Summary
In today’s edition, China prods the U.S. to do more on climate change for poorer nations. Also, learn how President Obama is ‘Trump-proofing’ his climate pact. Finally, ask yourself the question: Should lawyers be ethically obligated to protect the environment? And find the answer.
Quote of the day
“The real risk is not that Trump would pull out of the treaty—but that he would not take the measures to meet the target that Obama committed us to. There is no fear that he could derail Paris. This is unstoppable. It’s a question of pace and whether we do it fast enough to head off the worst impacts of climate change.”
Alden Meyer, director of strategy and policy for the Union of Concerned Scientists, in the Politico’s story How Obama Is ‘Trump-Proofing’ His Climate Pact
Lead stories
China Prods U.S. to Do More on Climate Change for Poorer Nations
Bloomberg News
China said the U.S. should do more to help developing nations to cope with climate change and bring the Paris deal on greenhouse gases into force, raising an issue that has divided the main presidential contenders.
http://bloom.bg/1Zshd2e
How Obama Is ‘Trump-Proofing’ His Climate Pact
By Anne Usher – Politico
In a roomful of oil and gas executives in North Dakota late last month, Donald Trump reiterated his threat to “cancel” the Paris climate agreement, insisting the way to “make America great again” is to resurrect the coal industry and drill our way to prosperity.
http://politi.co/1UabJJk
Groups urge U.S. Congress to reject TPP over environmental concerns
By Valerie Volcovici – Reuters
More than 450 groups on Monday called on Congress to reject the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) if it comes up for a vote this fall, saying the trade deal would allow fossil fuel companies to contest U.S. environmental rules in extrajudicial tribunals.
http://tmsnrt.rs/1suqZpZ
Should lawyers be ethically obligated to protect the environment?
By Brian Bienkowski – The Daily Climate
Contrary to many corny jokes, lawyers do follow a code of ethics. But there’s a glaring omission in the professions’ ethical outline: the environment.
http://bit.ly/1UacPoh
Did Ancient Climate Change Ignite Human Evolution?
By Charles Q. Choi – Scientific American
Fire has long played a role in myth—from Prometheus in ancient Greece, who stole fire from the heavens and earned the wrath of the gods, to Raven in the Pacific Northwest, whose feathers turned black as he brought fire to the world.
http://bit.ly/1PB4eeu
Events
Cleantech Innovate Scotland
June 9, 2016
http://jlne.ws/1mg6nOG
Carbon
Go Inside an Industrial Plant That Sucks Carbon Dioxide Straight Out of the Air
MIT Technology Review
Carbon dioxide emissions must decrease to nearly zero by 2040 if global warming by the end of this century is to be held to 2 °C. But we may well miss that target.
http://bit.ly/1WCe6Xt
***LB: Also in this story “A pilot plant started up last fall at Squamish, British Columbia, is testing a backup plan: sucking carbon dioxide directly out of the air.”
Part microbe, part machine: Bionic leaf sucks up carbon dioxide as it makes liquid fuel
By Amina Khan – Los Angeles Times
A team of scientists at Harvard University says it has come up with a bionic leaf — a system that could use solar power and hydrogen-eating bacteria to generate liquid fuel.
http://lat.ms/25I3nN5
Natural gas / coal
Natural Gas Is Bullish, But It Is An Expensive Long
By Andrew Hech – Seeking Alpha
When you least expect it, expect it. That should be the theme for the natural gas market as June is now upon us.
http://bit.ly/28g1olh
Coal Rides Commodities Rally in Push to 10-Month High in Europe
By Ladka Mortkowitz Bauerova – Bloomberg News
Coal for delivery to northwest Europe next year gained for a ninth day on Monday, adding 3.2 percent to the highest since August 7, according to broker data compiled by Bloomberg.
http://bloom.bg/1Uuyh38
Is the bounce in coal stocks justified?
By Jonathan Ratner – Financial Post
A warmer weather forecast for the end of June has helped coal equities continue their upward move, as prices for natural gas – the primary alternative source for generating electric power – have risen to US$3 per MMBtu for the winter of 2016-2017.
http://bit.ly/1ZslvXr
Power
Energy firms urge EU to back offshore wind
By Fiona Harvey – The Guardian
A group of offshore wind companies have pledged that the technology will generate electricity as cheaply as fossil fuels in Europe within a decade – but only if policymakers across the EU take the steps needed to ensure such growth as a matter of urgency.
http://bit.ly/1WCdC3x
Dubai Is Building the World’s Largest Concentrated Solar Power Plant
By George Dvorsky – Gizmodo
They like to do things big in Dubai, including a newly-approved concentrated solar power project that will generate 1,000 megawatts of power by 2020—and a whopping 5,000 megawatts by 2030.
http://bit.ly/1susFzQ
Pumping ion: Could our bodies power our phones?
By Dan Griliopoulos- Techradar
It’s widely acknowledged that batteries have been holding mobile tech back. Since Volta invented them back in 1800, they’ve advanced quite a long way from a pile of copper, zinc and brine-soaked rags.
http://bit.ly/25I5nES
Water
Taking a Closer Look at Global Water Shortages
By Kate Brauman – The Conversation
Water crises seem to be everywhere. In Flint, the water might kill us. In Syria, the worst drought in hundreds of years is exacerbating civil war.
http://bit.ly/1t2DcST
Fixing Flint’s contaminated water system could cost $216m, report says
By Ryan Felton – The Guardian
The projected cost to repair infrastructure after the city of Flint, Michigan’s two-year water contamination crisis is several magnitudes higher than what has been allocated to fix it, a new state report has found.
http://bit.ly/28g2yNG