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
- Top Stories:Nargis, Knutson, Permafrost, Melting Arctic, Food Crisis, Food vs. Biofuel, Food Production
- Hurricanes, Halong, GHG Stats, Feedbacks, Paleoclimate, Sea Levels, Satellites, DSCOVR
- Impacts, Acidification, Forests, Wildfires, Floods & Droughts
- Mitigation, Transportation, Buildings, Sequestration, Geoengineering
- Journals, Misc. Science, Pielke, Broecker
- Kyoto-2, Carbon Trade, Carbon Tax, Optimal Carbon Reduction Strategy
- Politics:G8 Meeting, America, Britain, Europe, Australia, Canada
- Ecological Economics, IPAT, Apocalypso, Media, Books, Courts
- Energy, Solar, Coal, Biofuel, Nukes, Peak Oil, Efficiency, Cars, Business, Greenwashing
- Carbon Lobby, The Usual, Useful Links
- Shameless Self Promotion, .sig
- 2008/05/25: uComics: (cartoon - Toles) I Bought A New Car...
There are few reporters in Myanmar, so most of the stories are tangential:
- 2008/05/24: AFP: After deal, aid groups wait for access to Myanmar
- 2008/05/23: BBwoB: The Cyclone Story (Local witness)
- 2008/05/22: UN: Ban Ki-moon visits cyclone-devastated areas in Myanmar
- 2008/05/23: BBC: Burma 'to let in all aid workers'
Burma's top leader has agreed to let all foreign aid workers into the country for relief work in cyclone-hit areas, UN head Ban Ki-moon has said. [...] But correspondents say Burma has a record of withdrawing promises made to the UN. - 2008/05/22: BBC: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has arrived in cyclone-hit Burma to tour the devastated Irrawaddy Delta and meet military ruler Gen Than Shwe
- 2008/05/22: AFP: UN's Ban tours Myanmar disaster area
- 2008/05/21: Xinhuanet: Myanmar reiterates support for ASEAN-led mechanism for cyclone recovery
- 2008/05/19: DerSpiegel: The Silence of Bogalay -- Thousands of corpses are floating in Burma's Irrawaddy Delta...
- 2008/05/19: CBC: Burma eases foreign aid restrictions [via ASEAN]
- 2008/05/19: AFP: Three days of mourning in Myanmar, ASEAN to lead cyclone aid effort
- 2008/05/19: BBC: Burma neighbours in cyclone talks
The Association of South East Asian Nation (ASEAN) is due to hold urgent talks to discuss ways of helping Burma's cyclone victims. Foreign ministers meeting in Singapore hope that Burma's military junta - who has so far blocked most of the foreign aid - might accept the ASEAN help - 2008/05/18: NatureGeoSci: (ab$) Simulated reduction in Atlantic hurricane frequency under twenty-first-century warming conditions by Thomas R. Knutson et al.
- 2008/05/18: RealClimate: Climate Change and Tropical Cyclones (Yet Again)
- 2008/05/21: Wunderground: The future of wind shear: will it decrease the number of hurricanes?
- 2008/05/20: SciDaily: Global Warming Has Little Impact In Tropical Storm And Hurricane Numbers, NOAA Reports
- 2008/05/19: NOAANews: NOAA Model Projects Fewer, But More Intense Hurricanes Late This Century - Greenhouse Gases Have Little Impact in Tropical Storm and Hurricane Numbers
- 2008/05/19: NatureN: Climate change 'to make Atlantic hurricanes rarer'
Increasing frequency of storms in past 25 years may not continue, although average severity may grow. - 2008/05/19: NatureCF: Hurricanes and global warming....the latest chapter
- 2008/05/19: KSJT: AP, Houston Chronicle, etc: Another report saying warming does NOT mean more hurricanes. But maybe more of the worst ones?
- 2008/05/18: MongaBay: Global warming will produce fewer hurricanes
- 2008/05/19: DotEarth: Warming and Storms, Uncertainty and Ethics
- 2008/05/19: PhysOrg: Study says global warming not worsening hurricanes
- 2008/05/18: Yahoo: Atlantic cyclones may decrease as globe warms: study
- 2008/05/19: QuarkSoup: Few Hurricanes with Global Warming
- 2008/05/19: BBC: 'Fewer hurricanes' as world warms
Hurricanes and tropical storms will become less frequent by the end of the century as a result of climate change, US researchers [Knutson] have suggested. But the scientists added their data also showed that there would be a "modest increase" in the intensity of these extreme weather events. The findings are at odds with some other studies, which forecast a greater number of hurricanes in a warmer world - 2008/05/23: ClimateP: Tundra, Part 2: The point of no return
- 2008/05/22: ClimateP: The permafrost won't be perma for long, Part 1
- 2008/05/23: BBC: Methane rise points to wetlands
Higher atmospheric levels of the greenhouse gas methane noted last year are probably related to emissions from wetlands, especially around the Arctic. Scientists have found indications that extra amounts of the gas in the Arctic region are of biological origin. Global levels of methane had been roughly stable for almost a decade. Rising levels in the Arctic could mean that some of the methane stored away in permafrost is being released, which would have major climatic implications. - 2008/05/24: BBC: Vast cracks appear in [Ward Hunt] Arctic ice [shelf]
Dramatic evidence of the break-up of the Arctic ice-cap has emerged from research during an expedition by the Canadian military. - 2008/05/23: PhysOrg: Arctic explorer delivers unique snow-depth data for CryoSat
- 2008/05/22: TerraDaily: Denmark calls for law to prevail on Arctic disputes
[...] Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the United States are at odds over 1.2 million square kilometers (460,000 square miles) of Arctic seabed, thought to hold 25 percent of the world's undiscovered oil and gas according to the US Geological Survey. - 2008/05/22: McClatchyDC: New study finds steep costs of doing nothing on climate
- 2008/05/23: Statesman: Study says inaction on climate change could cost trillions
The food crisis remains a top story:
- 2008/05/16: RFERL: Global Food Crisis Catches Up With Russia
- 2008/05/24: PeakEnergy: The Rice Imbalance
- 2008/05/24: Xinhuanet: S. American countries [UNASUR] to provide solutions for food crisis
- 2008/05/23: DerSpiegel: Egypt's answer to food crisis - "We Will 'Reclaim Desert Areas'"
- 2008/05/22: DerSpiegel: Curbing the crisis - Food Price Explosion 'Should Be a Wake-Up Call' [says Jack Wilkinson]
- 2008/05/23: DailyStar: Some simple measures would alleviate the global food crisis [Sachs]
- 2008/05/22: TerraDaily: European Parliament urges EU to set up 'food stocks'
- 2008/05/17: GreenLeft: Bush says starving India eats too much
- 2008/05/23: NYT: U.S. in Difficult Position Over Japan's Rice Plan
- 2008/05/23: Guardian(UK): Food prices high for foreseeable future, says UN
- 2008/05/22: CSM: Rising price of rice keeps U.N. scrambling to feed world's hungry
From Kenya to Cambodia, the World Food Program's offices are struggling to meet their budgets in the face of price increases, sometimes having to suspend vital programs - 2008/05/19: OneWorld: Hunger Prompting Desperate Acts
- 2008/05/21: IPSNews: IMF "Cure" for Food Crisis Also a Cause
- 2008/05/15: AlterNet: Vandana Shiva: Why We Face Both Food and Water Crises
- 2008/05/21: CCurrents: Food Crisis Rippling Out Like A "Tsunami"
- 2008/05/20: CNN: Famine fears for seven million Ethiopian children
Drought and soaring food prices leaves Ethiopian children facing famine - UNICEF: Country is facing an open crisis - UNICEF is appealing for $10 million for Ethiopia's emergency needs - 2008/05/21: Xinhuanet: UN [ECOSOC] meeting urges immediate action on global food crisis
- 2008/05/21: ChronicleHerald: Food prices have poor 'very scared' - Rising costs cause low-income earners to hoard basics such as rice, flour
- 2008/05/20: UN: Boosting agricultural production vital to solving food crisis, ECOSOC chief says
- 2008/05/20: PeakEnergy: Manufacturing a Food Crisis
- 2008/05/19: SeattlePI: Food Stamps: Breaking records
- 2008/05/19: FA: More Empty Stomachs in America
- 2008/05/20: BBC: Ethiopian millions 'risk hunger'
Six million children in Ethiopia are at risk of acute malnutrition following the failure of rains, the UN children's agency, Unicef, has warned. More than 60,000 children in two Ethiopian regions require immediate specialist feeding just to survive, Unicef says. The situation is expected to worsen in the next few months as crops fail. - 2008/05/20: SMH: Green revolution needed to feed the poor, says UN
- 2008/05/19: UN: Over 2.6 million Somalis could go hungry, UN agency [FAO] warns - Soaring food prices and drought have left many in need of assistance
- 2008/05/19: OLJ: There is more than meets the eye about the world food crisis
- 2008/05/19: AllAfrica: Herald: Food Crisis Won't Get Better Soon
The conflict between biofuel and food persists:
- 2008/05/23: WSJ:EnvCap: Cereal Killer: Don't Blame Biofuels for Food Prices, New [Energy Finance] Study Says
- 2008/05/23: AutoBG: UN special commisioner [Olivier de Schutter] speaks out against biofuels, defends food rights
- 2008/05/21: EnergyDaily: US ethanol policy under siege in food-for-fuel debate
- 2008/05/20: DSeaton: Corn Bomb
- 2008/05/20: BBC: Fuel crops 'pose invasion risk' - Nations should avoid planting biofuel crops that have a high risk of becoming invasive species, a [GISP] report warns.
- 2008/05/19: AngryBear: The Biofuel-Backlash Backlash
And the troubling matter of falling food production is not going away:
- 2008/05/: FAO: Food Outlook - Global Market Analysis
- 2008/05/23: SciNews: Insects (the original white meat)
- 2008/05/21: CDreams: Independent(UK): Why Bananas Are a Parable for Our Times
- 2008/05/21: CasaubonsBook: Peak Energy and an Overview of Its Implications for Food
- 2008/05/21: KSJT: Albany Times Union: Climate change has ups and downs for NY farmers. Mostly downs, so far.
- 2008/05/21: GristMill: Fertile for problems - South America's industrial-ag powerhouse eyes rainforest potash deposits
- 2008/05/20: Reuters: Brazil threatens to nationalize fertilizer mines
- 2008/05/21: CanWest: Hard work, lean years in cattle country - Drought, mad cow disease, new regulations and the rise of biofuels are taking their toll in an already volatile industry
- 2008/05/20: Guardian(UK): Six million Ethiopian children at risk of malnutrition as crops fail and prices rise
- 2008/05/20: GristMill: No farmers? No food - Much depends on finding a new generation to put dinner on the table
- 2008/05/20: TreeHugger: Rice Most Water Intensive Crop Says Australian Stats Bureau
- 2008/05/19: CasaubonsBook: Farmer-Hunter-Gatherer
- 2008/05/19: UN: Biodiversity key to tacking global food crisis -- UN agency [FAO]
- 2008/05/18: CasaubonsBook: But Won't We Prioritize Energy Resources for Agriculture?
- 2008/05/19: BasqueResearch: Dosage of fertiliser helps to enhance quality of wheat
- 2008/05/19: PeakEnergy: The Sweet Smell Of Ammonia
Tropical storm Halong raised a ruckus in the Philippines:
- 2008/05/21: CBC: Death toll rises [to 37] after tropical storm [Halong] pummels Philippines
- 2008/05/20: TerraDaily: Tropical storm Halong passes in Philippines leaving 13 dead: official
- 2008/05/19: TerraDaily: [Tropical] Storm [Halong] toll in Philippines rises to 12: government
- 2008/05/18: TerraDaily: Tropical storm Halong lashes northern Philippines: officials
Otherwise in the hurricane wars, we have had predictions, retrospectives and studies:
- 2008/05/22: CCurrents: A Tale Of Two Storms: Myanmar And New Orleans
- 2008/05/23: NatureTGB: NOAA hurricane predictions
- 2008/05/23: NewScientist: Tracking [Saharan] desert dust could help hurricane prediction
- 2008/05/23: ENN: U.S. government [NOAA] sees active Atlantic hurricane season
- 2008/05/23: CSM: Six months out, Bangladesh's cyclone woes unresolved - 1.3 million people still live in makeshift homes, often built from cyclone debris [Sidr, 2007/11]
- 2008/05/22: NOAANews: NOAA Predicts Near Normal or Above Normal Atlantic Hurricane Season
- 2008/05/22: Wunderground: A 65% chance of an above-average 2008 hurricane season: NOAA
- 2008/05/20: PhysOrg: African dust forecast may help hurricane season predictions
- 2008/05/19: NOAANews: NOAA Expects Slightly Below Average Central Pacific Hurricane Season
Meanwhile GHGs are still going up:
- 2008/05/21: ClimateP: Bush policies cause U.S. carbon dioxide emissions to soar in 2007
- 2008/05/21: GristMill: CO2 you later - Electric emissions growth outpaces generation in 2007
- 2008/05/21: WSJ:EnvCap: Burn, Baby, Burn: U.S. Households' Emissions Keep Rising
- 2008/05/20: PhysOrg: US carbon dioxide emissions up 1.6 percent in 2007
- 2008/05/20: JFleck: We Loves Our Natural Gas [US GHG stats]
- 2008/05/19: C411: Highest CO2 and Methane in 800,000 Years
- 2008/05/19: TreeHugger: Ice Core Data Reveals GHG Emissions at Highest Level in 800,000 Years
Yes we have feedbacks:
- 2008/05/21: Eureka: Earth may hide a lethal carbon cache
- 2008/05/21: Guardian(UK): Sinking feeling - Why the erosion of Britain's peatlands, a natural reservoir for carbon, is making them a dangerous source of greenhouse gases
While in the paleoclimate:
- 2008/05/23: Eureka: New research forces U-turn in population migration theory
- 2008/05/22: NatureCF: Isotopes and Snowball Earth
Sea levels are rising:
- 2008/05/24: SciDaily: Tidal Cycle Could Amplify Global-warming Related Sea-level Rises
Meanwhile in near earth orbit:
- 2008/05/20: NOAANews: Jason-2 Satellite Data to Help NOAA Track Global Sea Level
- 2008/05/20: PhysOrg: Joint NASA-French satellite to track trends in sea level, climate [Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM)/Jason 2]
The campaign to uncover DSCOVR [Deep Space Climate Observatory] rolls on:
- 2008/05/22: DeSmogBlog: Congress Orders NASA to Deal With DSCOVR
More GW impacts are being seen:
- 2008/05/25: CanWest: Lemons in B.C.? Blame it on climate change - Balmy Victoria temperatures allowing wider range of fruits and plants to grow
- 2008/05/21: MongaBay: Global warming harming plant-eating animals in the Arctic
- 2008/05/22: NewScientist: Low snowfall puts Alpine tourism on a downhill slide
- 2008/05/22: PhysOrg: Climate change does double-whammy to animals in seasonal environments
- 2008/05/22: PhysOrg: Water, salinity levels in Hunter [Valley, Australia] linked to climate
- 2008/05/22: TreeHugger: Graphic Of The Day: US Industry Sectors Most Affected By Climate Costs
- 2008/05/22: ENN: Climate change does double-whammy to animals in seasonal environments
- 2008/05/22: OilChange: Climate Change Threatens Alpine Resorts
- 2008/05/21: NewScientist: Baby caribou hit by climate double whammy
- 2008/05/21: PhysOrg: Alps hit by two-decade decline in snowfall
- 2008/05/21: DailyIndia: Global warming may increase kidney stones
- 2008/05/21: Guardian(UK): Earlier spring in Arctic could hit caribou diet
- 2008/05/19: MongaBay: Defaunation, like deforestation, threatens global biodiversity: Rodolfo Dirzo Interview
- 2008/05/20: TruthOut: Zones of Death Are Spreading in Oceans Due to Global Warming
- 2008/05/19: PhysOrg: Climate change raising extinction risk among birds: study
- 2008/05/19: TerraDaily: Climate change raising extinction risk among birds: study
- 2008/05/20: ENN: Climate change having 'worldwide, widespread effects'
- 2008/05/20: OilChange: 1 in 8 Birds Threatened Due to Climate
- 2008/05/19: Yahoo: Animated map brings global climate crisis to life
- 2008/05/19: NewScientist: One in eight bird species threatened by climate change
- 2008/05/19: TerraDaily: Warming Climate Is Changing Life On A Global Scale
- 2008/05/19: TerraDaily: Earth Impacts Linked To Human-Caused Climate Change
- 2008/05/19: Eureka: Study in Science cites impact of anthropogenic nitrogen on ocean biology, atmospheric CO2
- 2008/05/19: Reuters: Animated map brings global climate crisis to life
- 2008/05/19: BBC: Climate 'accelerating bird loss'
Climate change is "significantly amplifying" the threats facing the world's bird populations, a global assessment has concluded. The 2008 Bird Red List warns that long-term droughts and extreme weather puts additional stress on key habitats. The assessment lists 1,226 species as threatened with extinction - one-in-eight of all bird species. - 2008/05/23: NatureTGB: Acidic oceans arrive early
- 2008/05/23: KSJT: Pacific Northwest, Brit media, more: Blob of acidity in the sea just west of N. America
- 2008/05/23: SciDaily: Ocean Acidification: Another Undesired Side Effect Of Fossil Fuel-burning
- 2008/05/23: SciDaily: U.S. Pacific Coast Waters Turning More Acidic
- 2008/05/23: CanWest: Greenhouse gases turn sea water acidic - Marine life faces risks along B.C. coast: study
- 2008/05/23: Guardian(UK): Sealife at risk from rapid acidification -Increased CO2 levels to blame, say experts
- 2008/05/22: NOAANews: International Scientists Find "Acidified" [ocean] Water on the Continental Shelf from Canada to Mexico
- 2008/05/21: PhysOrg: Ocean acidification -- another undesired side effect of fossil fuel-burning
And then there are the world's forests:
- 2008/05/25: NYT: Brazil Rainforest Analysis Sets Off Political Debate
- 2008/05/21: PhysOrg: Brazil says Amazon deforestation rising
- 2008/05/20: TerraDaily: Greenpeace calls for deforestation fund
- 2008/05/20: MongaBay: Greenpeace says carbon fund will save forests and climate
- 2008/05/19: MongaBay: Carbon market could fund rainforest conservation, fight climate change: Tracy Johns Interview
- 2008/05/19: TerraDaily: Brazil's military should patrol Amazon: new environment minister [Carlos Minc]
- 2008/05/19: ENN: Tropical Rainforests are Planet's Lungs
Meanwhile in tornado alley:
- 2008/05/25: AP: Tornadoes rake Oklahoma as Midwest tallies damage
- 2008/05/24: CNN: Tornadoes tear through Kansas, Oklahoma; Colorado cleans up
Multiple tornadoes strike Kansas for second day in row - Funnel cloud reported in Greensburg, Kansas, site of massive tornado in 2007 - Colorado cleanup interrupted by new tornado warning - 2008/05/23: Wunderground: Mile-wide tornado smashes Windsor, Colorado; plus, hurricane season commentary
- 2008/05/23: MSNBC: Gas leaks rife where tornado struck in Colo. - Hundreds kept from homes day after twister killed 1, injured dozens
- 2008/05/24: AP: More tornadoes strike Kansas, Oklahoma
- 2008/05/22: DenverPost: Mile-wide tornado hits Windsor, Weld County
- 2008/05/22: CNN: Tornado kills 1, rips apart buildings near Denver
As for wild fires:
- 2008/05/23: CNN: Schwarzenegger urges new fees to boost firefighting
Schwarzenegger visits 3,100-acre Summit fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains - He says his state's firefighters are "the best-trained, the most courageous" - The fire was only 20 percent contained Friday afternoon, an agency reports - Schwarzenegger wants increase in homeowners' insurance fees for firefighting - 2008/05/22: SF Gate: Wind-whipped blaze in Santa Cruz Mountains forces residents to flee
- 2008/05/22: PhysOrg: Scorched Earth millenium map shows 'fire scars'
- 2008/05/22: Eureka: Scorched Earth millenium map shows 'fire scars' - New map shows burning hotspots on Earth
- 2008/05/21: ADN: [Alaskan] Peninsula wildfire is expanding explosively
- 2008/05/21: DailyIndia: No homes threatened by Vegas-area wildfire
And speaking of floods & droughts:
- 2008/05/24: Bendigo(Au): Get used to low rainfall
As Bendigo anticipates another dismal autumn rainfall total, a leading atmospheric scientist has reinforced fears that the pattern is a result of climate change and not simply a drought. - 2008/05/24: BBC: Floods wreak havoc across Chile - Heavy rain and flooding in Chile have displaced 15,000 people...
- 2008/05/24: SMH: Drought persists in Murray-Darling
Drought conditions in the Murray-Darling basin remain critical, as state and federal water ministers met to examine its continuing impact. Good rains to the north of the basin have all but stopped in recent months and the water flows in the south are again heading towards last year's record lows. - 2008/05/23: ABC(Au): CSIRO charts rainfall decline in SE Australia
- 2008/05/23: Reuters: Chile flooding kills 5, forces 13,000 from homes
- 2008/05/20: TerraDaily: Six million children threatened by Ethiopia drought: UN
- 2008/05/19: Reuters: Drought returns to haunt Ethiopia
Elsewhere on the mitigation front:
- 2008/05/23: PeakEnergy: Green Cement
- 2008/05/22: NuncScio: Want to cut carbon? Get off the bus.
- 2008/05/21: ClimateP: No-till farming does NOT save carbon and is NOT a carbon offset
As for transportation & GHG production:
- 2008/05/21: FuturePundit: Airports Lose Passenger Flights As Peak Oil Starts To Bite
- 2008/05/23: CalcRisk: DOT: Vehicle Miles Fell 4.3% in March
- 2008/05/22: FTimes: Airlines face battle for survival
- 2008/05/21: Guardian(UK): Oil price forces American Airlines to scrap 75 planes
- 2008/05/22: Guardian(UK): American Airlines to cut planes and jobs - Soaring oil prices blighting aviation industry
- 2008/05/21: CSM: Airlines awash in red ink - Hit by rising fuel costs, major carriers may have to shrink services further...
- 2008/05/20: ABC(Au): Peak hour car trips have higher emissions: survey
- 2008/05/19: GristMill: Last flight out
- 2008/05/19: NBF: Scale, cost and impact of a public transportation overhaul
- 2008/05/19: Guardian(UK): Private jet sharing: it may assuage guilt, but is it really green?
While in the endless quest for sustainable building codes:
- 2008/05/21: WorldChanging: Cap and Caulk: How Smart Climate Policy Can Cut Our Energy Costs [building]
As for carbon sequestration:
- 2008/05/25: PhysOrg: Don't want to release your CO2? Bury it
- 2008/05/22: UMich: U-M scientists remove thousands of aspens to glimpse forest's future
- 2008/05/22: PhysOrg: Aspen trees starved in global warming experiment
- 2008/05/21: QuarkSoup: More on Burying Trees
- 2008/05/20: SciDaily: Simple, Low-cost Carbon Filter Removes 90 Percent Of Carbon Dioxide From Smokestack Gases
- 2008/05/19: PhysOrg: A simple, low-cost carbon filter removes 90% of carbon dioxide from smokestack gases
- 2008/05/19: SMH: Hope still high on carbon burial
The Federal Government has launched its plan to deal with greenhouse gas pollution from the coal industry, with a bill which will regulate the burial of carbon dioxide under the seabeds of Australia. The draft laws were quietly released over the weekend despite a blow being dealt last week to "clean-coal" hopes after the collapse of a $2 billion trial of the technology. The clean-coal experiment run by the resources giants Rio Tinto and BP was ditched last week after it was found that deep-sea storage beds off Perth would not hold the tonnes of carbon dioxide the companies wanted to bury. - 2008/05/22: ENN: Radical Solution to Climate Change: Global Dimming through Sulphur
- 2008/05/20: NEN: Trees: the best answer?
- 2008/05/19: ABC(Au): [Dr. Tim] Flannery says sky may need to change colour to fight climate change [sulphur geo-eng]
Meanwhile in the journals:
- 2008/05/15: Arxiv: Title: Stability of Thermohaline circulation with respect to fresh water release by Ajay Patwardhan & Vivek Tewary
- 2008/05/23: TC: Is snow sublimation important in the alpine water balance? by U. Strasser et al.
- 2008/05/23: TCD: Changes of Wilkins Ice Shelf over the past 15 years and inferences on its stability by M. Braun et al.
- 2008/05/23: ACP: Estimation of Asian dust aerosol effect on cloud radiation forcing using Fu-Liou radiative model and CERES measurements by Jing Su et al.
- 2008/05/22: ACP: Asian dust storm influence on North American ambient PM levels: observational evidence and controlling factors by T. L. Zhao et al.
- 2008/05/23: ACPD: Consistent simulation of bromine chemistry from the marine boundary layer to the stratosphere - Part 2: Bromocarbons by A. Kerkweg et al.
- 2008/05/23: ACPD: Sulfur isotope analyses of individual aerosol particles in the urban aerosol at a central European site (Mainz, Germany) by B. Winterholler et al.
- 2008/05/22: ACPD: Simulation of the climate impact of Mt. Pinatubo eruption using ECHAM5 - Part 2: Sensitivity to the phase of the QBO [Quasi-Biennial Oscillation] by M. A. Thomas et al.
- 2008/05/22: ACPD: Simulation of the climate impact of Mt. Pinatubo eruption using ECHAM5 - Part 1: Sensitivity to the modes of atmospheric circulation and boundary conditions by M. A. Thomas et al.
- 2008/05/23: CP: The Eurasian ice sheet reinforces the East Asian summer monsoon during the interglacial 500 000 years ago by Qiuzhen Yin et al.
- 2008/05/22: CPD: Variability of summer precipitation over eastern China during the last millennium by C. Shen et al.
- 2008/05/18: NatureGeoSci: (ab$) Simulated reduction in Atlantic hurricane frequency under twenty-first-century warming conditions by Thomas R. Knutson et al.
- 2008/05/20: ACP: Variability of subtropical upper tropospheric humidity by J.-M. Ryoo et al.
- 2008/05/19: ACP: Satellite measurement based estimates of decadal changes in European nitrogen oxides emissions by I. B. Konovalov et al.
- 2008/05/21: ACPD: Mesoscale temperature fluctuations in the Southern Hemisphere stratosphere by B. L. Gary
- 2008/05/21: ACPD: Contributions of pollutants from North China Plain to surface ozone at the Shangdianzi GAW station by W. Lin et al.
- 2008/05/20: ACPD: Model analysis of the factors regulating the trends and variability of carbon monoxide between 1988 and 1997 by B. N. Duncan & J. A. Logan
- 2008/05/20: ACPD: Modelling of cirrus clouds – Part 2: Competition of different nucleation mechanisms by P. Spichtinger & K. M. Gierens
- 2008/05/20: ACPD: Statistical estimation of stratospheric particle size distribution by combining optical modelling and lidar scattering measurements by J. Jumelet et al.
- 2008/05/19: ACPD: Observations of mesoscale and boundary-layer circulations affecting dust uplift and transport in the Saharan boundary layer by J. H. Marsham et al.
- 2008//: NAS: [link to 3.3 meg pdf] _Understanding and Responding to Climate Change_
Before we get into politics, there was some science done:
- 2008/05/25: JEB: Once more into the breech dear friends, once more...or fill up the bin with rejected manuscripts.
- 2008/05/24: RealClimate: Tropical tropospheric trends again
- 2008/05/21: NatureTGB: Space 'roo albedo test
- 2008/05/20: PhysOrg: 'Space' kangaroo shines light on global warming [albedo measurement]
- 2008/05/19: Wunderground: Chile's volcano not likely to affect the climate
The Pielke fan clubbe is still breathing...:
- 2008/05/21: ClimateP: The Strange Case of Dr. Pielke and Mr. Hidebound on delaying climate action
- 2008/05/20: GristMill: What's happening in the world of Brave Heresy? RPJr. is at it again
- 2008/05/19: Atmoz: 7 Year Trends Falsify What?
- 2008/05/19: JEB: Question: when is 23% equal to 5%?
A Wallace Broecker interview:
- 2008/05/24: Guardian(UK): The carbon catcher
Meanwhile on the Kyoto-2 front:
- 2008/05/19: PlanetArk: Complex Climate Treaty Challenges Experts
And on the carbon trading front:
- 2008/05/23: EUO: EU in global spotlight for emissions trading scheme
- 2008/05/22: PhysOrg: Carbon market could be worth 2 trillion euros in 2020: study
- 2008/05/18: ENN: Tokyo to propose cap-and-trade emissions plan [to the city assembly]
The idea of a carbon tax is still bouncing around:
- 2008/05/25: Guardian(UK): Carrots as well as sticks will help us to swallow green taxes
- 2008/05/23: OilChange: Bay Area Regulators Approve Global Warming Fees
- 2008/05/22: TreeHugger: It's Official: Bay Area Passes First Carbon Tax
The debate over the optimal strategy [carbon trading, carbon offsets, auction vs. allocation, and/or a carbon tax] to use in dealing with GHGs continues:
- 2008/05/22: GristMill: Oldies but goodies - Offset criticisms may be tired, but they're still true
- 2008/05/21: JFleck: Orszag on the "Safety Valve"
- 2008/05/20: TreeHugger: Carbon Cap And Trade - A Looming Battle Among States
- 2008/05/20: NEN: Making cap-and-trade fair
- 2008/05/19: CTB: Carbon Offsets Work -- Will the Mainstream Media Ever Get It?
Meanwhile on the international political front, the G8 environment ministers met in Kobe, Japan:
- 2008/05/25: PhysOrg: Leaders told battle to stem global warming slowing [by U.N. climate chief Yvo de Boer]
- 2008/05/25: CTV: Europe calls for deep carbon cuts by 2020
- 2008/05/24: Xinhuanet: G8 environment ministers meeting opens in Kobe of Japan
- 2008/05/18: Stockhouse: G-8 climate chiefs to eye emissions cut target, anti-pollution steps
And on the American political front:
- 2008/05/25: GristMill: The farm bill ups the cellulosic ethanol ante - Lost amid the crop-subsidy battle, a new biofuel regime
- 2008/05/24: CSW: ICLEI local action summit on climate and sustainability underscores federal government "no show"
- 2008/05/22: AutoBG: California CO2 law has gaping loopholes for imports
- 2008/05/21: B2B: U.S. Energy Policy Is All Smoke And Mirrors
- 2008/05/20: ClimateP: Rep. Bartlett hits House on renewables -- and I don't mean Gregory House
- 2008/05/20: GristMill: Energy outage - Senate Energy Committee members wring their hands about the cost of climate action
- 2008/05/20: GristMill: Intensity vs. preference - Climate, as such, is unlikely to ever be a determinant of many votes
- 2008/05/20: GristMill: Kentucky fried agitprop - Kentucky taxpayers pony up $400,000 a year for coal industry 'educational materials'
- 2008/05/19: GristMill: Bringing 'round the House - The House is lagging behind the Senate on climate change
- 2008/05/19: GristMill: Ugly Reggy - California concludes majority of emission reductions will come through regulation
- 2008/05/18: GristMill: Something's chafing Lincoln - Chafee: 'GOP genuflects before Old King Coal'
- 2008/05/19: TP:WonkRoom: Bush Plan To Protect Spotted Owl From Global Warming Is To Wait Ten More Years
In the Kansas coal saga:
- 2008/05/23: WarmingLaw: Weekly Round-Up: Game Over in Kansas - The battle now shifts to state courtrooms, where the [coal] industry has filed suit.
- 2008/05/21: ClimateP: Quick Kansas Update - A 3rd Veto
- 2008/05/18: ClimateP: The Coal Calm in Kansas, for now
- 2008/05/19: ENS: Three Strikes Against Kansas Coal Plants: Sebelius Vetos Again
The fight to ensure tax credits for renewables:
- 2008/05/23: LA Times: Tax credits for renewables - Republicans are blocking them in favor of tax loopholes for the rich.
You don't have to be an environmentalist, or even a believer in global warming, to support tax credits for renewable energy -- solar and wind power are clean, sustainable alternatives at a time when prices for fossil fuels are soaring. Yet congressional Republicans and the Bush administration are willing to let existing credits expire because they don't want to close a tax loophole for multimillionaire hedge-fund managers.
[...]
Many Republicans object to the credits because they would be offset by postponing an obscure tax break for corporations with foreign operations that was supposed to take effect next year, and by cracking down on hedge-fund managers, who would no longer be able to avoid billions of dollars in taxes by diverting money to offshore havens. Thus, whilemiddle-class Americans are struggling with skyrocketing energy costs, these lawmakers are standing in the way of alternative energy sources in order to defend an unfair tax loophole for the mega-rich. It will be interesting to see how those facing reelection try to justify that in November. - 2008/05/23: EconView: Will Tax Credits for Renewables be Renewed?
- 2008/05/21: GristMill: Renewables hit the jackpot - House passes massive tax extensions for renewable energy
They're still arguing over which climate bill Bush will veto:
- 2008/05/23: GristMill: ACCCE's lobbying campaign against Lieberman Warner - Coal industry launches full-scale attack against climate legislation
- 2008/05/23: HillHeat: [Senator Olympia] Snowe (R-Maine) Announces Support for Lieberman-Warner
- 2008/05/23: HillHeat: Reid Takes Steps To Begin Floor Debate On Lieberman-Warner
- 2008/05/23: TP:WonkRoom: Coal Industry Launches Full-Scale Attack Against [L-W] Climate Legislation
- 2008/05/22: GristMill: The nuke fight begins - Lieberman and Warner prepare an amendment calling for more support for nukes
- 2008/05/21: GristMill: Full text drops - Full text of the substitute amendment to Lieberman-Warner now available
- 2008/05/20: GristMill: In the ring - Boxer on new L-W amendment: 'I think I have enough votes for the motion to proceed'
- 2008/05/21: HillHeat: Text of Boxer's Manager Amendment to Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act
- 2008/05/20: ClimateP: [Bernie] Sanders (I-VT): Senate Energy hearing on costs of climate bill filled with "Old Think"
- 2008/05/20: ClimateP: Lieberman-Warner moved from morgue to anatomy class
- 2008/05/19: GristMill: Safety pin - Senate Energy and Natural Resources hearing to stoke fear about the costs of climate legislation
- 2008/05/19: GristMill: Boxer briefs - Barbara Boxer circulates an outline of her amendment to Lieberman-Warner
- 2008/05/19: GristMill: Friday night fights - Senate turns back sneak attack from climate action opponents
- 2008/05/19: HillHeat: Waxman: 'White House Involved in California Waiver Denial'
- 2008/05/19: HillHeat: Boxer Releases Preview of Lieberman-Warner Manager's Amendment
The EPA is still a focus of contempt & investigation:
- 2008/05/22: GristMill: No contempt for EPA's Johnson, yet - Select Committee and White House reach deal on release of documents
- 2008/05/21: ThinkP: GAO: Interior Dept. Officials Politicized Endangered Species Decisions
- 2008/05/21: TP:WonkRoom: The White House's Agents Of Environmental Corruption
- 2008/05/21: PhysOrg: Senate panel votes to overturn EPA on Calif. waiver
- 2008/05/21: GristMill: Bush, whacked - EPW approves legislation calling on Bush to overturn EPA decision he likely forced EPA to make
- 2008/05/21: WarmingLaw: One Small Step: CA Waiver Bill Passes Out of Committee
- 2008/05/20: WarmingLaw: Waxman v. Johnson: More of This Please
- 2008/05/21: SF Gate: EPA chief on the hot seat at House panel hearing
- 2008/05/21: TP:WonkRoom: Waxman: "President Bush Seems To Believe These Rules Don't Apply To Him"
- 2008/05/20: PhysOrg: Report: EPA head reversed stand on greenhouse gas
- 2008/05/19: OL: EPA head reversed stand on greenhouse gas after White House input
- 2008/05/19: ThinkP: Waxman reveals docs showing White House involvement in EPA's CA waiver denial
- 2008/05/19: TP:WonkRoom: Waxman: "White House Involved In California Waiver Denial"
- 2008/05/19: Guardian(UK): US environmental official [EPA associate deputy administrator, Jason Burnett] admits White House influenced emissions decision
A top official at the US Environmental Protection Agency confirmed that the agency denied strong carbon emissions limits proposed by California after the White House intervened, it emerged today. But the official, who resigned from the agency earlier this month, told congressional investigators that he was instructed not to reveal whether George Bush or other White House officials played a personal role in the controversial blockage of California's pollution rules. - 2008/05/19: GristMill: Tailpipe tampering - Waxman discloses evidence that White House influenced EPA California waiver
The Polar Bears & the suits:
- 2008/05/23: Times(UK): Protecting polar bears gets in way of drilling for oil, says [Alaskan] governor [Sarah Palin]
- 2008/05/22: ABC(Au): Alaska to sue to take polar bear off threatened list
- 2008/05/22: SciDaily: Protecting Polar Bears Must Include Mitigating Global Warming, Group Argues
- 2008/05/20: Straight: David Suzuki: polar bears walking on thin ice
- 2008/05/21: CBC: Alaska trying to get polar bears off U.S. threatened list
- 2008/05/21: NatureN: Polar bear numbers set to fall - Climate-change icon gains 'threatened' status from United States.
- 2008/05/21: KSJT: AP: Enviro lawyers firing away at EPA's polar bear ruling
- 2008/05/20: PhysOrg: Critics: Polar bear plan must fight global warming
One hears a lot about the campaign(s), not much about climate:
- 2008/05/19: BSD: What Obama should say about McCain's climate promises
While in the UK:
- 2008/05/22: Guardian(UK): [Letters] Funding action on climate change
The UK must stop supporting the World Bank's contamination of the climate agenda... - 2008/05/21: OilChange: UK Told to Rethink Aviation Policy
- 2008/05/21: BBC: Aviation impacts 'hotly disputed'
UK ministers have been urged to halt airport expansion until the true costs and benefits of the proposed increase in flying are properly understood - 2008/05/20: Guardian(UK): UK's climate aid plans 'undermine' global deal [by seeking to channel funds for developing countries through the World Bank]
- 2008/05/21: Guardian(UK): Discredited strategy
Increasing allegations of corruption and profiteering are raising serious questions about the UN-run carbon trading mechanism aimed at cutting pollution and rewarding clean technologies - 2008/05/21: Guardian(UK): Put UK airport expansion on hold, demands green group
- 2008/05/21: Guardian(UK): [Letters] Opportunities of a low-carbon economy
- 2008/05/19: Guardian(UK): Campaigners attack UK government over climate change 'loans'
- 2008/05/19: OilChange: UK Demands Repayment of Climate Aid
- 2008/05/20: Guardian(UK): The war to end all wars - The climate change threat needs drastic action. Only a cross-party approach can deliver it
- 2008/05/18: BBC: Anger over climate change loans
Development campaigners have accused the UK government of making a stealth cut to an £800m fund designed to help poor countries adapt to climate change - 2008/05/19: Guardian(UK): [Letters] Funding a world of low-carbon growth
And in Europe:
- 2008/05/25: PhysOrg: European power firms call for clear rules on new nuclear plants
- 2008/05/24: CarbonFinance: Phase II allocation limits [of the EU ETS] hit RWE and E.ON
- 2008/05/24: DerSpiegel: German Climate Protection Package at Risk
Part two of Chancellor Merkel's ambitious package of measures aimed at reducing German greenhouse gas emissions may be in trouble. Originally set for passage on Tuesday, many of the law proposals are under attack. - 2008/05/23: ENN: EU agrees to outlaw 'green' crimes
- 2008/05/23: BBC: Italy says it is to restart its nuclear energy programme, more than 20 years after it was scrapped by referendum in the wake of the Chernobyl disaster
- 2008/05/21: DeutscheWelle: Germany Shoots Wide on Emissions Target, Says New Report
Despite strong measures aimed at cutting carbon dioxide emissions across the country, Germany is in danger of missing its 2020 reduction target. It's been overly optimistic, say experts. - 2008/05/21: EUO: Brussels steers clear of radical farm policy shake-up
- 2008/05/20: DerSpiegel: EU Divided over How to Reform Agricultural Policy
- 2008/05/18: WikiLeaks: Leaked documents suggest European CAP reform just a whitewash
- 2008/05/20: BBC: The EU has unveiled a plan for reform of its Common Agricultural Policy, the rural payments system that costs more than 40bn euros (£32bn) a year.
- 2008/05/19: EUO: Food price spike to hit EU farming review
In Italy, a move back to nuclear power?
- 2008/05/23: DerSpiegel: Energy in the age of climate change - Italy Joins European Nuclear Power Revival
- 2008/05/23: KSJT: Wires, NY Times, WSJournal, etc: In Italy, a move toward firing up some new nukes
- 2008/05/22: EnergyDaily: Italy to reverse policy and build nuclear power stations: minister
Meanwhile in Australia:
- 2008/05/23: ABC(Au): Renewables target still needed with carbon scheme: Turnbull
- 2008/05/23: ABC(Au): Carbon trading scheme could see renewable strategies scrapped [Aus pol]
The Productivity Commission has warned the Federal Government that one of its key renewable energy strategies should be dropped when a carbon trading scheme comes in. The Commission says when the emissions trading scheme starts in 2010 it will be the most cost effective way to cut greenhouse gases and other schemes will be redundant. It says with an effective trading scheme there will be no climate change benefit in subsidising the production of hybrid cars, and doing so would be part of industry policy not for its environmental benefits. - 2008/05/22: ABC(Au): Leaving petrol off emissions trading scheme 'dangerous'
- 2008/05/22: SMH: Climate envoys named
The Climate Change Minister, Penny Wong, has named one of Australia's most experienced negotiators as her special envoy on climate change. Howard Bamsey will play a key role in global negotiations with the big greenhouse gas polluters such as the US, China, India and Japan. - 2008/05/21: ABC(Au): Energy industry 'unsure' about emissions trading [PricewaterhouseCoopers 2008 Utilities Survey]
- 2008/05/21: ABC(Au): Study considers climate change rural views
A pilot study [by the Bureau of Rural Sciences] is now underway in South Australia and other states into how rural communities perceive climate change. - 2008/05/20: ABC(Au): Westpac, AGL set benchmark for Australian carbon trading
- 2008/05/20: ABC(Au): First sale a 'vote of confidence' for emissions trading
Federal Climate Change Minister Penny Wong says the first transaction under the national emissions trading scheme shows business is taking its obligations seriously. Energy retailer AGL has made the first trade, selling 10,000 tonnes of what are called 'future emission trading units' to Westpac for $19 a tonne. The final settlement will not be made until February 2012. - 2008/05/22: SMH: About-face puts solar power back in the dark
- 2008/05/21: ABC(Au): Stuck in the coal age, when the solar century has already begun
- 2008/05/21: SMH: Means test threatens solar use: industry
- 2008/05/19: ABC(Au): Garrett defends means test on solar panel rebates
- 2008/05/19: ABC(Au): Solar sector's 'heart broken' by Budget
- 2008/05/19: Australian: The sun sets on Rudd's climate change credibility
- 2008/05/19: SMH: Solar threshold challenged
The Federal Government will be lobbied to lift the threshold on the solar panel rebate, amid claims last week's budget left solar power with nothing. - 2008/05/23: LFPress: [Robert F.] Kennedy Jr. attacks Harper's inaction - The environmental crusader says the prime minister follows U.S. President George W. Bush
- 2008/05/23: TStar: Canada's foreign minister belongs at Arctic summit - Diplomacy and international law are not the job of a natural resources minister
- 2008/05/21: ChronicleHerald: Baird should save the bears
Discussion of the Liberal's unreleased carbon tax plan is heated:
- 2008/05/24: WCI: Reactions to the carbon tax: the good, the bad, and the ugly
- 2008/05/12: WCI: The Liberals' carbon tax proposal
- 2008/05/25: BCLSB: Economist Weighs In On Dion's Environmental "Plan", Slams Harper, Slowly Debones Layton
- 2008/05/25: Far-n-Wide: Tax Shifting - I thought I would offer this "real" world example...
- 2008/05/22: Tyee: Can Dion Snag the New Eco-Voter? His carbon tax push is well timed, says pollster.
- 2008/05/23: TreeHugger: Jack Layton Keeps Driving Voters to the Greens and Liberals
- 2008/05/23: TStar: Carbon tax would hurt poor, NDP says
- 2008/05/23: CanWest: Dion's big gamble
It is widely conceded that Stephane Dion is taking a major risk trying to sell a carbon tax when gasoline prices are climbing. Less discussed is Jack Layton's challenge: opposing that same tax without forfeiting his green credentials and constituency. - 2008/05/21: CBC: Carbon tax 'foolish and unnecessary': PM [Harper]
- 2008/05/21: NBCD: Carbon Taxes: Needs To Be Done Right
- 2008/05/19: JCherniak: We need an honest debate about carbon...
- 2008/05/19: Far-n-Wide: The Dion Coalition
- 2008/05/19: DTakacs: Environmentalists Lining Up Behind Liberal Environmental Plan
- 2008/05/18: TStar: Dion exudes confidence on green plan - Liberal leader thinks Canadians are ready for carbon tax, but some in his caucus are worried
- 2008/05/18: CTV: Suzuki slams NDP, Tories, backs Dion's carbon tax
Famed environmentalist David Suzuki has strongly backed Liberal leader Stephane Dion's emerging carbon tax plan and slammed the NDP and Conservatives. After hearing the NDP's criticism of Dion's plan, Suzuki said: "I'm really shocked with the NDP with this. I thought that they had a very progressive environmental outlook." "To oppose (the carbon tax plan), its just nonsense. It's certainly the way we got to go," he said Sunday on CTV's Question Period. While Dion has not fully revealed his plan, this week he said that he is proposing a revenue-neutral carbon tax, where the carbon tax is paired with a reduction in other taxes. - 2008/05/19: CanWest: Dion's carbon-tax proposal shows courage, good sense
- 2008/05/19: CanWest: Dion is falling into a political trap with his carbon-tax plan
BC is still wrangling over their climate plan:
- 2008/05/21: WorldChanging: Cap-and-Trade or Carbon Tax? Both!
- 2008/05/21: CanWest: Most people [in BC] feel obligated to cut emissions: poll
- 2008/05/20: CanWest: Energy hogs will pay more carbon taxes [BC]
The tricky & difficult question of the tar sands looms:
- 2008/05/20: Tyee: The Tar Sands, Downstream - Cancer, and the BC connection.
- 2008/05/22: APOV: Canadians Losing Big To Big Oil
- 2008/05/20: Rabble: Canadians losing big to Big Oil
- 2008/05/19: G&M: Ottawa fast tracks Kearl mine permit
Decision to green-light Imperial oil sands project for a second time now sits with cabinet - 2008/05/20: CBC: P.E.I. cancels alternative energy program
P.E.I.'s Liberal government has quietly cancelled one of the few programs being offered by its office of energy efficiency. The office opened to the public in January, and was designed to be a place where the public could go for information on how to save on energy costs. At the time, it offered loans of up to $5,000 for renewable energy equipment, such as solar panels and wood pellet stoves, but the Opposition learned last week that program was quietly scrapped at the end of March. - 2008/05/25: NakedCapitalism: "The Economist Has No Clothes"
- 2008/05/24: TreeHugger: How the Economics of Renewable Energy Have Been Validated
- 2008/05/23: DerSpiegel: The Price of Survival - What Would It Cost to Save Nature?
- 2008/05/12: HCN: Climate Revolutionary [Mary C. Wood] Creating a legal framework for saving our planet - the public trust doctrine, an ancient legal principle
IPAT [Impact = Population * Affluence * Technology] raised its head once again:
- 2008/05/20: EconView: "The Malthusian Trap Is Not the Whole Story"
- 2008/05/18: EnergyBulletin: Remember Malthus? He's back for good
Apocalypso anyone?
- 2008/05/25: AP: Energy fears looming, new survivalists prepare
- 2008/05/23: CCurrents: Rapid Unraveling And The Demise Of Adolescent America
- 2008/05/20: GristMill: Strangers in disguise - Coming to terms with the reality of a world of refugees [apoc]
As for how the media handles the science of climatology:
- 2008/05/19: DeSmogBlog: Reckless Adaptation; Goofy Journalism
Here is something for your library:
- 2008/05/20: GristMill: Mazzocchi, Speth, and capitalism's future - Ted Glick on two new books that address capitalism and the environment
_The Bridge at the End of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability_ by James Gustave Speth
_The Man Who Hated Work and Loved Labor: The Life and Times of Tony Mazzocchi_ by Les Leopold - 2008/05/19: ClimateP: Bar Wars
Developing a new energy infrastructure is a fundamental challenge of the current generation:
- 2008/05/25: NakedCapitalism: Hamilton: "Understanding Crude Oil Prices"
- 2008/05/24: CalcRisk: U.S. Vehicle Miles vs. Real Gasoline Price
- 2008/05/24: CFR:BSetser: Unpleasant oil math
- 2008/05/20: FuturePundit: Wind Turbine Costs Up
- 2008/05/24: Independent(UK): Soaring [oil] prices are a warning that we need to change
- 2008/05/22: EnvFin: Iberdrola to invest $8 billion in US renewable energy [wind]
- 2008/05/23: EcoEcon: Gas Prices Not 'Outrageous'
- 2008/05/24: Guardian(UK): The high cost of oil is bad for the economy, but is it good for the climate?
- 2008/05/23: ClimateP: Hot rocks are a rockin' hot climate solution
- 2008/05/21: WorldChanging: [DOE] Study Supports U.S. Wind Expansion
- 2008/05/23: OilChange: Oil Price Crisis: Market Sentiment or New World Order?
- 2008/05/22: PeakEnergy: IEA: Oil supplies could fall well short
- 2008/05/22: PeakEnergy: The Tide Is Turning [ocean power]
- 2008/05/22: WSJ:EnvCap: Peak Oil in Paris: International Energy Agency Now Skittish Too
- 2008/05/22: ClimateP: $12 - $15 gas? Not so fast. But we'll soon be mad for $6 - $7
- 2008/05/21: B&M: 'Squawk Box' Guest Warns of $12-15-a-Gallon Gas
"[T]he prices that we're paying at the pump today are, I think, going to be 'the good old days,' because others who watch this very closely forecast that we're going to be hitting $12 and $15 per gallon," Hirsch said. "And then, after that, when oil -- world oil production goes into decline, we're going to talk about rationing. In other words, not only are we going to be paying high prices and have considerable economic problems, but in addition to that, we're not going to be able to get the fuel when we want it." - 2008/05/22: CDreams: ProvidenceJournal: Coal Money vs. Wind Power Redux
- 2008/05/21: BBerg: Oil Rises Above $134 on U.S. Supply Drop, Bank Price Forecasts
- 2008/05/21: TreeHugger: Wind Turbine Costs Went Through the Roof in Past 3 Years
- 2008/05/21: CNBC: Oil Prices Settle at Another Record, Above $133
- 2008/05/21: NEN: World's biggest offshore wind to UK
- 2008/05/21: G&M: Oil soars past $132 a barrel
- 2008/05/20: EconBrowser: Oil price fundamentals
- 2008/05/21: TheBigPicture: Crude Oil = $132; Peak Oil?
- 2008/05/20: AFP: Oil price hits record above $129
- 2008/05/19: EnergyBulletin: Distillates
The evidence is mounting that the US might just encounter the first real crisis of the oil depletion age before the year is out. The crisis at first will be one of spiraling prices for diesel ... and heating oil that will cause considerable economic havoc, and then there may be actual shortages right here in the United States. - 2008/05/19: BBerg: Not Enough Oil Is Lament of BP, Exxon on Spending
- 2008/05/19: NEN: Boone Pickens' big wind
- 2008/05/19: WSJ:EnvCap: Coal Porters: Oil-Rich Mid-East May Import Coal
- 2008/05/19: WSJ:EnvCap: Spanish Fly: Iberdrola's $8 Billion U.S. Bet [on wind]
- 2008/05/19: OilChange: Now the Gas Dries up...
Meanwhile among the solar afficionados:
- 2008/05/22: FuturePundit: Solar Photovoltaics Competitive By 2015?
- 2008/05/22: REA: Nanowires May Boost Solar Cell Efficiency
- 2008/05/22: ENN: Solar 101 -- The Info You Need To Get Going
- 2008/05/20: OilDrum: Solar Islands: A new concept for low-cost solar energy at very large scale
- 2008/05/21: NEN: Thin film efficiency edges up
- 2008/05/21: McClatchyDC: Large solar power system planned in Texas
- 2008/05/20: NEN: Algeria to send sun to Europe
- 2008/05/19: SlashDot: Hairy Solar Cells Could Mean Higher Efficiency
- 2008/05/19: NEN: Big money to solar power plant pioneer [Luz II]
The arithmetic of coal carbon is striking home:
- 2008/05/22: MTobis: Light After a Long Darkness
- 2008/05/19: StarTrib: The end of coal? The fossil fuel generates the lion's share of electricity in this country. But concerns about pollution could signal change
- 2008/05/12: CNN: True or False: The world has enough proven coal reserves to last for the next 100 years?
Biofuel bickering abounds:
- 2008/05/24: OilDrum: Ethanol's Energy Balance [Tad Patzek interview]
- 2008/05/20: REA: Big Oil Steps Into Brazilian Ethanol
- 2008/05/21: KSJT: NYTimes, BBC, etc: Grows fast, likes it rough, makes lots of biofuel? Sounds like a WEED.
- 2008/05/21: DotEarth: More Unintended Risks from Biofuels?
- 2008/05/21: PhysOrg: Energy crops take a roasting [torrefaction]
- 2008/05/21: NYT: New Trend in Biofuels [non-food crops] Has New Risks
- 2008/05/21: SciDaily: Using Forest Residues Reduces Soil Carbon Stock
- 2008/05/20: Guardian(UK): Alstom to build 50m pound biomass plant for Drax
- 2008/05/20: PhysOrg: Some biofuel crops could become invasive species: experts
The nuclear energy controversy continues:
- 2008/05/23: BSD: The nuclear energy dilemma
- 2008/05/23: FuturePundit: Italy To Restart Nuclear Plant Construction
- 2008/05/19: AutoBG: Will nuclear-produced electricity be low carbon?
Yes we have a peak oil sighting:
- 2008/05/25: PeakEnergy: Peak oil hits new heights
- 2008/05/24: SMH: Peak oil hits new heights and the view is not pretty
- 2008/05/23: CCurrents: Is The world About To Be Running On Empty?
- 2008/05/23: Independent(UK): Is the world about to be running on empty? As evidence emerges of dwindling oil reserves, the price of crude hits $135 a barrel
- 2008/05/21: PeakEnergy: Hirsch and Pickens On Peak Oil
And then there is the matter of efficiency & conservation:
- 2008/05/21: SMH: Talking fridges hate global warming - pass it on
- 2008/05/19: GristMill: Something everyone can be the Saudi Arabia of - ACEEE on the carbon-free energy source no one talks about
Automakers & lawyers, engineers & activists argue over the future of the car:
- 2008/05/25: JQuiggin: Peak Car
- 2008/05/23: CNN: SUVs plunge toward 'endangered' list
- 2008/05/24: ClimateP: The Sacramento Bee on plug-in hybrids
- 2008/05/24: SMH: Ford changes focus as gas guzzlers left unsold
- 2008/05/23: CBC: Toyota building $192M green-car [nickel-metal hydride] battery plant
- 2008/05/22: NEN: How & why GM & the EV [electric vehicle] split and got back together
- 2008/05/22: AutoBG: Registered hybrid vehicles increase 36 percent in nine months in Massachusetts
- 2008/05/22: CalcRisk: Ford Warns, Cuts Production
- 2008/05/21: AutoBG: Toyota plans an 18 vehicle low CO2 product offensive in Europe
- 2008/05/20: AfterGutenberg: Bad News, Orion Bus Fans
- 2008/05/21: CBC: Honda to sell affordable, new-generation hybrid early next year
- 2008/05/20: GristMill: Consumers in the driver's seat - It's shifting consumer demand that will drive increases in vehicle fuel efficiency
- 2008/05/20: TP:WonkRoom: Chrysler's "Let's Refuel America" Program Incentivizes Driving And Gasoline Consumption
- 2008/05/19: ClimateP: Prius, Part 2: Why hybrids beat diesels
- 2008/05/19: PeakEnergy: A Holden Hybrid? [cars]
- 2008/05/18: AutoBG: Nissan hedges all-electric bet with range extender option
- 2008/05/19: AutoBG: Mercedes CEO worries about impact of global CO2 and MPG rules
- 2008/05/19: CBC: Nissan, NEC to make lithium-ion batteries for green cars
The reaction of business to climate change will be critical:
- 2008/05/22: WorldChanging: "B" is for Beneficial: The B Corporation
Meanwhile in the greenwashing chronicles:
- 2008/05/21: WorldChanging: Stemming the tide of greenwashing
The carbon lobby are up to the usual:
- 2008/05/24: JFleck: George Will is a Hack
- 2008/05/24: MTobis: Archer's fourth point [David Archer's response to Freeman Dyson in RealClimate]
- 2008/05/24: RealClimate: Freeman Dyson's selective vision
- 2008/05/23: DeSmogBlog: A Coal Industry Front Group's Principled Attack on Climate Action
- 2008/05/23: NatureCF: Oil heirs mutiny at Exxon
- 2008/05/23: GristMill: The Will to disbelieve - Conservative pundit correctly recognizes the radical implications of the polar bear decision
- 2008/05/22: ClimateP: Should you believe anything John Christy and Roy Spencer say?
- 2008/05/22: Deltoid: Groundpundit Day
- 2008/05/21: RealClimate: How to cook a graph in three easy lessons
- 2008/05/21: DeSmogBlog: Flawed Oregon Petition Rises Again - Climate "Science" by the Pound
- 2008/05/22: Guardian(UK): Heavyweight [19 institutional] investors join Rockefeller rebellion at ExxonMobil
- 2008/05/21: JQuiggin: Smokescreen
- 2008/05/19: TruthOut: Exxon Facing Shareholder Revolt Over Approach to Climate Change
- 2008/05/19: CSW: "Conspiracy Theory" - "Will the legal strategy that brought down Big Tobacco work against Big Oil"
- 2008/05/20: Deltoid: Oregon petition warmed over
- 2008/05/20: Stoat: In defence of Exxon
- 2008/05/19: SciNews: When Is a Consensus on Climate Not a Consensus?
- 2008/05/19: KSJT: Science News: Huge petition has thousand of names saying global warming is a crock. All scientists. Maybe.
- 2008/05/19: GristMill: Is Big Coal like Big Tobacco? Suing energy companies for global warming damages
- 2008/05/19: GristMill: We Get It -- the joke, that is - Corporate evangelical leaders cloak opposition to climate policy behind concern for poor
- 2008/05/19: JQuiggin: Godwin quinella
- 2008/05/19: Deltoid: On-line abuse
- 2008/05/19: OilChange: Exxon Faces Shareholder Revolt over Climate Change
- 2008/05/19: Guardian(UK): Exxon facing shareholder revolt over approach to climate change
Then there was the usual news and commentary:
- 2008/05/23: Atmoz: United States Climate Reference Network
- 2008/05/21: GristMill: Whirled Bank - Does the bank have a legitimate role in solving the climate crisis?
- 2008/05/21: JQuiggin: Climate, Water and Adaptive Responses
- 2008/05/21: OilChange: EU: Keep the Temperature Rise Well Below 2 Degrees
- 2008/05/20: Atmoz: Fat People Cause Global Warming?
- 2008/05/20: GristMill: Deloitte survey of consumers and utility regulators
- 2008/05/20: GristMill: Early warning signs at the Global Warming Cafe - The Climate Policy Paradigm has reached its endgame
- 2008/05/20: DeSmogBlog: Climate's Sub-Prime Mortgages
- 2008/05/19: QuarkSoup: Primer on Climate Change
- 2008/05/19: ClimateP: This just in: Great Ice Age of 2008 is still over
And here are a couple of sites you may find interesting and/or useful:
- Polar Bear Nation
- Coal is Dirty - Welcome to the Clean Coal Body Slam
- LDEO: Persistent drought in North America: a climate modeling and paleoclimate perspective
- WISC:CIMSS: Seasonal Dust Products
- EnvFin: Environmental Finance
- Global Footprint Network
- AfterGutenberg
- WaterCrunch
- Zone5
- UNL: US Drought Monitor
- UKCIP: The UK Climate Impacts Programme
- Planet Extinction
- ACitW: A Change in the Wind
Cue the dark laughter:
A study by Knutson et al. predicted fewer hurricanes, kicking off a minor storm:
Damocles sword is back courtesy of the melting permafrost:
The Arctic melt continues to get a lot of attention:
Doing nothing is not a climate plan:
A report on acidification kicked up a flurry:
Large scale geo-engineering keeps popping up:
The EU Common Agricultural Policy allegedly came under review:
The solar means test shock is still echoing:
In Canada, minority neocon PM Harper, continues his do-nothing policy:
And then there is the miscellaneous Canadiana:
The movement toward a long term ecologically viable economics is glacial:
Meanwhile among the 'Sue the Bastards!' contingent:
Low Key Plug
My first novel Water was published in Canada May, 2007. The American release was in October. An Introductionto the novel is available, along with the Unpublished Forewordand the Launch Talk. An overview of my writing is available here.
<regards>
P.S. Recent postings can be found in the week archive and the ancient postings can be accessed here, which should open to this.
"Physics has 3 laws that explain 97% of everything while economics has 97 laws that explain 3% of everything." -anon