Posted on 22 June 2019 by John Hartz

A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Jun 16 through Sat, June 22, 2019

Editor’s Pick

A Degree of Concern: Why Global Temperatures Matter

Credit: NASA-JPL/Caltech

Part 1 of a Two-Part Series

If you could ask a sea turtle why small increases in global average temperature matter, you’d be likely to get a mouthful. Of sea grass, that is.

Of course, sea turtles can’t talk, except in certain animated movies. And while on-screen they’re portrayed as happy-go-lucky creatures, in reality it’s pretty tough to be a sea turtle, dude (consider the facts), and in a warming world, it’s getting tougher.

Since the temperature of the beach sand that female sea turtles nest in influences the gender of their offspring during incubation, our warming climate may be driving sea turtles into extinction by creating a shortage of males, according to several studies.1

A few degrees make a huge difference. At sand temperatures of 31.1 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit), only female green sea turtles hatch, while at 27.8 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit) and below, only males hatch.

A Degree of Concern: Why Global Temperatures Matter by Alan Buis, NASA’s Global Climate Change, Vital Signs of the Planet, June 19, 2019 

Links posted on Facebook

Sun June 16 2019

• As Trump Touts Ethanol, Scientists Question the Fuel’s Climate Claims by Georgina Gustin, InsideClimate News, June 14, 2019
• At the intersection of conflict, climate change and energy access by Tarannum Sahar, Inter Press Service (IPS), June 14, 2019
• The UK has now committed to the most aggressive climate target in the world by Umair Irfan, Energy & Environment, Vox, June 14, 2019
• Northern hemisphere’s extreme heatwave in 2018 ‘impossible’ without climate change by Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief, June 12, 2019
• Flat Earthers, and the Rise of Science Denial in America, Opinion by Lee McIntyre, Newsweek, May 14, 2019
• A Father’s Day Gift for Myself: Activism by Peter Certo, Other Words, June 5, 2019
• U.N. Head: Climate Change Can Prove the Value of Collective Action by Justin Worland, World, Time, June 13, 2019
• Emails: Trump official pressed NASA on climate science by Ellen Knickmeyer & Seth Borenstein, AP News, June 14, 20

Mon June 17 2019

• A Climate of Flooding, Opinion by David Leonhardt, New York Times, June 14, 2019
• The Nine Countries Most Threatened by Climate Change Are All in Asia, Report Finds by Gavin Butler, Vice, June 12, 2019
• Arctic Permafrost Melting 70 Years Sooner Than Expected, Study Finds by Jan Wesner Childs, Environment, The Weather Channel, June 14, 2019
• We must transform our lives and values to save this burning planet, Opinion by Susanna Rustin, Comment is Free, Guardian, June 15, 2019
• The urgency of climate crisis needed robust new language to describe it, Opinion by Paul Chadwick, Comment is Free, June 16, 2019
• Hopes for climate progress falter with coal still king across Asia by Jillian Ambrose, Observer/Guardian, June 15, 2019
• Global Inequality in a Time of Climate Emergency by Tom Athanasiou, Common Dreams, June 17, 2019
• Don’t Overthink a Climate-Change Debate by Robinson Meyer, Science, The Atlantic Magazine, June 14, 2019

Tue June 18 2019

• The ‘catastrophic’ effect of increasing heatwaves on Queensland by Stuart Layt, National, Queensland, June 17, 2019
• Australia quizzed by EU and China on whether it can meet 2030 Paris climate target by Katharine Murphy, Environment, Guardian, June 17, 2019
• EPA Air Chief Gave Presentation At Fringe Climate Denier Event, New Emails Show by Alexander C Kaufman, Politics, HuffPost, June 14, 2019
• Environment reporters facing harassment and murder, study finds by Juliette Garside & Jonathan Watts, Environment, Guardian, June 17, 2019
• This year’s wildfire season in California could be worse than last year’s, officials warn by Doyle Rice, Nation, USA Today, June 17, 2019
• We still have time to act on climate change — but records will tumble for next 20 years regardless of emissions: study by Jo Khan, Science, ABC News (AU), June 18, 2019
• New York State Reaches Landmark Deal On Green New Deal-Style Climate Bill by Alexander C Kaufman, HuffPost, June 17, 2019
• There’s a new act at New York’s Apollo Theater: Climate change by Molly Enking, Grist, June 14, 2019

Wed June 19 2019

• U.N. chief calls on EU to raise 2030 climate goal to 55% by Alissa de Carbonnel, Reuters, June 15, 2019
• EU leaders face pressure to deliver on climate change by Laurence Peter, Europe, BBC News, June 17, 2019
• Atlantic Ocean ‘running out of breath’ by Ken Macdonald, Scotland, BBC News, June 18, 2019
• Trump EPA finalizes rollback of key Obama climate rule that targeted coal plants by Juliet Eilperin & Brady Dennis, Climate & Environment, Washington Post, June 19, 2019
• The global transition to clean energy, explained in 12 charts by David Roberts, energy & Environment, Vox, June 18, 2019
• Mayors: Cities Should Not Be Left Alone to Foot the Bill for Climate Costs by Dana Drugmand, Climate Liability News, June 17, 2019
• It can happen: Social media helped someone change his mind about climate change by Karin Kirk, Yale Climate Connections, June 17, 2019
• Climate action: Can we change the climate from the grassroots up? by Irene Banos Ruiz, Environment, Deutsche Welle (DW), June 13, 2019

Thu June 20, 2019

• French Groups Turn Up Legal Pressure on Total for Skirting Climate Law by Karen Savage, Climate Liability News, June 18, 2019
• Recent scorching temperatures in Kuwait and Pakistan confirmed as third and fourth hottest on Earth by Ian Livingston, Capital Weather Gang, Washington Post, June 18, 2019
• India’s sixth biggest city is almost entirely out of water by Jessie Yeung, Helen Regan & Swati Gupta, CNN, June 19, 2019
• Himalayan glacier melting doubled since 2000, spy satellites show by Damian Carrington, Environment, Guardian, Jan 19, 2019
• Big earthquakes might make sea level rise worse. Here’s how. by Maya Wei-Haas, Science & Innovation, National Geographic, June 17, 2019
• Bitcoin is an energy hog. Where is all that electricity coming from? by Umair Irfan, Energy & Environment, Vox, June 18, 2019
• In 1982, Exxon accurately predicted global warming by Dana Nuccitelli, Skeptical Science, Jun 19, 2019
• New York lawmakers pass aggressive law to fight climate change by Barbara Goldenberg, Reuters, June 20, 2019

Fri June 21 2019

• More than half the world could see ‘record-setting heat’ every year by 2100 by Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief, June 17, 2019
• As Cambodia swelters, climate-change suspicion falls on deforestation by Michael Tatarski, Mongabay, June 17, 2019
• Rain respite for parched Chennai, IMD predicts moderate showers for next 6 days, India Today, June 20, 2019
• Happy solstice, everyone! by Deborah Byrd, Tonight, EarthSky, June 21, 2019
• William Happer: Trump aide pushing climate denial inside the White House by Emily Holden, Environment, Guardian, June 21, 2019
• Struggle for water intensifies as taps run dry in India by Roli Srivastava, Thomson Reuters Foundation, June 21, 2019
• Europe Awaits Record-Smashing June Heat Wave by Bob Henson, Category 6, Weather Underground, June 20, 2019
• We asked people to do climate change maths. Their answers depended on their politics by Will J Grant, The Conversation AU, June 17, 2019

Sat June 22 2019

• It’s time for Australia to commit to the kind of future it wants: CSIRO Australian National Outlook 2019 by James Deverell, The Conversation AU, June 18, 2019
• UK firms told they face ‘deliberate disruption’ to hit zero carbon goal by Jillian Ambrose, Business, Guardian, June 19, 2019
• Monsoon advances, but in deficit by Akshit Sangomla, Environment, Down to Earth, June 21, 2019
• A Degree of Concern: Why Global Temperatures Matter (Part 1) by Alan Buis, NASA’s Global Climate Change, Vital Signs of the Planet, June 19, 2019
• ‘Gentlemen’s agreement’ could leave 1.5C science report out of formal UN talks by Chloé Farand, Climate Home News, June 20, 2019
• We’ll Never Solve Immigration If We Don’t Solve Climate Change, Opinion by Penny Pritzker, Fortune Magazine, June 18, 2019
• White House tells agencies they no longer have to weigh a project’s long-term climate impacts by Juliet Eilperin, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, June 20, 2019
• Global Warming Pushes Microbes into Damaging Climate Feedback Loops by Bob Berwyn, InsideClimate News, June 19, 2019