Wildfires and global warming

swchandler · Joined: 08 Nov 1993 Posts: 10588

While folks from the far right here attempt to denigrate and rundown Rep. Cortez and act like she's a total loser, the real truth is that they fear her greatly. Unbelievably, a 29 year old freshman female representative elected in 2018 has them shaking in their boots claiming that the sky is falling.

mac · Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2020 1:07 pm Post subject:

mrgybe · Joined: 01 Jul 2008 Posts: 5180

https://earthjustice.org/news/press/2017/community-group-alleges-civil-rights-violations-by-the-city-and-port-of-oakland-in-complaint-to-federal

The West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project has filed a complaint under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 describing a pattern of conduct by the City and Port of Oakland that inflicts unjustified and unequal impacts on the historically black community of West Oakland. For decades, the City and Port of Oakland have issued approvals to expand polluting freight activities in West Oakland while ignoring input from the community, betraying a deep disregard for the health of local families. That pattern continues to this day, causing West Oakland residents to suffer from diesel emissions that are up to 90 times higher than California’s average.

The pollution in West Oakland’s air cuts into not only quality of life, but also length of life. Air pollution also contributes to higher rates of heart failure and strokes in West Oakland by causing blood clotting and cell damage. According to the Alameda County Department of Public Health, residents in West Oakland can expect to live 9 years fewer than residents of other parts of Oakland.

vientomas · Joined: 25 Apr 2000 Posts: 2343

mac · Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2020 6:35 pm Post subject:

Mrgybe is a liar. He does it consistently by selective quotation. I was the environmental manager for the Port of Oakland for 16 years. The biggest port project during that time was the redevelopment of the old Oakland naval port, which was very controversial because of the potential that port expansion would increase diesel emissions. The fuel generated by the industry that mrgybe loves. We were sued by a group called West Oakland Neighbors (WON). I negotiated a settlement of that lawsuit, and convinced the Port to set aside millions of dollars for air quality mitigation. It was the first time that a port in this country had agreed to mitigate the air quality of the vehicles that worked and called there.

There is no doubt that port operations--including those of oil tankers--are a source of diesel particulate emissions. The program that I negotiated won the support of WON throughout the permitting process. The state and local air quality agencies so liked what we did that they added millions of dollars of grant money from the Carl Moyer fund so that even more emission reduction was achieved. The staff that I hired implemented that program, and the grants, and convinced the port to spend additional funds and the last time I checked, emissions were 1/4 of what they were when I started working there. During the time that I worked there, emissions went down. That doesn't make living next to a port easy--but then I wouldn't like to live next to a refinery either.

From a rather antagonistic article on the port expansion, "The Urban Ecological Contradictions of Port of Oakland Globalism" By John Gulick you can get the author's take on the air quality mitigation:

mac · Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2020 8:35 pm Post subject:

How much technology has reduced the cost of solar generation in first graph.

The impacts of Exxon-type disinformation and investment in the GOP in the second graph,

mac · Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2020 8:44 pm Post subject:

[quote="vientomas"]

mrgybe · Joined: 01 Jul 2008 Posts: 5180

Many of the effects of diesel exhaust and other traffic-related air pollution are known and widely accepted – including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and triggering of asthma attacks. In addition, studies have shown that the more air pollution a person is exposed to, the more likely they are to suffer from many other maladies and illnesses, including premature birth, autism, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and cognitive decline. To top it off, a study of 60 million adults release just a couple of weeks ago shows that Particulate matter air pollution kills many elderly people in the U.S., even at levels the EPA considers ‘safe’.

Residents of West Oakland, California know all of this from first-hand experience. Residents of this port community, who are predominately black and Latino, are exposed to much more air pollution than richer and whiter residents just a few miles away. West Oakland has 90 times more diesel pollution per square mile on average than the rest of California, resulting in high levels of asthma and other diseases known or suspected to be caused by air pollution.

And study after study has shown that the people most often subjected to high levels of air pollution are disproportionally poor and non-white. After fighting for decades to make their communities safer and being ignored all too often by local government, West Oakland residents have made it clear they are not going to take it anymore. In April, Moving Forward Network members West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project (WOEIP) and Earthjustice teamed up to file a federal civil rights complaint demanding that the Federal government provide them the same levels of protection as people in whiter, richer communities, specifically when making decisions concerning the Port of Oakland the Oakland Army Base redevelopment project.

“Time and time again, both the city and port have dismissed the consistent input and opposition to their actions from directly impacted West Oakland residents, nearly 80 percent of whom are people of color,” The complaint says the city has engaged in a “pattern of neglect and systemic disregard” for the health and well being of West Oakland residents

http://www.movingforwardnetwork.com/2017/07/oakland-air-pollution-violates-the-civil-rights-of-the-community-feds-to-investigate/

mac · Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2020 11:34 pm Post subject:

Another attack from a man who cannot read and respond to facts. Always the spinmeister. No interest in the actual story. You are a liar.

nw30 · Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2020 11:43 am Post subject:

I'd like to see another chart from mac, charts are always so cool.
But there is some news out there also that the charts can't display.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/authorities-arrest-4-people-on-arson-charges-in-deadly-and-massive-california-oregon-and-washington-wildfires?

Any Antifa or BLM links? I wouldn't be a bit surprised, I keep hearing "Burn it down!".