‘Green News Report’ – April 9, 2024

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IN TODAY’S RADIO REPORT: Buckle up! It’s going to be a hyperactive hurricane season; New study finds half of the Colorado River’s water is used to grow feed for cattle; Good news for CA snowpack, for now; PLUS: Disney’s Tomorrowland says goodbye to Yesterdayville… All that and more in today’s Green News Report!

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IN ‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (see links below): European court rules human rights violated by climate inaction; Norfolk Southern agrees to $600 million settlement for fiery Ohio derailment, residents fear it’s not enough; PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ are pervasive in water worldwide, study finds; Toyota’s hybrid bet paying off; Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear reactor damaged following drone attack; Colombia capital Bogota to ration water as reservoirs run dry… PLUS: There’s an explosion of plastic waste. Big plastic manufacturing companies say ‘We’ve got this’… and much, MUCH more! …

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

• Top 3 greenhouse gases hit new record highs in 2023:
• Scientists confirm record highs for three most important heat-trapping gases (Guardian):
  Global concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide climbed to unseen levels in 2023, underlining the climate crisis.
• Heat-trapping carbon dioxide and methane levels in the air last year spiked to record highs again (AP)
• Buckle up – it’s going to be a hyperactive hurricane season:
• An ‘extremely active’ hurricane season is headed our way, experts warn (Washington Post/MSN):
  Hurricane researchers from Colorado State University are predicting that nearly two dozen named tropical storms will form, including 11 hurricanes, during the season that officially begins June 1. Accumulated cyclone energy, a measure that accounts for storms’ frequency and longevity, could rise nearly twice as high as normal, to a forecast 170 percent of average by the season’s end Nov. 30.
• 2024 hurricane season forecast includes the highest number of hurricanes ever predicted (USA Today/MSN)
• Just 57 companies responsible for 80% of emissions since Paris Agreement:
• Just 57 companies linked to 80% of greenhouse gas emissions since 2016 (Guardian):
  During this period, the biggest investor-owned contributor to emissions was ExxonMobil of the United States, which was linked to 3.6 gigatonnes of CO2 over seven years, or 1.4% of the global total. Close behind were Shell, BP, Chevron and TotalEnergies, each of which was associated with at least 1% of global emissions. The most striking trend, however, was the surging growth of emissions related to state and state-owned producers, particularly in the Asian coal sector.
• Handful of producers churn out 80 percent of post-Paris emissions (Axios)
• Half of the Colorado River’s water is diverted to grow hay for cattle:
• Hay grown for cattle consumes nearly half the water drawn from Colorado River, study finds (LA Times):
  In a new study, researchers found that alfalfa and other cattle-feed crops consume 46% of the water that is diverted from the river, accounting for nearly two-thirds of agricultural water use. The research also shows that agriculture is the dominant user of Colorado River water, accounting for 74 percent of the water that is diverted – about three times the combined usage of all the cities that depend on the river…”Personally, once I started this research, I gave up beef consumption altogether,” [study author Brian] Richter said.
• Report: 90 percent of CO River irrigation water used to feed cattle (Aspen Public Radio)
• Cherish that hamburger. It cost a quarter of the Colorado River, according to researchers. (Colorado Sun):
  The Colorado River has been overused for decades, but no one has known exactly how the water was used – until a team of researchers compiled the most complete accounting of the river’s water.
• California’s mountain snowpack above average, staving off drought for now:
• California enters spring with vital snowpack above average for a second year (AP)
• California’s snowpack is healthy, but our water system needs some help (LA Times)
• California snowpack is 110 percent after wet season. What to know about state’s water supplies (Desert Sun/Yahoo News)
• Commentary: Why this year’s average California snowpack is no reason for celebration (LA Times):
  Maintaining the patience to see projects like this through -projects that will not result in an improvement in the state’s water conditions but will merely allow it to keep pace with the changing climate – requires the recognition that each announcement that reservoirs are at 100 percent capacity may not be a cause for celebration, but rather a missed opportunity to store even more water.
• VIDEO: Gov. Gavin Newsom, April 2024 Snow Survey, Phillips Station (CA Dept. of Water Resources/YouTube)
• Disneyland’s Autopia enters the 21st century:
• Disneyland Autopia May Go Electric… Eventually (AutoWeek):
  “Cars without tailpipes are the only solution. Disneyland has the responsibility to expeditiously protect the health of its employees, and it has a golden opportunity to set an inspiring, innovative, and exciting example that can reach millions as we all face the challenge of climate change together. Will it be the Happiest or the Smoggiest Place on Earth?”
• Disneyland to convert Autopia cars from gas to electric (Orange County Register)
• Disneyland is ditching gas cars at Autopia. It’s a great first step for Tomorrowland (LA Times):
  If anyone could get away with defending the toxic odor, it might be Bob Gurr. He designed the original Autopia cars in the mid-1950s, working closely with Walt himself. He’s proud of what they built together. Today the 92-year-old Disney legend says the polluting motors need to go. “Get rid of those God-awful gasoline fumes.”
• Editorial: Disneyland’s gas-fueled Autopia cars showcase the worst of Todayland. EVs are a good start (LA 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

• European court rules human rights violated by climate inaction (BBC)
• Railroad agrees to $600 million settlement for fiery Ohio derailment, residents fear it’s not enough (AP)
• PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ Are Pervasive in Water Worldwide, Study Finds (NY Times)
• Biden Agencies Pressed to Act on Federal Contractor Climate Disclosure (Inside Climate News)
• Toyota’s Hybrid Bet Paying Off (This Is Not Cool)
• Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear reactor damaged following drone attack (CNN)
• Trump’s Second-Term Blueprint Would Take A Wrecking Ball To Public Lands (Huffington Post)
• Climate-Warming Gases Being Smuggled Into Europe, Investigation Says (Reuters)
• Researchers Say Pathways Alliance Misleading Public With Greenwashing (The Narwhal)
• Colombia Capital Bogota To Ration Water As Reservoirs Dry (Reuters)
• How to Hit the Trail With Nothing but Amtrak and a Bicycle (Sierra Magazine)
• Mexico’s Likely Next President Is A Climate Scientist But Not Outspoken (AP)
• There’s an Explosion of Plastic Waste. Big Companies Say ‘We’ve Got This.’ (NY Times)
• Rain and Rising Sea Levels Sending Sewage Into Charleston Streets and Ponds (Inside Climate News)
• Needed: New Transmission. There’s a Quick Way to Expand the Grid (This Is Not Cool)
• A Guide To Electric Car Misinformation (Part 2) (Heated.World)
• The Oceans We Knew Are Already Gone (The Atlantic)
• ‘In A Word, Horrific’: Trump’s Extreme Anti-Environment Blueprint (Guardian)
• Plug-in hybrids vs. electric cars: We did the math on which is better for you (Washington Post)
• How to electrify your life when you rent (The Verge)
• Complete Series: Farmers Under Attack for Supporting Clean Energy (This Is Not Cool blog)
• These are the places most at risk from record-breaking heat waves as the planet warms (CNN)
• Feeling Overwhelmed About Going All-Electric at Home? Here’s How to Get Started (Inside Climate News)
• Feeling Hopeless About the Climate? Try Our 30-Day Action Plan (The Revelator)
• 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)
• Project Drawdown: 100 Solutions to Reverse Global Warming (Drawdown.org)
• An Optimist’s Guide to Solving Climate Change and Saving the World (Vice)