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Can we blame climate change for the tornado that took out Moore, Okla.?

by jiigy3e Posted on May 21, 2013

Can we blame climate change for the tornado that took out Moore, Okla.?

By Susie Cagle

It was a quiet year for tornadoes — until last week, that is. A string of twisters has ravaged the middle of the country over the past several days, culminating in a two-mile-wide tornado tearing up Moore, Okla., Monday afternoon. So far at least 37 people have been confirmed dead in Oklahoma, and that toll is expected to rise.

The weather has twisted a few of our fellow greenies on the internet into a tizzy. “Extreme storm, climate change, OMFG!” they cry. We almost had a seizure reading this missive from the Wonkette folks, and we’re fairly sure they had one while writing it.

But the science on tornadoes and climate change isn’t clear enough to OMFG about it just yet. As Grist’s John Upton reported recently, the number of twisters has been roller-coastering up and down from year to year. “It certainly feels like one of those boom-bust weather cycles that we expect from climate change. But there doesn’t appear to be any evidence directly linking the recent tornado cycle to global warming.”

The Associated Press wraps it up with this insight: “Will there be more or fewer twisters as global warming increases? There is no easy answer.”

“Most climate scientists believe that clearer answers will be forthcoming with better climate modeling tools — and patience,” according to the Huffington Post.

Post-Superstorm Sandy, we’ve entered a kind of fugue state when it comes to natural disaster, forgetting that there has been a long history of extreme weather events that sometimes have nothing to do with how much carbon is in our atmosphere. For as disastrous as Sandy was, be honest: You relished pointing out that climate change connection.

We really like to find reason in chaos, though, and we also like to blame things! At one point today there were several little kids trapped in the rubble of a building in Moore, Okla., that earlier today was their elementary school. If we can’t blame climate change, who can we blame?

Maybe scientists will conclude that this really is the fault of that atmospheric carbon. Maybe they won’t! For now, at least, the only thing I’ll be blaming for this mess is Sarah Palin. Because, you know.

Susie Cagle writes and draws news for Grist. She also writes and draws tweets for

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Just, um, do it? Climate action, sponsored by Nike

by RubinkJoseph Posted on April 10, 2013

Just, um, do it? Climate action, sponsored by Nike

By Susie Cagle

Kicks on Fire

Your hemp shoes won’t save you.

The oil industry isn’t the only business flexing its muscle in Washington. The Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy coalition, aka BICEP, today released a “Climate Declaration” urging Congress to do some heavy lifting on climate change and “asserting that a bold response to the climate challenge is one of the greatest American economic opportunities of the 21st century.” Signatories include Nike, Starbucks, eBay, and 30 other companies, with a combined annual revenue of about $450 billion.

“The signers of the Climate Declaration have a clear message for Washington: Act on climate change. We are, and it’s good for our businesses,” Anne Kelly, director of BICEP, said in a statement.

From the statement: “The signatories of the Climate Declaration are calling for Congress to address climate change by promoting clean energy, boosting efficiency and limiting carbon emissions — strategies that these businesses already employ within their own operations.”

Though the clean coalition’s efforts are aimed at policymakers, its business is really aimed at the rest of us. And that’s where this effort starts to feel a bit self-serving.

These companies may be lobbying for some decent federal energy policies, but they’re still in the business of pushing jeans (Levi Strauss) and pressboard furniture (IKEA). They might be sad about climate change — we can all agree on the sad part, right? — but they make it clear that this is really about their bottom line. Eileen Fisher is upset that the drought is cutting into its cotton supply, not that it might be encouraging people to buy clothes they don’t really need.

For these companies the bottom line is consumerism. No matter how you spin it, that’s not sustainable for the planet. And even if they’re promoting some policies that we like, do we want to rely on L’Oreal and company to be our advocates in Washington? I’m not buying it. But hey, maybe President Obama will.

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American kids still pretty lead-poisoned

by Aaron Dempsey Posted on April 5, 2013

American kids still pretty lead-poisoned

By Susie Cagle

stevendepolo

Lead-free gasoline: It’s pretty great, as far as gasoline-without-extra-toxins goes. But even though we’ve made great strides in reducing lead pollution over the last few decades, America’s still full of the stuff.

More than half a million American children under 5, or 1 in 38 young kids, have low-grade lead poisoning, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The surveys from 2007 to 2010 showed an 8.6 percent decrease in childhood lead poisoning compared to 1999-2002.

Until last year, the CDC only tracked people with 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood, considered the threshold for lead poisoning by the CDC, World Heath Organization, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. But five micrograms per deciliter is considered enough to potentially cause damage.

Those approximately 535,000 kids aren’t really a representative sample of American youth, though.

“Persistent differences between the mean [blood lead levels] of different racial/ethnic and income groups can be traced to differences in housing quality, environmental conditions, nutrition, and other factors,” the CDC said in a statement. In other words: This is way worse for poor kids of color who live in our urban sacrifice zones.

From the Associated Press:

Often, children who get lead poisoning live in old homes that are dilapidated or under renovation. They pick up paint chips or dust and put it in their mouth. Children have also picked up lead poisoning from soil contaminated by old leaded gasoline, from dust tracked in from industrial worksites, from tainted drinking water, and other sources.

Some have linked a reduction in environmental lead exposure to a reduction in violent crime nationwide over the last few decades. Regardless, I think we can all agree that we’d prefer lead-free kids. The CDC suggests that children can counteract high blood lead levels by increasing their iron and calcium intake. But wouldn’t a strong lead abatement effort  be even more effective?

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Good news, Arkansas: Tar-sands oil isn’t oil-oil

by Theodot7v8 Posted on April 3, 2013

Good news, Arkansas: Tar-sands oil isn’t oil-oil

By Susie Cagle

So far, the thousands of barrels of tar-sands oil that spilled into a middle-class neighborhood in central Arkansas on Friday have driven 22 families from their homes and killed and injured a grip of local wildlife. So far, the oil hasn’t contaminated the local lake or drinking water supply, according to ExxonMobil. It’s a “major spill,” according to the EPA, and the cause is so far still under investigation.

But since it’s not oil-oil, ExxonMobil hasn’t paid into the government clean-up fund that would help bankroll the epic scrub-down necessary to rid poor unsuspecting Mayflower, Ark., of all that bitumen.

“A 1980 law ensures that diluted bitumen is not classified as oil, and companies transporting it in pipelines do not have to pay into the federal Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund,” writes Ryan Koronowski at Climate Progress. “Other conventional crude producers pay 8 cents a barrel to ensure the fund has resources to help clean up some of the 54,000 barrels of pipeline oil that spilled 364 times last year.”

Here, this helpful infographic might clear things up for you:

Naturally, ExxonMobil is feeling defensive about the whole “incident,” i.e. “release,” i.e. motherfucking oil spill. Today’s corporate headquarters update makes no mention of how many barrels of tar-sands oil actually hit the ground in Mayflower, but includes lots of numbers on vacuum trucks, storage tanks, responders, and claims (140 as of today). “A few thousand barrels of oil were observed in the area; a response for 10,000 barrels has been undertaken to ensure adequate resources are in place.”

DeSmogBlog ain’t buying it: After a look through ExxonMobil’s spill history, they found the company has a record of paying for immediate clean-up efforts but not for damages. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see if Exxon spontaneously grows a conscience this time — and hope all those other pipelines hold.

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Even the Tea Party is pissed about the ‘Monsanto Protection Act’

by f45 Posted on April 2, 2013

Even the Tea Party is pissed about the ‘Monsanto Protection Act’

By Susie Cagle

Denis Giles

Everybody’s gotta pitch in to bring down Hulk, er, Monsanto.

Feeling angry about the “Monsanto Protection Act”? You know, the sneakily passed piece of legislation that allows GMO crops to be planted even in defiance of a court order? Well, you’re not alone! The law is so scary that it’s inspiring outrage from the far right.

It’s always a delight to see the left and right agree on anything, and when it comes to fighting genetically modified giant Monsanto, it may well take just that kind of a passionate coalition to get anything done.

But it’s not the GMO issue that’s turning Tea Party Patriot Dustin Siggins’ stomach — it’s the precedent this could set for other corporations that might want legal immunity. From Siggins’ blog:

This all can be boiled down into a single, common phrase: a special interest loophole, and a doozy at that. We are used to subsidies, which give your tax dollars to companies to give them advantages over competitors. We are used to special interest tax loopholes and tax credits, which provide competitive and financial benefits to those with friends in Congress. And we are familiar with regulatory burden increases, which often prevent smaller companies from competing against larger ones because of the cost of compliance.

However, this is a different kind of special interest giveaway altogether. This is a situation in which a company is given the ability to ignore court orders, in what boils down to a deregulation scheme for a particular set of industries.

Great, Siggins! Now let’s skip the Kumbaya and the flag-waving, and get right to creating a broad-based coalition with the potential of defeating Monsanto, k?

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Flies that eat organic live longer, make more fly babies

by Sylvesterax6 Posted on March 28, 2013

Flies that eat organic live longer, make more fly babies

By Susie Cagle

Scientists may be split on whether organic foods are better for human health. But a new study published in PLOS ONE presents evidence that organic foods help you live longer and make more babies — if you’re a fruit fly.

T. ChapmanMaybe organic food just puts flies in the mood?

Researchers at Southern Methodist University fed fruit flies extracts of organic or conventional versions of bananas, potatoes, raisins, or soybeans from a Whole Foods in Texas. (Unlike those organic-loving rats, the flies didn’t get to choose their foods.)

“Flies were then subjected to a variety of tests designed to assess overall fly health.” The results? “Flies raised on diets made from organically grown produce had greater fertility and longevity,” according to the study.

Maybe this explains why buzzing fruit flies plague your indoor compost bin (or, for that matter, the Whole Foods sample trays)? Best break out the organic apple cider vinegar!

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There are even more dead pigs in a Chinese river

by Hadwin Partize Posted on March 25, 2013

There are even more dead pigs in a Chinese river

By Susie Cagle

Reuters

In the week and a half since we first brought you the all-important details on those dead pigs filling the Huangpu River in China, officials have raised the body count to more than 16,000.

On Sunday, the government said the pulling-dead-pigs-out-of-the-water operation was “basically finished.” Chinese official media reports that some of the dead animals were traced by their ear tags to pig farms in Shaoxing, and their owners have been prosecuted. Farmers in Shaoxing have recently been charged with selling meat from diseased animals.

The New York Times points out the silver lining of the porcine flotilla: At least the diseased pigs aren’t ending up on dinner plates. As the government cracks down on contaminated meat, the only place to put them is in the river. Three cheers for food safety!

“Dead pigs have always ended up in Shanghai. This time they just went there by river, instead of by truck,” a Shaoxing pig farmer told The Guardian.

A Zhejiang environmental protection report in 2011 found that 7.7 million pigs were being farmed in Shaoxing. On average 2% to 4% will die, which means between 150,000 and 300,000 corpses need to be disposed of.

“If dumped, they cause bacterial and viral pollution, as well as 20,000 to 30,000 tonnes of chemical oxygen demand,” the report said.

But, still, there are no provisions for proper disposal in place.

One big story here seems to be: Oh my god China is farming a lot of pigs. But heck, so are we. Tom Philpott at Mother Jones makes the case that U.S. factory farming of pigs and other animals is supergross too. Epic loads of pig shit contaminate our lands and waterways, even though the imagery is not quite as immediately horrifying.

And now, in the Sichuan province in central China, there’s a new, slightly different problem: The Nanhe River is clogged with about 1,000 dead ducks of unknown origin.

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Green tech incubator Greenstart ups its game

by s1cx54s Posted on March 18, 2013

Green tech incubator Greenstart ups its game

By Susie Cagle

We’d all like to accelerate cool green tech, but maybe the initial acceleration is less important than the distance traveled.

At least that’s what Greenstart, which Grist profiled back in October, seems to be thinking as it retools its business plan: No longer an accelerator, Greenstart will essentially become a venture capital endeavor, with a focus on helping companies through multiple stages of their development instead of just shoving them off a cliff with bags of money.

“This change was 100 percent motivated by listening to our startups,” writes founder and managing partner Mitch Lowe in a post today very effectively titled “We Killed Our Accelerator.”

Greenstart’s Mitch Lowe.

Fast Co.Exist reports:

This week, Greenstart announced that it’s shutting down its three-month accelerator program — and morphing into a combination early-stage venture capital firm and design studio. What happened?

“It was simply because entrepreneurs were saying loud and clear that 90 days is nice but we want a partner for the life of our company,” says Mitch Lowe, managing partner at Greenstart. “You just get to the good stuff at 90 days. You’re starting to add real value.”

Greenstart will now be writing even fatter checks to its portfolio companies, funneling $250,000 to $500,000 into about a dozen startups each year. And those companies won’t just be incubated — Greenstart is in it for the long haul.

To that end, the company is beefing up its own in-house design team in order to help the start-ups with more than just a little spending cash to start with. From Forbes:

The focus on design comes from a recognition that products that are beautiful and easy to use can make their users swoon and pay good money for them. …

“Really high-quality designs are so hard to come by. Bringing them to companies at this formative stage of their experience is a great magnet for companies that want to work with us and for us to lower product, technical and market risks,” Lowe said.

“We are either onto something or totally crazy,” he added.

Rich, pretty, and possibly crazy? Sounds like a venture capital firm to me! Greenstart may soon be investing in more cleantech start-ups than any other VC firm. We’ll be watching to see how it does.

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A cool new way climate change is killing bivalves

by Kyung Wilhoite Posted on March 18, 2013

A cool new way climate change is killing bivalves

By Susie Cagle

We already know that carbon-dioxide-filled, acidic ocean water is no-good, very-bad news for mussels and other underwater shelled creatures, causing their shells to dissolve. But, as these things so often go, it turns out that climate change is even worse for bivalves than we thought: It’s unleashing an awkward kind of anti-puberty on them. They’re growing smaller and weaker, and now we find out that they’re basically losing their hair.

sapphireflutterby

New research published in the journal Nature shows that mussels’ proteinaceuous byssal threads — the little stringy bits that allow them to stick their bodies on stuff — are particularly susceptible to ocean acidification. The researchers found mussels’ little stringy bits were 40 percent weaker when exposed to elevated CO2 levels, even when their shell strength and tissue growth weren’t affected.

“Byssal threads are non-calcified structures, yet the researchers found that as carbon dioxide levels increased, the byssal threads snapped more easily,” Think Progress reports. “It’s a hard life for a mussel when it can’t attach itself to the ocean floor.”

It also might be a hard life for us if those mussels lose their muscles. Bivalves filter water and even act as a shoreline buffer against storm surges. Mussels in particular are “often referred to as a foundation species,” says University of Washington biology professor Emily Carrington. Mussel cultivation is also a $1.5 billion industry — at least for now.

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NYC judge throws out Bloomberg’s big sugar drink ban

by DenaeTina858 Posted on March 11, 2013

NYC judge throws out Bloomberg’s big sugar drink ban

By Susie Cagle

Good news, soda lovers and Bloomberg haters!

Reuters reports that New York State Supreme Court Justice Milton Tingling threw out New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s pet ban, calling it “arbitrary and capricious,” in response to lawsuits brought by the American Beverage Association and other unapologetic sugar peddlers business groups.

Passed last September, the measure would’ve banned the sale of certain sugary drinks bigger than 16 ounces (sweetened iced tea and soda, but not alcoholic drinks or fruit juice) from certain locations (restaurants and movie theater concessions, but not convenience stores). Sweet-toothed sellers defying the ban would’ve faced $200 fines starting in June.

Bloomberg sold the “Big Gulp” ban as an obesity-fighting measure, though it didn’t outlaw fatty fast-food milkshakes or “Big Gulp” drinks themselves.

So what’s next for arbitrary ‘n capricious Bloomy? Perhaps a ban on Styrofoam cups? Because I’m sure they don’t have a powerful industry lobby at all…

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