2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #4

Story of the Week... La Niña Update... Toon of the Week... Quote of the Week... Graphic of the Week... SkS in the News... SkS Spotlights... Video of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... 97 Hours of Consensus...

Story of the Week...

Last weekend, a massive milieu of women in pink hats descended on Washington, D.C. for the Women’s March. The next big protest being planned for the nation’s capital could involve a sea of lab coats (and likely a few pink hats as well).

A group of researchers have proposed a March for Science. What started as a discussion on Reddit has quickly blossomed into a movement.

 Scientists at the 2014 People's Climate March in New York.

Scientists at the 2014 People's Climate March in New York. Credit: Joe Brusky/flickr

Organizers started a private Facebook group and Twitter account on Monday. By Wednesday afternoon, the former boasted more than 300,000 members and the latter had nearly 55,000 followers. A public Facebook page had more than 11,000 likes just five hours after going online. The explosion of support caught organizers off guard, but they’re meeting this weekend to discuss details about the date and full mission statement.

The march would be the latest in a string of actions taken by scientists following Donald Trump’s election and his inauguration as president. His administration has been widely viewed as hostile to science — from the transition period through hearings for his cabinet nominees through silencing key federal science agencies and freezing grants.

“This is not a partisan issue. People from all parts of the political spectrum should be alarmed by these efforts to deny scientific progress,” Caroline Weinberg, a medical researcher who is helping organize the march, said. “Scientific research moves us forward and we should not allow asinine policies to thwart it.”

Scientists Are Planning the Next Big Washington March by Brian Kahn, Climate Central, Jan 25, 2017

Toon of the Week...

2017 Toon 4

La Niña Update...

It is time to say goodbye to La Niña, and possibly hello to El Niño again later in the year.

Ever since the record-setting El Niño of late 2015 started winding down early last year, commodity markets have been fully focused on the La Niña that forecasters had predicted would dominate late 2016 and potentially much of 2017.

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation, or ENSO, is one of the most followed global climatic features, as its cool phase La Niña and warm phase El Niño have somewhat contrasting effects on weather patterns worldwide.

El Niño may return in 2017 by Kearen Braun, Reuters/Daily Mail, Jan 26, 2017

Quote of the Week...

“Donald Trump has been in office for four days and he’s already proving to be the dangerous threat to our climate we feared he would be,” said Michael Brune, executive director of the environmental organisation the Sierra Club.

“Simply put, Donald Trump is who we thought he is: a person who will sell off Americans’ property and tribal rights, clean air and safe water to corporate polluters.”

Resurrection of Keystone and DAPL cements America's climate antagonism by Oliver Milman, Guardian, Jan 24, 2017 

Graphic of the Week...

2016 Hottest Year on Record 

2016 Was the Hottest Year on Record, Climate Central, Jan 18, 2017

SkS in the News...

It's possible to 'vaccinate' Americans against fake news, experiment shows by Sean Greene, Los Angeles Times, qutoes John Cook via Dana Nuccitelli's article, Study: real facts can beat 'alternative facts' if boosted by inoculation, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian.  

SkS Spotlights...

Track 0 is an independent, not-for-profit organization serving as a hub to support all those transitioning to a clean, fair and bright future for future generations around the world compatible with the goals set out in the Paris Agreement. We convene leaders and provide strategic research, training, advice, communications and networking support to governments, businesses, investors, philanthropies, communities and campaigns run by civil society.

Track 0’s mission is to translate the globally agreed well below 2ºC/1.5ºC limit on temperature rise set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement into emissions pathways and metrics that can support transformative solutions implementable by everyone. Scientists say we need to reach net zero emissions by around 2050 for a high chance of limiting temperature rise to well below 2ºC/1.5ºC. Track 0 supports countries, companies, cities and individuals that are making a commitment to get to zero emissions through setting concrete emission reduction targets aligned with science.

Phasing out emissions to zero is feasible and supported by the science. This goal is recognised in the Paris Agreement, which mandates everyone to work collectively to decarbonise the global economy by aiming to reach a global peaking of emissions as soon as possible so as to achieve a balance in global emissions in the second half of this century. Scientists agree this means bringing the biggest sources of emissions from fossil fuel combustion and industry down to zero as quickly as possible, starting today.

Video of the Week...

Michael Hoffmann of the Cornell Institute for Climate Smart Solutions gave a talk October 13, 2016 as part of the Soil and Crop Sciences Section seminar series. Find more seminar videos at http://sips.cals.cornell.edu

Michael Hoffmann: Climate change: A call to action! by Michael Hoffman, Cornell University, Jan 24, 2017

Coming Soon on SkS...

Poster of the Week...

2017 Poster 4 

SkS Week in Review...

97 Hours of Consensus...

97 Hours: John Bruno 

 

John Bruno's bio page & Quote source

High resolution JPEG (1024 pixels wide)

Posted by John Hartz on Sunday, 29 January, 2017


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