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Politics : Politics of Energy -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Brumar89 who wrote (76319)	4/20/2017 12:10:46 PM
From: Brumar89	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 86355

Why Big Oil wants Trump to stay in Paris climate deal by Matt Egan @mattmegan5April 18, 2017: 1:28 PM ET Very short centered thinking. President Trump could deal the landmark Paris climate agreement a massive blow this week.The U.S. president is huddling with advisers on Tuesday to explore whether he should yank America from the international accord aimed at slowing global warming. But some powerful forces -- with real skin in the game -- are urging Trump not to abandon the 2015 Paris deal brokered among more than 175 nations. Surprisingly, it's the big oil companies who are vocally supporting the climate agreement, joining others in the administration that include Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner. Specifically, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Royal Dutch Shell and BP are all in favor of America staying in the Paris COP21 pact, which former President Obama hailed as "the moment that we finally decided to save our planet." A BP ( BP) spokesman told CNNMoney that it "welcomed the Paris agreement when it was signed, and we continue to support it... "We believe it's possible to provide the energy the world needs while also addressing the climate challenge," BP said. Chevron ( CVX) told CNNMoney it "supports continuing with" the Paris deal because it "offers a first step towards a global framework." Exxon ( XOM), the biggest US oil company that Tillerson used to lead, sent a letter to the White House last month hailing the Paris agreement as an "effective framework for addressing the risks of climate change." A Shell ( RDSA) spokesman confirmed that the energy giant remains "strongly in favor" of the Paris deal. Related: Exxon to Trump: Don't ditch Paris deal At first glance, it might seem surprising to hear that Big Oil isn't seizing on the shifting political environment to poke holes in a deal that undermines fossil fuels like crude oil. After all, Trump himself has called climate change a "hoax" and blasted COP21 as a "bad deal" for the U.S. (Trump later told The New York Times he has an "open mind" about the agreement). But these traditional energy companies have a vested financial interest in the Paris deal. That's because COP21's crack down on carbon emissions favors natural gas, which emits much less pollution than coal. While Exxon, BP and Shell are primarily identified as oil companies, they are actually diversified energy firms that rely heavily on natural gas to make money. For instance, 42% of Exxon's total daily production last quarter was actually in natural gas, according to FactSet. BP and Shell also lean on natural gas for a large chunk of their output. "These companies view natural gas as a key growth area going forward for them. It just makes sense for them to be at the table," said Brian Youngberg, senior energy analyst at Edward Jones. Natural gas production has soared over the past decade, thanks to the abundance of shale gas in North America. And now there's the added benefit that governments are cracking down on carbon emissions. BP's statement mentioned its commitment to "reducing emissions in the power sector by producing and marketing natural gas." And Shell needs to protect its massive $50 billion investment last year to acquire BG Group, a sizable producer of natural gas. Shell put out a report in February predicting that demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) -- natural gas that is turned into a liquid to ship it where it's needed -- will jump by 4% to 5% each year to 2030. The report highlighted that governments like that natural gas produces half the greenhouse gas emissions that coal does when it's burnt to produce electricity. "You're going to see extreme growth in LNG," Youngberg said. Related: Russia could soon control a U.S. oil company Cheap natural gas -- not tough environmental regulations -- has been the leading cause of the demise of coal. Still, last month Trump tried to provide the badly struggling coal industry a boost by starting to undo Obama's Clean Power Plan that aimed to cut carbon emissions by power utilities, one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases. Cheniere Energy, ( LNG) a natural gas company, sent the White House a letter on Monday describing the Paris agreement in terms that would fit Trump's America First ethos. The Paris accord is a "useful instrument for fostering demand for America's energy resources and supporting the continued growth of American industry," Cheniere wrote. money.cnn.com

To: Brumar89 who wrote (76319)	4/20/2017 12:54:04 PM
From: Eric	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 86355

Why don't you come on campus and debate us? Facts are tough for you polluters...

To: Brumar89 who wrote (76319)	4/21/2017 8:06:44 AM
From: Eric	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 86355

March and year to date were 2nd warmest on record for world Arctic and Antarctic sea ice extents remain record-low Climate Satellites climate analyses and statistics SHARE Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share by email April 19, 2017 Hot on the heels of the second warmest winter in the 138-year record, March continued the global warm trend that could last well into this year — especially with increasing chances for the arrival of El Nino by late summer or fall. Climate by the numbers March The March 2017 average global temperature was 1.89 degrees F above the 20th-century average of 54.9 degrees, according to the analysis by scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. This was the second highest for March in the 1880-2017 record, behind last year by 0.32 degrees. This also marks the first time the monthly temperature departure from average surpassed 1.8 degrees F in the absence of an El Nino effect in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Year to date \| January through March 2017 The year-to-date average temperature was 1.75 degrees F above the 20th-century average of 54.1 degrees. This was the second-highest first quarter of the year on record, behind 2016 by 0.32 degrees F. Download Image Other notable climate events and facts around the world last month included: More record-low sea ice extent at the poles The average Arctic sea ice extent was 7.5 percent below the 1981-2010 average for March, and the average Antarctic sea ice extent was 34.2 percent below the 1981-2010 average. For both regions, this was the smallest March sea ice extent since the satellite record began in 1979. Near-average snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent was 20,000 square miles below the 1981-2010 average, the 24th smallest value in the 51-year period of record. North America had its 20th smallest, and Eurasia was near the middle of the record. Warmer-than-average lands and oceans The globally averaged sea surface temperature was the second highest March on record, 1.28 degree F above average. The globally averaged land-surface temperature for March was the second highest on record for that month, 3.56 degrees F above average. Global warmth varied by continent Europe and Oceania had their 2nd warmest March on record; Asia, its 4th; Africa, its 7th; South America, its 12th; and North America, its 30th. You can find NOAA’s report and download related maps and images by visiting the NCEI website. Media contacts John Leslie, 301-713-7331 Brady Phillips, 202-407-1298 noaa.gov