Weekly News & Views by: Will Portell
Photographs by: Patsy Inouye
Get Up and Go
August 9, 2019.
Oddly, new President Tim has bowed to the inevitable without even trying to buck the tides. He rang the bell at 7:10, ignoring the inner pressure to start early, and instead defaulting to the skill set of someone who has served in the position for eight months or more…
Without any visiting Rotarians, the meeting moved immediately to visitors. We had Kevin Young, a financial planner. We also had Ella. By unanimous approval of the Get Up and Go Reporters at Ella’s table, it has been decided that Vanessa and Jay owe Ella a pony. And it’s now reported in official news that Ella shall receive said pony.
The Woodland Rotary Club is having a beer festival on August 31. 30 breweries will be setting up in downtown Woodland. It sounds like a rare justification to visit North North Davis.
Dave Heard is looking for beer bottles. The weird thing is that this time, he’s begging for empty ones. He lives in North North Davis. Go figure. He claims they’re for “table decorations” at “Oktoberfest.” Right. We know Cracchiolo’s Market has a prompt payment policy on recyclables.
Mike Gunter was the winner of the Get Up and Go. Mike is the manager at Davis Ace. He was born outside St. Louis, lived in Mexico Missouri for a spell, then moved to Phoenix while in High School. Generally, that Phoenix move happens about a half-century later in one’s life, but I’m sure Mike had his reasons. He attended Arizona State University, and indirectly confirmed the “Chico State South” reputation. He has two adult children, one of whom joined the Air Force to see the world, but ended up in Beale (I’ve heard of people joining the Navy to see the world, and ending up in Fallon, or Hanford, so it does happen). He remarried after moving to the area, and now is step-papa to a pair of young teenagers. Nice talk, Mike!
David Murphy announced that we will be receiving our incoming exchange student from Bolivia, and that the student will be at the 1st meeting in September. Gretchen reminded us to fill all the beer serving signups for the Yolo County Fair. And if we don’t, she will cut us. Vanessa gave an announcement that Stephanie’s baby, Baby Adamo, is running on schedule like an Italian Regionale train in August. Thanks for the present. 
Sgt. Gretchen then retook the floor. Dick Berry gave happy bucks for the SacBee article about Brian Sway, and for his own induction into the US Fencing Hall of Fame. Dick Bourne gave Happy Bucks for Patsy, namely because she’d been omitted from the Get Up and Go’s Paul Harris roster. Jon Clay gave money due to getting stuck on jury duty. He’s one of the proverbial examples I traditionally used: “do you want your fate put in the hands of the 12 people who couldn’t come up with reasonable excuse to get out of jury duty?” (this to illustrate the vagaries of litigation). 
Lori Rainieri gave some money because she’s happy about waring her pin, and for sitting next to Dick Bourne. Dave Heard chimed in again, this time from Zamora, or Dunnigan, or wherever he’s living, to gloat about not having to head up Oktorberfest. Arnie Wolf’s granddaughter turned 3, Arnie got a vacation home in Jersey, and he was named as a Superlawyer. For reasons I cannot fathom, I think the first two news items were best. Mike Gunter bought a house, Chris Martin is getting daughter back from Ecuador, and Bud Harmon gave thanks for many years of marriage to Bonnie. Gretchen then moved into fine mode, hitting the author for the Davis Water Polo Club’s 12-U coed team coming in second in the national Junior Olympics. Rick Stromberg got fined for something having to do with French, or France. Beats me-terrible penmanship in my notes. But I did catch the part about his 60th High School Reunion. Larry O and Dennis nailed the Woodstock trivia, but Ken Firestein and Tom Read remembered bits and pieces of the event… very small bits and pieces, and they were the ones there.
On to the program: In what has become a recurring theme, this particular reporter keeps coming up on days when college professors are speaking about things like climate change, or complex art history. This may be a payback for the author’s prolific reliance on “Classical Notes” while attending U.C. Davis, a fine notetaking service, the perfect option for students who felt it best not to allow class attendance interfere with an education. But that’s not really the point.
The speaker was Benjamin Houlton, Ph.D. Professor Houlton was speaking about climate change. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, with more degrees from Syracuse and Princeton. He’s a Professor of Global Environmental Studies at UCD, and the Director of the John Muir Institute.
Professor Houlton began with four points: (1) “we” (humans) have dangerously interfered with the climate system through the use of fossil fuels; (2) we are the major driver in climate changes; (3) we can solve the problem; and (4) there are major economic opportunities in attacking climate change.
A short primer on the principles of climate change followed. Solar radiation passes through the atmosphere. That radiation is either reflected, or absorbed. The absorbed radiation is then emitted as energy in the form of heat. That emitted heat is trapped by Carbon Dioxide (and other greenhouse gases) and water vapor. The concept isn’t new; in fact, calculations done in 1910 showed this temperature relationship within 10%.
Currently, 99% of climate scientists concur that the temperature increases are due to increased CO2 levels. When evaluating historical temperature studies, ice cores provide a historical record based upon proportions of various gases. Temperature has historically correlated to CO2 in a record spanning hundreds of thousands of years. The earth’s angle, and the elliptical nature of the earth’s orbit (20,000 years, and 100,000 years, respectively) impact the earth’s temperature by about 10%; the other 90% is CO2.
CO2 was recently measured at 409.97 parts per million. That CO2 monitoring program at the Mauna Loa Observatory has been going on for decades. The overall rise correlates with the use of fossil fuels, with short term variations arising from planetary events. Unless the upward curve is addressed, the scenario for the year of 2100 is 550 ppm.
2017 was the hottest year on record, which means the most high temperatures ever recorded, along with the fewest low temperatures. That continues a long-term trend. At high latitudes, the temperatures are becoming even hotter, not just due to CO2, but also due to diminished ice cover, meaning less reflectivity. Historically, there have been objections to prospective climate modeling, due to issues relating to whether the yet-to-come projections will be accurate. However, with a greater time span of warming, climate modelers have been able to run the models retrospectively, and what the models predict should have happened, has actually happened. That tends to confirm the accuracy of the models.
Climate change is already impacting areas of the world. Sub-Saharan Africa agriculture is now severely challenged due to increased temperatures, and diminished rainfall. Even under the Paris Accords targets for greenhouse gas emissions, the projected 1.5 degree average temperature rise will result in two feet of sea level rise. “Business as usual” will mean a two meter rise in sea level. Even a small increase in target temperatures, 2.0 degrees (instead of 1.5) will mean a 37% increase in the global population facing severe heat, a projected 13% reduction in GDP, and climate in the Sacramento area like Phoenix.
But Professor Houlton has optimism. One area of potential economic development is in the use of “Green Bonds,” allowing for forest management to increase hydropower production. Reflective and “green” roofs cost an extra 76 cents to build, but provide $1.34 in energy savings. Electrified vehicle fleets will have a substantial impact. Concretes have also been developed with carbon sequestering abilities.
Agricultural practices have major climate impacts, and provide pathways to mitigation. Soil additives help rejuvenate soil, cut water usage, and consume CO2. Agriculture is responsible for 25% of emissions, and livestock is a substantial contributor. A product called the “Dairy Digester” is available to convert manure to methane for power, and is in use at some Central Valley dairies. UCD is researching seaweed as a cattle feed additive, cutting their natural emissions by 40%.
Notably, in California, these advances have not come at an economic cost. Rather, California’s GDP has been increasing, notwithstanding the efforts to attack greenhouse emissions. As the economy has increased, the emissions have decreased. The next 10 years are critical. While there is a debate between adaptation (preparing for the inevitable effects of sea level rise, for instance), and innovation/mitigation such as he discussed, he sees no reason both aren’t appropriate, depending on the circumstances.
In parting, Professor Houlton left with words of optimism: (1) it’s not too late; and (2) innovation can solve the crisis.
Draw of the day was a bunch of money in a double-draw, conducted by Dave Heard, with the numbers being drawn by pony-deserving Ella. Don Morrill won free draw of the day tickets. John McNamara won a free breakfast. The drama continues.