TEEC
Temple Energy & Environment Committee
Headlines and Clips
See the "News & Links" page for details and links for the headlines & clips below
"Earth Just Had the Hottest Day, Week and Month
in 120,000 YEARS."
(July 30, 2023)
"These are the hottest temperatures in human history,"
- European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service scientist,
(based on ice core research, tree ring studies, etc.)
"The Era of Global Warming Has Ended.
The Era of
Global Boiling Has Arrived."
The 2023 "Synthesis Report on Climate Change" from the UNIPCC,
(UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)
The COP 27 UN Climate Change Conference
The countries most responsible for producing the majority of heat-trapping emissions have finally made commitments to help poorer and more vulnerable countries already enduring serious climate catastrophes. But "progress on eliminating fossil fuel useage - the key to slowing climate change - was again beyond the international community."
In COP 26
"More than 100 countries have signed the Global Methane Pledge,"
It requires a 30 percent cut in methane emissions by 2030. Agreements were made on stopping deforestation, drawing down and ending dependencies on fossil fuels, and a China-US climate agreement.
The US Rejoins the Paris Accord
"The Single Most Significant Step by 197 World Leaders
to Tamp Down Escalating Climate Change"
"Let's Make the World a Better Place!"
A book on ways to help our environment, created by the 2017 class
of 4th graders at the Temple Elementary School.
(See the Kids Corner page)
Temple's Renewable Energy Task Force
The Renewable Energy Task Force is designing a solar array which we will
recommend to our citizens to provide the electricity and heat for all of our municipal
buildings. And we will offer a Community Power Plan to benefit the entire community..
(See the Renewables Task Force page for more info)
A Significant WIN
May Become a Game Changer
A legal case was brought by a group of Montana's youth challenging
the state's use of and support for fossil fuels, contrary to its Constitution's commitment to protect the health and wellbeing of its youth.
And they WON!
"Our atmosphere is getting hotter, more turbulent,
and more unpredictable.”
https//climate.nasa.gov//effects/
" The Hottest Day on Earth
in 125,000 years -
was July 4, 2023, breaking a record set the day before."
And records continued to break 7/6/23 +.
"Carbon Dioxide Soars to a New Record in Earth's Atmosphere" -
Into
"Territory Not Seen in
4 Million Years . . .
when sea levels were 16 to 82 feet higher,"
- NOAA
"Global Ocean Temperatures Skyrocket to Record-Breaking Levels.”
( Prior to the onset of El Nino, but exploding to 100 degrees in Miami in July)
" The world’s oceans are "increasingly hot, sour and breathless.”
"Record ocean heat, acidification and de-oxygenation have major implications
for marine life" . . .
"1,000's of dead dolphins and fish are washing up on CA beaches."
"Shellfish populations are diminishing,
and coral reefs are dying."
https://public.wmo.int/en/media/news/ocean-conference-ends-call-action
Lawsuits are Increasing
to Bring Accountability to the Fossil Fuel Industry
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/07/climate-crisis-big-oil-lawsuits-constitution?
"Due to CA's Soaring Rise in Wildfires & Climate Catastrophes,
State Farm and All State Insurance Companies
have stopped offering new CA property and casualty insurance applications.
And 15 FL insurance companies in the last 18 yrs.have done same.
"The U.S. Experienced Six Times More Billion-dollar Severe Storms
in the Past Decade Than in the Previous Two Decades"
- according to Climate Central.
2022 - "The Last 8 Years Have Been the Hottest on Record"
"Once Upon a Time, Life Almost Ended on Earth."
"The 'Great Dying' was the largest mass-extinction in history --
caused by temperatures rising so fast, it wiped out 90% of all life.
But today the Earth is heating even faster,
and we're losing species at a much higher rate"
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/great-dying-permian-triassic-extinction-event-warning-humanity/
2022 - Heat Waves Shattered 7,000 Daily Temperature Records
throughout the US. And Europe had its hottest summer on record.
https://headtopics.com/us/maps-show-where-extreme-heat-shattered-7-000-records-this-summer-29796841
Enormous Ice Shelf Collapses Off of Eastern Antarctica - 3/15/22
The Size of Los Angeles
The massive 460 square mile Conger Ice Shelf collapsed off the most stable side of Antarctica during a heat wave with temperatures 40 degrees above normal."
https://www.npr.org/2022/03/25/1088840912/antarctica-ice-shelf-collapses
Wildfires in the West
Severe heat plus the most extreme drought in 1200 yrs. continue to escalate
massive wildfires year-round in the US West to the extent that it is no longer
reasonable to talk about the "fire SEASON," experts say.
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/is-there-still-a-fire-season-in-california/
Unbearable Heat in India and Pakistan
(2022)
"51 days straight of 100 degree F. temperatures in Pakistan, up to 123.8 degrees F. with high humidity, followed by extreme flooding which left "1/3 of Pakistan under water," and "pushed the limits of human livability," causing nearly 1,300 deaths.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/20062022/jacobabad-pakistan-heat-health/?utm
Financial Costs of Climate Change
"Staying with the status quo can be overwhelming"
"In 2020, the US had 22 climate driven 'billion-dollar disasters'."
"In 2021, the US had 20 climate driven 'billion-dollar disasters'."
"In 2022, the US had 15 climate driven 'billion-dollar disasters' by Sept. 30,
costing $29.3 billion."
https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/billion-dollar-disasters-in-2022
"Dangerous Heat Waves" in 2022
Engulfing Europe, England, US, China, Asia, Middle East, N. Africa
Scorching, record-breaking, heat waves persist - endangering public
health, increasing drought, drying up grain fields, and igniting catastrophic
wildfires. England's drought cost $20 billion.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/12/dangerous-heatwaves-engulf-parts-china-us-europe
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/150083/heatwaves-and-fires-scorch-europe-africa-and-asia
2021
Canada, Europe and the Middle East had their highest temperatures on record.
US had its hottest summer on record.
And the Earth had its hottest month ever recorded in July, until 2023.
Hurricane Ida - 2021
Hurricane Ida slammed into the Louisiana coast
with 150 mph sustained winds and 172 mph gusts!
It broke hundreds of abandoned underwater pipelines and platforms in the
Gulf of Mexico, causing 300+ toxic leaks & oil spills. Then its tornados and
historic flooding caused deaths and destruction all the way into the northeast.
"Climate Change is Widespread, Rapid and Intensifying"
UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) latest report, Aug. 2021
"To Preserve a Livable Climate,
greenhouse-gas emissions must be reduced to net 0 by 2050."
"Two-Thirds of the Birds in North America are at Increasing
Risk of Extinction Due to Rising Temperatures"
"389 Bird Species Are on the Brink of Extinction"
And 34 species of birds in Hillsborough County, NH are vulnerable to habitat loss.
Reported by the Audubon Society in 2021
"The Planet is Relentlessly Heating - 2019,
with 19 of the last 20 years the warmest on record."
And "7 out of the last 7 years have been the hottest on record".
NOAA Reports
"2020 Tied 2016 for the Hottest Years On Record,
Even Without the Warming of an El Nino"
"One of The Highest Temperatures Ever Recorded on the Planet "-
130 degrees Fahrenheit,
was recorded at Death Valley, CA on August 16, 2020
and AGAIN on 7/9/21
"The Highest Temperature Ever Recorded
Above the ARCTIC CIRCLE -
100.4 degrees Fahrenheit,
occurred in Siberia on June 20, 2020"
Meananwhile
"California's Record Heat
fueled the "most devastating, unprecedented wildfire season in CA history"
Reported by the CA Dept. of Forestry and Fire Protection in 2020
In 2019, "Greenland's Ice Sheet Melted
at the fastest rate ever recorded." . . . until 2020 -- 2023
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/01/25/ice-melt-quickens-greenland-glaciers/
In 2019, Alaska's hottest summer ever (before 2020),
"The sea ice completely melted away."
"There was NO sea ice
within 150 miles from the shoreline.
None."
Reported by the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment & Policy
"Alaskan Glaciers Melting 100 Times Faster
Than Previously Thought."
"From the Polar Caps
to the glaciers of Europe, Asia and South America,
global warming is melting the planet’s ice faster than ever,
and speeding the inundation of the world’s coastlines".
In 2021
Extreme & Deadly June Heat Waves & Drought
Led to the Earliest Catastrophic Wildfire Season Ever in Western US & Canada.
And from Siberia to Turkey, Italy, Spain, Greece, Lebanon & the Balkans
record-breaking heat waves ignited out of control wildfires.
Germany, Austria, Netherlands, India & China
dealt with unprecedented torrential rains, floods & deadly mudslide disasters.
In Zhengzhou China, 8 inches of rain fell in ONE HOUR
with a total of 25 inches within 24 hours!
Support for Renewable Energy Grows
As Battery Storage Gets a Boost
The utility Southern California Edison to build seven lithium-ion battery
storage projects that add up to enough to power a small city.
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C:\Users\Owner\Documents\100% Renewable Energy slides.pptm
Climate Changes Already Impacting our Environment
"The Arctic has Entered an Unprecedented State that Threatens
the Entire Planet"
Report from a 50 year long study- 4/9/19
"The Hyperactive 2020 Hurricane Season Was
Driven by Warmer Sea Temperatures."
"Surface sea temperatures have been steadily rising since the
late 19th century", intensifying storms such as Super Typhoon Goni
which hit the Philippines with
"140 mph sustained winds & 190 mph gusts!".
https://www.google.com/search?q=natuional+geographic+on+sea+warming+caused+by+climate+change&oq=natuional+geographic+on+sea+warming+caused+by+climate+change&aqs=%E2%80%8B
The "Military Could Collapse Within 20
Years Due to Climate Change "
From a 2019 report commissioned by the Pentagon
"Urgent and Unprecedented Changes
are Needed."
"We only have 10 more years to significantly
mitigate catastrophic climate change"
Warning from UN (IPCC) - 2018
A Super Polluter Needs Stronger EPA Regulation
A chemical plant complex in FL emits a greenhouse gas
300 times more potent for atmospheric warming than CO2
"Methane Drives Sea Level Rise for Centuries"
Washington Post, 2017
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/201/
7/01/09/methane-may-not-last-long-in-the-atmosphere-but-it-drives-rising-seas-for-hundreds-of-years/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.3dd34950d544
"Climate Disruptions are Public Health Threats
Physicians for Social Responsibility
Small-Scale Solar Reduces Pollution
"It also avoids the release of health-harming sulfur dioxide,
nitrogen oxides (super potent GHG) and particulate matter,
yielding public health savings in the $ millions."
- From a 2020 economic report from Clean Energy NH.
"The Public Engagement at FERC Act"
A US Congressional bill initiated in 2017 by NH's Senator Shaheen
and Congresswoman Kuster to bring the voice of the public into the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission proceedings.
"UN Secretary-General Urges Countries to End
‘Deadly Addiction’ to Coal"
2 March 2021
"The world still has a “fighting chance” to limit global warming
by ending dependence on coal." - UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
"WHEN RISING SEAS HIT HOME"
- a downloadable book
And "NH Faces Chronic Inundation"
From Union of Concerned Scientists
"The people cannot be safe without information.”
- Thomas Jefferson