Photo: Reuben Wu

Avoiding dangerous levels of climate change is still just about possible if we can permanently lower GHG levels in the next three years - by 2020 - warns a group of climate experts, including former UN climate chief Christina Figueres. They're launching Mission 2020, a collaborative campaign to raise ambition and action to bend the GHG emissions curve downwards by 2020. They also developed six milestones for 2020 that could be adopted at the G20 meeting, including a 30% renewable energy target for electricity, climate action plans from leading cities and states, a 15% EV target in new vehicle sales, and reforms to land use, agriculture, heavy industry, and the finance sector. ( Nature)

	Photo: Tony Gutierrez / AP

Climate change is likely to worsen existing inequalities in the U.S., with the poorest areas of the country poised to lose as much as 20 percent of their income by the end of the century if GHGs are not significantly reduced. "If we continue on the current path, our analysis indicates it may result in the largest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich in the country's history," said Soloman Hsiang of the University of California, Berkeley. States in the South and lower Midwest will be the most severely affected. Economists and climate scientists at the Climate Impact Lab computed the costs and benefits of how   agriculture, crime, health, energy demand, labor and coastal communities will be affected by climate change. Beyond its initial findings, the paper represents a major breakthrough for the field of climate economics, working from the bottom up, building its model from dozens of microeconomic studies. The resulting county-level analysis reveals patterns of redistribution that can't be captured by regional or global averages. Overall, each 1 degree C of temperature rise is forecast to reduce US GDP by 1.2 percent. The framework is designed to continually integrate new findings and new climate model predictions, and is also designed to be actionable science to help local governments plan. ( Atlantic)

Photo: REUTERS/Randall Hill

A study of how disasters affect people's decisions to move in or out of particular areas found that people tend to relocate from areas hit by the largest disasters. Coupled with the increased risk of stronger natural disasters due to climate change, these trends may worsen inequality in the US, as the rich move away from disaster-prone areas, while the poor are left behind. Based on county-level data from 1920 to 2010, areas affected by super-severe disasters experienced a 1 percentage point increase in poverty rates. The research suggests that the poor will likely face growing exposure to natural disasters, and that areas that do not adapt to natural disaster risk will become poorer over time, as well-to-do residents move away. ( Grist)

Photo: Carlos Barria/Reuters

As coastal areas are deluged over this century, millions of coastal Americans could be forced to flee inland, where they may overwhelm already crowded cities. People typically think of sea-level rise as a coastal issue, but the displacement of millions would also affect the places to which they relocate. Some of the anticipated destinations, such as Las Vegas and Riverside, already experience water supply or growth management challenges. A 6-foot rise in sea levels by 2100 would put 13 million people in over 300 coastal counties at risk, but a worst-case scenario of an 8-12 ft. increase would submerge Boston, New York, and Seattle. ( Link)

On sweltering summer days, dark asphalt soaks up the sun and can reach temperatures of 130-140 F, heating up the city even further. That's why Los Angeles is testing lighter-colored cool pavements that will reflect - instead of absorb - heat from the sun, making it about 10 degrees cooler than conventional asphalt. A mix of measures that includes reflective roofs, cool pavements, and more tree canopy could help LA reduce its urban heat island by 3 degrees over the next 20 years. Cool pavements provide greater physical comfort, reduce energy use, and mitigate the health risks associated with extreme heat. ( NYTimes)

The Department of Transportation Division of Transportation Planning is on a fast track to develop a grant guide and launch the new Senate Bill 1, The Road Repair & Accountability Act of 2017, planning grant funds. SB 1 will provide $20 million for climate adaptation projects. Here is the schedule of workshops for SB 1, and   more information about the bill.