[GWSG] Heating oceans; bleaching coral; declining O; CA's bum steer; Shell's profits; CH4 blasts; WAPO on that

[Tilley, Al]

1. A measure of the rate at which temperature extremes are reached in ocean regions indicates that we passed beyond what had been normal conditions in 2014. The impacts on marine life, and therefore on land systems, are already evident. Some regions of the oceans are heating more rapidly than others. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/01/extreme-heat-oceans-passed-point-of-no-return-high-temperatures-wildlife-seas



2. All our coral will be subject to bleaching when global heating hits 1.5C. Efforts are underway to preserve reefs where we can to allow for a rebound when we are able to eliminate fossil fuels and other destroyers, but finally the reefs have no place to hide. https://www.carbonbrief.org/last-refuges-for-coral-reefs-to-disappear-above-1-5c-of-global-warming-study-finds?utm_campaign=Carbon%20Brief%20Daily%20Briefing&utm_content=20220202&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Revue%20Daily



3. As the oceans heat they can hold less oxygen. “Irreversible deoxygenation” of the middle depths (where most of fished species live) began last year, and will spread to all zones by 2080. https://phys.org/news/2022-02-climate-begun-suffocate-world-fisheries.html



4. A CA program to subsidize biogas from dairy cow manure was meant to reduce emissions. It is not. Not only does it increase emissions but it rewards the worst factory farms. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/04/california-subsidies-biogas-dairy-cows-emissions-climate



5. Shell’s profits quadrupled to $19.3 billion last year. Whatever else conditions the current rise in the price of gasoline, Shell is surely trying to cash in its identified reserves before anything tampers with their ability to profit by the ruin of the environment. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/03/shell-earnings-q4-2021.html



6. Ultra-emitting events in the gas and oil industry release 8-12% of global industrial methane emissions in sporadic large bursts connected to maintenance operations (such as intentional venting) and equipment failures. These could be controlled in large part easily and relatively cheaply. The Science article, behind its paywall, observes that methane emissions from industry have been grossly underreported but can be measured directly from above, by aircraft and recently by satellite. Oil and gas production is responsible for a quarter of anthropogenic methane emissions and is growing as new shale deposits are developed. The article provides detailed accounts of emissions sources and estimates the costs and benefits of control programs by the countries involved.    https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abj4351?utm_campaign=Carbon%20Brief%20Daily%20Briefing&utm_content=20220204&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Revue%20Daily



7. The Washington Post adds info on the topic of controlling ultra-emissions of methane. While controls will not reduce emissions sufficiently on their own, they would be a nice first step toward eliminating the use of gas and oil. The new satellite observation capacity does completely end the days when the industry could hide behind the fiction that accidental emissions were less than 3% of total emissions. https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/02/03/cracking-down-methane-ultra-emitters-is-quick-way-combat-climate-change-researchers-find/

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