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NickB79
NickB79's Journal
NickB79's Journal
January 1, 2024
As a former farm kid, the concept of short, stocky corn intrigues me. I like it.
US finds Bayer's short GM corn can be safely grown, but hurdles remain
https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-finds-bayers-short-gm-corn-can-be-safely-grown-hurdles-remain-2023-06-07/CHICAGO, June 7 (Reuters) - U.S. farmers can safely grow a new type of corn that Bayer AG (BAYGn.DE) genetically modified to be shorter than typical crops and better tolerate strong winds, the government said on Wednesday, in a win for the global farm chemicals and seeds maker.
Short-stature corn is among the latest crop varieties developed to withstand increasingly volatile weather associated with climate change, joining a growing list that includes drought and heat tolerant corn, soybeans and wheat.
Short-stature corn is among the latest crop varieties developed to withstand increasingly volatile weather associated with climate change, joining a growing list that includes drought and heat tolerant corn, soybeans and wheat.
As a former farm kid, the concept of short, stocky corn intrigues me. I like it.
December 29, 2023
Hydrogen producers were trying to get certification annually, because that would allow them to run electrolysizers 24/7 even if they're using power provided by coal or natural gas instead of wind and solar, buy carbon tax credits to offset their emissions, call it green hydrogen, and claim lucrative tax credits. By setting it to an hourly basis, they can't do this.
The dirty secret is that carbon tax credits are mostly a joke that don't actually cut carbon emissions.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/19/do-carbon-credit-reduce-emissions-greenhouse-gases
US Treasury moves to restrict hydrogen tax breaks offered by IRA
https://www.ft.com/content/681c8f56-0d59-4c78-80a7-402521bf83e9The US has unveiled stringent new criteria hydrogen producers must meet to claim green subsidies under Joe Biden’s climate legislation, in a move that has disappointed developers who warn burdensome rules will stymie the nascent industry.
Guidance from the US Treasury issued on Friday would limit the $3-per-kilogramme credit to hydrogen that is made only from new clean energy projects, such as solar and wind, that are connected to the same regional grid as the hydrogen producer.
The guidance would also impose a strict interpretation of how developers prove their green hydrogen is clean. From 2028, developers will need to certify that the production is powered by renewables every hour — not annually.
Guidance from the US Treasury issued on Friday would limit the $3-per-kilogramme credit to hydrogen that is made only from new clean energy projects, such as solar and wind, that are connected to the same regional grid as the hydrogen producer.
The guidance would also impose a strict interpretation of how developers prove their green hydrogen is clean. From 2028, developers will need to certify that the production is powered by renewables every hour — not annually.
Hydrogen producers were trying to get certification annually, because that would allow them to run electrolysizers 24/7 even if they're using power provided by coal or natural gas instead of wind and solar, buy carbon tax credits to offset their emissions, call it green hydrogen, and claim lucrative tax credits. By setting it to an hourly basis, they can't do this.
The dirty secret is that carbon tax credits are mostly a joke that don't actually cut carbon emissions.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/19/do-carbon-credit-reduce-emissions-greenhouse-gases
December 27, 2023
Do. Not. Build. It.
You can't claim to care about fighting climate change while simultaneously working to increase fossil fuels supplies. And young voters know this, because they're the ones who get to live in the climate shit storm that's going to hit over the next few decades.
A Natural Gas Project Is Biden's Next Big Climate Test
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/26/climate/cp2-natural-gas-export-louisiana.html?smtyp=cur&smid=fb-nytimes&fbclid=IwAR22cuDgkXfoR38K3kq5Bv7pj2yWlZ85PG8uNb3LNbw7g1s_EYISl5yg5MAOn a marshy stretch of the Louisiana coastline, a little-known company wants to build a $10 billion facility that would allow the United States to export vast stores of liquefied natural gas.
Supporters of the project, known as CP2, say the export terminal would be a boon for the United States economy and help Europe decrease its reliance on gas imported from Russia. They also claim that because burning natural gas produces fewer planet-warming emissions than burning coal, the project is a good thing for the climate.
But a nationwide movement is working to stop the export terminal from ever being built.
Opponents, including major environmental groups, scientists and activists, say that CP2 would lock in decades of additional greenhouse gas emissions, the main driver of climate change. They add that the project would be harmful to the people who live in the area, as well as the fragile ecosystem that supports aquatic life in the Gulf of Mexico.
Supporters of the project, known as CP2, say the export terminal would be a boon for the United States economy and help Europe decrease its reliance on gas imported from Russia. They also claim that because burning natural gas produces fewer planet-warming emissions than burning coal, the project is a good thing for the climate.
But a nationwide movement is working to stop the export terminal from ever being built.
Opponents, including major environmental groups, scientists and activists, say that CP2 would lock in decades of additional greenhouse gas emissions, the main driver of climate change. They add that the project would be harmful to the people who live in the area, as well as the fragile ecosystem that supports aquatic life in the Gulf of Mexico.
Do. Not. Build. It.
You can't claim to care about fighting climate change while simultaneously working to increase fossil fuels supplies. And young voters know this, because they're the ones who get to live in the climate shit storm that's going to hit over the next few decades.
December 22, 2023
The insect apocalypse is starting to have real-world impacts that will reverberate throughout ecosystems globally.
Flowers 'giving up' on scarce insects and evolving to self-pollinate, say scientists
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/20/flowers-giving-up-on-scarce-insects-and-evolving-to-self-pollinate-say-scientistsFlowers are “giving up on” pollinators and evolving to be less attractive to them as insect numbers decline, researchers have said.
A study has found the flowers of field pansies growing near Paris are 10% smaller and produce 20% less nectar than flowers growing in the same fields 20 to 30 years ago. They are also less frequently visited by insects.
“Our study shows that pansies are evolving to give up on their pollinators,” said Pierre-Olivier Cheptou, one of the study’s authors and a researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research. “They are evolving towards self-pollination, where each plant reproduces with itself, which works in the short term but may well limit their capacity to adapt to future environmental changes.”
A study has found the flowers of field pansies growing near Paris are 10% smaller and produce 20% less nectar than flowers growing in the same fields 20 to 30 years ago. They are also less frequently visited by insects.
“Our study shows that pansies are evolving to give up on their pollinators,” said Pierre-Olivier Cheptou, one of the study’s authors and a researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research. “They are evolving towards self-pollination, where each plant reproduces with itself, which works in the short term but may well limit their capacity to adapt to future environmental changes.”
The insect apocalypse is starting to have real-world impacts that will reverberate throughout ecosystems globally.
December 21, 2023
I can now say I personally know someone arrested for the Jan 6 riot
He was on the front page of the local section of the Minneapolis Star Tribune this morning.
And honestly? I'm not surprised it was him. At all. He fit the stereotype to a T, both in his work behavior and his personal life.
December 20, 2023
Scientists may be using a flawed strategy to predict how species will fare under climate change, suggests study
https://www.google.com/amp/s/phys.org/news/2023-12-scientists-flawed-strategy-species-fare.ampUniversity of Arizona researchers and their team members at the U.S. Forest Service and Brown University found that the method—commonly referred to as space-for-time substitution—failed to accurately predict how a widespread tree of the Western U.S. called the ponderosa pine has actually responded to the last several decades of warming. This also implies that other research relying on space-for-time substitution may not accurately reflect how species will respond to climate change over the next several decades.
The team collected and measured ponderosa pine tree rings from across the Western U.S. going as far back as 1900 and compared the trees' actual growth to how the model predicted the trees should respond to warming.
"We found that space-for-time substitution generates predictions that are wrong in terms of whether the response to warming is a positive or negative one," said Margaret Evans, a co-author on the paper and an associate professor in the UArizona Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research. "This method says that ponderosa pines should benefit from warming, but they actually suffer with warming. This is dangerously misleading."
The team collected and measured ponderosa pine tree rings from across the Western U.S. going as far back as 1900 and compared the trees' actual growth to how the model predicted the trees should respond to warming.
"We found that space-for-time substitution generates predictions that are wrong in terms of whether the response to warming is a positive or negative one," said Margaret Evans, a co-author on the paper and an associate professor in the UArizona Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research. "This method says that ponderosa pines should benefit from warming, but they actually suffer with warming. This is dangerously misleading."
December 19, 2023
Jovan's paradox strikes again. And I'm afraid this won't be uncommon; over half the planet's population is still in developing nation status, without most of the luxuries we take for granted in North America and Europe.
Why LEDs haven't yet cut energy use for lighting
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-67454472.ampLast year, LEDs hit a milestone. They made up 50% of lighting sales globally, according to the International Energy Agency. However, because more people around the world are installing electrically-powered lighting than ever before, the total energy consumed by lighting is actually going up. The latest LEDs are ultra-efficient - but we probably need to do more to ensure that lighting doesn't end up using more energy overall.
"The number of lights used in each household is increasing," says Shivika Mittal at Imperial College London's Grantham Institute. "That is offsetting switching to LED."
"The number of lights used in each household is increasing," says Shivika Mittal at Imperial College London's Grantham Institute. "That is offsetting switching to LED."
Jovan's paradox strikes again. And I'm afraid this won't be uncommon; over half the planet's population is still in developing nation status, without most of the luxuries we take for granted in North America and Europe.
December 17, 2023
Sadly, their efforts will fail. IMO, they should use their resources to plant seedlings further north, above the tree's native range, where the heat isn't as bad yet.
A volunteer effort is hoping to save California's Joshua trees
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna121891In a year when historic wildfires raged in the rainforests of Hawaii and subarctic Canada, the gnarled Joshua trees are a stark reminder that wildfires are now scrambling ecosystems in places where fire was once rare or could not burn as intensely.
In the Mojave preserve, the park service is now working on ways to restore these plants. The goal is to plant 4,000 trees over four years.
In the Mojave preserve, the park service is now working on ways to restore these plants. The goal is to plant 4,000 trees over four years.
Sadly, their efforts will fail. IMO, they should use their resources to plant seedlings further north, above the tree's native range, where the heat isn't as bad yet.
December 17, 2023
Too many tree planting schemes utilize just a few, typically non native species, planted by the millions in rows like giant cornfields. And planting them in areas that were originally treeless, like grasslands, destroys biodiversity and actually emits carbon (grasslands can sequester more carbon than forests).
Guy Who Urged Planting a Trillion Trees Begs People to Stop Planting So Many Trees
https://www.yahoo.com/news/guy-urged-planting-trillion-trees-140040977.htmlIn 2019, ecologist Thomas Crowther sparked a global tree-planting craze to offset carbon emissions.
But now the former chief scientific adviser for the United Nation's Trillion Trees Campaign has had a change of heart, Wired reports, pleading with environmental leaders to bring their mass tree planting to a halt.
Taking the stand at this year's UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai, Crowther spelled out the overlooked drawbacks of mass tree planting, such as stifling biodiversity and not being as effective carbon capturers as once believed.
Most insidiously of all, he warned that tree planting is used "as an excuse to avoid cutting emissions," as quoted by Wired.
But now the former chief scientific adviser for the United Nation's Trillion Trees Campaign has had a change of heart, Wired reports, pleading with environmental leaders to bring their mass tree planting to a halt.
Taking the stand at this year's UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai, Crowther spelled out the overlooked drawbacks of mass tree planting, such as stifling biodiversity and not being as effective carbon capturers as once believed.
Most insidiously of all, he warned that tree planting is used "as an excuse to avoid cutting emissions," as quoted by Wired.
Too many tree planting schemes utilize just a few, typically non native species, planted by the millions in rows like giant cornfields. And planting them in areas that were originally treeless, like grasslands, destroys biodiversity and actually emits carbon (grasslands can sequester more carbon than forests).
December 16, 2023
If you saw a car flip and roll into the median, would you stop to help?
So I'm in the break room at work, and a coworker is telling us how, on his way home from a weekend in Duluth (Minnesota), he sees a car in the northbound lane of I-35 spin out in ice, roll multiple times, and hit the dividing wires. If it weren't for those wires, it would have rolled into incoming traffic, ie his car.
He laughs and says it made him slow down the rest of the way home.
I was like "You didn't stop to help?!?"
His response was no, but it's fine because he saw another car behind him stop so it's fine. Another coworker chimed in that he wouldn't either, because "You don't know who that is. What if it's a murderer?" A couple of other coworkers nodded along.
And I keep thinking about that. How scared of the world do you have to keep driving as someone is potentially dying inside that vehicle? How do you sleep at night? What if that was your child, and someone drove by?
And it's not even the first time I've had these discussions. My wife and I found a lost child at the Mall of America a few years ago. Dozens of people walking by and going around him, looking away from a visibly terrified, crying child. Watching that sea of people just part around him. Long story short, I went to him, mall security was called, kid's parents found. And coworkers chided me for approaching a crying child, because "what if you're accused of being a child abductor?" WTF???
I've been at my job 20 years. I've worked with a lot of these guys since I started. Between these kinds of regular discussions, the Trump presidency, the response to COVID, and the response to the George Floyd murder, I've realized that a lot of my coworkers are only skin-deep good people. That makes me so profoundly sad.
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