Pirate's Cove

I just have to wonder, why is Hawaii building new roads in the first place? The state went climahysteric over a decade ago….oh, right, they’re still loving all those tourists coming in via fossil fueled flights, and, since the state produces almost nothing, they have to import most items, which requires fossil fuels and roads

Hawaii DOT must face kids’ climate lawsuit, judge rules

A judge in Hawaii has rejected a bid by the state’s transportation department to dismiss a lawsuit filed on behalf of 14 young people who claim it is violating the state constitution by failing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Judge Jeffrey Crabtree in Honolulu ruled on Thursday the youth plaintiffs could pursue their claims. He said the Hawaii Department of Transportation is shirking its duty to protect the environment by promoting and funding highway projects that lead to more fuel consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions.

Crabtree rejected the state’s argument the plaintiffs had no tangible injuries on which to base their case since they claimed climate change effects are “already baked in.”

“Transportation emissions are increasing and will increase at the rate we are going,” Crabtree said. “In other words, the alleged harms are not hypothetical or only in the future.”

That looks more like a judge ruling in the case, rather than just saying the case can go to trial. I wonder how the judge gets around the state? How about the kids? Have they stopped using fossil fuels?

And what do the youts want?

The young plaintiffs were between the ages of nine and 18 when they filed the lawsuit in June, claiming the department is violating a provision of the state’s constitution that guarantees a right to a clean and healthful environment.

They said investments in infrastructure like highways run counter to state goals to reduce emissions to zero by 2045.

The lawsuit asked the court for a declaration that the Department of Transportation is violating their constitutional rights, as well as a court order telling the department to take unspecified but “concrete action steps” to reduce emissions and appointment of a special master to oversee those changes.

So, they do not really know what they want? Isn’t that rather necessary for a lawsuit? It’d be funny if the jury/judge require the kids to stop taking fossil fueled travel. Or ban the use of fossil fuels to bring in tourists and goods. Ban fossil fueled vehicles, which would destroy tourism.

BTW, where is the money coming from to pay for the lawsuit and all the lawyers? Earth Justice is a huge “non profit” Group that had over $100,000,000 in revenue last year. They made $3 million alone from their investments and they hold over $90 million in mutual funds. They’re swimming in money. It’s basically an astroturfed suit, for which Earth Justice will most likely profit.

Meanwhile, cleaning out the Pocket folder

‘I cut my home’s carbon footprint to zero – and my energy rating went down’

On paper, Christine Asher’s buy-to-let is a net zero dream. Her cottage in Dingwall, Scotland may be off-grid but it does not rely on heating oil, instead meeting its energy needs using only electricity. In 2021, Asher, 71, swapped out the property’s storage heaters for electric radiators.

“The new tenant told me how good they were,” she says. “Meanwhile the tenant in the attached house next door, still on the system of old storage heaters, said his house was never as warm as my cottage.”

When the tenant moved out, Asher decided it was time to check she had done all she could to make her home energy-efficient.

Guess what? She spent a lot of money, and her rating did not go up at all. And would cost a lot of money to make it rise. And this same issue is causing a lot of issues for a lot of landlords.

Climate change adding 50 homers a year in MLB, study says

Climate change is making major league sluggers into even hotter hitters, sending an extra 50 or so home runs a year over the fences, a new study found.

Hotter, thinner air that allows balls to fly farther contributed a tiny bit to a surge in home runs since 2010, according to a statistical analysis by Dartmouth College scientists published in Friday’s Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. They analyzed 100,000 major league games and more than 200,000 balls put into play in the last few years along with weather conditions, stadiums and other factors.

“Global warming is juicing home runs in Major League Baseball,” said study co-author Justin Mankin, a Dartmouth climate scientist.

Sounds like slight warming is making the game fun. It couldn’t possibly have anything to do with stronger players, better conditioning, could it?