Another Week of Global Warming News, November 11, 2007

By illconsidered on November 14, 2007.

Sipping from the internet firehose...

This weekly posting is brought to you courtesy of H.E.Taylor. Happy reading, I hope you enjoy this week's Global Warming news roundup

(N.B. Sorry it is late, this is my fault, not Harvey's...)

(skip to bottom)

Top Stories, Energy vs War Priorities, IEA Report, Expensive Energy, Bali, Ban Ki-moon Tour
Arctic Ice, Tabasco Floods, Polls, GreenList, Ethics, Mayors, Forest Fires
Hurricanes, GHG Stats, Temperatures, ENSO, Glaciers, Satellites
Impacts, Rainforests, Desertification, Wildfires, Floods & Droughts, Food vs. Biofuel
Mitigation, Transportation, Architecture, Sequestration, Geoengineering, Adaptation
Journals, Misc. Science
UNFCCC, Carbon Trade, Carbon Tax, Optimal Carbon Reduction Strategy
International Politics, Security America, Britain, Europe, Australia, China, Canada
Apocalypso, Media, Books, Video
Energy, Solar, Coal, Biofuel, Nukes, Peak Oil, Efficiency, Cars, Business, Greenwashing, Insurance, Carbon Lobby
The Usual, Useful Links
Shameless Self Promotion
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Ted Glick has now been fasting 65+ days:

2007/11/09: TruthOut: "We Want More" - Ted Glick is on the 65th day of a Climate Emergency Fast
What with this being Remembrance Day, it is worth noting actual priorities:
2007/10/30: SPR: A sick graph - Cost of the war in iraq compared to research and development of solar technology
2007/11/11: PeakEnergy: The Cost Of The Iraq War
The big story of the week has to be the IEA report on oil:
2007/11/07: IEA: Statement on the Current Oil Market Situation
2007/11/07: IEA: The Next 10 Years are Critical - the World Energy Outlook Makes the Case for Stepping up Co-operation with China and India to Address Global Energy Challenges
2007/11/10: IrishTimes: Peak oil meets climate change
Two frightening trends stand out from the annual report published this week by the International Energy Agency (IEA)
2007/11/08: EnvFin: IEA predicts 'shocking' rise in global energy demand
2007/11/10: CCurrents: Fossil Fuel Train Heads Into Overdrive
2007/11/10: PlausibleFutures: The End of Oil is Upon Us
2007/11/09: NYT: Rising Demand for Oil Provokes New Energy Crisis
2007/11/08: JFleck: Inexorable
2007/11/08: ClimateP: IEA: "The Next 10 Years are Critical"
2007/11/08: TruthOut: Global-Warming Gases Set to Rise by 57 Percent by 2030 - IEA
2007/11/07: Time: Oil Prices: It Gets Worse
Oil prices hit a record high of $97 a barrel on Tuesday, but the next generation of consumers could look back on that price with envy. The dire predictions of a key report on international oil supplies released Wednesday suggest that oil prices could move irreversibly over the $100-a-barrel threshold in the not too distant future, as the global economy faces a serious energy shortage.
This gloomy assessment comes from the International Energy Agency, the Paris-based organization representing the 26 rich, gas-guzzling member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The agency is not known for alarmist warnings, and its World Energy Outlook is typically viewed by policy wonks as a solid indicator of global energy supplies. In a marked change from its traditionally bland, measured tones, the IEA's 2007 report says governments need to make urgent, bold decisions on energy policy, or risk massive environmental and energy-supply crises within two decades - crises and shortages that could spark serious global conflicts.
"I am sorry to say this, but we are headed toward really bad days," IEA chief economist Fatih Birol told TIME this week. "Lots of targets have been set but very little has been done. There is a lot of talk and no action."
2007/11/07: BBC: China 'to be largest energy user'
China is set to become the world's largest consumer of energy by about 2010, according to a study by the International Energy Agency (IEA)
2007/11/07: DeSmogBlog: Asian Tigers Have Us By the Tail! [IEA]
2007/11/07: ENN: China, India Growth Force Action on Climate
2007/11/07: ENN: China, India Growth Force Action on Climate
The International Energy Agency on Wednesday painted a grim picture of a tough and urgent global challenge to avoid the "alarming" climate change implications of soaring energy demand in China and India.
2007/11/07: BBC: Energy needs 'to grow inexorably'
The global demand for energy is set to grow inexorably through to 2030 if governments do not changes their policies, warns a top energy official. Nobuo Tanaka, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), said such a rise would threaten energy security and accelerate climate change. He said energy needs in 2030 could be more than 50% above current levels, with fossil fuels still dominant

Possibly as a result of the IEA story, possibly because of the 'majyk' $100/barrel number, a lot of people began to consider the practicalities of dealing with expensive energy:

2007/11/11: Guardian(UK): Opec under pressure as $100 barrel creates oil panic in the West
2007/11/10: ClimateP: The Oil Trap and Developing Countries
2007/11/09: SwissInfo: Oil prices not yet at Swiss pain threshold
2007/11/07: McClatchyDC: Is oil's price run-up a problem? Maybe
2007/11/09: MSNBC: Rising cost of oil threatens vulnerable economy - Experts uncertain if $100 crude - and possibly higher - will hurt growth
2007/11/08: Yahoo: World economy can live with $100 oil
2007/11/07: Forbes: The Empty Threat Of $100 Oil
2007/11/09: SwissInfo: Will the Swiss economy react as prices approach $100 per barrel?
Experts say Switzerland has not yet reached its pain threshold in terms of oil prices even though they are hovering just below the $100 (SFr113) per barrel level
2007/11/08: EurActiv: Climate change 'could bring an end to globalisation'
"The Age of Consequences" report, produced by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in the US, predicts that scarcity of resources may "dictate the terms of international relations" for years to come as rich countries could "go through a 30-year process of kicking [the poor] away from the lifeboat"
2007/11/08: GristMill: Curses, oiled again! High oil prices reshape the geopolitical landscape
2007/11/08: NYT: High-Priced Oil Adds Volatility to Power Scramble
2007/11/08: USAToday:Blog: Like it or not, $100 oil forces new energy policy on U.S.
2007/11/08: Yahoo: Like it or not, $100 oil forces new energy policy on U.S.
Articles looking forward to the UNFCCC Bali meetings are starting to appear:
UNFCCC: United Nations Climate Change Conference, 3-14 December, Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, (COP 13 and CMP 3)
2007/11/10: TomPaine: Back Road to Bali
2007/11/09: PhysOrg: Experts to Prepare Global Warming Report
2007/11/09: Yahoo: China signals rejection of emission caps
A Chinese official gave the clearest sign yet that Beijing will reject binding caps on greenhouse gas emissions at a global meeting next month, saying Friday developing countries must be allowed to raise emissions to fight poverty. "Climate change is caused mainly by developed countries," Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui said. "They should have the main responsibility for climate change and to reduce emissions." Beijing is about to overtake the United States as the world's top greenhouse-gas producer. It is under pressure from Washington to accept binding limits at a meeting in Indonesia of environment ministers from 80 nations to discuss a possible replacement to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on emission reductions
2007/11/06: Economist: The icy road to Bali
The UN's quiet new boss is hoping that his eco-tour of the southern hemisphere will concentrate minds on the planet's travails

Ban Ki-moon is touring the world leading up to Bali:

2007/11/11: UN: Antarctica shows need for action on climate change, Ban Ki-moon says
2007/11/10: CBC: UN chief visits Antarctica to see global warming effects
2007/11/11: ABC(Au): UN chief says global warming is 'an emergency'
2007/11/10: ABC(Au): UN chief visits Antarctica to see global warming's impact
2007/11/10: ENN: U.N.'s Ban says global warming is "an emergency"
Here is a neat science and daunting Arctic story:
2007/11/08: BBC: Ice expedition tests 'successful'
First tests on equipment that will provide key data on the current state of Arctic ice have been successful. In 2008, explorer Pen Hadow will trek 2,000km across the North Pole, dragging a radar that will probe the thickness of the ever-shrinking ice-cap. In advance of the expedition, the team headed to Eureka, north Canada, to test whether the instruments could perform in the tough Arctic conditions. Mr Hadow said that the team's "planning and hard work had paid off". The radar, known as Sprite, was able to make accurate ice measurements in temperatures of -35C, the team said. The onboard communications equipment was able to successfully relay data - including the still images and video seen on this page - making it one of the most northerly transmissions of high-speed data

It is not making a lot of news, but the Tabasco floods are slow to recede:

2007/11/08: UN: Mexico: UN World Food Programme rushes aid to flood-hit Tabasco
2007/11/10: Guardian(UK): Staying afloat [Tabasco flood]
2007/11/08: BBC: Disease warning in flooded Mexico
Tens of thousands of Mexicans affected by widespread flooding in the state of Tabasco are at risk of epidemics of diseases, officials have said. The health ministry said teams of medical staff were to travel the area to administer injections against hepatitis, influenza and tetanus. There are also fears of an outbreak of other diseases, such as cholera and dengue fever. More than a million people have been affected by last week's flooding. At its worst, an estimated 80% of the state was under water.
2007/11/08: ENN: Cholera and Dengue Threaten Mexican Flood Victims
2007/11/07: HuffPo: Floods in Mexico: Not Exactly Over, Despite the News Cycle
2007/11/06: TGBeaver: Some lives are cheaper than others [Tabasco]
2007/11/07: BBC: Rescue workers in southern Mexico have found two bodies while searching for at least 16 people reported missing after a landslide buried their village
2007/11/05: TerraDaily: Anger rises in flood-stricken southern Mexico
2007/11/06: Wunderground: Mexico's Katrina [Tabasco]
2007/11/06: AFP: 16 missing as mudslide hits village in flood-hit Mexico
2007/11/06: BBC: A mudslide has struck a village [San Juan Grijalva] in Mexico's southern Chiapas state, leaving at least 16 people missing, feared dead, officials say
A poll global poll by the BBC was echoed widely, but the Kaiser poll on American attitudes is more arresting:
2007/11/10: ClimateP: BBC Poll: World - including America - ready to take strong action on global warming
2007/11/09: C411: New Poll: Independents Overwhelmingly Support a Mandatory Cap on Carbon Emissions
2007/11/08: GristMill: Poll: 107 percent of respondents willing to blow smoke up pollsters' asses
New BBC poll finds that people are excited about paying more and sacrificing
2007/11/07: AutoBG: Poll shows us the obvious: Americans heart renewable fuels
2007/11/06: GristMill: So much for the new black - New Kaiser poll reveals voter priorities
2007/11/07: GWWatch: Most of world ready to combat global warming. Someone tell the politicians
2007/11/06: AFTIC: PIPA on People on Climate Costs [BBC global]
2007/11/05: DeSmogBlog: Poll shows governments lag behind citizens in readiness to tackle global warming
2007/11/05: ABC(Au): Global warming requires urgent attention: poll
2007/11/05: PhysOrg: Poll: People want to battle climate change
2007/11/05: ENN: Most would pay higher bills to help climate: poll [BBC global]
2007/11/05: EnvEcon: More fairly obvious climate survey results [global poll]
2007/11/05: CDreams: Reuters: Most Would Pay Higher Bills To Help Climate: poll
2007/11/05: BBC: Most ready for 'green sacrifices'
Most people say they are ready to make personal sacrifices to address climate change, according to a BBC poll of 22,000 people in 21 countries. Four out of five people say they are prepared to change their lifestyle, even in the US and China, the world's two biggest emitters of carbon dioxide. Three quarters would back energy taxes if the cash was used to find new sources of energy, or boost efficiency

The Guardian did a GreenList series of articles after polling business carbon plans:

2007/11/05: Guardian(UK): The year the excuses ended
Another year of reports, drafts and meetings brings us a year closer to 2020. But what have we achieved in 2007?
2007/11/05: Guardian(UK): Solutions v sophistry
The IPCC, an independent, global panel of scientists, has now clearly shown the causes and effects of climate change. Will the world listen?
2007/11/05: Guardian(UK): Surplus to requirements?
Emissions trading is the market's solution to carbon reductions, but the scheme has already hit snags. And does it really make a difference?
2007/11/05: Guardian(UK): London calling the shots
London has sidestepped central government's 'carnival of debate' and set itself some comprehensive climate change targets.
2007/11/05: Guardian(UK): States united
Fed up with the White House position on climate change - inaction - many US states are taking matters into their own hands
2007/11/05: Guardian(UK): The shape of things to come?
A leading climate change scientist gives his prediction of what living with the effects of climate change could be like within 50 years
2007/11/05: Guardian(UK): Politics has failed
Frustrated consumers, fed up with the impotence of politics to solve the deepening ecological catastrophe, are voting with their wallets
2007/11/05: Guardian(UK): Counting carbon
What happened when the Guardian and the CDP [Carbon Disclosure Project] asked 1,300 major firms to disclose their emissions?
2007/11/05: Guardian(UK): Heading for trouble
Can the government be serious about reducing emissions and promoting public transport if it also plans to expand road and air travel?
2007/11/05: Guardian(UK): Half of UK's top firms fail to publish plans to cut carbon emissions
2007/11/05: Guardian(UK): Hall of shame - Which companies are the worst polluters?
Ethical questions have been raised:
2007/11/10: MetroFrance: [Lester Brown interview] "We all have a stake in future civilisation"
2007/11/09: DotEarth: What Does the Present Owe the Future?
2007/11/07: Eureka: Health toll of climate change seen as ethical crisis
2007/11/05: SMH: Aid agency climate challenge
World Vision, the aid agency headed by Mr Costello, will demand stronger pledges on greenhouse gas reduction and more aid to help poor countries cope with the impact of warming. "It is people in the world's poorest nations who will be most devastated by our carbon emissions," he told the Herald. "Climate change could undo 50 years of development."

Low Key Plug

My first novel Water was published in Canada May, 2007. The American release is coming up in October. An Introductionto the novel is available, along with the Unpublished Forewordand the Launch Talk. An overview of my writing is available here.

-het

P.S. Recent postings can be found in the week archive and the ancient postings can be accessed here, which should open to this.

"Without carbon capture and sequestration, we are all toast." -Jiang Lin

Another Week of Global Warming News, November 11, 2007

Sipping from the internet firehose...

Ted Glick has now been fasting 65+ days:

What with this being Remembrance Day, it is worth noting actual priorities:

The big story of the week has to be the IEA report on oil:

Possibly as a result of the IEA story, possibly because of the 'majyk' $100/barrel number, a lot of people began to consider the practicalities of dealing with expensive energy:

Articles looking forward to the UNFCCC Bali meetings are starting to appear:

Ban Ki-moon is touring the world leading up to Bali:

Here is a neat science and daunting Arctic story:

It is not making a lot of news, but the Tabasco floods are slow to recede:

A poll global poll by the BBC was echoed widely, but the Kaiser poll on American attitudes is more arresting:

The Guardian did a GreenList series of articles after polling business carbon plans:

Ethical questions have been raised:

Late coverage of that mayor's meeting last week:

Late coverage of forest fires as carbon sources:

It has been a quiet week in the hurricane wars:

Meanwhile GHGs are still going up:

As for the temperature record:

While on the el Nino/la Nina [ENSO] front:

Glaciers are melting:

Meanwhile in near earth orbit:

More GW impacts are being seen:

And then there are the tropical rainforests:

Desertification looms as a threat:

We have heatwaves and wild fires:

And speaking of floods & droughts:

The conflict between biofuel and food persists:

And the troubling matter of falling food production is not going away:

Elsewhere on the mitigation front:

Consider transportation & GHG production:

While in the endless quest for sustainable building codes:

As for carbon sequestration:

And on the large scale geo-engineering front:

A new (to me, anyway) idea has popped up:

And there was a big geoengineering conference:

While on the adaptation front:

Meanwhile in the journals:

Before we get into politics, there was some science done:

Meanwhile on the UNFCCC front:

And on the carbon trading front:

The idea of a carbon tax is still bouncing around:

The debate over the optimal strategy [carbon trading, carbon offsets and/or a carbon tax] to use in dealing with GHGs continues:

I suppose this was predictable:

The GW security meme has been active:

And on the American political front:

California has sued the EPA over the auto emission waiver delay:

The Lieberman-Warner bill is dragging along:

It appears major compromises are forthcoming:

Iowa state has been holding hearings on coal & climate:

As for the 2008 campaign:

A Washington Post oped on energy & 2008 drew comment:

The Kansas rejection of coal plants has drawn a predictable response:

Evangelicals are still in conflict:

The Gore-apalooza is still bopping along:

While in the UK:

Gordon Brown's Labour governement has introduced a climate bill:

And in Europe:

Meanwhile in Australia:

Accusations, innuendo and obfuscation abound on the Nov 24th campaign trail:

While in China:

In Canada, minority neocon PM Harper, continues to do as little as possible:

The conservatives are shutting down climate research:

BC is still hashing out its climate plan:

Manitoba is going to commit to Kyoto:

While in Alberta, the difficult-tricky question of the tar sands looms:

Apocalypso anyone?

As for how the media handles the science of climatology:

Here is something for your library:

And for your film & video enjoyment:

Wrestling over a new energy infrastructure continues unabated:

Meanwhile among the solar afficionados:

The arithmetic of coal carbon is striking home:

Biofuel bickering abounds:

The nuclear energy controversy continues:

Yes we have peak oil:

And then there is the matter of efficiency & conservation:

Automakers & lawyers, engineers & activists argue over the future of the car:

The reaction of business to climate change will be critical:

Meanwhile in the greenwashing chronicles:

Insurance and re-insurance companies are feeling the heat: