce more greenhouse gas emissions than if you were to install solar panels on your home, switch to an electric vehicle (or public transit), compost all of your food scraps, and reduce your plastic use. . ..” Peter Sinclair puts together a couple of Vox articles on climate and diet. https://climatecrocks.com/2022/04/25/yes-eating-less-meat-is-effective-climate-action/

3. Devastatingly heavy rains in South Africa and a drouth in the Sahel and East Africa have rendered the climate crisis “increasingly obvious across Africa.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/24/south-africa-floods-rain-climate-crisis-extreme-weather

4. Temperatures in large parts of India are the highest in 125 years. They are reaching 110-115F in some regions, and may go as high as 120F amid drought conditions. High night-time temperatures pose a severe health risk. Pakistan is suffering as well. https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2022/04/25/india-record-heat-march-april/

5. Youth v Gov is a documentary of Juliana vs. the US, filed in 2015 by 21 young people with the support of Children’s Trust. https://climatecrocks.com/2022/04/26/trailer-trial-exposes-climate-crimes-inyouth-v-gov/    Nature’s Trust: Environmental Law for a New Ecological Age (2013) by Mary Christina Wood describes the basis for the suits. Similar suits and legal actions have been launched in all 50 states. Seven are still pending and more are in development. None have yet been successful in the US, though a similar suit was won in the Netherlands.  https://www.ourchildrenstrust.org/state-legal-actions

6. While coal burning is in decline, there are still too many plants in development to allow us to limit heating to 1.5C. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/26/too-many-new-coal-fired-plants-planned-for-15c-climate-goal-report-concludes

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