Government argues for halt to youth climate lawsuit, saying there is no constitutional right to a stable climate – 6/4/2019

By Brady Dennis A group of young Americans who have spent nearly four years trying to compel the federal government to take action on climate change found themselves back in court Tuesday, arguing that their unprecedented lawsuit should move forward. And the Trump administration, like the Obama administration before it, was there to argue once again that the lawsuit should …

Has Seattle Found the Solution to Driving Alone to Work? – 5/23/2019

By Erick Trickey SEATTLE—Three years ago, this fast-growing, hilly city of 725,000 people took a huge leap toward a longtime civic dream: becoming a place where it’s easy to live without driving every day or without owning a car at all. In March 2016, the region’s Link light-rail system, which ran through 13 stations between the airport and downtown, added two …

buildings gas emissions

Broad threat to humanity from cumulative climate hazards intensified by greenhouse gas emissions 11/9/18

The ongoing emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) is triggering changes in many climate hazards that can impact humanity. We found traceable evidence for 467 pathways by which human health, water, food, economy, infrastructure and security have been recently impacted by climate hazards such as warming, heatwaves, precipitation, drought, floods, fires, storms, sea-level rise and changes in natural land cover and …

map of oil transport

The Thin Green Line – 2017- 2018

The Pacific Northwest stands squarely between the most voracious energy markets in the world and huge fossil fuel deposits in the interior of North America—Powder River Basin coal, Bakken shale oil, Alberta tar sands, and remote natural gas fields. Big energy companies plan to unearth these vast reserves of carbon-intense fuels and put them up for sale in Asia. If …

oil tanker and refining plant

The Oregon Department of Energy Recommends Denying Jordan Cove Liquified Natural Gas Project an Exemption – 9/1/18

Recommendation could slow development of controversial, long-planned Coos Bay facility. By Jordan Naquiss, Willamette Week The staff of the Oregon Department of Energy is recommending the denial of an exemption sought by developers of the proposed Jordan Cove liquified natural gas project in Southern Oregon. If built, the project would be by far the most expensive project in Oregon history—but …

forest

UNECE Report on Carbon Sinks & Sequestration – 2017

Carbon Sinks and Sequestration Depending on their characteristics and local circumstances, forests can play different roles in the carbon cycle, from net emitters to net sinks of carbon. Forests sequester carbon by capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and transforming it into biomass through photosynthesis. Sequestered carbon is then accumulated in the form of biomass, deadwood, litter and in forest …

Deep Decarbonization Issue from Gov. Jay Inslee – 2017

In 2015 more than 190 nations signed the Paris Climate Agreement, committing themselves to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius by mid-century. At the same time, states and cities from around the world, acting under a voluntary international agreement known as the Under 2 coalition, made their own commitments to speed the …

bikes and railcar

Oregon Democrats’ $1.4 billion carbon pricing plan looms over 2018 session – 9/30/17

  By Hillary Borrud The Oregonian/OregonLive Four months before Oregon lawmakers return to Salem, it’s already clear one Democratic priority will likely dominate the session: passing a bill to cap greenhouse gas emissions and charge some of the state’s largest companies for their carbon output. This summer, at a screening of Al Gore’s latest climate change documentary, Gov. Kate Brown …