Marin CCL Newsletter

October 6, 2022

If images don't appear,

Hurricane Ian from the ISS -- NASA photo

Note the earth's curvature


We extend deepest sympathies to our fellow citizens in Florida after this massive climate disaster.



Monster hurricanes don't just happen on their own. They're being fueled by earth's energy imbalance.


Why Hurricanes Are Getting Stronger, Faster -- NYT


Warming Oceans Fuel Higher Winds

More than 90 percent of the excess heat from human-caused global warming over the past 50 years has been absorbed by the oceans. 


Those winds intensify more rapidly 

Not only do warmer oceans make storms stronger, they make the rate of intensification more rapid. Which means: 


The window of time to make decisions gets smaller.

If officials working with forecasters issue an evacuation order too early, they risk unnecessarily sending hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions, scrambling, jamming highways and snarling transit systems, potentially more dangerous and costly than staying in place, as well as eroding public trust. If they're too late, people die. 


Warming oceans will be with us for a very long time, so the sooner we get emissions under control, the better. Recently passed legislation is a good start, but carbon pricing will be necessary to hit our target. 


VOTE like your life depends on it. Elect politicians who understand the urgency of our situation and who will work to reduce carbon emissions at the scale and speed necessary. If you want to get directly involved, go to Environmental Voter Project, for example. They'll put you to work in these last few weeks. 



How should the increased threat of climate-fueled hurricanes be conveyed to the public? The old hurricane categories don't cut it any more.

Rick Knight, CCL Research Coordinator


"The hurricane scale which ranks storms from Category 1 to 5 according to maximum sustained wind speed, introduced in 1973 to help predict potential structural damage, tells us nothing about the overall size of the storm, its duration, the amount of rainfall, or the scale of flooding from the associated storm surge. Those metrics are missing from the ‘categories’ that you hear repeated endlessly in news reporting."


"This composite radar pic superimposes two storms: 2022’s Ian and 2004’s Charley, both of which hit Florida as Category 4 storms at the same location. Although both were ranked as Category 4, the entirety of Charley fits inside just the eye of Ian! As you might suspect, the scope of devastation from Ian far exceeded that of Charley." Ocean heat content is to blame. 


Read on

CCL National Call, October 8 at 1000 AM with American Conservation Coalition


Hear from leaders of this organization dedicated to mobilizing young people around environmental action through common-sense, market-based, limited-government ideals. Join the call here


Next month, Marin CCL will have guest speaker Kyle Kammien, CCL Senior Business Relations Manager, discussing the outlook for climate legislation after the midterm elections. November 12 at 0900 PT here

Next stop: Permitting Reform


It's not enough to throw money at building renewable energy projects. You have to get that energy to where people live. The environmental movement has to shift from a focus on blocking bad things to building the things we need for a clean energy future. 


Why is it easier to build oil and gas pipelines than transmission lines? Watch CCL Research Coordinator Dana Nuccitelli's presentation on the importance of streamlining the permitting process for new electricity transmission lines in order to meet our climate goals. As with all things political, it's complicated. 


Here's the video.  And for policy wonks, the detailed discussion by Tony Sirna, CCL Strategy Director. 

Watch CCL's Big Tent climate talks with Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org and Third Act. Learn how your credit card may be funding fossil fuel development. 

Let's not lose the cryosphere! Keep the arctic cold. We all depend it. 

Photo by (the courageous) Paul Nicklen

DO NOT MISS THIS SERIES!

Doubt, Denial and Delay -- that was yesterday. Now it's Deception, Distraction, Disinformation and Doomism. Don't buy it. For more, watch Dr. Michael Mann's talk at Book Passage on The New Climate War. 

You're invited, but...
This is how one behaves inside The Capitol:
Make an appointment. Business attire recommended. Bring nothing that even looks like a weapon.
Visit CCL's website
Visit Marin CCL

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Prepared by Peter G. Joseph, M.D. 
PJMD1@me.com
Apologies for cross postings