@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social cover
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CelloMomOnCars

@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social

Climate-friendly cars that fit the planet and the budget - and the cello
Plus climate news

http://www.cellomomcars.com/

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. For a complete list of posts, browse on the original instance.

CelloMomOnCars , to random
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

"If global warming reaches or exceeds 2C by 2100, [scientists say] it is likely that mainly richer humans will be responsible for the death of roughly one billion mainly poorer humans over the next century.

The peer-reviewed literature on the human mortality costs of carbon converged on the "1,000-ton rule," an estimate that one future premature death is caused for 1,000 tons of fossil carbon burned. "

The abstract of the paper uses the tag

https://phys.org/news/2023-08-climate-changing-human-billion-deaths-century.html

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

"To be clear, predicting the future accurately is hard. The 1,000-ton rule is only an order of magnitude best estimate. The number of caused deaths will likely lie between a tenth of a person and 10 people per 1,000 tons. Regardless, the bottom line that we need to act fast is still crystal clear," said Pearce.

Per-capita emissions in the Untied States: 15 tonnes CO2 per year, 8 tonnes for Germany. Do the math,

https://phys.org/news/2023-08-climate-changing-human-billion-deaths-century.html

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

The authors state that this "is comparable with involuntary or negligent manslaughter."

There it is, in the paper abstract:
is violence.
We just don't think about that because it's not so obsvious when the weapon is the weather.

Open-access paper:
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/16/6074

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

For those who are into : I hope you have seen this, by the awesome late Hans Rosling:
"The best stats you've ever seen".

This is the talk that made it routine for me to check the "total fertility rate" of this or that place before making statements about the population of that place.

Don't miss it:

https://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_the_best_stats_you_ve_ever_seen?language=en

CelloMomOnCars , to random
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

"’s supreme court on Thursday will hear attempts by companies to dismiss a accountability lawsuit."

The “personal jurisdiction” excuse: defendants argue that they did not conduct enough business in Hawaii to be hauled into the state’s courts.
The “failure to state a claim” excuse: claims that the lawsuit should be dealt with by lawmakers, not state courts.
The first amendment excuse.

These have all been tossed out by other courts.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/17/hawaii-fossil-fuel-companies-dismiss-lawsuit-honolulu

CelloMomOnCars , to random
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

"While many might assume that California’s Death Valley is the hottest location on Earth, the area with the highest land surface temperature resides in ’s uninhabitable Desert.
This remote desert region registered a peak of 70.5 degrees Celsius in 2005."

"Some 70% of the population — or nearly 50 million Iranians — might be ultimately forced to leave the country to survive."


https://www.jpost.com/environment-and-climate-change/article-754167

CelloMomOnCars , to random
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

Is Endangering America's Workers—and Its Economy

"Public Citizen, a Washington, D.C., based consumer rights advocacy group, estimates that extreme heat contributes to between 600 and 2,000 deaths a year, along with 170,000 injuries, making heat one of the three main causes of death and injury in the American .

In most American states, you can be fined for leaving a dog outside without water or shade."
[Workers don't have such protection].

https://time.com/6299091/extreme-heat-us-workers-economy/

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

"Protecting outdoor workers from extreme heat is easy, and in most cases, inexpensive. Requiring employers to provide workers with cool and periodic shaded breaks could prevent at least 50,000 injuries and illnesses a year."

“There’s often a perception that people from hot countries are able to deal with hot temperatures. It’s just simply untrue. It’s a racist belief that underpinned slavery that we still see in our agricultural system now.”

https://time.com/6299091/extreme-heat-us-workers-economy/

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

"California regulations call for high-heat procedures to kick in once temperatures reach 95°F. Washington State was the next to adopt standards in 2008, followed by Colorado and Oregon in May 2022. Since then, efforts to protect workers elsewhere have been largely stalled.

A federal standard would, of course, apply nationwide. The prospect galvanizes the opposition. "

The truth is, lost productivity from heat is expensive too.

https://time.com/6299091/extreme-heat-us-workers-economy/

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

In , where the work force is aging (and where older people are held in high regard), employers' attitude is very different:

"In a prefab building adjacent to the construction site, an air-conditioned room was cooled to around 18 C, and the workers were free to drop in and take a rest whenever they needed. A water cooler and a freezer full of ice cubes were available nearby, along with other drinks to keep workers hydrated."

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/environment/2023/07/30/climate-change/climate-change-heat-waves-aging-society/

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

In employer-speak: protecting workers from increases their productivity. It's doing nothing that's expensive.

"As temperatures reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit, overall decreases by about a quarter, and when temperatures top 100 degrees, productivity drops off a cliff, plummeting by an incredible 70 percent."

https://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Global-Warming/How-Extreme-Temperatures-Could-Melt-The-US-Economy.html

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

"Delivery workers are the canaries in the coal mine on the intertwined issues of and . In the coming years, many other sectors—construction, fishing, roofing, farming, landscaping, professional sports, and so on—will be affected by workers’ struggle to stay safe in extremely hot weather and toxic air."

The workers must organise.
The pandemic has shown what we really think of "essential workers"

https://newrepublic.com/article/174946/outdoor-workers-climate-victims-labor-rights

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

A package of measures to protect workers from :
– make drinking more accessible.
– increased of potentially dangerous workplaces such as farms and construction sites
– heightened of violations.
– hazard alert notifying employers and employees about ways to stay protected from

Plus OSHA is working on workplace heat protection.

https://apnews.com/article/biden-extreme-heat-climate-change-osha-d24be7fe0c7bb79bede655db10fe2e00

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

"Why breaks, , and for a sea of workers could trigger the next big labor battle.
...
It goes to show how heat isn’t necessarily what’s making workers sick, Barab says. “It’s really more employers’ refusal to implement measures to protect workers. That’s killing workers.”"


https://www.vox.com/23844420/extreme-heat-work-labor-osha-climate-change

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

"Business groups and lobbyists have aggressively opposed efforts at state and federal levels to enact standards for .

and advocacy groups are also pushing to include heat protections for farm workers in the 2023 farm bill currently being considered by Congress. But with Republicans in control of Congress, such a measure is unlikely to pass."

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/31/heat-protections-workers-big-business-lobbies

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

"A driver fell ill while working during a scorching and later died."

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ups-driver-dies-days-after-working-in-heat/

CelloMomOnCars , to random
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

"An alliance of #rightwing groups has crafted an extensive presidential proposal to bolster the planet-heating #oil and #gas industry and hamstring the #EnergyTransition.

#Project2025, was convened by the notorious rightwing, #climate-denying thinktank the Heritage Foundation, which has ties to fossil fuel billionaire Charles Koch."

US citizens: please vote, and organize your friends. It's you against the #FossilFuel industry. The stakes are high.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/27/project-2025-dismantle-us-climate-policy-next-republican-president

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

"The nearly 1,000-page transition guide was written by more than 350 rightwingers and is full of sweeping recommendations to deconstruct all sectors of the federal government – including environmental policy."

They want "to dismantle the administrative state" and concentrate more power at the White House.

That's called fascism.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/27/project-2025-dismantle-us-climate-policy-next-republican-president

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

Some proposals:

Department of Energy
– eliminate three agency offices that are crucial for the
– slash funding for deployment an effort to stymie deployment
– hugely expand fossil infrastructure

EPA:
– move it away from its focus on the crisis
– cut and public engagement functions
– terminating new hires in “low-value programs”

Interior and BLM:
– eliminate regulations.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/27/project-2025-dismantle-us-climate-policy-next-republican-president?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

Already Republicans are slipping “poison pills” into the budget bill that would remove protections on endangered species.

"Still others would require the secretary to sell 1m barrels of refined petroleum from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and block the implementation of a rule forcing federal defense contractors to disclose their and create emission reductions plans."

Go VOTE in 2024.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/27/project-2025-dismantle-us-climate-policy-next-republican-president?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

"Called , it would block the expansion of the electrical for and energy; slash funding for the Environmental Protection Agency’s environmental justice office; shutter the Energy Department’s offices; prevent states from adopting California’s car standards; and delegate more regulation of polluting industries to Republican state officials."


https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/28/far-right-climate-plans-00107498

CelloMomOnCars , to random
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

, 2023 edition

"The lost more than 90% of this year’s crop after a February heat wave followed by two late-spring frosts.

and agricultural groups said they can’t remember a more devastated crop.

Peach prices climb"


https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/15/business/georgia-peach-shortage/index.html

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

" last week suspended exports of non-basmati varieties of after heavy rainfall damaged newly planted crops due to be harvested in winter. With rice retail prices up 3 per cent in the past month and 11.5 per cent over the past year, the government hopes to quell food by reserving more grain for the domestic market."


https://www.business-standard.com/economy/news/despite-best-efforts-india-s-food-security-being-choked-by-climate-change-123072500089_1.html

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

"#ClimateChange is already having an impact on #food supplies, particularly in #Canada."

"Preston said many Canadian farmers are eager to adopt more sustainable means of production, but they need government support. Improving #soil health to make it more resilient to extreme rainfall, and increasing #biodiversity on farms, he said, will go a long way in adapting to a warming planet."

https://globalnews.ca/news/9863235/climate-change-effects-food-security-canada/

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

"The greatest challenge posed by right now, agronomists say, is to specialty crops: the in Georgia and in Spain, for instance, but also in the Pacific Northwest and in western Michigan, and almonds in California"


https://www.wired.com/story/this-scorching-summer-is-taking-a-toll-on-your-favorite-foods/

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

"#Oregon’s #cherry harvest, one of the state’s biggest sources of agricultural income, is in dire straits because of #ClimateChange this year, and growers need emergency relief."

#GOP rep:
“Unfortunately, our cherry producers have been facing severe hardships due to unprecedented and adverse weather conditions in Oregon such as ice storms, excessive #heat, and #wildfire smoke impacts caused by a warming #climate.”

https://www.wweek.com/news/2023/08/04/oregon-cherry-harvest-thrashed-by-climate-change-needs-emergency-aid-gop-rep-says/

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

"Following atmospheric events such as , and high temperatures, yields in are down 63% year-on-year, tand the otal supply in Europe is down 13%. According to Euronews, pears have also been affected in France, where the harvest has fallen by 23%.

The harvest of grapes, watermelons, apricots, tomatoes and aubergines in Italy also suffered losses related to the ."

h/t @RSMacKinnon
https://liltparma.it/i-frutteti-italiani-si-stanno-riducendo-a-causa-delle-condizioni-meteorologiche-estreme-avvertono-gli-agricoltori/

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

comes for your orange juice.

: hurricanes, unseasonable frost, insect infestation;
, , : ;
, , , : yellow dragon disease.

"Futures prices for frozen concentrated have roughly doubled in the last year to more than $3 a pound and could rise further, prompting warnings that prices are set to surge further on the shelves."


https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/11/ravaged-orange-crop-in-florida-raises-fears-of-surge-in-us-juice-prices-aoe

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

" prices surged to their highest in almost 12 years" for several reasons.
"Among them: extreme climate from , along with the onset of for the first time in seven years, Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea grain initiative and protectionist food policies in the form of ."


https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/22/asia-food-inflation-fears-rise-as-rice-prices-surge.html

CelloMomOnCars , to random
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

"Until last week western had been enduring a cold spring but the rapid onset of high temperatures, in places 10-15C above the average for early May, is causing and ."

Wonder what it takes for and Albertans to connect the dots.


https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/05/canada-wildfires-thousands-evacuate-fox-lake-fire

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

"The toll of ’s fires this year will likely far outweigh from its oil and gas, transport and agriculture sectors—combined.

Kurz’s estimate only covers direct emissions. But roughly the same amount of indirect emissions will be released when the dead remnants of scorched trees decompose in coming years, he says.

Meanwhile, the fire season is barely half over and doesn’t yet show signs of easing."


https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2023-07-26/massive-carbon-emissions-of-canada-wildfires-are-off-the-scale

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

"A third firefighter has died in while battling the country's worst season on record.

A third of all fires currently raging in Canada are in .

So far this season, Canadian wildfires have burned about 30 million acres of land - more than the land area of South Korea or Cuba.

Some 613 of the 990 fires currently active in Canada are considered out of control."

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66352768

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

This is far from over.

"Most recent projections indicate a continued potential for higher-than-normal fire activity across most of throughout the 2023 wildland fire season. For July, warm and dry conditions will increase risk from British Columbia and Yukon through to western Labrador. During August, the area at risk will stretch from British Columbia through western Quebec."

https://www.canada.ca/en/natural-resources-canada/news/2023/07/government-of-canada-provides-update-on-2023-wildland-fire-season-forecast.html

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

" in this year have released 290 million tonnes of , doubling a previous annual record, and are set to rise as hundreds of flames remain active across the country.

Nearly all of Canada's 13 provinces and territories have been impacted by . On Thursday, there were more than 1,040 fires burning in Canada, with about 660 considered out of control."

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canadian-wildfire-emissions-double-previous-record-flames-rage-2023-08-03/

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

" clouds form when the heat of an intense sends smoke as high as the lower stratosphere. When this happens, the pillar of hot, smoky air cools, and a cloud coalesces at its peak.

The produced by these cloud formations are extreme and unpredictable. They can spread flames far faster than normal, and launch embers kilometres away, sparking fresh fires. And they produce , which can also pose a ."

https://www.castanet.net/news/BC/440342/A-fire-breathing-dragon-of-clouds-These-are-Canada-s-wildfire-induced-super-storms

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

"Canadian fire crews battled early on Thursday to prevent from reaching the northern city of , where all 20,000 residents are leaving after an order was declared.

The , with a population of just 46,000 people, have limited infrastructure and there is only one two-lane road out of Yellowknife to the province of Alberta to the south, a trip of some 540 km (335 miles)."

>1000 fires still burning in .

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canada-wildfires-crews-battle-stop-blaze-yellowknife-evacuates-2023-08-17/

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

SECOND large near population center:
"About 22,000 people - roughly half the population in 's - are now displaced in the country's worst fire season on record.

A separate blaze in the west, that threatens , , has grown one hundredfold in 24 hours.

The fast-moving fire is bearing down on a city with a population of about 150,000 people, and officials are already reporting "significant structural loss","

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66550759

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

"The in [] moved so rapidly on Friday that the number of people under evacuation order went from 4,500 to 15,000 in an hour, while another 20,000 were under evacuation alert. The province currently accounts for over a third of 's 1,062 active fires."

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/british-columbia-residents-high-alert-wildfires-force-state-emergency-2023-08-19/

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

Here is a map of in . The big ones (yellow flames) are concentrated in the west, in British Columbia on the coast, and Alberta to the east of that. And there are some in Quebec on the east side.

CelloMomOnCars , to random
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

The #ClimateCrisis will make the 2008 mortgage crisis look like a walk in the park. With ice cream.

" Rising seas, bigger #floods, and other increasing #climate hazards have created a dangerous instability in the U.S. financial system. "

That, on top of developers building in flood plains and wildfire-prone places, and the US government providing the #insurance.

#ClimateChangeIsTheLastStraw
https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2023/04/bubble-trouble-climate-change-is-creating-a-huge-and-growing-u-s-real-estate-bubble/

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

Here is an interview with the CEO of a company. Of their $ 445 M loss since Katrina, 90% is covered by re-insurance (but the re-insurance premiums have skyrocketed). And Louisiana has a cap on homeowners' .

As in Florida, there is the Louisiana Citizens Insurance (where the taxpayer bears the risk).

Basically they're all just praying for a quiet season. Meanwhile the Gulf is like a hot tub.

Sounds precarious.

https://www.audacy.com/wwl/news/local/whats-behind-skyrocketing-home-insurance-in-louisiana

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

The knock-on effects are far-reaching in time and space:

"UPC has not given a reason for pulling out of , but according to property legal blogs the company took a financial hit after hit and has struggled to bounce back."
That was in 2008.

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2023/07/28/major-insurance-carrier-announces-withdrawal-state-leaving-policy-holders-dust/

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

And yet
"Almost 400,000 more people moved into than out of the most -prone counties in 2021 and 2022. Same for counties vulnerable to and heat.

Consumer-rights group Public Citizen says buyers deserve access to average prices by ZIP code over time, which would show where insurers believe risks are spiking and whether they’re paying inflated rates. But insurance companies have blocked such efforts, saying the information is proprietary."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-07-27/homebuyers-ignore-risk-of-climate-change-insurance-meltdown

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

:

"According to QuoteWizard, there has been $59 billion worth of natural disasters statewide in the last 20 years, and now people are just cutting [ coverage] where they can.

“It has gone up so high now people are just having to knock it to the bare minimum,” Kelly said.

Kelly stressed this is a dangerous game because if something does happen to these people, they’re basically out of luck."

https://www.kait8.com/2023/07/26/homeowner-insurance-rates-continue-rise-arkansas/

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

"Yellen said it’s necessary for FSOC to examine how these shifts may affect the wider financial system.

, established after the global financial crisis to identify and address systemic vulnerabilities in the financial system, includes the heads of the Treasury Department, Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Securities and Exchange Commission, among other regulators."

https://fortune.com/2023/07/30/janet-yellen-protection-gap-insurance-climate-change-disasters-treasury-secretary/

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

"Besides the impact of , land use planning in more exposed coastal and riverine areas, and urban sprawl into the wilderness, generate a hard-to-revert combination of high value exposure in higher risk environments. Protective measures need to be taken for insurance products to remain economical for such properties at high risk. It is high time to invest in more climate adaption."

https://www.swissre.com/press-release/Severe-thunderstorms-account-for-up-to-70-of-all-insured-natural-catastrophe-losses-in-first-half-of-2023-Swiss-Re-Institute-estimates/cea79f3c-6486-41a8-9c6e-09df260efe30

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

"Dave Burt, one of the “Big Short” investors who correctly anticipated chaos in the US market in the 2000s, said for wildfire protection were just $1.5bn in 2021; damages were six times bigger. A move by insurers to close that gap could result in a drop of up to $495bn in property values, he said."

This entire article is, as it says, a "discomfort blanket", sketching out the ways various sectors can be devastated by .

https://www.ft.com/content/899472a8-e5e2-4fde-bc91-7e548ba35294

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

"Prices for rose as much as 40 percent on Jan. 1 from a year earlier, according to a report by Gallagher Re, a brokerage firm that puts together reinsurance coverage deals. The price increases jolted insurers, who then made changes to where and for what they offered coverage."

This makes home insurance more expensive for all of us, even if we don't live in vulnerable places.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/16/business/reinsurance-global-crises.html

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

" If the continuing risk of fires, hurricanes, and other weather-related disasters isn’t enough to make Americans think carefully about how and where to build a , perhaps the rising cost of might concentrate their mind. Yet policies at all levels of government suppress the signal that insurers are sending. "

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/08/home-insurance-costs-wildfires-floods-weather/675141/

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

" could become the costliest to hit the this year, analysts say, with massive implications for and risk management industries."

“The business of insuring for catastrophes used to mean exceptional, very rare events and that’s not what we’re seeing. These are much more common, so something’s got to change.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/31/hurricane-idalia-cost-update-category-3-florida-georgia

CelloMomOnCars OP ,
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social avatar

"In the , the increases [in insurance premiums] are so savage that some homeowners are giving up on altogether, the Wall Street Journal reported this week. Less than one in five Floridians have .

, macroeconomics and politics are besieging this corner of the financial sector."

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-08-31/climate-hurricanes-inflation-create-a-perfect-storm-for-insurers?

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