“Five of Spain’s hottest summers have been in the last five years.”
More here.
Sentence To Ponder
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Tag Archives: climate change
A Once Great Nation
No real visuals to speak of. Consequently, won’t make the evening news.
From Bloomberg. “Trump Unveils Plan to Scrap Power Plant Pollution Controls”.
“The Trump administration revealed plans for repealing mandates that force power plants to curb greenhouse gas emissions, representing its most significant action yet to reverse policies combating climate change.
The proposal by the Environmental Protection Agency, which could be finalized later this year, is being coupled with a plan to ease limits on mercury and other toxic air pollution from the facilities.
. . . ‘In repealing the carbon pollution standards for power plants — without a proposed replacement — EPA is going beyond climate denial to outright climate surrender,’ said Meredith Hankins, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council. ‘EPA is attempting to claim with a straight face that power plants, the nation’s largest industrial source of carbon pollution, don’t significantly contribute to climate change.’
In addition to repealing the greenhouse gas curbs, the EPA is moving forward with plans to unwind standards that limit emissions of mercury, a neurotoxin that impairs brain development, as well as other hazardous air pollutants. EPA limits on mercury pollution, which effectively compel pollution controls at coal-fired power plants, date to 2011, though requirements were strengthened under Biden last year.”
Outright climate surrender. Simultaneously, gut the federal agencies that help people and places devastated by extreme climate events.
Podcast To Ponder
Plain English with Derek Thompson, “The Radical Cultural Shift Behind America’s Declining Birth Rate.” Related. What Are Children For?
This convo got me thinking about my running posse. Between the five of us, we have 12 children whose average age is somewhere between 25-30 years old. Between those dirty dozen, there is one child. There will likely be more in a decade, but time will tell how many more.
Beat The Heat
My fave—7. Top three, 7, 3, 16. Someone please explain 5.
Addendum:
So ultraviolet rays, jellies, insects, and other irritants can have at the exposed 90% of one’s self?
‘The Heat Was Hot And The Ground Was Dry’
In The Atlantic today, a journalist asks “When will the Southwest become unlivable?” Yesterday, I perused temperatures in the heat dome over the southernmost part of the (dis)United States. Phoenix, Arizona stood out. The LOW yesterday was 92 degrees Fahrenheit (33 degrees Celsius) at 6a.m. The expected high Saturday is 117 Fahrenheit (47 degrees Celsisus).
Note to the author, the Southwest is already unlivable, at least in July.
Differences Among Solar Power Enthusiasts
Residential roof top or larger solar on the ground, that appears to be the question.
From National Public Radio. In some fights over solar, it’s environmentalist vs. environmentalist.
Wednesday Required Reading
- Man eats at 18 Michelin-starred restaurants in 24 hours.
- Seattle Public Schools sue TikTok, Meta for youth mental health crisis. Travis says leave it to parents to monitor/regulate.
- And now for some good news. Earth’s ozone layer is on the mend.
- The absolute best Girl Scout cookie flavors, ranked. I had no idea there were so many.
Consistently Inconsistent
With the exception of pregnant women, personal freedom is of paramount importance. Most especially when it comes to the right to arm oneself. Also, leave overtly religious people in the public square alone. And as of today, hands off the environment. ‘Live free or die’ and all.
Psychology Quiz
Name an emerging field of therapy.
“Her goal is not to be released from her fears about the warming planet, or paralyzed by them, but something in between: She compares it to someone with a fear of flying, who learns to manage their fear well enough to fly.
‘On a very personal level,’ she said, ‘the small victory is not thinking about this all the time.’”
Thursday Required Reading
Harvard first year becomes youngest person ever to serve in Icelandic Parliament. Extra credit if you can spell her name.
Kohler can now run a bath with just a voice command. Need.
Forget giant asteroids, the Doomsday Glacier is coming for us all.
Next up in Ethiopia. Deepest bench in the world.
Pressing Pause 