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| [PHOTO: Rolls Press/Popperfoto / Getty Images] |
A federal appeals court on Friday threw out a 2015 lawsuit by nearly two dozen young people to force the U.S. government to take more aggressive action on climate change, saying that the children did not have legal standing to bring the landmark case. Judge Andrew D. Hurwitz wrote that the plaintiffs had “made a compelling case that action is needed” to slash the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. But the three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled 2 to 1 that the courts were not the place to compel such action. “We reluctantly conclude, however, that the plaintiffs’ case must be made to the political branches or to the electorate at large, the latter of which can change the composition of the political branches through the ballot box,” Hurwitz wrote. Brady Dennis reports. (Washington Post)
New climate models suggest Paris goals may be out of reach
New climate models show carbon dioxide is a more potent greenhouse gas than previously understood, a finding that could push the Paris treaty goals for capping global warming out of reach, scientists have told AFP. Developed in parallel by separate teams in half-a-dozen countries, the models—which will underpin revised UN temperature projections next year—suggest scientists have for decades consistently underestimated the warming potential of CO2. Vastly more data and computing power has become available since the current Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projections were finalised in 2013. "We have better models now," Olivier Boucher, head of the Institut Pierre Simon Laplace Climate Modelling Centre in Paris, told AFP, adding that they "represent current climate trends more accurately". Marlowe Hood reports. (Phys.Org)
New BP ad campaign calls on Washington Legislature to put a price on carbon pollution from fossil fuels
Declaring that the “findings of climate scientists are real, and the world is on an unsustainable path,” energy giant BP is launching a public relations campaign this weekend to promote putting a price on carbon pollution in Washington state. This latest chapter in BP’s political activism comes less than two years after the company spent nearly $13 million to defeat Washington Initiative 1631, a carbon-pricing ballot measure the company criticized because it included oil refiners, but exempted many other polluters. BP sent a statement Tuesday to legislators calling for passage of Senate Bill 5981, which would place an overall cap on state carbon emissions. This would be lowered over time and — through the sale of pollution allowances — raise funds to invest in energy efficiency, low-income assistance and other projects. Hal Bernton and Evan Bush reports. (Seattle Times0
Surf smelt eggs a sign of success at restored Bowman Bay beach
After five years of scooping up samples from the beach at Deception Pass State Park’s Bowman Bay and finding only sand and pebbles, a group of volunteers made an exciting discovery. Surf smelt eggs were found in some of the samples collected during the summer, providing a sign that restoration work has brought surf smelt, a kind of small fish eaten by salmon and other marine animals, back to these shores. The Northwest Straits Foundation, which led the restoration work, is calling the new find a sign of success. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)
New fisheries minister visits B.C. slide site, says it’s her ‘top priority’
Federal Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan visited the site of a massive landslide in British Columbia’s Fraser River on Friday in her first official trip since being appointed to the role late last year. She says the disaster at Big Bar, northwest of Kamloops, is her top priority and has been a key issue for the government since it was discovered in June because it threatens crucial salmon runs. Jordan says the slide is the size of a building that is 35 storeys tall and 18 storeys across and it was “spectacular” to see the ongoing work by provincial, federal and First Nations authorities. (Canadian Press)
No Skagit River steelhead fishery this spring
The catch-and-release steelhead fishery held on the Skagit River the past two years will not be held in 2020 due to a forecast indicating a low number of fish may return to spawn. The state Department of Fish & Wildlife announced this week the decision not to hold the fishery. Wild steelhead in the Puget Sound region are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. After being listed as threatened in 2007, Fish & Wildlife closed fishing for steelhead from 2010 to 2017. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)
Poulsbo moves toward banning plastic bags as legislators consider statewide ban
As the city of Poulsbo moves toward becoming the final city in Kitsap County to ban single-use plastic bags, legislators in Olympia are considering the same move statewide. Last week Poulsbo City Council members advanced a bag ban proposal in a committee that would mirror the ban that went into effect in unincorporated Kitsap County at the beginning of 2020, city officials said. Kitsap County, Bremerton and Port Orchard bans went into effect Jan. 1, and Bainbridge Island has had one on its books since 2012. Poulsbo City Council members are expected to vote on the measure in February, Mayor Becky Erickson said. The city ordinance would give businesses a transition period to adapt to the new rules, she said. Nathan Piling reports. (Kitsap Sun)
Single-use plastic: China to ban bags and other items
hina, one of the world's biggest users of plastic, has unveiled a major plan to reduce single-use plastics across the country. Non-degradable bags will be banned in major cities by the end of 2020 and in all cities and towns by 2022. The restaurant industry will also be banned from using single-use straws by the end of 2020. China has for years been struggling to deal with the rubbish its 1.4 billion citizens generate. (BBC)
Jumbo Glacier deal enshrines Indigenous protected area, consigns mega-resort to history
Conservation has won in the 30-year battle over the $1 billion Jumbo Glacier resort with an agreement to extinguish the developer’s tenures and turn the area into a First Nations protected area, the Ktunaxa First Nation announced Saturday. The Ktunaxa began an effort last year to buy out proposed resort owner’s tenures for Jumbo to turn the land into a conservation area that they call Qat’muk, backed in part by $16.1 million in funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Canada Nature Fund and $5 million from private foundations. Derrick Penner reports. (Vancouver Sun)
Illegal dig under investigation in Newhalem area
The National Park Service is investigating the desecration of an archaeological site in the North Cascades National Park Service Complex, and the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe is hoping to bring those responsible to justice. “From the tribe’s perspective, when we first heard about what happened, we were shocked and dismayed that someone would do something like this at a cultural site,” Scott Schuyler of the Upper Skagit said. “Some of these places are thousands of years old, and the fact that someone would want to come in and purposely destroy, damage or steal, it’s just unbelievable.” Over the summer, evidence of digging was found at the Newhalem Rock Shelter camp used by the ancestors of the Upper Skagit tribe. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)
Clallam County seeks to spur Ecology to act on dump site, permits
Clallam County commissioners will consider Tuesday a letter to the state Department of Ecology seeking support for the remediation of the Midway Metals site east of Port Angeles. The proposed letter to Ecology Governmental Relations Director Denise Clifford also questions the agency’s decision to issue Phase II stormwater permit coverage on “a bunch of gutters and ditches” on two small unincorporated areas outside of Port Angeles, Code Enforcement Officer Diane Harvey said. Rob Ollikainen reports. (Peninsula Daily News)
B.C.'s first hybrid electric ferries to arrive Saturday in Victoria
Two hybrid electric ferries are set to arrive at Ogden Point in Victoria, B.C., Saturday morning — the first of BC Ferries' new Island Class vessels. The ships, each with a capacity to hold 47 vehicles and up to 450 passengers, use diesel fuel to generate electricity that is then stored in batteries, according to a statement from BC Ferries. The technology will "[bridge] the gap until shore charging infrastructure and funding becomes available in B.C.," the statement says. Adam van der Zwan reports. (CBC)
Whatcom County Faces Unprecedented Hornet Invasion
[1/14/20 BELLINGHAM] World’s largest hornet threatens vulnerable local honeybee populations Erasmus Baker reports. (Western Front)
After century-long odyssey, Argosy washes ashore in Tulalip
She had survived nearly 100 years on the water. After a sometimes rocky odyssey, the Argosy may have reached her final resting place. Earlier this week, the 55-foot-long yacht washed ashore on Mission Beach in Tulalip. Kim Heltne noticed the wooden ghost ship floating in Possession Sound on Sunday, as a snow storm moved in. Days later, the Argosy had settled in the sand near Heltne’s home. It’s not clear yet what will happen with the boat. Because the vessel is on the Tulalip Indian Reservation, state agencies don’t have permission to move the yacht, said Troy Wood, derelict vessel program manager for the state Department of Natural Resources. Stephanie Davey reports. (Everett Herald)
Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 246 AM PST Mon Jan 20 2020
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING
TODAY SE wind 5 to 15 kt becoming E to 10 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 10 ft at 15 seconds. Rain.
TONIGHT SE wind 5 to 15 kt becoming E 15 to 25 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less building to 2 to 4 ft after midnight. W swell 10 ft at 15 seconds. Rain.
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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato (@) salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.
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