‘Green News Report’ – March 2, 2023

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IN TODAY’S RADIO REPORT: Despite series of major storms, California’s historic drought continues; Railroad industry already fighting new safety regulations in wake of Ohio trail derailment disaster; PLUS: Bizarre weather continues, as parts of U.S. see earliest spring conditions on record… All that and more in today’s Green News Report!

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IN ‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (see links below): In fake culture war, House republicans vote to ban retirement plans from considering ESG investments; Here’s why Arizona says it can keep growing despite historic mega-drought; DOE rule may block 50 percent of current gas stove models; Biden admin details plans for floating offshore wind; The 15-Minute City: Where urban planning meets conspiracy theories; Unseen War: Brazilian forces driving out mining gangs from indigenous lands; The world is finally cracking down on ‘greenwashing’ … PLUS: Why it’s time to officially get over your EV range anxiety … and much, MUCH more! …

STORIES DISCUSSED ON TODAY’S ‘GREEN NEWS REPORT’…

• Despite series of storms, California’s historic drought continues:
• Blizzards have pushed CA snowpack to nearly twice normal levels (Washington Post)
• VIDEO: Recent snow storms chip away at California drought (KTVU-San Francisco)
• Half of California freed from drought thanks to rain, snow (AP):
  Tremendous rains and snowfall since late last year have freed half of California from drought, but low groundwater levels remain a persistent problem, U.S. Drought Monitor data showed Thursday.
• California water officials raise State Water Project allocation after storms (CNBC):
  “We’re hopeful that more storms this week are a sign that the wet weather will return, but there remains a chance that 2023 will be a below average water year in the northern Sierra,” DWR Director Karla Nemeth said in a statement.
• Explainer: Why weeks of rain in California will not end historic drought (Reuters/MSN):
  Virtually none of the storms has reached the Colorado River basin, which means the river that provides drinking water to 40 million people in seven states will continue to be endangered..California cannot solve its long-term water crisis without major infrastructure investments to capture more storm water, restore flood plains and recycle wastewater. Meanwhile, California’s $50 billion agricultural industry continues to consume 80% of the state’s supply..
• Climate change is making winter weather warmer and “weirder” (CBS News)
• Climate Whiplash: Wild Swings in Extreme Weather Are on the Rise (Yale e360, 11/14/2019)
• Spring has sprung early in the U.S. in 2023, thanks to global warming:
• Spring Has Sprung Way Early in Parts of the U.S. (Earther)
• Parts of US see earliest spring conditions on record: ‘Climate change playing out in real time’ (Guardian UK)
• DC’s cherry blossoms coming early due to confusing weather (CBS News)
• Sponsored by Chevron: Cherry blossoms in February (Hill Heat)
• Spring has markedly warmed across the U.S. since the 1970s:
• 2023 Spring Package (Climate Central):
  Spring temperatures have increased by 2°F on average across the U.S. since 1970…The Southwest has experienced the most spring warming, with locations in Nevada, Texas, and Arizona exceeding a 6°F increase…Spring is not only warming but coming earlier, stressing water supplies in the West and extending the allergy season across the country.
• Spring is becoming the new summer, because of climate change (NC The Pulse)
• Extreme Temperature Diary- Tuesday March 1st, 2023/ Main Topic: Spring Warming Trends from Climate Central (Guy On Climate)
• Climate change is already hurting Michigan’s cherry, apple crops — and it could get worse (Detroit Free Press)
• Ohio train derailment disaster: Railroad industry already fighting new safety rules:
• Rail Lobbyists Pay Politico To Tout Train Safety (The Lever):
  In reality, the rail lobby is already fighting new safety rules. When the Transportation Department announced last week it will pursue new rules on trains transporting hazardous materials, AAR demanded that regulators pause and wait to issue new safety rules until the government has completed its investigation into the Ohio derailment.
• AAR Statement on DOT East Palestine Rail Safety Response Announcement (Association of American Railroads) [emphasis added]:
  [R]ailroads are steadfastly committed to solutions-oriented steps that directly address the cause of the accident and could prevent a similar accident from occurring elsewhere.
• Rail safety plans likely to hit wall of industry lobbying (E&E News)
• House Dems introduce bill to tighten rail safety measures (Axios)
• Ohio’s U.S. senators to unveil rail safety bill in wake of East Palestine derailment (LA Times/MSN)
• Is LNG by rail safe? (E&E News):
  “Even a small amount of LNG in the right circumstances can prove pretty catastrophic should it reach a confined system and ignition source…It could get into a storm water sewer and still have enough concentration to ignite and destroy good chunk of area with it.”
• Labor unions say East Palestine cleanup site workers are falling ill (Axios)
• Tokyo, Japan mandates solar roofs on all new homes:
• Tokyo Mandates Rooftop Solar Panels on New Homes (Yale e360/Yahoo News)
• Tokyo’s solar panel mandate a major shift in a country where fossil fuels reign (Japan Times)

‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (Stuff we didn’t have time for in today’s audio report)…

For a comprehensive roundup of daily environmental news you can trust, see the Society of Environmental Journalists’ Daily Headlines page

• In Fake Culture War, House Republicans Vote to Ban Retirement Plans From Considering ESG Investments (The New Republic)
• Senate overturns federal rule on ESG investments, Biden vows to veto (CNBC)
• Here’s why Arizona says it can keep growing despite historic megadrought (NPR)
• DOE rule may block 50 percent of current gas stove models (E&E News)
• Biden admin details plans for floating wind (E&E News)
• The 15-Minute City: Where Urban Planning Meets Conspiracy Theories (NY Times)
• Fossil Fuel Companies Donated $700M To US Universities Over 10 Years (Guardian)
• Unseen War: Brazilian Force Driving Out Mining Gangs From Indigenous Lands (Guardian)
• Advocates Seek To Boost Clean Energy Program In Latest Farm Bill Renewal (Energy News Network)
• The World Is Finally Cracking Down on ‘Greenwashing’ (The Atlantic)
• DeSantis, Pence Allies Launching Campaign To Speed Energy Approvals (Poltico)
• EPA Coal Ash Settlement Raises Hopes For Cleanup Beyond Lake Michigan (Energy News Network)
• Waters Lawsuits Will Roll on Even as High Court Weighs in (Bloomberg)
• How Environmentally Conscious Investing Became a Target of Conservatives (NY Times)
• Why It’s Time to Officially Get Over Your EV Range Anxiety (Inside Climate News)
• Building Steam in Lithium Valley (The American Prospect)
• Feeling Overwhelmed About Going All-Electric at Home? Here’s How to Get Started (Inside Climate News)
• VIDEO: See what three degrees of global warming looks like (The Economist/YouTube)
• The 7 climate tipping points that could change the world forever (Grist)
• The 1977 White House climate memo that should have changed the world (Guardian UK)
• Four solutions to mitigate climate change, from the IPCC (Dr. Michael Mann, Penn Today)
• UN warns Earth ‘firmly on track toward an unlivable world’ (AP)
• Environmental Sacrifice Zones: 8 Places We’ve Given Up-Probably Forever (Environmental Health Network)
• Feeling Hopeless About the Climate? Try Our 30-Day Action Plan (The Revelator)
• VIDEO: 2050: what happens if we ignore the climate crisis (Guardian UK)
• 99.9 percent Of Scientists Agree Climate Emergency Caused By Humans (Guardian UK)
• Climate Fund Choices for Investors Are Multiplying (Bloomberg/Yahoo)
• How climate change could undo 50 years of public health gains (Grist)
• Climate Change Will Force a New American Migration (Pro Publica)
• Exxon’s Snake Oil: 100 years of deception (Columbia Journalism Review)
• VIDEO: A Message From the Future With Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (The Intercept)
• What genuine, no-bullshit ambition on climate change would look like: How to hit the most stringent targets, with no loopholes. (David Roberts, Vox)
• A Global Shift To Sustainability Would Save Us $26 Trillion (Vox)
• Project Drawdown: 100 Solutions to Reverse Global Warming (Drawdown.org)
• An Optimist’s Guide to Solving Climate Change and Saving the World (Vice)
• The great nutrient collapse: The atmosphere is literally changing the food we eat, for the worse. And almost nobody is paying attention. (Politico)
• The world’s bleak climate situation, in 3 charts: We’ve got a long way to go and a short time to get there. (Vox)
• The Climate Risks We Face (NY Times):
  To stabilize global temperature, net carbon dioxide emissions must be reduced to zero. The window of time is rapidly closing to reduce emissions and limit warming to no more than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit or 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, the goal set in the Paris climate accord. The further we push the climate system beyond historical conditions, the greater the risks of potentially unforeseen and even catastrophic changes to the climate – so every reduction in emissions helps.
• The Uninhabitable Earth: When will climate change make earth too hot for humans? (New York Magazine):
  Famine, economic collapse, a sun that cooks us: What climate change could wreak – sooner than you think.
• A beginner’s guide to the debate over 100% renewable energy (Vox):
  Clean-energy enthusiasts frequently claim that we can go bigger, that it’s possible for the whole world to run on renewables – we merely lack the “political will.” So, is it true? Do we know how get to an all-renewables system? Not yet. Not really.