4/21 Ginkgo, BC old growth, global warming, greenhouse gas, car pollution, Shell emissions, wildfire season, no Salish Sea

Ginkgo [Yale Environment 360]

The Life Story of The Oldest Tree on Earth
Revered for its beauty and its longevity, the ginkgo is a living fossil, unchanged for more than 200 million years. Botanist Peter Crane, who has a written what he calls a biography of this unique tree, talks to Yale Environment 360 about the inspiring history and cultural significance of the ginkgo. Roger Cohn writes. (Yale Environment 360)

No New Money for Old Growth Protection in BC’s Budget
Despite calls to end old-growth logging in B.C. and government promises to overhaul its forestry practices, there is no new funding for that transition in the budget announced today. Instead, the ministry responsible for B.C.’s forest management will see an overall drop in funding over the next three years. The budget comes seven months after the province released a strategic panel review on old-growth logging, which called for a paradigm shift to prioritize ecosystem health over the timber supply and recognize values like biodiversity, clean water and cultural resources.  Amanda Follett Hosgood reports. (The Tyee)

Also roaring back from pandemic; earth warming emissions
Global warming emissions are expected to spike this year as the world emerges from the coronavirus pandemic and economies begin to recover. According to a Tuesday report from the International Energy Agency, an intergovernmental group based in Paris, worldwide energy-related carbon dioxide emissions could surge by 1.5 billion metric tons this year, following last year's decline due to the pandemic. According to the IEA, it would be the second-largest annual increase in emissions since 2010 following the global financial crisis of 2008-2009. Matt Ott reports. (Associated Press)

Biden will pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions nearly in half by 2030
President Biden will announce Thursday that the United States intends to cut planet-warming emissions nearly in half by the end of the decade, a target that would require Americans to transform the way they drive, heat their homes and manufacture goods. (NY Times)

Trump administration sidelined experts in writing car pollution rules, EPA watchdog finds
The Trump administration sidelined career staffers at the Environmental Protection Agency when weakening pollution rules for new passenger vehicles, according to a federal watchdog report. The EPA’s inspector general found top political leaders at the agency failed to properly document and consider the concerns of staff experts while unwinding standards for tailpipe emissions set under President Barack Obama. Dino Grandoni reports. (Washington Post)

Officials give notice to Shell refinery on emissions release
The Northwest Clean Air Agency issued Tuesday a violation notice against the Shell Puget Sound Refinery for the release of emissions in August and September. The refinery, on March Point near Anacortes, may face a financial penalty because of the incidents, which impacted the surrounding community including the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, the Skagit Valley Herald reported. (Associated Press)

Early start to Washington’s wildfire season has officials worried
The state Department of Natural Resources responded to 91 fires last week and is gearing up for what could be a bad season with a temporary burn ban on state lands in some parts of Western Washington and the Puget Sound area. The temporary burn restrictions on DNR-protected lands have extended to South Puget Sound in addition to the Northeast, Northwest and Pacific Cascade region, the agency said. Christine Clarridge reports. (Seattle Times)

Why We Should Stop Calling it the Salish Sea
The Salish Sea is a misnomer.  The geographic term was put forward in 1988 by Bellingham marine biologist Ben Webber who, to focus popular attention on environmental issues confronting the region, believed that a single name would be more effective than having to separately identify the Georgia Strait, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and Puget Sound (which extends southward from Port Townsend).  The idea is sound; the use of the term is not. David Buerge writes. (Post Alley)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  253 AM PDT Wed Apr 21 2021  
TODAY  Light wind becoming NW 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 6 ft at 10 seconds. Areas of fog in  the morning. 
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming SW to 10 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 5 ft at 9 seconds. Patchy  fog after midnight.

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