The Political Thread

MOVING ON...Lets talk about a topic that the MAJORITY of the GOP Dark Age Folks DO NOT believe in or thinks, that it is a HOAX. YES, Tequila you can LAUGH hard, at these Dark Age Folks...for I am.

--10-08-18: www.cnbc.com/2018/10/08/un-warns-rapid-unprecedented-change-needed-to-halt-global-warming.html  

Before 2030, WE will endure More Extreme Hurricanes/Typhoons/ Cyclones/Tornados; MORE Extreme Flooding/Wildfires; MORE Extended Droughts; MORE Food Production losses & Food Shortages; ETC. Affecting millions of Citizens in the World & Stifling Some Economies…

Keeping the Earth's temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius means making rapid, unprecedented changes in the way people use energy to eat, travel and live or we risk even more extreme weather and loss of species, a U.N. report said on Monday.

Meeting 1.5C (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, rather than the 2C target agreed at global climate talks in Paris in 2015, would have "clear benefits to people and natural ecosystems," the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said on Monday.

Without real change, the world is not even on course to reach the 2C target, experts said.

U.N. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) secretary-general Petteri Taalas told reporters in Geneva: "There is clearly need for a much higher ambition level to reach even a 2 degrees target, we are moving more towards 3 to 5 (degrees) at the moment."

The past 18 years have been the warmest on record since the 1850s when measurements began, he said. Scientists attribute the temperature rises and extreme weather mainly to greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide from fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas.

The IPCC report said at the current rate of warming, the world's temperatures would likely reach 1.5C between 2030 and 2052 after an increase of 1C above pre-industrial levels since the mid-1800

Meeting the 1.5C target would keep the global sea level rise 0.1 meter (3.9 inches) lower by 2100 than a 2C target, the report says. That could reduce flooding and give people on the world's coasts, islands and river deltas time to adapt.

The lower target would also reduce species loss and extinction and the impact on ecosystems, the report said.

"Even the scientists were surprised to see ... how much they could really differentiate and how great are the benefits of limiting global warming at 1.5 compared to 2," Thelma Krug, IPCC vice-chair, told Reuters.

The IPCC met last week in Incheon, South Korea to finalize the report, prepared at the request of governments in 2015 to assess the feasibility and importance of limiting warming to 1.5C.

The report is the main scientific guide for governments on how to implement the 2015 Paris Agreement, agreed by nearly 200 nations, and will be debated at the Katowice Climate Change Conference in Poland in December.

U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the accord last year, invoking concerns for the U.S. economy, and has espoused pro-fossil fuel policies. But U.S. states led by California and many cities are living up to their commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions, WMO's Taalas said.

"The USA is on the right track to reduce its emissions, you have already been reaching 50 percent of the pledges the Obama administration was having on the table as part of the Paris Agreement," he said, and cited companies such as electric vehicle maker Tesla as helping bringing about change.

To contain warming at 1.5C, man-made global net carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions would need to fall by about 45 percent by 2030 from 2010 levels and reach "net zero" by mid-century. Any additional emissions would require removing CO2 from the air.

--10-09-18: www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/supercharged-overnight-hurricane-michael-menaces-florida/ar-BBOb1pI?li=BBnb7Kz  
PANAMA CITY, Fla. — Gaining frightening fury overnight, Hurricane Michael closed in Wednesday on the Florida Panhandle with potentially catastrophic winds of 145 mph, the most powerful storm on record ever to menace the stretch of fishing towns, military bases and spring-break beaches.

With more than 375,000 people up and down the Gulf Coast warned to clear out, the hurricane's leading edge began lashing the white-sand shoreline with tropical storm-force winds, rain and rising seas before daybreak, hours before Michael's center was expected to blow ashore.

"I really fear for what things are going to look like there tomorrow at this time," Colorado State University hurricane expert Phil Klotzbach said in an email.

The unexpected brute quickly sprang from a weekend tropical depression, reaching Category 4 early Wednesday as it drew energy from the Gulf of Mexico's 84-degree waters. That was up from a Category 2 on Tuesday afternoon.

Oct 10, 2018 13:52:10 GMT -5 inger said:

I don’t deny human involvement in climate change. On the other hand I do wonder how much of it is due to human input and how much is due to the natural cycle of the earth...

We have historical evidence the planet has warmed and cooled cyclically for millions/billions of years. There is likely something we can do, but we’re likely limited as to how much change we can affect.

That doesn’t mean we should do nothing. In fact, it means that whatever we do, it’s probably not enough, so we should do all we can to delay the inevitable...and knowing at the same time that at some point, maybe hundreds or thousands of years from now, the temperatures may begin to decline again.

We are here only at the pleasure of the powers that be, not the other way around...Extinction would seem to be the natural order of things...Only if we can find a solution will the human race fail to become extinct st some point. Make all the wars and hatred for each other seem rather pointless, doesn’t it?...

--10-11-18: www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/092915/5-countries-produce-most-carbon-dioxide-co2.asp   Even though we ONLY have like 5% of the World’s Population; WE are ranked #2 in the World for Carbon Dioxide Emissions and with Donald in office WE could in the future be #1.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is an odorless gas that is highly important to life on Earth. CO2 is also known as a greenhouse gas; an excessive concentration can disrupt the natural regulation of temperature in the atmosphere and lead to global warming.

The concentration of CO2 has especially increased as a result of the industrial revolution and exponential growth in manufacturing activities around the world. Deforestation, agriculture and fossil fuel use are the primary sources of CO2.

According to the most recent data from 2012 provided by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the top five countries that produce the most CO2 are China, the United States, India, Russia and Japan.

China
China is the largest emitter of carbon dioxide gas in the world with 8.1 billion metric tons in 2012. The primary source of CO2 emissions in China is coal burning. About 66% of the total energy derived in China comes from coal alone, and since coal is rich in carbon, burning it in China's power and industrial plants and boilers releases large amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere.

Also, China is one of the largest importers of oil, which contributes to large CO2 emissions through the country's use of motor vehicles. China plans to reduce its dependence on coal and decrease overall pollution in large cities in the future by generating more electricity using nuclear, renewable energy sources and natural gas.

The US
The U.S. is the second largest emitter of CO2, with approximately 5.27 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emission in 2012.

The largest source of CO2 emissions in the U.S. comes from power generation, transportation and industry.

Even though the U.S. government undertook significant efforts to reduce the reliance on coal for electricity generation, about 90% of energy-related CO2 emissions still comes from coal, which accounts for 31% of total CO2 emissions.

Also, the U.S. economy is heavily reliant on the transportation sector, which burns petroleum for trucks, ships, trains and planes.

U.S. consumers especially depend on their cars as their primary means of transportation, and this also contributes to the CO2 footprint through gasoline and diesel. Petroleum alone accounts for 43% of the total CO2 emissions.

Another large contributor to CO2 emissions in the U.S. is industry, which burns fossil fuels for energy. Also, the U.S. chemical sector uses various chemical reactions necessary to produce goods from raw materials, which in the process, emit CO2.

India
India is the third largest emitter of CO2 in the world; it produced about 1.83 billion metric tons of CO2 in 2012. As the Indian economy set out on a path toward urbanization and industrialization, the consumption of solid fuels, such as coal, skyrocketed. Coal consumption in India almost doubled from 420 million metric tons in 2004 to 800 million metric tons in 2014.

Coal mines are abundant in India, and coal is generally cheaper in the country than imported oil and gas. Given these trends, the Indian economy is likely to increase its reliance on coal as the main source of energy for electricity generation and powering its heavy industry. India's CO2 footprint is bound to go up in the future.

The Russian Federation
Russia is the fourth largest contributor toward CO2 emissions in the world with 1.78 billion metric tons in 2012. Russia has one of the largest natural gas deposits in the world, and natural gas is the primary source of energy and power generation in the country, which contributes approximately 50% of the total carbon dioxide emissions.

Coal, which is widely used in chemical and other basic material industries and for power generation in Russia, is the second largest contributor of Russia's CO2 emissions.

Japan
Japan is the fifth largest emitter of CO2 worldwide, producing 1.26 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2012. Japan is heavily reliant on burning natural gas and coal to generate electricity for its population and various industries.

After the nuclear reactors in Fukushima were shut down in 2011, dependence on fossil fuels increased even more. As Japan prepares to reopen its nuclear power plants, its CO2 footprint may stabilize in the future.

10-11-18: www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-45814659 MAYBE OUR DIET = In the VERY Near Future. 
If the world wants to limit climate change, water scarcity and pollution, then we all need to embrace "flexitarian" diets, say scientists.

This means eating mainly plant-based foods, and is one of three key steps towards a sustainable future for all in 2050, they say.

Food waste will need to be halved and farming practices will also have to improve, according to the study.

Without action, the impacts of the food system could increase by up to 90%.

Fast on the heels of the landmark report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) comes this new study on how food production and consumption impact major threats to the planet.

The authors say that the food system has a number of significant environmental impacts including being a major driver of climate change, depleting freshwater and pollution through excessive use of nitrogen and phosphorous.

The study says that thanks to the population and income growth expected between 2010 and 2050, these impacts could grow between 50-90%.

This could push our world beyond its planetary boundaries, which the authors say represent a "safe operating space for humanity on a stable Earth system".

However the study finds that no single solution will avert the dangers, so a combined approach is needed.

So when it comes to climate change, the authors looked at what they called a "flexitarian diet".

"We can eat a range of healthy diets but what they all have in common, according to the latest scientific evidence, is that they are all relatively plant based," said lead author Dr Marco Springmann from the University of Oxford.

"You can go from a diet that has small amounts of animal products, some might call it a Mediterranean based diet, we call it a flexitarian diet, over to a pescatarian, vegetarian or vegan diet - we tried to stay with the most conservative one of these which in our view is the flexitarian one, but even this has only one serving of red meat per week."

If the world moved to this type of diet, the study found that greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture would be reduced by more than half.

But as well as altering diets, the research says that farming practices need to change significantly. This involves boosting yields from existing cropland, improving water management and restricting and recycling fertiliser use.

"We looked at improving agricultural yields in particular of more health sensitive crops like fruit, vegetables and legumes," said Dr Springmann.

"In the past there has been lots of invest in the stable grains like maize and corn, but now we really need to move it to the crops we need more of.

We also looked at increasing the efficiency of water use, and we looked at better monitoring and recycling of fertiliser - lots of it is lost and it runs off into rivers and causes dead zones in the oceans."

In addition, the study found that halving the amount of food lost to waste would reduce the environmental impacts of agriculture by 16%.

--10-11-18: www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/hurricane-dangers-will-linger-long-after-michaels-trail-of-devastation-experts-say/ar-BBOecAa?li=BBnb7Kz  
LAKE CITY, Fla. — Hurricane Michael leaves behind a treacherous, dangerous landscape that will likely pose risks to human health for weeks to come, experts say.

While the storm’s winds and rain have passed, flooding remains widespread across the Florida Panhandle, along with thousands of downed trees, severed power and gas lines, and road-blocking debris.

And those are just the visible dangers: The water itself can carry bacteria and viruses that pose a major health hazard.

--10-10-18 THE HATERS: www.msn.com/en-us/autos/autos-hybrids/us-senator-introduces-bill-to-end-dollar7500-ev-tax-credit/ar-BBOc5OP?li=BBnbfcL

JUST WHE WE NEED MORE EV'S  = The GOP Dark Age Belief Folks are trying this...

It was only a matter of time with the current administration and situation.

It comes as no surprise that the U.S. EV federal tax credit may be at jeopardy soon. In fact, this isn’t the first time (and it won’t be the last) that a politician is pushing for its elimination.

We can only hope that due to all else that is happening in big government in the U.S., this type of bill proposal takes a back seat and doesn’t amount to anything right away (or ever).

According to a recent report by Green Car Congress, Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman and Republican John Barrasso has introduced this new bill to do away with the current tax credit for EVs. The story shares the following specifics:

The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to terminate the credit for new qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles and provides for a Federal Highway user fee on alternative fuel vehicles.

Authorities are pleading with residents to shelter in place, keeping the roads clear for emergency vehicles and reducing the risk of additional casualties. At least one man has died in the storm, after a falling tree crashed into his house in Greensboro, Florida.

Leaving home now raises the risks of injury, experts said. Many roads remain closed and impassible, most stores are closed and power is out for an estimated 500,000 people across three states, authorities said.

Among the medical dangers are cholera, Hepatitis A and vibriosis, said Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency room physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. Glatter said storm victims need to stay focused on staying healthy while they await recovery efforts. That may mean not rushing outside as soon as the skies clear.