XPost: alt.global-warming

Crime of ecocide could transform fight against climate change

Pilita Clark, Financial Times via Carbon Brief

FT columnist and former environment correspondent Pilita Clark says
that the idea of "ecocide" has "inched a fraction closer to reality"
with a panel of lawyers from around the world unveiling a legal
definition of the crime. She continues: "It describes ecocide as
`unlawful or wanton acts' committed in the knowledge that there is a
high chance they could cause `severe and either widespread or
long-term damage to the environment'. If adopted, it would put severe environmental ruin on a par with war crimes and open a path to putting
chief executives and presidents on the stand. And even if that never
happens, campaigners are banking on the mere legal existence of
ecocide to change the behaviour of large corporations, along with
their financiers and insurers."

In other comment, Tom Rees in the Sun Telegraph has a news feature
under the headline: "Counting the cost of going green as inflation and
climate change collide." Rees writes: "Going green could be expensive
for consumers. The 2 big challenges for the post-Covid economy,
inflation and the climate transition, are set to collide in the coming
years, potentially causing headaches for the Bank of England and
global rate-setters...Rises in the cost of living for families as a
result of climate change will be driven not only from the negative
effects of a warming planet, but also the policies and technologies
put in place to combat it. But who will pick up the tab?...In the coming
years, the climate crisis could compound inflationary pressures
currently causing jitters in financial markets. The transition comes
with a huge up-front bill, carbon pricing will hike costs for the
biggest polluters, and food and energy prices will become more
volatile as extreme weather events become more frequent. Yet some
forecasters expect green policies to eventually pull down prices."
Meanwhile, writing for BusinessGreen, Sam Robinson of the Conservative thinktank Bright Blue says that "broad-based environmental tax reform
can drive changes needed to put the economy on a pathway to net-zero".

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Upcoming events:
9 Jul 2021 NOAA bn Dollar Disasters Q2

[Sooo Cooold!]
US cities set up 'cooling centres' as historic heatwave bakes Pacific north-west
ABC News, 27 JunJune at 10:59pm
Daytime temperatures are breaking all-time high records in places where many residents don't have air conditioning.

[Sooo Cooold!]
Brush Fire Off Interstate 5 in The Grapevine Grows To 1,200 Acres
CBS Loca, 28 Jun 2021 05:01Z
Fire crews battling the ShellFire are working from ground and air on the
1,200 acre fire that, so far, is only 2% contained.

[Summer!]
UK reports highest daily Covid-19 cases since Feb..
Greatandhra.com, 27 Jun 2021
Britain has reported another 18,270 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, the highest since early Feb, according to official figures
released on ...

Green energy push 'the only positive from Covid'
Financial Times, 28 Jun 2021 03:55Z
During the summer in Michigan, when temperatures can surpass 32C and
humidity is high, energy demand often doubles as households crank up their air ...

Structural Changes Identified in COVID Alpha and Beta Variants - Suggests
Need for Updated Vaccine Booster
SciTechDaily, 27 Jun 2021 17:00Z
Changes to the 'spike' protein explain Alpha's faster spread, and how the
Beta variant evades immune responses, suggesting the need for a booster with
an ...

At Least 59 People Were Sick From COVID on Everest: NYT
The Daily Beast, 27 Jun 2021 20:12Z

Last foreign scientist to work at Wuhan lab: 'What people are saying is just not how it is'
The Hill, 28 Jun 2021 03:09Z
The last foreign scientist to work at the Wuhan Institute of Virology spoke
out for the first time in an.

BREAKING (28 Jun): NSW has recorded another 16 Delta cases, most of
them in the community. The Prem has called on the state to prepare for
case numbers to "increase greatly" in the next few days.

BREAKING (28 Jun): The NT govt has given a press conf discussing the
emergency covid measures in place as a result of the first outbreak of
the virus in the Territory. More Delta cases have been detected and the lockdown has been extended until Fri. About 150 people have been ID-ed
as high risk contacts of an known infected person that visited the Buff
Club on the Stuart Hwgy in the past wk. All these people and anyone in
the same household has been ordered to get tested and then state at
home for 14 days. Anyone visiting a list of other sites incl the
Darwin airport are advised to get tested and isolate if they show
symptoms of being infected. Territory Day on Jul 1 has been suspended
until further notice.
[Daily covid cases in AUS-wide have risen from around 8/d to 16/d over
the past month. Small numbers, but exponential growth can get away
from you real fast, esp with Delta].

'We don't welcome Sydneysiders': NSW regional communities issue warning over COVID outbreak
ABC Newcastle, 27 JunJune at 8:53pm
Regional businesses are adjusting to new COVID-19 rules and don't want residents who are meant to be in lockdown to jeopardise the further spread
of the virus.

Older, working harder and carrying plenty of debt: Future Australians to pay for pandemic
ABC News, 28 Jun 2021 01:59Z
Australia's population is not going to grow as quickly as previously
thought, meaning a smaller economy will be tasked with managing the burden
of a rapidly ageing population, the latest Intergenerational Report shows.

[Bugs!]
Will N.J. have a bad mosquito season this summer? Here's what experts say. NJ.com 27 Jun 2021 20:02Z
We've already had cicadas, ticks and spotted lanternflies bugging us this
year. Do New Jerseyans now have to brace for another annoyance - a summer
with ...

Gottlieb says parts of US could see "very dense outbreaks" as Delta
variant spreads
[Which parts? Remember the posted numbers -- warm states with lower
pct of HS grads].
CBS News, 27 Jun 2021 18:00Z
Washington. As the US continues to navigate its way through the
COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former commissioner of the
Food and Drug ...

Not so foolish after all: 'fool's gold' contains a newly discovered type of real gold
The Conversation AU, 27 Jun 2021 20:00Z
Fool's gold, or pyrite, is made of worthless iron disulfide, but can contain tiny amounts of the real thing. Using an 'atom probe', research has
uncovered a new ...

Tesla Model S Plaid wins Pikes Peak's Exhibition Class in dominating fashion Teslarati, 27 Jun 2021 20:57Z
The excitement was palpable at the base of Pikes Peak as this year's
racecars lined up for their attempt at conquering the treacherous mountain.
The mountain ...

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