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Dec 30th 2021
Hi Folks
With the current covid surge of omicron, I suggest we skip the next meeting. Let’s review the situation again a month from now to decide if we can meet in February. For those who need some good reading here is a review from the New York Times. NY Times 2021 climate year in review I have attached the article as a word document in case you have problems with their firewall, but read it online for the glitzy effects. All the best for the New Year Thanks Barb Nov 30th 2021
Hi Folks Our next meeting will be Dec 7th, at 10am at the Ely Senior Center. There is no Tuesday Group meeting that day. TG is on holiday break until January. With the covid surge continuing and omicron around the corner I hope that all climate attendees will be fully vaxed and masked. If you feel uncomfortable attending we understand. We do not have the capability to zoom, but if conditions continue to be challenging we must see what can be done.
We should review the proceedings of COP26 in Glasgow. This article in the journal “Nature” is long but good Nature article. This summary from the BBC is much shorter BBC summary COP26
We should look at the actions in the US bipartisan infrastructure bill that was passed into law a couple of weeks ago. Try this for a review Climate action in Infrastructure
And we should see what is in the “Build Back Better” bill that is still pending. Some items have been cut and some more may not survive but a lot of good legislation remains. Here is more info Build Back Better from Whitehouse
I have 2 books that I discovered in the last month and highly recommend. “The New Map” by Danial Yergin deals with energy, power, war and wealth in an era of climate change. Thanks to Duane for this find. “The Nutmeg’s Curse” by Amitav Ghosh shows how war, empire and genocide underpin ecological collapse and our climate crisis. Winter is a good time for reading, these are worth the effort.
Elton points out 2 recent letters in the Ely Echo. One from our very own Brian (on mining) and the other from Judith Thimke (Duluth CCL) about carbon pricing.
At our last meeting we discussed sending a letter to Gov. Walz in support of nuclear energy. Gerry Tyler and I are working on a draft. I will send it along to you before the meeting if I can. We can decide on modifications and what procedure to adopt at the meeting.
Thanks Barb Nov 8th 2021 Hi Folks Thanks for a good meeting last week. There were a couple of items I promised to forward. Here is the youtube video on hydrogen YouTube on hydrogen It is 56 minutes long, but not technically challenging. As always another view point is useful. Here is another video about hydrogen in transportation, primarily looking at the Toyota Mirai in California. Hydrogen cars – the Toyota Mirai I found the first link by subscribing to emails from Ed Perry, (recommended by Steve Piragis) Ed’s emails are short and infrequent, but often are gems. You can subscribe by sending an email to him at <paglobalwarmingoutreach@gmail.com>. This week’s Tuesday Group should be on interest to climate group members. “Transition Towns” Here is the info from Lacey at TG: “We’ll be hearing about the Transition Towns movement and local responses to climate change. Visitors from St. Anthony Park, a St. Paul neighborhood, will show how their community is fostering a transition from fossil-fueled systems to more sustainable ways of life. Transition Town – All St. Anthony Park (TransitionASAP.org) is part of a worldwide network of communities that are thinking globally and collaborating locally to mitigate climate change and adapt to its effects. Their motto: Smaller footprint, stronger community.” Finally Jodi sends us information about a webinar at noon Weds Nov 10th by Kenny Blumenfeld at the MN State Climatology Office. Here are the instructions: If you are new to the Water Exchange series, here’s all you need to know – they are free webinars hosted by the MPCA’s Citizen Water Monitoring Program that take place over the lunch hour. Anyone can log-in and listen to water quality related presentations and get their questions answered. No need to pre-register. Just follow the link and log-in instructions included in this email. You can join the Water Exchange webinar in one of two ways: 1). online via WebEx or 2). phone only via conference call line. Choose the option that works best for you and follow the instructions below on November 10th: Join the meeting through WebEx – WebEx is a free teleconference system that will serve as the platform for the meeting. You don’t need to download anything to your computer and you don’t need a membership. Simply follow the instructions below to join the meeting: WebEx Meeting Log In Instructions:
Thanks Barb b2jonesmn@gmail.com Oct 28th 2021
Hi Folks
Our next meeting will be Nov 2nd at 10am in the Senior Center. There is a lot to discuss. The news is full of climate issues with the start of the big meeting in Scotland and difficult negotiations on Biden’s “Build Back Better” plan. In addition we skipped discussing the IPCC’s Assessment Review 6, an important document. Starting with Biden’s plan – what is in it seems to change every day. The link below gives the status today, but stay tuned. Some serious compromises have been made including dropping the Clean Electricity Performance Program which was a significant part of greenhouse gas reductions in the original $3.5B plan. Biden would like to claim some progress in Scotland as the many nations renegotiate their plans to reduce greenhouse gases. Here is a link to the current state of negotiations: Whitehouse Briefing Room Oct 28th
There are many articles written about the upcoming COP26 in Glasgow. This is the most important climate meeting since Paris in 2015. It runs from Nov 1st to Nov 12th One useful link from the NY Times is a resource full of goodies. When you have time browse (or subscribe) here: NY Times Climate Forward Oct 27th Earlier this year the IPCC’s Assessment Review 6 (AR6) was released. The full report is almost 4000 pages. On a more realistic scale here is a 42 page summary labelled “For Policy Makers”. Even here you don’t need to read all the blurb. It does have the most relevant diagrams with explanations. IPCC AR6 summary report A much shorter alternative that is easier to absorb is this BBC summary BBC review of AR6
Happy reading Hope to see you Nov 2nd
Barb b2jonesmn@gmail.com Jeff Hanson told us about some regenerative agricultural techniques that improve soil fertility and enhance the soil’s carbon storage. The use of cover crops and low till practices also reduces the need for pest control. The sale of carbon offsets rewards the farmer. Jessica is Director of the U Minnesota’s Institute of the Environment. She covered many aspects of our climate problem and its solutions. Roger discussed his ideas for Ely if he is elected. Heidi discussed her ideas for Ely and what she would attempt to do as mayor if elected. Ely is a GreenStep city but has not taken any recent actions in that program. |
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