Australian bushfires may have helped trigger La Nina

AFP
Issued on: 10/05/2023 - 

The research found the Australian bushfires of 2019 and 2020 pumped out emissions on a scale similar to major volcanic eruptions © PETER PARKS / AFP

Sydney (AFP) – Australia's "Black Summer" bushfire catastrophe coughed up so much smoke it may have fuelled the global onset of La Nina in 2020, according to new research published Thursday.

The report, in peer-reviewed journal Science Advances, said the bushfires were "exceptional" in their severity -- pumping out emissions on a scale similar to major volcanic eruptions.

It suggested this led to the formation of vast banks of cloud over the southeastern Pacific Ocean, which soaked up radiation from the sun and led to the cooling of surface water temperatures.

These disruptions could have helped trigger the start of an unusually long La Nina weather pattern, the researchers found.

The "Black Summer" bushfires raged across Australia's eastern seaboard from late 2019 to early 2020, razing swathes of forest, killing millions of animals, and blanketing cities in noxious smoke.

A rare "triple-dip" La Nina shaped global weather patterns between September 2020 and March 2023, whipping up a series of devastating tropical cyclones while exacerbating droughts in other parts of the planet.

Researchers John Fasullo and Nan Rosenbloom, from the National Center for Atmospheric Research in the United States, used modelling to demonstrate how emissions from the bushfires could shift weather patterns.

Bushfire smoke is laden with particles that act as "condensation nuclei", which attract water molecules in the atmosphere, seeding the formation of clouds.
Atmospheric impact

This blanket of cloud could cause "widespread surface cooling" in the tropical Pacific Ocean, the modelling showed, which is one of the key ingredients for the start of La Nina.

"The results here suggest a potential connection between this emergence of cool conditions in the eastern Pacific Ocean and the climate response to the Australian wildfire emissions," the paper stated.

Australian climate scientist Tom Mortlock said the bushfires caused clouds to form in a part of the Pacific that plays a crucial role in global climate regulation.

"The southeast corner of the Pacific is a really sensitive and important area for what goes on with El Nino and La Nina," he told AFP.

"Often we see the first signs of an El Nino or La Nina forming in that part of the ocean."

Pete Strutton, from the Australian Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes, said it demonstrated the sheer scale of the bushfires.

"We've got an event that happened on the land in southeast Australia, which is having an impact on the atmosphere," he told AFP.

A separate team of British researchers last year found that the "Black Summer" bushfires spewed millions of tonnes of emissions into the atmosphere, likely aggravating the Antarctic ozone hole.

Global weather patterns oscillate between cooling La Nina and warming El Nino cycles -- with neutral conditions in between.

 Cake toss and heckling at VW shareholders’ meeting 

Human rights groups and climate activists disrupted Volkswagen’s shareholders’ meeting and at times sparked riots. Representatives of a group shouted during the CEO’s speech Oliver Blume slogans and held up banners. A poster read: “End Uyghur forced labor at VW”.

A person tried to throw a cake at the supervisory board member Wolfgang Porsche, who was celebrating his 80th birthday on Wednesday, during the annual general meeting. The cousin of the company patriarch Ferdinand Piech, who died in 2019, is the head of the supervisory board of the family holding Porsche SE, which holds the majority in Volkswagen.

The demonstrators were led by employees of a security service from the hall in Berlin’s City-Cube, where the shareholders’ meeting took place. Chairman of the Board Hans Dieter Poetsch asked the protesters several times to refrain from disruption. He was initially shocked when the cake was thrown at Porsche, but then continued his introductory speech at the beginning of the general meeting, outwardly unimpressed. CEO Oliver Blume, who faced the shareholders at the general meeting, did not respond to the demonstrators’ demands either.

“Last Generation” and “Scientist Rebellion”

In a statement, the carmaker reacted angrily to the massive disruption to its annual general meeting. Peaceful protests are a democratic means of freedom of expression. The damage to someone else’s property and the interference with the rights of others as well as the possible risk to the health of those involved are in contradiction to this. At the same time, Volkswagen renewed its willingness to engage in constructive dialogue with its critics. Wolfsburg shareholders’ meetings have repeatedly been the target of protests in recent years. The disturbances were rarely as severe as this time.

There were also protests in front of the City Cube. The police prevented the attempt by representatives of the group “Scientist Rebellion” to stick themselves on the square in front of the venue in Berlin’s Westend. In a leaflet, the initiative accused the Wolfsburg-based group of selling “too many cars”. The emissions of the climate poison CO2 by the transport sector have reached a threatening level. VW could make a positive contribution to the traffic turnaround by switching production to trains and rail infrastructure. Representatives of the “Last Generation” group, which is known for numerous sticking actions on the streets, blocked traffic to the place of the shareholders’ meeting.

Representatives of the Uyghur minority in China also protested there. The action, organized by the World Uyghur Congress, displayed banners accusing the Chinese government of human rights abuses. The umbrella organization of critical shareholders has taken up the issue and submitted a motion against the discharge of the VW board. Volkswagen operates a plant in the Chinese Uighur province of Xinjiang, which has been accused of crimes against humanity. The group has repeatedly stated that it is not involved in human rights violations.

Blume, who replaced Herbert Diess at the top of the group last September, explained his strategy for the next few years to the shareholders. Because of the protests, however, the statements took a back seat. Criticism from shareholder representatives focused, among other things, on the low valuation of Volkswagen on the stock exchange and Blume’s dual role as head of the listed sports car manufacturer Porsche AG.

Activists, investors call out Volkswagen on China record

Victoria Waldersee and Jan Schwartz
Wed, May 10, 2023 


Human rights activists interrupt VW shareholder meeting

*

Investors demand independent audit on Xinjiang plant

*

Shareholders raise concerns over competition from BYD, Tesla

*

Chief Executive Blume defends China strategy


BERLIN, May 10 (Reuters) - Activists lashed out at Volkswagen at a shareholder meeting on Wednesday over the carmaker's controversial plant in Xinjiang, reflecting similar investor concerns over claims of human rights abuses in the region.

Investors also reiterated their longstanding critique of Oliver Blume's dual role as head of both Volkswagen and Porsche , and the low valuation of Volkswagen stock, which has been in freefall for the past two years with no respite from the listing of Porsche last September.

Chief Executive Oliver Blume acknowledged the fast pace of China's electrification, and outlined Volkswagen's strategy to hold on to its position as market leader - tailoring products to Chinese tastes and building local partnerships.

He did not mention the company's Xinjiang plant in China, a joint venture with SAIC Motor, which has become a sore point for human rights activists as well as some shareholders, including top-20 investors Deka Investment and Union Investment.

Both urged the carmaker to require of SAIC that it conducts an external independent audit of the plant in Xinjiang, where rights groups have documented human rights abuses, including mass internment camps which China denies.

"Volkswagen must be certain that its supply chains are clean," said Ingo Speich, head of sustainability and corporate governance at Deka.

About ten activists, including one topless woman with 'Dirty Money' painted on her back, interrupted executives' speeches, shouting that the carmaker's vehicles were built with forced labour and waving banners that read: 'End Uyghur Forced Labour'.

One threw a cake at Wolfgang Porsche, chairman of Porsche SE, but missed, with crumbs flying in the direction of Volkswagen supervisory board Chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch who was speaking at the podium.

All activists were rapidly escorted out by security staff.

"A constructive dialogue is important. And a general meeting offers a good opportunity for this. With the exception of a few people, everyone follows the designated guidelines," a Volkswagen spokesperson said.

Haiyuer Kuerban, a Uyghur activist and representative of non-government organisation World Uyghur Congress, is due to speak in the name of the Dachverband Kritische Aktionaere (Umbrella Organisation for Critical Shareholders).

Volkswagen's China chief visited the plant in Xinjiang earlier this year and said he saw no evidence of forced labour.

Yet, rights groups have said heavy pressure from the state makes it difficult to trust that employees can speak openly, and pointed to reports in Chinese media that the carmaker's suppliers across China source from the Xinjiang region.

Activists from the 'Last Generation' climate group also glued themselves to roads leading to the location of the shareholder meeting in Berlin and protested outside the entrance.

Shareholders flagged rising competition from Chinese EV competitors in China, with BYD outselling Volkswagen as the top passenger car brand earlier this year.

Chinese EV makers, as well as Tesla, threaten not only to weigh on Volkswagen's market share in China but also in Europe, the shareholders warned, asking for clarity on how Volkswagen will defend its position. (Reporting by Victoria Waldersee and Jan Schwartz; Writing by Christoph Steitz; Editing by Bernadette Baum)

Topless protester briefly disrupts VW annual meeting

Volkswagen’s annual shareholder meeting has been briefly disrupted by protests over the company’s factory in China’s Xinjiang province

AP


Climate activists are taken out of the venue of the annual shareholders' meeting of the Volkswagen AG in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, May 10, 2023.

Climate activists hold a protest banner outside the annual shareholders' meeting of the Volkswagen AG in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. Slogan reads: 'Shareholders' for more Climate Crises, Labour Camps, Emissions Scandals'.
Britta Pedersen - foreign subscriber, DPA

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Volkswagen's annual shareholder meeting was briefly disrupted Wednesday by protests over the company's factory in China's Xinjiang province, with a shouting, topless activist interrupting the speech by CEO Oliver Blume before she was hustled away by security personnel.

Additionally a cake-like object was thrown during a speech by board chairman Hans-Dieter Poetsch, apparently in the direction of board member Wolfgang Porsche, who represents his family's shareholding in the company, the dpa agency reported.

Photos showed a white, gooey substance resembling pastry stuck to the front of the podium behind which Porsche was sitting.

Volkswagen has said that it has found no evidence of human rights violations at its plant in China's western Xinjiang region. The Chinese government has been accused of human rights abuses against the Muslim Uyghur population in the region, including forced labor in detention camps. The U.S. State Department has described China's actions in the region as genocide.

Police also stopped an attempt by climate protesters to glue themselves to the ground on the square outside the meeting.

The shareholder meeting in Berlin resumed after a brief intermission.

Volkswagen Defends China Record At Turbulent Shareholder Meeting

BY REUTERS
MAY 10, 2023

Volkswagen AG Annual Shareholders Meeting

BERLIN (Reuters) -Volkswagen defended its record in China and its decision to jointly own a plant in the Xinjiang region after activists and investors lashed out at the carmaker at a volatile annual general shareholder meeting on Wednesday.

About ten activists, including one topless woman with ‘Dirty Money’ painted on her back, interrupted executives’ speeches, shouting that the carmaker’s vehicles were built with forced labour and waving banners that read: ‘End Uyghur Forced Labour’.

The United Nations said last year that China’s “arbitrary and discriminatory detention” of Uyghurs and other Muslims in its Xinjiang region may constitute crimes against humanity. Rights groups have documented abuses including mass forced labour in detention camps which China has denied.

Investors called on Volkswagen to request its joint venture partner SAIC seeks an independent external audit of the Xinjiang plant. “Volkswagen must be certain that its supply chains are clean,” said Ingo Speich, head of sustainability and corporate governance at Deka, a top-20 Volkswagen shareholder.

China chief Ralf Brandstaetter said: “We do not see any evidence of human rights abuses at the plant,” adding that the carmaker was not able to implement an audit without agreement from SAIC.

Brandstaetter visited the plant earlier this year and said on Wednesday: “I have no reason to doubt my impressions or the information available to me.”

Still, activists including Haiyuer Kuerban of the World Uyhur Congress highlighted the reports of mass internment camps and links between Volkswagen suppliers and companies with a presence there, as well as the difficulty for locals to speak openly given the state’s restrictions on free speech.

Investors also raised fears that Volkswagen was falling behind in China’s increasingly competitive electric vehicle market, with BYD outselling Volkswagen as the top passenger car brand earlier this year.

Chief Executive Oliver Blume acknowledged the fast pace of China’s electrification, and outlined Volkswagen’s strategy to hold on to its position as market leader – tailoring products to Chinese tastes and building local partnerships.

CEO DEFENDS DUAL ROLE

Some investors reiterated their longstanding criticism of Oliver Blume’s dual role as head of both Volkswagen and Porsche, and the low valuation of Volkswagen stock, which has been in freefall for the past two years with no respite since the listing of Porsche last September.

Blume said he saw “high added value” in running both companies. The chief executive also said the carmaker had a clear plan to increase its capital market valuation which will be presented at a capital markets day in June.

Meanwhile, activists from the ‘Last Generation’ climate group glued themselves to roads leading to the location of the shareholder meeting in Berlin on Wednesday and protested outside the entrance.

One activist, whose affiliation was unclear, threw a cake at Wolfgang Porsche, chairman of Porsche SE, sending bits flying in the direction of Volkswagen supervisory board Chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch as he was speaking at the podium.

All of the activists were rapidly escorted out of the meeting by security staff.

“A constructive dialogue is important. And a general meeting offers a good opportunity for this. With the exception of a few people, everyone follows the designated guidelines,” a Volkswagen spokesperson said.

(Reporting by Victoria Waldersee and Jan Schwartz; Writing by Christoph Steitz; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Elaine Hardcastle)

Germany proposes rules to ease legal changes of gender

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER

AP

today

Brandenburg Gate in Berlin is illuminated in rainbow colors, Sunday, June 26, 2022. The German government on Tuesday presented a proposal for a law that will make it easier for transgender people to legally change their name and gender, ending decades-old rules that require them to get expert assessments and a court’s authorization.

(Annette Riedl/dpa via AP, File)

BERLIN (AP) — The German government on Tuesday presented a proposal for a law that will make it easier for people to legally change their name and gender, ending decades-old rules that require them to get expert assessments and a court’s authorization.

Under the planned “self-determination law,” adults would be able to change their first name and legal gender at registry offices without further formalities.

“We have taken another big step forward with the self-determination act and with it also in the protection against discrimination and the rights of transgender, intersex and nonbinary people,” Germany’s minister for families, Lisa Paus, said.

“This way we can give back some of the dignity to those who have been deprived of it for decades,” she added.

The existing “transsexual law,” which took effect in 1981, currently requires individuals to obtain assessments from two experts — such as physicians — whose training and experience make them “sufficiently familiar with the particular problems of transsexualism” and then a court decision to change the gender on official documents.

Over the years, Germany’s top court has struck down other provisions that required transgender people to get divorced and sterilized, and to undergo gender-transition surgery.

“Transgender people have been affected by discrimination and undignified treatment for far too long — we will finally put this condition behind us,” said Justice Minister Marco Buschmann, who presented the proposal together with the family minister.

The new government proposal declares that for children under the age of 14, legal guardians have to submit the declaration of change, while teenagers aged 14 and older should be able to submit the declaration of change themselves — but it should include the support of their custodians.

Germany’s government isn’t the only one trying to make gender changes easier in Europe.

Spain passed a law earlier this year that allows people over 16 years of age to change their legally registered gender without any medical supervision.

Minors between 12-13 years old need a judge’s authorization to change, while those between 14 and 16 must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.

On Tuesday, Spain’s Constitutional Court said it will consider a legal challenge lodged by the far-right Vox party against the new law.

In Scotland, First Minister Humza Yousaf said last month he will challenge the British government over its decision to block a law that makes it easier for people to change their gender on official documents.

The passage of Scotland’s bill in December was hailed by transgender rights activists but vetoed by the British government, which argued it could undermine U.K.-wide equality legislation that guarantees women and girls access to single-sex spaces such as changing rooms and shelters.

The bill would allow people aged 16 or older in Scotland to change the gender designation on identity documents by self-declaration, removing the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria. It would also speed up legal recognition of the change from two years to three months for adults and to six months for people aged 16 and 17.

Trans minors protected from parents under Washington law

By ED KOMENDA

yesterday

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signs bills at the Washington State Capitol, Tuesday, May 9, 2023, in Olympia, Wash. One of those bills was Senate Bill 5599, which was designed to protect young people seeking reproductive health services or gender-affirming care.

 (AP Photo/Ed Komenda)

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Minors seeking gender-affirming care in Washington will be protected from the intervention of estranged parents under a measure Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law Tuesday.

The new law is part of a wave of legislation this year in Democratic-led states intended to give refuge amid a conservative movement in which lawmakers in other states have attacked transgender rights and limited or banned gender-affirming care for minors.

Licensed shelters and host homes in Washington had generally been required to notify parents within 72 hours when a minor came into their care. Under the new law, facilities can instead contact the state Department of Children, Youth and Families, which could then attempt to reunify the family if feasible. Youths will also be allowed to stay at host homes — private, volunteer homes that temporarily house young people without parental permission.

“With this bill, Washington leads the way by taking a more compassionate, developmentally appropriate, and reasoned approach to support these youth as they access gender-affirming treatment and reproductive health care services,” Inslee said shortly before signing the measure.

More than a half-dozen states, from New Jersey to Vermont to Colorado, have passed or are considering similar bills or executive orders around transgender health care, civil rights and other legal protections. In Michigan, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in March signed a bill outlawing discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation for the first time in her state.

Oregon lawmakers are expected to pass a bill that would further expand insurance coverage for gender-affirming care to include things like facial hair removal and Adam’s apple reduction surgery, procedures currently considered cosmetic by insurers but seen as critical to the mental health of transitioning women.

Shield protections have been enacted this year in Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey and New Mexico. California, Massachusetts and Connecticut passed their own measures last year, largely barring authorities from complying with subpoenas, arrest warrants or extradition requests from states that have banned gender-affirming treatments.

Protections in blue states are being baked into law as Republican-led states take steps to bar access to gender-affirming care for transgender minors, which for people under 18 typically involves puberty blockers or other hormone treatments. Restrictions have gone into effect in eight states this year — including conservative Utah and South Dakota — and are slated to in at least nine more by next year.

Those who oppose gender-affirming care raise fears about the long-term effects treatments have on teens, argue research is limited and focus particularly on irreversible procedures such as genital surgery or mastectomies.

Yet those operations are rarely performed on minors. Doctors typically guide kids toward therapy or voice coaching long before medical intervention. Puberty blockers, anti-androgens that block the effects of testosterone, and hormone treatments are far more common than surgery. They have been available in the U.S. for more than a decade and are standard treatments backed by major doctors’ organizations, including the American Medical Association.

In Washington, local Republican lawmakers have spent weeks railing against the legislation signed into law Tuesday. Senate GOP leader John Braun said in March that it would drive “a wedge between vulnerable kids and their parents.” Online, some users have twisted the content of the measure to suggest it will see the state ripping children from their homes.

But those claims misrepresented the legislation, which is intended to keep estranged young people housed, according to experts and the lawmaker sponsoring the bill. The bill does not address custody and would not result in the state taking children away from their homes and parents.

The Washington legislation requires the state Department of Children, Youth and Families to make a “good faith attempt” to notify parents after they are contacted by shelters or host homes and offer services designed to “resolve the conflict and accomplish a reunification of the family,” according to the bill text. Family reunification efforts would be pursued when possible, according to Washington state Sen. Marko Liias, a Democrat who was the bill’s primary sponsor.

“The law is going to have a positive impact for youth around the state who need housing and stability at a really difficult moment,” Liias said.

Spanish Civil Guard raid illegal wells amid drought

By JENNIFER O'MAHONY

AP

yesterday

 A pond is filled with water from the Arteson river and used by local olive farmers in the southern town of Quesada, Andalusia, a rural community in the heartland of Spain's olive country, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022. Spain's Civil Guard said Friday, May 5, 2023, it had arrested 26 people in raids on illegal wells in the Andalusia region, as part of a widening crackdown on unauthorized water use amid a prolonged drought. Spain's central government is urging increasingly strict rules on water use in Andalusia, the world's most important region for olive oil production and a key source of fruits and vegetables for the European export market. 

(AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s Civil Guard said Tuesday it had arrested 26 people in raids on illegal wells in the Andalusia region, as part of a widening crackdown on unauthorized water use amid a prolonged drought.

The Civil Guard’s environmental crimes division said it had identified 250 infractions by fruit farmers including illegal wells and boreholes in the Axarquia area, east of the coastal city of Malaga. It estimated the damage to public water infrastructure at 10 million euros ($10.95 million).

Spain’s central government is urging increasingly strict rules on water use in Andalusia, the world’s most important region for olive oil production and a key source of fruits and vegetables for the European export market.

Record-breaking April temperatures in Andalusia have coupled with a chronic lack of rainfall. Water reservoirs in the Guadalquivir river basin, which runs through the territory, are only about a quarter full, at 27.95%, even before summer has begun. Farmers in the region have had their water allowance for irrigation cut by up to 90% in some cases.

The situation in the vast agricultural heartland and in northeastern Catalonia means that Spain’s total water reserves nationally have dipped to 48.9%.

April was also Spain’s driest ever. Currently, 27% of Spanish territory is in either the drought “emergency” or “alert” category. Farmers across the Western Mediterranean have warned that crop failures are likely.

Water resources in Spain have meanwhile become increasingly politicized ahead of May 28 local elections. The left-wing central government has criticized Andalusia’s right-wing regional administration for attempting to declare an amnesty for illegal wells around the region’s Doñana wetlands, in contravention of European Union law.

Meanwhile, the far-right in Spain has used social media to perpetrate disinformation about a government official falsely ordering reservoirs to be emptied.

Half of US West out of drought, but not fully recovered

By BRITTANY PETERSON

AP

yesterday

1 of 7
 A bathtub ring shows where the water mark on Lake Mead once was along the boarder of Nevada and Arizona, March 6, 2023, near Boulder City, Nev. Nearly half of the U.S. West has emerged from drought, but intense water challenges persist, scientists said Tuesday, May 9. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

DENVER (AP) — Nearly half of the U.S. West has emerged from drought this spring, but the welcome wet conditions haven’t entirely replenished the region, scientists said Tuesday.

Hydrologists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said deep snowpack across much of the West will bring short-term relief, but the equally deep “bathtub rings” at Lake Powell and Lake Mead reservoirs are a reminder of the long road to bringing supply and demand in balance.

This winter brought bountiful and persistent snow from the Sierra Nevada to the Rocky Mountains, stranding residents in their homes while setting accumulation records and pulling a large swath of the region out of drought. The quantity of precipitation is impressive, but the fact that snow stuck around this late in the season is perhaps more rare, said Joseph Casola, NOAA’s western regional climate services director.


“With climate warming, the odds for such a long-lived anomaly of cold over a large area like the West — the odds for that just go down and down,” Casola said.

A continued slow melt helps reduce danger of flooding and delays the onset of the worst wildfire danger in the region. Meanwhile, all that rain and snow means California can provide 100% of the water requested by cities and farms for the first time in years, and is flooding farmland with surplus runoff to replenish precious groundwater.

The big question is how much relief this winter’s snow will bring to the Colorado River, which has been depleted by climate change, rising demand and overuse.

A May 1 forecast by the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center said up to 11 million acre-feet of water, or 172% of average, could flow into Lake Powell, a massive reservoir that stores Colorado River water for Arizona, Nevada, California, Mexico and dozens of tribes. That amount could be less depending on how much water the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation spreads among upstream reservoirs.

According to the Bureau’s 24-month operating plan, Lake Powell could rise to around 3,590 feet by mid-summer, up 60 feet from its current state. That’s a level that hasn’t been seen since 2020.

The robust winter takes some pressure off the system and gives states a bit more room to reach an agreement on how to implement water cuts, said Jennifer Pitt of the National Audubon Society, who is working to restore rivers throughout the basin.

As Lake Powell and Lake Mead hit record low levels last summer, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation told states they would need to cut their water use by 15% to 30%. Those cuts are still being negotiated, while federal officials consider holding back more water at the major dams.

“If everybody plays a part in solving the problem and we don’t place the problem entirely on any one user or one sector or one geography, then by spreading the pain, maybe it hurts a little less all the way around,” Pitt said. ___

The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment

Court: EPA must regulate perchlorate, contaminant in water

A maximum contaminant level has not been set, while a guidance value of 6 ppb has been suggested by Health Canada. 

AP

yesterday

A sign is posted outside a water well indicates perchlorate contamination at a site in Rialto, Calif. 

 (AP Photo/Ric Francis, File)

A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the Environmental Protection Agency must regulate perchlorate, reversing a Trump-era rollback on a drinking water contaminant linked to brain damage in infants.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled unanimously in an appeal brought by the Natural Resources Defense Council last year after the EPA, under the Biden administration, stood by the rollback. Two judges wrote that the EPA had no authority to withdraw from a 2011 determination that perchlorate should be regulated.

Circuit Judge Florence Pan, in a concurring opinion, went further. She called the EPA’s decision not to regulate perchlorate “arbitrary” and “capricious” and rejected the agency’s assertion that perchlorate was occurring at lower levels than previously thought. That assertion relied on a ”biased dataset that was selectively updated,” wrote Pan, who was appointed by President Joe Biden last year

The EPA announced in 2020 it wouldn’t regulate perchlorate. The agency said the decision was based on the “best available peer-reviewed science.” It was one of several rollbacks or eliminations of public health or environmental protections under the Trump administration — many later overturned by courts or undone following reviews by the Biden administration.

The perchlorate decision was among those that Biden ordered reviewed at the start of his term. But the EPA stood by it last year, with Assistant Administrator Radhika Fox saying the agency was “applying the right tools to support public health protections.”

That prompted the NRDC’s appeal. Erik D. Olson, NRDC’s senior strategic director for health, called Tuesday’s ruling “about time.”

“The court ruled that EPA must regulate perchlorate-contaminated drinking water because the agency had found that it poses a health risk to millions of Americans,” Olson said. “After more than a decade of delay and litigation, EPA now must issue a drinking water standard for this widespread and dangerous contaminant.

An EPA spokesman said the agency was reviewing the decision. The American Chemistry Council, an intervenor on behalf of the EPA, declined immediate comment. Western Growers, another intervenor, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Perchlorate has been used in the U.S. for decades, particularly by the military and defense industries. It’s commonly found in munitions, fireworks, matches and signal flares. Perchlorate from runoff contaminates the drinking water of as many as 16 million Americans, the Obama administration said in 2011 when it announced EPA would for the first time set maximum limits.

Exposure to the compound can damage the development of fetuses and children and cause measurable drops in IQ in newborns, the American Academy of Pediatrics said in 2019, when it called for stringent federal limits. Perchlorate damages human development by disrupting thyroid gland functioning.

In its 2020 review, the EPA said state-level regulations and cleanup activities at contaminated sites had lowered the health risks posed by the compound. But the NRDC argued that not all states had set safe limits, and perchlorate was one of the most problematic chemicals in drinking water.

___

Associated Press writer Suman Naishadham contributed.

___

The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment

$3.4M fine proposed over 2021 California oil pipeline leak

AP
today

 Workers in protective suits clean the contaminated beach in Corona Del Mar after an oil spill in Newport Beach, Calif., Oct. 7, 2021. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is proposing a nearly $3.4 million fine for Amplify Energy Corp over the oil pipeline spill that fouled Southern California beaches.

(AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An energy company should be fined nearly $3.4 million for safety violations involving a 2021 oil pipeline spill that fouled Southern California beaches, a federal regulator said.

Amplify Energy Corp. ignored 83 alarms indicating the offshore pipeline had leaked and failed to notify federal authorities or shut down the pipeline to San Pedro Bay until 17 hours after the first alarms, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said in a letter proposing the fine that was sent April 6 to the company’s president.

An email to the Houston-based firm seeking comment wasn’t immediately returned Tuesday.

The pipeline carries oil to shore from platforms in San Pedro Bay, near the Los Angeles and Long Beach harbors.

The October 2021 spill of 25,000 gallons (94,600 liters) of crude oil created a miles-wide sheen in the ocean and sent blobs of crude ashore, primarily affecting the cities of Huntington Beach and Newport Beach. It further shuttered beaches for a week and fisheries for more than a month, oiled birds and threatened area wetlands.

Amplify Energy said the spill was linked to damage from two ships it accused of dragging anchors and striking the pipeline during a January 2021 storm. It reached an $85 million settlement with the vessel companies.

Southern California fishermen, tourism companies and property owners sued Amplify and the shipping vessels seeking compensation for their losses. Amplify agreed to pay $50 million and the vessel companies agreed to pay $45 million to settle those lawsuits.

Amplify also reached a plea deal with federal authorities for negligently discharging crude.

The company announced last month that it received approval from federal regulatory agencies to restart the pipeline.

 

This still image from video taken Oct. 4, 2021, and provided by the U.S. Coast Guard shows an underwater pipeline that spilled tens of thousands of gallons of oil off the coast of Orange County, Calif.

 The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is proposing a nearly $3.4 million fine for Amplify Energy Corp over the oil pipeline spill that fouled Southern California beaches. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP, File)

WAY BACK IN TIME MACHINE

James Webb Telescope unveils complex rings around young star

By Patrick Hilsman

Researchers using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have discovered multiple debris rings within a previously discovered ring around the young star Fomalhaut. Photo Courtesy of NASA

May 9 (UPI) -- Researchers using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope observed multiple debris rings surrounding a young star.

The James Webb Telescope's Mid-Infrared Instrument, which is designed to capture very long wavelengths of light, found three nested belts surrounding the Fomalhaut star, out to a distance of up to 14 billion miles, NASA said Monday.

Observations by NASA's Infrared Astronomical Satellite first discovered Fomalhuat's dust ring, the first asteroid belt seen outside of our solar system in 1983 with Webb, the Hubble Space Telescope and the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array capturing more detailed images of the outside of the belt.

The latest infrared imagery revealed its inner belts for the first time.

"I would describe Fomalhaut as the archetype of debris disks found elsewhere in our galaxy because it has components similar to those we have in our own planetary system" said study lead author Andras Gaspar of the University of Arizona. "By looking at the patterns in these rings, we can actually start to make a little sketch of what a planetary system ought to look like -- If we could actually take a deep enough picture to see the suspected plants."

Researchers believe the belts are partially shaped by the gravitational pull of planets that cannot yet be observed. The James Webb Space Telescope was able to observe the inner belts around the star by observing infrared light.

"I think it's not a very big leap to say there's probably a really interesting planetary system around the star," said team member Schuyler Wolff.

Possible meteorite crashes into New Jersey home, no injuries
yesterday


This image provided by Hopewell Township Police Department shows a metallic object believed to be a meteorite that struck the roof a residence in Hopewell Township, N.J. Hopewell Township police said the 4- by-6-inch, oblong-shaped object struck the ranch-style home on Monday, May 8, 2023 and eventually came to rest on a floor. It's estimated to weigh about four pounds. 

(Hopewell Township Police Department via AP)

HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — A metallic object believed to be a meteorite punched a hole in the roof of a central New Jersey home this week, smashing into a hardwood floor and bouncing around a bedroom. The family who owns the home discovered the black, potato-sized rock in a corner — still warm.

Nobody was hurt and there was no serious damage to the residence, said police in Hopewell Township, north of the state capital Trenton. The object measures about 4 by 6 inches (10 by 15 centimeters) and weighs about four pounds (1.8 kilograms), police said.

Suzy Kop, whose family owns the home, said they initially thought someone had thrown a rock into an upstairs bedroom Monday, but soon realized that wasn’t the case. The family plans to meet with an astrophysicist who will further examine the object.

“We are thinking it’s a meteorite, came through here, hit the floor here because that’s completely damaged, it ricocheted up to this part of the ceiling and then finally rested on the floor there,” Kop told KYW-TV in Philadelphia. “I did touch the thing because I thought it was a random rock, I don’t know, and it was warm.”

Kop said hazmat officials responded to their home to check it out along with her family, in case they had been exposed to some type of radioactive material, but those checks were all negative.

Likely meteorite crashes through New Jersey home

By Brian Lada, Accuweather.com

A photo of the suspected meteorite that hit a home in New Jersey on May 8, 2023. Photo courtesy Hopewell Township Police Department/Facebook

The week started with a bang for a homeowner in New Jersey after a likely meteorite blasted a hole through a house early Monday afternoon.

A metallic rock fell out of the sky and hit a house in Hopewell Township, N.J., located approximately 10 miles north of Trenton. The Hopewell Township Police Department responded to the incident and confirmed that the oblong-shaped rock damaged the building.

"It penetrated the roof, the ceiling and then impacted the hardwood floor before coming to a rest," the police department said. No one was injured during the incident.

An investigation is underway to identify the rock and to determine if it is indeed from space. Scientists will closely examine the rock, which appears to have a charred exterior and measures approximately 4 inches by 6 inches.

The Hopewell Township Police Department said that the meteorite could be related to the recent peak of the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, but it is still unclear if the two events are related.



Smaller space rocks typically burn up and disintegrate when entering Earth's atmosphere, but larger rocks can make it to the surface of the planet. Space rocks that reach the surface of the Earth are called meteorites.

Contrary to popular belief, many meteorites that hit the ground are not hot enough to start a fire. According to the American Meteor Society, meteors like the one that fell in New Jersey may be warm when they hit the Earth, but "probably reach the ground at only slightly above ambient temperature."

Although it's extremely rare for a meteorite to hit a house, there have been several notable incidents in the past.

On Oct. 3, 2021, a softball-sized meteorite crashed through a house in British Columbia, Canada, landing in a bed just inches away from a woman who wasing.

One of the most famous meteorite crashes in recent U.S. history took place on Oct. 9, 1992, when a 26-pound space rock hit a car parked in a driveway in Peekskill, New York, just north of New York City. The vehicle became world famous and was on display in several museums, including France's National Museum of Natural History.

Underwater heat waves could be reshaping weather around the world

By Brian Lada, Accuweather.com

Underwater heat waves occur when water temperatures in parts of the ocean are well above historical averages. 

Photo courtesy of NASA | License Photo

A marine heat wave is unfolding on a global scale that is setting records that have stood for decades, and forecasters say it could get worse in the coming months as El Niño takes hold in the Pacific Ocean.

Underwater heat waves occur when water temperatures in parts of the ocean are well above historical averages. Alone, these events are not uncommon, but the nature of multiple, widespread events across the world's oceans is alarming to scientists.

"April was the warmest ocean average temperature on record, beating out was previously a record in the 2016 El Niño event," Robert Rohde told AccuWeather national reporter Bill Wadell. "So even though we don't have an El Niño yet, all of this put together is adding up to the warmest ocean period we've seen on record."

Rohde is a lead scientist at Berkeley Earth near Oakland, Calif., and has been analyzing the ocean temperature around the world. He added that the warming isn't just in the Pacific Ocean, where El Niño is starting to develop but "all over the place."

Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show that the most pronounced marine heat wave is unfolding off the coast of South America near Peru, but there are also noticeable events in the eastern Atlantic, north-central Pacific, southwestern Pacific and Indian oceans.

And the water will get hotter with the looming El Niño.

"All of this is coming together more rapidly and more strongly than I expected, which suggests we could be on pace for quite a strong El Niño event," Rohde said. "That would have follow-up effects all around the world as it changes precipitation patterns, in some places leading to drought, some places leading to flood, some places will be more prone to heat waves."

A map of sea surface temperatures across the world. Yellow, orange and red represent areas where water is warmer than historical averages, and blue represents areas where water is cooler than historical averages. Graphic courtesy of NOAA

El Niño is strictly related to water temperatures near the equator in the eastern Pacific Ocean. In April, NOAA issued an El Niño watch, saying there is a 62% chance of the phenomenon developing in the next two months.

The warmer waters in the Pacific Ocean associated with El Niño can reshape weather patterns across the globe for months at a time. AccuWeather's team of long-range meteorologists says the effects may start to unfold this summer.

One of the ongoing underwater heat waves contributed to record temperatures in Spain at the end of April.

AccuWeather senior meteorologist Paul Pastelok said the combination of cool waters south of Greenland and warm waters off the coast of Europe and Africa enhanced the weather pattern that led to unprecedented heat in Spain.

On April 27, the temperature topped out at 101.8 degrees Fahrenheit in Córdoba, Spain, located in the southern tier of the country. This broke the previous all-time April temperature record for Europe, which was 101.5 F set in Elche, Spain, in 2011.

In the United States, Pastelok said ocean temperatures have had "a great contribution" to weather patterns dating back to the end of autumn, including the prolific rainfall and snow in California.

More recently, the unusually warm waters have amplified the severe weather risks.

"Water temperatures are running way above the historical average in the Gulf of Mexico," Pastelok said. "We've seen that have a major influence on our severe weather outlook and a dangerous one, especially in the Mississippi and Tennessee Valley."

The warmer water has provided an influx of moisture that has helped to fuel severe thunderstorms over the southeastern United States, contributing to a record number of tornadoes during the first three months of 2023. One deadly tornado outbreak that unfolded on March 31 into April 1 spawned 80 twisters across 10 states.

Tornado reports from March 31 into April 1.

The marine heat wave in the Gulf of Mexico could continue to influence the weather into the upcoming hurricane season.

"The overall weather pattern combined with the warm waters could spin up a tropical system in late May or shortly after the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season on June 1," Pastelok said. He added that the tropical activity could really ramp up later in the summer as tropical waves coming across Africa track over the areas of the Atlantic experiencing a marine heat wave.

Marine heat waves alone are common occurrences, but the latest data suggests that more could be happening on a global scale. Pastelok said that what has been observed as of late could be a combination of natural variability in weather cycles and a warming atmosphere.

"The cycles that we look at are changing," he said. "They're not acting like they did in the 1950s or 1930s."

Rohde echoed Pastelok's thoughts.

"Natural variability has always been there, and it always will be there," Rohde said. "With the warming temperatures in the ocean, we're going to have variations in weather that we're not used to or we're gonna be pushing the envelope beyond what has been normal in the past."Additional reporting by AccuWeather national reporter Bill Wadell.

FDA panel to weigh approval of over-the-counter birth control pill

By Denise Mann, HealthDay News

A U.S. Food Drug Administration advisory panel is set to meet this week to consider whether to recommend approval of Opill, a daily progestin-only birth control pill, to be sold over the counter in the United States. 

Photo by AppleZoomZoom/Shutterstock

As a U.S. Food Drug Administration advisory panel prepares to weigh whether to recommend that a birth control pill be sold over the counter in this country, a coalition of advocates on Monday called attention to the safety and effectiveness of the medication.

If approved, Opill, a daily progestin-only birth control pill, would become the first such drug sold over the counter in the United States. Opill was first approved by the FDA in 1973. During a media briefing on the coming decision, the Free the Pill coalition said it hopes this pill will be fully covered by insurance and available to people of all ages and backgrounds without a prescription.

Meanwhile, the FDA's expert panel will hold a two-day meeting, starting Tuesday, to decide whether to recommend allowing the Opill to be sold without a prescription.

There is no precise information available on how much Opill will cost if sold over the counter, but Opill manufacturer Perrigo said in a recent statement that it is committed to making it affordable.

The American Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and other medical organizations support over-the-counter access to hormonal contraception without age restrictions.

The Free the Pill coalition has been advocating for over-the-counter status for birth control pills since 2004, citing the many barriers that exist for people who want to use birth control pills, especially those from marginalized communities.

"For many, these barriers include the cost and time associated with a healthcare visit to get a prescription, transportation to that visit, finding childcare during the appointment for parents, and parental consent for young people," said Victoria Nichols, project director of Free the Pill, during the briefing.

The FDA isn't obligated to follow the guidance of its advisory panels, but it typically does.

Exactly how the panel will vote on Wednesday is unknown, but there have been some signals to suggest members may be skeptical.

In briefing documents filed before the meeting, FDA officials raised concerns about whether people will use these pills appropriately. The label suggests that pills must be taken at the same time every day, and there isn't enough information about what could happen if someone misses this window. There's also a risk of breast cancer and undiagnosed vaginal bleeding with this pill, and some concern that people won't be able to evaluate these safety risks for themselves. All of these issues will be up for discussion during the two-day panel hearing,

Opill was first up for review in November 2022, but the FDA delayed a decision to review additional information. The FDA is expected to decide on Opill by the end of the summer, and this decision won't apply to other birth control pills.

Dr. Kristyn Brandi believes Opill should be sold over the counter. She is ACOG's Darney-Landy Fellow and an obstetrician/gynecologist in Newark, N.J.

"I trust my patients to read the label, read the box and take the medication they need," she said during the briefing.

The risks are incredibly low, Brandi said. Side effects may include breast tenderness, acne, headache or bloating, among others.

The one major contraindication for this pill is having active breast cancer.

But "the vast majority of people with active breast cancer are already seeing several healthcare providers who will have the conversation with them about birth control," Brandi added.

The FDA also cited concerns that the pill may not be as effective in people who are overweight or obese. Brandi does not think that this will or should be an issue. "We don't do anything different for patients that are obese who take the pill [via prescription]," she said.

Making a birth control pill available without a prescription is even more important in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade last June, a decision which eliminated the constitutional right to terminate pregnancies, kicking the issue back to the states.

"People are already facing barriers to the reproductive healthcare that they need and deserve," Brandi noted. "Over-the-counter access to contraception is not a solution to abortion bans, but increasing access to contraception will help more folks be able to prevent pregnancy... and the value of this can't be overstated."

More information

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists offers more on choosing the best birth control method.

Copyright © 2023 HealthDay. All rights reserved.