Don't put a climate denier in White House: Clinton tells US

October 12, 2016

Washington, Oct 12: Challenging her rival Donald Trump's assertion that climate change is a hoax, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has asked Americans not to risk putting a "climate denier" in the White House.

"We cannot risk putting a climate denier in the White House at all, that is absolutely unacceptable. We need a President who believes in science and who has a plan to lead America in facing this threat, creating good jobs and yes, saving our planet," she told her supporters yesterday at an election rally in Miami, Florida.

Clinton identified the US, Germany and China as the three countries which can be the clean energy superpower in the 21st century.

"The clean energy superpower of the 21st century are probably going to be either Germany, China, or us, and I want it to be us. And I want you to be part of making it us," she said as she detailed out her plans in this regard.

The 68-year-old ex-secretary of state was joined during her rally by former US Vice President and climate change leader Al Gore.

She argued that the US needs to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy and create high paying jobs, building and installing more solar panels and wind turbines.

"Modernising electric grid, retrofitting buildings, building resilient, 21st century infrastructure, and the US has to make sure no community is left out or left behind.

"Now, you wouldn't know it if you only listened to my opponent talk about how terrible everything is," she said lashing out at her 70-year-old opponent.

"He has such a dark, divisive view of America, but that doesn't tell the story about what's really going on. It's actually pretty exciting. In red states and blue states, local leaders are stepping up," she said.

"Rural electric co-ops are investing in community solar power and you see that across America, union workers in Michigan, union workers in Michigan, are getting ready to build electric Chevys in a plant powered by clean energy. Iowa is already getting a third of its electricity from wind," she added.

"Wind turbines are going up in New England and on Lake Erie. Renewable energy is already the fastest-growing source of new jobs in America. I think that is so exciting. There are nearly two million people already working in energy efficiency," she noted.

Clinton said as President, she wants the US to have 500 million solar panels installed across America by the end of her first term. "And let's generate enough renewable energy to power every home in America within the decade. Let's make our buildings and factories more energy efficient and cut our oil consumption by one-third," she said.

"And we can get there by investing in cutting edge research to keep developing cheaper and better clean energy technologies, investing in clean energy infrastructure and advanced manufacturing, putting big partnerships together between states, cities and rural communities," she added.

"Donald Trump is, quote, 'not a big believer' in climate change. As I said, he said it's a hoax created by the Chinese. And in our first debate two weeks ago, he tried to deny saying that. But that tweet is still there for everyone to see," Clinton said referring to a tweet by the real estate baron in 2012.

Addressing the meeting, Al Gore asserted that with Clinton in the White House, the US will build on the progress made under Barack Obama with the Paris Agreement and she will seize the opportunities. "After all, solar electricity and wind electricity is now way cheaper than it was years ago when some of us started sounding the alarm about this crisis," he said.

"Almost 100 years ago, America's most famous inventor, Thomas Edison said these words -– it's an exact quote: 'I would put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power. I hope we don't have to wait until the oil and coal come out before we tackle that.' Now, I want to say a brief word -– I'm going to return to my second main point here in a minute, but I want to say a brief word about something else that all of you can do. You can elect Patrick Murphy to the United States Senate instead of a climate denier," Gore said.

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Powerful solar storm hits earth; will it disrupt communication, power grids?

News Network

May 11,2024

Washington, May 11: The most powerful solar storm in more than two decades struck Earth on Friday, triggering spectacular celestial light shows from Tasmania to Britain -- and threatening possible disruptions to satellites and power grids as it persists into the weekend.

The first of several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) -- expulsions of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun -- came just after 1600 GMT, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Space Weather Prediction Center.

It was later upgraded to an "extreme" geomagnetic storm -- the first since the "Halloween Storms" of October 2003 caused blackouts in Sweden and damaged power infrastructure in South Africa. More CMEs are expected to pummel the planet in the coming days.

Social media lit up with people posting pictures of auroras from northern Europe and Australasia.

"We've just woken the kids to go watch the Northern Lights in the back garden! Clearly visible with the naked eye," Iain Mansfield in Hertford, England, told AFP.

That sense of wonder was shared in Australia's island state of Tasmania.

"Absolutely biblical skies in Tasmania at 4 am this morning. I'm leaving today and knew I could not pass up this opportunity," photographer Sean O' Riordan posted on social media platform X alongside a photo.

Authorities notified satellite operators, airlines, and the power grid to take precautionary steps for potential disruptions caused by changes to Earth's magnetic field.

Elon Musk, whose Starlink satellite internet operator has some 5,000 satellites in low Earth orbit, described the solar storm as the "biggest in a long time."

"Starlink satellites are under a lot of pressure, but holding up so far," Musk posted on his X platform.

Unlike solar flares, which travel at the speed of light and reach Earth in around eight minutes, CMEs travel at a more sedate pace, with officials putting the current average at 800 kilometers (500 miles) per second.

The CMEs emanated from a massive sunspot cluster that is 17 times wider than our planet. The Sun is approaching the peak of an 11-year cycle that brings heightened activity.

'Go outside tonight and look'

Mathew Owens, a professor of space physics at the University of Reading, told AFP that how far the effects would be felt over the planet's northern and southern latitudes would depend on the storm's final strength.

"Go outside tonight and look would be my advice because if you see the aurora, it's quite a spectacular thing," he said. People with eclipse glasses can also look for the sunspot cluster during the day.

In the United States, this could include places such as Northern California and Alabama, officials said.

NOAA's Brent Gordon encouraged the public to try to capture the night sky with phone cameras even if they couldn't see auroras with their naked eyes.

"Just go out your back door and take a picture with the newer cell phones and you'd be amazed at what you see in that picture versus what you see with your eyes."

Spacecraft and pigeons

Fluctuating magnetic fields associated with geomagnetic storms induce currents in long wires, including power lines, which can potentially lead to blackouts. Long pipelines can also become electrified, leading to engineering problems.

Spacecraft are also at risk from high doses of radiation, although the atmosphere prevents this from reaching Earth.

NASA has a dedicated team looking into astronaut safety and can ask astronauts on the International Space Station to move to places within the outpost that are better shielded.

Following one particularly strong flare peak, the US Space Weather Prediction Center said users of high-frequency radio signals "may experience temporary degradation or complete loss of signal on much of the sunlit side of Earth."

Even pigeons and other species that have internal biological compasses could also be affected. Pigeon handlers have noted a reduction in birds coming home during geomagnetic storms, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Officials said people should have the normal backup plans in place for power outages, such as having flashlights, batteries, and radios at hand.

The most powerful geomagnetic storm in recorded history, known as the Carrington Event after British astronomer Richard Carrington, occurred in September 1859.

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