Renewable Revolution

July 27, 2016



US military bases along the East and the Gulf Coast could lose large chunks of land due to global warming-driven sea level rise, a new analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) shows.

UCS analyzed 18 installations representing more than 120 coastal bases and found that by 2050, most of sites will see more than 10 times the number of floods they experience at present.

Stressing the need for greater adaptation measures, the analysis also shows that four bases in Florida, Virginia and South Carolina risk losing 75 to 95 percent of their land by end of the century. (USA Today, IB Times $, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Union Leader, Virginian-Pilot, Christian Science Monitor. ThinkProgress, InsideClimate News)

http://www.ucsusa.org/global-warming/global-warming-impacts/sea-level-rise-flooding-us-military-bases#.V5qaYq1THm5



 

A group of 67 prominent scientists have demanded an end to coal leasing on federal land in a letter they wrote to the Obama administration. More than 40 percent of coal mined in the US currently comes from federal land. In order to meet commitments made under the Paris Agreement, the “vast majority of known coal in the United States must stay in the ground,” the scientists told Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and Bureau of Land Management Director Neil Kornze. (Climate Central, ThinkProgress, Greenwire $, Bonner County Daily Bee)
   http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/public_lands/energy/dirty_energy_development/coal/pdfs/16_7_26_Scientist_sign-on_letter_Coal_PEIS.pdf


 

Forty-seven of the world’s largest fossil fuel and cement companies have been called on to answer allegations that pollution from their operations violates the human rights of millions of Filipinos. Such an investigation is one of the first in the world to be launched by a government body.

In a 60-page document, the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines demands that giants such as ExxonMobil, Shell, BP and Chevron explain how violations of rights to “life, food, water, sanitation, adequate housing, and self-determination” caused by climate impacts will be “eliminated, remedied and prevented.”

The Philippines produces less than one percent of global emissions, but is extremely vulnerable to climate impacts. (News: Guardian, Climate Home, Reuters, IB Times $. Commentary: Huffington Post, Jennifer L Morgan op-ed)

http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/07/27/oil-majors-summoned-to-philippines-human-rights-inquiry/