 BAY AREA CLIMATE NEWS
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May 2017
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The Big Picture
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State Adaptation Work
in Full Swing
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Kids Suing the Feds for an Unstable Climate
The Oregon lawsuit by a group of 9-20 year olds (Our Children’s Trust) is now moving towards a trial in 2018. In rejecting motions to dismiss from the Obama administration, U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken said: “Exercising my ‘reasoned judgment,’ I have no doubt that the right to a climate system capable of sustaining human life is fundamental to a free and ordered society.” See the LATEST from Reuters: Two big fossil fuel groups just reversed an earlier move to intervene in the case.
Where’s Our Brown v. Board of Education Going to Come From?
One possible sue-the-polluter approach is based on Richard Heede’s groundbreaking, peer-reviewed 2014 study in Climatic Change that calculated the specific GHG contributions of major polluters since the Industrial Revolution. See the Grist article on Heede’s work and a surprising possible legal barrier. Want more? Columbia’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law keeps a fabulous and deep database of ALL climate change litigation. See the 1-page overview here and then dive in.
Jeff Goodell’s long and masterful storytelling in Rolling Stone on the recent acceleration of change in Antarctica, why it matters SO MUCH (translated for us laypeople) and how it is directly relevant to the Bay Area’s future.
Fascinating series of thoughtful blog articles on UCLA’s Legal Planet on the battle (mostly among groups on the left) on how to reform or re-do California’s cap and trade program.
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A group of state agencies are leading a brand new process to create Regional Science Summary Reports in 8-10 CA regions by mid-2018. The Bay Area report will feature a number of expert authors led by UC Berkeley’s David Ackerly. Part of the 4th Assessment research program. CRI will help by organizing an advisory group of practitioners and scientists.
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Cool Bay Area Projects
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Hundreds of high school students at Mountain View High School in Cupertino showed off a wide range of VERY smart climate/energy projects May 18th at the Tech in San Jose. Organized by teacher Kavita Gupta, the evening included music, a drama class skit, a panel of old people (including CRI) and a giant open house. See the photos and the Mercury News story.
The Department of Public Health has just released an excellent assessment of climate impacts on San Franciscans, particularly vulnerable communities, from sea level rise, heat, air pollution, foodborne illnesses, etc. The report, funded by the federal CDC, includes data analysis, plus “a framework for strategies and activities to reduce the health burden of climate change, improve health equity, and develop a culture of climate preparedness.” A good structure for any city or county to follow!
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CRI Project Updates
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Photo of the Month
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The RISeR project on Bay Area sea level rise is now producing initial modeling results on how bayside protection in one city or county would impact flooding in neighboring areas. A webinar is planned for June-July. Meanwhile, the RISeR report on Bay Area governance improvements for sea level rise planning is nearing its final form.
Ocean Protection Council AB 2516 Project
CRI is working with statewide partners to develop a methodology for assessing and measuring, at regular intervals, progress on sea level rise planning in each of 6 regions. When completed, CRI will work with regional leaders to apply the methodology and create a baseline measurement of where we are on planning, projects, environmental justice and other “attributes.” The purpose is to identify where additional resources can best be employed to accelerate and strengthen regional sea level rise preparation.
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The Causes of Climate Change (U.S. EPA)
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