Month: October 2021

Once upon a time, long ago, there was a something called the “Iris theory”, which posited that, as the earth warmed, cloud cover would increase, shielding the planet from incoming solar radiation, analogous to the way the iris in our eyes constricts in a bright light.
It was pronounced among climate deniers that such an effect would mitigate the impacts of increasing heat trapping gases and global warming.

Now we know more, and in fact, looks like the opposite might be the case.

Phys.org:

Warming ocean waters have caused a drop in the brightness of the Earth, according to a new study.

Researchers used decades of measurements of earthshine—the light reflected from Earth that illuminates the surface of the Moon—as well as satellite measurements to find that there has been a significant drop in Earth’s reflectance, or albedo, over the past two decades.

The Earth is now reflecting about half a watt less light per square meter than it was 20 years ago, with most of the drop occurring in the last three years of earthshine data, according to the new study in the AGU journal Geophysical Research Letters, which publishes high-impact, short-format reports with immediate implications spanning all Earth and space sciences.

That’s the equivalent of 0.5% decrease in the Earth’s reflectance. Earth reflects about 30% of the sunlight that shines on it.

“The albedo drop was such a surprise to us when we analyzed the last three years of data after 17 years of nearly flat albedo,” said Philip Goode, a researcher at New Jersey Institute of Technology and the lead author of the new study, referring to the earthshine data from 1998 to 2017 gathered by the Big Bear Solar Observatory in Southern California. When the latest data were added to the previous years, the dimming trend became clear.

Two things affect the net sunlight reaching the Earth: the Sun’s brightness and the planet’s reflectivity. The changes in Earth’s albedo observed by the researchers did not correlate with periodic changes in the Sun’s brightness, so that means changes in Earth’s reflectiveness are caused by something on the Earth.

Specifically, there has been a reduction of bright, reflective low-lying clouds over the eastern Pacific Ocean in the most recent years, according to satellite measurements made as part of NASA’s Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) project.

Continue reading “The Dimming of Planet Earth”

With a mind to the future of the midwest’s auto manufacturing future, rust belt governor’s joined to coordinate an optimal EV charging network.

WILX:

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is joining her colleagues in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, and Wisconsin to work together on electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure across the Midwest region, by signing the Regional Electric Vehicle for the Midwest Memorandum of Understanding (REV Midwest).

The purpose of REV Midwest is to mutually accelerate vehicle electrification throughout the Midwest Region.

REV Midwest is designed to provide the foundation for car electrification. It is also intended to create vital commercial corridors to safeguard economic security, grow jobs, futureproof interstate commerce, reduce harmful emissions, improve public health, and advance innovation.

The memorandum is also aimed at ensuring the entire Midwest region can efficiently compete for new private investment and federal funding for vehicle electrification.

“Today’s REV Midwest partnership is a bipartisan effort to build the future of mobility and electrification and connect our communities,” said Gov. Whitmer. “Our partnership will enable the Midwest to lead on electric vehicle adoption, reduce carbon emissions, spur innovation, and create good-paying jobs.”

In a rare moment of bipartisan agreement, Whitmer’s enthusiasm on the collaboration of Midwest governors was shared by the group.

“The Midwest has the ingenuity and the drive to develop innovative solutions to curb climate change,” said Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. “I am proud to work with my fellow Midwest governors to not only reduce pollution, but protect public health, create jobs, and increase consumer choice across the region.”

Increasing access to charging infrastructure and reducing anxiety potential electric car buyers feel about range is predicted to support electric vehicle adoption.

An estimated 105,000 new jobs in the utility sector are predicted to be needed to deploy EV charging infrastructure by 2030. The states will work together with the industry to understand future workforce needs and support workforce training programs to build the transportation system of the future.

I’ve been working on a piece about climate impacts on flood insurance, which should be out maybe next week, in the meantime, this piece in The Washington Post is a “Wow”.

Washington Post:

PALM BEACH, Fla. — When Brian and Susan Gary settled down on this exclusive island spit a decade ago, climate scientists were already sounding an alarm: Global temperatures were warming, sea levels were rising and damaging floodwaters were creeping ever closer to homes.

The Garys had joined 8 million Americans who moved to counties along the U.S. coast between 2000 and 2017, lured by the sun, the sea and heavily subsidized government flood insurance that made the cost of protecting their homes much less expensive, despite the risk of living in a flood zone near a vast body of water.

But a reckoning is coming.

On Friday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will incorporate climate risk into the cost of flood insurance for the first time, dramatically increasing the price for some new home buyers. Next April, most current policyholders will see their premiums go up and continue to rise by 18 percent per year for the next 20 years.

The price hike under a new assessment, Risk Rating 2.0, will more accurately reflect the threat of flooding in a changing climate, federal officials say.

Most homeowners will see modest increases starting at $120 per year in addition to what they already pay, and a few will see their insurance costs decrease. But wealthy customers with high-value homes will see their costs skyrocket by as much as $14,400 for one year. About 3,200 property owners, mostly in Florida, Texas, New Jersey and New York fall in that category.

Like the climate threat, the cost increase will reach far beyond the coast.

Homeowners in inland states such as Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska, where creeks, streams and rivers overflow during heavy rains, will also see price increases in their government-backed flood insurance.

Climate change will affect people who weren’t threatened before. New technology that allows analysts to study the environs around each home led to a stunning find: 6 million homes in states such as Utah, Idaho, Vermont and Tennessee that didn’t require insurance because they were thought to be safe from flooding are actually at risk because of climate change.

Another 2 million homes across the country will fall into the risk group within 30 years as the climate changes, according to First Street Foundation, which developed the new flood-risk rating for FEMA.

“It doesn’t matter if you believe in climate change; your insurance company does,” said Nick VinZant, senior research analyst for QuoteWizard, a subsidiary of Lending Tree, the online mortgage company. “The realities of that are going to be reflected moving forward.”

Continue reading “Flood Insurance Sticker Shock Coming Across US”