So, what is the Green New Deal? The Deal referred to in the survey is one championed by Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, available here. Some pertinent excerpts…

Survey respondents were shown a brief description of what is being called the “Green New Deal”, followed by the question, “How much do you support or oppose this idea?” Here’s the description…

But how is it that we are getting more energy consumption with fewer emissions?  Type of fuel, for one: some fuels emit more than others. Speaking of which, charts!

So how is the world doing in decoupling CO2 emissions from economic growth and energy use? The beginnings of an answer in three charts….

“…climate-ready, ecosystem-based fisheries management can help reduce the impacts of some anticipated changes and increase resilience under changing conditions. There is now a national strategy for integrating climate information into fishery decision-making…”

In that spirit, the remainder of this series will consist of brief excerpts from NCA4-II on existing or proposed adaptations to the effects of climate change. Without further ado… 

Per Climate Action Tracker (CAT), current US emission trends are actually within “striking distance” of the initial Paris Agreement targets for 2020 and 2025, despite Trump’s rhetoric and the US not even being a signatory to the Agreement. This unexpected progress is thanks to “subnational” and nongovernmental actors, such as states, cities, businesses, nonprofits and others. Yes, it would be great if the federal government were on board. And, yes, we need to do a lot more…

Another theme in this report is that mitigation and adaptation efforts often yield near-term benefits unrelated to their value in reducing risks associated with climate change. Drought-resistant crops help poor farmers now. Increased energy efficiency makes business sense now. Coastal marsh restoration protects against flooding now. Even climate change skeptics could appreciate these co-benefits.

The Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4) focuses on the observed and projected impacts of climate change in the US, with special consideration given to risk reduction. Although the report is around 1600 pages long and would thus take some time to read, news media outlets were quick to react to the report’s release. CNN, in particular, was on it…

… a coalition of 17 states, 540 cities, counties and tribes, 1,914 businesses and investors, 253 faith-based and cultural organizations, and 343 higher education institutions have pledged their support for the Paris Agreement.

So there are three challenges here: 1) increase the likelihood of socioeconomic developments that present lower challenge to climate change mitigation and adaptation; 2) limit the rise in global temperatures; and 3) improve our ability to adapt to climate change.  Per the IPCC report, here are some ways to address all three challenges: 

The earth has been warmer many times before. The biosphere survived and sometimes thrived. It’s just that humans are used to a cooler planet. So we have to change our ways. This is new for us. Coasts need to be protected; crops made more resilient, wild habitat expanded and better managed. We need to reduce some stressors unrelated to climate change (over-fishing, poor governance) to build resilience to the new stressors.

First, the IPCC report’s full name is Global Warming of 1.5°C, an IPCC special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty. …

Straw man argument: “…an informal fallacy based on giving the impression of refuting an opponent's argument, while refuting an argument that was not advanced.”